Takeover: Dragon Soul

Part One:

A Place to Call Home

Page 5:

Battle of Beasts

His fingers stung, his bones rattled, and his heart was pounding. Adrenaline circulated through his system like an infection, kicking his body into overdrive. His psyche was in fight or flight right now, but he had already decided which path he was to take.

Nothing could stop the smile that wormed its way onto his face.

"I did it," he breathed out excitedly. "I controlled it!"

He brought both arms in front of him, crouching down in an attack stance. A confident smile graced his lips. He watched as his opponent recovered from his blow. The Gorian rubbed its lower abdomen in pain.

"That hurt…" it sounded shocked. "You'll pay for that, little human!"

Axis' toothy smirk oozed confidence. "Then why are you still over there, huh? Are you gonna come at me, or what? I'm waiting."

The Gorian gave in to the taunt, its face turning beet red in anger. "You asked for it! Come here!"

The large creature kicked off from the ground, rushing Axis with reckless abandon. It opened its palms, hoping to grab the boy in a deathly embrace.

"Hah!" Axis exclaimed with mirth. He gathered his inner power to his legs, transforming the flesh into scales. His now draconic legs shot out, leaping Axis far into the air.

The Gorian fell flat onto its stomach, his large hands grasping at the air. The creature eyed his empty paws, dumbstruck that he had not grabbed his opponent. He looked around in a panic, trying to find the boy.

"Up here, you moron!"

Mouth agape, the Gorian looked up to see the boy far in the air, smirking down at it. Axis extended his draconic leg outward horizontally as he came shooting down from the sky. He felt magical power well within his thigh and his leg.

"Arcane Dragon's Guillotine!"

Axis' leg came crashing down on the back of the Gorian's neck. The creature choked out a disgusting-sounding response before lurching upward in pain. Axis rolled off of its back and recovered on the ground, his leg stinging from the hit.

However, he didn't have long before the Gorian turned to face him, seemingly fighting through the pain.

"Crap!" Axis couldn't react in time as the Gorian grabbed his still outstretched leg. It swung the boy around in circles, getting faster with every rotation.

This is bad!

Axis stamped on the large hand in an attempt to loosen the creature's grip, but it wasn't enough.

"Die!" the creature demanded as it let go of the boy, shooting him like a bullet towards a thicket of small trees.

Axis brought his limbs close and formed himself tightly into a ball, trying to mitigate as much damage as he could with his transformed limbs. He tried to transform his whole body as well, but it didn't seem to work.

He grimaced as he crashed through a few small trees in the brush. He could feel some bruises forming on his back, but at least his front side was well protected. Looking forward, he spotted a slightly thicker tree coming towards him at an alarming pace. Or rather, he was going towards the tree.

"Oh my gosh, you have a tail!"

Axis' eyes widened as he thought of that night in Allbright, where the group had shared bread together.

That's right! Thanks, Lisanna!

Focusing his magic now on his lower back, he immediately felt something strange. A fifth limb started to grow from the base of his spine. It grew, larger and larger until it was almost as long as Axis was tall.

Axis smirked as his tail came to life. "This is just what I needed!"

Letting his instincts of battle guide him, he threw his body to the side right as he was about to hit the tree. He quickly wrapped his long tail around it as he flew by. The sudden extension threatened to pull his new limb right off, but Axis fought through the discomfort.

He swung around the tree at the same force and speed as he was thrown, aiming right back at the one who threw him.

"Hey! I think you dropped something-!"

The Gorian's eyes bulged out of its head as it saw Axis come rocketing back at it with remarkable speed.

"Me! Arcane Dragon's Spear!"

Axis' leg speared the Gorian with extreme force, right in the same spot he had previously punched. And like the previous punch, this attack sent the Gorian tumbling across the battlefield.

Axis landed on his feet- which was a mistake as his attacking leg crumpled. He fell to his knees, gripping his aching leg.

"Looks like my body can't handle that much just yet," he grimaced, seeing the Gorian rise once again, positively steaming. He himself got back to his feet, cringing at his leg's discomfort. "No time for that. I gotta deal with it until this guy's gone."

…

"Oh, man. Mira… he's amazing!"

Elfman's breathless amazement was cut off as he lurched in pain from his injuries. Mira did her best to wash all the blood that had accumulated on his skin and clothes, but there was only so much she could do without the proper materials.

