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Chapter 38 - Chapter 38

Claudia recoiled as she looked back at me. The color was draining from her face, and I didn't know why. My spell wasn't even activated yet, but it looked like a rush of fear raced through her mind.

"Why…"

Claudia put her hand on her chest and asked timidly.

"Why did I see a glimpse of this fight… as if I was a third person viewing our battle right now? W-What the hell did you do to me?!"

Confused, she asked.

I couldn't let my guard down and stayed focused on her.

"What are you talking about, Claudia?"

I felt a strange sensation too, but I wasn't going to get distracted. I pushed out those strange images from my mind and focused back on my enemy. She waited for a moment and shook her head.

"I don't get it. Wait… I can't see it all the way. B-But it looks like… a dead body that looks like me? Wh-Why am I seeing this after tasting your blood?!"

Confused, I tilted my head.

"What the hell are you going on about? Enough of this nonsense, Claudia."

I pointed my blade at her. Clearly, she was distracted, and it was the right time to strike. With the blood coming from my hand, I finished up the spell I was channeling by getting to the ground and writing it out. She realized I was nearly done but it was too late to react.

"Shit!"

Claudia screamed, but it was too late. She was caught in the spell of my vampirism. Symbols appeared below her, and in an instant, I focused it all on her. Normally a dark vessel wouldn't be as affected because of our level 2 resistance to it. But with all my spectrum focused solely on her, I had the power to take her resistance down. Her spectrum instantly drained out of her.

"Arrgg, I was a fool! I should have tasted your blood after you were dead. I need to know more! Give me your blood!"

The ravings of a mad woman. That was all it was as I approached her with my blade out.

"You will be arrested, and I will sit down with you and pull everything I want out of you. I don't care what the knights do to you, Claudia, but I want my answers about Maxwell."

The world turned a harsh purple as the spell increased, draining her spectrum faster. At this rate, she was bound to pass out from spectrum sickness. But surprisingly she held on longer than I expected.

"Something's wrong! The symbol is ignoring me! It's like I don't speak the same language as it."

Claudia screamed.

"No, it's like you're using a specialized vampirism."

I stood over her and put out my hand. The strength of the spell intensified, and all of her spectrum channeled into my vampirism symbol for me to use. I could see Claudia drifting in and out.

"Wait listen."

She begged.

"Too late. You're too dangerous to keep playing games with. I'm not one who really cares much for people, but you threaten what Maxwell wanted from me, Claudia. I can't let you roam around doing as you please any longer."

On her knees and hands, she trembled.

"Fee, wait. L-Listen to me!"

 

 

Claudia pleaded.

"Fee?"

A strange memory replayed in my head. I wasn't sure if it was real or not but it was a younger me.

I was holding hands with someone, and we were running. I remember crying and my feet being cold but that was it.

I was losing concentration, so I shook my head, pushing away that strange thought. When I focused back on Claudia, I saw a light tear fall from her eye to my surprise.

"I don't know but I remember something or someone named Fee."

She lifted her head up and our eyes met.

"Somethings wrong?! Why would I see something like that. When I tasted YOUR blood! It's a trick! You're a trickster, Feodora!"

I couldn't even begin to understand what she was going on about.

"I'm not supposed to die! It's a lie! You're a trickster trying to deceive me!"

"Trickster?"

Another word used as a warning from Maxwell.

I put my hand on my hip.

"What the hell are you talking about already?! You've been going on about death this entire time! You know what, it doesn't matter. You can have your crazy episode in prison!"

"Give me your blood, Feodora! Let me, let me taste more of it! I need it! Something isn't right and I-"

I stepped away in disgust. Claudia's lunatic-like behavior made me recoil as she sprouted nonsense.

"Yeah, maybe later. After Jade puts you in prison, Claudia. But I won't make any promises."

I started to strengthen the vampirism, attempting to put her to sleep when the cavern around us started shaking.

"Huh?!"

