Tales of Xalthia

by xXGhostStalker

*DISCLAIMER: This holds no relation to Tales of VS. This is an original story* A mysterious lineage. An unimaginative power. Oblivious to Tsuki Himura, he defends his kingdom from evil and learns of a sinister plot. Forced to seek help, he travels the globe for much needed allies. Join him as he learns more about the world and about himself as something awakens inside him

36. Forest Haven -1st Revision-

Tales of Xalthia

Chapter 35: Forest Haven

Tsuki, Reis and Cesela spent the next two hours wandering through the foggy forest of Spiral Woods. The deeper that traveled through the brush and the various animal trails, the thicker the fog became. Strangely enough, there weren't very many monster encounters for them. While some engaged them in battle, most of the local monsters kept their distance from them. Even a number of the more aggressive ones appeared to be apprehensive. The monster behavior was odd but the three of them continued to press on through the forest.

With Reis acting as their guide through the forest, they had no issues navigating through the foggy maze. From Tsuki's eyes, every pathway they came across looked to be the same. However, Reis was able to pick out the correct path among the many similarly looking ones they came across. With Cesela being a Foxkin, she was able to tell the difference between each path as the fog's effect had no effect on her. The correct pathways had stone markers and various other totems along them that the other routes did not have.

As they walked down one of the pathways, Tsuki broke the silence by speaking out. "You weren't kidding about the forest. These are some pretty thick woods. Almost reminds me of the forests around Briswater" he said.

Reis shrugged his shoulders a bit as he pushed through the brush. He could feel them push through the fog barriers. The more the walked, however, the more he started to have lingering thoughts in the back of his head. "It has to be. After all, it's all that conceals the Faerie village. The forest has seen it's fair share of growth in order for it to suit the right needs" he said.

Cesela looked up towards Reis as they walked forward. "You said that Haven Village was small, right?" she asked.

Reis chuckled a bit, shaking his head. "Correct, with about 100 inhabitants" he said. It was a small village but it was the perfect size to conceal within the trees.

Tsuki scratched his head a bit. "I suppose a big village would make it difficult to hide, especially when you have the Shinobi of Sirione hunting you down" he said. He recalled him mentioning that the Shogunate conscripted Faeries and Beastmen in their ranks as well as a number that willfully swore allegiance to them. Considering the violent nature of how Sirione became what it is today, he found it disturbing that there were those that gave their loyalty to them. "Why do you think that the Faeries and Beastmen work for the Syndicate?" he asked.

Reis fell silent for a moment. He couldn't speak for all of the Faeries and Beastmen but he could think of several reasons. "Sirione is a tough place to live in right now. With their homes ripped from them, they have to do what is necessary in order to survive. Even if that means giving their undying loyalty to them. Otherwise, you'll either end up dead in a ditch somewhere or shipped off into the slave trade" he said. He was disgusted by the treatment that Faeries and Beastmen were given like so many others. While it's kept mostly hidden away, slave trade around Nargelond is a big issue. There have been a number of locations that the rebellion has taken down that take part in their operations which has earned them the ire of certain people within their military.

Tsuki couldn't even begin to imagine what life must be like for them. To wake up in that hellscape every single day, wondering if you're going to survive to see the next only to repeat the process. He couldn't help but glance down at Cesela for a moment to gently pat her on the head, feeling the soft fur of her fox ears brush up against his hand. "I really wish there was something more we could do right now…" he said. He knew that the world held many things for him to discover outside of Cayhill but he didn't imagine anything of this scale.

Reis chuckled a bit at his words as an image of Flynn popped into his mind. "You know, you remind me so much of the Commander. You share a similar wavelength with each other and your thought process is pretty aligned. I think you two would get along well" he said. Maybe one day, he'll have the opportunity to introduce them.

Tsuki looked over at him, curious to know more about Flynn Callus. "It comes to mind that you never really talked about him yet. What's he like?" he asked.

Reis crossed his arms and leaned his head back, looking up at the canvas of trees above them. "Flynn is a righteous man with strong morals. He lost his parents at a young age but was taken in by young Faerie couple who raised him as if he were their own. Although he didn't carry mixed blood, he had a strong Faerie upbringing" he said. He remembered how fondly he spoke when he used to talk about his adoptive family and those around him as he grew up. "The Faeries that raised him and treated him like he was one of them changed his life. They saved him, gave him a home when he no longer had one. They were all one big, happy family. This was a kindness that he's never forgotten and now he fights for them in order to bring the Faeries a new way of life just as they did for him" he said. His convictions to change the world are one of the reasons why he enlisted into the rebellion. His words and actions motivated him greatly and now he serves that same man as his lieutenant. For Reis, there was no higher honor than this.

Cesela listened to him speak, his words hitting her hard. For her, it had been so long since she's heard someone speak about their connection and bonds with her kind with such fondness. It further brought her to the realization that not all Humans are bad. Thinking on his words caused several flashbacks to play through her mind. Images of her when she was younger and surrounded by three people; two adults and a boy who looked to be in his late teens. They were all dressed in fancy attire that would suggest that they were of a rich background. "The power of family…" she mumbled to herself.

Eventually, their travels through the winding, foggy maze soon spat them out into a small clearing. A wide range of colorful flowers filled the clearing with a small tree in the center of it all. They approached the tree and examined the trunk to see different carvings etched into the wood. Some were simple designs while others were intricate. There were even pairs of names together with a heart-shaped symbol around them. They didn't sense any monsters nearby so they took this opportunity to rest for a bit. Cesela walked around through the flower field with lit up eyes. Tsuki was leaning up against the tree, keeping a close eye on her in case something happens. He couldn't rule out the possibility of another ambush. Reis, however, had a troubled look on his face as he paced around, lost in thought.

Tsuki left him alone for a few minutes so that he could sort out whatever was going through his mind but it seemed like it wasn't getting any better. "You have that look. What seems to be bothering you?" he asked.

Reis grumbled a bit, looking at the area around them. He looked anxious all of a sudden. "Something isn't right here" he said.

Tsuki tilted his head a bit. He proceeded to look around as well but wasn't sure what was bothering him. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Reis closed his eyes for a few moments to scan the area around them. Besides the local wildlife, he didn't sense any of the Faeries. "Haven Village is supposed to be protected by three layers of fog. Not only does it serve as a natural defensive barrier, it also serves as a warning system for any would-be intruders" he said.

Cesela's ears twitched a bit as she made her way back over to the two of them with a few flowers in her hand. "Do they know we're here?" she asked.

Reis mumbled to himself for a bit longer as he took his the circumstances. "Supposedly, yes. However, we haven't seen hide nor hair of anyone around…" he said.

Tsuki wasn't able to sense any presence of life other than the wildlife. He didn't think much about it since he wasn't familiar with the forest layout. "So, you're saying people should be around here" he said.

Reis nodded at him. "As I said, the fog barriers serve as a warning system for the village. When someone passes through one, it sends off a silent alarm for the villagers to notify that someone has entered the forest. Then, when someone passes through the second fog barrier, it puts the village on alert for potential danger" he said. They've already passed through two of the three barriers and haven't met a single piece of resistance. "It's not just the absence of people here that bothers me. It's also the absence of a third barrier. We should have passed through it upon walking out onto these fields but I didn't sense anything" he said.

Tsuki tilted his head a bit. If the barriers were a form of protection and a warning system at the same time, then there wasn't any reason for it not to be there. "That does sound concerning…" he said.

Reis looked at him for a moment. "The third barrier is the strongest one out of the three. If it's no longer active, then someone brought it down by force…" he said. He couldn't help but think back to the Shinobi that ambushed them back in the canyon highway. While they seemed to be likely suspects, the timing didn't seem right.

Cesela grew a little concerned about the village's well-being and safety. "Do you think the ones from before did this?" she asked.

Reis took the thought to mind but quickly deduced that they weren't directly involved. "No, I don't believe so. However, I do believe that they were only a small portion of a larger picture" he said. It bothered him to know that they were even there in the first place. It didn't seem like it was just a random occurrence for them to be there.

Tsuki thought back to the ambush. Thinking about it, they did appear as if they had been there for some time. Almost as if they were guarding the place. "A scouting unit, perhaps…?" he mumbled to himself.

Just then, Tsuki suddenly felt a rush of energy shoot towards him from behind. Yellow energy quickly gathered around his left arm as he spun around to face the oncoming wave of energy, pulling Cesela behind him with his other hand to shield her. With Alex's shield now materialized, he used it to block the sudden attack. He could feel the power behind the attack on impact; the one who fired it off seemed to be quite powerful.

Cesela was taken by surprise by the sudden attack. She couldn't "see" any differences in Aer until it was too late. Thankfully, Tsuki was quick on his feet and blocked it. "W-where did that come from!?" she asked.

Reis looked off into the direction of where the attack came from. He felt a familiar aura that sprung out of nowhere and soon started to piece things together. "Now it makes sense. If something has happened with Haven Village, then there should have been more resistance from the Elder" he said.

As he said that, a single man walked out from the brush wielding a scythe with a unique design to it almost as if it were demonic in nature. The man had short, spikey grey hair with silver eyes and appeared to be around his 50s, if not early 60s. He also had some pretty severe burns that went down the length of his left arm that left permanent scarring. The man also had a pair of grey and white ears and a tail that resembled a wolf.

The man approached them cautiously, holding the scythe close to his side. He examined Tsuki and Reis for a minute before speaking out to them. "I sensed a familiar presence enter through the barrier but when I also sensed two unfamiliar ones, I suspected the worst" he said. He glanced over toward Tsuki for a moment, taking notice of Cesela hiding behind him. "You don't seem like Shinobi and you definitely don't appear to be part of the slave trade with how you protected the young Foxkin" he said. He attached the scythe on his back and brushed himself off a bit before looking over to Reis. "If I remember correctly, you're Flynn's lieutenant, right?" he asked.

Reis nodded, bowing slightly to the man. "We met once before but never got to properly introduce myself. The name's Reis Shukaku. I serve as Nightwing's lieutenant and right-hand man to it's commander, Flynn Callus" he said. He hasn't had many interactions with the Elder but he could sense a commanding presence that surrounds him.

The old man crossed his arms, nodding as he introduced himself. He's heard tales about him from Flynn about his capabilities and he's only grown more curious about him. "I can sense the turmoil within you. Flynn has told me about your abilities with Arcanum and how it can negatively affect you" he said. He hid it well but he can sense his internal struggles. The more he uses the Arcanum, the greater effects impact his body. Before that though, he was more curious about the circumstances surrounding Tsuki and Cesela. "As for you two, you don't look like the type that would hang around with a rebellion" he said.

Tsuki lowered his left arm down to his side as the shield he formed disappeared. "I suppose you could call us adventurers. My name's Tsuki Himura and this is Cesela Reese. We teamed up with Reis for a certain matter and ended up getting separated from the rest of our companions" he said. He examined the old man closely and couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity.

The old man rubbed his chin as he examined Tsuki. It was obvious to him that they weren't just "adventurers" but he wasn't going to pry. However, before he could get his next words out, he was suddenly stopped when he heard Cesela's name. He looked over at the girl with a shocked look in his eyes. "Cesela…Reese…?" he mumbled. He took one hard look at Cesela and the image of a younger who looked exactly like her flashed in his head.

