Arc 4: What families entail
Lincoln: "You just have to feel it! Feeeeeel it!"
There was the strongest man in the world. Drunk like he had been everyday for the past four years. In the mountain for the past four years. However, for the past few weeks, he's finally begun to smile. To speak. To use his strength for more than hunting. He didn't think he was wasting his strength. He didn't think he was damning Athens to hell. He didn't think he was wasting time with Edward, or distracting him from helping the Red Arrows. All he thought was that he was walking through an already dead land, never able to see the only faces that brought him life ever again.
Edward walked through the night with Lincoln, having walked all day. Closing his eyes and walking, trying to think, while Spirit Beast came his way. Due to the large piece of Elixir scented meat hanging around his neck.
Edward: "How am I supposed to feel it in battle! I see why Gray kept getting so mad at Musashi!"
Lincoln: "Well sittin down doesn't seem to be workin for yah!"
They were approaching something, soon, as a Molten Wolf got punched right back through the shrubs it burnt through. To a clearing at the West Bay of Athens, a bay completely cored in Magma. It was always like this, filled with Mid-Tier and High Tier Beasts. Every Biome was technically a Spirit Biome, but certain places had higher Spiritual traces. Mount Yelira was a strong Spirit Biome, but The Mountain of Gaia, the second largest mountain in the world, is far larger and more powerful. Spreading through the land just like this beach.
Lincoln: "I unlocked the Dragons fist when I had nothing else but fear and will in my heart! I didn't know what I was doing, I just reached farther than I'd ever reached before, and I found it! Then I found it again and again over a few weeks, and after a year or two I was using it properly! I was able to teach my youngest how to use it when he was thirteen! It took his whole life but still I did it! So what about you!? Can you show me your guts!"
Edward: "I have been! I'm not like you, a prodigy -
Lincoln: "Honestly I'm more of a savant."
Edward: "Well whichever, you're different. Musashi, Ryo, Cornelius, Elizabeth, Virgil. All the Gods of War aren't just strong because they were born with power. Your speed, your strength, your resilience, your ability to control your ability, is inhuman. In everything. I don't think I can do it. I'm not like the other Helsings. I'm the weakest one ever!"
Lincoln: "I didn't get to meet a lot of Helsings, but the ones I did meet, trust me, you're on track to surpassing them. You just have to believe in yourself! Believe that nothing else matters, stop raging on, stop thinking! Just exist with your power, and punch. After that the road is easy. But until then -
Lincoln vanished, appearing beside Edward with a long, wide silver blade.
Lincoln: "You just gotta break it till yah make it! That's what I always say!"
Edward: "I hope you're right. I haven't been able to do anything right as a Helsing, maybe I can do some good as a Warrior. Until I'm ready to face it."
Lincoln: "That's the spirit! Put that white hair stuff behind you! You're strong as all hell, that Warriors Spirit is crazy powerful, and your endurance is unlike anything I've ever seen! You might not be able to take stronger blows than Musashi at his age, but comparing your guys' limits? I'd say you've got more guts. He was a Knight, you? You're…you're far more Heroic."
Edward was shaken, before smiling and stepping forward. Wearing another set of stone armor made by Lincoln, even heavier than before, shaking as he slid down the black soot hill between open rivers of lava. Looking back to Lincoln one last time to ask something.
Edward: "Will you go fight with Leo? For the Red Arrows now?"
Lincoln: "I told you before, I failed Athens already. Even if I stopped it, swooped in and defeated everybody, I would be as much of a tyrant as Bearguard. Musashi and Kioshi left it up to the world. And I'm leaving it up for Athens to decide its own fate."
Edward didn't like his answer, but he looked back toward the bay and marched on anyway. Molten Bears, Molten Gorillas, Molten Monkeys, Molten Wolves, along with others, and unique beasts charged through. The first, a Volgarm; it was a strong Mid-Tier beast, built like a large gorilla with volcano-like arms and a body covered in thick dark stone. Roaring before holding its arms out and firing blasts of magma toward where Edward used to be, and got a blade swung right between its thick skull.
