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The gun barely became warm against Dahlia's furred skin as Enoch stood firmly behind her in the midst of the private infirmary room. The mirror to their left showed his look of grim determination as he tried not to look pitiful. "M-m-mist...mister Enoch?" "Indeed," said he. "Forgive me, miss Orosco." "Wh-wh-wh...where's...Navarro? Wh-what did you do to her?!?" "I have no knowledge of her whereabouts." "YOU'RE LYIN-MM-MMMPH!" "Please." He wrapped a hand around her mouth tightly to stop her screaming as he breathed against her ear. "I only just arrived, I assure you I have no clue as to your friend's dear whereabouts. Now...I have something I need to ask of you my lady, and if you scream again I will make sure you will never see your friends again. Is that clear?" Placing trust in his hostage, he pulled the hand away as she asked firm with steeling nerve. "Y-y-you...you can't be serious, wh-why are you doing this?! What in gods' name are you doing, I thought you were better than this!" "Desperate times call for desperate measures my fair lady. Believe me I do not want to hold this weapon anymore than you do but I am a meticulous person, and I need to be assured that you won't do anything audacious." "I...wh-wh-what can you possibly think I could do!?" "You have an esper, that we know." "HOW?! HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT, HOW DID YOU AND MARGARET-" "I cannot reveal my sources, but suffice to say I am deeply compunctious for my-" "SHUT UP! Sh-shut UP you fastidious old WINDBAG!" "Insult me all you like but if I have to temper your unruly disposition I am much less afraid to do so. Our time is nearly at hand and I cannot afford to make any further mistakes." "You already did," snarled Dahlia. "Not yet," said Enoch coldly. "You will hand over to me the Sercian and Farthing Wood relics, or else I will be forced to do unmeasurable things." "Like destroy this city?!" "If need be...unless I obtain those relics you will have far greater problems than this city ever could." "I won't do it. I can't do it, not even-" "Your friends will." Grappling an arm around her upper chest he squeezed firmly to grind the gunbarrel against her neck painfully. "A-AAAAH!" "Don't. Please, if your friends value you as much as you believe then they will surely give me the relics and we can all avoid a much more deliberate conclusion. I shall even call off the attack upon the city once I obtain those relics, you have my absolute guaranty." "Y-you...BASTARD!" "Hmhmhm...that is more fitting to Berniere than myself frankly." "Where is he then?!?! WHERE IS HE?!" "I would not know...he is not part of us for he does not share our greater scene in this play we call life. 'My friend, the fates are cruel...there are no dreams, no honour remains'-" "DON'T you ever quote that disgusting play at me you pompous reprobate!" "But you know of it don't you? You are a cultured dear, that is why I admire you." He relaxed himself slightly trying to calm his voice, wanting to call her empathy back towards her as he slowly backed up towards the door. "Your graceful intelligence, your deep intrinsic knowledge of worldly concepts in both science and art...your grievous odium born from a most deep and bitter comprehension." "YOU are just a pompous oaf," she snarled unamused, "trying to impress me with a vocabulary that's not needed!" "It is unfortunate there were three, but now we are two. And yet our goal is just the same so I find it rather apt." "What goal?!" "To bring peace and life to all of Ivalice...Margaret shares not that desire which is why need those two relics away from her...I assure you that I will end all this misery to come forth." "You are lying. You two are thick as thieves!" "I assure you, my fellow prodigy of the intellectual, you will not be harmed any farther. I don't want to hurt you miss Orosco. I simply wish better for this world that I am more willing to complete any errand than I was before to accomplish it. Now...please." He pressed his finger on the trigger just an inch furthermore as she focused her energy to a burning point, murmuring dark intrinsic terminology underneath her breath. "Walk with me, and answer your friends to turn over the stones to me." "You won't...g-get past madame Mariel." "But you will. She won't harm you and I will make certain that should she ever try any of her dark blighted sorcery then my grip will turn to a deathly tightness upon the trigger. Now...let's go for a walk, my dear." "No thanks...I'd rather RUN!" Slamming her elbow back fiercely into Enoch's gut, a bright spark exploded from within as a piece of the esper's power channelled through her. The would-be hostage-taker got a frightful burst of violent pain shooting through him as he fell down watching Dahlia escape. But in turn he responded with a violent gust of wind that slammed her against the wall almost breaking her head as she fell collapsing with a throbbing skull bleeding slightly. Her voice shrieked as Enoch managed to violently pull her back into the room, closing the door swiftly before he threw something at her face. "HELP ME! S-SOMEBODY HELP MEEEE-" "THAT is ENOUGH!"

An explosive puff of something resembling spores in her face as she gasped coughing with wheezing moans before her voice gave out. Suddenly Dahlia found that she had been silenced temporarily as Enoch snarled frustrated, grappling her once more with his arm almost choking round her neck. "I suppose I should have known you would do better to resist me, and don't even think of summoning without a voice, my little bird. You already summoned somebody who shall promptly be listening to what I have to say the moment they arrive upon this room...or else." He pointed the gun towards the door as Dahlia pitifully screamed with silent breath, gasping as she heard someone soon approaching. Despite how much she pleaded nothing would come out, the male nu-mou's hand twitching fervently with arm outstretched ready to fire at the first sight of the door unlocking. He willed himself feebly, desperate to try and keep his trigger finger still until Dahlia stomped on Enoch's foot making him yelp out loud finally having enough of her. "A-AAAARRRGH! YOU STUBBORN LITTLE WENCH!" Losing his cool for just an instant, he released the white mage to backhand her across the face viciously in the same moment the door burst open by a ruthless force. Enoch fired twice at the shadow approaching in a panic of frustration and fear seeing something charge at him, like a rampant bronze beast before he was knocked down to the floor. Something collided powerfully into the wall behind him by a stumbling gait as slowly him and Dahlia stood up, the female bruised with swollen cheek as she gasped with frightened shock. "...oh...g-g-gods." Enoch's face turned pale with horror at what he had done in that moment of tension. The first shot had missed, noticeably by the hole above the door. But the second one had gone straight through the victim's left eye which was now bleeding outwards through the back of his head, the body reacting violently from the shock in spasms lethal. "Wh-what...h-h-hoh gods...oh gods I...what did-...n-n-no." He ran as he dropped his gun, fear consuming him with a burning guilt as Dahlia ran after screaming from the top of her lungs, but nothing still would come. She had nothing in her inventory to deal with ailments, only physical wounds as she ran towards the main infirmary floor. Fayne was nearby as she grabbed him pleafully by the hem of his cloaked sleeve. "WH-D-Dahlia?!" She wasted no time in dragging him as she clutched at her throat signifying her silence. "Wh-wh-what are you doing, why are you-...what'sszh going on?! Isszh Navarro alright?!" Pulling him harder down the hall he had no choice but to follow as they headed down towards what had once been Navarro's room. The moment he rushed through the doorway, his heart stopped for the sharpest second as his feet turned to lead. "...B-...B-baldwin?" Even when he was downed by a bullet he could recognise his brother's gasps, gurgling a damned pain as he ran faster than ever he could to fall before him. "BALDWIN! BALDWIN NOOO! _" His hands shook, staring at Baldwin's face as he twitched violently fast, his left eye gone to a bloodied stump as he struggled to summon up the words to cast his healing. "C-C-CURA...C-C-CURA FRATREM, _BALDWIN PLEASSZHE!" The whitish mist spread thickly over his brother's body, but the wound was too deep, too severe, not of fatigue but of violent fatal agony as he struggled to hold on. His teeth began to seize up, snarling creaking tight until they almost started to break with a monstrous effort as his brain drove into a state of pure adrenaline, trying to stay alive. His teeth began to bleed, cracking as Fayne screamed harder. "CURA! FRATREM! BALDWIN, PLEASSZHE, DON'T, D-DON'T DIE ON ME! NOOOO! _" Dahlia grabbed his arm with his first instinct being to shove her away before she clasped scratching at her throat with silent scream, the cleric hastily throwing all of his items out from his satchel letting her find the remedy itself. Echo drops, a small bottle of tonic to soothe the voiceless as she gulped it back feeling the curse of silence melt away amidst Fayne's shrieking torment. "_BALDWIN! B-BALDWIN PLEASSZHE LOOK AT ME, DON'T YOU CAN DO THISSZH! DON'T LEAVE ME BALDWIN! _" "I'LL GET MARIEL!" She ran as Fayne's screams echoed throughout the corridor, but she had not run more than ten feet when a shadow darkly whispered across her skin with cold deathly touch. The old nu-mou had already passed her by mysterious ways, suddenly appearing before Fayne in the private infirmary. Her eyes glinted with a soft mourning shock as she walked closer, her feet beneath her sweeping robes as the bishop sobbed grasping his brother's hand struggling to cast more of his healing. "CURA! F-FRATREM! _CURA! FRATRE-EM! BALDWIIIIN!" "It's no use," said Mariel calmly, "you are only prolonging his last moments." "S-SSZHUT UP, I WON'T LET HIM DIE!" "I never said you would." "HE DOESSZH NOT DESSZHERVE THISSZH! PLEASSZHE, MOTHER DO SSZHOMETHING! PLEAAAASSZHE! _" He broke down completely, rubbing his cheek against Baldwin's restless hand as thick tears dripped down both their fingers. The monk struggled to look, his lone single eye now fading as it tried desperately to stay awake, but the blood was running fast. His brain was slowing down, firing off every single thought as he felt his life flashing before his eyes. Memories forgotten however remained forever darkened as he couldn't even bring himself to speak. At least one or two medics had come hearing the commotion asking: "Wh-what's happened?!" "S-S-someone," struggled Dahlia, "s-s-someone's been shot, B-baldwin h-h-his face, the eye, I-i-i don't-he was saving me, th-that Enoch held me hostage a-a-and I don't-" "Can we move him?!" "No," ordered Mariel, "do not waste your time on him let me perform his last rites." "_NOOO!" cried Fayne. "Tend to the other wounded, but you Dahlia, stay here with me. THAT'S AN ORDER!" The medics ran back towards the main room as the nu-mou rushed to Fayne's side with the cleric struggling to look through his tears at his adoptive mother. Bitterness gulped back beneath his throat. "N-n-no...you...d-don't give up on him...p-please, you have to-" "I am sorry Fayne...I can only do so mu-" "NO! I KNOW WHAT YOU CAN DO, YOU ARE A DEMON!" "F-Fayne!" "You can...do s-s-sszhomething, with that Dark of yoursszh...can't you? I know you have...p-powersszh, you have beyond lived your own life more than a-any of usszh have to live...p-pleasszhe...pleaszzhe mother...pleasszhe h-help him."

