Episode Fifteen
Flight of the Witch Coven, Death City Under Assault?
A sound soul
dwells within a sound mind
and a sound body.
In a remote, faraway place, deep inside of her coven, she sat alone in a room dark save for the flickering candles at her table, and the fire burning in the fireplace. She rocked back and forth in an old fashioned rocker with her hands folded over her lap as she thought.
What she was planning had not been tried in years, but she knew that it was going to work. It had to work—to restore balance. Too long had her and her kind lived in fear and under oppression. Once the right magic tools were in the right place, at the right time with the right spell, her plan could not fail. It would require great risk and likely great sacrifice as well.
But it would be worth it. If her plan worked then she would literally change the face of the world forever. Death stood before his mirror, watching and searching for Witch souls that his Meisters could feed to their Weapons. He claimed to do it in the name of maintaining balance and defeating evil from this world, but she knew better. Seventy lifetimes she had lived and all that she had ever seen come from that Academy was death and fear.
The Witch Medusa had been on the right track as far as the goal that she had in mind: to change the world. Her means were a little skewed though. She woke the sleeping Kishin with no means to control it. She never thought about the dangers she would put herself in by waking up something more powerful than herself.
And what of the dangers that I face?
Chandra would not help but to worry. Fear was a part of her life. Every day she worried would be the day when Death's hounds would come sniffing her out of her hole and her way of life would be destroyed. She would not allow for that day to happen. She would do the unthinkable: she would remove a god from his throne once and for all. It might cost her life in the process, but she was more than willing to make that sacrifice. If she could somehow secure a future for Witches everywhere free from the tyranny of the Reaper, she would gladly lay down her life.
Her cruel ways towards her own kin was oftentimes misunderstood. Many saw her as this insane sadist. She punished failure with torture and sometimes death as a reminder to those who failed what the penalty is for failing before the enemy. They would not receive mercy from the Reaper or his hounds. It would have been an injustice not to prepare her coven.
"Milady?" a voice came from behind her, breaking her concentration and flaring up her anger. The fire reacted to her emotions and flared up, burning just a little hotter and brighter. She turned and saw one of the Warlock soldiers in her chambers. This was the one who reported updates to her: Pietro.
"What is it, Pietro?" she asked.
"The arrangements are made, Milady. We are ready to mobilize. Your army awaits your command," he said with a slight bow. She smiled guilefully.
"Thank you, Pietro," she said. He nodded and excused himself. She stood from her chair and took a few last swigs from her goblet of wine before she threw the goblet and all into the fire. She leaned forward on the mantelpiece and looked down at the flames.
She couldn't help but to laugh as she imagined all of Death City consumed by fire. The foolish, weak citizens running frantically, screaming and trying to escape—the day had finally come to put her plan into action. The day had finally come to get her revenge. And with her ace in the hole, she could not lose.
Tsarevich sat on the edge of the balcony of the DWMA, facing out into the endless sands of Death Valley. His eyes were closed though. He wasn't trying to see the world with his eyes. He was trying to see souls. He quickened the pace of his own wavelength and set his scope out even further. Thousands of tiny little blips in the distance marked the citizens of Death City. Closer to him, larger souls of Weapons and Miesters moved to and fro around the academy.
He did this every day as a form of meditation and he was getting better at it. He was learning to use it all the time, like a passive ability. It would help him in a fight, he knew. The plus side to is was that since he had worked on always using his soul perception, never turning it off, and discovered that it strengthened his ability, he realized that the scope of his soul perception increased exponentially when he pushed his abilities to the limit.
"You're using your soul perception, aren't you?"
Tsarevich opened his eyes with a start. The wide scope of range diminished almost immediately, but his soul perception did not turn off. He had adopted it as the way that he saw the world. He could see what his normal eyes saw and that took precedent, but he could also see the glowing silhouette of whomever's soul he was looking at. In this case: it was Ezra—the new kid.
"Yeah. How could you tell?" Tsarevich asked, knowing that most Weapons could not see souls like Meisters.
"I just figured considering how hard you were concentrating. I'm sorry I interrupted you. I came up here to clear my head and you were up here. I guess this spot is taken, huh?" the kid said. Tsarevich smiled.