Edward {Let's do this!}
Edward was off through the night, trying to look away from the world around him for once, really trying, while the world just kept spinning. For once, in a good way for the possible saviors of Athens. As the Red Arrows finally had a step up. Brought by Caesar, now with Leo as they brought the news to Soku and Peter. It was one am in the morning, Peter had finished fixing armor for the day and was working on his vambraces, and Soku was dragging herself through the open mining tunnel completely out of energy and covered in small cuts.
Soku: "Caesar!?"
Peter instantly turned around after not noticing Toll, Leo, and Caesar, along with the group of Red Arrows behind them. With Soku in confusion and surprise at Caesar's crusty appearance, and his set of Warrior armor.
Caesar: "Sup!"
Leo: "He brought us news."
Leo wasn't too happy though, instantly causing the others to fall into fear.
Caesar: "At the end of the week, Beauregard will begin his mission to permanently eradicate the Red Arrows. Starting with going to every house in the Capital, every building, every street, and destroying it until they find a single sign of the Red Arrows. No matter who gets hurt trying to stand in their way. Including all the civilians living there."
Leo: "After that, the rest of Athens. It only gives us three or four days to do something about it. We can't wait for your friend, and we can't keep wasting time trying to think of roundabout ways to solve this problem."
Toll: "That's why, a day before, we're going to distract them and take back Cretan. A Third of Athens Warriors are in that City still trying to figure out where our hide out is. And we'll crush them. We'll force them to regroup, to rethink, and if they don't, we'll have to bring the fight to the capital.
Peter was shrunken, shivering, chattering, while Soku's face fell completely.
Soku: "...I'm not leaving Rosemary. If they're doing anything possible, then that means they'll probably kill her then. Or worse. I'll go in how I escaped and -
Leo: "You can't! They've definitely fixed and guarded wherever you came out of! We need your strength! It's what you've been training for!"
Soku: "I'm training to save my friends! And I guess Walgonia too ! And to do that I have to save Rosemary!"
Leo: "We can't risk the loss, not when all of their mightiest fighters are there! It's a death wish, and if not, it'll lead them right back to us!"
Soku: "Ugh!"
But something within Leo boiling for far too long came exploding out, at the complete wrong person.
Leo: "DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH WE'VE DONE!? HOW MUCH WE'VE LOST! ALL OF ATHENS BEST ARE GONE! OUR BEST ARCHER WAS EXLIED, OUR BEST MAGES LEFT, AND OVER BATTLE AFTER BATTLE I'VE KILLED SPIRIT KNIGHT, ARCHER, MAGE, ELITIE WARRIOR, MARK BEARER, WHATEVER! WE'RE ALL WE HAVE LEFT, AND WE HAVE TO TAKE IT BACK! BEFORE ATHENS IS CRIPPLED FOREVER!"
Soku: "THAT EXACTLY WHY WE NEED TO HELP ROSEMARY!"
Soku brushed past Leo's shoulder back to the barracks, with Peter desperately following behind, looking back at the three while entering the crowd with a hint of anger. Surprising Leo especially. Forcing him to stare at his scared, calloused hands, and clench them with his own rage at himself. Before Caesar's hand eased him for the moment being.
Caesar: "it's alright. If we work together, Spartan and Red Arrow, then we can get Athens back in one piece. I promise you that."
He smiled the biggest he could, through the three thick scars down his mouth like a skull, with his broken and eroded gums, drooling blood that continually healed over. Leo sighed, stepping off into the mines to plan and gather their remaining forces, to begin moving to Cretan for the battle. Soku only thought of Rosemary in her despair, and of the boy charging off into his own battle, before he can make it hopefully in time to save his light in this dark world. After she saved him from the same pit she was beginning to pull herself out of through her own beautiful heart.
Lanner: "You need to take it easy kid, really. Are you sure you don't want to rest? We're both on our last legs."
Gray: "I'm fine, and every minute I'm not fighting I heal a little more. I made sure to not let loose back there, only my middle fingers hurt from flicking that stupid box of air."
