|| Drake's Fang ||
|| Southwestern Dhalmekia ||

Having infiltrated Drake's Fang by locating an abandoned entrance to the mines, Clive, Lyra, and Torgal followed the tunnel all the way to a door. Clive opened it slowly and it creaked, revealing the main tunnel. Stepping through the door, Lyra gently closed it behind them. Creeping through the darkness, they searched for any prowling soldiers or workers.

The first thing they noticed was the horrid odor of death. The smell of decaying flesh and blood filled the mines. Clive and Lyra both covered their noses at the horrible stench. Proceeding forward, they started to become nose-blind to the odor.

Suddenly, Torgal growled which alerted both of them. They glanced at the canine and Clive gripped the hilt of his sword to ready himself to draw it in case there was a threat. Lyra's fingers flexed, but she didn't summon her spear. She waited until she knew for certain if there was a threat.

Taking a few steps forward, Clive heard a faint squelch under his foot. When he looked down, he saw a bright puddle of blood. Lyra spotted the bodies of miners and soldiers scattered around the tunnel.

Their eyes were drawn away from the corpses when they spotted movement. Further down the tunnel, they saw a large creature dragging the body of a soldier. It trudged over to another group of creatures just like it and tossed the corpse down before munching down alongside its fellow monsters.

One of the monsters lifted its head and roared, satisfied with its meal as blood dripped from the corners of its grotesque mouth.

"By the heavens..." Lyra mumbled, sickened by the scene.

"Orcs..." Clive murmured, withdrawing his hand from his sword.

"They are not native to Storm," Lyra whispered.

He met her gaze. "Did the royalists bring them from Ash?"

"It's the only possibility I too can think of. It will be impossible to sneak past them. Our best chance of facing them is to catch them off guard."

"Which is your specialty," he said. "Prepare your spear."

"Right away." She called upon her spear and it manifested it her hand. The symbols on the strip of emerald fabric tied at the end radiated faintly with a white hue. "Let's go."

Crouching, they silently proceed to the other end of the tunnel. They avoided the corpses and puddles of blood as they drew closer to the feasting orcs.

Clive's eyes never left their large forms. "Are the beastmen part of the Waloeder army now? How the hell did that happen?"

"Perhaps magic or some other form of manipulation," Lyra replied. "However, I do see royalists among the bodies. If there is some form of manipulation, it is no longer in effect."

"Recruiting monsters and unleashing them whenever they pleased..." Clive growled lowly. "It is no surprise Waloed would stoop so low..."

As they drew closer to the light, the couple saw the orcs were finishing their meal. Seeing their backs were still facing them, this was the perfect chance to attack.

Lyra released her spear and it floated in front of her. With a swift motion of her hand, the weapon surged forward and pierced an orc in the back. It squealed in pain before flames erupted from the weapon and burned its body from the inside out. She swiftly moved her hand again and the spear was yanked out of the monster's body, the orc now dead.

The remaining orcs were alerted and turned around, spotting the trio. They roared and squealed while drawing their weapons. Clive grabbed his sword and immediately jumped into action alongside Torgal. They fought against the orcs and came out victorious.

With the orcs dead, they crouched under a destroyed section of wooden palates and boxes. Halfway through the small space, they stopped for a brief second when another orc was spotted. They waited until the monster passed by before continuing.

"They've taken over the entire mine..." Clive muttered.

"The poor miners didn't stand a chance," Lyra whispered. "And neither did Kupka's men..."

Reaching the other side, they crawled out and spotted the group of orcs ahead. They didn't hesitate to cut them down so they could proceed deeper into the mine. Clive pulled a lever to open the door that was blocking their way.

Cautiously, the trio continued through the mines while wiping out any orcs they came across. They followed the tracks as far as they could before they had no choice but to pass through a large door leading inside.

"Huh. Stairs..." Clive said, a little surprised at what they found. "This must be the way out."

Lyra looked up the stairs to see another orc. "It seems they're not only in the mines." She summoned her spear and sent it hurling up the stairs. It pierced the orc's body and pinned it to the wall. Slowly, its body became encased in ice before shattering.

