A veritable storm cloud hung over Celica’s head as she stood at the meeting point, arms folded in front of her, icy eyes scowling ahead at some point beyond the growing congregation. She was wearing her usual attire, the pockets pulled taut in a way that suggested she was carrying ample ammunition for the pistols holstered on her belt, but for the moment she retained her human form.

Her mood had been dark for some time now. It was not something she had much reason to speak about too often, so not many beyond those who happened to ask or were familiar with her files knew of it, but she had been born in Argentina. Her mother had lived there for the vast majority of her life before she met her husband. Celica remembered little of those first three years after she had been born, when her family had lived in the capital, but she had returned several times with her parents to visit family. Many of her uncles, aunts and cousins lived in Buenos Aires.

The announcement that an Endolan Shifter party had been located in the country had sent a chill down her spine. She tried asking officers and teachers, human and Mythic alike, if they knew where exactly the Gate had opened, but those that knew insisted that the information was to be shared purely in a need to know basis.

She recalled with particular bitterness one of the rebukes she had received when she had pressed for an actual answer.

‘I’m just following orders. I suggest you do the same.’ Blasted bureaucrats. Say enough over a loudspeaker to get us riled up, then refuse to elaborate. What do they expect me to do with the information?

Truth be told, she had considered using one of the teleporting stations to smuggle herself over to the fighting, if only to spite the Shifter that had blown her off, but the plan fell apart in her head almost as swiftly as it was cobbled together. She would not be able to use a teleporting station on her own without someone catching on. They were supervised too tightly, particularly in a situation such as theirs, for her to do as she willed with them. Even if she did make it, what would she do? Join the fighting and pretend she was one of the Graduate Shifters? Run over to her closest relatives and make sure they were being evacuated? She was more likely to be a burden than an aid.

Irresponsible and wasteful. Childish. She had discarded the idea almost immediately.

Instead, she dialed a few numbers in her phone, but she got no answer. Likely sleeping, she concluded. It would be nighttime where the attack was taking place, in account of the time zones. The alternative did not bear dwelling on.

It left her little choice but to trust in the Shifters sent to deal with it. Argentina was a large country, either way. She did not even know if they were near enough that she should worry. She told this to herself again and again, but it did little to allay her frustrations.

When she heard a second Gate had opened near the Academy, Celica had felt a guilty, almost vindictive sort of pleasure. Here she had an opportunity to redirect all her anger at the ones truly responsible for it. But as more and more Shifters gathered, waiting for their instructions, it became more difficult to hold that grim determination to the forefront of her mind.

She knew that, until reinforcements could be brought back from the Argentinian front, the Academy’s defense would fall squarely on the lap of the third year students. Most of the Graduates were gone, and those remaining were likely to fall on organizational positions. First year and second year students were not deemed ready for this kind of combat yet, and they could not count on the Mythics for help at the front lines. She doubted they would get involved unless they were threatened personally.

This would be an entry rite for many of the students gathered here. To those that survived, at least. And what other aim could their enemy have than to eliminate the weakest of their forces while they were still undergoing training?

Celica found her right hand gripping tightly on the grip of one of her pistols. That always managed to bring her a certain amount of reassurance that not even her power could give her. A weight of a weapon felt solid and reliable in her hand, regardless of its effectiveness, and she almost dreaded the fact that she would barely be able to feel it once the fight truly began.

With a grunt, she put those thoughts away and scanned the room. Here and there she saw familiar faces, some she shared a class with, and others she knew personally. She found herself looking for Alice and Charles, but, if they had reached the meeting point, they were hidden from her.

Twitching tails in front of her, occasionally snapping about as if in distress, drew her eyes to a Kitsune girl who with a familiar face. Celica's eyes lingered just long enough to recognize her as Lily, the one that Alice had fought in the year’s first spar. Her Shifter form was certainly a lot… fuller than she had expected when she had spoken to her. She would have been jealous if she did not have so much in her mind. Or if she could not imagine those things hurting whenever she ran.

With little else to do but brood as she waited, she approached the woman from behind until she was standing beside her. “Everything’s going to hell,” she commented, deadpan. Expert on breaking the ice, she was. Regardless, the simple admission did much to steady her growing nerves. Celica gave the Kitsune a sidelong glance and a wry, lopsided smile. “How are you doing?”

Ammunition… check. Gun… check. More ammunition… check. Bandolier… check. Alice ran through her mental checklist in a detached manner- she’d already arranged all of this three weeks ago. The various items had been left in a neatly organized manner hanging right by her bedside while she slept, and constantly on her person while out and about.

She’d been forbidden from walking about during the festival like she was prepared for war- which funnily enough, she had been. Few seemed to have paid much attention to the lull, probably hoping it was a real ceasefire or something just as naive. She’d bolted straight for the northern sector, not bothering to shift as her wings would be of little use inside.

This is it. I knew they were coming. It was just a distraction, the real attack was coming here the whole time. I should’ve gotten more people prepared rather than killing time. A malicious grin split her face as she ran, Well, now begins the killing time. This ought to be fun.

She saw the now sizeable group of gathering students, slowing down to avoid smashing into one of them. She paused for a moment, shifting, before continuing at a walk. She gripped the hilt of her sword and the grip of her revolver, giving the latter one last check to make sure it was loaded. Breathing deeply, she walked into the gathering throng, sighting a multitude of tails and a familiar figure next to them.

Huh, how about that?

The clanking of her armor probably gave her away as she walked up to the two. “Quite a party. Seems we’ve got some uninvited guests though. Shame about them. They’ve probably got families.” She realized she still had the malicious grin plastered on her face and hurried to smother it under the usual mask of apathetic calm.

“I’ve always wondered what this sword would do to things. The gun too, now that it’s got the special bullets. Seems I get to find out today.”

Alarm bells ringing people rushing about and chattering like agitated monkey's, the university was near disorder as Sindri rushed through it, a pounding headache from another night of boozing behind him. Still he made his way through the jostling crowds and managed to find the gathering hall where all the students had been ordered to, although not without being elbowed six ways-to-Sunday by various other students, the emergency temporarily making them forget about their dread of him. With a purr of magic he activated his shifter form and changed into his full faeish appearance, heavy full plate armour and an aura of terror only matched by his corpse like face and spindly, comb like teeth.

Another student attempted to barge past him and he shoved him back, pushing towards a more centerline locations amidst the thronging masses of confused and scared students. In a few minutes he found a pair he recognised, the heavily built form of Alice and the unmistakable collection of moving tails which was clearly Lily. He gilded into place beside them, not even saying a word, and waited for someone in command to address the mob.

Lily spared Celica little more than a glance, the majority of her attention focused on Sylphide and Morrigan who were talking amongst themselves in front of the entire group of Shifters, both hovering conveniently in the air--undoubtedly to attract as much attention as possible.

"You could say that. It's definitely not looking good." She was silent then for several long moments then, only breaking said silence after at least a full minute. "I guess you could say I'm doing okay. I don't know what to think, but," she turned to Celica, her face an expressionless mask, "you could say that I'm afraid. I don't know what'll happen to me, you, or anyone else here, whom I would consider myself to be at least somewhat friendly with." Her tails fell limb, lying on the ground motionless. "Think what you will of me: That I'm this tough girl who doesn't let anything get in her way and fights through anything, but... I'm scared of losing what friends I have, regardless of the reason." The smile that crept onto her lips was subdued, even a bit strained. "But how abou--"

The voice of a certain winged woman wielding a sword and wearing armour interrupted her. Although it wasn't so much the voice of Alice that stopped Lily in her tracks, but what she said. Is she really that bloodthirsty? She turned around, eyebrows raised, and silently studied the Valkyrie for several long moments. "You do find out today, but... This isn't exactly a happy occasion. We're soldiers and we'll take lives. What you do to them they'll want to do to you... Be careful, Alice."

And it was then that Sindri approached. She would have said something to him, but the voice of Sylphide cut through the din of students and Graduates chatting and shuffling about. She settled for simply waving at him before turning around.

Sylphide and Morrigan were still hovering in the air, however this time they were facing the group. The dark haired Mythic wore a dark expression befitting her legends, and seemed just plain ominous. Sylphide looked as gentle as ever, but the way she held herself as her wings held her aloft gave her a far more serious air than usual.

"Students and Graduates!" She began, casting her eyes across everybody in front of her. "The Endolan Army has seen fit to attack this very establishment. I understand that many of you are not yet Graduates, but know that you are no less powerful than they!" There was a quiet murmur throughout the entire group of Shifters and Graduates. "I also want to make something very clear. We have those among us who are prohibited from using the full extent of their powers against fellow students. When you are fighting today--" her gaze swept across the gathering in front of her, stopping when she found Sindri, her gentle eyes boring into his "--that ban has been lifted, and you are allowed to use the full extent of your powers against the enemy." She broke Sindri's gaze, returning to watching them as a whole. "The same goes for everybody else. There are no limitations today. It is kill or be killed, and you have to use every trick in the book to defeat them this day. It won't be easy, but I--we--know you will succeed. We've seen you grow and seen how powerful you are, and while not yet graduates we see in your an immense potential. You just have to unlock it."

The air seemed saturated with emotions, be it fear or anticipation. Lily could feel it as well, and while she was more than aware that that small speech had been nothing but an attempt to raise morale, she still felt the effects of it. She felt more confident than she had before, a small smile even breaking forth onto her lips.

The smile disappeared when Commander Jones appeared, standing tall in front of them to such a degree that even those in the very back could see him. The size of that guy continues to baffle me.

"SOLDIERS!" He roared. His next words were much more subdued, but still loud. "Form ranks!"

The shuffling began, with those who had not yet fully settled into lines and ranks. Lily could see Alice and Celica standing on either side of her, with Sindri in an entirely different group since he was a Fae rather than Demon.

