To say that the angel had a bad feeling about the current situation was only the very tip of the iceberg. He'd been running in the same direction Vassago had pointed out to him for at least fifteen minutes, and had he not been experiencing a foreboding sense of dread which seemed to only get stronger the farther he went, then he would have long questioned whether or not he was going the right way. Strangely enough, the flora in this trail seemed to be fine despite the horrid state the bearded man and his familiar had left the dead pocket of earth in the middle of the Elendian forests. Still, he was getting anxious, and he had to shake away his thoughts and focus on catching whatever it was he intended to catch before his fears got the better of him.

Instinctively, Issirudor glanced at the unassuming obsidian stone which was nestled in his palm. It certainly looked normal and harmless enough… it was just a smooth, polished pebble, nothing special. Of course, he knew that this stone was at least partly responsible for his unrest; simply holding it seemed to make it difficult for the angel to breathe. But whether the physical effects were all in his head or not, he was more than certain that the scent of death was as strong as ever, which he could only assume meant that it wouldn't be long before he finally caught up. Unfortunately, past experiences have proven that he had a knack for being right when it was in his best interest to be wrong.

As if on cue with his thoughts, his vision suddenly blurred—a dizzying sensation which lasted only a second. Visibly shaken, Issirudor quickly skid to a halt, aware that the sudden imbalance could make for a nasty fall. Moments later, just as he'd recovered from the initial shock the same nauseating wave attacked his senses, lasting a few seconds longer this time around. Shaking his head, he regained his composure once again and found himself looking at the black stone, convinced that it was the culprit. Truth be told he wanted nothing more than to throw it as far away as gravity would allow, but before he even had the chance to fight off the urge to do so, the troublesome rock was gone.

"Huh? What the…" The angel muttered quietly to himself, unable to help but wonder how it could've disappeared when he was looking straight at it. In fact it had happened so quickly that he instinctively scanned the ground in front of him to spot the missing stone, despite knowing that there was no way he could have dropped it. It wasn't too long after when a terrifying chill ran up his spine, the constant throbbing pain which plagued his chest quickly becoming short of intolerable. The stone now the least of his worries, Issirudor grimaced and clutched the invisible wound on his chest, unwanted memories pouring into his mind like a goblet of acid. Once again he could see his humble home ablaze, his family's horrid fate, and the edge of his best friend's spear… a world of pain and sorrow, relived in a mere moment; the angel shut his eyes and fell on his knees, not even able to let out a strangled scream.

But just as his consciousness succumbed to the relentless mental torture, the goddess of youth's ever gentle voice cut through the nightmarish episode like a flash of lightning in total darkness.

Issirudor, the familiar is poisoning your mind—remember that you are not alone, and free yourself!

"I'm not alone…" Issirudor repeated, Ydun's voice doing much to revive his focus. Now totally ignorant of the pain on his chest, the angel let mental images of his new friends counter this so-called poison… true enough, he found it tremendously difficult to keep his concentration, as though something was trying to stop him. The goddess of youth was right. None of this could be natural; the familiar was indeed prying into his head. The mere thought of its invasion angered him, encouraging the angel to fight even harder and expel whatever it was out of his mind. Get out of my head!!!

And just like that, the madness was over. Inhaling sharply, the angel got back to his feet, assuming a weapon-ready defensive stance his mentor had taught him what seemed like an eternity ago. Of course Asynjur wasn't far behind, the pale green diviner pulsating back to existence, already held firmly in his left hand as though it had never disappeared. Despite the awkwardness he still felt trying to keep the weapon from disappearing, he had to admit that it was quite convenient. He could only imagine what an adept with the diviner was capable of… inevitably he thought of Ein, and how he wished that he and the rest of Elendia's heroes were already here, because to be honest, he didn't feel very confident about holding his own with a weapon he had so little experience with. Actually, he would probably be feeling just as anxious even if he had his trusted cutlass by his side.

