The King's Elite

In defiance of Risea's environment, and the Vikings' destruction, here it stood. The tragic beauty of such a blissful oasis, fated for annihilation because of where it was located. The landscape surrounding the mountain was both alluring, yet regretful. All four members of the King's elite were completely captivated by the land's enchanting purity. How wasteful it is for such a paradise to be isolated from the rest of the world. And how rueful it was that such a paradise had to be born inside this snowy hellscape. Ljufa's eyes that were previously glimmering with admiration before, were now downcast and grim. Little Sibbe clung tightly onto her sister as she led the outsiders away from The Stormbringer. Once they were out of earshot, she ordered the child away, "Sibbe, go gather some apples for our friends here." The little girl, despite still not being able to actually see the visitors, happily let go of her sister and rushed into the fields of white grass, "Okayyy!" She chirped.

The Risean's limp had gotten noticeably better, and the bleeding from her wounds had stopped altogether. Isolda was shamelessly glaring at the Viking's body, frowning as she tried to figure out how the healing spell was applied to her lacerations. Ljufa kept her eyes ahead, but she seemed to notice the Riftwalker's stare. "The storm he creates, it heals us." She explained. "Usually it would have lasted more than long enough for me to return safely." The Viking looked back at Kingston as she spoke, "But you. The man with the black mist. The old man must have sensed your presence and deemed you a dangerous opponent for me. He tried to incapacitate you using the storm. But your power overwhelmed his." This fact surprised only Ljufa, since the others already knew who the eighth Legacy was.

"How did they even get enough wax to light this place?" Rekken whispered to nobody in particular. It was something that Kingston had been thinking about too, but it could be that the candles were made purely from magian energy. The flames were most likely all runic essence too. The entire cavern had a clear view of the environment outside, the features of the cavity were jagged and rocky just like any other cave, with a few roughly carved out holes that acted as rooms for them to live in. All of it, every square foot illuminated by the warm glow of hundreds of candles.

"I have never been outside of this place without the storm. So I cannot say whether or not our presence there is traceable." The Risean loosened the straps on her leather chestplate and unequipped the burly armor, revealing a simple wool tunic. Her crippled arm was now visible, it looked like it had been severed off just underneath the bicep. . "But they will definitely find this place." The group eyed the amputated limb woefully but said nothing. She led them through a roughly oval shaped opening inside the cavern's walls. Within the stone room were a couple makeshift benches with animal hide plastered onto the wood. Setting aside her fur cloak and armor Ljufa sat down on the bench furthest into the room, facing the entrance. "I think it is time you should tell me why you are here."

"She talks like Kingston." Rekken commented on Ljufa's monotonous voice.

"Mhm." Theodore mumbled in agreement.

Secrecy and caution had been Kingston's utmost priorities as soon as he entered Risea. There was no need to give out more information than what was needed. He made sure to keep his answers vague like when he told them that they had come from some place near Phador which wasn't entirely untrue but it also was intentionally misleading. Still he doubted these precautions were necessary, after all these people have never been outside of their own country before. Gaius looked like he wanted to tell Kingston to tread carefully but he remained silent instead. If their short time together had taught him anything, it was how meticulous and oddly knowledgeable Kingston was in situations like these.

"We are searching for a weapon that is necessary to win a war." He said bluntly. 'A weapon?' Isolda's raised brow seemed to ask. It was a suggestively direct description, but that was essentially what it was. A tool, an upper hand, something that was desperately needed especially after the recent happenings. They were down three Shepherds before the war had even started, and Lance had proven to be more of a wild card than an ally. He… no, the world needed, "The Seer's Eye." Ljufa realized. Her answer drew out a surprised reaction from Theodore, "You know of it?"

"I know the legends my people speak of… if it truly does exist… then you will find that retrieving this… 'weapon' to be quite a daunting task." The Risean leaned back comfortably into her seat and recited to them the stories that she had been told. "My fath-'' She paused abruptly before continuing, "The elders in my village spoke of a man who came here long ago. The first outlander they had ever seen."