"Thank goodness you're well enough to even be able to watch him." Mira scolded her brother, who rubbed his ribs tenderly. "But still, you kept Lisanna safe through all this, and I can't be mad at that."

Lisanna lay safely beside the two in the brush, passed out from her sudden sickness. However, it seemed her mind was still there as she subconsciously gripped part of Mira's clothes.

Through the pain, Elfman adopted a determined glare. "I needed to. I… wanted to finally man up and protect the two of you, not the other way around. I had to act instead of always complaining about it, I guess."

Mira sideyed him. "I wonder who you learned that from?"

Elfman hugged his knees. "Yeah, I know." He took a deep breath. "Once he beats that Gorian, I need to apologize. Or else I don't think I can call myself a man."

Boom!

The two broke from their conversation to see the Gorian suddenly thrust into the treeline, presumably by one of Axis' surprisingly powerful magic attacks. The animal crashed loudly into some foliage and lay there unmoving.

Elfman released some pent-up tension at the sight, feeling cathartic that the enemy that had beaten him up so badly had been defeated. " Look at that. He made it look so easy, too."

"No. Something's wrong." Mira squinted her eyes at the animal, noticing its body convulsing and undulating unnaturally. "What's happening to it?"

The two siblings, not prepared for what they were about to see, watched in horror as the Gorian turned to face Axis once more, some fight apparently still in its system.

…

"Hurt…it hurt…it hurt…"

Axis raised an eyebrow at the creature as it doubled over. It twitched and convulsed in its spot. It was starting to weird Axis out, honestly.

"What the hell…?"

It didn't stop there. The Gorian's body was… changing. Its stumpy legs started growing longer. Its nails on its hands and feet straightened and sharpened, becoming extremely claw-like. Then its head tightened and elongated, its mouth growing two massive fangs that protrude outward.

Axis looked upon the Gorian in horror. It had malformed, turning from a common forest creature into a-

"Monster," he simply stated, glaring at the Gorian-Sabre Tooth Tiger hybrid that he now had to face. "It's a freakin' monster!"

"It hurt! It hurt!" the monster slowly rolled out its words, clearly lacking the intelligence it once had. It locked eyes with Axis. Its opponent.

Its prey.

"Woah!" Axis gasped as the monster was suddenly on top of him, fangs just narrowly missing him. He managed to hop out of the way of the now quadrupedal animal thanks to his draconic legs. He landed on one leg and spun on his sole, giving his next punch a good amount of force once he struck the monster's head.

The monster staggered back from the attack but recovered quickly as it swiped its large, now-clawed hand out in Axis' direction. Axis threw up his scaled arms in protection. He blocked the majority of the slash.

"AH!"

Axis retreated a few steps, pressing a hand to his lower stomach. One claw avoided his block, creating a large scratch just above his waist. Thankfully it wasn't deep, but it still hurt like hell.

"Axis!"

He heard Mira shout in concern from somewhere past the treeline. He threw his bloodied hand out, hoping the signal was good enough to stop her from potentially running out. He didn't take his eyes off the beast.

"I'm fine! Let me handle this! Just keep the others safe!"

Axis had no time to check for a response before the monster pounced. Axis threw his arms up, on the defensive again, and the weight of the monster pushed him to the ground. He was trapped now with the monster on top of him.

The monster's right hand came down to tear his head off, but Axis was able to roll to the left to avoid the attack. The monster repeated its previous assault but now with its left hand- and again Axis rolled to the right to dodge it.

The monster growled in frustration as it had not captured its prey yet. It reared up to attack with both hands now. The attack was unavoidable now, so Axis decided it was now his turn.

"Arcane Dragon's-"

He used his tail like a spring, firing his body upwards with force. At the same time, he shot his leg out in a powerful kick. The monster was thrown up into the air- but not far enough for any real damage on the descent. Instead, while his opponent was still airborne, he spun his body swiftly to build momentum. Then, as the monster got within range, Axis swatted the descending monster with his tail.

"Double-Strike Windmill!"

While Axis landed on his feet, the monster crashed down on its side a few feet away. It whimpered quietly from Axis' disorienting blow. It dug its claws into the dirt and rubbed its head across the ground.

"Had enough, yet?" Axis taunted, crashing his two fists together with gusto. Secretly, he hoped it had. Like it or not, he was quickly running out of steam. He only really used his magic in short bursts before- never in drawn-out fights like this. His body just wasn't used to the constant usage, and Axis could start to feel the repercussions.

