Skill Forge: Broken Extra Character

Reynolds, the king, sat at the head of the table, but his mind seemed far from the discussion. His gaze wandered, his fingers drumming softly against the table as if trying to keep himself grounded. The conversation was background noise to him, though the weight of his decisions was clearly taking its toll.

"Seems like most of us are here, so why don\'t we start?" one of them spoke up, breaking the silence. The voice was sharp, belonging to Alister.

"What about Jerry though?" a female voice interjected. It was Veda, her eyes gleaming with a strange mix of fondness and obsession as she mentioned the absent member. "I can\'t imagine you didn\'t send him a message too. It\'s been a while since I saw his face... though I\'m not looking forward to seeing his wife." Her last words were laced with subtle bitterness.

Reynolds finally snapped out of his thoughts, rubbing his temple before speaking. "He\'ll be here. We\'ll have to start without him for now." His voice was low but firm, trying to steer the conversation back on track.

As the others settled in, Reynolds\' tone darkened. "Zell, Veda, Alister, Helen, Vic, Aloy..." He paused, looking at each of them with a grave expression. "They brought him back."

The room erupted into shocked exclamations, the weight of his words sending a wave of unease across the table.

"What!?" They all chorused at the same time.

"You can\'t tell that to Jerry!" Vic, the tank, leaned forward, his voice full of concern. His gruff demeanor softened for a moment, replaced by genuine worry. "Do you remember what happened the last time? And most especially… Eva? She won\'t take this well."

"Oh, my sweet Jerry…" Veda sighed, her eyes glazing over with a mix of sorrow and obsession. "This is a nightmare all over again."

Helen, her face grim, shot a pointed look at Reynolds. "You knew this and still asked him to come here? Nice one," she said, her voice tinged with frustration as she found herself siding with the others for once.

Before Reynolds could reply, Aloy, the one often at odds with Helen, spoke up. His voice was calm but edged with cold realism. "Cut him some slack, will you?" He glanced around the room, his usual teasing gone. "If that thing is back in the land of the living, giving a friend PTSD should be the least of our worries. We all have a bone to pick with that bastard anyways."

The room fell into a heavy silence as the group let the gravity of the situation sink in. Each of them carried scars from the past, and now those wounds were about to be ripped open again.

The room was thick with silence, the kind that weighed down on everyone\'s shoulders. Tension coiled in the air like a drawn bowstring, the unspoken threat of conflict lingering. Every breath felt heavy, the only sound being the occasional crackle of magic in the background.

"It\'s true, I felt it. The only ones foolish enough to tamper with the seal we placed on Zet would be the Crimson Hound," Zell said, her voice cold, almost indifferent, as she voiced her thoughts. "But how? Did Jerry screw it up?"

"Don\'t you dare talk about my Jerry like that," Veda snapped, her face twisting in anger. Without a second thought, she summoned a magic circle right in front of Zell, the energy sparking dangerously between them.

Zell\'s eyes gleamed, an unhinged smirk curling at the edge of her lips. There was something wild in her gaze, as if she thrived on provoking others. "What\'s the matter? Did I hit a nerve?"

"Drop it, Veda," Alister, the spear-wielder, intervened with a calm but firm tone, stepping forward as he shot her a look, urging her to stand down. "We didn\'t come here to tear each other apart."

Zell let out a sharp chuckle, her eyes never leaving Veda. "It\'s not like I said anything wrong."

"I want him to explain himself too. That\'s why I summoned him," she continued, the smirk still on her face.

Alister sighed, shaking his head slightly, but a hint of amusement danced in his eyes. "Oh man, wait till the others hear about this," he muttered under his breath, almost as if entertained by the chaos.

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Suddenly, the door slammed open. Jerry stormed in, fury etched into every line of his face. His eyes burned with barely-contained rage, his presence enough to silence the room even further.

*****

"Just behind this door is the treasure we\'ve been hunting for. Are you ready to be amazed?" Jett asked, a sly grin on his face as he tried to build the suspense, his voice full of playful energy.

