by P. A. Peña
Virgil paused for a moment, her words hitting him like a slap to the face. “That’s not funny,” he said, his shoulders tensing. “You shouldn’t joke about something like that.”
Olivia’s eyes began to water. It looked as if the air had been snatched from her lungs. “I wasn’t joking, Virgil. And honestly, I’m a little hurt you think I would.”
Virgil paused again, allowing Olivia’s words to sink in. He looked at the elf. She was trembling, and the fear in her eyes was unmistakable. “I’m sorry,” he said as he rubbed his forehead. “I just, I wasn’t expecting that.”
“And what exactly were you expecting?”
“I don’t know. Definitely not that. Where is he now?”
“I thought I had the mage cornered down this hallway, but as you can see, he managed to slip away. I couldn’t tell if it was sorcery or a hidden passage or something, but the wall opened up and he ran inside.”
“What makes you so sure the person you saw was the Scarlet Mage?” Virgil asked. “Perhaps you saw an attendant or something. An old castle like this is bound to have hidden passageways.”
Olivia reached into her pocket. “Well, I did startle him and he dropped this before he escaped.” She pulled out a small canvas pouch covered with sigils and bound with string. Virgil’s heart skipped a beat as he looked at the bag in her hand. “I’m not sure,” Olivia continued. “But I think this is a hex bag. Of course, I’m not an expert and I’ve never actually seen one before, but—”
“No,” Virgil said, his tone low. “You’re right. I’ve spent years hunting witches, and that is definitely a hex bag. Still. I don’t feel any additional auras here. If he was here, I should be able to feel an imprint of his aura.” Virgil pinched the bridge of his nose. “Then again, he’s been consorting with witches, so I suppose it’s possible he has a way to mask his presence.”
Olivia’s eyes grew wide. “He’s working with witches? How do you know that?”
“I ran across a rumor on my way to registering for the exam, which I guess isn’t a rumor anymore. What really doesn’t make sense, though, is why would he come here? Especially during the Crusader’s Exam. Akata Island is crawling with Crusaders right now. Even the kings are here. There is literally no worse place for him to be right now.”
“I have a theory.” Olivia raised her finger. “You know about the Crystal Catalyst, right?”
Virgil gave Olivia a blank expression. “You mean the catalyst forged by the Great Deities themselves, said to be the most powerful magical artifact to have ever existed? There isn’t a mage alive who doesn’t know about it. But the Crystal Catalyst was lost after the Blood War.”
“Rumor has it, it’s not lost anymore. I’ve heard that the Crusaders have found it and have stashed it away for safekeeping.”
“And just where’d you hear that?” Virgil asked, folding his arms.
“It doesn’t matter where I heard it. If it’s true—”
“It absolutely matters. Honestly, it sounds like a tall tale tossed around bars.”
Olivia groaned. “You’re missing the point. Okay. Indulge me for a moment, and let’s assume it’s true.”
“Okay. Assuming this is true, it would definitely be worth the risk in coming here. A catalyst of that caliber could do some serious damage in the wrong hands. And I suppose even if this isn’t the Scarlet Mage, someone lurking around the island is cause for concern.”
“That’s exactly what I was thinking.”
Virgil took hold of Olivia’s hand. “All right. We have to go notify the kings.”
“No,” Olivia said, pulling her hand back.
“What do you mean, no?” Virgil said in shock. “We don’t have a moment to spare. With or without the catalyst, if this person manages to make it off the island, it’s going to be a million times harder to track them down.”
“You can’t tell anyone about this, Virgil.”
“Olivia—”
“We don’t know who this person is, or who they may be working with, or even how high this goes. What if we go to a king only to find they’ve been bewitched? He could be a king waiting for the perfect opportunity to make a clean get away. Going to them could be walking right into a trap, and it would be child’s play for them to explain away our deaths. That’s why I was trying to catch him in the act, and have concrete evidence to back me up.”
Virgil paused for a moment, thinking the situation over. “We should at least tell Aurelia and—”
“Virgil, I mean it. I’d much rather just deal with this on my own, but I’m telling you because I trust you. The more people who know about this, the more dangerous it gets for everyone, and we can’t afford to mess this up.” Olivia placed her hand on Virgil’s cheek, her soft, supple skin caressing his. “Promise me we’ll handle this on our own.”
