Basil took the group down a longer, yet scenic, route through their home rather than taking a shorter route to the council. And the reason why was because Basil wanted to give them a demo tour, he also wanted them to snack on some food before talking to the higher ups. Everyone took in the atmosphere and good eats along the way, unwinding a bit of stress as they went.
And as they walked, Fae would receive a couple of stares from the other elves they passed by, likely because of her abused appearance. Regardless, Fae’s mood looked a whole lot better compared to yesterday, she was enjoying her time socializing with the group even as they walked and snacked.
The route was about a 45 minute walk that finished with them walking on a bridge across a beautiful lake to an elegant and magnificent building with artistic stained glass for large windows. Barry’s group could only assume that this was where their tour ended.
Puck was thrilled by the experience as a whole, especially upon seeing other massive treehouses like the one back at his original home. Luna, Kat, and Anna were afraid of heights, as secured as the platforms connected to the trees looked, the fear of falling discouraged them from wanting to tour on them.
Everyone arrived in front of a gated entrance. Martial guards clad in polished heavy, yet aesthetical, silver and gold armor stood stationary, armed with glaives and shields. Basil approached them to explain the reason for their visit, to which they quickly stepped aside and allowed them all entry. They were curious why a Kobold was traveling with them, but didn’t question it.
Upon entry, they walked past the opened gates and through the large doors. “Woah! Everything looks so stunning!” Luna was the first to say what was on everyone's minds when they entered.
Beautiful, intricate, and mesmerizing, was what quickly described the council room. It was a vast dome room built from marble stone, interwoven branches of plants and tree materials. The architectural design of the building was a blend of hard work and nature. Light shined through the stained glass, illuminating the place where politics and decisions were made within this sacred place. There were rows of curved benches for audiences to sit, along with a couple of individual tables and seats for where the leaders of the clan sat.
Currently the room didn’t look busy, there were some people actively leaving the council room which must have meant that they had recently finished discussing something. Basil brought everyone to the center of the room in front of a couple of elves still talking, they were using elvish language that only Ron from Barry’s team could understand.
Barry slightly nudged Ron by the elbow and got his attention. “What are they talking about? Anything world related?” He whispered.
“Yeah, they’re talking about their search for the prism from what I can make out of the conversation. But let me listen some more.” Ron informed and Barry kept quiet.
Basil went up to the group discussion and intervened. One of the elves was a slightly older looking woman with fine skin and straight black hair, though some of it was braided. Her eyes were a shimmering green, needless to say she still maintained a lot of her youthful appearance. The moment she saw Basil, she hugged and kissed him on his cheek, not minding the paint used for camouflage when doing his tasks outside the homeland. Basil returned the gesture but quickly started talking to them all about why they came. Puck received a couple of curious looks from the elves but brushed it aside.
Fae was soon called out by Basil and so she responded to his voice, walking up to them all slightly nervous. The black-haired elf checked her with care and kindness, speaking in a soothing tone like she was a child. Compared to how the motherly elf was acting towards Fae, one of the other elves seemed to be showing a sign of disapproval towards Fae’s tainted appearance. Fae was then taken aside by the motherly elf and two other elves, one of which had long blonde hair knotted in a ponytail and outfitted like an elite warrior of their units.
The other elves' attention then turned towards Barry’s group who were then summoned to join them. Basil started giving introductions for every member of their group, still in their elvish language. One of the council members tried talking to them as a group and that was when Ron started talking since they were familiar with their way of speaking.
Eventually, Ron and the council exchanged some more words, leading to Ron digging into one of Barry’s pockets without permission and pulling out the blue prism. Barry’s group figured they’ve been discussing their travels and what they know. The blue prism was passed around and inspected with awe and interest, before handing it back to Ron, who then stuffed it back in Barry’s pocket.
The elder male elf that seemed disgusted by Fae’s image, looked at Barry and tried saying something to him that he could not understand at all. Ron quickly jumped in and spoke for him, though he made it look kind of weird doing so. The elder responded to Ron’s answers in a polite manner, but it still looked like he really wanted to hear from Barry specifically. Basil seemed to be curious about something as he looked at Barry as well.