Cesela looked up at the old man with a slight nervous sweat, her eyes slightly shaking as she gave him a serious look. It was the type of look that would of said to shut up. She didn't need to say anything to him; the look she gave him seemed to pass on whatever message she wanted to pass along just fine and whatever that message was, the old man seemed to understand.

The old man took a moment to regain his composure, clearing his throat. "My name is Ryoka Soule, the Elder of Haven Village. An ally of the Nightwings is an ally of ours and right now, we could use some right about now" he said. There was more pressing matters to deal with first before any type of discussion could be held.

Reis tilted his head at the reactions between the old man and Cesela. If he didn't know any better, the two of them were familiar with one another in some way. However, he felt like it wasn't his place to meddle in. Shaking off the thought, he turned his attention towards the village He had a gut feeling what has transpired in Haven Village. "Does it have something to do with the lack of the third fog barrier?" he asked.

Ryoka nodded at him. "It does. I sensed a disturbance out in the woods and set out to investigate. As it turns out, there was an encampment of Shinobi not too far from the village. I engaged them but most got away due to them summoning these strange entities to hold me off" he said. He wasn't sure what they were but they resembled Humans. He tried calling out to them but they never responded. It was as if they were the walking dead. All he could see were soulless eyes and a thirst for blood.

Tsuki knew right away what they were and it concerned him. "Lesser Daemons, huh? So, Shinobi have access to Arcanum…" he said. He thought about it for a moment when a past scene played out in his head. It was when he first discovered that Sirione was overthrown by the Syndicate and how no one really understood how it came to be. If the Syndicate had access to Arcanum even from back then, then that would certainly answer a few lingering questions and mysteries surrounding the events of Sirione.

Ryoka looked over at him, tilting his head a bit. He's heard the term before but didn't know much about it. "Is that what they are? They were pretty tough and resilient to my attacks. It was most likely because of their influence with the surrounding area that disrupted the fog barrier and brought it down" he said. He was more surprised at the fact that they seemed to have had their fair share of encounters with the entities. It only made him grow more curious about them.

Reis started to piece things together now that they know the cause for the third barrier's collapse as well as their current circumstances. "And if my hunch is correct, the Shinobi used that disruption to seize control of Haven Village. Without you there to offer assistance, it would have been an easy task for them" he said. It would explain why there was no one around.

Ryoka nodded at them. "I was contemplating my options out here when you three showed up" he said. He could have simply attacked them and been done with it. With how low their numbers were, especially after his attack on their encampment, he could have taken them down with ease. He wasn't keen on asking them for help when they had Cesela with them but he had no other choice. The two of them seemed like capable fighters and Cesela appeared to have some skill with a bow though not much. "I know we just met and everything and that there's a lot to talk about but would you be able to help me out?" he asked. Having some backup with him would give him some peace of mind, even if it was outside assistance.

Reis nodded at him, tapping his chest with a wide grin. "You didn't even need to ask. It's the Nightwing's responsibility to watch over the village. Once the situation has been resolved, I'll send word out to the commander to dispatch some people out here" he said. He then glanced over at Tsuki. "Would that be alright with you?" he asked. He knew what his answer would be but wanted to ask just to be sure.

Tsuki chuckled a bit. "We came here to ensure the safety of the village. Of course, it's alright with me. Besides, I'm sure Cesela wants to help out regardless" he said. He could see the determined look in her eye as her tail swayed with vigor.

Cesela looked up at them, pumping herself up. "I'm not all that confident with a bow yet but Cheria has taught me the basics and some skills. I want to help too!" she said.

Ryoka nodded at them and turned towards the north. "Alright then. The village is beyond the clearing, just past the gates over there" he said. He pointed his finger out towards a simple, wooden gate on the far side of the clearing.

With their help secured, the four of them headed across the clearing and soon through the wooden gate. There was a small pathway lined with lanterns that extended a short ways beyond the gate until it eventually led them to the entrance to Haven Village. They used the dense brush and the tree line to conceal themselves as they tried to see what was happening within the village.

Surprisingly, there appeared to be very little damage to the village itself. The villagers and town guards appeared to have surrendered to avoid needless bloodshed. It appeared that the Shinobi have gathered all the villagers in the central plaza with some being restrained. They counted about ten Shinobi scattered around the plaza. They noticed that some of the villagers were being escorted out in droves by other Shinobi through the front gates. Despite what was happening though, the villagers seemed to be oddly calm.

Tsuki watched as batches of villagers were being escorted out from the village. He looked back at Ryoka, who seemed to just let it happen. "Are we not going to save them?" he asked.

Ryoka shook his head. As much as he wanted to, he had a plan in mind. "Not right now. First, we need to secure the village. Whoever these Shinobi belong to, they now know where our village is. We need to drag them out of hiding and eliminate them to keep our place a secret" he said. So long as they breathe, Haven Village was at risk.

Reis tilted his head a bit. "What makes you think they haven't already sent out word?" he asked. If they already knew the location, there was no reason why they wouldn't immediately report it.

Ryoka knew they haven't had a chance to do so and that was because of the fog barriers. "The barriers let out a small frequency that normal animals don't like. Which means, carrier hawks and pigeons tend to stay away. They would have to leave the forest in order to send word out" he said. There were methods with communicating with the outside but those methods are kept between the village and their outside contacts.

Cesela thought about the circumstances. She theorized on what was running through Ryoka's mind. "In other words, they'll slowly extract the villagers from the forest and then send word out when things are ready to move forward. However, if we retake the village, then they would likely return with the full force. Then, we'll use that opportunity to wipe them out" she said. It would be a classic move in tactics and strategy.

Ryoka was a little surprised that she was able to see right through his plan. "Why, yes. That's exactly the plan. Impressive intuition you got there" he said. It made him think of Cesela in a different light. Maybe she wasn't just an ordinary young girl as he thought she was.

Tsuki nodded as she spoke of the plan. "All that sounds good to me. Let's break this little party up, shall we?" he said.

Ryoka looked at Tsuki and took note of the empty sheath on his waist. "Based on the thing on your hip, it would seem you've misplaced your sword. How will you fight?" he asked. It was something he probably should have asked earlier but he didn't think much of it until now.

Tsuki tapped his chest, giving him a confident grin. "Don't you worry about that. I've got that little issue covered" he said. He then looked at Cesela. "You stay hidden amongst the trees and try to pick off as many of them as you can" he said. It would be best if she didn't expose herself to the enemy considering they held environmental advantage.

Cesela took the bow off her back and pulled out one of the arrows from her quiver. "I'll do my best" he said. She then walked off through the brush, trying to find a good vantage point.

Reis soon drew his katana from his sheath. He has been using too much of the Arcanum within him so he will have to rely on the Blastia this time around. "On your go" he said.

Ryoka took the scythe from his back and nodded as Tsuki's right hand started to emit crimson sparks. The three of them soon ran out of the brush back onto the main pathway and ran into the village from the main gates. Meanwhile, the Shinobi gathered a pack of 10 villages together as they prepared to escort them out. There were two standing off to the sides and another two at the front and back. They could be heard discussing things and giving out orders to others.

One of the Shinobi who appeared to be leading the small group of ten villagers was shouting out commands. "We need to pick up the pace! It won't be much longer before that old man returns. We need this village cleared out befor-" he said.

Suddenly, the Shinobi who was giving out orders was cut off from being struck in the back with a deep slash wound, letting out a shout in pain as he fell down to the ground. The Shinobi's shout drew the attention of the others around him as all eyes were soon laid onto Ryoka, who stood over the fallen Shinobi, slamming his foot down hard against his back as a audible crack could be heard. Ryoka twirled his scythe around as he was enveloped by a black and red aura.

Another Shinobi nearby drew their short swords and took control of the situation. "Shit, it's the old man!" he shouted.

Another Shinobi drew a short katana from his waist and assumed an offensive stance. "He returned faster than we thought. Guess I shouldn't be surprised, considering who he is" he said. He then looked over towards the remaining Shinobi that still lingered around. "We have no choice. Strike him down!" he shouted.

Three of the remaining nine Shinobi all drew their weapons and charged at Ryoka. Two of them came at him swinging but easily deflected their swings. Meanwhile, the third did a number of hand signs and started to conjure something as magic circle appeared on either side of him. Unfortunately for him, he was interrupted when Reis came charging in and swung his katana, the blade digging into the ground as he swung and fired off a small blast of energy at him. The sudden attack collided into the Shinobi and blew him back off his feet.

The Shinobi took notice of Reis and Tsuki's presence as they both soon joined up with Ryoka. One of them wasn't too thrilled to see that he wasn't alone. "Wait, he's not alone! Where did those two came from!?" they asked.

The previous Shinobi looked over towards Tsuki and Reis, giving them a serious look. "A jet-black katana…a seemingly unarmed man with brown, spikey hair…could these two be the ones our scouts came across in the canyons?" he asked. He heard the report that was given to them and he didn't believe it at first. The two of them took down a squad of Shinobi by themselves with relative ease.

Tsuki heard him mutter something about a band of scouts from earlier and with it, he connected the dots. "So, our ambushers are with you then. Perfect; we can finish what you started" he said.

The Shinobi clicked his tongue from beneath the cloth covering his face. "What a time for the commander to be absent. No matter; we stick to the plan. Eliminate them!" he shouted.

The same two Shinobi continued their concentrated attacks on Reis as they came at him together. Two confronted Tsuki while the rest focused their concentration on Ryoka. As the two approached Tsuki on both sides of him, he materialized Cliff's axe in his right hand as his arm emitted crimson sparks. The two took caution of him since they heard the report from the scouting party. After carefully assessing them and a tense stand-off, the one behind Tsuki charged at him. Tsuki quickly spun around and blocked his swing and forced him back. The Shinobi landed back on his feet after being pushed back, quickly reaching into the pouch on his hip to throw out a pair of kunai at him. Tsuki dodged one of them and managed to grab the other as he turned to throw it at the other Shinobi that charged at him while he was distracted.

The approaching Shinobi tossed out one of his kunai at the same time and both ended up hitting each other and struck the ground. The Shinobi did a few quick hand signs before putting his hand up to his mouth to let out a fireball. Tsuki jumped up into the air as the fireball crashed at where he stood, igniting the nearby grass. At the same time, the other Shinobi also leapt up into the air behind him and swung down at with speed and power. Tsuki blocked the attack which sent him back down towards the ground where the other waited for him to strike. As he dropped down to the ground, the Shinobi leapt up towards him, swinging his short katana at him. Unfortunately for him, however, Tsuki anticipated the movement as he spun around to face him and swung his axe at him. The Shinobi's blade never reached Tsuki as he was struck across his chest by the axe, blood shooting out from the injury as he fell down to the ground. Tsuki landed back on his feet and quickly spun around, swinging the axe and firing off an arc blast of energy at the remaining Shinobi who ended up taking a direct hit and slammed down against a nearby boulder. The impact would have been enough cause significant injury, if it didn't kill him.

