(Character stat cards: link in the description below the content.)

Repulsed by the old priestess’s offering, Aithon simply turned away and tried to refocus his attention back on Elsie. “Anyway, Gerhard neither possessed the capacity nor the opportunity to kidnap the Princess, as I was with him the entire time," Aithon explained, his voice steeped with annoyance. "The culprits entered the Queen's chamber from within the palace, as no one entered through the windows," he continued, his voice now accusatory, "which means they must have had access to the grand palace and the ability to bypass the royal guards. And we’re talking about someone powerful enough to stand up to Astro. "

“Well, with His Majesty and his escorts halfway across the sea, that only leaves us, the chief priests!” Elsie sneered bitterly, her anger growing with every exchange.

“Indeed,” Aithon replied disdainfully as his scornful gaze locked onto hers.

“Do you insinuate that one of us, your brothers and sisters of the inner circle, has interfered with the mission?” Elsie asked in disbelief, her iritation evident in her voice. Aithon was in a precarious position and she was well aware that he was shifting blame simply to secure his own safety. Mission had failed, not necessarily in direct result of Aithon’s performance or lack thereof, but fairness was irrelevant when the stakes were this high. At worst, repercussions had the potential of starting an open war between the crown and the temple. Someone would have to bear the brunt of the failure and unfortunately for Aithon, he was leading the short list of candidates. “The gravity of your accusation is not lost on me, Aithon,” Elsie continued with a cold edge in her voice. “Something you may have to pay for with your life if you don’t watch your tongue. And that’s a warning, in case your wits have failed to grasp the seriousnes of my tone.”

“Hmph! Your threat is not lost on me, Sister,” Aithon retorted, shooting a piercing glare at his fellow chief priestess. "But what I do fail to grasp is any explanation that does not involve a traitor," he snarled. "Kerius and the dissidents are halfway across the Erebos Sea. So tell me, Elsie, who else is capable of pulling this off?” he spoke with contempt, staring at her with squinted eyes. “And where are Murdock and Charlotte? Isn't it strange that they’ve both vanished during this critical time of urgency?"

Each word that escaped Aithon's mouth only served to further kindle Elsie's mounting anger. On impulse, her small fingers glided over one of the shining metal pieces on her shoulder belt, and with a flick of her wrist, she hurled it straight towards Aithon's face. The small blade glistened in the reflection of his hazel eye as it sliced through the thick, tense air that hung between them.

But Aithon remained still as the night, his fingers hovering over the sheath of his saber and his thumb firmly digging into the guard. Then with a sudden flick of his thumb, one of his Windchasers sprang out halfway from its sheath, its hilt crossing the path of the blade just in time to deflect it just inches away from his face.

"That's my final warning, Aithon. If you cast doubt on our loyalty to His Excellency again, I will not hesitate to strike you down," Elsie's voice rang out with anger as tensions escalated between the two chiefs. "And do you really believe that Murdock, that giant of a man, could have maneuvered himself into Her Majesty's chamber, snuck in and out, eluding the surveillance of hundreds of pairs of eyes?"

"And what of Charlotte?" Aithon asked, his eyes locking fearlessly onto Elsie's. "We all remember how outspoken she was in her disagreement with His Excellency's decision to take the Queen's firstborn under his wings."

"Under his wings... Is that what they call abduction these days?" Elsie retorted, her voice sharp and biting with sarcasm. “Charlotte spoke her mind as I would have. It does not put her loyalty in doubt and it certainly does not make her a dissident.”

“Speak her mind?!” Aithon scoffed, his voice rising with intensity. “The scriptures implore us to heed its warning of the coming of the devil in the body of a Princess –” words poured out of Aithon with unrelenting force.

“How can you be so certain the scripture points to the firstborn of Queen Beatrice?!” Elsie challenged, her tone firm and unwavering.

“Who else could it be?!” Aithon shot back in frustration. “There is only one man qualified to interpret scripture and that is His Excellency, Sandalius Messala,” Aithon continued, “Not Aithon Kraus, not you, Elsie Bearheart, and certainly not Charlotte Cox! In fact if His Excellency’s interpretation points to sacrificing my own flesh and blood, I would not hesitate to serve it to him on a platter. We do not question his decision!”

“How convenient of you to speak of obedience when it works to your favor,” Elsie retorted, showing no sign of letting up. “We are discussing the life of a princess, the future of a kingdom. The slightest of errors in our interpretation could have far-reaching ramifications that could make or break a kingdom!” she spoke as if she were drilling these points into his thick skull.

“You speak as if His Excellency had an intention to harm the child!” Aithon replied in frustration, throwing his arms up. “It was for her protection! He would’ve purged her of her curse!”

“That is not for us to decide!” Elsie stood firm in her beliefs.

"Aargh!" Aithon let out a grunt of anguish. "You sound just like Kerius! Perhaps you and Charlotte have already aligned yourselves with the dissidents!" Frustration mounting, Aithon snapped impulsively, immediately regretting his words and well aware of their consequences.

Elsie instantly erupted in a fit of anger.

Dame Elsie, do you wish to transform into a Guardian Knight?

Yes/No

"Yes," Elsie gritted her teeth in anger and without hesitation, she hurled Voodoo, her trusted guardian doll, to the ground. The doll shattered into countless particles of light, and Elsie followed suit, disintegrating into millions of photons that were immediately drawn to the particles of light hovering over the spot where Voodoo had once lay in the grass. They soon reassembled themselves into a magnificent display of radiance pulsating with a heartbeat. Gradually, the light grew bigger and taller, stretching out into a brilliant figure standing over forty feet in height. Taking shape, it formed a lump near the top, which began to mold into a head covered in a round helmet. It then gave itself a good squeeze as limbs started to protrude from both sides. With every detail etched in, the radiance began to dim, and the features of Elsie holding a Voodoo doll came to life before them. The details of her appearance, such as her big round red eyes, her porcelain skin, and her ponytails, weren’t lost in her form as a guardian knight except for the round wooden helmet with ears of a bear sprouting from the top and the face of Voodoo smiling painted over the front, which was fitted tightly over her head.

"Arghh!" Elsie, the guardian knight, roared in her colossal body, towering over Aithon and forcing him to take a step back. Elsie's eyes blazed with fury as she reached for her needles.

"Elsie, no!" Jivanti exclaimed urgently, quickly making her way over to the girl, her bare feet surprisingly nimble as she shuffled over the thick grass.

Aithon had drawn both of his Windchasers and retreated into a defensive stance. His feet were spread wide apart, his left saber raised with the blade pointing straight up to shield his face, and his right blade drawn back, ready for a quick counter-thrust.

"Take the high road, Sister. A fight here between you two will draw the attention of the entire city," implored Jivanti.

Elsie's eyes, once ablaze with fury, had now turned completely cold as she locked her gaze with Aithon. "I want an apology," she demanded.

“Aithon, you’ve crossed the line. You misdirected your accusations as you are misidirecting your blades now. An apology is in order,” Jivanti said with a voice that belied her gentle soul, hoping the young swordsman still retained enough sense to do the right thing.

“I do not trust either of you,” Aithon replied, disappointing Jivanti’s hopes.

“That’s it. Step aside, Jivanti. This is between me and –”

Scrunch.

A sudden stillness settled over the chiefs as their flaring emotions quickly sobered, and their ears perked up at the sound just beyond the hedgerow of tall junipers. Without hesitation, Aithon, with his Windchasers stretched out before him, used Dash to tear through the hedge, vanishing beyond the grove in a blur.

Using Mana (4 m/sec)

Activating red strain.

Dash.

Increases your movement speed by 200%. Movement Speed 55 → 165.