10 - The Wind's New Direction

[ForeverZeroUltima]

Is that a human? Ralza turned her attention to Argon, who seemed amused at the relationship between her and Lynx. I've never had the chance to meet a human before.

"Erm, yes," Lynx answered. He nudged at Ralza to get her off of him before he sat up. "He's also a shapeshifter."

"Is she somehow talking to you?" Argon asked, unaware of Ralza's telepathic ability. He smiled. "Say 'hello' to her for me."

Ralza looked back at Lynx. Friend of yours?

He nodded.

Then I shall treat him as my own. She turned her gaze back to Argon and expanded her telepathic range so that both men could hear her. Greetings, human. I am Ralza of the Ru'el. What is your name?

"Argon," he replied. "And like Lynx said, I can turn into any beast of the land, sea, and sky at will. I've never seen one of your kind before, so I'm pleased to meet you."

Turning her attention back to Lynx, Ralza thought: His long hair makes him pretty. Like a girl. Lynx cracked a smile and chuckled. Still, my unwavering loyalty is to you.

"Ralza," Lynx started with a solemn tone. "I-"

Say no further, she interrupted him. Her eyes shone a bright gold color as she pressed her muzzle against his shoulder. You do remember my...last words, don't you? I love you very much, regardless of the physical differences between us. Just as I wanted someone that loved me for me, I loved you because you were you. That, Lynx, will not change even if we cannot be mates, but nothing is to stop us from at least being together. It is my wish to be at your side. Do you understand?

Lynx closed his eyes and nodded slowly. "I understand." He opened his eyes again. "Then, Ralza, there is something I want you to do."

What is it?

"I want you to tell your parents and your tribe everything before you follow me any further."

What! Ralza pulled away and glared at him. After I poured out all of my feelings for you, you would mock me by pushing me away? I'm hurt! She turned her head to the side and looked away.

"You died once because of me," Lynx explained. "Regardless of what you think, I still hold responsibility for anything that has happened to you thus far. Your tribe at least deserves to know where you are and what has happened."

Ralza looked back at him with one eye. I must tell them everything?

"Everything," he repeated.

...very well. I shall do exactly as you say. Ralza placed her paw on Lynx's knee and licked him on the nose. I shall be with you again before the next new moon. With that, she pressed off and disappeared beyond the forest.

"Should I not ask what that was about?" Argon queried.

Lynx looked down at the ground. "When I was under the influence of Kelis and Silek's spell, I succumbed to the needs of living creatures: hunger, thirst, and sleep. But, I also felt strong wants; I had such powerful desires for other things, too. Ralza was the first to stir up these feelings inside of me. Feelings I've never had before. Feelings of...love, joy, and passion." Lynx shook his head. "But if the spell has reverted and I am dead again, then why...why do I still care...?"

Argon opened his mouth to speak, but the sound of footsteps from the opposite side of the trees startled him. He quickly stood up and turned around. Lynx turned his head to look.

A woman came walking out. Lynx immediately recognized her: it was Mavra. She wore a dark green robe and held her staff closely. Her brown hair was pulled into a ponytail and her expression remained stern. The Crystal Sash hung from her staff.

"I'm ready," she said, almost in a whisper.

Lynx stood up. "Mavra-"

"I'm no longer the weak girl you beat up before," she continued in a firm voice. "Fight me."

Lynx began to walk towards her, but Argon stood in his way. "Hold on," he said. "You're in no condition to fight again, especially not after taking such heavy blows from the sorcerers."

"It is my duty to answer her call, Argon," Lynx replied. The dark hexagon appeared on his forehead, the black circle glowing deeply. "I must-"

"I'll fight in your place!"

Argon's declaration surprised the both of them. Mavra became angry. "You'll not interfere in our business, boy!" The wind around her began to pick up as her own forehead bore the hexagon with the green circle glowing.

"I mean it. I will battle you. Lynx has shown me the world in a different view and it is my obligation to repay him in any way I can, even defending him." Argon bit his lip as he felt awkward for his declaring such a statement.

"Argon. I've told you the history of the Element Callers. Do you truly believe you can stand up to one, even a novice?" Lynx asked with a serious expression.

"I don't know," Argon replied. "But I refuse to just stand aside and let you fight tired."

Lynx closed his eyes and looked down. "I see. Very well." He opened his eyes again. "Don't go easy on her; she's tougher than you think."

Argon began to approach Mavra. She scowled in disgust. "I never imagined that a human being would ever befriend a monster. You're a disgrace!"

Argon lowered his upper body and stood firmly. "Monster or not, I will make you take back those words!" He threw his arms to the ground as he transformed into a wolf. He assumed a defensive stance between Mavra and Lynx and bared his fangs at her.

