Shadowchasers: Old Soldiers

by 7th Librarian

The arrival of Momentum, Synchro Monsters and D-Wheels draws this era to a close, promising a shining path towards the future. But with change, can come danger. Such as the group Advent, armed with a fresh evil and great darkness. The Shadowchasers of Backwater face a foe unlike any other. The changing of the guard approaches, but these old soldiers have one more round in them.

1. The Welcome Wagon

Shadowchasers: Old Soldiers
By 7th Librarian

Chapter 1: The Welcome Wagon

WELCOME TO WAYSTATION, NEBRAKSA
POPULATION: 8

The faded white-on-green sign was barely legible thanks to someone haven taken the time to decorate with rather well done spray paint smiley faces and rainbow. But besides the endless plains and occasional stand of forest, it was the only thing to break up the monotony.

The delivery truck rolled casually past the sign and rounded a corner. What attempted to make itself a town was a convenience store known as the 'Grub Wagon', a double-sized cottage with a sign proclaiming it to be 'The Home On The Range Rest House' and a larger house across the road from both buildings.

Gravel gave way to dirt as the delivery truck passed all three buildings and pulled itself around a circle that ended the road, coming to a halt at the halfway point. The driver killed the engine, unbuckled himself, tilted the seat back and pulled his Yankees cap down over his eyes.

His passenger, a raven-haired woman raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you going to help unload?" Her voice was laced an accent that was utterly unplaceable and utterly pleasing to the ear.

"Lady, I'm not paid to unload. Just to drive the truck." The driver emphasized his point by lacing his hands over his stomach. "I don't do things I'm not paid for."

"You drove a passenger nearly a hundred miles to this place." The woman pointed out.

"Yeah, well, I'm paid to deliver cargo. And there's been enough of you funny types that I know better than to ask questions and treat you as just a piece of the shipment." He lifted up his hat enough to peer at with one. "Lemme tell you, you ain't the weirdest one to come along. Even with the Harry Potter robes like that."

"I don't think wizards and witches would consent to wearing something hot pink." The woman's outfit was rather unique. It was long-sleeved with a plunging neckline that was held together with a mesh detailed in a unique symbol- a cross inside six-pointed star inside a circle. And as she had said, it was hot pink whose intensity was softened by pale blues strategically placed on the hood, the hems and collar and a belt around the waist.

"Eh, who knows. When I was kid, sparklin' vampires were a thing, zombies fallin' in love was a thing, youtube was an annoying thing and Disney owned everything." The driver shrugged. "With all the odd-types I deliver, I never thought stripper witches would be a thing."

A frowned flicked across the woman's features. "You're not paid to be polite or to be nice, are you?"

"No, I am not...ma'am." The driver said mockingly and then didn't blink as a hundred dollar bill landed on his chest.

"I'll pay ahead for the next person. At least make some polite conversation." The woman said briskly and opened the door, stepping out the truck.

Despite the two-foot drop and the sturdiness of her flat-heeled boots, the dirt had no more give than concrete and the woman staggered a couple of steps before steadying herself.

"Watch that first step, it's a doozy." A voice called out playfully from nearby and the woman glanced up to see a sandy-haired man striding towards from the direction of Waystation. "And that's Nebraska dirt for you - likes to hit back just as hard you hit it."

"So I noticed." The woman smoothed out her outfit as the man approached. "Are you my welcoming committee?"

"Naw, I'm just the clerk-slash-stockboy-slash-owner of the store there." The man jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Name's Roscoe. You the new Shadowchaser?"

"How do you know-" The woman paused in mid sentence and then nodded. "You're an Aware."

"Yep. Born and bred in the area. So while our 'friendly' trucker sees only a rather gorgeous woman who's been poured into her outfit, I see a gorgeous woman who's been poured into her outfit and has a heart-tipped tail behind her and rather cute horns tucked away..." Roscoe blinked in sudden realization. "Hey, aren't succubi supposed to have horns?"

"Lost mine in a wager with an angel. He turned them a rather spectacular pair of letter openers." The woman replied with a grin. "Good call on my species, by the way. Last person who asked about my appearence thought I was goat woman. When I told him I was a devil, he asked where the horns were, too."

"And what'd you tell him?"