And as Ron kept talking to Basil and the curious elder, a sudden shock occurred within view of the team. Fae apparently looked to be getting questioned the entire time Ron was talking to the other elves, when they witnessed Fae get back handed straight across her cheek by the ponytail elf. She yelped, clutching her cheek as the motherly elf comforted her while also seemingly cursing at the one who struck her. All eyes in the room latched onto Fae and the people around her, wondering what had just happened.
Anna wanted to teleport in and strike back at Fae’s attacker, but was stopped by a palm of Ron’s hand and a shake of his head. She was frustrated, as was the rest of the group feeling disturbed by what had just happened. Barry’s mind grinded, trying to think what the reason could have been for Fae to receive such treatment. Then he remembered how she told them that she left the clan to explore the outside world, eventually encountering humans and interacting with them. He figured that might have been the reason why. Barry and the team could only watch and listen to two sides arguing against one another.
‘There’s no reason for me to get involved.’ Barry thought, he didn’t want to risk jeopardizing their cover as humans when they were mainly there to get information. ‘I’m sure she’ll be forgiven, one of them is even standing up for her. So there’s no need to-’
Suddenly Barry began experiencing one of his usual headaches, followed by his vision blurring at random instances. ‘Now? Why does this always happen at times like these?’ Barry’s vision then blacked out in the middle of the intense argument going on.
Barry found himself back in a black void, where he waited for one of his memory fragments to start playing. Seconds later, he was shown a similar scene like in reality but was apparently inside a room of a castle. There were a group of civilians that looked battered and beaten in front of an audience and their king. And in the corner of the room was a familiar looking figure that Barry knew, the True Barry who he borrowed his name from.
He listened to the discussion between the battered civilians and the king, which sounded like they were being put on trial for interacting with those outside their kingdom walls. Ultimately, the king waved a hand, ordering his men to take away these mongrels and dispose of them. Fear surged inside the poor civilians, scared knowing that they were about to be put down in mere minutes for talking to some nice foreigners outside their kingdom.
And just as a hand was about to be placed on one of these unfortunate souls, one courageous individual from the audience swooped to shield them from their cruel fate. It was none other than the True Barry himself, intervening between the unruly hand of king and the helpless. Time seemed to freeze all of a sudden, the shock of an unknown hero flashing, seemingly challenging the king’s order. Anger rose from the king, as he stood up from his throne and began bickering at the True Barry, who remained firm like a guardian sentinel.
Furious by the True Barry’s act of defiance, he commanded his men to arrest him. But surprisingly, his men did not listen, or rather, they were afraid of what would happen if they approached the hero. For even though he did not draw his sword, the eyes of the hero along with his stoic appearance told them enough that things would go bad for them if they did as told. REALLY bad. With fear being instilled upon everyone in the room, the True Barry turned around, promising the group of mistreated civilians that no harm would come to them and to follow him outside the kingdom walls. And they listened, his presence and action being almost angelic and serene, it was like he was a guardian sent from the gods themselves.
Barry’s memory fragment would end, his vision slowly returning back to normal. ‘Why show me that?’ He wondered. Were you trying to convince me to help Fae? Because if so, I’m not going to-’
Absolutely stunned at what was going on now, Barry found himself grasping tightly on the arm of the ponytail elf. ‘W-What!? W-Why am I-’ He looked at what the elf was grabbing onto and noticed that he was pulling on Fae’s long hair, possibly dragging her. Tears were rolling down her face as she looked up in shock of Barry’s sudden intervention. ‘No…did I really step in?’
The ponytail elf looked angry by Barry’s attempt to defend Fae, his mouth started ranting at him in elvish tongue, Barry assumed he was being cussed out. Some other elves besides Basil and the motherly elf started yelling at him, likely telling him to buzz off. His team was just as shocked as he was about what he was doing, they were unsure of what to do now that Barry unknowingly got into the elves business.
