I paced toward the home quietly with a large group from the temple come to pay their respects with me, each holding a paper lantern to light, each dressed in long black funeral robes. I had been given a suit with a bow tie to wear, black in color with a white under shirt. The tie hung loose, my shirt remained un-tucked and my appearance was an over-all mess. I’d slept about two hours in the past week, having spent too much time sitting in the silence, staring at a floor mat that would never be used again, listening to the steady thrumming of the heartbeat beside me. My spirit had attempted to comfort me in his own way, remaining silent as he followed me unusually close. When I sat, he pressed his side against mine and sat as well. When I moved, he followed at my heel. It was unusual for him, but I understand it; our souls, no matter how twisted and patched up, were the same. We felt the same things, it was only natural for him to feel the same grief I did.

So, while I walked with the other monks and sages, Vajra paced behind me quietly, blue eyes straight ahead as the people around us murmured. I was not a friend to these people as far as they were concerned, despite my efforts to show them as much respect and kindness as possible. “Leon.” I turned toward the voice, stopping in my movement to turn and face the leopard I called Vajra. “Will I be able to come with you?” his voice was quieter than usual, he was making an effort to stay unheard. I turned and resumed my pace without answering. He knew the answer just as I did; he would not be wanted there. Neither would I.

After thirty minutes of walking through the tunnels that connected the temple to the city, we began moving as a small unit through the city, straight through the buildings, following a path that lead to the center; a massive lake glittering with gems and crystals that sat at the bottom. A large bridge stretched the gap between the two shores of rock and glittering black sand. Our footsteps echoed on the dock noisily as we moved toward the large temple directly in the center of the water; the funeral home. There were already several people here, and it was then that I remembered this was not the only funeral being held in this place. There was another man, a friend of my master who had passed around the same time. His funeral would be hosted at the exact same time. “Leon.” I looked up at the sound of my name, this time meeting eyes with the head sage, whose green eyes were reproachful. “Sir.” I replied, my expression calm. “Your… spirit” he used the word grudgingly, “will not be allowed on these grounds. Do away with it before you enter.” With that, they turned and left. I was positive I’d heard murmurs about wishing I had been sent away as well. I turned toward the leopard and crouched, placing a hand on its large forehead. “Why do you want to come in?”

“I wish to say farewell to a man who helped you when you needed it most.” He replied bluntly, catching me off guard. I stood for a long moment, looking into his eyes, flickering with the fire resting within. He returned my gaze. An emotion I couldn’t quite decipher lingered beneath the surface. “Come.” I spoke, turning and walking into the temple with Vajra following. The moment I entered the temple, I received glares and surprised looks; I’d never disobeyed an order before… at least not intentionally. “I thought I told you to leave that outside.” the head sage spat, standing in my path, between me and the immaculate box that contained the only man I’d ever respected beside my father. “That,” I pointed to Vajra. “Is a part of me. That part of me wishes to say goodbye to a man whom he owes his life and his future. Now get out of our way and quit making a scene.” I pushed past him roughly, shoving him aside with my shoulder so that I could reach the mostly empty front row. Typically, there would be family members here, but there didn’t seem to be any the sage’s could fine. The only person was a young woman close to my age, the other man’s apprentice. I’d met her only once, and we’d said very little to each other beside a greeting. I sat down beside her, leaving Vajra in the isle looking around at the eyes that followed him. He looked up at me, catching my eye before he placed one large paw onto my lap. As he leaped upward, his form shifted mid-jump shadowed momentarily by a black haze and the sound of clinking chains before he landed lightly on my lap as a black cat. “I’m sorry.” He whispered, his deep voice no doubt catching the ears of many close by. “It’s fine.” I placed a hand on his back while he curled up, looking over to the girl momentarily before his eyes locked on the coffin.

From there out, we sat quietly, gazing at the box directly in front of us with unchanging and unreadable expressions, despite the turmoil and heartache within. He was my master, yes, but he was also like a second father to me. I loved him like one, and I will mourn him just as I mourned my real father, with silence and tears. The main service ended and we were allowed to bring to them any flowers or parting gifts before they were lowered into the water gently, where they were guided by boats to where they would rest for the rest of eternity. Vajra had lay on my shoulder throughout the cast-off process, and remained there as I moved to exit the building. I found my path blocked by the six sages. “You-“

“are no longer welcome in your temple?” I finished for them. “That’s fine. The only thing keeping me there just floated away in a box. I’ll grab my possessions and leave.” I made to walk past them, but one of them put a hand on my shoulder. “Your things are here.” Vajra tensed on my shoulder. My rapier was shoved into my chest roughly, still inside its black scabbard. It was followed by a bag with my normal clothing. I shook the bag lightly. “My chain?” they exchanged nervous glances, and Vajra jumped from my shoulder, landing in front of them as he started to change. They widened the distance instantly, and the leopard stood, his back turned toward them with the chain in question wrapped around his neck loosely. I took it from his neck and put it around my own, letting it hang like a scarf as Vajra walked past them, clearing the way for me as they avoided him like their life depended on it. “Thank you for your extended hospitality over the last few years. I will not forget it. May your lives be long and prosperous.” I bowed quickly before righting myself and following the leopard out, across the bridge and over to the edge of the rock, where I fell heavily, raking through my hair with my right hand. “What will we do now?” Vajra asked, laying down behind me, leaning his side into my back.

“We’re going to do some research on what he left us, then we’re going to leave.”

“To where?”

“Wherever.”

Myra had traveled at least two days worth in only a few hours to come to this strange service people held after one passed. Granted she did feel rather terrible the old man had died, Isaac was the only family member Myra thought she had and at first the thought of his existence being no more left her extremely empty and lonely. She felt she had nothing to hold onto this world anymore, these thoughts now came back as she sat near the front gripping tightly to the small white fox that sat in her lap, the only friend she had left. A loud chorus of footsteps began to invade her mind and broke away the train of thought when a group appeared adorned in dark and rather depressing attire. At this point she had remembered Isaac once informed her that often in times people dressed different according to the reason for the gathering. This absolutely made no sense to Myra, when she first heard it from Isaac she had wondered if he meant neglecting to bring their boots or pants but now seeing the similar dress she understood.

Growing up she simply had one set of clothing and possibly extra gear for colder or wetter weather. In fact at this moment she wore long black leather boots with crow feathers stitched into the back and made to stick out, long dark brown pants which had been patched together more than once, a few layers of overly long cotton shirts with a light chain vest hidden underneath, to stay warm a large dusty grey leather cloak which encased her body and made her appear small. On her head a strange hat with what appeared to be a face glowing sat smirking at all times, appearing almost alive. Her white hair was dirtied and appeared slightly matted as it stuck out clearly unkempt.

The thought of being so different than these people caused her to begin withdrawing into her mind. Thoughts of the old man, him teaching her to fire a bow, the first time they managed to create a spell and all the other memories. These were now a chapter in the book of her life that was closed, how could she survive without this old man looking out for her. Isaac was simply more than a caretaker or a teacher, to Myra he was her father and mother, bestfriend and rival. They had done everything together since they had met and that included hunting. A smile cracked her formerly stiff and emotionless face as the service went on around her, she could recall the first time she had gotten her first kill against a gray troll. Although the weakest of all trolls, they still are not a typical monster one would scoff at and even an experienced knight would question going toe-to-toe against one and Myra had been able to quickly make work of it at only the age of ten, mostly thanks to Isaac's teachings.

She looked down and began to feel very out of place wishing for the old man back, tears threatened to fill her eyes when voices being raised next to her caught her ear. A boy who she hadn't noticed before appeared to be arguing with a group of officials of some kind, perplexed by what the problem was she realized the ceremony was ended and she officially had nothing to do now. Where would she go? She didn't know anyone, no one had come to say anything to her and there was an entire world she had out there that she didn't know about. Most of the room had began to clear out, causing Myra to shoot up and quickly head towards the exit when a strange sensation chilled over her body.