Seeing the look of grief as he held his brother's hand closely to his cheek sent a memory back from fifty years hence. She looked upon Fayne, the same look he had given when he was but a boy upon the steps of the cathedral pleading, cradling his older friend's hand dragging the body behind him, the carriage that had taken them having stopped. "Pleasszhe...h-h-help him, h-h-he won't wake up, he won' wake up!" "What happened to you, my child?!" "He...w-we both f-f-fell in the r-river...pleasszhe..." "Where are your parents?" "Pleasszhe mother...pleasszhe...h-help him...I b-beg of you..." "I don' h-h-have anyone...b-but him...pleasszhe...h-he'sszh the only one I have, I don' wanna be alone!" "PLEASSZHE!" "...alright." The slightest look of hope glinted in the back of Fayne's eye hearing her. "But I will need some space. There is...something I must perform." "Y-you...wh-what are you-" "Fayne. Move." He did as he was ordered, releasing Baldwin's hand by her intervention as she leaned over the fallen monk, his gasping struggles an agony to listen to as his lungs pulsed with dying breaths. His eye roved with insane anguish, his heart pulsing with grim panic as his teeth became rigid snapping under the fierce tension of his jaws. Mariel placed a hand upon his head soothing him. "Baldwin. Baldwin can you hear me?" Her voice slowly beginning to turn darker and quieter. "Baldwin, listen to me...you are dying Baldwin, do you realise that? I want you to keep fighting. Do not falter, let me see your stubbornness...can you hear me?" Deeper the voice became until it reached a level far beneath mortal hearing. A voice that only the dead would soon hear. _ You will die Baldwin...that is something I cannot change, no matter how much your brother Fayne wants me to. He is begging me, he is pleading...he cannot live without you but I cannot bring you back to life. However...I can do something else. Look at me Baldwin. _ His eye looked over to her, focusing on something for the first and last time in his struggling death, his final thoughts flickering towards her darkened spirit. _ Do you know why I have lived so long? I died many years ago, my child, but yet here I am, a body still living and still conscious despite my tainted heart. Do you understand, Baldwin Smithee? Yes...are you...can you do that? I can. But it will take a great amount of strength from you that I know you have. I would not do this with many others but I know you are a strong heart, my dear child. I have watched you grow and protect your brother...and even though I have only become aware of his grief the same time as you did...you chose him over your own ideals. It is that love, which you must hold onto, for it will become your greatest strength. But...you said you cannot bring me back. Do you regret? ...I do. What do you regret? That I...can't live to see my brother happy again...with his lover. I wanted to live with him, with a family but I...I just wanted to be with him, and watch over him like he did with me. I don't want him to be alone even if he has...Kruz. He does not have to be without you Baldwin. All I ask...is that you trust me. Do you trust me? I always trusted you...mother...you know I do. I do...thank you again for defending me even from your own brother. Are you ready to die? No...please...I don't want Fayne to be without me. He won't. Are you ready to give your life to me, Baldwin Smithee? Are you prepared to do whatever is necessary to protect those around you? I am. Are you prepared to give your life to Lea Monde itself? To this city that now weeps with blood once again down through its streets? I already...have. Are you prepared to sacrifice your soul, your existence...to be cast out from beneath the Light of Kiltia forever cursed? Are you willing to give up that light and sacrament? I would...I...I would do anything to keep my brother safe. Even defy the gods? Would you dare go against everything you were taught and defy Faram himself to protect those around you? I don't care about Faram...I only wanted to stop being so stupid, I care only about Fayne and...my friends...D-dahlia...I wanted...that's my other regret, I never got to- You will no longer regret anymore, Baldwin. Come...come to me my child. Open your heart to me. M-mother...p-please help- Embrace me Baldwin. Submit to me and offer your soul into the abyss. _ The last thing Baldwin ever saw in his life was the eyes of Mariel turning dark and foul with an emptiness that slowly swallowed him. Fayne and Dahlia disappeared as he fell into the abyss. He felt his heart stop beating. The light had finally gone out from his existence.

The smell of fire and blood seeped into his nostrils as he watched the spear raise above him. A boot planted on his face in a vicious stomp. He already felt the swords pressing against his sides ready to slice his wings apart as he dared not close his eyes readying himself to face death itself. Piercing stare from his black feathered head, Cadbury would remain insolent to the end as the humes in black cloaks kept him tightened down by ropes. "We shouldn't be wasting time," said one of them. "We have plenty of time," said the head of the unit, "Mitford's up in that church with her plan, she doesn't need us other than to keep her protected, and who the fuck's gonna come after her or even know about her?" "Still...plenty other people to deal with than some fuckin' bird." "THIS fucking bird killed two of our men and wounded madame Mitford, THIS fucking bird is gonna LEARN what it means to defy us!" "It's just an animal." "This city's got a lot of secrets, you think these people haven't bewitched these things to follow orders?!" They looked at each other nervously which gave the commander time to strengthen authority as he planted the speartip against Cadbury's neck. "Saw off his wings, we'll put them on a banner or something...I like this one's feathers, you don't often get to see a black one." "Spread 'em!" The wings were forced apart by the ropes as Cadbury said nothing, wincing sharply but not a tear escaped him as he looked at the hume with silver faceguard before him. Nothing was said as he waited for the suffering to come through, waiting for the end he had been wanting for so long as he felt the swords brace themselves against the bone extension between his body and pinions. He made his peace silently recalling back to another memory long ago. "Almost there Anne-Marie...I'll see you soon finally. You wanted me to pay for my mistake well, here we fucking go, I'm payin' for it. You'll see. Then I'll be together with you again..." The next moment that happened was one he was both infuriated and relieved by upon seeing a flash of silver across his vision. He thought it had been the spear in his face but the sight of several glinting tips sweeping like a wing had made him think twice as he looked up with a glance of pale feathers from around him. The sounds of battle had resumed as the ropes became severed from his body, the black cloaks shoved back as he found himself able to stand. "Get up." He heard the voice of Lightning to his right. "You'll die when I tell you to and I will most certainly never order you to." "Wh-what?" "Come on Cadbury!" Luke stood to his left glinting a cocky smile that reflected his. "You givin' up waaaaaay too easy for someone as stupid as you!" "He's right!" chirruped Rinoa. "You might be a stubborn idiot, but you're OUR stubborn idiot!" "And mine as well." Cyrus was in front of him as his wings spread fully showing lethal steel tips. "I'll take you under my wing, rest assured I will make certain that I will be gone before you." "What..." The black chocobo was on his feet somewhat bruised around his beak and rather confused. But the sight and smell of his group teaming up to fight against the large group of humes suddenly incensed him into battle. "Pfffft, damn right you will you old fart, come on! Let's see how pretty your little princess wings are!" "Pretty? I always paint them RED!" Flying towards the commander with the spear, Roy's knightly steed sweeped low with a ducking joust maneuver before he sliced his wing across the throat. Scraping along the mask as two of his pinions scarred deep inside the fiend's neck, the hume staggered back gasping from fright before Cyrus turned fast to his right and shanked his other wing fully forwards, plunging to impale the foe's larynx deeply. "Two points." His wingtips streaked with blood as he severed half of the foe's neck with hot blood wreathing on his shoulders like poisoned ivy as he staggered towards the floor. Rinoa was feisty but fretful as she backed away before a fiendish swipe of the sword to which she ducked before battering hard into the enemy's stomach, pushing the wind from his sails before violently pecking at the face. Luke was more vicious in his delivery against a female hume with a trident spear. The lunging thrust he dodged before grabbing the spearlength and pulling her harshly forwards before snapping his beak at the neck. Crunching with a brutal twist as she choked gasping to fall, she clutched at her throat before he took on the next opponent. Lightning dodged the ruthless swing of a greatsword that aimed twice at her face, ducking beneath before leaping over the third that came straight for her legs. With a savage kick in her leap she drove forwards scratching across the front chest of the hume gripping the armour to rake them down brutishly onto the floor. Her clawed foot grabbed the back of the hume's head to twist it violently snapping to its left before she turned waiting for the next opponent. Ten more of them remained as the flock all banded up waiting until they found a greater enemy in the form of magic. "ROAST THESE FUCKERS!"

