The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

by CloudFry

The world Velvet Crowe once knew has changed. Now, the only way the former Lord of Calamity can achieve her goals is to play along with the rest of the sheep. Cloaked in self-hatred as a monster borne of irredeemable sin, Velvet is determined to twist the young Shepherd into a tool to suit her needs through whatever means available.

8. C07 - Expendable

Chapter 7 – Expendable.

The creaking of rotten wood punctuated their every movement, echoing deafeningly loudly throughout the mansion. The dull grey walls of the hallway they traversed were utterly bare and riddled with mold. The decades-old red carpet under their feet coughed out dust with each step as they warily made their way deeper into the depths of the silent building. Stale, elaborate cobwebs silently stood vigil as the intruders proceeded, glistening hauntingly in the pale darkness.

Every step, every shift of body weight, even every breath felt wholly unnatural in such a stagnant, confined space.

Sorey took in his surroundings with keen eyes as he trotted down the dark hallway, his hand resting readily on the sword hanging from his right hip. All around him, flakes of malevolence drifted lazily in the silence, flourishing in the powerful domain of the hellion that had made the mansion its lair. Every muscle in his body remained tensed and rigid as he proceeded, driven by instinct in the face of such a dark and foreboding atmosphere.

The soft clinking of metal in the quiet abruptly reminded him of his companion traversing the hallway with him, causing him to briefly glance to his side in her direction.

Velvet Davidson's body was seemingly relaxed as always as she strolled forward on the carpet, her black coat and long raven hair gliding smoothly behind her. Her arms hung loosely at her sides, swinging rhythmically in tandem with each determined stride. He decided to break the silence in an attempt to calm his jittery nerves.

"Hey, Velvet?" He prompted, his voice low and soft. "Do you think the others are alright?"

She glanced over her shoulder at him before waving a dismissive hand in the air in response. "They'll be fine." She assured. "They're a group consisting of three seraphim and a single squire. I'm sure they'll be able to handle anything they find lurking about in here." She turned her head forward once more, her eyes actively scanning the darkness ahead. "If anything, I think it's us that you should be worrying about more." She pointed out dryly.

"Yeah… You're probably right." Sorey agreed, following her gaze and also staring down the darkened hallway.

Their footsteps continued rhythmically, echoing down the empty cavernous hallway as they turned the corner, wandering aimlessly in hopes of finding their way back to their group.

"…Man, though." Sorey sighed, absently rolling his stiff shoulders as he walked. "Who would've thought that there would be a trapdoor back there in that room?" He commented. "And that it would open while we the two of us were standing on top of it, even!"

"No sane person ever expects something like that." Velvet let out a huff of annoyance, her expression darkening. "All I know is that I'm having some choice words with the hellion occupying this wreck the moment we finally find it." She growled. "That was not funny."

Sorey grinned. "You and me both." He agreed. He abruptly blinked and scratched his head sheepishly as a though evidently occurred to him. "Ah..." he groaned, "Mikleo's probably worried sick right about now."

"Don't worry about it." Velvet gestured in his direction. "I'm sure Lailah would remind him that as a seraph, he'd feel something if his precious vessel had sustained any lasting damage." She pointed out.

"Even if she did," Sorey shook his head, "I'm not so sure that would stop him from worrying." He shrugged. "Mikleo's always been the sort of person to worry like that." He reminisced.

Velvet gave him a look. "By the way, what exactly is the deal with you guys?" She asked curiously as the two continued walking. "The two of you are from a village of seraphim, right?"

"Yeah. Elysia." Sorey nodded with a soft smile growing on his face, his body unconsciously losing its tension as his thoughts evidently drifted towards his home.

"Mikleo and I are lifelong friends." He explained, absently reaching behind his back and pulling out a familiar weathered book. "We grew up together." The Celestial Record slid open with a homely crack, revealing hundreds of detailed, notated pages of the history of the world. Velvet watched with amusement the Shepherd ran his excited eyes almost dotingly over the words of his favorite book.

"…We must've explored all of the ruins in the vicinity of Elysia dozens of times over throughout our childhood." He recounted warmly. "It got to the point where we ended up making it into a game. Whoever finds the most historically valuable artefact wins." Sorey looked up from the book and gave Velvet a sheepish grin. "Gramps didn't find our games nearly as entertaining though."

Velvet found herself smirking at the image. "I feel sorry for him." She remarked wryly. "The two of you are already a handful to deal with as teenagers. I can hardly imagine how stressful it must have been to have to worry about you two crawling around ruins as kids."

Sorey scratched the back of his head bashfully, grinning. "To be honest? I feel the same way." He admitted freely. "Some of the things we did back then were super dangerous in retrospect. I really respect Gramps for putting up with the two of us back then."

The woman tilted her head curiously. "Like what?"

He winced. "Well, this one time," he recounted, "the two of us decided to try and race each other to the bottom of the biggest ruin in Elysia. We were about 8 years old back then, I think. Both of us had the same idea to take the same shortcut down to the bottom via a cliffside path."

"Let me guess." Velvet interrupted dryly. "You tripped."

Sorey chuckled, scratching his cheek sheepishly. "You guessed it." He confirmed. "Yet, the moment he heard me fall, Mikleo came to a screeching halt. Without a single moment's hesitation, he lunged off the cliff himself and tried to grab my hand as I fell."

Velvet blinked. "Seriously?"

Sorey nodded honestly. "I was really mad at him afterwards for doing it afterward, but the fact is that he ended up saving my life." His eyes were soft. In his hands, the Celestial Record was instinctively cradled close to his chest. "...After he had done so, Mikleo managed to grab a hold of both the ledge and my hand, leaving the two of us dangling precariously off the side of the ruins in the outskirts of Elysia." He recounted soberly.

"I don't think I had ever been so scared in my life up until that point. I really thought I was going to die." He chuckled humorlessly. "I gotta say… That moment kinda sucked."

Velvet's lips were pressed in a firm line as she imagined the scene. "That… sounds horrible."

He nodded seriously. "…After we'd miraculously made our way back home, we both promised never to touch ruins again." He shook his head. "And after the lashing that Gramps gave us for it once we'd told him what had happened, we really meant it too."

At this, she scoffed. "Right. Going by your current selves, I'm sure the two of you were right back at it within a month."

Sorey grinned back sheepishly. "Try a week."

Velvet facepalmed. "…Edna's right." She muttered, sliding her hand off her face. "You boys are idiots."

Sorey chuckled in response.

Together, the two of them continued to traverse the narrow corridors, randomly choosing turns to make in what was increasingly feeling like a complex labyrinth underneath the Dumnonia Museum. The stale, dry air was an unchanging constant wherever they went, plagued with thin traces of malevolence and filled with deafening silence.

"How about you?" Sorey's voice broke the quiet once more. "What's your home like?" He asked curiously. "The one you grew up in?"

Seemingly at ease, the woman looked away from the Shepherd, apparently reminiscing about the past. Internally, her mind was once more hard at work, actively linking falsehoods together in an effort to weave an elaborate tapestry that would ultimately obscure her true identity. Creating lies to tell in the face of the Shepherd's welcoming friendship.

"…My village wasn't very interesting." She claimed, facing straight ahead, avoiding his eyes. "Me and my little brother lived in our own house in the outskirts of town, working to sustain ourselves on our own."

Sorey's eyes were empathetic. "It must've been hard." He remarked softly. "Living without anybody watching over you and being all alone."

Velvet shrugged. "We had each other." Her eyes were distant. "We were a happy family. That's all that mattered."

"And… the seraphim that you mentioned?" His voice was decidedly curious.

Faces appeared once more in Velvet's mind. A soft smile crept up into her expression. "There were two of them." She recalled. "One was a seraph who had travelled the world and had seemingly seen everything there is to have been seen." She glanced at him. "I'm sure the two of you would've had lots of talk about with regards to ancient artefacts."

Sorey's face was bright and awed. "A seraph who has travelled the world…!" He cocked his head to the side curiously. "…And the other?" He prompted.

"The other seraph…" Velvet's eyes drifted away once more. At her sides, her fingers slowly curled into fists. "…was nobody important." She muttered.

"Oh." He blinked, taken aback by the statement.

His brow furrowed. "…Hey, you said that the first seraph 'would've' had lots to talk with me." He pointed out curiously. "What happened to the two of them?"

Velvet looked away, her expression darkening. "…Time." She muttered resentfully without thought.

Sorey blinked.

