Chain Melody 3

“Let her go!”

A three-day prior those words had rung out at Corvina as she , along with two green uniformed soldiers of Bright Rift, had stepped out of a military base in the bottom levels of Aperture hidden amongst the mining and manufacturing facilities. Opening the black parasol she held and twirling the hidden blade she had withdrawn from within she spun around to face the source of the voice.

“Eh, he, he, he, he. You actually made it this far you big bad soldier. I hadn’t thought it possible. Maybe you could have escape with my precious little harpy had you tried.”

“Melody doesn’t belong to you!”

“Really?"

A coy smile twisted Corvina’s red painted lips in a pleasant way but the man she faced was not moved in the least. There was perhaps good reason for that as the nearly two meter tall man with braided black hair that was nearly as long as Chain was tall stood dressed in only a pair of white pants and was breathing heavy. His silver blue eyes glared at Corvina from behind the steam that rose from his skin that glowed red with monolithic circuit like runes. The runes seemed to be an extension of the ones that adorned the molded, copper colored gauntlet that encased his left arm and were obviously the magical effects of the Relic.

(You know Varen… She’s a Hero …)

In the man’s head a voice belonging to a man addressed him and he could clearly see the smile on the face of a beautiful man with long flowing blonde hair.

“Shut up…”

“Oh? You don’t intend to explain those words swordsman?”

“Sorry, I got distracted there for a moment.”

“Hmm?”

Corvina looked at Varen perplexed as she had heard no other speaking. Regardless she knew that even without a weapon that the swordsman before her was no idle threat. The military base she had just stepped out of was a heavily guarded labyrinth and Varen had been a prisoner and test subject held there after he was captured in the Stormroot Mountains well to the south. Possessed of the ability to control those without a great enough sense of self through the Builders’ Song she had already done battle with him by means of controlling the soldiers within the base and had no luck in stopping his escape. Even having released the guards of her control she had not observed anyone assisting the swordsman’s escape attempt though.

“Is there something more about you than just being a Relic wielding soldier from the Eastern Kingdoms I wonder…”

“That’s something you’ve got wrong; I’m not a soldier. I am Varen Elcourt, adventurer by virtue not license.”

“Eh, he, he, he, he. Well my big bad adventurer I’m for certain you’re tired and I have other webs to weave so why don’t we part here.”

“If you leave Melody here I’ll be glad to let you go.”

Even as Varen spoke the words he eyed the soldiers who had flanked Corvina start heading off, the one holding a person sized bundle wrapped in bed sheets being of particular interest to him. Corvina smiled anew seeing where Varen’s gaze fell and she took a step towards the swordsman as she begun to twirl her blade.

“I can’t do that you big bad adventurer. I need her for my plans unlike you.”

Varen did not back off as he instead took a combat stance in response to Covina’s challenge. Corvina lost her smile and stopped twirling her blade, taking it in a firm grip as she shifted her open parasol to serve as a shield. Narrowing her black eyes she glared at Varen as the soldiers under her control broke out into a run. Not surprising her in the least anymore she observed Varen shift his footing to pursuit. Left it seemed with no choice but to face the swordsman Corvina offered him a warning in a most uncordial tone.

“I must warn you adventurer, I am a Hero and your Relic will only protect you from so much of what I can do.”

“Those words sound like they belong more to someone afraid to fight than a Hero.”

Corvina offered Varen no other warning as she bit her lip and lunged at him. Truthful to her claim the effects of the Builders’ Song upon her were blatantly obvious as she was on top of Varen in an instant. Varen showed no fear or hesitation however and met her charge with a pair of words.

“Recall verse.”

The words were spoken with a chilling calm that belied their spectacular effect. The runes that spread across Varen’s skin and gauntlet flared a brilliant white color that was blinding. Within that light Varen could again see the smiling face of the man with the long blonde hair but he disregarded them and focused on the Hero before him. As the light faded the shock on Corvina’s face was clear as day as a blade of pure light gripped in Varen’s gauntlet clad fist stopped her attack.

“What is this?”

“Equalizer, the power of Lord Elliot that makes him a match for any foe that he’s faced. As my last foe wielding it was another Hero, I should be more than a match for you now.”

“Tch. Don’t get full of yourself swordsman.”

Corvina clicked her tongue before again biting her lip, a sure sign that she recognized the danger that she was in. Regardless of the danger she attempted to press Varen and it quickly became apparent that the Hero he fought before was far stronger than her. The difference in their sword work was also a massive gap and Varen obviously had experience challenging the most skilled of opponents as he quickly turned the tides.

Forced to back off, Corvina leapt away and re-secured her grip on her parasol so that she might better use it as a shield. She had to quickly put it to use as such as Varen was upon her already and raised the blade of light he held high. As he did Corvina, who understood human movement better than most, noticed that Varen had not taken the claymore sized weapon in both hands and was obviously fighting with his off hand. A smile returning to her red painted lips she lifted her parasol and ducked away behind it. Varen showed no mercy for his foe however and brought his glowing blade down with tremendous force. To his surprise he missed as the parasol was suddenly yanked away on a tether of shadows revealing that Corvina had already further withdrawn. Varen set to rush Corvina down again but paused as the tendril of darkness that held the parasol proved not to be singular. In a flurry of blows dozens of shadowy tendrils rained down upon Varen and he was hard pressed to deflect the attack. However, relying on his off hand to fight with his defense was flawed and a number of blows made contact with him. To his continuing surprise the tendrils caused him no harm as they dissipated as soon as they struck him, banished by the power of his Relic which resisted the Builders’ Song. Seeing this as an opening Varen opted to ignore the tendrils and make straight for Corvina. That proved a mistake as not every tendril she had summoned up had been meant for him.

“I win today swordsman. Eh, he, he, he, he.”

Varen did not have time to react as the ground all around him was pulled up with explosive force. That alone would have cost him his footing but Corvina understood the nature of a city being built along the walls of a chasm and pulled down large sections of the cliff above them. Not wanting to give Varen any chance at all she also fished out horrible monsters reminiscent of bat-winged centipedes some dozen feet in length from the darkness of the chasm itself. The display was a scene ripped straight from someone’s nightmares and in an instant it was over.

As the dust settled Corvina stood upon the mountain of rubble she had called down upon Varen and addressed the buried swordsman.

“That was amazing my big bad adventurer. I’ve never had to test that power in battle before, but it was absolutely thrilling. I can’t wait to try it out against the southern maid once she’s carried out my plans for me and see if I can’t extract her from her Relic. I doubt hers is as troublesome as yours but I shouldn’t waste any more time. I’m sure if I did you would prove a most persistent suitor. Eh, he, he, he, he. At the very least though I hope you’ll take responsibility for the monsters I’ve summoned. If not you may not be able to come after me without having to fend off all of Aperture first. Eh, he, he, he, he.”

Copyright © 2018 Joshua D Tarwater