Confrontation! May the Brightest Star Win!

As the stand-off between myself and The Ravager continued, a sense of dread rushed over my body. Despite my bold declaration to be a god, I was rapidly deteriorating. My skirmish with the man had me exposed with several bruises and gashes that Claire's magic couldn't readily repair at the time. Most notably, the first wound, the one on my palm had not repaired itself just yet.

"Is that it?"

You would have never imagined that three simple words would be capable of stunning me, but they did. I recognized Svett and Wakley's voices from speaking with them, so I knew this voice didn't belong to them. It was as if a demon had opened its maws and ushered a deep bellow straight from the pits of hell. 

If you need a devil voice-acted on any type of media, you wouldn't go wrong with hiring The Ravager. His tone paralyzed me, and I didn't register his response until a few seconds later when he spoke again.

"Is that all you have to say?" he asked before turning his back towards us.

It was a move aimed to lower my guard, no doubt, but I didn't fall for it. Even when he began walking away, I was ready and sure enough, he struck. His speed was even greater than before as he appeared before me. His great sword barreled from above. I was only narrowly able to catch it, but the impact created a large gust of wind to appear from the impact. The gust was powerful enough to blow away the two standing beside me.

My palms gripped the blade's edge, and a matching wound appeared on both palms. Blood rushed to freedom as I struggled greatly against his power. The Ravager was expressionless as he sought to take my life through overwhelming power. My biceps tensed as I shifted the weight of his strike to my right, causing the blade to crash to the ground. The earth cratered, but that wasn't enough to force me to back away. 

This level of strength didn't surprise me like the others, so I pushed forward to capitalize. However, no matter how many punches I threw his way, The Ravager easily avoided them. My eyes widened as he released his sword's handle before catching my left fist. His grip tightened as the man delivered a body-rattling uppercut directly against my chest. 

At that moment, I wished I had better armor for this fight, as leather did nothing to cushion a heavy attack like this one. My lungs evicted any oxygen that resided inside them while I forced into a sporadic coughing fit. His fists moved like a blur, crashing violently against my head and back. Each blow somehow became more powerful as the series progressed.

'Damn it... I...'

My thoughts were interrupted as The Ravager lifted his sword out of the ground and, with a blur, attempted to slice me in half. It took all the strength I could muster to block the strike with my forearm, but I found the attempt costly. Pain shot throughout my body as the sword dug deep inside my flesh, spilling my blood to the dirt below. 

I could never understand how the man was capable of moving with such speed despite wielding a sword of that size, but there must be a reason. I tensed my muscles, forcing the blade to remain lodged in my forearm. This revelation surprised The Ravager but didn't deter him from advancing. As The Ravager's boot found its mark against my chest, the sound of Fawkes' panicking voice filled my ear.

"Old man! I'm telling you! You have to leave them behind. Do it for your sake... no, do it for mine too! I need you to survive! You can't allow a man like him to end your life! Especially not this early! Your story is only beginning!"

I tried to block out the fox's concerns as I anticipated my opponent's next attack. Due to his kick, his sword was free from my arm, and as anticipated, he attempted another overhead slash. I quickly turned my body, desperately trying to avoid the attack this time, but it didn't matter. Once his sword slammed against the ground, a shockwave erupted from the impact. It was as if an explosion tore through the area. Unable to withstand the power of the impact, I was taken away by the blowback. 

"Do the smart thing! The wise thing! Think of your friends! Think of Qayshawn and Bishop and how distraught they will be when they learn that your death was needless! That is, if they even learn about it at all!" Fawkes pleads.

Fawkes' words rattled my mind as violently as I crashed against the ground. I was taking heavy damage, and the results of The Ravager's ruthless assault began to show. For some reason, the healing that I had come to rely on was delayed, and I could not understand why. 

'His power... it is not to be denied. That's for sure.'

My blurry vision began to fade, and at that moment, I realized that I was about to be unconscious. However, as I lay in the dirt on my stomach, my mind went to my allies as I attempted to locate their blobs on the battlefield. 