'How long ago?' Kingston wanted to ask, but accurate times and dates were hardly ever expected in traditional folklore. Based on the fact that she was calling it a legend, and that it had been told to her presumably when she was a child, it was reasonable to assume that this "man" came approximately a few decades ago or so. The four King's guards exchanged curious looks at each other, "Riftwalkers?" Rekken mouthed silently. Gaius and Theodore answered with simultaneous shrugs. "He was a strong man, the strongest in all the land they said." After hearing this their eyes widened, 'Acampora?' they all thought. Kingston didn't want to assume that this generational myth was accurate by any means, but right now this was the only lead they had. It wouldn't be a shocking discovery, if they found that the Riftwalkers had been the first people to enter Risea. The Ascendant One, Hal Acampora's assassination happened some 30 years ago, so it definitely was a possibility that he is the man in the myths. "Did they describe what this man looked like?" Kingston asked. "White." Ljufa answered almost instantly. "White eyes, white hair, white cloak." She put a bit of emphasis behind each 'white', as if it was unheard of for someone to possess these features. Then she nodded towards Isolda, "Like her."

So it was the Riftwalkers. That made sense, but it still didn't explain a lot of things, like why did Sibbe look like a Riftwalker? Why did Maas know how to use the healing of the Grand Disciples? What was Acampora doing in Risea in the first place? As if she could read his thoughts the Viking continued, "He came… seeking a dragon's heart."

A Dragon? They all contemplated disbelievingly, "In Risea? Is that even possible?" Theodore voiced his thoughts. The Risean shrugged and surmised, "Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't. But I will say, that our people have devoured this land to its limit. And we have seen no dragon. There is however, a race that was unknown to my village-"

"Was? Meaning you have encountered this race?" Theodore sounded like he could hardly contain his excitement.

"...Yes…" Ljufa frowned at his oddly placed enthusiasm. "We discovered a settlement on Ighantu, the largest mountain in all of Risea. It is said that the clouds cannot even cover half of its size. But as beings of conquest, my people tried to climb it of course. After they walked higher and further than ever before, they began to see signs of life. Carvings in the stone and pathways leading higher up the mountain. But at a certain height, the air became toxic. Each breath at that point seemed to weaken them, so they turned around. And that's when they saw it."

"Rows of blood red eyes, dozens of them. It was said that more and more appeared as my people retreated." The familiar twinkle of admiration Ljufa had earlier resurfaced in her eyes. "It was as if the environment was finally taking a stand against the Vikings' reckless conquest. Making their presence known, telling them that every step they took on Ighantu was gifted to them. This was the first time my people have ever avoided conflict."

"A race the Riseans chose not to attack?" Gaius blinked, surprised that the Vikings actually had the ability to restrain themselves at all.

"On a peak that they chose not to conquer." Theodore added, more ponderously and askingly.

"If the Seer's Eye is in Risea…" Rekken seemed to catch on.

'It must be up there.' They all thought. Though, it was more of an optimistic hope than an educated guess. After all, if the Vikings somehow inherited the eye… Kingston would never be able to retrieve it. Not until the last drop of Risean blood was spilled.

"YOOFAAA!!!" Sibbe's alarmed voice came from just outside the cavern, making everyone turn their heads towards the outside. The Risean woman shot up from her seated position immediately and brushed past the group, speeding out of the room. Her little sister came running in, stumbling as her feet moved off the fields of grass and onto the stone floor. "Uph!" The little girl fell. As she rubbed her minorly scraped knee Kingston noticed that she came back empty handed, despite being sent out to gather fruit a while ago. "What is it Sibbe?" Ljufa had a perplexed look on her face as she helped the little girl up. "The trees!" She blurted. "They smell weird!"

Ljufa examined her sister confusedly, rubbing at the blackish yellow tinge that stained her white blindfold.