For a moment the world seemed to slow down as her head slowly turned towards the boy who was arguing before he was now further off across the courtyard of the building they had attended, a sensation rang through her skull when she felt something calling out to her. Watching him walk off clearly having a destination Myra began to simply follow. The amount of energy pouring off his body passively was immense, she couldn't help but be a moth to the flame. The crowd outside had recognized the girl and began to offer apologies and words of forgiveness but Myra couldn't bother to listen. The energy holding her attention now was too strange to let anything take her attention away, besides these people had never known her so what did they matter? However, as she emerged from the crowd that had swarmed her, the boy's body had been lost and she could no longer see him but instead felt his presence somewhere. Listen Neru, sniff out that spiritual energy. The fox who had up until now remained quietly at the side of her feet now bound forward with its face pressed to the ground walking in a staggered fashion as it followed the scent. The more Neru walked and directed Myra, the more the boy's spiritual presence was noticeable and so they were quickly closing in on where ever he was headed.

As we sat, I couldn’t stop the emotion from taking over, warping my expression as my face scrunched up, fighting back the tears just below the surface. The boats were still in the process of leading the coffins out, and I watched them. How am I supposed to do this? “Leon.” Vajra alerted me quietly, standing to face whoever had intruded. I turned my head, spotting the young woman from the funeral home. She seemed almost entranced, staring at me in a way that made me nervous. I stood as Vajra took an aggressive stance. His eyes were narrowed, the blue flames within dancing angrily as he crouched, unmoving but clearly not friendly. “Back.” He relaxed and looped back around to stand behind me, poking his head out underneath my arm, watching her. “Can I help you?”

I recognized her of course, how could I not? Her attire was strange, her hat was creepy looking, grinning at me in a way that made it seem intelligent, like it was truly staring at my soul. Her boots were odd, her hair stood out about as much as mine did. Still, the way she looked at me told me she didn’t mean harm. Her eyes were curious, her posture tense but not threatening. Even the small fox creature that followed her looked curious about me. Then again, I had a chain wrapped around my neck and a leopard glaring at everything that approached me. I wasn’t any more normal. “Hello.” I greeted plainly, watching her expression, my own impassive. “Is there something I can help you with?” I was hoping she’d say no. Every part of me wanted to turn around and watch the boat drift slowly out through the water. I wanted to follow it, watch its descent into earth and lie with it, buried forever just as it would be, but the monks barely tolerated me when they were forced to. Now that they didn’t have to, I was likely to be attacked if I lingered too long. That was something I couldn’t risk… after all, I have a job to do.

Flowing through the onlookers, she eventually closed in on the boy and soon he noticed her watching him. The spirit at his side had appeared aggressive but Myra could sense his lack in hostility and noticed him back down a bit as the boy spoke. He had watched her for a bit before speaking

"Can I help you?"

She stared blankly at him, her expression a mixture of shock and horror realizing she had no idea what to say. They must've stared long enough to make him uncomfortable prompting him to once again speak to her, this time slightly more polite than before "Hello. Is there something I can help you with?" She realized he must've began growing impatient of her and looked towards the ground mumbling "Hello, well.. n-no there's nothing. I'm sorry." her eyes clearly scanned him up and down before she turned and backed off. Stepping a few feet behind him, she kept her eyes locked and continued trying to understand what was going on with his aura. Randomly, she spoke rather loudly "Yes!" before she realized others were still around and looked surprised they all glanced at her with burning gazes. Creeping closer she said it once more "Ye-yes you can help me with something. I need help." Her arms crossed behind her back and she smiled before avoiding his eyes and finally settling hers on the ground below her feet, it was clear she lacked basic human communication skills anyone should have. She spoke again before he had a chance to form a full answer "What do I do now?" she stared at him puzzled, wondering if he knew the answer for her purpose.

"What do..." I paused, my expression perplexed as I gazed at her uneasily. I understood her question suddenly, and frowned, glancing at the fox at her feet. "Honestly I don't know how to answer that question for myself." I eyed the surrounding people, staring at her openly. Vajra growled loudly and each of them went about their business hastily. I thanked him with a glance before regarding the girl again. "Your master was Isaac, right? We met once. Four years ago.. I'm not sure if you remember." I glanced back at the coffins again. "I honestly don't know what you should do. I barely know what I'm going to do, other than investigate whatever this is." I removed a patch from my pocket with a military insignia, an ancient one. One that hadn't been around for at least a hundred years. I stowed it back in my pocket. Part of me said to leave, turn away and be done with her. I had more important things to worry about and much more time I wished to spend alone... but I could practically hear my masters words echo through my head, his tone understanding but stern. 'I'm missing something? What am I missing? What did I lose when... when that happened?' I had asked, my throat tight with emotion as he reprimanded me. 'Kindness, Leo. Kindness. That is what you have lost.'

"Mast- sorry, Alex... left that to me. It's some kind of military insignia... I think it has something to do with the rumors in Jurguard. He told me I would grow to become a savior, one of his ridiculous prophecies." He had been proficient in many magics, capable of using just about any spell, mimic anything anybody had to offer, but he was renowned for his ability to see into the future... the distant future. This was one of the few things he had revealed to me before he passed; that I would become a savior in our world's time of need, no longer just a demon. "You could help me." I said finally. Something told me this was the right thing to do, the logical path for my life to take and the correct decision. Maybe he hadn't departed this world just yet.

Myra looked at him clearly caught off guard "I.. we met? I think I remember it a bit but I'm bad with faces and remembering names." she frowned a bit and meant to add on but he continued, pulling a strange object with a particularly interesting insignia. She had only a moment to glance at it before he replaced it back into his pocket where it was safe. He continued on about his master causing Myra to feel a longing for her own, looking away from him she recollected herself and ignored the feelings of sadness inside her. A few words stuck in her mind; Jurguard, savior, prophecies which she began to mull over in her mind, she had began to connect a few dots and furrowed her brow clearly deep in thought.

"Hmm.. I could help you? How would I do that? And what do you mean prophecies, what are you talking about?" he had told her so much information it felt like the world began to push down on her with reality. Who was this kid with the impressive power and why was he the savior? How was it possible that his master knew, were they all really that powerful? Things were beginning to become more real than she could've wanted, "Listen, these 'prophecies' and being a 'savior' sound utterly ridiculous but hey I never saw a savior who am I to judge? So lets just decide that for now, I'll help you but I wanna hear everything you know and anything I might need to know about.. well a lot." she smiled sweetly, deciding to neglect the fact she could sense the power radiating off him like a warm stove. There was obviously far more to the boy who stood in front of her than anyone could know and if he was truly a savior he was going to need friends.

“I agree, it does sound completely ridiculous. I’ve never saved anything, let alone our world. I’m not exactly the heroic type.” I looked down at Vajra with a frown. He stared back, his face impassive and unreadable as it often was. “But there’s obviously something going on… something unnatural. The rumors coming out of Jurguard… there’s got to be a reason they exist, and that city isn’t exactly a safe-haven.” I turned my gaze back to hers. “If my master wanted me to do something, then things are clearly much more dire than they seem. They’ve remained quiet for a long time. There’s been no news of their armies, no news of political standings… nothing. It’s like they’ve gone completely off the grid, and nobody can exactly go check up on them.”

I mulled over the last part of her sentence, pursing my lips as I considered how to explain anything. “I can tell you anything you need to know… but not here. There are too many eavesdroppers.” I turned to look back at the funeral home, on one of the second floors I could see one of the sage’s watching us. He seemed panicked when I caught him and quickly retreated back into the building. “Here, come with-“ I felt it before I actually heard it. That rhythmic shift in my chest, the seeming split in personalities that signaled something very bad had happened. Vajra let out one long, angry growl. I looked down at him, spotting the familiar glint in his eyes. What caused it? “What Is it?” I followed his murderous gaze, out past the water to where the boats were. Wait… four? A scream echoed off the walls from out into the lake as the new boats closed the distance between the little dugouts that belonged to the workers guiding the coffins. I took a closer look at the twin masts, that insignia on the sails… “Jurguard.” I cursed as Vajra’s hair began to stand. “What are they doing?”

“They’re taking the bodies.” Vajra replied, his voice deeper than before, angry but also more gravely. It sounded thousands of years older than he had before. Vajra was not the only one with us now. “I’ll stop them.” He said, shifting his stance to leap out into the water. “No. I need you to alert the council. Those ships probably have fifty or so soldiers?”

