Chapter 13

The Friends

Sounds were dull, the din of the stands having faded into unintelligible chatter. Every step Meredith took up the stairs echoed with a muffled intensity in her ears. Her heartbeat was audible, and her fists were clenched. Terrill’s soul had gone silent, leaving her alone through the darkened stairway.

“Mera, you were really good out there.” Eddie’s statement washed over her, receiving a nod for his words. Meredith squinted in the light, her feet bringing her to the edge of the balcony, and she looked down. Brynn and Felix were ready to face off, but Meredith only had eyes for where Vivian was, standing against the dark-haired girl named Lovelia.

“Something on your mind, Mera? You’re not so quiet, usually,” Emil said. He was standing, himself, coming over and slinging an arm around her. She looked into his eyes, noticing the sharpness that indicated his own thoughts. “It’s Viv, right?”

“She looks tense,” Eddie said. His own worry was evident. Meredith nodded.

“Ever since Daddy Lacroix came to town, she hasn’t been the same,” Emil said, this time with a sigh. He looked out, across the crowd, right to where Victor Lacroix was. “Always headstrong, desperate to prove she’s the best. She excelled in the competitive Lacardia, even if it made enemies. Yet here, she’s not trying her best. She’s just…keeping her head above water.”

“Desperate to prove something…” Meredith bit her lip. She knew what that felt like. Knew how she struggled every day; how inferior she’d felt every day. She could understand Vivian, but frustration bubbled up at being unable to find a way to save her. The referee below stepped forth. “The battle’s starting, I guess.”

Not that she heard the words of the man or anyone else. None of it mattered in the face of the battle that Vivian was about face.

About the only thing she did hear was the bell signaling the start of the battle.

“Steam Geyser!” Brynn’s call sent a wave of mist rolling across all sides of the battlefield. Felix shot upwards, above the distraction, but his lack of swooping indicated that he couldn’t find his opponent in the mess. Meredith tore her eyes away from them and to the other side, where the mist had also intruded.

Vivian had nocked her usual arrow, looking as standard as ever, and she fired into the mist. They were rapid shots, but she was hardly covering the field. Unsure if they had hit, Meredith looked up to see the health bars of both Vivian and Lovelia. The latter’s wasn’t dropping.

“She’s missing, hard,” Emil said. Meredith spared him a glance to see his own fingers gripping at the balcony, turning white. “Come on, Viv! Max out that enchantment and you’ll blow her away!”

Vivian disregarded him, firing once more, but missing. In a flash of light, Lovelia had appeared next to her, kicking out. The blonde tried to block with her bow, but before she could transform it, the girl had nailed her, pitching her to the side. She gagged, instantly falling to a knee.

“She’s exhausted…” Eddie remarked. His swallow was audible. “All those hours training with no regard for herself…”

The bow finished its transformation, and Vivian slashed. No energy emanated from it, and Meredith began to glare at her teammate down below. Lovelia made her own move, withdrawing a short sword from her waist, one that Meredith hadn’t even noticed was there. From Rico’s expression, it had just recently been given to her, though it found its mark all the same. The blade knocked away Vivian’s, and Lovelia kicked, hitting the blonde in the stomach. Right away, she teleported in a flash of light, appearing behind Vivian and kicking her down.

The girl dropped.

“Pick it up, Viv! You’re better than this! Give yourself an enchantment! All she’s got are these teleportation skills!” Emil’s cry went unheeded. Vivian stood, her blade transforming and firing a quick shot. Lovelia dodged it. Meredith was all too interested now, leaning forward enough that Eddie pulled her back.

“No…it’s not teleportation magic…it’s magic sensing…but not Soul Magic, like mine,” Meredith recalled. Her finger reached up, tapping her lips with concentration. The mist had dissipated by now, showcasing some of Felix and Brynn’s battle, with the diving Felix and the jets of hot water flying about the place. Vivian still fired, and Lovelia continued to dodge until she was in the blonde’s face, where they locked against one another. “Every time I’ve run into them, Lovelia could always tell when and where magic signatures were. Her magic must be a lock-on sort. She locates the magic signatures and teleports to their sources.”