YOU DARE TO SSSUMON ME, WHELP…?

The strangely hoarse and abrasive voice echoed in his mind, forcing Issirudor to grit his teeth, his whole body becoming tense in response. In some ways, he was relieved that he managed to chase down the familiar as he now had the chance to take back Vassago's book, but at the same time his stomach was in knots as he silently prayed to the gods to keep him safe, a seemingly unbreakable habit he had carried with him even after his fall from Asgard. "You will hand over Vassago's book n—"

The angel was interrupted by a terrible roar, which engulfed the forest in a black seeping energy that seemed to melt away most of the trees in the surrounding area. Eyes wide as saucers, he tightened his stance in alarm, perfectly aware that any single moment from here on in could be his last if he wasn't careful… the only advantage he knew he had was that his location would be quite easy for Serene and the others to spot now. "Show yourself…!"

I SSSMELL YOUR TERROR, ANGEL… MARK MY WORDSSS… I WILL KILL YOU SSSLOWLY…

"I said, show yourself!!!" Issirudor raised his voice in an effort to drown out the sense of despair which sought to overwhelm him, hoping that the familiar underestimated him enough not to attack without materializing first. He didn't want to admit it, but that scenario was quite possibly the only chance he had of surviving. He wasn't even sure if the black stone had worked… for all he knew the familiar had taken it. Lacking any kind of confidence whatsoever, the angel put on his bravest façade and let out a shaky breath. This was it.

SSSSSSO BE IT!!!

The next several seconds that followed was like something out of a dream… reality had been forcefully torn a gaping hole several yards in front of him, with a single yellow orb appearing high above the mess of dark colors; its bloodlust gaze effortlessly piercing through the angel. Soon, the entangled pieces of energy began to take on a physical form, and the orb was now surrounded by a mass of scale and bone. Gutturally, it pieced itself together like a disturbingly terrifying puzzle, taking the shape of a reptile of sorts, at least two stories tall and about the same width—the gods knew how long it was. Almost immediately he remembered the creature in his vision, and the drops of sweat that poured from his brow were ice cold. The orb—which turned out to be its eye, pulsated with a vivid glow as the familiar finally materialized completely, exactly the same behemoth from his nightmare… however, the creature in front of him had long open wounds all over its body, and its left eye appeared to have been ripped cleanly out. Remembering Vassago's words, the shock registered on his face soon after. Vassago did this? How…?

But just because the familiar was wounded, didn't make it any less intimidating… in fact now the angel was more anxious than ever, considering the gargantuan alligator didn't seem at all fazed by its grievous wounds. His sensitive spirit could feel the deep-rooted, inconsolable anger that it harbored towards Riviera and all living things… it truly was the abomination of a powerful demon. So, how could Vassago possibly be on their side? This wasn't really the time or place to ponder such a question, so Issirudor shoved all of his doubts aside and channeled his mentor's teachings, calmly waiting for the first move.

He didn't have to wait very long.

Riviera: Æsir of Deception, Chapter Six – "The spirit of wrath."

Enraged, the beast used its massive front legs to push its entire body forward in a short burst of startling speed. Fortunately, the angel wasn't completely taken by surprise… having devised a small plan based on what he had observed and reacting just a split-second quicker, his free hand had taken hold of his leather coat just as the alligator landed a few feet in front of him, enveloping the angel in a cloud of black ash. Knowing it could clearly see the pale green glow of Asynjur, Issirudor stripped off his coat and hurled it along with his diviner to the creature's right as hard as he could, using the ash as a means of escaping in the opposite direction—which he hoped would be the familiar's blindside.

Thankfully, the gamble didn't backfire. Its single eye picking up the movement of the coat and Asynjur's glow, the creature's head turned to the right, followed by an insane demonstration of agility as its jaw snapped at the coat in mid-air. It seemed as though the battle was over then and there, but the satisfying taste of blood and gore did not reach the familiar's tongue, and the glowing weapon had vanished as well.