"The enemy is at our gates!" Jones continued. "You will either die today, or you will emerge as veterans, Graduate or no. The ones you will be fighting are experienced soldiers and will not, I repeat will not, hesitate to take that pretty little head off of your shoulders! But! You will not back down! You are brave and more powerful than any human has ever been before you. You will be the ones to take their heads, and you will be the ones to emerge victorious!"

A cheer rang through the crowd. The speech wasn't really the best to raise their spirits, if Lily had anything to say, but it certainly wasn't the worst either. She waited for the Commander to start again.

"The enemy is still an hour away which will give us time to prepare. Two kilometres out in the Sparring Area there is a valley they have to pass through to get here. They will have to go through there to attack, so we will prepare. Demon Group A through F of the students and Titans will go to the valley and set up an ambush, dividing themselves into two groups of A, B & C on their right, and D, E and F on their left. You will hide until they are past you and have engaged with the main group, which will stay here. Every one else will move out three hundred metres; Fae in the back, Titan in the front, and Demon in-between. We will link every one of you up in a telepathic network, so we can relay orders and share what is happening. I should not have to say this, but you are, after all, still students! You can't know everything quite yet."

He straightened himself, steely eyes staring down anyone who looked straight at him. "Soldiers. MOVE OUT!"

Entire groups broke off, mostly Demons darting off, often carrying others--Unshifted Titans, probably, Lily thought--to their designated area. Lily was among them, although she couldn't spot Alice or Celica, nor even Tsukiko nearby. Whether or not they were part of the Demons staying behind or going in for the ambush she didn't know. Time will show.

---

Lily stood on the edge of the valley, peering down. Her hands were extended, power coursing through her body as she, and a group of other Kitsune, covered their group in an illusory field, masking their presence and making them invisible. It had been ten minutes since they had moved out, and she could just see the Academy buildings off in the distance; Dragons, Giants, massive Golems towering above the others.

She couldn't yet see the Endolans, but she assumed they weren't far off.

It's only a matter of waiting now, she mused, lips pursing. Tsuki, you had better get through this in one piece, or so god help me I'll find some way to bring you back and slap you for being so reckless.

You could say that. How quaintly understated.

The Kitsune did not seem willing to share more beyond that agreement, seeming content to dwell on the crowd and whatever concerns plagued her. Celica sighed and glanced at the floating duo presiding over the students, wishing they would address them once and for all. Lily turning to speak to her was a surprise, and Celica craned her neck to face her, eyebrows raised. After the spot of silence, Celica had convinced herself the Kitsune had nothing more to say to her.

She could excuse her. Their last encounter had not been altogether friendly, if she recalled correctly.

Still, worry had a way of loosening people’s lips, and the emotion was easy to detect in Lily’s words, if not her expression.

Celica had to suppress a wry smile as the woman spoke, and she did her best to hide the flare of irritation she felt. I don’t know what to think of you. You weren’t exactly open the last time we talked. Part of her wanted to say that out loud, but her conscience held her back. The bitterness was uncharacteristic of her, and she looked back at the Mythics to avoid Lily’s gaze.

Sympathy or pity would have been the more appropriate response, but it seemed today she had little to spare for people other than herself.

Alice arriving when she did was a relief to Celica. She had little desire to speak about her own issues. The whole point of seeking out Lily had been to dwell on someone else’s concerns instead of her own. Still, she shook her head, giving Alice a dark look. “Don’t bring their families into this. It’s not the mindset I need.”

The Endolans would be butchered like the animals they were. That was all that bore thinking of. Moral repercussions could wait until after the dust settled. Or shelved indefinitely. She had more reason to think in those lines than most other students. She was damned if she would feel an ounce of pity for any who got in their way.

It was easy to tell herself that. If the words rang hollow, she needed only repeat them until they did not.

It was then that the Mythics chose to address the congregation. Celica gladly turned away from the others as the speeches rolled in. Sylphide did not say anything those gathered did not know. Perhaps some found reassurance in having the basics of their situation outlined for them. Perhaps some would be inspired by her encouragement.

Celica did not need inspiration. She needed direction.

Commander Jones obliged. A completely different aura than Sylphide’s own, Celica and the others hurried to obey his command as he stood before them. In some manner, the man’s words echoed Sylphide’s own speech, but the words did not matter. What mattered was the conviction. The volume. Celica found herself adding her voice to the cheer that filled the Commander’s pause before they were given their instructions.

To those, she paid close attention.

---

The pistol felt oddly weightless as she turned it on her hands, carefully studying the weapon from every angle. A strange sight for most Shifters, the weapon woefully inadequate when compared to the destructive power most of them could issue forth, and indeed she noticed the flicker of eyes at the corners of her vision, the gun collecting a few stray looks from the students kneeling near her resting place.

She paid them no heed, her eyes glued to the gun’s silvery metal. Here and there she noticed a few scratches, many of them in the barrel and nose, earned from rough handling in sparring. Others, closer to the handle, seemed like small grooves had been cut into the metal, where the tips of her fingers would commonly rest.

Her eyes went beyond the weapon to the hand that held it. She had shifted when they had been given orders to deploy to the ambush point, and the hands that held her weapon aloft were more akin to a clawed gauntlet than a proper hand. She brought one hand up, close to her uncovered eye and moved her fingers ever so slowly. The segments of the gauntlet moved as would her normal fingers, but she could hear the subtle sound of ice cracking underneath as the solid moved.

She felt nothing above her elbow.

Celica shivered, feeling a cold that had nothing to do with the power she had summoned. As long as she could return to her human form, she would never get used to it. But it had been long enough for her to learn how to put it out of her mind. A clear signal that she was doing little else but looking to distract her from the pit of apprehension in her stomach.

It was as if only now she had paused to consider not only what they were planning to do, but what could happen to her. She had been too angry, too focused on repaying old debts, on venting her worries through violence. The possibility that she might not make it out alive was present, but muted. A minor detail. She knew what she had signed up for. But now that it was coming, hiding behind the next mountain, or the one after that, she finally realized that this was not just another spar.

Dwelling on it made her feel almost physically ill, and she hated herself for it.

So she looked up from where she was sitting towards the direction where their enemies were supposed to be coming from. Nothing caught her eye. She would have expected the Endolan fliers to have come into view by now, some forward scouts, at least, but there were only mountains and broken terrain as far as the eye could see. It could be that they were hidden by magic, as they were.

Though, as far as she was concerned, their group seemed to have remained as visible as ever. Their illusion casters had likely shielded them from the view of those outside a certain radius. Whether the illusion masked sound, she did not know, and those gathered under the spell did not seem eager to test it. They simply waited.

Celica grimaced, and checked the pistol’s ammunition, as she had done several times in the last minute. A light blue dot was visible on its base. Reinserting the magazine, she stood up and began walking through the transformed students, bizarre echoes of folklore and mythology from all over the world wherever she looked. She thought of seeking out Alice or Charles, or perhaps Lily, but instead, she found herself making her way to the edge of the camp on her lonesome, hoping to get a better view of the valley below.

If Lilith was to measure how her day was going, it would probably be relatively low on the scale of whether it was any good.

Woken suddenly by a burst of noise from overbearing alarm systems and forced to find out where exactly she’d deposited her armour the last time she used it- she was not a particularly organised lady- she’d hurried off to the meeting grounds only to get several motivational speeches about how they were going to be attacked whilst she was still reasonably groggy from sudden wakefulness. She was glad she’d managed to remember all the pieces of her armour this time, going into a dangerous situation would be a bit stupid without it, not to mention a massive fuck-up. A pang of regret filled her head when she remembered she’d forgotten to feed Sam before heading on out, she hoped he’d be alright in the depths of the facility.

Regardless, she was holding out that this day probably couldn’t get any worse, all the while nervously twitching as she waited with mixed group of Demons and Titans for the Endolan advance. Her bright blue serpentine eyes darted back and forth underneath her Corinthian helmet, worriedly scanning the horizon for any sign of movement, no matter how minuscule, her nostrils and tongue tasted the air, the acute changes of the Bleed into her natural biology giving her excellent capabilities in tracking down foreign scents, but she smelt nothing out of the ordinary.

Right now, the “ambush” was simply waiting about for the signal to come through from command, but it would be a fair while to go before the Endolan’s decided to give them that honour. She had to admit, she was nervous and shaky about the idea of finally going into battle. A few of the younger students had even vomited due to nerves beforehand, and although the graduates looked less unsettled, they didn’t fill her with too much confidence either.

Right now she was just sitting in full Grecian style plate on the edge of a boulder, waiting for the battle to commence. A few other Shifters had done the same, and a few were taking drags of some smokes before heading off into battle, others were twitching and pacing frantically, but a few seemed somewhat calm, like her.

She dangled her legs off the edge and waved them back and forth through the air listlessly, calves enjoying the cool summer air, her sandaled feet comfortable in their well worn soles. Normally when they made shifter armour it fitted the whole way around the body, but due to her form having scales like titanium plates, it was deemed somewhat unnecessary to fit anything but her upper body down to her pelvis with armour, ending in a series of somewhat decorative, but magically hardened leather strips like the Roman and Greek military armour of old.

The battle moves and the tactics Draco had pounded into her head over the past few years repeated over and over in her mind, making her work herself into a loop. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts and stop over-thinking the process, doing that could lead to her getting distracted at the wrong time. Instead she had a look around at the various faces, shifted and unshifted, in the group.

Scanning the people she eventually caught up on one which she recognised. It was the Kitsune shifter, with all her fluffy tails flicking about her like a tidal wave of soft silky fur, looked like she was a little nervous same as her, but she couldn’t really tell for certain. Lilith had to admit, she liked the Kitsune, she was pretty and had an adorable relationship with a kitty-cat Shifter which was to die for, although she’d never really managed to get around to introducing herself.

Oddly enough she always seemed a little tense, like she’d been on her guard most of her life, twitchy some might say. Lilith wondered if she’d had a hard life, but she wasn’t really sure her assumption was correct. Regardless, she seemed like someone she might want to get to know, asides from being cute, a hunch said that she might be a good friend to get on her side, not to mention hug.

