“So, this is the Fleshborne group of Psyons. Not so hard to capture as we were told.” Varian said as he crossed his arms. The pride in his smile made him look like a smiling rhinoceros. Darius couldn’t feel Duke’s presence anymore; it’s just like Zeeq’s Twin technique: he’s there in body but not in spirit.

“So, you’re the Dakrie that Duke kept talking about. You’re uglier than how he described,” Raizo spat, “I guess he just wants to make you guys look good when you’re uglier than shit.” Darius caught quick that Raizo was trying to divert attention but he was slapped pretty hard from behind for his comment.
“Mock all you want, monkey boy, you’re the prisoner now, not us. So, this is the infamous Darius Reign,” Lithia said as she walked around him like a vulture, “Our Lord General has taken a deep interest in you as of late. I wonder,” she said as she choked Darius with one hand and lifted him with ease, “what makes you so special compared to these losers?”

“Oi, who are you calling a loser, ya psycho-bitch?” Raizo spat as he struggled against the shadow vines.
“I believe,” Lithia released Darius; disappeared in an instant, and appeared right in front of Raizo, “I called you the loser!” her voice was pitched high and punched him in the chest, sending him soaring to the wall.

“Raizo!” Zeeq cried but it was no use, no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t break free. Something in these vines is constricting not only his movements but his ability to shift the earth around him.

“Hmm, cute little boy,” Lithia said as she bowed and kissed Zeeq on the cheek which he retorted and mimicked a barfing reaction.

“I warn you, Darkai, if you kill me, you will face the wrath of Iceria,” Igniz said.

“By all means, I welcome the challenge, Your Highness. Yes, we know who you are, Igniz von König. And I have to admit, you look much more handsome up-close than that pathetic profile picture,” Lithia replied as she looked closely into his retina, “I always admired Icerian eyes… what I wouldn’t kill just to have myself a pair.”

“Lithia, stop fraternizing with the enemy!” One of the hooded Dakrie said.

“Tch, you’re one to talk. Leave this to me, okay?” She turned around and walked to Varian, snapped her fingers once and all three of the remaining Psyons were bound flat on the ground, “Alright, Varian, you know the order. Spare the red, kill the rest.”

“WHAT?” Zeeq shouted out. Varian summoned his favorite weapon very much the same way Duke summoned his but Varian’s weapon looked far more militarized compared to what Darius has seen so far. The broadsword has gotten larger than last time.

Darius closed his eyes and tried to think about how he could get these guys out of here. There must be some way to escape this bind as he tries to remember Aunt Joe teaching him about ropes and knots.

“One thing you have to remember, sweetie, is that there is no such thing as a stuck knot. There’s always a way to untie a knot. All you have to do is find out where the main string is.” Aunt Joe’s exact words. He opened his eyes and could see Varian walking past him towards his teammates, Zeeq was ranting about if they ever got close he would bash them to pancakes. Igniz was silent as the third Dakrie readied his sword to the prince’s head. And then, just as Varian argued with himself on which Psyon to kill first, Darius saw it, the main string that’s binding them down. And he knows how to pull it.

“Will you hurry it up already, you big-blooded idiot? Geez, you always take forever to kill something.” The second Dakrie which now has his feet over Darius’s head spat to Varian.

“Shut up, Dorian,” Varian retorted as he swung his giant blade, “my orders, I get the kill!”
“Let him have his fun,” Lithia said as she turned her attention to Darius, “I guess talent doesn’t come just anywhere, huh?” she said and began ruffling his hair.

