《The blood wars》 A beautiful day Carmen had just finished her shift at work. She hummed a tune when she walked to her old little car. Carmen looked into her purse for her keys when she heard a set of swift footsteps. Carmen sharply turned around to see nothing there. She turned back to her car and flinched when she saw a black bipedal cat on top of the car. It had white robes and a hood with gold outlining. The cat looked at her with its piercing yellow and black eyes. Carmen narrowed her eyes, ¡°Azriel, what are you doing here?¡± Azriel¡¯s tail whipped from side to side and then stopped. He narrowed his eyes at her, ¡°The child is no longer safe in your custody.¡± Carmen¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°What why?¡± Azriel¡¯s tail swayed, ¡°They have gotten close to the safe house and they know the child¡¯s general appearance¡ªexcept for height. Her stunted stature is the only thing buying us time. We knew this would happen. Do you have someone else you would prefer the child to go to? You''ve already been on the ledge by how you''ve been doing things. If you do not have a suitable candidate by now I WILL take matters into my own paws.¡± Carmen sighed, ¡°There is only one, and if this fails. Then have it your way.¡± Azriel nodded, ¡°Alright who?¡± Carmen smirked, ¡°Thokath.¡± Azriel¡¯s eyes widened. He fell silent for a moment just staring at her until he spoke, ¡°You... hmmm...this could work. But understand if this goes awry and the child dies.¡± Azriel narrowed his eyes as small blades floated around him pointing towards Carmen, ¡°It won''t be just the child who will have died that day, am I clear?¡± ¡°Crystal.¡± Carmen nodded solemnly.
¡°Lexy! Breakfast is ready!¡± Her mother¡¯s shrill voice woke her with a start. She stretched and stood up. The young girl shook the sleep from her eyes as she walked over to the window. She smiled at the scene that filled her eyes. It was a bright and sunny day; birds were singing, flowers were blooming and the grass was lush emerald green. ¡°Lexy! It¡¯s getting cold!¡± Carmen yelled up the stairs. ¡°Coming Mother!¡± Lexy hollered back. Walking over to her dresser, Lexy grabbed a white t-shirt. In a rush, she pulled the top over her blonde hair. She took out a set of dark blue jeans and wiggled her way into them. Lexy closed the dresser drawer and reached the top of the wardrobe and grabbed a set of red square goggles with curved edges. She put them on and ran her hand over the knife case that rested on top of the wardrobe. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she retracted her hand. She grabbed her light blue hoodie, threw it on, and ran out the door while she zipped it. The smell of pancakes filled her nostrils as she entered the hallway. There were two doors on her left and stairs to her right. Turning to her left she entered the first of the two. She hummed an upbeat tune as she placed a stool in front of the sink and mirror. Lexy stepped onto it. The blonde looked into the mirror to see her storm blue eyes staring back at her. She picked up a brush off the countertop. She attempted to tame her wild hair. It didn¡¯t work and with a huff of frustration Lexy put the brush down. Lexy picked up her toothbrush only to be interrupted by another command from her mother. ¡°Lexy! Get down here now!¡± ¡°I am almost done!¡± Quickly she brushed her teeth and cleaned up. She grabbed a glass by the sink and filled it with water. Lexy opened the cupboard above the sink and grabbed the container with light blue pills inside. She opened the container and took one out. Swiftly she took the pill. She then left the bathroom and headed to the stairs. She had a pep in her step and continued to hum when she descended the stairs. Lexy inhaled deeply as the smell of toasted bread and maple syrup enticed her senses. Her mother was in the kitchen, wearing a long blue dress. She had elegant curls that flowed down her back and touched the floor. She was six feet tall and had a slim yet strong build. The woman looked over her shoulder to see Lexy had entered the room. ¡°Finally sweety, your pancakes are getting cold.¡± Lexy smiled at her mother and got out plates to set the table. ¡°Mother, I am so glad you are home. It was lonely while you were gone for a whole month. I missed you.¡± Her mother nodded as she turned off the stove and grabbed a plate of freshly buttered pancakes. While she placed the food on the table, Lexy grabbed silverware and a gallon of milk. Lexy sat down at the table and began pouring herself a glass of milk. Lexy sipped on the cold soothing liquid and then set the cup down and started to enjoy the buttered pancakes. While her mother didn''t touch the food. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Her mother sighed, the woman''s gaze not quite meeting her daughter¡¯s eyes when she spoke with regret. ¡°Lexy I am going on a business trip for the summer and I thought it would be good for you to stay with some relatives, ok?¡± Lexy pondered for a moment. She was used to her mother going on a business trip, with short notice. However, her mother would usually leave her home alone or with a babysitter. Most recently her mother just left her alone. Lexy let out a dissatisfied huff. ¡°When will I leave, because I have archery regionals next week, remember?¡± There was some hope in the statement that quickly dwindled when she saw her mother look away. Lexy knows that look, the ¡®I''m sorry but I have to go¡¯ routine. Lexy rested her head against her hand and laid down the fork she had in her other hand. ¡°When am I leaving?¡± Carmen looked at Lexy with hardened eyes. ¡°Well, since today is your first day out of the homeschooling program. I have booked a flight for you. You¡¯re leaving today.¡± Carmen added with a ¡®matter of fact tone in her voice. Anger crossed Lexy¡¯s face. She narrowed her eyes and then spoke in a sour tone through gritted teeth. ¡°But what about regionals? You promised that if I made fifth place or higher in the last archery competition you would take me. I made it first. What about the shooting range so I could practice with the rifles?¡± Lexy quickly ranted without taking a breath. Carmen expected this outburst from her daughter. ¡°Deal with it, child. You have one hour to be ready to go. I suggest you not provoke my wrath, you know what happened last time.¡± The familiar heat that rolled off her mother in waves, struck fear into Lexy¡¯s bones. She huffed, obeyed, and cleaned up her dishes. Cursing under her breath. She doesn¡¯t understand why her mother cares nothing for her feelings. Lexy stormed out of the kitchen. Her mother could hear every step her daughter took up the stairs. Carmen only shook her head. She reached the second-floor landing and barged into her bedroom. Lexy stomped over to the closet, yanked out her old heavy suitcase. She began tossing her bags with her clothes into the suitcase and grabbed the necessities for leaving home. Lexy let out a long breath, a soft smile reached her face as she retrieved some of her favorite small trophies from competitions as soon as she realized there was some spare space. Gingerly she placed the items in, however, she gave a solute when she looked at the trophies that couldn''t fit. ¡°I shall see you all in three months.¡± remorse in Lexy¡¯s voice She then opened the bottom drawer in her dresser that revealed the whole drawer was filled with history textbooks and fantasy books. Lexy lowered her head. ¡°It was an honor for me to be able to read every single one of you. I''m sorry but today is the day the student shall leave to have their adventure. Thank you, senseis.¡± Lexy gave a short bow, closed the drawer, and stood back up. Lexy then walked to the bathroom and grabbed her large bottle of prescription pills. Her mother had never told her why she had to take the medication. She stopped questioning after an incident in which she was late in taking the pills, which made her body burn in pain. With the medication in hand, she walked back to her bedroom. She placed the medicine in her bag and closed it with the zipper. She walked to the knife case on top of her dresser, unclipped the two locks, and opened it. Within the case was an old-fashioned knife with a rune etched on its blade. Lexy looked at the knife with a saddened gaze and purposely left it in the case. She knew the airport nor her mother would let her take it. Lexy closed the knife''s case, grabbed her suitcase, and hauled the heavy case downstairs to see her mother had cleaned up breakfast and she could hear the sound of her mother¡¯s car''s engine as she walked to the front door. She opened the door to see her mom''s old car. Despite her bad mood she couldn''t help but crack a smile at the chipped and rusted car. Even in its decrepit state, it¡¯s one thing that never seemed to change. She walked over to the back door and opened it. The car door opened with a prolonged squeak and Lexy slid into the seat after her suitcase. Her mother looked at her and gave a soft smile, ¡°ready?¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°yeah, I''m ready.¡± She watched with defeat as the car pulled out of the driveway. Her heart was filled with sad nostalgia as she watched her home disappear into the scenery. The melancholy silence that fell over the two of them, was broken only by the whistling wind and roar of the old engine. The moment they arrived at the airport drop-off, Lexy stopped looking out of the window. She opened the car door and grabbed her suitcase. The squeak of the car was heard as Lexy closed the door behind her. Lexy shook her head and then looked at her mother as she rolled down the window. The window went down with a prolonged squeak and Lexy couldn''t help but laugh. Her mother smiled and explained, ¡°Lexy, here is your airplane ticket, the letter is for the household owner, and the sixty should cover a taxi, along with snacks.¡± Her mother¡¯s expression changed to a serious one as she handed the items to Lexy, ¡°But most important, be careful.¡± Lexy smirked at her mother¡¯s comment. ¡°I''m always careful.¡± Her mother raised a brow, ¡°careful? Need I remind you of the gorilla incident at the zoo and how that went?¡± Lexy¡¯s smirk fell to a sheepish smile while she shrugged. ¡°Ok, just careful sometimes and besides, that gorilla was out for my blood. I don''t see how that counts as me being the non-careful one.¡± Her mom shook her head softly, ¡°Right¡­. Says the one who jumped into the pen, all for a hoodie. However, I want you to promise to at least try not to get into trouble.¡± Lexy groaned, ¡°Fine, I promise to be careful and not jump into any zoo pins. I''ll just climb in with a cougar instead, they are much cuter anyway. Besides, the cougar would enjoy my company far better than that gorilla.¡± Her mother gave a very unamused look, ¡°No, and just no. I''ve got to go, and I swear if I get a call that you jumped into a zoo pin just because of this one conversation. So help me.¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°Alright, alright I''ll stay away from the zoo. But, I make no such promise to be careful.¡± To this, her mother shook her head and rolled up the car window. It backed up slowly with a prolonged shrill squeak that even caught the brief attention of a few people passing by. With that Lexy walked away from the car and she walked through the airport with her suitcase in one hand while the items her mother gave her were in the other. Her attention was drawn to some of the large flat-screen television sets. Some were playing news while others had advertisements and cartoons. The news played with the date of two-thousand fourteen glowing in the bottom right corner of the screen. She looked at her ticket and her eyes widened. Lexy felt a dread pool in her stomach. Her ticket was marked as a one-way flight. She looked back to the drive to see her mother had already left. Are the woods strange or is it just me? Lexy stormed to the security gate. Her steps were heavy with sadness. It was a long procedure but she managed to get to her flight gate and get on her flight from Texas to Kansas. Once the plane landed she exited through one of the gates and made sure she had everything. Lexy walked out to the front of the airport and got a cab. She sat in the backseat with her suitcase and she looked at the driver after taking a brief look at the address her mom wrote on the letter. ¡°1214North Sungrove Road please?¡± The driver gave her one raised brow but seemed to shake off what he was going to ask and began to drive. Lexy stared in silence as the scenery changed from city buildings when the cab left the city and began to drive past country farms. He took a few turns through the streets and country roads to drive down a single road. The road looked nicer compared to chipped roads that they were on previously. There were giant oak trees that created an overlay that let dusted sunlight come through the few openings of the treetops. Finally, at the end of the road was a huge Victorian mansion. Lexy was flabbergasted at the sight of the lavish house with symmetrical brushing and intricate designs. She noted, however, that of the many empty pedestals around the house, only one on the right side of the house had a gargoyle. . The cab parked and Lexy handed the driver his payment, grabbed her suitcase, and got out. Lexy watched the taxi leave and looked back to the mansion that towered over her. ¡°Well then, no turning back now.¡± Lexy walked up to the house¡¯s grand doors and knocked, no response. She was going to knock again when someone opened the door, it was a butler. The man looked at her and sighed as if he had seen her before. ¡°We don''t take girl scout cookies anymore and before you offer those cursedly addictive brownies the answer is also no.¡± Lexy was confused by the man¡¯s words and then she realized why she was being confused for a girl scout, her height. Lexy shook her head and took out the letter. ¡°Me? A girl scout? That prissy troop of goblins. No. I was told to come here by my mom. I even have a letter from her. I''m Lexy.¡± The butler gave her a skeptical look with a raised brow and took one look at the letter. His eyes widened, ¡°oh, she sent you. I see, very well.¡± The butler looked back inside, ¡°Sir Thokath! A Lexy is here to see you. She was sent by her!¡± The butler had let Lexy inside the mansion. Lexy was astounded by the marvelous interior that looked to be ripped out a book of myth and imperial castles. Her attention was then brought to a man with crisp white hair and ruby red eyes. He walked down the steps and raised his brow, ¡°I am Thokath, and what business do you have with me?¡± Lexy handed the letter from her mother to Thokath. She watched as Thokath opened the crisp white envelope and read the message written on the folded paper inside. Thokath¡¯s face scrunched into annoyance, then for a moment, he had a harsh shock on his face before he folded the paper and put it in his pocket. Thokath looked to Lexy and sighed, ¡°well then, I guess you will be here for a while. Come, I will take you to the guest bedroom.¡± It was when Lexy walked with Thokath, that she couldn''t help but stare at the man''s hair. Never in her life had she seen hair so white. She looked to Thokath, ¡°um, I don''t mean to be rude, but, is your hair dyed?¡± Thokath stopped, ¡°Oh, no, this is my natural hair and eye color. By the way, I don''t think we were properly introduced, I''m Thokath and you are?¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°My name is Lexy.¡± Thokath nodded and resumed walking, ¡°well it is very nice to meet you, Lexy. I hope you enjoy your stay here for the summer.¡± He resumed directing the small blond to the spare bedroom. They walked up the staircases that started from the main room Lexy was in and up to the entrance of a set of hallways. Thokath led her down the closest one and eventually stopped at a door. He opened the door and Lexy¡¯s jaw dropped, ¡°This is the guest bedroom? It¡¯s beautiful.¡± She stated in awe while she looked at the red velvet silk sheets on the queen-sized bed and hand-carved walls and dresser. Thokath raised a brow, ¡°I thought she would have, ah I see.¡± Lexy shook her head softly while she spoke, ¡°no.¡± Thokath¡¯s brows knitted further in confusion ¡°Get settled I need to go make some arrangements.¡± Lexy nodded and looked around the room as she shut the bedroom door behind her. with her suitcase in hand she set it on the bed and opened it. The blond first placed her clothes and other items away. That then left the trophies and medals she packed. She set the items up on top of the dresser. Lexy smiled at her finished work, the dresser had two trophies with three medallions all from self-defense and gun competitions. She turned back to her suitcase expecting to see it empty. Only to see her father¡¯s knife. The knife was left locked up in a case at home. The knife that she never put in the case. With wide eyes, she picked the blade up, ¡°How in the wide world did this get through security?¡± Lexy picked up the knife and walked over to the dresser. Opening the bottom drawer she neatly placed the knife under some folded clothes. closed the drawer and pleased with how things were organized, she wanted to try and find Thokath. Lexy stepped out into the hall while she closed the door behind her and she tried to remember the way back to the main area. She looked down the hall to her right and huffed. ¡°What is this place a mix of Buckingham palace and the Baltimore hotel?¡± Lexy looked to the left and noticed a girl in her early twenties or late teens. She had long blond wavy hair with a Bunny hair clip at the top. While the girl''s attire consisted of a blue turtleneck and a white lab coat, the girl was a good three and a half feet taller than her or more. The stranger quickly noticed Lexy and approached Lexy with a smile and had practically glowed with energy, ¡°Hi, you must be Lexy in Carin.¡± She talked with joy in her voice. Lexy smiled ¡°Yeah that be me. By the way, are you a scientist?¡± She said, eyeing Carin¡¯s lab coat. Carin¡¯s expression shifted from enthusiastic to nervous, ¡°I guess you could say that, I¡¯ll have to leave now. See you later.¡± The girl walked swiftly down the hall and was gone as soon as she was there. Lexy groaned, ¡°No, I was going to ask how to get around here.¡± Lexy sighed and decided to map out the palace to the best of her ability. She went back into her room and found some paper and a notebook. Lexy left her room and wandered through all the long halls, ¡°Why do all the halls all look the same?¡± she said when she entered another hall that was the same as the previous. Lexy took a deep breath and a delicious aroma filled her nose and she was immediately drawn to it. She just followed the smell and eventually, her nose led her to a giant dining room with a long table that had different foods along with a long table. Lexy also noticed the rush of people dressed as butlers and maids to her; it looked like a historical roleplay. Lexy walked up to one of the butlers, ¡°Excuse me, is there any way I can help set the table?¡± The butler stared at her for a moment and looked at her like she had lost her sanity ¡±young mistress do not bother yourself with a trivial task, Mabie go wash up instead.¡± Lexy gave a soft smile, ¡±alright but if you need any help make sure and ask ok¡±. The butler nodded in response and she decided to take the man''s advice to go wash up. The hard thing was finding the restrooms. Lexy ended up asking one of the maids to find it. After washing up Lexy realized she forgot to map the way to the dining hall from the bathroom. So she wandered but made sure to map the way this time. The blond found her way back to the dining hall and noticed Thokath was giving some orders to the butlers and maids. Lexy came up to the white-haired man, ¡°Hi Thokath, is there any way I can help?¡± Thokath looked at her the same way the butler did. ¡°no but if you want you can sit down¡± Lexy smiled in return, ¡°Ok.¡± She sat down in a middle chair and waited politely. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Lexy recognized Carin when she walked through the door but not the six people that came in after. Carin took a seat to Lexy¡¯s left. Lexy was sitting at the end of the table and watched as the others sat down. The group of other people consisted of three women and three men. Two of the women looked the same. With their sandy blond hair in short braids and their hazel eyes. This was when Lexy noted that all these people have at least some shade of blond hair. Whether it be sand or towhead. Lexy was not sure if she should bring up a conversation or not so she focused on eating the fancy soup that was served and just listened to the conversation. When Thokath noticed her silence he turned to her ¡°oh Lexy I''m sorry, here I will introduce you to everyone, to you¡¯re right is-¡° He was quickly interrupted by Carin, ¡°we''ve already met.¡± Thokath raised a brow but shrugged it off, ¡°Next to Carin is Axle he is ¡­.well he is our local couch potato.¡± Axle ¡±hey! I am not a couch potato, I am a connoisseur in the art of video games and TV. For your information!¡° he said while he glared at Thokath. He has dark sandy blond hair. Thokath ignored Axle¡¯s outburst and continued, ¡°anyhow next is Misa and Mina, do beware about these two there are quite the pranksters.