“Would make sense,” Eddie said, nodding his head.

Down below, Vivian swiped upwards, her bow twirling to jerk Lovelia’s blade away from her. The sword clattered to the ground, but Lovelia didn’t teleport to it, confirming Meredith’s theory. Her teeth bit harder into her lip.

Vivian twisted the bow while it transformed. She kicked, buying herself some time while Lovelia blocked the blow, looking up with a scowl. Once it had become a sword once more, Vivian swung down, cutting into the Renegade’s shoulder. For the first time, Lovelia’s health dropped, and yet…

“That should be a lot more powerful.”

“Are you toying with me, Guardian girl?” Lovelia shouted. Vivian attempted to pull the blade out, but found it stuck. With a clear and reckless abandon, Lovelia grabbed hold of the blade, forcing herself close enough to Vivian to punch her in the face. The blade was dislodged and flung out of Vivian’s hands, spiraling through the air until it landed with a mighty clatter. The sound was so resonant, Meredith felt the whole crowd was paying attention to that one fight. Vivian stumbled back. “Where’s the power you showed at the settlement? Where was all that strength?!”

It was a zoom of light before Lovelia had emerged in front of Vivian and punched her in the stomach. Vivian gagged, spit emerging from her mouth before she was tossed to the ground. Her hand scrabbled for purchase on the ground, pounding it with a fist. Lovelia teleported once again, and this time, Vivian swung out, the two making contact with each other’s faces. Meredith winced, while Eddie flinched.

“Is…is this even a battle?” he whispered. Meredith wasn’t sure. Vivian was floundering, half of her punches connecting, while the other half were wild swings.

“Put your defense up, Viv! You don’t even need a max enchantment! Just a level or two! Don’t let me and Mera’s hard work go to waste!” Emil’s fingernails looked to be bleeding from digging so hard into the stone. Meredith zeroed her Soul Vision in on Vivian, and then closed her eyes.

“She won’t…” Meredith shook her head. The boys looked at her. “She’s putting a lock on her magic, how much it’s eking from her. She’s refusing to use a single enchantment.”

“But why?”

“Because otherwise she’s weak. Daddy will see her as weak, and she won’t have that. Otherwise…she’ll have nothing…” Meredith was digging so deep into her palms, she was certain she had drawn blood as well. Lovelia whipped around with a kick that sent Vivian tumbling to the ground, fumbling for her weapon. Already, her health bar was half gone. “But she doesn’t! She has us! She has the Corps!”

“Get up! Use your magic! Or are you underestimating us Renegades that poorly?” Lovelia screamed, her typically quiet demeanor gone. She was replaced with a woman who yearned to prover herself, just like Vivian, but differently. As she did, Vivian fired her next shot, which Lovelia avoided with a simple sidestep. Her feet picked up speed, running right at Vivian as the girl stood, wobbly on her feet. “That’s all you Guardians think! That you’re better than us! We’re not even worth your mention! Not even worth your magic!”

Vivian said nothing. She continued to fire, each shot missing; each shot making her fingers shake progressively more as she aimed. Lovelia dodged each one. Meredith wanted to scream, the sound trapped in her throat at watching this, though it remained rooted within when Lovelia kicked and was blocked by the bow, pushing Vivian back.

“Well, you’re wrong! We are worth that time, and your underestimation of us is pathetic.” It wasn’t a kick, this time, but a punch to the face that spent Vivian sprawling to the ground. Lovelia was heaving, but the course of the battle was not yet finished. Vivian was still moving, soundlessly, but attempting to stand as her body wished to give out. Her health was low, but not gone. Lovelia didn’t care, walking away to pick up her weapon. “So, use it! Let’s prove what the Corps is here and now: a bunch of arrogant cowards!”

There was some outcry as the Renegade stalked forward. Brynn and Felix took their eyes away for a second, each of their momentary attacks hitting the other. Meredith looked up, right into Rico’s eyes. They were silent, but she knew. This was part of the message they wished to send, and they’d kick the crap out of Vivian to do it.

All of that, however, was irrelevant in the face of Victor Lacroix.