As she stared at the girl she thought she caught her looking back. Lilith sat up blinking slightly and took off her helmet, a minor breeze causing her long hair to ruffle slightly, spilling over her face in slightly wavy black strands. She brushed it out of her eyes, distractedly, annoyed by rogue hairs which tickled her skin, enjoying the smooth sensation as she brushed across her silky pseudo-scales with her hand. Normally she’d have it in a bun, but with the helmet that didn’t go well, and having a pony tail would only make it easier to grab and pull her downwards in a fight, that she knew from experience.

‘I wonder if I should get a haircut…’

She focused back on the Kitsune and thought she caught her looking back at her again. Her bright blue serpentine eyes blinked in surprise, before her face shifted into a beaming smile at the fox girl. She raised one hand and waved it at her cheerfully, and hoped she’d made a pleasant impression regardless. Afterwards she thought the Kitsune had looked away, so she settled back into waiting for the call to be made, but nothing so far had come from headquarters.

Lilith wondered how long the illusion Fae would hold out in keeping up this cloaking barrier between them and the Endolans, she’d never been good at guessing how much power a Fae had, and it was almost always a tough call when she fought them. The last time she’d faced a Shifter it had fried her hair and burnt her nose pretty bad, she was sore for a week afterwards, despite the doctor’s saying that it’d healed up right as rain.

As if in response her nose twitched and she shifted it uncomfortably, scrunching it up in order to work out the itch, before eventually giving in and scratching it. Once finished she had another once-over of her sword and shield again. Well, technically it was more of a cleaver than a sword, but she didn’t mind, it was a mean-ass weapon when she got in swigging with it, she’d managed to fracture and break numerous bones with it just to prove that point home. The shield was like a Roman legionnaires, big and heavy and providing a lot of protection from incoming missiles, at least to her torso, her tail had to weather the damage somewhat, although it was uncommon for anything to cause significant damage, except when she’d nearly had the tip chewed off by an overly enthusiastic dragon.

Then again, she hadn’t been in a real battle before.

She wondered if it would be as exhilarating as practice, it was normal to find it unpleasant, but she actually enjoyed it. A primal part of her subconscious desired the knife edge style competition between life and death that it provided. A few times she had to hold herself back simply because she was getting too enthusiastic about it, and she felt like she was losing control.

That worried her.

She liked combat somehow, she guess it helped her work out of some unknown deep set subconscious anger issues, because she always found herself becoming more unforgiving and wrathful in her approach to her opponents. Maybe she better see someone about that at some point, but in the middle of an invasion wasn’t the time for seeing a shrink.

She waved her legs back and forth on her ledge again and smiled as the breeze blew her hair from behind her, a warm summer day, she just hoped she could enjoy it after the battle, and there wouldn’t be too much blood to spill in the fray.

She let out a little hum and waited; finally back in control and keeping her cool for the coming battle, her pseudo-scales sending pleasurable feelings up her arms as she somewhat basked in the sun’s light. If she was in less of a pickle along with the academy she would have chosen to go out and bask in the academy ground, making time for a good mid-afternoon snooze in the process. She wished she’d had that option.

‘Stupid Endolan’s ruining my basking time…’

She wiggled her toes and wished she had a flute to play at that moment.

Flutes were awesome.

‘Toot, toot, toot.’

“Into the Motherland…” Alice sang softly to herself, sitting against a small rock as the minutes ticked by, “the German army march.”

She stood up and watched the valley below, soon to be filled with Endolan invaders bent on subjugation and conquest. “Comrades stand side by side to stop the Nazi charge.” she quietly sang the next line. But would they? Would the students be able to fight, or would they run the moment they started dying? She knew the answer for herself, retreat wasn’t an option, they were all that stood between the Academy -Earth’s best chance at retaining sovereignty- and the Endolan force marching their way.

“Panzers on Russian soil, a thunder in the East.” Or at least, a portal in the North. “One million men at war, the Soviet wrath unleashed.”

She sighed as she finished the last line of the song, raising her hands and looking at them both. When the time came -and she knew it would- would she be able to kill deliberately? More importantly, would she stay in control?

She’d already killed one person, several years ago, and probably stopped him from killing many other people, but that’d been in the heat of the moment, and she still didn’t know quite what had happened. One moment she’d been sitting somewhere, probably waiting for something, the next there’d been a bloodied knife -her knife- in her hands, blood all over her clothes, and a body covered in stab wounds and clutching something in its hand underneath her.

There was something about a bomb, and investigations. Somebody had issued something to her, but it was all a blur. All she remembered from that time was the blood, it’d been all that occupied her dreams for months, there had been something… electrifying about it.

She shook her head to clear it, this was the wrong time to think about that. She wasn’t sure if there ever was a right time to think about it.

Resuming her walk across the top of the valley, she wondered what would actually happen when the Endolan force crossed through. Would they wait until they had passed before springing the trap? Appear as surprise reinforcements from the rear once the main group had engaged? She was relatively sure they wouldn’t be ordered to attack right as they were passing through, Jones wasn’t stupid.

At least, she was pretty sure he wasn’t.

Her revolver provided some distraction as she broke open the action and inspected the ammunition she had loaded, as well as what she was carrying on herself. She wasn’t sure whether to go with the multi-purpose rounds, or the armor piercing ones. Armor piercing would make a Titan’s day considerably worse, but go straight through a Demon, whereas the multi-purpose would make a Demon’s day considerably worse, but do much less against a Titan.

She sighed, sitting down, idly cocking the hammer and dry-firing, though nothing happened without the cylindrical magazine in place.

Alice huffed and jammed a magazine into the gun, snapping it closed and jamming it into its holster. There were Endolans to kill, at least soon.

She looked down the valley again, trying to see any sign of the approaching invaders before marching back to her original spot. She spotted Lily, and felt the faint notion to ask her how she was doing, but brushed it aside. There was another woman, wearing what looked like Hellenic armor and carrying a shield. Interesting. She was tempted to ask her about the rather large sword… cleaver… sharp metal thing, or even to simply know if anyone else felt the same dread she did, but she ignored the woman, and Lily, and kept walking.

What would happen when it really came down to it? Her real concern wasn’t whether or not she could fight, she could definitely fight, but what would happen when she actually started fighting.

Would she just do what needed to be done and deal with it later? Or would there be a repeat of what had happened four years ago? Would the red mist clear to reveal red liquids, like last time? Would she simply die in that red mist? How many more people would die by her hands today?

She looked down at her hands again, the hands of a killer, but she supposed being a killer was a good thing here.

Sitting down on the same rock as prior, she began singing to herself again, “Into the Motherland…”

Sabaton- Panzerkampf

A ghostly spectre shot up from the ground, off-white hair hanging around her head in tangled locks. She breathed out, losing her transparency, becoming solid once more.

Around her stood Commander Jones, Sylphide, and what looked like a small Gryphon, except this one was half eagle and wolf, as opposed to its lion-like counterpart. Its yellow eyes, sharp and intelligent, zeroed in on her as she appeared, beak clicking impatiently. "What did you see?" He, judging by the voice, said.

The Banshee looked up at him. Even smaller than other gryphons as he were, he was still large enough to dwarf her. She pushed the thought aside, looking out towards where the two ambush groups were hiding, just waiting for the Endolan forces to make their way through the valley. "Not far off, Cyno. They will be within sight of the secondary groups in a minute at most. Five minutes at most before they are in the middle of our secondary groups. Ten minutes until they engage with the main group. "

Cyno nodded, closing his eyes for a short while. He then opened his eyes again, looking to Commander Jones. "Information has been relayed. They are awaiting your orders."

The Commander sniffed as if unimpressed, his jaw tightening as it was wont to do when he thought. He nodded once, but kept silent. Orders would come when needed. Such as it always were.

---

Any second now, Lily though, lips pressed into a thin line thanks to a mix of concentration and anxiousness. Her eyes were trained on the nearby bend in the valley, where she knew the Endolan forces would appear from. So far she had tried to keep the thought of what would happen once fighting began out of her head, but as the Endolans--Our enemies--drew closer, it was proving more and more difficult. She had killed before. Once. It was an accident and over a minor dispute, although it had been major back then. She remember having been wide awake the following night, barely able to keep herself from retching. Fourteen years old and she had taken a life. What wouldn't Max have said had he known? Could it be possible that he did know?

She shook her head, braid waving back and forth with the motion, and shoved the thought out of her head. Max was dead, and there was nothing she could do about it. There was no beyond that she knew of. So why even think about him watching me? I know he's not. Again she shook her head, this time more violently, making sure that this time the thought of him stayed out of her mind. Her teeth were grit and jaw tight.

It sickened her. To be so afraid after what she had been through? Not only her old life, but all the fights she had been in since then, spar or not. She had survived dragons and gryphons, gorgons, and a horde of other chimeric beasts trying to tear her apart, and she had still made it out, not yet quit and asked to be moved somewhere else; out of this life as a Shifter.

I am not backing out now!

She closed her eyes and let out a breath, drawing in a new one, and repeated the action, composing herself.

Looking back towards the bend of the valley, she spotted the snout of something big. Following it came the head, and then a long neck, followed lastly by an enormous body. It was a brown dragon, average size, and as imposing as one would expect it to be. Following it came a horde of other Mythics, large and small, beautiful and ugly, frightening and enchanting. There were so many of them; so many jaws of death, powerful sorcerers, and elementals with the power to tear the land asunder.

One almost had to wonder why they didn't use an Earth Elemental to dig a tunnel through the mountains, but the answer was almost too obvious. Had they done that, they would be too vulnerable to the elementals from the Academy in the event that they had been discovered. No one but the elementals themselves would be able to do anything down there, and dragon or not, several tons of rock falling down on top of you will deal severe damage.

Lily glanced around her, taking note of all the other faces turned towards the approaching Endolans. Many of them look as anxious as she felt, a few even more so. There were even those that seemed to be excited for it, polishing swords with grim smiles on their faces, and one or two that looked downright scary. She turned her gaze back to the off-worlders.