Mavra appeared to be shocked at Argon's ability, but quickly resumed her posture and scoffed in disgust. "Monsters beget monsters." She held out her staff, which began stirring the winds more violently. "I'll tear you apart!"

[ForeverZeroUltima]

Lynx wanted to sit down and rest, but he found that he couldn’t. Not only was he concerned about the two combatants’ well-being, but his body was simply too sore to perform any action that would involve muscular contraction. So he simply stood and watched.

Mavra held her staff with a tight grip and sent wave after wave of thin wind. Argon, with his keen lupine reflexes, was quick to avoid the treacherous gusts and shortly worked his way up close to his target.

“Away from me, you beast!” Mavra shrieked angrily as she swung her staff at him. He dodged once, and when she swung again, he quickly lashed out with his jaws and clamped on tightly to the staff. He snarled ferociously as he attempted to wrench it out of her hands. His growl quickly turned into a yelp of pain as a swift kick to the underside of his chest dislodged his hold. Mavra swung her staff again, this time blowing Argon straight into the air with a strong gust.

He wasn’t ready to quit, though; the moment the gust could no longer carry the weight of his body, he quickly transformed into a raven, looped into a somersault, and soared straight back to her.

“Not a good idea,” Lynx murmured.

Mavra too realized that this was her chance to inflict pain. She summoned a flurry of thin, sharp winds, ready to tear his wings apart. Before she knew it, something rammed into her stomach and sent her flying back. She landed on her back and yelled in pain.

Suddenly she knew what had happened. The shapeshifter had known from the start that the worst form he could take was an avian animal. Her wind magic was sharp and easy to manipulate, threatening a quick destruction to such creatures. The raven was a fast bird though, so it was difficult to see him approach. Once he had ensured that Mavra had changed her attack, he used her obscure vision of him to his advantage and changed form to a large crab (a black one, in order to maintain the illusion). The tough carapace surrounding him protected him against her attacks, and his sheer weight guaranteed a strong momentum as he completed the rest of the flight and slammed into her.

Lynx was surprised. He hadn’t expected the shapeshifter to devise such a crafty strategy, despite having no fighting experience. But he knew Mavra was very intelligent as well as a quick learner; how many more times would he be able to outsmart her?

Argon quickly changed to a panther, keeping his forms simple. He couldn’t use larger forms as they would be huge targets, and getting hit in a smaller form would most definitely be fatal. He waited until Mavra stood up in order to take the initiative and strike. Mavra waited until he was close in proximity before firing a single, focused blast of wind at him. Argon leaped high, landed behind her, and ran in a semicircle to keep her aim off balance. Having had enough of his tricks, Mavra swung her arm in the other direction, sending a wave against him. Argon’s momentum was against him this time, preventing escape as the wind struck him square in the face.

He was blown about ten meters away, and while the attack was not sharp like the earlier ones, it was enough to disorient him. Mavra took this opportunity to fire another blast, and this time it struck home. Argon let out a howl of agony. Blood streamed all over his face and body, and the sheer force of the blast made him feel like his chest was going to burst open. He slowly oriented himself and faced her again. He took another tall leap, but this time he stayed in mid-air as he shifted into a hawk, blood still dripping from his body. Mavra readied herself, but paused when the shapeshifter flew straight up instead of toward her.

Moments later, large drips of blood rained down on her. Mavra yelled in disgust as she stumbled about, wiping blood from her face. Before she knew it, mounds of giant snake surrounded her body, squeezing gently enough to not harm her, but tightly enough to completely constrict her movements.

Lynx continued to watch in earnest. “Definitely not a good idea.”

The wind acolyte screamed out in rage as her temper flared. She was still holding onto her staff, and it responded to her fury. A whirlwind formed around her, lifting Argon straight up. He changed back to his human form just in time for the gales to send him flying again. He landed on his back and coughed up more blood onto himself.

The whirlwind enlarged, spanning a diameter of five meters and equally as tall. Mavra glowered as she spoke: “Fool. You cannot harm me. This hurricane will both protect me and shred you!” The winds were blowing too quickly for either Lynx or Argon to hear what she was saying.

Argon struggled to stand up. He suffered several cuts over his body and blood stained his arms, legs, and hair. “S-So strong,” he uttered. He stumbled a bit as he took a step toward her. “What can I do?”

The whirlwind appeared to gain size and intensity by the second. The only opening of course was at the top, but he would most certainly be torn apart if he flew as a lightweight bird again.