“Fifty seven.” He corrected me. “I can feel them all from here.”

“Good.” I turned to Myra with a pained expression. “I hope you can fight.” Vajra turned toward me, his eyes pitch black as the flames that had once danced within floated around his neck. I took the chains from my neck and dropped them onto his back where they wound themselves of their own accord, wrapping around his midsection, down each of his front legs and around his neck. He needed them to move large distances away from me. Without them I was like an anchor or a short leash to him. He couldn't leave. “Back to the temple. Tell Vex.” I ordered. The cat vanished on the spot, and I returned my attention to the boats as they came to a stop beside the dugouts. The city had erupted into chaos, screams ever present as the people on the streets struggled frantically to get back to their homes; to safety. I could feel it bubbling beneath the surface, the rage that I struggled to keep in check. If they succeeded in doing this… I would not be safe here. The city would not be safe. “Can you help me drive them out of the city? This will get complicated if I can't fight them full out.” my voice betrayed me, the anger coming through in my tone as I attempted to control myself for just a moment longer.

Myra smiled when he agreed, she was about to ask where they should locate when something distracted them and sent the attention to boats now in the water. Panic and confusion began to set into the crowd causing many to lose their senses. The boy, whom she believed to be named Leon, instead turned into a strong warrior and appeared to prep himself mentally for the upcoming battle. Myra's hand began to sweat, she had fought monsters that would make humans have nightmares but beasts and man were not the same. Men had intelligence, they may do more than simply kill her if they won, they would hurt her and those around her in ways that were more painful than death. These were thoughts she had the remember when fighting, her eyebrows dug together as a stern look came across her face and she fell silent, dropping simply a nod at Leon signalling she was ready.

"Neru let's do this!" as she spoke, her words were firm and seemed to force the small fox's power to emerge. Instantly his body was engulfed in a bright yellow energy causing him to triple in size and allowed a third tail to form on top of the two the small fox always had. Strange red markings that circled the eyes and left a small diamond shape on his forehead now expanded across his face and caused similar markings to appear by his paws. The tails each held a similar red ring around them as energy showed. Many others around them had similar thoughts as those who were trained to fight pulled out their weapons, activated preparation spells or spread out in order to alert others. "Come on, lets kick some ass for our master's!"

As if by her command, the battle had then erupted with giant ice blasts coming in a volley from the closest ships to the shore where a group of others had gathered. The giant balls of ice magic came raining down on the hard cobble road and the closest buildings, exploding on impact and sending a blast of ice at anyone nearby. Luckily over shooting her position but still catching some unlucky bystanders in their radius. A few buildings had been struck, damaging some of the infrastructure but covering it in ice more than anything. Before anyone could return fire two explosions rang off in the nearby area, clearly signalling the boats weren't the only front they intended to attack from "They had people in the city waiting, but how?" She asked out loud, mostly towards Leon. The cries of fear and anguish could be heard all over as a third explosion tore apart a nearby residence and sent debris raining down on Maya. Her feet began to move towards the site as she saw survivors stumbling out of the remnants, a few women stumbled out coughing and crying.

A group of massive men adorned in gear she had never seen before stood in front of the building, some held large hammers while others hands glowed in strange energy, one in particular had a massive turtle with smoke bellowing from its mouth. It was then obvious these were the men who had blown up the building, "Hey!" she shouted as a garrison of troops engaged the Jurguard attackers. A single man leapt forward, striking a fist out which released a shockwave of energy into the front man who's armor instantly crumbled and left him a smashed heap flying through the air.

Those around him stumbled, while others fell to the ground causing the others to howl in laughter as they also began grabbing the now swarming guards who clearly were under equipped to handle warriors of this level. "Let's give them a lightning shower Neru!" She shouted as her hand shot out and glowed with magical energy, releasing a torrent of lightning from her palm into the two closest men who's bodies stiffened as the energy coursed through them. A third noticed the small female attacker but didn't hesitate to toss his body into the air spinning, sending a massive foot at the girl's head. She quickly ducked, to the surprise of the man who gracefully landed on his feet crouched before releasing a follow up attack consisting of breathing fire from his mouth at her. The fox demon beside her moved his tails in a quick fashion, sending a wave of air into the man and causing the fire to fly back into the allies behind him who fell back in order to avoid being burned. The man himself raised a forearm to block his face, rendering him unable to see the hard wooden staff coming down on top of his bald head. When the staff hit its mark, Maya's arms shook from the force delivered into his skull causing his body to fall unconscious on the ground.

The two who she had temporarily taken out with her lightning attack began to push themselves off the ground and move in a half circle at the girl, fanning out with the rest of their allies realizing her as a true threat. The surviving guards could do nothing but stand behind her in hopes of providing support. Looking at the group, Maya slammed the butt of her staff in the ground and smiled before speaking "Which of you want your skull bashed in next?" the fox beside her delighted at the taunt, causing his tail to flutter with excitement.

“I’ll need Vajra to take out the ships. He won’t be back for about two minutes, though.” I told her as her fox began to change. Interesting… a Kitsune? My momentary distraction came with a price; several chunks of ice, flung toward the group on the shore that had prepared themselves to fight. Several people were injured and even more ice was coming. “Behind me!” I shouted to the surrounding people. The ones that were capable obeyed my command as explosions rocked the area, signaling the arrival of more people. I didn’t have time to worry about them yet. As a wave of ice flung itself toward us from the center of the lake, I prepared myself by placing my hands together. A spark formed between my palms with a sound like a thunderclap and a torrent of flame rushed up my arms, where I directed it into a wall, scaling it wide enough to catch all of the chunks of ice, reducing them to vapor on impact. I compacted the wall into a ball and forced it out into the lake, where I willed it to expand again and maintain its position. “I can’t keep that up for long, there’s no fuel for it to consume.” I told Myra just before she cast her own attack. Fire and lightning… an interesting combination to say the least.

While she fought that group of soldiers, I centered my attention on three others. “Hey!” I shouted, grabbing their attention as I dashed forward, unsheathing my rapier. The red tint glinted in the moderate light formed by make-shift lamps of glowing gems, and they advanced upon me. One man drew a sword of his own, a long sword, while I began calculating. Iron, approximately thirty five inch blade, probably standard issue. Move quickly, dodge while blocking. The other had a sword of similar size, longer by a couple inches. The final man wielded a massive claymore, though the speed with which he wielded it would present a problem. However, if he was fast he likely wasn’t very strong with it. Swift strikes, counter but don’t block. Dodge often. They were clearly used to fighting as a group. The two with the smaller swords came at me side by side as I stepped forward into action. I blocked a downward thrust from one, letting the blade slide down the length of my own as I twisted out of the way of the next sword. The man with the claymore moved then, swinging his blade in a horizontal sweep aimed at my midsection, that I managed to roll under. This would be difficult without magic. If I use another spell, the wall would vanish and my back would be vulnerable, so would the people in the crowd. If only Vajra were here.

I slammed the hilt of my blade into the space between the first mans armor, forcing him forward in a kneeling position as his partner thrust forward at my head, whistling past my ear as I leaned to my left, then under as he swept toward where I had moved. As he made to recover, I swung my blade upward, catching him under his arm and cutting right through the leather and into his skin. I felt the blade stop as I caught his bone, and withdrew it quickly as he screamed in agony, using the backward momentum to twist away from the claymore’s strike, this time vertical. The blade clanged on the ground as I refocused my attacks on the larger man, who’d recovered almost instantly from his attempt. He swung at my legs, causing me to jump over the steel, landing deftly on one foot as he brought it around for a diagonal swing. I caught it with the flat of my blade just under the hilt and skidded to the right under the force. I’d underestimated him, he had speed and power. Definitely a problem. As he struggled with pushing me, his friend stood, reading his sword to thrust through my back, but I’d been quicker than that. I used the force of the claymore to throw my body downward, landing on my side as the badly timed thrust hit nothing but the space I had occupied before while I rolled out of the way of the next vertical cut of the claymore. “Hold still you little prick!” the larger man shouted.

