Flames of War Chapter Two: The New Master

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Kora watched Theseus fan the crackling campfire flames. Over the past few days, she had come to see him in a different light. When she had first met him, he seemed like an egotistical guy. In fact, she had probably been the most furious when he blurted the beans about her brother and his girlfriend. *He was just jealous!* As she stared in the darkness, she wished she was anywhere but a dark oak forest. The tall dense trees made visibility poor and made it a perfect place for threats to hide.

They had started the journey off well enough. After the tournament, they had started to travel towards Voltaria. Along the way, they had gotten along well. *Well, we didn’t really hit it off.* In truth, the two didn’t seem to know what to do with each other. Theseus seemed the most awkward, looking at her strange, then looking away with a confused expression. *Boys. They’re so weird!* Whenever she had attempted to chat with him, he had turned away. The entire way, he had been tense and stiff.

It had taken them days, but they had eventually reached Old Voltaria. As Drakius had advised, they sought out a relative of the Kylus family. When they had reached him, they had been disappointed. The relative had lived in a small cottage in a mangrove swamp. Kora hadn’t liked walking through that biome. It was icky with dirty water, vines, shrooms, and mud. She hated being muddy. The cottage itself was made of a combination of mangrove wood and mud bricks. Theseus had cracked a joke about the hut. “I thought that we got past the wooden age a long time ago!” When she didn’t laugh, Theseus nudged Kora. She rolled her eyes, then cocked her head as Theseus looked disappointed. Noticing that, he quickly cleared his throat and looked away. Kora shook her head, then strode into the house.

Inside, they had found an ancient Nestoris. Runes adorned his light gray body as squiggles. His horns were long, suggesting that this Ardoni had been alive for centuries at this point. The Nestoris was bent over a brick fireplace. When he noticed the new arrivals, River turned around. He smiled fondly at the two before him. “It isn’t often that new adventurers come my way,” he sighed, “I miss company.” His smile soon returned. “A messenger bird from Drakius came yesterday. I take it you are the ones he was talking about, the ones looking for Senn?” Both of them nodded. Motioning for them to follow him, he led them into a small bedroom. In the center, a map sat on a table. River studied it as he spoke. “If you want to find the Voltaris clan, you’ll have to travel here.” Pointing to the north east area of the ocean, he continued. “This is where you’ll find the village that acts as their capital.”

Theseus bent over the map, scratching his head in confusion. “But there’s nothing there. It’s just ocean!” River smiled, a glint in his eye. “That’s what they all think. Actually, after the plague rendered New Voltaria desolate, the Voltaris had nowhere else to go. In order to survive, they had to go to their roots, Ancient Voltaria.” Kora looked at the elder with curiosity. “What is Ancient Voltaria? And what did you mean by roots?” River smiled, delighted to enlighten the youngster. “Well, if you believe the legends of the Ardoni, the Ardoni all came from a string of small islands. The other clans left the island first, hoping to find signs of a larger land that could better support their populations. The Voltaris, however, stayed. Eventually, they too left. But not for centuries. As such, it is called Ancient Voltaria, and the roots of the Ardoni species.”

Theseus shrugged. “So basically, we have to go to the docks in the north in order to find a ship.” River shook his head. “Actually, there is a much faster way than a ship.” River’s eyes darted around in nervousness as his voice became low. “The islands themselves are shielded by mysterious energies that prevent the use of songs to get there. However, it is believed that the Heart of Ardonia has a secret passage outside time that could allow instant travel there.” Theseus grinned at the prospect of adventure. He nodded. “So, we need to travel to the Heart of Ardonia.” Confusion overcame Theseus as he thought about it. “But that would still take weeks. How is that going to be fast enough? We need to get there quickly, and we’ve already wasted enough days as it is getting here.”

River chuckled to their surprise. “I have a way to get there instantly.” Summoning Supporoportal, a shimmering gateway appeared in the center of the room.” Kora gasped in shock. “I thought you had to use Supporoconstruct to do that!” River shook his head. “You could use that, but it is very limited. The portal lasts only minutes and your endurance determines how long the distance you can travel through the portal is. Supporoportal, however, lasts until I choose to close the portal. And the distance is better. It still relies on your endurance, but since you don’t expend as much energy to create the portal, the radius of travel is naturally longer. Now, to find the gateway, look for what isn’t real.” Kora wanted to ask more questions, but Theseus pulled her into the portal. With one last nod to River, Theseus dragged them both through and into the unknown.

Instantly, Kora saw the difference. Behind them, the portal had closed. *No going back now.* As she looked at the new surroundings, her breath caught. The sun was setting in the distance, painting hues of pink and orange on the crystal blue sky. The area was massive, sloping downwards. In the center, a beacon of light shone like a star. Above them, lush islands floated, their lively surfaces swaying in the slight breeze. The air was crystal clear, better than any other that Kora had inhaled. Kora smiled at the natural beauty all around here, basking in the wondrous place they had found themselves in.

