Chapter 9

I awoke, struggling to recall where I was. I really should know this... My sleep-muddied mind utterly refused to cooperate and focus on one thing. Bits and pieces swam back to me; the battle, the bikes, Phase... Each thought brought a separate set of feelings with it. The battle and the memory of the demi-dragons reminded me- rather harshly- that my body ached all over. I decided that whoever's bed I was in, I would just stay there for now. Secondly, I recalled with some amount of sorrow my destroyed land-chaser. That thing wasn't cheap... I sighed inwardly. It's not like I used it, anyway.

My recollection of Phase was slightly more alarming. Who he was, where he came from, who he was created by, and who he worked for were all inevitably unknowns. The Resistance was out of the question; if they possessed weaponry like that, we would have known about it, or at least would have seen some sort of evidence to arouse suspicions.

I decided, with all of the recent events, that it was time for a meeting with Neo-Arcadia's governor. Between running a war and putting down minor Maverick uprisings, as well as worrying about the energy crisis, I did not have time to run a city as well. Still, I was the commander-in-chief of all of Neo-Arcadia, and I was not afraid to throw my political weight around, if need be. This animosity toward reploids, especially those in the defense system, has got to stop. It's gotten ridiculously out of hand when they don't even trust their own leader. I paused and thought a moment. Unfortunately, that's not exactly an uncommon scenario.

Though I had not yet opened my eyes, I was fast approaching the clarity of mind that signified full wakefulness. But where the heck am I... I still could not seem to remember. ...Maybe it would help if I opened my eyes. I did so, and without moving my head, surveyed my surroundings with a curious eye. A white ceiling, first and foremost, greeted my wandering glance. I let my gaze travel down pine-green, marbled wallpaper to a cream-colored carpet. I suppose I should remember coming in here. I remember passing out on the bed...

I glanced at the comforter that was pulled over me. It was an unobtrusive floral print. I think I'm in a girl's room. I began to remember a bit more; Mayu had driven us to the home of a human friend of hers, although the friend was apparently out of town for awhile. I had been exhausted, and after phasing out the upper half of my armor, crawled like a wounded animal into the bed that was offered me. I wonder how many days I slept for? I thought, knowing that when I pushed myself too hard, I was apt to hibernate for rather long periods of time, especially since I often deprived myself of normal rest.

I moved and flexed my limbs one at a time, testing out the damages and trying to figure out how much the self-repair systems had fixed. My left arm was cramped and aching, which was no surprise. I ran a finger over my cheek, relieved to find that I could feel no major scar from the gash I had suffered. Not that I really care, but disfigurement doesn't particularly sound like a fun thing. My legs were both stiff, probably from an unknown number of days' lack of movement. Slowly, I sat up, feeling gradually inching back into me. I felt light-headed for a moment, but that soon passed, and I swung my legs over and sat on the side of the bed, rubbing my forehead absently.

The air felt uncomfortably cool on my bare shoulders, and I phased on the upper part of my armor, minus jets and helmet. I sat a moment, trying to reorient myself with relatively unfamiliar surroundings. The room was impeccably clean, and impersonal to the point of peculiarity for someone's home, even for a guest room, if that is what it was. I shrugged off my thoughts, since they were irrelevant at the moment. Getting up, I opened the door and stepped into a short hallway. I walked through the house, glancing quickly into each room that I passed. I had begun to wonder if I was, in fact, alone in a stranger's home when I poked my head into what appeared to be the living room and spied Mayu lying motionless on the couch, helmet resting on the floor next to her. Sleeping? Stepping as lightly as I could, I crept in to see. Must be, I thought when she did not stir. Rest, then. I daresay you need it as much as I.

I turned to leave the room, but stopped when I accidentally kicked something that was lying on the floor. I picked up the book, noting that it must have fallen from Mayu's hands when she fell asleep. I set the novel on the footstool and walked away. Well. Even the mysterious Mayu has a pastime. I glanced around the empty house. Wish I had one. And sitting and thinking doesn't count. Unfortunately, that was all there was to do, and I flopped unceremoniously into a kitchen chair. I supposed that I should be attempting to stretch out my cramped limbs, having slept for several days, but I really did not feel like it. In fact, nothing sounded so interesting as going back to bed at the moment. I was debating doing just that when my keen ears picked up a rustle of movement from the living room, followed by slow, light footsteps approaching my present position.

