Many members of the defending Hanilia within the castle maintained their positions in case Alba attempted to do anything that would require a counterattack. The Skylian Mages, however, found themselves walking to the center of the castle to see what they could glean from a conversation with the other key figures of the group. Tuila, Liathine, Valdez, Zelda, and Tavi were there when the Skylian Mages arrived, and Jay found herself staring down at the ground just so that she didn't have to meet Zelda's gaze. Luckily for her, Zelda appeared to be doing much the same thing. Nobody else dared to comment on it for the time being, knowing that there were much more important things to focus on than Jay and Zelda's lack of an ability to reconcile their past experiences.
"Alba and their Ice monsters have the place surrounded. If we want to fend them off, we have to act quickly and carefully," Colt declared. "There's only so long that a barrier around the castle is going to hold. My magic is sealing all of the heat inside rather than sucking it out, but that isn't going to stay the case forever. As soon as Alba is able to get through it, then we're going to have quite a fight ahead of ourselves."
"A surprise attack is the best way to go about this," Lana pointed out. "If you ask me, we should start by sending out a few crucial fighters to attack Alba from behind and injure them critically enough that they're forced to retreat. As morbid as this sounds, the best possible outcome would involve us killing them here and now so that we don't have to put up with potential attacks the next time that they decide that they're seeking a bit of combat-based activity."
"If we teleport too close, then we're going to wind up being spotted. Any people that leave the castle and teleport elsewhere are going to have to be close enough to be able to come back here in a timely fashion but far enough away that Alba doesn't pick up on it. This is going to have to be fast, so we don't have much time to deliberate over who it is that we can use for this," Liathine said next. "Weapons are our best bet. Alba's resistance to magical power is too high, and we're going to need to use something physical that can hurt them long term. As much as I love using magic, it simply isn't going to cut it here."
"Who here is the best with physical weapons?" Tavi questioned, though it was clear as could be that the inquiry was rhetorical when he glance dup in Zelda's direction. "You know your way around a few weapons, Zelda. I feel like you're a natural choice for this mission, so you had best prepare yourself for what's to come next."
"You know who else is good with weapons?" Jubilee echoed with a small smirk on her face, though it was edged with something far darker when one looked close enough. "Jay knows how to fight with them. Arian might have the power of Blade magic thanks to his position as a Skylian Mage, but he's still not the best with them when compared to Jay. That should make the choice here obvious."
"Perfect then. It sounds to me like we've got our team to sneak out and defeat Alba," Liathine announced, not waiting for anyone to offer an objection. She glanced back and forth between Jay and Zelda, both of whom looked as shocked as could be, before shrugging nonchalantly. "You know that we don't have much of a choice with this. We have to get going for the sake of the future. Alba's not going to be holding back, and if we want to have a future at all, then we've got to snipe them down as soon as possible. You're the ones with the best chance of doing it, so go on and take care of the mission."
"Even if you two get on like a house on fire, you have to do this for everyone else," Valdez cut in without giving Jay or Zelda the chance to respond. "This isn't about your history or lack thereof. Now get out there and take care of what we've decided must be done." As usual, Valdez wasn't one to mince words, and his eyes were narrowed as he looked down at the two girls. His height advantage over everyone else in the room only became more terrifying, and he began to walk for the room soon afterwards, a sign that he wasn't going to be taking any suggestions from anyone on this subject. Before a further word could be spoken, he was gone from view, already rounding the corner to return to his post and help with the defensive positions needed to hold the line and keep Alba from getting into the castle.
After Valdez left, the area was heavy and eerily silent for a few long moments. Everyone was fully aware of how awful of an idea it was to tempt Valdez when he got to be this way, so there weren't even any attempts to talk him down once he had set his mind on the goal at hand. Besides, he most certainly had a point in the fact that they knew what had to be done. The next big step would simply be putting it into motion for better or worse.