"You're fine. I don't mind the company," Tsarevich said with a smile. Ezra returned and came to lean on the edge that he was sitting on.
"They say that you can do really amazing things with your wavelength," Ezra said.
"Who says that?" Tsarevich asked.
"Is it true?" Ezra pressed.
"I don't know if amazing is the word that I would use, but yeah. I can manipulate my own wavelength," Tsarevich explained.
"They say that you can wield any Weapon. Is that true?" Ezra asked.
"Yeah," Tsarevich nodded simply, dismissing it as if it were not a big deal.
"That's an amazing talent. I hear that you can hit people with your wavelength too—like Black Star," Ezra said. Tsarevich chuckled. Ezra seemed to be very interested in all the 'cool stuff' he could do. The kid was very socially awkward. He had been following Tsarevich and his group around like a lost puppy since he arrived.
"My soul is nowhere near as powerful as Black Star's, but yeah I can perform attacks like the ones he is famous for," Tsarevich said, feeling his head swell. It was nice to have someone looking up to him for a change instead of down.
"I'm sorry. I know that I'm being really nosy. I just feel so out of my league around you guys," Ezra admitted.
"Why do you say that?" Tsarevich asked, glad the focus was on Ezra and off of him for the moment.
"All of you have something so special about you. I'm just an ordinary Weapon," he pointed out.
"What do you mean special?" Tsarevich asked.
"I guess you guys don't see it. No offense, but I see that you and your group are kind of the outcasts of this Academy," Ezra laughed. Tsarevich felt his eyebrow twitch in annoyance. He, of all people had no room to make fun of being a social poriah.
"What's your point?" Tsarevich asked sourly.
"I know what it's like to be an outcast; that's all I'm saying. It gets easy to focus on all of the things that society seems to think is a negative and all the while miss the positive," Ezra said.
"What do you mean?" Tsarevich asked, having a hard time following the kid.
"You guys don't realize how amazing you are. Hammer is so strong, and when Nail is wielding him they take on entire vampire covens. Vyse is a Dark Arm—he can be any weapon form he wants to be," Ezra said.
"Actually he only has three: kama, katar, and knuckle," Tsarevich pointed out.
"Even still! To be able to change your form to adapt to your situation is so cool! And then there's you: you can do things with your wavelength that some of our teachers can't even do.
"People avoid you because you're out of their league," Ezra said. Tsarevich smiled. He knew that the rest of his class wouldn't see it that way and therefore it made the statement practically untrue. Still, it was nice to have an admirer.
"You're right, Ezra. And don't worry about finding a Meister partner. The right one will come along eventually. It may not be who you expect it to either," Tsarevich said encouragingly.
"I hope so…hey I wanted to know if I could be on your team," Ezra said. Tsarevich was surprised. He knew that Ezra admired him, but he didn't think he would want to join his team. It was kind of social suicide. Then again, Tsarevich had been quite popular since his resurrection.
"You want to be on my team?" Tsarevich asked.
"Yeah. I know that I don't have a Meister partner, but like you said, I'll find one eventually. When I do, I want to be on your team—if that's okay," Ezra said.
"I'll have to talk to Hammer, Nail and Vyse, but I'm sure it'll be okay," Tsarevich said. Ezra was stammering out an excited thank you when Tsarevich sensed something in the distance. He looked out as far as he could see on the horizon, but saw nothing. He extended his soul perception and pushed it to the limits.
"Tsarevich? What's wrong?" Ezra asked.
"Give me just a second, Ezra," Tsarevich said. He closed his eyes and pushed his soul perception to the limit. He focused it on the area that he felt the disturbance and when it reached out far enough he gasped.
"That's impossible! I'm sorry Ezra, but I have to go!" Tsarevich said. He leaped off of the edge he was sitting on and ran, full-speed to find Professor Aurion.
"Assassins Rule Number One - Silence: Dissolve in the darkness and erase your breath. Wait for an opening to attack your target."
"Assassins Rule Number Two - Transpositional Thinking: Analyze the target in order to predict his thoughts and movements."