I was caught off guard by the sudden impact.

My bones rattled when I heard a low grow emerging from below. My concentration broke and Claudia didn't waste the chance.

"Vert it's too soon! I guess he's about to lose to that Radiant!"

Claudia said.

With all of her energy, she channeled darkness within her. I tried to get my balance back, but the earthquake was too much, and I fell over.

With a massive amount of spectrum energy, Claudia broke my vampirism spell.

"Ahhh…"

She panted.

 It took the last of her strength to break free. I could see she was physically drained.

"Fuck- I don't have the energy to help Vert. But I have to try."

Claudia looked up towards the battle between the other three.

"We'll have to continue this another day, Feodora. My idiot partner is about to get himself killed."

She complained as she melted away.

"No, you don't!"

I gave chase through the darkness. She was aiming upwards towards the throne room we were in before.

 In an instant, we reached it. Her blade collided with Jade, who was in the middle of a fight with Vert.

"There you are, Claudia! Jade is pretty tough!"

Jade kicked Claudia off of her and aimed her attention at Vert.

He chuckled, flying away on his disk. I could tell the kid was already on his last breath. In comparison, he was no match for the knight. Jade brought the holy spell to her chest and fired a bright ray his way.

The disk reflected the light, scattering it back towards them in a beam of bright light.

I looked over to see Lana still in her fight with Marable. She held out well enough as Abigail kept up her battle with Caesar. Her servant would strike her, and she'd guard using multiple elements as her shield.

 If anything, the goddess was just holding him off until Jade took down Vert.

"Claudia, I had to release the beast! The process has started."

Vert said.

"Yeah, don't worry. I understand."

Claudia replied.

Her energy was drained and there would be no way she'd be up for battle. This was the perfect chance to take them both out.

"Alright, enough games! Lana, get behind me!"

Abigail cried before lifting up her hands. Earth and water channeled around her, and many weeds started to form underneath her. Abigail wrapped Caesar with vines along with Marable.

With her powerful spell, their goddess effectively trapped them from moving. We all focused on Vert and Claudia as Vert continued to control missing people's chanting.

"I have Caesar and Marable under control, Jade; take out that Radiant!"

"Right."

Jade brought back her blade. It flared a robust red like a giant ball of fire erupted on her sword.

"You're mine, kid!"

Jade screamed.

The power of her spell began to build up. Claudia, realizing the power of Jade's soon attack, got out of the way before she could strike. Jade slashed her sword to the ground, creating a shockwave of the spell to raise from the ground. A wave of light and fire blasted towards the Radiant, kicking him off his disk device.

Like a ragdoll, he fell and hit his back to the ground. All of the missing people chanting stopped instantly as they fell to the floor too. I could hear glass breaking, indicating that the symbols of their bodies were shattering.

"Dang it, Vert!"

Claudia scorned.

She channeled darkness into the ground, and the cave shook like it was alive. A horrible scream cried out as we could feel something enormous crawl out from underneath us.

Jade rushed over, grabbed Vert by the neck, and placed handcuffs on him. Claudia backed up from the rest of us and pointed towards me.

"Another day, Feodora! I'll feed on more of your blood someday! I need to know who the hell you are!"

She vanished, leaving her partner behind.

I planned to go after her, but a large head appeared out of the circular hole. It was a great wolf that had bright golden eyes. Its paws rested on the edges as its body tried to force itself out of the hole.

Its body was massive, but what surprised me most was the white strings attached to it. It was as if someone was controlling the beast like a puppet.

"It's too late. It's awake and ready to go!"

Vert mocked, earning a hit on the back of the head by the knight.

"Jade, he's not going anywhere. Throw him to the side, and let's deal with this."

Abigail commanded.

I rushed over to the three of them. Jade stood in front; I was beside her. Lana was in the back, and Abigail was on the side.

"It's massive, and if we allow it to get free, we can say goodbye to the Cero Village. Keep it down here and eliminate it before it escapes!"