Suddenly, Velvet let out a curse and exploded into action, leaping to the side and body-slamming Sorey into the wall in the process. The two of them crashed painfully against the wall together right at the same moment something massive fell down from nowhere and landed on the floorboards that they'd been standing on with an ear-rattling crash.

BANG!

Wood splinters flew everywhere in an instant in the wake of the impact, accompanied by a choking cloud of displaced dust that billowed outwards and engulfed the entire hallway. Wood planks and faded carpet alike were shredded by the object that had nearly fallen on their heads as it sank deep into the floor with the force of sheer weight alone.

Silence fell once more as the hallway once more regressed into a deceptively stagnant state.

"Gah!" Sorey let out a massive breath as he let his picked his head up and regained his bearings, lying there a few meters away from where the object had fallen. He blinked, staring incredulously at what said object was. "W-what the heck?"

"…You have got to be kidding me." At his side, Velvet got to her feet with a savage growl. "Just what the hell is this?!" She demanded.

Sorey scratched his cheek with an amazed expression. "Uh… It… looks like a piano." He pointed out uselessly.

The glare Velvet sent over her shoulder at him in response sent a chill up his spine. "I can see that." She grumbled. "I'm asking why exactly a piano just fell from the damn ceiling."

She turned her glare back onto the utterly imploded piano that had indeed crash-landed right where the two of them had been standing moments before.

Dusting his cloak off, Sorey got to his feet and stood next to her gazing up at the ceiling, which he only now realized featured a square hole leading up into the abyss. "…Oh!" He plonked a fist in his palm in sudden realization and whirled around to face an inquisitive Velvet with wide, enthusiastic eyes. "I got it!"

Velvet blinked. "What?"

Sorey gestured eagerly at the chute above their heads. "Doesn't that look familiar? It's the exact same dimensions as the pit that we fell through earlier when that trapdoor activated!"

At his words, the woman took a closer look at the hole in the ceiling. Sure enough, the square opening was almost if not exactly the same dimensions. "Huh. Your point?"

"I have a hypothesis." Sorey walked up to the fallen piano and turned to Velvet. "I think that this museum was originally built as a lavish mansion back before it was converted." He gestured animatedly with his hands. "Such a place must've been owned by a really, really rich person, right?"

At Velvet's nod, he continued unceasingly, "Then that means that rich person must've hired a whole host of servants to help clean such an elaborate mansion. With so many people needing to go to so many places on such a regular basis, the mansion would've been way too hectic to be a relaxing place." Sorey pointed out. "So, I'm guessing that what we've been walking through," he gestured at the hallway they were standing in, "was meant as passageways for servants to go to and from in their duties, unseen by the patrons of the mansion."

Comprehension dawned on Velvet's expression as she caught on. "So, the trapdoor that we fell through…"

"Yep!" Clearly ecstatic that Velvet had registered his point, Sorey nodded with a grin. "That trapdoor was just one of the many trapdoors hidden around the mansion, meant as access points for the servants travelling through the mansion with these passageways."

He let out a hum, grasping his chin with his hand and steamrolling onward with his hypothesis. "…I imagine that the servants would've used ladders back in the day to enter and exit the manor using the trapdoors. Those ladders must've degraded over time."

He blinked, snapping his fingers in realization. "Ah! Then that means that all of this; the trapdoors, the hallways; all of it hasn't been touched for ages ever since the mansion was converted into a museum!" His eyes seemed to shine with enthusiasm. "That means we've accidentally stumbled on a sort of ancient secret passageway! That's awesome!" He exclaimed. "Wait 'till Mikleo gets a load of this!"

Velvet rolled her eyes at the completely distracted Shepherd as he continued to pace back and forth, unable to contain the energy thrumming through his body at the revelation. "While that's interesting and all," she drawled wryly, "don't you think you're forgetting something here?"

Sorey abruptly blinked, freezing in his steps and turning to face her. "Ahah." He chuckled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "Right. We should get going, huh?"

She just shook her head in wry amusement. "Come on."

Together, the two of them fell back in step, walking away from the wreckage behind them. Now that he had derived the true significance of the locale he was exploring, all signs of tension had left Sorey's body. Now, every step he took contained a bounce as he walked forward while his eyes eagerly drank in every single faucet of detail provided.

Watching all of this in bemusement, Velvet couldn't help but roll her eyes. A bookworm and a weirdo. She couldn't help but be reminded of…

"Oh." Sorey abruptly stopped and turned around, facing her impassionedly. "Velvet, I forgot to mention. Thanks for saving me back there, seriously. I would've been flattened without your help."

"Don't worry about it." She waved him off. "You're the Shepherd, right?" She remarked, raising an eyebrow. "Your life is more important than mine. It's only natural that I do what I can to protect you."

At those words, Sorey closed his eyes in consternation.

"…Don't say that." He muttered harshly. "That's not true. Not in the slightest."

Silence followed in the wake of his words. All around them, lingering malevolence intermingled with floating particles of dust, disturbed by their presence. The darkness enshrouded both ends of the hallway, leaving the two of them isolated and alone in the bowels of the museum.

"…You really believe that?" Velvet's words were low and serious. Her eyes did not leave his. "You believe that, knowing that you're the only one in this entire world who has the ability to quell the hellions?"

Holding her gaze, Sorey nodded solemnly. "…I do."

The silence held all around them. There he stood, the Shepherd of the people; vehemently denying the importance of his own powers when the fate of the world itself was at stake. Velvet's eyes narrowed in disapproval.

Abruptly, he blinked, tilting his head to the side. "Hold on." He breathed, his body tensing up in alarm. "You hear that?"

Velvet turned her head towards where he was indicating. "What?"

"…Laughing." Sorey seemed almost entranced by the sound, his eyes wide.

Furrowing her brow, the woman closed her eyes and concentrated. A shiver ran down her spine as she registered what he was describing; the eerie, inappropriate, and unmistakable sound of childish giggling permeating through the air.

The source of which was quickly closing in on their position.

Both travelers exchanged determined nods and fell into defensive combat stances, readying their bodies in preparation for battle.

Velvet moved her bandaged arm to form a protective angle in front of her while at the same time letting her sword-bearing arm dangle loosely at her side. At her side, Sorey slowly drew his sword, letting the ceremonial wooden handle slide through his fingers and right itself before him. They stood there together in the middle of the hallway, facing off against the encroaching darkness with wary readiness.

And then the ghost hellion pounced.

It took the form of a tall, horrifying specter wielding dual material blades in each transparent hand that emitted a deafening, shiver-inducing screech as it slashed its weapons towards its intended victim, Sorey. The Shepherd had only seconds to react to its appearance and raise his sword in a weak half-guard.

CLANG! CLANG!

The slamming of steel on steel echoed noisily throughout the hallway. Both swords of the monster impacted on Sorey's with overwhelming force, causing him to stagger back in the wake of the attack. The hellion capitalized on the opening, lunging forward and pressing its attack.

SLASH!

Only to cry out in agony as a hidden boot blade carved out a chunk of ectoplasm from its back. Velvet landed lithely in the wake of her kick and promptly raised her right arm and extended her blade to meet the hellion's clumsy retaliatory sword swipe. The cruel blade of the ghost sparked as it clashed with the therion's resolute steel.

Undeterred, the ghost hellion screeched once more and spun around, bringing its second sword around to rend the woman in two. In response, Velvet leapt backwards in a backflip, feeling the harsh displacement of air as the blade sailed inches away from her body in midair.

"Hah!" Sorey let out a yell as he jerked his sword into the hellion's side, eliciting a wild, enraged screech. Quickly as possible, the young man pulled his sword out and leapt backwards, dodging the hellion's furious swipes in response.

Velvet took the opportunity to get the Shepherd's attention. "Sorey!" She yelled, turning back to her opponent. "When I tell you to, purify it."

He nodded sharply in response. "I'm counting on you!" He called back.

The hellion let out a screech, preventing further communication as it charged furiously towards Velvet with both swords held high up in the air like twin guillotines. Undeterred, Velvet simply took a single step back and readied herself, tensing her legs and waiting for her opponent to make its move.

With a cry, the ghost hellion slashed swords down at the same time, swiping down and across its body and seeking to crush Velvet body in-between its blades.

"RISING FALCON!"

Instead, it found nothing but empty air.

With a cry, Velvet pushed herself harshly up into the air and sailed above the monster's blades and twisted mid-flight, redirecting her velocity downwards and towards her target. With practiced grace, the woman pivoted her body and extended the hidden blade inside of her boot, angling it directly towards her victim.

