Chapter 4B:

It was as if his very presence, his aura, was so strong and menacing that he did not even need to speak to grab the attention and make me slow my progression.

“It looks like your friends need medical treatment.” I could hear the Warblade's voice behind me, and a shiver ran down my spine. “Surrender, and they will be treated. I promise.”

His commanding voice made me turn around immediately and face him. His face looked aged and wise and channeled both authority and trustworthiness, yet there was something more there, something distant that was hidden underneath his stoic expression. His gaze was cold. So cold, I wondered if he even meant what he said. So cold, I questioned if he was really a hero.

I weighed my options: Elandor was too far away and busy fighting the Stormbringer. There was no way for him to reach us in time. And me? What could I even do against the great Warblade? He could probably just slap the life out of me if he wanted.

Surrendering didn’t seem like a bad idea…Only that it was. I already knew that from personal experience: Thirteen years ago, when my father was wrongfully arrested for a crime that he didn’t commit, I never saw him again. While he was still waiting for a trial, he was killed in his prison cell - by other inmates, or so the guards told my mother and me. In reality, his imprisonment and later death were all part of a ruse to protect the true perpetrator - a noble’s son. And it wasn’t the first or last time it happened, as corruption ran deep within all of Morthryga’s civil institutions and royal court.

I tried to ignore him, and kept making my way toward Frenkie, carrying Ren in my arms.

The Warblade’s voice sounded heavier and more threatening this time. “You should stop. Now.”

His words seemed to possess the same aura he did, as they made me freeze solid on the spot, while goosebumps spread across my body, and my knees trembled uncontrollably. I had to shake my head aggressively to regain my composure and keep walking.

I laid Ren’s sleeping body near Frenkie and turned around to face the Warblade again. I knew my best option would be to use the tourmaline ring right now, at this very moment. But that meant leaving Elandor behind, and I couldn’t do that…

I watched the tourmaline ring on my finger and the possibility of escape allured me. If I don’t use the ring now, we will all die here. At least this way I could still save Ren, Frenkie and myself.

Thankfully, Frenkie’s voice interrupted my inner struggle. “We can’t leave Elandor behind.” He said as he stood up slowly, balancing himself against the wall with his left hand, his voice labored

He was right, but how can we even make Elandor see sense again? Right now, we are just risking our own lives here for no reason.

Frenkie looked at the Warblade with an intense gaze.

“Don’t do anything you’ll regret, kid.” The legendary hero warned him.

The tension grew, and I couldn’t tell if Frenkie had a plan or if he was just bluffing to buy time. But buying time for what? We were alone here against this monster.

The sound of a crash behind the Warblade had grabbed everyone’s attention. It was Elandor. He was thrown inside the treasury by the Stormbringer and crashed on the stack of golden ingots, or what was left of it.

The Stormbringer laughed. “C’mon, you can do better than that. I didn’t even use my lightning yet.”

“Take it elsewhere.” Alaric Belton commanded him.

“You heard the man, stand up or I’ll slice what’s left of your crew into tiny pieces.” Leon Valter smiled as he slowly approached the fallen Elandor. “Oh wait, I’ll slice them up anyway.”

His threat made Elandor react - he quickly jumped from his position and with a swift hand movement, conjured an icy sword which originated from his right hand. He leapt forward, closing the distance, thrusting and slicing with precision. Yet, the Stormbringer effortlessly evaded every advance, his movements quick - he seemed untouchable.

Meanwhile, Axel Bane approached the treasury slowly and leaned his back against the remains of the front wall, watching me and Frenkie with a curious look on his face.

As Alaric Belton’s attention shifted to the fight behind him, I noticed a shiny transparent stone under some rubble right next to me - the calcite. I feared that if I moved, the Warblade will notice me and see the stone, but I knew I had to take it. We already paid too much to simply leave it behind.

I crouched slowly, and quietly, and picked it up from the floor with my left hand.

