Dimensions Collide: Destiny Bond

John rushed forward, dumping all six of his bullets into the enemy as he ran. It wasn't doing much damage, but that didn't matter. The loud noise was more than enough to distract the enemies, especially since they weren't used to such a level of sound. With this, he was able to get in close, throwing the weapon at a cultist's face before performing a two-handed swing with his bat.

"Eat shit!" he yelled, knocking the man over.

He might not be able to hurt them all that much, and he definitely couldn't kill, even with [Infinity], but that didn't mean he couldn't help. The sheer force of the swing hadn't broken any bones, but it still knocked the man down flat, momentarily removing one member of the battle.

John looked back to see his companions doing just as well, if not better. Ryu was easily handling two of the cultists with swords while Destiny and Prota were doing an excellent job of tag-teaming the other six.

Still, the problem persisted. The sheer number of enemies would be their downfall. They needed a strategy that would take them all out in one go.

[Prota. Do you have something for this?]

The girl was so surprised at the message that she actually looked over at John.

[Some kind of large-scale spell. Anything of the sort. I don't really have anything here.]

Prota's focus went back to fighting, but her heart began to rise. She did have something like that. It was still a little rough around the edges, but she had created a new spell with Sofya while practicing her Tenth Seda.

[Yes.]

[Good. Get it ready. Get off the stage and keep yourself safe.]

John dashed back toward Ryu and sent an enemy flying a few feet back, a wild grin plastered all over his face.

"Having fun?" the Yakuza boss smiled.

"No. Not really, to be honest," John lied. "We gotta wrap it up."

"If you have a plan, I'm all ears."

"Great. We're gonna nuke the stage. You good with repairing this place?"

Ryu let out a short laugh. "Of course. Who do you think I am?"

"Alright. All you."

[Do it. I assume it takes time to charge?]

[Yes.]

[Then charge it.]

"All right. That little girl over there is gonna take care of everything. Make sure she stays safe. On the signal, get off the stage as fast as you can," John muttered.

"The signal? What is that?"

"You'll see."

John dashed over to Destiny, relaying the same news. He was once again met with confusion, but like before, John failed to respond adequately. It wasn't that he didn't want to; it was simply that he didn't know what kind of spell Prota was going to cast. That didn't matter, though.

He trusted her as much as he trusted himself.

"John!" Prota cried out.

He spun around just in time to block a sword, his arm shaking under the force of the blow. He barely managed to push the enemy off, jumping back to his feet before running into the audience seating.

"He's getting away!" one of the cultists yelled.

"Let him leave. He has nowhere to go. Let's take care of these bastards first. One less means one less for us to fight."

Ryu and Destiny were left alone, and they were slowly getting cornered. As John had predicted, the sheer difference in numbers was enough to make a difference. Each cultist was weaker than both Ryu and Destiny, but their numbers allowed them to watch each other's backs. The hero and the gang leader couldn't land any solid blows, and while they could deliver a few nicks here and there, they were running out of energy.

"I hope your friend has a plan," Ryu muttered to Destiny as they bumped into each other.

"I do, too. But for you to be here…"

"I, too, was surprised at your presence. But it matters not. We fight together to a common goal, and that is enough."

Suddenly, John burst back through the doors, carrying half a dozen bottles in his hands.

"I'm back!" he announced, leaping back onto the stage.

Everyone momentarily froze. Just what had John procured? Some kind of secret weapon? Prota turned to him, hopeful. It was more than possible that he'd just left to pull something out of his pocket dimension, something useful, but—

"That's… alcohol?"

In John's arms were the strongest spirits from the bar.

"Hahaha! What's a kid gonna do with alcohol? Get drunk?"

At that point, they completely ignored him, turning their attention back to the larger threats. They did notice him pouring the contents of the bottles on the ground, but they didn't care.

"John!" Destiny yelled. "An alcohol generated flame isn't going to do anything!"

"...really?" John frowned. "Shit."

The cultists began to laugh, their confidence soaring. Destiny's heart sank. So did Ryu's.

Just what was he doing?