"I'm glad that we all understand each other," Tuila declared with a sigh. "Zelda, you know how to work with teleportation magic. I'm sure that you'll be able to take both yourself and Jay to the area outside of the battlefield and then pop up and kill Alba for us. Even if you can't kill them, you need to do what you can to injure them. That's what matters most right now, and I have every confidence that you can do this as long as you both put your minds to it. You can work well on your own, and your power will undoubtedly only increase together. I'm wishing you both luck. For the time being, we all have to focus on the defense of the castle, so I only have one request of you both... Don't muck this up."
Nobody had the chance to say anything before Tuila had left the room, and her departure clearly marked the meeting as over. It had been a brief encounter, but that was seemingly all that they needed. The Skylian Mages all looked to one another, and Jay's eyes made it clear that she was silently pleading for help in the wake of this unfortunate decision. She knew that there was no way to worm her way out of this, but she was going to be upset about it regardless, it seemed. After all, this was the last thing that she ever could have wanted in terms of a fighting partner.
Tavi gave one last glance over his shoulder to Zelda before leaving the room with Liathine. Zelda watched him with a detached glare even though it wasn't specifically targeted at him or his actions to push her to the forefront of attention during the meeting. The Skylian Mages wound up leaving when Jubilee started to nudge them out, though Arian and Ronan spared Jay glances of pity before they were pulled back to their regular positions to prepare for the next part of the battle to come.
Jay forced herself to meet Zelda's eyes for the first time since the meeting had begun, doing her best to keep her expression as even as possible even though it felt like she was screaming on the inside. Being petty wasn't going to help anyone, and it was the last thing that either one of them could afford given the circumstances. Tuila was right in saying that there were others in the castle counting on them, and the same applied to what Valdez had communicated. They had no choice but to follow through with this even though it was clear that they wanted nothing more than to protest.
"Let's get this over with," Jay muttered under her breath. She was trying her best to not seem too spiteful, but she knew that she wasn't succeeding. Being paired together for this mission was the start of being rolled down a slippery slope, and Jay was fully aware of it. Being around Zelda for this one important series of events was going to mean that they had a reason to speak from that point forwards. Zelda would undoubtedly approach her to ask about the tension that had been hanging in the air between them. Even if Zelda knew the cause, there was no longer a way for them to run away from the truth because they didn't want to confront the awkward heaviness that thrived when they were in the same room. There would always be another mission, after all, and they had to be ready for it as soon as possible.
"Alright," Zelda murmured, though her tone was much more neutral than Jay's had been a few moments prior. She reached out with one hand, ready to take Jay's fingers between her own. For a long moment, Jay just stared at Zelda's upturned palm, wishing that there would be some way for her to not follow through with this. Jay liked to think that she was strong when it came to keeping her emotions out of important matters, almost to the point that it was a fault like it had been when she first met the Skylian Mages, but this was one time where her weaknesses were starting to show. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't just leave the past in the past as far as Zelda's actions were concerned, and even if everyone said that it was understandable, Jay knew that she couldn't hold onto this forever. It wasn't a matter of if her opinions were justified or not; they were always in danger because of the nature of their work, and being petty and irritated with one another was only going to complicate matters in a way that they simply couldn't afford.
Jay swallowed down the bile that was rising in her throat between a combination of stress, anxiety, and anger as she allowed herself to take Zelda's hand in response. The air around them began to distort as the teleportation spell was cast, and Jay kept her eyes trained solely on Zelda to make sure that the other mage didn't try anything sneaky that could be considered treachery. After all, that was the last thing that they could afford. In a time when everything was falling apart, they had to find a way to work together despite past events.
When the air stopped swirling and the world halted in its excessive tilting motions, Jay found herself on the ground. She recognized the location immediately as a place a short distance away from the castle on the edge of town. Jay nodded to herself as she took in the full environment, allowing herself to find concentration in the fact that she was still in a place that she knew. Even if this was an awful situation to be in, there was at least something for her to latch onto and consider to be positive.
"I can tell that you still don't trust me."