The night was still rich, and once again snow was beginning to fall throughout the land of Walgonia. The swamp was behind them, up a tall hill, while fields of hardly planted crops sat far far below. As Dema soared above the clouds, causing Gray to be lost to shivering panic. Lanner held it in, but he couldn't help but want to vomit from the height. Even more scared than Gray.
Lanner: "Just cause you can fight doesn't mean you should. At the speed we're going we'll reach Guren in a few minutes. We can't just fight. We have to go and find Jong."
Gray: "And you know where he is?"
Lanner: "Um…they told me the name of the street but I can't remember."
Gray: "BRO!"
Lanner: "Sorry but I was a little distracted thinking I was gonna die in that swamp! I didn't think it mattered!"
Gray: "You're the one that offered to go!"
Lanner: "Well if you went you would have died instantly! And that mask is dumb, you just don't wanna look like a baby!!"
Gray: "No I wouldn't have! And it's supposed to be metaphorically Mullet havin loser!"
It seemed they both drugged out the extremely defensive, but brotherly sides they both had, even if Lanners took up his entire personality. For Gray it was like talking to a much older, stronger, scarier Soku. Still Dema loudly squealed in annoyance to stop their arguing, before letting them grab each other in absolute terror when she dove through the clouds and toward the large city below them.
Gray: "EEEEEEEEEEEEK!"
Lanner: "UUUUUUUUUUAG!"
The Cloak snagged Gray's mask just as it flung off his face without a single thought, not even noticing as they squealed through the sky. Until Lanner shoved Gray down into the saddle to get them both to shut up. Before quickly taking the reins to keep Dema still high above the towers. Down below were wide streets with just as wide buildings, stacked against each other in all kinds of shapes and sides, as long as it was some kind of rectangle and square put together. A district filled with large homes and nice greenery, another with factories stacked into the sky. Bursting with smog and flames into the air without any purification seals. The rest of the city looked like the capital. Small man made ponds, parks, statues, apartments, office buildings. But the biggest thing that stood out, aside from the Sect flags, the massive damage upon almost every single structure in the city, was the absence of any one. An entire city turned into a heart of Anarchy.
Lanner: "Everybody who didn't join up was shoved out. It took a Demi-human battle, a Sect Conquest, but it couldn't stand this time. It finally fell."
Gray: "I know it's cliche but not yet! Jong is there, with who knows how many knights! We have thousands on our way! Even if the Sect out numbers us here our strength is higher, and our will is greater. Conna and Red are gone, and if not, they're defeated for now. We'll end our win streak with an all out victory. And I'll remain standing by the end! I swear it! So I can actually be useful!"
Lanner couldn't help but smile, before taking Dema away from the city walls.
Lanner: "We can't just fly in. We'll be spotted eventually if we haven't already. We have to do it smart."
Gray: "Right on!"
As they pushed forward, their reinforcements were making it out of the Swamp and across the land as fast as possible. Carriage Lizards and Dire Wolves pulled many carriages and wagons full of knights, all whittled down and hardly repaired. Some rode upon their own Wolves, but the strongest were all in the Wagon leading the charge. Including the injured Chris, to the others dismay.
Gabby: "You think Gray and Lanner will be alright? Not knowing is killing me!"
Venyet: "I don't see why you care so much for Kyojin, or Lanner. Lanner's an ass, has been since he was a squire. And Kyojin takes nothing seriously. Just some kid born with too much mana. He acts like this is some game, healing so fast, getting trained by the best, becoming a knight through the Knight exam!? Doesn't it piss you off! Especially you Gabby, you know how hard it is for us to join the knights!"
Gabby: "Well if you wanna use that logic we only got in because of our powerful affinities, and your Mark of Providence. And you're a noble daughter! Why are you shitting on Gray!?"
Venyet: "I guess you don't get it."
Gabby: "Did you think just because I was a woman I would agree? I know it's hard, and I know there aren't a lot of us in the Knights for a reason, but you can't hold that against those two. Especially Gray!"
