Chain Melody 14

Though Chain would have been reduced to paste had Elliot not deflected the Bandit King’s attack, she still smiled with her typical cockiness.

“What’s the matter you grinning idiot; I thought I told you that I lost everything when that Tear of Automina crashed?”

“What’s the matter Bandit Eater is that a Sycamore walks in my kingdom!”

“Now is not the best time for your mocking Chain.”

Elliot offered Chain a warning about her provoking of the Bandit King but she had little concern for the warning. Watching the Bandit King and his weapon she could clearly hear the Buidlers’ Song rise in verse.

♪~ Kings of beasts and magic both ~♪
♪~ Like the lizard his tail re-grows ~♪
♪~ Never falling the almighty dragon ~♪

Elliot’s attack that had shattered the chain of Roc’s weapon had long since passed and the weapon was able to reconstruct itself as the Builders’ Song described. With his weapon whole again Roc whipped it up into a storm that encircled everyone in the heart of the temple. Not intending to give Roc the chance to use a verse Chain focused on knocking down the chain as Elliot directly engaged the Bandit King, his sword work deflecting spiked iron ball and hand cannon fire alike.

“Why not Elliot? This idiot doesn’t even seem to care that I’d only seen like five springs when my parents left me and that I only met my uncle like once before then. Then there’s also the fact that I’m pretty sure he won’t even let me explain why I’m actually positive it was my mother’s fault that the Tear of Automina fell.”

“Who cares about that?!”

Finch’s voice interrupted from Uprooter at the same time as she had the Sentinel fire off a shot. Her timing saved Chain from a shot from Roc that had spread out and arced around Elliot leaving him incapable of stopping all of it. Finch’s shot was not so limited from the sheer size of Uprooter’s gun and the Bandit King’s attack was completely neutralized. For Finch this was not an opportunity to join the fray however, but rather a chance to demand more information out of Chain.

“Just how long has it been since you last saw Hazen Sycamore? Don’t tell me it’s been since your fifth spring?”

“And what if I haven’t?”

“If you haven’t how are you supposed to restore the Sacred Sword to its full strength?”

“Let me get to you on that.

“Elliot! Summon your spear and pin this chain down before this idiot remembers just how dangerous he is!”

Switching her attention from Finch to Elliot, Chain yelled out for the Hero to deal with Roc’s setup. Knowing full what it was that Chain referred to Elliot did not bother confirming his agreement beyond the sudden rising of a verse within the Builders’ Song.

♪~ Pushing forward, the head of hope ~♪
♪~ Piercing through the endless night ~♪
♪~ The Silver Lance that leads the dawn ~♪

As his verse played out Elliot switched to a one handed grip of his sword and had to compensate for the rage fueled strength of the Bandit King. Bracing his feet he slid backwards from the force of Roc’s blows as they rained down upon him. With the speed and agility of the Bandit King it seemed like the nigh instantaneous appearance of an ornate silver spear in his left hand took an eternity. Appear it finally did though and Elliot put it to work alongside his spear and pushed the Bandit King back. It was a temporary victory however as Chain and Finch both heard the verse that rose up with his retreat.

♪~ With all the Stormroot in his reach and a chain that binds the moon~♪
♪~ All who ventured forests low and high ~♪
♪~ In his trap they did walk ~♪
♪~ Face his might no choice they’d have ~♪

“Crap.”

Though Chain uttered the oath she still wore her cocky grin as the Bandit King Vanished from sight. She did not have to turn around to know he had already taken her back and instead demonstrated her own tremendous sword skill as she spun her sword behind her back and forced Roc to avoid her attack which would have proven lethal had he not. He was ill afforded the chance to attack again however as Elliot’s thrown spear forced him to dodge again even as he took Chain’s front. Chain simply offered the Bandit King a smile as she watched the rage growing even fiercer in his eyes and grabbed Elliot’s spear as it passed. Pulled by the spear Chain flipped up on top of it and kicked into the ground pinning a segment of Roc’s chain. As she used Elliot’s spear for her plan, Chain demonstrated that she was a most skilled acrobat as she flipped herself over and landed on the butt of the spear. From her new vantage point she could easily see the shot that the Bandit King had fired at her again get stopped by Uprooter’s gun. From her new position atop Elliot’s spear she was safe from any further teleporting attacks of the Bandit King as well but he was no simple foe. All in the following breath he hurled his spiked ball at Chain, lashed out at Elliot with the chain behind it, and disappeared from where he stood preventing Elliot from attempting to attack him. Where he reappeared however was given away by the sound of tearing metal and Finch screaming before being suddenly cut off.

“I’ve had enough of your interference kid.”

“KGH!”

Finch was unable to say much of anything as Roc near crushed her torso in his hand. She would have been likely finished off there if not for Matches who jumped down from Uprooter’s shoulder and landed on the Bandit King’s back. As it made contact with the giant Matches revealed that it was every bit as dangerous as a raging inferno as it flared like a newborn star and ignited the Bandit King. In a furry of rage and pain Roc hurled Finch out of the body of Uprooter unintentionally as he tried to dislodge the spirit.

“For a Hero you sure don’t seem all that good in a fight.”

“If you’re going to say something Chainmaid then how about answering my question!”

Finch not surprisingly was feeling flustered and nearly whined at Chain. Chain found the scene amusing in a way and smiled. Watching Elliot charge the distracted Bandit King she decided that she had enough time to answer Finch’s question.

“Well, I forged my own sword using that idiot’s techniques which I’ve been practicing since before he up and left. I know it seems reckless to have a girl of not even five springs wielding a smith hammer but since my mother was already teaching me how to use a sword why not. The only problem you have to worry about is that I couldn’t cast magic until Sorcerer Balgun taught me how when I ended up in his care about five springs ago.”

“So can you or can’t you repair the Sacred Sword?”

“On my own probably not. The Sacred Sword was forged in the First Well using one of the Feathers of Sol as its base and likely with the assistance of the Great Spirit of the Well. Down here in the middle of nowhere as far as I can tell I don’t have what I need to give it a shot.”

“Can we trust you to not just free the Demon Lord though?”

“Well I certainly wouldn’t do it on purpose. But I remember that idiot’s spell folding technique well enough to give it a try. The problem is I would need a forge held within a gate and access to a powerful enough fire spirit as well as the light of Sol.”

“Then I would be delighted to be of assistance Chainmaid.”

A voice that put both Chain and Finch on guard entered into their conversation and the heart of the temple. Turning to pinpoint that source of that voice the Builders’ Song rose up and washed over them.

♪~ The scientist was gaunt, yet a man as strong as trees ~♪
♪~ With raven hair and silver eyes his words were magic true ~♪
♪~ As Builder would his word does too ~♪
♪~ Shape the world as he see fit, an artist born of spell and mind ~♪
♪~ Armed with genius, spell, and ready always too ~♪
♪~ Our song is his to call and bend as we are forced to knee ~♪
♪~ Ever inquiring the academician ~♪

Copyright © 2018 Joshua D Tarwater