¡± He said when he gestured to two girls that looked exactly alike. Both smiled and waved to Lexy. Thokath continued ¡°Next, we have Leslie. She is an excellent businesswoman and bargains like I never could. Next is Varan he is, to put it simply a book worm and finally last but not least is Varic he is kind of a mix of a lot of us and honestly is a very good person to talk to. Anyhow, I think that is everyone.¡± After the conversation, Lexy enjoyed the silence afterward when everyone finished up eating. But there was a question she wanted to be answered. Lexy looked to Thokath, ¡°excuse me Thokath I noticed that there is an extensive amount of forest around us and I was wondering if I could go exploring tomorrow morning?¡± Thokath paused before he responded, ¡°yes you may¡± After dinner, Lexy pulled out the map and navigated her way back to her bedroom, and went to bed. **** Lexy opened her storm blue eyes to the soft morning light filtering through her bedroom window. She groaned when she looked at the room she was in. The realization that Lexy wasn''t in her room back at home. That her mom truly did send her away to be someone else''s problem. Her mom probably won''t even come for her either. Not after paying for a one-way trip. Lexy pushed away from the feelings of sadness and betrayal. She looked back to the window and smiled at the bright beautiful day that awaited her outside. Lexy got out of bed and smiled, ¡°hopefully today will be better than yesterday. After all, good things happen on sunny days.¡± Lexy walked over to the dresser and put on a grey t-shirt with a set of black jeans. She grabbed her light blue hoodie, put it on, and zipped it up. She then grabbed her red goggles and put them on. Lexy took out the map she made of the house to find her way to the entrance lobby. She exited her bedroom, peered down at her map, and realized she needed to go right. This led Lexy to a grand staircase leading to the entrance lobby. The blonde felt out of her element surrounded by such elegance and grandeur. Suspended from the vaulted ceiling was an enormous crystal chandelier. The stair railing seemed to be coated in gold. Intricate tapestries adorned the walls. Lexy thought it strange, however, that there seemed to be bare spots on the walls, where pictures once were. She shook her head and pulled herself from her thoughts. When Lexy descended the stairs and was greeted by Thokath, ¡°good morning Lexy, I do hope you had a good night''s sleep? Would you like to join me for breakfast with the others?¡± Lexy gave a soft smile ¡°yes I did have a good night''s sleep but if you do not mind I would like to go exploring in the woods. I have always loved nature.¡± Thokath thought momentarily and closed his eyes, then opened them, ¡°very well, if you''re heading out there I must warn you, we also have many creatures that live on our land and I do not know the land like I used to¡± He handed her a piece of white chalk. Lexy held it in her right hand and gave a puzzled look. Thokath lightly chuckled ¡° you can use this to mark the path you take so you can find your way back, you know if there''s anything I remember about that forest is you never know what you''re going to find out there so.¡± he paused when he tried to find the correct words to use, ¡° be careful ok?¡± Lexy smiled softly. Everyone seemed to be telling her to be careful lately. She was starting to get annoyed by it, ¡°ok I will¡± The blond put the chalk in her pocket and walked out the front doors. Lexy looked around for the direction she should enter the forest. There seemed to be two ways. She stared for a moment at the deep lush greenery, a warm wind whistled gently through the oaks and birch trees as if it beckoned her to enter the forest. Lexy took a deep breath, she headed toward the forest. Once Lexy entered the dense undergrowth, she marked trees and mapped out the path took as she went. The blonde occasionally stopped to just smell the air that is untampered by the ways of mankind and it was at one of those points when she heard something. Twenty feet away was a herd of white-tailed deer. Lexy smiled and before she continued she took her hoodie off and tied it around her waist. Lexy eventually got so far, she could no longer see the house and decided to head back. The blonde turned away from going into the forest and changed her direction for the mansion. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a young man appeared. His silver hair is wild and heavily disheveled. His clothes were tattered and torn. Stained crimson and barely hanging to his limbs. ¡±Who are¡­¡± she was cut off by her gasp. Blood gushed from a massive hole in the man''s abdomen, ¡°oh my gosh you¡¯re hurt¡± Lexy cared not that he was a stranger. Leaving him to die was not an option. The young man was startled by Lexy''s presence ¡°oh I¡¯m sorry no I will be fine sorry I-¡° he was cut off by the sound of strange barking and growling. The young man gave a soft curse. ¡°Those do not sound like dogs¡± Lexy exclaimed. ¡°That would be because those are not dogs¡± The peculiar stranger shouted back. Without warning, a swarm of dragon-looking creatures materialized behind the injured boy. long razor-sharp whips extended from their tail bones. large claws that appeared to be made of steel. The creatures lurched in the attack. Lexy instinctively shielded her face with her exposed arms. Just in time, the stranger shoved Lexy to the ground by pushing her and punched one of the creatures in the face. ¡°RUN!¡± He shouted. Lexy decided to take his advice and ran until she found one of her chalk marks on a tree. Lexy was fraught with worry about the boy fighting those dragons like monsters. She wanted to help defend the injured boy but she lacked any manner of attack weapons. With no knowledge of the beasts or their weaknesses. The blond knew that she would have only been in the way. A heart heavy with worry and sadness she decided it was best to head back to the mansion to seek help from someone else. Lexy followed her chalk path until the mansion was in view. From there she walked straight for the house and entered the home to find it was deathly quiet and turned to one of the butlers ¡°where are Thokath and the others?¡± The butler paused before answering ¡°Mr. Thokath and his siblings are on an important business trip and might not be back before dinner, but lunch is already prepared for you.¡± Lexy shook her head ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I was meaning. There is a boy out there who came out of nowhere and is bleeding out. We need to help him!¡± The butler''s eyes widened ¡°Lead the way.¡± Lexy nodded and hastily led the way back to where she found the boy. Only to see no boy and no monsters. However, there were claw marks embedded into the surrounding trees, blood on the grass, and footprints in the dirt. She stared with wide eyes ¡°He was here! I swear! I mean look at the claw marks in the trees.¡± The butler raised a brow ¡°What do you mean? There are no claw marks.¡± Lexy looked to the butler with eyes filled with shock and looked back to the trees to see the claw marks that were very much still there. Lexy frowned, ¡°but I swear they were here!¡± The butler shook his head, ¡°young one I will warn you now. Do not be the boy who cried wolf.¡± Lexy sighed and followed the man back. Questioning whether she saw the boy at all. They walked back to the mansion and the butler looked at her ¡°Now how about you go eat and forget about this boy from the woods.¡± Lexy nodded, silently she pulled out her map of the house to find her way to the dining room. She entered the vacant dining room and sat down. Lexy was quiet when one of the butlers brought her a plate of food. When she ate her meal she thought of the strange monsters and the injured boy. Lexy was worried about the boy but the more she thought about it. The more she was convinced it was some weird daydream. Lexy finished lunch, she thanked the cook and decided to explore the house and add more to the map. Her curiosity led her to explore the hallways without feeling comfortable enough to enter any of the rooms. Lexy found her way back to the ballroom or that¡¯s what Lexy thought it was. With that, she went to bed. **** The next morning Lexy got out of bed, went to look out the window to see the sky was red and purple. She rubbed her eyes, the sky went back to normal and right when she thought all was right with the world. The sky glitched like a computer and changed back to purple and red. This process continued, abnormally, to the normal sky. Lexy tried to ignore this and started to get ready for the day and walked over to her dresser. She pulled out grey cargo pants, a black shirt, and a fresh blue hoodie. She began getting dressed by putting on the black shirt. Lexy then wriggled her way into the grey cargo pants and put on her light blue hoodie. She grabbed her goggles and put them on her head. Lexy grabbed her map and walked out of her bedroom into the hallway. In an instant, everything glitched and she swore she was floating above a dusty storage area. But as soon as it was there it was gone ¡°the hell is going on! Ok, the world is glitzy and you¡¯re seeing things. I am just fine.¡± She paused for a moment and the world flickered again. ¡°Uh, no this is not fine in any way and this doesn¡¯t sound like some normal hallucinations. So, if I am seeing weird things this all started with that boy in the forest! It must be something to do with him!¡± With that in mind she took out her map of the mansion and walked downstairs to the dining room for breakfast. Unlike dinner and lunch, Thokath and his siblings all attend breakfast. Lexy, like yesterday, decided to sit by Carin and at the end of the table. Thokath sat at the head of the table to Lexy¡¯s left. Leslie sat across Lexy on the other side of the table. The twins and Varan sat next to Leslie on the right. While Varic and Axle sat near Carin to the right. She sat down, her face scrunched with annoyance. This glitch was starting to get on her nerves. When breakfast was served, Lexy went to pick up her fork, and the world glitched yet again. This caused her fork to fall through her hand and onto the floor. She waited for the glitching to stop and she picked up her fork. Lexy glanced at Carin ¡°did you see that?¡± Carin turned to her ¡°see what?¡± Lexy¡¯s jaw dropped and huffed; she was not repeating what happened with the butler. Lexy scooted back to her chair and standed up. She hadn''t noticed that her airline ticket fell out of her pocket,¡°please excuse me I need to go do something¡± With that, she walked out not wanting to hear what anyone else had to say. Lexy walked to her room and sat down on her bed. Until the whole world glitched and changed before Lexy''s eyes. The bed she was once sitting on disappeared that caused her to fall on her rear, ¡°ouch, what the heck¡± Lexy looked at her new surroundings and was truly shocked by what she had seen. The once lush forest surroundings were gone and replaced by abandoned storage units that were accompanied by stale air The blond beyond confused decided to mark her spot with chalk on a storage unit and make a new map only to find her chalk is gone, ¡°dam it, hello?¡± Lexy said, perplexed by her sudden change of surroundings. No response, Lexy gives a shaky sigh ¡°ok this is weird, and impossible you know what I bet it¡¯s a dream this is... oh, who am I kidding! If this was a dream, I wouldn¡¯t be able to see my shadow or other details ever since I have gotten here. It''s been weird! Thanks, mom for sending me away to a bunch of weirdos. Thanks mom for abandoning me.¡± She said with a snarl of anger. Lexy sighed and began to wander around. Desperate to find a way out of this maze-like area. Beside the sound of her footsteps against dirt, sand and breathing she heard no bugs or animals, nothing but herself. Until she heard footsteps head towards the corner she was at. Excited to see another person she turned the corner and was not greeted by something human. But was greeted by a creature that has the bone structure of a human just has blue scales, horns, draconic eyes and elf-like ears. Lexy in response to seeing the thing screamed ¡°what the hell!¡± The thing surprised by the blonde¡¯s reaction quickly knocked the poor girl out and looked around cautiously ¡°I need to bring this to Alcore, this is a problem.¡± Is the sky supposed to be green? Lexy woke up with a groan. There was throbbing in her head as if someone took a baseball bat to it. She went to stand but her wrists and ankles were bound to a metal chair that was securely bolted to the floor. As her sight returned, she could see her captors held her in an abandoned warehouse. The candle to her left was part of the sparse lighting. The pale rays danced and barely lit up the room. It went hand in hand with the stale, musty stench that filled her nostrils. The lack of moisture was unkind to her nose. ¡°Oh, you are awake?¡± A strange young man stated the obvious. ¡°No, kidding nit whit. Now I demand that you let me go!¡± A man standing next to the strange boy was tall, tanned, and had bear ears. Thick locks of chocolate hair fell around his odd ears. The man had a buff build to match his tall stature as he was taller than the strange boy. Her eyes adjusted better to the lighting and she noticed a man standing in the background that had blue scaled skin. He had pointed ears and draconic eyes. With two horns that are perched atop his head. Lexy clenched her fists while her gaze hardened. Despite the distance the others in the room had, they could feel the anger roll off her. Alcore met the furious storm gaze on him and he hesitated. She didn''t need to say a word to voice her anger. The rage that crackled like lightning in a storm made it very clear. ¡°I''m sorry when we met, I had to push you from getting hurt and that single touch has caused you to see outside the veil. The veil is what you used to call home. We put a crest on your right arm so you can identify magic and not end up here again. - ¡° Lexy was about to retort back to Alcore. That his idea of gifting free tattoos was not appreciated. But she was interrupted by pounding on an old garage door, the door was blown to bits and entered by armed military soldiers but those were not American soldiers. The soldiers wore black and red material along with futuristic gas masks. The soldiers marched inside the building. Some were scaly, others had animal features, while some were creatures of myth. One was a centaur and one was a spirit of fire yet somehow wearing clothes. One of the soldiers stepped up ¡°attention rebels you may surrender and may have mercy by the blood king or die where you stand¡± Lexy looked at these people with hopeful eyes, ¡°Help me! These psychopaths kidnaped me!¡± One of the men looked at Lexy, haunting orange eyes gazed at her. At the top of their head was one whole fox ear and the other looked like someone cut the upper top off. The man smirked, ¡°Take the girl and capture the rebels.¡± Lexy¡¯s eyes widened when these soldiers began to fight the rebels. She began to struggle with the ropes and tried to get her hands free. That was when she realized her waist was not tied to the chair. She leaned down to reach her hoodie pocket. Only to realize she couldn¡¯t reach it. If she wasn¡¯t angry before, she is now. She looked at the chair she was sitting in and realized under the arm of the chair had no cover. It was a thin metal. Lexy quickly began using these edges to cut at the rope. Right as she was making some headway. The large buff man turned into a bipedal brown bear nearly double in size, ran over to Lexy, and ripped the chair out of the ground. This left two large scrapes on Lexy¡¯s arms. Lexy grit her teeth in pain. The scaled man looked to Alcore ¡°Alcore let¡¯s make a break for it, we are outnumbered and we have a passenger.¡± his voice was low in tone yet was filled with panic. Alcore nodded and pulled out a red potion and tossed it onto the ground in front of his enemies. The glass shattered and the potion left behind a burst of magic to attack the strange soldiers. ¡°common Jackson we¡¯ve got to go!¡± Jackson nodded and followed after Alcore. The group ran with Lexy in tow with the bipedal bear who was strapped to his back like a backpack. They ran out of the storage unit and ran out to the maze of containers. Lexy began frantically working on the ropes. They got thinner and thinner. Till finally, her arms were free. Quickly she grabbed her father¡¯s knife from its pocket and used it to free her feet. Alcore pulled another potion out of his satchel that, unlike the last, was gray and threw it on the ground as hard as he could. The smoke bomb went off and the group fled while Lexy leaped from the chair and went into the nearest exit. The man with an ear and a half waved the smoke from his view. One of the other soldiers looked at him. Despite how his eyes were clouded and a milky white. He had rune¡¯s engraved into his skin. He frowned, ¡°Albis, what are we to tell Fenice? That child was.¡± He paused as if he couldn¡¯t comprehend what he was about to say, ¡°That child¡¯s magic. Only General has had one that strong.¡± Albis asked, ¡°What Altir? That the rebels have a child from the veil and got away? Yes, that is what we are going to tell him.¡± Altair furrowed his brow, ¡°But what if the child¡¯s magic?¡± Albis only smiled, ¡°What magic? I saw no magic. It will be fine Altair come on.¡± Altair frowned, ¡°If that is the way you want to play this. Fine but know whatever results from this will be on your hands.¡± ***** The group ran into a deeper part of the abandoned storage area. The bear stopped, ¡°Alcore.¡± This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Alcore paused and the other man''s tone sounded worried, ¡°Yes Kuma?¡± Kuma dropped the empty chair, ¡°The kid is gone.¡± ****** Lexy clutched desperately to her father¡¯s knife. Its presence brought her comfort while her arms stung with pain. She closed her eyes. Oh, how she wished she could be home right now. With her books on history or even her favorite book. That was about a sheriff who could see ghosts and had a mini unicorn to help him find monsters. The book was quite bloody, despite its initial description. She sighed and resumed walking with no idea how to get home. She let out hot breaths of air while she walked through the desert. The hot sun beating down on her with its rays. Sweat dripped off her skin as though it was a waterfall. She looked ahead and her eyes must have been deceiving her. It looked like there was an oasis with palm trees and water! However, a skeptical part of her supplied that tropical trees don''t live in northern states. But screw it water is water. Quickly Lexy began to rush to the inviting water as fast as she could. She reached the water and touched its smooth scales. Wait, scales? She rubbed her eyes and touched the water again. But it wasn''t water. The scales shifted and Lexy swiftly pulled out her father''s knife. She took a few steps back while she watched in horror as the creature uncoiled itself. The palm trees blinked at her and this thing shrieked while it rose from the sand. Could giant lizards cower? If not this one had surely mastered the allusion ¡°Please! Please don''t kill me!¡± Lexy paused everything she looked at this, this wait this thing looked like a hydra from one of the books she read. Only if you took a hydra and dressed its head like a palm tree. Lexy tilted her head to the side, ¡°Are you a hydra?¡± The creature stopped it''s cowering and looked at her, ¡°Uh yes. But please don''t eat me!¡± Lexy raised a brow, ¡°No, I''m not going to eat you. I''m just thirsty.¡± The creature blinked and tilted its heads, ¡°Water?¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°Yes, do you know where a water source is that isn''t a camouflage creature?¡± The hydra paused as if someone told it something life-changing, ¡°Wait you really aren''t going to eat me?¡± Lexy sighed, ¡°No, I''m really not.¡± The hydra let out a sigh, ¡°Oh my gosh really!¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°Really, but uh do you know where some water is?¡± The creature nodded, ¡°yes, I do! But I don''t know if you could hold your breath for long enough to reach it. But I know another way in. I''d gladly help you sense you know. You''re not going to eat me!¡± Lexy scrunched her nose, ¡°Ok but I have no idea how I''d keep up with you.¡± The hydra turned its body towards a distant rock formation in the distance, ¡°Get on.¡± Lexy nodded and did her best to climb onto the large lizard. The moment the Hydra began to move she tightened her grip as it moved like a sidewinding snake. Almost leaping from one spot to the next. It was when she heard familiar snarling that her eyes widened and she turned around. Only to see more of those lizard dogs that had attacked her before in the forest. She looked back to the hydra, ¡°Should we be worried about them?¡± The hydra took in a deep breath as they were halfway to the large rock formation. ¡°There drakes, yet another thing that likes to eat me.¡± Lexy looked at the pack of eight drakes still honing in on the two. She looked back to the hydra, ¡°Could you take them?¡± The hydra almost paused, ¡°What do you mean take them? Do you mean to fight them? Absolutely not! I''m just a hydra. Ok, I''d be fine at one. Two pushing it but Eight! I''m dead! We''re both dead!¡± Lexy frowned, ¡°Can''t you just use your teeth?¡± The hydra leaped over another dune, ¡°No, I can''t because I don''t have teeth! I eat sand, do you know anything about hydras?