Second upload... I need to get those chapters to Winx...

I looked like hell from where they were standing. No surprise there, really. -Kairi

Chapter 6.7 - Conflicts and Sidequests
Part 60

I sat, crouched in my hiding place along with Ion and Luke. Ion, whose Energy Core had finally been fixed. Luke, who had Mieu perched on his shoulder just as always. It had been three days since Dark and Twilight had left for the western ligers. We hadn't heard a thing yet. And despite his assurances when he left that he would be fine, I couldn't help but fear that he was dead, killed by the very ligers we were about to attempt to slaughter.

I was shaking. I hid it rather well, but I was shaking.

Luke was still mostly emotionally dead. It hadn't really hit him what we were doing yet. Ion had been shaking earlier, but Luke had wrapped an arm around him, promising him that he wouldn't let anything happen to him. Ion had forced a smile and then gotten enough of a grip on himself to stop the shaking.

Yes, they were feral. No, they didn't really have any sort of rational thought left. But ligers were just as sentient as cheagles or humans, and it hurt. It hurt so bad, knowing that we were about to attack creatures that might as well have been humans.

Keeping to that line of thought distracted me from the fear that Dark wasn't going to be waiting for us on the northern shore.

Yowls, growls, yips, and whines caught our attention, and immediately, all three of us were collecting fonons, shaping them, holding them...

*Now!* Natalia cried in our minds.

"Infernal Prison!" Mine, in its usual blue, since I wasn't strong enough for pure fonons yet. Oh well.

"Storm Lance!" Luke's, an arte taught to him by Zion and perfected under my tutelage.

"Ray!" A sixth-fonon arte that Reighn had taught Ion. When overloaded, it turned into Prism Gale, one of the few Daathic Fonic artes that was right on the edge and could be used by Ion with ease.

The three artes struck the yellow-bodied ligers in front, allowing the ligers who had played bait to escape. Another round of artes was dropped on them. Crackle, courtesy of Natalia, rather than Reighn, who had taken the time to learn Dark's new second-fonon one, Sandstorm, which erupted right next to the ice. And Negative Blade, an old favorite of Seth's.

A number of eastern ligers burst out of the brush and landed in our fields of fonons, each of them unleashing a powered-up version of their usual Thunder Lance (I'd finally gotten the name of that arte out of Illeka) or Ice Stream. Apparently different ligers could unleash different artes depending on the field of fonons, even if they were all using the same base arte.

Sorylle was down there, her Ice Stream turning into a Glacier Stream through use of the Sandstorm FoF. Fitting, given that Dark had created that arte.

The mass of southern ligers seemed to take pause, not having expected the sudden attack that was then compounded by me and Luke jumping down in and getting involved personally in the scuffle that followed. Ion stayed up above, out of the way. It was going to be a long fight. We'd known that the minute we realized just how many enemies there were. And while my heart still went out to every liger I killed, at least I wasn't shaking anymore.

My life, for those few moments, became a simple and yet complicated dance. I'd swing Silver Clematis at one liger, then strike out at another with my usual sword, which was in my right hand. I'd decided to attempt dual-wielding for a time, since I had the swords to do it and doing so wouldn't be too conflicting with my usual style. Slash, slash, spin, thrust, drop and roll, jump up, start slashing again. Everything was a blur of colors. Strike out against those who were yellow, defend those who were gray or green, and stay alive.

Then the true nightmare started.

Two gunshots rang out, far too close for it to have been Ion, and they sounded off. One bullet tore through my upper right arm, another through my left calf. The second one was a fonic bullet, but it hurt nonetheless. I turned, searching for the man who had shot the guns, and spotted Danté with ease. Nearby, Kallig fought tooth and nail against his fellow eastern ligers, and I scowled, pulling together the Energies to heal my wounds without bothering to clean them properly. I'd regret it later, but I didn't have the time right now.

I ran at Danté, Silver Clematis continuing to sing through the air as it sought out every yellow-bodied liger between me and the assassin. I was lost in the deadly dance of my own blades, a dance that was bringing me closer and closer to Danté with every swipe I took.

