A colossal galleon trembled as the sea itself threatened its destruction...
"Cap'n!" A pirate called out, barely hanging onto the mast as giant wave rolled into the hull of the ship, nearly turning the entire thing on its side.
"She can't hold on much longer!" He pleaded, grabbing another pirate soaring past by the collar, and just narrowly saving him from demise.
"I'm aware..." The Captain stared at the storm around them with a terrifyingly grim expression.
Her blue eyes wavered momentarily, completely perplexed at the wrath produced by the border of Vallmora...
"Should we turn back!" The helm screamed out over the raging sounds of thunder.
"Nay! Stay on course..." Her expression darkened underneath her tied back maroon hair.
"BRACE FOR IMPACT!" Another pirate screamed, only seconds before getting skewered by the tentacle of a massive leviathan.
The Captain withdrew her saber...
And her crew could only watch with anticipation as crimson strings of energy began to plague the air of the ravaging ship's deck.
"As long as I stand upon this ancient lumber... The King's Gambit and its crew will LIVE ON!" Captain Masterson roared as her stoic figure vanished into the sky above, leaving particles of pure red resting motionless in the air.
...
Ghostly white eyes gazed dumbfounded at the raging sea beyond the crystal clear shores of Western Vallmora.
"Of all days..." She tossed her makeshift boat to the sand and stomped back towards her shack.
Of course Rhysara was enraged by the fact that she was being held back by some unknown force when all she wanted was to finally flee these gods forsaken lands.
...
"Kaylynn... Clear the way." Hans demanded, tugging anxiously at the corner of his ragged and muddied cloak sitting ripped and torn upon his shoulder.
Gideon took a deep breath still equipping parts of his armor.
"Are we sure this is the best plan of action?" Justin asked one more time, barely able to go along with that of his own suggestion.
"Are they still listening?" Brody asked, taking a swig from his canteen only to spit out dust that had already contaminated his water supply.
"Who cares?" Hans spat, his vision fixated on the clouds of dust polluting the plaza before them.
"How about the others? Do we know for certain they will be fine on their own?" Justin asked one last time, already preparing for the final objective here in Seh Jenah.
"They suggested it... And at least if they fail... They make for a good distraction." Hans growled with loose bandages swaying lightly along his knuckles.
Everyone's expressions shifted to gloom in response to that remark.
Jacob was the one taking deep breaths now, purposefully keeping himself hidden behind the majority of the group.
"Grow a pair!" Kaylynn groaned.
"Yeah speed freak, what she said!" Brody laughed, seemingly unbothered by the scale of the event they had chosen to partake in.
Luke sighed, glaring down at what looked like a pocket watch resting in his palm.
"I still cannot fathom that Griffin would be the rightful heir of Seh Jenah..." Justin muttered underneath his breath.
"Wasn't it obvious?" Hans spat again, already walking forward as Kaylynn began to prepare her spell.
"You don't think Chase was tricked by the Bard?" Brody asked, with the lift of his eyebrow.
"What kind of Bard stands toe to toe with a Lesser god?" Hans finished, sealing his lips shut and vanishing into the dust.
"Maybe it was just a good day, or fluke or something?" Brody shrugged, only for Hans to have already disappeared.
"Stand back!" Kaylynn shouted, swiping her arm and summoning a powerful gust of wind that seemingly vortexed on the palm of her hand, staying transfixed and shrouded from the laws of time themselves...
Until she yanked open a hand-held fan glowing green, and with swift and elegant movement... The gust of wind shot forth, tearing open the entire cloud of dust that veiled the chaos taking place in the heart of Seh Jenah...
...
Hans grit his teeth, staring intently not at the countless cowering and injured people... But towards the far wall at the end of the Plaza...
'Coward...' Was Hans first thought, only being brutally honest with himself despite the status of the so-called coward.
Vex pushed himself to his feet... His armor almost vibrating over his flesh in what could only be described as complete agony...
Hans tore the cloak from his shoulder, letting it float and soar into the sky above.
He grabbed his tied bandages, yanking them as tight as possible while keeping his gaze completely honed in on the Vex of Seh Jenah... Who stood motionless, at least beyond that of his body clearly recoiling in immense pain.
Suddenly... He moved...
But instead of a fast burst targeted to end Hans' life before the battle could even begin...
Veximus slowly stepped forward... Foot and after foot... And as he walked, his ragged black hair with indigo stripes hung over his unseeable eyes...
Suddenly, he began to rip his own armor off... Piece by piece...
Clank!
Clatter!
Ta-Ting...
His fingers easily ripped apart the same armor that Hans and Chase had broken into with a singular attack... Out of the countless combined assaults...
And yet...
Vex's low voice rippled through the air...
"In what world... Did you think coming back here would benefit you...?" Vex growled, the already shattered ground below trembling under his immensely visible aura.
"Is it desire? No no no no... That can't be right? IN WHAT WORLD!? COULD YOU POSSIBLY BEAT ME AT YOUR CURRENT STRENGTH!?" Vex screamed in outrage, his fingers... No...
His claws dragged across the ground with a terrible shriek... And his eyes began to shimmer from beyond the remaining clouds of dust untouched by Kaylynn's energy.
However, instead of starting the battle just yet...
Hans began to laugh.
"Surely you know who I am by now!?" He called back, outstretching his ruined arms in what could only be described as predetermined triumph.
Vex responded in suite... Letting his humor get the better of him.
Madness sat laced on the edge of the Vex's remaining humanity...
"Haha! Hahaha! You think I care? You may carry the blood of a Primordial! But think of it like this... The gap between you and that Devil is like that of the Grand Paladin and the common folk! And I have both of your names beneath my own..." Vex grinned.
"Tch... We'll see..." Hans grit his teeth, bracing every muscle in his body before launching himself with incredible speed at the Vex of Seh Jenah... Who greeted in kind, swaying his head and grabbing Hans by the ankle, only for Hans to kick back with his opposite foot, sending a powerful gust of force point blank at Vex.
He yawned, stomping his foot to retain his balance while also completely decimating the ground around them.
Hans grinned, aiming his palm towards the ever-devouring sinkhole below while green and purple energy began to radiate from his pores.
"As if!" Vex roared, slashing Hans in the shoulder and sending him soaring into the fortress walls with a decimating explosion...