by Liandra Jake
"But we are, and I know you don't have enough control to heat yourself with your fire!" Corenden sent more of the water at Fritz, flying higher and out of his reach. "You can't do this forever!" Fritz called, no longer fighting the buildup of ice. He instead dedicated his energy to exercises to warm himself up. Corenden continued to throw water down at Fritz, allowing the rain to fall on himself as well as he began to tire.
Fritz was able to keep his temperature up through practiced measures, but he couldn't help the dizziness from both the cold and the constant movement. A half hour in, the war of endurance began to crumble. The stands were mostly empty as Corenden settled on the ground across the field from Fritz. Corenden's closer friends still watched, a feeling that Corenden had a plan rooting them to their chairs.
Fritz charged at Corenden as the Pog tried to recollect his energies. Fully ready to take Corenden down, Fritz prepared for another full-power attack. Corenden hopped up, placing a hand on Fritz's face as he passed and covering it in a shell of wood. Fritz was completely blinded until he ripped it off like a mask. He had time to see Corenden's head approach his before the blinding flash of neon and a splash of water blinded him again.
He shook his head as he tried to steady himself. Corenden flew at him again, knocking Fritz in the side of the head with his tail. Fritz blinked as he fell back. His vision was filling with splashes of color. 'I think… I think he just-' Fritz was unconscious when his head landed with a splash of mud. Despite his 350 remaining Endurance, Corenden's attacks at his head were enough to knock him out.
It took almost a full minute for people to realize Fritz wasn't getting back up. The young ref checked Fritz tentatively as the crowd began to whisper. Everyone was on the edge of their seats, even the announcer. A cluster of refs in rain gear gathered around Fritz for a discussion. The announcer's jaw dropped when they shook their heads and pointed at Corenden. "…#34, Fritz Camleash, has been KO'd. #256, Corenden, has won his match with the High Rank leader."
Corenden still couldn't believe it until Dragon's Den erupted with a roar that could be heard all around the city. Corenden was tackled by Berry, who was holding her winning ticket tight. She didn't care about the rain at all, but Corenden did. He quickly carried her inside despite his own exhaustion. "You are crazy, woman!"
Corenden burst in shortly after to Corenden armor less, and drying off his wife. "Alright! It's time to party Corenden!" Arend exclaimed as he entered with Kronth. Corenden shook his head. "Not anytime soon. The first thing I'm going to do is sleep." The pudgy official from before walked in, stepping around Arend. "Congratulations Corenden! In addition to the 62,000 Ere for topping your bracket, by beating Fritz, you won an extra 50,000!"
Corenden looked over at Arend with a grin. "Expect the rest of my bill to be paid soon, with a little extra for repairs." Arend nodded, glancing at Corenden's armor. "I'll have someone visit you and bring it back to the shop. Too bad you'll be missing the party." "After a day like this, all I need right now is to sleep."
Kronth and Arend left Corenden to start the party at the Greater Den Building. "Hey Arend, do you think Corenden would do well in a Guild Tournament?" Kronth asked. Arend shrugged. "If you put him in the right team." "And as you know, many of the Legendary Weapons aren't allowed, so we've lost most of our best fighters. Unless Faulken decides to show up, prospects are rather low." Kronth said. "Well, maybe by the time we have to register a team, we'll have who we need?" Arend said with a shrug.
[X]
True to his reputation, John found justice J.P. within a day, but he had to work on an approach. A lone cabin in the woods surrounded by traps wasn't something he could just walk up to. John started from the closest town, heading the opposite direction before looping around. The long detour took him two weeks. Even after all the work John did to catch Justice off-guard, the dark-skinned old man still had two drinks ready when he showed up.
"How the hell did you manage it this time?" John asked as he joined Justice on the porch of the cabin. The grey-haired man raised his glass, pointing towards the town. "I keep an eye on you." John sighed, sitting in a chair. "So I underestimated your influence." "So what did old Dan want?" Justice asked. John rolled his eyes. "You're older than both of us. All Dan wanted was to ask about Axis."
The glass in Justice's hand cracked. "Yeeeah, that's all I need." He replied darkly. "What's wrong now?" John asked. "Dan's getting involved in things he shouldn't John." Justice replied. John laughed. "He already is Just. That kid he's been looking after is a Myshcell." Justice grunted. "Fine. I'll take the damn job. Just tell Dan to keep out of the area."