"I thought I heard you go in there," Mayu commented, walking into the room. I noticed that her left leg moved with a sort of unsteady stiffness that told me it was not completely healed. No surprise. My arm feels like crap, too. The girl sat down in a nearby chair, favoring her sore leg. "I knew for sure when I opened my eyes and saw that you moved my book."

I chuckled. "Observant. I figured that you just dropped it when you fell asleep."

She shrugged. "Nope. I don't fall asleep when I'm in the middle of something." She leaned her chin on her hand. "so, how'd three days' rest do for ya?"

I groaned. "I think I could use another week."

"I know exactly what you mean," she sighed. "But I suppose you should probably get in touch with the other Guardians. I'll bet they're starting to wonder where their 'great leader' ran off to."

I groaned louder. "That means facing Leviathan's harping."

"Ah, to face one's fears," Mayu laughed. "You didn't even flinch at a battle with two opponents who were much stronger than you, but the thought of a verbal battle with Leviathan has you scurrying for cover."

"It's not that," I chuckled. "She just gives me a headache, and compounded on the fact that I feel horrible already I really don't need that right now." We sat in silence for a few moments. "In truth, though, I do need to contact the Guardians, 'though. The last thing they need is to be caught off-guard by one of those demi-dragons.

Mayu tapped one finger lightly on the table in a monotonous rhythm. "I dealt with plenty of dragons before now, and they've all gone down fairly easily. But I've noticed a bit of an incline in difficulty fighting them lately; sometimes a little smarter, sometimes a little bigger, or stronger, or faster... It's always something." Her finger stopped drumming, and she absently cracked each individual knuckle in turn against the tabletop. "Thing is, these last two were more everything, and a lot, too. It seems like they're working up to... something." She pursed her lips in obviously troubled thought.

"This is no good," I mumbled, stating the obvious, and not particularly caring that I had. "If they're using these as guinea-pigs to eventually create some sort of super-weapon..." I allowed the thought to trail off, shaking my head in frustration. "Somehow, we have to find out who's making them and put an end to it before they put something out that we may not be able to deal with."

Mayu's shoulders slumped visibly. "Just what do you think I've been trying to do for the past three years?"

I glanced over at her. "Three years? If the demi-dragons have been harassing Neo-Arcadia for that long, then why didn't I know about it sooner?" I narrowed my eyes, giving her a rather challenging stare. "You're trying to say that you alone are responsible for beating them back." I shook my head, not believing. "Please don't take this as an insult, but you really don't seem to be a strong enough fighter for that."

She smiled wanly. "You're right, of course, Sage. I'm not very strong. But neither were they, until lately. Not even a year ago, I may have hunted down one smaller, weaker one in the course of a month or two. Now, I've faced four in the past week. And right in Neo-Arcadia, to boot. They're bolder, smarter, stronger, and all around more of a pain in the butt to kill." She sighed, gazing down at the table, and uttered on final, sarcastic word to end her explanation. "Yippee."

I rested my elbows on the table. "This undeniably reinforces the plans I already had to speak with the governor of Neo-Arcadia about opening another factory. It's the only way we will be able to produce a substantial number of Pantheon X-drones. I suppose I could just order it to be done, but the more civilized- and politically rewarding- path to take is probably to at least pretend to negotiate."

Mayu snorted rudely. "I can't imagine what you want more of those useless drones for. They could almost be worth the trouble if they weren't so dumb..."

I glared. "'Useless' indeed. If they were really so worthless, then why were we able to turn back so many Resistance assaults with them?" I unconsciously stroked a hand through my hair. "True, they need very specific orders to function in battle properly, but if used correctly, an army of X-drones can be a devastating force." I gazed at Mayu meaningfully. "You should be careful what you call 'useless' and who you criticize. You've shown me little enough respect, and up until now I've chosen to overlook it. Remember that."