"I had to play cupid one day and needed a bow. So I cut them off, glued them together and shot a few lucky people so they had eternal happiness together." The woman said with a sweeping gesture.

"Is that right?" Roscoe chuckled. "So which is it?"

"Neither. I'm a shapeshifter. I don't feel like horns, so I don't have any. " The woman said and gave Roscoe a wry look. "You know, for having identified me as a devil of Hell and a succubus, you don't seem all that bothered or worried."

Roscoe waved it away casually. "Aw, I knew you were coming and you got the Shadowchaser mark on your face, too. No way I was worried about it. " He gave her a curious expression. "Is it true you're a cleric of love?"

"Yes." She tapped the mesh symbol with a slender finger. "I am Tsuki, high cleric of Erestrial."

"Erestrial?" Roscoe scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Is that an elven god? Sounds like one..."

"No. She is not a god of this world." Tsuki said patiently. "At least, not in the way deities such as St. Cuthbert or Corthwellan are. In time, perhaps."

"Huh. Not one much for worshipping anything, really. If I don't bother them, they don't bother me." Roscoe shrugged and then grinned. "Though, if Erestrial has clerics like you, I'd be happy to listen a spell and think about converting."

"That is a nice thought, but I think my spiel would fall on deaf ears with meeting, Roscoe." Tsuki said with slightly more forced patience. "Love has to be something that is a willing commitment."

"Many things fall on Roscoe's deaf ears, Shadowchaser. Including things like timecards, schedules and the idea that there is always work to be done and time should spent doing it." A droll voice said curtly and a dwarf pushing a furniture dolly briskly pushed past the pair.

Tsuki watched him. To most, he simply would have been a dour-faced dwarf. But to both her and Roscoe, his skin was gray as ash, hair sleek and black as oil and his eyes flickered red. "A druegar..."

"Yep. That's Gar Dirt, blacksmith, business partner and grumpy dark dwarf." Roscoe supplied as Gar reached the back of the truck and opened the trailer before hauling himself. "Like the rest of his species, he values hard work, fine craftsmanship and turns invisible when he thinks a conversation's of no benefit to him. Unlike the rest of his species, he actually uses manners and-"

"Roscoe! Put the energy from your flapping gums into your tree legs and come and help me unload my supplies!" Gar barked harshly from the truck. "I am not paying your full price fee for your substandard services, human!"

"Well, most of the time." Roscoe rolled his eyes, but started for the truck. "The rest of the Backwater team should be here in a few minutes. If not, you're welcome to hang out in the Grub Wagon. First drink's on the house."

"Thank you, but I'll wait here." Tsuki followed the human to the back end of the truck. Gar was already waiting for a box to pass to Roscoe, a large duffel bag propped on some boxes behind him. "Could you pass me that, please?"

"I got it." Roscoe hopped up on the truck quickly, grabbing the bag's strap and pulling it up...but not much else. The duffel bag remained stubbornly where it was. "Whoa...what's in here? Bricks?

"Some person possessions, some of my equipment and a few other things." Tsuki nodded her thanks as Gar seized the bag in one hand and passed it to her easily. "Do you study weapons as well as make them, Gar Dirt?"

"Yes. I am Backwater's expert on magical and unique weaponry of many kinds and sorts. Should you require my services in such a capacity, follow the directions on this card." He passed her a business card without looking and continued to pass boxes to Roscoe. "But for now, I am busy."

"Of course. Thank you." Tsuki grabbed a long, flat case that was nearly as long as she was tall from the back end and setting it with her duffel bag.

As interesting as it was to watch the pair unload boxes, Tsuki didn't have to wait long for things to move forward. A steady, faint creaking reached her ears and was nearly immediately overshadowed by a woman singing.

"How much is that doggy in the window? The one with the waggely tail. How much is that doggy in the window? I do hope that doggie's for sale..."

Tsuki turned towards the woods, where a path she swore had not been there a moment before was visible. Two bare tire tracks cut through the tall grass and trees and heading out of it was an old-fashion wagon pulled by a single horse.

She frowned a bit and looked again. The horse wasn't a horse, but a unicorn. A unicorn with several pink and gold ribbons tied into its blue mane.