"Assassins Rule Number Three - Speed: Take out the target before the target notices your presence."
He stood before the mirror and new that this was the day—this was the day that he would make Black Star and Tsubaki answer for what they had done. It probably would not end well for him. If there was anything that being in the Academy had taught him, it was how much he still had yet to learn. It had become the most humbling, rewarding experience in his life. He hated that it had to come to this, but he put his honor, and that of his family higher than anything.
Vera, they will answer for what they did; I promise.
He knew the schedule like the back of his hand. They were in one of the gardens eating lunch together with just the two of them. They did this once a week to talk about things privately. It mostly consisted of Tsubaki scolding Black Star for shirking his responsibilities as a teacher. But they talked about other things too.
Still, it was the perfect opportunity to get them alone. He was not going to strike as an assassin. He was going to confront them head-on. What they had to say after that determined everything about what he planned to do. He reflected over his journey. It had been an interesting one: infiltrating the DWMA, meeting Tsarevich, fighting Liir, making friends, and all-the-while preparing for his strike on Black Star and Tsubaki. So much about him had changed during his time at the Academy, but his sense of honor remained.
He made sure to take a route to the garden where none of his friends, and hopefully not Professor Aurion, would follow him to the garden. He looked over his shoulder at every turn to see if the elusive professor was following him or not. So far it looked like the coast was clear.
He walked out onto the garden patio and started walking in broad daylight towards Black Star and Tsubaki, making no attempts to hide his presence. This was not at all how he had imagined that this day would happen, but he was ready no matter what the outcome was. They saw him coming and looked at him with puzzled expressions. It was that look that people came when one's presence was uninvited. It was a private conversation and he wasn't invited.
"Black Star, Tsubaki," he said in neutral greeting.
"Vyse? What are you doing here? Can we help you with something?" Tsubaki asked politely.
"Scram kid, we're trying to enjoy our lunch alone," Black Star said haughtily.
"On the day that the DWMA Arachnophobia the two of you had been assigned with the Weapons and Meisters that were supposed to protect my village. You failed to fulfill your duties. You had the power to protect us and if you had been there my sister would still be alive today.
"I falsified the information on my transcript so that I could infiltrate the DWMA in order to assassinate the two of you and take revenge for what you did. I am a member of the Scroll Clan of Assassins. My entire life I have waited for the moment to take vengeance upon you and that time is here," he explained simply. The two of them looked at him with wide-eyed expressions of surprise. Black Star eventually wore his signature smirk.
"I would advise against trying to take vengeance on either one of us. I don't think that would end well for you at all," Black Star said.
"It doesn't matter how it ends. This isn't about whether or not I am able to defeat you. This is about me confronting those I hold responsible for her death. I want to know why you weren't there that day! The two of you are one of the most powerful Weapon-Meister teams ever. You helped defeat the Kishin Ashura. Do you realize how many lives would have been saved if you had only been where you were supposed to be?" Vyse demanded.
"You don't know what you're talking about, kid. I won't hold that against you though. In addition to being the biggest star who has ever lived, I'm also a generous man. If you leave now, I'll forget all about the face that you intend to kill me," Black Star said. Vyse could feel his blood boil. It would turn to a fight. He was sure of it now.
"I demand an explanation. If you refuse to give one then there is only one thing left to do," Vyse said. He took stance. The stood their facing each other as the wind rustled gently through the hanging vines of the garden.
"What do you think? Should we go for another big, all-in-one mission, or take on a bunch of really small, easy ones?" Hammer asked.
"I vote for the big, all-in-one types," Nail said. He still had bandages all over from the deeper wounds that he had suffered whenever they stormed L'stat's castle. They had been quite the popular fellows after they came home alive for that. Every now and then Hammer would catch girls looking his way and giggling. He could get used to this kind of life.
"The last time we did that we almost got eaten alive—literally," Hammer pointed out.
"Actually, it seems that we have an affinity for getting into situations where someone—or something—is trying to eat us. Remember when we went after Dahmer?" Nail asked. Hammer hung his head in embarrassment, disgust and shame.
