Chapter 432: Discussion
"Korra, I really don’t think this is a good idea. This is exactly why Elinore warns me about you. I shouldn’t be fighting at all, especially when it’s unnecessary."
Korra glanced at me, a smile tugging at her lips. "Come on, Xiviyah, live a little. There’s nothing wrong with a little duel. You might even have fun!"
I shook my head, my tail twitching back and forth behind the bench we were sitting on. It had been doing that a lot lately, and I couldn’t help but sigh. I’d managed to convince them to at least let me eat something first, but the impending duel hung over my head like the executioner’s axe. I’d managed to stave off the offer initially, but the moment the soldiers heard I might be participating, it spread like wildfire throughout the camp. I had until we finished our meal to find a way to somehow convince everyone I wasn’t going to do it. But the mere thought of disappointing everyone after they’d fought so hard for me left me practically shivering with fear.
Korra leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand as she gazed into my anxious eyes. "Funny how the thing you’re worried about isn’t even yourself. Are you really that confident about beating Gayron?"
"It’s not about that. I can’t duel, Korra. I’m not like you, where I heal just a few minutes after the fight. I get hurt just being close to a high-level fight, much less actually facing the attacks themselves. Even if I survive, any stress on my body has a chance to make the sunpurge spread. It’s just too dangerous."
She shook her head, clicking her tongue. "I know you too well to think you’re worried about that. You really are worried about hurting him, aren’t you."
I fell silent save for the anxious swishing of my tail, and she grinned.
"I thought as much. This could be a good chance to test out your new powers. It must be difficult to adapt to a seventh-level soul without having a chance to explore it to the fullest."
"I guess," I muttered, though I didn’t honestly believe it. My soul was the one thing I was most comfortable with, especially now that I’d literally rebuilt it from scratch. I hadn’t broken through to a new level, either, and this wasn’t my first time at seventh level. I already knew a seventh-circle spell and could probably cast it as well as I had before shattering my soul. Magic just kind of stuck with me, as natural as lacing my boots.
We both looked up as Luxxa sat on the bench beside me, her armored weight creaking the wood. Gith and Jenna were with her. Jenna slid onto my other side, and Gith stood near the head of the table, keeping a vigilante watch on the nearby soldiers.
"I agree with Xiviyah; it’s too dangerous," Luxxa said, staring at Korra.