Virgil placed his hand over hers. It fit so perfectly under his palm, as if it were created for that very purpose. He looked into her glistening hazel eyes. He could still see the fear and uncertainty held within them.
“Okay,” he said with a sigh. “I promise I won’t say a word.”
Chapter 24
Three days flew by as Virgil and Olivia worked diligently to decipher who the Scarlet Mage could be. They kept to themselves, although that was easy enough. Since their prior episode in the banquet hall, Virgil hadn’t seen so much as a hint of Aurelia or Logan. Every now and again, he would think of them and wonder how they were and if he should go to them. Those moments never lasted long, however, as his mind would always drift to more troubling thoughts.
Virgil and Olivia sat in the stands of a grand coliseum. Despite being hidden deep under the island, the coliseum was huge. The decor clashed heavily with Akata Castle. Several massive hologram projectors floated in the air above the coliseum floor. There was a boxed seating area reserved for the kings, and the stands were made of a sleek metal equipped with cushioned seats.
Virgil studied the crowd, watching for any anomalous behavior. He was hunched over, his elbow planted in his knees and his fingers interlaced over his lap.
“Are you okay?” Olivia asked.
“I’m about as okay as I can be,” Virgil replied, tapping his foot on the floor. “I’ll be a lot better once we catch the Scarlet Mage.”
Aurelia and Logan entered the coliseum, instantly catching Virgil’s eye.
“Do you want to go talk to them? You could—”
Virgil shook his head. “I’d rather avoid them until this is over. I don’t have to lie to them if we don’t see each other.”
Aurelia looked up into the stands, scanning them left and right. When she saw Virgil, she waved and began making her way over. Reluctantly, Virgil waved back.
Damn it, he thought, his shoulders tensing up.
Olivia placed her hand on Virgil’s back. “It’ll be all right,” she said. “Just play it cool, and remember the plan.”
“Long time no see,” Aurelia said as she and Logan joined them.
“Yeah,” Virgil replied. “How did training go?”
“It went. You two seem to be hitting things off well.”
Olivia smiled as she hooked her arm around Virgil’s. “He makes it easy.”
Fuck my life, Virgil thought. This would actually be nice if I weren’t tracking down a killer. Or hiding it from my friends.
“I could say the same thing about you,” Virgil replied, forcing a smile.
“You better.”
Logan rolled his eyes as he took a seat, a considerable distance between him and Virgil, and Aurelia sat down between them.
“He’s still acting grouchy?” Virgil whispered as he leaned in towards Aurelia.
“Unfortunately,” Aurelia whispered back. “I don’t know what’s going on with him. He’s usually back to himself by now.”
“Well, you just let me know when you want to have the intervention.”
“Intervention? He’s not a drug addict, Virgil.”
“Obviously. He’s far too uptight to have ever dabbled in such subs
tances.”
Aurelia burst into laughter, drawing everyone’s attention on her.
“What’s so funny?” Olivia asked.
“It’s nothing,” Virgil said, trying his best not to laugh.
The lights darkened, leaving the entire coliseum dimly lit except for the boxed seating. A white void appeared, and Roxanne, Cordellia, and Clayton stepped through. They each waved to the crowd before Cordellia and Clayton sat down. Roxanne, on the other hand, stepped forward and prepared to address the crowd.
“Good morning,” she said, her voice echoing throughout the coliseum. “For those of you participating in the tournament, I trust you have all prepared yourselves adequately. Before we get things underway, I just want to congratulate you all once again. Each and every one of you has fought valiantly to make it here. Relish in the fact that you are Crusaders. You are the might of our great nations!”
The crowd exploded, and the room nearly trembled from the excitement. As Roxanne raised her hand, the crowd quieted down, awaiting her next remarks.
“Allow me to explain the tournament rules. There will be no time limit for any of the fights today. A battle will only end once a fighter is incapacitated, or someone surrenders. In the event of a double knock out, the fight will resume once both fighters regain consciousness. However, should a fighter awaken before his or her opponent, the unconscious fighter will have exactly one hour to awaken before he or she is disqualified. Finally, and this should go without saying, but we’ve had problems in previous years, so bear with me, while we may still be conducting the Crusader’s Exam, you are all probationary Crusaders and thus are comrades. We expect you to treat each other as such. Have I made myself clear?”