Frenkie looked at me and nodded as I signaled with my hand for him to stay ready. We would need to find an opening where Elandor gets close enough to us for me to put a hand on him and teleport us all away, even if he was against it.

“I’ve seen what you picked there, boy.” The Warblade’s voice sent shivers down my spine. “I suggest you hand me that stone if you know what’s good for you.”

I exchanged a nervous glance with Frenkie, not knowing what to do.

“Don’t even think about teleporting away with it.” The Warblade continued, his back to us. “The only reason I haven’t already sliced your head off with my bare hand is because I might not be able to close the distance between us in time. But trust me – if you do run away, I will find you, and it’s not going to be pretty.”

His threat made my heart run wild as the prospect of a painful and gruesome death in the hands of the kingdom’s legendary hero loomed over my head.

Meanwhile, recognizing the need for a shift in strategy, Elandor tapped into the malleability of his ice magic. As each of his thrusts met empty air, he altered the form of his icy blade. His sword began to sprout spikes in the direction of the Stormbringer’s evasive maneuvers. The unexpected transformation disrupted the young Champion’s rhythm, forcing him into a flurry of acrobatic dodges. Their fight continued, with the Stormbringer exhibiting astonishing flexibility in his evasions. Yet, as the icy spikes continued to materialize with each missed strike from Elandor, the pressure mounted. In a moment of precision, a spike from the morphing sword neared the Stormbringer’s dodging form, prompting him to make an unexpected move. For the first time in the confrontation, Leon Valter drew his sword. The clash of metal with magical ice resonated through the air as the Stormbringer parried the approaching spike with great expertise, acknowledging the increasing threat posed by Elandor’s inventive use of ice magic.

“He actually had you using your sword, Leon.” The mostly quiet Axel Bane blurted out, while mockingly laughing at his comrade.

The derisive laughter powered the Stormbringer’s anger, and with a flash of fury, he lunged at Elandor with his sword. The frozen blade crafted by Elandor crumbled effortlessly under the relentless assault, shattering into pieces with each attempt of a block. However, the expected triumph for the Stormbringer turned into an unexpected twist. As the strikes of his sword dismissed of Elandor’s icy blade, he aimed a final blow at Elandor’s body, expecting to cut him down effortlessly. But Elandor, with great ingenuity, had coated his body with an extremely concentrated layer of ice, creating an icy armor that slowed the trajectory of the strike and intercepted it. The overconfident Stormbringer found himself halted by this unforeseen defense, his sword unable to cut through the way it should’ve.

Seizing this momentary advantage presented by the Stormbringer’s momentary surprise, Elandor acted quickly. His right hand, now adorned with icy spikes which he conjured while his fist was in mid-air, shot forward. The attack caught the young Champion off guard, and before he could react, the spikes connected with his face, violently tearing through his skin. The face of the kingdom’s ladies’ sweetheart had shred to pieces as his blood mixed with shards of ice, and his body fell backward. But Elandor didn’t stop there. He immediately jumped on the Stormbringer’s head and continued smashing and bashing it ferociously with his feet, turning it into a bloody pulp.

“Woah!” Axel Bane cheered from the treasury’s entrance, clapping his hands energetically. “Look at him go.”

Elandor exhaled heavily, before locking his gaze with the Warblade’s. “You’re next.” He said threateningly.

Frenkie and I instinctively smiled.

Seeing how Elandor managed to beat the Stormbringer brought me back to the conversation with Frenkie again. Perhaps Elandor did write his own rules. Bringing down one of the kingdom’s three Champions was an insane feat that nobody could ever claim. Maybe I misjudged his earlier expression. Maybe he wasn’t looking for death, maybe he was the one who was going to deliver it.

The Warblade shook his head as he looked at Leon Valter's body. “He needs to start taking his opponents seriously.”

