The battle had already begun for Alistair.

  Three Blue Jays blocked the only exit out of the cave while El Buitre was perched on a stalagmite just a couple of yards from them. It was the latter whom Alistair had an eye on, for the rest did not appear challenging based on past encounters. Their leather armor was worn out while their knives and other weapons had some rust on them. Their capes were filthy with red stains and mud as if they hadn't been washed in days. Compared to them, El Buitre's steel lamellar appeared to be in pristine condition while his cape appeared brilliant and immaculate.

  "We didn't expect this one to show up," commented the tallest among the Blue Jays, a burly man wearing shabby furs and a massive axe held by both hands. "He looks like a challenge for sure."

  "Better than those moths," commented a black-haired woman. "The few we found didn't put up much of a fight."

  "We were after the moth girl, but you'll make a fine consolation prize, paladin," said a man wielding two knives, posing with both of his wrists crossed.

  "You fools, think for a second!" El Buitre kept his eyes on his new foe. "He's the boy who faced the master! If he's here, then that means-!"

  "Impossible," the roguish man declared. "The master couldn't have lost to this boy!"

  "This confirms it! They really are the ones who have been foiling our plans! Hammer's Reach is no longer ours, the Jaguar Lands have hunted us down, and we haven't heard back from a good portion of our forces!" Gnashing his teeth, El Buitre stared Alistair down. "Good news for you, boy; surrendering your life will give you a purpose greater than you could ever hope for!"

  Alistair cracked the cavern floor a little as his set his hammer down, using his hands to rest on the tip of the handle. "I have a counteroffer. I have been ordered by Lord Demetrio himself to confiscate your lives. You have meddled in his affairs, from what I heard, so now he has sentenced you all to die. But if you surrender yourselves now, I'll do my best to talk him into sparing your lives. A life sentence would be a good opportunity for you all to reflect on your crimes."

  "Doing the Count's bidding, now?!" El Buitre tossed a card, barely missing Alistair. After a moment, a stalagmite exploded, spreading chalky pellets everywhere. Alistair didn't move a muscle, however; he knew it was an intimidation tactic, something he wouldn't easily fall for. "You think you're in control here, boy?! There's four of us and only one of you. You're the last man standing; you and the blue girl, anyway. You can make it easier on yourself and surrender or die fighting. Your head's going on a platter, either way!"

  "Last one standing? Did Luno not make it out?" Hoisting his hammer, Alistair placed the hilt over his shoulders. "No, focus. Not enough time has passed to murder and dispose of the bodies. He's trying to get in my head. They must have gotten away; why else would they wait here? They're here for me."

  "Simpson, Mora, Nails!" The burly man, the black-haired woman, and the roguish man readied their weapons, in that order, when they heard El Buitre mention their names. The first wielded an axe the size of Alistair's hammer, which he held with both hands; the second raised a simple wooden bow; and the last, unsurprisingly, held both of his knives pointing backwards. "Give that smug prick what he deserves! Send him to Hell!"

  "Let's get him!" A fight broke out. An arrow from Mora collided with Alistair's torso like a knife on metal; that is to say, it was deflected immediately with no damage done to the body. The boy's eyes then shifted to the man they called Nails, who hunched his thin body a little and charged towards him with both arms stretched as far outward as he could. Al raised his hammer defensively, blocking the incoming blow before lunging his hammer's great weight on the man's gut and lifted it up in a swift motion to strike the chin.

  "What have I told both of you punks?" It was Simpson's turn to charge. Alistair leaned back as quickly and as far as he could without falling over, but the man's axe managed to graze his cheek deeply enough to draw blood. "I lead the charge, then you backstab them while I distract them!"

  "You were too slow to the draw," Mora retorted. "Almost got poor Nails thinking he's a main character."

  "Am not!" Nails wobbled as he covered his mouth with his hand. He felt a gap in his teeth and could taste the blood coming out of it. "Oh, you've done it now, little man. Once I find out where you live, I'll share that info with the rest of the organization!"

  "Time out! How come you get to do that," Simpson protested.

  "Because I'm the best at infiltration and espionage," Nails replied. "Just focus on swinging that big axe of yours."

  "Don't order me around, twig boy!"

  "Excuse me," Alistair said softly.

  "Both of you are wrong." Mora scoffed. "I have the most confirmed kills out of all of us. I should be the one to handle jobs like this."

