EXECUTION FOR A FRIEND

Krol and Lucianna stood back-to-back, each of them staring down their respective opponents, Des and Kristiel. Lucianna had suppressed her power, focusing on the cool breeze passing in front of the gates to Riosae's castle. She wondered where Riosae was and what was happening to Milo. She could only assume that Rivra would keep him safe for the time being. Breathing deep through her nostrils, she tossed her hair back and shot a smirk at her cousin.

"So, did the rest of the royal family get sick of you? Or are you trying to get on everyone's good side by getting rid of the problem child?"

Kristiel grunted, her eyes never leaving Lucianna's form. Yet the armored pirate stood with such a relaxed pose, as if she were about to lean up against a tree and take a nap. Lucianna drew herself to her full height, her lips flattening. She would need to finish this quickly, otherwise risk a repeat of what happened in training.

Behind her, Krol pounded his chest again, an animalistic growl emanating from his throat.

"I can't wait to crush you," he said to Des. "I've been itching to pay you back for the crap you pulled in Coalwatch!"

The lizard woman flicked her tongue. Despite her panic at being man-handled by Lucianna and her telekinetic powers, she exuded a calm confidence now. Krol remembered how she had used a poison mist to not only change Rivra's senses back on Coalwatch, but she also injured Lucianna pretty good. (I'm not a warrior. But…I couldn't let Lucianna face these two alone. I don't think I could face Milo or Rivra if I let something happen to their friend.) He clenched his fists and assumed a wide battle stance. He vaguely remembered the stance from his childhood training, which made him look a sculpted Greek wrestler.

Kristiel tilted her head, a cocky smile spreading across her lips. "Remember, Des! We only get money if Krol's brought back alive!"

Des smiled and licked her lips. "I'm aware. Don't rough up your cousin too badly, either. Wouldn't want all that power to leak out and level the galaxy."

Lucianna lunged forward, using a small amount of her power to grant her a speed and strength boost that brought her directly to Kristiel's façade. Her cousin's eyes widened. "Shit!"

Lucianna swung her fist, aiming for Kristiel's head, but her cousin threw up a barrier between them. Lucianna bounced against the barrier and skidded backward several feet, her heels slicing through the dirt as she dug them in.

Krol peeked back over his shoulder, and while he distracted himself, Des took off, ducking low as she sprinted full tilt toward Krol's legs. Her metal claws extended out, the razor edges glinting in the sun. Krol turned his gaze forward, his eyes narrowing. Whether it was instinct or the training, he side-stepped Des's speeding form. The lizard woman's eyes widened as she swung, her claws whistling as they sliced through the empty air. "I told you! Don't underestimate a Scrapster!"

He formed a club with his two meaty hands and slammed them down upon Des with full-force. But as his heavy fists plummeted toward their target, the slippery lizard woman shifted her body and skillfully dodged. His fists buried themselves in the ground, dirt shooting up, creating clouds of dust and clay. Krol coughed and waved a hand in front of his face, his teeth crunching on motes of dust as he clenched his jaw. Nearly a blur, Des zipped around him, dodging every stray punch or kick he launched at her. Her cackling reached Krol's ears even as she danced around him: "You weren't the only one trained by Mistress Riosae! Perhaps you're the one underestimating me?"

A deafening roar erupted from Krol's throat, and he swung wildly, nearly every one of his limbs becoming a deadly weapon of destruction. Boulders crumbled beneath his fists. The ground trembled and cracked with every thunderous stomp and kick that missed its mark. "Hold still, you snake!"

Kristiel drew her axe, spinning the handle in her grip as she sized up Lucianna. "I'm really pissed, you know? Not only did I miss a chance to steal a kiss from that cute boy, I'm also getting dirt in my hair. You're going to pay big time, Luuuuuci!"

Lucianna scowled and raised her hand, energy gathering in her palm until a glowing great sword coalesced in her grip. "If you did anything to Milo, I'll do more than just mess up your hair!"

"Shut up and do it, then!"

They charged, their blades clashing with a mighty shockwave that rocked Des's two ships. A flurry of sparks exploded like fireworks with each strike. Lucianna grunted and shouted, pouring her frustration and anger into each blow. But Kristiel countered with perfectly collected strikes of her own. They locked blades, getting in each other's faces. Lucianna could smell the overwhelming floral perfume radiating from Kristiel. She scowled at her cousin. "Isn't that…? I used to wear that perfume all the time!"