"Kingston." Gaius said grimly,

"I see it." The Legacy confirmed.

Large billows of smoke that blanketed the sky above the tree line they entered not too long ago. A fire had started inside the white forest… and fires don't start naturally in Risea. "We have been found." Ljufa stared begrudgingly at the blackened sky. Her body moved quickly, running back into the room to equip her armor then sprinting back to where Maas was. "We must leave immediately." She demanded.

"We'll never outrun them, Kingston." Gaius looked at the blind girl that was clinging onto her sister as the Viking fastened leather straps onto the crippled Ezuran. Maas didn't seem to protest the sudden escape as he allowed himself to be secured to Ljufa's back.

"𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁." The Legacy agreed dully.

Rekken grit her teeth nervously as a runic pattern was evoked on her right arm. Swirls of bright yellow essence swam gracefully out of the markings, intertwining rapidly with each other until finally coalescing into a vibrant, golden spear. Her hand gripped the weapon tightly but she was visibly reluctant to fight against the Vikings.

"What are you doing?" Ljufa's eyes were wide with confusion as she neared them. "You are not seriously going to fight against an entire Risean tribe are you?" Sibbe and Maas were both straining to see the strangers that she had been talking to all this time. "The fact that they discovered us this fast means they have a Bloodhound with them. Which means that the ones pursuing us are with the 𝐕𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝." The outsiders didn't recognize the titles that she spoke of, but each word despite them not knowing the meaning of it, seemed to drive a nail into the coffin of fear that encapsulated their minds.

"They are rapidly approaching." Isolda observed calmly.

"Kingston." Theodore turned abruptly to look at him. "𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 are we doing?" A hint of urgency in his voice indicated that he thought they were taking too long to act. Suddenly he began to doubt his Legacy's capabilities as a leader. Was he getting cold feet? Why isn't he saying anything? "Are we retreating? Or are we fighting?" He reiterated adamantly.

"There is no time." The Legacy's eyes remained on the forest. "Prepare for battle." He ordered mundanely. As if he had just told them to run some casual errands inside the kingdom.

The infamous Risean Vikings of Legend. Up to this point, everything the stories said about them seemed to be true. Huge, barbaric, ruthless beings who know only violence and conquest. But even among these monsters, the capability for goodness existed. Sibbe and Ljufa both shared the same blood as the men who were hunting them down right now. The same blood as the fools who mindlessly set fire to the white forest, just because it was their enemies' quarters. The same blood as the people who have consumed this land to its limit. The same blood as the animals that slaughtered the Ezuran convoy two years ago, which would lead to the bloodiest conflict the world had ever seen. Kingston felt a deep anger well up inside him, but it wasn't for Ezura. He didn't seek redemption for the War of the North, nor did he want to spill blood in the name of justice. He simply hated the ignorant, asinine existence of these Vikings. They were capable of good, they were just too conceitedly stubborn and idiotic to abandon their traditional ways. As the trees began to sway and buckle underneath the weight of the Risean stampede, he already knew that not one soul was going to be spared. Ljufa used her one good arm to usher Sibbe backwards, away from the imminent battle. Beads of sweat trickled down Rekken's trembling hands, if her weapon was made of real metal then it would have surely slipped out of her grasp by now.

Theodore's runes ignited in shades of verdant green, wisps of the vivid essence curling up into the sky. Gaius slung off the broadsword that was strapped to his back and unraveled the giant blade, joining the rest of his comrades as they steeled themselves for the fight. A guttural roar shook the trees before them, "LEJUUFFAAAA!" The sheer volume and malice in his scream was enough to rattle the King's guard. Ljufa seemed to recognize the voice as she clenched her jaw and stared wildly at the tree line.

