MakiaVi: The Frozen King - Chapter Five (Patreon)

 
As dawn broke in Likeen, the sun peeked over the luscious Ferdan Hills. The team awoke to the smell of breakfast being made downstairs. As they walked into the kitchen, they were greeted to a wonderful spread of fried eggs, sliced ham and freshly baked bread. “Eat up everyone!” Seline said with a warm smile. “You all have a big trip ahead of you.” As they ate, Edion noticed that Riza had swapped her overalls for a simple blouse and slacks. This outfit suited her better. They finished their meal and prepared to make their way back to the MakiaVi. 
Riza grabbed a small backpack near the door and hugged her parents in the doorway. “I’ll visit when I can.” 
Durek chuckled. “Of course. Remember to stay safe out there.” 
“I will.”
The four of them left the house and waved to Riza’s family as they traveled west towards the MakiaVi. They flew past acres of beautiful golden plains with a river running parallel to them. “What’s the MakiaVi like?” Riza asked. 
“Oh it’s a beautiful city!” Zan said. “Tall spires, chiseled statues, and it’s surrounded by massive walls.” 
“Wow. I can’t wait to see it.”
By the time the city was in sight, the sun was high in the sky. 
Edion pointed to the top floor of the deployment center. “We have to meet up with Elise and give her our report.”
“Who’s Elise?” Riza asked.
“She’s our leader. Even though she’s the strongest fighter in the city, I don’t think she goes on missions much anymore.”
“That’s true.” Zan said. He pointed to the top of the deployment center. “She spends almost all of her time in that office now.”
A earth-shattering explosion came from the top of the deployment center, sending rubble in all directions. Smoke gathered in the air from the flames that erupted from the structure. Even at their height, the team could hear the panicked screams of the citizens below. Bellatrix held her hands over her mouth. “Oh my god. What happened?”
“I don’t know but we are going to find out!” Edion said. As they flew closer, they saw that Elise’s office was the source of the explosion. The entire wall was blown out with shattered pieces of furniture strewn about the scorched carpet. Where Elise’s desk had been was the epicenter of the blast. All that remained were charred scraps of wood. Edion doused the nearby flames with a blast of ice from his hands. 
“Elise! Elise! Where are you?!” Zan yelled as he flew around the room. He tossed the planks and bits of furniture about the office. Attached to a broken plank under the remnants of her desk was a scrap of Elise’s blue jacket. “Dear gods... no...” He grabbed it and fell to his knees, trying to hold back tears. The rest of his team gathered around him.
“I’m sorry.” Bellatrix said.
Zan clutched the cloth in his hands as tears ran down his face. “I swear, I will find whoever did this a tear them apart!”
“Not if I get to them first.” A voice called from behind them. They turned around to see Elise floating outside the building. Her clothes were torn to shreds but there wasn’t a scratch on her. “Did you really think I would die that easily?” 
Zan jumped and hugged his sister tightly, almost knocking her out of the sky. “I thought I had lost you!” 
Elise smiled. “Oh please. I’ve dealt with much worse than that. There is a reason I’m the grandmaster.”
Edion flew up to meet them. “I hate to break up such a tender moment but what the hell happened here?” 
Elise flew into what remained of her office. “Someone sent me a bomb. It wouldn’t be the first time. This one was actually much less powerful than usual.” Elise looked Riza up and down. “Who is this?” 
Riza bowed to Elise. “Riza Rikara of Likeen.”
“Durek’s daughter?” Elise turned to the team. “Why did you bring her here?”
Zan rubbed the back of his head. “Well it turns out that she is the one that we were looking for.”
Elise glared at Riza. “So you were the one causing all that trouble. Give me one good reason I shouldn’t execute you right now.”
Riza knelt to Elise with her head down. “Do as you see fit. I know I don’t deserve mercy but if you allow me to join the MakiaVi, I will fight to protect the defenceless until my last breath.”
“She fights well too.” Edion said. “I think she’s already on par with us if not better.”
“She only wanted to protect people.” Bellatrix said. “With a little guidance, I think she will make a powerful ally.”
Elise sighed. “Fine. I guess we can’t be picky. I’ll have one of the C rank members evaluate your skills and fill any gaps in training. We will also have to outfit you with a proper weapon.”
Riza jumped up and cheered. “Thank you so much. You won’t regret this.”
“You better hope I don’t.” Elise grumbled.
Edion took a look at the scorch marks around Elise’s office. He kicked up a bit of the debris and noticed that familiar symbols were burned into the ground. “Hold on a minute.” He looked around and noticed the there were similar markings all over the walls and ceiling as well. The markings began to glow light blue. “By Xarada. Everyone out! Now!”
They rushed out of the giant hole in the office. The second they escaped, razor sharp spears of ice shot out from each of the symbols. There was not an inch of the office left untouched by the attack. 
“Now that might have left a mark.” Elise said. 
“What the hell was that?” Riza yelled.
“Who could have crafted a spell so strong?” Zan asked. 
Edion clenched his fists so tightly, his claws dug into his skin. Trickles of blood came from his palms. “There is only one person who could have done this.”

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