"I had to sleep with a night light for a month and a half—don't remind me," he complained. Nail chuckled and looked up at the board. Suddenly, Tsarevich came running down the hall as fast as he could go. By the determined look on his face there was something important that he was attending to. Then again, he did have the tendency to be a little overdramatic.
About a hundred feet behind him, Ezra—the new kid—was running his fingers through his hair and adjusting his glasses nervously as he walked. When he saw Hammer and Nail he came walking their way.
"Hey, Ezra how's it going?" Hammer asked. Nail ignored him as usual. Hammer tried to tell him to be nice to him, but he said that he had to earn his place in their group just like every other person. It was silly, but Nail said it was to make sure that he never took their friendship for granted. He would always say that people didn't take things for granted they had to work for. It was weird.
"Good. I think something's wrong. Tsarevich is acting weird," Ezra said.
"Where was he going in such a hurry?" Hammer asked.
"I don't know. We were outside on the balcony and suddenly he ran off inside worried about something," Ezra said.
"Should we go see what's wrong, Nail?" Hammer asked.
"What do you think about this one, Hammer?" Nail pointed. Hammer slapped himself in the forehead. It was no use trying to talk to him. He had turned over a new leaf with trying to be more responsible. Instead of doing schoolwork, he was focused on spending as much time away from class taking on missions. Hammer was there to help make sure that he didn't lead them into a death trap again.
"Nevermind. I'm sure we'll here about it later," Hammer said.
SMASH!
Merios had punched a hole right through the wall of his office. He was so frustrated he could not seem to function like a normal human being. His mind was going a thousand miles an hour to grasp or perceive what was premonition and what was reality. He wondered to himself if this is what it felt like to slip into the Madness. If he ever got out of the confusing swirl of thoughts, sounds and images that he was trapped in, he would have to be sure to ask Stein.
No matter how hard he looked, there seemed to be no possible reality in which there was salvation for the DWMA. Everything that he could see was fire, fighting and death. What was even more frustrating is that it seemed like it was going to happen so soon. There was no way to tell exactly how far in the future he was seeing by trying to measure it down to minutes, hours, or even days. It was like looking at something far away. One might be able to see something a mile or two in the distance, but not be able to know its distance in measurements.
Slowly, but surely, the visions stopped and Merios came back to what he hoped was reality. He had scraped up his hand on the drywall pretty badly and his wrist felt like he might have sprained it.
"Healing wavelength."
He mended the damage as best that he could for the time being. It was still a little stiff and sore but nothing that was unmanageable. He had other things that he had to worry about. He should probably report his visions to Lord Death. Then again, Lord Death was not very happy with him at all. Since allowing the Witchblade to escape he had been demoted out of the inner circle. He even suspended his teaching position for a while until he could figure out a use for him.
Stein was a good professor though; he had been Merios's teacher. The kids would serve to learn a lot from him. Although he tended to be a little crazy sometimes.
!
Merios sensed a troubled soul approaching him from outside the hall. It didn't take him long to recognize who it was. He stood up and faced the door just as Tsarevich burst in without knocking, out of breath.
"Professor! Something's coming! We have to tell Lord Death! We have to warn the Academy! We have to evacuate Death City!" he said, barely able to get out each phrase. Merios was troubled now more than ever. He knew that Tsarevich was not the type of student to joke. He could only wonder what it was that he saw.
"What's wrong, Tsarevich? What did you see?"
It was all too easy for Liir to sneak back into the DWMA. It was even easier than getting back into Chandra's good graces. You see she would never have a chance to find the tools that was taken from him when he was apprehended. He just might be able to get close enough to find them.
He didn't really want to go back to Chandra, but he didn't see where he had much of a choice. It gave him a place to go and something to do in the time being. Things had changed so much since his stay at the DWMA. Even though he was a prisoner, there was something about Marie's offer that made him think.
And then there's him…
For some reason that he could not put his finger on, he could not stop thinking about the kid that he had injured, cursed and healed. It was like a splinter in his mind, slowly trying to work its way up and out. He felt connected to him somehow. He couldn't help but wonder if the kid was thinking about him too.
He found himself having second thoughts about Chandra's plan. He didn't know the details, of course, but she said that she had a way to destroy Lord Death. Without his leadership, the DWMW would dissolve and Witchkind would be free to do as they pleased once more.