¡± Lexy shook her head, ¡°No not much. That has been made clear to me.¡± She looked ahead to see they have almost reached the huge rocks, ¡°I think we can take them if we work together. I''ve killed one before. Their week on their underbelly.¡± The hydra paused, ¡°if I die I''m blaming you.¡± Lexy rolled her eyes, ¡°Duly noted, alright stop here.¡± Lexy let the hydra stop and hopped off it while she pulled out her father''s knife. Once close enough the drakes circled the two. Snarling as if they were a pack of wolves. Quickly one of the drakes leaped for the hydra. The hydra used its large tail to flick the drake away. While another drake went for Lexy. The girl began to run towards it and slid onto her back while she raised her father''s knife right into the belly of the beast. Black blood spilled from the beast and coated her face. The drake stilled after a few shrieks left its maw. Lexy crawled out from the dead body and looked at the remaining seven drakes. When another went to leap for her only to be whipped in the face by the hydra. The drake let out a whine while blood trickled down from its face. It teetered from one side to another then collapsed onto the sand. This left six drakes. The creatures hardened their gaze on the two for a short moment before fleeing. Lexy wiped some of the blood off her face. The hydra looked at her, ¡°That was AMAZING! We lived! Ok now to water.¡± The hydra gestured to a cave, ¡°you can fit in there but I can¡¯t. Here in case, you need me again.¡± The hydra broke off one of its scales and dropped it in front of Lexy, ¡°Break it for when you need me.¡± Lexy smiled, maybe this scary place wasn''t so bad after all. She turned to the cave and went into it to see crystal clear water flowing through a few pools. The girl sighed with relief and walked down to the water. She took a few sips and Lexy let her mind race while she sat there listening to the water. She just wanted to go back to the mansion. At least she seemed wanted there. How nice the bed felt under her soft touch. How pretty the hedges were to the gargoyle statues. Lexy focused on where she could even hear the birds sing their sweet tunes around the mansion. She even felt the wind. Wait for what? The girl snapped her eyes open to see she was standing in front of the mansion. She took in a sharp breath, ¡°No way. What the hell is going on!¡± Sometimes the truth is strange Lexy walked up to the mansion and pulled the large doors open. She entered the mansion, its large luxurious space making her feel small. She still is not used to this. Lexy¡¯s gaze landed on Thokath who had his back to her. He turned to her while he pulled the airline ticket she had dropped from his pocket. His ruby gaze went from her to the one-way airline ticket. Thokath¡¯s face was filled with regret. He went to speak but closed his mouth, having trouble finding the right words. ¡°I tried to call her, she never picked up and I know you only just met me. But I''d like to get to know you so I can make the time you spend here. Not so bad and I''m so sorry.¡± Tears pricked Lexy¡¯s eyes until they were running down her face. Thokath sighed, he pocketed the ticket and walked over to her, ¡°would you like a hug?¡± Lexy nodded softly and Thokath kneeled. He frowned at the scratches on her arms and tears through her hoodie. Having noted the injuries he takes care to hug her without touching the wounds, ¡°Hey, uh I was wondering. I saw those trophies and medals. What are those from?¡± Lexy rubbed away her tears and looked at him ¡°They are from self-defense, gun competitions, and archery. But most are archery.¡± Thokath nodded and let Lexy go, ¡°oh, I see, so are those from the first place or lower?¡± Lexy smirked ¡°only one-second place the rest are first. You can probably guess my favorite to compete in is archery. I even came first regionals¡± Thokath smiled, ¡°Oh did you get to championships?¡± Lexy frowned, ¡°No, it¡¯s next week.¡± Thokath¡¯s smile wavered, ¡°oh I see. You know we have an archery range. I have a bow and a few arrows. But if you want we can head downtown and get you a bow. Then you could show me the skills of a master archer?¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°sure, but be prepared because archery is my domain..¡± Thokath¡¯s smile returned, ¡°alright well see. But before we go let¡¯s take care of those scrapes on your arms.¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°alright.¡± Thokath then looked to one of the maids, ¡°go get the medical kit.¡± The woman nodded and walked out of the room. She had quickly returned with a medical kit and handed it to Thokath. Thokath opened the kit while Lexy rolled up her sleeves. Thokath cleaned the wounds, applied antiseptic cream, then put bandages on the wounds. He looked to Lexy, ¡°do you have any other injuries?¡± Lexy shook her head ¡°No, that''s it.¡± Thokath noded, he put the remaining materials back into the medical kit and handed it to one of the maids, who left to put it away. Thokath looked back to Lexy and his gaze landed onto the torn sleeves and the rebellion crest. However, he also noted how there were chain-shaped scars on her wrists. He grabbed her arm with the crest and his brows knitted together while his gaze narrowed at the crest... The crest had a dove outlined with intricate blue swirls around it, ¡°What happened to you?¡± Lexy shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She lowered her gaze, not wanting to meet his ruby stare. ¡° I don''t think you would believe me. The butler¡¯s acted strangely after I told them.¡± Thokath let go of her arm and raised a brow, ¡°Try me.¡± Lexy¡¯s face scrunched in confusion, ¡°Ok, I went into the woods and I saw a strange guy. He was injured and then monsters came out of nowhere. I even killed one of the monsters. Once all of the monsters were killed or scared off. The guy disappeared. Then the next day a bunch of weird things happened and i-¡± Thokath hummed softly, and he runs a hand through his messy white hair. ¡°And where did this occur?¡± Lexy¡¯s confusion only seemed to skyrocket. ¡°In the forest why?¡± Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°As your temporary guardian, it is my duty to keep you safe.¡± He pauses for a moment. ¡°No matter the cost.¡± Lexy met his ruby gaze and nodded ¡°Thank you for believing me.¡± Thokath smiled, ¡°Of course.¡± He then looked to one of the maids ¡°Ready one of the limos.¡± Lexy¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°One of, meaning multiple? Just what is your line of work?¡± Thokath smirked, ¡°Running a very successful brokerage.¡± Lexy tilted her head and raised a brow ¡°What is never mind.¡± The two heard the sound of a car engine and Thokath looked to Lexy, ¡°shall we?¡± Lexy smiled and followed Thokath outside to see a large black limo that awaited the two. The two got into the car and Lexy was in awe at the lavish interior of the vehicle. Thokath looked at the driver and nodded. With that Lexy looked to Thokath ¡°So do you prefer to recurve or compound?¡± Thokath smiled ¡°I don''t really have a preference until a scenario is given. If I''d be hunting I would prefer a compound. I''d be given time to make a precise hit on my prey. For looks, and rapid-fire, I think recurve would win.¡± Lexy nodded ¡°I can see why you would say that. So where are we all going?¡± Thokath hummed ¡°well I was thinking we should head to the local sports store and then we can go and set up some target practice if you want.¡± To this Lexy¡¯s eyes sparkled ¡°Yes please.¡± Lexy felt the car stop and looked out the window to see they had arrived at a big box store. Thokath opened the car door and the two got out of the limo. The two walked inside the store and Thokath looked at her once they reached the archery section ¡°Pick out what you want.¡± Lexy smiled brightly and began to look for a bow. She picked out a black compound bow and a set of twelve black arrows. Lexy turned back to Thokath who had a box of camping equipment. Lexy¡¯s eyes sparkled ¡°Is that for me?¡± Thokath smiled ¡°well it was going to be for the other teenager who loved camping. Just kidding, yeah it is.¡± With the items they wanted Lexy and Thokath went to check out. The two then walked out of the store and walked out to where the limo parked. Lexy heard the vehicle start once Thokath opened the limo door for her. With that, the two got in the vehicle. Lexy smiled at Thokath and before she could say anything. A phone rang from Thokath¡¯s pocket. Thokath pulled the phone from his pocket, ¡°Hello?¡± There was a muffled response Lexy couldn''t hear. Thokath nodded and sighed, ¡°Alright, I''ll be there tomorrow.¡± There was another response and the call ended. Thokath looked to Lexy ¡°I''ll be able to do some archery with you this evening. But the company needs me for the morning tomorrow.¡± Lexy nodded ¡°That¡¯s fine. I''ll just practice in the archery zone while you''re gone.¡± Thokath smiled, ¡°Alright,¡± The two felt the car stop and Lexy looked out the window to see they had reached the mansion. Lexy grabbed the items they had received and got out of the car. Thokath came out of the car shortly after. Lexy watched as the limo went over to where the driveway and the house meet. Only to watch the part of the house that was in front of the limo to open up and reveal a garage. Lexy¡¯s jaw dropped and she looked to Thokath, ¡°is that? What other secrets does the house have?¡± Thokath smirked, ¡°you''ll learn them all in time.¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°I guess I will.¡± With that, the two walked into the mansion. Thokath looked to Lexy ¡°get your bow setup while I get my bow and arrow and we can meet at the archery range.¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°Sure thing!¡± and she started to get her equipment ready. Lexy had begun with checking everything was in order with her bow. Once Lexy was finished with checking over her bow. She grabbed her arrows and set up her quiver. Lexy set her arrows in her quiver and looked to one of the butlers, ¡°Where is the archery range?¡± The butler smiled, ¡°Right this way.¡± The man guided Lexy through the house and eventually reached a set of doors. The butler opened the doors to reveal a large rose garden. Beyond the garden, Lexy could see a cleared area with cut grass and a set of four archery targets set up. Lexy smiled and looked to the butler, ¡°Thank you.¡± The butler nodded and walked away. Lexy watched the butler close the doors behind them when they left. Lexy turned back to the garden and walked over to the archery range. The archery range targets had paper targets strapped to small hay bales. Seeing the range was clear she pulled an arrow from her quiver... Lexy readied her bow, took aim, and released her hold on the string. The arrow hit her target dead center. Lexy flinched when she heard clapping. Lexy turned to face who was clapping to see Thokath. Thokath had a bow case in one arm while a quiver with arrows was strapped to his back. Thokath smiled, ¡°You are good. How fast can you shoot all five?¡± Lexy smirked, ¡°I''ll show you.¡± that Lexy rapidly pulled arrows from her quiver while she fired at the targets. All of her arrows hit in the center of the target. Thokath smiled, ¡°nice! Could you go get your arrows so I may try?¡± Lexy nodded and walked over to the targets and grabbed her arrows. Lexy walked back to Thokath and put her arrows back in her quiver. Thokath smirked, readied his bow, aimed, and fired. The arrow had hit the target but just barely missed the bullseye. The two spent a few hours out there until the sun was setting. Lexy smiled when she got the last arrow from one of the targets and turned back to Thokath. Thokath looked to the setting sun and then to Lexy. ¡°I think it¡¯s time we head in. The sun is setting and I''ve got to go to work tomorrow.¡± Lexy groaned, ¡°Alright.¡± With that, the duo went inside. Girl of woods and boy of dessert Lexy woke up to knocking at her door, she sat up and looked at the door. ¡°Coming.¡± She got dressed and then came to the door. She opened it to see Thokath, ¡°We have a flight to Dallas Texas.¡± Lexy raised a suspicious brow, ¡°Why?¡± This only made Thokath smirk, ¡°You have a competition to win.¡± Lexy¡¯s jaw dropped, ¡°REALLY!¡± Thokath nodded, ¡°What are you waiting for, let''s go.¡± Lexy nodded and looked at the bow on her dresser, ¡°Should I not grab my bow?¡± Thokath shook his head, his smirk still present, ¡°No, just come downstairs.¡± Lexy raised a brow and went downstairs with him. Her eyes widened when she saw there on a table. A competition grade recurve bow with a leather quiver filled with black and red feathered arrows all set up in an open bow case. She smiled ear to ear and hugged Thokath, ¡°Thank you!¡± Tears of excitement pricked at the corners of her eyes. Thokath chuckled while he patted her head, ¡°The limo is at the front, get your stuff and put it in the trunk. Lexy nodded and grabbed her new equipment. She opened the front doors to see the limo with its trunk open and most of all it was a beautiful day outside. Lexy smiled hear from ear and placed her bow, arrows, glove, and quiver in. She looked over to the front doors to see Thokath walk out of the building with sunglasses on. The driver quickly got out of the limo and opened the back door for the two. Thokath got in silently while Lexy got in and looked to the driver, ¡°Thank you.¡± The driver nodded and closed the door. Quickly he went to the driver''s door, got in, and started the limo. Lexy looked to Thokath, ¡°So, how did you know how heavy to set the string on my bow?¡± Thokath took off the sunglasses his ruby gaze set on her, ¡°The weight was listed on the trophies.¡± Lexy blinked, ¡°Oh, I forgot that, and Thokath I really appreciate this.¡± Thokath nodded, ¡°Of course.¡± his smile wavered, ¡°By the way, the painting you saw in the storage room. It was from your mom and your dad. A lot of the family sends original paintings of the deceased to the family mansion.¡±o Lexy, ¡°How did you know I saw that painting? Also, how did you know it was my dad?¡± Thokath shrugged, ¡°I was there at the family reunion after they got married. It was painted then. We have not hosted many family reunions in a while.¡± Lexy raised a brow, ¡°Why?¡± Thokath sighed, ¡°Well, let''s just say when your dad died it affected a lot of people.¡± Lexy nodded and looked out the window to see they had reached the airport. She watched while they pulled into the drop-off. The limo parked and the driver rushed out to open the door. Thokath was the first to get out then Lexy. Lexy went to the back of the limo and the trunk popped open. She took out her bow case and now she felt ecstatic to see an airport. The two went into the building and went through the procedure of getting to their flight. Till finally reaching the plane. Lexy and Thokath took their seats. She tightened her grip on the arm of her chair when she heard the engines of the plane rev. She felt it take off and she let the breath she was holding out. The flight wasn¡¯t long, nothing important besides Lexy occasionally watching people stare at Thokath¡¯s hair. The plane eventually landed, Thokath and Lexy got off the plane. Lexy grabbed her luggage and got to the drop-off of the airport with Thokath to see another limo waiting for them. Lexy looked to Thokath, ¡°You brought your limo with you?¡± Thokath shook his head with a smile of amusement, ¡°No, it¡¯s just another limo that looks the same. There''s a difference.¡± Lexy raised a brow, ¡°Right.¡± The two got to the limo and the driver came to the trunk and popped it. The driver then opened the passenger seat for the two. Thokath got in silently while Lexy looked at them and was about to thank them when they spoke before she could, ¡°No need to thank me miss¡± He paused and Lexy could swear his eyes changed to slits for a second, ¡°It¡¯s just my job.¡± Lexy felt a shudder go down her spine and nodded, ¡°Got it.¡± She got into the car and the door closed. Thokath looked to the driver through the open window, ¡°To 2041 South Walton Walker Blvd Dallas, TX 75211.¡± The driver nodded, ¡°Yes sir.¡± Lexy felt the limo go and watched through the window with excitement as she looked at the buildings pass by. Till finally, they reached a large stadium with a huge parking lot. The parking lot was practically filled to the brim. Lexy raised a brow, ¡°I''ve seen people this excited for a concert. Never this many for an archery competition.¡± People were walking around to those just lounging near cars. The limo parked and Thokath looked outside of the vehicle. He narrowed his eyes and put on his sunglasses, ¡°Lovely.¡± Lexy was the first person to get out and she shuddered when the whole parking lot fell silent. People froze and set their gaze on her even if they were over ten cars away. Interest was keen in their eyes. Could my eyes be orange? Do people with the same eye color gather like this? Because every single person that was staring at her with intense interest all had haunting orange eyes. Lexy heard of aggressive competition before but this was a new level. Thokath got out of the limo and their eyes widened. Those who were close gave out cries of distress and began to run. Until they got to a certain distance as if they couldn''t stand to be too close. Lexy raised a brow, ¡°What the heck?¡± Thokath put a hand on her shoulder, ¡°Come on, head in the game. It¡¯s competition time.¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°Got it!¡± She went to the trunk and popped it, she pulled out her bow case. The two walked to the front of the stadium where other archers were checking in. Lexy noted how none of these people had haunting orange eyes. She looked to Thokath who seemed to have his gaze on them as well. But yet no one else noticed these masses of people. It was as if they weren''t there for others. Lexy shrugged it off; it was best to focus on the competition. It didn''t take too long to get checked in, once Lexy entered the grassy null of the field she shook off any distractions and focused on archery. Thokath watched her set up at her post and adjusted her bow. The driver came over and sat next to him. Thokath looked at him, ¡°How many.¡± The driver blinked as he looked to the other side of the stadium where there were those with haunting orange eyes gazing at them. Like a hoard of beasts lurking in the dark. ¡°I''d say at least a battalion of the apostles'' forces. They knew she was going to be here. It''s no wonder why she sent Lexy to you and didn''t let her come here.¡± Thokath nodded, ¡°At Least there wise enough to keep their distance.¡± The driver chuckled, ¡°They probably didn''t expect you or they would have sent their whole army.¡± The two changed their attention back to Lexy as they watched the competition begin. Lexy let out a deep breath, she let her muscles relax as she took her stance, loaded her bow and took aim then fired. She zoned out the fact that she competed. Her only focus was to ready, aim and fire. There was no stress, just one arrow at a time. Every three arrows hit their mark. She lowered her bow to see how she did. All three looked to hit near the center. It was hard to tell from her distance. She waited patiently till the next round, when it was time to shoot she repeated her process. Till the final round, she flinched when she heard her last arrow hit. It didn''t have that satisfying thunk. No, there was a crunch and a thunk. She looked at her target with wide eyes, she had heard that sound very few times. That was the sound of a carbon arrow breaking another arrow. She could see the broken half on the grass. The bright red sticking out like a sore thumb. She¡¯s never had this happen before. Tension filled her, what if she gets docked points for breaking an arrow like that? Lexy shuddered, she would be fine with winning anything at this point. She hung her head low as she watched the officials tally up the points. It wasn''t long in reality but it felt like an eternity. Till finally, they were announcing the results. First, they announced the cash prizes, then they announced the scholarships. She hadn¡¯t heard her name yet til, ¡°And the lucky archer who receives the grand prize scholarship. Is archer number twenty-eight. We will be sending all scholarships and cash prizes via mail.¡± Lexy looked at her number and excitement filled her. It was number twenty-eight! People began to leave as fast as they got there. She felt her hair go on end and looked to the other side of the stadium where there were a bunch of people watching her. They gazed at every movement and breath. She flinched when she felt a hand land on her shoulder. Lexy looked up to see Thokath, his gaze was not on her, however. She followed his gaze to see he was staring at a woman with light green hair and a black dress. Her gaze met Lexy¡¯s and the woman smirked. Thokath looked to Lexy, ¡°Let¡¯s go. You did well.¡± Lexy smiled brightly as she looked to Thokath, ¡°Only because you brought me here.¡± Thokath nodded, ¡°And I''m glad I did. You just won a thirty-five thousand dollar scholarship.¡± The woman with green hair watched them leave and clenched her fists in anger, ¡°How the hell did that wench convince HIM of all people to look after her child!?¡± One of the men near her raised their hands in defense, ¡°We don''t know! Our intel was solid! It was supposed to be the child and her mother not.