Prota, on the other hand, understood that they were about to win. She didn't know what John was thinking, but he wouldn't make a mistake as simple as that. He was, of everyone, the most aware of how powerful the enemy was. It was vital to his survival. If bullets from his gun couldn't harm the cultists, he knew that an ordinary fire would do nothing.

She was getting distracted. Shaking her head, she went back to focusing on her spell. It was a modification of the fifth step of the Tenth Seda, but personalized to herself. Instead of releasing raw energy, something she had trouble controlling, she would compile fire and ice-based mana. When released, it would result in a large-scale spell, similar to the Tenth Seda, but in elemental form.

This was her panic spell. A spell she could dump in one go. However, she had discovered that if she used the Tenth Seda to prepare it, she wouldn't be nearly as exhausted.

Now, she only hoped that it would be enough.

"Prota! I need you to do it!" John yelled. "Now!"

Thankfully, Ryu and Destiny were smart enough to realize this was the signal. It was a pretty bad signal, but it served its purpose.

"What are you up to?" one of the cultists yelled, preparing to give chase.

They would've followed had it not been for a singular lit match. Nobody heard the soft swipe of match against matchbook, nor did anybody see the small light of the flame land onto the stage. They did, however, notice the flames that sprang up, flaring explosively. The stage immediately began to crumble under the sheer heat of the fire.

"What the- that's hot!"

"What the- this isn't alcohol!"

"No, it's not," John grinned. "It's something like Dic- Dicyano- ah, I don't know. It's hot. Burns around 5260 kelvin or something like that. Not that you would know what that means."

Prota stared. John had wasted time emptying the bottles of alcohol and filling them up with some unknown liquid from his pocket dimension. What was the point in that? Why didn't he just use the original containers?

No, that didn't matter at the moment. All that mattered was that the attack was buying them enough time to finish their plan.

The burning flames completely surrounded them. They could probably break through, but the shock factor and high heat meant they'd need at least a few seconds before they could even attempt to break out.

A few seconds was a few seconds too many.

The stage shone as a giant magic circle materialized above the cultists, its lines drawn in two shades of blue. Its glow brightened as it began to activate.

"Move!"

It was too late. A hail of blue ice and blue flames began to pour down, their number as numerous as raindrops in a storm. Each drop could only do minor amounts of damage to each cultist, but with how many arrows there were, there was no hope.

Prota collapsed, her energy gone, but she'd done her job. John panted as he watched the spectacle, the stage smashing to pieces, the splintered wood frozen or burning all around.

"Are you sure you are children?" Ryu said, staring at what could only be described as a massacre. "This is…"

Even Destiny frowned. "Hey. What the hell have you been feeding her?"

"What- why're you looking at me?" John exclaimed. "She's just been training!"

"Yeah, but…" Destiny just gestured to the stage.

"Look. She's not strong enough to fight the cultists head-on. You are. Isn't that enough? Besides, she took, like, five minutes to set that up."

Ryu simply watched as the two continued to bicker, staring in amazement.

"The next generation is bright," he finally muttered, closing his eyes in satisfaction.