With a quick conjuring of another icy blade, Elandor launched into a series of strikes, each one aimed at the leader of the Champions. Yet, to Elandor’s dismay, Alaric Belton seemed to effortlessly anticipate and dodge every move, his evasions almost precognitive, all while he kept his hands crossed behind his own back. Even the morphing strikes Elandor successfully used on the Stormbringer were deemed worthless against the Warblade. Alaric Belton’s avoidance of the icy attacks was not limited to evasion alone; with each graceful sidestep, with each jaw-dropping dodge, he incorporated a humiliating punch. These were not strikes meant to inflict physical damage, but rather mental. Each punch carried the weight of disdain, until Alaric Belton felt he had enough toying around. “Get out of my sight.” He said as one of his soft punches turned into a strike of overwhelming power. The impact of his punch on Elandor’s chest resonated across the treasury and Elandor flew backward and crashed against the wall next to Axel Bane.

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My heart skipped a beat as I felt that was the end of him.

“C’mon thief! We both know you didn’t take the full hit there.” Axel Bane cheered Elandor on, perhaps out of a sick and twisted sense of humor. Yet his words seemed to hold some truth as Elandor managed to stand once more. Balancing himself against the wall, he coughed blood.

His entire upper body was covered by a layer of shattered thick ice, which intercepted most of the punch and the impact with the wall. He probably managed to conjure it around himself milliseconds before the Warblade’s devastating punch landed on him.

It seemed like Frenkie couldn’t bear it anymore. The sight of Elandor, his idol, being tossed around was too much for him. Driven by a surge of protective rage, he leaped onto the Warblade’s back, brandishing a knife in his left hand, and pressing it against the leader’s throat.

“Don’t move or I’ll kill you!” Frenkie shouted. “Let him go!”

“What are you doing, kid?” The Warblade said, his voice carrying a hint of disappointment.

Elandor looked both shocked and terrified at Frenkie’s act of bravery, because he knew that it only meant one thing.

The Warblade tilted his jaw toward the knife. The metallic tang of the blade clashed against his teeth and filled the air as, with a sharp move of his jaw, he snapped the knife into pieces. After that, with an almost casual strength, he lifted Frenkie high above his head with a single hand, leaving him suspended in mid-air, defenseless. Then, with a forceful blow to the gut, he unleashed his strength. The impact resonated through Frenkie’s body, leaving a hole in the wake of the Warblade’s punching arm.

As life left Frenkie’s eyes, The Warblade threw his body to the side, as if it was a disposable piece of junk, and attempted to clean the bloodied arm with his other hand, his expression calm and collected.

My knees shook at the display of brutality as the room fell silent for a moment.

Then, Elandor screamed. Powered by rage and desperation, he launched himself at the Warblade with a war cry. However, the superior physique of the legendary hero allowed him to effortlessly catch Elandor mid-air. As he held him suspended, he skilfully played on Elandor’s self-blame. “You did this.” He told him coldly. “I gave you a way out, but no, you wanted this.”

It seemed like the words struck deep, enraging Elandor even further.

In a surge of anger, Elandor attempted to turn the tide, releasing multiple icy spikes from his own body to pierce Alaric Belton. Yet to his dismay, each spike shattered upon contact with The Warblade’s seemingly impenetrable skin and armor, which only intensified Elandor’s frustration.

Amidst this tense standoff, a familiar player returned to the scene.

Looking more alive than ever, an almost headless Leon Valter, stood up. With his head rapidly regenerating, from seemingly thin air, right in front of our eyes, he rose behind them. It seemed like dark magic was on display as I couldn’t believe my own eyes. “First my cloak...Then my face!” his mouth shouted as the rest of his head was still forming itself. “Die, bastard!”

Without hesitation, he unleashed a torrent of intense lightning from his hands directly at Elandor, heedless of his leader, who, surprised by his subordinate’s reckless assault, released Elandor’s body and rolled to the side.