CRASH!

The hellion didn't stand a chance as the woman slammed into its chest, her blade sinking deep into where its heart would've been. Losing its balance, the ghost hellion crumpled into a heap on the ground, its swords falling uselessly at it sides with loud clangs. Agilely, Velvet leapt off the monster's chest the moment it fell and landed a few meters away, rolling smoothly to absorb the impact. She got to her knee and made eye contact with the Shepherd.

"Now!" She barked.

Sorey didn't need to be told twice. Rushing in with blue flames bursting from his blade, the young man waved his sword over the fallen corpse of the hellion, allowing the purifying power to spread from his body and into the corrupted soul's. Velvet was blinded by the brilliance of the bright flame as it rudely invaded upon the darkness of the hallway, casting off all hints of shadow in the wake of its power.

Sorey let out a shaky breath as the purification process ended, leaving behind nothing but empty air in the wake of the purified ghost hellion. "Alright!" He grinned, turning to his companion enthusiastically.

His grin faltered when he registered the scowl on her face.

"That was pathetic." The words rang out noisily into the now deafeningly quiet hallway. With deliberate, measured steps, Velvet made her way up to Sorey, crossing her arms and making her displeasure tangibly evident. "It's been bothering me for a while, but now it's getting to the point where I can't just ignore it any longer." She narrowed her eyes.

"You've never been taught how to use a sword properly."

It was a statement, not a question. A harsh observation of a reality that was evidently painfully obvious.

In the face of the woman's harsh, reprimanding expression, Sorey winced. "Y-yeah." He nodded. "I trained myself to use the sword based off of only what I read in books back in Elysia. Nobody else used a sword but me, since they all had seraphic artes." He raised his eyes and met Velvet's with a bashful expression.

"To be honest… I've been feeling rather useless next to your own swordplay." He gave Velvet a respectful nod. "Your moves are really amazing. The artes you use sometimes are just so complex…"

Velvet's eyes had softened somewhat. She shifted on her feet, letting her right arm fall onto her hip.

"…I can teach you, if you want." She offered gently.

She shrugged, looking off into the distance. "I can't really say how good I am of a teacher, but…" She trailed off.

"Really!?"

Sorey's eyes were wide as he took an eager step forward. "You'd teach me, Velvet?!" He asked incredulously. "Just like that?"

"Sure." Velvet confirmed with a nonchalant shrug. "You can think of it as thanks for letting me travel with you, if you want."

"That would be amazing! Absolutely!" Sorey was beaming brightly as he sheathed his sword, his back straightening with the notion of being trained by someone so nuanced as her. He cocked his head curiously. "Does that mean you trained by anyone back in your village, Velvet?"

Velvet hesitated.

Plans must be solid, and reactions flexible. The familiar words, so old yet so very much engrained in her very soul, resounded in her ears.

She clenched her fists.

"…No. I'm self-taught as well." She lied, idly examining her sheathed gauntlet blade worn on her right wrist. "…I just use things I've picked up here and there." She dismissed.

"That's really impressive." Sorey shifted on his feet. "Well, if you're willing, Velvet, I'd love to learn from you." He smiled determinedly. "If I could be even a tenth of how good a fighter you are in the end, I'd be more than happy."

Velvet gave him an appraising look. "…Well. If that's the case, then I hope you're willing to work hard." Her lips curved into a malicious smirk, her eyes growing almost predatory.

"Because you can be sure I won't be going easy on you." She promised darkly.

Sorey gulped.

"A-AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Both of them flinched as a howling scream echoed loudly through the entire mansion, emitted by a very familiar voice.

"Mikleo!" Sorey's suddenly panicked eyes shot to Velvet's.

At once, the two of them took off through the darkness towards where the scream had originated. The pounding of Sorey's leather boots on carpet mirrored the slamming of Velvet's steel ones as they charged through the darkness and rounded the corner, finding and taking a set of stairs at the end of the hallway.

Heaving for breath, Sorey stumbled to the top of the stairway and blinked, finding a complete and utter dead end before him. "W-what?" He breathed, hunching over and grasping his knees in exhaustion. "But I could've sworn that…!"

"Move!"

His thought was interrupted as his companion slid smoothly by him with the grace of a ghost and, without hesitation, pivoted her body on a dime while raising her left leg high in the air to slam her boot directly into the face of the wall.

CRASH!

Blinding rays of light flooded the darkened stairwell, causing Sorey to raise a hand up against the intrusive brightness. He gaped as he registered that Velvet had just kicked a hole in the wall; a wall that was actually made of temporary boards, judging by the cracked planks hanging from the sides. He blinked once more, belatedly registering the scene that awaited the two of them in the hole that Velvet had created.

The rest of the group stared back at them with wide eyes, their shocked bodies frozen still in their former positions like actors in a scene from a play.

Lailah apparently had been laughing judging by the fan of casting cards she was still holding up to her mouth. Alisha stood by her side, her hands still clutching her sides in the wake of a fit of giggles.

And then there in the middle of the room laid Mikleo.

Or, rather, that was what Sorey assumed, judging by the edge of his friend's familiar cape, as the rest of the seraph had been positively blanketed in what appeared to be a metric ton of flour.

Sorey blinked. "…Mikleo?" He asked hesitantly, his voice ringing out in the shocked silence. "That you?"

"Who else do you think it could be?"

Edna's face was utterly and completely smug as she trotted easily forward up to the hole in the wall, a deviously satisfied smirk on her face.

Almost daintily, the earth seraph held up a rather off-putting red and black mask depicting what appeared to be a monster of sorts into the air as an explanation. "Only he could be such a scaredy-cat and to let himself to be so surprised by this thing." Idly, the seraph tossed the mask over her shoulder as an afterthought.

"Edna… you did this?" Sorey asked with wide eyes as the mask clattered to the floorboards behind her, aghast.

"Hey, it's not like it's my fault." She pointed out apathetically and waved a hand towards a large spilt bag of flour lying in a mess behind Mikleo. "I wasn't the one who decided to jump backwards into some shelves and end up dressing like a ghost." She gave Sorey an innocent look. "…Besides. He was so tense, I figured a good scare would be good for him."

Sorey was lost for words, gaping dumbly at the seraph.

At his side, he heard a long, drawn-out sigh.

He turned to find Velvet with a hand planted firmly upon her face. "Honestly." She muttered under her breath. "Like I said, you really didn't need worry about them." She waved her other hand in the air. "Clearly, our absence didn't worry them one bit."

"Th-that's not true!" Alisha rallied in their defense, taking an impassioned step forward. "We were all extraordinarily worried after you two disappeared out of the blue like that!" She hesitated, glancing at the plume of settling flour that was vaguely shaped like Mikleo before gathering herself once more. "D-despite what it might seem like at the moment, we were all busy trying to look for you two!" She insisted valiantly.

Lailah's smile was once more being covered by her playing cards as she gave her own two cents. "Yes, that was indeed the case." She nodded sagely. "One might even say that us four were doing everything in our flour to help!"

Alisha blinked in surprise. Edna's eye twitched. Sorey's face split into a hesitant, forced grin.

Velvet's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Lailah…" She growled lowly.

"Ah!" Suddenly, Lailah prudently turned away with innocent sparkles in her eyes, away from the growling hellion in disguise. "It's probably best that we go help Mikleo before he inhales too much flour, don't you think?" She proposed innocently.

"R-right." Shaking his head, Sorey gingerly pushed himself through the hole in the wall and stumbled into the brightly lit second floor room, squinting to help adjust his eyes to the blinding sunlight seeping in through the windows. "Geez! That's bright!" He groaned, blinking rapidly.

Stepping past him, Velvet made her way up to Mikleo's knocked-out form and glanced over her shoulder. "Edna. Give me a hand." She ordered. "This is your fault, after all."

Pouting slightly, the earth seraph surprisingly agreed to the command. "…Fine." She grumbled, trotting up to the therion's side and grasping an exposed, twitching right hand with her own hand. "On three. One, two, three!" Together, the two of them forcibly pulled the poor water seraph out of his powdery grave.

"GYAAAH!"

Like an abruptly reanimated corpse, Mikleo came to life thrashing and kicking, coughing and sneezing his lungs out onto the ground, groaning in agony.

"Da… damn you, Edna!" He managed to articulate between coughing fits as he managed to sit up, glaring hatefully at the smug little earth seraph standing before him. "Why… why would you do that to me?!" He demanded, aggressively fluffing his hair and creating a massive puff cloud of flour to the amusement of those spectating. "What have I done that could possibly have warranted such punishment?!"