He knew that it would result in a lot of fighting and death and for some reason, that was starting to bother him. He wished that there was a way that they could resolve it without fighting at all. He knew that no such practical resolution existed and that it would ultimately come down to a conflict.
And what part will I play in this…?
His head was confused. He could think of no reason why he should give any loyalty to his coven—more specifically to Chandra. She had abandoned him to the DWMA who imprisoned him, made him a lab rat and then offered him a position there. Why shouldn't he be confused? How could he possibly know who to trust? What path to take?
For now he was content to hide in the shadows, unseen by all. He would sit and wait and see what would happen and he would hopefully know what decision to make when the opportunity presented itself.
Never in her life had she seen something so glorious. Witches and Warlocks had taken flight—thirty of them in all. With the help of the Alchemizer that Scarlet had secured for her, Chandra was able to draw all of the Kishin spawn within a hundred mile radius to her and with the right spell she was able to control them.
With the promise of bloodshed and as many human souls as they could get their greedy little claws on, they were all too easy to manipulate to her will. The just needed a nudge in the right direction. She was pyromancer primarily, slinging destructive fiery spells to consume her foes, but she was also a master manipulator. The madness that had consumed the souls of so many made it even easier for her to take control. What started as a puppet became and posse, and eventually turned into an army.
She could care less how many losses there were too. They were the distraction. She had one target and one target alone: Lord Death. Despite all of his god-like power, he would never compete with the combination of science, magic and ingenuity that she had crafted. The irony in it all? He had his once-friend-and-companion Eibon to thank for all of it. Without his research all of this would be impossible. No Witch would dare try something so reckless and bold. She pulled her broom around so that she could face and look at the Witches flying with her.
"Listen carefully, Witches of the West Coven! Show them no mercy! For you will receive none! Do not hesitate if they appear young, for even their youth are dangerous Weapons and Meisters that will leap upon the opportunity to take your soul from you.
"Be swift! Be deadly! And don't stop until there's nothing left. Today we change the world! Today we dethrone a god! Today we take back our freedom!"
She turned to fly, her sights fixed upon Death City in the distance as the cheers of the Witches of the West Coven boomed and roared from behind her. Here and there explosions of magical fire ignited the sky and acted as a banner of war as they closed in on their target.
"What's wrong, Tsarevich? What did you see?" Professor Aurion asked. Tsarevich was trying hard to catch his breath and it was just now coming back to him.
"I was on the balcony practicing my soul perception when I looked in the distance and I saw…I saw…" he had a hard time spitting it out.
"What? Tell me, Tsarevich!" the professor urged.
"Hundreds…or thousands…it's hard to be certain from that far away, but more than I could count…so many souls coming this way…and they're all…Kishin eggs," Tsarevich said. The shock and horror that appeared on the professor's face made Tsarevich feel even more unsettled.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"I'm certain—there's nothing else it could have been, but that's not all," Tsarevich added.
"What? What else?" the professor asked.
"Floating above them was dozens of Witch souls. I think the West coven is coming—today," Tsarevich said.
"It's a good thing your soul perception can reach so far; you probably saved hundreds of lives today," the professor said.
"What do we do? Should we evacuate? Prepare for a fight? What?" Tsarevich asked. The professor smiled at him. This was not at all the reaction that Tsarevich was expecting. He could say for himself that he was on the verge of panic. As usual, the professor could switch his demeanor at the drop of a hat, going from shock to smiles in a matter of seconds.
"I'm proud of you Tsarevich—for keeping such a level head about you in this. I'm going to report the situation to Lord Death he'll know what to do. I know that he will want to evacuate the city as a precaution. Do you know where the emergency alarm is?" the professor asked. Tsarevich shook his head.
"Go and tell Stein what you told me and he will take care of it. Tell him to go to the Death Room when he is done. After that, round up any classmates that you see and tell them to meet in their home rooms to await instruction," he said.
"Right! You can count on me, Professor!"