As I made to stand, I felt the wall behind me collapse, telling me two things; the first, I had no protection from the ice. The second; I could now use magic again. I made distance between myself and the three swordsman, the one still clutching his wounded arm on the ground as I spun my sword in the air, watching the edge blur as it left traces of fire that I sent into my enemies with one sweep of the blade. The small flame flew right into the hulking mans face, doing nothing to him as far as injuries go. It did serve as a distraction, a long enough one for me to close that distance again while he stumbled backward and bury my blade to the hilt in his chest, biting through the metal of his armor with the super heated metal of my sword. I kicked the corpse, bringing my sword out with it as the last man swung his blade at my head. I parried the swing, then thrust the sword into his neck in one swift riposte, effectively ending his life as well. I behedded the final wounded man and looked to see how Myra was doing in her own fight. As she combated the larger man, I ran forward, catching the two lackey’s off guard. With one strike, another block and a final strike the two of them fell as well. My blade shined with a different color of crimson now, and the thought made my stomach lurch. I’d killed men before, but never that easily. I had lived in peace for far too long, doing nothing but training to fight. It had softened me, but with the death of my master... that part of me that didn’t care seemed to have resurfaced. This could be a problem in the future, for now I had more important things to worry about. Another three groups were fast approaching as I moved to stand closer to Myra. I looked at the blood on my blade with disgust and flung it off.

A soft clinking alerted me to the end of my worries for the outcome of this next fight as Vajra materialized beside me from my shadow, the blue flame almost purple now with his new form; a black wolf. Not his true form, but the one he would use when I was preventing his other personality from making an appearance. “They aren’t helping, and they ordered you to protect the city.” He said, his tone disgusted as I placed a hand on his back and the purplish blue flame began to move, hovering around me instead of him. “Vajra, stop the ice.” I told him before turning to face Myra. “After this fight, I’ll need your help driving the boats out. Any kind of magic you can use to move them while I’m on board. You don’t need to destroy them, Vajra will take care of that once they’re out of the lake. Can you do that?”

Myra and the troop of guards behind her managed to keep pace with the aggressive warriors from up north, their massive bodies easier to hit but delivered deadly strikes. One of the man raised his hand and chanted something she didn't hear before it emitted a flash for a moment blinding nearly everyone, with her vision gone Myra stumbled back from what she estimated was going to be a rushing attack. She blinked a few times before the world around her came into view, most of the men lie dead with Leon standing nearby his blade now covered in a sticky mess. With the warriors all taken out she sighed, first day in the world of humans and she's witnessed already so much death and despair, these men had families and now they were dead.

That wasn't a problem she should allow to occupy her mind at the moment instead she looked at Leon and nodded. "That sounds like something I could do, Neru specializes in wind magic just let me get up somewhere high." she looked to the group behind her, they seemed like they didn't know what to do as the world around them went to shit. Frustrated she looked at them with fury in her eyes before shouting "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT! You three go secure that bell tower so I have a position to cast from. The rest of you get to a dock and secure boats so we can try to have some naval advantage." They looked at each other confused who the petite girl in front of them was and if they should obey her before another ear shattering shout came booming from her "GO!" the group was startled enough causing a few to bump into each other comically before they sorted themselves out and split up to do the tasks assigned to them.

Cursing under her breath she turned and gripped the staff with both hands as the three enemies now came in range. A bald man holding a massive double headed axe stood beside a skinnier one wielding a large tower shield in one hand and a club in the other, the third man stood in the back with a massive black beard. She didn't notice it before but a slightly larger than average boar appeared behind him in tow. Myra's eyes darted from the three before she whispered to Leon "I'm gonna charge first, we need to take the big guy out before he casts any spells. Let's get the element of surprise on them." Without another second of hesitation her feet were moving again and fast. Neru was hot on her heels using her as a diversion, she let the staff slide from her hands a bit gripping the very base and planting her feet to swing. The man with the shield looked ready as he raised it up and absorbed the blow with a thud. The bald one beside him raised the axe to bring it downward on her grunting as he lifted the axe. Neru however managed to plant himself beside Myra and remained unnoticed by the two, the man using the tower shield failed to notice by blocking Myra's staff he completed exposed his chest and left the two in front completely unprotected. Neru's mouth opened to release a torrent of wind just as Myra pulled a hand off the staff and began channeling. The wind caused the two to stumble back and open their guard allowing Myra's spell to explode from the palm of her hand in two directions, connecting with both men's chest. With another thundering clap the two were sent flying back, their bodies landing with a thud and left smoking forcing a smirk on her face. The man with the boar however didn't find it as funny when he raised his foot and sent it straight into Myra's gut launching the frail girl back in a similar fashion.

Her body landed back a few feet on the ground harshly, resulting in her chin smacking the hard rocks and causing her teeth to bite down on her lips. The boar charged Neru but the fox easily weaved to the side before leaping back and landing behind Leon, next to Myra fearing for his partner's life. Myra sat up holding her chin as a bit of blood came trickling from her now swollen lip. "Damnit, kick his ass Leon.." Was all she said as she pushed herself up slowly, holding her midsection from the last shot she took.

I watched Myra fight from a short distance, keeping close to her, but not close enough to get caught up in the devastating attack she unleashed on the two in front of her. As I guarded her back, occasionally cutting through a shard of ice that managed to get past Vajra with my blade, I turned to watch the man with a spirit land a brutal kick, sending her flying backward. I rushed back to where she landed, inspecting her injuries briefly as she righted herself. When she spoke, I smirked, the little dark blue flame that encompassed me flickering before moving toward my face, then finally into my eyes. There was no pain, but the feeling of invasion was intense as I blinked profusely. When I finally opened my eyes again, glowing with the same blue Vajra’s had during the funeral, they were trained on the man, who had begun to move toward us. He removed his own weapon from its position on his back. His blade was black in hue, with a long silver handle. Definitely not standard issue, which meant he was proficient with the Glaive. A polearm… this would be an interesting fight. The massive boar took position in front of him, its eyes a shiny black as I readied my weapon. Vajra appeared beside me as I made to move, startling me. “What are you doing?”

“The ships are distracting them. You need me for this.” He replied, mimicking the boars position as he stood in front of me, his stance hostile. I grabbed a handful of the chain around him, and felt it snake its way up my arm. “No emergence.” I told him as he bared his teeth. We moved simultaneously. Vajra burst forward with blinding speed in front of the boar who replied with a short charge. Vajra jumped up, over the beasts massive tusks as he landed on its back, using it as a springboard to lunge at the mans face, who blocked the attack by leveling his weapon. Vajra bit into the steel while I moved in, slicing once at the boar, who seemed unfazed as I cut barely a centimeter into its thick hide. The blade wasn’t strong enough for this. Vajra landed beside me, and the fight truly began. As Vajra combated the boar, feinting its attacks, biting into its hide gaining more purchase than I had with my blade but still not enough to do any lasting damage, I had started up a deadly dance with the man. I countered every swing, dodged every lunge and parried any other attack. He countered every attack with another attack, predicted every slash or stab and responded with his own attack, using his longer range as an advantage.

Explosions still rocked the landscape, massive chunks of ice were sent into the ships we now had inside the lake, and Vajra was beginning to slow down. I needed to end this… I need to get in closer. As the man thrust forward, I found my opening. One quick parry to block his thrust, and I found the opening I needed as I slammed the flat of my blade into his, sending it back and away from me with a metal clang. “Vajra!” I shouted as I closed the distance between us. The black blur from the corner of my eye caught the glaive before it could reach me, and I made one quick stab, ending this fight in an instant as he fell in a heap, not quite dead yet. “Your armor makes you clunky and slow.” Was all I said before Vajra bit down on his neck, ending his ghasping noises as I turned toward the boar. Its expression was fierce, but I had been prepared for the reckless attempt. Emotion could take hold at any moment and throw you off, make you weak and vulnerable. The boar had just watched the man he had probably grown up with die, outmatched and outclassed. It was enough to send him rampaging toward my sword blindly, where I fainted to the left and thrust again behind its front leg where I knew its lungs would be. It was just like hunting a normal animal. The animal collapsed as I sheathed my blade, and Vajra approached it and ended its struggling the same way he had done its master. I turned away as the wolf stood, his maw dripping now, and ran toward Myra. “Are you okay?”