With a faint hint of swagger, Daniel approached them from the other side of the porch, an old cloak folded in his hands. "And why's that Just?" The two men blinked. "Where'd you get a Perception Cloak?" Justice asked. "Teneo." Daniel replied. "He had a 'care package' ready for his death." Justice sighed. "That's why you should stay away. I've got enough heat as it is. I don't need you catching Axis' attention."
"You followed me?" John asked. Daniel shook his head. "I waited in town for some time before walking straight here." "Walking." John said. "You're too old for that!" "Considering the path you took, mine was much easier. I only Just got here." Justice rolled his eyes. "Don't start with that." "You're only upset I tricked you. My nephew wouldn't have fallen for something like this." Daniel lifted the cloak.
"I'm no 'Kruxmaster' like you." Justice replied. "Or part Pendragon." Daniel added. Justice's glass shattered suddenly, the shards of glass gleaming with flecks of crystal. He stood up. "Do not let Arend anywhere past the Chewek area." "Why?" Daniel asked. "Have you not read this?" Daniel held up the special issue of Guild Ruled. Justice grabbed it from him. "…Hmph. You're lucky this isn't popular in the East." He walked away from Daniel and John. "You can stay here if you want. I'm leaving now."
[X]
Arend' first visit to the BluZeph Manor was by Iode's request. Kronth and King came along to occupy 'Ro and Mar while Arend talked with Mysh alone. "You two behave yourselves." Iode said as he and Rose left the living room area. "No promises!" Arend called back. An excited Mysh say next to him on the sofa. "Why did you want to talk to me?" Arend smiled. "It was your father who wanted us to talk." Arend held out a hand coated in Stick. "You remember this right?" "Yes." Mysh replied as he held up his own hand with a faint coating of green. "I can do it now to!"
"Salve." Aenfel said quietly. "W-who are you?" Mysh said quietly, giving Arend a scared look. "I'm the Pendragon who brought Arend back a long time ago. I was also what Arend tapped into to bring you back." Aenfel replied. "Arend?" Mysh squeaked, sliding away from him. "It's alright Mysh." Arend said gently. "He won't hurt you." Mysh, still unsure, kept his distance. "…What is this called?" Mysh asked, looking at his hand.
"Salve." Aenfel said again. "It is one of five of my abilities. Salve, Swift, Sonic, Slick, and Stick. Arend hasn't been able to use Salve or Sonic, but they are the two you will be able to easily use. You're naturally accustomed to them, as Arend is with Stick, Slick, and Swift. Unlike him however, you have a high affinity towards Salve, a Pendragon ability to heal others. When Arend tried to fix your wings before, I did what I could to boost your powers of Sonic. In time, you both should learn to use all the remaining powers."
"Why didn't you mention this before?" Arend asked. Aenfel shrugged. "I can't tell everything all at once Arend. Memories come in bits and pieces." Mysh placed a hand on Arend' leg. "That's all I can take right now. I need to sift through this for a while before we can continue." Arend nodded, picking Mysh up suddenly. "Let's go then! I'll get Kin to fly us around!" Mysh laughed as Arend charged out the door with him in tow.
[X]
Draken was surprised to find someone in his office. Even more when Peter Aegis, a highly-trained tournament proctor turned in his chair to look at Draken, silver hair streaked with black dye. "How is that Guild Tournament coming along?" Draken asked as he walked over to his chair. "It's holding to its schedule." Peter replied.
"Unless the weather really gets bad, we should have everything worked out by the start of February six days from now." "This year's events are going to be really interesting with all the new blood." Draken replied as he pulled his chair forward. "So what brings you here so early?"
Peter leaned forward a little. "Well, one of my associates informed me of something interesting." Peter slid a picture across the desk. Draken picked it up. "A certain Monster has beaten a High-Rank fighter from Lux Protector, who was projected to be undefeated in the Open. That little Pog from Dragon's Den has gotten everyone riled up. We lost 5 million to bets placed on him. 1,125 One hundred Ere bets, and five 7,500 Ere bets."
Draken laughed. "No doubt because of Dragon's Den resident Kruxmaster; this has Arend written all over it." "I'm not here to complain about any of that." Peter said with a wave. "We made if all back from viewers and the videos of Corenden's fights. And because of him, we've got 2 million surpluses to invest in fixing up our older equipment. We could use better seats and something to block the weather some."