  "You have the most kills out of all of us because that includes your own squadmates, you backstabbing bro-" Nails jumped when a card pierced the ground in front of him like an arrow. The three Blue Jays backed away just in time before it exploded, after which they turned to face their leader.

  "Quit arguing and finish him off," El Buitre said. "We'll figure out the boy's address later."

  "As you wish, sir." Mora pulled another arrow and opened fire. This time, the arrow grazed past Alistair's hair, cutting some of it as it zipped all the way to the hard, cave wall behind him. This emboldened Nails, who lunged both of his knives on Alistair, with one of them striking his elbow joint. A red stain quickly formed on the boy's tunic, prompting him swat Nails away with a hefty swing of the hammer. His torso twisted a little more than the human body would allow, the roguish man immediately stopped moving...and breathing.

  But something was wrong.

  The wound would not stop bleeding. The stain continued to expand throughout the boy's arm, the wound stinging all the while. Taking advantage of this, Simpson struck Alistair's torso with a loud CLANG.

  "Feel the power of the Order of the Blue Jay: Simpson! Strongest member of Squad Vulture!" The burly man guffawed boisterously. "Still bleeding, huh? You may have offed Nails like the twig he is, but those needles of his cause massive bleeding. Think you can treat it? Bet you can't do so while facing all three of us. Don't worry, maybe the boss won't hurt you-"

  A card was thrown in Alistair's direction. Its trajectory was momentarily visible thanks to a stream of fire it left behind. Wedging itself into one of the lad's armor plates, the card exploded with a fiery burst. The ground quaked a little from the impact, causing a small stalactite to fall from above some yards behind Alistair and several more across the chamber to wobble in place.

  "-much."

  His armor scratched, his arm bleeding, and his shoulder singed, Alistair fought to keep his eyes open. It could have been exhaustion from marching all day or the sudden blood loss, but he could feel his head spin a little. Seeing this, the Blue Jays smiled; to them, Alistair was a young lion cub, and they were a pack of hungry hyenas ecstatic to rip him apart. And now they smelled blood in the air.

  "You can rest with that useless caricature on the ground," the black-haired archer pointed at her fallen comrade.

  "Serves him right for trying to score a kill," added Simpson. "Beaten by a little page boy, no less."

  Their words stung for Alistair. The boy seethed for reasons they couldn't grasp, their constant mocking encouraging their boss to add a few words as well.

  "We could all learn something from the boy here. He's facing us alone. Maybe he had the sense to drop all the dead weight holding him back."

  "Craven filth."

  The Blue Jays turned to Alistair. The boy's fist glowed with a holy light, staring down at his adversaries up ahead.

  "What kind of sickness drives people...to mock the people who fight for them? Are you all so desensitized by death that you don't even take a second to mourn for a fallen comrade?!"

  "Here we go," whined Mora. "Uptight folks like him always preach, preach, preach. You're gonna cry over a man you just killed? Give me a break!"

  "She's got a point, worm," said El Buitre. "That glass house of yours is looking mighty fragile. Nails was a proud member, but ultimately that blunder of his cost him his life. We're not obligated to do anything about it."

  Alistair was familiar with their tactics: Deflection. They tried to spin things around to make him feel guilty and like a hypocrite, not knowing he suffered through these same mind games before. He was not having it. "He was a member of your party!" Alistair's glowing fist shook with violent intent. To the surprise of all present, including himself, Alistair's holy light turned into electrifying energy. He refused to let this distract him for long, and continued with his admonishment. "And you," he pointed at El Buitre accusingly, "he was your subordinate, right? Are you not responsible for his actions? Do you not have even the slightest bit of compassion?!"

  "I'm getting sick of your lectures!" El Buitre was the first - and perhaps only - Blue Jay to match Alistair's anger. "I have no reason to listen to someone who sent his women to die!"

  Not far from the corridor leading deeper into the cavern, Lenoria carried Aquamarine on her back. It was a struggle to even walk with her, but Lenoria seemed determined to bring her friend to Alistair for more encouraging words. After spotting the boy and the Blue Jays, she quickly crouched behind a conveniently placed stalagmite that was big enough to hide both of them.

  "Al's lecturing them." Having heard everything since Mora mocked Alistair's preaching, Lenoria hatched an idea. "Aquamarine, I know you're down in the dumps, but please listen to him."