Mayu stared at me evenly, and I absently wondered if I had angered the woman with my indignant speech. No matter if I did, I though crossly. She seems to forget that I am commander-in-chief of all of Neo-Arcadia. Someone needed to put her in her place.

"Oh, well. Sorry 'bout that," Mayu shrugged, surprising me with a light laugh. Man, this girl goes through more mood-swings...

I placed my hands flat on the tabletop and stoop up. "Don't worry about it. I suppose it's my own fault for encouraging your informality. Either way, I have more important things to worry about as of the present. I can't imagine that there are communications equipment in this home that would be adequate to patch me through to the Neo-Arcadian base. Fortunately, I should have just enough fuel to fly there. I can come back for you..."

"Forget it," she said, waving her hand as though to wipe away the offer. "I'll be fine here for a day or two, and then I'll go straight on to the Resistance base."

"Are you sure?" I questioned, arching an eyebrow. "Your wounds are substantial enough that you may require some maintenance."

"I'm fine, I said." she insisted. "If I need something that badly, the Resistance could provide it. I just want a little more rest."

"As long as you're sure you don't require any help," I said, slightly defeated. "I'm leaving now."

"Later," She responded with a half-hearted wave. I noticed that she appeared very tired and worn. Don't overdo it, I directed at her mentally. I'm really not one to talk, but you look like you've overworked yourself a bit too much for your own good.

Instead of commenting any of my thoughts, however, I returned her careless wave and left through the front door. Activating my jets, I flew with all speed back to my comrades.

Fefnir's response, in light of the situation, was exceedingly enthusiastic. Perhaps a bit too enthusiastic for my taste, which is probably what caused me, in an off-handed, unthinking manor, to simply tell him to "do whatever he felt necessary," and then I proceeded down to the med-center for some much-needed maintenance. Leviathan hurriedly accompanied me.

"Are you sure that was wise?" she prodded, not quite scolding- yet.

"No... not entirely," I responded in a tired manor. "So, go with him."

"What?" she questioned, startled. "Me?"

"No, the invisible person behind you," I answered, slightly irritated. "Who else would I mean?"

Leviathan seemed taken aback. "I just didn't think that..."

"That what? That I trusted you and Fefnir to make correct decisions? You both are Guardians for a reason, and I know that I can count on the two of you. You are a quick thinker, and a leader in word, and Fefnir a strong fighter and a leader by action. You two have worked well together in the past, and I am sure that you will again for this." I cocked an eyebrow. "Any other questions?"

Leviathan stuttered for a moment. "It's just that... well, lately, I know we've all been... I don't know. I guess I kinda figured you though we were idiots."

I surprised myself by laughing. "What do you mean, 'thought?'" Leviathan glared. "In all seriousness, Fairy," I said, letting the grin slip off my face, "I know lately we've all been under a lot of stress. I think it would do you two well to get out a bit and do something other than push papers. After all, we don't want to end up at each other's throats."

Leviathan paused and smiled. "Thank you... sir."

I mock-glared. "What's with this 'sir' business all of the sudden? You, of all people, don't need to get all formal on me." I let a slight smile tug the corners of my mouth and placed one hand on her shoulder. "Now, go tell Fefnir that you will join him on his reconnaissance-slash search-and-destroy mission." She grinned at me and walked off down the hall at a good clip. I knew that, although she would never admit it, she enjoyed working with Fefnir a great deal, and was itching for a real battle almost as badly as he was.

Unfortunately, I think I've seen a little too much action in the past week or so... Once I arrived at the med-center, I was hustled through one diagnostic after another, poked with needles, prodded with various tools, and eventually forced to drink a rather rancid-tasting concoction for what reason only the devil could guess at before the final test was run. By the time they actually allowed me to lay down, I was more exhausted than when I had arrived at the medical center. Should've just stayed with Mayu, I though irritably. At least she let me sleep. I felt a small twinge of concern for the girl and wondered briefly how badly she had really been wounded. I was quite certain that she probably needed medical treatment much more than she would admit. Oh, well. With any luck, she'll get what she needs with the Resistance. With that, I let my concern pass, along with the relative irony of that thought.