His stage had been ruined, but he'd been treated to a show the likes of which he'd never see again.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

~~~

"Boss! You're all right!"

As soon as they stepped through the portal, several large dwarves came barreling toward the group. Prota flinched, but they stopped just in time and began checking Ryu, ensuring he hadn't been injured.

"Did you do it? Get rid of those cultist bastards?"

"Of course! Who do you think I am?" Ryu growled, waving his attendants away.

Then, to everybody's surprise, he turned and bowed to the children. A wave of silence washed over the crowd as they watched, breaths held, waiting to see what would happen.

"From the depths of my heart, I thank you. You have shown us a way out of these dark times. Without you… no, there is no point in dwelling on the past. You will eternally have my gratitude."

Destiny bowed back in respect, but to Prota's surprise, so did John.

"It's fine," he sighed, getting back up. "Just make sure it doesn't happen again."

"Of course."

Suddenly, a dwarf barrelled into Ryu, slapping his cheek. Everyone was too shocked to even move, even Ryu himself.

"Don't ever do that again!"

"Tokage, you are-"

Ryu's daughter looked up, her eyes red from crying. "You are my boss. But you are also my father. How do you think I would have felt if you perished fighting for my sake?"

"Tokage, I- no, I understand. Thank you for trusting me."

More and more dwarves in suits began to arrive, a few bringing bottles of alcohol or snacks. A celebration. Well, it made sense. Anybody would celebrate after being put in such a situation for so long. The casino appeared to have been cleared. There were no customers to be found, but it made sense. If the cultists did escape or find a way to reopen the portal, they'd need to prepare for combat. Civilians would have no place in a fight.

John closed his eyes. These dwarves must've been waiting, unsure of what was going on in that dark room. Would their boss win? Or would he lose?

Now that victory was assured, it was time to relax.

"Come on, Prota," John muttered.

He had no place here.

His sister was visibly anxious from the sheer number of people surrounding her. He himself had no reason to stick around, so they might as well leave now. She nodded gratefully, and they silently made their exit.

At least, they would've had it not been for the appearance of two more guests.

"Ryu!"

Zuko's voice wasn't very loud, yet it cut through the noise like a hot knife through butter. Everyone turned to see Zuko Hi, the legendary blacksmith, standing at the top of the stairwell with his protege.

"Zuko."

The crowd went dead silent.

The blacksmith stepped forward. "I understand you went through some tough times."

"Not as tough as you."

Tension filled the air as Zuko stepped forward. At his side was a sword in a simple wooden sheath. Ryu held his hand out, a sword materializing in his hands, and placed his hand on the handle.

"John-"

"Shh."

To her displeasure, John put his hand over Prota's mouth, but she did feel a little more comfortable. If he wasn't interfering, he was fine with what was happening.

She flinched, though, as both old men withdrew their swords in a flash, the sound of metal clashing out as their blades met midair. What was going on? Would there be another fight? If so, whose side should they take?

Ryu smiled. "You still have it in you, brother."

"Of course. How could I forge a blade if I did not understand its value?" Zuko said, a smile also forming on his face.

"Men! Bring out the fine sake!"

The celebration continued as a low sitting table and two cushions were brought for the old dwarves. They sat down cross-legged as the clear alcohol was poured into small cups.

"It is good that this is all behind us now," Zuko smiled, picking up his drink.

"Of course. Let us drink. To our health."

"To our brotherhood."

They downed their cups in one gulp, releasing their breath with an explosive pah. The dwarves cheered, the cacophony of noise erupting once more.

"Boss, you seem so formal!"

"Where did your punk attitude go?"

Ryu flinched. "That's-"

The dwarves laughed. "We've known for a long time now, boss. You don't need to keep the act up anymore."

The noise grew even louder, if that was possible. John, seemingly satisfied, turned to leave, Prota close in tow. Destiny stayed behind, talking with his former colleagues, but that was fine. They'd meet again back at Scholaris.

They had just stepped outside when they were interrupted by one last thing.

"John!" Briar called out, running at full speed.

She stopped, leaning on her knees as she recovered her breath. They waited patiently. There wasn't anywhere for them to go.

"Gramps wants to talk to you. Said he's got something for you."

Sure enough, the old dwarf was hobbling along, making his way toward John.

"What is it? Isn't everything done?" John frowned.

"Yes, it is. And I must thank you from the bottom of my heart."

To John's surprise, Zuko got on his knees and bowed, his head touching the floor. Normally, he would've just brushed it off, but something about this felt wrong. An old man shouldn't be paying such respect to someone like him.

He wasn't honourable. He wasn't proud. Respect had no place around him.

"Hey, hey, get up. What are you doing?"