Watching the expert display of swordsmanship was impressive, she began to question her first thought about this boy watching him possibly he was something important? She lifted herself up slowly, staggering a bit and looked up at her new ally giving him a quick nod assuring him she was alright. Her back straightened slowly and she was forced to use the staff to bear some weight on her left side, it was possible her rib was broken but she could still breathe so it luckily hadn't pierced her lung. "Look, go find a way out there to stop the boats, we need to crush the invasion force before we push out the invaders on shore. Me and Neru will be able to handle this area of the town I'll make sure to tell any guard to lead citizens to the bell tower." she looked straight into his eyes before she added firmly, "And don't you dare let those beasts touch our masters.." With that she began to jog off, holding her side a bit as she pushed through the pain.

The bell tower had now seven men standing around it, the three from before must've collected allies and gotten help to secure it. Two enemy soldiers were laying in bloody heaps a few feet away assuring Myra they would protect her. As she came moving up two of the men recognized her and looked to her, expecting more orders. At first she was surprised that these men already looked to her but instead pointed to two guards. "Go in opposite directions and spread the word that the bell tower is safe, citizens should come here to seek refuge until the battle is over. Try to set up fortifications in a block radius so I have a safe zone to cast from." One of the new guards looked at her puzzled before jabbing a finger in her direction "What makes you a shot caller, huh? You're half my age kid." The fox beside her growled, making the man's arm drop and take a few steps back. She simply smiled and pushed the two large doors that lead to the base of the tower. Inside was a small room that appeared to be where people would leave coats with a second set of doors, behind those it opened up to a large hall where a court might gather. On the far right side of the room a door with a sign above it labeled 'Bell Tower' sat, which Myra instantly began running to. The guards fell in behind her and began using furniture in the room to build a barricade at the door they could allow people in through but would allow extra defensive purposes.

She began ascending the staircase slowly at first, her injury making it difficult to keep going. After two flights she began exhausted and had to find another way up, I have magic duh.. she thought as she inhaled, leaning over the railing and facing straight down. With her exhale the girl's body went up into the air and managed to maneuver between the ascending stairs before she ran out of breath. She reached a nice height before she grabbed onto the railing and took another breath, with this next exhale she managed to toss herself straight to the top floor and could now see much further. There were more boats on the water than she originally thought, along with a huge horde of men landing on a dock opposite of her. Up at the top of the bell tower there was no railings, instead four simple stone pillars sat in each corner and held a small roof up which allowed the massive bell to dangle from. Neru stood on the edge with her as the pair began to combine their magical and spiritual energies, combining this into more powerful magical attacks.

She thought for a second and then smiled, "Alright buddy, we're gonna do the old tempest routine." She closed her eyes and raised both hands as electrical energy flowed from her hands, similarly the small fox began to wave its tails in a strange fashion as if fanning something behind him. The air above the bell tower began to swirl as the lightning emitted from her hands was collected into this effectively forming a black storm cloud which began to drift. This cloud spread out more as it closed in above the boats and began to churn the water rather hard. Some of the lightning began to expel itself down on the boats, while a few exploded in a flurry of flaming wood others simply began to ignite as the sails burned turning it effectively into a candle. People began panicking as they dove off the boats already engulfed in the flames, the military protecting Omnia now had a chance to set up their mages to return fire on the constant barraging ice which obviously now had been reduced to nothing. On board some mages began to cast spells trying to dowse the flames and snuff the storm above but with the returning fire of Omnia's militant mages they could do little but be overwhelmed. That was until the flagship of the fleet began pushing itself to the front, a group on board began chanting as they built up magic between each other and released a pillar of black smoke which shot into Myra's storm cloud and evaporated it completely. Without her spell, the enemy began to rejuvenate its forces and engaged in a fire fight with the mages on the shore. Myra dropped to her knees heaving, the last spell took so much out of her she would need a bit to recover before she could try to help out again.

I nodded at the girl as she spoke, leaning on her staff for support. Had this been any other day, I would have made a more concious effort to get her to the tower... but this was no any other day. "I got it. They won't lay a finger on them." I told her. As she left, the flames began to dance around my head again before moving back to their owner, who had moved to stand by my side. I nodded to him, and that familiar black haze enveloped him, billowing out around him like shadows come to life while they expanded. When they disappeared, a tall black horse looking creature stood in its place. Its spine was raised, the skin around it pulled tight giving it a skeletal look as the rib bones popped out, exposed and pure white. It knelt for me to climb on, and the instant I had my arms wrapped around its neck, it was off in a massive burst of speed. This was easily Vajra's fastest form; he could do many things, run at tremendous speeds while maintaining perfect control, run over harsh terrain with ease... even run on water to a certain extent. The moment hoof met with liquid, I released my tight hold. We were making a b-line for the lead ship, and I would need to be prepared for what came next. "Vajra, steady." I called to the horse as he weaved around the ice they had begun throwing at us, completely distracted by the appearance of this new enemy. The ships that had been combatting them before my arrival began to retreat now, which was probably a good thing.

Vajra managed to keep a steady pace while I began channeling. If the skeletal horse wasn't enough to strike fear into any of my opponents on that ship, then the flames billowing down my body would be. "I'm losing my footing." Vajra warned, his voice deeper than before, more demonic sounding than it had been. We weren't even half way there yet. "If you let me-"

"No." I cut him off before he even voiced his suggestion. I knew what it was, and I would not allow it... not yet. "Throw me." I suggested. the instant I suggested it, I felt him falter, then leap, throwing me off his back directly toward the ship like a missile, but he under-shot it. Instead of landing on the deck I was flying into the side of the ship. I intensified the fire surrounding me and raised my arms to cover my head just before I impacted with the wood, smashing through it and nearly through the other side. The fire surrounding me impacted just before exploding outward, razing everything underneath the deck, charring everything and completely destroying the goods they had stowed here. I stood shakily as soldiers began to run down the stairs, and I briefly wondered what Vajra had done after he threw me. My question was answered as a resounding crash sounded behind me. The wolf stood and trotted to my side, baring his teeth at the enemy. "They have a spirit." he spoke as flames began to collect at my feet. "What is it?" the men charged and I sent the fire outward with enough force to slam them into the far wall. "A gigantic squid." I paused, staring at him for a moment. I heard the ship begin to shudder and shake as I slashed through the soldiers with ease. These naval units clearly were not trained in hand to hand, they fell like flies, it was too easy.

We moved the the deck above, and I was greeted by two massive appendages, one gripping the mast and the other raising upward. "It's going to strike." Vajra warned as the soldiers around me ran, paying me no mind as they dived into the water where it was presumably safer for them than this doomed ship. "What are you going to do?" the massive arm began its sweeping motion downward, and I let out a sigh. The barrier I kept up crumbled in an instant as I met eyes with the wolf, the blue flames dancing in his eyes as I spoke; "Kludde."

The instant the name left my mouth, the change had begun. The blue flame tinted, returning to the purple it had been before, then finally to a deep burgundy as the massive arm slammed down into the wood, just beside us. I felt a lifting sensation in my chest, then everything went black.

[From this point forward I'm using third person POV.]

Chunks of wood flung themselves into the air, the mast snapped in half and the deck had been reduced to nothing but rubble as the pair stood in silence. The light in Leon's eyes had vanished for a moment as Kludde's form became apparent. There was no black mist, now shroud or cover to disguise the metamorphasis that took place, only the deep cracking and snapping of bones and rattling of chains as the dark wolf began to change, the flesh bubbling outward as its form expanded. All was silent for a long second before a deep rumbling howl echo'd out from the wreckage that was the ship throughout the entire city. The entire place shook with the intensity as chunks of rock fell from the roof, plunking into the water as the demon Kludde emerged. The blue flame was gone, only the red remained in the gigantic form of this abomination. It stood on its hind legs, its head thrown back as it howled. The sound stopped abruptly then, and the creature seemed to have disappeared, shimmering into nothingness as Leon stood, not unchanged himself.