He sat there, silent as a stone statue with the empty space around him. His eyes were narrowed, but disappointment was scrawled over his whole body. His tightened lips spoke to his consideration. His clenched cheeks indicated his displeasure. His piercing stare towards the daughter that looked up at him, desperately seeking his approval, conveyed what he considered her to be.

And Meredith knew: Vivian would never earn her father’s acceptance. Would never earn his love, because he would always expect more.

She must have seen it, too, because for the first time since Meredith had ever met her, her shoulders slumped. All the fight inside her exited. There was nothing left to fight for.

Lovelia slashed downward, and Vivian didn’t block, allowing the sword to slice into her shoulder, matching her opponent’s wound. With another kick, Vivian was sent down to the floor, leading to many gasps from the audience.

“Get up, Lacroix! The fight’s not over!”

“Could this be it? Could the Guardian Corps’ Vivian suffer their first loss today! She hangs on by a sliver of a thread!” Chapman said. The crowd was split between gasps and cheers, each unsure of which direction the battle was taking, with very few eyes on the war of attrition between the floating Felix and the water-spouting Brynn.

Meredith wasn’t sure where to look, at Vivian or her father. Victor made the decision for her, looking away from his daughter with disdain, writing her off. Meredith punched at the stone, feeling the bruise forming on her hand instantly.

Lovelia came closer, raising her sword above the prone Vivian amidst the increased chatter. Words between them, if there really had been any, were done, and Lovelia struck at the last bit of health Vivian had on-screen.

Damn it, Viv, move! Meredith screamed inside, punching the balcony again, but unable to get the words out.

Eddie took that burden for her.

“You can’t give up like this, Vivian!” he shouted. He was done holding them back, with Eddie vaunting his body over the edge. “You can’t give up just because he turns away from you! We’re still here for you! Even if they’re not. Even if the whole world wants to toss you aside, we’re your friends! Your team! You can’t just give up! The Vivian I’ve come to know and respect would never just lay down and take this, not because of something as stupid as her father’s respect. He’ll never respect you, and he doesn’t deserve to!”

“Eddie…” Emil uttered, his mouth hanging open. Eyes were on Eddie, even Lovelia’s, who had stopped for a second at his scream. Vivian looked up, her eyes lost, drowning in confusion, like there was nothing left.

“But that doesn’t matter! Because it’s not his life! It’s not his magic!” Eddie’s fists were curling, the pricks of tears in his eyes as his throat was ripped raw from screaming. “It’s yours, Viv! It’s your magic! Your life! So, use it how you want to, and we’ll never think less of you!”

Vivian blinked, the glistening many feet below showing the tears welling up in her eyes. She wasn’t moving yet, and Lovelia began to resume her attack.

Yet Meredith’s voice chose this moment to break free. “Stand up, Viv! Move forward! You’re not alone! I told you! We’ll go through hell for you!” She sucked in a breath, and then leaned over the balcony herself, her voice putting a halt to all else in the stadium but Lovelia’s descending blade, moving in slow-motion. “I hate you, Vivian Lacroix, but you’re still my…my friend! My teammate! And I’ll hate you more if you just lay down and take it! Because the Vivian Lacroix that I know, the Vivian that’s better than me, would never take this lying down. Not for anyone!

“We’ll support you no matter what. So, use every bit of magic you’ve got and win this thing!”

Her cries echoed, and the stadium was a cross between silent adoration and conversation that teetered on the edge of worry. Lovelia’s blade was upon Vivian, set to slash her prone side.

“Max-def, Shield Armor!” With those words, a blue aura flared around Vivian’s figure. It blasted Lovelia back from the sheer strength of it, surrounding Vivian and wrapping around her while she stood, her fingers gripping tight to her bow. Meredith’s lips twitched.

“What the hell…?” Lovelia gasped, gripping at her side, like the defense spell had injured her. “You were hiding that this entire time…?”

“You trash…you just can’t let go, can you?” Vivian said, looking up to the three of them. Despite her words, Meredith could see the small tears in her eyes, and the smile forming on her face. Meredith returned it in kind. “I guess…you’re giving me no reason to hold back. I…want to win, too.”

“Go get ‘em, Viv!” Meredith cheered with the two boys next to her. Vivian turned, facing Lovelia and her wide eyes.