“You took the words out of my mouth. Bullet!” Darius bellowed and spat out a small pin of fire that shot straight to her face. The needle popped in front of her face that forced her to react to defend herself: the black vines shivered, his breathing more relaxed and Darius knew he was free. With all the power he could muster, Darius let loose a tower of flames that blinded everyone but just with enough time for him to grab Duke, Igniz, and Zeeq by their collars and Airhiked to higher ground.
He landed on the higher levels and the others crashed landed next to him, all grunting and fidgeting to stand back up but Igniz looked the worst for wear. The flaming pillar was sucked into a swirling dark vortex where the four Dakrie stood almost completely without a scratch. These are pretty tough guys to burn.
“Oh, that is such a cheap trick. A little shallow for your taste, isn’t it Duke?” Lithia said as she dusted off her cloak, “But unfortunately your friend isn’t much for brains, is he?” she dangled Raizo by the collar singlehandedly, seemingly lifeless. Blood began to rush in Darius’s head as he’s seeing the same image of Aunt Joe’s death all over again but this time, it was one of his comrades.
“Surrender the Reign boy or this one dies. It’s really simple, Duke.” Lithia said as Raizo continues to be dangled by the neck.
“And you never change, Lithia.” Duke returned as he slowly stood up and attempted to pull a thin black blade out of his chest.
“Denethil, poison to venom itself,” Duke said as he crushed the thin blade into dust, “I’ll get Raizo, you guys stay put and--” but Duke was cut off when Darius launched himself in a fiery blaze towards the group below.
Please tell me you have a plan! Duke thought and disappeared under black smoke.
Darius flipped once and kicked both legs downward, a massive fire missile shot forward and exploded as it hit a large dome of glittering black (“GO, DARIUS!” Zeeq cried). One of the Dakrie summoned it as his right hand was stretched forth. Darius launched missile after missile to shatter the dome but it stood firm.
“Well, this makes our job easier.” Lithia giggled. The fire display was just enough for the distraction as Duke slipped in between the dome and a displeased Lithia to grab Raizo and teleported away under a wisp of black smoke.
“Well, you can’t deny their little game was well played,” Dorian said as he released his dome.
“Still a cheap trick...” She sighed as she massaged the back of her hand. She looked forward and found her target standing by himself, his ripped coat and rusted armor made him look pathetic but at the same time, quite formidable with fury in his eyes.
“You’ve grown up a bit, boy. Last time I saw you, you were cowering behind Duke’s legs.” Varian said with a dark chuckle.
“Yeah, and the last time I saw you, you were in a hole in the ground. Must be nice eating up all that dirt.” Darius said as he ripped off his armor from his coat.
Varian returned a dark look but looked away when Lithia gave him a questioning look.
“Take care of those brats up there, I’ll handle the mission,” Lithia said as she took off her cloak but Varian replied only with a grunt and he, along with the other two Dakrie, disappeared under black smoke. Already Darius could hear the clashing of swords above him but Darius couldn’t help them; his main focus is the Dakrie captain in front of him.
“Well, I must thank you for making my job easier. But this is the end of the line for you, Psyon. Something as small as you can’t possibly beat me in a one-on-one.” Lithia said as she stretched her arms and legs.
“Wanna bet?” Darius replied and sped forward with a fiery punch. He reached just a foot from her face but he stopped in midair as more of the black vines suddenly sprung out of the ground and the air itself and bound him tight.
“Like I said, not one for brains,” Lithia said after a mocking yawn. She twirled her middle and index fingers and Darius was slammed into the ground and then was tossed into the air and again slammed back down. Three times he was slammed until Lithia held him suspended in midair by his arms: he is now lifeless.
“You can pray that Varian will fail again. But only because he’s an idiot and he’s not good at his job. The only reason that he’s where he is it’s because Duke ran away like a coward and left that seat vacant... And he didn’t take me with him.” Lithia said. Her last few words were hushed but not low enough for Darius to miss.
“You wanted... To run away... Too? Why... Didn’t you...?” Darius struggle to talk but he coughed blood whenever he tried to speak. The pain in his chest was beyond anything he ever felt before but his healing abilities are kicking in slower than usual.
“Because I know my place while he knows nothing...” she said. Her expressions grew darker.
“I... remember you... I saw... your picture... On Duke’s... Neck...” Darius coughed.
Her vines… Look into her vines…
Lithia didn’t say anything except look like she was about to cry. She twirled her fingers again and a dark portal opened right beneath him, she was going to drop him and send him straight to her master.
“I’ll try my best not to kill him,” she said and dropped him. Darius was swallowed but only up to his stomach, he could tell he was stuck because Lithia is still keeping him on the level.