“This is not good,” Lynx said. “If she is not stopped…” The growing strength of the whirlwind drowned out his words. Argon had begun focusing his gaze on Mavra again when he noticed something. A single leaf had been tossing and turning near the top of the storm, and it finally fell in. It landed behind her and lay motionlessly. Argon suddenly had an idea.

“I-I think I can…” he mumbled slowly. He then spoke up. “Lynx, I know I told you to stay out of this fight, but I’m going to ask for your help with something.” He threw himself to the ground on all fours as he changed into a wolf again.

“Hmmm?” Lynx was confused.

Argon suddenly ran at him, jumped, and landed on his shoulders. He leaped again skyward, and Lynx was thrown back by the force of the shapeshifter’s leg thrusts.

Lynx hit the ground and felt the forceful shock coursing through his body. Normally it wouldn’t have bothered him but the lengthy fight earlier had left his body sore. He looked up just in time to see what Argon was doing.

The shapeshifter had propelled himself high into the air after using Lynx as a jumping stool. He extended his front and back legs as straight as possible so as to reduce wind resistance. He appeared to falter for a moment as his weight began to stop his ascent, at which point he began a nose dive. He landed right at the edge of the whirlwind’s opening, and luckily for him, the violent winds knocked him in. Argon landed on all fours and followed up by reverting to human form and grabbing a surprised Mavra from behind.

The whirlwind immediately abated. The two struggled with each other for control over the staff as Lynx slowly got back up. “Stop now, the both of you,” he spoke. “I’ve seen enough.”

“What?” they said simultaneously. Mavra tried to break out of Argon’s hold, but he had his arms around her and his hands clasped to the staff. This also prevented Argon from overpowering her, because if he managed to pull it away from her, he’d have to let go of one hand in order to get away from her; she’d steal it back at that point.

Lynx focused his energy and extended his shadow, which spawned three cats. They tackled the struggling pair, breaking up the fight. Two cats held them down, while the third escaped with the staff.

“Argon, you’ve shown me that you can adapt to nearly any situation,” Lynx said to the shapeshifter. “But what if I were not present? Would you still have found a means to get to her? Would you have avoided death?”

Argon looked back at Lynx with a shocked face while still being pinned down by the shadow. “Lynx, I—”

“And Mavra,” Lynx continued, “you are just as quick a learner. You’ve shown me that your determination forces open an opportunity wherever you wish. But if I had not stepped in, would you have won? Argon is stronger than you and could have easily disarmed you; what would have become of you in a real battle?”

Mavra, for her part, decided to stay silent while struggling to get the cat off.

The hexagons on Lynx’s and Mavra’s foreheads disappeared, as well as the shadow cats. Both persons got back up. Lynx picked up the staff and tossed it to Mavra, who did not catch it.

“I refuse to believe this,” Mavra muttered angrily. “I…I came here to defeat you, and still lost to someone else.” She clenched her fist while wiping some of Argon’s semi-dried blood from her face. “Am I…really this weak?”

“Hold on,” Argon interrupted. He slowly stumbled over to her, clutching his side. He still had fresh blood trailing from his face and side, and the ends of his long hair were dyed red. “You only got a bruise or two, but I was nearly killed. I have never fought anyone like you. You know, I am kind of glad.” He gave a tired smile.

“Glad?!” Mavra snapped. “For what?”

“That fight was very…exciting to me,” he answered. “I would not mind if we were to fight again after I rest off my injuries.” He then fell over, rolled onto his back, and closed his eyes.

Lynx stepped closer to Mavra. “He has lived most of his life all alone and had to teach himself to survive. He is grateful, Mavra. Grateful that for once, he got to enjoy a fight outside of a life-or-death situation. He may even be fascinated by your abilities.” He knelt down and began using his energy to patch up Argon’s wounds.

“Lived alone,” Mavra repeated softly. Lynx raised an eyebrow, causing Mavra to recoil.

Lynx changed the subject so as not to make her feel uncomfortable. “What are your plans?”

“What?”

“I will stay here and tend to him. In addition to the wounds you’ve inflicted upon him, he’s also tired out from his own excitement. What will you do now, Mavra?”

“That…” she spoke sternly, “is none of your business.” She turned and began walking off. “Do not follow me, beast. I wish to never see you again.”

Lynx shook his head. He reached out and took up the staff. The Crystal Sash was ever so pure and somehow managed to avoid blood spatter during the entire fight. He tore off a small piece of his own clothing, forced Argon’s hand open, wiped it clean, and placed the staff there. Lynx knew he would go after Mavra once he’d woken up.

Lynx sat down beside a tree facing Argon and closed his eyes. Rest, at long last.