The crowd replied in confirmation.
“Good.” Roxanne pointed at the hologram projectors, and they began spitting out images. It was a giant tournament bracket listing everyone’s names and who they would be fighting. “Here are your match-ups for the first round. We will be holding the battles for the first two rounds simultaneously, however, the battles for the third and final round will be held one by one.”
With a snap of her finger, the coliseum floor began to shift. Metal walls sprouted from the floor, creating eight separate but equally sized arenas. “You have thirty minutes to make any final preparations and report to your designated arena. If you are not there on time, your match will be considered forfeited, so if you intend to participate, please make sure you are there. No exceptions will be made.”
Virgil looked at the holograms. His first opponent was Mifune, although that name meant nothing to him. Olivia was to fight Astrid, another person who failed to strike Virgil’s recollection. Nevertheless, it was inconsequential to the plan. Logan was slated to fight Fynn. Virgil looked over to the redhead sitting alone across the coliseum, and found a wide grin painted on his face.
Virgil turned his attention back to the brackets, searching for Aurelia’s name. When he found it, his eyes widened. She was going to have to fight Paisley.
Virgil looked at Aurelia. She was nearly pale. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she replied. Her hands were shaky, and her tone was shrouded in doubt. “I can’t say I’m thrilled about this, but it is what it is.”
“Try not to worry about it. You’re stronger than her, you know.”
Aurelia stood up, and sighed. “Yeah, that’s the problem.”
Before Virgil could reply, Aurelia walked away, and Logan followed suit.
“Remember the plan,” Olivia said as she stood up as well.
Finally, Virgil stood. “Right. Remember the plan.”
It didn’t take long for Virgil to reach his arena, but it sure felt like it took ages. As he walked, his mind was flooded by a mass of information. No matter how he tried to piece things together, nothing made sense. Who was the Scarlet Mage? Where was he hiding? Was this even him? What if this had all been a misunderstanding?
The arena wall opened up, revealing the battlefield. Virgil stepped through, and the wall closed behind him. Across the battlefield, Mifune did the same, and Virgil studied the kurara closely. Rather than the uniform everyone else was wearing, he wore a suit built for combat. His back was partially exposed to allow room for his wings, but the rest of his body was covered in armored plating with a radiant black sheen. Glowing green lines traced around the perimeter of the armor, and pulsed rhythmically like a heartbeat. An armored visor covered his eyes, glowing just as vibrantly as the rest of his gear. Across his waist lay two straps holding twin swords at his side, and along the straps sat a myriad of pouches.
No mana, Virgil thought. I suppose the Alliance would have to let him wear his combat attire. Still. It makes sense why I never noticed him before.
“If you wish to shake hands,” Roxanne shouted, “do so now.”
Slowly, the men approached one another.
“Is it true?” Mifune asked as they stopped just shy of each other. “You’re really Danté’s son?”
“Yeah,” Virgil replied.
Mifune held out his hand. “I consider it an honor to do battle with you today.”
Virgil shook Mifune’s hand. “Thank you. I consider it an honor as well.”
The two men retreated to their respective sides. Before long, a blaring siren echoed throughout the coliseum. Virgil took his battle stance, engulfing his hands in flame as he stared down Mifune. The kurara did the same, pulling out a single blade, and planting his feet into the ground.
I’ve got to put an end to this quickly, Virgil thought.
Mifune disappeared. Virgil looked around in a panic.
“Where did he—”
“Behind you,” Mifune said, swinging his blade.
With no time to dodge, Virgil braced himself for the impending attack. He expected the sting of metal to slice his flesh, but instead, a blunt club-like object struck his back. Virgil was sent flying, tumbling across the ground. As his momentum slowed, Virgil planted his feet into the ground, managing to finally stabilize himself.
“I’m impressed,” Mifune said. “A blow like that should have knocked you out.”