Chris was too busy doing headcount over and over to speak against Venyet's words, Carlos didn't want to get in between the two, and Muther simply lost himself trying to think of ways to talk them down instead of actually talking them down. Leading to Venyet getting in Gabby's face, leaking a slightly blue hue of mana in her raze, while Gabby instantly pushed her mana toward the Earth Spirits in the Wagon. Triggering Muther to quickly vanish between the two and push them away, even with his small stature, laughing heroically before Venyet flicked a piece of wood at his head.
Chris: "Can you quit it! You're not that much younger than me, why are you acting like this!? Just because you're stressed out doesn't mean you can just take it out on your friends!"
Venyet: "You have no idea what I'm arguing about. But I guess it doesn't matter anymore. All the Laws have been burnt along with the rest of Walgonia. Years of my efforts all go to kindle the fire. But yet again people like Gray, the last Helsing, scrape by perfectly fine. Passing the Knight Exams and escaping to safety."
Chris: "You act like there wasn't an Elf or a Goldenwind with them, both women. Musashi only took Gray and the others under his wing because they were strong, and they proved themselves. If you have issues with the Knight Exams then that's an entirely different problem, one I think most people agree on. That it was an outdated, dangerous piece of Walgonia's founding doctrine. When the countries still loved each other like family. It destroyed us. It's terrible. But how is that Gray's fault? How is it our fault for defending him!?"
Venyet: "It's! Well…Whatever!"
Venyet jumped to another wagon, disrupting Chris' plans in her anger. Leaving the others to look at each other with worry, while descending a massive hill.
Chris: "This war is bringing out the worst in people."
Muther: "The Demi-human war did the same. People who would have never acted out of malice or hatred, feeling like they have to for something to change. Like how the hungry may still or kill for food, eat their own kind to survive. I wonder how many knights we've lost out of fear, especially for the many Squires, Guards, and Soldiers. And how many of them are in the Sect now."
Gabby: "She's right about one thing though. If Walgonia was more accepting, to other races, skin colors, curses, women. We'd be far stronger. And we may not even be in this situation."
Carlos: "Yeah yeah at the end of the day it's all our fault. I blame the nobles, the Knights before us. And it's pretty aggravating we gotta clean up their mess. Do something Musashi and Kioshi couldn't. I can't believe they'd rather save the castle than save the country. Somebody smart shoulda been born with all that -
Muther: "Stop it! I knew them, Chris as well. Just because they wanted to save as many lives as possible in the moment doesn't mean we should bash them! When they're already dead!"
Carlos instantly shuttered with fear, trying to explain himself while Chris stared off into the distance. His heart was pounding with fear as Guren got closer.
Chris: "Soon battle will be upon us. We won't be able to enter Guren safely. We have to move as a full force. Splitting up is death. I hope the best for Lanner and Gray, may the Spirits be with them."
Gabby: "I just hope Jong is somewhere, with an army."
Chris: "Even if he has an army it'll be small. We have to do this for him this time."
Around Guren was a small set of trees, overseen by the Sect patrolling the dark stone wall protecting the city. Demi-humans sniffed, those with Spirit affinities sensed, but the Cloak of Darkness and his mask worked to hide his presence, allowing him to swing through the trees with Lanner in his arm. Flowing out a light drizzle of mana infused with Spirit mana. On top of that, Lanner had cast Detic, making them basically invisible if you weren't staring right at them.
Gray {Just like in the mountains, swing release, swing release, don't break the branch! Don't hit your head! Look cool for this dude!}
They were moving fairly quickly, and had been for the last few minutes, until they finally reached a section of the wall. Hiding in the bushes for the time being.
Lanner: "I don't think we can get in without being a little loud. We just gotta make a hole small enough for us to get in, and run like hell to hide."
Lanner was out of mana, hardly able to stand, so Gray had to take out his blade and breathe breathe breathe.
Gray {Focused flash. Focus. Foooocuuuss!}
He took in a bright amount of Spirit mana and leapt forward, slashing down with all of his might, before pulling his sword back across like an X, one more spinning slash letting the Spirit mana loose.