And as the yelling grew louder and louder, Barry’s tolerance to not talk back had reached its limit and he exploded. “OH SHUT THE FUCK UP!” His voice boomed throughout the entire room.
Everyone became quiet, making the silence the most deafening noise now. Barry then realized that he might have possibly screwed up just now after speaking in common tongue rather than in elvish. Still his anger did not go down, his eyes looked at the hand of the ponytail elf, how it was still clutching on Fae’s hair. He thought about the memory fragment he just saw and it spiked his rage higher, causing him to immediately pry the hand off of Fae’s hair and shove the ponytail elf away. Fae stumbled backwards away after being free, now in the arms of the motherly elf.
Barry then saw the ponytail elf draw his sword, pointing the tip at him while apparently insulting him with words he still couldn’t understand. Just looking at the elf’s face was enough for Barry to leak out a bit of his true self. “I can’t understand a damn word you’re saying! So how bout you start speaking in common so I can hear your bitching.”
The ponytail elf expression was in dismay, as was everyone in the room. He looked to council members as if wondering how to proceed with communicating with Barry, since he apparently admitted to not knowing elvish tongue even though his disguise passed him off like an elf.
One of the elder’s nodded to him and the ponytail elf spoke in common tongue, though he did so in a disgusted manner like it was the last thing he’d ever want to do. “How dare you insult me and dare to meddle in my business! You may be an elf, but you are still considered an outsider when inside our home; under our customs, our rules. And how is it that you know not a word of our tongue, have you lost all sense of your heritage, boy?”
“I’m a half-elf, I guess my friend Ron here forgot to tell you guys that. I didn’t grow up in a cultured environment like you all, I was raised by humans.” Barry’s lie stirred up a mass of conflicting emotions inside the elves in the room. Ron and the others were starting to get anxious of what was going to happen to them after this dispute. “Yeah, I fucking said it! I know that a lot of you hate humans. And is that why Fae is being mistreated? Because she interacted with them? Are you fucking serious!? What were you going to do to her!?”
The elder elf spoke in turn, though it was repulsing for him to use common tongue as well. “Just as you said, she tried communicating with humans. The inferior beings of the natural order. Your lesser bloodline. We were willing to look past her tainted appearance, but when she explained her reason for exploring outside our domain. That was when she decided her fate, she was better off not coming back at all if she wished to live.”
Enraged at the elder’s last comment, all of the niceness drained out of Barry’s body and went off in the room. “That’s crazy, absolutely fucking bananas that you’d wanna bring doom upon someone for speaking to another outside of their race. Perish the thought, that you damn people can’t let your own act kind to others or be their own person. Especially in this time of crisis!? Really!? We’re all being treated like pieces on a tabletop game for fucks sake! We’re nothing more than the gods' toys and you all wanna continue acting ignorant!? IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT!”
Seconds after the ponytail elf nudged towards Barry as if he was about to make an attack at Barry, but then saw Barry’s group instantly ready themselves as well, prepared to retaliate if Barry or Fae were to be harmed. The air was cold and filled with hostility; there weren’t many guards inside the room aside from the ponytail warrior, but Barry and his party knew that if shit were to go down, they’d never make it out of the elves' homeland alive. Ron and Barry glanced at each other, Barry could read his eyes that told him that they were walking on thin ice right now and that he needed to back off. And as much as Ron and the group really hated the fact that Fae was going to effectively be executed, they knew they weren’t capable of stopping her cruel fate. They all wished they had the power to do so otherwise, it pained them inside knowing how weak they still were…it was…heartbreaking…
“Outsider!” The elderly elf shouted at Barry, getting his attention. “We know full well the type of predicament we are all in, we do not forget that for one moment. But even still, our clan will continue to do things as we’ve always have, and that includes keeping our same laws and customs. Our ancestry will be the ones to complete this main quest on our own without the help of others outside our race, specifically humans. I’m willing to look past your ignorance if you would be so kind as to quit acting like a fool and give us the traitor that is the filth behind you. Otherwise, I will brand you and your party as enemies.”