A blazing sweep of fire scorched across the plaza from a black mage's hands amongst the dark-cloaked elites forcing the chocobos to split amongst the flames devouring across the street cobbles. Now separated and cordoned off to be trapped with two on each of them bracing themselves to fight their way out with more than just a few scrapes. It was just then that a sound came whistling from the skies above as a voice roared from the heavens. "_AQUA, EMPROS! _" With a heavy slam of clawed feet upon the stone-cobbled street, a gushing thick stream of water imbibed by magic flooded across Cadbury's vision briefly as the cloaked fiends were swept away violently. Pounded against the walls of nearby houses, the pulsing river near buried them under a drowning barrage as the chocobo blinked to see the streets more cleared except for one bizarre-looking sight. It looked like a Zaghnal on two legs, towering above all with black-and-white stripes painted on. That foul monstrous-tusked creature that always sent him to unbridled rage but something was amiss. He also saw two others stand alongside it, a red Wolf on two legs and someone he had not seen for what felt like ages. His rider, James, smiling upon him with strange wolf-clad female behind him, whilst the Zaghnal wielded a staff of impassable magic towards the black horde of silver-faced goons readying to strike upon him. "AERO, EMPROS!" Gusts of wind battered them back, but at least two managed to dodge away from the blustery gale and charge towards the zaghnal-beast as Cadbury charged forwards. His beak had become a hammer straight into one of the humes' breaking their ribs with wild fury before he reached up and twisted the neck ripping the larynx widely from its place. The raptor guarded against the other hume that survived to deflect the swinging clash of a sword before a ruthless impalement through the cloak. "TAKE THE FLOCK!" cried FG. "WE NEED TO GET TO THE CHURCH!" "I'LL HOLD THEM OFF!" shouted the zaghnal. "LET ME HANDLE THIS!" "YOU SURE?!" "I'll clean this place up...quite literally even, hmhmhmhm." "Bajher." The red wolf-skinned Vikhsen clasped onto the great sage's arm as he rubbed her head dearly, his kind eyes peering from within the mask. "We shall save this city, I assure you." "But...are you going to be alright?" "I've lived long enough to know how to handle a few ruffians all at once. Now go, Fochs needs you at the southern quarter!" "Right...be careful." He nodded solemnly as he twirled his staff delicately in his thick fingers waiting for the next advance of the eight-strong members of the unit, with swords and spears shining ready for his death to become imminent. The raptor and Vikhsen gathered up the chocobos who were all surprised and nervously backing away from the strange female until she brought out her harp, of green cedarwood and silver string to playfully glide her fingers across it. The flock understood, by an aura of soothing peaceful resonating from her with a trustworthy look as James mounted Cadbury whilst Vikhsen rode onto Lightning. "You need to show Navarro that sometime," said FG. "Music soothes any savage beast," replied the wolf-clad, "now let's save this city!" "HYAH!" The two headed off with the other three chocobos pacing themselves behind as they charged towards the southern quarter to aid in the battle. They saw the other skiffs separating out across the burning city taking up their own positions to the north and south as the battle began to turn in the north quarter. The advancing horde of thirty men and one tank, the last of the army to breech through the north wall, soon found themselves set upon by a bizarre-looking person dressed as a brown Mu in front of them, wearing a cashmere cloth. "ELLO!" "WH-WHO THE-" "WHO'S UP FER AN OL' SINGSONG ROUN' THE COMPANY EH!?" She began to spin and initiate the most horrendously annoying song they would ever hear in their lives. A song so vapid and blatant, that it would instantly have reached the top ten within the first week and never stop playing ever again despite everyone's insistence to never listen to it. A song that you wondered why was it even so popular when it was so mind-numbingly dull with a squawky voice not even that particularly good, and wondered even worse who was actually listening to it. "Leaaaa Monde is fallin' down, fallin' down, fallin' down, Leaaaa Monde is fallin' down, juuust loiiiik you lot!" And so they did. Weezul spun with all the grace of a drunken college student, but it caused a greater effect upon the large infantry unit practically mesmerised by her dance. Her cloth-spun scarf swept outwards sending a faint mist of magic whimsy that covered the entire group, who suddenly found their bodies completely confused with arms going off in places and legs tumbling forwards. Even the tank driver who had watched and inhaled whatever strange dust she had spread, struggled to control his limbs to ever drive the vehicle properly. But it would not last for long as the wannabe-dancer whistled to her people, with arrows flying down from the roofs above to impale the enemy by the dozen. A violent rain of which came from three birds and five rats cloaked upon mysterious shadows, bows let loose to obliterate the horde as the bodies of thirty men staggered and fell shrieking in panicked confusion. The driver of the tank was even more terrified despite having such a beastly carriage, until an arrow came perfectly lodged straight into his throat through the slot at the front. "BULLSEYE!" squawked Weezul. "EEEEEEEEEEEEN ONE YOU GO' IT!" "This is not a game," ordered the owl-like Wu on the roof, "now stop dancing for the dead and advance you silly girl!" "AWWWW cummon Ahwul, oi gotta steel moi nerves in front of this thing. STEEL, geddit!? EHHHEHEHEHEHEH-GLLK!" An arrow suddenly shot past her cheek almost kissing her ear as a male garbed in the slippery skin of a Dive Talon readied his longbow beside his long beak, courteously speaking as if about to offer mints. "Please don't dawdle my dear, we have a plan to stick to and your performance can't wait!" "OOOH, roigh' you are Hwisler, I'll jus'...go and uh...get moi performance up and uh-CHEERIO!" Dashing off towards her next point, the two bird-garbed archers followed on with their own small unit behind them as they hopped across the roofs, wings almost outspread as they dodged fire and other people's arrows. The black cloaks had now spotted them and their decimation before they fired back, taking up positions behind the roof chimneys as the war between bows had engaged. Taking on the armed forces without carriages, the archery group of Clan Farthing began to outshine with superior vision and tactics, having long since trained in the forests to pick out targets imperceptibly smaller than most. Almost all of their hits went towards the throat or at least wounding through the leg if they couldn't get a clearer shot. Three of the rat-faced members were not so fortunate, for despite all their skill as a small elite, they lacked the armour and toughness of the black cloaks' superior financial advantages. But this did not deter them, firing back and taking down at least half of one unit from a fearsome group of twenty-five down towards a piddling easily-manageable ten.

On the other side of town, towards the south areas where the orphaned children had once lived under careful guidance, another iron carriage along with a group of twenty-seven rattled down the crumbling streets. Thankfully all of this quarter's inhabitants had been taken to shelter bar three of them, their homes ransacked and ruthlessly destroyed by cannonfire burning across half the streets, the great flames smouldering ever higher above them all as they soon found themselves set upon by a separate horde of arrows. Multiple rodent faces suddenly appeared bristling with black eyes from the darkness of the crumbling ruined houses, at least seven of them firing out to cripple the legs of the invading people. Cries of panic and pain resounded throughout the street as they quickly began to fight back with their own archers and magestaffs burning water and fire across every housefront. Blackening scorches swept clean through as the rats hid safely within the charred empty houses hoping to buy their new leader some time. And so he came, whistling down by a skiff from the sky. With swords twirling in both hands, the Wolf leader of Clan Farthing plunged his blades heartily into the shoulders of one hume, tearing him apart and slicing through his shoulders like they were simply butter. Blood flayed from both sides spilling as he screamed, crying before the tank screeching without arms and pouring red before Fochs ran forwards straight towards the slotted front of the carriage. His swords still fresh with red ichor, he stabbed powerfully through and impaled both the driver and gunner through the face and stomach as their cries echoed from within. Blood spilt forwards onto Fochs' "face", the cloaked friends turning towards him now realising what had come upon them but it was too late. Before they even realised how to kill him, another creature came sweeping through from the sky serpentine upon a rope, hissing with vile malice as she drew a katana with trembling spinning frenzy upon landing. They had no time to react as the Serpent-skinned assassin struck forth with powerful lithe body left and right, only ever needing to cut once on some part of their body in order to seal their fate. Slicing across limbs, ears, throats and feet, her poisonous blade left no mercy upon them as in the space of seven seconds, ten of them had been killed by a sickening bloodlust drawn upon her cold grinning face. Her speed was like a viper befitting of her cloak, slicing and dodging underneath the panicked half-guard of the enemy invaders with the arrows of the Dire Rats from the houses taking another six. Fochs had the choicest of pickings as a lone three stood before him. Swinging all at once from the left, right and above, the wolf-clade male blocked with both swords to his sides before recoiling powerfully off of them just in time to cross both blades above his head. It only took a second to realise what had happened before he thrust one blade straight through the throat of the hume before him, impaling her through the neck until it sliced deeply from out of her spine. His other sword went carving through the hume on his left, severing half of the neck itself to gurgle pathetically as he ducked the sweeping blade from his right that tried to attack again. Pulling the sword free from the woman's throat he used it as a block before slicing the wrist of the attacking hume wide open rendering him barely able to fight before the thrusting plunge of his blade into the sternum just above the armoured chest. Twisting fervently to make the bone creak from within, blood spurted plentifully as he managed to slice the bronchial tube of the lung leaving the foe to drown choking from his blood filling through the lung. Adhur nodded as they stood with back to back preparing for another offence, seeing the next armoured guard come charging from the street ahead of them. "No mersssssy, Fochsss?" asked Adhur cruelly. "Not for those destroying another people's home," said her clan leader. "Agreed...that issss but ONE reasssson for me." "Keep your other reasons to yourself." "FOCHS!" Pounding down the street towards them, there came a flock of wild feathers rushing before their view as James and Vikhsen arrived with their small army. The noble steeds awaited their orders from the beastmaster of Clan Farthing as she armed herself with harp defiant before the armed forces. With James nodding to Cadbury they stood readily side by side as the raptor felt his chest start quivering with a wilting of his spirit as he sighed with grim determination. "Let's make these fuckers pay." "NOW you are talking," said Adhur with a smirk of fiendish glee. "The more the merrier assss one would ssssay."