*Kairi! Ion's ready!* Luke said, voice echoing in my mind. I sent a mental image of Danté and Kallig, and felt a confirmation come back, along with something that translated as 'be careful'.

Flashes of red, white, and green moved toward me, gunshots growing ever closer. Luke was shielding Ion as best he could so the three of us could once again unleash hell on the masses. I reached out and connected to every eastern liger in the vicinity, and sent a warning to them. Within moments of Luke and Ion reaching my location, just a few yards away from Danté, the eastern ligers retreated, turning and blasting the southern ligers, plus Danté and Kallig, into the space in the middle.

Luke was the first to run forward, once again preparing to unleash his hyperresonance. Again, I started collecting sixth fonons, except this time, I knew I'd get a chance to use them. Ion could chain Akashic Torment after Fae's Ire by using the left over sixth fonons, which I could then follow up with another extension, Sorcerer's Rage.

Before I could pull them both off, though...

Luke, Ion, and I stopped and spun on our heels in the same moment, unleashing the shockwaves of built-up fonons before the fonic glyph of Luke's Radiant Howl appeared, the rest of the world fading out. We had just managed to make something of a triangle around the mass of ligers we'd blasted into the glyph's area of effect.

"Now, die!" Luke yelled, unleashing the hyperresonance. Unfortunately, only two of about sixteen did.

"My turn! Don't wanna die? Why don't I help you!" I brought my hands down, barely even recognizing that I'd spoken as the blast of light came down on the fourteen enemies. Four more down, just ten left as Ion appeared and I seemed to vanish again. Thankful for the effects of over-limit, I pulled in the fifth fonons I'd need for this next one.

"Why don't I help? Light of the forsaken... Akashic Torment!" Ion cried, unleashing the arte. He still stumbled a bit after it was over, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I was used to seeing from the game.

The white glyph faded to red, and the six remaining enemies looked at me in shock as I seemingly appeared to them a second time. I jumped up, hanging in the air there. "Eternal faith... Sorcerer's Rage!"

Once the three of us were done, only Danté and Kallig remained standing, and even then, it seemed they were barely managing that. Danté growled to Kallig.

"We're leaving."

Kallig didn't argue, just turned and followed as Danté ran away. Sorylle appeared and Ion hopped onto her back, the eastern princess carrying him away from the worst of the fighting.

I was tired. I'd done what was physically impossible for anyone born in Auldrant. I'd unleashed two Mystic Artes in less than eighteen hours. But I'd done it, and now we had to keep fighting.

I turned, running at the hoard of ligers that was nearest to me and starting the deadly dance of blades and claws and thunder all over again. I forced myself to keep going, even as my arm and leg started to protest my actions, even when my other leg, the one Danté had shot me through when he kidnapped me, started to ache. I refused to stop, because stopping here meant dying. There was no way I was going to die, not when I had so much to live for, so many people to come back to. Was this what it was like for soldiers?

I paused for just a moment in a small clearing of bodies, noting the carnage all around me. Mostly southern ligers, yes. But not all. There were many eastern ligers fallen among the southern, a lot of those showing signs of having been infected by the disease that had driven the southern clan to madness. Likely killed by their own clanmates in mercy.

I raised my swords again, not looking forward to continuing this fight. My body ached to simply lie down among the fallen and stay there.

A loud, familiar growl reached my ears.

"Now!"

I looked up, watching in wonder as dozens of lines of thunder (and a few of fire) rained down on the southern ligers, the eastern hightailing it out of there before they could get caught in the crossfire. I grinned when a particularly stubborn liger was then taken down by a black, demonic version of Archangel's Wing. I looked up at the crowd of multi-colored ligers, almost all of which had red tails. But I was looking for one in particular... And I spotted him.

Purple mane shifting in the wind, and a black-haired teen on his back. I reached out for him with my mind, him and the human with him.

*Twilight! Dark!*

*Kairi?!* Twilight sounded surprised. *Where...?*

*There!* Dark cried, seeing me and pointing. Twilight's gaze shifted to me, and I laughed wryly. I looked like hell from where they were standing. No surprise there, really.