The boy's hopes for peace were dashed as the monster rose from its lumped position on the floor. Its eyes had gone crazed, and its growl was guttural. Axis knew it was preparing to charge.

"Fine," Axis took a solid, grounded stance and reared his fist back. As with all of the moves he had showcased so far, he had no idea where he knew this technique from. He just let his instinct guide him. "Let's just end this right now, then! Come on!"

Axis couldn't tell if the monster understood his challenge, but it didn't really matter as it charged in any way. Axis felt his magic funneling into his right elbow. Its concentration was so strong that it permeated the scales, introducing strong magical propulsion to his punch. He didn't let it swing just yet, though, holding it back until just the right moment.

"KILL!"

The monster was on him now, its fangs bared and jaw gaping. It obviously planned to gobble him up right there, but Axis had another idea. Its face got into range, and that was all the boy needed.

"Arcane Dragon's Meteoric Impact!"

The azure-colored magic exploding out of Axis' elbow amplified the force and speed of his fist to such a degree, that even Axis himself could barely see it make a connection once he stopped holding it back. What he did notice, however, was the sound.

CRACK!

Axis' fist crashed into the opponent's head so hard, that the boy could feel the monster's skull give way to his mighty fist. Whatever forward momentum the creature had prior was nullified, instead blasting the monster in the opposite direction. It crashed into a large tree so hard that the tree itself buckled over and fell to the ground. The monster lay there, unmoving.

Axis' arms dropped down to his sides as he cautiously watched the monster's still body. After a few seconds, his magic deactivated, turning the scales on his arms and legs into flesh, and his tail weirdly dissipating into his body.

He was catching his breath, the battle tiring him out. This was probably the most intense bout he could remember having- which again wasn't much but still. A few more unchanging seconds later, Axis struck a wide smile. He threw his fist into the air in victory.

"That's for hurting my friend, asshole."

He turned his back to the downed creature, intending to now find the ones he was aiming to protect. But in his confidence that he had downed the monster for good, he lowered his guard too hastily.

"Look out!"

Axis did an alarmed 180 at Elfman's sudden shout from the forest, just in time to see the monster about to silently pounce on him from behind. Axis tried to jump out of the way, but without his magic activated he could barely leap a few feet.

"ARGH!"

Axis screamed in pain as the monster's massive hand crushed his leg. It may not have been enough to break it, but it definitely damaged it enough to where Axis would struggle to move. He fell on his behind unceremoniously and helplessly.

"Damn it!" Axis tried moving his leg only to feel sharp pain meet him. He wasn't going anywhere. The gaping maw of the victorious predator came close, and Axis could see the darkness of its throat approaching.

"Get away from him!"

Elfman appeared from out of nowhere, putting all his weight behind a tackle that threw the monster off from its previous trajectory. He put his body between the creature and Axis, making sure the creature was now focused on him.

"Y-you won't touch him!"

"Elfman…" Axis muttered in disbelief. Suddenly he felt two hands loop around his shoulders and start to drag him away. He looked over his shoulder to be surprised once again. "Mira?"

"Come on, Axis!" she cried desperately. "We're gonna get you out here, then we can all smile and laugh together again!"

"But-!"

"J-just listen t-to her!" Elfman shouted fearfully. He threw his hands up in a desperate attempt to make himself look more intimidating to the feral creature. "Y-you don't have to f-fight anymore! I'll take care of it!"

But Axis could see what was about to happen. The creature may be limping and a breath away from being defeated, but it was still more than Eflman could handle. One strike would kill the kid in his condition, and then the monster would finish them all.

But what could he do? His leg was completely unfit to walk! He couldn't make it in time! All he could do was watch the creature make one final pounce.

Axis saw the face Elfman was making as the younger boy chose to spend his final moments looking back at his friend and his sister. It was crying, filled with fear and regret. It was pathetic looking, lacking any sort of confidence that someone in his position might have.

But there was also a tinge of relief. Relief that, for once in his cowardly life, he could save the ones he cared about. At least, delay them from getting hurt for just a few more seconds. If he could do that, then he could die happy.

The monster's claw neared its target. Just one second and Elfman would become a memory.

No!

Axis refused to accept that this would be his end. Argument or not, Elfman was his friend. His family. And he would not let his family die.