The way the elder spoke irritated Barry, he wanted to berate him for how dumb he was talking. And before Barry felt like it, he noticed one of his arms being tugged. He turned around and saw that it was Fae, she had walked away from the motherly elf, tears overflowing from her puffy and tired eyes. Fae’s face was full of sorrow and pain. “It’s okay, Barry. I’ll…I’ll…I’ll go. There’s no need to help me anymore. I appreciate the kindness you’ve all shown me, and I thank you all. So please, I don’t want you or the others to get into trouble because of me…”
“Fae…” Barry and his group watched as Fae slowly walked towards the ponytail elf like a scared puppy. Her body trembling at the thought of dying as soon as she was within his grasp. None of them liked what was going to happen to her, but they had to accept that this was how things were done inside this home of elves. ‘She’s right. It’s pointless to fight for her. We came here to see if the elves knew what the main quest was and what they've done. I wanted to reason some more about working together with other races but that doesn’t even look feasible in their minds. So it’s better to just let her go…’ Barry thought, as he looked at the Fae’s frightened appearance.
His eyes then widened as he saw a familiar figure like a phantom standing in the far back of the council room. It was the True Barry, his presence stirred a mix of emotions inside Barry along with a bothersome burning sensation. ‘I know you want me to help her! I KNOW! But if I budge in again, shit’s going to get messy. So can you blame me for not wanting to!’ The phantom remained still, continuing to give Barry the thousand yard stare. ‘I can’t! Stop looking at me! I’m not a damn hero like you! I’m not…I’m…’ He couldn’t resist the burning irritation within and did the unbelievable again. ‘Fuck it.’
And before Fae could reach the ponytail elf, she felt a hand placed her shoulder, gently pushing her back and behind the person she had just told not to interfere. “B-Barry, why-”
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“What is the meaning of this?” The elderly elf remarked in a displeased tone. “What you’re doing is clearly a declaration of defiance against our laws. I see now that your time spent with humans must have really rottened your mind of both thought and logic. You do not have the right to be even considered an elf despite being half-blooded.”
“Haha, I agree. I wouldn’t want to be cut from the cloth as you bunch of bozos. And I’m not doing this without logic, I’m doing this knowing there's another way to settle this dispute.” Barry countered, no longer holding back his ‘Don’t give a fuck’ attitude.
Eyes were rolled from the elder, wondering what Barry was thinking of saying. “And what would that be, outsider? What do you know about our laws and way to go about things? You’ve only just got here and I’m about to send you to the chopping block if you don’t zip it! Talking in common tongue is already nauseating as it is already, aside from speaking to you, fool.”
“Mutual combat.” Barry’s words resonated in the ears of everyone around the room. They could not believe he had just said those two words. “Me, against that snobby ponytail asshole. If I win, Fae is excused from her punishment and can continue living life the way she wants. If I lose, you can have my head. It’s as simple as that, old prune.”
Fumes were rising within the elder, but before the old elf could even reply to his request. The ponytail elf chimed in. “I, Thandor, agree to this mutt's challenge. Let us take this to the-”
“Wait! WAIT!” The elder shouted in exasperation. He then jabbed a finger at Barry as if he was doing something vile. “You don’t get a say in the way things are done here. Only the council gets to decide if that challenge is acceptable or not, and I for one disagree, especially coming from you! You have no voice here while you are within our homeland!”
Cackling rose from out of Barry, everyone continued to be surprised of how crazy Barry was with his absurd insults and comments against all things said. “Haha! Oh, I’m sorry, I think you’ve forgotten what kind of shit we’re in and who's really the ones making the rules. Maybe it's the dementia getting to you, here, I’ll give you a hint.” He then snapped and flicked a finger upwards towards the ceiling. Everyone took a moment to process who he was referring to but soon realized what he was saying. “Yeah, the damn gods. That’s who!”