Meanwhile, high above the sky, the Broken Petal was circling around picking off parts of the east advancing force with strategic precision. Cid belayed the orders whilst Rzepka was at the wheel cautiously using his atmological prediction to sense whenever the wind was turning for the best attack. It also served useful in knowing when the charged shots of the steel carriages would come upon them as he turned with fair warning. "THIRTY STARBOARD!" He turned fast as the shots came shrieking past the ship like fireworks gone loose, scraping barely along the wood panelling over the steel interior whilst Cid bellowed down towards the skeleton crew of gunners. "FIRE SIXTY EAST!" Pounding blasts all along the left came down heavily upon the next course of reinforced tanks completely decimating a small unit. The only problem would be the infantry that managed to infiltrate along the enclosed streets but all they could do from their ship was to thin out the herd as the chief engineer shouted: "WE GOT SIXTY PERCENT OF THE EAST FORCE DOWN!" "IS THAT ENOUGH?!" cried the mapmaker. "I DUNNO, I JUST KEEP SHOOTIN' HOPIN' THEY GIVE UP!" "I THINK THAT'S HOW MOST COMBAT GOES!" "WELL...JUST KEEP DODGING I GUESS!" "WAIT, WHO'S THAT!?" Pointing over at a skiff soon approaching, they recognised it to have the flag of Lea Monde on top of it fluttering cautiously in the ever-burning breeze of the war-torn city. A smile grew on their faces with excitement as they saw Kruz waving to them gladly before he hovered along the port side of the ship. With graceful hop across floating vehicles he walked towards the wheel where Cid and Rzepka stood as they clamoured slightly. "CAPTAIN!" "You okay?!" "Better than ever," said Kruz, "what's our status?" "We got sixty-percent down on the east," repeated Cid, "the ship's taken a couple batterings but would be way worse without my good buddy here." "Best I can do," shrugged Rzepka humbly, "the wheel's yours captain." "Thank you. Both of you." He patted both with his hand one after the other on their shoulders before he grabbed the wheel. "Cid, get back down to engineering I need you to keep a check on below deck." "Aye-aye captain!" "Rzepka, get my hook from the cabinet then get back up here with me, I need you to be my coxswain." "Yes sir!" "It's not what you think it means!" shouted Cid childishly. "I know what it means you dumbass now just go!" Sharing a smirk to each other they headed for their duties as Kruz gently began to steer the ship keeping an eye out for his friends below before gazing upon the cathedral. Resplendent still even in the fires of its burning city with grand central window and welcoming open doors, it was unfortunately ill-prepared to defend against invading enemies. But from the looks of the battle at the town square he saw that none of them had even penetrated the actual church which gave him some relief. With strength regained in his mind he glinted dangerously in his eyes waiting to give orders.

"Do you know," began Margaret Mitford, "why Berniere has such faith in my ability?" The three children looked at each other with uncertainty as they racked their brains silently trying to think an appropriate answer. Lu simply shrugged rubbing the back of her head trying to ignore the screams faintly from far below. "Cuz yer really smart? I heard you were a real good black mage." "That is correct young thing...would you like to see a demonstration of my power?" "U-u-um...we...just wanna find mister Berniere and help all these people." "But I am helping them, if you just allow me so please do not say another word and simply...watch." They did just that, patiently waiting as Margaret turned back towards the city as she chanted lowly from her throat, mumbling an even greater spell of power than anything they had ever seen. A trembling violent thunder rose above the fires as the cathedral soon became clouded with darkness, the thickening cloud of storms blackening the ground with its shadow. Their hairs stood on edge as they watched and waited before the black mage focused all her energy into divination along points invisible to the naked eye. Pointing her staff towards one target, there came a blinding flash across the children's eyes as they shielded themselves briefly against the coming storm which struck viciously across the night of Lea Monde's destruction. Something sparked viciously with an explosion in the sky, burning fast upon a sweltering flame that streaked across the front bow of a ship. Upon recognising the design of the ship they ran forwards crying: "WAIT NO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" "THAT'S OUR FRIENDS IN THAT SHIP!" "Is it?" asked Margaret smirking. "Oh dear...what a terrible mistake." "Yer SUPPOSED to be aimin' fer them big steel carriages ya IDIOT!" cried Blum. "YEAH!" shouted Lu. "That ship's one of ours, mister Kruz is in it!" "He won't be...eventually." Sending another strike upon the ship far away, her hand snapped with a ruthless efficiency as the Broken Petal did its best to dodge the frenzied lightning but it came too fast, too unnatural by her skill in warping it as it bent to her whim. The clouds swept further across aiming to blanket the sky as pure white crackled with deafening velocity hitting the ship once more, piercing into its side. "S-STOP IT!" shouted Belle. "YOU'RE GONNA HURT THEM!" The woman ignored their cries as she tore a streak of electric power across the ship, burning harsher with the flames as the lightning began to twist and writhe like serpents strangling its prey. Crushing tears through the hull as the heat of the ship expanded the long steel innards to suddenly snap and bend out of place, turning into raw blackened tips. Soon there came an even greater explosion from within the engine room, the generator completely detonating as a third of the ship was destroyed in a wild blast, the sails falling to crash down upon the town square. "STOP IIIIIIIT!" The young nu-mou ran with sudden frightful frenzy, waving her sword up high as she struck Margaret on the back of her leg. It wasn't enough strength to carve into her, but it was enough to make her already-wounded leg bleed through its bruise, buckling suddenly. "A-AAAAAGH! YOU...STUPID LITTLE RAT!" Turning fast she swung with her staff cracking across Belle's face ruthlessly as she fell backwards with a shriek and bloodied gash upon her cheek. Her fury rose greatly already incensed with power emanating through her aged fingers as she began to burn a thickening heat through her sceptre. "Do you know what the problem with your wretched city is? Is that you are governed by people who care more about FEELINGS than they do about thoughts and ideas! You are all so blissfully unaware of what shalt come next all because you are so uselessly burdened by your pathetic hearts!" "Wh-wh-why...why are you doing this?!" "This wretched hive of sanctimonious orphans dragging their heels through society's wake REFUSE to admit their arrogance in keeping what I want, what I NEED to save this world from total destruction! Wearing your heart on your sleeve like Berniere would isn't a very good plan, it's stupid! You should wear it inside where it functions BEST!" "BELLE WATCH OUT!" The viera Blum rushed forwards seeing a pulsing of flame from Margaret's fingers as she grabbed the nu-mou swiftly before shoving her out of the way, just in time before the fire swept through across the tower steeple. The two laid helpless to the side watching their friend become a burning silhouette as her scream pierced the air above them sweltering with violence, smouldering as if a dragon had torched the ramparts of the cathedral to blackened stone. "_AAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAGH! AAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAGH! _" Burning across their vision , the two children remained paralysed with fear at the unholy agony that overwhelmed what remained of Blum as the firaga's strength turned fiercer at its zenith, howling screams as the horrid scent of burnt flesh became all too apparent for them. But the silence of her scream was an even worse sound than they had wished. The crackling boom of burning blaze that passed through with a torrential heat leaving them breathless with shock at seeing their friend's body. Not even her face had remained intact, clothes melted along with half her skin, ears, blackening to a twisted charred skeleton forever trapped in a screaming grimace. They did not even have time to comprehend such a scene before a lightning strike burst from Margaret Mitford's crooked staff powerfully cracking down on both their heads. Lu was lucky enough to evade by faster reflexes but Belle had suffered next. "_AIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEE! M-MY EYES! MY EEEEEEYYYYYYYES! _"