I twirled with barely a thought, Silver Clematis striking an approaching enemy's head. The liger snarled at me, attacking again. I ducked, then jumped away, slashing out again even as the western ligers joined the fray, quickly taking down the remainder of the southern ligers. The one I fought was knocked to the side by Twilight, only to fall and find itself unable to get up as the poison from my blade worked through its system.

"Where are the others?" Dark asked.

"Luke's around here somewhere, he should be fairly close," I said. "Reighn and Seth could be anywhere. Natalia and Ion are up on the valley walls, staying out of the way while picking off the southern ligers one at a time. Ion's almost out of ammo, though."

Dark nodded. "Alright." He jumped down from Twilight's back and glanced at him. "Find Reighn and Seth first. We can worry about Luke."

Twilight nodded and took off, and I turned, raising my sword and slashing at another liger that had attempted to sneak up on me. Dark started shooting at it, but it didn't last long, the liger hitting the ground a moment later. I reached out, looking for Luke, and then started leading Dark to him.

Flashes of crimson finally made following my telepathy unnecessary, and we slipped around a fight between a western and southern liger just in time to see another southern liger rake its claws down Luke's front.

Luke cried out, but made the spin and sword-plant necessary for a Guardian Field. I noted the fully-formed field of fonons and ran forward, pulling them in as I jumped up for a Havoc Strike. Or rather...

"Begone! Burning Havoc!"

The liger gave a rather pitiful moan as it dropped to the ground, defeated. Dark knelt next to Luke, whose shaking arms barely held him up by virtue of the sword he'd stuck in the ground.

"O divine ring of those of purity and grace! Halo!" Dark chanted. True to form, the light created a ring around Luke before fading into his body, his wounds mostly healing, though the claw marks simply scabbed over. Dark started prepping another one, but I put a hand on his shoulder.

"Save it for later. We've only go so many healers, there may be ligers in worse condition when this is all over," I said. He grimaced, but nodded and stood, the two of us helping Luke to his feet.

Three sets of green and gold eyes gazed over the valley. What few southern ligers hadn't yet fled were being killed with frightening precision by the eastern and western ligers. The many bodies littered across the ground were slowly disappearing as well, fonons separating as the number of nearby living creatures dropped. The surviving eastern ligers were leaving the valley, their wounded either slumped over the backs of the Betas and Alphas or supported by their fellows. A shock of blue draped limply over purple and orange had me racing toward the western liger who carried not another liger, but a human.

"Reighn!"

I reached out and pushed at the mind of the liger carrying my friend. The liger paused, looking back at me, but accepting the channel. *He will live, young one,* she said, voice giving away what her words had already hinted at. This liger was old, barely young enough to be on the battlefield, I was sure. *His wounds were already tended to.*

I breathed a sigh of relief as Dark and Luke caught up to us. I noticed the pained expression Luke wore and grimaced, turning back to the liger. *Would you consent to carrying another, Elder?*

The liger nodded her head. *I will... for you are without doubt the fang-sister of my daughter's son. Too long has he been alone.*

I blinked, looking over the liger again. Orange markings, of a darker color than Twilight's. A violet-red mane, her tail a brighter red with black tips, and her body a very dull purple. The resemblance, now that I was looking for it, was definitely there.

*Thank you, Elder,* I said, helping Dark to lift Luke onto her back. She left then, Twilight padding up shortly after with Seth on his back. Another liger who shared many characteristics with Twilight save for a dark orange mane in place of violet carried Natalia, Sorylle coming up with Ion not a moment later.

Twilight lowered his head and pushed it into my chest, and I reached out to hug the liger as best I could. Sorylle and Dark shared a similar reunion.

*Let us be gone,* Twilight said. *The ice bridges come. We must not miss them.*

I nodded, moving and jumping up behind Seth, while Dark asked Natalia's mount, a female apparently named Autumn, for permission to do the same. She nodded her head once, and the three ligers took off, abandoning what was left of the battlefield as the rest of the ligers had already done.

My grip on Seth firm, I lowered my head, cutting off all connections and finally allowing myself to mourn this loss of life.

Fun Fact: This is the first time Kairi is seen dual-wielding. It will not be the last, but the next time won't be until Book 3.