Baffled and utterly stupefied, the elder wondered why Barry thought the gods would ever care to decide for him and Thandor to fight in mutual combat over a lousy dispute. “N-No! This is a trivial matter, the gods would never do something to force a decision like that on us! You’ve lost your mind, I’ll have our guards throw you and your friends on death's row! Never again will you-”
Suddenly, a shocking turn of events happened, the unimaginable occurred in the eyes of everyone in the room. Total disbelief filled the hostile room, now changing the atmosphere to utter awkwardness. Words weren’t easy for the elder to make out. “W-W-What!? N-No! T-T-This c-can’t-”
“This can’t be? Was that what you were going to say?” Barry mocked, cracking an evil grin at him. “Hey Ron, mind telling the whole group what it is we’re seeing on our screens. I’m sure all of us received something spectacular from the moderators.”
Ron was still trying to process if what he was seeing was completely true or not, but he agreed to Barry’s request. “U-Uh, sure…” He cleared his throat and summarized what he was seeing from his own system screen. “Says here that…Barry and Thandor are to have a proper duel against one another. If Barry wins, Fae is free. But if he loses, he…dies. But also…if this request from the gods is not accepted then…this entire home of elves will be under attack by endless waves of monsters…”
All eyes fell upon the elder, his face alone said it all what he was feeling. Shock, fear, stunned, and above all, hatred towards the one responsible for making this happen. His eyes met with Barry’s, whose face was still grinning like a criminal that had got what he wanted. “Like I said. You think you get the final choice in things, but you DON’T.” Barry mocked. “It’s the gods. Whatever they want, is what they’ll get. So give your champion a pep talk and I’ll meet him at the playoff. You have no other choice, fool.”
Barry then turned around and saw how astonished Fae was, he looked at his party that shared the same expression. He sighed, cooling down his temper by just a bit before facing Basil. “Basil, could you please take us to…wherever my fight is going to be. Maybe take another short tour while we walk there?”
Basil glanced at Barry then at the motherly elf, the two nodding in sync then responded to Barry. “Of course, we will take you. Have you prepared for your fight. Come.” He waved a hand towards the exit. The motherly elf held Fae’s hand with reassurance as they followed behind Barry and the rest of his group, Basil taking the lead.
“Hey, mutt!” Thandor called out, reaching Barry’s ears for him to turn around and listen to what he had to say. “I recommend saying some parting words with your friends for when I cut that foul mouth of yours in our duel. Fae will answer to her faults.”
An unnerved face grew on Barry’s face as he delivered one of his insults back at Thandor. “Yeah, fuck you too girly! I’ll be snipping that ponytail of yours and kicking your teeth in on live television. You’ll be loving the overhaul I’ll be doing to you afterwards.” His vulgar words left Thandor in both a perplexed and offended mood, as he grabbed his ponytail and rubbed it gently, questioning if Barry was really serious about what he said.
Barry and his group exited the council room and past the gate, the party observed Barry’s state of condition and saw that he wasn’t freaking out at all about what he had just done when he should be. Worry and anxiety bounced around Barry’s party about what would become of Barry’s match against Thandor but neither of them said anything for a couple of minutes. Yet eventually, as they continued looking at Barry’s calm composure, one of them couldn’t hold it in and said something.
“Barry!” Anna called out, killing the silence around them. “Aren’t you even a little bit worried about dying? As wonderful as it is that you managed to give us hope in saving Fae, you also set yourself up for execution. Don’t you…don’t you realize that?”
“Yeah!” Puck rushed up to Barry’s side, pulling on his shirt as they walked. His adorable eyes glistened due to sadness. “Puck no want you to die. Puck afraid of losing you just like everyone else.” Barry knew Puck would feel this type of way and tried comforting him by rubbing his head, he didn’t want Puck to think this was the end for him.
And everyone was indeed scared of the possibility that Barry might meet his end, especially Fae who felt like she was responsible for Barry making a risky decision. She wondered if dying in the hag’s cells would have been better than risking the life of another. The motherly elf could sense Fae thinking intrusive thoughts and spoke to her in her usual soothing tone in order to ease her troubled mind.