Screaming as she broke down with vicious hot pains shredding across her skull, the lightning had struck her in the face pinpoint and heated it to a piercing sharpness, boiling her eyes to a bursting point as she fell to the floor shrieking with sobbing anguish. Blood dripped between her fingers clasped to her face, mixing with her tears as Lu rushed over towards her to try and help but she soon saw the black mage had her staff wielded up high. She was not finished just yet as a writhing cold burned through her fingers with a blistering white grip. The moogle said nothing, rooted to the spot now stricken by a mix of pain, horror and fury that she could never comprehend fully. Her arms began quivering from a lack of will to fight, helplessness settling in as she heard her friend far behind her weeping softly. "...p-please...p-p-please don't." "You should have run and hid," said Margaret, "do you know what happens to children that go running off after foolish quests? They never come back, they become old wives' tales to caution their own so they never try to accomplish anything before they are capable! And so too...shall your friends be another worthless platitude." "Please...s-s-stop...don't...don't hurt me...I'm sorry...I-i-i'm sorry I'M SORRY PLEAAAASE!" Lu began crying, almost dropping her sword as her heart began to break, begging for this to stop. She wanted it to be a dream, wanting to be awake with the sun shining and the birds whistling above her head hoping it was nothing more than a nightmare. But Margaret pulsed her magic, trembling with a mighty roar as she swung it towards the young moogle, screeching as vile spears made of solid ice came rippling through the air towards her. She closed her eyes with a final scream. She never woke up from this nightmare. But somehow, she was not dead as the sound of a sword clashing against ice came to a shattering crack almost deafening the world before her. There came a voice from the darkness in front of her. "You...shall harm no one, kupo." She opened her eyes. Standing before Lu was another moogle, an adult of dirt-pale fur in full leather armour, wielding a mythril blade in their left hand now dripping with ice and blood, the right arm clasped desperately around their waist. Margaret was bristling with outrage. "Who in gods name are YOU, you disgusting little-" "Margaret." The voice was female, gasping harshly with hot breaths. "It appears...I am nothing like you after all...you worthless traitor." "Traitor? ME?! You know nothing of me you wretched little freak, when my men get here they shall-" "Your men...do you not recognise their blood, kupo?" She raised her sword letting it flow freely with red glistening teardrops. "Four of them, wasn't it? Downstairs whilst you were pontificating your useless agenda, and they could not even down one wounded little freak...pitiful." "...I remember you now." The black mage twirled her staff with cold efficiency snarling: "Berniere's old school chum wasn't it? You are just as derisive in your quest as he was." "I...know honour, kupo." "I do not NEED honour, it doesn't get me results." "Little one." "H-huh?!" Navarro turned softly towards Lu with a stern look. "Lower your guard and you allow the enemy in. Now take your sword up high and show this wretched woman what it means to be a protector!" "I...I-i-i-" "James Campbell taught you, did he not kupo? Berniere also taught you, and since when has he ever lost a battle? Don't let their words become useless, child." Hearing this brought a sense of realisation to the young moogle girl, gripping her blade more tightly with a deep thickening burn inside her gut. She had never felt this before, she almost wanted to be sick from a heavy weight in her chest as a mix of grief, sorrow and fury combined into one with a greater power, her arms quivering desperately. "I...I will. I won't stop p-protecting this city. I was trained...I was...I wanted to be a hero. Now I'm gonna be one, not because I want to...but because I HAVE to!" The child raised her sword defiantly, standing beside Navarro with tears glinting in her eyes from the ruins of her city as the Broken Petal slowly began to fall in its descent completely consumed by its flames. "I WON'T LET YOU HURT ANYONE, EVER AGAIN!" "YOU INSOLENT-" Margaret sweeped a burning strike across the tower steeple as both Navarro and Lu dodged the charring flames that tore through in an arc, both moogles running towards the hume with Navarro hobbling from the pain in her gut. Seeing the more wounded enemy, Mitford struck down upon her with a streak of lightning as Navarro dodged just in time, but only further injuring herself with a gasping grunt. It was however the perfect distraction for Lu who raced up behind the black mage and sliced across her leg powerfully fast.

The woman shrieked as she fell striking the young moogle away with a blow from her staff that knocked her badly, blood tearing from a wound on her cheek as she stood up once again from pure adrenaline shaking through her grip. Navarro stomped forwards, ducking beneath the scepter that came swiping for her head before she rushed forwards with an upwards strike as she tore through Margaret's cloak revealing her satchel and undershirt. Forcing the moogle back, the mage struck hard with vicious ice crackling across the ground making the warrior dodge with wounded gait as she pulled back towards Lu mumbling: "Aim for her satchel and take it from her, I have an idea." "Okay." "I will distract her, flank her opposite of me kupo." Determined in her step, the adult knight braced herself to run as lightning tore along the ceiling of the steeple sending sparks of white like a barrier towards them to violently break through the moogle's defences. One shot went in her foot causing her to shriek stumbling forwards, but all she could do was grit her teeth to a ferocious sneer groaning as she swallowed the pain audibly. Moving swiftly as if trying to avoid the next attack, Navarro swung forth with blade hung low to strike towards Margaret's knee as she pushed herself away to crackle a burning glint from her fists. "I do not know the meaning of the word defeat," she said mockingly, "but I shall gladly teach it to YOU!" "Why not...the word 'coward' which you are already the very definition of?" "You can either run or stand, either way I shall burn you." "It's much more...difficult to kill with a magic bolt than it is with a bullet you raw-faced bitch." "DIIIIE!" Screaming as an ocean of flames swarmed across her vision, Margaret blasted a torrential rain of fire upon Navarro who carefully timed her movements to strafe inbetween the burning hail. Hopping left and right, she flitted back and forth as if dancing with her sword which cleaved through the fireballs neatly above her head as magic sliced in two upon her mythril blade shimmering perfectly in the light. The black mage turned bitter with fury at the lithe moogle and was about to strike with shrieking blizzard until she felt something slip from her leg. "WH-what are you-YOU THIEF!" Lu had swiped the satchel containing her supplements, ethers and all as the young moogle zigzagged out of the way to dodge the ice shattering across the steeple. Crackling to send shrapnel the length of daggers aiming for her head, the Blizzara spell was vicious upon Lu as she ducked and rolled fast before turning to face Margaret several feet away, safe apart from a few blistering scratches on her legs and waist. "What now?!" taunted the girl. "You got nuthin' left, yer gonna run out of magic eventually an' we'll just keep dodgin' ya!" "THAT IS ENOUGH!" roared the woman. "YOU are nothing more than proof of your kind, without any proper guidance in life, children wasted such as you are nothing more than criminals in the making, when this plan succeeds rest assured I will-A-AAAAGH!" She turned too late to deflect Navarro's strike, her leg plunged through to cripple her as she cracked the moogle knight hard on the head with her crosier before backing off towards the edge. Blood streaked down her foot staining her blue cloak red as she gasped with frenzied rage at Navarro, whose head started to bleed from the fiendish blow. "Both of you...worthless rats, this city will be an example for those who refuse to let the new world exist! Your worthless tradition and sentimental hogwash are-" "SHUT UP!" cried Lu. "YOU ONLY CARE ABOUT YERSELF, HERE, TAKE YER DUMB SATCHEL!" Hurling the bag of items at the woman's head, she cried out as the sudden weight of her bag struck her backwards leaning heftily over the edge of the steeple. Navarro and Lu rushed together towards the stumbling hume as they carved their swords into one ruthless single attack, slicing up her legs to almost gut her through the kidneys by a disembowelling slash in unison. They had not succeeded in evisceration but their force and furore was enough to tip Margaret over the edge as she screamed pealing like a harpy towards the roof of the cathedral. Her feet went over as the pain ran through her lower body, blood streaking upwards from the fall of gravity until her voice stopped the moment her spine snapped upon one of the parapets of the church. Three darkened spikes wrought from pure iron excruciatingly plunged through her back above the heart, through the stomach, as well as between her kidneys. Mitford tried to reach up towards the heavens as if pleading to a god before she laid back completely, impaled thrice through as Navarro and Lu gazed down upon the woman's lifeless body as the young girl sat down onto the floor shivering. "She...sh-sh-she...B-blum...w-wait, BELLE!" She realised what had occurred fully as she ran towards her nu-mou friend who had managed to hide herself downstairs just out of sight, crawling on her hands and knees like a lost infant as she screamed back with eyes burnt through. "N-NO, NO NO NO PLEASE-" "BELLE IT'S ME, IT'S ME LU!" "...Lu?" "I'm here...I...I beat her Belle, I managed to stop her." "So you did, k-kupo." Navarro walked closely behind noticing the wounded nu-mou child and the other long-deceased viera, her charred remnants making her heart sink with a bitter weight. "I'm...I'm sorry children. I was not able to...I could have come sooner." "Y-you...you saved my life." "Hmm?" Lu turned towards the older moogle with tearstained eyes as the emotion caught up with her. "You...I couldn't do it. I froze, l-literally couldn't cuz she k-killed Blum...Blum...I-i-i could have done sumthin'-" "I know. You...are not to blame kupo." "YES I AM! You got no reason to blame yerself, I brought my friends here, I WANTED TO BE A HERO!" "And you are. All three of you. She gave her life to defend her city, as did you two attempt to do so. You are heroes in my eyes." She placed a hand upon the shivering young Lu who began to break fully, clinging tightly to Navarro as she sobbed into her chest. The two held each other firmly bringing Belle into their embrace, the children weeping for their friend as the sound of a great explosion rumbled throughout the cathedral. The steeple began to shake but not enough to dislodge it. Only to merely serve as a warning for what would come soon as they could do nothing but watch as the Broken Petal finally gave out.