Everyone was understandably terrified at the prospect of clashing with Risean Vikings. Everyone but 𝙝𝙞𝙢. The Eighth Legacy. At some point, it should be considered arrogant for even someone like him to remain so calm in these moments. But in his mind, there really was nothing to fear. The myths had his group stricken with terror, but Kingston saw through them. These Vikings were no different from a common mutt. They weren't immortal barbarians of the north. They greed, just like the nobility back in Lambridge. They bleed just like the "Untouchable" Riftwalkers in the tunnels. They were rageful, ignorant, blasphemously audacious beings that needed to be put down. 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗱𝗼𝗴. That's what they were, "Like dogs." Kingston muttered lowly. "Barking wildly. Like a bunch of mindless dogs." Everyone he seemed to clash with, they all possessed the same arrogance, it was amusing actually, the fact that these ancient cavemen shared the same traits as well respected nobles.

The smell of smoke began to creep into the air as the fire spread quickly. The final paradise of Risea, the one place that the Vikings had not yet consumed. In flames. These were the same people who were ruling kingdoms back in the mainland. Just like these barbaric savages, they will bring nothing but destruction and death to Iota. It was a certainty. First it was the Riftwalkers, now it was the Risean Vikings. Kingston wondered, at the end of this all, after he cleansed this land of all the corruption and its hypocrites. Would the world truly have changed?

A roar came from within the forest once more, before a ridiculously large ax came rocketing towards them. The weapon was aimed at Ljufa who stood behind the outsiders, but it never reached her. The velocity of the blade was so fast, that the group didn't even have enough time to properly react. They could only instinctively flinch away from the path of the axe. But as they regained their bearings they could see its wooden handle resting comfortably in Kingston's hand. His arm was alight with the dark glow of his runes, black swirls of his mist like essence wrapped around the weapon. Before they could even process how he was able to catch a giant axe thrown with that much force, the hatchet was instantly shot back towards its sender. Ominous energy curled off the blade as it spiraled back towards where it came from. The Viking who threw it came zooming out from the tree line, only to rush straight into the blade of his own weapon. Faster than he could react, the axe penetrated his helmet, splitting apart the metal and sinking through his flesh, cutting into his skull. His eyes rolled into the back of his head as his body slumped forward, sliding across the snow. The dead Risean left behind a trail of blood that was entirely ignored by the other Vikings. They bounded forward mindlessly, charging towards their victim. Like feral dogs they could only feel their thirst for blood, not a single thought of strategy or doubt. After all, they had never lost before, they had no reason to change their tactics. From noble kings to vagrant barbarians, arrogance was their greatest downfall.

As soon as the axe killed the first Viking, the runes across Kingston's body exploded to life. Endless streams of darkness poured out from his markings, the mist-like essence was unlike any manifestation of magian energy the group had ever seen. Just the raw amount of essence alone was enough to make Isolda nauseous, the saintess stumbled backwards, unable to perceive the volume of magian particles in front of her without feeling dizzy. Even the rest of the King's Elite who weren't able to see magian energy felt intimidated by the amount. And it was then, that the little Girl blurted aloud, "I can see them now!" The physical outline of his body began to form in her eyes. It was blurry, but she could definitely make out the figure of a man. "Yes…" Maas stared ahead from over Ljufa's shoulder. "I see them too." The Risean woman frowned at both of them, silently wondering, "Why now?"

"Before he evoked his runes, his magian signature… it looked exactly like everything around him." The Ezuran stated absentmindedly.

"What?" Ljufa asked, not fully understanding what he was saying.

"His presence was so vast that it was indistinguishable from the environment around him. That is why Sibbe could not see him. She couldn't tell the difference between his signature… and Risea's."

What he was saying made sense… but it was also preposterous, how could it be that a singular man's signature be even remotely equal to an entire landscape's? Still, Maas isn't one to tell jokes, nor has his special vision ever failed them… if this was true, then what would that make this outsider? A demigod? Not even a Viking king could wield this much essence.