"So did you want me to encourage Dragon's Den to use him more?" Draken asked. "No, I want you to get that monster of a Monster Ranked Up. So that way we don't lose any more money in him fighting Low-Rank matches. With something like B, we can charge more for his matches." Peter replied.
Draken arched an eyebrow. "I can't just give him that." "Didn't he help against Celestial Rim?" Peter asked. "Yes, but he's a Monster Peter. Regardless of his miraculous fights, I can't hand Rank out to every Monster who gets technological back up from Arend. Shifted Tilt is a worthwhile investment for those between those who can afford it." Draken replied.
"Have you even seen the fights?" Peter asked slowly. "No. I don't find fights between two Korvan systems that entertaining." Draken flicked the photo back at Peter. "The damn Pog didn't use and Korvan systems!" Peter exclaimed. He bent down and pulled out a laptop from his suitcase. He opened it put it in front of Draken. He played the disk already inserted. "Corenden's first High-Rank match, #121 this year, Neal 'Mani' Condor."
Draken watched the video with a pensive look. He tapped the keyboard to play it again. He slowed the speed to a crawl at key moments. "Do you have any more of these?" Draken asked after the third replay. Peter opened the file directory to show a list of all of Corenden's fights. Draken watched each fight in its entirety, excluding Fritz's match, a total of three times. He shut the laptop. "This won't be hard to manage. I'll gather some Guildmasters and inform Dragon's Den of the pending request."
Peter ejected the disk. "This is your copy then. Use it as part of the justification for him." Draken took the disk, placing it in a locking drawer in his desk. "I've got a few actual appointments to prepare for," "No need to say more!" Peter said as he collected his laptop. "I expect to see you in the guy's next fight!" He called as he walked out the door.
- - - - Unknown Truth - - - -
Isaac tracked Arking and Tel to the foot of the mountains at the northern border of Karakas. The two were exchanging blows in the chill of the winter mountains. A pit was dug into the ground as a start to their training, with the remainder being six hours of intense fighting. The only way out was a knotted rope handing from a wooden pole above the edge of the pit.
Isaac stood at the edge of the pit, his heavy coat fluttering in the wind. The shirtless men stopped only when Tel's cheek was split open. "Are you two training for the Guild Tournament?" Tel nodded, slumping back against the wall of the pit. "It's been a while since its gotten cold like this." "And considering what happened in the Open Tournament, being able to resist it would be a good strategy." Arking said, crossing his legs and lying back on the ground.
"Hmm. I missed it. What happened?" Isaac asked. Arking chuckled. "Corenden happened." "The little bastard kicked Fritz's ass." Tel said, letting his head fall forward. Isaac snorted. "You two have been hitting each other too hard. Next you'll start talking like Crazz and Ferrous."
Tel glanced over, blonde hair frosted with sweat and blood. "We're not in the mood for your bitching Isaac." Isaac frowned. "We know how to block numbers." Arking explained. "Crazz and Ferrous were kind enough to give us a heads up." "Why have all of you gone soft!?" Isaac demanded. "Are you all buddy-buddy with Arend now!?" Arking flicked a rock at Isaac. "You're the one who's being a pussy."
Tel raised his head."You know Isaac, Dragon's Den has its fair share of crooked and violent members, but you've turned into the one no one wants to be seen with. You turn any hopeful lady you fuck incredibly bitter. It's hard to just talk to one of them after you've thrown them away. Then there's Kronth," Isaac twitched. Tel ignored it. "Who managed to find someone who doesn't have to manipulate her to enjoy himself. Arend is a bit too naïve and good-hearted for us to ever be friends with, but that's exactly what Kronth needed. I'm no sucker for romance, but what you did really pissed me off."
"You know Kronth is-" "Shut up Isaac." Arking cut in. "Not only is Kronth the Guildmaster now, the only one she's been an outright bitch with is you. Something about a 'cheating dickhead' comes to mind as to why." "But I-" Isaac stopped. "I never cheated on Kronth." He said slowly. Tel laughed. "Your second week with her; a certain women while shit-faced." Isaac's anger was gone, replaced with confusion. "I passed out in the alley." "You blacked-out in the alley. And then you did her against a dumpster." Arking replied.