My mind turned to a recollection of my meeting with Fefnir and Leviathan. When I had returned, I immediately summoned the two to my office and gave them a brief explanation of everything- including my recent absences from the base. They had seemed a bit hurt at first.

"Why would you keep all that from us, Sage? Leviathan questioned, a wounded expression on her face. "Don't you trust us?"

I rested my chin against my knuckles. "Of course I trust you. If I didn't, then who else could I trust?"

"You've got a funny way of showing it," Fefnir grumbled. "And as far as your whole, 'live and look like a human' thing, we're made that way, too." To demonstrate, he phased his helmet off and brushed one massive hand through spiky burnt-blonde hair.

"Probably," Leviathan put in, "It's a growing trend for those with the time and money. Y'know, make us seem more and more human so the humans will accept us easier."

"Hey, this stuff's not important right now," Fefnir broke in. "That sounded like some battle you had. It's been awhile since I had a real fight..."

I shook my head. "This is not a game, Fefnir. These enemies... and this 'Phase,' whoever he is... we don't even know what they want. The worst thing is, if I had to venture a guess, the demi-dragons are to them what the X-drones are to us- mere foot soldiers, some stronger than others."

Fefnir chortled. "Foot soldiers, huh? Good, that means that I'll be able to trash an entire army of them!"

Leviathan glowered at him. "You're not listening; this is a serious situation. These things aren't just training drones, or even Resistance soldiers. Didn't you see how badly injured Harpuia was by just two of them? Three days, and he still hasn't completely recovered yet."

"Eh, he just needs maintenance. Anyway, he would've done better if he hadn't had to watch that Mayu-chick's back the whole time."

"Mayu is a competent fighter," I said, defending my friend. Friend? I thought. When did that happen? "She may not have the strength and ability that we do, but she is still a valuable and intelligent ally."

"Whatever," Fefnir shrugged. "All I'm sayin' is that with three power-houses like us..." He glanced at Leviathan. "Okay, two power-houses..."

"Not funny," Leviathan said icily.

"It shouldn't be such a big deal. We could each hold our own against one- maybe more."

"Point taken, Fefnir, but what do you propose to do about it?" I said dryly.

"Well, I thought we could start out by scouting. The surrounding terrain, for the most part, would be pretty undesirable for any kind of base of operations, and what is, we already control. That greatly limits the possibilities, unless they're coming from far beyond the outer territories. Limits it so much, in fact, that it pinpoints only two locations." Fefnir jabbed one large finger at the four-foot by three-foot topographical map on the office wall. "Here, in this heavily forested area, or here, in Pinnacle Canyon."

Fefnir being smart? I mused. That doesn't happen very often. I decided it was better off if I did not say so, but Leviathan possessed a good deal less tact than I.

"Since when did the idiot learn to read maps?" she quipped with a mocking grin.

"Oh, for the love of-" Fefnir spat, pounding his fist against the map. The flimsy paper crinkled in, showing the dent in the cork-board beyond. "Why do I even bother?" He fumed.

"Calm down, Fefnir. I'm going to put you in charge of this. We'll call a meeting with the other officers, and you can decide how you want to brief them."

"M-me?" Fefnir stuttered. "C'mon, I"m not much of a leader..."

I shook my head. "Do whatever you feel is necessary. I trust you on this."

I stared at the sterile white ceiling above me, remembering with some amusement the shocked faces of my fellow Guardians. Fefnir's not used to being in charge. He doesn't know what to do with himself. Despite that fact, however, the meeting in the conference room had gone quite well, and Fefnir had decided to take a small contingent of his soldiers to scout the dense coniferous forest to the far north-west of Neo-Arcadia. Inwardly, I was grateful that it was one less thing that I had to worry about at the moment.

I did not realize that I had fallen asleep until the com-unit next to the bed began to beep incessantly. Fefnir reporting in, my fatigue-fogged brain managed. Not sure what to expect, I sat up and made a grab for the chirping device, inadvertently knocking over a pitcher of water which landed on the floor with a clunk and a splat. That was graceful. As the staff hurriedly cleaned up my mess, I flipped on the com.