¡± He paused and shuddered, ¡°Not him.¡± She huffed, ¡°Well then if he¡¯s looking after the child. We need to rethink EVERYTHING.¡± The man nodded, ¡°Yes, Elvira.¡± **** Lexy noticed how once they left the stadium and went to the airport there were none of those people with orange eyes. She isn''t sure if that''s good or bad. The trip back was relaxing, more people stared at Thokath¡¯s hair on the flight. She doesn''t blame them, it¡¯s eye-catching. On the drive to the mansion, she fell asleep. She vaguely remembers Thokath saying something. But that was it. ****** Lexy groaned when she sat up in her bed and rubbed her eyes. Lexy got out of bed and walked over to her dresser, Lexy opened her dresser and pulled out a grey shirt, light blue hoodie, black shorts. Lexy slipped into her shorts. She then pulled her grey shirt over her head and put it on. Lexy grabbed her light blue hoodie, zipped it up, and grabbed her goggles off the dresser. Lexy put on her goggles, and her quiver of arrows, her bow. She grabbed her father''s knife and put it in her hoodie pocket and with that Lexy went to her bedroom door. Lexy opened her bedroom door to see an empty hallway. Lexy turned to her left, went down the hall, and made her way to the main entrance room. From there she went to the dining room and grabbed an apple out of one of the baskets on the table. Lexy then walked to the garden and archery range while she ate at the apple. Lexy expected to just see flowers and targets but no. Standing just where the garden met the forest was a young man. The young man looked strange, to say the least. With his red-tipped purple hair, even his eyebrows and eyelashes are tipped red and change to purple. The young man had set emerald green eyes that went well with his bright green long sleeve shirt. Lexy observed this young man for a moment. That was when Lexy noticed something else. He was crying. Lexy blinked and walked over to him, ¡°What is wrong with you?¡± The young man looked to her with a sad smile, ¡°I''ve never seen so many plants before.¡± Lexy blinked, wrinkled her nose, and raised a brow. She expected him to say many things but not that. That was when she got a good look into his eyes and noticed that they were like a cat¡¯s. Lexy took a step back. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°What is with your eyes?¡± The young man tilted his head and gazed at her like she had two heads. ¡°Have you ever seen a wizard or a tri-blood before?¡± The two stared at each other for a long moment in confusion and Lexy decided to change the subject, ¡°Uh ok then, but why are you here?¡± The young man blinked and his sadness was replaced with determination. ¡°I''m here looking for a dandelion. It¡¯s a really rare flower and I really need it.¡± Lexy went from confused to dumbfounded as she turned to the archery range and saw at least twenty of the weeds. ¡°Uh, you haven''t looked that hard. There are literally like twenty right over there. Plus there are weeds. You could take a rose from the garden or a lily. Those are far more pretty than a dandelion.¡± The boy¡¯s eyes sparkled with hope and he looked to her, ¡°A weed? Then could I take some?¡± Lexy raised a brow, ¡°uh, take as many as you like. They are considered weeds.¡± The boy smiled brightly and hastily rushed over to grab a handful. He then looked to Lexy with the flowers, ¡°Thank you so much.¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°uh sure but question what are the flowers for?¡± The boy frowned, ¡°Well, I need them because my mom got sick and she needs dandelions for tonsillitis. It¡¯s gotten pretty bad.¡± Lexy wrinkled her nose, ¡°Tonsillitis? Is that like tonsil stones on steroids?¡± The boy nodded, ¡°kind of imagine if your whole throat was swelling up and infected while you had a fever.¡± Lexy¡¯s eyes widened and smiled, ¡°Well, then how about this. I pick some, come with you and then you have twice the medicine. For your mom. By the way, my name is Lexy.¡± The boy smiled brightly, ¡°Calum, my name is Callum Dustwalker and it would be amazing if you could help me.¡± Lexy nodded and picked two handfuls of dandelions and turned back to Callum, ¡°So you live out of the veil right?¡± Callum¡¯s eyes widened and nodded, ¡°Yeah, I do. I can bring us there.¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°Onward to Medicine!¡± Calum smiled back and guided Lexy through the forest. They eventually reached the area Lexy had encountered Alcore and frowned. Callum looked at what she was staring at and his eyes widened as he stared at the disheveled area. Callum looked to Lexy, ¡°Can you see it?¡± Lexy¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°you can?¡± Callum¡¯s expression went to shock, ¡°How can you see it?¡± Lexy frowned and shifted her weight from one foot to another, ¡®Well the first time I went into the forest here I encountered a guy named Alcore who was being attacked. Then I ended up falling through something called the veil and now I''m stuck with this on my arm.¡± Lexy pulled up the sleeve hiding the rebellion crest. Callum¡¯s once shocked expression changed to concern, ¡°Did you join them?¡± Lexy shook her head, ¡°no, I didn''t¡± Callum brows furrowed, ¡°How many days since?¡± Lexy raised a brow in confusion to the sudden question, ¡°How many days since what?¡± Callum huffed, ¡°How many days since you encountered them?¡± Lexy frowned not quite liking Callum¡¯s worried tone, ¡°It was yesterday.¡± Callum cursed under his breath and looked to Lexy, ¡°ok, what do you know about the veil?¡± Lexy furrowed her brows, ¡°It¡¯s an alternate reality that we are currently in, that¡¯s about it.¡± Callum glanced around frantically as if he was looking for a monster coming for him, ¡°Yes and no, imagine you go through a gate, once you go to another site that¡¯s it you''re not supposed to go back through that gate. If you travel between the two the guards of that gate come for you. Some people know how to travel back and forth without problems. The rebels are typically fine from what I''ve seen. So we shouldn''t have to worry. But in case we -¡± Callum was cut off by the sound of footsteps and the sky changed to dark green. Callum¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°Damn it!¡± Lexy¡¯s eyes widened as she heard the footsteps all around. Until she saw a group of people surrounding her and Callum. They all looked the same, they had black short hair. Their bodies were covered up with large black cloaks. Their faces were covered with masks in the shape of a circle. The masks had only two thin eye slits that had black outlines. Callum quickly grabbed Lexy and ran. The masked people hissed and began to chase the two. Lexy watched as things flew by and Calum reached a clearing in the forest. Quickly Callum set Lexy down and then reached down to his shadow. Lexy watched in awe when Callum pulled a sword from his shadow. Lexy quickly put on her quiver and loaded her bow. Callum turned his gaze to Lexy, ¡°One hit, then they disappear.¡± Lexy nodded and watched when the masked man came into view from the trees. Quickly she aimed and released an arrow. She watched in awe when the masked figure disintegrated into smoke. Lexy continued to take aim and fire while Callum took care of ones that got too close. Lexy quickly ran out of arrows and looked to Callum with wide eyes, ¡°I''m out of arrows!¡± Callum looked to the surrounding forest to see how many were left. To see one standing there. It stared at Callum and hissed, ¡°You fool, you know not the sinner you protect.¡± The figure disappeared and the sky went back to blue. Callum sighed and put his sword back into his shadow. ¡°that should scare them off for now.¡± Lexy looked to him with wide eyes, ¡°for now? Also, how can you do that?¡± Callum scratched the back of his neck, ¡°I know about them because I go into the veil occasionally. Those things don''t like people going in and out at will. They won''t come back until the next twenty-four hours or if you do another veil hop. To how I did that. I''m a triblood.¡± Lexy wrinkled her nose and raised a brow. She took a moment to look at his ears and noticed how pointed they were. ¡°You say that like it answers everything. So elves can do magic?¡± Callum nodded, ¡°Yes we can, there are wizards too.¡± Callum paused and took in Lexy¡¯s confusion. ¡°Wait, do you not know all the bloodlines?¡± Lexy tilted her head ¡°bloodlines?¡± Callum sighed ¡°oh you know the great seven tribes? How about the great goddess and the monster islands? Any of that rings a bell?¡± Lexy shook her head. Callum groaned, ¡°Of course not. Alright let me get these dandelions to my mom and then I know what I''m giving you.¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°onward, to medicine!¡± Callum smiled and pulled out Lexy¡¯s arrows and handed them to Lexy. Lexy took the arrows and put them in her quiver. Callum put a hand on Lexy¡¯s shoulder and Lexy watched in awe as they sank into the shadows and rose in a suburban area. Only with cobblestone houses with tiled roofs. Callum looked to Lexy, ¡°My mom is this way.¡± Lexy nodded and followed Callum to a large brick house with tall cactuses around it. Callum walked up to the door and opened it. The house was nice, there was flour wallpaper pasted onto the walls with stone flooring. Callum led Lexy to the kitchen where a girl was. This girl had hair exactly like Callum¡¯s and it was pulled back into a neat bun. She had glasses on while she also had a simple black and green dress. She flinched upon seeing Callum, ¡°Callum, what have I told you? Don''t-¡± she cut herself off once she saw the flowers, ¡°Callum, where did you get that many flowers?¡± Callum huffed, ¡°Does it matter right now Niph? Mom is sick!¡± Niph sighed, ¡°I suppose you''re right. Help me make the medicine.¡± Callum nodded and looked to Lexy, ¡°Could you help?¡± Lexy smiled and nodded, ¡°sure!¡± Niph looked to Lexy with a raised brow, ¡°Who are you?¡¯ Lexy smiled ¡°My name is Lexy. I gave Callum the flowers.¡± Niph frowned and shook her head, ¡°Whatever I need you to do is take the flowers and cut the blooms off. Put the blooms in a bowl and I''ll dry them and grind them up.¡± Lexy nodded and had begun to help Callum cut the flower blooms off. Once all the flower tops were all cut off, Lexy watched when Niph pulled out a stone bowl and put the blooms inside. Lexy then watched in awe when Niph raised her hands and pulled water out of the blooms. The girl continued to do this until the blooms were shriveled up. Lexy looked to Niph with her jaw dropped, ¡°Wow, water magic!¡± Niph raised a brow, ¡°Have you never witnessed magic before?¡± Lexy shrugged, ¡°Never seen water magic. But yes I have seen some magic.¡± Niph raised a brow as she filled a pan with water from a large jar and put it on a stove that was holding glowing red stones. She glanced at Lexy, ¡°So what house are you from?¡± Lexy raised a brow back at Niph, ¡°Houseline, what''s a house line?¡± Niph¡¯s eyes widened and huffed while she eyed Lexy¡¯s appearance, ¡°Well aren''t you a load of the dark.¡± Lexy tilted her head, ¡°what does that mean?¡± Niph furrowed her brows and her expression turned into one of distaste, ¡°It means you''re a load of trouble like the dark apostles.¡± Lexy scrunched her nose, ¡°What are the dark apostles?¡± Niph¡¯s jaw dropped and she looked to Callum who also tilted his head, ¡°yeah, who are the dark apostles?¡± Niph fell silent and turned to the boiling water. She pulled a stone cup from one of the cupboards and poured the hot water in. She then added the dried leaves into the cup of hot water. Niph sighed, ¡°I think you should know. Considering how you look. They''re one of the two big religions around here. The dark apostles and the white sword church. The dark apostles believe that Orien is the true god, while the white sword church believes the same thing about the goddess Tethys. The Dark apostles are more violent than the white sword.¡± Lexy frowned, ¡°What do you mean how I look?¡± Niph looked to the finished tea, ¡°It doesn''t mean much, besides I''m going to bring this to my mom. You can go play with Callum or something. Just head home before the afternoon wind.¡± Lexy tilted her head, ¡°What¡¯s the afternoon wind?¡± Niph huffed, ¡°the afternoon dust storm, yeash don''t you know anything?¡± Niph then took the tea and left the room. Callum looked to Lexy, ¡°it may be better if I brought you to your home before the afternoon winds. They can be really harsh on those who aren''t built for it.¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°yeah, Thokath will be home at noon anyway.¡± Callum nodded and put his hand on her shoulder. Yet again Lexy couldn''t help but watch in awe as they sunk into the shadows and raised back in the forest. Callum leaned down to his shadow and pulled out a thick book. Callum handed the book to Lexy, ¡°That will answer a lot of questions. To what attacked. That was the warden. But this is also to thank you for the flowers.¡± Lexy looked at the sun and saw it was at least a few hours from setting. Lexy looked back to Callum and smiled. ¡°I''ll read some while you''re here and then you can leave me at the mansion.¡± Callum smiled, ¡°Well then, I think I would like to just sit here for a bit, and yeah I can just take us through a shadow when we need to.¡± Lexy set down her bow and sat down on the grass. Callum looked at Lexy while he sat down next to her. Lexy opened the book Callum handed her. Lexy opened the book to a random page to see an illustration of a creature that had the head and back legs of a deer but had the front legs of a bird. It also had very large wings that matched its peacock tail feathers. Lexy looked at the text to see it was written in a strange language. Lexy looked to Callum and raised a brow, ¡°how am I supposed to read this?¡± Callum looked to her, ¡°Oh right, sorry my bad I forgot the sight glass.¡± Callum reached into his shadow and pulled out a circular piece of glass that had wooden riming. Callum placed the item on the page. Lexy watched in awe as the text on the page rearranged itself to English. She read the title above the illustration and read, ¡°Peryton steed of the sky.¡± Callum looked to the page and smiled, ¡°Peryton? Really pretty. But they don''t like being looked in the eyes. They will see it as a challenge.¡± Lexy looked to him and returned the smile, ¡°I will have to take your word on that. What¡¯s their fur like?¡± Callum hummed, ¡°The best way I can describe it is that it''s like petting a duck. Smooth and soft.¡± Lexy looked back to the book and turned the page. This page had an animal that had the head and back legs of a horse. While its front legs were tiger legs. Lexy looked to the label that was above the illustration, ¡°Tiger horse.¡± Lexy then looked to the other page that had info about the Tiger horse and turned the page to see one of the creatures that attacked Alcore on the page that were labeled as Drakes. Lexy pointed to them and looked to Callum, ¡°I''ve seen those before.¡± Callum looked to the picture of the Drake, ¡°Oh, really?¡± Lexy frowned, ¡°Yeah, they were trying to kill the rebel that caused me to slip out of the veil.¡± Callum nodded and the two sat there for a while. Lexy looked through the book while Callum enjoyed the peace. Lexy looked to the sun¡¯s lower place in the sky and closed the book. ¡°Are you going to come back tomorrow?¡± Callum smiled, ¡°Yeah, besides who is going to help you with the warden? If you keep vail hoping you won''t have to worry about it and my mom might need more flowers.¡± With that Callum put a hand on Lexy¡¯s shoulder. Lexy watched in awe as they sunk into a shadow and raised back in another shadow of a tree near the mansion. Thereby the mansion was a limo and Callum looked to Lexy, ¡°So does this mean we''re friends?¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°Of course I will see you tomorrow.¡± Callum nodded and sunk into the shadows. Lexy watched him leave and went into the mansion. One of the maids looked at her. ¡°Will you be having dinner?¡¯ Lexy shook her head, ¡°No, I''m heading to bed if you don''t mind.¡± The maid nodded and with that Lexy went to her bedroom to see the book Callum had given her waiting for her on her dresser. Lexy smiled and went to bed. The friendly boogieman Lexy woke up with a yawn. She sat up to see sunlight filtering through her window curtains. Lexy got up and walked over to her dresser and pulled out a white t-shirt, black pants, and her light blue hoodie. Lexy slipped into the black pants and pulled over the white shirt. She grabbed her light blue hoodie, put it on, and zipped it up. Lexy grabbed her red goggles from her dresser and put them on. Lexy flinched when she heard a knock at the door. Lexy went over to her bedroom door and opened it to see one of the maids. The maid looked to her, ¡°Thokath sends his apologies in that he won''t be able to be here with you for today. There was a server malfunction that demanded his attention..¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°Oh ok.¡± The maid nodded and left. Lexy looked back to her dresser and walked over to it. She pulled open the bottom drawer and pulled out her father''s knife. Lexy put the blade in her hoodie pocket and grabbed her bow, arrows, and quiver from the top of the dresser. With all her equipment Lexy left her bedroom and walked down to the main lobby of the mansion. From there she walked to the garden. There she saw Callum. Lexy walked up to the boy, ¡°Need more flowers?¡± Callum nodded, ¡°Yeah, if you don''t mind of course.¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°Of course!¡± Lexy then began looking for dandelions with Callum. The duo managed to gather another bundle of twenty dandelions. Once gathered Callum looked to Lexy and her bow and arrows, ¡°What¡¯s all that for?¡± Lexy shrugged, ¡°precaution you never know.¡± Callum hummed, ¡°Makes sense. Ready to go?¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°Yeah.¡± Callum nodded and walked over to Lexy. He put his hand on Lexy¡¯s shoulder and the two fell through shadows and rose back up in front of Callum¡¯s home. Callum and Lexy entered the house to see Niph in the kitchen. Niph looked to them and sighed, ¡°Alright let¡¯s get this over with.¡± Lexy nodded, with that she and Callum had begun cutting the dandelion tops off. Lexy looked to Niph, ¡°So while we do this I have a question.¡± Niph raised a brow, ¡°Alright shoot.¡± Lexy pulled another dandelion head off and put it in the stone bowl Callum had taken from the cupboard, ¡°Who is the blood king? Like I''ve heard people talk about him and it got me thinking is that his real name or is it just some title because he did something?¡± Niph just stared at her for a moment like a girl had grown two heads, ¡°Do you genuinely know nothing about the Anawrath kingdom? You know the kingdom that we are standing on?¡± Lexy blinked, ¡°Oh, that''s what the name of this place is.¡± Niph slapped her forehead, ¡°I wish you were lying but you aren''t. Ok, so Anawrath is the kingdom wherein its ten constellations are strong. The kingdom¡¯s neighbors are the star dwarfs, The Elves, and the kingdoms'' closest neighbor the Trilleons. I''ll tell you what each day you help Callum bring the flowers. I''ll answer more of your questions. Deal?¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°Sounds like a deal.¡± Niph nodded and took the bowl of dandelion blooms. Niph began to speak while she pulled the water from the blooms, ¡°Alright first to answer your question, yes, the blood king¡¯s title is just that, a title. Did he earn it? Yes, he did in the crowned trials. The Crown trials are where one of the royal family members duels against a pier to earn a title. All siblings will dual each other until one is left that isn''t unconscious for the title of king. So to the question of him having a name other than the blood king? Yes, he does but only those under his explicit permission may know.¡± Lexy blinked and watched Niph as she pulled a pan out and had begun the procedure to boil water for the tea. Niph looked to her, ¡°Do you know who Tethys or Orion is?¡± Lexy hummed, ¡°You mentioned them yesterday, said how there are currently two major religions that believe in one or the other being the true gods?¡± Niph nodded and grabbed a stone cup from the cupboard and poured the hot water from the pan into it. Niph then added the dried dandelions in and continued, ¡°They say it all started with a story. If it''s all true that''s for you to decide.¡± Callum looked to Lexy with bright eyes, ¡°oh! Oh! I know this one! Lexy, I think you''ll like it.¡± Niph sighed, ¡°Alright let me see if I can remember this all right, it went something like this. I shall tell a tale long, long ago of one of great beauty and one of great woe. A tail that begins with the creatures known as mankind. For he was destruction, greed, and chaos all in one! For they were the children of Orien himself! They would take and take until the land was no more. Of which you shall see the earth is still scared. The monsters would ravage the land until one fateful day a set of great wizards sent by the holy goddess said, ¡°No more!