Chapter 24: The Hero of the Tribes

Magic Radiance was not a phrase heard every day. It was not a phrase Marco heard in the Summer Wilds, and it was not a phrase he ever expected to hear in life. Magic Radiance meant all of his plans were in the trash, and nothing between him and Alexia could make a difference. Magic Radiance meant this fight was far beyond their abilities, and as specters rose and the cocoon began to crack, he wondered how long he'd have to face it. Magic Radiance… why was someone in this conflict able to use it? Would he and Alexia be all right? What about the others? How could they survive to see the sun with this force standing here? Somehow he found his hope falling on Kiara. He'd stand as long as he could, but he hoped her battle ended fast…

Meanwhile, before the second Glutton fell, Kiara found herself standing in front of another pair of double doors. They seemed like yet another barrier in the journey of her life. On this side, she was still whoever she thought she was, but on the other, she would decidedly be a fighter. Beyond these doors, she would let the fire rage. Beyond these doors, the pretense of fear would no longer have a place. Ellio remained silent beside her as two shining diamonds circled him, waiting for her cue. Seconds flowed unstoppably around them, but Kiara couldn't open it yet, her mind wasn't even in the manor.

It was back at the Blulate house, sitting at a desk in a guest room. Pialla knocked on the door and came in, standing in front of her with a glass bird on a string. Moments ago, the girl had asked if she could borrow it, and now a drop of light sat inside, shining out. Was it enchanted? Kiara wondered what it could do.

“I can’t make battle enchantments like my mother, I’m afraid.” Pialla offered apologetically. “Still, I thought this might help you with the fight you have ahead. Considering who Cucumber is, I think it was a good choice.”

Kiara smiled, pulling it around her neck. “I feel like I need all the help I can get.” She frowned, and Pialla went to the bed. She patted the space beside her, and Kiara headed over.

“If I may be honest, I’m somewhat surprised you volunteered.”

“If I could be honest, I am too. I was just thinking about what Morduunal said. If I’m fated to be here, that means I have a purpose, right? Like, I’m not just a random bystander. It has to mean something…”

"It could just mean that you all were the best chance I had of escaping the retrievers. Your magic forced them to change their plans."

“Could that really be it?”

"Absolutely! My father would tell you that Fate and Destiny aren't the same things. No one knew you were going to be born. No one knew you'd live to be almost fifteen, or ever come to Magdalea. He would tell you that fate is just the impact you have at the moment. It doesn't mean you have to choose to fight."

Kiara closed her eyes as she processed that. It was true, but she knew what it was like when she didn't. Maybe she wasn't the destined hero of this moment, but if she didn't try, then misfortune would surely follow. Fate didn’t mean she had to fight, but so far fighting had been the best choice. Even now it was the same. If she said she was done, wouldn't Ellio put himself at risk?

“I know… I mean I think I know. I get what you’re saying at least, but…” She looked from Pialla to the ceiling and back.

“Your magic is telling me that you don’t want to be afraid of fighting.” The girl offered her a smile. Kiara nodded, that sounded right. Pialla held her hand and she let the touch assure her. It wasn’t a question of if she had to fight, but if she was ready to do it.

“Kiara?” Ellio snapped her concentration. “Are you ready?”

She looked at the doors and swallowed hard. “Yeah.” She replied, as ready as she was ever going to be.

The diamonds sank into Ellio's body as she pushed the doors open. An observatory awaited them with a glass ceiling shining moonlight on a floor etched with something like a star map. A telescope leaned against the wall on the other side, broken from its base by a branch reaching through the roof. Beneath it stood a strange tall figure with a sculpted frame. A wooden helmet covered their head but didn't stop long dark hair from falling down their back. They stood in slim dark clothes that almost made them a phantom, keeping their eyes on the skyline of Mirror Town below.

“Bernard Cucumber!” Ellio called, and the head turned slightly.