𝐅𝐎𝐎𝐌𝐏

In the blink of an eye Kingston launched himself forward. While the others were bracing themselves for the initial clash, this crazy bastard is sprinting straight towards them. Dark waves of runic mist carried him forward, leaving behind a murky trail of essence as he streaked across the white snow. Ljufa could hardly believe her eyes as the man ran at unimaginable speeds, directly into the Vanguard. The first Viking was unprepared for his aggressive approach and suffered the fatal price. In one swift action Kingston dug his fingers into his eye sockets and grabbed the frontal plate of the Risean's skull. Without sparing even a second of thought he tore off his face, The Viking crumbled to his knees, a flimsy piece of torn flesh attached to mangled bone dangled weakly from his face. Relentlessly the Legacy continued the onslaught, blinking towards the next enemy. This time, the Risean had a little more time to react, swinging down his axe with both arms as Kingston approached him. But the strength in his swing faltered halfway as an impact stole all the breath from his lungs. Even as spectators, Gaius, Theodore and Rekken couldn't perceive his movements. It really looked like he was teleporting across the battlefield. The Viking was ready for his attack, yet he still could not react. Kingston had bursted towards him and delivered a punch that looked like it should have impaled him. But instead due to the Vikings' bear-like durability, his body absorbed the blow, transferring all the damage to his internal organs instead. The raw trauma dealt by his blow ruptured nearly every internal member inside his body. The Risean doubled over in agony, throwing up blood onto the snow. What impressed the group the most about the Legacy's style of fighting, was his efficiency. Before the lifeless body of his felled opponent could even hit the floor, he had already bolted towards the next enemy.

More and more Vikings seemed to appear from the tree line, every single one of them consumed by the abyssal fog that was Kingston Samuels. Bodies of Vikings laid scattered across the fields of white grass. The smoke from the fire rose higher and higher into the sky, tainting more and more of the land in its soot. The Legacy's infinite darkness consumed more and more of the white forest, covering more of the land in the blood of the Vikings.

At some point he disappeared behind the trees, and the Riseans stopped emerging. They could hear the roaring and sounds of fighting, and they could only assume that Kingston was slaughtering the Risean tribes by the dozens. Rekken let out a deep breath of relief, glad that she didn't have to fight a Viking today. But just as soon as they started to relax, a man stepped out from inside the forest. He must have gone ahead of his comrades who were fighting Kingston. "Shit." Theodore cursed. "Of course it wasn't going to be that easy."

The Destrian family's disgraced prodigy frowned at the sight of the enemy, thinking that somehow, this Viking was different from the others. He was slightly taller, and he wore less armor. He had that same, wildly possessed look in his bright blue eyes, but there was some sign of… intelligence in them. Every strand of hair on their bodies stiffened, their paralyzed lungs could only muster short puffs of air as they stood there, terrified. Instead of rushing forward eagerly like his kin, he approached the group slowly, observing each member of the King's Elite. Gaius and Rekken stood in front of Theodore, as they were combat specialists while he was more of a mage. And Isolda stood behind him, the furthest away from confrontation where she could best utilize her essence manipulation. The snow began to kick up as the wind increased around them. The sky above them darkened and it wasn't from the smoke. A storm churned within the clouds above, a deep rumbling echoed from the sky as a vicious strike of lightning shook the forest Kingston was fighting in. A flash of recognition widened the Risean's already feral eyes as he locked onto the crippled Ezuran on Ljufa's back. His menacing gaze never wavered as he clasped both hands onto his singular large axe, unlike the rest of his tribe who dual wielded two smaller ones. Theodore never thought he would see the day where another weapon would be able to dwarf even Gaius'. But the Viking's axe was an entire head taller than himself, and the Risean was already ridiculously large in size, towering over Gaius. Suddenly he dashed forward, and the whole world seemed to fall away behind the Viking. The outsiders could focus their eyes on nothing other than the hulking barbarian that was barreling towards them.