"Claire... Mikangleo..." 

Fawkes was correct. It would be advantageous for me to prioritize my survival over theirs. I mean, Q and Bonner would be disappointed to learn that I had died so early in our journey. This was a new world with new experiences for us to tackle together, yet I decided to swing above my weight class. Claire did abandon Q to die, so wouldn't it be fitting if I did the same for her? 

If I left Claire behind for what she did to Q, then what about Mikangleo? Does he deserve to be left to the clutches of The Ravager? This is an opponent that neither of them could defeat. Even if they ran, I do not doubt that he would be able to capture and execute them.

'Marktavious... Marktavious...What do you do? What do you do?'

My body was paralyzed with the intense pain that resonated from my many wounds. It was that pain that bolstered Fawkes' plea for me to save myself, and I teetered the edge of making that decision. However, the mere thought of doing that made my chest tense up.

"Fawkes..." I said.

"Yeah, Old Man. Did you- Did you finally make the right decision?"

"I am..."

"What?! Do you not realize the situation that you are in?! He's beating you to a bloody pulp, and those two idiots are watching you! They aren't helping you at all, so why?! I could understand if that was Qayshawn or Bishop, but those two are not them! Why are you putting your life on the line for them?!"

"I'm glad..." I murmured.

"What?" the fox exclaimed.

"I'm glad that they-"

"Hey! Old Man! Old Man! Fat-"

The fox's quickly faded into obscurity as my eyelids became heavier. The heavy aroma of charred flesh and wood taunted my senses into pursuing them. Pain grappled my body as Fawkes' words echoed throughout my mind. His concern could be felt, and his unfettered despair resonated within my chest. There was doubt in the young fox's mind, and there was a good reason for it. Ever since The Ravager managed to ambush me, the situation has only spiraled further out of my control. 

"I never understood why you decided to build a country, bud. I find all of the work tedious. Wouldn't it be more exciting to go on an adventure like everyone else? Kingdom building in this type of game has to be exhausting." 

The words of Bonner suddenly flooded my mind. It was a shock to my system, causing me to widen my eyes. Right before me stood two familiar individuals, a small kitsune man and a taller dark skin elf. It was Roktavor and Vigilis. Thick plumes of smoke rose in the distance, and the violent crashes of magic erupted.

'Where am I, and why can't I move?'

Many questions raced through my mind as I attempted to make my body move. However, no matter how hard I tried, nothing would happen. Only my eyes and nose were functional, as my body was coated with a thick purple haze. It constricted my limbs, wrapping around me snugly as a straight jacket. My left eye burned and pulsated as I noticed my glasses had returned to their rightful place on my nose. My initial question was answered quickly when I realized where I stood. 

'This is... Stormpass...no... it is Carnath...'

Carnath was a small town that Vigilis and Roktavor found when they traveled the land. It was forgotten by its home nation of Karna due to the great distance between it and any other major city in its domain. Its land was worthless since its king did not invest any resources when building the town and often neglected the people there.

Bandits made the small town suffer, and many of the people who attempted to flee often lost their lives. In other words, Carnath and its people were ripe for the taking.

That was why we were there. Roktavor's tail flickered behind him as they overlooked the burning town for a nearby hillside. The cries of people filled my sensitive ears as the smell of burning flesh and ash flew on the wind. Its scent is familiar, yet different at the same time. 

'Why am I seeing this at a time like this?'

I had no idea why my mind would recall this event, but I couldn't help but smile. I was smiling not because of the suffering of the people of Carnath but for what happened afterward.

"Look at this place. The citizens are running for their lives, but it will be for nothing. The bandits surround this town and aim to wipe it off the map to send a message. When this ends, their king will erase a dot off of the map while these people suffer from his incompetence. However, that is why where we come in," Roktavor said.

"It's chaos, bud. These people aren't even trying to fight back. They should be trying to defend themselves, at least. Dying while running is not an honorable fate," Vigilis remarked.