“You're here to fight for the girl, then?" He turned back to the window. "Here in Mirror Town, north of Glass Lake, south of Harmon and North Harmon. You're here to fight for this girl in a place steeped in my blood."

“Pialla has nothing to do with that Harmon guy, and I don’t care about this place or any of the towns. I’m just here to fight for her life.”

“It is still strange to me that a life can be worth so much. Mine was worth a handful of names on a map. It was worth the heart of a woman later betrayed. It was worth riches, perhaps? Or perhaps, infamy. What is this girl’s life worth to you?”

“I knew Pialla since I had to kneel to meet her eyes. Her life is worth the world."

“The world?” Cucumber fully faced him, resting a hand on his sword. “Then we are in a similar place. For the world, I’ll sacrifice this girl.” He slid the long sword free.

While Ellio remained unaffected, Kiara shivered as a presence clouded the room. It was only for a second—a blink where her eyes glowed and faded, but with the sword in his hand Cucumber filled the role of his legend. Neither the mask, his death, nor her ignorance could blind her to what she saw. This was Bernard Cucumber, and he was about to make every myth that made him true. She didn’t know why Ellio didn’t miss a breath, but as the presence settled into the man, it struck her with a thought. The Kiara she was before could not leave this room alive.

On swift feet, Cucumber started the attack. He flowed across the room like the phantom he resembled, his sword coming out to cut her down! Her eyes glowed and so did Ellio's tattoos as he made a chop. The floor dissolved as Cucumber leaped away. Ellio held up oozing hands, and the man straightened his posture.

“Basilisk Venom…”

“Does it make you nostalgic? I once heard a story from a one-armed Neba man. He was the only one around who mastered Basilisk Venom and he said it was no match for you. When I asked him to teach me he only had one bit of advice: never be stupid enough to use it against Cucumber.”

“And you’re not taking his advice?”

“What can I say. I never could believe the nightmares of old folks.”

Kiara felt a breath of that presence again. Cucumber’s attention shifted from her to him.

"Fine. Let me show you why he still has them."

Ellio did not let the man cross the room this time. Instead, the two met in the middle, sword stabbing out as hands cut down. A twist pulled Ellio away from the blade, feeding into a spin as his hands swung around. Cucumber stepped back and Ellio's foot followed, oozing like his hands toward the dead man's head. A duck made it miss, and a palm pointed down. A stream of venom sprayed, but the dead man flipped away. His blade came for flesh before he even landed. Kiara took sight, letting a spell fly.

“Burning Blast!” A fireball rushed toward him. Ellio sprung away with a smile. Cucumber landed and brought his blade down, splitting the ball into fading embers. As they died around him, Kiara felt the presence again.

"They called me the Mage Slayer. Did you think it'd be that easy?" She didn't but knew it would be harder now that he was wise to their plan.

He went for her again and Ellio slid up to his side. As a hand stabbed out, he stopped, cutting for the Neba's body. Ellio skipped back, but his mistake was clear. Cucumber followed with the sword above his head, slicing as bare feet touched the floor. Blood sprayed and a Battle Effigy turned it into a shallow wound. The man winced, however, paralyzed by the sudden shriek of pain. The sword came for his chest and he pushed it just fast enough to let it tear his arm. Cucumber reversed his grip, stepping closer, cutting deeper as he got in Ellio's face. He slammed his pommel into the chest and sheathed his sword as Ellio fell back. When he drew it again it came like cannon fire, driving him into a powerful spin. It looked like he tore the Neba apart, but Ellio escaped with his chest heaving.

“It’s West Field Aura Style, don’t let that first slash trick you. Hit him with a bigger spell!” He called as he caught his breath, and Kiara answered.

"Burning Torrent!" She willed a fireball together to pour like a waterfall. Cucumber evaded with a backflip, flowing around the torrent as his feet touched the ground. He came at Kiara; the presence within as deadly as a shark.