  Aquamarine raised her head just high enough to see the conversation unfold. "Al?"

  Alistair gritted his teeth for a moment. "I will not be deceived by you! The only reason our party split to begin with is because we all have faith in each other! All of us are capable of either trouncing on, or escaping from, you! There was never a need to worry! I don't believe for a second you murdered my girlfriend, not when you don't even have a corpse to prove it!"

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  "Does he mean it," Aquamarine asked weakly. "Does he really believe that much in us?"

  "I believe my friends will succeed! I have no intention of dying today, but if that were to happen because of some dirty trick of yours, I know everyone will carry my hopes like a burning torch and finish you!"

  "Ugh," Simpson groaned," he's not falling for it, boss!"

  El Buitre shot his sniveling minion a frightening glare. "Stop panicking, Simpson! He's just a mere boy! A boy who left his companion to die! He dropped her like dead weight the moment she became an inconvenience for him."

  The vulture man's scathing remark was like a stray bullet; his aim missed the mark, but struck another. He had no idea how right he was, Aquamarine thought. Alistair had every right to leave her behind, for her own traumatic episode was detrimental for his survival. He could not be blamed for it, though. He was only looking out for his party, a group Aquamarine was not officially part of. She was just another child trying to play hero.

  "Miss Aquamarine? I regret to inform you that she is very much alive. She's just tired." Alistair grinned. "I must admit, without her, your master would have actually stood a chance. But I achieved victory thanks to her, and she even healed my wounds. If it wasn't for her, the four of you might have actually walked out of here alive like the pack of scavengers you are. Lucky for me, first aid came just in time."

  Aquamarine was taken aback. She dismounted Lenoria's back and hid herself behind her, not sure how to deal with her current feelings. She was confused and sad, yet she there was also a sense of pride in herself. "He believes in me that much? He's not lying, is he?"

  "Of course he believes in you," Lenoria whispered. "He had an inkling on what we were getting into. After dealing with these cultists over the past month, he knew there was a chance we would run into more of them. He wouldn't have been okay with you coming along if he believed you didn't have what it takes to head straight into danger."

  Aquamarine's short moment of joy immediately turned to sorrow when she remembered her last fight. "But that demon..."

  "Wait," Simpson said, "did you just say Aquamarine? THE Melodious Aquamarine?"

  "That name does sound familiar," said El Buitre.

  "That's the girl Spark was supposed to kill! People say she was raised by a magical seahorse and learned her powers over water from it! The people love her, the police admire her, and she's even got her own merchandise!"

  Aquamarine shed another tear. "They do...?"

  "That is proof that Melodious Aquamarine will never be a burden to anyone," Alistair declared. "She is loved by the people. Her strength lies not in destroying her foes, but in bringing hope to the people she saves. And we, like her Guardian friends, will back her up every step of the way. That is the difference between us and you, Blue Jays; we care for our own, no matter what. You, on the other hand, would rather discard your allies if it saves your own hide."

  In Alistair's mind, the Blue Jays defying him meant that they had chosen their method of execution. It was only fair, however, for them to know the extent of their crimes.

  "Back at the forest entrance, you cornered our sorceress. But once we showed up to help her, you sent your demon friends and squad mates to attack us. And how did you repay them?"

  "They knew what they signed up for," El Buitre justified himself. "The weak must be culled, muchacho."

  "They trusted you as their commander! You could have ordered them to fall back or fight in a different way! Instead, you murdered them. They trusted you to back them up and all you could do was laugh as they perished in the flames!"

  El Buitre's chuckles suddenly turned into laughter. His earlier taunts and mind games did very little, but it was his methods than angered Alistair. "Of all the things that could annoy you, that's what bothers you? I thought threatening your friends would have done it. I see. Unfortunately for you, you're never finding out why we do what we do. Mora, open fire!"

  "You heard the man, Cecilia," cried out a familiar voice from the entrance of the cave. "Open fire!"

  "Gladly!"

  A loud BOOM rang across the cave entrance and the chamber everyone was in. A cannon ball exploded right at the feet of the black-haired Blue Jay, damaging her leather armor and even making a small fraction of her cape disappear. Her face had instantly burned from the explosion, searing her flesh enough to reveal the muscle behind her right cheek. She screamed as she collapsed from the pain. The impact caused the stalactites above her to wobble, causing her to gasp as she was unable to flee due to her own injury.