The elf crossed his arms across his chest, his unreadable expression masking his true feelings. Despite his harsh words, I knew then that Bonner wanted to assist them. It was in his nature to help others and punish those who abused others for no reason. 

"So you believe they should hold their ground against the stronger bandits? That's suicide, and you know it. They are outnumbered, and most of the men in the town are mere farmers. It is unreasonable to think they would be capable of holding them off," Roktavor said.

The small Kitsune would stroke the goatee-like fur underneath his chin while he spoke. His tone was calm as the midday breeze flowed down the hillside. He watched with a calculating gaze as the two men continued observing the scene before them.

"I assume that is why you brought me here. You want my assistance to help rescue this backwater town," Vigilis said.

"Not exactly. I brought you here to observe. This is an important moment in history, bud. Not many people get to witness it."

Vigilis snapped toward the Kitsune with a baffled expression. In response to Roktavor's words, Viglis erupted in awkward laughter. 

"You brought me out here to watch these people die?! That's sick, bud! Not only that but it is also messed up. Really messed up."

"Perhaps, but this game is what you make of it. Right now, the people of Carnath are begging for a savior. Some of the people are fighting back, but they will inevitably die. That is unfortunate. However, this tragedy provides a unique opportunity for the both of us."

"An opportunity?" Vigilis asks. His unreadable expression returned as he took in the Kitsune's words.

"Yeah. I brought you here for you to witness their resistance and my ascension. Of course, I am also here to invite you to join us. That is if you wish for more than wandering around."

Vigilis tilted his head as Roktavor's mischievous grin appeared. The smaller man's tail flowed back and forth as he twirled on his feet. Once he planted them again, Roktavor gestured toward the forest in a moment that I recognized all too well. On his cue, a bright light flashed at his gesture. With it, the two men were graced with the presence of twelve more individuals. The races of the people were varied, with most of them being human or elven heritage. 

"Behold, my brother! I call them Finnegan's Finest!"

Vigilis was unimpressed by the sight of the individuals, but that didn't prevent Roktavor's smirk. It wasn't until he analyzed the individuals' stats that the elf's eyes widened as large as saucers. He stepped forward and approached one of the men.

He was younger than the rest and at the lowest level, but his family name was more important than anything.

"Maxel Lammes. A son of the nearby lord. How'd you get a noble to join your group? No more importantly, why did you get a noble to join? " Vigilis asked.

I knew the answer to that question, but I didn't get to witness Rokatvor's answer. The world around me grew silent as the two figures continued their conversation. Each of their words buzzed like an old television set losing its signal, and the world became hazy. However, there was one thing that seemed to penetrate the deafening silence. My ears flickered, or so I hoped they did, as I attempted to locate the source.

"O-"

My eyes darted, and I saw the burning town of Carnath, its once bright orangeish flames dancing with a purplish hue. 

"n!-"

'Hmmm. This world... is'... changing?'

"Ol-"

The figures before me began to warp as Roktavor addressed them with soundless words.

"an!-"

Those words were getting closer and more recognizable. As they repeated over and over again, I focused on detecting the source, but it was not until the world before was flooded with a purple fog that I could understand the voice.

"Father!"

Fawkes' voice shattered the world around me as I felt myself being yanked from the shroud hugging my body. A bright light captured my light as a green aura forced me out of the memory. A memory that I had no idea why I was witnessing. Regardless of my lack of understanding, I found myself in an environment I recognized: The Grotto Plains.

Well, to be exact, this was the Grotto Plains within my Mana Space. The familiar gentle breeze tickled my senses, and the steady movement of the clouds calmed my mind. Somehow, I was on my back, staring at the sky above. 

"I'm back here? But this isn't a good time! The Ravager...He is-"

I struggled to my feet, but before I could reach it I found myself on the receiving end of a powerful kick to the face. My body bounced off the ground like a basketball, but before I could react, a figure managed to snatch me by my collar. The powerful grip had no problem lifting me into the air.