Clive was impressed by her fighting skills ever since she showed him she could manipulate the spear without touching it. "Would you teach me such a skill?"

She laughed. "Perhaps if you stumble across a holy weapon."

They proceeded up the stairs and through the facility, fighting a few orcs along the way. They soon entered a hallway and were taken by surprise when a large orcish warlord greeted them. It roared and waved its club around.

Clive grabbed his sword. "We won't be sneaking past this one."

"More fun for us then," Lyra replied, readying her spear and infusing it with lightning magic.

The battle began.

Clive, Lyra, and Torgal stood strong against the orcish warlord. It was a tough opponent, but one that couldn't win. It was slain by the trio and they moved on from their successful battle. Clive pulled the lever to open the door the orcish warlord was guarding. They were in awe at what was waiting on the other side of the door. It was a grand palace.

"By the Flames..." Clive gaped in astonishment.

"I wasn't aware there was a palace here," Lyra commented as she followed him through the door.

"Neither was I." Clive looked over at the woman and Torgal. "Come on."

The door slowly closed behind them with a low groan.

"Kupka never did do things by halves," Clive said as he, Lyra, and Torgal crossed the bridge to reach Castle Dazbog. "As if taking the Mothercrystal for his own wasn't enough—he had to build his castle in it."

"I must confess—the architecture is stunning. The natural beauty of the Mothercrystal adds to its charm," Lyra stated.

Clive also couldn't deny the beauty of the Mothercrystal or the castle. "It is remarkable. A shame it is not in the hands of a better man."

A playful smirk appeared on her face. "Shall we claim it in the name of the strapping Clive Rosfield?"

He chuckled lightly. "I need no palace."

"Perhaps not, but it would be quite the feat."

Pushing through the gate, the trio enters the courtyard of the castle. The drawbridge was up and they were wondering how they would infiltrate the castle until a monster materialized out of thin air to block their path. Something felt strange about the creature known as the Undertaker.

"What the hell?" Clive hissed as he drew his sword.

"This being has the same presence as the wraiths from Drake's Head," Lyra said, summoning her spear. "We best make this quick."

The Undertaker was large, but its movements were quick and precise. It used its fists and beams of aether shot from its chest to attempt to burn them to a crisp. Torgal transformed and circled around the monster to attack it from behind while Clive and Lyra delivered a flurry of blows to its legs and torso.

The woman jumped back when the Undertaker attempted to crush her under its foot. It then focused all its attention on Clive. Taking the advantage, she channeled her aether and the ancient symbol of the element of light appeared under her feet. She raised her hand into the air as spears of lights manifested. With a wave of her hand, they surged forward and pierced the Undertaker.

The powerful spell was enough to knock the monster back and stagger it. It fell to a single knee and Clive semi-primed to finish it off.

As the symbol faded under Lyra's feet, Clive delivered the final blow. The Undertaker was slain and the path was cleared. With a heavy sigh, she dispelled her spear. She pinched the bridge of her nose before shaking her head.

"Are you hurt?" Clive asked after hearing her heavy sigh.

"No," she responded. "As we draw closer, Rhea's presence grows stronger. She must have been absorbed by the Mothercrystal."

"The Guardian Beasts," Clive began. "Are they fragments of you?"

"Yes. The four winds—I can survive without them, but with their absence, I feel...incomplete," she explained. "But enough about me. We need to—"

Just then, the drawbridge was lowered and grabbed their attention. They couldn't believe someone was letting them in.

Clive met the woman's emerald gaze. "Seems we're expected."

"Which is quite unsettling," Lyra said. "But I won't refuse the invitation to enter through the front door. Let's press on."

The trio crossed the bridge and entered Castle Dazbog. To their horror, there were bloodied corpses scattered across the main hall.

"Did the orcs do this, too?" Clive asked.

Lyra went over to one of the bodies to check the injuries. "These wounds are not consistent with orc weapons." She glanced at the other corpses. "Something else killed these people. If we can assume the monster we fought in the courtyard is truly the same as the wraiths at Drake's Head, then..."