Tsarevich turned tail and ran. He knew where to find Stein. He decided that he would round up Hammer, Nail and Vyse while he passed them in the hall again so that he could save having to explain himself twice. He found Hammer and Nail in front of the mission board where he left them.
"Guys! Hey, something really big has come up and I need you to come with me. I'll explain once we get to the nurses office," he said. They looked at him with blank stares save for one eyebrow going up it skepticism.
"Do you know where Vyse is?" Tsarevich asked.
"I haven't seen him all morning. What's this about, Tsarevich?" Hammer asked. He could hear a familiar clicking sound coming from inside of his classroom and he knew that Stein was there.
"I think I saw him go to the gardens on the third floor of the east wing," Ezra offered. Tsarevich was past that by now. He pushed and pulled and made motions to hurry at Hammer and Nail to follow him into the classroom. Ezra was right behind. Tsarevich couldn't rightly tell him to leave, but for some reason he didn't quite feel like the kid belonged in the inner circle quite yet.
"Professor Stein, there's an emergency," Tsarevich said simply.
"Really? What kind of emergency?" Stein asked so calmly it was alarming.
"The Witch's from the West Coven have mobilized and have an army of thousands of people whose souls have become kishin eggs. They're marching towards the Academy and will be here in less than an hour," Tsarevich said.
"My, that is an emergency after all," Stein said, twisting the bolt in his head. His tone was the same as it always was. It was that sing-song, yet somehow monotonous baritone—creepy.
"Professor Aurion told me to tell you to sound the emergency alarm to evacuate the city. He's on his way to the Death Room and I'm sure they'll want you there after the alarm is sounded," Tsarevich explained.
"Right. Round up as many of your classmates as you can find and tell them to take their seats in here. Good work, Tsarevich," Stein said. Tsarevich didn't waste any time to start ushering people into the classroom and was glad to see Hammer and Nail following suit.
"Attention all faculty and students of the DWMA: this is not a drill. I need for all students to report their classrooms immediately to wait instruction from a faculty member. There is a situation at hand: in less than an hour, an army of kishin-spawn controlled by Witches of the West Coven will arrive at Death City. We believe that an attack is imminent.
"Our first priority is to ensure the safety of the citizens of Death City. Very soon evacuation plans and assignments will be given to you. If you are an executive faculty member, please make your way to the Death Room immediately," Lord Death said over the PA.
Vyse couldn't believe what he was hearing. An attack on the DWMA! An army of kishin-spawn! An army! Controlled by Witches! There was no way that he could continue his duel with Black Star and Tsubaki. They were at a standstill. Black Star was trying to tell Tsubaki to transform, she was trying to reason with Vyse, but he refused to listen until he heard an explanation that would satisfy him.
"Well then, what now? I really hope that you don't make us late for our meeting, kid. I'm much less merciful when I'm angry," Black Star taunted.
"Black Star, stop it! Vyse, I understand what you're trying to do, and you're right. We do owe you an explanation, but now is just simply not the time! I assure you that we're on the same side here. We're all going to have to do our part to defend the DWMA," she pleaded. He didn't want to, but the reason and logic in her argument was so sound he could find it in him to disagree.
"If we live through this attack, you owe me an explanation—both of you," he said, stealing a glare at Black Star who appeared to be seething beneath the collar of his shirt.
"Thank you for being understanding about this," Tsubaki said, smiling at him genuinely, "Come on, Black Star! We have to go! Vyse, go to your homeroom. Your classmates are probably waiting on your by now."
She was probably right. What would happen next? Where would he fit in? Would they make him help to evacuate the city? Surely not! His talents would be wasted on anything other than fighting. Still, he wasn't the one running the show here. If it came down to the wire, he could always do whatever he wanted to do. He turned on his heel and dashed for the classroom as quickly as he could.
This was easily the most interesting time that Nail had ever had in class. The students were packed in to the room and instead of the noisy chatter that there was every other day in class, there was a deafening silence that enveloped the room like a blanket. Every eye and ear was fixed at the door as they waited for a faculty to member to deliver their orders.
Nail had fallen in love with fighting all over again after the incident with L'stat and the castle. He decided that the only way that he was going to make it through the year at the DWMA was to take on as many missions as possible. He was never going to be able to handle the nerdy, book stuff they put him through—but he could sure as hell kill Kishin eggs and feed them to his Weapon. It was time that he stuck with what he was good at.