“You wanted to see my magic? You got it, Renegade idiot. Max-strike, Field Shot! Max-fortis, Piercing Line!” The red and yellow auras now mixed with the blue. If Lovelia’s eyes could widen any further, they would have expanded past her head. Vivian raised her bow, and with one great shot, fired it towards the sky.

The shot glowed red, its large and angry stature soaring past the crowd before breaking apart into many sharp arrows. They took an immediate downturn, plummeting for the stadium below, covering the whole swatch of the field. Felix and Brynn, both of whom had been pushed back by the earlier aura, ended their tussle to see the shot travel and make impact with the stadium. Lovelia was in the center of it as first one struck, and then the next, and the next.

“Aaaaaaah!” Her scream echoed as explosions ensued from the arrows. Each was more powerful than the last, and Vivian stood in the field of destruction, breathing in, and keeping the smile on her face. Soon, the dust and fire consumed the entire field, only giving enough sight to Brynn and Felix firing one more scalding attack on one another. The screens were covered, and up above, Chapman coughed, before the stadium became oddly silent in nothing but the swirling dust.

Just two words arose from that before the result could be revealed.

“Thank you.”

Meredith’s face stretched itself in a grin, and then the bell clanged, echoing around the arena when the obstruction to sight was cleared, revealing three competitors passed out on the ground. Vivian, exhausted and ragged, stood firm above them. The referee quickly ran over, checking on all three, and then he nodded to Chapman.

“And thaaaaat’s it! The battle is over! Lacardia and the Home Guard have a double knockout from the other side and their own attacks, earning each side a point. Meanwhile, the Guardian Corps takes victory by Vivian’s knockout defeat of Lovelia from the Renegades!” Chapman yelled. The audience began to rise in an excited cheer, and Meredith looked to the screens. “That’s right, you saw it here! The Guardian Corps has swept today’s match with three unparalleled victories!”

“Yes!” Meredith shouted, pumping her fist high in the air. She opened her palm and slapped it against both Eddie and Emil’s, pulling them close. “We did it! Victory!”

“I did half the work,” Emil said.

“Sure you did, Emil…”

Meredith didn’t care about her friends’ bantering, preferring to look at the updated scores on the screen.

LACARDIA 8

HOME GUARD 6

GUARDIAN CORPS 6

RENEGADES 4

“And with that, the Corps has pulled ahead to second place, tied with the Home Guard! But with ample opportunity for reversal, who knows what way it’ll all go tomorrow!”

“The Corps will continue to take the wins, of course! My team was actually awesome out there today!” Amelia cheered, her face showing one of great confidence. Masters rolled his eyes.

“No doubt about that, and we can only look forward to what the teams will bring to the table tomorrow where they’ll be able to choose their members once again! For now, though, I’ve been Freddy Chapman, with my co-hosts, Royston Masters and Amelia Chavez. All of you have a lovely evening as the Alliance Games continue!”

The screens blacked out on their faces, continuing to show the overall scores. Down below, Vivian was wobbling her way off the field. Meredith chuckled. “Come on, guys, we’ve got a team member to greet.”

“Agreed! Then we’ll get food. That battle made me hungry…” Emil said, tacking on a yawn at the end to convince them of his tiredness. Eddie patted him on the back, the two leading the way down the stairs while Meredith stared across the stadium. Lacardia and the Home Guard had descended to the field to help their teammates, but the Renegades had yet to move, with Rico staring straight across at her with inscrutable eyes. She just pursed her lips at him and began to descend, sweeping her eyes across the stadium once more to where Max cried and clapped furiously.

Victor Lacroix was no longer seated.

This time, the stairs felt much shorter, though it was helped by Meredith jumping down them two at a time to catch up with the boys and wrap her arms around them. The grins on all their faces were contagious, and when they reached the bottom of the stairs, finding themselves face to face with Vivian, she was wearing the same.

None of them spoke a word, although eventually Vivian cleared her throat.

“So…uh…” She couldn’t look at them, scratching at her head and coughing a little. “I…Th-thanks.”