Theseus scanned the surroundings, spotting a patch of soul sand at the bottom. Without a word, he motioned for Kora to follow. Together, they headed towards the bottom. It was a difficult climb down, but after a while, the two of them made it. To test his theory, Theseus put his hand on the sand. When his hand passed through, he whooped in joy and pumped a fist into the air. Kora stretched a hand towards him. “Wait! It might not be…” With a grin, he saluted to Kora before jumping into the sand. Kora’s eyes widened as she watched. Anger took its place and she shook her head. “You imbecile! It could be dangerous!” Worried, she jumped after him.

When she landed, she was shocked by the sight that confronted her. They were in the middle of a dark forest, surrounded by a thick canopy. In front of her, four Voltaris were facing Theseus with anger. The biggest of them shouted at him. “You are the one that killed my cousin!” With a roar, the Voltaris struck out. Theseus pulled his blade out in response. Not risking a look over his shoulder, Theseus barked to Kora. “Get out of here! Now!” Kora stood frozen in shock and horror as she watched the battle unfold. The first Voltaris tried to stab Theseus with a spear. Theseus side-stepped, then swung at his opponent. The Voltaris sprang back and tried an overhead hit. Theseus growled. “Not today.” Theseus blocked it, then turned and side-kicked his enemy. Before the enemy could respond, Theseus stabbed the stunned Ardoni through the skull.

The second Voltaris started for Theseus, but Theseus wasn’t going to lose. Activating Mobilishift, he teleported behind the Voltaris, cutting his opponent down before the enemy could respond. The third one was on top of him before he was ready, and he was knocked to the ground. The Voltaris grinned, raising his ax to end the Kaltaris. No you don’t! Rage pounding through her veins, Kora activated Aggrocone, blasting the red Ardoni, instantly killing them.

Kora whirled around as the last Voltaris closed in. Kora stumbled back, falling as she did. She covered her face with a hand. So this is how I die? Before the Voltaris could finish her off, though, a sword tip sprouted from the Voltaris’ chest. As the enemy hit the ground, Kora looked to see Theseus standing weaponless, fury written on his face. He came over to her. With concern, he offered her a hand. “Are you okay?” Kora nodded, still shaken at how close she had come to death. Gratefully, she took his hand. Once he had helped her up, Theseus looked around. “Well, this is about the best we’ll get. We don’t know where to find Senn, and it's about to be night. Why don’t we set up camp here?” Eager for some rest, Kora nodded.

Theseus nodded back. Without a word, he began to get to work. Pulling supplies from his inventory, Theseus constructed a tent for sleeping. By the time the sun had set, the tent was up and the campfire down in front of the tent. Pulling out rations, Theseus began to cook some meat. Kora studied him. Since they had left, he hadn’t really been open to her. She kinda wished that would change. In order to break the awkward silence, she spoke up. “So, you seem like an egotistical guy. I mean, you told everyone about my brother and Venus, and you demanded this mission.” Theseus smiled weakly. “Yeah, that’s what most people think.” He sighed, his expression becoming sad. In the firelight, he seemed to age a decade. “I didn’t tell about your brother and Venus because of my ego. Used too, I would have. But now…I’ve given up on that. I want Venus to be happy. When they started, she was terrified of showing it because she thought everyone would judge them. But that made it harder for them to be together, and I wanted to help. I knew you guys would be supportive, so I told you. I hoped that, if everyone was supporting them, they wouldn’t have to hide their love. And maybe they could grow better with each other. I wanted to relieve the pressure they were feeling.”

Kora cocked her head, seeing a new side to this Kaltaris. He’s opening up. Now, she could see the true him. The one he hid underneath his ego and humor. No one had ever been so open to her before, not even Victor, her adoptive father. *Though, really, all he told me was lies.* “So then, what about the mission?” Theseus nodded. “I want to be helpful. I mean, Ardonia is my home too, and I don’t want to watch it burn before my eyes. I feel like, if I don’t do something important, I’m not really helping out. I need to do all I can to help, and if I don’t, I feel like I’m failing. Plus, I don’t want the people closest to me hurt when I could take on the mission’s challenges myself.” Kora, moved at such compassion, leaned over and hugged Theseus. “You’re not failing. You never are. We all just have to take risks, that’s all.” Theseus nods. “Yeah, I guess. Doesn’t mean I like it, though.” Kora laughed. “You don’t have to.”

Suddenly, leaves from the underbrush shifted, and both Ardoni sprang up. When they looked around, they saw that they were now surrounded by Voltaris. In the lead was Victor, now with Voltar in his hand. She shook her head in horror while Theseus just looked stunned. Victor laughed. “Look who we have here! The murderer and the traitor, both in one place, this is too good to be true!” Theseus pushed Kora behind him. Glaring, he asked the question that had led to the journey. “What have you done here, Nightsinger?” Victor smiled. “As you can see, I have Voltar. I went to the head village and killed Senn. Now I am the clan master!” Kora shook her head, her hands covering her mouth. Terror coursed through her veins as disbelief took over. Victor smirked. “If you don’t believe me, I could take you to the village. There’s not much left, I’m afraid. It was burned down and all its inhabitants killed.”