"Harpuia. What is it?" I probably sounded more irritable than I intended, product of a sleep-clogged throat.

Harpuia?" Fefnir's voice crackled faintly over the com. "I think you'd better trans over here. This is-" The transmission ended in a flurry of static.

"What?" I called into the com, louder than necessary.

"...aking.....sig....nt."

I threw the com down in frustration. I figured the last message was something akin to, "You're breaking up; the signal is faint."

Hopping from the cot, I rushed past the startled medical staff and into the hall. The head staff member called after me that I was in no condition to go on a mission, but I ignored her and sped off to the transerver station.

"Send me to the last known coordinates of the reconnaissance team," I shouted, coming to a stop only once I was on the transerver.

"Y-yes sir!" The surprised operator stuttered. "Confirming location; initiating transfer..."

I teleported into a dense cluster of pine and looked around circumspectly. Not a cluster of pine, I corrected myself. The whole forest seems to be this way; I can hardly see ten feet in front of me. Fortunately, my keen sense of hearing was serving me quite well, and I followed the obvious sounds of battle until I caught sight of Fefnir's crimson armor flashing between the trees.

"Fefnir," I called, alerting him before I was too close; startling a man with a gun that size was generally not a good idea.

Fefnir glanced briefly over his shoulder, nodded, and turned back to the battle. "Glad ya could make it," he grunted, firing several short bursts of fire from his cannon. The explosive shots took out several large blue spruce, which toppled loudly against their siblings, taking a handful with them.

"Care to explain this? This wasn't supposed to end up as a full-blown battle. Not yet."

Fefnir launched three more quick blasts from his fire-buster and pointed with his left hand, which was free. "Y'see that?" he growled, indicating a black draconic shape that hovered high in the air on cyan wings. "I consider that a problem."

"So, there was one here..." I said thoughtfully.

My vermilion companion barked a laugh. "One? Try several dozen."

"This doesn't sound promising," I ground and launched myself into the air, sabers flaring to life. I was met half-way by Phoenix Magnion, and with a small nod of acknowledgment, we both streaked toward the airborne demi-dragon a pincer attack. It howled and tried to meet Magnion's flaming charge, but I swept in behind it and stabbed a saber through its back to protrude from its chest on the other side. Magnion lashed his flaming, whip-like tail out to grab the demon around the ankle and wrench it downward, toward the ground. The force of the pull jerked the creature off my blade, and I made a clean cut diagonally through to burst out between its shoulder and neck. Strong armor, but not as strong- or as big- as what Mayu and I faced. The monster cried out its doom, spraying blood black as jet from its opened mouth and its wounds. It fell to the ground, taking several branches and larger limbs down with it. I watched it flop about for a moment like a wounded bird before its movements began to lessen to nothing more than a small twitch every now and then.

"Excellent work, Commander," I praised Magnion before diving after another demi-dragon. In the group fighting along with Fefnir and Leviathan, I recognized many of the soldiers and decided that Fefnir had done a fine job selecting his team. Among the ranks, I noticed Sorin Cerussite, who was Leviathan's soldier and assistant, as well as Panter Flauclaws, my own soldier who had volunteered to act under Fefnir's command for this mission. I also spied Arcan among the troops, and was surprised that I actually recognized him. I dropped down next to Leviathan, landing a vicious chop on the snout of another dragon.

"Where'd you come from?" Leviathan croaked, startled.

"Uh... the med-center," I replied curtly. Leviathan ducked under the dragon's swing and impaled it through the chest on her harpoon. It screamed and struggled, spattering greasy, black blood over the two of us, and pulled itself roughly off the spear. I moved in quickly and decapitated it.

"Fefnir called you?" Leviathan wondered, scything her weapon through the air to sever the arm of yet another demon.