¡± The wizards gathered the races of magic and banded together to fight the monsters. Only to find the dark god Orien had blessed his cursed children to never die! So how did our heroes defeat something that never dies? They were aided by the goddess of light! Yes, Tethys herself came down with all her might to create a trap for the humans. For this trip, she called the veil and she created a powerful creature to guard it. Known as the Warden. The monsters fell into the trap and the world was finally at ease. But not is all as it shall seem. Beware children I say beware for there are those who wish the world harm and wish to set the humans free. Beware of those with no magic and are of human traits for they could be children of the cursed.¡± Niph sighed, ¡°Still can''t do it the way Carlose told it. Sorry, Callum.¡± Callum smiled, ¡°It¡¯s ok! I know Carlose would have been proud!¡± Niph nodded and looked back to the tea, ¡° It''s finished.¡± Niph was about to speak again only for there to be distant howling. Her eyes widened and she looked to Lexy, ¡°You need to go in the afternoon because the winds are early this time.¡± Lexy nodded and looked to Calum, ¡°Could you take me home?¡± Calmun nodded, ¡°Sure thing! Do you want to see the winds before we go this time?¡± Lexy tilted her head, ¡°see them? uh sure.¡± Calum smiled and led Lexy outside. Lexy watched Callum point to the horizon where there was an immense moving sand storm heading straight towards them. Lexy looked to Calum with wide eyes, ¡°Yeah, let''s go.¡± Calum nodded and placed his hand on her shoulder. Lexy yet again watched in amazement when they sunk into the shadows and rose back in the back garden of the mansion. Lexy looked to Callum, ¡°Same time tomorrow?¡± Callum nodded, ¡°Of course.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ***** Lexy woke up with a yawn and slipped out of her bed. She walked over to her dresser and got into her usual attire that consisted of her blue hoodie, white t-shirt, black shorts, and red goggles. Lexy then grabbed her bow, arrows, quiver, and her father¡¯s knife. Lexy then walked out of her room and headed downstairs. Lexy made her way to the dining room to see Leslie, Carin, Mina, and Misa. Leslie looked to her, ¡°Hi Lexy, I''d like to inform you that you do need breakfast. I have been informed by the staff that you haven''t been eating that much.¡± Lexy sighed and nodded, ¡°Alright, I''ll grab an orange and go practice archery.¡± Leslie nodded and with that Lexy walked over to one of the baskets of apples and oranges on the table and grabbed an orange. Lexy then walked over to a trash can and used her nails to softly cut into the skin of the fruit and peeled it. Lexy then threw the peel away and walked out of the dining room. Lexy made her way to the garden and saw Callum in the forest. Callum looked up from what he was doing and waved to her. Lexy walked up to him and smiled, ¡°So you need more flowers?¡± Callum nodded, ¡°Yeah the flowers have been helping mom, she actually talked today.¡± Lexy nodded and looked to Callum with slight fear, ¡°That''s good, hey, the question once your mom is healed does that mean you''re not going to come here anymore?¡± Calum¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°What? No, of course, I''ll come back. We''re friends! Friends don''t abandon friends. Think of it this way, I can hop through shadows so long as you have a shadow. I can always come to help you. I''m like...I''m like a friendly boogie man!¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°That¡¯s good, I was worried there for a bit. Now let¡¯s get some dandelions for your mom.¡± Calum nodded, ¡°Right!¡± Calum and Lexy then began to gather dandelions. The two had managed to gather another bundle of twenty. Lexy looked to Callum, ¡°So I was wondering, you''re dead, I haven''t met him. What is he like?¡± Calum looked to her and smiled, ¡°My dad is nice, sometimes he''s strict but as of right now. He left town to represent Charter and so he can get a flower for mom from the capital.¡± Lexy hummed her eyes narrowed a bit, ¡°So your dad is still around and your mom is. Is your mom nice?¡± Callum nodded, ¡°Oh, she''s the best! Before she got sick she would help the servants take care of the peryton and the manor. She would even read stories to me and my sister. Then after reading she would hug us and tickle us. She¡¯s the best. What are your parents like? I don''t think I''ve seen either of your parents around here. Just maids and butlers occasionally.¡± Lexy looked away and shifted her weight from one leg to another while she scratched her arm, ¡°Well, I''ve never met my dad and my mom¡­ I don''t know what to think. Do parents normally abandon children at the airport? On top of that is it normal to just abandon a child in a house for months and months... It gets lonely.¡± Lexy¡¯s voice went into a whisper at the end. Callum¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°Hey, don''t cry. Crying doesn''t help anyone, actions do. I''ll tell you this again and don''t forget it.¡± Callum pointed to Lexy¡¯s shadow and Lexy looked at it. ¡°See that?¡± Lexy nodded and Callum smiled, ¡°as long as you have that. You are never lonely.¡± Lexy looked at him with wide eyes and smiled, ¡°Promise?¡± Callum nodded, ¡°I promise.¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°Great, now let''s go.¡± Callum smiled and put his hand on her shoulder. Lexy watched as they sunk into the shadows and rose back upright by Callum¡¯s house. Lexy and Callum walked into the house to find Niph cleaning up. Niph was about to greet the two when the sound of coughing was heard from the kitchen. Niph sighed and went into the kitchen while Lexy and Callum glanced at each other and went inside to see Niph helping a woman who had eyes and hair that matched Callum¡¯s. The woman looked to Callum and then looked to Lexy her eyes widened and the woman leaned down to look at her, ¡°. Callum, is this the friend I''ve heard you talk about?¡± Callum nodded and smiled, ¡°Yeah! we''re best of friends!¡± Callum¡¯s mother smiled and she looked to the dandelions, ¡°how about me and Niph make the medicine and you go play with your new friend.¡± Callum smiled, ¡°thanks, mom! You''re the best.¡± Lexy started at Callum¡¯s mother for a long moment and blinked, ¡°You''re not like my mom, I like that.¡± Callum huffed, ¡°Lexy come on! We don''t get all day!¡± Lexy looked to Callum and smiled, ¡°Ok, I''m coming!¡± Lexy then followed Callum after handing the dandelions to Callum¡®s mother. Callum looked to her and smiled, ¡°Oh, I want to show you the great rock cave!¡± Lexy smiled back softly and followed Callum as he guided her through the streets taking a left a right and then another left until they had begun to approach a massive boulder-like mountain that was slanted skywards. Callum smiled and pointed to the mountain, ¡°we have to walk the way because I''m saving energy for getting you back home.¡± Lexy nodded and the two eventually reached the bottom of the mountain. Lexy continued to follow Callum as he led her off the trail on the mountain and after going past tall dead twisted trees. Lexy looked to Callum, ¡°What happened here?¡± Callum looked to Lexy, ¡°It''s the remnants of a forest. They say that we are lucky we get to even see this. It¡¯s nothing compared to the real thing though.¡± Lexy nodded and continued to follow Callum, as she did she saw Charter was right next to a huge river. It was also then that Lexy saw the huge dunes that were on the horizon. Lexy resumed following Callum until he stopped in front of a cave entrance. Callum reached into his shadow and pulled out a lantern with a candle inside and some matches. Taking a match out he lit it by striking it against the box and lit the candle. Callum resumed his course into the cave that eventually opened to a large cavern that had a desk and a huge amount of bookshelves filled with books. Callum turned to her, ¡°Since you''ve helped my mom so much and my mom is invaluable to me. I only know one way to repay you. These books are free for you to read at any time. Many were made by my older brother. It¡¯s only fair.¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°Hey, I hate to ruin the moment but isn''t it right about now when one of those storms will come in?¡± Callum¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°Oh my gosh, you''re right! Suppose it took us a while to get here.¡± Callum rushed out of the cave to look outside, only to see the storm coming at the border of the town. Callum quickly ran over to Lexy and put his hand on her shoulder. Lexy watched as they slipped through the shadows and rose back up where the garden met the woods. Lexy heard the back door of the mansion open and looked to Callum only to see he was gone already. Lexy looked back to see who had come through the back door to see Thokath. Thokath let out a sigh of relief and ran up to Lexy. Lexy felt him wrap his arms around her and hug her, ¡°Thank goodness you''re safe!¡± Thokath set her down and his expression went to stern scowl, ¡°Don''t ever scare me like that! I panicked when Leslie told me she went to check on you before she was going to leave for work. She told me you said you were going to go do some archery only for her to find you were gone! Where were you?¡± Lexy lowered her head and she scratched at her neck. Thokath looked at her neck and stopped at what he was going to say. There at the base of Lexy¡¯s neck was a chain scar just like the ones on her wrists. Thokath¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°How many of those do you have?¡± Lexy blinked, ¡°Oh, the scars? I have them across my chest, on my wrists, and my ankles.¡± Thokath frowned and his brows furrowed, ¡°Oh. Uh back onto the subject earlier. Could you please tell me or one of the maids or butlers where you go?¡± Lexy nodded and scratched at her neck again. Thokath eyed this, ¡°Are the scars itchy?¡± Lexy looked away, ¡°Sometimes, other times they burn. It''s not that bad, I''ll be fine.¡± Thokath sighed, his frown not quite leaving, ¡°Alright, do you want dinner?¡± Lexy shook her head, ¡°No, I think I''m going to go to bed.¡± Thokath nodded and Lexy went inside to go to bed. **** Lexy woke up with a yawn and got out of bed. She walked over to her dresser and got into her usual white t-shirt, blue hoodie, and black shorts. Lexy then grabbed her goggles, put them on, and grabbed her bow and arrows along with her father¡¯s knife. Lexy walked to her bedroom door and stepped out into the hallway. Lexy from there made her way down to the dining room to see Thokath eating breakfast but none of his siblings. Lexy raised a brow, ¡°Where are the others?¡± Thokath looked to her, ¡°The others? Oh there at work. I''m just about to go but before I do.¡± Thokath got out of his chair and one of the butlers brought him a medical kit, ¡°I think we have some scars that need to be tended to?¡± Lexy looked to Thokath and sighed, ¡°There isn''t really anything that can help. Mo-¡± Lexy stopped herself and resumed, ¡°Carmen and I tried a lot of different medicines. They never worked.¡± Thokath pressed his lips into a thin line while his brows knitted together ¡°Well I have one that I was thinking of trying, it¡¯s not an over-the-counter method but it should help with the itch at least.¡±. Lexy sighed and looked to Thokath, ¡°Ok, trying is better than nothing.¡± Lexy walked over to Thokath and rolled her sleeves up revealing the chain scars. Thokath applied for the medicine and put a thin layer of bandage wrap over it, ¡°Well, just do these two, for now, to see if it works. Ok?¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°Ok, now uh, is it ok if I head out into the woods?¡± Thokath nodded, ¡°yeah just don''t stay out there after dark.¡± Lexy smiled and pulled her sleeves back down, ¡°OK! Be back before dark, get it!¡± Lexy then ran out to the back garden and rushed to where the garden met the woods. There she found Callum who already had a handful of dandelions. Lexy smiled, ¡°Is that all you need?¡± Callum nodded, ¡°Yeah, it is. Ready to go?¡± Lexy smirked, ¡°yup!¡± Callum sighed his expression going to one of worry, ¡°Ok, uh but I have to warn you it¡¯s tax day for charter so the streets will be filled with white swords, Dark Apostles, and Anawrath guards. So I''m just going to bring us straight to the house.¡± Lexy¡¯s smirk fell and she nodded, ¡°Got it, let¡¯s go!¡± Callum nodded and put his left hand on her shoulder. Lexy watched as they fell into the shadows and rose back up in the house. Niph who was cooking in the kitchen flinched, ¡°Oh my gosh, Callum what have I told you!¡± Niph paused and looked at Lexy. Lexy frowned when she saw dried tears on the girls face and a look of regret, ¡°Oh hi, Uh Callum, how about you take Lexy and go to the special place.¡± Callum frowned and was about to protest when his mom came into the room with a wild look of fear, ¡°Niph what are you still doing here? You need to hide.¡± Tears fell down Niphs face, ¡°NO! I''m going into the military so you and Callum can have the benefits. I''d rather it be me than Callum! It¡¯s either that or our family loses ranking and is sent to the slums!¡± Niph¡¯s mother narrowed her eyes and tears ran down their cheek, ¡°I''d rather be sent to the slums and you, Callum, be safe than ever lose another child again.¡± Niph was about to retort when a set of two guards barged open the door to the house, ¡°Which child will it be?¡± Niph was again about to speak when this time Lexy interrupted, ¡°Me.¡± The main guard, who was an elf, raised a brow. He looked at Lexy and then the rest of the family. He was going to retort when the other guard spoke up, who was a man with one and a half fennec fox ears. His left ear looked like someone ripped a chunk off it. While he had a matching tail. ¡°Very well, thank you for your cooperation. Follow me please.¡± Lexy nodded and looked to Niph while she silently mouthed, ¡°I bought you time, go.¡± Lexy then followed the man out of the house to see a large group of anawrath soldiers going door to door for other children. They led her to a carriage that was being hauled by a Peryton. Lexy sighed and her shadow darkened The man with an ear and a half. Lexy sat awkwardly with the other children in the carriage as the soldiers continued to gather children. From what Lexy had gathered and from how things went with Callum here in Anawrath people apparently pay taxes to the military by giving up a child. Just freaking dandy. Lexy noted how she was the shortest and skinniest in the whole group. It was a little strange to her. One of the other kids eyed her, ¡°Were your parents so desperate they gave you up early? Or because they hated looking at you.¡± Lexy looked at them smiled and laughed, ¡°Your parents won''t even miss you¡± The boy¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°The hell!¡± Lexy raised a brow and shook her head. The boy was about to go into a fit of rage when a few more kids entered and the guardsman with an ear and a half entered. He looked to the children, ¡°Understand that you all are no longer children, you are cadets of the army. I expect you all to act like it. Here in the military, there is no tolerance for fighting, stealing, cheating, or worst of all betrayal. I want you all to take a look at these faces around you and get to know them. These will be your brothers and sisters in arms. You will face combat, death, and hell with them. So best not piss each other off. Is that clear?¡± The other children lowered their her heads while Lexy stared directly into the man''s eyes when the cart was filled with a chorus of, ¡°Yes sir¡± Lexy felt the carriage begin to increase in speed and heard the clopping of hoofs mix with wing flaps. The wind began to howl and Lexy eyed the man with one and a half ears. ¡°How did you lose half your ear?¡± The other kids stared at her like she just asked for death while the man only darkly chuckled, he looked at Lexy. ¡°I failed to stay a part of my squad during the rebellion siege.¡± Many of the children gasped, ¡°You were a part of the rebellion siege?¡± ¡°Did you see Salvailris in action! Did you see him kill the dark fairy?¡± The man smirked, ¡°Yes, I did see him. But no, I didn''t see the battle between him and the dark fairy. What I did see was a son of a Cursed.¡± Lexy watched when the children¡¯s faces changed to absolute horror and raised a brow. The man continued and his face went dark. ¡°It was skilled but I must confess it was strange when I had managed to get a cut into their shoulder. It healed on its own.¡± Lexy felt the cart stop and the sound of hoofs and wing flaps died down to the sound of some snorts that came from the peryton. The man stood up, ¡°Your children may know me by my last name, Alibis. Now Fenice will make his choice of which platoon you will go in.¡± Lexy followed the rest of the children out of the cart to see they were now in a military camp with large sandstone walls plated with iron. Albis had the children line up back straight. Then Albis lined up with other troops facing the children. ¡°All salute! General Fenice is on approach!¡± Lexy watched as a man with light electric blue hair walked up to the group. The strange thing to Lexy was how his hair glowed and softly floated. His eyes were a storm blue exactly like Lexy¡¯s. The man¡¯s outfit consisted of one similar to the other soldiers only with more intricate red swirls along his sleeves. It also had a higher collar and his gas mask looked to be in far better shape than the other soldiers. The general looked to the soldiers, ¡°at ease.¡± General Fenice looked to the group of children and began walking down the line as if to inspect each of them. Most of the children didn''t see his gaze. He stopped at Lexy and General Fenice¡¯s two storm blue eyes met Lexy¡¯s. Lexy¡¯s gaze changed to a glare when she looked at him while his eyes widened. ¡°What is your name?¡± Lexy crossed her arms, ¡°My name is Lexy Dustwalker, you nitwit.¡± General Fenice narrowed his eyes at Lexy¡¯s bow, arrows, and her father''s knife. ¡°Well, then I shall inform you now that Cadets are not allowed weaponry until authorized. So I''m going to demand that you give up that strange bow, arrows, and whatever type of knife that is in your pocket.¡± Lexy¡¯s expression changed into a dark enraged snarl. ¡°Don''t you dare.¡± Fenice raised a brow, ¡°You have a lot of fight for being so little.¡± Fenice looked to the soldiers, ¡°Take the others to the mess hall, give them food and water. Take this child''s weaponry. No food, no water for tonight. We''ll see how defiant they are to their superior officers after that.¡± Fenice began to walk away while the other soldiers went in to take Lexy¡¯s bow. The first man who went to take the bow Lexy quickly bit their hand. The man yelped in pain. He quickly tried to retract his hand only for Lexy to bite harder causing blood to begin to fall into the sand. This caused him to scream and pull his hand back again. This caused his skin from the bite down to be peeled back a bit from Lexy¡¯s teeth. The soldier fell onto the ground clutching his bloody bit of hand and screeching in pain. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. The other soldier''s eyes widened and one quickly dragged the injured man away from Lexy. Lexy spits the blood and small chunks of flesh out of her mouth. The four soldiers, far more cautious, stayed at least two feet away while trying to grab Lexy¡¯s bow. Lexy quickly grabbed the first man¡¯s arm once within her reach and kicked him in the blatter. The man screamed while the others gasped. Two men helped their injured comrade away. Lexy looked to the last man to see Alibis. Alibis sighed and ran a hand through his hair. ¡°I''m not going to take your stuff, just let me take you to the dorm room.¡± Lexy relaxed and gave a kind smile, ¡°Ok.¡± Lexy said while she used a sugar-laced voice. Lexy followed Alibis to a building that was very long and upon entering it she saw it was filled with rows and rows of three stacked bunk beds. Albis looked to her, ¡°Pick a bunk, you and the other cadets will wake up three hours before sunrise.¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°Ok.¡± **** Fenice was overlooking some paperwork when he heard a knock at his office door. Fenice looked up, ¡°Come in.¡± Albis entered, ¡°I came in to report sir.¡± Fenice nodded, ¡°Alright what is the situation with the Dustwalker child.¡± Albis straightened his back, ¡°Well, they went to quarters with no food, no water just as you said. However, no one was able to get the child''s weaponry.¡± Fenice raised a brow, ¡°Really now and why would this be? Surly capable soldiers should be able to easily put a child into place.¡± Albis¡¯s fox ears flattened against his head, ¡°Well, the first man is in the Emergency room and his hand was bitten so severely by the cadet that the doctor had to use forty-six stitches to put his hand back together. Then the other man suffered damage to his bladder and also had to be taken to the doctor.¡± Fenice pressed his lips into a fine line, ¡°You know what, let the child keep the weapons well and see how much they will want to carry it after magic assessment and training.¡± **** Lexy had awakened to the sound of a war horn and Albis along with a few other soldiers barging in. ¡°All cadets up! It¡¯s time for a magic assessment!