"Hmm." Edna hummed, looking away. "You're a Meebo. Why else?" She said, as if that explained everything.

"I told you to stop calling me that!"

"That's enough!"

Both of them blinked and turned around as Velvet put her hands on her hip, glaring down at the two of them. "Edna, apologize." She demanded, glaring at the earth seraph. "You went too far this time."

Mikleo blinked in surprise at the surprise turn of events. What was even more surprising was the genuine emotion that flitted through Edna's normally stoic expression at Velvet's reprimand.

In response, Edna gave a slow nod. "…Fine." She turned to Mikleo and, to his surprise, actually bowed her body forward in a small but undeniable gesture of apology. "…Sorry." She mumbled.

That was it. None of the typical jeering or name-calling. Mikleo was left in a state of pure shock.

"Mikleo."

The seraph in question glanced at Velvet who in turn gestured meaningfully. "O-oh!" Registering what she meant, Mikleo blinked and turned to face Edna fully. "It's fine, Edna." He nodded slowly. "I get it, you didn't mean it to go so far. No hard feelings."

"Hmph." Edna looked away. "Don't get used to it. Meebo."

Sorey promptly shoved himself in-between the two of them with a calm, peacemaking smile.

"Alright, come on you two." He urged lightly before the tentative peace could devolve into a bickering fight once more. He turned to his friend still sitting on the ground and offered him a hand. "Let's get going." He urged.

It was only then that Mikleo truly registered the presences of the two missing group members. He shot to his feet. "Sorey!" He yelped worriedly. "You're alright! Where did you come from? You and Velvet disappeared on us all of a sudden without any warning!"

"We're alright!" Sorey reassured placatingly with an easy grin, waving his hand towards the hole in the wall. "We fell through a trapdoor and only managed to find our way back to you all just now." He scratched his cheek wryly. "I'd say that your screams were what helped us find our way out of the maze down there. Thanks."

Mikleo's face turned bright red. "O-oh. You heard that, huh?"

"Pretty sure the whole continent heard you." Edna commented wryly from the sidelines.

"Never mind that, Mikleo." Sorey refocused the seraph's attention on himself. His eyes brightened in scholarly fervor. "Just wait 'till you hear what Velvet and I stumbled upon down there!"

As the Sorey eagerly began sharing the details of their adventure in the bowels of the Dumnonia Museum, Velvet trotted over to Alisha and Lailah, sharing their expressions of amusement at the mania of the two boys. "You two alright?" Velvet posed the question.

Alisha nodded. "We're all fine." She glanced at the fallen bag of flour lying on the ground with a chuckle. "Well, save for a few casualties, that is." She added.

"I'm glad you two could find your way back to us." Lailah remarked seriously, giving Velvet a thankful nod. "It seems that, despite a few hitches along the way, all's well that ends well." She commented brightly.

"…It's not over yet." Velvet's voice had taken on a sudden edge.

As one, the group dropped their conversations and turned towards the door to the room as a distinctly sharp, foreign sound approached from behind it.

BANG!

Weapons were drawn immediately, and battle formations were instinctively formed as a huge armored hellion charged through the remains of the shredded wooden door, wielding a mind-bogglingly long jousting spear in one hand. It was a monster consisting only of bright-golden pieces of armor, decorated with intricate patterns of distinctly cruel beauty. Its head consisted of nothing but an emotionless helmet with two wings jutting out from its top.

Without pause, the hellion attacked the intruders in its domain.

"Come on!" Velvet urged, charging in first.

Sorey was quick on her heels, his sword held readily at his side. "Let's take 'em down!" He called.

With brilliant flashes of mana and sparks, the Shepherd's group and the hellion clashed together in battle before the brilliance of the daylight sun streaming in through the open windows behind them.

Together once more.

---

The world lit up in blue and silver as the Shepherd's holy power took hold of the monster. All around them, the world seemed to lighten as the malevolence in the domain began to dissipate. Through their efforts, the Shepherd's group had managed to purify the monster that had been plaguing the Dumnonia Museum.

An ear-grating high-pitched squeal abruptly burst out over the roaring of silver flames, resounding off the walls of the room.

"Stop! Stop stop stop stop stop stooooop!"

Sorey blinked, taking a step back as the helmet of the armored hellion grew two squeaky legs and charged at him, effectively cornering him.

He blinked again when he registered a round body and two very irate eyes glaring up at him from underneath the oversized helmet.

The little seraph squeaked indignantly up at him. "Stop it ya big lug! Prancin' prickleboars, what's gotten into ya?!"

"I… uh…" Sorey stammered, hesitantly untensing his body and sliding his sword back into its sheath. "…Sorry?"

All around them, the rest of the group did the same with their own weapons, approaching wearily after an arduous battle.

Lailah in particular stopped short and shook her head. "…Oh, what a fool I was!" She exclaimed. "I should have realized you would be here." She inclined her head at the small helmeted seraph at the group's feet. "Atakk." She greeted.

The change in the small seraph's demeanor was instant as he turned from Sorey to Lailah, a massive grin appearing in his chubby facial features. He let out a soft gasp. "Oh, my goodness!" He exclaimed, spinning around in a dainty circle and raising both arms high. "It's pretty Lady Lailah! How ya been?"

The group watched as the little thing fell into a rapid shuffle directly aimed towards Lailah's legs before pouncing. Without missing a beat, the fire seraph sidestepped to the side, keeping her hands held cordially together.

Clank.

Having missed his target, the helmeted seraph named Atakk faceplanted straight into the carpet with a loud thud.

"Aww…" Atakk groaned, pushing himself up and readjusting the oversized helmet on his head in the process. "You never were a lick of fun."

As the small seraphim got up, Alisha idly clutched her right arm with her left hand. "Is this… a friend of yours?" She asked hesitantly.

"Sort of." The fire seraph answered vaguely. "It was a long time ago."

"My name's Atakk." Atakk introduced himself with a bow towards Alisha. "Cheesed to please ya!"

Mikleo put a hand on his hip. "That's a weird name."

"Well, aren't you rude!" Atakk huffed, crossing his stubby arms. "Don't you know that Atakk is a normin name of the highest pedigree?!" His spine stiffened. "Means I'm fancy!"

Sorey blinked. "Hey, Lailah?" He looked at the woman. "What's a normin?" He asked curiously.

Lailah glanced down at Atakk contemplatively. "They're a special kind of seraphim." She explained. "They aren't quite as powerful as a Lord of the Land, but rather they have the ability to boost another seraph's power." She tilted her head, humming to herself as she decided how best to phrase it. "You could say that they are all… maids, in a manner of speaking."

Mikleo tapped a hand to his temple. "They're… all maids?" He shook his head. "I'm afraid I'm not so sure I get it."

Atakk, meanwhile, had flushed red with Lailah's explanation. "Ahh, that's my Lailah!" He chirped, raising his hands once more in the air. A dreamy sort of quality overcame his eyes. "You know me like the back of your own lily-white hand…!"

Just like that, the normin seraph shuffled forward once more in an attempt to grasp Lailah's exposed legs. And just like that, the normin seraph was foiled as Lailah nonchalantly dodged his efforts once more.

Clank.

Velvet Crowe looked away from the perverted normin's seraph's actions as she watched from her spot leaning against the wall behind Sorey, her arms crossed and her jaw clenched. She shook her head to herself as the conversation on the qualities of normin seraphim continued, only half listening. Atakk's unexpected appearance had caused a slew of irritatingly bittersweet memories to resurface.

Honestly.

Of all the things in her previous life here in this world, Velvet honestly would've never guessed that Bienfu would have been one of the things from her old life that she'd truly miss. Her brow furrowed as her thoughts began to wander, considering subjects that which she'd been purposefully avoiding thinking about.

Bienfu… could still be alive, she realized with a chill running up her spine.

Just as she had met Zaveid, there was a distinct possibility that that normin malak was still out there, being the perverted, spineless little dolt that he had always been. The things they could talk about. The things they could share… The bond they had was still intact, she was sure of it.

There could then be one other being in this world whom had traveled with her in the olden days. One of the few whom hadn't…

Velvet's expression darkened.

…No, she decided. It would be best if she didn't meet him at all.

In fact, the best-case scenario she could hope for would be that Bienfu had died long ago. That way, at least, she wouldn't be forced to confront the utterly unnerving notion of Bienfu living free from the service of his former mistress.