Aiden wasn\'t having any of it. "For fuck\'s sake, just open the damn door," he growled, shoving Jett aside with a roll of his eyes.

"Not so fast, pretty boy," Jett shot back, his grin fading slightly. He raised a hand, stopping Aiden. "Before we go in, remember… I won\'t be able to help once we\'re inside. You\'re on your own from here."

Jett and Aiden shoved the heavy door open with a loud creak. As it swung wide, they stepped into a vast, empty hall. The air was thick with the scent of old stone, and the only light came from torches flickering along the walls. In the center of the room, two lifelike statues stood as silent sentinels, their stone faces locked at straight at Aiden and Elora.

One statue held a single sword, its blade pointed skyward, as if ready to pierce the heavens. The other clutched two swords, crossed protectively over its chest, its stance emanating a sense of unwavering defense. Both statues felt eerily real, as though they could spring to life at any moment.

"Those must be our prize," Aiden said, a smirk tugging at his lips as they moved forward, each step echoing in the vast hall.

Just as Jett took a step closer, a sudden force gripped him, yanking him back. In an instant, he was teleported to the entrance, his body slamming into the ground with a thud. He cursed under his breath, realizing he wasn\'t allowed to continue further, just as he had predicted. He could only watch from the entrance as Aiden and Elora were left inside, the room now eerily silent.

"Do your best guys, I\'m rooting for you." Jett managed to say in anticipation.

*****

Aiden and Elora exchanged glances, the weight of the challenge ahead settling over them. Suddenly, the ground trembled beneath their feet. The crossed-swords statue began to move, its swords sliding out from their resting position. Stone cracked and dust fell as the figure came to life, its stone blades gleaming with a cold, deadly light.

"We\'ve got company," Aiden muttered, his eyes narrowing as he drew his own weapon, ready to meet the statue\'s challenge.

Without warning, the single-sword statue also came to life, its weapon raised high as it took a battle stance. The two statues, now animated, moved with surprising agility, their every step shaking the ground. They were not mere stone: these were constructs designed to test the skills of those who dared seek the treasure.

Elora\'s eyes glowed with focus as she was ready to use her magic. "We\'ll have to work together on this."

The statue with crossed swords lunged first, its dual blades slicing through the air with precision. Aiden parried the attack, his strength barely holding off the powerful swings. The impact sent a jarring shock down his arms.

Meanwhile, Elora extended her hand, casting a spell that wrapped the ground beneath the single-sword statue in ice, attempting to restrain its movements. But the statue easily broke free, its sword swinging toward her in retaliation. She rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the strike.

"Aiden, distract them!" she called out, her voice laced with urgency as she readied another spell.

Aiden gritted his teeth, charging at the dual-sword statue, drawing its attention with a flurry of quick explosive combo strikes. The statue countered with a heavy swing, but Aiden was fast, dodging just in time. His sword clanged against stone, but each strike barely left a scratch.

Elora, meanwhile, unleashed a barrage of cold energy, ice pulsing through the air. The single-sword statue slowed, its movements hindered by the constant barrage of ice projectiles while slowly freezing it\'s legs. Aiden took advantage of the moment, shifting focus to the weakened statue. With a powerful swing, he aimed for its legs, his strike finally shattering the stone at its joints.

The statue crumbled, collapsing into rubble.

"One down, one to go." Aiden smirked.

The remaining dual-sword statue advanced on Elora, its attacks relentless. But Aiden was already in motion, flanking it from the side. Together, they coordinated: Aiden keeping the statue occupied with a series of fiery strikes while Elora unleashed waves of ice from afar.

[Ice Shot]

[Blazing Thrust]

Finally, with a well-timed spell, Elora blasted the statue\'s chest, creating an opening. Aiden seized the chance, thrusting his sword deep into the crack, and with a final push, the statue crumbled into pieces.

Breathing heavily, they both stood amidst the rubble, the room now silent once more.

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Sibling team up. Damn I made it too short but we\'ll be seeing more of them.