"Right!"

We all chanted.

"Lana, provide some platforms so Jade and Feodora can reach the beast's head. I'll provide support and make sure the possessed victims aren't harmed in the fight."

"Y-Yes, sis."

The earth vessel agreed as she did just that. Platforms raised in the air as Jade, and I used them to rush at the giant wolf stuck in the ground. It began channeling a massive wind spell.

Abigail combated this with an anti-spectrum shield, protecting the passed-out people below us.

"Follow my lead, Feodora!"

The knight commander said.

I stayed behind her as her body illuminated a holy tone. I channeled my own element within me. She struck first, cutting at the beast's mouth. I followed, slicing at its jaw. The beast cried in pain as we relentlessly continued our assault on it.

Golden eyes started to form around its body, channeling a large spell our way. Its body moved strangely as the white strings around it made it look like a puppet.

It shot a fierce wind spell our way. Abigail thankfully countered it, using her anti-spectrum shield. The loose spectrum destroyed the walls around us, showing how strong it truly was.

The giant wolf cried, and one of its bright golden eyes turned a sharp red. It reminded me of the last overgrown beast in the ancient ruins. That had to be its weakness.

That singular red eye... was the key to this battle.

"It's red eye. If we take it out, we'll destroy it for sure."

I pointed at the beast.

Everyone acknowledged me as they all chanted in agreement.

I channeled my darkness alongside my destructive craft. Jade stood beside me as she began mixing her fire and holy elements together. Together, we added the chaos element into our final strike.

"Hold up, you two!"

The goddess added, feeding a booster spell into us. The power went into our weapons as we both brought our spell back. The beast began charging another powerful range, attempting to combat our strike, but Jade and I stood our ground.

"Ha!"

 

 

We both screamed, releasing the dark and light spells towards the beast's eyes. A wave of purple and white mixed together, aiming right at the creature's red eye. The power caused the world to shake as we intensified our spells.

Lana shielded the passed-out people with an earth wall, ensuring they weren't harmed in the blast. The pressure of our attack caused the world to rumble.

I channeled the vampirism spectrum into my blade, only adding to the devastating spell. All of Claudia's energy was in my attack, destroying the walls of the cavern.

"Oh?!"

Jade was astounded by the level of energy that suddenly came from my attack. Even though I was a bit surprised, it felt right as if I have been controlling this energy since the day I was born.

The beast cried a horrid wail, causing the world to shake from its cry. With our merged attack, eliminating it in an instant. The white strings snapped, and the beast turned to white dust as it scattered around the sanctuary.

"Ah, it's beautiful."

Vert mocked as he kicked about, still in chains. Abigail walked over and kicked him on the side of his head, knocking him out.

She then continued to beat him with her feet. I could hear him groan as she kicked and stepped on him.

"S-Should she be doing that, Jade?"

I asked, concerned.

Jade sighed as she walked over and took Abigail in her arms.

"Why did you do that, Abigail?"

Jade complained.

"It's because this kid hurt my family. I at least needed a good hit on him myself."

She stomped on Vert's stomach. I realized that I never wanted to be on the end of Abigail's rage seeing that abuse.

"Marable, Caesar!"

Lana rushed over to the two, still being held down by vines. After a moment, they came to, still weak from spectrum sickness.

"We have a lot to clean up here. Claudia is still on the run, but we have at least one culprit. Did she mention anything, Feodora?"

Jade turned to me.

"She mentioned that there's more of them doing the same things. She wouldn't go into what their true goals were, but I can believe that this won't be the last time she'd do something like this."

Jade sighed.

"Well, for the time being, let's get back to Radiant City. That way I can interrogate Vert and try and figure out what their true aim for all of this is."

She looked at where the beast was.

"Those strings-"

Jade mumbled.

"The strings coming out of the wolf beast?"

I asked.

"Yeah, if I'm not mistaken, whatever those dark vessels are planning, they are playing a dangerous game if they are doing what I think they are."