For while Bienfu might've lived this long, she was most definitely dead. She… and also…

Her fists tightened.

"…et? Velvet?"

The therion blinked, abruptly tearing herself from her swirling dark thoughts and finding the room empty, save for Sorey standing before her with a worried expression. "The rest of the group is headed out." He explained.

The Shepherd took a step closer, genuine concern in his eyes. "Velvet… is everything okay?" He asked gently.

Shaking her head harshly and pushing herself off the wall, Velvet waved off his concern.

"It's nothing." She dismissed. "Come on. Let's go."

With a strong, forceful stride, the woman forced herself forward and away from the monsters nipping at her heels. Worry still plain on his face, Sorey slowly followed after her out of the room.

As the footsteps of the group faded away, the large room of the old decrepit mansion returned back to silence, waiting for the cloud of disturbed dust dancing in the rays of soft sunlight from the windows to settle and cover its ancient floor once more.

Just another seemingly innocuous room in an ancient home filled with deep, cruel shadows.

---

That night, the Shepherd left the city of Marlind, alone.

The bright yellow waning moon hung softly in the night sky as the young man made his way through the empty field in the outskirts of town, idly savoring the cool night breeze that blew in waves across the grassy sea. The air here was starkly crisp and fresh; completely free of the choking malevolence that blanketed the plague town. Sorey stopped in the middle of the field and let out a sigh, closing his eyes and focusing on the feeling of the cold night breeze playing with his flapping cloak.

Yet even now, in this starkly different environment, there was no hiding from the ominous thoughts plaguing his head. The growing anticipation was as a powerful leech; an all-encompassing vortex eagerly sucking away every other thought until the point at which every waking breath he took would be accompanied with feelings of dread and self-doubt.

Naturally, there was no rest to be had for the world's savior.

Sorey shook his head softly and vainly willed himself to think of matters other than the looming task before him. And yet, no matter what he did, the looming fight continued to hound his thoughts, leering at him from the dark corners of his mind.

It wasn't long, however, before he was jerked from his swirling thoughts by the sound of someone approaching him in the middle of the field. With their arrival, the world once more regressed into a boiling cauldron of swirling malevolence; a domain announcing the presence of an unimaginably powerful being.

The Shepherd turned and nodded his head in greeting towards the familiar figure of the masked hellion that had arrived across the field from him. "Hey there." He greeted, giving a small wave and a smile to the cloaked enigma. "Thanks for coming."

The hellion didn't respond, simply standing there in the center of its malevolence and stared back at him in what he had come to consider as characteristic silence.

Sorey scratched his head sheepishly and looked to the side. "Actually, before we begin… I have something to confess." His right hand habitually landed on his sheathed sword, idly drumming his fingers on the pommel as he tried to quantify the anxiety he was feeling. He glanced at the hellion's burning red eyes. "…I have to fight a dragon soon."

The hellion didn't blink.

"Well," Sorey corrected himself, "…a baby dragon. A drake, to be exact. The one that's circling over Marlind." His preoccupied eyes were drawn to the nearby silhouette of the Great Tree of Marlind to the west. "And, to be honest," he admitted softly, "I'm not really sure I'm ready to take on such a strong beast, even with the help of the others."

He glanced at the masked hellion. "…But I have to try, if I'm to save the people in Marlind from the plague of malevolence." He shook his head, profound determination seeping into his posture. "If I don't, even with the rest of the medicine arriving by cart over the Griflet River, the townspeople will continue to suffer. So that's why…"

He took a step forward. "I was hoping that you could help me out."

Silence fell in the wake of his statement. A cool night breeze blew once more, rustling the surrounding grass and punctuating the quiet.

Slowly, in response to Sorey's words, the hellion raised its pulsating claw and angled its open palm directly towards the Shepherd across the field from it.

Sorey blinked.

Then, in the blink of an eye, the world lit up for miles around as a huge, pulsating fireball was spontaneously conjured in the hellion's grasp, casting its cloaked figure in stark lighting as it took a step forward. Magma dripped from the raging inferno in its claw and fell to the ground below, igniting small grass fires that were trampled under the hellion's form as it approached him ominously, the fireball in its grasp growing and growing and growing.

Behind its mask, its evil blood-red eyes had narrowed sharply with the unmistakable intent of violence.

Finally gathering his wits, Sorey realized its intentions. He let out a shaky smile as he drew his sword and fell into a ready stance in response to its approach. "Okay." He let out a nervous chuckle. "I guess that works." He supposed.

With a soundless cry, the hellion pulled its arm back and thrust it violently forward, hurling the blazing inferno directly at him.

Cursing, Sorey dove to the side with a yelp, feeling the heat nearly scorch his back as the flames slammed into the ground directly behind him. Frantically, the Shepherd rolled on impact and forced himself into a stable crouch before he raised his sword up just in time to parry the hellion's massive claw as it descended upon him without pause.

CLANG!

Sparks flew as steel met claw as the weapons bounced off each other. Keenly aware of his opponent's might, Sorey took the first chance he had to leap off the ground and away from the hellion's range, readjusting his grip on his sword and slashing forward once more to keep it at bay.

To Sorey's surprise however, the hellion simply barred through his attack, allowing its claw to take the brunt of the sword slash and lunged forward, swiping at him with a level of fury he was unprepared for.

"GAH!"

The Shepherd let out an involuntary grunt as he landed, his entire body aching from the sheer force behind the claw that had sent him flying. Even as the pain ran up his spine, a part of him still recognized and deeply appreciated the fact that the hellion was undoubtedly holding back with every blow; a fact that he had become keenly aware of through painful trial and error.

It was chilling to consider how in reality, Sorey had absolutely no ideaof the full extent of the hellion's power. There was always that fear in the back of his head that one day, this monster would turn its claw upon him and his friends again, just like back by Ladylake. He knew, without a doubt, that despite how much they'd all grown, they wouldn't stand a chance against this enigmatic monster. He knew that he was playing with forces beyond his control.

Still, he supposed, there was no point in crying over spilt milk.

Shaking his head to clear the spots in his vision and to refocus himself, he scrambled to his feet before leaping to the side, just barely dodging an aggressive follow-up strike. The hellion's claw slammed onto the ground Sorey had just been lying on with terrifying force, drawing deep gouges into the grass and earth and shaking the ground itself with nothing but pure raw strength.

Despite being taken aback by the level of force the hellion had evidently seen fit to apply to this training session, Sorey capitalized on its miss and jabbed his sword forward, aiming straight for the hellion's center of mass while its claw was jammed into the earth.

His weapon met no resistance however, as the hellion kicked off the ground and used its claw as a pivot to catapult itself around and away from his attack. Without backing down, Sorey hounded after the hellion, using quick and short jabs to keep it on its toes.

And then the hellion leapt up inhumanly high into the air, far out of range of his sword strikes, and, while falling down in midair, angled its palm directly at him.

Sorey swore and dove forward.

BOOM!

The world lit up again in flames as a massive explosion detonated behind him, singing his cloak while setting the surrounding grass on fire. Recognizing the hellion's pattern of attack, Sorey was ready for it when it landed and charged at him. He leapt back, cleanly dodging its claw, and charged aggressively back in with his sword held powerfully at his hip in the wake if its attack.

"Tiger Blade!"

He let out a cry, jerking his sword upward while leaping high into the air. The slash connected hard on the back of the hellion's claw. Following through with the arte, Sorey gritted his teeth and pulled his arm back in midair before slashing downwards as he fell back down to earth, slamming his sword onto the hellion's claw with the full might of his attack having been made even stronger by gravity's assistance.

At the last second though, the monster leapt back, dodging the attack and regaining its footing, skidding in the ground and sending grass and dirt flying in its wake. Its body tensed, its head angling forward while its massive claw fell readily to its side.

Recognizing the signs of a charge, Sorey readied himself.

With a sudden explosion of movement, the hellion flew at him, raising its claw in preparation for a horizontal slash.

With a flash of inspiration, instead of dodging, Sorey improvised.

Preparing himself for the possible searing pain that would follow in the wake of failure, he readied his sword. When the claw flew at him, he acted. Gritting his teeth in determination, the Shepherd bent his whole body backwards, letting his torso fall almost parallel to the ground, hoping beyond hope that he'd bent back far enough.

He was rewarded with the sight of that horrifying claw sweeping mere inches over his chest, followed by a wave of utterly putrid malevolence that washed over him in its wake.