"Those monsters are here as well," Clive concluded.

Walking up the stairs, they made their way to the throne room doors. However, their path was blocked when revenants spawned out of nowhere. The trio fought against them and cleared out the area within minutes.

"They truly are here." Clive sheathed his blade. "What the hell is going on? Are these things here for us, or for him?"

"I doubt that will be the last we see of them," Lyra said. "They're most likely crawling all over this castle."

They enter the throne room and come face to face with more other-worldly monsters. They cleared the room before proceeding through another door, traveling deeper into the castle. They wiped out more monsters until they arrived at Hugo's private chambers. They entered the room to discover it was empty.

Lyra, with Torgal beside her, approached the large bed while Clive wandered over to a table. He noticed the mess and broken section of the table. "You've been busy, Kupka. But where did you go...?"

Lyra wandered over to the balcony when she noticed a bright light coming from outside. She walked out to the balcony and realized it was the core of the Mothercrystal. Hugo's room allowed for the best view of the heart. "Clive," she called out to him.

He walked out onto the balcony to join her. He too admired the core before looking down at the entrance to the inner sanctum. Then, he turned to the woman. "He's in the sanctuary. I can feel it."

"Then that is our next stop. Let's go," Lyra replied.

Leaving the balcony, they left Hugo's private chambers via the doors across the room from the bed. They traveled down the stairs and soon exited the castle to cross the bridge toward the inner sanctum. To their dismay, more enigmatic monsters appeared. This time, they came in waves with large numbers. They weren't difficult enemies, but they were a headache.

Wave after wave, the trio eventually came out on top and the way to the inner sanctum was cleared. Not wasting another second, they rushed to the entrance to the sanctuary and promptly opened the doors.

Inside, they found Hugo. He appeared to be speaking to someone. "Benedikta! My everything... I... I've missed you so much!"

Clive shouted the man's name angrily. "Kupka!"

However, the brute didn't react. He reached out one of his prosthetic hands toward the core of the Mothercrystal. "I swear to you, my love! We will never be parted again."

"What's wrong with him?" Clive asked.

"I... I'm not sure," Lyra said, watching as Hugo stumbled toward the stairwell leading up to the heart. "He seems to be in some sort of trance. If Ultima truly is here, then this must be his doing."

Hugo suddenly started to yell. "You... Get away from her! Benedikta!"

Lyra sensed a disturbance in the aether around them. She knew what was happening. "By the heavens... He's going to—!"

"I'll kill you, Rosfield!" Hugo yelled as he semi-primed with Titan. "And take Gaia's head as a prize!"

"What?!" Clive shouted in shock. "Oh shit! He's priming!" He grabbed his sword and dashed forward, swinging his blade at the brute's back. Alas, his blade was deflected.

Lyra was about to attempt to stab Hugo with her spear when she became distracted by Clive's painful cries. She saw him grabbing his head. "Clive?"

"No! Not now!" Clive shouted as his head was wracked with a stabbing pain. He stumbled because of how debilitating it was.

Before he could fall to the floor, he was grabbed by Lyra. She hooked her arms under his to keep him upright. Hands on his back, she used her healing magic while he was slumped against her smaller frame in hopes she could ease his pain. Fortunately, it worked and the pain subsided.

Clive lifted himself off the woman. He remained in her caring and gentle arms until his attention was drawn back to Hugo. Knowing what he had to do, he removed himself from her hold and grabbed her shoulders. "Stand back."

Lyra didn't need for him to explain what he was planning on doing. She did as he said and backed away as he attempted to call upon Ifrit.

"Come on..." Clive inhaled deeply and closed his eyes to concentrate. "Find him! You've done this before! You can do it again!" Flames swirled around him as he searched for the Eikon within him. "Let the flames burn within you. No... Let them burn without!" He opened his eyes as he felt the Eikon heed his summons. "Come to me, Ifrit!"

In a burst of flames, Ifrit appeared.