¡± Lexy heard the other cadets talk eagerly while some looked like they just wanted to find a corner to hide in. Lexy climbed off the top bunk and got in line with the many other cadets. The cadets filed out like they did yesterday. Guardsmen were going down the lines asking what the children knew about their magic. From what Lexy heard there were four main groups that the guards were sorting the kids into, Mystic, Dragonblooded, beast-blooded, and wizard. Then there was every ten or more a child would be sorted in with a trainer because they were dual blood, tri blooded or mix blood. It seemed to go fine until one of these inspectors reached Lexy. Lexy noted how this man was the same one she bit yesterday. The man looked at her with a scowl and his eyes glowed for a moment. ¡°You.¡± He paused and his eyes glowed again. ¡°you''re on the verge of being nothing. But you''re hanging on to be something.¡± The man looked to Fenice with a sigh, ¡°This one has barely any flowing. They have just enough to keep their attitude and body alive. But beyond that. They''ll die the first-day sir.¡± Fenice frowned at Lexy, ¡°That is a shame when they had such a fight. Alright, send Dustwalker to the dorms. Albis and I shall decide what happens to them.¡± Albis watched Lexy be sent to the dorms and couldn''t help but smirk. Albis watched as the rest of the cadets were sorted. Come to the end of the day Albis yet again was in Fenice''s office, ¡°Sir, I think we should wait until the supplies get here then move camp. We have no idea how many rebels are out there. All we know is they are there and trained while we are filled with untrained recruits. It would be a slaughter.¡± Fenice nodded, ¡°Very well what of the Dustwalker? What should we do with them? I received news that the family had vanished. So we can''t exactly send the child back.¡± Albis gave a cruel smile, ¡°When we move camp we could just leave the child to die. There is no better way than pain after all. If the child is willing to stay with us I''m sure with that much fire in their blood they will make it to the next point.¡± Fenice looked to Albis, ¡°Have it be done.¡± Albis nodded, ¡°Of course sir.¡± **** Lexy woke up to the sound of a war horn again. The children again were sorted into lines. Lexy watched as the soldiers had the cadets be put into carts and how everyone was in a storm to leave. It was until everyone was ready to go that Albis walked up to Lexy, ¡°The rebels are said to be raiding this place. If you can manage to survive and get to the next camp we set up. Well, consider you worth training. Good luck little bird.¡± Lexy watched the Anawrath forces leave till she was the only soul there. Ley huffed, ¡°Well, then that happened.¡± Lexy eventually went to one of the outposts'' walls to see people riding in on tiger horses. Quickly Lexy did the utmost logical thing one could do. Wait in the open center of the base for the incoming people. Alcore slowed his tiger horse as they approached the base. Alcore raised his hand, ¡°It¡¯s abandoned. Come on, let''s see if they left anything behind.¡± Lexy watched as Alcore rode in with a few others and his eyes met hers. Lexy waved, ¡°So Alcore how have you been?¡± Alcore¡¯s jaw dropped and he hopped off his steed. Alcore walked up to Lexy and blinked, ¡°Are you really the same Lexy? Show me the crest.¡± Lexy smiled and pulled up her sleeve for Alcore to see the crest. Alcore stared in shock. While Jackson hopped off a Tiger horse and walked up to Alcore and Lexy. Jackson looked to Lexy, ¡°My only question is how?¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°Fair enough, I''ll tell you how I ended up back here. I was home and I went to practice my archery. When I met a boy who could vail hop on his own. He was there because he needed flowers to heal his mom. So I decided to help him. Plus I encountered the warden apparently it was after me for some reason. Come after a few days of helping him. It was tax day as you people call it and I don''t think that family should lose another child when apparently they already lost one to the Anawrath soldiers. So I gave myself up. Then I was brought here and they tried to take my stuff so I bit one of the soldiers. Then because I''m too stubborn and don''t have enough magic to be of use to them. They left me here. Told me if I wanted to be trained by them I would prove myself by going out in the desert and finding them. Thus leading us to now. Any questions?¡± Alcore and Jackson looked at each other and then at Lexy. Alcore was the first to speak, ¡°Wait if it was after you then that means you''re not.¡± Alcore paused for a bit and looked back to Lexy. ¡°How does joining rebellion sound to you now that all this has happened?¡± Lexy hummed silently, running things through her head. ¡°One condition is that if I join I have to go to Thokath daily. He¡¯s my caregiver and he¡¯s probably worried sick right now. That is my only condition, in return for letting me do this I will help you go against the anawrath soldiers. Plus I''m going to love seeing the bastards'' faces when they see me alive.¡± Alcore smirked, ¡°I think you have yourself a deal there.¡± Alcore looked to Jackson, ¡°Take her to the same place last time. Then retrieve her from there by noon.¡± Jackson nodded, ¡°Yes, sir.¡± **** Albis smiled as he stood in the desert and looked at the two cloaked figures in front of him. They had black outfits with orange embroidery however even with the cloaks Albis could see their glowing haunting orange eyes. They glared at him, ¡°What do you have to tell us, Albis.¡± Albis¡¯s smile turned cruel and dark, ¡°Tell Orien that I found the bird and it is time to begin the hunt.¡± Lost and found Lexy held Jackson and her father¡¯s knife for dear life as they rode on a tiger horse¡¯s back. Lexy desperately just wanted to go home at this point. Her teeth were beginning to hurt for some reason and so was her head. Lexy closed her eyes and suddenly she crashed into a tree and opened her eyes to find herself back in the forest. Lexy looked at the sun to see it was almost down and despite the pain from crashing into a tree, she dashed to the mansion. Lexy quickly pulled the front doors open, ¡°Thokath! I got lost in the woods and I''m sorry I really tried to get back here as soon as I could.¡± Thokath quickly ran from one of the side rooms, rushed up to Lexy, knelt, and brought her into a hug. Thokath embraced her tightly while tears began to fall down Lexy¡¯s face when she nuzzled into Thokath¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I''m sorry, I''m so sorry.¡± Thokath rubbed circles into her back, ¡°It¡¯s ok, what matters now is that you''re here.¡± Thokath¡¯s hug was warm and so soft Lexy couldn''t help but fall asleep *** Lexy woke up with a groan. She got up and went over to her dresser. Lexy pulled out one of her blue hoodies along with a grey shirt and black cargo pants. Lexy slipped into the cargo pants and pulled the grey shirt on. She pulled the hoodie on and zipped it up. Lexy looked at the dresser and her father''s knife. She grabbed the blade and put it in her hoodie pocket. Lexy grabbed her sneakers and put them on. She then grabbed her medicine, opened the bottle, and took out one pill. Lexy swiftly swallowed the pill, closed the bottle, and put it in one of the cupboards. Lexy walked out of her room and closed the door behind her. She grits her teeth when her head had begun to ache while her stomach growled. Lexy walked through the halls and made her way to the dining room. To see Thokath sitting at the dining table with his siblings. Thokath looked at her and gave a gentle smile when he gestured to an empty chair by Carin. Lexy sighed and walked over to the chair and sat down. Carin looked to her and raised a brow, ¡°Are you feeling ok?¡± Lexy groaned, ¡°Am I in pain from a stupid headache? Yes, yes I am but id says compared to the other things that I''ve seen so far in life that this is a cakewalk.¡± Carin blinked, ¡°Well then, we have pain meds for headaches.¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°That would be nice.¡± Lexy fell silent and fell into her thoughts as the food was served. Lexy however was brought out of her thoughts¡¯ by Thokath asking a question, ¡°hey, Lexy have you ever played chess¡±? Lexy looked to Thokath, ¡°no, never had anyone to play it with.¡± Thokath smiled, ¡°well, I can teach you if you would like¡±. Lexy gave a strained smile while she moved her legs back and forth, ¡°Sure, it wouldn''t hurt but can we do it in the afternoon? I was hoping to go exploring this morning.¡± Thokath frowned, ¡°Alright, just be careful please don''t go too far again ok?¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°understood.¡± Lexy ate quickly and stood up. She looked to Thokath, ¡°Thank you for the food.¡± Thokath smiled, ¡°you''re welcome.¡± Lexy waved and walked out of the room. She rushed upstairs and grabbed the book Callum had given her. Lexy then swiftly walked out of her room and dashed to the front doors of the mansion to head outside. The sun¡¯s warm gentle rays fell on her when she walked into the woods. Lexy walked along her chalked trail and then continued past it. Until she reached the clearing she and Callum had fought the warden in. Lexy opened the book Callum had given her to see the lens. Picking it up she turned the page in the book to see an index. The words rearranged themselves and Lexy read it out loud. ¡°History, page five through one hundred. Bestiary, page one hundred one through five hundred. Enchantment¡¯s five hundred one through seven hundred sixteen.¡± Lexy turned to page five to see an illustration of a battle between humans, wizards, dragons, and all sorts of mythical creatures. She read the title, ¡°The war of fire.¡± Lexy continued to read the text below the illustration, ¡°Long ago, there was no need to hide, all truths were told. The world was fresh, clean, and full of harmony. Peace abounded during this golden age. Seven great tribes coexisted upon the land in tolerance of each other. There were the dragon-blooded, beast-blooded, Mystics, Wizards, Elves, humans, and witches.¡± Lexy paused and looked at the illustrations under the text. The dragon blooded looked like Jackson. While the beast-blooded illustration showed a man with fox ears that was transforming into a bipedal fox. The mystic¡¯s illustration showed spirits and a giant worm draconic creature. Lexy didn''t bother too much with the last four and continued to read. ¡°The volatile, ill-tempered dragon-blooded revered and respected all the tribes. They had gargoyle-like forms but could morph into dragons at will! The magnitude of their dragon forms ranged from the size of a small pony to an enormous mountain! The dragons of the highest caliber could create a storm with a single flap of their wing. beast-blooded held human forms with animal tails and ears. They were able to morph into a larger bipedal form of that animal. Mystics were pure magical creatures that held equal intelligence to that of a human or lower. Elves were crafty masters of crime. Similar to the wizards they could wield magic. However, unlike the wizards, they must obtain and carry a magic item to use it. An elf is limited to one type of magic. Wizards are unique. They can create magic potions. Enchantments on weapons of all kinds were just a few of their specialties. They are limited in their magical abilities though. Humans held no magic except the ability of immortality. Witches, or the shunned, to do magic, had to sacrifice magical creatures to use their twisted version of magic. The cursed beings failed a coup d''¨¦tat. Their attempt to overthrow the tribes decimated their numbers by a third. Even though they lost the coup, they had successfully cast fear into the hearts of the humans. Humans retaliated with witch hunts and burned them alive at the stake. This was the human¡¯s downfall. They were trapped in the witch¡¯s web. Fear coursed through the humans, they began to condemn all magic, and soon after the witches, they deemed the wizards equally as evil. Wizards and the other tribes tried to come to a compromise with the humans but the humans were too narrow visioned to see the consequences of their sins. The wizards saw value in the humans and tried one last time to reason a compromise with them. However, humans continued their retaliation out of fear. They irrationally burned the tribal wizard''s family''s two youngest children. Ceremoniously they burned them alive at the stake.¡± Lexy stopped, ¡°Well, that got dark fast. Then again when is any history roses and sunshine?¡± Lexy then continued to read, ¡°Overcome with rage and grief the wizards lashed out violently at the humans. Nothing short of annihilation, they marched in the middle of the night setting fire to cropland. Unmerciful, they ravaged whatever human villages they came across. Human lands were ablaze with fire so bright it looked like the rising sun. In the aftermath of the first attack, the wizards burned a fourth of the human domain and persecuted the tribal family and their supporters. Soon after the war of fire began. It spread across the land like a plague. The ground of what was left from the war looked like the underworld. The Wizards knew that they couldn''t kill the humans. So the most powerful wizards that served the king came together and created a magical spell called the veil with the goddess.¡± Lexy stopped reading there and frowned, ¡°Ok that is enough history, let¡¯s try enchantments.¡± Lexy then turned back to the index and turned the pages to find the beginning of enchantments. Lexy started flipping through the pages for anything that would help. Lexy landed on the page of runes and their meanings. She looked at her father¡¯s knife to look at the rune on it and looked back to the book. Lexy looked through the runes until she found one that matched the one engraved into her father¡¯s blade. ¡°Loyalty.¡± The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Lexy sighed, closed the book, and made her way back to the mansion. Lexy entered the building, went to her room, and put the book back. Lexy then rushed back out of the mansion and went back into the forest. Lexy went to the place Jackson left her last time and looked at her father''s knife. Lexy focused on it and the rune glimmered softly for a moment a dark purple. Lexy thought back to the moment she was sent flying into the tree and hummed. Lexy closed her eyes and focused on reality. With all of the sand storms, the rebels, and Callum. Lexy thought long and hard about Callum¡¯s library. She felt a warm sanded breeze go against her skin. Lexy snapped her eyes open to see a vibrant purple glow coming from her father''s knife and she looked around to see she was in front of Callum¡¯s library entrance. Lexy saw light emitting from inside of the cave and rushed in expecting to see Callum. But no, they''re sitting by the bookshelves was Niph with a tear-stained face. Lexy walked up to Niph who looked at her with hope and desperation in her eyes. ¡°Is he with you? Lexy, where is my little brother?¡± Lexy¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°What do you mean Callum wasn''t with me in the camps.¡± Niph¡¯s once hopeful expression went to one of despair, ¡°Oh, I see. Well if you came for a book. Enjoy, I''m not going to stop you.¡± Lexy frowned and narrowed her eyes, ¡°Where was the last place you saw him?¡± Niiph sighed and brought her knees to her chest, ¡°That¡¯s just it, I saw him go into a shadow right as you left and he hasn''t come back.¡± Lexy frowned, ¡°I promise I won''t return until I''ve found him. ¡° Niph shook her head, ¡°Don''t make promises you can''t keep.¡± Lexy turned to the entrance of the cave, ¡°I know but this is one I plan on keeping.¡± Lexy held her father''s knife tight and focused on meeting up with Jackson while she closed her eyes. She opened her eyes and let out a strangled cough as pain racked through her. Lexy coughed and watched with wide eyes when blood fell from her lips and into the sand. She looked up to see she was out in the desert and there was sand and a random door in front of her. Lexy turned around to see Jackson and another person staring at her with wide eyes. This person looked to be a bipedal mouse with kangaroo legs, tail and has long mouse ears. They were female and had a white blouse with a gene blue vest on top. They had baggy pants on their legs. She also had two quivers with four crossbows. This woman looked to Lexy and frowned, ¡°Are you going to be ok?¡± Lexy wiped the blood from her mouth, ¡°as long as I don''t do that again for a bit. I think so.¡± Jackson raised a brow, ¡°Right, next question: how did you get here? We''re not even at the meeting spot.¡± Lexy took another glance around, ¡°Well, I thought about this place, closed my eyes and opened them and I was here. While on horseback I had accidentally done this only instead I thought of home. I''m still figuring this out.¡± Jackson looked to his friend, ¡°Well, since we''re already here this saves us a lot of time. Should we just head through the door Fendres?¡± Fendres shrugged, ¡°I don''t see why not. I mean we can just move it. It is a door in a desert.¡± Jackson nodded, ¡°Alright then.¡± Jackson looked to Lexy, ¡°Alright, just head through the door.¡± Lexy looked at the door and back to Jackson. Lexy was going to say something when she spotted movement on top of a dune on the horizon. Lexy furrowed her brows and focused on what was moving. To see lines of sand moving. Lexy tilted her head, ¡°What is that?¡± Jackson and Fendres stopped and turned around to see what Lexy was talking about and their faces changed to absolute horror. Jackson quickly grabbed Lexy and rushed to the door with Fendres. Jackson kicked the door open and ran through. Lexy watched as Fendres ran behind them. Lexy looked in awe as they went through the door where their whole surroundings changed to a medieval stone-built town with rows of trees along the streets. However just like on the other side there was a door here too. Fendres was quickly behind Jackson and Lexy when Fendres spun on a dime while she swiftly unclipped two crossbows and fired them through the doorway. The arrows flew through and landed into one of the large bumps moving through the sand. Feral growling and clicking were heard as a monster rose from the sand. It had a human-structured torso and head. With white and greyscales and sharp spikes going down from the top of its head, all the way down its back to the tip of its tail. Its eyes were a haunting orange and there were black marks around its eyes. Its body reminded Lexy tales of a centaur. Only instead of horse legs, the front legs were that of a bird and the back legs were that of a centaur while the arms were the front legs of a lion while the rest of its body was reptilic. The arrow Fendres had shot was embedded in one of the creature''s spines and with how it had its eyes narrowed and was growling. Lexy could tell the creature did not appreciate that. It let out an angry roar and went to go through the door only to be shocked by an invisible wall in the door. Jackson set Lexy down and looked to Fendres with a frown, ¡°Why did you have to piss it off when you knew they couldn''t get through?¡± Fendres looked at the monster and the other that was the same. Fendres shrugged, ¡°Because I wanted to.¡± Jackson groaned, ¡°See, this is why we can''t have nice things.¡± Fendres raised a brow, ¡°But we do have nice things.¡± Jackson stared at her for a long moment and then huffed. Small plumes of smoke came from his nostrils, ¡°That is not what I meant and you know it. Besides, we''ll have to deal with them later when she has to go home.¡± Fendres smirks, ¡°exactly.¡± Jackson shook his head, ¡°Sometimes I hate you.¡± Fendres only smiled, ¡°You know you''ll be thanking me when I have to fight again. It will be all like ``oh thank you Fendress so much.¡± Jackson rolled his eyes and looked to Lexy, ¡°Alright, follow me and ignore her,¡± he said, gesturing to Fendres who only smiled while her left ear flicked a bit. Jackson began to guide Lexy to one of the taller buildings as they did. The three pass a huge stadium. Lexy looked to Jackson, ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Fendres began to speak before Jackson could, ¡°That is the Gershon stadium, here if you have a problem with somebody or a dispute, or just want to fight you go there. Then beyond there, you''ll just find housing and then endless green flat fields. Oh and craters from all of Leo¡¯s crazy inventions.¡± Jackson smirked, ¡°Hey, give him at least some credit. They''re quite fun to smash.¡± Fendress nodded, ¡°There is something we can agree on.¡± Jackson led Lexy to the entrance of a tall building of stone brick and dark wood. The trio entered the building and Lexy looked in awe when she saw all sorts of creatures in a large cafeteria area. However, one thing Lexy noticed was how despite what these people are they all have a vest, some dark green others, yellow, red, black, and blue. Jackson continued to lead Lexy past the cafeteria and into a set of hallways past it and eventually to a door. Jackson knocked on the door. ¡°Come in.¡± came Alcore¡¯s voice from the other side. Jackson opened the door and Lexy walked in while Fendres and Jackson walked in after her. Lexy looked at Alcore and an unusual white dog. Alcore approached Lexy. He towered over her, looking down, his violet eyes met with her storm blue. ¡°How did you manage magic, you''re human?¡± Lexy crossed her arms, ¡°well, the anawrath soldier''s inspectors said I do have magic. I just have barely any they said. To what activated it I focused on heading home and suddenly I was near home. ¡± Alcore eyed her skeptically, getting lost in his thoughts. ¡°hmmm,¡± his chest vibrates. ¡°I think maybe not all is as it seems.