Jay jumped when she heard Zelda's words and realized that she had allowed her guard to drop for a few precious moments. She glanced in the direction of the other girl and found that Zelda had crossed her arms as she stared at Jay with an intense glare. "I'm not trying to say that I deserve all of your trust or anything like that. I understand what I've done, and the last thing that I'm going to do is pressure you into believing that having faith in me is the only thing that you can do. I'm not about to force you into this if you don't think that it's right. I've done awful things, and you have every right to not forgive me for that. However, I do know as well that we're in a crucial position right now where lives are counting on us for the sake of keeping this dream of ours alive. The Lakinya over there is going to destroy everything that we've worked towards if we don't go and take care of her here and now. You can hate me all that you want. I'm not going to stop you, but you have to understand that this isn't a point in time where we can hesitate or falter," Zelda said, her voice as even and blunt as she could muster.
"I'm not going to be petty, if that's what you're thinking," Jay assured her. "I know where we stand, and the last thing that I want to do is put everyone else at risk because I don't know when to hide my grudges when the time is right. Now, let's go and focus on just taking care of this, alright? They're counting on us, after all, and we don't know how long Alba is going to be holding back before she destroys the castle and everybody inside."
Zelda stared at Jay for another long moment, and it was clear as could be that she was still aware Jay didn't entirely trust her. She seemed to notice that there wasn't going to be a way for her to force the past to rest solely in the past in that moment though. There was too much for them to do for her to get distracted with pushing Jay into believing one ideology or the other, so she simply let out a sigh and started to walk forwards carefully. Jay trailed after her by a few feet, eyes locked on the ground so that she didn't have to look up at Zelda.
After that, their conversation lapsed into silence, and Jay was more than fine with that. She figured that they were going to wind up having to do more than enough talking after all of this was over. She could tell by the way that the rest of her team watched her when they thought she wasn't paying attention that they were worried about her abilities to work with Zelda. The two girls were going to have to sit down and have a serious discussion about all that they had been through if they were going to find peace among the group. Jay was sure of that much, and she knew better than to try and protest.
But for the time being, she had a mission. Concerns like that could wait until after the battle. Jay focused on placing one foot in front of the other in a steady rhythm that allowed her to stay both concentrated and distracted at the same time. They would be arriving at their destination soon, and she had to be ready for what was to come when they reached the end of this brief journey of theirs.
The continuation of Jay and Zelda's journey in the direction of the castle happened in complete silence. Jay didn't want to say anything, and Zelda didn't have the heart nor the privilege to break through the silence either. They knew where they stood, and they were due for a lengthy discussion about it as soon as they were out of the grasp of battle. Alba had to come first though. As soon as they managed to fire an arrow into Alba's chest (or something similar to that, at the very least), everything else could become a concern again.
One thing that shocked Jay was the lack of people in the area. As far as she had been aware, Alba was great at teleporting in somewhere with little need to stretch out and send their monsters elsewhere. Jay didn't think that she had ever seen the town surrounding the castle so empty. Even after the Skylox Heroes were lost, the people continued on with their daily routines in the shadow of some wicked form of denial that refused to allow anybody to truly confront the reality of the situation. It was eerie, and the silence somehow made Jay feel as if she was going to suffocate even though she knew that wasn't going to be the case.
Zelda was quiet as well, and if her expression was anything to go off, she was shocked to see the area so empty in much the same way that Jay was. Chances were high that the people of the area had all decided that this would be the perfect time to retreat into the depths of their homes and wait for the danger near the castle to blow over, and Jay could hardly blame anyone for making such an evaluation. Had she been in their position, she would have done much the same thing.
Soon enough, Alba and the Ice monsters surrounding the castle came into view, and Jay's expression slipped into a heavy frown. She glanced over to Zelda after taking in all of the details that she needed to see about the Alba situation. The Ice Lakinya had their hands pressed against a window on the bottom floor that had been completely covered with a thick layer of magic on Colt's behalf. The other Ice mages within the castle were likely fueling the barrier as a way of keeping Alba out and distracted for as long as possible. The fiery circle that Jubilee had summoned just a short while beforehand was starting to die out because of the lack of constant energy being sent into it. All it had taken was one hit from Alba for everything to start falling apart, and from there, the occupants of the castle were left without much of a plan or the ability to defend themselves from what was to come next.