"No one attack," a voice said, cast across the local telepathic network. "Wait until orders are given."

Of course. She almost scoffed, borderline offended by the idea. Which one of us would be stupid enough to attack before the order was given? Once again, she refocused on the Endolans, watching them as she kept the cloaking field up around their group, aided by the other Kitsune.

A few more moments passed before another call was issued over the telepathic network, but this one was one of the smaller, local ones. It called to get a group of Shifters to gather around her, as she was currently immobile to keep the cloaking field up.

She turned around--that much she could do--and took note of the nine others walking towards her. One of them--an as of yet unshifted person, although with reptilian pupils--oozed far more confidence than the others, and not to mention respect. He looked around at the small group, eyeing each and every one up and down. Seemingly impressed, he went to address the lot of them, explaining what they were going to do. It would be a tried and tested attack that, even if it was thousands of years old, still worked. A simple arrowhead attack to split them back lines, break their concentration as best as possible. Other groups had agreed to focus more on the Titans, so they would take care of the Demons and Fae.

"Understood?" He asked.

A chorus of "Yes sir!" rang out from the small group, a look of determination on each and every face, even that of the surprisingly small girl among them.

Lily's gaze rested on the girl for a moment, hardly flinching as she received a steely glare in return. As if to prove a point, the small girl Shifted then, becoming some sort of grotesque creature of pure death. Bonelike spikes protruded forward from the back of her hands, as well as her elbows. Additionally her hands and feet had become clawed, and her face... possibly the worst of it all. She no longer had lips, or even much of a face to speak of. Two dark holes with faintly glowing light serving as eyes, two rows of pointy teeth that rivalled even those of a dragon in how murderous they seemed, and just a hole that looked like it had once held a nose, but no longer did.

How she managed to grin at Lily, she would never find out. "I'm a Bakasura," she said in a gravelly voice, not at all feminine. She chuckled at the surprised look she got from Lily, hunching over and resting on the long bone-like protrusion from her hands. "Good luck down there."

Lily nodded and turned around, refocusing on the cloak.

It was only a matter of time now.

---

Fight begins in 2 minutes

The Endolan forces had passed without incident. A few Banshees and other scouts had looked around, but none had found the ambush groups. It was understandable, though, as bringing Spirits was a liability. They were vulnerable, and not a combative type of Shifter. It would be a needless loss of life if too many of them were to get involved with the fighting.

Lily had kept her eyes on them, anxiously watching what few Banshees of theirs that disappeared in and out of few, looking every which way for potential ambushes. Thankfully, they didn’t find any.

---

Fight begins in thirty seconds

She could see the Endolans about to get within range of the Academy’s forces. Loathe though she was to let her spirits rise too high, she felt some amount of relief in finally realising that they outnumbered the Endolans, albeit with less than half again their numbers. But it was an advantage, one she was thankful of.

Her fists clenched, muscles in her legs tensing in preparation. They were so close. It was a matter of seconds.

The air was thick with anticipation, fear, and anxiety, so many like her filled with dread at what was to come. She let out a breath, drawing in a new one, and repeated the process.

And then the fight began.

One almighty boom reached their ears, Fairies from one side or another having sent forth a massive blast of magic. Next came the roars from the dragons and giant, the screeches from the wyverns and the chimeras. So many sounds of anger, despair, and pain. But everything was silent on top of the valley’s cliffs, the two ambush groups waiting with bated breath.

Come on. Come on! Lily urged, her tails snapping agitatedly in the air behind her. Give the orders! I don’t want to just watch people die here if I can prevent some of it!

---

Thirty seconds after fighting began

The fight had only just begun and already it seemed as if hundreds had died. The screams of pain was heard as clearly as if they were next to them.

The orders were awaited with bated breath, and then…

”Ambush Teams. Engage. Move in from the rear. Attack!

A secpmd call followed immediately after, coming from their Graduate CO. "Get on my back!"

A nearby person--the Graduate which had not been shifted before--shifted into a dragon, crouching low to allow their small squadron to climb onto his back for easier transport. Lily and the other Kitsune held onto the cloaking field as best they could while everybody scrambled to get onto the Titans' backs for easier transport, or sped down the cliff side. It would be gone once they started to move, but for now they could hold it up.

The dragon took off with a powerful beat of his wings, friends and comrades riding on his back towards their first proper battle. People would die. Friends would die… they themselves would die. But it was a price they all were willing to pay. A price they had agreed upon when they let themselves become something other than Human.

Lily crouched, peering at the landscape passing by below. The dragon shifter swooped in low, passing by a score metres above, and two scores behind, the backline of the Endolan forces, letting his passengers drop. Lily jumped down on the Endolans below, following her squadmates. A single thought echoed through her mind as they raced forwards at inhuman speeds, ready to tear into their enemies.

Leave none alive!

Celica had strayed to the edge of their hiding place, so she was one of the first to see the dragon march into the ambush’s sight. As the rest of the dragon’s body crested the bend of the valley’s path, her eyes were drawn to a blue marking on the monster’s foreleg. It was made indistinct by the distance, but the bluish shade of the emblem representing the Endolan forces contrasted heavily on the beast’s brown hide.

Behind her, whispers and mutterings spread as more and more students became aware of the enemy’s appearance. Several rose and shuffled over to the edge of the valley, trying to get a better view of their invaders, while others began milling about and trying to settle themselves into organized groups, sensing the beginning of the conflict drawing nearer. The graduates and Shifter professors of the Academy began to assert themselves then, forming the core of squads and calling the students that had been assigned to them, even as the command to wait was given to them. No reason to be unprepared when the time came to charge.

One such call echoed in her head, as loud and clear as if the speaker was right beside her, snapping her attention away from the approaching forces. She looked behind her towards the milling Demons and Titans and swallowed, suddenly realizing how dry her throat felt. With one arm she began pushing through the throng, the other firmly pressed over one her holsters, her claws reflexively tapping against the weapon. She was only aware of the motion because of the clicking sound that tickled her ears as her claws scraped against the gun’s steel.

Eventually, the graduate she’d been assigned to came into view. He had assumed his Shifter form already. Humanoid and tall, whatever skin remained uncovered by his armor was colored in a gray hue, scaled in some places, and with tusked, leonine features that lent him a ferocious air. A deep, orange mane flowed from his scalp, seeming to glow from within. She couldn’t tell at his age as he was. His eyes flicked from the group of Shifters he was addressing and they fell on Celica, wincing slightly as their eyes met. Celica cringed and broke eye contact. A twinge of irritation managed to escape the cold knot in her chest as she reminded herself of the effect her gaze could have on others.

Ignoring her slip, the Ifrit gestured for her to approach, inviting her into the group. Celica moved closer, studying the other Shifters from the corner of her eye. There were about ten of them, all Shifted. She did what she could to identify some of the creatures arrayed before her. Celica counted a pair of Earth Elementals, taking on the shape of humungous stone golems, as well as what looked like a Chimera with a lion’s head and torso, the back legs of a goat and a snake head for a tail. Owing to a pair of wings and heavy plate armor, Celica pegged a blonde, short-haired woman standing by her as a Valkyrie, though her armor had a more traditional look than Alice’s, and she carried a shield on her left arm. Another Yukianesa stood opposite to her, ice covering the base of her jaw and neck in much the same way as crystal had taken the place of Celica’s arms and left eye. Celica thought she recognized her features, but she could not recall a name. To this last one she offered a perfunctory nod. She was not sure she could have pushed words out of her throat if she wanted to. The others looked no less odd or mismatched, but she could not immediately give a name to them.

The Ifrit stared impassively at the motely group, the only one out of all of them who had finished his training at the Academy. As the silence stretched, Celica found herself wondering if the man had ever led others in a fight before. For all she knew, the man had finished his training but had never seen proper combat.

Wouldn’t that be nice? We’ll figure it all out together, came the dry thought, with that lining of quiet hysteria that came when one was at the brink of something terrible and could not figure out whether to laugh or to cry.

The graduate sniffed, seemingly unimpressed by the weight of their own stares. “We’re going to play this one by the book,” he finally said in a gruff, vaguely accented voice. “You’ve all done this before, unless they changed things up since I was a recruit. Combat practice may seem like a game compared to this, but you’ve been training for a reason, so let’s keep it simple.” He sniffed again, glancing at the pair of golems. “We’ll be falling on them quick and deadly-like, so Titans, do as much damage as possible from the start. We want the first strike to bloody them bad enough to send them reeling, but don’t get carried away. Stray too far from the main group and you’ll see how fast numbers take down big and stupid.

“Demons, keep the Titans in sight. Kill anything that gets distracted by the giants prancing about, and if you see them in trouble try to run interference. The big lugs will draw the fire away from you. Let them fall and you’ll see what it’s really like having dragons trying to eat you alive.” That sounded like it came from experience. It did not relieve her as much as she thought it would. “Understood?”

A few halfhearted murmurs came from the group. “I said,” the squad sergeant growled, lip peeling back in a fanged grimace. “Understood?”

“Yes, Sir!” came the chorused reply.

“Good. Follow orders and keep from getting surrounded and maybe we’ll be lucky enough to live through this one.”

With that, the soldier moved up to the Elementals and began asking them questions. What Celica could overhear seemed to relate to the Golem’s magical abilities, but she could not find it in herself to be interested. Celica drew a deep breath, wishing the apprehension would leave her. How she hated the anticipation. She tried to liken it to the feeling she got before martial arts competitions, before exams, before her first combat drills as a Shifter. It felt silly that she should try to compare a fight to the death with something so mundane – the fear had never been so keen, the stakes never felt so high – but she could not recall if she had ever managed to shrug off the anticipation then. Back then, she did not worry so much about what fear could do to her.

Yes, Celica, do compare. Can’t get ahold of yourself in a friendly competition and you’re hoping to do so in a bloodbath.

She swore under her breath, suddenly feeling lightheaded.