“Does he talk about me?” she asked.
“He doesn’t... Talk… much…” Darius replied. His breathing became eased as he feels his strength returning to him. He just needs to distract her a little more to escape.
It is just a thread… I am the Thread…
“Just an F.Y.I., I am his only lover back in that shrewd fortress and he was mine. But he suddenly grew a conscious and broke my heart. This time, I’m going to break his.” she said and snapped her fingers but it was too late. Darius punched the portal and rocketed himself out of it after a stream of fire but Lithia would not let her pray escape, after all, she is the Shadow Huntress and she always catches her prey.
She appeared on top of him with black smoke and stretched out her hand but Darius kicked a fiery uppercut to deflect it. The two of them landed a distance from each other and faced off again like before.
“I have to thank you for teaching me that,” Darius said as he slowly took off his coat, “you taught me an extremely valuable lesson.”
“What lesson?” she asked.
“Oops, sorry,” he said and punched a stream of fire forward. Lithia snapped her fingers to summon a black wall like before to block but the flames took a vivid shape and surrounded the wall and stretched forward to wrap Lithia’s body whole. It was a flame whip.
“What the hell is this? Since when could Pyrelighters do this?” she thought as she struggled to break loose.
“I wasn’t talking to you,” Darius said as Lithia looked up, “I felt a weird radiance from your vines you held us down with and it got me thinking about how you did it. He taught me where to look and now, I know how you and Varian and Duke have been molding that Darkmatter stuff like it was wet clay.”
“So, you figured out a new trick. So, what? Not that impressive, monkey boy!” she shrieked and spread her arms wide as she broke free of the whip.
Someone taught him a trick while I was binding him? How does that even make sense unless… Lithia thought. And it became clear to her with his response.
“It’s Aeonfyre,” Darius said as he stood in his martial stance, “I always wondered why my flames were different compared to the ones I’ve seen and read about and it just hit me, it was never real fire, to begin with.”
“What are you talking about?” Lithia demanded as dark liquid started to emit from her skin and armor.
“I’ll just have to show you,” Darius said and thrusts his index finger forward, “Fire Bullets!” a single shot of fire flew rapidly towards his target, aiming directly to her forehead but the bullet was blocked by a shroud of Darkmatter.
“The same circus tricks are getting old real fast, monkey boy,” she smirked. The fluids now swirled around her like smoke and glittering dust.
Darius used his finger again but this time slashed sideways. The fire emitted soared towards Lithia almost as fast as the bullet and although the width is larger, again it was absorbed by the Darkmatter.
“Okay, you’re starting to look cute with that expression of yours when you fire a shot. I’m gonna give you one more chance and if I’m still not impressed, I’m going to have to cut off your arms and legs and drag you back to my Lord General. Better make it snappy, monkey boy.” Lithia said after mocking another yawn.
“Oh, don’t worry, you’ll be impressed soon enough. Don’t blink,” Darius said as he slowly waved his arms into another stance, “don’t look away, don’t spare a single breath.”
“Clock’s ticking, buddy.” she snickered.
Out of nowhere, hundreds if not thousands of new life forms suddenly appeared without warning but he couldn’t see them. He couldn’t tell their intent so he doesn’t know whether they are friends or foes but one thing that was for certain: These newcomers are poised to kill.
Darius hardened his right hand into a clawing form, ignoring the sudden new presence that even Lithia isn’t attentive to or chose to ignore: golden red sparks began to swirl as they gather in his palm. More and more sparks formed in his hand as he felt them coursing through the air like the very air in his lungs. Then, flames from around the entire battlefield started to bend to him as if being sucked in. Lithia held her breath as she watched the swirling vortex forming in her opponent’s hand and it’s starting to take shape.
“That is…” she breathed. Darius grunted as he struggled to feel the flames being compressed into a single form. As soon as it was completed, Darius held the end with both hands: it was a rough and incomplete form of a sword but it was firm enough to duel.
“You and that giant ape of a partner of yours have never seen me fight one on one with a sword. I take it you guys just found out about me but don’t even know my whole story,” Darius said as he wielded the flame blade in front of him, “Duke told me that the Dakrie is ranked as the Darkai military’s finest. Why don’t you show me if the stories are true?”
“Hmm… interesting... Do you want to challenge the authenticity of the Dakrie? It’d be my pleasure, monkey boy.” Lithia returned with a grin as she created a sword of her own.
“My name is Darius!” he bellowed and sprinted forward to deal the first blow.
***
Duke kneeled on one knee and supported himself with his weapon but he could see that it was starting to crack while Varian stood tall, but he looks worse for wear after a while of fighting.