Zelda snapped her fingers, ensuring that the sound was next to silent as she reached into the air and grabbed a bow and arrow that had been formed from her magic. She nocked the arrow against the bow and prepared to aim it in Alba's direction, but before she could release the attack, she shook her head and dropped the weapon back down to her side. Jay's eyes went wide as she tried to rationalize this decision and figure out what it was that was causing Zelda to hesitate all of a sudden.
Zelda closed her eyes, and a small orb of purple energy passed over the two girls, consuming their heads in a sheet of magic that would block out all sound from the rest of the world. "We aren't going to be able to get them with just one arrow. Last time, it took multiple attacks for Alba to be forced to just retreat, and if we're hoping to potentially do something lethal, then we have to put in a bit more energy. Do you understand what I'm trying to say here?" Zelda questioned, keeping her voice just above a whisper even though there was no logical way for Alba to hear them as they tried to figure out a plan for what was to come next.
Jay sighed as soon as she put the pieces together regarding what Zelda was trying to say. "You think that it's time for us to send a pair of arrows at her. We have to attack her at the same time if we want to stand any chance of actually being able to keep her from causing significant harm to the people within the castle," she concluded. When Zelda nodded in response, Jay allowed her own fingers to come up next to her face as she snapped as quietly as possible. Her bow and arrow were different from Zelda's since hers were made out of Blade magic rather than Chaos, but she figured that the difference didn't matter too much. This was how they were going to be getting the job done, and that had to count for something when push came to shove.
Zelda allowed the magical orb to dispel itself a moment later. That meant that they weren't going to be able to talk from that point on if they didn't want to be caught. Zelda carefully pulled Jay down behind a bush that just so happened to be perched beside the entrance to an abandoned house. It wasn't large, but it kept them out of view while allowing them to be close enough to Alba and their forces to get in a successful shot. She nocked her arrow once again and prepared to send the attack flying free before glancing over to Jay with a pointed glance that expected her companion to do much the same.
Jay nodded to herself and forced herself to take a silent but still grounding breath. She placed the arrow on her bow as well and prepared for what was to come. As she did so, she found herself wincing at the realization that this wasn't exactly an unfamiliar situation to her. Jay hadn't been sure as to the identity of the other person who helped to send Alba packing the last time, but it was suddenly clear as could be that Zelda had been the one to work with her to repel their foe during the previous attack. Jay kicked herself for not realizing it sooner because of the fact that they were two of the best fighters when it came to weapons. The only other notable possibility that stuck out to her was Aru, the Blade Draconic Superior, but that seemed unlikely given how he had been positioned on the other side of the castle at the time of the attack. In other words, this was not the first time that she and Zelda had worked together in such a manner, and if Jay had to guess with a bitter snarl, she would assume that it was going to be far from the last.
If Zelda noticed the way that Jay hesitated, she chose to not comment on it on account of how important it was for them to remain silent. Alba was continuing to claw at the surface of the window nearby, desperate to get inside even if it killed them. This was going to be their best bet at ending everything. After all, Alba was getting closer to piercing the barrier of ice, and as soon as they were able to sink their magical claws into the power, then it would turn against the occupants of the castle. Colt's attempts to trap the heat within the building would turn into their downfall if she and Zelda didn't get to work sooner rather than later.
Luckily for Jay, Zelda was just as ready as she was, and as soon as the two spared a glance in the other's direction, their arrows were hurtling through the air towards their shared target. That was seemingly all that it took, and the arrows slammed into their intended victim. Jay didn't catch many of the details regarding where Alba was hit specifically, but that didn't matter much in the end anyways. She did see the blood start to seep free of the wounds, and a moment later, Alba was gone in a puff of bluish smoke that indicated teleportation magic. To be more specific, it indicated teleportation magic that was on the verge of going completely wrong on account of magical instability. If that wasn't a sign that they had managed to accomplish their mission, then Jay didn't know what was.