Down below in the valley, the enemy continued its inexorable advance. There still was some distance between the two armies, but Celica realized it would not be long before the Fae on both sides came within the range of each other’s magic.

At the soldier’s urging, the Shifters approached the precipice’s edge, one in among several groups now waiting for the battle’s commence with bated breath. Those with the benefit of wings would be able to fly down below, while the others would either have to brave the slope on their own or be carried. Celica could have simply jumped and turned to mist before the ground met her, but the move could prove disorienting, and she feared the risk, so she sidled up to the Chimera. The snake that formed the beast’s tail turned to regard her curiously for a moment before looking away, quickly losing interest.

The conflagration that lit the scene from below, followed by a wave of sound like thunder that swept over the ambush teams proved to be much more worthy of attention. Moments later, the vanguard of the armies met, and the distant cries and roars of the struggling creatures added themselves to the explosive tides of sorcery.

A series of conflicted feelings and thoughts flitted through Celica’s mind. There was an overwhelming relief over the fact that she was not standing in that first wave, followed by a wave of shame at the thought. Then was a muted sense of horror, courtesy of the part of her mind that was aware of the significance of those cries of pain and rage that rode over the sound of tremors and explosions, clinging to the coattails of the knowledge that soon she would be in the thick of it. It all stuck to the back of her mind, superseded by a kind of numb awe, as though she was merely being witness to a particularly fascinating traffic accident.

When the order to move came to them, her body moved almost of its own accord, falling into its given role as if in a desperate bid to outpace her own mind. She swung over the Chimera, gripping to its mane and torso just as the beast let out a rumbling roar and jumped down the slope. The muscles of the monster tensed and roiled under her with fearsome strength, moving with such speed and ferocity that Celica’s only managed to register the wind buffeting at her face when they had already bounded halfway down the valley’s wall. They might as well have been falling.

The force of the Chimera’s impact on the valley floor sent a jarring tremor through Celica’s body that dislodged her from her mount, sending her tumbling off. She probably should have sucked it up and jumped down on her own. With reflexes that would have taken the breath away from any ordinary human she rolled with the fall, the rough landing leaving little more than a slight ache on her shoulder, and looked up in time to see her ride tearing into the army’s side. Shifters of all shapes and sizes followed suit, and it took her a moment to realize she was still sitting half-crouched in the middle of a raging battlefield, staring at the unfolding scene as if lost.

Almost reflexively, Celica had her guns on her hands and she was aiming her arms at a small group of enemy Shifters, their wide eyes locked on the Chimera as they tried to answer the sudden assault. With the giant beasts rampaging along their ranks, Celica drew little attention to herself when she emptied her weapons on the ground beneath them. A whisper of power followed the projectiles, and the crystals that formed on impact suddenly exploded, sending sharpened shards flying into the groups of enemies.

A corona of fire erupted from besides her, washing over a group of Shifters turning to face her and she saw the fiery squad sergeant standing a few paces away from her, a hand extended in the direction of the flames. Already Celica could see the Academy’s Demons taking advantage of the chaos created by the charging Titans, but here and there she began to see the huge monsters slowing down, their advance brought to a halt as the enemy managed to mount up a response or they bumped against something larger and meaner than themselves.

As their forces entered the field, Celica stood back, taking the chance to reload her weapons as she tried to make sense of the chaos that raged before her. Here and there she spied Demons locked in combat with each other, with several others harassing the larger Titans as they fought monsters several times Celica’s own size.

She took a few shots at the latter, using her magic to push and pull at those her freezing projectiles found. She managed to get three of them trampled under the warring giants before the rest wizened up and she had to duck back behind the rest of the ambush team to avoid the sudden wave of sorcery, heart at her throat and hair lightly seared by passing lightning. She spent the beginning stages of the battle like that, sabotaging the enemy where the opportunity presented itself and making as small a target of herself as she could.

She had little desire to jump directly into the fray like some of her sturdier, better armored compatriots.

The battle had begun, and now, just like everyone else, Lilith was deep in the thick of it.

When the signal was given she’d shifted mid-run, her endless coils of erupting from her body and ploughing up the ground in thick clods of wet dirt. A few blasts of fire and other elemental magic had been launched desperately at them as they had approached – a last attempt to counter the furious tide of the ambush set upon the Endolans.

In the end, it had little no effect.

Her heavy shield had absorbed most of their attacks as they thumped against it, and now with her eyes glinting in bloodlust, she had smashed into the assembled ranks of her enemies with utter fury.

The first before her seemed to be some sort of Minotaur; she barely gave his surprised face a glance before brought the edge of her shield down upon his neck with an audible crunch, followed by a series of pops as her rolling coils pressed his limp corpse deeper into the soft earth. Other demons were less caught off guard and began running, assailing her with a series of energy blasts or distractions which caused her to hiss in pain. Her coils swung around blindly as she attempted to smash them with her sheer weight, but she merely grazed thin air with them, the demons were too quick for her.

Something suddenly loomed out to the right of her, and she barely managed to bring her shield up in time to be sent flying by the club of an irate giant. For a moment, it seemed as if she’d achieved momentary flight, her many coils twirling through the air as she was lobbed haphazardly across the battlefield. For a moment it seemed as if time had slowed to nothing. Her vision clarified, blood red eyes taking in her surroundings in an instant which lasted an eternity. Around her the sea of bodies boiled and seethed in discordant fury as shifter took on shifter in a all out chaotic brawl of blood and violence. It was almost beautiful in its own way.

The solid ground soon ended any more philosophical musing she might have had on it.

Quickly re-establishing herself she lifted her shield again as the giant charged towards her and attempted to club her to death. There was an almighty thump, audible even in battle, as the heavy mace smashed against the front of it, causing her arm to ache under the weight of the attack. Before he managed to raise his weapon again she brought her own weapon to bare, smashing the War falchion into the giants ankle, carving through the tough skin in the process and embedding it deep into the bone. With a roar the giant stumbled, and she barely had time to get out the way before being crushed by one of the beasts thighs.

Taking advantage of the overwhelming pain, she crawled her way up the giant’s body, coils rolling across his middle and tightening, forcing the air out of his lungs in the process. With a snarl she ripped her falchion out of the giant’s leg, causing his agonised screams to become a shriek of pain and rage. As she climbed up his chest she felt him claw into her tail with long nails, breaking some of her scales off in the process and bloodying her lower body, with effort she maintained her calm and continued upwards until she reached his shoulder. With another powerful swing she brought the blade down upon his shoulder muscle. Another roar of pain echoed across the mountain pass, but she felt her blade catch in the flesh in the process as the giant tensed. She was so focused on dragging it out; she didn’t even notice the closed fist of the giant come down upon her.

If she’d been taking the full weight of the hit, she undoubtedly would have had her neck broken, luckily for her she’d been behind the giants shoulder and had limited the swing in the process. Blood poured down her face as her helmet and falchion went flying from her grasp, the helmet disappearing into the torrents of fire and blood which continually erupted below them. She brought her hand to her face in shock and felt it come away hot and red.

Her eyes widened in shock as she stared at it, even as she felt the giant tightened his grasp around her coils and begin to tear her off; once again, her lack of attention had nearly been the death of her.

This time however, she was saved by rogue chance.

With a whoosh of flame a massive orb of energy crashed straight into the giants face, causing the Titan to stumble and loose his grip. With a start from her reverie, Lilith’s attention was brought back to the battle at hand; beneath her tides of soldiers fought and died, and she could see many Demons coordinate an attack of the giant’s leg, causing her to stumble. With him distracted, she took the opening he gave her.

With a scream of primal fury, her eyes physically aglow with Lamian bloodlust, she buried her fangs straight into the giant’s jugular. She felt him howl as she tightened herself around his middle, venom pumping through her mouth and polluting his blood with its toxic cargo load. She felt him scrabble for her again, trying to grab her and rip her off, but she was having none of that. With her mouth currently occupied her arms thrust themselves upward and grabbed his face, and once they’d found the bastards eyes, dug her taloned thumbs straight into the sensitive flesh.

The Titan screamed in agony and began flailing wildly; with a malevolent growl she loosened her coils across his chest and launched herself off, but before ripping a jagged hole out his jugular in the process. Blood splattered her face and chest as she fell from his shoulders and plummeted to the earth, soaking her armour sanguine as it splashed across her. She hit the earth like a rock, smashing into the ground heavily and probably crushing someone in the process.

She was stunned for a few seconds as she got up, her vision blurring slightly as she struggled to get a grip on her surroundings. She licked her lips and came away with the taste of iron in her mouth… but for some reason that didn’t seem like such a bad thing…

It tasted… good.

Her senses seemed to heighten as the drug-like flavour of blood filled her mind and senses, causing everything to clarify in pure undiluted detail. A sudden hunger erupted inside her, a hunger she hadn’t felt before, a need… a need for more blood. She looked around and her eyes sharpened on a prostrate figure with a recognisable blade in its side.

The Fae was screaming in agony as she pulled the blade out of its body. She screamed even more when her metal clad fist came down and smashed into her face, pulverising brain matter and bone into so much red paste.

Wiping more of the quickly coagulating blood off her face with a serpentine tongue, she turned to find something else to kill and was surprised to be surrounded by demons frozen in horror at the sight of the blood coated Lamia with glowing red eyes dispose of a giant, plummet like a brick, get up and murder a Fae without even so much as pausing.

For what seemed like an hour they just stared at each other. Then she began to smile, and hefted her weapon into position. Beyond them, she saw the giant stumble around screaming as more and more blood ruptured from its neck, before it smashed into the ground with a cataclysmic boom as it lost consciousness.

Meanwhile, the hunger had returned.

“So…” she said, mouth salivating at the prospect, eyeing up the demons with almost cannibalistic starvation, “whose next?”

She thought she saw one soil himself as she went in for the kill on the group, her jaws spread wide and eyes filled with bloodlust.

Ready for the kill.