Axis' azure eyes tightened on the creature. Every tooth, every hair, every small movement it made. His chest exploded with power, concentrating deep in his throat and threatening to explode outward if not contained.

Mira stared in disbelief at the vibrant blue glow radiating from Axis' chest. It shot up from his stomach, carried through his throat, and welled in the back of his jaw. Fearing for the worst, she shouted. "Elfman! Get down!"

The white-haired boy, previously content with giving his life for the two behind him, caught a glance of the growing power within Axis. He had a choice: stand his ground against the creature to buy some escape time for Mira and Axis, or drop to the ground, dodging the attack and trusting that whatever attack Axis was about to unleash would be enough to end it.

Honestly, it was an easy option.

The power was immense, and if Axis didn't release it soon it may expand out of his control. Luckily, his target was now wide open, nothing standing in between them.

"Arcane Dragon's-!"

And it was released.

"ROAR!"

A blue beam of pure magical power erupted from the depths of Axis' being. All the feelings and power he had welled up were released in one monumental blast that overtook the monster's entire being. The deafening laser just only missed catching Elfman in the blast.

For just a few seconds the forest night was lit a brilliant azure color. It was as if the clearing was experiencing a pseudo-day in the center of the darkness. And then it went out, the night dominating the scene once more.

It was silent. Mira fell to the ground in shock, Axis' head coming to a rest on her lap. She stared straight ahead, passed the charred dirt and burned-down trees that were the result of Axis' attack, to see the blackened body of the monster. It was too dark to confirm, but that thing was not moving anytime soon.

Elfman was rattled. He still felt the heat from the beam on his back. He had just managed to avoid it by throwing himself to the ground- and he was glad he did. He didn't want to think about what would have happened if the attack even touched him.

"That was," he sputtered out in his astonished state. "That was…"

"Scary."

The two siblings were surprised to hear how weak Axis' voice was then. The boy covered his eyes with an arm, trying not to let the two see what threatened to fall from them.

"That was really scary. Why? Why did you guys run out like that?" Axis choked, sudden emotion flaring up within him. "Do you know what could have happened?"

Mira and Elfman shared a sorrow-filled look whose meaning transcended words. Mira placed a palm softly on Axis' quivering cheek. "Of course we did."

"I wanted you all to stay safe! I didn't want any of you to get hurt! Mira… Elfman… Lisanna…!" Axis tried to keep himself strong by digging his fingers into the dirt. "You guys mean so much to me…! You…"

Elfman crawled to Mira's side. His body still hurt in a major way from the beating he got from the Gorian, but he wouldn't let that stop him. He punched Axis weakly with a trembling fist. "We weren't going to let you die, even for our sake."

"But why…?" Axis remembered; all those nights he spent the last few months before he met the Strauss siblings. Whether it be in an old cottage, a decrepit alleyway, or even a small closet, he was free to choose where and when to sleep. He was free to steal trinkets and food from anyone. He was free to roam wherever he wanted to, not tied down by any person or anything.

There was something about that freedom that Axis treasured. He didn't know where he got it, but the feeling of the wind blowing through his hair as he was chased across rooftops, or watching the passersby from underneath some guy's table just because he could. It exhilarated him.

But there was something that he never got over. In the unlimited freedom that he cherished so much during the last few months, there was one feeling that never escaped him, no matter how much he tried to bury it. Whether it was running away from someone he stole from, hiding in an alleyway, or falling asleep in some abandoned building.

He was alone.

Axis clenched his teeth. He was always alone. No one to share his joys and sorrow with. No one to laugh with, and no one to run away with. No one to help him when he needed it, and no one for him to help in turn.

But, for just a moment, watching Mira and Elfman try to protect him from his almost certain demise. It really felt as if…

"Because you're one of us, dummy!" Elfman ducked his head, partly embarrassed with his usage of vocabulary. "And even if you fight so bad you might think you'll never talk to each other again, you always come back to help your family!"

Mira calmly stroked Axis' hair. "Like it or not, you're stuck with us, now."

For the first time he could remember, in the small amount of time he could even look back upon, Axis broke down. No matter how hard he tried to conceal it from his friends, he couldn't stop the drops of salty wetness from running down his cheeks and into the ground. He couldn't stop the small chest convulsions or the hiccups from inviting him to sob even more.

