So since I like finishing fanfiction stories, I'm planning to finish this story in a few chapters and maybe write a sequel after the Fate of Ten, but not in first person, because that's getting annoying.

Sarah was John's life line, without her what will he become.

Chapter 13

Marina

I cursed loudly, but my colourful words were swallowed by the deafening roar of the Piken. My gun was empty, and any spare clips of ammo I'd had were gone. All my bullets used up in vain attempts at shooting the Mogodorian beast's eyes or muzzle, neither of these ideas had worked however. But even though the gun was practically useless now, I didn't drop it; maybe I could shove it up the Piken's nose or down its gullet later, if I could get that close.

At least I still had all the natural advancements of the Guard, without them I'd already be dead.

I glanced up from where I had been lying, well, from where I'd been tossed by the Piken's massive fist, taking a breather, to see Zero dancing back from another vicious swipe of the beast's claws. She stuck out one of her knifes and I heard a wet noise and something flew past me through the air. It hadn't taken me too long to figure out why Zero had chosen those two knives in particular; lined with an edge of Loralite and another precious metal for its core, it was practically indestructible but more than that, it could cut through anything.

Which would have been incredible useful if its user could actually get close enough to stab it.

The Piken's latest wound caused it to stumble and I used the opportunity to race forward, my rapier already in hand as I dodged through its legs, stabbing upward with every chance I got.

We couldn't keep doing this though, we needed a plan. We were merely distracting it, both of us with an unspoken hope that the others would come back. Without legacies we couldn't just keep attacking it head on, if we did one of us would get injured or worse…

In my head of course, I'd killed it with my legacies 10 times over, but they still weren't working and only Setrakus Ra or Ella could do that, but in my gut I knew they weren't anywhere nearby.

My thoughts were brought to a sickening halt as the Piken's grey body came crashing down from the sky.

I threw myself out of the way, the Piken missing me by inches, the sound of breaking stone filling the air as the cracks appeared on the plaza's floor. Its tail whipped towards me and I flipped over it, stabbing down with my blade. Metal pierced skin but even as I watched the sword shattered and I was tossed to the ground.

Staggering to my feet I found myself staring into one sunset red eye, it was getting smarter. With a sort of gleeful growl its jaws opened, but snapped shut as it let out a sound akin to a scream. My eyes flew right and I saw Zero, hands around the hilt of her knife, the blade embedded in its foot.

With another roar that made permanent hearing loss seem very likely, it threw her off and she landed in a water fountain. But the splash that followed made something in my brain click, a plan; not as good as John's but it was something.

I quickly raced around the Piken, which snorted at me, seeming to have grown bored of us, as it raised its head to answer the howls of other Mogodorian beasts in the distance.

I reached Zero who was spluttering and still dripping as she clambered out of the water.

"I need to borrow one of your knives".

She looked up at me uncertainly, before I quickly explained and with a slow nod, she reluctantly handing me one hilt first.

"Don't lose it" she ordered as she turned and stalked towards the Piken.

I tested the blades balance as I heard Zero shout, "Hey I want to talk to you!" that was my queue.

I quickly skirted the Piken, reaching its back and jump lightly onto its tail.

It had been ignoring Zero and I doubted it understood her, but maybe it was her tone or something but she finally got its attention.

"I'm bored of these little games, so why don't we try something else" the mockery in her tone was obvious even from where I was standing, "How fast can you die?" the Piken surged forward with a roar, my grasp on its thick, matted pelt almost coming loose.

At last I managed to pull myself up onto the top, my heart pounding loudly in my ears, drowning everything out. Its back was wide enough for a car to drive down easily. But it was strangely flat, almost seeming to dare me to take a step forward, and if I did what were the chances it would buck me off, leaving me at the mercy of the cold, unforgiving ground below.

I took off at a run, my feet pounding into the Piken; I was sure it would feel it, its head would snap around and I would be a goner, or Zero wouldn't be able to distract it for long enough, or it would catch her. A thousand scenarios ran through my head but I silenced them, instead focussing my mind on one thing: kill the Piken.

I reached the base of its neck, my heart still thumping, when a loud snarl filled the air. The Pikens body began to tilt rapidly, as it rose onto its hind legs; I shoved the knife through my belt and grabbed two clumps of fur for grip. Not waiting for another moment, I began to climb.

I knew I was moving quickly, and that only seconds had past, but as I pulled my body higher and higher, my arms burning and sweat trickling down my face, it felt like hours; days.

Suddenly I found myself crawling onto the Piken's head, my body jerking from side to side as it snapped at Zero, who hurled insults at it from below.