Elandor was caught in the full force of the Stormbringer’s lightning and bore the brunt of the attack. The electrical surge ripped through his clothes, burned his skin, and singed his hair, leaving him in a gruesome state. When the Stormbringer stopped the surge of his lightning, Elandor did not look like Elandor anymore. His heart was still beating, that I was sure of, thanks to the fluorite ring, but his body was damaged beyond anything I have ever seen before.

Behind the Stormbringer, I could see the despicable face of Joven. He watched us without a single hint of remorse or guilt in his expression.

“Leon, you idiot!” Alaric Belton shouted angrily. “What do you think you’re doing?”

In a moment of clarity, I decided to use their lack of attention, and quickly slid the tourmaline ring onto my ring finger.

I shot a last glance at Frenkie and Will’s bodies, regretful that I couldn’t take them with me. Then, I immediately grabbed Ren’s and Elandor’s and with a sound command in my head, teleported us away to the farthest place I’ve ever been to – the hill outside of Willox’s northern gates.

***

The rain fell relentlessly, each droplet painful as it hit my skin. I stood atop the hill, gasping for breath, as the city’s northern gates loomed in the distance.

The rain-soaked hill had turned treacherous, each step leaving me on the verge of slipping into the mud. Ren’s unconscious form rested heavily on my shoulder, while Elandor’s weakened body, mangled and charred, hung from my other arm as I pulled him by the arm behind me.

A gust of wind whipped through the trees, and I fell, struggling to keep hold of Ren and Elandor’s bodies as the downpour intensified. Carrying them both felt impossible, and my strength wavered in the rainstorm.

Ren began to slip from my grasp, and my heart raced with panic. I balanced myself desperately, reaching out while adjusting my body to keep her from collapsing onto the ground. I tried to shoulder their weight in turns. Ren, Elandor, Ren, Elandor – my attempts to carry them both left me exhausted.

I stumbled again, and my knees met the mud below. Ren’s unconscious body bore the brunt of my fall, cushioning my impact while my thoughts jumped between the physical struggle and the grief echoing in my mind. Frenkie’s death, a fresh wound in my heart and mind, gnawed at me. The sudden brutality at the hands of Alaric Belton was an image I wished I could forget...

I pressed on, pushing myself up.

I glanced toward the distant city gates and a surge of anxiety filled my heart - the guards could suddenly notice me and come here. I knew I had to hasten my retreat before they caught a glimpse of us. Eventually, I managed to hide behind the hill, among the trees. Beneath their sparse cover, the rain persisted, yet it was a bit more bearable.

I lowered Ren gently to the damp ground, she seemed so weak and vulnerable. While Elandor, barely a shadow of his former self, slumped beside her. The rain, though subdued, continued to hammer their prone figures. The shelter was incomplete, and the weather was getting worse by the minute, but under the circumstances, what else could I do? Where else could I go?

A listened in to Ren's heartbeat with my enhanced hearing and was relieved to hear she was still alive. Hope flickered, however dim. On the other hand, Elandor’s labored breaths, combined with his already extremely terrible physical state, suggested he didn’t have much time left.

Realization suddenly dawned – the rhodonite stone!

It was a healing stone that many healers used in their practices. Albeit weaker than its turquoise counterpart, the rhodonite was still a useful stone in the dire situation we were in. And so it happens, I stole one from the treasury. I reached for the stone in my pocket and looked at it. The red stone, the size of my thumb, shined with internal glow. I wondered who I should use it on, but before I could decide, Elandor spoke. “Don’t.” his weakened voice pierced through the drumming of raindrops.

I looked at his damaged figure and struggled to understand how he was even speaking.

“It’s unrefined. You’ll end up like her.” He continued with the same beaten tone.

I looked at Ren. Her unconscious state and purple arm the result of an untrained use of unrefined stones.

“What else can I do? She’s so weak and you…you are dying!” I broke down in tears, the night’s ordeals weighed heavily on me. “I can’t help you otherwise!”

