~~~~~~~~~~ I have thing for tragedies, just to let you know, this won't be pretty. I hope you can forgive me. ^^;

Chapter Thirty Six

The morning broke with a large explosion, and Bastet was on her feet. She felt her spirit tingle as she forced muscles to move that long gave up on moving. White Blaze grabbed her and threw her on his back. She didn't mind, even though she was stronger in the human body than the original soul, she was still not quite as strong as her real form. She saw Baroness run up, and she grunted to herself. That soul was using her body all wrong, she didn't even need an armor to defeat what was coming but she assumed it was the Old One's way of controlling her. She didn't even seem to remember her boyfriend, or see that he was grieving for her. She doubted Hoshi was mature enough, she was human after all, to understand the deep consequences of not killing her own body. She thought about that for a moment, she was screwed in all of this, but it was her punishment, being a Trickster had its consequences.

Today would be the day she died, and for the greater good.

Didn't mean she wouldn't go down fighting!

Raleigh came to her side beside blaze, where is Leea?

"How am I supposed to know," she said softly to the wolf as they heard a loud explosion again.

Ruby came up to their side, "go find the ronins, Raleigh, me and the brat here will go check out the area."

"Who said I'm coming along," Bastet protested to make Ruby glare at her. She wanted to laugh, the girl had her father's death stare.

"I did, because White Blaze will take you, one way or another," she said as she started to run along roof tops. White Blaze followed, with unwilling Bastet on his back, while Raleigh vanished off. She noticed that they were heading away from the battle. She saw dynasty warriors rushing in the opposite direction, and saw the warlords as well.

"Hey, you coward, the battle is that way!"

"Call me what you may, Trickster, but you won't harm her."

"You know the ultimatum, then," she laughed as she saw the dynasties second defense fall. "A world of darkness, or a world of light just because of a worthless Oracle."

Ruby stopped and pointed a dagger at her, "get this straight, Bastet, Hoshi is not worthless."

"Ooooh, I'm quaking in my boots," she snarled as she jumped off of Blaze. She saw a dynasty soldier crash nearby and grabbed its spear.

White Blaze snarled at her, you can't do this to her!

"An Old One telling me what I can and can't do," she replied as twirled the spear and tucked it under her arm. "Look, I understand your attachments to the girl...she's something special to you, but I knew what I was getting into! I am saving her! Everyone in this world has someone special to them, who are you to decide if the rest of humanity gets to keep theirs or not!"

"Who are you to decide?!"

"See that's the thing, I didn't," she replied angrily. "Hoshi decided, and she decided my fate as well."

Ruby paused, "what do you mean, she decided?"

"There were a lot of spirits hanging around her, so many trying to possess a weak form," Bastet said softly. "So many creatures looking to contain the Light for themselves, and she knew the consequences! She did it because she loved you all, and ….and she knew I was doomed."

"Doomed," Ruby asked.

"It was a gift of mercy, that I could go down fighting and live a few days free," Bastet paused as she saw Hecatones surge through the walls. There was new creature in the midst, a Fury. Bastet hated Furies, their screams were painful even so far away. She heard one swooping downs toward them , and she threw the spear. "It's ironic, you want to kill me so bad, but you love this body so much!"

The spear hit the creature, and it plummeted in front of them. Ruby picked up the spear, and threw the creature away as it wailed.

"I could be all yours, Ruby-Sama," she cooed and held her arms around her. "You could hold me tight, not that Strata, but you. Only you."

Bastet could see Ruby entertaining the idea, "no, it's Hoshi I love!"

"Well, then you're gonna suffer for it," she grinned as she started running back towards the battle. Ruby realized how fast the trickster was even in a human skin! Both her and Blaze tried to keep up with her as they closed in on the battle. She saw muscles twitching in the neck of Hoshi's back.

White Blaze snarled, she doesn't understand the bodies limitations! She's gonna rip that poor girl apart!

"No she won't," Ruby said throwing the shield in such way to smash the ground underneath her feet. "She's on a suicide mission, I won't let it happen!"

Bastet tripped and rolled, and saw an even bigger creature looming over the gate. She grinned, "that's gonna be my escape, Ruby!"

Ruby gulped when she saw the creature looming over the gate, it was a Behemoth. It looked almost like an armadillo with spikes rising up behind its armor in places. The end of its tail looked like a morning star, it wore a collar with a broken chain, and its hand pose able thumbs. But its face stopped Ruby almost dead, the creature could swallow a whole train if it wanted to! It had the head of rhinoceros, but its mouth was shaped like snapping turtles mouth with triangular teeth.