The first few seconds were by far the most bloody and chaotic she had ever experienced. Fire and lightning, ice and stone, flew everywhere. Swords and shields clashed with the same frequency that magic was tossed about.

But the screams… the screams were the worst. Those of the dying, those of the wounded, and those of the angry and desperate. Her own roar filled with bloodlust was drowned out by the inhuman screeches of shifters in monstrous bodies, and the thundering of monsters fighting amongst each other.

Yes. That was what they were. There were no humans present here. All that was, were monsters in one guise or another. Humans had always been monstrous in one way or another, and she—Lily—was among those who had been gifted a body to match that monstrosity that all were capable of, regardless of skin colour or origin.

The first to fall was a Fae who had been too slow to turn around to face them. Lily barrelled into him, one hand holding his throat in an irongrip as she brought her tails to bear, shooting a blast of raw magic at point blank from each. He didn’t even have time to scream.

She tossed the corpse towards another, only for it to be incinerated from a fire ball sent towards the frontlines, taking with it an airborne shifter on its way.

Lily raced forward again, this time aiming for a larger shape: that of a winged beast with a lion’s head and scorpion tail. It saw her and met her in a charge, sending her flying backwards as they collided. Utilizing her tails, she softened the fall and flipped herself backwards, landing on her feet in time to avoid the following charge. She dashed to the side, flinging an orb of blue energy at him, catching him in the side and singing his fur.

A roar and another charge as it regained its bearings, charging at her head on with a chilling roar echoing throughout the valley. It crashed into her… and then through her. A slash in the side revealed the location of his would-be target, only there was nothing but a floating sword. It retreated as he batted at it. The sword came forward again, ready the slash.

The beast turned its rear, sending forth its tail. The sword dropped, and the tail stopped midway, and the wielder of the sword came back into view. Lily had the tail firmed gripped with both her tails and hands, struggling to keep it away from her throat.

The chimera, however, wasn’t content with simply trying to stab her. It raised its tail too quick for her to realise and let go and slammed her into the ground. It ripped its tail from her grip and attempted to stab her again. Lily quickly rolled out of the way, getting to her feet again. But fast as she was, she was still inexperienced. She came up against a rock and, now that her retreat was cut off, the chimera sprung.

Claws reaching forward, maw wide up, the Chimera pounced at her, aiming for her throat. Lily would have tried to flee, but at that moment an otherwise ignored thought had come to mind.

She might actually die here.

And while the chimera certainly wanted to kill her, there were those who didn’t want it. The chimera seemed to stop dead in the air, then dropped in front of Lily like a ragdoll, a sword through its neck accompanied several cuts that hadn’t been there a second before. At the other end of the sword stood Tsukiko, breathing heavily but smiling at her.

“Gotcha in time,” she said and pulled the sword out. Her smile disappeared then. “Let’s go.”

Lily didn’t need another prompt. She nodded and followed Tsuki, finding that she fell behind quickly. Even now she wondered just how fast the Bakeneko actually were. She barely noticed the cuts she delivered to the Chimera, let alone the last stab that killed it.

The continued forward, aiming for a line of Fae being protected by a group of Demons, most of which were already fighting third years from the Academy.

A Valkyrie broke off at the sight of them, rushing towards Tsukiko and immediately started swinging her sword. The first few strokes showed no one of the two as being superior, but just two seconds passed and it was already clear that the Valkyrie was better.

She could watch no longer. Lily rushed in, intent on either smashing the valkyrie’s face into the ground, or at the very least disorienting them enough for Tsukiko to make a decisive blow. But the Valkyrie had other plans.

Almost as an afterthought she threw her hand towards Lily, sending a blast of energy at her, throwing her back and stunning her. She struggled to just sit up, trying and failing to will her to stand up. She watched helplessly as Tsuki was forced on the defensive, trying desperately not to get hit. She wanted to help. She wanted to… What? No!

An orb of some indistinguishable colour flew towards Tsukiko from behind, right at her blind spot. She couldn’t see it. She wouldn’t see it in time. She tried to cry out, but it had already hit when her mouth opened. She watched with terror written on her face as Tsukiko… She didn’t die.

Tsukiko’s attacks sped up as if she had suddenly gotten much faster. A glance to the side revealed a friendly—dying—valkyrie who had given what power of hers remained to give Tsuki a boost in speed and strength. She sent a silent note of thanks to her, wishing her peace in whatever afterlife awaited.

Tsukiko’s speed had indeed increased. Her strikes were quick, relentless. The valkyrie she fought was forced on the defensive, even as the cat-eared wonder hailed blow after blow upon her. She soon struck so quickly that even Lily had trouble following each blow, finding each and every chink on the Endolan’s defense and abused it.

And then it happened. She struck true. A feint towards the head brought up the Valkyrie’s guard, but Tsuki lowered her sword and stepped forward, piercing through the breastplate as if it were butter, spearing the valkyrie.

Lily couldn’t help but marvel at the vicious grin painted on Tsukiko’s lips as she pulled out the sword. It was like nothing she’d ever seen before. There was a bloodlust there that she had never witnessed… and never wanted to witness again. She had managed to sit up when Tsukiko turned towards a Fae and readied for a charge. However the charge never came. Before she could even react a wall of kinetic force slammed into her, forcing her to let go of the sword, and sent her flying. Even from a distance Lily could hear the crunch of bones being broken, and see the blood spewing from her mouth.

And even as Tsukiko disappeared over the heads of Demons and Titans alike, Lily’s vision turned red. No… Not again. Please don’t… Don’t… It was Max all over again. Max was dead, and now Tsukiko was going to die too. And all because she hadn’t acted in time. All because I… She clenched her eyes shot, willing the tears away.

No.

She opened her eyes again, a snarl on her lips as her gaze zeroed in one the Fae who was responsible. He was standing there, smug and satisfied that he had done away with a Demon. She let out a growl like that of a monster about to pounce its prey and stood up, hunched forward. And then she charged.

Using her magic she concealed herself, making her little more than a blur of colours with no real cohesion rushing forward at inhuman speeds. The Fae saw her, but he was too slow to react. Sidestepping the frantic blast he sent her way she sped up once more, coming within reach in little more than a second’s time. He would have screamed had Lily allowed it, but it became little more than a gurgle as she tore his throat open, using her nails like a tiger’s law. A quick dash to the side and a turn, and she ended up behind him, her bloody hand covering his face, the other dragging shallow gorges in the soft flesh of his belly.

A boom briefly interrupted her, causing her to look up to meet the scaled face of dragon. His eyes were not on her, but rather the other fae. Good, he’ll keep the others occupied. She glanced at the horror stricken face of the Fae in her grasp, and smiled sweetly at him. It’s not over yet, my dear. You’re going to suffer

Her lips parted, fangs glinting in the midday sun. She would be lying if she said she didn’t savor the gurgling scream that came when she bit down, burying her fangs her his neck. The taste was nothing spectacular, but then again it was only blood. What was spectacular, however, was the power.

She started pulling, drawing the power of the Fae into herself, intent on leaving nothing behind. She had managed to take what seemed like a fifth of what there was, already feeling more magic coursing through her than ever before, when she felt a tug—and then a yank. Abruptly the power left her, draining back into the Fae far quicker than she’d liked. She moved her hand from his face and to the wound on his throat, digging her fingers into it at the same time as she sent a simple mental spike at him. He gurgled again, what remained of a scream… and his resistance vanished. She tugged again, drawing from him, just like she had been taught. It took but a few seconds her him convulsing in her grasp, shaking as his very life was torn from his body in the most brutal way possible.

Removing her hands from his throat and stomach, she stepped back, licking the blood off her fangs before spitting it out. The fae slumped together on the ground, not an ounce left of life in him. For Lily it was an entirely different experience: She had never felt so full of life, so full of power.

”Too much fire is coming from the Fae to our left. Create a distraction.”

I’m in the right area. Lily glanced the other way, already on her way there, tails alight with arcs of electricity shooting between them. A grim smile painted itself across her lips. This is what it must feel like to be powerful, and without fear. For right now she didn’t fear anything. All that meant anything to her was to sow as much chaos as possible.

But in her overconfidence she didn’t notice the monstrosity of a bird rushing down towards her.

The initial shock of the ambush did not last for nearly as long as she could have hoped for, as the rearguard of the Endolans understood their situations and dug their heels to the ground and begun to slow the charge, tying down the Academy’s units in a bloody melee.

They would not break from such an assault, Celica believed. It was not a compliment, or a sign of grudging respect to their foe, but rather a tactical observation. They would not break because the option to do so was simply not present. On the front of the Endolan army was the main body of their own forces, guarding the Academy, and the rear had been engaged by the ambush groups. The walls of the valley faced the armies on either side, and even for beasts and fables of their caliber, a retreat up those steep hills would likely prove costly for any ground bound units that attempted it.

That might give someone an idea as to their Commander’s aim for the battle. None would be spared. The Endolans had somehow walked into the jaws of a beast that threatened to swallow them all. For all that, the Endolans fought like cornered animals, and a part of Celica found itself wondering if the Academy’s forces would choke on their prey before it died.

She had managed to survive as the battle grew fiercer, letting the Titans draw attention away from herself and hiding in their shadows as she poached for unaware enemies. Enemy Titans were beyond her scope. She mainly searched for vulnerable Fae and Demons. Those she could she finished before they became aware of her attention, and many were claimed by sudden shards of ice or freezing bullets distracting them from a skirmish against another Shifter. She had so far managed to either kill or disengage from all those who chose to target her with minimal injury.

It might have been why it seemed vexing that her closest brush with death had been an almost random explosion behind her. Chances are she could blame it on a Fae. There had been a flash, and the hellish heat that scoured her back turned her vision white for a brief second. The blast had blown her away, and the landing had been poor, which likely accounted for all of the muck on her, but it was hardly her fault if all the blood shed in their surroundings had turned the valley floor into mud.