"He said I'd better see this," I said, gritting my teeth as I leapt up and over an advancing foe. One of its wings sliced vertically down my forearm, but I ignored the burning pain and retaliated by slashing with both sabers diagonally downward, one after the other, and then thrusting upward again. The swinging tail aimed to take my legs out from under me, and I readied myself to leap over it, but that was not necessary. Cerussite, moving gracefully as a predatory cat, swept in and severed the tail completely with a swipe of his massive claws. Twisting himself into a lazy spin, he swiped the claws again over the monster's face, slicing three deep gashes across eyes and muzzle. The dragon tried to roar, but its head, barely holding together as it was, could not sustain such a motion. Cerussite completed his spin with an upward strike from the other set of claws, and the demon's face dropped away in bloody chunks.

I glanced at Cerussite; a lithe, efficient killer, seemingly fond of grisly kills. He was a chilling individual to keep company with. Although humanoid, his face never held any expression. He was an utterly silent person, taking everything in with his eerily glowing cyan eyes. He was far and away the best soldier that Leviathan had ever trained, despite the fact that he had been created mere months ago. He looked at me now with those cold, calculating eyes and nodded an acknowledgment. Then, turning, he streaked away in a blur of white and ice-blue.

Although I no longer had a flying tail to dodge, I leapt into the air anyway and somersaulted backward to hover next to another enemy. The creature was firing plasma shots into a group of soldiers, and already there were three down at a glance, mangled and bloody.

Another monster rose to the left of the first and joined in the assault, adding to the pile of bodies. I quickly dispatched the first creature, thrusting my arms outward to sever both wings at once. Although it did not die when it hit the ground, it would be an easy target for any one of my allies. The second demi-dragon was preparing to charge the group, but one of the soldiers' number charged the demon first. As he leapt though the air, I realized that it was Arcan, bravely putting his life on the line for his fellows.

I'll make sure you don't lose your life for that... I kicked off a nearby tree to add extra speed to my attack and shot directly for my foe. Arcan had stabbed it repeatedly with a small beam dagger with little effect, and was swiftly thrown to the ground. Before the dragon could follow up on its attack, I, with both sabers pointing in front of me, rammed it. As I did, I swept my arms outward and down, cleaving my enemy around the mid-section and flying through the following explosion of blood and circuitry.

When I landed, I pulled Arcan off the ground with one hand and wondered briefly if I was as covered with black liquid as he. Probably more so, I decided.

"That was brave... but stupid," I admonished.

Arcan shrugged and smiled through the demi-dragon blood on his face, causing the expression to appear a bit odd. "Hey, their welfare before mine. I couldn't very well let that thing torch all my friends, now could I?"

I shook my head with a sigh and gave him a rough shove back toward the relative safety that the other soldiers had found. "Talk later. Fight naAHH!" My sentence ended in a cry of surprise as I was slammed hard from behind. I found myself headed for the thick trunk of a tree face-first, and managed to turn myself around to take the blow with my feet. Once my momentum had stopped, I fired my jets and rocketed upward, causing the demi-dragon to crash into and through the tree. It hovered for a moment just beyond the broken stump, and I was on it before it could regain its bearings.

I landed on its back feet-first and swiped both blades downward, relieving it of its cerulean wings. I leapt off before it crashed to the ground and then allowed myself to free-fall with my swords before me. The force of my decent drove the blades deep, one through the chest, and one directly into is left eye and out through the back of its head. Before I could turn away, If felt a tell-tale whisper of wind on my face and was smacked away by a set of wicked blue claws. I moved to retaliate, but the monster was suddenly engulfed in flames as Fefnir fire one fully-charged fireball into its back. While it was otherwise occupied, its body spurting gouts of flame, Fefnir ran up and back-fisted it across the snout. It reeled back and roared, and Fefnir fired three quick blasts down its gullet. It exploded from the inside out, and as another dragon moved to take its place, Fefnir and I moved with it to intercept. He flashed me a malicious grin and swung his gun like a cudgel, batting the demon from the air.

I dashed over to impale it, but it rose swiftly, knocking me to the earth. I sprang up as Fefnir, phasing his gigantic buster off, leapt after it. He hit it hard from underneath and lifted it with the force of his jump. At the pinnacle of the spring, he yanked the beast downward and threw it with all his might at the ground. The landing was hard enough to shake nearby trees, and Fefnir quickly followed knee-first onto its neck. It gnashed its teeth at him, but Fefnir landed an incredibly strong blow to its head with his fist.