  But the rocky spikes never came down. Caesar and Cecilia had arrived with the help of a flying canoe, each side mounted with a small metal barrel. Mora laughed hysterically, incredibly relieved that the worst-case scenario was averted for her. She didn't even notice her boss back on the ground, having fallen from the stalagmite after the cannon's impact caused it to collapse and a couple of rocks had pelted his wings from above.

  "We had a clear shot," Caesar said with a facepalm. "And we blew it."

  But a wordless 'not quite' took the form of a water orb that was launched at the cluster of stalactites above the black-haired Blue Jay, causing them to fall. Big, pointy, and heavy, none of them missed their target, instantly impaling her to the ground. The group anticipated an agonized scream, but the rocky spikes had claimed her life quickly.

  "I...I did it..." Aquamarine covered her mouth once she saw the results of her actions, her cheeks puffing as she did so. But whatever had gathered in her mouth was quickly swallowed back down by her own determination. "Oh, wait. I was raised by pirates. I've seen worse."

  "You'll pay for thi-" A hammer to the face was enough to silence the burly Blue Jay, while a second one to the legs made the big man collapse. Alistair had used all of his strength for both hits, forgoing accuracy for more power, resulting in a clean kill.

  All Blue Jays were down for the count. "Nice...save...Caesar," Alistair said in between breaths.

  "Huh?" The hovering canoe slowly descended its altitude, allowing Caesar and Cecilia to jump out after a moment. Caesar was first, which allowed Cecilia to jump safely and into her captain's arms and was gently set on the ground. "The cannon fire helped, but I could have sworn I saw Aquamarine just now doing her 'Sea Man's Breath' attack or whatever."

  "That can't be. She needed some time alone to-" Alistair turned around to look back at the corridor he came from. His eyes widened with horror when he spotted Lenoria awkwardly waving at him while Aquamarine angrily stared back at Caesar.

  "It's 'Sea God's Breath,' you swine!" Aquamarine stomped the ground with a tantrum.

  "Miss Aquamarine, a little help here?" Alistair pointed at the wound on his elbow joint.

  "Oh, sure!" With the ice of her joints having spread to her forearms and calves, Aquamarine encased Alistair again with another twirling pillar of water. After a few seconds, the wound remained but the bleeding stopped.

  "Thank you. H-how long have you two been there, anyway?"

  "Long enough. Hehe." The girls strolled closer to the exit until they were reunited with the others. "Mwah." After a peck on the cheek, Lenoria nuzzled her face with Alistair's. "Thanks to your little speech, Aquamarine's in high spirits again," she whispered.

  "Really? I could have sworn I left her alone with Mr. Horsey. Where were you? And where's Luno?"

  "We were in the Shadow Plane for a little bit. Time slows down a little, or works differently, when you're there, so Luno and I split up. I went looking for you while Luno headed for the exit. By the time those punks made it here, she must have already been outside."

  "Yeah, she found us, alright," Caesar confirmed. "She took her time getting her babies out of the Shadow Plane, but she explained how time worked in the Shadow Plane. So she did all of that, came to us, and we still made it in time to save the day."

  "Those were the heavy hitters, right? Do you think there more Blue Jays out and about," Lenoria wondered as she stared at the fallen Blue Jays.

  "Seeing as how we handled their leader and he ran off, I'm sure there's nothing else left that we can't handle," Alistair theorized. "We'd have to patrol the forest, but I can do that after we take a breather."

  With countless demons slain, Blue Jays defeated, and their commander having abandoned the mission, it was finally time for our heroes to take a break. They laughed merrily knowing that the Order of the Blue Jays had been stopped, and their sinister plans would not come to fruition on this night.

  Alas, such sweet moments were not meant to last long. In a single instant, the sound of crackling electricity coming from El Buitre soon turned into a beam of stringy, white light. And it had a single target.

  "Get down!" Having spotted the birdfolk's treachery, Caesar tackled Alistair out of the beam's trajectory, stepping in to take his place instead. The captain screamed as he was electrified by a powerful shock, engulfed by the beam as it reached all the way to the opposite side, destroying a chunk of the wall. More rocks fell...as well as Caesar.

  "By the way," El Buitre coughed, "not dead..."

  "N-no..." Cecilia sobbed loudly. She ran to her captain, tears already trailing down her face. "Captain? C-captain?!"