"You should have retreated when you had the chance! You damned idiot! What the hell were you thinking?!"

Purple irises stared into mine, and the commanding voice made it evident who had the power to manhandle me like this.

"S-Sine?! But how?!" 

I was stunned. 

The powerful woman glared at me with a fierceness that chased a chill down my spine. Perched on her shoulder was Fawkes, who was equally furious. The fox possessed a sharpness in his glare, indicating that he was clearly displeased with my decision to face The Ravager.

The purple irises of the goddess shook with intensity when she dropped me onto my feet. Her sudden appearance within my Mana Space was surprising, considering she could only appear before me when- I was near death. My eyes widened as the realization struck me. 

"No, don't answer that," I muttered as I collected my emotions. 

My battle with The Ravager was more fierce than I had anticipated if that had been the case. Weathering the immense pressure of the glares of the two beings, I brought my gaze to my palm, which was still injured by The Ravager's knife.

"Tch- I would have hoped you would be a worthy champion and partner, but it appears that you have a death wish! I didn't take you for a fool when we last met, but seeing that you are so close to death again makes me question your sanity," Sine said. "It has only been a day, and you have nearly invited yourself to my realm again."

"I warned him to retreat! To leave the others and save himself. He has forgotten what is important." Fawkes says, backing up the words of the goddess.

While it is true that he did warn me, it appears that the two of them are on the same wavelength. The fierce goddess did something that surprised me next. Sine began scratching underneath the chin of the fox as a way to comfort him.

"You are fortunate, Little Kitsune. This little one was able to reach me in your time of need, and if not for him, I would allow you to fall into your own stupidity," Sine growled.

I shifted my attention to the two as her words caught my attention. 

"Fawkes brought you here?" I asked.

"You have some nerve to worry him like that, and he tells me that you deny his heritage!" Upon her words, the ground underneath our feet began to rumble. It shook violently as purple flames spewed from forming crevices around us. 

"He did, but now that you are here to prove my words, perhaps you can talk some sense into him, Mother." Fawkes declared. The young fox carried himself with a certain smugness from a self-celebratory feeling.

Fawkes thought he was correct, and with his mother present, he imagined she could dictate my decisions. Well, he thought wrong. I collected myself before stepping away from the two of them.

"I am faced with an undeniable fact since I can see the two of you together. Those eyes are, without doubt, your mother's, but it appears that you both share that same attitude. Whether you are a Spirit Beast or a Goddess, I hold the sole right to make decisions around here because it's clear that both of you lack foresight." I responded, which earned me a growl from the young fox. "Growl at me again, and disciplinary action will be explored!"

Sine scoffed, but I ignored it. Instead, I approached the taller woman and stared into her eyes. They pulsated with power as she lowered her head to my level.

"Your foresight isn't as good as you think it is if every decision you make leaves you closer to death!" Sine snapped.

"Why are you here? You said that Fawkes reached you, but you didn't explain how he could do so. Instead, you've only puffed your chest out and ridiculed my decisions." I said, poking the goddess in her shoulder. "If you think anything has changed from our last encounter, you're sorely mistaken."

The goddess smacked my finger away and instead poked me in my forehead. 

"You walk on the path of ruin, but you seem to greet it with the false bravado of a maniac. Certain decisions must be made to ensure the survival of our partnership! I've granted you my blessing, and yet, you squander it! You were lucky I arrived instead of Valdus! You will not get the better of him this time; I can assure you that! Your last encounter was a fluke and nothing more, but you brazenly walk around her as if you were immortal. Such thoughts can only lead to your destruction!"

"I'd hate to say this, but you've left me no choice. Sine, I bet you do know a thing or two about squandering. I couldn't wrap my head around why a Goddess like yourself would ever need someone like me when you do not trust me. When I thought about it more, I realized how destitute your domain was when you showed me. You're desperate, and I can understand why, but..." I smacked aside the woman's hands and stared deep into her eyes. "Next time you question me, remind yourself of who needs who in this situation! If I recall, I wasn't the one who forced my eye into your skull! I wasn't the one who knocked myself up and produced a smug bastard child of a Spirit Beast!"

