I took a deep breath and raised my hand. "I need it alive to complete what we came here to do, Sabura. I'll take responsibility for it," I said, prompting Ysevel and Bernar to look at me with unbridled worry. "What? No, shit-bird, I'll do it," Bernar said, taking a step toward me.
"It's fine. I'm… I'm fine. If I don't do it, he'll wake up, remember that it wasn't me that did it, and fuck only knows what will happen then. I haven't abandoned him yet, and I won't do it now," I said, my chest beginning to grow heavy.
Ysevel put a hand on my cheek and looked me in the eyes searchingly. "Are you sure you want to go through with that again?" she asked, her worried tone nearly making me second-guess my resolve.
"I have to do it if we want the rest of the clan and the audience of the Davo Dugo Guva to accept it, but it will mean putting my honor as Kalia's battle-brother and member of the Iron Plume Clan on the line," I said, getting a nod from Kalia and Syldir as a result.
Ysevel closed her eyes momentarily and nodded her head. "If you say so, but if you change your mind…" she trailed off, giving me a light punch in the shoulder. "Don't worry; I won't," I replied, pouring as much confidence into my answer as I could. "Besides, it's not like Bernar's going to have an easy time with his, either," I said with a wink.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked with a curled eyebrow. "Hehe, you'll see," I chuckled just before the roar of the crowd could be heard trembling the arena above us. "Come on then, it's time we got this over with. Who's going first?" I asked the others, but Mom was the first to raise her hand. "I'll go. If anything, I can at least test the waters, so the others know what to expect," she grinned wolfishly.
Show off, I felt Kalia send her as Mom crossed her arms and huffed proudly. "She's got a point, but regardless, this is no fight like you've ever had before," I cautioned, but Mom waved me off. "Nah, I'll win," she said confidently.
"As you wish, Siraye. I must say, you and Thoma are very much alike after all," Sabura gave her a slight dip of his head. "He is my son. So is this one, though he's a little more hard-headed at times," she said, giving Bernar a light punch on the shoulder. "A mystery to no one," Vyra chuckled under her breath.
We quickly decided who would be next. As it turns out, Mom and Ren, who had stayed all but silent during the entire trip so far, as well as Derion, volunteered before Bernar even got a chance to raise his hand, though I suspected that was simply due to Kalia allowing them to perform experiments on their own Alternates.
Of course, they didn't know what they would be facing, but the prospect of examining a creature such as that was nearly too much for at least Derion to bear.
I wonder what he'll find out about the Alternates, Ysevel sent me. Who knows? At this point, I wouldn't put it past him to find out where they came from, or how they even came to be, I replied with a shrug, getting a giggle out of her.
Next in the order of battle was Bernar, followed by Vyra, Eirenne, Haldir, and ultimately, Meliss. It was strange to think that she wanted to partake in the rite of passage so soon after recovering, but that same look of determination was in her eye, one that none of us could ignore.
Do you think she's trying to prove something to us after what happened on the Isles? Ysevel asked. It seems likely, but we shouldn't be the ones to deny her that. If she wants to prove her strength to us, let her. It will be better that way, both for her, and our trust in her during the battles to come, Kalia said.
I found her answer to be surprisingly insightful, as it wasn't something I had really taken into consideration. Until I'd heard Kalia's answer, I hadn't considered how she'd felt about the whole thing.
Being possessed by what might as well be considered a god and living to tell the tale after battling her allies is, by no means, a sign of weakness. If this is her way of showing us that she wants revenge for what Mideia did to her, then Kalia's right, Mom added to my line of thinking. Fair enough. I can't argue with that, I nodded, moving over to Meliss for a brief moment.
"Thoma I-I…" she trailed off as I put up a hand to stop her. "No need. Just do your best out there, alright? Don't worry about Ed; I'll take care of it," I said, putting a hand on her shoulder. She didn't verbally respond to that, but the slight nod of her head she gave was enough of an answer for me.
We left the preparation room, each one taking a weapon from the rack at Kalia's behest, and followed her out of the room. Ysevel and I split off without much more than a nod to each other, since we didn't need to say anything. She felt my nervousness, my fear of failure, and the fact that I would have to kill my best friend yet again.
It was comforting to know I didn't have to say those words aloud, just as it had been since we first became Wraithborn.
The crowd roared just as it had before, and armored hands beat strongly against kataki breastplates. Above us, I could see Syldir, The Mouth, Sabura, Ysevel, and Kalia sitting in the viewing box alongside Krozz and Buruz.
If looks could kill, Buruz would have killed The Mouth already, I sent Ysevel, who subtly turned around to find the hegraphene glaring at the dragon. You're not wrong, but I'm not sure even Buruz would put up much of a fight, she said, already having a vivid image of their one-sided battle in her head.
"Welcome to the Davo Dugo Guva, my fellow brothers and sisters of the Iron Plume Clan," Sabura began, interrupting my thoughts. "Today, as you know well, is a day of proving. A rite of passage for all who wish themselves to be counted amongst the Iron Plume clan," he said, a roar erupting from the crowd as he finished his sentence.
"Today, we will witness this rite of passage not for ourselves, but for our comrades hailing from Caegwen!" he shouted, another roar booming throughout the arena. "Our first guest is none other than Thoma Fayren's mother, Siraye! A fierce commander of the Caegweni guard, whose strength, I'm told, rivals that of even Kerra Kalia," he announced, getting an audible gasp from most of the crowd.
Mom stepped out into the arena, holding her blade high above her head as she addressed the crowd, then lowered it to offer a proper greeting to those in the viewing box. With a nod, she let them know she was ready. "Let the Davo Dugo Guva begin!" Sabura shouted, prompting the gate on the far end of the arena to rise.
"What, and I cannot stress this enough, the fuck is that?" Bernar asked from just behind me. "That is Mom's alternate. A copy of her physical body that holds many of the skills and memories she has, though how it's even possible that it exists is another question entirely," I explained as we all watched the creature step into the arena with the same grace Mom put on display.
"You're telling me that thing has the same skills as the Commander? Can it use mana at all?" Vyra asked, her expression one of visible disgust, as she watched Mom's alternate point its blade in the same way Mom had.
"It does, but it can't use mana. Somewhere along the line of their existence, they lost the ability to do so, or so I was told," I explained without tearing my eyes from the battle that was about to begin. "So that's why we're not allowed to use mana," Ren said in a tone that suggested I'd just answered his unasked question.
But why isn't it as ragged as they usually are? I wondered privately.
Before anyone else could speak, however, Mom and her alternate dashed in toward each other, creating a shockwave as their swords clashed that reached the audience in the lower levels with enough force to knock a few of them off their feet.
I didn't have to look back to know that everyone who hadn't known what they were going up against was feeling. It was a strange mixture of fear, awe, and excitement, but there was one thing I knew they needed to be reminded of.
It's just a question of mind over matter, and the fact that they can match nearly every skill you have is the problem you'll have to overcome, I sent them through a mental note, since the battle raging in the arena was much too loud to talk over.