Barry was aware of how everyone felt about his gamble, he was aware that what he was doing might turn out better or for worse. But until that final outcome came, he didn’t care because he was already locked in. “You all know the type of person I am, I don’t give a shit what comes my way or what I have to do in order to move. I got myself into this mess and I’m going to get not just myself out, but all of us. And I’ll do so after I make a joke of that asshole Than-bore or whatever.”
“Well that asshole is a highly qualified warrior.” Basil jumped in the conversation, though he found Barry’s comment and attitude amusing. “I believe he was actually promoted to being a platoon leader. I would at least be a bit fearful of him when you two duke it out later…” He then looked Barry over once more and grinned. “Though you don’t seem to be nervous at all. Either you’re really confident in your skill as a fighter; or you're just plain ignorant like the elder said.”
“Both.” Barry quickly responded without a thought. He couldn’t believe what he had done and that was what he thought was ignorant about himself. Still, he was confident things would be alright. He was also expecting his moderator, Ven, to push the event quest out when he mentioned the gods deciding for them. And he was glad Ven was able to make it happen. “I never underestimate my opponents, no matter the skill gap between one another. But the one true thing that I know I’ll always have over my opponents is something that goes beyond luck or power. My ol reliable.”
“And what is that, might I ask? Experience? Courage? Valor?” Basil asked, the entire group was curious what it was he was referring to.
“My rage.” And the moment Barry said that, chills crawled up the skin of those around him. It was the way he spoke and how serious he was that made them experience this unsettling aura Barry was exuding. Barry’s team knew he had a temper, they’ve seen him act with sudden outburst of anger, but they’ve never felt this type of intimidating aura before without expressing it outwardly. Barry was thinking about how the gods stole his memories, how Judas was still alive out there somewhere, and now how much he hated the way things were living inside the elves' domain. He couldn’t wait to vent out his feelings towards Than-bore in their arena.
It was the laughter from Basil that broke the tension in the air around them. Never had Basil ever met a person like Barry, he was curious what it was about Barry that made him intrigued by his existence simply by looking him in the eyes the moment they met. And now that Barry revealed what it was, Basil was all the more looking forward to his match. “Haha…this duel will indeed be interesting to watch. Indulge yourselves, dear friends of Barry. I can’t wait for myself.”
The group remained quiet the rest of the way, eventually making their way to a large coliseum constructed from vegetation and white-stone, its architecture was designed masterfully that resembled their home's beauty, yet also its fierceness. They walked through the entrance and down a tunnel specifically where fighters prepared for their fights. Bulbs of organic flowers were used to illuminate their path, bringing them to a room fitted with basic equipment, practice dummies, and other things for fighters to borrow. The room was empty, just them alone.
“Your opponent should be here in about 30 minutes from now. I suggest you warm up before then or say what you need before your match starts.” Basil advised, he then looked to the elf that had been taking care of Fae. “Mother, if you would like…”
Everyone was a bit stunned to know that the black-haired elf had been Basil’s mother the entire time. They then watched as she approached Barry and took his hands into her own, bright lime-green light began to glow from them. Although it was a good feeling, Barry pulled his hands away out of confusion. “What the hell were you doing?” Barry asked with a puzzled look.
“I was blessing you, child.” Basil’s mother replied in a serene tone. “I wanted to bestow upon you a temporary gift before your battle. Though you seem confident in your abilities, I would not want to leave it up to chance of you falling to defeat. There is enough misery going on in the world, and I would be displeased to see two more souls lost from this world today.”
“Tch…” Barry looked at her and the others, he got a good look at everyone’s facial expressions to see that they were all nerve-wracked about the upcoming fight. “I’m not going to die today. No one is. Thank you, but I don’t need your blessing. I’ll be fighting with my own strength and will. Besides, why the hell would you try to bestow some power onto me against your own people? It can’t just be because you don’t want to see Fae die, is it?”