"What did you say to me?!"

"I'm talking here! You shut your mouth when I'm talking!" I narrowed my eyes before pressing my thumb to my chest. "There is a misunderstanding in the dynamic of our relationship, and that applies to both of you! You may think yourself better than me, but don't delude yourselves! While I am the boot on the grounds! I am the captain here! My decisions are for me to make, and if you want your goals to be realized, then you shut your mouth and follow my lead! If I get close to death again, then you do your part to ensure that I don't fall into its embrace!"

"You wouldn't-" the young fox was interrupted as I pointed in his direction.

"I'm going to cut you off right there because I know where you're going with that sentence. That's your problem, Fawkes, you talk too much. You yell, and you chirp, but you have my big ass ears but refuse to use them to listen with them!" 

"It is you who refuse to listen. You think you have the answers, but you've proven to be inadequate. We will not sit around and allow you to destroy yourself for the sake of those who are unimportant to our goals. You should've listened to Fawkes, but instead, you lie on the ground in your blood like an animal! That is unbefitting of a champion of mine."

"I can be beaten, broken, or bruised, but guess what?"

The goddess narrowed her eyes before meeting my glare with her own. She leaned forward, looming over me like a dark shadow. Her powerful aura pulsating with intensity. Staring down Sine was like walking into the depths of hell, but I did anyway. This was a woman who was fully capable of taking me out, but I didn't allow that to deter me. 

On her shoulder was Fawkes, a creature as whimsical as he was dangerous. I didn't allow his small size to deceive me. He was her son and mine technically, but it's the divinity of his mother that mattered. It was that divinity that allowed the fox to exude such a smug and powerful aura. I couldn't sense magic like he could, but I could only imagine how powerful he was. Even still, the seriousness of my following words stunned the two beings.

"I never lose!"

"You? You never lose?" Fawkes mused with a whimsical chuckle. He expected Sine to follow him with amusement, but the young fox found no such backup.

His mother cradled him to his displeasure and stared at me with skepticism. 

"You might be the most arrogant Kitsune I have ever come across." Sine declared bluntly. Fawkes would grin at her declaration. "However, something within me tells me that despite the Ludacris claim you made, you actually believe that. You think you'll never lose. Why?"

"Confidence."

The goddess tilted her head in surprise at my vague reply. She expected more from me than that, but that is all I will offer her. 

After a moment of reflection, she asked, "Your ambition... it can't be stopped, can it?" 

"If it could, then I wouldn't be Fawkes' father, now would I?"

Sine's toothy grin revealed itself as the purple flames that erupted behind her ceased their appearance. With the ground settling underneath my feet, I turned away from the woman and looked toward the entrance of the Hidden Grotto. It was the very same one that we collapsed outside my Mana Space. 

I could hear Fawkes' feet hitting the grass behind me and, with it, a pout from the fox. Turning to face him, I found the word warped around me before I could realize what was transpiring. The world shifted from the Grotto Plains to the entrance to the Lynx's lair. The soft rush of the inner river tickled my senses as I saw the dazzling aquamarine crystals.

"Hmm. I imagined that you would be a pain in my ass once you found the truth," Sine said. The goddess appeared in a burst of purple flames with her arms crossed against her chest.

Her expression was initially blank, but to my surprise, she brought out a mischievous grin.

"Naturally, I am surprised. However, once he explained that he was a spirit beast, then I quickly understood. Plus, it isn't a coincidence he and I shared similar characteristics. Even if I wanted to deny the claim, my character would be under serious scrutiny."

"There are many things about you that need to be scrutinized. Your carelessness, for example. It is your carelessness that has allowed opponents you are unable to defeat to almost kill you. You needlessly place your life on the line when you have the capabilities to preserve yourself, but you don't. Why? Is it out of honor to perhaps desire to prove Valdus wrong?"