The brown in his eyes was gone now and the orange had resurfaced, no longer dimmed by the bright blue of Vajra's flame. The irises practically glowed as the fire surfaced again, seemingly seeping out of the ground. He ran then, toward the back end of the ship where the others still floated. The soldiers on board had stopped fighting for the briefest of moments to watch as he launched himself off the railing, his body flying out over the water before landing on one of the other ships. The flames trailed after him like a protective cloak, landing with him as the soldiers snapped out of their trance and moved in to attack, only to be thrown back by the flames that intensified and spread across the wooden deck. The ship began to burn while Leon removed his weapon from its holster and began to fight.

Enemies fell easily and quickly, their blades seeming to move right past him as he dodged, weaved and sliced through the ranks. The first ship had barely anybody on board, but this one was different. It was crawling with soldiers, each of whom came at him, surrounding him, trying to gain some form of advantage only to be ran through, sliced, beheaded or otherwise disposed of as the ship began to burn brighter. "WHERE IS HE?!" Leon shouted as the soldiers began to back off, clearly outmatched. The rage the young man exuded was almost as tangible as the flames, and four times as intense as he advanced slowly now. "Where is your commander?"

"Well aren't you quite the interesting subject." One of the tentacles had returned, carrying with it a man, who stood easily atop them with a smirk on his face. "I suppose this is why they call you 'demon', is it not?"

"You suppose correctly." Leon answered as the man was set down. "And where did your dog go?" he asked, looking around them for the beast. "Run away with his tail tucked? Did he know how hopeless this fight will be for you?" he taunted as he unsheathed his own weapon, a short sword it would seem, but its appearance was much different. The blade was separated into different sections, and the moment he unsheathed it, it fell to the floor like a whip. "You like? It's a blade whip." he swung the weapon, straightening it out as it compacted, coming together like a standard sword. "But really, where is your mutt?" he asked again as Leon readied his own weapon. "Behind you." he replied. The air shimmered, and the wolf reappeared, smaller this time but its form no less intimidating. The soldiers began to run, and Kludde stood, rocking back and forth, swaying side to side as the sound of clinking chains greeted their ears along with the quiet, steady chanting of its name. The commander leaped away, making a sizable distance between himself and Kludde. "Very interesting." he said, his voice almost gleeful.

As she stared at the wooden boards below her feet, trying to catch her breath she forgot what was really going on around her. Everything seemed to become distant and time drifted off slowly. She was confused when a sound began pulling her, causing her to drag her head slowly up at Neru who howled and barked to get her attention. Then reality began to sink back in, she was exhausted but it was no time to pass out. Lifting herself up she scanned the horizon and realized she had been out of comission for sometime, the enemy had now pushed closer to the bell tower and the water appeared to be dominated by some massive creature wreaking havoc. The city was clearly beginning to lose control of the fight.

Reaching into a small satchel which sat under her most outer robes she pulled out a small vial of thick green liquid. She placed the stopper to her mouth and bit down, yanking it out and allowing the green juice to seep into her mouth. Swallowing the bitter and sour goo, she coughed and began to feel her body wake up this would only wake her up and numb her pains temporarily. Taking in a deep breath she stood up and pointed at the large wall of guards attempting to hold back a force of enemy troops. She raised both hands to her chest and forced a small ball of lightning which exploded with a crack and flung towards the group expanding into a lightning bolt as it did so. One man was struck straight in the chest, exploding the metal helmet from his head and launching his body back. Two more cracks as more lightning bolts were fired from the ball she had formed and another two flung to the ground either unconscious or worse. Realizing they were under fire some men began to back up behind a building to take cover from the blasts. Instead Myra gripping the ball of energy she had been using as a channel to release the volley and threw it liken to a grenade into the blind spot behind the building. A massive crackle of electricity could be heard as bodies were flung in all directions, few stood back up smoldering to trot away only to be charged by the guards and finished off. "Neru go sco-" then the world around her became a blinding mixture of white and red, before she knew it she was tumbling and the world spun around her. Then nothing.

Blinking her eyes open, the potion still keeping her vitality up as she laid on the ground. Her head throbbed, causing Myra to place her hands on it trying to soothe the agony only to find something sticky covering her left hand. Upon investigation it was blood this realization made her look up at the tower which now smoldered, she must've been hit by someone she didn't see and was tossed from the tower. Standing up on shaky knees, three guards ran up and surrounded her shouting to one around, one placed her arm around his neck and she felt herself be lifted up without any struggle. She realized now that the enemy was close, ahead of her they were slaughtering anyone in armor and some citizens who tried to escape from the burning bell tower. Myra had failed in protecting this town's citizens as her vision began to blur something called out in her head What are you doing lady, let me go. She smiled and nodded mumbling lightly "Go on Neru.." The guard supporting her shot his eyes on her and shouted "Huh? Hey? Are you alive what did you say?" his only answer was a howling which came from the small fox who appeared on top of the burning structure. A torrent of wind surrounded his body as yet another tail sprouted from him, the markings on his paws and face now extended and connected around his chest, localizing on his heart. The now massive fox, similar in size to a goat exploded with energy as the wind expelled from him snuffing out the burning building and sending every single person on the ground. As soon as it hit Myra however, her and the three guards appeared unaffected and instead she was now healed with the blood still soaking her hair and covering the slight smirk decorated on her face.

Her feet tapped the ground as she placed her hand up, allowing the staff which had somehow survived the explosion to fly from a formerly unknown location and slam into her palm. As she began to walk forward, people sprung to their feet and ran behind her while the guards picked up what was left of themselves and formed a wall of shields to her left, in front of the bell tower. The enemy troops had stepped back a bit, grouping together as well with this new threat appearing. As Myra came to a stop she opened her mouth and spat "Now who was the bastard that shot me with my back turned." The grey cloak she had come to town with was now nothing more than a smoldering tattered rag hanging loosely around her body with the hat still fixed on her head. It smiled and opened its mouth to speak for the first time as this girl walked closer to this group of men, its voice was deep and appeared to echo as it spoke "You've all just unlocked Myra's highest level of power currently, we like to consider it her 'Released' state. Completely rejuvenated and refreshed for a fight, better hope you have someone with magic." the men shot glances across one another confused before a man stepped out covered with a long polar bear skin, the head affixed like a hood. "I did miss, is there something you'd like to say to me?" He was clearly a powerful magic user, but he never fought someone of her ability before.

"Come on men, lets take your town back." She shoved her staff threateningly pointed at the group in front of her and the guards broke into a sprint, making a final charge. As they shouted and screamed to pump themselves up the sound could be heard from all over the city mainly a nearby squad of Omnia's actual military force who appeared on rooftops above, only twelve in number but a Battlemage was no one you wanted to face in battle. As the guards clashed with the much larger enemy, the battle mages from above leapt down onto them and entered the bloody frenzy. Blades made of pure energy slashed like paper through armor while fire spells ignited others. The guards did their best, over coming enemies in sheer force pushing towards the man with the polar bear skin who simply laughed as he backed away from the fight and began to run. Myra felt something inside her tighten as she realized, he was going to get reinforcements.

The massive explosion had caught Leon's attention, but he didn't even bother to look where it had come from. He knew its source, and he knew who had been standing atop the tower but in this state, he had a stronger connection with Kludde, who could sense her vitals from even this distance. She was alive, but barely. This was enough for him to disregard her for the moment; he had more important things to worry about. "Prepare yourself." he warned the man, the flames that had rested at his feet climbed up his legs and then around his upper torso. Kludde became a blur of movement as yet another massive tentacle slammed down on top of Leon. However, Kludde had sensed the attack, so he had sensed it as well. One swing of his rapier lobbed the tip of the appendage off with ease, sending it falling to the floor where it began to writhe as the waters shook with a deep roar from its depths. He'd succeded in angering the beast, it would seem. However taking it out would not be so easy; there were plenty other tentacles to fight with, and the one he'd managed to dispatch was regrowing itself as he stood, observing it. "Neat trick. Do you have any?" Leon taunted the man, who replied with a laugh. "Boy, you have no idea."

