The Coal Machine and six other ally airships fly around the hectic skies above the city of Massadah. Several dozens of fighter planes fly by shooting at them. Loc takes out several fighter planes by lobbing balls of fire at them. Aldrog flies through the planes to destroy them. Seth and Phoebe are on the deck of the Coal Machine. Several Arcane have mounted turrets and are shooting at the enemy planes.

Phoebe: There’s too many of them!

Loc: We can handle them!

Aboard another ship is Kenjiro and Tamar. Kenjiro swings out waves of vyrkra from his katana to take out the planes while Tamar snipes the pilots with her sniper rifle.

Kenjiro: Sorry about this. I know they’re your own people and all.

Tamar: Don’t feel bad. They chose this fate.

The people in the city below look up at battle in the sky and panic. Some of the planes crash into the city.

Arcane Man: A battle?!

Arcane Woman: Great Spirit, what is going on?!

Arcane Man: The prince and rightful heir to the throne has finally come to claim it!

Arcane Woman: Hide everyone inside. Quickly! Round up the children!

Rivna leaps off the Coal Machine and leaps off small platforms of ice that are produced from the steam from her chest. She bounces around through the sky as she continuously leaps off ice platforms to strike down a multitude of the fighter planes in quick succession. The others look amazed as she leaves no survivors.

Kenjiro: There’s no way we can lose with a monstrous power like that fighting on our side.

Rivna lands back on the Coal Machine. Phoebe and Seth look at her incredulously.

Phoebe: I’m starting to think we brought too many people with us.

Seth: You can say that again. We’re better off storming the Queen of Queens’ palace.

Loc: (That was excellent Rivna.)

Rivna: (I truly hope this endeavor brings about more excitement than this.)

Loc: (Be careful what you wish for.)

Queen Bethel and Yinyah are standing in the royal garden observing the battle that is taking place in the night sky. Queen Bethel is calm and cool while sipping from a teacup. Yinyah looks concerned.

Queen Bethel: Be honest Yinyah. How favorable are their odds of victory to you?

Yinyah: Well, Your Majesty, I believe that we will be victorious in this bout. But I would be lying if I said they had no chance at victory.

Queen Bethel chuckles as she raises her hand to the sky. It becomes very cloudy and a storm brews.

Queen Bethel: Heed my call, great Aeon of the Abyssal Realm! Rend my foes asunder with your awesome might, Byridious!

A giant dark rainbow colored glyph appears high above the battle in the sky and a loud ferocious roar is heard. Yinyah as well as the entire battlefield halts in terror. Byridious, a gigantic humanoid black and purple dragon emerges upside down from the glyph. Only its torso is exposed as the rest of its body remains in the glyph. Byridious has four large wings on its back and demonic horns on its head. It lets out a terrifying roar.

Queen Bethel: The Queen of Queens was gracious enough to let me play with one of her favorite pets for this battle. So Yinyah, what do you think of their odds now?

Yinyah is briefly speechless.

Yinyah: They can’t-- they can’t possibly win against an Aeon.

Queen Bethel chuckles.

Queen Bethel: Being a queen does have its perks.

The people of Massadah run and scream in terror at the sight of Byridious.

Arcane Man: The Queen of Queens has finally come to kill us!

Arcane Woman: The Will help us all!

Kenjiro and Tamar look horrified.

Kenjiro: What have we gotten ourselves into?

Tamar: A nightmare…

Aldrog lands on the Coal Machine terrified. Gideon and Joshua enter the deck.

Gidget: There’s no way that’s real right? Hey, somebody please tell me I’m dreaming.

Joshua: I guess there’s no turning back right now.

Phoebe: Alright, this is suicide again.

Gidget puts on his goggles and taps a button.

-------------------------

????

Combat Rank: 146

Combat Tier: Witch Tier

Class: ???

Elemental Affinity: Dark/Dyrkcen

Vyrkra Reserves: 698600

Might: 46400

Fortitude: 19930

Agility: 14900

Growth Potential: N/A

-------------------------

Gidget: You guys, this thing is a whole lot stronger than Daagon!

Loc looks at the Aeon with frustration.

Loc: (What does that woman think she’s doing?! Has she no concern for the well being of her own people?)

In an isolated dark place the silhouette of the Queen of Queens watches the action through a crystal ball while sitting on a throne. She chuckles.

Queen of Queens: Let’s see how you and your god fare now, Son of Hezekiah.

Byridious gathers dark rainbow colored mist into its mouth and fires. Four of the six airships accompanying the Coal Machine are erased in the blast. Everyone looks on in terror. Loc looks even more frustrated. He looks deep in thought.

Rivna: (Loc!)

Loc: (What can I possible do against something like that?)

Byridious swings its long arms and takes out another airship. It follows up by shooting another wave of vyrkra at the Coal Machine. Everyone aboard it freezes in terror. Rivna runs to the edge and produces a shield of ice that blocks the continuous blast. She struggles to maintain the shield as Byridious’ blast quickly chips away at it.

Gidget: Oh no, this is it isn’t it?!

Rivna: (Loc!)

Loc: (What if I use the Yhol-Oiudyn technique? No. It wouldn’t do me any good here. I need something that would multiple my power exponentially for one big attack. But I don’t remember how I took out Daagon.)

Rivna: (LOC!)

Loc snaps out of his deep thought.

Rivna: (Why do you keep shutting me out in times like this? You fight not alone anymore! I’m here too!)

Loc looks taken aback by her words.

Rivna: (Remember what Gideon said? We’re bonded. Let me into you thoughts so that I may use you true strength again.)