For Reis, he had no trouble blowing them away. One of them came swinging at him haphazardly so it was an easy matter of side-stepping his swings. After his final downward swing, Reis opted not to dodge it and went in for a counter. He held his katana down towards his left side and waited for him to get closer. When he was, he swung his katana at the Shinobi in a vertical slash, the jagged edges of his katana ripping through his ninja attire and inflicting serious injury across his waist, almost gouging out his inners as the jagged edges tore through his skin. The Shinobi was stopped in his tracks and dropped down to his knees, bleeding heavily from the waist before falling to his side. As for the other, he stood back from him as he assessed him. After a few moments, he reached into his back pouch and took out three small pellets. He tossed them out towards him and watched them explode halfway out, releasing a dense, green smoke cloud that covered the area around Reis.

With the smokescreen up, visibility was greatly reduced and the Shinobi who threw it took advantage of it. He rushed into the cloud of smoke and moved around as if he had perfect vision. As he moved through the smoke with ease, Reis sheathed his katana and held onto the hilt with his eyes closed and a steady breath. It was as if the sounds around him became muffled and time slowed for what felt like minutes. Then, in a mere instant, Reis opened his eyes and drew his katana from the sheath with intense speed, delivering a fatal slash across the Shinobi's chest as he came rushing at him. The strike happened so fast that he was dead before his mind could process what just happened, his body collapsing onto the ground.

When the smoke cleared, the remaining five Shinobi looked on as they saw their fallen comrades were struck down with ease. Three of the Shinobi who were about to face off with Ryoka froze in their tracks as their bodies shook with fear. Ryoka could see their apparent resolve shatter in an instant while the remaining two held their ground, unsure of what to do. It was in that moment that Ryoka came to a not-so surprising realization.

Ryoka lowered his scythe down to his side and held out his left hand towards the three wavering Shinobi. "It'll be alright. You don't need to take orders from them anymore. Lay down your weapons and I promise you that no harm will come to you" he said. He couldn't sense the bloodthirsty nature of the three that wavered in comparison to the two that remain standing and the five that were struck down already.

One of the wavering Shinobi felt his body shook uncontrollably. He could barely hold his short swords steady. In reality, the three of them didn't want to fight, let alone contribute to the suffering of their own race. Their fear and anxiety could be seen from their low-hanging ears and tails. "W-we don't…?" they asked in a low, female voice.

Ryoka shook his head and gave them a friendly, welcoming smile. "The Syndicate can't hurt you anymore. You're free to do whatever you want" he said.

The second wavering Shinobi soon spoke out in a slightly deep male voice. "We don't have to suffer…?" he asked.

Ryoka nodded at him slowly. "Correct. The Syndicate have no power here and any interference will be swiftly dealt with" he said, trying to calm his worries.

Finally, the third one spoke after in soft male's voice. "B-but what if they come back…?" he asked with a shaky voice.

Ryoka rolled his hand into a fist and tapped his chest. "Then, Death's Claw shall be there to greet them for their journey into the afterlife" he said.

The three wavering Shinobi looked at one another for a few moments before nodding at each other. They soon dropped their weapons and removed the cloth that was wrapped around their heads to reveal their faces to match the voices. The female Shinobi looked to be around Tsuki's age with short, silver hair with a matching colored pair of wolf ears and a tail. She had golden eyes with an innocent expression to them as if they've never shed a drop of blood in her life. One of the male Shinobi was an older individual who appeared a little younger than Ramza was with dark hair and red eyes. His black ears and tail resembled that of a cat. The other male Shinobi seemed to be around the same age as the female Shinobi with spikey, brown hair and with heterochromia eyes, one of them being light blue and the other orange. His ears and tail appeared to belong to that of a mix between a dog and a wolf.

The act of them dropping their weapons and removing the cloth around their heads was something the remaining two Shinobi wouldn't stand. One of them pointed their wakizashi, their short katana, at them with fury in his eyes. "Hey! What do you two think you're doing!? Are you turning your backs on us!?" he shouted.

Ryoka glanced over towards the Shinobi that shouted at them. "As I said, the Syndicate have no power here. Not in Ersheath and certainly not in this forest. I do have to thank you for bringing us those you've forced into servitude, however. By eliminating the chain of command, it'll be easy to convert them back to our side" he said. He knew that many within the Shogunate were forced into it either through being sold off or conscripted into service under the new laws that the Syndicate have created.

The Shinobi growled underneath the cloth covering his mouth as he leaned forward, ready to charge at them. "The Syndicate has no place for those who don't obey. Nothing but a shallow grave awaits those that go rogue" he said.

The Shinobi suddenly shot forward with blinding speed, vanishing from sight in an instant. He was moving so fast that no one could see where he was going to attack from. Ryoka stood by the unmasked Shinobi, ready to defend them. However, he wasn't able to predict where the attack would come from. After what felt like an eternity, the Shinobi appeared behind the three that dropped their weapons. He was already swinging his sword by the time he reappeared. Ryoka swung his scythe around to attempt to block his attack but it proved to be unnecessary.

Before the Shinobi's sword could make contact with anything, he was soon struck in the back by an arrow. He froze in place for a moment before turning around to face in the direction of where the arrow came from. Before he could react, another arrow came flying out from the trees and pierced his heart with another plunging into his chest. The last thing he saw before dying was Cesela poking out from the bushes, ready to fire off another arrow as she held the bowstring back. He soon fell to the ground, leaving just one remaining threat in the area.

The remaining Shinobi took a few steps back towards the tree line behind him as he found himself the sole survivor. They knew that the tables had turned and had to alert those that weren't present. He reached into his back pouch and threw out more pellets, causing the entire area to be filled with a dense, thick smoke. By the time the smoke vanished, the Shinobi was gone. They remained on their guard for a short while to make sure that this wasn't a trick. When he failed to reappear though, they all started to relax. Ryoka and Reis sheathed their weapons while the axe Tsuki held soon disappeared into balls of light. Cesela soon came out from the brush, taking the arrow off her bowstring to return it to it's quiver before putting the bow on her back.

With the threat of the Shinobi gone for now and the village liberated, the four of them set out to release the bindings and restraints they had placed on the villagers. Thankfully, the villagers weren't harmed all that much aside from a few scrapes and bruises. The three Shinobi that surrendered themselves stood off to the side and talked amongst themselves as they embraced each other, knowing that they could finally be free. Astonishingly, despite all that's happened and what they were forced to do, the villagers soon approached these three and reached out to them in an effort to welcome them in. They were hesitant at first, but eventually caved in and accepted.

Other villagers showered Ryoka with appreciation while also praising the efforts of Tsuki, Reis and Cesela for their heroic efforts. Much like with Ryoka's initial reaction with Cesela, some of the older villagers had similar reactions when they heard her name. However, none of them seemed to voice their thoughts and clammed up in the same way that Ryoka did. This was something both Tsuki and Reis picked up on immediately and made the mystery behind Cesela all that more curious and intriguing. However, they both decided not to pry into it until she was willing to open up to them on whatever it was herself. They reached a conclusion that whatever it may be warrants her to keep it a secret.

Four hours has now passed since the four of them liberated Haven Village and saved it's citizens. After things settled down, Ryoka did a headcount of how many were taken away. Since Haven Village had a relatively small population count, it was easy for him to tell. He ended at a total of 20 villagers missing. Thankfully, it was fewer than what his initial expectations were. After seeing how the villagers lived, it was clear at how the village was occupied so easily. The vast majority of the population appeared to be simple farmers, basic hunters, shop owners and amateur guardsmen. There didn't seem to be too many that were particularly skilled with a weapon and those that were had been restrained. By putting up a pointless struggle, the villagers would have risked unnecessary injury or even death.

As the village tried to get back up on its feet, Tsuki and the others joined Ryoka in his house in front of the central plaza to go over the plan going forward. It was there that Tsuki disclosed everything that's happened up to this point to Ryoka and tried to keep the explanation of the more complicated matters down to a minimal level that he would understand. Naturally, even with a dumbed down explanation, a lot of it seemed far-fetched but considering his demeanor and what he witnessed about Tsuki and the Mana-infused weapons he wielded along with some of his own experiences, it wasn't hard for him to accept these things as truths. Hearing about the fall of Eresseas, the unsanctioned actions that Honegroth has taken, the slave trade fiasco in Chesberry and the attempted theft of the Raven's Claw at Nobuo Shrine opened up Ryoka's eyes to the world. Hearing about what happened with Eresseas in particular appeared to strongly resonate with him for some reason.

Ryoka sat in one of his chairs, hunched over a bit as he rubbed the sides of his forehead as he tried to process all that he has been told. So much has happened in recent days and he was ignorant of it all since word outside of the forest didn't typically travel this far unless it was through a royal attendant or one of the contacts with the Nightwings. "I don't even know what to make of all this. Just what is happening out there?" he asked.

Tsuki shook his head, unable to answer him. He still didn't understand why this all started. Familiar words and phrases like the Reckoning Caius mentioned back in Basilwell. "I wish I could tell you. Every time we seem to find answers, more questions and mysteries seem to follow. There's something at play here and judging by the scale of things, it's not your typical border dispute or power play" he said. Even Honegroth's actions seemed to confuse him since he recalled from a story that Taichi and Emma used to tell that the two of them were on relative good terms with Caius back in the day when he was still a simple prince.

Reis shrugged his shoulders. The world has it's own set of problems but for there was nothing they could do right now to make a difference. All they can do is focus on what they can do in the moment. "All we can do is keep moving forward and deal with whatever the world throws at us as it happens. No sense in thinking about what's happening behind the scenes when we don't even have the faintest idea" he said. He picked up a small cup filled with tea from a nearby table and took a sip before glancing over towards Ryoka. "So, how many more Shinobi are around here?" he asked.

Ryoka sat up and leaned back in his chair. "About fifteen are left. I have no doubt that they will retaliate with more force" he said. He knew that this fight wasn't over. Haven Village wasn't out of the woods just yet.

Tsuki wasn't sure his plan was the best one to choose from but in light of the fact that they hold some villagers hostage, it may be their only option. "And your plan is to simply wait it out for them to strike back" he said.

Cesela scratched the back of her head. In her mind, it seemed like a bold but reckless plan. "You sure that's wise? You'd be putting those we saved in danger again" she said.

Ryoka shook his head. Even if he agreed with them, they didn't know where to begin searching for them. The forest was vast with many exits to it, after all. "Wise or not, it's not like we have another option. We don't know where they brought their captives though it's a safe bet they took them out of the forest. They'll be back for a second attack and with the news of you three as unexpected reinforcements, it should compel the leader to make himself known" he said. His main target was the person in charge. Everything will fall apart with him out of the picture. He had previously attempted to strike him down prior to meeting Tsuki but ended up failing to do so.

Reis thought about their circumstances. By eliminating the enemy commander, the rank-and-file will crumble and fall apart. "So, we should focus our efforts on the leader when he shows up" he said.