The knight paused then turned back to me.

"You used vampirism on Claudia, didn't you?"

I put one hand on my hip.

"Yeah, I did. I planned to use it and give her spectrum sickness, making it easier for us to take her in."

With a finger to her mouth, she questioned.

"You were able to use her power alongside your own when battling that beast. What a crazy amount of spectrum you dished out in one blow. I'm starting to see how dangerous a level two dark vessel can be."

Jade smirked.

"Glad that you're on my side, right? But I wonder how it would be to clash swords with you?"

Jade put her finger on my chest and pushed it gently. The feel of her touching where my heart was caused it to beat harder than in battle.

"Jade?"

I whispered her name, tenderly.

"That blur within you holds the secret to a lot of things I bet. I knew the key to victory was going to be found within you."

 

 

"Key to victory?"

I asked.

But she didn't say anything else. With that, Jade stepped back and walked away.

I watched as she elegantly made her way out of the cave, leaving me stumped by her words. I think for the first time ever...

I saw a feminine side to Jade Opal....

 

 

After helping out the village, we and the rest of the Barons set off back home with Vert as our prisoner. The group became that much larger as we all ventured back home.

The group was a little too big for me, so I found myself lagging behind in most cases. After a day, we made it back to Radiant City. A group of Barons were there to see Lana and Abigail when they arrived. They all cheered as their goddess returned, keeping her promise.

"Jade."

A woman with bright hair and shining armor met us at the gates. She had these strong silver eyes that radiated her presence. As she walked towards us, her armor clicked.

She reminded me of royalty you only see in the stories. She had a collection of knights with her, and I wasn't sure who she was.

 Standing beside her was a small girl with bright pink hair. She wore a one-piece dress and no shows. The look on her eye was stoic and it felt like she was staring daggers through me.

It was clear by looking at them, they were both Radiants.

 

 

"Feodora, this is Elizera, the head of the knights. She's my boss, and I'll soon have her position."

Jade then directed my attention to the short fairy-like girl.

"And this is Polechenote. She's one of my oldest friends."

The two of them exuded a powerful aura. Elizera walked over to the cage holding our captive, Vert.

"So, this is the Radiant who has been causing so many problems around Radiant City?"

With her finger on her lip, she nodded.

"Fantastic work, Jade. Will you help me with the interrogation?"

"Yes, Elizera."

Jade grabbed Vert from the cage and roughhoused him a bit. Polechenote watched along with us as he was tossed around like a piece of trash.

"You all have too much fun. It's so gross."

Polechenote said.

The little pink spirit walked along with them.

Vert wasn't getting out of this, and it brought a smile to my face seeing his arrogant self being pushed around.

"Hey, stop tugging me around already-"

Vert complained.

A few knights ran over and took him captive.

Jade turned to me.

"Feodora Cicer, from today onwards, you are free from duty. You'll be paid for all the work you've done for the knights as appreciation."

The knight announced.

"Huh? You don't need me anymore? What about Claudia? She's still out there."

Jade put her hand on her hip.

"If I do need your help, would you be willing to? I'm not going to force you as you've done enough for us already. It's all up to you from here on. We'll pay handsomely if we can use you as a consultant from time to time."

Jade offered.

I did need money, and I still had many questions for Claudia if I ever saw her again

So, I nodded.

"Sure. If you need me, Jade, I'll be there. I didn't get all the answers I wanted from her. So, if you suspect her to be involved in something, I'll be there."

The knight smirked.

"Good. Abigail, I'll need you to make a statement at the knight's station too."

The "goddess" shrugged.

Clearly, she wasn't enthusiastic about doing that.

"Fine, I'm exhausted, though. I much rather just go home and rest."

Abigail complained.

With a wave, Jade went on to meet up with Elizera and Polechenote.

"She's something else."

I whispered.

With my job complete, I bid goodbye for the time being to the Radiant City and made my way home. 

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