Closing his eyes and willing himself to follow through, Sorey let out a battle cry and jerked his sword upwards towards the body of the hellion.

And to his shock and horror, the attack connected.

The hellion had only been able to dodge the surprise counterattack partially, which had resulted in a clear gouge through its cloak. It only took seconds to recover however, using its claw to break its fall and allowing it to get back to its feet a few meters away from him.

Sorey's eyes were wide and horrified. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-!"

His apology came to a shuddering halt as the hellion gave him a simple nod. He blinked before belatedly recognizing the all-to-clear intent that was being conveyed to him.

He had done well.

After a moment, Sorey broke into a soft grin. "…Alright." He shifted on his feet, readjusting his grip on his sword. "Thanks, by the way." He added, nodding respectfully at the hellion. "For going hard on me tonight." His expression grew firm. "I need it, if I'm to stand a chance against that drake tomorrow." Sorey's grin grew determined. "Okay then. Let's go again!"

The hellion nodded once more.

And with that, the two parties burst into motion once more. Two actors performing a play underneath the waning moon in the night; one acting out the role of the hero, the other, the villain.

Sorey could only hope that it would be enough.

---

"You got it! Normin power!"

Atakk's squeaky battle cry resounded through the dark night air, followed by a rush of pure mana that congregated on Sorey's armatized form. A bright shine of luminescent blue bloomed outwards as the power flowed through his body, augmenting the seraphic powers provided by Mikleo's presence. With careful movements, the armatized Shepherd began to draw his bow back, using his vantage point from the top of an empty house to sight in his shot.

The rest of the group watched the flow of power occur from down on the ground, holding their breaths. Alisha stood firm, determinedly readying herself for battle with her spear in hand. Lailah resided beside her with both hands held together in hopeful anticipation. Edna stood behind them both, her eyes fixed not on Sorey, but on the vague silhouette of the drake circling the vast tree high above them.

And behind them all stood Velvet, her eyes hard and her body ready for the battle to come.

This was it. There was no turning back from this point. She had done everything she could've done to prepare him for this. It was time for the Shepherd to show her what she was made of. And if he failed…

She shook her head, instead focusing on the scene before her with unwavering resolve. There was no point of worrying about it now.

Whatever happened next, happened.

With steady hands, Sorey fine-tuned his aim as he tracked the obscure form of the dragon as it circled around the tree once more in the light of the waning moon. He narrowed his golden-hued eyes, his expression one of pure concentration.

At his feet, Atakk strained, maintaining his powers and augmenting Mikleo's might. "Keee-ripes, that's some power…! I'll let ya know now, there's no way I can handle more than one shot!" He groaned.

Sorey's expression didn't change as he moved the bow slightly to the left, angling his body slightly to compensate for the adjustment. "One shot is enough."

There was no hesitation in his voice, Velvet was pleased to hear. Regardless of the obstacle between him and his goals, the Shepherd was determined to do whatever he needed to do to save the people from their suffering.

She watched on with a stiff jaw as Sorey lined up his sights, waiting in quiet anticipation for the battle to begin.

"Pardon me… Velvet?"

She turned to find Alisha walking up slowly to her side, her eyes fixed on Sorey's form. The princess glanced briefly at her, worry clear in her eyes. "Are you… nervous at all?" She asked quietly, her voice barely auditable over the thrumming of power in the air.

"I take it you are?" Velvet responded with a raised eyebrow, studying the princess's hunched demeanor and white-knuckled grip on her spear.

Alisha nodded honestly. "I am." She admitted, looking away from Velvet. "…I know I shouldn't be… but a part of me just doesn't feel… ready for this." She shook her head in consternation, gritting her teeth. "I've only just become Sorey's squire a few weeks ago! I… I worry that I might become a burden on the others during the fight."

Velvet looked away, up towards the night sky and towards the soaring drake high above. "…Do you think your master could take it down?" She asked.

Alisha blinked. "Huh?" When she had processed her words, the princess seemed to consider the question seriously. "Lady Maltran…"

She abruptly nodded, without hesitation. "…Absolutely." She put a fist on her chest. "She would have no problem at all taking that thing down." She stated firmly.

"Then you won't be a burden." Velvet stated. She waved a hand in response to the princess's incredulous look. "You said it yourself, right?" She reminded her. "Your goal is to one day be as strong as your master."

"That's true…" Alisha shook her head uncomprehendingly. "But… what I aspire to become says nothing about how I will perform in this battle tonight!"

"That's a lie." Velvet turned around, deathly serious.

Alisha almost felt the instinctive need to take a step back away from the sheer will radiating out from the traveler's form.

Velvet Davidson held her gaze firmly. "…If something puts itself in your way towards achieving your goals, know, in the deepest depths of your heart, that you'll do whatever it takes to overcome it." She declared in a low voice. "No matter what."

Idly, her gaze began to wander away from Alisha and towards the form of the dragon hunter atop the house behind the princess.

"That's all that matters, in the end." She whispered softly, almost inaudibly.

Somehow, Alisha knew that Velvet wasn't talking about her anymore.

Even so…

"…Thank you, Velvet." The princess smiled softly in the moonlight, her grip loosening on her spear as the fear in her body began to lessen in the wake of the woman's words. "You're right. If I cannot face this enemy, I have no right to call myself a student of Lady Maltran… and for that matter, a squire of Shepherd Sorey, or even a comrade of a woman such as yourself."

She nodded deeply, respectfully, holding her free hand to her chest. "All of you have chosen to place your trust in me. The very least I can do is to try and uphold that trust as best I can in the field of battle."

Velvet nodded quietly in the wake of the woman's words, impressed. "Good." She put simply.

CRACK!

All thoughts of conversation were eradicated the moment a streak of brilliant azure power flashed through the sky above like a shooting star casting off into the heavens. All eyes were on the arrow as it flew towards the moon, seemingly about to split the celestial body in two.

And then the silhouette of a dragon flew directly into its path and exploded in a violent bang of mana.

"…So, it begins." Velvet mumbled under her breath.

"Come on guys!" Sorey cried as he leapt off the roof and charged forward; a glowing streak of white slicing through a sea of darkness. "This is it!"

"…Right!"

The determination in Alisha's expression focusing acutely towards the task at hand, the princess charged forward as well, matching Sorey's pace as he stormed towards the downed dragon in the center of the field underneath the tree.

"Yeah, we're about to get eaten." Edna's dry remark rang out as the earth seraph ran forward as well, her outfit's ribbons trailing after her rushing form.

Velvet rolled her eyes and followed suit, digging her steel boots hard into the earth as she caught up with the rest of them.

Sorey glanced over his shoulder as she caught up, worry in his eyes. "Velvet." He breathed urgently. "If things look bad…"

"Don't worry about it." She cut him off with a shake of her head, keeping her eyes on the distant downed dragon as they approached it. "Focus on the battle. Nothing else." She ordered shortly.

The Shepherd blinked before nodding determinedly. "…Alright. Thanks. For all of your help." He added genuinely, turning back towards the task at hand.

Velvet did the same, directing her attention towards the form of the dragon as they neared it.

The drake had crashed hard enough to form a crater of grass and dirt at the base of the tree where it lay in a crumpled heap, its wings laying sprawled out all around it. On the right side of its belly was a brilliant open wound with Sorey's arrow still embedded deep in it, dripping copious amounts of purple blood and staining the grass below. With an enraged, feral roar, the monster lumbered to its feet and faced the humans and seraphim approaching it with raw draconic fury.

"Circle formation!" Alisha ordered shrilly, charging forward and taking point.

"Got it!" Velvet replied, branching off and heading towards the dragon's right flank.

"Do not hesitate! Strike true and swift!" Lailah urged, planting two feet shoulder-width apart and readying an arte with firm resolve in her eyes, preparing to support the Shepherd in battle.

Edna twirled her umbrella around and readied her own artes from behind the dragon. "That means try not to die out there, idiots!"

"Alright, everyone!" Sorey yelled, arcing around the left side of the dragon and drawing his bow at the same time. "Remember, we are here to do what needs to be done. NOW!"

At once, the Shepherd's group unleashed their own fury upon the weakened dragon.

BANG! CRASH! CRACK!

The world shook and the air went haywire with mana as the seraphim of the group unleashed their might upon the dragon. Jagged stalagmites jerked themselves out of the ground and impaled the strong scales of the monster while explosions of pure flame detonated on its wings. A piercing arrow accompanied by a furious torrent of water slammed onto its head, causing it to recoil with an angry roar.