“Aw, don’t be bashful, Viv! You know you love us!” Emil tried to pounce on her, arms outstretched, but her hand slapped out and pushed him back.

“Shut up, Emil. You didn’t say anything. I have no gratitude for you.”

“Don’t be so prickly! Aren’t we friends?” Vivian succeeded in pushing him off, but Emil didn’t fall, retaining his grin the whole while. The blonde stepped forward, towards Eddie and Meredith. An awkward air filled the space between them.

“Look, I…I’m…”

“Nope!” Meredith said, folding her arms and nodding. Vivian’s eyes fluttered rapidly. “I don’t want to hear it. No apologies.”

“I-I wasn’t going to apologize! As if I’d ever apologize to trash like you!”

“Good. ‘Cause I wouldn’t accept it until I kicked your ass.”

“Like you ever could!” Vivian snapped, her face getting close to Meredith’s. She returned the gesture, but held no malice in her teasing words. From the spark in Vivian’s eyes, she was much the same.

“Oh, I could, trust me. If you didn’t notice, I did better at my battle today than you did yours. Your shoulder looks like it needs a medic, after all.” Vivian gave a gasp and a playful glare, resulting in Eddie laughing. “What are you getting all giddy about over there, Eddie?”

“You two are something else. But I’m glad you won your battle, Viv. It was impressive.”

“Viv, huh?” the blonde spoke. She stopped challenging Meredith and shuffled her feet on the stone, looking over at Eddie as a blush rose on her face. Meredith bit back her laugh. “You…you called me that earlier. You never really have…”

“Eh, it’s grown on me. It’s a nice nickname.”

Meredith watched Vivian, and paid witness to the smile blooming across her face at this. The name held a different meaning for her now.

A meaning that was quickly tested.

“That was the weakest performance I’ve ever had from you.” The buoyancy faded as quickly as it had come, all thanks to the booming presence of Victor Lacroix. Each step he took was thundering, and his frame was massive on the approach to his daughter. She stepped back, towards Meredith and Eddie. “Maximum enchantment! I taught you better than that! I gave you ample opportunity to prove yourself in the ring and then you give up?”

“Hey, she won, didn’t she?” Meredith said. Victor whipped his glare to her, but she remained defiant. “Who cares if it was on your terms? Last I checked, you’re not on this team.”

“I have no words for you, little girl. This is a family matter, so stay out of it.”

“No.” Vivian’s voice was barely audible in even Meredith’s ear, but when she inched towards her father, it rose in volume. “No. They’re as much a part of it as you or I, because they didn’t just turn away. They’re still my team.”

“A team that after four days is still tied for mere second place. The Guardian Corps must be scraping the bottom of the barrel for picks like these three,” Victor said. His nose was scrunched, but Meredith didn’t give him the benefit of intimidating them.

“Then I guess I’m bottom of the barrel, too, father. Sorry you wasted your time on such trash.” She had little else to say to her father, turning away. Her arms hooked with Meredith and Eddie’s, beginning to drag them off. Emil lingered, watching her father until shrugging and following after. For a second, however, Vivian paused. “But don’t forget, this team will be taking victory, just like we did in the Metropolis and the alchemic settlement. You weren’t there then, and I don’t care if you’re here now.

“We’ll do it our own way.”

Squeezing tighter to the two, Vivian increased her pace. Emil joined them, floating backwards so he could glare at Victor. The man was red in the face, spluttering with incoherent words he could not find for his daughter. Not that Vivian was much better, as once they were out of sight, she nearly fell to her knees, a sweat breaking out on her face as she was supported.

It had been an enormous first step for her, Meredith realized, but Vivian Lacroix had said the words to begin breaking away. At that realization for herself, Vivian clutched her chest, each breath a gasp. Yet she still stepped tremulously forward, to the end of the hall where a familiar chaperone was running towards them. Meredith clutched her friend tighter, pulling her up.

“C’mon, Viv. This is no time to go dead on your feet. We gotta celebrate!” she said. Vivian nodded, and her veneer broke, her newfound smile mixing with the tears. There was a long road ahead, but with another squeeze, she insisted they’d all walk that road together. “Tomorrow, we’re aiming for the top!”