"No," Ruby yelped as she ran after the girl with White Blaze with her. There was too much going on, Hecatones and warlords, Ronins and powerful energy attacks, furies sweeping down screaming and tearing. She caught a glimpse of Kayura switching from just her staff, to a terrible and powerful armor with a kasari gama. She ignored it and noticed Leea running between Hecatones, doing an amazing job at evading them even for a human. One grabbed her by the hair, but Sage cut it before the beast could slit her throat. He threw her on Raleigh's back who noticed her and dashed after her.

Leea growled, "my hair!"

"At least it wasn't your throat," Ruby said as she continued on.

"Where is Bastet heading...oh shit...what is that?!"

"That my dear is a Behemoth, and it needs to go down before Bastet gets there," but she didn't state why. "Raleigh, let White Blaze take care of the girl! I need my yojimbo!"

Raleigh threw the girl onto his shoulders, and he took off. The yojimbo shifted from her wolf form, her long red hair wild in the battle. She pulled up her claw shaped gauntlet, a silver gem with hope emblazoned on it glowed.

Armor of the Silent Chains!

In a flash of fire, the armor appeared on the girl. She was clad from head to toe in a beautiful silver armor. The feet were clawed, and the gauntlet on the right arm had even bigger claws. Her wolf shaped helmet had a snarling mask that split and moved apart. Along her arms, were several daggers, but her main weapon was three swords in different sizes: A nodatchi, a katana, and a kodatchi. She was glorious to Ruby. The two charged forward cutting through Hecatones like butter, but Bastet wasn't fighting just dodging and running towards the beast.

"I have no real weapons, yojimbo, you have to take it down before she can get there," she said. "You are faster than I, you are Fenris!"

Raleigh nodded and focused on the beast. Her mind was focused, her charge was faster than anyone else. The battle was too large for her too worry about the little monsters that dynasty was fighting. She could see the warriors she had come to know fighting, and then she glimpsed one of the ronins get impaled. She turned back from it, she had to hope they would be okay, but she saw Baroness heading that way. She gulped, she didn't trust that Trickster either! She was part Trickster, she supposed, but she was raised to be a proper warrior by her master. She didn't know the illusions, the charms, or the charisma it took to charm people. She would not let Hoshi's body be harmed. The girl saved her. The tired, sweet and gentle soul saved her when she could have let the ronins cut down the monster she was down. She would not let herself fail again!

She slid in front of Bastet who picked up another spear, I won't let you harm her.

"You are all the same, can't think of anyone's better future but your own," she replied lunging at Raleigh. The wolf warrior dodged her lunges easily, she saw the muscles twitching in her right side and heard a sick pop. The Trickster was literally tearing Hoshi's body apart. Raleigh moved and disarmed the girl, and went to grab her.

Bastet swung a punch at her and it connected with armor breaking her fist. Raleigh grabbed her tried to throw her over her shoulder, but a large shadow loomed over them. She took felt a large crunch around them and hot sticky air from its mouth.

GLEIPNIR!

The beast fell to shreds around her, as the shadow form of beast surrounded and she fell to her knees panting as Ruby ran up. Bastet was thrashing around as the energy evaporated.

"You BITCH, you don't know what you've just done," she cried as she kicked free of warrior who was panting with exhaustion. She was starring up, and the the other two looked to see a black rip starting to tear open in the sky. "I could have closed the Void!"

"Ruby," they heard Leea cry as she ran up on Black Blaze, he had shifted into his other half. Behind them was Ryo in the Inferno Armor, Ruby had learned it had taken all five ronins to do that. She assumed they were near by, and she noticed the creatures stop. They were singing to the sky, and they heard it. A soft song of pipes.

Bastet glared, "you fools!"

The inferno armor faded out to the Wildfire, and the other four ronins appeared beside Ryo. Rowen starred at her, "you can't do this, Bastet!"

Kayura appeared behind them, "the creatures are singing, praising whatever is coming through the void... Dais, Cale, and Sehkmet are coming to regather. Sage are you alright, I saw you get impaled!"

"I'm fine," he said, "Baroness was near by."

"She went to go help my warlords," she said as baroness appeared with them just after she said that.

Bastet smiled at Baroness, "you're my only hope."

Rowen looked at Baroness as she pulled her great ax out, "Baroness?"

It only took one swing.