Capitalizing upon the attacks, Alisha and Velvet made their moves and charged in, rushing their quarry from two different angles.

Only to be met with an open maw and a furious build-up of fire mana.

Velvet snapped her head to the side. "DOWN!" She roared before leaping to the side herself.

Alisha gasped and lunged out of the way in a clumsy roll, barely dodging the massive gout of flame that suddenly violently spewed out from the dragon's mouth and flew over her head.

FWOOM!

Edna cried out in pain as the force of the drake's expelled flames blew her away, sending the earth seraph tumbling in the grass away from the impact zone.

And with that, the dragon rallied furiously. Charging forward like a bull, it met Alisha head-on whereupon it lashed out with its massive claws. The princess leapt to the side and rolled to dodge both swipes before slinging around and scoring a deep cut on its right paw.

Hissing in pain, the monster whirled around, swinging its massive tail around. Alisha stood no chance of dodging and was cast bodily off and away.

"Agh!" She grunted as she rolled to a stop, determinedly getting her feet underneath her as she shook the stars from her vision.

That matter having been taken care of, the dragon abruptly flapped its wings with great strength, charging forward with a great burst of speed seemingly incompatible with its size and bulk directly towards Lailah.

CRACK!

Only to flinch and stumble as its shoulder was grazed by another powerful piercing arrow sent by Sorey.

Seething in fury, the massive monster took in a massive breath.

Sorey's eyes widened. Within moments, the armatized Shepherd leapt desperately to the side as a torrent of flame blasted the air he had just been occupying. Flames littered the field in the wake of the dragon's unholy breath.

Without pause, the monster capitalized on the distraction and swept its hind leg around, slamming it straight into Lailah's abdomen.

With a wordless cry, the fire seraph was sent tumbling backwards from the utterly devastating force the blow had delivered, her breathing ragged and uneven as she fell to the ground.

"Lailah!" Sorey cried in horror.

"Sorey!" Mikleo's voice rang out urgently. "This is bad! We have to end this soon!"

With a determined grunt, the armatized young man stumbled back to his feet and raised his bow once more with gritted teeth and a clenched jaw. "…Take this!" He cried, forcing a massive amount of mana into his weapon. With a gentle release of three of his right fingers, he let the attack fly.

"AZURE ASSAULT!"

An enormous, overwhelming swarm of water projectiles blasted out from his bow, directed straight at the dragon turning ominously towards him.

Then, with a powerful flap of its wings, the dragon launched itself clean into to the night sky. The attack missed entirely, uselessly burying itself in a distant copse of trees.

Sorey's heart sank.

"SOREY!"

BANG!

"GYAAAAH!" Sorey couldn't help but scream as the full weight of the dragon itself slammed directly onto him as it landed back on the earth, crushing him with its right claw. The sheer force alone was enough to disrupt the mental connection and dispel the Armatus, leaving him in a helpless human form, held hostage by the enormous hellion leering at him from above.

Sorey sucked in a breath and his heart froze. He was done for.

"Oh no you don't!"

And like a vengeful spirit, Velvet descended upon the dragon with her blade extended.

SHINK!

With a loud, horrible squelch, the woman's sword sank deep into the soft flesh at the base of the dragon's neck as she landed on top of its back, eliciting a violent flurry of writhing and shaking as the dragon forgot about Sorey and instead began bucking and squirming in agony at the feeling of cold steel invading its warm flesh.

Sorey sucked in a massive, painful breath as the dragon's weight left him, struggling to his knees as he watched in utter astonishment.

And then, the dragon fell into a roll. Velvet barely had the time to sheath her sword and leap off before she was crushed, tumbling gracelessly into the grass. Without pause, the dragon recovered from its roll and slashed its claw at the exhausted woman getting to her feet.

She didn't stand a chance.

Her cry of agony grated on Sorey's ears as she fell to the ground, a single, terrifyingly large gash cutting through the back of her black coat and searing right over her spine.

Sorey watched, frozen in shock and disbelief at what had happened.

Velvet… had risked her life to save his own.

He looked around, shell-shocked, his sword held limply in his hands. Edna, Lailah, Alisha, Mikleo… Velvet. All of them. They had all risked their lives for him, for the Shepherd.

His gaze rose to meet the furious dragon's eyes as it began to lumber towards him under the watchful eye of the waning moon. A predator about to pounce on its helpless prey.

Pure terror flashed in his expression.

---

Blood seeping out of her mouth, Velvet barely had the strength to painfully turn her head and watch helplessly as the dragon approached the frozen Shepherd at an almost leisurely pace. It knew that he was beaten.

And it was right.

Velvet let her head drop tiredly back down into the grass as she stared up into the stars, blocking out the sound of the thunderous footsteps as she reluctantly accepted what was about to happen.

Sorey was going to die.

Her jaw clenched from emotions that had nothing to do with the pain coursing through her body.

Despite it all; his apparent never-yielding determination to help others, the steadfast support of and reliance on his friends, the training she herself had given him under the guise of an enigmatic hellion mentor, the advice she had imparted onto him in the guise of a resonant traveler; all of it didn't change the fact that he was simply too weak. Too weak a tool to wield for her plans.

Too weak to save her Phi.

For she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that a Shepherd who could not best a mere Drake despite all the odds favoring him, could never best the Lord of Calamity even if he trained for the next thousand years; especially when the current one was also wielding a hellionized God. There would be no way that he could ever save Phi if he could not best even this minor obstacle.

It was just that simple, however much it burned her to acknowledge it.

She had accepted the possibility when the battle started; that if Sorey failed here, he would fail. There would be no saving him.

And he had failed.

Now, he would have to face the consequences of that failure.

Her fists clenched.

There would always be another one, naturally. Always another Shepherd to be born; always another tool to be picked up. Velvet would be there, always, right behind them, no matter how long she had to wait. She would wait until the end of time itself if need be, until the day finally came when she had finally found a Shepherd strong enough to accomplish the task she needed to use them for.

For Sorey was no longer an option.

She slowly closed her eyes and patiently awaited the falling of the headsman's axe.

---

Then, all of a sudden, Mikleo's words, uttered long ago, spontaneously came to him.

"You're more important that all of us combined." He had stated simply. "That's just how it is."

Sorey's fists clenched harshly.

"…All of you… Believe in me so much." He muttered lowly, sinking his boots into the floor as he raised his eyes defiantly towards the approaching dragon.

Their faces flashed behind his eyes. The faces of all his friends. They had believed in him so much as the Shepherd. They had trusted him when he had led them into this battle. They had followed his every decision, believing in his ability to do what was right for all.

"I suppose… there really is no choice, in the end." He chuckled humorlessly as he gripped his sword with both hands, tensing his tired and beaten muscles as the monster neared. He glanced briefly at the sprawled form of Velvet Davidson lying by the base of the tree before returning his gaze onto his opponent's.

"…I have to do what needs to be done." He growled lowly.

The dragon let out an earth-shaking roar.

The Shepherd stood firmly before the monster, his cloak billowing in the wake of the monster's bellow. "COME ON!" He yelled back.

With a final, furious roar, the dragon lunged.

Then, as if it were completely natural for him, Sorey pivoted his torso backwards and let the dragon's right claw sweep over him. The world went dark as it was obscured by the dragon's massive claw as it passed within millimeters of his torso. He felt a harsh gust of wind as the attack passed over him; proof of how close the attack had come to rending his body into a pile of blood.

Exactly like before.

And then, without hesitation, Sorey wrenched his sword up. The same way he had done it last time.

Directly into the open arrow wound in the dragon's belly.

SQUELCH!

A howl of pure agony flooded the world as the dragon unexpectedly tumbled onto the ground, writhing and thrashing in pure agony. Grass and dirt were torn up and flung high into the night sky as the hellion kicked its feet and slammed its wings into anything and everything in a vain attempt to mitigate the searing pain in its gut.

Grunting as he got to his feet, with steel determination in his expression, Sorey began to run towards the dragon, his sword held at his side bursting into brilliant blue flames. With righteous fury in his eyes, the Holy Shepherd lunged towards the monster.

"HYAAAAAAH!" He cried, sinking the blazing sword directly into the dragon's head.

BOOM!

The world became one of silver fury as the dragon's body became engulfed in violent explosions of power. Sorey roared as he pumped all of his power into the vessel, forcing every last speck of cruel malevolence away.