Much to everyone's surprise, the first person to intercept him was Rekken. The girl charged forward in a flash of yellow, appearing directly in front of the Risean. With both hands she drove her spear straight into the ground, digging as far down as she could into the snow before the Viking's axe clashed with the golden lance.

𝘛𝘏𝘙𝘖𝘕𝘎𝘎𝘎𝘎𝘎

The initial impact was so loud that the raw power the sound waves produced extinguished a large portion of the candles that were several meters behind Ljufa. The ruthless blow sent sparks flying into the air, and a violent THRUMMM reverberated into her skull, deafening Rekken momentarily. The vibration from the force of his strike sent waves of rigorous shocks that transferred from her spear, into her bones. Her weapon was planted so firmly into the ground, that the collision formed a small crater beneath her spear, causing a geyser of snow to burst upwards. But despite all that, she was still pushed back a considerable distance. Simply blocking his attack was by far the most difficult feat Rekken had pulled off in her entire life. Just from the first impact alone, she knew that she wouldn't be able to block the next one very well. But she was too disoriented to evade the oncoming attack. Like a bloodthirsty panther the Risean pounced forward, immediately following up on his first strike. Faster than he had ever moved before, Gaius rushed forward to meet the Viking.

𝑪𝑳𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑮𝑮

The barbarian's axe met Gaius' broadsword in a vicious clash. Even with the blonde's brute strength, he needed to swing down with all his might to just cancel out the speed and power of the Viking's attack. The two enormous weapons collided with each other repeatedly. Each violent crash produced visible shockwaves that were enough to physically move everyone nearby. Gaius was doing a decent job blocking his attacks… though he wasn't so much blocking them as he was striking them. For an enemy of this caliber, it wasn't enough to place your weapon between yourself and the other fighter's blade, you needed to actually strike back against the attack, otherwise the sheer force of his swing would destroy you. The sounds of metal against metal were quickly drowned out by the miniature sonic booms that came after each strike.

Every blow started to feel heavier than the one before, as the Risean relentlessly pushed him back. The attacks contained so much power, and they were so rapid in succession, that Gaius hardly had any time to actually react. All he could do was stop the Viking from cleaving him in half. Then, the strikes became harder and faster, and eventually, they overpowered him. One of the blows collided against his sword so hard that it loosened his grip, causing the flat of his blade to slam into his body. The impact made him stumble down to one knee, and the Risean raised the axe over his head to deal a fatal strike.

But before he could bring his axe down onto Gaius, a yellow spear came streaking towards his head. Causing him to bring his weapon down and parry the throw. Using this moment as a distraction, Gaius grasped his sword in his hand and lunged at the Viking, who simply raised his leg and drove his foot into his face. The force of his kick knocked the sword out of Gaius' hand and sent him flying backwards into the cavern wall several meters behind them.

After launching the Lambridge's protector off the battlefield, his vehement blue eyes locked onto Rekken once again. Calling on her runes, the golden spear made of her own essence that the Risean parried earlier, disintegrated into thousands of particles of essence. With an open palm she commanded the particles back into her hand. The swarm of yellow shards were sucked backwards at extreme speeds, and one of them was able to cut the giant's face. A singular drop of blood squeezed out of the moderately sized scrape. As if sustaining any injury at all was an incredible dishonor to his pride, this attack enraged him. The shards of golden essence swam into Rekken's palm, joining together as her spear reformed in her hand.

She braced herself the best she could, but the fear was still clearly visible in her eyes, and her frightened body language was felt. The Viking ducked his head into a full on charge, arms flexed as he prepared to swing the axe. Rekken readied her spear but who was she kidding? There was no way she could take this monster head on. Just before they collided, a thick beam of green energy ripped across the snow, blasting the Viking. The attack intercepted his charge and sent him sprawling across the floor. The ray of runic energy only seemed to intensify as it continued to drive the Risean further into the ground. Behind the attack Theodore could hear growing frustration of the barbarian as he fought back against the magecraft. He could feel his energy leave him rapidly as the torrent of green essence flooded out. Any normal person would have been burnt to ashes by now, but he was sure that this spell would only leave a mere burn mark on the beast's arm. As the outpour of energy diminished, his essence began to harmlessly swim over the Viking's body. Exhausted from the accelerated essence loss Theodore collapsed onto one knee. His chest pumped wildly as his body worked to recover as much stamina as it could. Then, a warm soothing sensation spread from the small of his back as he felt someone place their hand on him.