“Getting soft, brother, or are you trying to save yet another pathetic life form.” Varian mocked. Duke ignored anything this brute had to say and tried to focus on his weapon. His friends were limping just several meters behind him and two knocked out Dakrie in front of him. At least, one problem is less.
He knew that the Darkmatter reflects on the strength and integrity of the user but the quantity isn’t infinite and he’s now faced with another problem: Zeeq is watching and trying to give as much support as he could despite his arm being broken.

“Come on, Duke! Kick his shiny butt off the mountain and let’s go home! This place is getting cold…” Zeeq cheered but Duke could see in Zeeq’s eyes that the Illusionary Arte he placed earlier is starting to wear off. Yes, he placed an Arte on his youngest teammate to protect him from the true horrors of death surrounding the mountainside.
Zeeq, despite all of his prowess and child-like personality, has too soft of a heart to witness death in front of him, and even if he could withstand the sight, there is no guarantee that he won’t get traumatized or even go insane. Why the Catalyst chose Zeeq in the first place, Duke couldn’t figure it out. But he will have no choice but go all out and reveal his secret if this pace keeps up… and he’d rather die as a Darkai than reveal his dark side to his friends.

“What’s the matter, Duke, cat got your tongue to answer your little friend?” Varian mocked.

“Shut up, Varian…” Duke replied as he slowly stood up. The cracks on his claws began to decay further and it's driving him to push against time. It’s either face capture and torturous death or saves the day but scares the souls out of his friends.

“Hey, Zeeq?” Duke called.

“Right here, buddy.” He replied with glee.

“I’m sorry… I’ll buy you a really big chocolate bar for your next lunch. The biggest you’ve ever eaten in your life.” Duke said.

“But why would you apologize for--” Zeeq said but was cut off when black dust suddenly appeared in front of him and placed him to immediate silence. The dust cleared and Zeeq stared directly forward, his eyes blank and emotionless.

“Humph, not bad, brother… You are still Dakrie by nature. It doesn’t matter, I’m going to kill you all anyway! Father demanded that you be captured and brought back alive but an accident that took your arms and legs won’t hurt him.” Varian spat as he readied his broadsword.

“I think I told you before,” Duke said as he flexed his hand and the claws changed shape, “You are not touching him!” and Darkmatter now began to fill the air around them, the rocks, the walls of the mountain, even the very sky itself began to darken as more and more liquid Darkmatter began to swirl around its master.

“What the hell is this?” Varian roared.

“You’ve never seen this before because you weren’t supposed to,” Duke bellowed as his Dakrie Armor took shape, “But this is what marks a true Dakrie and the reason why you could never do this is the biggest factor why father never chose you to join the ranks. Right here, right now, let me remind you,” he began to slide his feet to stand into a more defensive stance, “I am the Violent Duke! I started the Dakrie while you were still in basic training! You are nothing to what a true Dakrie should be!”

The atmosphere shuddered violently. Psyonic Pressure began to press on Varian as he began to suffocate, everything around the captain darkened as if night had fallen upon him, and there, in front of his vision just barely twenty feet away, stood a fiery form of inhuman proportions as a dark figure writhed in storms of swirling purple flames.

“That is impossible! You shouldn’t exist!” Varian cried, paralyzed from the waist down.