For another few long moments, Zelda was completely silent, and Jay followed suit. They remained in place just to make sure that Alba didn't return with some newfound sense of angry vengeance that would push them to target the pair of fighters that had caused such grievous injuries. When Alba did not return, Zelda let out a sigh, finally allowing herself to make noise as she rose to her feet. Her bow dissipated into little more than a puff of air as she stretched her arms above her head. "There we are. We're finished for now, and that means that it's time for us to go back to the castle."
Jay opened her mouth to say something, but a moment later, the monsters of Ice magic disappeared as well. Alba had been in such a rush to escape that they had forgotten to bring their creations along with them, though that record didn't last long. As soon as the beasts had vanished, Zelda gestured for Jay to follow after her. Zelda's lips remained fixed into a thin line that made it clear she wouldn't be hearing any objections. Then again, it wasn't as if Jay particularly wanted to protest against her wishes on a subject of this nature anyways. She wanted to get back to the castle just as much as anyone else.
The castle remained just as icy on the exterior as it had been when they first left the place behind, and for a long moment, Jay wondered if the occupants of the building were even aware that the coast was clear. She bitterly thought about why she had even doubted them a moment later when the ice faded away, and when it did, Jay could see the unmistakable outline of Colt against the backdrop of a window with his hand extended in front of his body. He came to the surface of the glass a moment later, and he offered a curt nod down in the direction of Jay and Zelda as a silent way of showing that their efforts had been appreciated in sending Alba the other direction.
From there, it was just a matter of entering the building once more, and Zelda was on the verge of walking in her own direction when Jay found herself cutting the other girl off. "Wait," she said. She hated the fact that she was talking in the first place, but she knew that this was for the best. After all, this was something that they needed to do, and this battle had made it more clear than ever. No matter how much Jay wanted to just run from both the past and her feelings, she had to confront her uncomfortable dynamic with Zelda sooner rather than later, and even if it wasn't for her own personal sense of comfort, she knew that others were counting on her to at least put in the effort, and Jay was going to try for their sakes.
Zelda paused and turned to face Jay, her eyes narrowing. She didn't need to be told what was happening to understand that Jay was trying to get her to start talking about their past issues. "What is it?" she asked. She kept her question ambiguous as if she thought it would be for the best if Jay was forced to explain herself before they went off to take care of whatever business wound up being presented during the span of their upcoming conversation.
"We need to talk," Jay muttered. She let out a small sigh as she shoved her shoulders back and met Zelda's gaze. "We've been avoiding each other for too long, and I think that it's time we do what we can to change that."
Zelda stared at her for a long moment, her gaze impossible to read, before she nodded. "I'm glad that you feel the same way. Come on. Let's go and take care of it," she said simply, still not the type to mince words if it could be avoided. She pivoted on her heel and walked deeper into the castle, making it clear that Jay was meant to be following her. If they weren't going to take care of their issues then, it wasn't ever going to get done. After all, Jay knew fully well that she was a professional when it came to running from and avoiding her emotions, and the last thing that she wanted was to make that an issue for others outside of her personal circle of herself and her own problems.
Zelda didn't say anything as they made their way in the direction of their destination. Zelda wound up choosing a small room far from the rest of the castle's occupants for their brief discussion. That way, nobody would feel the need to intervene in their brief conversation about past emotions and how they were going to influence future decisions. This was something that they had to take care of on their own terms, after all. Discussions about what had happened during the fight and what was set to come next could wait just a little bit longer as far as both of them were concerned. If they were going to be able to work past everything that had been mounting for ages upon ages, then they had to take care of it as soon as possible.
It wasn't until after the two girls had settled down into chairs that were about three feet apart within the room that either one of them dared to make eye contact once again. Jay wondered with an internalized snort if perhaps Zelda had known that this was going to happen. It would certainly explain why a room that was usually empty had been repurposed into an improvised meeting space with the perfect amount of chairs for their impending round of discussion.
In the end, Jay forced the thought process from her mind as she glanced up to Zelda. As soon as the two girls had started staring at one another, it became impossible to stop. Jay couldn't tell if she was dreading or anticipating this moment more, but she shoved the concept out of her mind as soon as the chance arose. As long as she was taking care of this, that was what mattered most when push came to shove.
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Oh boy here we go yall I'm back
-Digital