It wore them, quite probably, at the behest of the cart's driver. It was a tall woman, with green hair that had so many shades it could have passed for a salad with a pair of yellow ribbons trailing from it and she wore a silvery-blue cape and a black uniform of some kind that decked in red trimming. To top it off, a purple ribbon was tied around her neck in a fancy bow.

Still singing her song softly, the driver guided the cart up alongside the truck. Catching sight of Gar and Roscoe, she broke off and waved cheerily. "Hey, guys! How's it going?

Gar grunted in annoyance as he continued to work, but Roscoe smiled back. "Ole' grumpy here beat you to the supply truck again, but your special delivery came through on this one, Terpischore."

"Special delivery..." Terpischore cocked her head in thought, then literally perked up. "Oh! Our new team member!"

Her gaze swept around and then locked on Tsuki, prompting the succubus to smile. "Hi. You must be Terpischore Springweather. I'm-"

"Just call me Terpy! And you're Tsuki! And I'm going to call you pretty!" The woman was suddenly in front of Tsuki, smiling cheerfully. "May I hug you?"

"Er...yes." Tsuki let out a rather undignified squeak as she was literally swept off her in a surprisingly warm and tight hug.

"You smell nice." Terpy dropped her captive and stepped back to get a good look at her. "And dress nice, too. Does the Dark Magician Girl know you raided her closet?"

"About time some picked up on my color scheme." Tsuki chuckled and gestured to the other woman. "But I think you have me beat in the clothing department."

Terpischore glanced at herself and laughed. "Suppose so...But, I was in an artsy mood and Eilistraee gave me some inspiration and so-" She did a little twirl, cape and ribbons trailing behind her dramatically. "The result is totes me!"

"So I'm going to guess you're a very colorful person." Tsuki couldn't help but smile. "It's nice to meet you, Terpischore."

"And it's a pleasure to meet you, Tsuki. The rest of the team will be in a bit to help unload and we can have some proper introductions then. I - oh, right, right!" Terpischore thumped the side of her wagon with a fist a few times. "Hey, deadbeat! Wake up and meet your savior!"

"Snnrkt-huh? Wazzat?" From the wagon's interior, a gruff male voice fumbled its way out of sleep, paused to yawn and then found its way into coherence. "Savior? Is it Jack Daniels?"

"It better not be, Keith." Tsuki said with a brisk politeness. "As you broke off that relationship with Mister Daniels after he nearly murdered your liver."

"Eh, they're optional, right?" A hand seized the edge of the wagon and with a grunt, the man hauled himself over the edge. "Good to see you again, Tsuki. Glad you could make it."

"Glad to be here, Keith." Tsuki smiled warmly at the broad man standing before her. Tufts of blonde hair streaked with gray poked out from an American flag bandanna , a few of them reaching down past the arm of his sunglasses. "Take your glasses off. Let me look at you properly."

"Sheesh, what are you, my mother?" Keith protested, but removed his glasses and stowed them in the pocket of his dirty mechanic's overalls. "Happy?"

"We'll see." Tsuki cupped Keith's face in one hand, turning it this way and that as she studied him. Finally, she looked into eyes deeply. "Good. Your eyes clear and bright again."

"And what's that mean?" Keith wanted to know as she released him and stepped back.

"What it means, my dear clergy, is that you are healing and found yourself again. It is a very good sign." Tsuki nodded. "I take it you've finished your restoration project?"

"Sure have." Keith put his glasses back on, smirking. "My new baby purrs like a kitten, handles like a dream and can handle even your curves, Tsuki. Won't find a better ride on four wheels for a thousand miles."

"I look forwards to seeing it." Tsuki gestured to the metal arm that had replaced Keith's left arm. "Is your arm bothering you anymore?"

"Naw, turns out the twig over there-" Keith jerked a thumb over at Terpischore. "Is is a pretty darn good healer in her own way and was able to stop the phantom pains and stuff...by making me drink down a few potions that peeled the flesh off my throat and made me wish I had a cast iron stomach instead of a metal arm."

"Hey, I'm a healer with science...that involves magic...magi-sci...sci-magi…and stuff. Flavoring kills the magicalness of my healing science." Terpischore stuck her tongue out at him and pointed at Tsuki. "You want to have hands lain on you, talk to the cleric."

"The last one was a color I didn't even know could exist in the visible spectrum." Keith growled at her. "I think just looking at damaged my brain."