The bow of the ship could not turn itself away from ramming the grand cathedral, as a deafening sound of steel, glass and fire exploded by a piercing sharpness. The people screamed barely able to be heard as the churchfront became obliterated, crumbling under the weight of the airship now burying itself halfway in. The people within felt the rumbling collapse as they all evacuated best they could either to the front or through the sides of the church. The central hall of worship was soon wreathed in shadow and flames, pews and pulpits crushed along with the grand pipe organ by the crashing of the ship, the feeling of an earthquake powerfully vibrating throughout the centre of Lea Monde. In the south side of the city, James had cleaved through his sixth enemy of that day and he was starting to turn exhausted a lot quicker than he would have thought. Every swing made him stagger, every block made his arms hurt a little bit further as blood dripped from his sinuses. Blackening further, he struck hard against the well-aimed clash of blades from another hume up against him as he placed his claws on the silver face, burning with hot fingers that began scalding the metal against the hume's inner flesh. It was enough for him to push the fiend away and lunge through with his blades, but he was stumbling fast with a sense of exhaustion as he vomited another black puddle. Fochs and Adhur kept on the offensive standing against the empty carriage of iron waiting for the arrows from their allies to fire true and decimate the oncoming enemies a little, but they would soon reply back with their own volley to force the Farthing rats back down to retreat. Three swords swung, one of them being laced with venom that only needed to draw blood to send something into a lethal stupor which helped more than anything. Vikhsen was managing the chocobos, playing her harp delicately to guide them into either defending or attacking. With five of them together, they pushed fast against the south quarter's army to at least render them down to half strength, as claws and silver wings sliced through veins and throats reddening their feathers further. It was then that they saw and heard the ship crash into the cathedral, making everyone turn with shock and horror as Vikhsen gasped starting with: "What...what the-" "KRUZ?! SH-SHIT, NO! NOOOOOOOO!" The raptor stumbled forwards with a panicked flinch as he almost fell onto his knees, feeling the energy slip from his bones. "What are you doing?!" cried Fochs. "I HAVE TO FIND KRUZ!" "You have to stay here, you stick to the plan!" "Fochs look at him!" Vikhsen noted the blackening blood drooling from his face as James managed to force himself back onto his feet feebly against the tank. "He can't fight in this state either way, whatever's passing through him is weakening him further." "Wasssn't me," chirped Adhur, "my venom issss much more effissssient." "Listen, James, take your steed and go to the church, you need to find someplace to rest." "But I-" "She's right," said Fochs. "You can barely stand, I didn't realise you were so wounded." "Not...wounded," murmured FG, "just dealing with a lot of things." "Deal with them in a bed, Vikhsen help him." The wolf-clad female gently lifted him up onto Cadbury who dutifully stood waiting at her command. The music soothed his heart briefly enough to understand the severity of this as she ordered him to rush to the cathedral nearer to medical assistance. James clung onto Cadbury with desperate claws gripping the reins as he leaned forwards, the blood softly trickling down his feathered neck. "Kw-kwehhhh?" "I'm fine...just...t-take me up to where the fires are I need...to find Kruz." "...kweh." Steeling his nerve, the bull chocobo rushed through the streets heading straight towards the cathedral flames where the twisted remnants of the ship now remained almost covering half of the city square. Briefly passing around the plaza where the offensive first resumed, they saw Bajher struggling to push back with his weakening magic strength against the invading unit. The sparks from his staff started trembling as the six remaining humes overpowered him, spears suddenly lunging straight through his stomach as he cried out with anguish. Falling to his knees, blood thickly oozed through his zaghnal-skin cloak with laboured breathing as the second spear plunged beneath his right lung, thickening red from underneath as he staggered to fall completely. Before the final blow, the third spearman was set upon by a roaring rush of black tearing across the side of his face, ripping apart the attacking hume with James clinging on feebly. Bajher looked up feebly to see his saviour as James asked: "What are you doing? I have...to get to Kruz." "Kweh. KWEHH!" He spread his wings arrogantly towards the five humes still before him, trying to back them off as one spear swung for his head, the black steed ducking to grab the staff by the pole and pull viciously forwards. James saw the approaching defenceless and thrust his scissors out to impale him fully next to Cadbury's head, gasping chokes as fresh ichor spilt upon the bull's beak as he nodded simply. "I get it...can't leave someone that needs help." "Kwehhh!" "I need to get to...Kruz, he needs help too." "KWEHHHHH!" The beast called out towards the direction he came before someone had arrived in a flash. Lightning stood in a cloud of dust fast approaching with her pale wings streaking over James' vision as she stood readily next to the raptor's side. A wing extended, he understood as he softly clambered onto Navarro's steed looking towards Cadbury. "Do your best...don't fuck up." "Kwe-ehhhh!" A smug grin from the wily bull gave him reassurance as Lightning nodded in understanding before she took FG towards the cathedral, leaving Cadbury to defend the old wounded sage who struggled back onto his feet. There was a look of trust for those who were nearing death as they nodded silently with mutual respect. Bajher was out of magic, cautiously dipping his hand into his satchel with shaking fingers before drinking a small green bottle of ether. "GLK...glk...hh-h-hhhhhh...I've...still got a bit left in me...are you ready young bull?" "KWEH!" "Stand here...we shall do this at our own pace." Cadbury stood to his side waiting to fight against any of the humes that dared approach, blood pouring from the strange beast resembling a zaghnal as his staff quivered with raspy breaths. He knew it would be his last words any moment to strike back against the world's injustice. "_Aero... EMPROOOOS! _"

The people of the infirmary began to scream with a frenzy amidst the pains and fear of those wounded, with every staff member doing everything possible to try and evacuate anyone that could be moved. The Broken Petal's remnants scattered themselves across the front hall as burning electrical flames simply spiralled further out of control, which made any attempts to extinguish them turn even worse with water magic. The people out front of the cathedral both guards and black cloaks started to fight less amongst each other as their attention became more focused on not being killed by the falling debris. Towering architecture and lethal glass shards the length of javelins simply rained down upon the city square as people dodged left and right desperately, with many unfortunates either crushed or brutally cleaved in half within a bloody skewer. The fires began swallowing the entrance of the church doors which became warped by the heat, twisting themselves in their already-closed position to become more difficult to open for those pleading to escape. In the private infirmary ward Dahlia became feverish with panic grabbing Fayne who resisted fiercely, watching the two forms of both his "brother" and adoptive mother gazing into each other's eyes with piercing stillness as if rendered to stop in time. Her hands had clasped his, frozen without a single twitch for all but three minutes as the bishop watched with bated breath, despite the nu-mou's pleading grasp as she tugged at his robe. "C-COME ON! FAYNE, WE HAVE TO LEAVE!" "But...B-baldwin, m-mother-" "HE WOULDN'T WANT YOU TO DIE HERE NOW COME ON!" "Baldwin...mother...s-sszhay sszhomething...talk to me. P-pleasszhe...don't leave me." "Fayne...please. Kruz is...he's still out there, I-i-i don't know what's happening but this church is not going to last long." "I know...b-but......oh Faram." He began to pray. He had nothing else left but to pray to those he had given his livelihood to, wishing for some miracle. Begging upon the mercy of the universe. "By the light of Kiltia...m-may we bring warmth to thisszh land, to the land o-of Ivalisszhe until we are awasszh with...blissszh. To forever love...a-a-all that isszh good, to forever banisszhh all that isszh evil, forever and ever...Faram. H-h-hoh godsszh, F-f-faram, pleasszhe...pleasszhe." "Fayne." She placed a hand on his shoulder struggling to keep her nerves steady. "We...we h-have to go. Come on." Fayne looked once more at the still bodies wondering what had happened. He felt confusion began strangling his brain of all thoughts wishing for at least something to happen but it never came. He grabbed at Mariel's shoulder finding it much colder than usual, pleading to her but he couldn't even bring the words to his lips. He soon allowed Dahlia to take him out of the room slowly as they began to run through the thick smoking corridors. The people were in affray desperately trying to escape with patients as intact as possible to a safer location, either out through the sides