"That's too bad! And I kind of liked this scent, too…"

Kristiel shoved her back and aimed a strike at Lucianna's right wrist. With a flick of her left wrist, Lucianna forced Kristiel back with a blast of her telekinetic energy. As she did, pain jolted through her chest. She wrenched her left eye shut, her right leg buckling beneath her. (This isn't good. At this rate, I might destroy the galaxy. I have to end this quickly!)

As she reared up, hoisting her sword into the air, a cry rang out behind her. She looks to see Krol on his knees.

Des stands over him, dark green blood splattered on her claws. Long, clean wounds stretch down the back of Krol's legs. The lizard woman smiles, licking the blood from her claws. "Who's going to crush who now? Mistress may have trained you…but you're definitely no warrior! Especially not among Scrapsters…Pathetic!"

Des buried a kick into Krol's ribs, and the green giant grunted, rolling onto his side and clutching the back of his legs. "By Cizaroth, it burns! That damned metal…how did Rivra deal with this pain?"

She towered over him, kicking him in his side over and over, until she heard a sickening crack somewhere in his chest. Krol's eyes flew open, his mouth frozen in a scream as he grabbed at his newly broken ribs. Des squatted next to him, flicking her tongue as she smiled. "Rivra's a different beast. You're nothing like her, I'm afraid. Just weak and pathetic. Also…" She held up her blood-soaked claws. "This metal? Forged to defend my people against the monstrous Scrapster barbarians? Normally, it just pierces your hide. But…these claws are special. They're laced with a poison made from my saliva that weakens and softens flesh. It's temporary, but I can do so much more damage this way! Thank you for being my guinea pig before I fight your sister."

Lucianna turned her attention toward Krol, dropping her sword so she could form a ball of energy in her palm. "Get away from him!"

There was a flash, a singing of metal through the air, and suddenly Lucianna's right hand soared across the expanse, falling in a shower of sparks and grease. Lucianna gasped.

"It's rude to ignore family, Luuuuci!"

Kristiel rammed her shoulder into Lucianna, bowling her over so that she rolled into the dirt and grass. She pointed her axe at her cousin, jutting her chin out. "Now, now. Let's not get involved with them. Let's just focus on our brief reunion, shall we?"

Lucianna staggered back, gripping her right wrist in her left hand. She could taste the oily grease in the back of her throat. A cold knot formed in the pit of her stomach. As she stood there, starting at the cocky visage of Kristiel, another face filled her mind. He had worn a similar face, though much more stoic. But the look in his eyes had told her he was confident in everything he did. He knew what he was doing. He knew what to be done to accomplish his goals. The man from her memory had achieved what he set out to do, mutilating not only Lucianna, but those closest to her. He stole not only parts of their body, not only the Gems of Power, but something deeper, more cerebral that Lucianna struggled to describe.

But she had heard it all the time: "Lucianna, the future Pirate Queen! The strongest being to sail across the stars! Surely she'll accomplish whatever her heart desires!"

So why couldn't she do something as simple as defend her loved ones? The most powerful in the universe should be capable of such a task, right?

(Is this…how Milo feels? Completely helpless? Useless?)

(Weak?)

Kristiel raised her axe high above her head. "I'll take care of that other arm, too. Don't want you getting any ideas while we're transporting you to Scrapstar!"

"S-Scrapstar?" Krol spluttered. "Why are you taking us there?"

"Hmph. Isn't it obvious? Your father will pay us for keeping you alive. And as for my dear cousin…Well, we'll be taking back that power she's been wielding so irresponsibly this entire time."

Krol's mouth flopped open. "You don't mean…you'd have Father perform the Cultivation?! But, that will kill her!"

Kristiel teetered. "I know! Isn't it wonderful? The spoiled brat will finally get her comeuppance."

Lucianna gritted her teeth and, infusing some power into her feet, sprung up and swept her leg at the back of Kristiel's left knee. Her cousin yelped, dodging out of the way at the last second. Lucianna brushed a stray bang from her face. "You always talked too much. Even for one of my kin."

Kristiel sneered, wrapping both her hands around her the handle of her axe. A purplish glow enveloped the blades, and the muscles along Lucianna's shoulders tensed. She could feel her cousin pouring power into her weapon. Lucianna glanced down at her severed wrist. (I have to do something…for everyone's sake. For Milo's sake. At least I have my left hand, still. I might be able to do something…but…) Images of that last trial flooded her senses. The heat from the lava. Char on her tongue. Milo's wide eyes and gaping mouth as she nearly tore him apart with her own power.

