Chapter Four: Red Like... Wait, Those Aren't Roses.
Approached by a stranger, Luca and company are initially surprised by this interruption. But, little do they know, she's got targets.
This was the worst possible time for someone to interrupt their plans rudely, Kendall thought, especially since it was just another traveller.
A girl stood close to them with a smile, scanning each of them in turn. She caught Kendall’s eye; her wavy, curled hair was a mix of light pinks, reds and blues, flowing just past her chin. Her skin, although pale, glowed radiantly in the incoming moonlight.
The young woman's ruby red and black leather skirt enhanced her appearance, while the laced top and her sweater were in pink and white, creating a striking contrast.
“Um, are you lost, ma’am?” Zeph asked, defensively standing between his friends and this new person. “If you need assistance locating a certain spot, I’d be happy to help.”
The girl shook her head with a small smile. “Ah, I’ll be fine,” she replied. “I’m here to handle some business with some people, and you four match their descriptions. I don’t know if you are the ones I’m looking for, though.”
“Business?” Saoirse pressed. “What do you mean, business?”
The girl brushed some hair from her line of sight, revealing a pair of silvery-gray eyes. “I think it’s got something to do with them stopping the likes of Revnia. I don’t know much about them, that’s what he told me.”
She then held up her hands apologetically. “If they aren’t you, then I am sorry. I’ll be on my way then.”
“How do you know about Revnia?” Kendall asked next. “You also said that he told you about this group of people? So you know him?”
The mysterious woman winked and nodded. “Ding! We’re kind of like partners or something like that? I help him from time to time, that's all.”
“Why would you help Revnia, of all of the Numens? He’s the worst of the bunch!” Luca exclaimed.
“Oh?” The girl reached behind her back to reveal a sword grip, not yet wanting to unsheath it. That was a threat, and it’s not like she couldn’t be armed if she carried a permit.
The fact that she stopped before them was suspicious at best, and a declaration of aggression at worst.
“Why do you think he’s the worst Numen, if you’re okay with answering?” the girl started, crossing her arms as she spoke. “Are you the ones I’m looking for?”
Kendall blinked at this mysterious girl for a brief moment, stunned by her question. She was looking for them, and it was only a matter of time before she figured it out.
Fuse lit, the dragon couldn’t contain her growing frustrations. “Um, let’s see,” Kendall retorted. “He’s why my mom is missing, and my father is distraught.” Kendall barely kept her cool but steadied herself.
“What happened to my mother?” Kendall asked firmly. “Do you know where Revnia is?”
The girl laughed a little. “Ah, so you’re the ones I’m looking for. I suppose I have to give a bit of context first, right?”
A bright stream of cool blue ice flourished in Kendall’s palm as she stared through this stranger with wide eyes.
“Nah,” she growled. “No context needed. If you’re with them, you become a target.”
The stranger’s lips curled with amusement. “Fiery little Altina, aren’t you?” the girl mused. “Well, since you’ve blown your cover, I don’t have to pretend anymore.”
With a long and deep sound, she revealed her weapon: a double-edged, purple and black greatsword almost as big as she was.
“The name’s Ruby, by the way,” she said with a curtsy. Ruby glared at Kendall with a smirk. “Now then, I’m tired of talking.”
Kendall ran in front of Zeph without hesitation, unveiling her weapon with a click from her sheath. Its true length matched that of Kendall’s arm. She gripped her blade’s handle tight enough that her knuckles turned white.
“Good,” Kendall countered, holding her blade above her head with both hands. “Shall we?”
With a small laugh, Ruby leapt into the air and swung her sword, aiming at the ground. The asphalt ruptured when she landed, causing the area to quake a little. Cracks appeared beneath the parking spaces right as Ruby dashed toward Kendall.
With her swift parry, Kendall met Ruby’s onslaught with her sword. The metal clashing sent them back to where they once were. Kendall was seemingly unfazed, remaining focused on her opponent. She couldn’t switch her stances yet, as they were unaware of how Ruby fought others.