of the cathedral or to the cellars where the smoke had not reached. The nu-mou followed the herd but they soon saw two familiar faces storming out of the front hall with limping staggers as a rough voice shouted out to them. "HEY-EY! OVER HERE!" "CID?!" Dahlia ran to him, the chief engineer losing at least half his clothes to show a blue pelt underneath as Rzepka hobbled with a sharply-bruised leg and glistening cuts on his face which the mage attended to. "Are you alright?! What happened?!" "L-lightning," winced the navigator, "not natural...couldn't...dodge it." "Where isszh Kruzzh?" "S-still...in there, I don't, he...we all went into his cabin, to keep safe from the explosion, the window...just burst." "We need help," said Cid, "he's under debris an' we can't move it, I need to get h-hey wait WAIT!" "FAYNE!" The bishop ran towards the fire with a look of blank expectant fear as he saw the burning wreckage, decimating the front hall of the church as he noticed the captain's cabin was within reach. Crushed against the pipe organ with a burst-open window, he carefully avoided the glass and swiftly clambered up onto the organ's podium before a swift jump into the sweltering room. The remnants of Kruz's Ivalician life and former existence were being slowly consumed by the flames as he saw the kremling's hand reach out from within a landslide. "KRUZZH!" He staggered forwards nearly losing his footing on the slanted cabin floor, tilting a little enough to unbalance as he saw the thick debris piled up composing mainly of the ship's sailmast and navigational console. Raw steel and wood panelling crunching together to form a tight-knit cage that while did not crush Kruz completely, made him still aware of the roasting inferno as he saw his lover through the hole. "F-fayne...Fayne, g-get help." "I'm here." He grabbed at Kruz's hand gripping tightly as if they were about to fall, only able to see the kremling's eye. "Get...help, Fayne. I can't break through this." "I...I don't know what I can do." "Just get...s-someone, I need to break free." "Kruzzh...I'm losszhing everyone." "You're not." "B-b-baldwin...Baldwin isszhn't..." Tender sounds of a weeping cleric could be heard as Kruz squeezed his hand tighter. In the distance there came amidst the raging flames the sound of someone screaming, a bestial shriek that sent fear into them deep. "Wh-what...wasszh that?" "I don't...know but you have to go." "What?!" "I'm not leaving you. Just...go find someone." "I'm...I-i'm s-sszhcared. Pleasszhe...don't leave me-" "Stop it. You're not weak, you are better than this Fayne, stop saying please and just DO something. You're not going to do anything by sitting here holding my hand, I know you can do it." "I...I-i-i-" "Do it for me. Find someone...you can help me in other ways, you just need to-" The crunching weight of the ship came deafening from all around them as Fayne realised what he needed. Slowly their fingers slipped as he stumbled his way out of the Broken Petal's cabin with Kruz giving a sigh of relief. A part of him had already accepted that this would happen but he never said, wanting at least to keep Fayne happy for a small blissful part of his existence. The cleric ran through the infirmary slowly becoming evacuated as Dahlia continued to heal Rzepka's bruises. "S-SSZHOMEBODY! PLEASSZHE! H-HELP, MY...MY LOVER, HE'SSZH IN THE SSZHIP, HE'SSZH IN THE-HE'SSZH TRAPPED, SSZHOMEBODY HELP HIM!" "F-FAYNE!" "SSZHOMEBODY HELP! I CAN'T DO THISSZH ON MY OWN, I NEED SSZHOMEBODY PLEASSZHE! PLEASSZHE HELP MEEEE! _" " **_Fayne." A voice, so familiar and yet so distant from him turned to whispering on the breeze of flames. "Wh-who...who isszh that, c-can sszhomeone-" " **I'm here Fayne. I need you." "...who...wh-wh-who's that...that can't be." The people near him looked round each other with a fearful cold sweat as if somebody had opened the crypt of a long ancient tomb, the grave air having swept across the infirmary with a mournful sombre tone as they all felt goosebumps running through their necks. The voice seemed to tremble from within the infirmary's private wards. " Come to me Fayne." The world had already turned to an even worse state than he wished, and by that sense of being dumbstruck by shock and the eclipse of grief, he had no reason to refuse as slowly he walked. Dahlia tried to grab him once more but the moment she did the voice pierced into her ears. " Dahlia." "WH-who...wh-who is that?!?" " I need...to tell you...come...take Fayne and come to me." "...no. No I-i-i don't-" " If you are afraid...you have your training from mother Mariel, don't you? What are you afraid of anymore?" "I...I don't want to lose any more people." " You won't...if you come to me."

The two approached carefully back to where Baldwin had now fallen. Except he had risen, floating above them as Mariel's body laid underneath his feet. The air had turned to a deathly ice as their breaths turned frigid with trembling white gasps before Fayne covered his lips with trembling fingers. Something was slowly trickling through the air, serpents formed from the bleakest night, slithering from Mariel's eyes and mouth open towards Baldwin's limbs as they began to penetrate his face. Dahlia simply staggered back towards the wall whimpering as the fear of gods came to her fully. "N-n-no...n-no th-that is-" "B-b-...B-b-baldwin?" The breathing sounds of a corpse were unholy to hear, as if something was being pulled dragging back from the brink of the abyss. Baldwin's throat began screaming with a rasp of thickening need as his voice came through warped and broken. So different from his usual tone. " Fayne...F-faYnE...I f-eeeEe-eeeeeL you FfffaaaYYYyyyne." "H-h-hoh GODSSZH! OH GODSSZH WHAT ISSZH EVEN HAPPENING?!" " I ne-Eed...y-yourrr heeeELP. Tell mE...whAt isszh my-Y-y na-a-aaame." "You...th-th-thisszh cannot be happening...th-thisszh, a-a-are you...a-a-are you-MOTHER WHAT DID YOU DO?!" " Name...pleasszhe...Fayne...d-d-don't Le-Et mE f-f-forget wHo i-i-i-iIiiii am." "Wh-why would you...e-e-even-" " It ne-e-eedsszh...a namE...t-t-tell me...F-faYyyne...h-heLp mE...Le-Et mE...t-teLL mE tHe tru-uth." "What...wh-what happensszh...if I don't?" " tHE Dark...i-it hurtsszh...it hurtsszh Fayne...pleasszhe...it needsszh...to know e-e-every part of meEeeeEee...eE-ven...thaAaat I d-don't...reMemmber." "...your...y-y-your name isszh...Baldwin Sszhmithee. Y-you...you are my brother...brother of Fayne Sszhmithee b-but...only becausszhe we became adopted...together by the church." The cleric walked forwards with a tightening creak of his heart that made it difficult to breathe. "You...you have been alongsszhide me...for the lasszht fifty yearsszh. You...you were not alwaysszh my brother but I...gave you a new life." His hands began to shake with a hot anxiety despite his frozen feet against the deathly mist of the Dark. "You were my friend. When I wasszh but a child. Our familiesszh warred againsszht each other, bitter and arrogant b-becausszhe of our own sszhub-rasszhe...they never wanted usszh to be friendsszh but you...you liked me. I wasszh only very little, and after three yearsszh of knowing you asszh the only truly warm persszhon I ever knew I...confesszhed to you my love. To you. Nothing m-more than a tender need from the heart of a child but I loved you. You loved me the sszhame way." "_ I...i-iI-i did? " "My father found out...he tried to make me kill you, to cut you free from me but I refusszhed. You fought back when he...when he tried to hit me and he sszhtruck you with a rock and...I wanted to sszhtop you from falling...b-b-but I failed." He went onto his knees as the weight of his truth reached its zenith. "All I wanted wasszh to love you, a-a-and he took that from me...you woke up when we managed to arrive at Lea Monde b-b-but I...I couldn't bear having you leave me. You're not my brother, w-w-we're not even Sszhmithee...I wanted...I wanted you to be my brother. Becausszhe I alwaysszh...I couldn't live without a family to be with. I wasszh...thinking only of mysszhelf, and not what you wanted." " Wha-at...isszh my na-ame then? " "...Baldwin Alva. My name...my name isszh-" " Fayne Sszhmithee. " "...what?" It was only then that Baldwin managed to look at him, his eyes burnt to its blackest sight. " You...e-even when I...wasszh being an idiot...you never told me the truth? " "I...I only wanted you to be happy. I did not want you to sszhuffer the sszhame asszh me, I felt it wasszh all my fault Baldwin. I wanted to make amendsszh to you, I did not want you to remember, even if you became a-a-a completely different persszhon, I thought..." " You are sszhtill my brother. " "What?" " Fayne...you're sszhuch a molly. " A fiendish chuckle both warm and terrifying came burbling from within Baldwin's throat. " Do you not think I felt the sszhame asszh you, waking up sszhomewhere without any memoriesszh or anyplasszhe to be? What made you think I wasszh going to leave you after everything you did to help me back then? Why even lie about me being your brother and sszhay you were my friend? " "I...I-i-i desszhieved you...a-a-are you not...angry at me?" " You did lie to me...but it'sszh not like we never told each other the truth alwaysszh I mean look at me...I alwaysszh told you my dick wasszh bigger than yoursszh until you caught me out. " "You-UH...oh...my godsszh it...it really isszh you." Fayne began to weep with tears of joy, relief flooding through him to hear such a stupid thing as Baldwin added: " Took me thisszh long to figure out, I really am sszhtupid. " "Y-you are...you sszho