¡± Lexy raised a brow, ¡°I have no idea what you''re smoking, but I was just thinking of home. Earlier today I thought of Charter then I thought of here and I started coughing blood.¡± Alcore interrupted her, "Charter?! How in Tethys¡¯s name did you end up there?¡± He demands. ¡°Are you really trying to tell me you just thought of here?" ¡°Yes, you nitwit¡±, Lexy pointedly attacks. ¡°If you were listening to me, that is exactly what I said.¡± Lexy crossed her arms. Fendres and Jackson could be heard in the background chuckling. Fendres wrinkles her nose, ¡°what¡¯s he smoking? I¡¯ll be inquiring about that later. Fire? What fire? I smell no fire.¡± ¡°Nitwit? What is Tethys''s name? Did you just call me a child?¡± Alcore shook his head. He had no idea what the hell a nitwit is. He decided to let it go as Lexy chose not to answer him. She just glared at him fiercely. And continued. ¡°As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted¡±, Lexy looked at Alcore pointedly. ¡°While I was moving around and had glanced into Charter. The Anawrath soldiers were collecting taxes from people as an excuse to take kids away. I gave myself up for some other family so they had time to getaway. But those people looked to be suffering from malnutrition and lack of medical supplies. You will allow me to help save these people. I will do it with or with your help. Someone has to step in and stop the madness I saw from spreading.¡± Alcore heard this little spitfire going off on him as if she had some real teeth to her. He knew, however, the road in front of them was treacherous. He was unsure if he should allow her to join them. Hesitantly he asked her, ¡°are you meaning to tell me, that you would attempt to fight the soldiers yourself?¡± Alcore watched the little girl in front of him swell with anger, determination, and righteous indignation as she responded to him. ¡°Damn right, I will not allow those children to be taken. They do not deserve to live so poorly.¡± He watched in awe at the fire she spit out for being so small. He concluded that he would rather add her to his numbers than allow her to go off halfcocked and get herself killed. Alcore breathed out a long sigh and he looked at the strange white dog and back to Lexy ¡°alright let¡¯s say I do consider what could a little thing as you do for me?¡± Lexy smirked, ¡°I may not be the best for fighting but I could bring supplies and if the need comes for fighting I am skilled at archery.¡± Alcore shrugged, ¡°you will bring food, are we talking real food or fake toys?¡± Lexy puffed her chest and snarled, ¡°You will find judging me by my size is a horrible mistake and if you give me the chance, I will bring you food that¡¯s well worth eating.¡± Alcore shook his head ¡°I¡¯d have agreed that it is worth considering. What else though, because I am not sure that is worth the danger you will be in? This is not a game little one. The dangers are real. You''re putting your life on the line for people you have barely met. Is that worth a little food to you?¡± Lexy felt rage erupt from every fiber of her being when she blasted back at Alcore as she remembered Callum, ¡°We have to fight for today, to protect the young. They cannot defend themselves. I know I can help. The odds may be stacked against us but if we don¡¯t fight who will? You will not stop me from helping. It¡¯s a matter of question. Do you want my help or not? If not I won''t pester you again but it doesn''t mean I won''t do things on my own.¡± she seethed at him. Alcore took a step back as he felt like his body was being hit by waves of fire, he watched in shock as the entire countenance of this little girl shifted. Power emanated from her, a power he cannot control. The magical aurora rolled off Lexy in tidal waves brings everyone but Alcore to their knees. A shock went through Jackson, Fendres as they were forced to their knees and this made the strange dog look at Lexy. Lexy looked behind her to see Fendres and Jackson kneeling, it caused her to lose focus. Surprise overtakes Lexy, ¡°What the hell? What on earth is wrong with everyone?¡± Alcore, now able to recover from the negative effects her magical aurora was having on him, stepped forward, ¡°You have convinced me, I will allow you to assist us.¡± He turns to Jackson, and mumbles under his breath, ¡°Keep an eye on her, she is not what she thinks she is.¡± Alcore looked back to Lexy, ¡°Tomorrow you can bring the food but first meet Varikin. He will be your bodyguard since you don¡¯t know how to fight against the enemy yet and don¡¯t worry about how he will look to other humans. He will just look like a normal dog to everyone once you¡¯re around someone else. ¡± Lexy watched as the strange dog stood up and walked up to her. It was once that she was focused on this creature she made the swift realization this was not a dog. This was a white wolf. Varikin held his head high as walked over to Lexy and just stared at her, ¡°um h, I Varikin I am Lexy¡± Varikin gave no response. ¡°It¡¯s ok he¡¯s shy at first¡± Alcore kneeled and petted Varikin. Lexy petted the wolf who kept a stoic expression while she gently patted his soft white fur. Lexy scrunched her nose slightly in confusion ¡°so is this permanent or is this just until I can prove I can defend myself?¡± Alcore shrugged, ¡°Well see if you do well with him or not. But if you do. You¡¯ll find the bond you have with him will lead to something a bit magical.¡± Lexynoddedd¡°I won¡¯t let you down, ok Varikin let¡¯s go,¡± she says slightly unsure Alcore nodded and watched the small blond and Varikin leave. ¡°I wonder what type of solder she will grow to be¡± Jackson walked up to Alcore, ¡°So if she does well with Varikin does that mean the canine unit gets a new member? Just asking¡± Alcore turns to Jackson ¡°of course and your captain of the canine unit I would have been surprised if you didn¡¯t ask.¡± A mans memories. Lexy exited the building with Varikin shortly behind. She walked back to the door that went to the desert only to hear growling from Varicin. Lexy looked to the wolf and back to the door just in time to watch as one of the monsters leaped at her. Lexy yelped and took a step back. The creature set its eyes on her and its haunting orange eyes glowed. The monster screeched and began slamming itself against the block while another came and began clawing at the doorway. Lexy stared at this with wide eyes as the bearer that was shocking the creatures began to crack. Varicin growled while some who were walking by stopped to see what was happening. Some gasped, ¡°It¡¯s a royal dutch lizard!¡± Lexy saw a thin crack appear in the corner when a sound like glass shattering echoed around as the whole seal cracked and then fell apart. Lexy immediately grabbed her father''s knife while the first Royal dutch Lizard went for her, Varicin leaped at the beast heading for its throat while the other monster leaped past its friend and was heading for Lexy. Lexy ran in the other direction while the royal dutch lizard chased her. Lexy tripped and the beast lowered its lion legs unsheathed its claws, and leaped for the girl.Lexy rolled onto her back and with a yell of fury raised her father''s knife into the air. The monster, unable to change its direction in time, was stabbed in the chest by the blade. Black blood spilled from the wound while the beast shrieked as the rune on the knife glowed purple. Lexy watched the half-dead monster fall onto her and as dark black and purple tendrils spread through it as it turned to ash. With wide eyes, Lexy stood up to see Varikin battling with the other monster. Quickly she tightened her grip on her father''s blade and rushed towards the other monster. The blade glowed a vibrant purple as she slid under the beast''s stomach and used the momentum to push the blade into the monster''s underbelly. More black blood stained her clothing as this time Lexy watched the black and purple tendrils seep from the blade and turn the creature into ash. Varikin stopped his attack and looked to the child in front of him, covered head to toe in blood and ash. Other rebels stared at her with wide eyes. Lexy felt her head sting in pain while her teeth also stung. Lexy let out a breath while she looked at her father¡¯s knife which was still glowing an ominous dark purple. Lexy looked to Varicin and ran a hand through her blood-stained hair, ¡°Alright, now let¡¯s go.¡± Lexy walked through the doorway with Varikin shortly behind. Lexy stopped after taking a few steps and turned to Varikin. She knelt and touched Varikin¡¯s scruff. ¡°Ok weird ability please, please work.¡± Lexy had begun to think about the trees and wildlife around the mansion. She started concentrating her energy towards Varikin hoping this works. Lexy opened her eyes, there were trees and shrubbery, she looked down to her right to see if Varikin made it and yes, he did. However, he no longer looked like a wolf; he now held the form of a Doberman pinscher. Lexy blinks ¡°huh that¡¯s handy.¡± She then sees the chalk markings and begins following them home. On the way there Lexy gets lost in her thoughts speaking out loud, ¡°how am I going to explain this to Thokath I¡¯ve barely been there for a day or so and I¡¯m already bringing a pet.¡± The two exited the forest and entered the driveway. She shook her head and she pulled herself away from her thoughts. Lexy reached the front of the mansion feeling her hands sweat as she opened the doors. Lexy left some of the blood from the monsters on the doorknob. She stepped inside hoping Thokath isn¡¯t home while monster blood dripped from her stained black hoodie. But to her internal dismay, Thokath was already in the lobby sitting on a chair while setting up a chessboard ¡°welcome back I was about to go out there and start looking- ¡° Thokath stopped when he saw the dog and Lexy covered head to toe in blood and ash. Lexy felt ice run up her spine and feels herself shake a bit, ¡°yup he¡¯s seen the dog.¡± Thokath just stared at the dog for a short moment ¡°Lexy what is with the dog? And is it a Doberman pinscher?¡± Lexy can only blink as she sees his face changed to excited, she nodded, ¡°yes?¡± not sure if he sounded angry or something else. ¡°I''m a goner,¡± Lexy thought when she saw Thokath get up from his seat and walk over to Lexy and Varikin. She stammered for a lie that would sound somewhat believable ¡°w-well you see I found him in the forest, and he has no ownership collar and I can¡¯t just leave him outside in the woods what if a mountain lion or something else ate him¡± Thokath looked at her than the dog and to Lexy¡¯s surprise he shrugs ¡°Shure lucky for you I love dogs. I used to have a black one. Sadly she is no longer with us but. Oh, he¡¯s adorable¡± Thokath knelt in front of Varikin and started petting him, at first Varikin gave no response to Thokath quickly after Thokath started scratching behind Varikin¡¯s ear. Varikin started thumping his left leg against the floor. Lexy felt the ice in her veins be replaced with relief and she sighed. Lexy then watched as Thokath stood up and brushed himself off. His expression went to a smile, ¡°well Lexy I did promise to teach you how to play chess and I hate breaking promises. But you may want to clean up first.`` Thokath said when he eyed Lexy¡¯s bloodstained appearance. Lexy nodded, ¡°yeah I''ll go clean up. Varikin wait here please.¡± The dog only huffed and sat down while Lexy went to go take a shower. **** Lexy later comes back in a fresh set of clothes and no longer was covered in blood and ash. Thokath gave a soft smile and went to an old-fashioned record player. It was on a table he opened the deep drawer on the table and picked out a large envelope. Thokath then pulled a large disc and gently put it on the player. Music erupted from the machine. Thokath then walked over to one of the maids, ¡°Have the chef prepare some food for me, Lexy, and our new friend.¡± Thokath then walked back over to a table that had a chess set on it and sat down on the side that had black chess pieces. Thokath motioned her to sit on the side with white pieces. Lexy walked over and sat down on the opposite side of Thokath. Varikin followed and sat by her side. Thokath picked up the black king piece ¡°you see chess can be related to many things and it¡¯s because of this. That I love it. But it¡¯s just a game, it would be dangerous to go around having a mentality that life is just a game. What a stupid way of thinking.¡± Lexy looked at her pieces and listened carefully to Thokath. Who seems to have a point? She is having a hard time understanding. Lexy heard that chess is a strategy game but just how hard could it be? Thokath continued ¡°so some pawns can move along the board differently than others.¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°question? What if you have an enemy, but you don¡¯t know who they are or what they are capable of.¡± Thokath chuckled ¡°that is difficult, but I think I know what you mean. How you deal with an enemy like that is not trying to predict them, it is more of learning from what they do and preparing for the unexpected.¡± Lexy gave a smile ¡°oh, ok thanks¡± Thokath then explained how the pieces moved on the board to her. They started their first game and Thokath beat her in less than an hour of the game, but she was not one to give up, so she asked to try again and again. They were currently at their fourth match and Lexy had managed to last longer than thirty minutes and an hour of which so far, she was very proud of. Thokath made his move, he exposed his queen. Lexy was shocked it was an easy pawn to take but if there is anything, she has learned through this game about her enemy that there is always a reason behind his moves. He always would give up his pieces for only one reason, a trap. So Lexy focused on the only noise that could be heard was breathing and the soft waltz music in the background. She quickly sees why he moved his queen. It is a sacrifice trick; Lexy only has one pawn that is not in gridlock-like form; she has all her front row pawns move up one through the turns. Thokath in those turns is rearranging his pawns while she sets up her defense and the second someone infiltrates her defense the pawns in the back would attack. She looked closer and just as she thought it was a sacrifice move the second, she would send one of her pawns after the queen. It would leave a gap in her defense and he would make his move. Lexy was about to make her move when rapid footsteps came from the stairs. The two stopped their concentration on chess and turned to see who was running downstairs. It was Carin, ¡°Hi, Lexy. Is Thokath teaching you how to play chess?¡± Lexy gave a kind smile, ¡°yah he¡¯s really good at this¡± Thokath chuckled, ¡°well you¡¯ve only been playing this game for the last few hours and this is your first few times playing so you¡¯re actually doing really good for your fourth match but then there is also the fact that I am going easy on you¡± Lexy¡¯s jaw dropped ¡°you¡¯re going easy on me. You¡¯ve absolutely pulverized me in the last three games'''' Thokath just gave a nonchalant shrug and Carin piped up, ¡°do not feel bad you are doing way better than I ever have, he did learn from-¡± Carin stopped and looked at Thokath, if glares could kill she would be dead. Thokath shook his head slightly no. Lexy¡¯s expression changed to slightly confused; she didn¡¯t see Thokath''s expression, only Carin¡¯s. Carin gave a fake smile to Lexy ¡°you know what never mind I''ll grab dinner and go¡± she sounded nervous and angry, ¡°wait Carin please don¡¯t go.¡± Carin looked at Lexy''s hopeful expression and sighed, grabbed a seat, and sat down at the side of the table holding the game. Carin knew Thokath was going very easy on Lexy. Especially if the match lasted longer than an hour. Carin looked at the board whether Lexy would have not taken the queen or not she would have lost it was a trap either way. She then looks at Thokath who has a smile on his face. Lexy has her cheeks puffed in frustration of her loss, ¡°I demand one more round then we will see if you can keep a hold on that crown Champion of chess!¡± Lexy said trying to sound serious but with her cheeks puffed Carin could only giggle once she saw the young girl''s face. Thokath laughed and shook his head, ¡°I am sorry, but you just are too adorable when you¡¯re frustrated¡± This only made Lexy puff her cheeks a bit more, ¡°I am not adorable, I am... Well, I don¡¯t know. But adorable isn''t it¡± Thokath shook his head and smiled, ¡°alright adorable little one,¡± he said in a teasing tone of voice, ¡°one more round of chess and this time if you beat me you get a cookie.¡± Lexy raised a brow, ¡°and if you win?¡± Thokath smirked, ¡°you have to admit you¡¯re adorable¡± Lexy crossed her arms, fire now in her eyes, ¡°alright challenge accepted¡± Lexy and Thokath shake hands and begin resetting the board. While they do so Leslie comes over to Carin with a chair and sits down, ¡°So who''s winning?¡± Carin looked to her older sibling ¡°Thokath is going easy but not nice so far no wins for our newcomer and their resetting right now¡± Leslie smiled ¡°sounds like Thokath¡± Carin shrugged, ¡°Are the others going to watch?¡± Leslie stood up ajusting her glasses after doing so ¡°I don¡¯t think they even know, or they would be down here with popcorn. I¡¯ll go tell them though. Make sure they wait before they start because I want to watch this¡± Carin nodded and watched her older sister leave she then turns to Lexy and Thokath, ¡°wait to start ok the others want to watch¡± Lexy tilted her head, ¡°oh ok it won¡¯t matter though because this time I will CRUSH you and take the crown¡± Thokath smirked, ¡°oh really just be ready for another defeat and admitting you are adorable,¡± he said playfully back. Lexy put on a smirk, ¡°of which will not happen!¡± her voice in the same playful tone by the time she finishes her statement Leslie was walking down the stairs with Varic, Varan, Axle, Misa, and Mina shortly behind The five get chairs and set up around Lexy and Thokath to watch. Mina and Misa have a large bucket of popcorn. Lexy didn''t notice the crowd once Thokath smirked ¡°alright I¡¯ll let you have the first move¡± the others watched every move Lexy and Thokath made. Until Thokath had Lexy¡¯s king checkmated by his duke. Thokath¡¯s smirk stretched further, ¡°checkmate.¡± Lex''s eyes widened, ¡°no! How do you win every time?¡± Lexy said with defeat in her voice. Thokath chuckled, ¡°Practice little one is key and it¡¯s for my spoils of war?¡± Lexy puffed her cheeks, ¡°Fine, I¡¯m adorable. Happy?¡± Thokath smiled ¡°yup. Very, Now let¡¯s go get some dinner¡± Lexy can¡¯t argue with that and stands up and jumps with shock ¡°oh hi when did you guys get here?¡± The group chuckled and began putting chairs away and heading to the dining room. Varic smiled at Thokath, Stolen novel; please report. ¡°congrats on another victory.¡± Thokath smiled, ¡°can it count when my opponent doesn''t have a chance?¡± Varic shook his head, ¡°Learn to take a compliment, you jerk.¡± Thokath rolled his eyes and the group went to dinner. *** Lexy woke up to see she slept in her clothes and sighed. She ran a hand through her blond hair and got out of bed. Lexy heard the soft pitter-patter of movement when Verikin came up to her. The dog stared at her and tilted its head as if to ask what she would be doing. Lexy smiled and went over to her dresser, grabbed her father¡¯s knife, and put it in her pocket, ¡°Ok, I''ll do a supply run for the rebels today. Onward to something.¡± Lexy winced when she felt her teeth almost feel loose she then walked out of her bedroom with Varikin by her side. Lexy headed to the bathroom door and looked to Varikin, ¡°Wait here.¡± Lexy went into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She looked into the mirror and opened her mouth. Lexy touched her teeth and was horrified when she saw her whole top row of teeth move from the force. Blood began seeping from her gums as the teeth tore through and her whole upper jaw of teeth fell out. Lexy pulled out the row of teeth with wide eyes. Blood fell from her mouth and with her other hand, she touched the bottom row. only to be horrified as all her bottom row teeth were just as loose. It only took a slight tug for the whole row to come out together. Lexy wanted to scream. But she didn''t. Lexy let out a strangled cough when she felt pain bloom from both her gums. Lexy looked in the mirror and opened her mouth. only to be shocked when she saw new teeth came in with blood still dripping from her mouth. The new teeth were more pointed versions of her last set. Lexy let out a shaky breath, spit out the blood in her mouth, and ran a hand through her hair. She put the two rows of teeth in the trash. Lexy then walked out of the bathroom to see Varikin and gave a nervous smile, ¡°Ok, now let¡¯s go.¡± Lexy headed downstairs with the dog and walked up to one of the butlers, ¡°Do we have a pantry I could snag some cans from?¡± The man nodded and walked away and came back with a large bag of canned goods and an apple. He handed it to her and Lexy smiled, ¡°Thank you.¡± The butler nodded, patted her head, and walked away. Lexy looked to Varkin and sighed, ¡°Ok now let''s go.