  Without taking his eyes away from El Buitre, Alistair knelt down to check on Caesar. He grabbed his hand, hoping to find any sign of life. "He's burned badly, but I found a pulse. It's faint, though. Miss Aquamarine, your assistance, please!"

  Fighting tears as well, Aquamarine let her limbs get encased with more ice, tapping into the last of her inner reserves to cover Caesar with a blanket of water which, along with some of the captain's wounds, evaporated into the air. "His wounds have stabilized, but we need to take him to Solveig before he gets worse."

  "Good, right after we're done-" A thin hand blocked Alistair's path to El Buitre."Lenoria? What are you-"

  "Cecilia, use that canoe of yours and go back to the ship. Tell Solveig to get a bed ready for your captain. We'll be there shortly. Al, you're the only one strong enough to carry Caesar out of here. I don't think that canoe will hold either of you, so let Aquamarine go with Cecilia while you go on foot. If his wounds are stabilized, then he'll be fine as long as he doesn't get hurt."

  "No need to tell me twice." Cecilia offered a hand. "Let's go, sailor girl!"

  "Lenoria." Alistair picked up Caesar as Aquamarine boarded the flying canoe. Just as they took off, the whole cavern started rumbling. "What are you planning? The cave will collapse any minute now! I'll fight with you and-"

  "The whole point of this trip was to rescue Caesar and the pirates," Lenoria shouted angrily. "If both of you die here, then coming here was pointless! Get back to the ship and wait for me, please!"

  "But-!"

  With one hand on the gun, Lenoria used her free hand to activate a gray light. With her fist enclosed, this allowed her to show Alistair without showing El Buitre what she had in hand. "I promise I'll be fine! You asked Luno to take me away so your mind would be at ease earlier. At least give me the same courtesy just this once."

  Wrestling with his thoughts, the boy took a look at their adversary. The birdfolk was still on the ground. A boulder had fallen on one his legs, preventing him from standing up, much less getting away. He struggled to shuffle his cards, moving weakly as he did so. His once pristine armor was now soaked with his own blood.

  "If we leave him here, we'll be wondering if the cave got him or not. If we end this now, he won't go back to his base nor will he come after us. I have to do this, so go on ahead!"

  It seemed Lenoria had already thought everything through despite the small amount of time that had transpired. This left Alistair with little room for a rebuttal.

  "Fine. Just stay safe, Lenoria." He turned to leave. "I love you."

  "I love you, too. Now, go!"

  With Caesar on his arms, Alistair ran as fast as he could without looking back. The tunnel leading back out was as dark as ever, but at least he could see a light at the end of it.

  Now was the time for Lenoria to take care of business. "You. Blue Jay. How does it feel knowing that everything you've done has led to nothing? All your plans went up in smoke, there's no sign of your leader, and your whole squad is dead. And what do you have to show for it?"

  "You sure like to yap, even for a woman." El Buitre drew a card. It emitted a purple light, magical in nature. "But you just sent him away so he wouldn't stop you from sacrificing yourself, right? If there's any solace I can take from my own death, it's that you're dying with me."

  "No, not really. That's such a tired cliche; I plan to end things here and go back to my Alistair. All I did was keep him from doing the same."

  "You're all talk. You couldn't even hit me last time. What can you even do?"

  Lenoria grinned. She confidently stepped farther away from the cave exit, instead taking a few steps towards the corridor leading deeper inside while pointing her firearm at her foe. "I know what you're thinking. You're already out of spells, and with that leg trapped under that rock, you won't leave here alive. But you're thinking 'Maybe I can use one of my cards to speed up the incoming cave-in.' And you know what? Maybe you can. Maybe you can't. Maybe you'll kill us both. But you want to know what I think? Maybe I'll pull the trigger before you throw that card, and the force of a .45 caliber bullet sends you plummeting straight to the Abyss.

  "I've read the notes from one of Spark's fallen goons, you know. You guys have dark shrines set up all over the world, and you also sell your souls to demons for power. If you kill me, there's a good chance my soul ends up in a heavenly place. Me? I like those odds. But you? You'll become some demon's plaything when you die, so you have everything to lose. You're hoping killing me will make you a martyr to your dark masters, and maybe you'll be spared from such a pathetic fate.

  "My question to you now is...are you feeling lucky, you nimrod?"