Lyra took a few more steps back when the Eikon materialized. She tried to make it back to Torgal before Ifrit attacked, but the moment the Eikon threw a punch at Hugo, a powerful burst of aether surged outward and destroyed the sanctuary.

Lyra's body was thrown across Drake's Fang. The moment her body collided with the wall, she lost consciousness.

*****

"You stupid girl!" Duchess Anabella shouted angrily, her heated glare focused on a fifteen-year-old Lyra she had just shoved to the ground. It was the day after the ball celebrating Joshua's nameday. "How could filth like you accept such a gift?!"

The duchess was upset the girl had accepted the dress Archduke Elwin had made especially for her. Unbeknownst to the woman, it had been a secret request from Clive to his father. The archduke was more than happy to gift the girl a formal dress so she could attend the ball to make his eldest son happy.

But now, Duchess Anabella had cornered Lyra in the courtyard after learning of the dress' origin. She despised the girl even more. "What do you have to say for yourself, filth?"

Lyra, with scraped knees and palms, lay helplessly on the ground. Tears streamed down her face and she refused to meet the woman's scowl. "I-I... Forgive me, my lady..."

The duchess scoffed. "I should have you branded for your rudeness. I'll finally get what I have desired ever since I learned you are a Bearer. I care not for whose child you are, you shall bear the mark as punishment."

Lyra abhorred the duchess and she found the courage to speak against her. "However...it would have been immensely rude of me to refuse such a fine gift from His Grace." She managed to tuck her knees under her, injured palms pressing against the ground. "It would have been an insult and I would never dare slander the archduke's name..."

"You...!" Duchess Anabella's anger flared. She stepped forward and crushed the girl's fingers under her shoe. Hearing the child whimper, the woman reached down to grab her hair in an attempt to cause her more pain.

"Stop!"

The duchess froze when she saw Clive had rushed over and placed himself in between her and Lyra. On his knees, he had one arm around the girl's head while his opposite hand grabbed his mother's ankle to prevent her from crushing her fingers further. He glared up at her and hissed, "That is enough, Mother."

Anabella yanked her ankle out of Clive's grip and backed away. "How dare you!" She was about to strike him in the face, but her wrist was grabbed. She looked over her shoulder to see her husband.

Archduke Elwin gripped the woman's wrist. "What is the meaning of this?"

"I was simply ensuring this child knew her place," the duchess explained.

The man glared at his wife. "She has done naught worthy of punishment. How dare you strike this child!" His gaze softened as he looked toward his son. "Clive, take Lyra and see to her injuries. I shall deal with your mother."

Clive nodded to his father. He then gently helped Lyra to her feet. That was when he noticed her bleeding knees. He wrapped his arm around her waist. "Lean against me," he softly told her.

She leaned into his side. One of her hands gripped the front of his shirt as the other grasped the back. Although her palms were scraped, she clung to him while he escorted her away from the castle. He took her to a secluded part of the bailey. He found an empty tent filled with crates and helped her sit down on top of one.

Once she was sitting, Clive kneeled and examined her injured knees before moving to her hands. He was gentle as he examined the scraped skin and the fingers Anabella stepped on. He noticed the fingers on her left hand were beginning to swell. He sorrowfully gazed at her various injuries. "I...cannot apologize enough for what my mother has done to you. The way she has treated you is unforgivable."

Lyra, who managed to suppress her tears, couldn't bring herself to look at him. "You are not at fault. Please, do not blame yourself for the actions of others."

"All this simply because you accepted a present from His Grace..." Clive was disgusted by his mother's behavior. But now, he needed to focus on her injuries. "We'll need bandages, and possibly a couple of potions. I'll be back shortly."

After Clive left the tent, Lyra gazed sorrowfully at her hands. She looked at her swollen fingers and scraped palms. Regardless of Anabella's outrage, she doesn't regret accepting Archduke Elwin's gift and was overjoyed when he and Clive came to her rescue.

Hearing the sound of running mixed with armor clanking, she looked up at the entrance to the tent just in time to see Rodney. She was surprised to see him. "Father...?" She managed to climb off the crate and stand up.