Gray {BREAKER!}
And erupted a small hole in the wall, as well as opened a door to an army of Sect Elites patrolling the streets. Gray instantly froze in fear, until Lanner's heavy hand slammed on his back to shove him forward. Instantly the Cloak snagged Lanner like a backpack while Gray broke off into a sprint across the street into an alley.
Gray {SHIT SHIT SHIT!}
Without use of the Cloak, he went through the alley like a maze. Horns, magic, and screams of attack reined out. Drawing a lot of attention to Gray and Lanner, while Chris' party got even closer.
Lanner: "That way, that way, no that way!"
Gray: "Shut up shut up!"
Gray was letting out more mana than usual without thinking, dashing toward a wall to jump off and up onto a building's small roof. Only for archers and mages to yell in panic while drawing their weapons right at his head.
Gray: "SORRY SORRY!"
Lanner: "NOT THIS WAY!!!"
With his shoulder and mana he broke through the window across from him, breaking the wooden floor as he bolted across the hall through another window.
Lanner: "Watch the Glass!"
Only to dive three stories into a street filled with even more Anarchists. Gray almost passed out then and there from sheer terror. Hundreds, thousands, everywhere, with him in their sights specifically. But he managed to glide for just a second, rewrapping Lanner just in time to slow his descent enough to keep sprinting the second he hit the ground. Leaping up, stepping off the faces of a few anarchists like steps, and made it back into the alley ways. Leaking more and more mana, but he couldn't feel it. Moving faster, leaping farther, but he couldn't see it. He was going to go, to his limit, corner corner dash corner leap twist corner spin corner.
Lanner: "How are you gonna find Jong like this!?"
Gray: "IF YOU AREN'T GONNA HELP SHUT UP MULLET HEAD!"
In the panic Gray had fallen into a rageful despair, adrenaline and nothing more, before even more horns began to ring out all across the city. Stopping the chaos for just a second, as all of the Anarchists were needed for a completely different battle. The Walgonian Knights. Many Anarchists used muskets if they had nothing else, filling the slots between those with affinities, Demi-human might, Marks, some technique etc. But most of the shots fired toward the many wagons and carriages headed their way or the fleeing Kyojin, resulted in a gruesome eruption.
Chris: "MAGE FORMATION! GO!"
"IGNIM!"
They brought the power the world hasn't seen since the Demi-human war; using the many flame affinity and Spirit users they had, they all pushed their mana toward creating a massive red seal above their heads with Venyet in the center. The best helped Venyet construct the base of it throughout the large mass of mages, while the others assisted its creation and empowerment. Ending with their final shared chant that rained all hell upon the South District of Guren. It was an enormous stream of bright orange flame that lit the night sky, drawing all attention to it. It rose and rose, before falling, its face heading toward the city. Anarchists ran for their lives, tripped, screamed, tried to help each other, pushed others back so they could get further. The Demi-humans flew, swam, pinballed, charged, while the humans ran like hell. But for most of the Anarchists in the South District, their story ended when the spell landed.
It instantly engulfed blocks rushing down across the streets. Before it fell like a wave to scatter and spread. Like rocket thrusters the fire roared through alley ways, destroying anything within, while the buildings were left to crash and crumble in the massive eruption. Gray didn't see the flames, but he sure felt it, as the fire was on its way to him right now.
Lanner: "RUN RUN RUN!"
Gray: "I KNOW!"
Gray focused as much mana as he could hold into his legs and leapt toward a building's side, again, again, flying through the air and leaving his legs burning with immense pain. But not nearly as much as Overdrive would have. Still the flames rolled through the anarchists, turning the district to ash, and taking out a fourth of their already smaller than average forces in an instant. ALong with who knows how many Potential Pillars of Anarchy without giving them a fighting chance. It also worked to clear them for their opening, screaming weapons ready as they entered the destroyed South District. Even as the flames still poured through the rest of the city for as long as its strength lasted, managing to cover almost all of it. But Gray finally burst through a cellar, thinking of when he first met Chris, and quickly took toward the shadows of the small workshop. Letting Lanner get off the Cloak and shake with pain.