“Luca…” he whispered.

With his arm, he signaled for me to get closer, and so I did.

“Don’t beat yourself up.” He continued whispering. “You’re strong. Way stronger than me.”

“What are you even saying?” I refuted. “You’re Elandor! The infamous leader of the Blood Moon Foxes. You even managed to defeat the Stormbringer!”

His gaze seemed to fall on his own body. His charred and battered body. “Looks like the last laugh was his…”

He only managed to bring Elandor to this state because of dark magic. A demon he was! He had to be!

“You were decisive enough to do what I should’ve done.” He whispered. “If I was a little more like you, Frenkie would’ve still been here. His blood is on my hands. Maybe even Will’s…Maybe I shouldn’t have taken that calcite job…You were right, we were way out of our league.”

“Don’t say that.” I dismissed his words. “We were just unlucky. The Champions shouldn’t have been there. You couldn’t have known!”

“I should’ve known it would end up like this. Life was never fair to me.” He disagreed. “I was a terrible man before I formed the Blood Moon Foxes. I tried to do some good. To take a few street urchins under my wing, so they don’t grow up with the same twisted moral compass I had growing up. And in the end, I was their downfall.”

“You weren’t!” I refused to agree with him. “And I’m sure the others would say the same.”

He tried to lift his hand as if he was trying to reach my shoulder, but he was weak. I reached out to his hand instead and held it in my own.

“You have it, don’t you? The calcite?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yes.”

“Good.” He whispered. “Listen carefully. My contact in Kase was a man named Tayn Nakana. He lives in their capital, Kanawa. Find him and bring him the stone. Tell him I sent you. He’ll respect our agreement, and you and Ren will have a home and a new life.”

I couldn’t believe his words. It was the damn calcite that even brought us to this state. How could he still be thinking about it? How could he still be thinking about us when his life was hanging by a thread?

“Elandor, I’m a Willox boy.” I admitted, a lump in my throat. “I don’t even know in which direction Kase is.”

“You’re smart.” He whispered. “I trust you’ll figure it out.”

“But – “ I tried to disagree, but he interrupted me.

“You have to look out for her now.” He whispered. “She’s reckless. Knowing her, when she regains her senses, she would rush back to Willox to try and kill the Stormbringer. Your job is to make sure she won’t.”

I looked at Ren. The image of Will’s body under the metallic door immediately popped into my mind, and I dropped my gaze. “I’m not like you, Elandor.” I said. “I’m weak. I can’t fight.”

“You’re not weak…Just a tad unprepared.” He said, his lips curved into what looked like a soft smile. “I know you. You’ll pick up on everything you need along the way and get things done, because that’s the person you are - a true survivor.”

Before I could say anything, he continued. “I would’ve given you my rings, but I felt them shatter when the lightning struck me.”

I looked at his hands for confirmation. Instead of rings, there were dark burns around his fingers.

“Peltragow.” He suddenly whispered.

“What about it?” I asked, confused.

“I never finished my story.” He said, his voice labored, suggesting his time was running out. “I have a hidden stash there inside the collapsed mines. It’s on the way to Kase. You should stop there and look for it. Some things there might help you along the journey, or at the very least you’ll be able to sell them to get by.”

“Look for it?” I asked. “Where is it exactly?”

“At the very heart of the collapsed mines.” He whispered. “Wish I could’ve explained better, but I can’t.”

“We’ll look for it.” I promised.

He nodded painfully. “The kingdom will start looking for you now. You’ll have to take care of each other.”

These were his dying words so, I nodded.

“Hey Luca, would you do a favor for a dying old man?” He asked.

“Of course.” I said with a shaky voice. “Anything you ask.”

“Please reach Kase.” He said with his dying breath. “Even if it’s just the two of you. Please make it so I at least helped someone in my life.”

I focused on his heartbeat using the fluorite ring and understood he was gone.