Ryoka shook his head slowly. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be as easy as they are making it. "I'm afraid it won't be that easy. Remember when I mentioned how I was set upon by those entities…Lesser Daemons, I believe you called them? Their leader was the one responsible for that" he said,

Tsuki rubbed his chin in thought. "Did you see or feel anything strange when it happened? Like, a crystal or something of that nature?" he asked. Previously, most sources of Arcanum came in the form of crystals charged with negative energy. The crystal that was attached to the Draxus leader in Prophet Castle and the crystal shards they brought to Eresseas as well as the one that Mike had in his possession.

Ryoka thought back to his encounter with them back in the forest. He remembered seeing some sort of floating orb that hovered over their right shoulder. It gave off a creepy, evil vibe when he looked at it. "Not a crystal but he did have some strange orb with him" he said.

Tsuki nodded. "If we eliminate the source, all of it's byproducts will disappear with it. The issue is, those objects can summon a near endless supply of those entities from what I've seen" he said. Their target should be prioritized to the orb that he carried with him before anything else. They'll have an easier time to contend with the Shinobi with the unknown element of Arcanum removed from the picture.

Reis stroked his chin in thought. It seems that they have a plan of action. "So, if anything is a threat, it's these dark objects" he said. He came to easily understand what needed to be done. "Right then. We know what to do so we can prepare for it" he said.

Tsuki couldn't explain why but for some reason, he had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. "It'll be ideal if we can take it out before he has a chance to use it. Objects imbued with Arcanum have other effects that go along with it such as empowering others, making them stronger and tough to kill" he said. It would best not to give them any sort of advantage, if they can avoid it.

Ryoka stroked his chin as he fell into thought, thinking about the last thing he said. "Strong and resilient empowerment, huh…?" he said. He ran through possible scenarios of a certain event in his mind and after what he heard about what took place in Eresseas, it appeared as if he had found some possible answers regarding a certain incident that happened in the past.

As he thought about whatever was bothering him, he felt a disturbance with one of the fog barriers. At first, he assumed that it was the Shinobi preparing for their counterattack but he quickly dismissed those thoughts. He sensed multiple unfamiliar presences enter into the forest. He wasn't sure who they were but they were able to pass through the first fog barrier with ease. He tried to use his senses within the forest to see if he could identify them but wasn't able to. Not only that, but he also sensed a familiar, evil presence drawing closer. He wasn't sure who this new group was that entered the forest but he was able to pick up the feeling that they didn't come with bad intentions.

Ryoka soon stood up and looked over towards Tsuki and the others. "Looks like we're going to have company soon. Best get prepared while you can. I need to go inform the villagers and have them take shelter. Meet me by the town gates when you're ready" he said. He then walked over towards his scythe that was leaning up against a nearby wall, placing it on his back and left through the front door.

Reis finished his cup of tea before letting out a heavy sigh, scratching the back of his head. "So, round two is upon us, huh?" he asked.

Cesela was unsure of what her role should be in the upcoming fight. "What would you have me do? And don't tell me to sit this one out and seek refuge either" she said. She's already came this far so it wouldn't be right to stay out of it. She wasn't able to do anything back at Nobuo Shrine, even if it was pointless and she didn't want to make a repeat of that. Seeing Allie face off against an overwhelming threat the way she did lit a fire under her. As someone who appeared to be a year older, she didn't want to be outdone by her, regardless if she was a Spirit or not.

Tsuki looked at her and saw the fire in her eyes. She was still a novice when it came to combat but he could see her determination. Comparing her to how she was when they rescued her, he was almost astonished and how much she's changed in such a short amount of time. Seeing her with such a determined look, it wouldn't be right for him to not include her. "You should have a clear view of the town gate from the second floor balcony. Use it as a vantage point and let your arrows fly" he said.

Cesela nodded at him, holding her bow close to her chest. "I'll do my best…!" she said. She wanted to get stronger; she knew she had to be for what the future will bring them.

Tsuki reached his hand out and patted her on the head, brushing up against her ears as he felt them twitch and her tail swaying from side to side. "We'll be counting on you for support" he said. As a knight, he still didn't approve of someone so young on the battlefield. However, from a general standpoint, it won't matter much if the world falls into chaos.

Reis soon stood up and gathered his things, putting his katana back on his waist. "We don't have much time so we better get prepared quickly" he said. He glanced over towards Cesela who was inspecting the arrows in her quiver. "Remember, the key to being an archer is patience. Keep your eyes open for any weaknesses to exploit" he said.

Cesela finished inspecting her arrows before strapping the quiver along with her bow on her back before giving him a casual salute. "Yes sir!" she said. She then turned and headed towards the stairs but stopped before climbing to look back at them. "Be careful out there" she said. She then ran up the stairs and disappeared up onto the second floor.

Tsuki nodded at her as she ran up the stairs before looking at Reis. "Let's get a move on then. Best not to keep Ryoka waiting" he said.

The two of them soon left the house and went out to hit the local shops to stock up on whatever supplies they could obtain. Due to the previous occupation, most of the shops had their shelves emptied from the Shinobi pillaging their wares. Weapons and restorative supplies like Gels were pretty scarce now so there wasn't very many supplies, if anything at all, for them to grab. When they were ready to go, they joined up with Ryoka near the town gate.

When they rejoined him, they saw that the villagers have all cleared out from the surrounding area though they could see a few heads poking out from the windows of nearby buildings. Not having anywhere to go, they had no choice but to shutter themselves up with their surroundings. There was a tense stillness in the air as nothing but the sounds of trees blowing in the wind could be heard. The three of them could feel their anxieties rise as they waited for the Shinobi to arrive. After what felt like an eternity of waiting, they finally saw their mark stroll through the forest path and enter the town gates, stepping into the central plaza. What they saw, however, surprised the three of them.

Rather than sending out the remaining Shinobi for a full-on assault, only a single individual made their appearance. This person was tall with a mix of black and grey wolf ears and a tail with part of their right ear clipped off. They had a long staff attached to their back with a pair daggers strapped to both legs. They had attire that stood out from the other Shinobi they encountered; rather than a full ninja suit, they had a mix of chainmail underneath the clothing with part of the arms protected by steel. It was a mix of heavy and light armor that appeared to be tailored and suited for Shinobi. The added weight of steel and chainmail though was an interesting design choice as Shinobi tend to wear lightweight clothes so their mobility isn't reduced. The choice of weapons was also bizarre; while the daggers fell in line to the standard Shinobi, the staff on his back wasn't. It resembled that of a monk's staff that could be used to keep opponents at a distance. It wasn't something Shinobi tend to use.

Reis tilted his head a bit with a not-so surprised expression on his face. Based off what Ryoka told them about them summoning forth Lesser Daemons, they must plan on using that ability. "Only one, huh?" he asked.

Ryoka nodded at him, glaring at the individual. "He's the one who summoned the Lesser Daemons. With who they're up against, why waste good manpower when you can throw out disposable pawns?" he said. This was to be expected especially after Tsuki told him about what kind of force he was dealing with. If he had the ability to practically summon an infinite amount of them, no one would have to lift a finger.

Tsuki felt the familiar presence of Arcanum emitting from him. While it was a threat, it was something he's dealt with before so he was confident that they could handle it. "He must be confident in his own skills to come alone. I see right through his plans so it's going to take more than a force of Lesser Daemons to get the better of me" he said. At this point, he and his companions have gotten strong enough to treat Lesser Daemons as normal monster variety but they still had a long way to go if they wanted to contend with the higher tiers of Daemons.

The Shinobi took a few more steps forward before coming to a stop not too far from the three of them. They looked around and saw that the place was cleared out to make room for a fight. The Shinobi then examined Tsuki, Reis and Ryoka, giving them each a hard, long look. He could sense the flow of Arcanum within Reis and how he's managed to wield it to some effect though he could feel the negative effects his body has been ailed with as a result. The look he gave Ryoka was a strange sense of familiarity as he stared at him for a short while with him returning the same expression. When he looked over to Tsuki, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. He sensed a strong power inside of him that ran incredibly deep. He could feel the three different types of Aer swirling around inside of him and flowed with his in tandem. It was as if his whole body was a well of intense, brimming energy. His glance briefly looked up towards Ryoka's house not far behind them and saw Cesela standing on the second balcony, holding her bow close to her chest. While she didn't have anything special to her like Tsuki and Reis, he could see the determination in her body language. With proper training, she could turn out to be a force on the battlefield. As she was now though, she was no more a threat to him than an insect.

The Shinobi's gaze soon locked onto Tsuki and the other two, giving them another long stare before finally breaking the silence. "I'll be honest, you've surprised me. I didn't think there was anyone else around here that could fight against my Shinobi" they spoke in a deep, rough male's voice. He briefly looked over towards Tsuki. "When I heard that our scouting party had the tables turned on them in the canyon highway, I've wondered at just who was able to accomplish such a feat" he said. He couldn't help but chuckle a bit.

Tsuki tilted his head a bit. "I assume we meet your expectations, then" he said.

The Shinobi chuckled more as he found amusement in this. It's been a long time since they've came across worthy fighters. "If we didn't stand on opposite sides, you two would make perfect additions to the Shogunate" he said. He then stretched his arm out towards them. "You still have a chance; if you join us, then there's nothing you can't achieve" he said. He glanced back up towards Cesela. "I'll even let you keep that Foxkin girl as your own personal slave, if you wish" he said.

Tsuki suddenly gave the man a stone-cold death glare as his eyes briefly changed colors from dark blue to violet. At the same time, a rush of wind swirled around him and concentrated to just above his right shoulder as a blade of wind shot out with intense speed at the Shinobi. It came at him so fast that he couldn't react to it in time as the blade of wind shot past his face, scratching the side of his cheek and making it bleed slightly. Cesela could see the brief change in Tsuki's Aer as she felt the familiar presence of Fumiko. It was the same feeling she got when he rescued her from the auction just before losing consciousness.

The Shinobi put his hand up to his face and touched the bleeding scratch. He looked at the small drops of blood on his fingers before rolling his hand into a fist and dropping it back down to his side. "I'll take that as a no, then" he said. He shook his head a bit, looking a bit disappointed with his hands on his hips. "Once a Demi-Human sympathizer, always a Demi-Human sympathizer, I suppose" he said.

Reis shook his head at his remark and couldn't believe such a thing could come out of the mouth of a fellow Faerie. "You're a Faerie yourself! How could you treat your own race like they were disposable trash!?" he shouted.

The Shinobi looked over at Reis, shaking his head. "The world can be an unforgiving place. If one can't adapt to change, then they will be left behind with the flow. Only the strong prevail with this sad existence of ours" he said.

Ryoka gave him an intense glare. "And you really think the Syndicate is the place to be?" he asked. The look he was giving the man was that of extreme disappointment and pity.

The Shinobi shrugged his shoulders a bit, laughing at his question. "Is it not? Sirione's might, however limited it was, didn't stand a chance against us and we could have had Eresseas under our grasp too if not for that meddlesome royal family" he said. He chuckled a bit more at the thought of the current state of Eresseas was in. "Not like it makes a difference now that it has fallen to Honegroth. It's only a matter of time before Esseand is next" he said.

