Chapter Five

Girgashiy loomed along all sides of Taillteann, wicked smiles stretching across their monstrous faces. Lightning crackled in the sky and the world turned dark at their presence. All was silent, paused in the face of evil when with a deafening roar that pierced the heavens, the Girgashiy as one screeched and pumped their mighty fists as a horde of demons flew from behind them and over the village walls. The rioters screamed in unison and scrambled away, those of the crowd who were milletians drawing their weapons and ushering those who were defenseless to cover. Within moments blood on all sides stained the ground, both black and red. The Giants and Elves quickly joined the fray, their added support doing nothing to hinder the efforts of the multiplying enemy. Andras and the other soldiers wasted no time in joining in the battle as well, not caring that only mere moments ago the very people they are fighting for now are the same that had tried to harm them. When they had enlisted into the military, each and every one of them had made an oath to serve and protect everyone within the Kingdom of Aliech and the world of Erinn no matter what, even if they had to lay down their own lives for the cause, it was their duty as soldiers.

As the battle raged on the Girgashiy continued to stand along the walls like fearsome sentinels standing guard, watching and waiting as if they had something planned when everyone least expected it. Andras didn't have time to contemplate what they may be planning though, she was too busy fending off wave after wave of demons who continuously tried to get past her and to the people behind her that she was protecting. The demons were enormous in size with bulbous black oily flesh and a gaping open mouth. They seemed familiar in a way but she knew for a fact that she had never seen one before, she wasn't part of Talvish's division after all. The answer nagged at her in the back of her mind, she knew what they were but couldn't place them for the life of her when suddenly as she looked around her at the bodies that lay at her feet and the one who now lay impaled on her sword…. She knew.

"Don't kill them!" Screaming at the top of her lungs Andras tried to pass the message along as well as she could but in vain. No one could hear her over the constant rolling current of noise that bounced off the crowd. "Their human! Don't kill THEM!" Slinging the body off of her sword she blocked two who had attacked her from behind, slicing at their limbs rather than vital organs in order to defeat them quickly and keep them alive at the same time. It seems that Tracey wasn't the only one to be affected by the demons. This had to be Cessair's doing, she could feel it in her blood and would bet her life upon it that that deviant was behind this.

Managing to knock the demons in front of her out, the duo went *POOF* and transformed into two sprawling forms unconscious on the ground at her feet. Turning to the people behind her she grimaced at their terrified expressions then turned back to the battle before her. Seeing no point in screaming again she excepted what she would have to do in order to protect as many people as she could.

"You," she pointed towards a man in his middle age who was balding at the top of his head and sported a long bushy red beard, "gather up these two bodies and rush towards the Giants Headquarters, I will pave a way and you and the others are to grab as many bodies of the living that you can and hide in there until I or the General come for you." The man nodded hurriedly, not daring to contradict her and deny her order, "Good," she threw him and the other seven people besides him corked bottles that she had been storing in her pouch for a rainy day and today was becoming the rainiest, "those will make you invisible for a time. They will buy us enough time to do what we need to do." Picking up the bodies of the two men that she had knocked out Andras threw them across the shoulders of the bearded man she had addressed and the one to his right who sported a mop of blonde hair that fell to his shoulders and fuzz all along his cheeks. "What are you waiting for, drink up and go!"

With that they were off and Andras quickly paved a way for them, grabbing people and looping them over the shoulders two at a time of the people she was not only escorting but protecting as well until they made it to the Giants Headquarters where she dispatched of at least ten more using one of her more powerful skills and going at lightning speed and appearing as nothing more than a blur or light as she fought. By the time that the people and the "demons" who were now nothing more than regular citizens again there were thirty-one people hiding within the bomb-shelter-like basement of the headquarters safe from harm. Not wasting time with goodbyes Andras soared across the ground in a blur and began her search for another group of citizens in order to do the same thing she had done before, recruiting milletians and her soldiers to do the same as she passed them by and relaying the message of what the demons actually were. Just as she was about to escort another group to the Giants headquarters the Girgashiy bellowed once more, the battle stopping like it had when they first appeared and as one each of the monstrous beings raised their arms to the sky, power unfurling through the air and whipping in a frenzy of energy similar to that of a tornado, blowing everything around in disarray and sending people and demons alike flat against the ground unable to move. Lightning sparked between each of the Girgashiy's fingertips crossing together towards the center of the whole of Taillteann high in the sky above them all, a ball of obsidian energy forming into a supernova meant to wipe them all into dust.