“Burn in darkness fire!”
***
Hundreds of them stood still and quiet as two blades clashed below. The others have spread throughout the foot of the mountain to ensure no one and nothing came into close contact with these two as ordered. They are quite impressed with the martial display of both Darius and the lady Dakrie and they hoped this would be over soon as the time is running out for the mountain.
Darius swung quickly as he held his weapon with both hands but Lithia is quicker as she swung not one sword but two in both hands. Every time their blades clashed, a ring and a spark would fly from the clash and it would disrupt the air around them. This disruption is causing Darius to hesitate at certain crucial moments that would’ve finished this fight more quickly and Lithia knows this but he could see on her face that she is struggling.
“What’s the matter? I guess you Dakrie aren’t all that great with a sword, huh?” Darius mocked as he made a fake blow only to swing around to attack.
“Don’t get cocky!” she replied and deflected another blow but this time, the blade in her left hand shattered like glass and took a slash down her chest. Having no other option, she jumped backward several meters to catch her breath but she knows she won’t be able to capture her target this way. Lithia can’t figure out how but Darius’s fighting style isn’t like a normal swordsman and she has never seen an offensive and defensive stance like that before.
Both of them froze on the spot when an enormous energy field of violet flames and shadow erupted like a volcano from high above but the energies were mixed and Darius couldn’t tell who caused it and who is left standing.
“Looks like Duke is taken care of... I guess Varian did have it in him,” Lithia said and her face turned red with fury, “But I don’t have time for all these games! You’re mine, monkey boy!”
The Dakrie dug her fingers into the ground and the mountain itself trembled beneath their feet. Out of the rocks and boulders, hundreds of vines erupted and flew at her prey like before but these vines were much thicker and extended much longer. Darius sprinted in the fire around to avoid the vines but they were quick and agile and often reached standing ground before he could reach them.
“I am the Shadow Huntress, Psyon! Do not think an animal like you can escape my traps!” Lithia screamed and dug both hands into the ground. More and more of the vines came out not only of rocks and boulders but the very atmosphere itself. Darius shot a few missiles at Lithia but all of them were blocked or deflected; he even cut several vines with his flame blade but it dispersed as a vine pierced through both his arms and shattered the particle circulation he had to control the blade. Two more pierced his legs as he screamed the pain and he now hung in midair as Lithia caught her prey once again.
“I told you, there is no escaping me!” she shrieked as she stood up and approached her captured prey. She laughed hysterically as she approached but Darius couldn’t help but notice a certain look in her eyes: her attempts to capture him are somewhat a farce and not a pure attempt to capture.
The vines that sear through his flesh, Darius could feel them. As if living things sapping the energy out of him but at the same time they are lifeless and obedient like machines. Darius could feel their power pulsating through him as it tried to suck out his energy to fight back.
Pulse... Darius thought, their power doesn’t course in streams like normal matter, they pulsate. That’s it!
“No more tricks this time, monkey boy. You were quite entertaining but play times' over. My Lord General is waiting for you--” Lithia said but she was cut off when she looked at Darius’s arms and legs with fear starting to crawl in.
“I told you,” Darius said heavily, “My Aeonfyre is different from normal flames.” and the vines that held him in midair snapped and dispersed like before and Darius dropped to the ground with a painful thud.
The pain slowly receded as his regenerative abilities kick in and Darius stood on his two feet. Lithia froze for a moment but hesitated no longer as she shot three long spikes towards her target from her fingers. But before it reached him, the spikes shattered like glass when met with a shield of swirling flames and an opponent strong on his feet.
“Pulse,” Darius said as he stood in a defensive stance, “doesn’t necessarily happen on the spot. It can be delayed but only to a certain point and yours is easily calculated. I realized both when you held me with the vines, when you trapped me in that black hole and when your vines pierced my arms and legs. Your power doesn’t course through indirect streams like normal particles but it has its pauses and vibrations... The way you control your Darkmatter is in a way similar to how I control my flames.”
“Who the hell cares?” she shrieked as she revved up her power in her body and formed her Dakrie Armor, “even if you did figure out how I fight, it means nothing! I’m going to crush your bones and drag your corpse back to my Lord General! Prepare to see hell, Psyon!”
“I don’t think you’re listening,” Darius said calmly, “I said I noticed how your Darkmatter is being used. But since you told me this is how you fight, I’m surprised that you are even called the Shadow Huntress... Let me show you what a flame pulse is.” Darius said as he moved his hand and fingers into another stance.
