The Relistar: Rejoining Vol. 2

Rejoining | Ch. 25

XXV.

War

"That's four, now." Kogar stood from his seat with ferocity. "Four. If that doesn't compel you to act..."

The remaining four stared at him from their seats around Haketh's round table.

"He's going to attack the Petalfall. He's targeting his etherium."

"Ethereum? Your humanity is showing..." Rykaedi smiled. "And I say, let him have it."

"He will slaughter Hemah. And then we're down five. This problem continues to prosper while you all sit idly by like dogs."

Jirtu cleared his throat and returned to fiddling with a circular black disc. It glowed spontaneously as he prodded it and dragged his fingers across its glossy surface.

Rykaedi looked to Throkos, then Ivalié, and then Vekzul. She turned to him again to say, "Okay, Kogar. We'll play your game. This time."

Vekzul lifted his head.

Jirtu placed his device atop the table.

Ivalié nodded.

Kogar's face distorted in confused rage. "Now you lot heed my call to action?"

She shook her head. "No, love. We're only preventing that pretty star from falling out of the sky."

He tilted his head in question.

Just like that, Vekzul warped away, Jirtu chanted to himself until he vanished, and Rykaedi turned into the shadow of the chamber, where she too dissipated into nothing.

And Kogar stood with his fists tightly locked.

Alone again. Agitated, again.

"Ghh..."

Kogar looked. Ivalié had hunched slightly over the table in pain. He was still reeling from the healing spell cast upon him. Throkos was still staring at the black-and-white man.

He stormed over. He reached down and grabbed Ivalié's throat, lifted him out of his seat...

"So self-righteous." he muttered into his eyes.

And he crushed–

"Do you know why she keeps you alive?"

He turned to Throkos.

"Why Rykaedi hasn't killed you yet, do you know?"

"It wouldn't be possible to kill me."

"Would you like to put that to the test?"

Kogar dropped Ivalié, letting him fall clumsily to the floor with a clinging gasp.

Throkos stood.

And they both summoned forth their weapons...

Throkos spun his spiked flail in his hand. He gave it momentum enough to crush plate armor. Then the one head grew into two, then five, then nine, until his flail was nigh a new weapon entirely.

Kogar narrowed his eyes. "Save this energy for after we kill the boy. Then I'll gladly rip your spine out."

And Kogar, too, warped away in a spiral of black and white magic.

Throkos scanned Ivalié first.

{He'll live. But...}

He looked down to his hand, clenched and unclenched his fist...