This is it…! Hissing out a breath, Issirudor felt Asynjur's warm energy return to his hand and—letting the adrenaline fuse with his body—wasted no more time as he ran towards the familiar and leapt as high as he could, digging his divine blade deep into its giant eyeless socket. The bellowing roar that followed was even stronger than the last, and the ground shook in testament to that fact. For a fleeting moment, the angel allowed himself the naïve possibility that he had managed to best the familiar… he was wrong.

DIVINERRR…!

The voice screamed into his mind, distracting him for a split-second; more than enough to spell disaster. Without warning, Issirudor suddenly found himself falling off of the creature, having been forcefully rammed by the side of its rock hard head. Getting his wind back, the angel shook off the initial shock and landed on all fours, the ash doing well to soften an otherwise painful fall. However, he was too slow to notice the monster twisting itself in the opposite direction, and by the time he had recovered, its gigantic reptilian tail was already seconds away from a fatal collision.

His instincts taking him over, the angel jumped backwards in a desperate attempt to dull some of the impact, raising his forearms to take the brunt of the blow. Before he knew it the tail smashed against his body, its raw power throwing him more than two dozen feet away to a less than perfect landing.

"Ungh…!" A sharp pain shot through his right arm as he rolled and scrambled back to his feet, now aware that his wrist was sprained… possibly broken. Gingerly placing his exposed left hand on the injured area, Issirudor forced minute amounts of healing energy onto his wrist in a rapid pace, focusing as hard as he could in order to finish the job quicker. Letting go seconds later, he slowly moved his right hand in a circle, noting that there was still a lot of pain despite the healing, but at least it wasn't as stiff. His attention never leaving the familiar, Asynjur reappeared once more, the angel now aware that the creature was being surprisingly cautious now, its eye glaring at him menacingly. It's felt the diviner's touch before…

I HAVE UNDERESSSTIMATED YOU WHELP… BUT YOU WILL NOT BE SSSO FORTUNATE THIS TIME…

The angel said nothing, simply wiping the dripping sweat off his brow and returning to his defensive stance—but in truth, he didn't have the slightest idea what to do. The only thing he was counting on was that it would get even angrier, but though it certainly was that, rather than becoming even more reckless, it wised up and became cautious, ruining his chances of winning altogether. It didn't seem likely that it would fall for the same trick either, and even then the coat was his only means of distraction. Not to mention he couldn't risk throwing Asynjur again because it just might end up ignoring the weapon; effectively getting him killed. Ugh, guess there's only one thing I can do at a time like this…

Now filled with an intense seething hatred, the familiar took a step forward—but just as it was about to lunge again, it suddenly realized that the angel had broken into a mad dash, clearly eager to make the first move. Caught slightly off-guard by the bold display of confidence, the giant alligator relented; opting to wait albeit impatiently for the angel to get close enough to kill in one clean bite.

His mind working overtime, Issirudor tried his best to think of a plan as he sprinted towards the familiar, but the further he closed in on his target the less sense he was able to make of things. However, just as he was about to step in range of the monster's unworldly bite, his make-shift cyan shirt made an involuntary twitch… and that was when it hit him. He had never really thought about using his single wing ever since the other had been forcefully taken. It wasn't like he was good at flying even when he still had both of them, but maybe in this situation… All right… I know we've had our differences, but please… don't fail me now!

Reacting on pure instinct, the alligator mercilessly snapped its massive jaws in the angel's direction, its teeth smashing furiously against each other in a guttural echo that easily spread across the distance. However, due to the fact that its bite felt almost no resistance even against the toughest of metal substances, the familiar was all but convinced that the angel was dead… at least, for the first second or two. Once again it could not taste the blood, and sure enough, its eye caught the angel having somehow dodged to its right, amazingly still in one piece. To make matters even more confusing, this time he had some sort of leaf-like appendage protruding from his back. The familiar growled in frustration, not allowing itself to be distracted as it raised its front leg, poised to smash the angel to the ground.