With the sound of a whip crack, the sword broke apart into segments, doubling in length as a rather large wave slammed into the side of the boat, drenching the deck and quelling the flames that had begun to consume it. Leon's cloak remained untouched, the water that assaulted it had evaporated on contact. The strange part was in the waters actions after this. It began to crawl, bundling up like a snake as it wriggled its way in thick ropes toward the man who wore a smirk. "I'm a professional fire fighter, kid. They don't call me a God of the sea for nothin'."

"I assume they don't call you that for your excessive need to run your mouth, either. Quit talking and fight, coward." Leon spat, brandishing his blade. "As you wish." the deck exploded as the current took over, grinding the charred bits of wood into nothingness as a writhing mass of tentacles emerged, slamming into the thing from all sides. Leon had barely managed to deflect the tentacles assault when the mans blade flung itself forward, slamming into his gut with enough force to send him careening backward over the water and into the arms of Kludde, who had reappeared again to catch him. The cloak of fire was gone, and Leon was gasping for air as Kludde adjusted his position to mount his back like a horse. "Do not falter now, Leon Argent. I am not ready to perish yet." the demon spoke, his voice lower than a whisper and as soft as a gust of wind through a graveyard. "Shut up." Leon managed as he collected himself, controlling his breathing as he watched the ship sink. "Where did he go?" he asked, scanning the waters for the man. Kludde pointed one clawed finger toward the wreckage as it was tossed and rolled in the hectic motion the water had adopted from the blast.

The instant Leon laid eyes on his position, the water stilled after one last ripple, and there he stood. On the water. "My name is Valdas, kid. Pleased to make your acquaintance." he smirked, swinging his sword outward to compact it again. "I need a place to fight him. He wont leave the water, that much is clear. His spirit lingers there and he seems to have an uncanny control of the water itself, he wont give up that advantage." Leon told Kludde, who only chuckled in response. "Get me to that pillar." Leon motioned toward one of the spires that supported the mass of rock over head. It was smaller thann the rest, and showed signs of structural problems. Chunks of the rock were missing, the builder mages had been keeping an eye on it for a while now. They had been discussing tearing it down. He planned to accelerate that process.

Kludde moved like a bolt of lightning, throwing Leon from his back just before disappearing from sight again, chains clinking. Leon tightened his focus, zeroing in on the bottom of the pillar, the most insecure part of it. A quick five word chant later, and his plan became apparent to Valdas, who simply watched amusedly as the red streak flew through the air toward the rock. Had the beast betrayed its master? No, he had a plan. Fire erupted from the water in the shape of a ring around the pillar and cinched itself around the rock, melting through it as the young man slammed feet first into the rock. Valdas had failed to notice the identical ring at the top. The mass moved impossibly fast, jutting out from its position and he gave an impressed whistle as it slid into the water, sending waves rolling out along the surface. He ghosted across the water, sliding along the surface which became smooth as glass as he approached the broken pillar, stepping onto the perfectly smooth platform where Leon was crouched, panting heavily. "I must say, you're much stronger than I originally pegged you to be. It wont matter though. I'll drown you, then I'll drown your pet. You can be a light snack for my partner"

"Speaking of your partner..." Leon smirked. Kludde had reappeared, but this time he had company; a huge shard of the pillar he'd just help destroy was held in his hands. "How does he feel about harpoons?"

The fight had managed to die down and now the majority of military men collected around the splinters of the bell tower's remains. Most of the citizens had returned to hiding within the base of it which had managed to avoid being completely destroyed as the military continued to work on barricading the area. It was well over fifteen minutes that the enemy had escaped and the Omnia military was prepping for their final counter attack working quickly to form any form of defense they could managed. Myra herself was perfectly conditioned and ready for battle but she noticed most men around her were half wounded, sweaty and overworked. They would never survive another assault from the enemy. They needed help and she knew where she would get it, grabbing a nearby man by the front of his chest plate and bringing his face close to hers she shouted again which she realized was the only way these military men would respond to anything "Listen we need to tap into the citizen's strength we simply don't have enough power. So this is the plan.." she began to explain how to position the citizens to help repel the attack before ordering the man to set it up. He was off quickly in an attempt to finish these last minute preparations when the sound of angry men could be heard. A man on one of the higher rooftops blew a loud whistle alerting everyone the enemy was closing in, he held up five fingers twice signalling they have about ten minutes. Myra cursed under her breath and took off to help with the last minute preparations.

By the time the enemy arrived, they stood at the end of a long row of homes connected to one another. This street would force both the enemy and the Omnia military to have one way out which most likely would end up in one side being brutally slaughtered as they retreat. One of the captains of the military stood beside Myra who gripped her staff white knuckled as the silence fell over everyone. The enemy Jurguard warriors bellowed out a shout and begin to charge in their arrogance, causing a slight smirk to go across her face. Halfway down the road she raised her staff and tapped it once on the ground causing sparks to emit across the staff, a signal. Instantly all the windows on either side of the road burst open as citizens began throwing objects at the enemy who slowed their charge to avoid being pelted. The majority of objects were simple rocks and chunks of debris while others were tossing spears or knives into them. The main objective however was to mask the small clay jars holding oils which were included in this. The enemy huddled together as men with shields attempted to block the debris, eventually coming to a stop as the citizens seemed to dwindle out of things to toss. The Jurguard warriors began howling in laughter as they looked at one another stained in juices, small cuts and unknown to them oil. A man stepped forward featuring a strange headdress with horns adorning it and spoke with a deep voice "Is this your last attempt she-witch? A ragtag group of women and children throwing trash and a quarter of the surviving military? Wouldn't you rather just surrender yourself over to us and enjoy yourself with pleasures as we slaughter this town." Myra simply looked the man up and down with disgust before muttering "Screw you." she raised her staff causing a man behind her to pull his bow back and fire, utilizing a form of magic to ignite the arrow as it left his bow. The faces on every warrior began to turn white as the arrow neared and struck the ground, instantly igniting the whole area and more than half the men who screeched in horror as their flesh melted unable to remove the oils that soaked them before.

With that Myra muttered a few phrases and channeled air to localize in her palm before she began to charge. As the rest of the military fell in behind her she released the compacted air from her hand which fanned the flames and caused the horrific screams to intensify. Very few of the enemy warriors still stood to put up a fight as the wall of fire behind them burned their allies. They were caught between the tips of the Omnia military's weapons and the massive flames which threatened to consume them, it was less of a battle and simply a massacre as every single soldier was torn apart at the end of swords and spears. Myra sat down at the edge of the road breathing heavily as the last of the enemy was finally put down with the fires still smoldering some corpse. She pushed herself up and walked over to the captain who had helped lead the men, "You got it from here right? The city is clear?" he nodded trying to seem as aloof as possible while still maintaining respect for the girl who had single-handedly defended his home. Myra figured the man remained silent from the embarrassment of not being able to lead his men on a level with this girl causing her to roll her eyes and begin walking off towards the water, where Leon still fought.

From here on the edge of the waters she could see the faint figures moving about as they fought, upon seeing the massive tentacles lashing at Leon she began to feel something in her throat tighten. The man he was fighting appeared to be some powerful warrior who had just as many abilities as Leon and more years to perfect them. The fight between them was clearly intense and as much as Myra wanted to help she realized she was completely wiped of energy, the little fox beside her who had been forced out of the last fight from lack of energy yawned as the city burned around the pair. It was within all this chaotic moment, where the buildings in the distance burned and the smell of blood filled the air she realized what she had been raised for. Isaac had kept her hidden from all this to keep her from forming opinions and to make her a good person, he taught her everything she needed and left her the tools to learn everything else. He raised her to help this world get back on track, but how could he expect her to do this? Tears began welling up in her eyes causing her to feel quite selfish, Leon was out there risking his life for everyone and she was too weak to help. Within seconds she was sobbing, but couldn't figure out why. Possibly for her master, or for how life turned out to be, it could even be the fear of being alone yet again if Leon loses, whatever it was the world clearly was too unforgiving to give her any form of comfort.