Using the last of the strength that she could Andras summoned multiple of her familiars and sent them to the citizens trapped in the Giant Headquarters to warp them to safety along with those all along the village who were now flattened to the earth awaiting their death. Before her eyes one by one people were being *POOFED* away from what would be their demise, the supernova growing larger and larger by the second as the Imps tried their best to get as many people as possibly to safety upon their master's request. The Imps were not enough, the giant mass in the sky was finished and the sky switched from darkness to a blood red. The Girgashiy roared once more but this time in triumph as they screeched with delight over the blood they were about to bathe in, the screams of all those who could not be whisked away in time echoing all the way towards the farmlands as the great ball of obsidian power rushed towards them with blinding speed.

This was the end. Andras could feel it in her bones and braced herself for the impact that was sure to befall her, eyes squished shut and muscles locked awaiting the inevitable pain that… never came. A whooshing sound filled the air, sounding similar to that of a missile, and in a flash of blinding light was what looked to be an angel sent from the heavens to rescue them. Wings of raven and cream unfurled, armor blazing and raven locks floating with the current of energy around her, the angel-like being pushed against the supernova effortlessly and sent it shattering around them in a rain of glittery dust. Pushing off the ground Andras squinted her eyes against the brightness of the being before her and couldn't believe her eyes. Heart pounding in both fear and jubilation she knew that her message had been answered as, like a beacon of hope from the Gods, Vuui stood above them all in her true form in fury against the surrounding Girgashiy, the mask of war planted upon her face.

The impact from being planted to the ground as they had had made all the demons around them transform back to being human, and as Andras looked around most of the people were still being escorted to safety by her familiars so soon it would only be her, her soldiers and Vuui facing these things as it should be. They wouldn't have to focus on protecting anyone then and could focus all their efforts on defeating these monsters instead.

Vuui wasn't waiting, she was no longer playing the part of General and was now the 'Blood Mage' as she had been in her youth. Eyes locked against the opponents before her she quickly began to use every tool in her arsenal against them, including something that she thought she would never use, something that she was forced to learn from Talvish in the case of a situation just as the one she was facing now. She was only grateful that reinforcements would be on their way soon so that she wouldn't be the only one fighting these things. It wasn't that she couldn't handle them, with more time and not as many casualties looming around she knew she could no problem, but with the number of innocents still milling around she wasn't allowed to go all out like she could if she was alone. The village and the people would be destroyed if she did.

Going in for the kill Vuui summoned a massive ethereal blade that floated in the sky above her head and sent it crashing against one of the numerous Girgashiy, destroying the demon instantly then going for the next and the next and the next, keeping them on their toes as all of them began to lunge at her and aim attacks at her direction all at once. When she hadn't been looking one from behind her had begun to summon another one of the supernovas, the others distracting her from what was going on entirely. The sky grew red once again around them, the wind howled and the panicked screams from the soldiers and milletians who had remained behind could be heard from below. Turning towards the people below she could see them gesturing wildly towards something behind her and just as she turned to look the sky turned back to normal and the supernova splattered into dust like the one she had destroyed before. There, standing like a beacon of hope, stood Talvish. Hovering in the sky upon a Pegasus laden in armor that shone in golden hues Talvish was poised for battle, his first and second in command Altom and Avelin right behind them as, in unison, they dispatched of the remaining Girgashiy that Vuui had been unable to fight on her own.

Without any questions, the four of them floated back down into the village to an awaiting twitchy Andras who, with arms crossed against her chest, tapped her foot impatiently and was gesturing to them wildly to hurry up. "You," she pointed at Vuui, "go into the headquarters and hide this instant until you can put your limiters back on, most people won't remember but there are still a few who will despite the fact that it's been years since you wore that face in public." Andras expected her to immediately comply like she had done so many times in the past but this time, Vuui stood there, unmoving as she surveyed the damage around her. Snapping in her face to get her attention this time Andras tried again, "Hey, I'm serious, we are under enough heat as it is with the public already," getting close enough to whisper in Vuui's ear Andras lowered her voice enough that Talvish and his subordinates wouldn't hear, "the last thing that we need is for the citizens to see the infamous Blood Mage hanging around."

Stepping back from Andras and taking a deep breath Vuui stood tall, not liking what she was going to have to do. "There's something that we have to talk about, and you're not going to like it."

"Well, what is it, be quick," Andras started to push Vuui towards the Headquarters but the demigod wouldn't budge.

"I won't be going in there Andras," Vuui pulled away from her friend.

Andras was about to clear her throat when Talvish, who had been standing beside Vuui the whole time, cleared his throat. The two women, who hadn't paid attention to him before, turned their heads towards him a look of confusion lining their faces as if they had forgotten he had been there the whole time. "Um… excuse me, but. Andras, who is this?"