"It would be best if you conserve your energy and focus entirely on supporting Rekken. This Viking is resistant to magic. Only Rekken's attacks can pierce his skin." Isolda stood behind him, based on her exhausted expression and the beads of sweat that ran down her face, it looked like she had been trying to suppress the Risean using her powers.

"He is still very much unrestrained Isolda." Theodore said almost sarcastically. To which the priestess answered with a tilt of her head, somewhat surprised that he still had a sense of humor in the midst of battle. "Riftwalking has no effect on him. I wonder why…"

No longer held down by the runic beam, he got up and let out a defiant roar. This was immediately answered by a second yellow blast that was so fast it looked like it was shot out of a cannon. Rekken's spear bounced off his elbow, leaving a deeper cut this time. Then her lance materialized in her hand like it had before, and she launched it again, and again, and again as she closed the distance between them. One attack after the other the Risean parried and dodged the spears, sometimes he just tanked it altogether, causing him to sustain a couple minor injuries. Then, once Rekken was close enough he swung his axe wildly. Her movements were swift and clearly practiced as she slid underneath the axe and impressively sprung up behind him, twisting her hips and slashing the tip of her spear upwards, raking it across his back. It was a perfect strike, the point of the lance dug into his skin and dealt a significant blow, leaving a long gash along his rear. Not sparing a single second for him to recover, Rekken swung the spear back down, aiming on deepening the wound she had just inflicted.

But her opponent was deceptively quick, spinning around and catching the shaft before she could bring it down fast enough. Her next moves were so natural that it almost looked choreographed. The weapon disintegrated in his hand, and rematerialized in Rekken's, leaving the Viking vulnerable with one arm raised in the air, and the other holding his axe. Unable to defend himself this time, Rekken plunged her lance into his body… but it did not go as deep as she thought it would. The strike was not fatal, but it was significant nonetheless. Still unfamiliar with this way of fighting the Viking grabbed onto the shaft and tried to hold it in place, only for it to dismantle in his hand and cut him once more. Repeatedly and relentlessly Rekken continued this attack. When the man tried to anticipate the pattern, and avoided blocking, she kept the form of the spear and delivered efficient slashes across his arm. When he tried to close the distance and outmaneuver her lance entirely, the golden essence morphed into a sword and cut him. And when he raised his axe to parry the blow, the blade transformed into a dense war hammer and slammed his weapon into the ground, then its runic vibrance would mold into a double edged sword and cut him on the way up. This unique malleability was what earned Rekken the title of, 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗢𝗳 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀 back in the academy. No combatant could come close to her dexterity, and no amount of practice seemed to be able to close the gap of her generational artistry in battle. Her god given talent, along with her rare ambidexterity made her the most unstoppable duelist of their class. Her gift of being able to skillfully wield any multitude of weapons, and her adaptability in close combat was what got her chosen as a member of the King's Elite.

But half of the battle was in her head, her mental strength was a mess and her body was still shaking in fear. Every move she made, she expected an unblockable counter attack, and every attack that came her way, she expected it to mortally wound her. The only reason she was still standing on her two feet, was purely due to her natural fighting ability and instinct. But raw talent and combative prowess alone could only get her so far. While she was standing her ground, hanging on by a thread, just reading and reacting to her opponent, the lack of awareness would make her miss important details in the fight.