"Nonsense. It was of expert quality."

"It was spewing out green smoke!"

"Pssht, I told you that was just a special I threw in because I was bored. It, in no way, was a result of mis-measured ingredients and the fact I had you take two Pepto-Bismal tablets afterwards was a precaution because we had chili at dinner that night." Terpischore nodded proudly and then waved. "Gotta unload truck now, let's continue this conversation never! Bye!"

With that, she dashed around the cart and left Keith grumbling after her. Tsuki just shook her head with a smile and patted his metal arm. "Deep breaths, deep breaths."

"Aw, I'm not going to lose my cool at her. Terpy is a chatterbox and a pain in the neck, but she's a crackerjack healer and first rate kind of girl." Keith frowned a bit. "And she's a scrapper. Does some crazy-ass things with that sword of hers. Kill me dead, cut me to ribbons and put in me in a box before I know it."

"Oh, even your mighty Left Hand Layout wouldn't hurt her?" Tsuki chuckled and rapped his metal arm with a nail, pausing as something on it caught her eye.

Etched carefully on the back of the hand was the same symbol on her outfit. Tsuki smiled as Keith flexed the metal fingers nervously and glanced away. "Displaying your faith a bit more openly now, are we?"

"Yeah, well, some wise demon chick I know told me once that the only thing cheaters have faith in is themselves and when that runs out, you ain't got nothing left. I've been having a good feeling lately and it's reassurin' to have faith in something other than me for a change." Keith muttered in the opposite direction.

"I've got faith in your big muscles and hard-working all-American 'can-do' attitude." Terpischore chimed in as she shoved a decently-sized box into the back of the wagon. "So burn off that embarrassment by doing some heavy lifting, kay?"

"Yeah, yeah, sprig." Keith groused and strolled around the cart to the truck. "Just throw your stuff into the cart, Tsuki. You're riding back with us."

Tsuki nodded and hauled herself up the cart's step and dropped her duffel bag into a corner. The long-handled case she laid more carefully flat on the floor. Turning, she nearly yelped as a box about slammed into her knees.

"Oh, sorry. Though it'd be easier to pass straight to you than push it up from the back." Terpischore apologized and then smiled as Tsuki took the box. "Thanks."

They had gone several minutes of simply passing and stacking boxes, Keith surprisingly able to shove his from the back all the to the front of the wagon with a hard push, before Tsuki asked the question that had been niggling at the back of her mind. "Why are we off-loading to from a truck to a unicorn-drawn wagon?"

"Backwater's surrounded by some pretty thick woods and they're magical. Not to mention in some places, the walls between the Planes are a bit thinner we'd like." Terpischore explained, passing an armful of small boxes to Tsuki one by one. "We've got some guardians and Shadowkind in them and modern vehicles tend to irritate them. So we stick to simpler means."

"That and the state is behind on fixing the damn road." Keith grumbled from the back of the cart. " About ready to go out there and fix it myself."

"Okay, there's a paved road leading in and out of town - we use it for tourist season. But like he said, highway's kind of old and falling apart. And not exactly on most maps. So no real need to drive anything if there's nowhere to go." Terpischore said and grinned a little. "Poor Keith's been itching to try out his baby for weeks, but he can't drive it in town at the moment and it's driving him up the wall."

"I see." Tsuki gave him a knowing glance. "Speed limits aren't suggestions, Keith."

"Pfft, says you. You don't break the law if they can't catch you." Keith said with a huff.

"Spoken like a true rebel." Tsuki rolled her eyes. "Please tell me you installed safety features in this baby of yours."

"Only the best money could buy and all the magic Rayearth could loan me." Keith promised.

"Whatever he could get secondhand and by magic, he means getting some enchantments so it never runs out of fuel." Terpischore translated with a grin.

"Hey, watch it." Keith scowled over at her. "I gave my baby the best two years of my life. She's perfect."

"To be honest, Keith, I would have thought you'd have been more into those D-Wheels that are coming out in a few years. They do combine your two favorite things - speed and dueling." Tsuki commented as she took a moment to restack the boxes in the wagon so they were more square.

Keith and Terpischore exchanged glances and then laughed, Terpischore shaking her head. "Seriously? Card games on motorcycles? That's a crazy idea. And this, coming from me." She gestured in the direction of the unicorn. "I might as well try to duel someone while riding my dad."