Lanner: "Good job, and it looks like our backup has arrived. We should meet up with them."
Gray: "I want to find Jong, and I need to figure out how to stop the manufacturing of these weapons. Hopefully all the others that made it out will break sooner or later. But if they refine them, hell if they just keep making them, they'll be a big problem in all out war. It's now or never."
Lanner: "Well damn, you're full of speeches aren't yah shaggy haired idiot, they're good though."
Gray: "Well do you want me to leave you here or take the mullet head to Chris first? Jong, Chris, you'll have to ride piggy back again."
Lanner instantly tried to stand, but the heavy armor caused it to be wobbly, before he fell right over. Smashing his fist against the dirt floor so hard the entire house above shook dust upon them.
Gray: "Calm down, you need to rest!"
Lanner: "I don't wanna hear that! Especially from you! You should be resting alongside me."
As they argued they could hear marching. Screaming. Chanting. Magic and arrows, roaring Demi-humans everywhere. Marching toward Walgonians covered in shaking, confident, or hungry smiles. Raining toward the charging knights were musket fire, more than half of which resulted in another explosion, the others lasting two or three more shots before following the same fate. However, the cannons rolled out that shook the battlefield instantly drew the eyes of everyone.
Carlos: "I got it!"
Firing arrow after arrow in a quick, powerful fashion again and again, sent metal arrows right against the cannon balls mid-air to redirect them between the split up, but still wall of forces, and cut the casualties to zero. Flying Demi-human Knights soon smashed onto the wall, with Gabby's screams following behind. Standing with the Earth Mages, holding the end of her mace out to reach toward the Spirits. Chanting ahead of a large greenish brown circular seal.
Gabby: "EL-DIGGON!"
The mana was sent through the air first, picking up earth from the Spirits and the ground as it rocketed over the heads of the knights to smash an enormous hole in the dense wall of Guren. A massive Dragon of Earth, roaring before it crashed and combusted with powerful, spreading shockwaves that collapsed the wall the rest of the way. Caving open a V shaped gap in the wall for the Knights to begin flooding into. Smaller spouts of earth, water, and fire began to scatter forward, but the toughest Demi-human Walgonia had to offer, the strongest Walgonias Knights had in their ranks in the physical department, the massive roaring and muscular Spirit Gator - Walter and nothing more. The scaled shield of the Knights.
He didn't speak, his eyes were blank, and the memories of the horrid Demi-human war fueled each quick dash. Crawling across the ground, or charging on all fours, leaping up at the torrent of spells and swinging his massive tail against the wind to push them mostly back. For the rest of the higher powered spells, he simply swung his arms down and absorbed it all. The bursts of flames, earth, and water all became one with the air his strength was picking up, bursting out all around him as he hit the ground. The first through the hole into Guren, covered in smoke even angrier. Looking at hundreds of anarchists screaming with vigor. Roaring completely out of his mind while ripping through Anarchist, Anarchist, Anarchist.
"IGNIS, IGNUM, IGNIS, IGNEM, IGGON, IGGINA"
"WINIS! WINIS! WIGUM! WIGVEN! WIGEL! WIGES!"
"DIGVIC! DIGVUP! DIGNIS! DIGNEM! DIGNAL! DIGGEL!
Walter ravaged through the many, many spells hitting anarchists on their way toward him. His claws the size of their short Sect members instantly obliterate their bodies, his jaw able to bite half of them in a single snap, his tail sending people flying to be broken, shattered, and cry while slowly dying to their injuries without even thinking. But he was being burned, cut, stabbed, shot by arrows, slashed. Even if the Knights were rolling in, Walter was taking the brunt. Falling deeper and deeper into his rage while he sped through the streets. Leaving bigger eruptions of blood each second he got further through the burnt Southern District. Surrounded by crumbling, ash, or burning buildings. Listening to all the anarchists running and screaming while trying to get the fire off them. Coffing and passing out due to smoke inhalation; it was the horror of war, more terrifying than anything the Sect had unleashed upon Guren so far.