"You've been watching pro-wrestling again, haven't you?" I asked sardonically as I battled with another winged nuisance.

"Nothin' wrong with that," Fefnir said gleefully. The demon broke free and slashed with its claws, gashing Fefnir's face and chest armor. He yelled in rage, and, stepping back, phased his gun in again. Grabbing one side in his left hand, he motioned as though to pull the whole apparatus apart, but instead divided the buster, partially by phasing, into two. Now equipped on each arm, Fefnir turned his added fire-power on the demi-dragon and fired in rapid succession. The fireballs at first seemed to do little on its armor, but it soon became apparent that many shots were getting through to do real damage.

I back-flipped in the air to end up behind my foe, stabbing both blades into its back. Pulling one up and one down, I divided it vertically. It fell with nothing left to hold the two pieces together but a segment of the tail.

Two more dragons converged on our position. I performed a solid mid-air ax-kick on one. It didn't fall to the ground, but it forced it low enough that Fefnir, who had gone back to his one-armed buster, grabbed its clawed foot in his left hand. The beast flapped frantically, lifting Fefnir from the ground. I whirled and slashed the other dragon in the mouth. The beam-blade severed its lower jaw and the creature spat dark blood in my face. I elbowed its damaged jaw and then cut my jets briefly to fall and help Fefnir.

Although he was too close to make proper use of his gun, Fefnir continued to hold on and fire at his adversary persistently. Some shots burned into the armor, but most went wide or sizzled against the wings. The demon turned and tried to snap at him, doubling itself into an awkward position. I kicked it sharply in the face upon my decent and then severed its ankle, grabbing Fefnir's wrist before he could fall. Although he was not light-weight, as Mayu was, I had no trouble hoisting him over the battlefield while he blasted away with his weapon. The first few mini-explosions caught the dragon that had picked him up and blew a large, smoking, sparking hole in its chest. Once that one was down, Fefnir turned the gun, charging it all the while, on the jawless one and fired a single, powerful fireball. The head was blown clean off with a spray of blood, and Fefnir scanned the area for a new target.

A demi-dragon flew full-force into my back, digging its claws in. Fefnir and I fell from the air, and I landed uncomfortably on top of him upon impact. He unceremoniously shoved my legs off his back to attack the offending creature, but, as I got to my feet, I saw that Flauclaws was taking care of the problem. Using his incredible jumping skills, he pounced on the dragon, an impressive twenty-five foot leap, and ripped his metallic claws into its back. One wing sustained heavy damage and sparked out. As the demi-dragon fell, Flauclaws jumped off easily and landed in a crouch. Cerussite was waiting for the monster when it hit the ground, and with a series of lightning-fast strikes, ripped it to shreds.

Cerussite silently assessed the dismembered corpse of his enemy as though admiring a painting. His ice-chip eyes narrowed at something unknown, and he turned away, walking calmly back to Leviathan, his commanding officer.

"Man, that guy gives me the creeps," Fefnir grumbled, rubbing the back of his head. Blood ran down his face from an unknown wound somewhere under his helmet. His scarlet armor was splattered and smeared with the darker fluids of the demi-dragons. "Ah, well. That wasn't too bad a fight. Gonna have to polish my armor again, though..." He wandered away, heading toward Leviathan, probably to gloat about his kill-count.

He'd better not make her too mad, or he may as well be counted as one of the dead... I soared into the air a short distance to assess our damages. The black bodies of demi-dragons littered the forest floor, but other than that, we had lost a few soldiers, all of them rookies. Good. No serious wounds to deal with; at least none that I can see. That was a positive sign, since our mission was not over yet, and now that I was here, I intended to see it through. I landed and moved to approach Magnion when I heard a sharp crack behind me. Turning, I saw Fefnir holding the side of his face and Leviathan glowering at him, seeming to tower over him although he was a full seven inches taller than her. He may as well be counted as one of the dead.