At long last, Professor Stein made his way into the classroom. He was followed closely by his Weapon partner Marie. If there was silence and attentiveness before, it was even more noticeable now. He stepped to the front of the class and Nail was surprised to see that he didn't turn the bolt running through his head. He looked up at them determinedly from his glasses and spoke.
"As one-star Meisters at the Academy, your responsibility is to help aid in the defense of our city. As most of you heard, the West Witch Coven is on their way with an army of souls that have become kishin eggs. With a force of this magnitude, we can only assume that they mean to eradicate us altogether.
"Don't panic though, we have plenty of soldiers to defend against them, and the home field advantage of Death City. The Grim Reaper himself will be aiding us in this fight. Considering the dangerous nature of things, and as these Witches seem to have no regard for the lives of ordinary people, we must assume that the citizens of Death City are also in danger.
"As these people cannot defend themselves like we can, it is our responsibility to see them to safety. In a moment, I'm going to assign blocks of the city to the leaders of your team with the exception of a few of you that I have another assignment for. We must get as many people out of the city as soon as possible, do not let them take more than what they can grab with their hands. If you find yourself face-to-face with an enemy, I expect each and every one of you to stand your ground to allow the citizens of the DWMA to escape; is that understood?"
"Yes, sir!" there was a resounding response. Nail had always felt like a student at the DWMA, which was lame. Now that he was getting a mission briefing, he felt like a soldier. And that was cool.
"If the opportunity to kill an enemy presents itself do not hold back and do not hesitate. You are not sparring against your classmates anymore; you are fighting kishin-spawn and Witches. They won't be showing you any kind of quarter; if they can outfight you—you die. Are we clear?" he asked.
"Yes, sir!"
"Good. I need the leaders of each team to stand please. Marie is going to hand you a map of Death City that shows the area that you are responsible for evacuating. If you successfully evacuate your block, find a nearby team to assist. If both of your nearby teams are finished with your block, start regrouping towards the Academy, assisting with blocks until you work your way back here.
"Considering the Witches are flying on brooms, the fight will probably have made its way to the Academy itself. Tread carefully and stay together. If you can, find a faculty member to get further orders from. Understood?"
"Yes sir!"
"Alright. I want Tsarevich's team and Rain's team to stay behind. The rest of you are dismissed as soon as you have been assigned a block," Stein finished. Nail felt a twinge of agitation. He had wanted to be the leader of the team considering he was the stronger of the two Meisters, but Professor Aurion had long ago resolved that Tsarevich was a better choice.
"Come down from your seats and gather around me," Stein said. Nail and his team complied. He looked over and saw that Vyse was missing. Where would he be in a time like this?
"What did I miss?" Vyse asked, bursting into the room as if on cue from Nail's line of thinking.
"You're just in time to receive your mission brief; glad you decided to join us, Vyse," Stein said neutrally. Vyse nodded and came to stand beside Tsarevich. There team still was not complete: Tsarevich and Vyse, Hammer and Nail, and Ezra—with no Meister partner. Could this kid even fight? Why would Tsarevich just allow the kid into their ranks? It was foolish!
"Your teams were chosen because among your peers you are the best," Stein began.
"They're not even in the same league as us, Professor! What are you talking about?" Ayame demanded, stealing glares at Hammer, Nail and Tsarevich. Nail rolled his eyes. There had been somewhat of a grudge between their teams since Hammer and Nail had defeated Sky and Rain.
"There's no time for this now," Professor Stein said angrily, and added, "Lord Death is convinced that the Witch's actual target is not Death City or even the academy, but the magic tools that we have in our possession.
"Some of them have been locked away in the vault, but the ones of interest and power have been put inside of a chest in the Death Room were only Lord Death's personal Weapon has the key. They are the last line of defense; we have been instructed to protect the magic tools at all costs.