Ruby wiped her forehead of sweat, staring at Kendall with a surprised expression on her face. “Stronger than you look, eh?”
Her eyes darted over to a car. Before Kendall could react, Ruby struck the ground again as three cracks appeared next to her.
Three stone creatures climbed out from the holes Ruby had made. Their bodies were smooth yet jagged, and they were also of formidable sizes. One stood as tall as Zeph.
Then, dashing behind the car, Ruby swung her sword and bashed the vehicle into the air, aiming straight for Kendall.
She narrowly dodged the now-wrecked car, only to be met with Ruby running at Kendall again. She wanted her for some reason.
Eager, aren’t you?
So Kendall obliged.
She blocked Ruby’s first hit with surprising timing, utilizing her sheath to poke before quickly unsheathing her sword to slash at Ruby’s sides with an additional flourish. Ruby kept slamming and slashing, using her entire body weight to her advantage. Eventually, she got Kendall with a swift cut to the left hip, slamming her into Saoirse’s car.
Kendall felt winded and dizzy, but a bright shield appeared around her. Her left side was bruised, limping while using her blade’s sheath as a pillar of support. She coughed a few times, feeling her throat tense with each motion.
“Oof,” Kendall groaned.
In her daze, Kendall’s eyes caught a marvellous sight. She saw Saoirse waving her fan and heard the crackling blazes of fire and the harsh gusts of wind.
“Why work with Revnia, eh?! Are you mad?”
With swift movements, Saoirse dealt with the golems and Ruby in turn. She summoned fireballs that blazed near her fan, strong crimson twisters sending golems flying, and spheres of white light to disintegrate the stones. Saoirse kept going and going until it was just Ruby and one golem.
Saoirse momentarily turned around and gave Kendall a nod, hiding her exhaustion. I’ve got you, lass.
Grinning through the pain, Kendall returned her gesture with a knowing smile. Her ears also rang with Luca’s battle cries.
“Yah! Take this!”
Luca had been dealing with the last one; despite being the least experienced, he swiftly dodged the golem’s brutish swings and timed his attacks cautiously. “Whoa, big guy,” Luca shouted. “Don’t get too excited, now!”
The golem didn’t like that. It swung its right arm towards Luca’s right, which he hadn’t anticipated.
“Aw, crud.”
Kendall heard a crack, but she also saw a blur fly through the air and into the golem’s chest.
Although Luca did get smacked back near Kendall, he had also dealt the final blow with a quick dagger toss to the stone creature’s chest, which rebounded back to him.
Kendall felt a warm sensation on her side. Looking up, she saw Zeph administering medical care. She felt her hips, and the bruise was less obvious.
“Y’all need to play it a bit safer,” Zeph chided while tapping away on his tablet. “She bruised your ribs quite badly, Ken. I can’t exactly heal you if you’re dead.”
Kendall rolled her eyes. “Thank you,” she said while beaming, standing on her own two feet.
Zeph shrugged and smugly smiled. “That’s my job.”
Laughing a bit, Kendall focused back on Ruby, who fought against Saoirse’s onslaught by blocking with the face of her blade like a shield. However, she could see Saoirse’s feet stumbling a bit.
Saoirse was running out of energy.
“Touch my friend like that again, and you’ll be sorry!” Saoirse snarled.
Saoirse’s head throbbed with each spell cast, stumbling a bit with an occasional step forward. “Sure, I’m not doing so hot right now, but I know we’ll finish you off regardless.”
Ruby, whose face reddened by the barrage of attacks, grinned at her. She finally held her sword became coated in a violet aura.
“Great spellcasting, love,” Ruby wheezed. “But I don’t think your friend will be able to reach you in time, I’m afraid.”
She laughed, leapt into the air and dove down towards Saoirse. “Go back to where you came from, foolish fairy!” Ruby roared.