"Your...father." Tsuki straightened in surprise, glancing between Terpischore and the grazing unicorn. And back again.

"Long story involving my Shadowchaser mother, the Feywild and a very evil bitch of a fae with a jealous streak." Terpischore said, her smile not wavering in the slightest. In fact, it seemed to gain a sharp edge to it. "Why don't you ask me about this later?"

There was the sound that took Tsuki a moment to place as sand whispering against more sand and turned to see a small whirlwind of it clearing away a few yards from the truck.

"Oh, good, the rest of the team arrives to help us avoid this awkward silence!" Terpischore waved over to the four figures becoming visible in the sand. "Hey, how about some more help?"

Tsuki watched as the four figured began to approach. Three of them were very neatly dressed, the sole woman in the group reminding Tsuki strongly of a circus ringmaster; complete with tophat. The other two were men, both dressed in crisp white suits. One was a good head taller than the other, his blonde hair graying handsomely at the temples. He was deep in conversation with the other man, who looked about to a few years younger - it was hard to tell given that all of his hair was prematurely gray.

It was the fourth figure that caused the succubus to do her second double-take in as many minutes. Padding alongside the woman and easily the size of the unicorn was a quite-regal looking lionness. But her face a strong human cast to it, blue fur acting like tattoos in various shapes on her cheeks and under her eyes. Sandy-colored wings fluttered a bit, stirring her reddish-brown mane, before they settled neatly to her sides. "Is that… a sphinx?"

"Gynosphinx, actually. Cruesha. She's Rayearth's pet." Terpischore shrugged cheerfully at the skeptical look that Tsuki gave her. "Yeah, I know she's just as smart as we are, but that's how it is. Ask her all you want about it, all you're gonna get is riddles."

"If I ask Rayearth?" Tsuki gestured at the woman in the ringmaster's outfit.

"You're gonna get a flat 'Not your concern'. And a glare that'll melt the flesh off your bones." Terpischore said cheerfully.

"But...Rayearth is..." Tsuki frowned in confusion.

"Such a look of bewilderment on such a pretty face, is almost a crime." The taller of the two men said smoothly as he swept to the wagon. His smirk was loaded with charm. "But when dealing with dear Terpischore, such an expression is the going thing."

He blinked as a finger was thrust a mere centimetre from between his eyes.

"Are you being rude, Jean?" Terpischore's suspicious tone was at odds with the almost polite smile on her face.

"The truth is painful, dear Terpy." Jean continued to smirk. "Almost as much as it the truth of your beauty pains my heart."

"Got any crackers to go with that cheese? Ooh, ooh, no no, wine!" Terpischore giggled. "Seriously, Jean, you need to stop writing your own material! You'll never get back on the silver screen that way!"

"Consider it fortunate that he does not." Rayearth said as she magically appeared nearer to the two. Her voice rasped pleasantly, thick and smoky. "Or else his turns at movie night would last all night with the sequels to the sequels of the prequels he has."

"I liked Magnum Caliber: Re-Loaded." The second man offered politely. His English had flawless pronunciation, though there was a strong Japanese accent. "Very well done fight scenes."

"Thank you. It was one of the better go-rounds I've had." Jean said amicably, glancing sidelong at his companion. "You know, you've got the style and the flair for the big screen, too, my young friend. Perhaps we should collaborate?"

"Not unless you got him a stunt double!" Terpischore protested through the box she was carrying. "He's way too beat up to do his own stunts and he'll insist on it if he does it!" She passed her box to Tsuki. "Too much of a perfectionist…"

"It is true, yes." The man smiled sheepishly, then looked up at Tsuki. "It has been awhile, Tsuki."

"You know, I don't know your name yet. Only your codename, Fawkes." Tsuki smiled back and shook his hand when he offered it. "Glad to see you're still alive."

"Only because he keeps downing potions and bathes in healing salves!" Terpy grumbled and gave Fawkes a sharp look. "You know, next time I'm on TVTropes, I"m putting your picture under the 'Dented Iron' trope!"

Concern floated across Tsuki's face and she leaned over to get a better look at Fawkes. He was still handsome, but his face had gained several scars. "Would you like me to take a look at you later? It has been nearly fifteen years since I last saw you. And a human as young as you shouldn't look as old as Keith is."