"You saved my life. You saved my brother's life, my niece's life. All because my Briar is your friend. You did not need to get involved. You had no reason to. And yet, against all odds, you did it. Does such an act not require respect?"

John rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Ok, ok, I get it. Just… get up, man."

Zuko rose to his feet. John turned to leave, but he was stopped once more as Zuko grabbed his arm. He tried to wrestle free, but Zuko was stronger than he looked. He turned John around, looking him in the eyes.

"Ah… I understand. You have the body of a child. But your mind…" He closed his eyes and nodded. "Then I have no doubts about what comes next."

From within the folds of his robe, he pulled out a small box. It wasn't much. It was like something that might contain a ring from a jewelry store. But with the way Zuko handled it, whatever was inside was definitely precious.

"This… is what the cultists were after."

Inside was a simple black orb.

"...what is this?" John frowned. "Some kind of cultivation pill?"

"A… what?" Zuko frowned, confused. "No. This is my masterpiece."

"Hey, gramps-" Briar started, crying out, but Zuko put his hand up, stopping her in her tracks.

"You yourself have seen what your friends have done for us. Is this not a suitable reward? I can make this again. I cannot miss the opportunity to show my gratitude."

"I…" Briar nodded, subdued.

It wasn't that she didn't want John to have it. It was simply that she understood the value in what her guardian was doing.

John, on the other hand, wasn't very impressed.

"But you're a blacksmith, not… I don't know, a scientist or something. What is it?"

"Take it."

John hesitantly took the orb out, holding it in his hand. It was heavy. Surprisingly heavy. It felt like he was holding a greatsword or something of similar size.

"Um… so, what is this?"

"How strange. It should be working…"

He took it in his hands, and it immediately took shape, transforming into a pitch black sword. The blade shimmered, then took the shape of a mace. Then a spear. Then a hammer. John grimaced.

"Oh, I get it. One of those transforming weapons. Let me guess. Works by injecting a little mana into it?"

"Yes!" Zuko exclaimed. "But how-"

"Did I not bring this up? I'm manaless."

Zuko flinched. The hope in the dwarf's eyes disappeared. He sighed as the orb was put back in the box.

"Then… I'm very sorry. If not this, then, I can forge you a blade, a club, whatever you desire. Name it, and it shall be yours."

"Well, hold on a minute," John frowned. "I'll take the thingamajig."

"What? I will not deny you, but what will you do with it?"

Zuko handed the box over, and John opened it back up, looking at the orb. He passed over to Prota, who looked at it with interest.

"See anything interesting? Mana-wise, I mean," John muttered.

She closed her eyes and focused, but there were no irregularities to be found. Prota shook her head, giving the orb back to John.

"Great. Hey, Briar! Catch," he called out, tossing the orb over to her.

She flinched but managed to catch it in time, fumbling around with it a little before holding it carefully in her hands.

"What? But-"

"Just take it. It's your old man's masterpiece. Don't you think you should use it to make something even greater?"

Prota flinched. The way he was talking. It was a little different. It wasn't by much. But there was something slightly off.

It was the same way he'd talked to Destiny in the cave with the crystal crab, the same way he spoke to Danjo about new inventions. He wasn't just being nice. He was setting something up. He clearly thought Briar was someone important, enough so that he'd pass off a valuable resource as easily as that. She was likely the same type of [Character] as Danjo was, if Prota understood how [Stories] worked.

Then… John was just setting up another ally.

"Th- thank you," Briar said, dumbfounded. "I'll- I'll make good use of it."

"Consider it repayment for the stuff you guys made for Prota. Just make something cool, ok?"

She was momentarily stunned, completely shocked by what had just happened. John felt a moment of weakness pass through him. This was a girl with dreams, aspirations, goals and a bright future. Yet, how much of that had been shown? How much would he have appreciated had he not bothered to talk to her?

He didn't know.

Briar had recovered by this point, her characteristic grin back on her face. She gave John a thumbs up, trying to hide the tears of joy welling in her eyes.

"You got it, big guy," she said, her smile stretching from ear to ear. "I'll be the best blacksmith you've ever seen."

"And, one more thing. Zuko. I'd like to ask you one last thing. Privately," he added, glancing at Briar momentarily.

"Of course. Anything." He turned to Briar, a smile on his face. "You have wonderful friends. You've come a long way, Briar. I'm… I'm very proud of you."

The girl flinched, her smile dropping for half a second. It returned, brighter than ever.

"Yeah! I'll be better than you gramps, you hear? I'll be the best blacksmith the world has ever seen!"

"I'll be teaching you how to use that, then," he nodded as he walked off. "Come by more often, won't you?"

Briar didn't respond. She was too busy playing with her new tool. Prota was similarly engrossed in watching the black orb change shape over and over.

"Come on, let's go. We'll be back soon enough," John smiled.