Still unable to believe that his wing had actually proven itself to be useful, Issirudor almost didn't see the familiar's next attack. Quickly skidding to a halt, he jumped away from the monster to avoid the blow, but knew that he'd acted too late and wouldn't be able to cover enough ground to escape the giant foot… at least, not with his legs. Focusing as hard as he could, the angel flapped his wing forward with such strength that he was unable to balance himself as the move hurled him further backwards; the familiar's leg pulverizing the ground and causing another cloud of ash to shoot up, ultimately aiding the angel in recovering from the awkward jump. However, instead of attempting to escape from its field of vision once again, he thrust Asynjur as hard as he could near the joint of the familiar's attacking limb, realizing he had made a big mistake when the alligator's rough reptilian skin proved to be at least a hundred times more durable than the eyeless socket he had dug the diviner into only moments before.

FOOL!!!

Having only a split second to follow-up on his offensive, Issirudor quickly grabbed hold of the familiar's front leg with his right hand, using it along with a single flap of his wing to propel him upwards as he attempted to climb onto its back. Angered by his resilience, the alligator attempted to throw the angel off by viciously shaking the aforementioned limb, but Issirudor managed to hold on—though not without consequence. He was forced to drop the diviner as he instinctively used both hands to grip its rock-hard skin, the green blade disappearing before it hit the ground. With one great heave and another flap of his wing, Issirudor was finally able to get onto its back before long, the fury evident in the creature's restless stance.

There has to be something, anything, The angel thought as he stubbornly kept his balance, crawling to the middle from the edge of its back, his eyes darting left and right as he searched for a weak point… which was really any spot where he could stab his diviner all the way through. He had already considered its other eye, but at the moment it was far too aware, and any attempt would probably get him maimed or killed. However, thanks to what he could only assume had been Vassago's earlier efforts, he spotted a long cut just below the back of its head… it wasn't a deep wound, but with the skin ripped open like that, it wouldn't be difficult to drive his diviner into it and possibly cause some real damage.

Unfortunately for him, the giant alligator wasn't about to just lie there, instead opting to do something the angel couldn't expect. With a defiant low growl, it bent to its right before suddenly using the same limbs to vault in the opposite direction, intent on performing a barrel roll. Once again, the move happened so fast that the angel barely had time to react, his chances of avoiding it thrown unceremoniously out the window.

However, before getting crushed between the monster's back and the ground, Issirudor did the only thing he could think of—he made a desperate leap toward the familiar's wound and landed on his stomach, using all of his weight to force the blade through the vulnerable point right before the giant alligator rolled upside down.

It lasted no more than a second; the familiar quickly getting back upright as though it were the most nimble thing in the world. But a second was more than enough to significantly injure the angel, who lay motionless on the ground.

The familiar, having turned to face its prey and seeing his broken body, let out a prideful roar as it reveled in its victory. Due to the ash, the ground had absorbed most of its weight, so he wasn't dead. But it had never truly intended to kill him in the first place… at least, not quickly. Pleased by the sudden turn of events, the familiar glared at the angel, in no rush to end his life.

YOU SSSTOOD NO CHANCE FROM THE BEGINNING… NOW, WHELP, I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU WISH YOU NEVER EXISSS…

The gargantuan alligator trailed off as it gradually began to feel a stinging sensation from its upper back. Clearly agitated, it shook its body left and right in an attempt to relieve the pain, but whatever it was just seemed to become more intense as the seconds passed by. Growling hoarsely, it shook more violently in response, but that seemed to only worsen what it felt, which in that moment was as though the back of its head was being cooked by burning hot lava.

Unbeknownst to the suffering familiar, the angel's silver eyes betrayed the rest of his body. Wide and focused as they could be, his vision was narrowed into the single point where he had plunged his weapon, trying his very best to keep the diviner in the material world. To put it simply, anyone (or anything) not chosen by the demon slaying weapon would find it nearly impossible to wield due to the diviner being boiling hot to the touch… but it didn't stop there. The diviner was said to be so powerful that so long as it was held by an unworthy being, it would only continue to grow hotter and hotter. In fact, not even the most knowledgeable of scholars in Asgard knew of its limits when it came to that particular aspect. In many ways, its powers were as mysterious as the gods that created them.

But even with such a powerful tool in his possession, he knew that this momentary advantage was only a last gasp. Needless to say he had felt certain things break and get forced out of place when the familiar crushed him with its weight. His entire right arm had numbed, and was so stiff he could barely move his fingers… the pain all around his body was already beginning to register as well, so it was only a matter of time before he lost his focus, and that would be that. The only reason Asynjur hadn't disappeared yet was because being an angel, his training had been more concentrated on mental skills rather than physical… in his condition however, the angel would probably be able to spare just a few more seconds of raw focus at best. It was wishful thinking, but he hoped that this final effort would be enough to cripple the familiar.

YOU…!!!

The familiar's voice screamed in agony, howling in the angel's mind as green flames began to spout out of its tortured wound… even a simple step forward was almost impossible as the unworldly heat ravaged its senses, driving the giant alligator to near insanity.

And just when the familiar thought that it could take no more, the searing pain was gone.

Mentally exhausted, Issirudor eyes were shut tight, trying as hard as he could to endure the physical torment that wracked his body as his over-stretched shoulder muscles and broken ribs screamed for relief, the only natural defense against his injuries—numbness—disappearing without a trace. Having used up most of his energy on Asynjur, the angel could barely heal a scratch, so that was out of the question… needless to say, no amount of planning would get him out of this mess. Slowly opening his eyes, he fought the urge to give in with all of his might, rolling to his left side and painfully propping himself up with the only arm that still seemed to be doing what it was told. Physically unable to get to his two feet however, the angel instead pushed himself to his knees and resolutely set his eyes on the monster, his steely gaze the only testament to his unbroken will.

Having recovered from its prey's final attack, the gigantic alligator was literally shaking the ground in anger… but, for some reason it couldn't help but be eerily fascinated with the persistence of the angel, a simple acknowledgement which bordered unrealistically on respect. Of course, that didn't change his fate… he was going to die. Only this time, when the angel was dead, the familiar would feel satisfaction at having killed a decent opponent; something it had never thought possible when it first laid eyes on the whelp. Making the first move, the familiar took a heavy step forward, the black ash turning into a small cloud under its feet… but after a few seconds of stillness, the creature suddenly growled in shock, finding itself unable to move its back legs. Without warning, its joints buckled and—unable to withstand its own weight, the familiar's lower body fell to the ground, completely paralyzed. The angel's weapon had done far more damage than it had originally thought.

Issirudor let out a breath he didn't know he was holding as the familiar thrashed furiously, seemingly unable to accept its current condition. Attempting to use the momentary distraction to his advantage, he tried to stand again, only to have a jolt of mind-numbing pain rush up from his left foot. Catching himself with his uninjured hand before he landed face first into the ash, the angel sighed as he balanced himself, more than aware that his ankle was useless. Pushing himself back to his knees, the angel grit his teeth, trying to stop himself from shaking in pain as he anxiously awaited his fate.

DAMN YOU, ANGEL!!!

Getting control of its seething rage for the first time since it could remember, the gargantuan alligator fixated its obsessive gaze on the angel, realizing that if it didn't kill him now, then anything was possible. No longer caring whether its back legs were still capable of moving or not, the familiar used all of its strength to drag itself forward, carrying its dead weight as it wasted no more time savoring the kill. Unfortunately, its realization had come far too late… and it was far too distracted to even feel the fast, nimble steps that started from its tail, all the way to its head.

What it did feel however, was the pointed edge of a great scythe forcing itself deep into the creature's giant snout.

"Eat this you over-grown lizard!" Serene—having arrived just in time—let go of her scythe which was still imbedded onto the familiar and leapt, kicking as hard as she could as she landed on the head of her weapon, causing it to fall even deeper into the alligator's snout, once again grabbing hold of the scythe's grip as her eyes quickly glanced in front of the familiar in an effort to spot her real goal. Sure enough, the angel was there, but she had to keep herself from gasping out loud at the sight of his current condition. "Izzy! Just hang in there and—"

Not taking kindly to the arc's attack, the familiar retaliated by opening its mouth wide and in such a brutally quick fashion that it managed to catch Serene off-guard, forcing her to let go of the scythe as she was vaulted backwards into the air. Under normal circumstances, an awkward fall from that height would've been dangerous and potentially fatal, but Serene made sure that she never hit the ground; catching herself in the air with a mighty flap of her wings. No way! You're not getting rid of me that easy!

Completely ignoring its new attacker, the crazed familiar closed its jaw and brought its attention back to the angel, growling in shocked anger when it noticed that its prey was no longer there. The familiar's head darting left and right in quick succession, it spotted the injured angel beside two female sprites; the small one sporting two pigtails and the other completely dressed in scarlet. It took less than a second for it to realize that they were trying to get away, and even less than that for the creature to snap. With a roar of pure animalistic fury, it seized its half-paralyzed body with the strength of its front legs, somehow still managing to sprint towards the three despite its crippled state.

"W-why'd it roar, did it see us—WAAAH IT SAW US!!!" Lina wailed, in a panic (and rightfully so) at the fact that there was an incredibly huge and frightening alligator dragging itself in an unbelievable speed towards them—she had been scared enough when it was just standing still. Worst of all, she couldn't run as fast as she wanted to because they needed to be especially careful with Izzy, what with his legs being in the shape they were… not to mention he was almost as heavy as Ein. "Cierra please be done making that now!!!"

"Oh my," The witch in question muttered distractedly, now quite pressured as she attempted to get the amount of energy just right in her experimental fireball—more than enough to pack a punch, but just enough that it didn't hinder Lina's arrow. She wasn't exactly the most capable when it came to multi-tasking, and the fact that she had to half-carry a barely conscious angel, all the while running from a rampaging familiar wasn't exactly helping her concentration. Thankfully, her efforts weren't in vain as she was lucky enough to cut off the energy flowing from her fingertips to her staff right before it became too volatile. Holding her breath, the scarlet witch took most of Issirudor's weight so that Lina could move a little more freely and—turning back as much as she could and pointing her ruby staff toward the crazed alligator—prepared to launch her experimental attack. "Done…!"

Lina's expression tightened as she let go of the angel and—almost in a blur, turned into a crouching position to face the familiar, already wielding her bow which sported a nocked arrow; aimed and perfectly ready to shoot. "Lina's ready!"

"Here goes!" Cierra exclaimed, letting the energy in her palm explode which in turn launched the fireball out of her ruby staff and straight towards the alligator. If this worked the way they had planned it to, then the seething ball of energy should have just enough juice to explode on impact, if and only if paired with the speed of her friend's arrow. All she could do now was trust the little archer's ability (as well as her own).

Sure enough Lina unleashed her arrow with the precision and pin-point accuracy of a veteran hunter, aimed just the slightest bit lower than Cierra's fireball in order to catch it in mid-air. Before they left Elendia, Claude had endowed the very same arrow with the ability to absorb flame to an extent, and using it to gain momentum in the air, so she only had one chance to get it right. The little girl's heart caught in her throat as it finally made contact with the fireball and seemingly merged together. "Yes!"

After which, it exploded into a useless mass of burning arrow particles.

"…Huh?" Lina said softly, a befuddled look on her face. Even the familiar seemed to have stopped, cautiously expecting something from the useless explosion. Slowly turning her gaze to Cierra, she noticed that the witch was staring blankly at her bolt bag. Lo and behold, amidst all of her regular arrows was one that was clearly glowing red… and it didn't take a genius to realize where exactly things had gone wrong. "W-wrong arrow… Cierra, wrong arrow! Lina used the wrong arrooow!!!"

"Yes, I'm aware of that…"

Riviera: Æsir of Deception, Chapter Six – Closure…

I WILL BREAK, ALL OF YOU…!

Now convinced that the explosion had done and would do absolutely no harm to it, the familiar forcefully blew out a small buildup of blood in its wounded snout which had obstructed its breathing, and tensed its front legs once again. However, before it could attempt to drag itself towards the hapless three to finish them off, a sharp and terrible pain invaded its senses.

Dropping herself right on top of the scythe once again, Serene used all of her weight and momentum to drive it so deep inside the giant alligator that it actually managed to break through the roof of its mouth and jam itself between the familiar's front teeth.

Growling in agony, the behemoth attempted to get rid of the persistent arc the same way it had done before, but the pain was such that it couldn't seem to exert its tired jaw muscles any further. So instead, it shook its head as violently as it could… no luck however, as its attacker had a vice-like grip on her weapon this time around, and the familiar's actions seemed to be successful only in causing itself more pain as every little movement the jammed scythe made was torture. No longer having a choice, it simply ignored the arc, once again dragging itself forward as it went after its original target.

"Almost finished," Cierra said, infinitely thankful for her bat-winged friend's assistance. The familiar was moving again, but at least Serene managed to buy them enough time for just one more crack at their experimental maneuver. Stopping the flow of energy from her fingertips at more or less the right moment, she pointed her staff at the familiar and—without hesitation—shot her second fireball. "Lina!"

"Okay!" The little archer made sure she let loose the right arrow this time, the red bolt piercing the air as it again made contact with the fireball. Fortunately no explosions followed, with the two projectiles fully merging in an artistic splash of orange; the result being a small comet which closed in on the familiar much faster than either had initially expected. The creature literally had no time to react as the destructive arrow smashed against the area where Serene's scythe was lodged, causing such impact that it threw both the arc and her weapon off of the familiar and destroyed at least four of its pointed teeth—ripping apart a small area of its snout.

"We hit it," Cierra couldn't help but smile, wondering how much more the monster could take before it was finally defeated. But whatever relief she may have felt at that moment quickly disappeared when her peripheral vision caught a large chunk of the familiar's teeth heading straight for Lina. She immediately considered pulling the little girl to safety herself, but it would be far too difficult since she was already single-handedly supporting Issirudor and holding her staff at the same time. "Lina watch out!"

Lina, who had been grinning at the witch the whole time and was therefore unable to see what was coming her way, heeded Cierra's warning and looked back towards the familiar in confused alarm. Too shocked to dodge, the girl simply brought her fore-arms up and shut her eyes in a desperate defense, barely able to hear the witch call her name again.

But the moment she dreaded never came.

A strange slicing sound followed by a small series of thumps and thuds invaded the girl's senses, and the lack of any kind of pain whatsoever made her curious, but not enough to check and see.

"Sorry I'm late… you guys okay?"

"EIN!" Lina opened her eyes as soon as she recognized the voice, ready to both hug and brutally maim the grim angel for arriving at the last minute, but stopped short as she instead saw the angel they were supposed to be protecting with his back facing her; standing straight yet seemingly ready to fall at any second. It was definitely Ein's voice she had heard; in fact he was right in front of Issirudor, Einherjar in hand but… what was the injured angel doing? Had he tried to protect her as well? Why…?

"That was a little too close," Cierra breathed out a sigh of complete and utter relief, quickly holding onto Issirudor just as his battered knees buckled. She didn't even see him move in to save Lina… his diviner hadn't materialized either, so she assumed he was willing to take the blow for her friend. To think, if Ein hadn't appeared the way he did… "Am I glad to see you… but what took you so long, Ein?"