“Thank you,” Virgil said. “You know. You could have inflicted some serious damage had you armed your weapon.”
“We are comrades. I have no desire to harm you any more than I have to.”
“I’m glad we share that sentiment. Still. If you surrender to me, I’d gladly accept it.”
Mifune let out a hearty laugh. “Do you really think that little of me?”
“Not at all,” Virgil replied. “Just trying to save time.”
Virgil took flight, flying towards Mifune. Once again, he disappeared. Virgil paused and searched around. Nothing. He spun around, expecting to find Mifune skulking behind him.
“Not this time,” Mifune said, reappearing and swinging from Virgil’s right.
Virgil raised his forearm in defense. He sucked in a breath, and winced as the blunt sword struck him. Pain reverberated through his body, but Virgil stood firm. He pulled his free hand back and launched a counterattack of his own. Moments before Virgil’s strike could connect, Mifune disappeared yet again.
Virgil ground his teeth, his nostrils flared. “This is really starting to get annoying.”
“Forgive me,” Mifune replied as he appeared directly in front of Virgil. “This will all be over soon.”
Before Virgil could respond, Mifune released a flurry of strikes with pinpoint accuracy. It was clear Mifune favored shots to the stomach, but that didn’t stop him from striking Virgil’s arms and legs. In fact, the only places he didn’t hit were Virgil’s vitals. Amid the barrage, Virgil tried to counter, but it was no use. Mifune was just as competent at dodging blows as he was at delivering them.
Virgil raised his hand to summon a wall of flames between them. It was all he could think to do to create distance between them, but Mifune swung his blade, smacking it into Virgil’s wrist. The fire appeared out of place, utterly ineffective to stop Mifune. He followed up with a
nother vicious swing at Virgil’s chest. Virgil gasped, yelping as he was sent flying once again until the wall broke his momentum. Mifune closed the distance and pinned Virgil to the wall.
Mifune pressed his blade up against Virgil’s throat. “If this is all you’re going to do, then you should surrender now.”
“Not a chance,” Virgil said, forcing his words out.
“If you won’t surrender, then show me what you’re really capable of. Use your catalyst.” Virgil smirked as he placed his hand on the blade. “What’s so funny?” Mifune asked.
“You’re the first person to ever ask me to use my dragon’s treasure.”
Mifune applied more pressure on Virgil’s neck. “I wasn’t asking.”
“I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you.” Virgil took in as much air as he could manage. He exhaled, releasing a shower of fire and forcing Mifune to retreat.
Mifune planted his feet to the ground and tilted his sword to Virgil. “What is it going to take to get you to use Kayveon’s Fang?” he asked.
“Why do you care so much?” Virgil asked as he rubbed his throat.
“It’s simple. I’m curious to see what the infamous Danté Truesdale’s son could do with the legendary fang. I want to see where I stack up in comparison.”
Virgil took to the sky, rising high in the air. “I’m shocked,” he said. “You didn’t strike me as the petty type.”
Mifune stretched his wings and took the air as well. The two men circled each other, keeping their eyes locked on one another until Mifune disappeared. Virgil halted in the air, focusing his senses. Wind gusted from his left, and he turned to find Mifune reappearing in front of him. The kurara’s eyes widened as he rose his blade. Virgil planted his foot into Mifune’s chest, knocking him back in the air. Virgil quickly gave chase. Before Mifune could retaliate, Virgil thrust his fist into Mifune’s face. The kurara plummeted to the ground, grunting in pain as his body hit the metal floor.
Virgil took in as much air as he could. As Mifune swiftly rose to his feet, he reached into one of his pouches. From out of the pouch, he drew four shurikens and launched them at Virgil. In one mighty breath, Virgil exhaled, blanketing the area under him with blue fire. The flames swallowed the metal stars, melting them into useless puddles of liquid. Mifune tapped the armored plating covering his chest, and his body began to glow. As the fire rained down, Virgil couldn’t see the kurara, but he could hear his piercing screams of agony. The inferno ceased revealing a charred Mifune quivering in place. His armor had become deformed and misshapen, and the bits of his skin that showed were singed and raw. His visor was cracked, revealing his hard, golden eyes, and his sword was damaged far beyond its usefulness.