~~~

Soon, John and Zuko were sitting under some kind of pavilion. John pulled out a bottle of soju, and a crack rang out as he twisted the cap off. Two small glasses came out and were promptly filled.

"...you do not look like you should be partaking in alcohol," Zuko said hesitantly. "But your age… well, I suppose this is not something I should be worried about."

He eyed the drink suspiciously, then took a sniff.

"Fruity," he muttered.

He watched as John downed the drink in one gulp, then poured another shot. He hesitantly took a sip, and his eyes went wide.

"Oh. I do prefer my rice wine, but this… this isn't bad, either."

"...they're both rice wine, you know?"

"But this-"

"Well, it's got some fruit flavours added to it," John muttered, downing another shot. "Alright, let's get to business. I want to know why you took Briar in."

Zuko stared. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, why did you take Briar in when you could be teaching Ryu's daughter?"

"Our relationship-"

"Your relationship is fine. Yeah, you're a little estranged, but you're clearly friendly enough to know when the other is in trouble. I watched you two share a drink. There's no animosity between you two. So why take in a random human when you've got a blood relative right there?"

Zuko closed his eyes, seemingly hesitant to respond. John didn't mind. He'd sit for as long as it took.

But this was something he needed to know. Was Briar truly part of the original cast? It was likely that she was. But he needed to confirm it.

"That girl is special. She doesn't know it yet, but she has quite the affinity with fire. A blacksmith requires perfect control over the forge. Technique and knowledge matter, yes, but ultimately, it is the flames that make or break a blade."

John frowned. "And you found this out how?"

"That is her story to tell."

"Just tell me," John groaned. "I'm asking you because I don't want to ask her. I'm good with secrets. I won't bring this up to her, I won't bring it up to anyone, so just tell me."

"Why do you need to know?"

"I can't tell you that," John said, shaking his head. "If you need a reason, then I guess… it's to help her? Or, more like… well, something along the lines of helping the world."

Zuko's bushy eyebrows turned inward. This wasn't a matter of secrecy. It was a matter of revealing someone's embarrassing past. But then again, this boy was manaless, and he'd done so much just to help a friend…

He surely had good intent.

"She was a street rat," Zuko started. "Surviving off scraps. Quite the feral girl, if I must say."

He laughed as he recalled the memory.

"But when I found her, she was huddling by a fire. A fire surviving off a single matchstick. Do you understand? And, well, I thought… someone like that could inherit my technique."

John scoffed. "That can't be all. You picked some kid off the streets because of that?"

There was a moment of silence. The wind blew through the pavilion, the faint sound of glass scraping against stone ringing out as John's now-empty glass was pushed a little.

Finally, Zuko reached into his robes and pulled out a pendant.

"Here."

John opened it up. Inside was a portrait of a much younger Zuko, as well as a woman and a child. It wasn't Briar's embarrassing past Zuko didn't want to tell.

It was his own.

"I had a daughter and a wife. Cultists killed them. They wanted my skills. I could not offer them. Not to those demons. So they killed my family. For a while, I swore off blacksmithing. Ryu came to my aid, but I turned him down. I should not have. I…"

A single tear dripped down his cheek. John sighed, pouring Zuko another drink.

"How is that your fault?"

"I should've listened. I-"

"That's bullshit. If you're going to blame it on anyone, blame it on the cultists. You did what you thought was right. That's all you can do, right?"

Zuko looked up. The boy's words and tone were harsh, but in his eyes was genuine emotion. Zuko couldn't quite tell what that emotion was, but John was offering his honest advice.

"Thank you," he nodded, wiping his eyes. "And I thank you that more of my family was not taken from me."

"Yeah, yeah. Back to the topic. Let me guess. Briar looks like your daughter?"

"How-"

"I saw your kid in the picture. It's obvious. Well, that's all I needed to know."

He got up, grunting as he leaned on his knees for support. Extending a hand, he helped Zuko stand as well, then bent down to collect the glasses. Briar was a [Side Character]. No doubt about it. Well…

"One last thing, though."

"Hm?"

John looked off into the sunset.

"Do you think Briar will be a better blacksmith than you?"

There was a moment of silence. Zuko was thinking hard about the question. Finally, though, he had an answer. It was a simple response. Just two words.

But it was all John needed to know.

"Of course."