I pushed myself back to my feet, ignoring the weariness that had crept into my bones. Now standing straight, I no longer feared falling, no matter how much the monster swayed and shook.

The air was clear and cold up here, the stars shinning surprisingly bright above me, leaving a feeling that I could reach up and touch them. And maybe it was the adrenaline racing through my veins, or the fact my anger seemed to suddenly fall away, but I could feel him there, Eight, watching me.

I was faintly aware of a sudden sadness that I had to kill it, the emotion joining with the grief that had hollowed me out. I couldn't find that burning rage I'd had before; killing Five, even Setrakus Ra, left no appeal.

I think I might have sighed as I lifted the dagger, which seemed to wink at me, almost aglow with excitement for what was to come.

I raised the knife and plunged it through the Piken's skull.

Zero

I watched the metal cut easily through the Piken's thick skull, like a hot knife through butter, almost feeling its hilt in my hands. It stopped finally, buried up to its hilt, unable to go any further.

A thick, dark, ichor, slowly began to trickle out of the Pikens jaws. I stared at the blood, with a steady gaze for a moment, before I began to back away; it wouldn't do to be standing there when it fell, because it was going to, it was already beginning to sway.

Even as I was about to step back, out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a small, dark blur, hurtling towards me. I spun raising my dagger, but my ribs still burned from when I'd hit the fountain, and I was too slow.

The Krauls mouth, filled with needle sharp teeth, hung wide open, shooting towards my throat. I dodged to the right, bringing up my arm to protect my face, while lashing out with the pommel of the dagger.

It barely seemed to touch the ground before it was on me again, seeming to know the exact place I had already been injured in. On reflex I stepped back, moving into defence mode, but I stumbled, my foot hitting rubble and I was falling.

I threw out an arm for balance but the Kraul's jaws snapped closed around it instead, teeth digging into my flesh.

Something close to a scream clawed its way up my throat, but it wasn't from the pain, it was the fact that the Pikens body was falling down from the sky, blotting out everything. And I realised as the body grew larger and larger than before, I'd never get to tell the truth, I'd never get to stop lying, to explain, to apologize, to tell Adam that I forgave him, just not Ivan, and that I wasn't the same person any more, that she had died, quite literally. But I'd never get to tell anyone, not John, not Marina, not-

I didn't see the tall, dark, figure, rushing from the same direction as the Kraul had come, but I did feel the body bowling into me, tossing me away from the Piken and into the fountain for the second time.

The icy water shocked me out of my 'about to die' mentality and I let instinct and my knife take over. It took only seconds, and with that complete I set about getting out of the, now suspiciously pink water.

"You ok?" the person who had saved/ pushed me into a fountain, otherwise known as Nine asked.

I took his outstretched hand without reply, too busy concentrating on keeping my expression blank and not wincing.

When I finally got to my feet, I managed to reply properly, while simultaneously avoiding his question, "So good of you to join us", I said darkly.

"I'm just going to go ahead and presume that there was sarcasm there" he answered with his usual smirk, "I was busy getting rid of the rest of the Mogodorian trash".

"You missed a few".

That caused him to scowl, "Well I'm sorry. It's not like I wanted to avoid fighting Godzilla over there" he gestured wildly towards the body, "but newsflash, it wasn't the only Piken in the city!" the sudden anger on his face was surprising but understandable.

I groaned softly, "Sorry, my fault. You did save my life after all, I was just…worried?" I glanced at him in confusion as I finished, unsure if that was the right word. It seemed to be because he was smiling wildly again and his face had gone redder, although that was probable just the blood covering one side of it.

"So is there any Piken left" I wondered, feeling slightly awkward all of a sudden.

"Oh stop complaining" Nine replied with a roll of his eyes, "there's three left, I was always taught sharing is caring".

"And your legacies?"

"Gone. But I found this, and I pretty sure it's the reason why" he held up a large collar, dotted in blood. It was inlaid with four stones, roughly the length of your hand, and each looking incredible similar to Xitharis stones except somehow wrong.

"Yes I'd agree with you on that one" Marina said from behind me, turning I saw she was holding a larger replica of the collar.

"You coming to kill the last Pikens?" Nine asked gleefully.

"Of course, but I don't think head on is the wisest-", Marina began with a frown.

"Sandor told me a drunk man makes the worst decisions" he interrupted wistfully, but suddenly grinned, "Lucky for you, I don't need alcohol to make bad decisions".

And with those inspirational words he turned and led us towards our next fight.

Please review!

They're not scary, wouldn't say boo to a goose, instead they'd give the goose their car keys and bank details…