Theseus shook his head in disgust. “Why would you do this? They were innocent!” Victor snarled at the Kaltaris. “You can’t lecture me, not after what you did to my brother, or my cousin for that matter!” Thesesus threw his hands up. “Graduk was planning to destroy my people!” Victor laughed darkly. “And did you perhaps wait to see if he would actually do it? He may have supported Ingressus, but he did not believe in the slaughter of innocent, unarmed Ardoni. His plan was to get that sort of info, then pass it on to the villages, so that the children and others could get out before the battle. He didn’t show it when he was with Tygren because then the ruse would be up! He was going to save them, and yet you killed him.” Theseus fell back, clutching his stomach in shock. Sensing this was going back, both Theseus and Kora drew their weapons. Tension filled the air as the two opposing sides starred each other down. Kora fidgeted with her grip, sweat rolling down her body. *This isn’t good! This isn’t good at all! We’re outnumbered and outmatched here!*

At that moment, a Felina showed up. She was panting and shaking in fear. As soon as he spotted Victor, she ran to him and threw herself into his arms. Victor looked stunned. “Scarlet? What’s wrong?” The Felina just shook her head as she buried her face in his shoulder. He held her back, quietly comforting her. When she had calmed down, she turned to look at the woods. However, her eyes went wide as she did, and she began to shake. Victor frowned. “What is it? What do you see?” Scarlet shook her head, unable to speak as she pointed. Victor gasped when he finally saw what she did, and all the Voltaris shifted nervously. Out from the bushes, more Voltaris came out, led by one with a skeleton rune on his ashen gray skin. The skeleton Voltaris drew an enchanted diamond broadsword from his back and pointed it at the Nightsinger. With an unnatural calm, he stated his presence. “You leave such a predictable trail. I know you are looking for the Nether, and the only active portal here is nearby this place. Luckily for us, you ran into some distractions. Now, I believe you have something of mine.”

The Nightsinger snarled at the new arrivals. “Ajax, you have no place here. I am now the clan master! You should be with me, not them! Ingressus would have wanted us to get what is rightfully ours to save this clan!” Ajax shook his head sadly. “Victor Voltaris, I was there when Ingressus gave his torch to Senn. He wanted our clan to be accepted, not powerful. He knew that only peace would accomplish that, and it worked. Now you destroy it and expect me to idly stand by while you ruin our clan? What would this accomplish, other than make the other clans kill us off?” Victor curled his lip with disgust. “So be it. You want to fight? Then I shall oblige and end you and your pathetic group right now! I shall prove who the clan master is!” Ajax sighed. “Then you give me no choice.” With that, Ajax and his group charged. The enemy Voltaris, distracted by the new threat, stopped pointing their weapons at Theseus. He pushed her into the tent and charged into battle.

Kora cowered in the tent, unable to bear the sounds of her former friends and her new friend killing each other. Songs could be heard, as could blasts, and Kora worried. *Is Theseus alright? Who’s going to win?* Unable to take the suspense any longer, she crawled out and looked out. Now, only Scarlet and Victor remained. Scarlet and Theseus were locked in mortal combat. Neither seemed able to beat the other, until Scarlet blasted Theseus with lightning. Theseus fell, weakly raising his blade to stop Scarlet, who was now pounding on the fallen warrior. Victor, meanwhile, didn’t have as much success. He tried to stab with Voltar, but Ajax was too quick. Ajax knocked the blade away and pushed Victor to the ground using his feet. Voltar went up into the air, and Ajax caught it. He pointed Voltar at Victor’s throat, and was about to end him, when Scarlet interfered. Using some special ability, both she and Victor teleported outside the grounds. Victor spat at his opponents. “This is not over! I will go to the Nether and get an Army none of you can beat. You are all still too weak to win this war.” With that, Victor used Supporocontstruct to make a portal to the Nether portal. Once he and Scarlet were through it, it disappeared behind them.

One of the remaining Voltaris began to activate a song, But Ajax shook his head. “Let him go. We would never catch in time anyway, and I doubt the Nether will help him.” The Voltaris nodded. Ajax studied Voltar as he continued to give orders. “Find where the portal is, exactly, but do not engage. I want to know, just in case the Nether does decide to help him. The rest of you, fan out to find the other villages and see if we can secure more allies there, or if they have already been burned and turned.” Ajax continued to stare at the blade, and began to murmur to himself. “So beautiful! The staff of my clan, the symbol of our power! Back in the rightful hands. The weapon of both my fathers before me! Now, the responsibility to carry one their legacy is mine.” He frowned at his scarlet blade, which was now broken after shattering in the fight. With a sigh, he dropped it to the ground, replacing it with Voltar. Timidly, Kora crept to him, careful to keep her head bowed. Ajax noticed and smiled at her faintly. “You are probably wondering who I am.” She nodded. “I am Ajax Arcturus Voltaris, son of the Deathsinger and Zinia Arcturs Kaltaris. Victor burned down my village and killed Senn, so now, as his heir, I am the clan master of the Voltaris.” Ajax’s face darkened. “He plans to take the Primes, but I cannot allow it. What he plans will turn everyone against our clan and tear this clan apart. However, I do need help. My clan is split in two and he gains allies quickly.” His expression became kind as he looked at the younger Ardoni. “And who might you be, enemies of my enemy?”