The battle was intense. As Leon fought with all he had on the ground, Kludde sprinted about through the air, slashing and biting with an intense ferocity, but to no avail. It was like cutting off a hydra head, once you slice off a tentacle two more emerge from the water to assault while the first completely regenerates. The beast was massive, and Kludde was barely keeping ahead of it using his superior speed. Leon, on the other hand, was losing and losing fast. He was bleeding from a gash on his cheek, his shirt was tattered, his arms adorned with cuts and nicks. He was running out of energy by this point, but Valdas seemed to have endless ammounts. Leon had learned quickly that cutting him would do little to nothing; all he had to do was manipulate the water onto the platform, touch it, and he would be healed. He drew power from the massive beast while Leon drew power from Kludde and his own anger, which had quelled early into the fight. This was not a fight he could win, and he knew it. At this point he was struggling to stay alive under the onslaught of attacks, dodging, ducking and rolling all while his opponent seemed like he would never falter. The sword could separate to attack from behind, merge to block attacks or perform thrusts and become slack to act like a deadly whip. There was no winning.

They had reached a lull now. Leon was on one end of the platform, gasping for breath while Valdas breathed easy, his sword stabbed into the ground while he cracked his fingers. "Where's all that fire you had in your eyes? That anger, that drive you had." he grabbed for his sword, and swung just in time to catch the edge of Leon's blade. "Where's your spirit?!" he shouted, slashing again. Leon barely managed to deflect this one. His left eye was shut to prevent blood from seeping in from the cut on his forehead he hadn't noticed before, his hands were numb, his legs were shaky and his breath could not come quick enough. Kludde had stopped listening to his commands and was currently fighting with reckless abandon somewhere close by. He deflected another slash as Valdas laughed. "Tell me. How does it feel? Knowing your death is so close at hand, little soldier?" he made to thrust, catching Leon's shoulder as he failed to parry. His limbs were beginning to freeze up now. He couldn't help but think to himself... is this really the end? Is this all I could amount to? Will I become a bloody stain in the background of this horrible day? "No words, huh?" he slashed out again with a power he hadn't used before, slamming into the edge of Leon's rapier with enough force to throw it from his hands. It made a small splash as it fell into the water, and Leon fell to his knees, unable to hold himself up any longer. "Oh, I'm not done with you yet." Valdas sneered, planting his boot in Leon's chest, kicking him to the ground roughly.

He squinted his eyes, fire flickering underneath him only to disappear as a wave crashed onto the platform. "No more fire. No more sword. Your partner doesn't listen to you, it's too caught up in its own insanity to take orders from a useless kid." Valdas stamped again, directly into his ribs causing him to cry out in pain. "Your death will be the first in a long line, kid. Jurguards occupation of this worthless hole will be swift, and every man woman and child will die just as you will. By my blade." he spat, swinging his sword in a wide arc, slashing viciously into Leon's chest. "Goodbye, little hero." he said softly as Leon yelled out in agony. He jammed the tip of the blade into Leon's chest, between his ribs, silencing his cries as the pain overwhelmed him. The world dimmed, light faded and the incessant chanting began to increase in tempo in the back of his head. Louder, faster, deeper in tone. He'd failed. His master had asked one thing of him; never lose control. Never let him control you. He'd failed.

An explosion rocked the earth below them. The roof of the chamber shook violently, sending chunks of rock crashing into the water as a massive column of flame shot up from the floor of the platform. Valdas had retreated to the water, but even he could not stand upon its surface as the massive wave rolled over him, caused by the impact of the shockwave from the explosion. The flame began to die down, and Leon was standing again. Head down, shoulders slumped, and arms limp, seemingly suspended in air by the massive black form that was Kludde. His eyes glowed a bloody red, the flames within dancing wildly as he laughed quietly, his voice deep and rumbling. The chanting had returned. It muttered his own name repeatedly in a steady rhythm as its body rocked to and fro. His body had changed. His spine was exposed, pure white in color between the leathery black wings that sprouted almost unnaturally from his back. His teeth, long and sharp, canines large enough to pierce through stone and twice as powerful. He seemed to emit a kind of shadow like aura that billowed unnaturally from around him, much like the mist he turned into when shifting his shape. There was no shape shifting now, only this single disgusting and terrifying form.

The tentacles had returned, even more than before as the water shifted to make way for the massive body of the creature, its maw gaping, a deep rattling sound echoing out as the teeth, sharp as needles began to move as its mouth opened, displaying layer upon layer. Valdas had somehow made his way to stand atop the creature, his sword at his side as he laughed. "You do not frighten me demon!" He shouted, brandishing his weapon. "I am not afraid of the big bad wolf!"

"You should be." Leon's voice was a whisper, but it seemed to carry itself toward Valdas. It was quiet, emotionless and dead sounding. Kludde was a blur of movement, as he burst forward, slamming into the massive squid, his hands thrust directly into its mouth, pressed to the side as he pulled, the rows of teeth stabbing through the flesh but causing seemingly no harm as he began to push. Leon was there just as quickly, and just as suddenly, standing straight as a whip of fire formed in his hand. "I could tear your beast in half." he said, leveling his eyes with the man. "And what happened to the little soldier I nearly killed, huh? Where's that anger, that spark of hatred in your eyes? I see nothing in those dead eyes anymore." Valdas smirked, holding his weapon ready as Leon's head tilted ever so slightly. "There is no Leon. Only Kludde. Kludde. Kludde." with every chant of the name, Leon swung the whip of fire. Valdas' attempts to block were useless as the whip passed through the blade, striking his chest and cutting through the armor. Again and again he swung until finally Valdas jumped away, into the water. He slid beneath the surface as the sea monster did the same, disappearing under the water, leaving Kludde in the air, his wings beating heavily as he tossed his head back, letting out a scream of rage as Leon's body fell into the water, floating on the surface seemingly abandoned of the force that had moved him before.

The rampage started then. Kludde was again a blur, disappearing from the lake and reappearing in the center of the city, atop one of the largest houses, which had nearly collapsed under his weight. It was instead turned to rubble as Kludde slammed a fist into the structure, then on to the next, clearing out fifteen houses in seconds before he moved on, destroying structures, slaughtering people by the dozens as they attempted to run in vain. Soldiers fell, bodies flew, blood spattered the ground and the remains of the buildings as that scream of rage echo'd completely. Valdas had gone, his spirit with him. Kludde's attention shifted then to the new presence, the stronger one that had shown itself to him eariler. The witch and her fox. He zeroed in on their location, intent on extinguishing that light as well as he advanced slowly, the enraged roar merely a growl as he stalked forward while Leon was left floating face down in the water, unnaturally still as his worst fears confirmed themselves while he drifted inside the void of unconsciousness. In a way, he could feel what was happening. After all, a part of him was inside of Kludde, was it not? Just as part of Kludde was within him. It was not simply the demon destroying the city. It was him. He was slaughtering innocent people, destroying the city he had come to love. This was his fault. All his fault. The blackness of the void evaporated under the blinding white that had appeared from nowhere, lifting his body again with a different presence. A presence he had forgotten, a part of him that had long since vanished.

Kludde ceased its movements as the presence became known to him just as he had reached the young woman when a blinding light lit up the lake with a form he'd never thought he'd see again. "Vajra." he sighed as the dark mist around him began to consume him, transforming him against his will as the demons conciousnes faded. Leaving behind the form of a baby leopard. Leon's body had moved again, walking along the water just as Valdas had, all the way over to the shore where Kludde lay. Behind him trailed a snow leopard, whom approached Myra as Leon's body walked to Kludde, where he knelt as consciousness once again left him. The pure, undiluted spirit that was Vajra stared into the young woman's eyes, its own piercing blue ones impassive before he spoke. "I’m very sorry about all of this, but we need to leave this place before they wake up. Please follow me.” He said, his voice deep and oddly calming despite the carnage around them. The chain covering Kludde had somehow entwined itself around the new spirit’s body, and as he moved, the two that remained unconscious began to trail after him, drifting above the ground. “Outside the main gate is a pathway that will lead us to a forest. Its terrain is mostly flat, there is plenty of cover and fairly secluded. The people here think it is cursed, but we will be safe there. I cannot have Leon here any longer. If they find him, he will be executed on the spot.”