Suddenly, Ellio’s body flicked across the room. His leg axed down, and Cucumber guarded, knees almost dropping as the blow connected. Ellio curled in the air, stabbing his foot out. Cucumber put his agility to use, sliding away before the ooze touched.

He stood back with a bit of contemplation, looking at the Neba with curiosity poorly hidden by his mask. Ellio contorted, twisting his upper body slightly. It revealed a new snake tattoo on his back, rising from the skin to sink its teeth into his neck. The tattoos on his arms bit into his hands and they all glowed together with liquid light. Kiara understood what she was seeing. It was what made Pialla cautious of comparing her enchantments to her mom's. Elliot had explained it before they left the house.

“These are called the Mage Maker’s Heart and Mind.” He said of the diamonds from before. “Normally, you’d call Neba magic, Basilisk Bite. The tattoos on our bodies are made from the cursed venom of those bastard snakes. When we want we can give that curse to whatever we touch, it does horrible stuff to the body. The next form of our magic is called Basilisk Venom. It lets us produce it ourselves, but that’s not easy. Most Neba never learn how, we aren’t exactly sitting around reading and studying, you know?” That got a chuckle out of Alexia. “With the Heart and Mind though, it’s really easy. Heart makes it so your body can handle the magic, while Mind pushes your magic as far as it can currently go.”

“That sounds familiar.” Kiara said with eyes on Pialla.

“That’s cause it is. Pialla once told me that we could use the Basilisk Venom in a way no Neba has done before. I didn’t get what she meant, so I paid Biavi to make me something that could.”

Cucumber shifted almost imperceptibly, his contemplation reaching its conclusion. “Your using the Basilisk Venom to alter your body.”

“You wouldn’t be Cucumber if you didn’t figure it out, huh?” Ellio flexed his fingers. “I think I’ll call this Venom Alchemy. I get why they see you as a nightmare, for the record, but let’s see if that nightmare can match something it’s never seen.” His eyes moved to Kiara, and she got his message loud and clear. He was going to make sure her next attack was the last.

It was impossible not to see a whip as Ellio came at Cucumber again. His movement reminded her of the serpent crack, one moment reeling back and the next, snapping forward. His hand swung down in a boneless lash and the oozing venom sprayed up as the swordsman knocked it away. Ellio coiled to the floor, whipping his leg around. This time it caught Cucumber's arm, batting him aside. The force of it threw the man across the room, but he skipped to a stop, swinging down. His target was Ellio’s approaching head and he missed as the Neba curled in the air. A dropkick lanced out and Cucumber drove it wide. His grip on the sword reversed and he stabbed. The metal sank into the floor, missing as Ellio twisted his body. His leg came around all the while, resounding a loud crack off of the dead man's helmet. No! Not the helmet, that was the crack of Cucumber's arm. His sword drifted to his other hand, and an upward slash sent blood flying. As his broken arm healed, Cucumber took the sword in both hands and brought it down. It sliced into Ellio's shoulder and suddenly stopped, trapped by tightening muscles. The Neba's other hand came up to return the favor—flesh, and bone-melting as his fingers pushed through. He let Cucumber's sword drop as it went limp, sweeping a foot through his legs.

"Now!" He roared. Kiara obliged.

“Burning Inferno!” Globes formed, making her look small. She swung her arms and they flew like pebbles. As Cucumber fell and Ellio slipped away, they hit him with a scarlet flash. The man and the wall behind him went up in flames. Ellio shaded his eyes but watched all the same. Nothing jumped out; nothing got away. Cucumber vanished in the blaze.

“Nice work!" He laughed, but Kiara couldn't even draw a smile. There was nothing, not even a motion in the air, but Cucumber's presence still remained…

Wrapping the wind around Ellio, she pulled as fast as she could. His scream still filled the room—the girl too slow to spare him from a sword tearing down his back. She still couldn't feel a thing in the wind, but her eyes could do all the work. Three specters emerged from the fire, one armed with a bloodied sword…