And watching above it all, from the set of towers in the central district that used to hold the Knights and soldiers of Guren, now being the home of the Anarcist, and Lower Pillars controlling the city. Such Lower Pillars were watching, but Walgonia was out of their minds. Instead, they thought of their brothers and sisters. Not metaphorically, but literally, as they were the last two Children Of Anarchy. The oldest of the family, and the second youngest, desperately looking for wherever Gray could be.
"They said they saw him break in before anybody else. He was what set off all those alarms."
The oldest was trying to keep himself together. Constantly pushing back his black hair, fixing his mask, gripping his spear. While the youngest continued to try and break out into battle.
"We can't just sit around! We have to go into battle!"
"Not until our back up has arrived."
The back up, walking through the corrupted swamp to reunite with what was left of the Sect sent to retrieve Red. Out of the six general Lower Pillars at a time, Arthur took the third spot, leaving these two, and wherever the last Pillar laid.
Conna: "...Red…all of them…they're gone."
"Figured as much. Now come on, I sense something bad laying in Guren."
Tallest didn't wear the Sect garbs. A criminal, extremely muscular, grey skinned, bald, and covered in nasty scars. Her body was covered in bolts, iron, and her destroyed mouth covered and bolted by a mask. Staring on with sharp yellow eyes scared over. Her arms were covered in dark red seals, Magic of the Southern Islands corrupted and woven by Prometheus himself. Simply empowering latent seals. But the shorter man, cloaked like any normal Sect member, sent off an aura so malicious even the Corrupted Beasts stayed away. Because of his incredible might, his bloody legacy, and the boiling anger in his heart. Not toward what happened with the Sect, but something else, something confusing, toward the idea of the Sect.
"Let's go."
He took Conna over his shoulder before vanishing forward, warping the air for a second before a burst of dust was all that got left behind. The scared warrior lightly empowered the seals, turning them a slight red before destroying the ground under her leap. Flying through the air with a dead set on Guren. All the eyes in Guren had to be focused, or they'd fall into the wide panic and despair of the rest. Even if they were Sect Elities, they were civilians, veterans, mostly without any real training and only their shadowy group experience. Leaving these Knights far above, as those that were scared used that fear to fight harder. And the knights within the shadows, where the Sect used to take power, finally began to emerge. Wearing whatever they could, using whatever they could, all throughout the districts. A city distracted, pulling most of their forces to the destroyed South, yet again being surprised with more forces from nowhere.
Gray: "It's time."
Lanner and Gray watched from a window a few floors up from the cellar they were resting in, as people young and old, human and Demi-human, without any armor or country forcing them, screaming like it was nothing at all. United through the war, fighting against the Sect as they struggled to keep up. Their rage, their despair, once powerful enough to turn the tide, nothing against the wrath they've brought on, the will of Walgonia. The Country that Never Falls.
Lanner: "...I can fight."
Every part of his body hurt, he had used every bit of mana he had to heal himself, and all that healing took the rest of his stamina. A dead man walking trying to muster a smile and grab his hilt. Until Gray put his hand on his shoulder, and smiled. Not massive, not a lie. But a soft, real smile. Getting Lanner to sit back onto the wooden floor.
Lanner: "Fine! I'll wait, and when I get the chance you'll see what you're missing out on."
Gray: "Thank you."
Lanner: "But you need to listen kid! You've trained with the best, but that's given you a horrible perception of your own strength! How you should use it! From what I've heard, and how I saw you fight, you're terrible at either zero or one hundred and twenty! If you're injuring your body with mana that means you're pushing too hard! Just hold it, just as much as you can hold, even if it hurts almost as much, you can fight without breaking yourself in an instant. Maybe for a few extra hits."
Gray's eyes widened, but he knew his control over his mana sucked. However, it wasn't as bad as his first days in this world. Like the water faucet he had begun to see it, feel it, understand it. He could even feel how much he had left now without relying on how much pain his OD was in. But he couldn't wait around or train, he had to fight, and stepped toward the window with his mask in hand. Placing it on his face while the Cloak placed the hood up on its own. He turned on the faucet, not a little, but not his limit, in the middle. While pulling in the same amount of Spirit mana, entering a semi-pushed Spirit Sense, to turn his thicker veil of powerful corrupted mana blue and bright.
