This was the moment that the Knights had been working for. They had geared every movement towards facing Tygren head-on and stopping him once and for all; and this was it
They had one shot, and with the mystery remaining of an unknown enemy also gunning for Tygren, they had no room for error
But fate dealt a different hand, and things did not go to plan
Author's note: [EDIT 11/06/22]: for my Wattpad readers, I received a message that the illustration for this chapter has been removed by Wattpad. While I work on rectifying the issue, it is unavailable for y'all ;-;
[EDIT 22/08/22]: yeah it is just not letting me change anything about the image at all. I'm furious; but there is nothing that I can do. my only suggestion if you want to see it is to find the story on Ao3 @ AceandShadow ;-;
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They lined up outside the gates to the Fort at first light the next morning, each with a weapon in-hand – all except for Senn. After the state he was in following his escape, Rika had spent much of the night stitching and cleaning the Ardoni as best she could, knowing that he was nothing if not lucky that he had made it out in as good shape as he did. He never uttered a word since he had burst through the mysterious contraption that conjured the Nether portals and was whisked off to the army's infirmary after barely being able to speak of his experiences that had somehow granted him his escape alive; but she had wished that he would confide in her, if nothing else. The boy looked as though he had much more to say than barely being able to explain what he had seen – as though he hadn't even so much as scratched the surface of what had happened. He had been through a lot in mere days, that much she could tell; but it was nothing compared to what lingered under the surface of his cuts, bruises, and newfound scars.
And on top of that, Hubris had desperately pleaded Senn to stay behind with Rika, for he wanted no more harm to come unto the Master.
"We will find Voltar, and we will bring it back to you," he had said, hoping that Senn would feel more comfortable about staying behind; but Hubris knew better than to try and persuade him to do anything except join them on their bombardment.
He had made his stance clear with everyone – Galleous especially – and he was not backing down simply because he had barely escaped with his life. Senn knew that he would only die if he could take Tygren with him, and so any resistance from the Knights was futile – much like talking to a brick wall: immovable, unresponsive.
But it didn't matter what Senn thought because, under the surface of Hubris' brash attitude and naked aggression, he was terrified of losing Senn. Seeing Tygren with his hands around his neck and knowing that there was nothing that he could do about it despite his best efforts to fight back, and all the regrets that immediately flooded his mind – how he never should have sought out Senn, how he should never have rushed to find everyone when they were so clearly outnumbered – made him realise just how much they all had left to lose. He thought they had nothing left. They had already lost Thalleous, Ingressus, Ria, the Tidesinger; and at the time, they had thought that they had lost Senn, too. Tygren had just shown them everything that could be taken out from under them in a heartbeat, and with such ease.
Hubris was scared, but he was in no position to show it. He couldn't back down after coming this far – after coming so close – for he needed to pull through, and he needed to push to the end.
They all did.
In his hand, Senn held the Redstone contraption that he had stolen from Tygren to escape, and Hubris eyed it from the corner of his eyes; a worried glint darted across them as Senn's hands trembled over the device, gazing into the space where the portal once stood from his liberation. Even Onyx had caught onto Hubris' uncharacteristic demeanour, feeling the heat of pressure radiating from his pale markings and rigid skin. He gripped his sword a little tighter as he adjusted himself.
YOU ARE READING
Before the Storm
Fanfiction"Tygren Voltaris is the most dangerous Ardoni to live since the disappearance of the Deathsinger. You must show him no mercy, should you ever find him." But Tygren is still alive. He is still out there, and he is still after the Prime Songs. After...