Loc: (But…)

Rivna: (It’s okay Loc. There’s no need to be so guarded with me. Remember, I am your sword.)

Loc hesitates. He looks a bit surprised as his eyes flash. Rivna’s eyes glow brightly.

Rivna: (So much rage and pain…Are these really Loc’s thoughts?)

Rivna grabs her head in pain.

Rivna: (What have I done? I can’t contain this… this can’t be Loc. This is not the spirit of a man or beast, it’s too terrifying! It’s going to consume me…)

Rivna screams as her eyes turn entirely silver. She enters a trance-like state. Gideon quickly glances at Loc. Rivna leaps off the ship and bounces off of several ice platforms at blurring speeds. She slashes off Byridious arm within a leap, causing it to fall and crush several building in the city below. The Aeon screeches in pain as everyone watches in awe. Rivna follows up by leaping through the air and cutting off its other arm.

The Queen of Queens stands up in frustration as she witnesses Rivna’s amazing feats with great dismay.

Queen of Queens: What is this madness?!

Queen Bethel watches in frustration, Yinyah in pure amazement. Loc watches with great concern.

Loc: (She’s not herself right now. My thoughts can’t reach her for some reason.)

The Aeon fans its wings, blowing Rivna back in midair. She stops herself from being blown back with an ice platform. She leaps and severs the head of the Aeon with great ease, causing the rest of its body to recede back into the glyph. The Coal Machine and the crew cheer along with a crowd of people within the city.

Rivna faces the capital palace and leaps all the way to Queen Bethel to thrust her sword into her. Yinyah flinches. Queen Bethel catches Rivna’s sword with her hand, completely halting her movement.

Yinyah: Your Majesty!

Queen Bethel has a ominous ghostly echo to her voice.

Queen Bethel: So you truly believe you can challenge the might of a witch? You naive child! I will show you a true display of power! The likes of which that have not been seen for generations!

Queen Bethel’s eyes glow and Rivna is launched outside of the palace’s perimeter. A giant black dome surrounds and partially conceals the palace. Rivna kneels down in pain just outside of the gate to the palace courtyard.

Two Massadan guards approach Rivna aiming steampunk rifles. Rivna’s eyes return to normal and she loses consciousness. Aldrog flies down and thrashes the two guards. The Coal Machine and the airship containing Kenjiro and Tamar near her location. Loc, Gideon, Kenjiro, Tamar, Seth, Phoebe, Joshua, and Gidget quickly approach Rivna.

Loc: Rivna!

Phoebe: Is she still alright?

Gideon: Her body appears to be haggard but I can still feel her vyrkra.

Seth: That power she displayed was incredible. She truly is the Witch Tier.

Rivna: (Loc…)

Loc: (Wait, you’re still conscious?)

Rivna: (No, but my vyrkra can bide with you no matter my condition.)

Loc picks her body up. Seth and the others look at the palace in wonder.

Rivna: (This Tahlyan body of mine is ill-suited to possess such overwhelming might. Only a god can handle such terrible, yet benevolent power.)

Seth: What happened to the palace? What’s going on?

Gideon: We’ve backed Queen Bethel into a corner. This is the final stretch now.

Rivna: (I realize now that I am bound to no mere human. Your ambitions are far beyond me Loc.)

Loc: (But we need you.)

Rivna: (You are needed far more than I am, Loc. I will rejoin you and the others soon, but I am not the one you should rely on.)

Loc sighs and hands her to Gideon.

Loc: She’ll be alright. Just keep her safe while we storm the palace, Uncle.

Gideon: You take care while you’re in there kid. And remember what I taught you.

Joshua: Hey, we’ll stay out here and secure the perimeter. You and the others go inside.

Loc: That sounds good. Our initial plans haven’t changed too much. Just stay safe and be ready for anything.

Gideon: Hey kid. You take back our home, you hear?

Loc: Of course Uncle.

Gideon: And don’t force me to step in now. You should be more than strong enough to come out victorious.

Loc laughs.

Loc: And what exactly can you do Uncle? She isn’t bulletproof you know.

Gideon chuckles.

Gideon: The Will is with you kid. Never forget that.

Loc: Thank you Uncle. Stay safe.

Gideon leaves with Rivna, Tamar, and Gidget.

Gidget: Give them hell Loc.

Tamar: We’ll be right here if you need us. Just say the word and we’ll storm in after you.

Loc: Don’t worry, we’ll be just fine.

Loc looks at the palace with a determined look.

Seth: Security is suspiciously light around here.

Kenjiro steps forward with his katana resting on his shoulder--

Kenjiro: That’s because the real fun begins inside.

Phoebe: Can we really do this without Rivna though?

Loc: I have a feeling she’ll be joining us shortly, so don’t worry about her. Once we enter we’ll stick to the plan. Got it? Only Kenjiro and I are strong enough to deal with the queen so if you somehow run in to her, run like hell.

Aldrog: I will follow you wherever you go Your Majesty. I want to be by your side the moment you reclaim what is rightfully yours.

Loc smiles.

Loc: Thank you, Aldrog.

Seth: Technically, no one here is strong enough to fend off the queen. Honestly we’re just biding our time until the Witch Tier rejoins us.

Loc: We have our work cut out for us everyone. And I’m not just talking about Queen Bethel. Alright now everyone. Our time is now! We move forward to victory! The maker is on our side!

Everyone cheers in excitement. Loc leads them into the palace, causing them to disappear as they enter the black dome of mist.

In the distance, a small amount of steam spews from an alley.

Chapter End