As if on instinct, Kendall closed her eyes and imagined her sword coated in ice. It slowly froze over as she put one foot back and dashed towards them, getting in front of Saoirse before parrying with her now icy blade and jabbing Ruby with the end of her sheath.
The chill around them was just right, easing her aching bones. “Glacial Waltz!” she cried.
Kendall followed this up with a flurry of white, silver and blue slashes before elegantly creating an arc of wind with the final cut in a fwoom, knocking Ruby back further. She heard and saw the ice crackle into a bunch of crystals.
Landing with poise, Kendall sheathed her sword and turned to where Ruby lay in a heap. She looked like a mess, and her clothes had been tattered. Snow covered her scraped knees, while her hair resembled a bird’s nest: wildly tangled and full of
“Was that enough for you?” Kendall called over, moving towards the snow as Ruby struggled to get up.
“Well,” Ruby coughed, spitting up bile, “I’ll admit, you… ugh, this headache is going to be a bloody pain! Anyway, you certainly put up a fight. Not just you, but all your mates. Even Luca surprised me.”
“I sure did, didn’t I?” Kendall turned around to see the other three approaching. “Maybe you shouldn’t engage us in a one-versus-four next time?” Luca advised.
Ruby tried scoffing, but she ended up coughing instead. “If you think this is all I have, you’ll be in for a real surprise.” She put her weapon away and crossed her arms. “Not now, obviously; I’m way too battered. Good job.”
Saoirse gave Ruby a death stare. “Remember what I said, Ruby: a fairy never breaks her promises.”
Ruby shrugged and nodded. “Fair, but I’m not the only one coming after you. Have you heard of the Cult of Secrets? The criminal group associated with Revnia? I’d keep an eye out.”
Saoirse had been flustered for a moment before she backed off with a deep, rather concerning frown.
“Wait, how do they know about us?” Luca wondered. “Seriously. Does Revnia have a news outlet or something?”
Ruby shook her head. “That’ll be my secret and mine alone. That aside,” she gestured down at herself, “I’ve got to change and rest up. Do you have any other questions, class?”
Zeph raised a hand. “I’ve got one: what do you have to gain from working with Revnia?” His eyes locked with Ruby as the tension built up bit by bit.
Ruby’s eyes darkened a little, and her frown became bitter. Regretful, even. Her entire posture had tightened. She could be in deep.
“Why would you care?” she spat. “I understand where Fallon is coming from, honestly. She’s just going about it in the wrong way, is all. At the very least, I hope you never have to experience what she and I have gone through.”
“You don’t know her!” Kendall shouted angrily. “What makes you think you know my mother’s pain?!”
Ruby’s eyes widened with a curious glint. “Oh, don’t I? Perhaps you should learn to read between lines, Kendall. Sure, you never met your grandparents or uncle, but you didn’t have to watch them die or be taken from you.”
Having enough of the ongoing conversation, Ruby turned around and began walking away. “Think about that for a bit, yeah? I’ll see you all sometime later, though. Ta!”
Ruby walked until she faded into the shadows.
Saoirse kissed her teeth. “Carys’ crown, what a tool!” she shouted. “Look at the parking lot, man! Me car’s fine, but what about everything else?”
“Someone’s not going to be happy,” Kendall murmured, assessing the damage to the parking lot.
“I don’t know, guys.” Luca checked his phone. “It’s almost ten. The flight’s at a quarter to twelve. If we go now, we can get past the usual checks.”
“He’s right,” Zeph added. “We should probably hurry.”
As they all agreed on their plan, Saoirse locked her car and walked towards the airport. Before Kendall joined, she looked up at the rising moon in the sky, wondering whether her family were okay.
Her father was probably traumatized, and her mom…
Well, Kendall thought of her as an enigma. A puzzle to be solved. Yet, all of the pieces were missing.
How far was she willing to go? Would it be worth upsetting the Numens or trusting Revnia?
Mom, we’re coming, she thought. Just hold on tight, okay?