Tsuki couldn't help but feel a bit of anger well up inside of him at his comments about Eresseas. He let out a faint laugh as he shook his head. "I hate to inform you but Eresseas won't fall so long as the royal family continues to live. It takes more than a castle to run a kingdom, after all" he said. His grave underestimation of Taichi and Emma would be his downfall as they were both two forces that won't go down over something like this easily.

The Shinobi looked at Tsuki with an intrigued look on his face. "You talk as if you know they'll win" he said.

Tsuki looked down for a bit, chuckling a bit more to himself as violet energy started to form around his right arm and hand. "Oh, I know they will. The king and queen are strong-willed and determined. Their skills in combat exceed that of normal fighters. Skills that they've cultivated over years of experience and hardships. Meanwhile, the princess has inherited all of their traits and could even surpass them both in the future" he said. Suddenly, the surging energy around his arm morphed as Fumiko's Mana-infused scythe appeared in his hand. "As her knight and bodyguard, I will make sure she achieves her potential and solidifies Eresseas as more than just a neutral kingdom to the world" he said. He twirled his scythe around a bit as he could feel his body become lighter. When he looked up towards the Shinobi, his eyes had turned into a mix of dark blue and violet and when he next spoke, Fumiko's voice could be heard under his. "All the Syndicate and Honegroth has is an artificial power that was better left alone. As powerful as it is, it'll never conquer pure, natural strength" he said.

The Shinobi saw the shift in his attitude and the Aer around him as it soared to incredible heights. The change to his eye color and vocals only made him more intrigued about him as a slight grin could be seen underneath the cloth that covered his face. "A knight of Eresseas, eh? You're a little far from home, don't you think?" he said. He shook his head and reached for the staff on his back to take it off, spinning it around over his head before assuming an offensive stance. "No matter. Any who stand in the way of the Shogunate are considered enemies to the Syndicate. Don't expect any mercy from us" he said.

Tsuki shook his head with a wide grin on his face with a faint chuckle. "I seem to recall Gepard having the same mindset and look what happened to him and those Syndicate members in Chesberry" he said.

The Shinobi gave him a sharp glare when he mentioned Chesberry. The fact that he mentioned that and someone closely tied to the Syndicate verified the report he was given. "So, you were one of the people who brought down the auction" he said. Energy started to surge around him as he readied himself to lunge at him. "That makes things easier then. I'm sure the Syndicate will have a lot of questions for you" he said.

Tsuki twirled the scythe around before pulling it back behind him as a violet aura enveloped the blade portion of the scythe. "I'm sure they do. Especially since I was also the one that helped eliminate the Syndicate threat that used to plague Eresseas nine years ago" he said.

The Shinobi grumbled a bit as he sharp glares toward him continued. "On my honor as a Shinobi of the Shogunate, you shall be held accountable for your crimes you've committed against the Syndicate and your punishment shall be death" he said.

Suddenly, the air around them grew heavy and thick. The familiar presence of Arcanum strengthened and in moments, two Lesser Daemons appeared from a burst of darkness on either side of him. One had the form of an old samurai and the other was a buff individual who wielded an axe. The appearance of Lesser Daemons and knowing the fact that they were once living people at some point makes it all the more unsettling. The samurai wore old attire and armor that looked like it belonged to the distant past while the buff individual looked like a modern marauder. There was absolutely no life in their eyes at all. The two of them soon drew their weapons and stood by, ready to fight.

Ryoka shook his head a bit. Even though they weren't "alive", they were still unsettling to look at. "I don't think I'll ever get used to this" he said. He took the scythe off his back and locked eyes with the Daemon marauder. He took note at Tsuki's weapon as he examined it for a brief moment. It was created from Mana but it had familiar markings on it that he didn't expect to see. His focus soon shifted to the Daemon as they had to settle this little problem before any questions are asked.

Reis drew his katana and turned his eyes on the old samurai. He recognized the armor that he was wearing. "That armor…if my history on samurai culture is up to snuff, the armor he's wearing was the standard attire back in the 1600s" he said. Whether who, or what, he was seeing was alive or not, he was still about to fight one of his many samurai ancestors.

Tsuki shook his head. He could understand where they were coming from as he felt the exact same way when he first encountered them. "Be on your guard. They're tougher than the average monster" he said. He locked eyes with the Shinobi as a rush of wind generated around him. "The Shinobi is mine" he said.

In a blink of an eye, Tsuki shot forward with high speed, swinging his scythe at the Shinobi, who blocked the attack with his staff. In the same moment, the two Lesser Daemons let out a demonic howl as their red and yellow colored eyes started to glow. Afterwards, they charged towards Ryoka and Reis and engaged them in battle, swinging their weapons at them.

Tsuki and the Shinobi clashed weapons for a short while before breaking apart. The Shinobi twirled his staff around as he started to generate electricity across it. Before long, he spun around with the staff extended out and released a wave of electric energy towards him. Tsuki held the scythe back as gusts of wind swirled around the blade. He soon swung it upwards with the blade grinding against the ground, releasing an arc-shaped wind blast towards the oncoming attack. The arc of wind cleaved through the electric wave and shot towards the Shinobi while the separated pieces split off and collided into the ground around him.

The Shinobi swung held his staff out with a defensive stance as he took a direct hit, kicking up dirt and smoke on impact. There was a brief silence before he came shooting out towards Tsuki, his staff charged with electricity and extended outwards. Tsuki dodged the attack by side-stepping but still getting lightly zapped from the electricity sparking off it, causing some minor injuries. As soon as he dodged, he swung the scythe off to the side, aiming towards the Shinobi's neck. As the blade sliced across his neck, he disappeared in a light puff of smoke and was replaced by a log that ended up being sliced in half instead.

Moments later, the Shinobi reappeared just above him as he swung his staff downwards. Tsuki blocked the attack, erupting the sparks from his staff as gusts of wind picked up around them. The sparks caused minor burns on Tsuki while the gusts of wind served as sharp blades, tearing through some of his attire and leaving minor cuts on exposed skin. After the two stood off against each other, Tsuki broke the clash by continuing the swing of his scythe, using the winds to increase his movements as his mixed colored eyes glowed violet. This caused the Shinobi to become unbalanced and stumble back a bit which opened him up for a follow-up attack. Tsuki spun the scythe around and swung it downwards in a diagonal motion, tearing through his clothes from his left shoulder down to the right side of his waist. The Shinobi was quick on his feet though and managed to put enough distance between them to prevent serious, potentially fatal injury. He still wound up being slashed but it was a minor injury across his torso. In retaliation, he shot off a ball of electricity at him from his staff in which Tsuki dodged by jumping back towards Reis and Ryoka, the ball of electricity striking into the nearby fountain.

Meanwhile, Reis engaged the centuries-old samurai as modern swordsmanship is put to the test against the ancient arts. Despite the fact that the Lesser Daemon wasn't "alive", its mannerisms and techniques still felt natural and genuine. If he didn't know the circumstances that surrounded beings like him, Reis would probably assume that he was a living person. The two of them clashed their swords and had an old-fashioned duel amongst samurai. The two of them were practically fighting on equal footing despite the differences in their techniques. Samurai techniques and skills have greatly changed over the centuries but they are all fundamentally the same.

The Daemon took in a deep breath as he lifted his katana up over his head for a brief moment. When he brought it back down, the blade erupted in a fiery blaze as it let out a soft growl. In response, Reis decided to take the gloves off though it was risky. He put his left hand against the blade and ran it across it's length as the blade was engulfed in black flames. He realizes that he's been using the Arcanum inside of him too much recently and could feel the strain something as simple as this puts on his body. He almost found it hard to breathe for a moment but fought through it.

The two had another stand-off with each other before clashing swords again, the two types of flames blending into each other. The Daemon let out a loud growl and exerted a bit more pressure than before which caused it to push Reis back as it went on the offensive. Reis noticed the shift inside of the Daemon and gave everything on his defenses, blocking and deflecting it's swings. There were some swings he had to dodge but due to the flames around it's blade, he was given mild burns across his arms and side of his face.

The samurai Daemon jumped back a ways, holding it's katana down close to it's side with the blade pointing behind him as the blade erupted into a thick fire. The Daemon growled at him with a menacing look before charging towards him. Reis sheathed his katana, the black flames soon enveloping the sheath as he held onto the hilt, waiting for the opportunity to strike. When the Daemon was within striking distance, the both swung their swords at each other at the same time though Reis was slightly faster. As he drew his sword out in a slashing motion, not only was the Daemon struck across it's chest but was also hit with a wave of black flames. This caused the Daemon to shout out in pain as an intense heat generated around him at a rapid pace. Reis realized what was going on; the Daemon was about to detonate into a fiery explosion due to the unstable mixture of the two types of flames. Reis jumped back to put distance between them but couldn't get away far enough in time for the explosion. While he avoided serious burns and injury, the force of the explosion blew him off his feet and back against the ground. This was around the same time Tsuki leapt back from the Shinobi to avoid his ball of electricity.

As for Ryoka, the fight against the marauder Daemon was that of pure brute strength and force. Each swing and clash sent out shockwaves, the sound of iron clashing echoing loudly through the trees. For someone his age, Ryoka was as powerful a young individual. He had no problem keeping up with the marauder Daemon. For the marauder Daemon, it swung his axe mindlessly as it relied on it's own abnormally high physical strength and not much else. This allowed Ryoka to get in easy hits on him but despite being inflicted various injuries, the Daemon kept going without slowing down.

The Daemon let out a loud roar as it's eyes glowed red. Moments later, it came barreling towards Ryoka and swung it's axe with intense power behind it. Ryoka blocked the attack and was easily knocked back with force, his feet digging into the ground as he was forced back. The marauder Daemon did a follow-up attack by leaping into the air and swung it's axe downwards right on top of him. Ryoka jumped back in the nick of time as the axe slammed into the ground, forming a decently-sized crater. As a result of these two attacks, the Daemon was rendered motionless for a short time to recover. This allowed Ryoka to strike back at it.

Ryoka landed back on the ground and swung his scythe off towards the side. Three red energized blades formed underneath the physical one as a stream of red energy emitted from the back of it. He held his left hand up as it was enveloped in darkness before slamming it on the ground. He sent the darkness he had gathered in his hand down into the ground and aimed it towards the marauder Daemon. Moments later, a pillar of dark energy shot up from underneath the Daemon as pained howls could be heard from within. Knowing that it would take more than that to take down the hulking behemoth, he immediately charged forward and shot through the dark pillar, delivering a deadly slash. He ended up cleaving his own pillar of energy in half along with the Daemon inside of it. With a snap of a finger, the remaining dark energy around the Daemon exploded with an intense blast that rocked the forest and shattered numerous windows of nearby buildings. Smoke filled the air for a short time and when it cleared, there was nothing left of the Daemon except charred remains burned into the ground where it once stood. All of this occurred in short moments and Ryoka didn't look like he even broke a sweat. This was around the same time when Tsuki and Reis finished their initial encounters.

With the three of them back together with light injuries in tow, they looked off towards the Shinobi at the far end of the central plaza. They could hear the Shinobi chuckle across the distance, not looking at all fazed that the two Daemons he summoned were struck down. In fact, by his reactions, it seemed like he was enjoying this. They couldn't see through the cloth that covered his face but they could tell he found this entertaining.