And then she noticed it, she looked at the swirling black dust around her and felt that within the tiny gaps and air pockets in between, the flames she absorbed earlier were never fully absorbed or vanished but simply stuck there. And slowly, it began to spread.
“What the hell have you--” she shrieked but it was too late.
“Magna Pulse!” Darius bellowed and clenched his hands into fists. In a single instant, the flames she absorbed exploded; the golden orbs that whizzed about collapsed like a dying star and exploded violently. Explosion after explosion, everything around her now engulfed in pulsing flames again and again and again. It was a golden firework show on the ground.
Darius waved his hands and the flames swirled into a cyclone. If it was a normal human facing this heat, they would be burnt to a crisp right now but then again, he isn’t facing an ordinary human. The flames dispersed shortly after but Lithia still stands and was no longer in control of herself as she wobbled on the spot. Her armor was burnt with effects of the flames still in there, her cloak now shredded and burnt but her stomach, the only part of her armor which was left exposed, is perfectly unscratched. Blood now dripped from the top left of her forehead to her chin. Despite her wounded looks, with her almond brown hair perfectly tied and intact, Lithia still held a certain beauty quality that Darius would like to have more time to admire if he wasn’t so focused to avoid capture.
“Dakrie Armor,” Darius said, “I’ve fought Duke with that stuff on. I don’t want to fight that form again.”
“You think... This is over?” Lithia struggled to talk whilst breathing heavily. Darius wanted to speak but he was cut off when the whole mountain shook in tremors. Slowly, the rocks around them began to crack and Darius could feel why: due to constant blasts of the cannons, the massive explosion from Duke’s battle, and his fight with Lithia, the mountain wall collapsed from the inside and is crumbling for a rocky avalanche.
Darius and Lithia jumped as the slopes of the mountain trembled and quaked. Both of them had no fighting strength left so they had no choice but to jump on rock from rock to find a soft-landing spot. Although they were near the ground level, the impact of the avalanche could cause major damage and Darius won’t recover as quickly as before. Lithia was no longer seen as he saw a wisp of black smoke before she was gone.
Darius Airhiked to avoid the flying boulders hitting him but a large rock hit him from the back and Darius is sent to the river below. He landed hard into the shallow river which was no deeper than a few feet but he forced himself to get out and away from the avalanche as far as possible. He jumped and used Airhike but he’s losing consciousness from that hit earlier. He fell just on the other side of the river and was forced to watch the on-coming rain of mountain dredges.
The avalanche stopped just as the rubble stopped fell halfway across the river but Darius could see that Zeeq was at the top of it all, holding the crumbling rocks with all his might with one hand. Until the avalanche stopped completely, only then did Zeeq release his hold and fell on his behind for a breath of relief (“That was awesome, man! Whoo-hoo!” Zeeq shouted from the top). Darius slowly pulled himself up and thanked God he wasn’t crushed but the looming threat behind him could.
“You think this is over, monkey boy? Just because the mountain fell on top of us doesn’t mean the battlefield goes down with it.” Lithia said as she appeared from the wisp of black smoke. Her helmet was crumbling like glass as Darius slowly stood up to face his opponent once more and even though his body is healing, his fighting strength is certainly gone.
“For the moment, it is.” said a much more elderly voice. Darius froze where he stood as he saw a massive shadow covering over Lithia and a middle-aged man heavily armored slowly walking towards them from behind her.
“I am most impressed, Darius. You are only the second person I have ever seen to fight a Dakrie with such tenacity and remain intact. You’ve passed the test, boy. I am most pleased.” the Lord General said as he stood next to Lithia. This man was massive as he easily stood a foot taller than Lithia, his beard and connected mustache gave a fatherly look along with his long black hair that reached his back. His armor resembled that of Lithia, only he had no spikes or decorations of any kind but Darius could already feel the immense pressure coming from this man. Whoever he is, his power is far beyond what Darius could handle now.
“My Lord General, my deepest apologies for this indecent display of impasse. I had this under control.” Lithia said as she kneeled on one knee, the shadow from before now began to envelop her.
“It's fine, Lithia, you are dismissed for now,” he replied and the shadow swallowed her whole but not before she looked up and gave Darius a final dark look with a smile and winked with her right eye.
“So, what, you’re going to try to capture me too?” Darius said as he breathed heavily for air.
“Not at all, her task was never to capture you although it would benefit us greatly. You have skill, Darius. You would make a good recruit for our ranks.” the general said.
“Thanks, but no thanks... So, you’re the one responsible for killing my Aunt Joe?” Darius demanded but it was more of a statement rather than a question.