Gray: "Now, let's get this started!"
With a final breath, he knew he could move.
Gray {Mana, Half-Power!}
It hurt far worse than his normal flow, but with a single leap, he barely crossed the street. Falling between two buildings right into a fight between Jong's Knights and some anarchists.
Gray {Fight like a trained fighter! Fight for real! This is the third round, this is what it's all for! And I'll show my friends just how far I've come! That I'm not useless anymore! BE SERIOUS!}
He snagged the Cloak onto the side of the building, while swinging down with full force to slam his legs against a large Demi-human about to swing its claws through the Knights. His power crushed a few of his rips, cracked its sternum, while Gray landed in his own pain. Turning the flow down for a moment to slip under the bear and trip him with the Cloak, before clashing sword to dagger. The Knights sent out a fire blast that saved him from an archer, but he still had to pull back from the class to dodge a hefty Demi-human strike. Before thrusting his foot back, crushing the cobble, and trusting past him to leave a light, long cut across his chest to send him to the floor, before ending that charge with another class. Breaking the Anarchist's dagger, stomped their foot so hard he broke it, and jabbed them across the face to knock them out.
Gray: "Jong! I need your help to find him!"
"I dunno where he is now but he's out here, somewhere!"
Gray could only stare, locked, back to Lanner, back to the war, out to the sky. Wherever Jong was. So he could get to his friends trying hard to free Athens for Walgonia. No matter how much good he did, every second he didn't spend heading toward Athens felt like a sin worse than any other. He shot the Cloak up and zipped toward the top of a roof, thankfully vacant of any Anarchists. Behind him was a massive battle pulling in the Sect everywhere, while anywhere else he looked was consumed in smaller scaled duels and group battles. Where to go? Where to help? Who to look for? Who to ask? How much mana should he output if he should use any at all!?
Gray {Kioshi and Musashi wouldn't waste a second! The others wouldn't! They'd run and fight until something came up, got lucky, or just made it forward through their own strength. I don't have their knowledge! Their experience! Their abilities! Their voices! I don't have anybody! I can't do it alone, I can't, I won't!}
For some reason, like in the town he met Chris in, and Bruge, through Alpha Camp, his mind began to unravel. His ember that used to be nothing but a spark, surging everywhere all the time, only subsided when he wasn't focusing on it. Dema was somewhere waiting for him. His friends were waiting, begging, screaming, facing who knows what kind of pain. Up and down and up and down, breathe breathe breathe, step forward, fight on. Keep going dammit.
Gray {COME ON!}
He shook his head, struggling to step toward the deafening chaos of war. Carlos' arrows rung through Anachists, Venyet vanished using her Mark of Invisibility to cut through from the shadows, Gabby lead a charge with her hefty mace crushing skulls left and right, Muther cut throats with his rapid hops, and Walter distorted entire buildings smashing through group after group, so Gray had to move toward Jong's forces and give them the edge they needed. He knew what he had to do; he could walk again, preparing to leap into the sky. Launching right toward the moon -
Gray: "OW!"
He smashed against a transparent, thick purple veil, which quickly formed as a dome around Gray and the building. Trapping him within the single, oldest Child of Anarchy. Sliding down to face him with his blade in hand.
Gray: "And you are?"
Donte: "Donte, and you murdered my brother in cold blood. You dawn his mask. You were my Grandmother's Cloak. You and your family have taken almost everything from me. And I want to return the favor."
Gray: "And capture me for big nasty daddy right?"
Donte: "No. I will never tell a soul you were here. I will chop your limbs off, I will make you eat yourself, I will make you skin and bone and nothing more. If you die I'll bring you back. I won't let you end your life. I will erase your mind. And then, I'll leave you, to starve in the woods with all your bones broken."
Gray: "Oooh sooo spooky."