The Shinobi continued chuckling to himself for a bit longer before looking back towards them. "Impressive. The old man meets my expectations but the two of you are something else" he said. He glanced towards Reis. "Your flawless control over the Arcanum inside of it is astounding. The fact that you're able to retain yourself while using it speaks volumes of your strength" he said. There were very few people that could wield Arcanum and not fall under it's corrupting influence, much less meld it into their very being that essentially replaces normal Mana. He glanced over towards Tsuki afterwards. "And you…the strange power that you harbor inside is something to behold. I sense an ancient power running through your veins. Something almost as ancient as Arcanum" he said. Moments later, a floating purple orb appeared floating over his right shoulder and immediately started to glow brightly. "It'll bring me great joy to crush such a wide variety of power and strengths" he said.

Upon finishing his sentence, multiple clouds of darkness formed around them that soon morphed into a different variety of Daemons. Tsuki, Reis and Ryoka suddenly found themselves surrounded by them with no way out.

Reis looked around the plaza at all the Daemons that surrounded them. Some looked weak while others looked just as strong as the samurai and marauder Daemons. He expected this sort of thing would happen and it didn't make things any easier. In fact, if they didn't come up with a plan, their odds will quickly fall out of their favor. "So, this is what's like to fight against other Arcanum wielders" he said.

Tsuki took note of the orb floating over his shoulder and felt the tremendous energy emitting from it. "That orb is definitely the source. Destroy it and his offensive will crumble" he said.

Ryoka also took note of the Daemons that surrounded them as they closed in around them, effectively cutting them off from the Shinobi. "We'll have to cut a path through these things first then" he said.

The three of them continued to fight off the approaching Daemons with Cesela offering as much support with her arrows as she could muster. While her skills were too inadequate to take down Lesser Daemons, her attacks were enough to open them up for attacks. The fighting continued on for over ten minutes but as soon as they strike all of them down, more are summoned in by the Shinobi to replace them. After repeating this process two more times with seemingly no end in sight, the three of them were starting to wear out from all the fighting. After the third wave of Daemons were struck down, they weren't surprised at all when a fourth wave spawned in.

Tsuki felt that his Mana levels were running low as he was no longer channeling the power of Fumiko other than her scythe. With his Mana running dangerously low, it was only a matter of time before the weapon he was using breaks apart. "This just never ends. We can't even get close to him before he summons more in!" he said.

Reis's breathing at this point was heavy and shallow from overexertion. He was down on one knee with black sparks coming from his body. He felt extreme pain all over and his body heavy to the point where it restricted most, if not, all of his movements. "I…I'm tapped out. I can't…move…" he said. He ended up coughing up a good amount of blood as the black sparks intensified and cracked. It was like as if glass was shattering all around him.

Ryoka was starting to feel himself slow down as well. Much like with Tsuki, his Mana levels were starting to run low as well. As he looked at their situation, things weren't looking too good for them. "You weren't kidding about the limitless supply, that's for sure. The longer this battle goes on, the more worn out we become. We'll become easy targets at this rate" he said.

Cesela saw that the situation was quickly starting to turn against them. She took note of the orb that appeared over his shoulder again. Every time he summoned in a new wave, it would appear for a brief time. Seeing as the orb seems to be the cause, she was the only one that could effectively do something about it. She took one of the arrows from her quiver and attached it to her bowstring. She then put her hand over it and closed her eyes for a few moments as she thought back to one of the lessons that Cheria taught her.

During one of their training sessions, she recalled asking Cheria why she doesn't use physical arrows anymore. She told her that it took her years of training under her old instructor to be able to form the magical arrows she uses now. She had to understand the structure of arrows right down to their very core and learn what type of arrows would work best for her. She used physical arrows as a base until she was able to generate magical arrows on her own through intense training. Wanting to try and follow in her footsteps, Cesela tried to do the same by using one of her physical arrows and turn it into a magical one. She had successfully done so a few times before but they were too unstable to maintain their form after being fired off from her bow. As a result, they never hit their mark.

Cesela took in several deep breaths as she envisioned the arrow in her mind. She channeled her Mana through her body and into the attached arrow and after a few moments, the arrow changed shape and appearance to that of a magical arrow similar to what Cheria uses though on a weaker scale. She took aim at the orb floating over the Shinobi's shoulder and after a few tense moments where she could hear her own heartbeat, she let loose the arrow and watched it shoot towards the orb. To her surprise, she was able to fire off her first magical arrow and not have it break apart immediately.

Despite the achievement however, the arrow ended up colliding into a small barrier that surrounded the orb, taking little damage from the arrow. Cesela was both proud and disappointed in herself that she couldn't break through it. "No effect!?" she said.

The Shinobi glanced over towards Cesela as she attempted to destroy his floating orb and didn't look too pleased. The two locked eyes for a few moments before looking back towards Tsuki and the others for a brief moment. "As much fun as this is, I grow tire of this pointless struggle" he said. He then began to charge a high concentration of electricity into his staff as he prepared to fire off a blast of energy. The only difference this time was that he wasn't aiming towards Tsuki and the others but towards Cesela instead. "Allow me to demonstrate to you the consequences that occur when you cross with the Syndicate" he said.

Moments later, he fired of a dense ball of electricity out from the tip of his staff. At first, Tsuki and Ryoka prepared to defend themselves but quickly realized that the attack wasn't meant for them. It shot right past them over their heads and headed straight towards Cesela on the other side of the plaza. Cesela could do nothing but watch as the ball of electricity drew closer to her and soon crashed into her, exploding on impact and electrifying the surrounding air as a thick, black smoke cloud rose up through the trees.

Tsuki had attempted to block the attack when he realized it wasn't meant for them but his body was too sluggish from the lack of Mana to respond. Even worse, the scythe in his hands shattered since there wasn't enough Mana left to sustain Materialization. "Cesela!" he shouted, looking back towards the smoke cloud where she was. Because of the thick smoke, he couldn't see if she was alright or not. With an attack that high in density, however, no one was going to get out of a direct hit unscathed.

Reis gave the Shinobi a cold glare as he gritted his teeth in anger. "You bastard! You'll pay for that dearly" he said.

The Shinobi let out a maniacal laugh as electricity sparked off from the staff. "No matter who they are, no one crosses the Syndicate and gets away with it, be they a child or an adult. Besides, what good does a filthy Demi-Human have that won't submit and obey?" he asked. He put his hand up to his chest for a moment. "Us Shinobi may share mutual blood, but we've become elites in this unforgiving world. Nothing will stand in our way. Not you and certainly not relics from a bygone era" he said, pointing his finger towards them, specifically at Ryoka while shooting off a brief glance towards where Cesela was. He then let out another loud arrogant laugh that continued for a few moments.

Ryoka couldn't help but chuckle a bit, shaking his head. Despite what just happened, he was surprisingly calm. "I wouldn't count yourselves to highly, if I were you. If you think this gives you further advantage, then by all means, keep thinking that. It'll make it easier to kill you" he said.

The Shinobi continued laughing until Ryoka interrupted him. He scoffed at his remark, unsure of what he was trying to say. "Kill me? How are you going to do that? You're on your last legs. If anyone here is going to die, it's going to be-" he said.

Suddenly, a sword of light appeared shooting out of nowhere and impaled the Shinobi through his left shoulder. It happened so quickly that no one knew what just happened for a few moments. Streaks of blood shot out from the injury as his senses soon caught up to him, stumbling back a bit and shouted out in pain. At the same time, a beam of light came shooting out from behind where Tsuki and the others were and pierced straight through his upper right leg, forcing him down onto one knee.

The Shinobi didn't understand what just happened. He had his eyes on Tsuki and the others the whole time and not one of them gave any indication of an attack, much less ones that were purely Light-based. "Where the hell…!?" he said. He looked off towards the smoke cloud that was coming from Cesela's direction. It was the same direction as where the attacks came from.

After a few moments, the smoke disappeared and what was revealed on the other side shocked all of them, except for Ryoka. What they saw was a young girl with white, feathered wings on her back and a halo over her head hovering in front of Cesela while holding a familiar, energized sword in her hands. This was a sight both Reis and Cesela have seen before but it was a first for Tsuki.

Cesela had thrown her arms up in front of her, looking the other way with her eyes closed from the oncoming attack. However, when she felt a familiar warmth, she looked up and saw a familiar face hovering in front of her. "Allie…?" she asked.

Hovering in front of her was Allie in her new angel form that she gained access to back at Nobuo Shrine. Just before the ball of electricity could collide with Cesela, she came flying in and used her sword to slice it in half, causing it to explode. Both of them were unharmed from the explosion due to her shielding them with the wings on her back. She glanced back at Cesela, giving her a brief smile before turning her attention on the Shinobi with one of the coldest glares she's ever had to give. "You brought harm to Master and attempted to hurt my friend. I hope you're ready for punishment" she said. The tone of her voice was a bit different than usual. Similarly to when Tsuki channels the power of one of the souls, another voice could be heard speaking under hers. It was a soft, angelic voice but with a stern vocal tone to it.

The Shinobi looked towards Allie as he was at a loss for words. He didn't know how to react to what he was seeing. There was the expected reaction of being surprised by her sudden appearance but there was the underlying great shock in his eyes. It was as if he was seeing something he wasn't expecting. "I-Impossible...! Who, or what, are you!?" he asked.

Tsuki was understandably surprised and shocked to see this new form of Allie. It was as if she was a different person. "Allie? Is that really you?" he asked.

Allie looked over towards Tsuki and spoke to him telepathically to confirm her identity. "Yes, Master. Allie is Allie" she said.

Tsuki heard her spoke through his mind which meant that who he was seeing was indeed her. Even then though, part of him still couldn't believe it. He wanted to know just what was happening with her but questions would have to wait till later. "If you're here, then that means…" he said.

The Shinobi took a minute to compose himself as he struggled back up to his feet. He couldn't move his left arm and there was a hole burned into his right leg so he was no longer able to fight. However, that wasn't going to stop him as he had the obvious alternative. "I don't know where you came from, but it's going to take more than just a single girl to turn the tide" he said.

Moments later, the Daemons he summoned started to close in on Tsuki, Ryoka and Reis. Before they could do anything though, several shards of ice came flying out from the trees and pierced through the Daemons like butter, killing them. Elle came charging through the town gates, wielding a sword of ice as she cleaved through Daemons that were caught off-guard. At the same time, chains of light and darkness came shot towards the Shinobi and wrapped around him in a tight hold. He looked behind him and saw Lynette and Nagi standing side by side with incantation circles around them where their chains spawned out from.

As two Daemons attempted to approach them, they had their legs sliced off by Phi who suddenly appeared, leaving a streak of lightning behind her which fried the Daemons as they fell to the ground. Another Daemon looked around, seemingly confused about what was going on and was slashed and burned from behind as Ramza came running out from the trees. As the Daemon burnt to a crisp, another came charging towards him from the side but was stopped in its tracks when Ruko came running and slammed his right iron gauntlet against the Daemon's stomach with enough force to kill it instantly.

