Sands of Destiny: Five Lights Appear

Chapter 21: Like Family

They all sat down in Igneous's dinning hall, preparing for a meal. Igneous stood, and cleared his throat, preparing to talk.

"First I'd like to personally thank you Aux for joining us. With you here, I'm sure these guys will learn plenty. Second, it seems you've all awakened your abilities to their ultimate power. Which is essential for your next mission. You will be eliminating the rest of the Great Eight. Some of you may know already but Natura here is the Great Eight known as the wanderer. With her being undercover, we'll simply fake her death, which will be Glacio's job. Thanks to the efforts of Medikus and Dormia, their 2 kills leaves us with five Great Eight, and between the five of you, the majority of candidates to replace those Great Eight is slim. Good work!"

Aux raised his hand to speak.

"I'll be assessing everyone's skills in this final test of your strength and teamwork. As the strongest of the remaining wranglers of our generation, I'll be taking on Medikus. Igneous and Glacio will focus on Ash and Kruise, and Master Frixius and Natura will focus on Dormia and Trista. You'll find it useful to separate your opponents from each other, giving you all the space you need, while avoiding as much crossfire as possible. I advise you guys to get some sleep after this meal, you'll need the energy."

Medikus smirked. Tension grew in the silence, as the two teams sized each other up. Just then, the servers wheeled in food, with a smell so intoxicating that it broke their stare down, instantly brightening the mood. They sat down and ate and laughed together, having the most fun they'd ever had.

—

"4,992, 4993, 4994..."

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in!"

Trista walked into Medikus's room, shocked to find him shirtless, and drenched in his own sweat. He was shredded, with a body that had been sculpted out to absolute perfection.

"Um, I was wondering if you wanted to come up to the roof with the rest of us, we're getting a strategy together."

"Sure, I don't mind."

Medikus stood, grabbing his jacket from a nearby chair. The two left the room, walking side by side as they headed towards the stairs in their hallway that went to the roof. When they got up there, Ash, Dormia, and Kruise sat there waiting. Dormia spoke first.

"I think I have some ideas on how we can beat them, and I wanted to run them by you guys."

Medikus and Tristas sat down. Ash had formed a bright ball of fire in the center of the circle they sat in, providing both heat and light in the cold and dark desert night.

"Well, what's your plan?"

"In our little meeting, Aux said Glacio and Igneous would focus on Ash and Kruise, while Natura and Master Frixius would concentrate on myself and Trista. Like they said, drawing them apart would be our best option, and I think I have a sure firewall to win this!."

Everyone looked at Dormia, intrigued.

"This is my plan."

Dormia spoke softly as she explained the best way she could think of to best their opponents. Everyone listened Intensely, totally zoned into her plan. As she finished everyone looked to be deep in thought, simulating the possibilities in their heads. Ash broke the silence.

"You're a genius!"

Everyone nodded in agreement. Doria smiled sweetly, dipping her head and twiddling her hair.

"With that plan, I doubt they even notice what we're doing, great job Dormia."

"Thanks Ash, really, I didn't think you guys would like the plan at all."

Medikus raised his hand, and everything fell silent.

"Although this plan is foolproof, if you intend to take everyone out and come help me, then I think you've got the wrong idea about this matchup. Whereas you'll be fighting as a team, my fight with Aux is a bit more personal."

"Personal?! Uncle Aux said it himself that this was a team battle. This isn't about pride, Medikus."

"You're right Ash, but he didn't single me out for no reason at all. This is about leadership. I may not be the smartest out of us, and I may have to rely on you guys to do the things I can't. But when it comes to fighting, I am the strongest. This one on one is a test of my strength as the supposed ace up our sleeve."

Medikus saw it much too late. As he looked down slowly, he saw a sword at his throat.

"Correct."

Everyone looked up to see Aux standing over Medikus, smiling as he sheathed his sword, careful not to even nip Medikus.

"Don't worry, I heard your plan, but I won't tell the others. This is why you have to always be aware of your surroundings. Trista here was too distracted to use her wind to sense me, and the rest of you were too engulfed in the conversation to even take a glance around. Had I been a villain, you'd have lost your ace and all been killed just now."

Trista blushed. The others looked rattled, having been so easily snuck up on. Aux pulled up a chair to their circle and sat down.

"Looking at you guys like this reminds me of the old days. Medikus, like his dad, isn't the smartest or the best at decision making, but his sheer will, intensity, and drive has set him above the rest of you all in terms of power. And you guy's power as a whole makes us seem weak when we were your age! But even without his trigger ability, he's truly head and shoulders above you all, which he should be thanking Midaco and myself for. Even the very first time he asked me to train with him, he was kind of a handful for me, granted I was a tad rusty."

"Excuses Aux, you were in great condition, and I barely landed anything. You give me too much credit."

"But you still landed multiple punches. For a very long time, me and your father couldn't be touched by anyone, before sheriffs used artificial Elixirs, and even when they boosted the strength of the Great Eight we beat them. Back then they called us The Two Headed Monster. But before that, we lived and worked with the rest, under Master Frixius's wing. Igneous, Glacio, Trista, Troy, and Duke were like our own little brothers and our little sister. Troy, Glacio, and Duke looked up to Igneous and Trista, who in turn looked up to us. And Frixius loved and protected us all like his own children, being the father none of us ever had."

Aux paused, and removed his hat.

"But what I remember the most is that we all brought something to the table to prove our value to the team. And that's what makes a team great. You five have that, and once you sharpen your skills to their peak, assuming you stick together, you'll accomplish what we failed to. The main now test is, just because you can talk like Miadco, it doesn't mean you can fight like him. Are you ready to prove that theory wrong, Medikus?!"

Everyone looked at Medikus.

"I don't have a choice, I will prove that theory wrong, guaranteed!"

Aux looked around and noticed how Medikus's confidence gave life to their entire team.

"He really is like his old man."