"You guys…" Axis wiped the last few tears from his eyes. He looked up at the two siblings with a smirk complimenting his red, puffy eyes. "You really know how to get the ol- heartstrings strumming. I'd give each of you a hug if my whole body didn't hurt like hell."

"Agreed…" Elfman gave a half-response before collapsing to the ground. The events of the night caught up with him, and he passed right out on the dirt.

Mira smiled proudly at her brother before gently setting Axis' head down. "I should get Lisanna, then we should get out of here as soon as possible. I don't like being anywhere near that monster."

"Yeah," Axis murmured in agreement. He held his gaze to the cloudless sky, high above, where the stars painted a beautiful picture that covered the world. "Hey, Mira? Thanks… for coming to find me."

Axis didn't know if she stopped or not, but that mattered little. What did matter, was the one final word he heard from her before he himself passed out.

"Always."

…

"GRRRAAAAUUUUUGH!"

Slit!

Thump!

The monster buckled, all feeling lost from its unnatural limbs. It tried to twitch its fingers, curl its toes, or even do something as simple as opening its mouth, but its body did not listen. The only thing that was for sure, was that the creature could still breathe.

It tried to circle its eyes around to look its attacker in the eyes, but the way it had landed disallowed that to happen. All it could do was give up and whimper- perfectly subject to those who had done this to him.

"Finally!" A short, sticky man with a full, brown beard exclaimed in joy and relief as he slid his magic-filled hand out from the back of the monster's neck. He stamped on its head. "Do you know just how long we've been looking for you, creature?"

"Don't bother," the short man was accompanied by a much taller man in comparison. Not a hair could be seen on this man's head. "This one doesn't understand our language anymore."

The short man easily kicked the monster's large frame over so that he could examine its front end. "A real disappointment you turned out to be, huh? I guess the boss had no right to be that crackpot about something like this."

"I wouldn't talk bad about the boss, Hadich." The tall one addressed the short one. "He'll put you on pit duty if you're not careful."

Hadich sighed. "Heh, that'd be more exciting than what this hunt turned out to be. Hmm?" The short man's thoughts were derailed once he noticed something on the animal's chest. "Wait a minute, I thought this was too easy. Something fought this thing."

"Oh really? Are you sure you didn't just go too wild on it?" The tall one said dismissively as he noticed something himself.

"Don't go insulting my Incision cuts, they're as precise as can be." Hadich pouted. "But now, this guy's got plenty of bruises. Even…" he looked closer at the creature's fur. "Magical scars! My magic doesn't do damage like this."

"There's a campfire," the tall one pointed out, finding the remnants of a once small fire. "Maybe a day or two old."

"Fire and other wounds?" Hadich tapped his fingers to his chin. "What's your take, Monroe?"

"A fight." A magic circle appeared in front of the tall one's, of Monroe's, eyes. He scanned the area, blue highlights appearing throughout the clearing. "Not just regular people, but with a wizard as well."

"A guild, maybe? Though I doubt they would send a bounty for just one Gorian."

Monroe shook his head. "No, this attack was not planned. The scuffle was a surprise for both parties. I wonder if…" he gasped suddenly, his magical eyesight leading him to the clue he needed. Monroe walked over to the small stone and picked it up, closely examining its makeup. "No way…"

"What? What is it!" Hadich had to crane his neck up to see what his partner was holding. "Damn it, man! Bring it down here!"

A sinister smile wormed its way onto the taller man's face. He dropped the stone carelessly, instead watching the clearing closer, piecing something together.

Hadich scrambled after the dropped stone in the darkness. Once his hands found their target, he brought the stone close to his face. His heart fluttered once he realized what it was. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me!"

"The boss' bounty has been found," Monroe said gleefully, tracking the small magic residue left in its footsteps from the night they left this campsite. "And it looks like it's heading south."

"The missing Xenia! Ha!" The short man jumped up in cheer, holding the stone close. No, it wasn't a stone, but the midnight-blue scale of a dragon. "What luck we've had today! The boss is gonna be pretty damn happy about this."

"And I think I know just where he's going, too." Monroe deactivated his magical sight, a different glean now dominating his green orbs. "He'd need to rest after a battle like this, maybe even get a doctor if he's been beaten up too bad. Which means he'll be stopping at the next town over."

"And weak enough to capture without a hitch!" Hadich slammed his fist into his open palm in excitement.

"Tell the boss," Monroe cracked a knuckle. "His missing pet is at Magnolia."