The crumbling state of Marlind. The people who were sick. The people whom had died. The very being that had become a dragon in the first place. The suffering of his friends. All of it; all of it could be fixed by his hands, and his hands alone. Because he was the Shepherd.

He'd be damned if he didn't at least try his best.

With that thought, the Shepherd closed his eyes and forced every last drop of his being into his task.

FWOOM!

With one last final detonation, the purification of the scourge of Marlind was completed. Before him, in the place of a horrific monster, laid the innocent unconscious body of a wizened seraph in a patch of burnt grass. Gasping for breath, Sorey crumpled to his knees before the seraph, his entire body shaking with adrenaline and fatigue.

Through the ringing in his ears, he was surprised to hear the soft clinking of metal in the silence that followed.

Sorey turned his head and found Velvet, clearly injured and in pain, standing steadily behind him with wide eyes. "…You did it." She breathed quietly, the words nearly lost in the wind.

He gave a shallow nod in the silence. "Yeah."

He gave her an honest, wholly grateful smile. "And it's all thanks to all of you." He got back to his feet with a grunt, giving Velvet a nod of boundless gratitude. "Thank you, Velvet. For saving my life back there." He intoned genuinely. "There was no way I could've done it without you. Really."

Velvet smiled softly back. "Don't worry about it."

Her hands were rolled into tight fists by her sides.

"AHHHHHHH!"

Suddenly, a terrible scream rang out over the wind. The unmistakable, bone-chilling high-pitched cry of a terrified child crying out for help. Sorey and Velvet both jerked their heads in that direction at once, their bodies tensing.

Behind them, Edna's labored voice rang out.

"You two, get going!"

Sorey turned around with worried eyes as he took in the seraph applying gels to the wounded group members lying around the battlefield. "You sure?" He called back anxiously, torn between the injured forms of his friends and the yelling and shouting coming from across town.

"Go!" Edna ordered harshly.

Exchanging a nod, Velvet and Sorey broke into a labored sprint towards where the horrible noise had come from. Panting, the two of them ran through the deserted streets of Marlind with the waning moon at their backs. The decreased levels malevolence from the drake's absence did nothing to dispel the looming atmosphere of doom plaguing the town. The closer they got, the louder the screams were.

And then all of a sudden, a single man's cry of pure agony split across the night sky before it was abruptly cut short.

The world went quiet.

Sorey and Velvet exchanged looks and hurriedly sped up their pace, regardless of their aching bodies. There was no denying that something horrible had just happened. Their footsteps rang out deafeningly in the silence as they approached.

They arrived to find horrifying scene in the middle of a crossroads in town.

Terrified civilians looked on at a safe distance as a group of armored guards battled off against a rabid wolf hellion; one whose fur had been marred with countless wounds and was clearly on its last leg of battle. The Hyland guards, on the other hand, were ruthless in their efficiency as they used their long-reaching spears to trap the rabid dog in the middle of their circle formation, protecting the other citizens and preventing it from running away.

And then, right in front of Sorey and Velvet's eyes, one of the guards at the hellion's broadside lunged forward and impaled the hellion straight through the heart. Blood squirted noisily as the steel sank deeply into its body.

It died instantly on the spot, falling limp right there in the middle of the crossroads.

Sorey's eyes bulged in horror. "No-!" He began, taking a step forward.

And then he choked.

By his side, Velvet froze.

An old man laid there at the steps of the house in front of the crosswalks, his throat torn clean out.

Over his corpse kneeled an aged elderly woman, sobbing profusely and utterly ignoring the commotion with the dog in favor of mourning the violent, horrific death of her husband.

It was the old man whom had told her not to kill the hellion she'd saved him from. The hellion that had, in the end, torn off the hand that had offered to feed it.

In the crowd, a small girl began to wail in a putrid mix of terror and horror. Her shaking body was covered entirely in congealed blood, being ineffectually wiped off by her sobbing mother as she held her daughter in shocked disbelief. Standing between them and the dog's corpse was the daughter's father with pure protective rage etched in his features.

"Just what the hell was that old fool thinking?!" The father shouted angrily into the night, glaring at the dead body with utter revulsion at the deceased man's actions. "Walking around the village with that rabid animal?!"

"That's enough out of you!" Snapped the lead guard, who wore the insignia of a sergeant, placing his boot on the deceased dog's back to yank his spear out. As the blade withdrew from the animal's flesh, blood cascaded out of the now open wound, streaming down the mangled fur and onto the cobbled road below where it began to form a crimson puddle.

Shaking his head harshly, the sergeant who had delivered the killing blow took a moment to regain his breath as he took in the results of his handiwork before turning to glare at the enraged father whom he'd just rebuked. "Fool or not," he growled, "that's his wife right there." He jabbed a finger right at the woman sobbing quietly over the corpse. "If you won't show respect for the dead, at least show it to her for pity's sake!"

The father let out a disdainful scoff, spitting on the floor with crossed arms. "That old bastard's getting no respect from me, nor from anyone in this whole town if I have anything to say about it!" He declared spitefully. "His stupidity near killed my precious daughter!"

He threw his hands into the air, taking an aggressive step forward. "Just look at her!She'll be traumatized for life! How the hell can you even expect me to respect the bastard who did that to my baby?!" He screamed.

All the while, the old man's wife just continued to wail hysterically.

The sergeant let out a rough sigh, shaking his head once more. "…I understand your anger, sir." He conceded placatingly. He gestured with his bloody spear at the bleeding corpse on the cobblestones. "But your daughter's safe now and the beast is dead." He pointed out. "And as for the old man…"

He turned to face the corpse lying on the cobblestones being silently mourned by the old woman with a sigh. "…He's already more than paid the price for his mistake, wouldn't you say?" He muttered soberly.

Idly, he glanced around at the rest of the townsfolk gathered around the bloody scene. Mixed emotions filled the crowd. Many appeared to agree with the irate father, while some seemed to sympathize with the elderly wife. Others evidently had no idea at all how to react to the tragedy.

The sergeant abruptly shook his head, suddenly utterly tired of it all.

He waved his free hand towards the crowd. "…Enough." He ordered firmly, putting an end to the whispering and muttering. "The situation's been handled. Everyone, go back home. Now."

The people began to comply, slowly heading back home in groups through the night. Doubtless, the town would be filled with gossip and heated debate in the morning regarding the old man's actions.

The sergeant glanced over his shoulder at the rest of the guards as the crowd slowly dissipated. "…Come on, fellas." He muttered. "First round's on me tonight."

A chorus of assent resounded dully from the rest of the armored men.

The head guard took one last look at the corpse of the human on the ground and the wife mourning it, shook his head one more time, and left, taking his blood-stained spear with him as he did so.

Meanwhile, the once-incensed father had turned his back to the scene, kneeling down before his trembling daughter and embracing her tenderly all the while whispering soft, comforting words in her ear. Gently, carefully, the man softly gathered the bloodied girl up in his hands and lifted her in his loving embrace, keen pain clear on his face. He met his wife's eyes and nodded softly. Together, the family turned their backs to the bloodied scene and trotted hurriedly off into the darkness, back home.

Hoping beyond hope that they would somehow be able to recover from all that had happened.

As the rest of the spectating civilians departed the bloodied crossroads, Sorey and Velvet stood there, watching the kind, foolish old man's loving wife sob and tremble over the body of her loved one, now all alone with nothing but an empty house.

Without another word, Velvet turned on her heel and left.

"…Velvet?" Sorey asked softly as she left.

She ignored him.

Without pause, the therion stalked right off into the darkness towards the exit of town, her eyes dark and hard.

She was the same.

She was the one who would unflinchingly turn on those around her if it suited her needs. She was a monster just like that wolf hellion. One who had been willing to cast off Sorey's life as if he were nothing but a mere tool. All the while she had pretended to be his companion; his friend.

Lies. Lies. Lies.

In the end, it was all fake. All of it was unnatural. Any laughs shared, any genuine moments had, any bonds formed; all of it was just a series of paper-thin distractions to hide the true evil boiling within her being. For everything was expendable to a monster such as her.

And that was how it had always been.

That was how it was. That was how it would always be. It was just the natural way of things. She was just acting with accordance with her own nature.

The nature of a monster.

It was just that simple.

Malevolence beginning to overflow from her very being, the lone woman stalked eagerly into the darkness and away from town; towards a place where nobody else would get hurt by a monster like her.

And in the wake of the tragedy that had befallen the town, silence fell once more under the watchful eye of the waning moon.

---

Massive thanks to Paragon of Awesomeness for betaing this chapter!