Basil smiled a bit, thinking how insightful Barry might actually be. “You’d be right…human.”
“What?” Barry was stunned beyond belief, as were the rest of his party. “Why are you calling me a human? I’m only half-human sure, but why do you sound so sure-”
“There’s no need to be afraid of being honest, child. We don’t criticize you unlike the ones you met before in the council room.” Basil’s mother reassured as she placed her hands on her chest. “You may call me Kaiya, my son and I are sympathizers of humans. We do not discriminate against races outside of our own and wish to build relations with them. So please don’t be scared to reveal your true selves.”
Ron was the only real elf of the party, but everyone else was astonished to know how they knew the whole time. Ron was the one to raise the question, asking Basil for a clear answer. “S-So you knew the whole time? How!? I thought I did a good job disguising them, what gave them away?”
“Haha, so you were the one who did their makeup. I’ll admit, had it not been me who encountered you all, no one would ever question you for being humans.” Basil got one last laugh out before finishing his explanation. “Do not blame your illusionary magic for not being as good as you thought. But rather, my passive ability to perceive the truth behind a person’s character.” Basil then pointed to his eyes which sparkled a green light.
Anna thought about her own passive ability to identify whether a person has ill-intent or not based on if they exude a malicious red aura or not from just looking at them. Basil’s passive was kind of similar to hers, but in that he was able to see past the facade people put up and get a feel of if they are lying or not. “Consider me and my mother an ally for the greater cause. I wish to get through this mess as much as you all do.” Basil said with genuine truth and respect in his voice.
After knowing the reason why they knew, Barry and the others decided to relax themselves, it was like a great weight had been lifted off their chest. Ron still maintained their cover-up for when they left the room to observe Barry’s match. They couldn’t be any luckier after running into empathetic elves like Basil and Kaiya.
“So…let me try to make sense of what I’m getting from you two…” Barry said, referring to Basil and Kaiya’s reason for wanting to help him now. “You both want to improve relations with humans but have trouble convincing the council members to do so. More specifically, that obnoxious old prune that wants me dead. Are there more of you that share the same dream as well?”
“Yes, you are correct to assume there are more of us. We have tried sharing our opinions on the matter but there isn’t enough support for our side to do anything.” Kaiya spoke in turn. “But building relations with humans wouldn’t be the only thing we wish to change. Fae’s unfair treatment is an example of one of the reasons why we wish to change the structure of our order. How she received looks based on how tainted her appearance is from captivity, they were already judging her on looks alone before she had explained her reason for leaving. Patronizing and egotistical people still live in this sanctum that appears divine…and that needs to change.”
There were two flower buds on each side of a tunnel leading out to the arena, their buds began illuminating an orange glow. Basil and Kaiya knew what this meant, and Basil spoke. “Say what you want to Barry, but keep it short. His match will be starting soon.”
Barry’s group approached him, each one of them giving him a couple words of encouragement between when it was time to go.
First was Anna, her face being both a mix of irritation and a sense of proudness. “Barry, I don’t understand how you can be so calm at times like these. It seriously bothers me sometimes when I try to have a conversation with you, not knowing what goes on in that tempered head of yours…” Barry didn’t know she was trying to get him riled up or not as she spoke. “But, it made me feel relieved when I saw you step up to help Fae. You have heart, I believe it. So kick that pretty boy’s ass for us and I’ll see you when it’s all over. I know you’ll be fine.” She nudged his shoulder slightly, Barry looked her in the eyes and gave her a firm nod, solidifying his promise to her.
Next was Luna, her face being strangely calm for a kid her age, it was like she wasn’t worried anymore about the thought of Barry dying. “I’ve gotten over the possibility of you losing. In fact, I don’t think there is any chance that you will. And you inspire me to do better everyday, you do Barry! That’s why…I don’t think you need me wishing you luck. Because I know you’ll win, and I know you’ll be making a fool out of that guy! So make it hilarious!” She raised a fist bump to him with a cheeky grin and he accepted, laughing a bit knowing he was going to do just as she said.