At least her back did not burn any more. She could scarcely feel anything back there, but that was likely for the best. This was not a place where she could hold pain in high regard. She counted herself lucky. Everything inside the blast had been vaporized.

Panic had set in, grown tired, and left again, taking the part of her reasoning that concerned itself with anything but the surface analysis of a current situation. It was just as well. She instinctively knew that there was nothing to be gained by thinking to deeply on anything beyond her role and survival, though with the sounds of clashing weapons, screams and explosions, and the sight of guts, bile and blood around her, her instincts seemed to be doing little more than stating the obvious. The result was the kind of cold fear that managed to set everything around oneself in a pristine clarity that did away with the troubling details.

Training taught it was better to be cold than to be frozen.

For the time being, Celica remained hidden behind one of the golem brothers and a few scattered Demons from the group she had dropped down with. She had already lost sight of one of them, along with the chimera she had ridden down to the valley floor, though she did not know whether they had simply moved out of sight or if they had fallen to the enemy. She did not think much of it. At worst, it meant less bodies to hide behind.

Instead she continued scanning for opportunities and dangers. Their Titans drew most of the enemy focus on the front line, but those like-minded Demons or Fae on the enemy’s side that chose to tip the scales of the front lines rather than joining it were what worried her most. If the next random explosion did not miss her, she at least wanted to see it coming.

A depressing thought, quickly abandoned when she caught sight of a small ball of fur crashing against the golem. Something of that size could not do so much as scratch a dent in the Titan’s armor, and since no explosions or flashes of lightning had suddenly appeared from the impact, she dismissed it as unimportant, soon to be snapped like a twig.

She saw her error at the same time she realized the thing was only small compared to the Titan it was using as a jumping board.

Celica backpedaled, and a set of claws flashed in front of her, close enough to feel the trailing wind.
Another step back. The beast had landed on all fours, a veritable mountain of fur, muscle and glinting teeth. She had a particularly good view of those as the monster’s wolfish snarl came to about her own eye-level. Celica had leapt back reflexively, dodging the first blow, but the creature moved with her, its arm swinging again into a vicious back hand. Another step. The blow grazed her hip, but still managed to send her flying. For a weightless moment, she couldn’t help appreciating the fact that if the strike had hit her directly, her pelvis would have been all but shattered.

She landed painfully, the nerves on her back sending out a scream of agony into her brain. A part of her told her that was probably a good thing, but she largely preferred it when she could not feel the pain. She rolled to her feet and prepared to leap back, knowing it to be too late. A large shadow loomed over her, the monster rearing on its back legs, one arm raised to strike her down.

What was it she had been thinking moments ago? About wanting to see her death coming? If she had to admit to any regrets, the first one that came to mind was thinking something so idiotic.

The arm fell. And thudded limply against the ground, blood pooling underneath it. The beast let out a bloodcurdling scream, red liquid flowing unimpeded from the wound where an arm would normally be. Without wasting a beat, Celica moved away, distancing herself from the enemy. The thing made no move to follow. Instead, it directed a furious glare towards the sky.

Following the thing’s gaze, Celica caught sight of a winged figure flying away. The sword it carried, visibly reddened despite the distance, suggested a Valkyrie. As they watched, the winged woman made a narrow turn, dropping down on the wolf beast once more. That was a mistake. Wounded or not, the enemy had ample warning now.

As the woman dove, the beast turned slightly, avoiding the lunge made with the sword, and threw out its remaining limb. The beast’s large, clawed hand grasped at the figure breastplate, stopping the woman’s dive in its tracks. The woman’s wings and limbs whipped forward like a rubber band, shocked limp as the Valkyrie’s momentum caught up with her sudden stop, and without wasting a beat the monster slammed her down with all of its weight in a maneuver that reminded Celica of a wrestler’s chokeslam.

Celica had little wish to wait until the monster had concluded its business with the Valkyrie.

Not sooner had the beast slammed the woman down into the ground that a wall of freezing air crashed against its exposed side. The beast reared and staggered, trying to both regain its balance and turn to face the new threat at the same time. Celica closed the gap between them in the blink of an eye. Dropping into a familiar stance, she drew one leg close to her body, drawing herself taut like a bow’s string, and whipped out her leg in a high side kick. The blow struck the monster on its stomach, the impact managing to lift it slightly from the ground. No matter how strong, without any means of moving in the air, the beast was nothing but a target. A heavy target, at that, but that only meant she had to pour more power into the next spell. The blast of wind followed from her kick as though coaxed out by the blow itself, and it launched the monster several yards away, close to the main frontline.

The thing rolled with the impact as it crashed on the valley floor, the claws in its remaining arm tearing a gouge through the earth as it forced itself to a stop. Celica’s guns added their voice to the commotion, and the beast looked up to the ice crystals that had formed on the ground before it. It was the last thing it saw. The crystals shivered and exploded, sending sharp icicles towards the monster’s upper body and face. It let out a bestial scream as shards if ice dug into its eyes and mouth and drew back on two legs, its one remaining arm covering its face, though the gesture came too late. It howled and blindly stumbled until one of the roaming Titans took notice of it. The giant picked it up, almost casually bent its back at an unnatural angle, and threw the limp body back towards the Endolan mob.

It reminded her eerily of someone discarding a can of soda.

Celica heard a metallic clang directly behind her and turned around, guns held like bared fangs. The Valkyrie knelt down in the crater left behind by her impact, breathing shallowly as she worked on unfastening her armor’s breastplate. The metal sunk inwards in the shape of the dead monster’s hand, restricting the woman’s breathing. Celica noted that it was the same Valkyrie she had been grouped with at the start of the battle. Reasonably sure she would not get knifed while she was not looking, Celica crouched by the woman, trying to make a smaller target of herself. Staying close to the Valkyrie while she was vulnerable was as good an excuse as any to catch her breath.

With deft fingers, the clasps came undone and the front of the breastplate fell to the ground. The woman coughed, took a deep, pained breath, and then proceeded to stand up. Celica followed suit, glancing at the Valkyrie’s face as she did. There was something about her expression that made it seem as though she was not entirely there – not entirely aware of her surroundings. Or perhaps it would have been more accurate to say that there was too much to be aware of at once, and the excess simply overflowed. Overwhelmed. The woman certainly looked overwhelmed.

Celica wondered if she had the same expression on her face. Probably. Cold and overwhelmed, that was her, but better to be cold than broken.

There was a tingling sensation at the base of her neck as a gruff, accented voice that brought to mind tusks and gray scales. The Endolans are starting to push to isolate our Titans. Titans, fall back if they your support is cut off, they have nowhere to go but through you. Squad Demons, hold their Demons off, don’t let our Titans get surrounded. After a moment, in a way that made her wonder if the squad sergeant was addressing her specifically, he added, we can’t afford to hang back anymore.

A flap of wings and a gust of wind announced the Valkyrie’s departure, and Celica found herself without an excuse to sit still amidst the mayhem. She could tell as their orders began to roll down to each of their squads as the fighting in the frontline intensified, Demons jumping in to support their Titans, and other Shifters coming in from areas where the fighting was more manageable.

As she let the troops run past her, her eyes fixed on the fighting before her, a shadow suddenly loomed over her. She sucked a breath and ducked. Something sharp grazed her left shoulder just as a powerful grip closed around her right, pulling her up in a painful jolt. A flap of wings directly above her and the sight of colorful feathers at the corner of her eyes had her looking up to see what had snatched her from the ground.

Avian claws wrapped her shoulder in a vice grip, transitioning smoothly into all too human legs. The body of the creature from knee to head was that of a woman, with the sole exception of feather covered arms that had taken the shape of wings. Celica’s sight was drawn to the harpy’s other claw as it drew back, and she brought up her arm just in time to prevent her skull from being torn open. The talon skittered against her arm’s hard surface and she batted it away before pointing her gun upwards and opening fire on the flying woman. Ice began to cover the surface which the bullets struck, but another slash of the harpy’s talons had Celica covering her face in an attempt to keep her eyes from being gouged out. As she tried to defend herself, the woman’s claw managed to wrap around her arm, momentarily immobilizing her.

Celica gritted her teeth, trying to free herself from the thing’s grip, but she had nothing to brace herself against or use as leverage, her lower body swinging uselessly with her struggles. Gritting her teeth, she prepared a simply spell. She quickly released the power, and a sharp edge formed along the side of her left arm, from wrist to elbow. Taking her chance, she violently jerked her imprisoned arm, seeing a satisfying shade of red gleam as the blade sliced into the harpy’s grip.

She had no time to celebrate the small victory. With the onset of pain, the creature let out a single, piercing shriek. Celica felt something wet in her ears, and her eyes fluttered as a wave of nausea suddenly hit her. By the time she had regained awareness herself, the earth was rising up to meet her. A startled scream escaped Celica’s throat.

Rather than a young woman smashing the ground, however, a body of mist fell where she would have. It spread, roiling away as if flattened by the drop before suddenly stopping. The mist began to draw back to its center, quickly gathering into the form of a woman on her knees.

Celica looked up, head pounding, her face covered in cold sweat as she tried to figure out where the harpy had dropped her. There was an irritating, keening sound ringing in her ears, and the few sounds that managed to get through it felt muted, as if coming from far away. Still, there was fighting all around her. Too many Endolan marks in monsters’ limbs, too few bodies between her and them.

There was an explosion not too far from her and she drew one arm across her face to stave off the light and dust picked up by the shockwave. As the wind died down, something sent a jolt down the arm protecting her eyes. She blinked and turned the limb around, taking notice of a crystalline shard jutting from the icy limb’s wrist. Something told her she was lucky it was not jutting out of her forehead. Something else told her she could not expect it to be the only projectile aimed her way. She threw herself to the side and three more icicles impaled themselves on the space she had been occupying moments ago.

