V.

"Are you able to continue on?" Zaon asked briskly, already pulling Tavist toward the gate that was now cleared.

"Yes," Tavist said, though in truth he was still confounded. "I just used up all my mana is all." He explained. "I'll be back to normal in no time." But even as he said it his voice faltered.

"No ranged offensive?" Zaon asked another question that he already knew the answer to. "We don't know how overrun the city is, stay close to me."

Tavist took a deep breath and straightened his back. "I'm ready."

Once through the gate and into the actual city, it was quite clear that the Apostles were showing there numbers. There wasn't much time to think before a pack of orange bandersnatch were upon them.

Tavist took a firm step forward, he knew that the fiends supplied themselves on fear, he parried just as the first canine lurched toward him, his blade slid between the creatures eyes and with a twist he rose his second blade and connected with the next two fiends that came upon him. He was aware of Zaon fighting next to him, cleaving through the bandersnatch with ease. Tavist let out a scream as he caught a fiend with both of his swords through the belly, it's face only inches from his own, still rabid and trying to push forward to consume Tavist even as death was inevitable. Tavist cast the beast aside, scarcely aware of the blood that was splattered upon his ghost like face.

The ground beneath Tavist's feet began to erupt with movement, and he searched for its cause. Running toward them full speed was a fully matured Grendal, all charcoal colored, and probably seven feet long, its three great horns pointed in their direction as flames oozed from its mouth.

"Zaon!" Tavist yelled in a panic.

But already the larger man had marked the fiend for death. Gracefully he lunged his bill toward the thing, his lance spiraled through the air with a sharp whistling noise. Tavist could barely see the thin silver chain connected to the base of Zaon's weapon that allowed him to pull it back easily. The spear point sank in between the overgrown fiends eyes. With a strong yank Zaon recalled his lance to its master. There was no time for celebration. Zaon nodded to Tavist's and they pushed forward.

As they rounded the corner that the Brendal had come from Zaon sniped at the bird like fiends known as Alcyone that were bobbing up and down pecking at the guards who were trying to secure the street. It was the first time they saw any of Luca's City Guard fighting the Apostles. It was heartening to know that they were not in this alone.

Once the fiend's were no longer overhead Zaon began to target the Apostles freeing up as many of his men as he could. "Around me!" He yelled, as he continued to rapidly fire and reload his weapon.

While Zaon worked to secure his men another Apostle crept through the shadows behind the Commander of the City Guard, but as he raised his battle axe Tavist moved to block the strike from connection Zaon's left shoulder.

Tavist and the Apostle collided with a fury that sent vibrations down both of his arms. They dueled, but only for a moment, in the flurry of exchanges Tavist's could tell this warrior would best him and so with all of his will he let a pulse of electricity out from his body, quickly depleting the mana he has so far managed to regain. His adversary twitched and tensed up, Tavist did not waste a moment plunging his left blade clear through the man's heart, he watched the life drain from the Apostles dull grey eyes and felt a kind of sadness.

"We march for the cities center." Zaon ordered as Tavist fell in next to him. "No fiend survives!"

The cities center was a circular marketplace that had five entrances one of which being the only path to the main gate of the famous Luca Blitzball Stadium, that had stood for more than three hundred years.

A rather large Bashura approached, purple and ten feet tall with four great furry arms that were bigger around than Tavist's waist; it bashed it's two lowest fists into the ground, it's face pulsating red in a berserker rage.

"Hold." Zaon said calmly.

The fiend seemed to have the same notion. Tavist watched as it stared Zaon down, a great hunger for blood in its eyes. Then the Apostles started to rank up around it, almost like it was the one giving the orders, though Tavist's knew that no fiend was so intelligent to do so.

"Archers." Zaon called, readying his own crossbow.

Tavist searched within himself for the power to summon an element to fling at the enemy, but he couldn't feel enough of the energy required. Even still, he was not without a hope in the battle, though he would have felt safer if he could also depend on his magical ability.

The screams started almost at once as the men collided. Zaon and two of other men charged the Bashura together. Before any of them even dealt their first blows the fiend has stricken down the man to Zaon's left. Tavist's felt fear swell in his gut, but there was no time as an opponent of his own stepped up.

Before him stood a female Apostle crouched low with two bloodied axes in her hands. Her black robe was torn and bloodied, though Tavist could not tell if it was her own. Her eyes had the same bloodlust that she had seen in the fiend, it chilled his bones as they circled around one another.

The sound of metal on metal rang all through the battle, but none was as loud as the dual wielders facing off. Rapidly Tavist attempted blow after blow pushing her back and not giving her time to attempt to strike back, only defend. As he noticed she was overwhelmed he spun his blades inward and up and disarmed the woman's right hand, she fumbled backwards and he delivered a sidekick to her chest, she recoiled back, but quickly recomposed herself.

"Fancy sword play," She said in an accent that sounded like she might have come from Kilika. "But," She said taking a step forward, "Do you play with magic?" A ball of fire escaped from her hand and Tavist batted it away with his blade just in time to avoid the attack, though the heat of it already had him sweating.

He dodged more fireballs, rolling away from some, and striking others down with his swords, but she was a persistent mage and did not let up. In the distance he could see that Zaon was playing the same dance of defense as he dodged strong blows from the Bashura. This motivated Tavist, he could feel his mana had rebuilt itself somewhat, but he did not want to waste it on the black mage before him.

"Enough!" He cried as he effortlessly twirled both of his swords and his body in a whirlwind that sent her attack hurling back at her, throwing her back several feet as she let out a scream of pain.

Briskly Tavist moved toward Zaon and the Bashura, cutting down another Apostle on his way. Despite their initial disadvantage in numbers the City Guard seemed to be managing reasonably, aside from the overpowered fiend who was engaging their commander.

Just as Tavist was in range Zaon rolled out of the way from the fiend smashing down with all four fists with some much force that the pavement under it sank into a crater. Tavist stopped dead in his tracks and pointed the tips of his blades toward the fiend a ball of ice larger than a blitz ball forming between then, with a nudge he released the spell with so much force that he was pushed back himself. It hit its target, shattering upon impact and cutting the fiend all over as well as knocking it down creating another crater.

Zaon saw the opportunity and lunged forward delivering several fatal wounds to it with the tip of his bill. He looked over his shoulder and flashed thanks in his cold eyes that quickly turned to what could have been terror.

Turning Tavist saw the thing and knew at once what it was. Not ten feet away was a monstrous beast, the size of a small ship, made of dirt and molten rock held together by fire. It let out a fearsome roar that made Tavist's sweaty brown shiver with goose bumps. Next to the aeon Ifrit, was its summoner, or dark summoner as the Apostles were called, the woman warrior who had wielded the axes, a look of defiant concentration on her face that turned to a devious smirk when she locked eyes with Tavist.