"Hey, I'm not old!" Keith snapped and jerked a thumb over at Rayearth. "This old bat has got a few hundred years on all of us!"

Tsuki directed her attention to Rayearth, who was gazing steadily back at her. Despite the fact the other woman had her eyes sealed shut by a criss-cross of scars and wore glasses, it was like Rayearth was peering into Tsuki's soul. The succubus chuckled. "Only a few hundred? I've got a few thousand."

"Only counted does it have meaning, only when thought of does it have purpose. Immaterial, yet more value than gold." A languid voice spoke up and everyone present turned to look at the gynosphinx that had curled up patiently on the grass. "But only fool's hoard what is forever spent, worth more spent than saved and leaves stories to be told."

"Thank you, Cruesha." Rayearth returned her sightless gaze back to Tsuki. "And what do you think, cleric?"

"If she speaks of time, then what we immortals spend in abundance should be some of the greatest stories there ever wore. And if she speaks of hope and courage, than we will never run dry. And if she speaks of faith, then we have more than enough." Tsuki said succinctly.

"Mmph. Clever answers." Rayearth studied the succubus a bit more. "We shall see if you are strong as you are clever. Tsuki."

At these words, the other Shadowchasers noticeably tensed. And then there was an explosion and the ground shook.

Keith caught the side of the wagon, swearing as he kept his balance as more explosions sounded. "Shit, woman, don't tell us you knew this was coming!"

"Not until a moment ago." Rayearth turned her head, gazing intently at the forest and quite possibly to whatever else lay on the far side. "The Monarchy are back. There are at least six distinct locations large amounts of magical energy. The junkyard, the clock tower, Main Street, Lake Pacific, Thossel's cave and our castle."

"Damn, guys got balls if they're attacking the town full out." Keith slammed his flesh and blood arm into his metal one. "Junkyard's my turf."

"I'll deal with Thossel's cave." Jean said briskly.

"The clocktower." Fawkes' friendly expression had become all business.

"I'll take Tsuki to Main Street and hit up Lake Pacific." Terpy was unhooking the unicorn from the cart and swinging herself up onto his back. "That rookie's down at the card shop; today's his day off."

"Then I will crush the intruder in our home." Rayearth said and swept out her arm. "Prioritize protection of the town and citizens above all else." Then she burst into smoke that resolved into a flock of six-eyed, fanged crows that rapidly sped up above the forest treeline and vanished from view.

"To your destinations, I cannot go. But close to your foe, I will do. My sands will carry you." Cruesha slid herself up next to the three men and they all reached out to grab her back.

"Man, I hate this kind of travelin'..." Keith gulped a little as sands came out of nowhere and swirled around them.

"Just close your eyes and think of Egypt." Jean suggested and Keith gave him a murderous glare before all four of them vanished in a whirlwind of sand.

Tsuki watched them go and turned...just in time for Terpischore to yank her out of the wagon with an arm around the succubus' waist, slinging her on the unicorn's back as they galloped by.

"Sorry! We're in a hurry! And Skyhooves doesn't like going slow! Right, dad?" She patted the unicorn's neck and in response, he lurched forwards as his speed increased to well beyond anything a normal horse could achieve.

Terpischore grinned as Tsuki wrapped her arms around her waist and leaned into her. "Oooh, snuggly."

"Keeps your hair out of my face." Tsuki said. "Lot of practice with riding double."

"I bet, I hear that vampire lover of yours has got a Nightmare." Terpischore said with a laugh. "Bring her around sometime, I want to race her!"

"Working on it-" Tsuki broke off as the forest suddenly loomed in front of them and looked entirely impassable. "Hey, about the route we're taking-!"

" 'sfine! Dad guards this part of the forest!" Terpischore called back even as they passed through the brush like it was water. Branches and leaves simply slid over their bodies harmlessly, despite their high speed. "It won't hurt you as long as you're with us!"

"Who are the Monarchy?" Tsuki asked as Skyhooves galloped through the forest, foliage nothing but a green blur interspersed with blobs of color that had to be flowers. Despite the thickness of the forest brush, it was almost as if a path was opening itself in front of the unicorn the scant second it collided with something.