Kristiel swung her axe, and blades of energy sliced through the air, forming crisscross patterns as they closed in on Lucianna. "Give up," Kristiel said. "You were never worthy of wielding the Hands of God! The power is wasted on someone like you!"

Lucianna threw up her left hand, and a thin barrier formed over her. But another jolt of pain shot through her, and she gasped. The energy blades crashed into her barrier, the magic shield shattered into hundreds of translucent shards. The resulting shockwave flung Lucianna back, and she landed on her back, the breath vacating her lungs as her head smacked the ground. A groan escaped her throat.

Kristiel focused more power into her axe. Her eyes glowed with a menacing violet power. "Dear Luci…it's time you surrender. I outclass you in every way except for raw strength! Even then, you can't even properly tap into your strength!"

There was a flash of light, and what seemed like a mini cyclone rose from Lucianna's spot on the ground. Her eyes widening, Kristiel dug the blade of her axe deep into the ground, using it as a brace to prevent herself from blowing away. "Th-this insane power…Does she intend to wipe out everyone here?!"

Des sat huddled behind a boulder, leaving Krol completely exposed to the torrent of Lucianna's power. He raised his head, one eye wrenched shut as he gritted against the pain in his ribcage. "L-Lucianna!"

She stood, that dark purple aura rolling off her like a dense fog. Her eyes resembled two beacons cutting through the mist of energy.

"I AM THE ULTIMATE LIFEFORM. I WILL DESTROY THOSE WHO STAND IN MY WAY."

Without even raising her hand, a tendril of energy lashed out, wrapping around Kristiel's axe. The weapon burst into flames, and Kristiel dropped the axe and stumbled backward. She watched as the purple flames greedily devoured her precious axe. She bit her lower lip. "This…this is the Power of the Pirates!"

Des shaded her face with one of her arms. "Kristiel! We need to escape before everything's turned to dust!"

Before Kristiel could even respond, Lucianna teleported in front of her cousin. She stared into her eyes with flat, glassy eyes that shone with the intensity of the sun. When Kristiel tried to move away, she found herself unable to move, completely frozen in place by Lucianna's telekinetic power. Her eyes widened. "Wh-what?! This is impossible! To think your own willpower could overwhelm me!"

Lucianna's left hand out shot out and wrapped around Kristiel's neck. She gurgled as the hot fingers closed around her windpipe.

"Wait! You're…losing control! If you keep this up…you'll kill everyone you care about!"

The words bounced around in her head, tossed around by the storm of fear and hatred that fueled her ever-increasing power level. She couldn't help but think she had been in this position before, with someone she cared about, as Kristiel said.

But the Ultimate Lifeform didn't care.

The Ultimate Lifeform wished only to annihilate anyone foolish enough to stand in its way.

Krol struggled to his knees, his arms wrapped around his broken ribs. "Lucianna! Stop! What would Milo think if he saw you like this?"

That was it. That was the name, the one who had nearly burned alive to fuel the anger and hatred coursing through her veins.

Slowly, the winds died down, large chunks of rock and soil dropping like hail from the sky. The evil aura receded, flowing back to its source deep inside Lucianna. She continued to hold Kristiel by the throat as she stared into her cousin's eyes. Her lips turned downward into a deep frown. (I…nearly did it again. All because I was selfishly trying to do everything myself again. I guess…I can't really protect everyone, huh?)

Des slowly rose from her spot behind the boulder, but Kristiel motioned for her to stay put. The armored pirate turned her gaze back to Lucianna. "Well, dear cousin…Have you come to your senses?"

Lucianna shoved Kristiel away and bowed her head.

"I'll go with you. Just…leave my friends alone."

"Ha!" Des said. "What makes you think we'd agree to that?"

Kristiel nodded. "Fine. We'll spare them. Except for Krol, I'm afraid. Since he's already here, we'll take him with us. But…we'll ignore all your runaway friends."

Des stomped up to Kristiel, her brow knitted together. "What the hell are you doing?! The Scrapster King will be furious if we don't bring him the Princess!"

Kristiel waved her hand. "We can always find her later." She turned her gaze back to Lucianna, looking down her nose at her defeated cousin. "We have more pressing matters. Soon…I will execute Lucianna, the Pirate Queen, and reclaim the Power of the Pirates!"