The Shinobi was caught by surprise when he saw the Daemons he summoned slaughtered so easily. He didn't expect any reinforcements to arrive. Using the influence of the floating orb's power, he managed to break the chains that bound him with a significant effort. However, before he could do anything, Melphi came hovering down to the ground in front of him in her half-human form with wings on her back. Sparks of fire could be seen coming from her mouth as she leans her head back and blasts him with an intense breath of fire.

When the fire that engulfed the Shinobi was put out, he could be seen crouching down on one knee, majority of his clothing burnt to a crisp. Scraps of cloth that covered his face fell to the ground as they burned off as he sustained serious burn injuries all over his body. When he looked up, his face was fully revealed to those around him. He had a deep scar that went across the bridge of his nose along with a pre-existing burn mark on the side of his face.

Ryoka looked at the Shinobi as he was now able to see his face. The look he had was that of someone expecting something and hoping they were wrong. He had his suspicions on who the person was before but now it was confirmed. He couldn't help but let out a deep sigh. "So, it really is you. How could it have come to this? You were an aspiring lieutenant with great potential, too…" he said.

The Shinobi felt great pains all through his body. When he looked up towards Ryoka, he could do nothing but laugh at him a bit. "I'm surprised it took you so long to realize who I was. Your age must have clouded your once sharp judgment, Commander" he said. He shook his head slowly and struggled to stand back up though it was all he could do to keep him up. He didn't have the strength to fight anymore from all the injuries. "All my training led me nowhere. My skills would never improve and I would always lag behind everyone else. I grew frustrated in my abilities" he said. Flashbacks of a lone soldier played through his mind, depicting the ordeals and struggles of a life long gone. "It's thanks to Arcanum that I was able go break the barriers that prevented progress and was able to attain greatness" he said.

Ryoka shook his head. There was no way what he was hearing the truth. He knew who this person was and how dedicated he was. "That's a lie. The Raiden I knew would never lose himself to temptation so easily. He dedicated everything into his training and wouldn't take the easy way out" he said. He pointed his scythe out towards him. "No matter the obstacle that blocked him, he would always conquer it through his own strength and effort" he said. He had his own set of flashbacks play through his head. It was of a past life where a slightly younger version of himself always watched over an equally younger version of the person standing before him. He always admired the fire and spirit that drove him to put in so much effort. "You're not the Raiden I know. You're simply someone who had their mind poisoned and corrupted by Arcanum, twisting their personality and turning them into someone they're not" he said. He soon brought his scythe back down to his side as energy started to gather around him. "As your former Commander, it's my duty to relieve you of this burden" he said.

The Shinobi, apparently named Raiden, couldn't help but let out a loud, maniacal laughter as he looked at him with a crazed look in his eyes. "I'd like to see you try! It doesn't matter how many reinforcements you got hiding around, so long as I have this orb, nothing can-" he said. As he spoke, the orb appeared over his shoulder again and started to glow with even more intensity as before.

Before more Daemons could be summoned, however, the orb was pierced by a magical arrow from behind. The arrow had enough power and force in it that it easily broke through the barrier that protected it and pierced straight through it, causing the glowing to cease. Moments later, the orb exploded from the energy inside of it that was no unstable. With the orb now destroyed, the remaining Daemons that were around all shouted out in pain before disappearing into plums of darkness. The heavy feeling that was also being felt around the town had also seemingly vanished too. When the smoke from the explosion eventually cleared, Cheria could be seen standing off along the pathway just outside of town with her bow drawn and aimed towards Raiden.

As the smoke cleared, Ryoka approached Raiden. "Your first mistake was relying on a power that wasn't your own. First lesson that I taught you was to muster your own strength and abilities. You should have known that by neglecting that very basic fact, it would eventually lead to your downfall" he said. He grabbed hold of his scythe with two hands and brought it up over his shoulder and readied himself for a diagonal slash.

Ryoka, badly burned and injured, struggled up to his feet once more. He dropped his broken staff and drew the daggers from his thighs and held them up, his stance unstable and weak. He simply glared up at him with an intense look of anger in his eyes before letting out a loud shout. No other words needed to be said from this point. He soon lunged at Ryoka and haphazardly swung his daggers at him, aiming for his neck. Ryoka simply stood there and allowed him to close in. When he was within reach, Ryoka brought down his scythe and slashed him across his torso with a deep cut, blood gushing out from the injury.

It wasn't just blood that gushed out as a result of his injury but a violet, mist-like cloud with what sounded like a loud screech. Raiden dropped his daggers and fell onto his back with a loud thud. Ryoka walked up next to him and looked down at him as he saw the lucid look in his eyes. The violence and anger that he saw before were completely gone and felt like he was looking at the true Raiden. He almost felt guilty for what he did to him but there was no other way.

Raiden coughed up blood and returned the look up towards Ryoka, cracking a slight smile and chuckle. "C-Commander…" he struggled to say, blood dripping down the side of his mouth.

Ryoka let out a deep sigh and placed his scythe down onto the ground as he kneeled down next to him. "It warms my heart to see you brought back to your senses. I just wish it didn't have to come to this…" he said, looking at the injury across his torso, it was too deep and severe that not even Healing Artes would even touch it.

Raiden shook his head slowly. He could feel his strength leave his body much like how his blood was. The injury that Ryoka had inflicted on him was intended for a single reason and that was to strike down his opponent with a single swing. "No…don't blame yourself for this. This…all happened because of my weakness. I allowed that dark influence…to control me" he said. He had always been aware of the actions he has taken but was powerless to stop himself as the influence of Arcanum was far too overpowering. It was a weird experience, almost as if he was watching someone else use his body for nefarious purposes. "I'm that glad…the one to stop me…was you" he said. His left hand reached up towards Ryoka, shaking uncontrollably as he struggled to move.

Ryoka took his hand and gave him as much of a comforting smile as he could give in this situation. "Like I said, it was my duty as former commander to relieve you. You can finally rest easy now" he said.

As this was going on, Reis felt whatever strength he had left lift from him as he fell onto his back, still feeling the pains of his overuse of Arcanum. "Didn't…think things would work out…so smoothly…" he said. He looked up at Tsuki and could tell that he was on his last legs too.

Tsuki also felt the adrenaline lift from him as his balance became unsteady. His body felt incredibly weakened after using up so much of his Mana that he barely had enough to keep himself standing. Despite that though, he couldn't but let out a slight chuckle. "Perfect timing, I'll say…" he said. He attempted to take a few steps forward but as he did so, his knees gave out on him and proceeded to fall to the ground from exhaustion.

As he fell though, it wasn't the hard ground that he hit but rather something soft as he felt arms wrap around him in a tight hold as he was gently lower down onto his knees. He looked and saw that the person holding onto him was none other than Cheria. He could see tears of joy streaming down her face as she held onto him though she was trying to put on as much of a brave face as she could in front of everyone.

Cheria gently held onto him, trying to keep herself contained as best she could. She had been worried sick about him after witnessing them being blown the side of the cliff. Even though Allie said that he survived the fall, she was still wrought with anxiety. She was reminded of how she felt when she and her family were told that he suffered a grievous injury that should have killed him back in Basilwell. "You damn reckless idiot…!" she said through her soft cries.

Tsuki had nothing to say for himself. Being blasted off the cliff was something that came as a result of his own curiosity. He wanted to gauge how his power was compared to someone on a similar level to that of Caius. Every time he came across a power greater than his own, he's always used the power and influence of the souls within the sigil or through forced measures taken by the souls themselves in order to survive. If he had relied on that same power, then maybe they wouldn't have ended up taking the plunge into the ocean to begin with.

Tsuki let out a faint sigh as he felt her warmth from her embrace. He could feel all the tension inside him wash away like a rushing flood. He surrendered himself to it, burying his face into her soft chest. "I'm sorry" he said.

After a few moments, Allie came hovering down next to him with Cesela clinging onto her. Cesela ran over to check up on Reis while Allie approached Tsuki and Cheria, still in her angel form. At first, she gave him a stern look that almost unbecoming of her but that expression quickly softened right back up to how she usually was.

Allie puffed her cheeks out almost as if to pout as he gave him a stern look. "Indeed, Master is reckless. If it's not one dangerous situation, it's another with you. Honestly…" she said, lowering her head for a bit.

Tsuki looked over at Allie where he was now able to get a good look at the form she had taken. He was just as stunned as when she first appeared. He had no clue why she had the form of an angel or how it came to be. What he did know was that he could feel the power and strength coming from it. What he was seeing wasn't just a typical transformation. For some reason, he had a feeling in his gut that whatever he was seeing held a much deeper meaning. The sight of her in the form of an angel even caused a bit of a reaction with the Sigil.

Tsuki gave her a soft smile and tried to act nonchalant. "At the end of the day, we all pulled through regardless. I like your new form" he said.

After he spoke, the winds on her back soon started to disappear into balls of light along with the sword she held in her hands. The halo seemed to flicker and dim for a moment before fading away as well as she seemingly returned to her normal form. Her body could be seen trembling with her head lower as tears could be seen falling at her feet. When she looked back up at him, it was like a well of emotions opened up for her, the white ring around her eyes also gone along with the soft, angelic voice that laid underneath hers as she spoke again. "Master…!" she said.

Allie buried herself up against him, hugging him as well. Cheria opened her arms so that she could come in and she simply embraced them both. As her emotions were let out, greyed out images of herself and other people, presumably former companions played through her head. Not every image was the same though as they showed three different sets of companions, each seemingly depicting different time periods. Amongst the people shown though, there were three figures who were as greyed out and obstructed as the rest that had the silhouettes of three familiar people.

As the three of them had their moment, Cesela kneeled down next to Reis. She gave him a look of concern since she could see that he was in obvious pain. The Aer inside and around him was also of great concern for her as it appeared to be very unstable right now. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

Reis chuckled a bit, shaking his head. "Like I got ran over by a pack of Ox Boars…" he said. This was the first time he's pushed his body to his limits with Arcanum. Normally, he has a good handle over it and knows when to stop using it but after coming running into one dangerous situation after another, he hasn't had the chance to give his body time to rest and recover. "It'll take more than that to kill me, however" he said.

Just then, Ramza soon spoke out as pairs of footsteps could be heard approaching from the side. "I would certainly hope not. It'd be a real shitty way to die" he said.

The both of them looked in the direction of which he spoke from and saw Ramza, Ruko and Elle walk up to them. They all looked like they had been in a high-stakes battle of their own fairly recently by the rips and tears of their clothing and the light injuries they sustained. Despite that though, they all looked like they were still raring to go.

Reis looked at the three of them and saw the state they were in. Most of the injuries they sustained from Nobuo Shrine seemed to have mostly healed but there were still some parts of them that were bandaged up. "You guys have seen better days" he said.

Ruko scoffed at his remark, folding his arms. "Says the guy sprawled out on the ground like they got laid out" he said. He wasn't expecting to see Reis together with Tsuki still. After Nobuo Shrine, he expected them to part ways. It was a relief to see that he also survived the fall, though.

Elle shook her head a bit, shrugging her shoulders. "We had to deal with some business before coming here but nothing we couldn't handle" she said, alluding to the fact that they, in fact, did have their own set of battles prior to their arrival.

Ramza put his hand o n his hip, glancing back at Elle. "If he didn't show up, I'm sure we would have had a much harder time dealing with that rabble" he said.

Ruko let out a faint sight, scratching the back of his head. "Well, he was fighting against those in the same element as he was. I think he did most of the hard work, to be honest" he said. Thinking back, they didn't really offer much besides simple guard duty.

Reis had no idea what they were talking about but they were in high spirits regardless. "I'm…not sure I follow what you're saying…but it seems to me that the situation is handled" he said.

Ramza glanced down at Reis, chuckling a bit while shrugging his shoulders. "You can say that" he said.

Elle walked over towards Reis and kneeled down next to him and started to apply some basic First Aid healing Artes on him. They weren't nearly as potent as the spells that Lynette uses but it should help ease some of the discomfort. He didn't have much for external injuries so she wasn't sure how effective they will be. "I swear, you and Tsuki seem to be two peas in a pod. You both can be so reckless as you fight with complete disregard for yourselves" she said.

Reis shook his head a bit, not sure how to feel about that comment. "I don't know about that. I think I can handle myself just fine…" he said. He tried to sit up by pushing off the ground but felt great discomfort and pain by doing so.

Cesela shook her head and pointed a finger at him, almost to scold him with her cheeks puffed out slightly. "No sudden movements! What you need is rest right now" she said.

Reis looked at Cesela and for a brief second, she was replaced with the image of a girl somewhere around the same age as her. Who he saw in that brief moment was his sister as he thought back to a time where he tried to act tough after being hurt but she wouldn't have any of it. She may have been a shy girl but she was always close to him. Seeing Cesela in that moment reminded him that she and her were so alike in many ways than he had first realized. Not wanting to push his luck, he laid back down.

Meanwhile, back across the way where Ryoka and Raiden were, Nagi, Lynette, Phi and Melphi gathered around them. They saw all felt that the dark, heaviness that surrounded Raiden was completely gone. Whatever that purple mist was that died off with a screech must have been responsible for everything that's happened.

Seeing that Raiden was no longer a threat, she started to apply some of her mid to high-grade Healing Artes due to how severe his injury was. However, much to her expectations, the wound that Ryoka inflicted on him was out of her league to heal. Not only that, he's lost a lot of blood so even if she had patched up the injury, he would die simply from blood loss. "It's no good. I'm sorry…" she said, shaking her head.

Ryoka shook his head at her. He knew that his attack would be the cause of his death from the moment he readied himself. Still, he appreciated the efforts she made to try and save him. "It's alright. He was too far gone the moment I swung my scythe" he said.

Phi glanced over towards the scythe on his back. She wasn't sure what it was but she felt a certain aura coming from it. "I've seen my fair share of weapons that people use but I think this is the first time I've seen someone wield a scythe such as that" she said. A scythe wasn't an easy weapon to wield or master. It required some basic knowledge of how to wield thinks like sledgehammers and axes in order to gain an understanding of it.

Ryoka looked up at Phi, shrugging his shoulders a bit. "I can see why. Not many people have the skill or aptitude to use one. It's not something that can just be picked up and used on instinct alone" he said. He glanced back over towards Tsuki for a moment as he thought back to the scythe he wielded. He didn't appear to have a natural talent to use such a weapon but yet, he was able to use it along with a number of skills to go along with it flawlessly. If his instincts were right, it was almost as if someone else was guiding his hand along the way. Thinking back to the conversation they were having prior to the battle, they never got a chance to fully explain the more finer details, probably for his own sake at the time.

Melphi folded her arms, briefly locking eyes with him. "That display of combat you put on tells me you're not just an average old man" she said.

Ryoka shifted his eyes over to Melphi, raising his brow slightly. It wasn't often that he ran into Dragonkin, especially around these parts. "You're a sight for sore eyes yourself. Pretty bold for one of your kind to wander around here" he said.

Nagi glanced down at Raiden, holding her hand up to her chest as she fell into thought. She couldn't help but think back at his earlier behavior. It reminded her of the behavior shift of Yuno Garcia, the Draxus cult leader that held her prisoner. He always had twisted views but she recalled that they seemed to have escalated to greater heights after a certain point. That point was when he first came into contact with Arcanum. "I wonder if he was acting the same…" she mumbled to herself.

Phi glanced over at her, tilting her head as she heard her mumbling. "If who was acting the same?" she asked.

Nagi shook her head after a short bit after thinking to herself. "No one important. I was just thinking that there were some similarities between how Raiden was acting and Yuno Garcia" she said. They were curious thoughts but not ones that she would prefer to have for obvious reasons.

Lynette looked over to her as she tried her best efforts to ease Raiden's pain. She couldn't save his life but the least she could do was ease his way on. "You mean, that Draxus leader we defeated in Prophet Castle?" she asked. Flashbacks from their short encounter played through her mind. Looking back on it now, while the differences were pretty significant, there were still some things that appeared to be the same. The strong, oppressive feeling in the air, the abnormally heightened amounts of Aer and the deranged look in his eyes. Not only that, but the crowds that had filled the hall where Nagi's attempted sacrifice took place also drew her attention. She never figured out how all those people simply vanished without a trace. Finally she had her answer. "Yeah, I see that now too. Which means, those that disappeared after Tsuki destroyed that crystal must have been Lesser Daemons" she said.

Phi thought back to when she and Georg came to Tsuki and Lynette's aid. They weren't in the sacrificial hall at the time so she didn't know how many were in there that disappeared but she did recall losing sight of a fair good number of them. She had spent a good part of the night after taking over the crumbling castle searching the nearby woods and mountain paths. She did end up finding a number of corpses, presumably by Nagi in her desperate attempt to escape with her powers running out of control but nothing else beyond that. "Me and Georg encountered the same thing. We both cast a wide net around the surrounding area but we never found much else" she said.

Melphi folded her arms as she fell into thought. There were many things that they didn't know about Arcanum so it wouldn't be too far out of the realm of possibility for one's personality to entirely shift. "What bothers me most is how little we know of the power our enemies use. How far does it go and what other capabilities does it possess? If only we had a way to properly research it…" she said. If she and her former companions had encountered this sort of thing during their journey, then she knows without a doubt that things could have played out very differently.

Raiden could barely hear a word they were saying. Most of what he heard were inaudible mumbles as he felt his body start to grow cold. He was able to make out some of it though. "Delphoi…the answers you seek…may be found there. The scholars there were…heavily involved in Arcanum research" he said, his vision started to go dark and hazy. He could feel the last of his strength giving out. He gave one last look up towards Ryoka as if almost to plead him. "Promise me one last thing…promise me that you'll one day…muster the strength and retake Sirione. Burn the Syndicate into the ground…Faeries and Beastmen…deserve to live as Humans do…please…" he said.

Ryoka held onto his hand with a firm grip, giving him a nod with a reassuring smile. "Don't you worry. It won't be long now before we're ready to act. On my word and honor as the former commander, we will retake our kingdom and bring it back to it's once former glory. You can rest easy, knowing that. Just leave the rest to us" he said. While it was true that he wished to reclaim Sirione, such a lofty goal just wasn't possible right now. Faeries and Beastmen alike were spread too far and wide. No one really knew what became of those that were most capable. They'd be reckless fools if they were to charge at them now. Still, he wanted to give the man some semblance of comfort as he passed.

Raiden gave one last nod and smile before finally closing his eyes, his body soon falling limp afterwards. The hand that Ryoka was holding soon fell lifelessly onto the ground. Ryoka closed his eyes, doing a mourning hand gesture in the shape of a cross. There was a few moments of silence around them as the sounds of wind blowing through the trees could be heard. Thanks to the healing efforts of Lynette, he was able to pass on in relative peace and comfort.

After the moment of silence, Ryoka took up his scythe and stood back up, letting out a deep sigh. "Rest well, my friend" he said. He then turned to face the others behind him, giving them a slight bow. "I don't know who you all are but you have my thanks for coming to our aid. I would like to welcome you in, but I have to rescue those who were taken captive first" he said.

Just then, a familiar male's voice came speaking out not too far from them. "No need to worry about that. It's all under control" the voice said.

They all turned towards the forest path leading up to the town gates and saw all the villagers that had been taken away previously have all returned. Not only that, but the person behind them was also recognizable. They wore similar ninja attire but the designs were completely different to what the Shogunate use. The person that appeared to be walking the villagers back turned out to be Shadow, the Shinobi who assisted Tsuki and the others with the slave auction back in Chesberry.

Tsuki and the others rejoined the rest with Reis being supported by Ramza with an arm over his shoulder as Shadow entered the village with the remaining villagers in tow. Tsuki was surprised to see that he was among their number. He had wondered where he disappeared off to after they parted ways. It would only make sense that he would come to the aid of his own kind.

Tsuki walked up to them with Cheria standing close by to help him walk. "Shadow. It's good to see you again. I didn't expect to meet again so soon" he said.

Shadow chuckled a bit, shaking his head. "Same here, friend. Funny how fate works like that. I caught wind of Shogunate activity in the area so I thought it would be best to investigate it" he said. He then glanced back over towards Lynette and the others. "That's when I stumbled into your companions here just outside the forest as they plotted how to free the villagers who were being held" he said.

Ryoka folded his arms as he mumbled to himself. It would appear that his thoughts were correct. "So, they did take them out. With all the unstable energy in the air, it kept interfering with the fog barriers so I wasn't too sure" he said. He examined Shadow closely and one thing that drew his eye was a uniquely designed insignia of a rabbit stitched into the cloth over his right breast along with the short swords attach at his waist. He couldn't make out any facial features aside from his eyes but he got a strong feeling of familiarity off of him, much like how Cesela did. However, he decided it was best not to talk about that now. "As Elder, it would seem that we've found ourselves even more indebted to you. I believe I speak for all of the village when I say this: thank you for coming to our aid and bringing back those that were taken" he said.

Soon after, people started to pile out of the nearby buildings in droves as friends and families ran up to each other to reunite. There was a collective sigh of relief amongst the villagers with a buzz of excitement going around. The whole village ended up coming together to give their own thanks and appreciation to Tsuki and the others. They all felt like they could trust them and wholeheartedly welcomed them into the village properly as honored guests.

With the threat of the Shinobi eliminated, the villagers quickly rebounded and readjusted themselves back into their normal lives. They came together to help clean up the mess and destruction caused by all of the fighting with Tsuki and the others helping out too. Any injuries that may have been sustained amongst the villagers were treated by Lynette's healing while any heavy lifting was assisted by Ramza and Ruko. Still fatigued and weakened, Tsuki and Reis couldn't do much in terms of assistance so everyone else pitched in where help was needed. It didn't take long at all until the central plaza of the village was back in order. Aside from the nearby fountain, a few stalls, broken windows and a number of crates with supplies that were damaged, the damage was kept to a minimum despite what went on. The time quickly passed and before anyone knew it, the sun had gone down and the village was lit up by torchlight and the local fauna that absorbed the sun's rays throughout the day. Life in the forest returned to normal for them just as fast as it became uprooted.

To be continued…