are but I love you Baldwin, you'll alwaysszh be my brother, I never want you to leave!" " Fayne. I know everything now...I know even the memoriesszh I forgot. " "You do?! Really?!?" " Yesszh...there are no sszhecretsszh from the Dark. " The metamorphosis was complete, as the last trailing vapours of the essence ethereal fully submerged into his mind and sole existence. He felt his soul withering like a flower in winter, tainted by a frigid icy frost before slowly twisting to a pale remnant of its former self. Bleak and silent, death consuming its shape as slowly the monk's feet touched the ground beside Mariel's remnants. " I jusszht wanted you to sszhay it, to sszhtop hurting yoursszhelf over it...u-uurgh. " Staggering backwards against the wall Baldwin nearly fell with vomiting dry heaves as he felt his mortality end itself, blood trickling down his throat as his left eye remained hollow still with a reddish taint. Fayne had run instantly to his side regardless by an instinct of need, holding him steadily as Baldwin's voice mutated between a raspy sharp breath and a deep tremble that creeped into Fayne's body as he asked: "What...what exszhactly happened?" " Y-you...Mariel...sszhe gave me her Dark esszhensszhe. I can live...almosszht asszh if I never were." "B-but sszhe...sszhe'sszh not-" " Let'sszh...deal with that later F-fayne, sszhe told me not to wasszhte any time protecting our home from thesszhe people. There'sszh gonna be a lot to take in, you were calling for help...weren't you? " "Yesszh...yesszh I-...A-AAAAH! KRUZZH, AAAAH!" His shriek of panic was starting to turn exhausted by this point, his voice nearly losing it. "KRUZZH...NEEDSSZH HELP, PLEASSZHE-" " Don't you worry bro...I've got thisszh." "You...y-y-you do?" "_That'sszh what big brothersszh are for. Now go, you and Dahlia get out of here and I'll go deal with thesszhe fuckfasszhed sszhitheadsszh that try to hurt you, my home, and thosszhe we love. _" Slowly the Dark monk pushed Fayne to the side and grabbed him by the hand to lead him through the burning cathedral, Dahlia following behind holding his other hand with cold dead fingers that made her shiver intensely. The other clergy members looked with surprise seeing a strangely pale bangaa with left eye now missing. Dahlia slowly turned to him and asked: "Baldwin...I wanted to-" "_Not yet." He put a hand up in respectful tone. "Need to sszhave my sszhity before we talk, later okay?" "That...is a very good idea, alright." "Keep my brother sszhafe, alright?" "I will. Go...get 'em, Baldwin." Struggling not to freak out entirely with a frenzied thumbs up, she watched the monk turn towards the flames as he ran through feeling the coldness of his body push out against the ruthless inferno. Despite his skin starting to boil and prickle, it did nothing to dissuade him when the absence of pain made everything so much more easy. It was terrifying, walking through the flames expecting at any moment to feel hot cleansing agony run coursing through his veins but nothing would come, despite the blackening of his skin. He clambered up into the ship and saw Kruz's hand peering from the wreckage. "Didn't I tell you not to break my brother'sszh heart? _" "Wh-what the-......Baldwin?!" The kremling barely had any time to realise before he saw two thick hands of calloused dry fingers tear apart the debris with inhuman strength. Thickening muscles on his arms quivered as he forced a hole open through the crumbling remains before he pushed his hand up towards the fallen mast, preventing it from falling as Kruz made his way out. "_OHHHH YEEEEEEESSSZH! _" Dropping the mast like a dead weight he began to flex with a slight dizzyness as Kruz held onto him to keep his balance, the bangaa suddenly vomiting once more as dusty air burst out from his lungs. " HHRRRRRAAAAAGH! " "F-FUCK, wh-what the shit happened to you?!" "_I died...then I got better. That'sszh really it. _" "Wh-what, why do you keep changing your voice-" "_No time, jusszht GO! _" The two reptiles leapt from the captain's cabin onto the warm stone floor as the ship began to break unto itself, crushing before its own weight tremendously as Baldwin shouted: "_GO, FAYNE ISSZH THAT WAY!" "WHAT ABOUT YOU?!" "_I'VE GOT A HOME TO PROTECT! REMEMBER YOUR PROMISSZHE! _" "UM...RIGHT, OKAY SURE I'LL KEEP HIM SAFE!"

Running off to safety, the kremling disappeared to another hall as Baldwin took his leave through the storming flames of a dying electric generator, the sweeping course of timber burning within steel as he walked towards the cathedral entrance. The fires never warmed him, not anymore which made him all the more confident as he felt the pulsing of his strength. Through his back there came a raw deepening pain slicing into his flesh, twisting his scales neatly into carving out a symbol. The Blood-Sin emblazoned itself upon his skin as he felt the Dark's essence pulse through his feet. "Isszh thisszh...wh-what it feelsszh like, mother? Oh... ohhhh what a feeling thisszh isszh, I've never felt sszho between dead and alive like thisszh... cold...yet alwaysszh ever moving...hhheh...ffffuck it hurtsszh to move." He gripped the side of a doorway staggering to try and maintain himself with every movement feeling like a thousand knives plunging through his veins colder than ice. He felt as if one more motion of his body would shatter it like glass, his fingers rippling across the walls of the cathedral as he felt the shadows move around him. Dancing. Then he saw them to be not shadows but rather portals. Entrances. Exits. The embrace of the city's ethereal cursed child with his hand brushing across a dark spot. There was something within as he slowly began to understood. "Sszhe...really wasszh...ohhh...Faram help me. Well thisszh makesszh thingsszh interesszhting...heh...hhheheheheh...you've sszheen what mother Mariel can do, didn't you, well...I've got sszhomething different in mind for all you little fuckheadsszh... _" James had managed to reach the town square as he staggered off of Lightning's saddle walking forwards to the cathedral. The main fighting had died off due to the carnage coming through from above as the blasted stern of Kruz's ship smouldered thickly as a large searing wound. But the cloaked forces continued to engage and disperse the garrison of the city who struggled to fight back, keeping a level footing despite all that had been decimating each other's forces amongst the chaos of the fallen Broken Petal. He was about to try entering the cathedral only to find the doors had been warped by the flames and destruction of the ship from above, rendering it almost impossible as he groaned heaving against the wall of thick stone. An enemy had spotted him and was about to attack running up towards FG as he defended himself with bleary eyes from the smouldering heat. Then he felt an explosion shatter past his left ear as the giant door completely tore off its hinges with a deafening crack straight over the cloaked fiend's head. He never saw the thing that came after stand before him and break his neck before crushing the skull like a measly grape. "F-FUCK!" James backed off stumbling with surprise at the sudden explosion of brain sinew and bone as he saw a shadow stand before him. A somewhat familiar body of thick muscly arms and ears long between a snouted face as the creature turned in the smoke. "...Baldwin?" "_Yeah?" "...um...a-are you...alright?" "I'll...get back to you on that, I have to go sszhave my people. Kruzzh isszh fine, you can't get in that way though." "How did you-" "_Again, g-gonna get back to you on that, jusszht sszhtay there, alright? You look like sszhit. _" He was about to comment on this but Baldwin had gone, disappearing into the mist like a pale ghost as he heard the sounds of conflict trembling from beyond his vision. All across the city, deaths mysteriously began to emerge from within the armed forces of Mitford's fiends. Necks suddenly snapped twisting ruthlessly, bodies crushed by tremendous blows, even amongst those the garrison of the old city had been facing, out of nowhere a shadow would come and completely obliterate the enemy itself. No one could see it, but all would hear of it as cries screeching from panicked foes came across the city. Not even the armoured tanks were safe, suddenly crunched inwards by invisible strength, punching holes through the carriage sides with a beastly sound of something darker than they had ever seen. A monstrous harsh breathing followed them wherever they went, even to the point of one carriage trying to escape slowly rumbling out of the city's north side until something grabbed its wheels. The next thing they knew, those inside of it would be violently rolled by the sound of something punching hard into the steel frame made a worsening dent upon it with each slalom it made, crumpling hard with every spin it made across the street. The enemy forces were decimated by a sudden presence that nobody would ever witness, the garrison at a loss as they murmured amongst themselves in the dying eve of this battle, watching their home being cleaned up by tearing steel and vicious shrieks of bone-shredding fury off into the distance. "Wh-what WAS that?" "Did you see that guy's head just literally come off?!" "Like some kind of beast took it kupo!" "Was that Faram's will?" "It must have been, something that powerful we cannot see and yet has not even dared to touch any of us." "Truly...this city has been blessed by the gods." "Or at least...something else has come to deliver justice upon those of greed."