A plethora of cuts were scattered all over the Risean's body, just deep enough to draw blood but not do any real damage. The enemy was large, bulky and an easy target. His swings were wide and predictable due to the size of his axe and his unrefined combat skills. A knowledgeable fighter would say that when it comes to combat, skills and techniques were just as important as size and strength. One might even say that it was more important than size and strength… but that only applied to physically relative matchups. An ant to an elephant, no matter how skilled, or talented it is, will still always be an ant to an elephant.

His inability to decipher Rekken's fighting style angered him greatly. Finally, he decided to not try to figure her out, instead, he chose to do what his people did best. Brutalize their way through every problem. Using their raw strength, their ruthless might and unstoppable size and…

Gaius had risen out of the rubble and felt the shift in the atmosphere. Rekken was so distracted with fighting the Risean that she didn't realize what was about to happen. She went in for a side slash with her blade, but the Viking didn't move to block, parry, or dodge it. Instead, he raised his axe over his head with both arms, runes that were not visible before started to illuminate his body. The brilliant blue colour filled the markings until its brightness and vividity matched the electricity that sparkled in his eyes. Instantly Rekken could tell that this attack would be heavier than the rest, so instinctively she leapt backwards, away from the imminent strike. Just as she pounced out of the way, the Viking swung his axe downwards with all his might.

The zone of the impact destroyed the ground below it, and blasted a bunch of snow into the air. Gaius was sprinting towards Rekken, screaming something at her but his words were drowned out by the sound of thunder, that came after the instant flash of lightning

Isolda lifted her hands off of Theodore and focused all her power into generating a shield of runic essence above her friend. But the lightning bolt was much too fast, and much too unexpected for Rekken to avoid. When she realized it, it was entirely too late. The Riftwalker's protection spell bought a mere fraction of a second before it was utterly shattered. The best Rekken could do was rearrange her weapon into a half conjured shield that dispersed as soon as the violent bolt of electricity tore through the sky, striking her. Over 400 million volts of electricity seared her skin and destroyed her insides in an instant. Waves of yellow energy rippled back and forth across her body as her defensive runes failed to absorb the strike. Her eyes rolled back and her head hit the floor. Steam rose from her smoking body as her limbs twitched uncontrollably. Gaius' eyes were wide with both anger and concern when he retrieved his sword, before blitzing towards the enemy.

Without any remorse the Viking lifted the axe once again to deliver the final blow, just in time for Gaius to intercept. Charging straight into the Risean and knocking him off balance. A red aura covered his entire body as excessive amounts of essence leaked out from his runes. Never before has he ever needed to exert so much of his power, yet it still may not be enough. The Viking quickly regained balance and gripped his axe, but before he could pull it in for an attack, Gaius stomped it down into the ground.

Immediately he swung his sword which the Viking caught with his one free arm, just as he anticipated. Blood seeped out from his opponent's hand and began to slide down Gaius' sword. The barbarian tightened his grip on the blade and pushed his face closer to Gaius', letting out a visceral roar that nearly bursted his eardrums. But Gaius did not budge nor blink. The man glared directly into the eyes of his enemy. Rekken had been critically wounded, and Kingston was most likely occupied with more warriors just like this one. Now was no time for caution. He was the eldest of the King's Elite, and the most respected among them, within the kingdoms. He was the only member of his group who was not persecuted or oppressed while they were students at the academy. So he kind of… took them under his wing and became their protector of sorts. Which is why he absolutely could 𝙣𝙤𝙩 fail them here.

The crimson droplets of blood began to steam off the flat of his blade, evaporating into the air. Wafts of steam sizzled out from the Viking's grasp as the temperature around Gaius gradually rose. An intense fury burned inside his eyes as he called on the essence deep within his soul,

"𝐈𝐚𝐤𝐨𝐬."

A raging fire set his sword ablaze, forcing the Risean to recoil away from the flaming red blade. Its fiery wicks gnawed at the air, melting the snow around him and turning it into smoldering black soot. Embers sparked off of the dancing flames as Gaius brandished his Infernal sword. "𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒚. 𝐈𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐬."