Chapter 12

I couldn't believe my eyes. The things that I was seeing in front of me made not a whit of sense to my poor tried mind. But the beings in front of me sent me reeling despite the insistent tug on my arm from my friends that I had summoned. They were still telling me that we needed. No matter how strong I am I know that I have little experience with battle and the horde that lay before me now was not something that I could charge into like a lamb for the slaughter. I turned my gaze to my older brother who I knew had been in more altercations than I and had come out on top. Kazuma met my questioning eyes with a grim expression.

Before us lay redcaps, gnomes, harpies, trolls, sirens, sycalls, and…to make it all the worse they had two beings that would cause any man to take pause an ancient deity and a dragon. There were very few dragons that weren't dark. Power easily corrupts as many stories will spell out. Dragons were the most powerful of the elementals even the ancient gods feared them they could make even the Lords of the four elements bow to their whim if they had the inclination.

The deity that stood before on the other side of our measly cover was Set the Lord of the Red Sand of Ancient Egypt. He stood in his robes of white cotton his feet unshod. Next to the dragon was an old Lord of the Flame.

"Serena, keep calm there is nothing that you can do if you don't keep a clear head. Think, what are their weaknesses, what are our strengths? Strategize. Serena you've beaten my on chess and Go so many times that it isn't funny, you may not have real battle experience but you know how to think like a commander." Ikuto's words calmed me more than the hug that he had pulled me into during my previous fit. Kazuma's reassuring nod and Ayano's hand in my own.

"I know, but this…they have every advantage where as I don't even think that we have one to begin with." I sighed deeply in resignation.

"That may be true, but everyone loves an underdog. I know that when we took on Bernard the last time we were at a huge disadvantage, but we pulled through because we had a reason to fight," Ayano stated even as she turned to survey the group of creatures that they were set to face. I was almost as though it was a final stand.

"We aren't going to let those bastards win Serena. There is so much that we have to protect. There isn't away in hell that they are going to win," Kazuma said seriously his grim expression still on his face, but come to think of it he really only had two expressions serious or teasing.

I took a deep breath. "Thanks guys. I think I'm good now." I then got a glimmer in my eye, one that Ikuto knew well from all the times that he had seen it when we'd encountered a bully. I had a plan, and more than likely it involved some kind of insanity.

Kazuma smirked. "Alright then, call it short stack." Kazuma stood confident in their abilities. He probably had the same expression at times. Well we are related.

"Okay, I'm going to need your guys to buy me some time so that I can call on my contract and summon up someone to help us. I don't know who I'm going to get so…I'm just going to hope that we some very powerful allies to help us against those two. Kazuma I think you're the best person to take on the earth elementals considering that you are their polar opposite, Ayano you've got water for the same reason; though it wouldn't be a bad idea for the two of you to switch it up and throw attacks at the other's opponents. Ikuto I don't really think I need to tell you what to do. Just don't engage the dragon and the deity before I come in with the big guns." I knew that there was more than likely a chance that there would be a confrontation between the two members of our group against the two of the members from our opponents. It was more than likely that they were going to enter the fray if for no other reason than to taunt my brother and Ayano. I took in a breath and for probably the thirtieth time that day wondered why the heck I had gotten out of bed that morning.

Ren was sitting in the garden contemplating the things that he had learned about his sister. She was kind, but at the same time he knew now why she was leery of letting anyone touch her.

The young blonde was still pondering away to get to know his older sister when he felt the power in the air change abruptly. He knew that whatever was after his family was making their move now. Before the little air elemental that had come to let him know could even speak her message he was already up and running the little winged woman flying at his heels as he followed the surging of malevolent energies as fast as he could.

He had heard the stories about some of the higher elementals. The story of the Dragons was one that was told to make the young behave in the enjutsu clans. If what the sylph said was true then there was a fire dragon on the other side and that wasn't even taking into account the other elementals that served the dark, Saying that this situation was bad was a severe understatement.

The battle started before I could blink. Ayano summoning Enriha even as Kazuma sent a scythe of wind through the assembled elementals in front of the dragon. Ikuto shifted into a panther, lethal claws shredding through the beings too stupid to dodge the organic blades. I stayed back because I had already stated that I needed time to call my contract and to summon, request not command, assistance in this battle. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. "Spirits of realms gone here and nigh hear my plea. Heed the call of the one who has signed her name to your cause. Awaken to the Contractress' call." As the words echoed in my mind I felt the rush of the elemental powers that were granted me. I kept my eyes closed trusting the others to keep me safe as I continued to summon.

I spread my hands so that they were facing the sky on either side of me in supplication. "I ask for assistance in an endeavor against evil. I ask for a helping hand against those that practice the dark arts that command rather than ask, who break rather than protect. Spirits hear my plea, lend us aid in our time of need." I called from within sending the request out into the astral plane where the spirits that did not feed off negative energy resided for the most part.

Not even a moment later I felt two beings appear on either side of me, their auras warm and filled with light. Lights that I recognized, these two were my main teachers in the controlling my abilities when I first got them. Standing before me was the mistress of the earth in Norse mythology, Sif, the wife of Thor. On my other side was the other being that a dragon of fire would ever truly fear a water dragon. Both of these personages had the advantage when it came to combating a fire elemental for the earth can snuff out the very same as water can douse. It made me glad that I was such a good student to my teachers that when I called for help that they were willing to assist me.

Sif was the first to speak her voice firm like the ground on which we stood. "What be it that causes thou such distress child?" The river dragon that lay coiled like a snake nodded her snake-like head in agreement.

"Names have power my teacher, if it pleases you, you have access into my mind to see what I have been able to see." I told her in calm and respectful manner. My teacher was not one to anger for she was the one earth deity that I knew of that also was a warrior. It was not wise to anger a Norse goddess no matter who she was they were all trained in warfare.

Both of my teachers peered into my consciousness and saw the layout of the enemy. Sif did not seem to be impressed, but then again compared to the mass of the Jotun this was nothing. The dragon whose name was Mizuko since she was one of dragons native to Asia's mythology she was a sign of good fortune to my people, hissed her voice translating itself in my mind. "You need not fear daughter of Genma. I will take on my brother that has fallen into the dark's nest. You only need concern yourself with the one that had summoned him to this plane."

I nodded. I knew that no matter what my teachers would not let me take on someone or something that was well beyond my own power.

Ren entered the park to see Ayano locked in battle with Lapis, Kazuma going at it with Bernard, and Ikuto shifting from one animal to another taking down numerous elementals that were on the side of the enemy. He leapt into the fray throwing his purifying flame at the malevolent creatures that Ikuto was fighting and with each one that he took down in its place stood an elemental free of its subjugators' control. Each of the freed creatures turned on their evil brothers and fought alongside Ren.

Suddenly, a loud roar was heard from the direction of the entrance that Ren had come in from. He paused and looked over toward the source of the sound and saw a white serpent dragon with blue- green toned claws and spines. On either side of the holy dragon was a woman lit by an inner light that made Ren very aware that she was more than likely a goddess. On the other side was his sister radiating power in such force that Ren was momentarily in awe. He got a glimpse of her eyes for, but a moment and saw that they were swirling with the different colors of the elements; blue, yellow, green, and red.

"Set," the goddess yelled her voice carrying such power that it stopped the other battles in an instant. "You were banished from this plane of existence. Why are you here now?"

The being that she addressed stepped forward the headdress of a pharaoh on his head. "Power, little Viking! It is for the power, power that should have been mine all along, but dear Osiris and his whelp gained it all."

"Is all you care about revenge Lord of the red sands? Do you not have something else to occupy your thoughts?" Ren was astonished as the woman drew a sword in her hand even as vines and other undergrowth appeared around her. It was now obvious that this woman was of the element of Earth.

The other deity merely laughed at her. As the air grew thick and hot. "You preach to me when one of your own is as I am," Set mocked the goddess that Ren didn't know the name of.

"Aye, I preach because my brother in law is good man if a prankster. If not for he my husband would be dead a score over. Stop this pettiness and return home to your own land to the east." It hit Ren then that this must be the Lady Sif from the Norse pantheon.

"Enough, I will not listen to anymore," Set roared even as he started attacking the woman with flame and ember.

Ayano turned at the sound of the roar to witness the interaction between the gods, and then watched in both awe and horror as they attacked one another.

The dragons roared at one another, the larger of the two appearing to be the fire dragon. The two started to battle. The holy dragon blew what appeared to be hot water, but truly it was water so cold that it gave off its own vapor. The fire dragon cried out in pain as the icy liquid hit it freezing parts of it.

Mean while the scarlet haired young woman watched as mother and daughter fought. But she only saw so much because her own battle was not over yet. She danced a deadly waltz against her opponent one that had played with Kazuma's head more times than she could count and this was her chance to stop that from happening again.

It wasn't Kazuma that got distracted from his fight, but the man that had started it all. Bernard was in awe at the sheer power the young woman was able to summon to her aid. He was practically salivating at the thought of somehow getting the girl into his thrall, but even as that thought crossed his sick and twist mind. He was cut in half by a scythe of wind called by the man who was acting like no more than a protective brother. He knew better than most what went through his old enemy's head.

Kazuma gazed at the dead body with no remorse. Bernard was on the top ten most wanted list in about ten countries and it was a wanted dead or alive list. The man had made some enemies out of worst people. The only reason he was still alive was because of the fact that the other people that were after him were not aware of magic. The young Contractor had just solved a great many people's issues, and he didn't care about any of that. The only thing that mattered to him in this moment was making sure that no one hurt his loved ones ever again.

Turning away from the corpse he let lose another blade of wind and took out some elementals as he ran to the aid of the scarlet haired woman that had taken his heart.