For a moment Vuui and Andras both blanched at the question when it dawned on them that in all the years they had known each other, even prior to Talvish leaving them and forming the Alban Knights, that he had never seen Vuui in her true form before. Seeing people starting to gather around them and murmuring about the strange person who had saved them Vuui grabbed Talvish and Andras and dragged them into the Headquarters, Altom and Avelin on their heels, and used her magic to repair the door and roof, locking the building down completely in order for them to have some privacy.

"Now that we are alone-"

"If you had listened to me we would have been in her already."

Vuui sent a glare towards Andras then turned towards Talvish and slowly put on her limiters. His eyes widened in shock and after making sure he had gotten a good look she took them off once more than tossed them to Andras who caught them out of reflex.

"H-How is this possible? I've known you for years, yet I never knew. Why don't you stay in your true form and stop using this barbaric practice? People don't care if others are demi-gods anymore. You knew, didn't you?" It was more an accusation than a question when he turned his fury towards Andras. "You knew this whole time, all these years and not one of you decided to tell me."

"It's not her fault," Vuui drew his attention back to herself, "The situation was dire and I had no choice to use my powers. Afterward, I performed a spell that kept Andras from telling anyone of what she saw that day. I keep my identity extremely secret and couldn't afford rumors back then, hell, not even now can I afford to have them but at the moment I no longer have a choice in the matter." She explained the situation to everyone in the room, leaving nothing unsaid about what had been decided between her and Eirawen.

"What about your post?" Andras, ever so practical, said shallowly, clearly not liking the situation at hand.

"It will be you of course."

"Then why did you send for us?" Avelin piped in not wanting to be quiet in the shadows any longer.

"Andras is going to need help with the soldiers, most of them are pretty useless due to the lack of authority at the moment and they the kingdom is getting more dangerous. As my final order as General, all of the troops within the human regiment are going to be trained in the arts of the divine. As we saw today the demons are gathering in strength and numbers, the Alban Knights can no longer be the only ones with the ability to kill these abominations. This knowledge will also be passed down to the independent milletians who wish to help with the cause as well. Which means the two groups are going to have to put differences aside and work together if we are going to save Erinn and defeat Cessair once and for all. We are also going to cure those who have been transformed against their will into demons instead of killing them. Today was a good example of what is happening to our civilians and as servants to the crown it is our duty to protect those citizens. I have one in custody at the moment, and as soon as he recovers I will be having him come with me on my travels once I get the go ahead."

"Why are you going to bring Tracey with you?" Andras asked.

"Wait! Tracey became one of them!" Altom yelled in shock.

"How did we miss all of this?" Talvish questioned.

"Because he is not only well traveled and a good fighter, but he was experimented on. Which means he more-then-likely knows where Cessair's base is or at least where he holds his experiments. Thus bringing us one step closer to ending this war once and for all. We need his information."

Just then a hawk *POOFED* in front of them all and handed Vuui a scroll before going *POOF* once more and disappearing in a flash of smoke. Opening the scroll, she quickly read it then stuffed the contents in her inner pocket of her armor. "That was the information I had asked for on the ware bouts for the Hunters. I will be going after them within the week."

"They are nothing but trouble, why would you ever go to them?" Talvish asked in confusion.

Andras stared at him for a moment before asking, "You really don't recognize her do you?"

"She's the Blood Mage Talvish, the Hunters were her old crew of bandits," Avelin answered from behind him. "It's strange to think that the most fearsome and bloodthirsty of bandits became the more feared and bloodthirsty General in our history. Though it does make sense in a twisted sort of way."

"That's why you use limiters then?"

"Yes, though, as you had said before, they are barbaric. Having been used as permanent punishments from the past, I had no choice when I changed sides. The military would have never taken me, and I believe I still have a bounty on my head. Not for long, part of the agreement I made with Eirawen was that she would take the bounty down and I wouldn't be arrested, no matter what the charge." She began walking towards the door, "I'm going to go check on Tracey now. We will meet again." With that, Vuui walked out of the Headquarters and disappeared in a flash before anyone else could see her.

The room was dark and dank, a single candle flickered on the floor beside the hay mattress that Tracey was currently laying on. In the corner staying watch over him were a phoenix who's flame licked the walls without burning the room to cinders, and a skeletal dragon who heart glowed a flickering purple in between its ribcage. Continuing to survey the room he had trouble placing where he was or why he was there in the first place. The last thing he could remember was traveling to Emain Macha when he had been attacked alongside the road and now he was here in a strange room surrounded by depictions of the Gods on the walls and stained windows. Footsteps could be heard walking towards the room and the door slowly opened to reveal the holy form of Pencast who's face lit up upon seeing him. "Good, you are awake. I was worried that the injuries you had were worst then I initially thought."