"They're a group of elemental magic users. They started showing up about fifteen years ago all over the States. For awhile, they were just your average nutcases who worshipped something beyond this world. Crazy, dedicated and tougher than they had a right to be. Only in the last decade, they've been trying to complete something called the 'Reunion.'" Terpy explained, her voice audible despite the speeds they were traveling at.

"What are they reuniting?" Tsuki almost flinched at the suddenness at which the forest flashed away and they were on a flat plain, with buildings rising up quite rapidly to meet them.

"No idea. Probably either means they're desperate or getting really close." Terpy's voice was bright with expectation. "Means they're gonna be a great fight!"

"I think you're going to have that sooner than you expected." Tsuki pointed over Terpy's shoulder at the group of lumbering earthen figures literally rising up from the ground in their way. There were roughly humanoid, but towered even the unicorn and his two riders. "Clay golems, by the looks of it."

Terpischore scoffed and pulled a longsword from thin air. It's orange-pink blade was inscribed with runes from hilt to tip and as she swung it into a ready position, its sharpness was audible. "Slice and dice."

Skyhooves didn't slow as they reached the closest golem and Terpischore's blade flashed through the air...only for a resounding 'clang!' to fill the air and both women crashing off the back of the unicorn like they had been hit.

Terpischore, due to the fact she had landed on Tsuki, avoided being dazed by the impact. This also meant she was aware of a golem's head-sized fist hurtling at her. She threw herself into a roll, dragging Tsuki with her and the ground shook at the fist smashed into the earth.

The next instant, Terpischore was on her feet and gesturing angrily at the golems as they advanced on the pair. "What gives?!"

The response she got was a swipe of an arm that her sword intercepted easily, but Terpischore grunted in surprise as her blade only deflected the arm and didn't cleave through it. "Hey, someone gave you skeletons! Neat!"

"For them, not for us." Tsuki was back her on her feet as well and leather creaked as her wings spread from her back. Even Terpischore batted aside some more sweeping blows from the lumbering golems, the succubus seized her new team under the arms and took to the air with a few strong beats of her wings. "I don't think your sword is going to cut it, pardon the pun."

"Naw, if you hadn't made it, I would have." Terpischore said cheerily and then her eyes widened. "Incoming!"

"What-" A faceful of clay cut Tsuki's question short and then the two Shadowchasers were crashing to the ground, balls of clay volleying from the golem's outstretched arms.

Light warped, flared and snapped into place as a shimmering barrier sprang up between the Shadowchasers and the golems. Skyhooves snorted angrily as he looped around to his two fallen riders, his horn shimmering softly with light.

"Thanks, dad." Terpy pulled herself back to her feet before helping Tsuki to the same. "You good?"

"Good." Tsuki unfurled her wings and with a rather painful creaking, they snapped back into their proper positions. She watched the golems cease firing clay balls at them, even their rudimentary intelligence telling them that they weren't going to get through the barrier that way. "Ideas?"

"I can deal with these golems on my own. You take those awesome wings of yours and get into town. The apprentice is going to be up his ears in trouble." Terpy pointed with her sword towards the town, where a group of golems and a few other creatures were plodding steadily towards it.

"Are you sure? There's at least eight of these things and-" Tsuki broke off as the golems suddenly started stampeding towards them.

"Yeah, I got this!" Terpischore sprinted forwards as Skyhooves' barrier vanished. One of the runes on her sword lit up and she hurled it like a javelin into the nearest golem. It stared at the protrusion and then clumsily groped at it before an explosion of fire sent pieces of it all directions.

Cape fluttering behind her, Terpischore vaulted up and over another golem with one hand, her sword flying out of the debris of the first one to land deftly in her palm. Light flashed as Terpischore's sword arm blurred and another golem's arm that was grasping for her flew apart, clay and metal flying into air. "Move, Tsuki! Move!"

Tsuki nodded and took the air again at a steep angle towards the city. Two of the golems tracked her and raised their arms. But their clay bodies had only just began to ripple to generate ammo before Skyhooves bodychecked one so hard it went staggering backwards. His hooves hammered away at the second one and then a flare of light from his horn tore its head apart.

The succubus turned her thoughts away from the fight and towards the city. Towards her new home.

Where flame and smoke were already licking at the sky.