"Stationed in the inner room is Lord Death, Black Star, and Death the Kid with their Weapons. Because of our use of anti-magic wavelength, Professor Merios and me will be stationed at the entrance to the Death Room. There are two hallways that lead to the one that leads to the Death Room. Stationed at the east hallway will be Hammer and Nail; stationed at the west hallway will be Tsarevich and Vyse.
"Rain, your team is going to be stationed at the entrance of the Academy. You've been chosen for this task because your team is the best at using resonance link. Work together and try to keep anyone from getting entry. Do not pursue them if they run from you after a fight. Your only priority is to make sure that they do not get past you. If a Witch manages to get past you, do not pursue—that is what Nail and Tsarevich are there for," he explained. Nail liked the plan except for one thing: he wasn't on the front lines. That was a mistake. He was the heaviest hitter of the group. He should be the one who kept them from the entrance. He knew it did no good to argue and left it as it was.
"What about me? What am I supposed to do?" Ezra asked. Nail had almost forgotten about Pibsqueak—that was his nickname for the guy. He was small, shy, and softspoken; Pibsqueak seemed to be a fitting nickname. He presented an interesting dilemma. He was part of the team, but he did not have a Meister partner and as far as anyone knew, he was not an autonomous Weapon.
"You come with me. We'll see if Merios can wield you effectively or not," Stein said. Nail looked and saw the look on Ezra's face: he was nervous and excited at the same time. They all looked at each other and then at Stein for the order to take positions.
"One more thing: try not to die," Stein said. With that, they parted ways and took position in their respective places. Hammer transformed and Nail stood before the hallway watching…waiting…
Merios came out of the Death Room having just told Lord Death the most disturbing vision he had ever had. What was worse was how few possibilities he could see for it not coming to pass. It was grim news, but Lord Death did not seem worried.
"No matter what happens, no matter how terrible the odds we will continue to fight until our last breath. This Academy was founded to maintain balance in the world and to protect its inhabitants from evil. We will do that even to death," he said. Short, sweet, but inspiring—Merios didn't want to die, but he was ready to if he had to. He only hoped that he could save as many lives as possible preempting the attack.
Coming down the hall he saw Stein, Marie and the new kid: Ezra. He was puzzled as to what the exchange student was doing. He probably should have evacuated with the others and then it hit him. He was supposed to wield the kid. That could be really dangerous, but in a fight like this, Merios would rather have a Weapon than not.
"Are you ready?" Stein asked.
"Let them come," Merios countered darkly.
And so the assault began. Liir was all to pleased to see that almost the entire Academy was emptied out to help evacuate the people of Death City. That meant fewer Meisters and Weapons—obstacles—for him to overcome. He had gone undetected for so long. The wonders of a soul protection spell still amazed him.
Chandra and her army were at the gates of the city and she was calling out to the Grim Reaper. He didn't have to use his magic to hear what was going on. Both of them were using magic to amplify the volume of their voice so that everyone in the city and Academy could hear them.
"Return the magic tools you've taken from us, Reaper, or we will burn your precious city and all of its inhabitants to the ground!" she said.
"We will not return the magic tools, Chandra. I suggest you turn around and go back to your coven unless you want to die," the Reaper replied.
"Your reign ends today, Reaper! If you will not return the magic tools we will take them by force. KISHIN! ATTACK!" she said. With that, scores and leagues of kishin-spawn began to pour into the city, skittering like roaches to attack any living thing in their path—refusing to stop until it was all gone. There to meet them was a brave, foolhardy Meister and his Weapon. Liir didn't see this coming, but it didn't surprise him.
"You sure about this, Nail?" Hammer asked. Nail looked over at the army of kishin-spawn coming his way.
"Someone has to take offense against these guys; it might as well be us," he said.
"We're disobeying orders though," Hammer pointed out.
"When this is all over and the dust has settled and we're left standing and the kishins aren't, they'll thank us," Nail said.
"You're going to get us killed," Hammer said with a chuckle.
"Maybe…but we're gonna take as many Kishin with us as possible. Nobody attacks Death City on our watch!"
"Right! Let's do it!" Hammer added. The two of them let out battle cries as they rushed head-long into the horde of kishin-spawn.
It's time, Hammer thought, it's finally my time to become a Death Weapon. I can feel it!