“Ah yes, young Joanna. It was most unfortunate for her death and originally I did not warrant unnecessary crossfire but Varian disobeyed my orders as he always--” The general was cut off when he looked up. Darius followed suit and he saw a large black figure engulfed in violet flames falling from the sky, it crashed right in front of the Lord General and after the flames were sucked away by shining black liquid, Varian grunted and moaned as he tried to stand up. Or rather, he was trying to kneel to his Lord General. His armor was destroyed and much of his skin was burnt, his face was rubbed in dirt and burnt marks while some of his bones appear to be broken; whatever Duke did to his brother must’ve been devastating and brutal.
“A disappointment as always, Varian… You are dismissed.” The Lord General said and like before, a shadow engulfed Varian and he vanished from sight. Duke landed right next to Darius with a sword in his left hand and aimed it right at the Lord General.
“Well, well, look who decided to step out of the rat hole. How’ve you been, dad?” Duke said as he steadied his shaking arm wielding his sword. He, too, suffered burnt marks some of his black armor appeared shattered and damaged and his right eye was bloodshot.
“Wait, ‘dad’? This guy is your father?” Darius asked frantically while trying to absorb what he heard. Looking back, this man does resemble slightly Duke’s visage if you remove the beard and mustache… and possibly thirty years younger.
“Lord General Shawlong Tyrell at your service.” General Tyrell said as he gave a slight haunch of a bow. A grin etched on his face of dark humor.
“I don’t know how many times I have to tell you, people, you are not touching them!” Duke spat.
“This would indeed be an amusing outcome. I will see you again very soon, my son,” General Tyrell said with a calm smile, “and I especially cannot wait for your uprising, Darius. Farewell.” he turned around a shadowed archway appeared in front of him and absorbed him as he disappeared in the darkness.
“Damn,” Duke said as his weapon crumbled like shattering glass, “Almost had him.” and he fell to the ground. Darius’s quick reaction was all that saved him from falling face first.
“Duke, what happened to you? You look pretty messed up.” Darius said as he tried to help his friend up.
“Do you hate me, Darius?” Duke asked as he placed his arm over Darius’s shoulder.
“Why would you ask that?” Darius replied.
“Because I’m the son of a maniac that ordered the death of your only family,” Duke answered. Darius didn’t say anything at first but already in his head, he knew what to say.
“Of course, I don’t. Judging on what your dad said, he didn’t want Aunt Joe dead, at least. Only Varian did that and besides, you did save my life before and I think you did it again just now. Who’s gonna hate you for that?” Darius said.
Duke wanted to say something but knew better than smile and kept his mouth shut. But the surprise hit the both of them as hundreds upon hundreds of soldiers clad in red and golden armor appeared out of nowhere and surrounded the two with Gunther in the center: Altaria’s military Vanguard has arrived. They wore finely refined armor of red mixed with gold linings, their armor covered their entire body, and spots that were not covered by metal were sleeved by a black cloth. Their helmets had a golden tint to them but it matched their uniforms well, it was fully masked and had a slant eye cover for their vision.
This is the first time Darius has seen a military unit with his own eyes and not some painting from the manor.
They had Zeeq, Igniz, and Raizo with them although Igniz was unconscious and Raizo was limping, Zeeq seemed filled in his usual spirits as he waved greetings to Darius and Duke. Darius could finally see and sense all the soldiers here compared to before when he couldn’t sense a thing.
“You two know how to keep yourselves steady. You have successfully impressed more than one individual today, gentleman.” Gunther said as he approached the two. As the Titans finally gathered together, the knights came and helped them unto a stretcher for evacuation.
“I thought it’s a Psyon’s job to save the day?” Darius said as he laid down on a stretcher. He was lifted by two knights and they began to move across the shallow river. Darius looked around to see that all of his teammates were being carried away in the same direction.
Even Zeeq who is as talkative and energetic as ever was being carried as closely to Raizo as possible to tell him about everything he saw.
“Don’t worry, Rai, I’m gonna tell you everything happened when Duke went BAM and then WHOOSH and then blew up the guy with super cool flames like Darius!”
“Thanks, little man, I saw some of it, too. Can’t argue with that.” Raizo replied weakly.
“True,” Gunther said as he walked next to Darius, “and those who work are rewarded. You saved a lot more than just the day, Darius. The Queen wants to meet you,” then he turned to the rest, “all of you. All you need to do now is patch up, wear your best, and impress the crowd... You did well today, boys.”
Darius had always wanted to meet the queen of Altaria herself since he was a kid and it seems the others are keen on it too.
“Hear that boys, we’re meeting the queen of the Red Crown! Whoo!” Raizo shouted out but not before a cough. The others, Darius included, all cheered at the idea as they laughed cheerily for such an occasion. For now, Darius laid back his head and closed his eyes to be carried away.