A conversation echoed in Isaac's head. '"Don't be ridiculous! All I did was drink!" "Don't lie to me Isaac!" Kronth was crying. "She was at my fucking stylist!" "I'm telling you, I didn't fuck anyone!" "We're DONE Isaac!" Kronth ripped her necklace off, shoving it into my hands. "Fine! Go ahead and be a bitch!"'
"GOD FUCKING DAMN IT!" Isaac screamed, punching the pole next to him. As he stormed off, Tel and Arking glanced at each other. "What's with him?" Arking said. "You know him, 'always be in control.'" Tel replied as he let his head fall back down.
As Isaac waded through the old snow, every conversation since his break up ran through his head. He grew more and more frustrated at his blatant carelessness. He thought back to all the other relationships that had fallen apart, and wondered which ones he knew the real reasons for their failure. He found himself dialing Kronth as he started his truck. Kronth's cellphone blocked him, so he called her office in the Greater Den Building and left a message.
"Kronth, it's Isaac." Isaac sighed. "I'm sorry. I know it's lost its meaning after so long, but I'm sorry. Tel and Arking informed me of what really happened in that alley a year ago. I had blacked out, and remember nothing. I… I just…" Isaac sighed again. "Consider this my notice of resignation. Send everything to my place." Isaac ended the call, slipping the phone back into his pocket and putting his truck into reverse.
[X]
Pith glided slowly over misty, cone-shaped mountains. Kathy held on tightly from behind his head. A flash of movement caught Pith's attention. A black and a white Pendragon were standing next to each other on a mountaintop, watching Pith. "Kathy." Pith said, slowing to a hover. Kathy poked her head up, waving to the two Pendragons. Pith settled on a flat hill nearby. The Pendragons only approached when Kathy slid off his back.
"Hello!" Kathy called. "You know Gliese right!?" Hal and Shadow shared a look before responding. "Yes…" Hal said. "But we haven't spoken with her for a long time." "So who are you?" Shadow asked, trying to loom menacingly over Kathy. "Kathy!" She replied with a smile. "Piethel." Pith replied. "Call him Pith!" Kathy chirped. Pith sighed. "I really wish you would stop that. I like Piethel."
"What is this about?" Hal asked. "Myshcell, Axis, Aenfel, True Safeguard!" Kathy declared. "We need the Termas." Pith said simply. The two nodded slowly, alarmed. "That's almost obvious if Gliese sent you." Hal said. "You can explain what you can on the way to our den." "Our?" Pith asked curiously. Shadow chuckled. "Yes, it means what you think it does. When you're well over 2,000 years old, you tend to gravitate towards others in your age group. There's also 3,000 years of isolation between us to make up for."
"I know the feeling." Pith repli
ed. "It's a bit reversed as I'm the youngest in my clan." "What are you two talking about?" Kathy asked. "Why does it matter if they're living together?" Shadow and Hal glanced at Pith. He sighed. "Kathy, do I really have to explain it?" "Yes!" Kathy replied. "Alright! Calm down!" Pith whispered into Kathy's ear. Her face immediately flushed with color. "How can two boys do that?" Pith groaned. "That isn't something I'll ever explain to you."
Hal and Shadow hurried away, avoiding eye contact with Pith and Kathy. Kathy climbed onto Pith before he took to the air and followed the Pendragons through the sharp valleys separated by flattened hills. Three mountain passes over from where they met, the Pendragons motioned for Pith to land by sitting.
Pith landed in front of a rough cave entrance. Kathy slid off his neck and onto the soggy ground. "The Termas are inside." Hal said. Without hesitation, Kathy marched inside. "That girl is braver than many men." Shadow said as he watched her walk into the darkness of the cave. "Half of it comes from knowing I'd do anything to protect her." Pith said.
"But you'll need to start explaining more 'stuff' eventually." Shadow said. "She's twelve or something right?" Hal asked. Pith nodded. "Almost thirteen. I'm really hoping that we can deal with our current problem before any of that 'stuff' invites itself into my life." Hal and Shadow laughed. "Just imagine what it it'll be like when she wants to start dating." Hal said. Pith shook his head rapidly, his horn chipping a nearby rock. "I can't even bring myself to imagine her as a teenager."