"I was ambushed by demons, and I didn't want to risk delaying Issirudor's rescue any further by calling for help," Ein said, an apologetic look on his face despite the fact that his gut instinct appeared to have been right. Still, a second or two later and well, he didn't even want to think about what could have happened. A single look at the angel was all he really needed to know that Issirudor was in a world of pain. Truth be told he still had a hard time grasping how all of this had happened, what with Serene's rushed explanation, but that old man's familiar was certainly a very serious threat. "Whatever that monster is, it's somehow waking up the hostile spirits that didn't rise with the Accursed… if we don't defeat it soon, things could get ugly."

"Nothing's ever easy is it…?" The scarlet witch said thoughtfully, placing her staff under her arm and patting away the black ash on her clothes. Most if not all of the demons just outside Elendia's barrier had already been vanquished thanks to the efforts of Ladie, Claude and Soala among others, but it seemed as though everyone still had quite a long way to go. Oh well… one step at a time. "So what's the plan, Ein?"

"I'm a bit worried about those demons… Cierra, I need you to stay with Issirudor and keep away from the battle," Ein said, now completely used to his role as the leader. He could have definitely used her powerful fire magic, but with the angel in the state he was, he just couldn't risk leaving him without any protection. "Also, if there's anything you can give him for his injuries…"

"Don't worry, I have some potions here," The witch in question nodded, never doubting her good friend's judgment. His decisions have gotten them through so many battles that she had difficulty imagining anyone else leading the party. "It won't mend broken bones, but it'll provide some relief. Actually, I might be able to do something about his shoulder…"

"Okay, good," Ein smiled, trusting Cierra completely. She was surprisingly capable when it came to treating the body, despite her lack of any healing magic. That being said, Fia would have been better suited for this, but she needed to stay in Elendia and work together with Claude if there was going to be any hope of treating the dying old man. Saving the thought for later, he turned to Lina, who looked like she was burning holes in Issirudor's back with her blank stare. "Lina, are you all right? You're not hurt are you?"

"H-huh? Oh, no… Lina's okay," The little girl looked away in embarrassment, a pout forming on her face. Unable to pinpoint exactly what she was feeling, she shook it off for the moment and brought all of her attention to Ein, a determined look in her eyes. "What do you want Lina to do?"

"Cover me, and keep a reasonable distance without straying too far okay? Watch out for any demons that might try to attack us from behind, and be sure to call for help when they do," The grim angel stated, clearly not wanting any harm to come to Lina. She was an excellent archer and a very useful companion, but he was always worried about her physical well-being, as her fragile frame wasn't built to withstand any serious blows. Looking back at the battle, Ein instinctively cringed as Serene was forcefully rammed by the side of the familiar's head, though she had been able to block most of its impact with her scythe. "All right, Serene won't be able to deal with that thing by herself for long… everyone know what to do?"

"Yup!"

"Yes… good luck you two."

"Okay then…" Ein nodded, brandishing Einherjar and tensing his body, physically and mentally ready to take on the injured behemoth. "Let's go!"

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A/N: Once again, it's been quite a while. And once again, I'd like to apologize for the long wait -_-. It's becoming more and more difficult to find time to write this thing, and whenever I do I'm not always up to it… it's not that I've lost the passion to write this story, I guess I just got a bit bored of writing in general. But everyone knows that feeling, and it's always just temporary since I always go back to writing anyway.

Of course, I can't say that writing this wasn't fun. It was a ton of fun actually (I love fight scenes), and I intend to write at least a hundred more chapters in the foreseeable future xD. It's just, we all have a life yeah? Don't worry though, I feel like I'm gaining some momentum, and I'll probably get started on the next chapter after I enroll for college, which should be in a day or two.

So! I hope to see you guys again in the next chapter and, you guessed it, Happy Reading xD