Rodney entered the tent with a sigh of relief. However, it was quickly overturned by concern and sorrow at seeing her injuries. "Oh, darling..." He made his way over to her and kneeled on a single knee. He didn't hesitate to bring her into his arms. "His Grace told me what happened..."

Lyra hugged Rodney back. "I'm all right, Father. I have Clive and His Grace to thank for their intervention."

"Praise the Founder," he sighed. "And I would assume his lordship was off in a hurry to see to supplies for your injuries."

"Yes," she replied.

"He is capable, indeed." Rodney pulled away from his daughter but kept her within arm's reach. "Do you require anything, darling? Or perhaps does the lord marquess have it under his control?"

She smiled. "Yes, he does."

The lord commander smiled back at her. "Then I shall leave you in his capable hands. However, I am your father. If you need anything, come find me and I shall do all in my power to provide what you need."

"I will."

She waved to her father as he left the tent. Seeing him made her tears vanish, but now she realized just how much pain she was in. Her palms and fingers pulsed while blood trickled from her scraped knees. She returned to sitting on the crate since walking caused her wounded knees to ache.

A few minutes later, Clive returned. He stormed into the tent with everything he needed to tend to her wounds. He focused on her knees before moving to her palms and fingers. Once he was done, her knees, palms, and fingers were neatly wrapped with bandages. "There. I do pray your wounds mend quickly."

"Thank you, Clive. Not only for tending to my injuries but also for coming to my aid," she replied softly.

Clive, still kneeling in front of her, gingerly took her right hand and threaded his fingers with her uninjured ones. He gazed at their conjoined hands. "I will protect you for all eternity against those who seek to harm you regardless of who they are."

She leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead. "Thank you. It is a blessing to have you at my side."

He smiled at her. "If anyone is blessed, it is I. Thank you for being at my side, my lady."

*****

Slowly, Lyra regained consciousness. She opened her eyes and could feel the ground shaking under her. As her blurry vision steadied, she realized she had been trapped under a pile of debris. She was fortunate none of the stones were pinning her body to the ground.

Remaining on her back as the pain gradually faded, she listened to the sound of battling Eikons until she heard a painful cry from Ifrit. While trying to regain her composure, she heard the sound of heavy footsteps approaching and felt the ground shaking violently.

Unsure of what was going on, she was startled when the large boulder blocking her view was picked up. To her horror, she saw Titan gazing down at her as he tossed the boulder aside. Her eyes widen in fright the moment he reached down to grab her.

Just when his immense hand was a few inches from her body, Ifrit appeared and knocked Titan away with a powerful punch. "Don't you dare touch her!"

The punch had been so powerful it caused Titan to stumbled. He fell on his back. Although Ifrit was much smaller than Titan, the Eikon of Fire was clearly powerful.

Lyra was surprised when Ifrit reached down and scooped her up into his large palm. The flames didn't burn her. She was relieved he came to her rescue before Titan was able to grab her. Realizing the Eikon was staring at her, she smiled. "I'm all right, Clive."

Before he could respond, Ifrit's attention was drawn back to Titan the moment he felt the festering growth of aether. The Eikon of Earth had consumed the heart of the Mothercrystal and was transforming. His fingers curled protectively around the woman in his hand at the sudden outburst of aether created by Titan. "What the hell has he done?!"

With a battlecry, Titan created another burst of aether. Ifrit was caught in the blast and was sent flying out of Drake's Fang. His body broke through the rock wall and was hurled across the desert. He was able to keep from tumbling and slid across the sand on his feet. Opening his palm, he looked down at Lyra to see she was fine.

She slowly got to her feet as her eyes fell on Drake's Fang. Titan had transformed into a monstrosity and broke through the top of the mountain. Tendrils of stone circled the corrupted Eikon.

"Founder help us..." Ifrit groaned.

"Time for some divine intervention," Lyra said. She met the Eikon's gaze. "Give me some time and I will be right behind you, Clive."

"All right." Ifrit gently set the woman on the ground. He then looked toward Titan. "It's do or die!"