Looking up, she caught sight of a woman glaring in her direction. She took her appearance in at a glance. Dark clothes, a thrusting sword in her right hand. A sharp face, amber eyes like a predator’s, hair brilliantly white with a vague hint of blue to it. From the shoulder down, her left arm was made of a crystal forming a shape resembling a plate gauntlet. The only reason she could tell it was not actual armor was that it was clear enough for her to see right through it. Celica did not need to get any closer to realize it was made entirely of ice, though unlike her own arms, which were hard to see through and defined by the pseudo-gauntlets’ sharp edges, this woman’s was clear and smooth. She did not need to see the icicles hovering menacingly behind the woman to know she had run into one of her own.

Celica sucked in a breath and prepared to form a barrier. She was in a bad situation. Even before considering the chaos going on all around her, ambushing Shifters was one thing. Directly confronting a Shifter with her own compatibility, one who was probably stronger and more experienced than her was wholly another.

She considered retreat, but only for a moment. In her current position, she could not tell which way their forces were, and she did not trust herself not to run deeper into the enemy army. She somehow doubted she could just show this woman her back without getting speared regardless. The thought of dissolving into mist and leaving the battlefield occurred to her, but that was hardly a safe option either. If she ran into an explosion, or a strong blast of wind, things that existed in abundance in the valley floor, she might very well scatter far beyond what she could hope to reconstruct.

Suddenly, the woman looked away from her, and Celica caught sight of a figure that had suddenly appeared besides her enemy. Daggers lashed out like a pair of fangs, but the woman was fast, and managed to deflect the attacks using both her sword and armored arm. Celica immediately recognized the figure as the other Yuiki-anesa in her squad. Celica sensed her opportunity, and redirected the power she had been hoarding into the icicles floating behind the woman. Using ice in a duel between Shifters of their kind was always a dangerous proposition, for the simple fact that for every weapon one created, one was handing their enemy another tool to kill them with. If she could only wrest control of the spears away from the enemy, she could use them to kill the woman and regroup with her own forces.

Her foe pre-empted her. Just as her magic touched them, the icicles dissipated into a fine mist. With the element of surprise gone, she rounded on her attacker. The girl drew back, trying to use her knives to parry the jabs from the woman’s sword. The enemy was too fast, and almost immediately one of the knives flew out of her grip. The woman drew her arm back, and with a fencer’s technique lunged forward with her whole body, sword arm outstretched in a jab aimed for the girl’s chest. Celica fired at the ground between them, jagged crystal appearing where the woman’s front feet would land. She shifted her balance at the last minute, managing to only suffer a cut on the side of her leg rather than goring her foot, but it was enough for the girl to step out of the way.

Almost too quick to see, the girl produced another knife from her vest and lunged forward. Celica aimed her gun at the woman, hoping to offer enough of a distraction for the girl to kill her foe, but she had to duck out of the way as the crystal her last round had produced suddenly shot out towards her. By the time she managed to raise her weapon again, the woman had circled around, placing the girl between her and Celica.

A heavy impact blew the girl back. Celica stepped to the side to let her fly past and raised her right arm, but the woman had closed the distance between them in a flash. The woman’s sword slipped between her finger and the trigger and pushed her arm away as she fired. The bullet harmlessly whizzed past the woman’s head as she swept the sword up and in a circle, its point grating against Celica’s armored palm. She gritted her teeth and loosened her grip on the pistol. The point of the sword scratched her belly as she drew away, her gun flying off into the fighting beyond, but at least her entrails were not spilling out of her. The woman rotated her torso with the motion, and Celica began to duck down, expecting a punch to follow the slash, but instead of following through with the blow, her enemy’s open hand paused in front of her.

A sudden wall of air slammed against her and she was lifted cleanly off the ground. She crashed down with a jarring impact, barely managing to roll into a kneeling position. No sooner had she landed than a large spike, several times larger than her impaled itself on the ground in front of her. Her eyes traveled up the spike, seeing it connect to a long, spidery limb. Another glance told her its seven siblings were spaced all around her. The ground shook and her eyes widened. She didn’t bother standing up, instead scrambling on all fours to get out of the way as the spider Titan’s legs fell and rose around her. Heavier, intermittent tremors told her that there was another giant very close, probably engaging the spider.

No sooner had she extracted herself from under the spider than one of the Demons around it rushed her. A man, swinging a heavy sword, all the confirmation she needed to know the Yuki-Onna had not followed up on her. She saw him coming, but in her hurry to stand up and out of the away, she felt the blade bite into her left thigh.

Something cool and wet began to seep out of the wound and she hissed at the pain, wobbling slightly as she ducked under another swing. The swordsman stepped closer and drew both arms to one side, readying a sideways slash with the heavy blade.

Celica did not retreat. Long, sharp object or not, backing off further was only an option if she did not mind being trampled by a giant arachnid. She stepped forward instead, inside the range of the enemy’s weapon, and struck the swordsman’s shoulder with her own just before the man swung. The blow lost its momentum as Celica used her good leg to push her body’s weight against the man. The attack came at the same time as the defense. Her left arm wrapped around the man’s, holding them in place as her right hand darted forward. Outstretched claws pierced the man’s throat like wet tissue and withdrew just as fast, trailing a trickle of red. She did not relent as the man tried to draw back, holding the soldier’s weapon in place as she twisted her torso, throwing out her right elbow against the man’s face. The blow struck the man’s eye, and Celica continued the motion, reaching back towards the soldier’s sword. Her armored hand closed on the blade and twisted, easily dislodging it from the Shifter’s weakened grasp. Celica loosened her grip on his arms and he recoiled, hands reaching towards his neck in a futile gesture. His mouth moved, but no sounds reached Celica’s ears. She briefly wondered whether she should blame that on her damaged hearing or the man’s torn throat before stepping in, bringing the sword by the blade onto the man’s skull. The crossguard struck the man’s temple with a jarring impact and he crumbled limply.

Celica let the sword fall from her hand and stared at the collapsed body, using the earned reprieve to steady her rough breathing. After a moment, she looked up, a part of her surprised that nothing had seen it fit to try and kill her in the last couple of heartbeats, and caught sight of a pair of familiar bodies amidst the mayhem. A pair of daggers and a rapier-like blade dancing around each other, it seemed as though after being blasted away, the Yuki-Onnas had resumed their duel, though perhaps calling it such was being generous. The Endolan woman was simply too swift, and had forced the girl to fight almost completely defensively, leaving her completely occupied avoiding the flurry of thrusts and slashes aimed her way, the few weak attempts she made to fight back brushed off with an almost contemptuous ease. It was likely this backpedaling that had brought the pair back into Celica’s view.

One thing was clear. The girl was hopelessly outmatched on her own. So Celica raised her remaining pistol, took aim at the woman and pressed the trigger, hoping to offer a moment of distraction. She felt no recoil. Celica swore, dropping the expended magazine as she produced a replacement from her pockets.

There was a small but noticeable shift in the fight in front of her. So far, the girl had been able to avoid the brunt of the woman’s attacks, either parrying them or taking small cuts on the outside of her arms, but, as if deciding to end it, suddenly one of the woman’s thrusts slid from one of the daggers and dug into the girl’s hand. It twisted, and a dagger flew off, a thumb still attached to the handle.

Celica slapped the new magazine into her handgun. The girl let out a pained cry. The woman lunged forward, sword inexorably streaking towards the girl’s heart. Celica pulled back the pistol’s slide. The sword bore itself down to its hilt on the girl’s chest, then slid out as the woman kicked the body away from her. Celica aimed the weapon at the enemy and opened fire.

She had not even looked to check the kind of ammunition. The round struck the woman’s armored shoulder, but instead of crystal sprouting from impact, the bullet shattered against the hard surface, sending metal flying outward. The woman shielded her face from the shrapnel. Celica fired again, but her bullet struck a thick sheet of ice that had formed in front of the woman.

She should have taken the chance to retreat then. Sneak away and find the rest of the ambush parties while her enemy was hunkered behind a barrier, covering their faces. The girl with the daggers had died already, and Celica could only hope to save herself at that point. She had no chance against the woman in a fair fight. Then, she noticed the film of ice that had covered the metal shrapnel that remained from her bullets. It did not have to be fair.

That was enough for her to stride forward. The cut in her leg was barely a detriment to the Demon’s mobility as she repeatedly fired against the ice barrier, hoping to pin the Endolan behind it as she approached. She was almost directly in front of the barrier when her gun clicked empty.

They both noticed the change.

The woman vaulted from behind her cover, leading with a thrust levelled at Celica’s stomach. This was what she had been waiting for, and as the woman abandoned her cover, Celica used her gun to parry the sword, barely managing to divert it from vital organs. She hissed as she felt the tip of the blade cut against skin and muscle and grate against the side of her ribs on its way past, but forced herself to ignore the pain while she reached into the little shard of winter inside of her. Celica sent a whisper of power down to the ice encased shrapnel surrounding them, and the shards shot out from the ground like shotgun pellets, burying themselves into the woman’s legs and sides. For once, it was the woman’s face that contorted in pain, and Celica took the chance to step in even closer, impairing the sword’s range.

The woman drew her crystalline arm back before snapping it forward. Celica grabbed onto the armor’s wrist with her free claw and pushed it aside just as the magic escaped its focus. The vacuum left behind by the powerful gale whipped at her hair as the blast of wind passed by her. It was the same as it had been before. The enemy gets too close, you blast them away.

Celica pulled on the arm she had ensnared, and as the woman tumbled forward, she struck a headbutt against the woman’s nose. She felt it give way, noticed the red spilling out of it as the woman recoiled and she stepped in, claws raised to tear out the woman’s throat.

The razor tips of her fingers dug into the woman’s skin, but they found no resistance. Her breath caught on her throat as white fog filled her vision. She had missed her chance, and the mist stuck close to her in a dense fog, preventing her from properly seeing the battle around her.

All the warning she had was the appearance of a large shadow. Celica barely had time to cross her arms in front of her in a warding gesture before what at that moment she could only describe as a brick wall slammed into her.

Celica sailed through the air in an arch and crashed several yards away, her unconscious form limply coming to a stop as it crashed against one of the large corpses littering the battlefield.