Following Luna was Ron, who was still having trouble with his internal feelings about the situation. He took a deep breath and exhaled before speaking. “Barry…ah forget it. You just do what you want when you want. You don’t care at all about the dangers in front of you, it’s like you don’t know what fear is. Your will is like hardened steel, no, even stronger than that. It…It makes me jealous!” He gasped as he gathered himself back together. Everyone was surprised by what he said. “I know you’ll live. You’ll beat the ever living snot out of that douche and you’ll come back ready to take another nap like you always do after a huge fight. That’s what will happen, without a doubt.” Ron then extended a hand, offering a shake to which Barry accepted whole-heartedly.
After Ron came Kat, she was still coming to terms with the decision Barry made, her anxiety showing all over her face just as much as Fae was currently. “B-Barry…I-I…I know you’re strong…b-but I can’t fathom thinking that you might…t-that you might not…” She kept fidgeting with her hands, shaking so nervously. “I-I’m so sorry, I c-can’t even keep myself together, I-I-”
Suddenly Barry raised a pinky in front of her. “This is so girly but I’m willing to do it for you, Kat. So put your pinky here before I change my mind.” She tried calming down a bit and quickly did so. Barry squeezed her pinky and sighed, as he looked her in the eyes, maintaining his solemn look. “Don’t be nervous. You're strong, I’ve seen how much you’ve improved. I know you’re the shyest of our group and that you’re worried about me losing. And I’m telling you, that’s not happening. So what I want you to do is cheer me on. Because I guarantee you I WILL come out on top, I WILL beat the fuck out of that guy. So can you do that for me?” Kat nodded, doing all she could to stop being so sad. Barry smiled back, giving her reassurance. “Good. I’ll see you later then. Don’t doubt me.”
Finally, it was Puck’s turn. The little Kobold hugged Barry’s legs tightly like a little brother, not wanting them to leave. “Puck scared, but believes in you. Puck know you’re tough and brave, so fight with all you got. And when you get back, Puck wants to eat delicious food with you here, a-and go swimming in the big blue lake! Lots of fun stuff!”
Barry rubbed Puck’s head generously while cracking a grin. “Sure, sure, you got it little buddy. I’ll stomp this guy into oblivion and we’ll go to town at all the hot joints in this place. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to relax a bit since we’re here I suppose. So root for me while I kick this Than-bore guy’s ass real quick.” Puck was pleased to hear Barry’s promise and got in one more hug before letting go.
The flower bulbs suddenly turned yellow, which must have meant that his battle was going to start soon. “It’s time to go. We’ll be seated in the audience, I’m sure you’ll put up quite a performance, Barry. We’ll see you again later.” Basil encouraged, as he waved for everyone to follow him.
Fae wanted to give a couple of parting words herself since she still felt it was her fault for putting Barry’s life on the line, but she figured it was better to give Barry time to himself instead. And as she walked away, she heard Barry’s voice. “Hey, Fae!” She turned around and looked at him in total fear, like she was in trouble for doing something bad. “I know you’re putting blame on yourself, so quit it. I chose this, not you. So tell me, is it so wrong for me to go through with this? Is it so wrong for you to deserve a chance at freedom?”
She was conflicted with what he was saying, her mentality was not allowing herself to understand what he was saying. “I…I don’t…” Fae wanted to say that she deserved her freedom but her mind would not let her.
Barry sensed the internal struggle within and knew she wanted to say the truth deep in her heart so he forced it. “IS IT!”
“NO!” Everyone was startled by how emotional and sorrowful Fae sounded, as she weeped in tears. “No…I deserve a second chance at freedom…I don’t wish to die…I’m sorry…”
Barry was pleased to hear Fae’s response, as was everyone around. He then looked at the tunnel leading to the arena outside. “That’s what I want to hear. So sit back, and enjoy the show. You’re getting your freedom.” The bulbs turned green and Barry walked ahead, looking forward to his duel with Than-bore.