"You say it's needless, but you fail to see beyond the superficial. I could save myself, sure, but what does that achieve? Claire would possibly be dead, as would Lannister, but I suppose that's fine in your eyes. Their lives are inconsequential since they aren't valuable tools to you like me. In the eyes of the divine, I imagine only I am somewhat beneficial to your goal. You briefly mentioned a goal to me, but again, I only need to enact your will on the ground, right?" I said with narrowed eyes.

"You say that as if that is a bad thing. Do you know how many people in this world would leap at the opportunity? To be placed where you are?"

"Not many, I assume, or else you would have chosen a different person as your champion." I retorted. "Anyway, you and I have done this song and dance before, so let's cut the shit. You are here for a reason, which goes beyond ensuring I don't set out for milk."

Sine would raise her eyebrow at my statement. Her eyes pulsated with power as she glared at me. However, her glare would soften as the goddess entered the cave entrance. I took that as a signal to follow her.

"In a way, I am grateful that your carelessness has given us an opportunity to speak once again so soon. Our last conversation was interrupted by Valdus' meddling, but this time is different. Fawkes has led you on the right path, and I am here to lend you my assistance."

As we traveled down the path of the cave, I noticed that the area was becoming unfamiliar. The soft crunches of displaced stone shuffled with every step, but Sine continued forward unabated. The fiery aura of the goddess suddenly flared as we entered a particularly dark section of the cave system. I expected that we would end up at the Lynx's lair, but I think she managed to bring us back to the area where I landed when I first arrived in this world.

"Why did you bring me here?" I questioned the woman, but I received no response.

Instead, Sine continued moving forward. I know she heard my question, so when I asked her again and she ignored it, that pissed me off. I attempted to place my hand on the goddess' shoulder to stop her but found nothing when I completed the action. The goddess had quickened her walking speed to the point that I nearly tripped trying to touch her. 

"Stop talking and just follow," she ordered. 

"You said you were going to-" 

My words were interrupted when the goddess stopped in her tracks. She snapped around to face me with a sharp glare. Apparently, I had begun to annoy her, but that was her fault. It didn't stop her from grabbing my face. I resisted, of course, but when she suddenly threw me over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Hey! Damn you, woman!"

I may antagonize her from time to time, but there is no mistaking it, Sine, at any time, could do whatever she wants to me, and there's not a goddamn thing that I could do about it. Her power is not to be denied!

The world blurred around us, not from magic but from her speed. The goddess moved far faster than I could ever have imagined. Wherever she wanted to take me, we were there in seconds. When we arrived and overcame intense vertigo, I noticed we were in the forest outside of Astana. It was an odd choice at first, but I quickly understood why she chose this place. The goddess dropped me onto my feet and watched as I steadied myself.

"Wha-What is this feeling? It's dense like a smog lingering in the air."

"So you can feel it? That's incredible progress, but then again, that is to be expected. Your friend was quick to pick it up when he was here. If you are half as capable as he is, you should be able to detect the presence of a patch of mana, even if it is this small." 

Sine turned away from me and focused on something in the distance. When I attempted to locate whatever it was, I had no luck finding it. Whatever she was looking for was only available to her unique eyes. 

"I should've guessed that."

If I were to describe how mana felt, then imagine yourself walking through an early morning fog. The various droplets of water sprayed your body as you traveled through the mist. Instead of water, this weird electrical energy stimulated my senses. As I focused on the sensation, I realized I had forgotten about the great equalizer: magic.

"So this is the reason that you arrived? You know you could have told me without the ceremony, right?"

My remark earned a scoff from the goddess. Her hands rested on her waist momentarily before he poked me in my chest.

"I shouldn't have to tell you something so obvious. Your opponent was clearly using it, but you failed to realize it. Which informed me that you needed a foot in your ass, and I was more than happy to oblige. Now, focus on what I am about to tell you. This brief lesson might be the difference between life and death for your... new friends."