¡± With that, the duo heads out of the mansion and head into the woods. Upon entrance into the forest, Lexy noticed how Varikin¡¯s illusion went away and looked like a white wolf instead. Lexy nervously then leaned down and touched Varikin¡¯s scruff, she closed her eyes and thought of the doorway to the rebellion, she opened her eyes to see the bare dirt and dunes of the desert as well as the doorway into the rebellion. Lexy and Varicin went through the doorway. Lexy hauled the cans with her to the building Jackson and Fendres had brought her to last time. Lexy and Varicin entered and halfway into the cafeteria were when a little girl came up to her who had a white lizard tail with brown colored hair and white eyes. They had a little grey skirt and a blue blouse. The little girl was just a bit shorter than Lexy. They smiled at Lexy and offered a handshake, ¡°I''m Kiri, who are you?¡± Lexy accepted the handshake and was about to speak when she saw Kiri¡¯s eyes widened with fear while she took a sharp breath. Kiri quickly pulled her hand away and looked at Lexy like she was a monster. Lexy frowned, ¡°Are you ok?¡± Kiri flinched and shook her head and ran away. Lexy glanced at Varikin with a raised brow. Varikin only stared at her with his head tilted. Lexy sighed and continued making her way through the crowded cafeteria. Lexy saw another female that was crocodile tailed only older. Her head was halfway shaved, and the rest is chocolate-colored hair ruffled all to one side by her is a black dog-like Varikin, only with crystals coming out of their back. The older girl''s once small smile changed to a teeth-bared snarl, the second she looked at Lexy. Lexy tried to talk but was quickly interrupted by the girl, ¡°So you finally decide to show your good for nothing face. I¡¯ll admit I wasn¡¯t sure it was you when I first heard the description but now, oh now I know it is you.¡± Lexy looked to Varikin with pleading eyes. To Lexy¡¯s surprise, Varikin did nothing. She frowned and turned back to the girl, ¡°wow uh hi and I don¡¯t know what I did to you but there is no need to be such a jerk. Why don¡¯t we start over? I''m Lexy and you are?¡± she said with a friendly smile and an extended hand while she set down the cans of food. The older girl raised a brow and gave a flabbergasted look ¡°excuse me, You what?¡± Lexy¡¯s smile didn¡¯t waver, ¡°you heard me let¡¯s start over I''m Lexy, what¡¯s your name?¡± A smirk spreads over Talo¡¯s face as she shouts out, ¡°My name is Talo Evercore and I challenge you, Lexy, to a Garrshon!¡± An eerie silence falls over the whole cafeteria. All eyes turn to Lexy and Talo. Talo¡¯s smirk only grew when she saw Lexy drop her extended hand and her smile turned to a frown. Lexy wrinkled her nose, ¡°What¡¯s a Garrshon.¡± The pride in Talo deflated, ¡°Excuse me what? You don''t. Ugh, it¡¯s a fight, I''m challenging you to a fight.¡± Lexy took a sharp breath and puffed up her chest ¡°No I¡¯m not fighting you, I don¡¯t have time to deal with a stupid moron like you anyway.¡± Talo huffed ¡°Well there is no denying a challenge.¡± Lexy glared and looked at Varikin who didn''t even look at her. ¡°Well I don¡¯t care, I''m not fighting you. Uh, what¡¯s your name again?¡± Jackson heard the challenge and stood up. Concerned after listening to everything, he walked over to Lexy. Shaking his head, he informed her, ¡°You being the challenged to a Garrshon¡± The captain sighed, ¡°There is a choice to be made, do you want a fight to the death or until one of you to give up?¡± Lexy¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°uh, Till one quits please.¡± Jackson nodded and looked at the two girls, ¡°You both have four days to prepare then report to the fighting ring.¡± With that Jackson went back to his seat. Talo gave a sadistic grin when she turned and walked away, ¡°Till then I can¡¯t wait to pluck your little feathers my pretty.¡± With that, she and her wolf left the room. Lexy sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, ¡°Please, tell me that was all fake.¡± Varikin just looked away from Lexy, Lexy frowned, ¡°Thanks for the reassurance.¡± Her voice dripped with sarcasm. Lexy then saw Alcore coming into the room. Lexy walked over to Alcore with the canned goods and Varikin shortly behind, ¡°Hi¡± Alcore picked up his mug of water, ¡°oh hi how are you liking the base?¡± Lexy gave a nervous smile, ¡°Yes, I love it so far and it¡¯s great.¡± Alcore raised a brow ¡°but?¡± Lexy scratched her arm, ¡°This has nothing to do with the base but what¡¯s Garrshon?¡± Alcore shrugged ¡°eh it¡¯s a way to prove your self usually it is used to determine what squad you go in or it can be a gruesome battle to get some of your frustrations out. Why do you ask?¡± Stating this before he calmly took another sip of his drink. Lexy looked from Varikin and to Alcore, ¡°oh I was wondering because I got challenged by a member named Talo to an until give up version.¡± Alcore spat out what water was in his mouth ¡°a what? Do you? Do you know how to fight in close combat?¡± Lexy shrugged, ¡°I do but it¡¯s melee and throwing knifes¡± Alcore hummed worry was on his face ¡°Who challenged you I don''t think I catched it if you said it.¡± Lexy huffed, ¡° a member named Talo.¡± Alcore frowned and Jackson came up to the group, ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Lexy flinched with a soft yelp and turned to Jackson, ¡°Holly, you came out of nowhere!¡± Jackson shrugged, ¡°Question, has Varikin changed yet?¡± Lexy shook her head, ¡°Oh no he¡¯s a wolf, how can a wolf change? Jackson turned to Alcore with a pondering look, ¡°Do you think she should start with mine?¡± Alcore shrugged, ¡°I was trying to figure that out. But if you do that would be one less thing I have to worry about.¡± Jackson nodded and turned to Lexy, ¡° I, Jackson of the k-nine-unit, welcome you to my squad.¡± Lexy just stared at Jackson for a long moment. Jackson chuckled and continued, ¡°Anyhow, you¡¯re a part of my squad now it means I am your captain and as your captain you are to follow orders and any missions, I give you, got it?¡± Lexy finally had heard enough tilted her head and wrinkled her nose, ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯ll be a monkey''s uncle if that happens.¡± It was now Jackson¡¯s turn to tilt his head and he looked confused. He only saw a smug grin creeping its way onto Alcore¡¯s face as he chuckled, ¡°That is now your problem captain.¡± Jackson looks back to Lexy who just looked at him with nothing but the attitude in her eyes, ¡°I don¡¯t think I stuttered.¡± Lexy only chuckled, ¡°Yeah and I don¡¯t think someone should have authority over someone else just because of a wolf.¡± Jackson huffed, ¡°Do you want help with fighting against Talo or not? Keep this up and you¡¯ll never get out to help anyone.¡± Lexy stopped ¡°help? Like fighting lessons?¡± she said keenly with interest. Jackson nodded ¡°now do you want to listen?¡± Lexy nodded softly and Jackson sighed, ¡°alright, you¡¯ll need throwing knives not just for the fight but also for training and in-field use... You said you can use those, yes?¡± Lexy smirked, ¡°Yes, yes I can.¡± Jackson pointed to a door ¡°that''s the door to the lab Leo should be in there he might have some knives you can use. Do you think you can handle that?¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°of course¡± and with a smirk on her face, she left. Varikin shortly followed behind her. Jackson turned to Alcore who only chuckled and sighed. He was about to say something to Alcore when a girl with two red glowing streaks on her cheeks. Her eyes are blue and red. She quickly rushed up to Alcore coming out of a flash of lightning, ¡°Alcore! They''re alive!¡± Alcore and Jackson jump and glance at each other. Alcore is the one to talk, ¡°Wait, slow down Jennie, who is alive? Do you mean the others?¡± others in the cafeteria stopped whatever they were doing and begin to listen. Jennie nodded, ¡°they all are survivors from the fall, they''re being held in the capital¡± Alcore¡¯s expression furrowed, ¡°How did you find this out?¡± Jennie shivered, ¡°While we were doing a scout out near the capital, we managed to capture a head guard¡¯s men. We interrogated him and he told us that there is an area of dungeons where a lot of guards are being assigned to but are not allowed to go in or see the prisoners but he was there when the prisoners got there and were told they were rebels.¡± Jennie paused and shuddered, ¡°But here is the strange part: the only people allowed to see the rebels were the king, the council, a highly-skilled doctor, and a chef and that are all we got out of him right now.¡± Alcore put his hand up ¡°ok keep interrogating but keep in mind they could be lying you know as well as I the chances of even one of them escaping what happened alive. Also, I doubt it¡¯s that lazy good for nothing, king. He hates doing anything anyway.¡± Jennie nodded and lowered her head, ¡°you''re right I''ll go see if we can figure out more¡± with that she left. Jackson turned to see Alcore who had a concerned expression, ¡°Do you think it¡¯s true?¡± Alcore shook his head, ¡°I want to but we should wait till I address this at the next council meeting¡± Jackson nodded, ¡°you know speaking of addressing things Alcore I¡¯m rather curious¡± Alcore gave a heavy sigh as he set down his mug of water, ¡°curious about what?¡± Jackson opened his mouth but closed it trying to find the right words to use, ¡°curious about Lexy you¡¯ve never recruited someone so fast without a test . . ..¡± the look in Jackson¡¯s eyes changed to sympathetic, ¡°does.¡± He paused, ¡°she reminds you of something¡± Alcore¡¯s eyes began to fog over and a shadow fell over his face. He turned away softly but responded with ever so softly ¡°yes¡­. She does. I . . .¡± Jackson lowered his head in silence. Alcore gripped the table harshly behind him and said through gritted teeth, ¡°they started getting worse the first time I met her ¡­. When I met her in the woods I swear for a moment I saw Lilly. The only thing that made me realize was the fact that ¡­... she was wearing goggles so. . . ¡° Alcore fell silent for a bit, ¡°She''s just like her as far as personalities go Lily wouldn¡¯t care who you were, what you were, or what you¡¯ve done. if it meant you wanted to change or if you needed help she wouldn¡¯t take no for an answer she would just help you and not have a care in the world.¡± Alcore took a shaky breath and closed his eyes thinking of the past. A boy aged seven, who had dark silver hair and dark violet eyes holding a wild look of wonder inside. The boy was a little tall for his age and was dressed in somewhat tattered clothes. ¡°common Alcore why are you staring off into space we¡¯ve got to pick a present for daddy,¡± said a girl with long almost white-blond hair accompanied by deep storm blue-colored eyes. The little girl was half a foot shorter than Alcore, she puffed her cheeks in frustration. ¡°I know Lilly, I know, I¡¯m just trying to think of something good to buy dad¡± Lilly deflated her cheeks and looked around at the markets and one traveling market caught her eye. ¡°Hey, big brother doesn¡¯t dad like collecting souvenirs especially if they''re colored or something he¡¯s never seen before?¡± Alcore looked over to the traveling market she was referring to. The caravan had vines with flowers and moss covering it like it took a piece of the jungle and covered itself in that. The caravan itself was being pulled by a four-tailed black and gray deer fox. Its antlers were large and purple. Its back feet are cloven hooves while its front feet are fox paws. It holds its head high as people pass. The merchant inside was a blooded wolf beast and was setting up glass and wooden figures that consisted of magical creatures and monsters all of which were moving on their own. The two children ran up to the caravan wonder and curiosity filling their eyes as they gazed at the strange creatures. ¡°Hello good sir¡± Alcore began already confident that this is what he wanted to get for his father. The merchant turned his attention to the two siblings and gave a friendly laugh, ¡°why hello how can I help you today¡± Alcore and Lilly gave soft smiles and looked at the other and nodded in agreement, ¡°Yes, I was wondering what your merchandise is. It''s wonderful and I and my little sister would like to buy one for our father.¡± The merchant rubbed his chin and posed for a moment and then stopped and smiled. ¡°These are bio fighters they can be a companion and a weapon. They are well-built too, they each have a core inside them that is made of pure magic so even if its body is destroyed by battle you can revive it by putting its core in the water. Also, as for the price, on the house pick whichever one you think father will enjoy the most¡± The sibling''s jaws dropped with astonishment. Alcore turned to Lilly, ``I will let you pick ok.¡± Lilly¡¯s eyes filled with excitement from her big brother¡¯s words. Alcore picked up Lilly so she could see better. Lilly looked at all the creatures and warriors, but one caught her eye. It was like the creature hauling the caravan, a dear fox with nine tails only the bio fighter had more white and smaller antlers. Lilly pointed to it ¡°this one please¡± the merchant nodded and handed it to her. The little creature steadied itself carefully in Lilly¡¯s hands and chirped happily. Lilly smiled ear to ear, happy with her choice. Alcore put her down, thanked the kind Merchant and the two went off to go home. Alcore and Lilly entered their home only to be greeted by their mother sobbing instead of the cheerful mother they knew. ¡°Mommy, what¡¯s wrong? Where¡¯s daddy, isn''t he supposed to be back now from his mission?¡± Their mother looked up at them from her seat and looked Alcore in the eyes and shook her head no. Unlike Lilly Alcore recognized what that look meant and tears began forming in his eyes and swallowed what felt like a ton of bricks, ¡°Dad, Lilly. . . isn¡¯t coming home Lilly ¡­. He won¡¯t ever come back dad ¡­¡± Alcore swallowed waterfalls of tears flowing down his face ¡°dad''s dead Lilly¡± Alcore hung his head low. The words that her big brother said took a moment for her to sink in to just realize what had happened. She wanted this to be a bad joke, a really bad joke but no ¡­no punch line here so the three stand there not shore in what to do next. They hear uniformed marching coming from outside. Alcore snapped his attention to outside, their whole home surrounded by Anawrath soldiers with lit torches. One stepped up and pulled out a scroll, ¡°Attention the Lervaro family due to your husband and father''s actions for killing the king it is the law to kill the family of the killer since he himself has died as well so, goodbye¡± A dragon blooded stepped up and changed to their dragon form and began setting the house on fire. Their mother began screaming but Alcore couldn¡¯t hear through the static that was his thoughts. He needed to protect Lilly, so he pulled Lilly down into a curled-up ball and curled around her in an attempt hoping he would save his sibling from agony. The little bio fighter crawled out of Lilly¡¯s hands and crawled into Alcore¡¯s main shirt pocket. Alcore eventually could no longer take the heat and lost consciousness. When Alcore awoke there was no house, just dust, and a concrete floor. Alcore looked for Lilly. No Lilly the only thing left was his little sister''s metal hair clip and the glowing orange core of the bio warrior. ¡°ya I admit it, she reminds me of Lilly, I am curious about her combat abilities. I may have to watch and see what you have planned.¡± Jackson noded when he watched Leo, Lexy, and Varikin come out of the lab, ¡°Well I have to go.¡± with that he left. Lexy followed Leo out with Varikin by her side. Leo coughed, ¡°come on we don¡¯t have all day,¡± he said this when he handed Lexy a large cloak Lexy smiled and took the hood, ¡°right sorry Leo¡± and she put on her cloak. With that, the three leave the base Alcore watched this and then left the cafeteria and walked through a few hallways. He stops and enters his office. His office has a large table and a desk. Alcore walked up to the table and put his hand on it. The table glowed and it produced a hologram, he walked away from it and then turned back to the holographic map. Alcore moves the structure it was showing around a bit. Alcore moves his hand and it zooms in on one part. The structure is in fact a theater and on one of the ticket, booths is a poster advertising a play that the king will be going to see and the name of the play is called Le Oprah, a very popular play among the high class. The play itself will be held in five weeks. ¡°Five weeks we made our move. Yet I can''t help but wonder if it should be sooner¡± Alcore pondered about everything and sighed. The black markets and all of its joys Lexy pulled the hood over her head and looked at Varikin who for a short moment looked like he had blue crystals coming out of him. Leo, who was also wearing a cloak turned to Lexy that brought her out of her staring at Varikin, ¡°Alright kid, there are a few rules I need you to follow if you want this success, number one mostly for you NEVER take off that hood. Second, don¡¯t talk unless you''re talking to me or Varikin. Third, don¡¯t stay in one place long. There are a lot of guards and religious folk in the town lately. Any questions?¡± Lexy nodded and took a glance at Varicin then looked back to Leo who had yellow and green eyes with white hair and green stripes on his cheeks, ¡°yeah I know I haven''t been spotted so why do I need the hood and dogs don¡¯t talk?¡± Varikin gave a soft snarl at the remark and looked away. Leo pulled down Lexy¡¯s hood, ¡°your hair. Your hair color is equivalent to gold. It may be common to you but here that would be like finding the greatest treasure of all time. Also, many would love to get their hands on a human so keep that in mind not everything is petals and roses also Varikin is not a dog. He¡¯s a wolf, get it right.¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°ok got it.¡± Leo gave a soft smile, ¡°Alright come on¡± with that he began to lead Lexy and Varikin to the town. The three got to the gateways of the city. Carriages and merchants passed in and out of the town. Lexy looked up at the broken welcome sign and muttered, ¡°Well, that¡¯s welcoming¡± her voice dripped with sarcasm. The three got through the gates and entered the town. The trio entered the square of the town and Lexy felt her blood run cold when she saw three sets of gallows with overly cheery signs saying executions every Tuesday and Friday. Today is Monday. Lexy felt a chill and whispered to Leo, ¡°Who will they be executing?¡± Leo lowered his head, ¡°criminals and slummers. rebels are to be captured and then interrogated for info.¡± He whispered back at Lexy. Leo then continued leading. While Lexy frowned and whispered back, ¡°What''s a slummer?¡± Leo sighed softly, ¡°A slummer is someone who has refused to give up their firstborn and taxes. First, you will be sent to the slum zones for a month then if you still refuse you are either enslaved or executed as of recently.¡± Lexy fell silent and continued to stay close to Leo. They left the town square and entered a nicer part of the city. The houses went from clay misshaped walls to clay brick walls and glass windows. Even the paths looked better and far more maintained. Leo suddenly made a sharp left turn into a dark alleyway with a dead end. Leo stepped up to the wall and knocked five times on the wall then spoke ¡°End to the king¡± the stone wall opened to an open cave with crystals and stalagmites coming from the ceiling. Leo, Lexy, and Varikin step inside, and the entrance seals behind them. Leo smirked, ¡°Lexy I present to you the black markets, where people can sell whatever they like¡± Lexy looked around almost dazed by the exotic smells and seeing the unique products. Leo took off his hood and turned to Lexy ¡°alright we came here to get you some knives, yes?¡± Lexy nodded ¡°yes that is correct?¡± Leo turned around, ¡°Good, then I know where to start¡± Leo then began to lead her and Varikin through the markets. Lexy looked at all the shops when she passed. When she saw one that was a cart covered in vines and it was being hauled by a deer fox. Wonder captivated her, she approached the deer fox and gazed at it with curiosity shining brightly in her eyes. Leo and Varikin stopped after they realized they lost her, and Leo turned on a dime and saw just what captured Lexy¡¯s curiosity. Leo walked up to Lexy while he chuckled. Seeing what stopped her, "first time seeing one? It''s majestic and so much more. They are called deer foxes and it¡¯s very rare to see one let alone tame one. They are very proud creatures¡± Lexy gazed into its eyes and turned to Leo ¡°majestic as it is, it''s not what we came here for.¡± Leo nodded in an agreement, ¡°Right, good to see you don¡¯t have your head in the clouds. we should look around but don¡¯t stray too far from me again. There are the occasional bounty hunters and there are probably a lot of people who would love a human with powers and golden colored hair.¡± Lexy sweated at Leo¡¯s statement, ¡°Right, so Leo I have been wondering since you guys said humans can''t do magic. I''m going to say it is safe to assume that I am not fully human. But to my question can everyone but humans do potions and spell casting?¡± Leo walked with her and gave a thought-full expression, "well you can¡¯t do magic, magic like a wizard can what you¡¯re thinking of is someone¡¯s ability every magical creature usually has a special ability that is unique to them and them alone there are very few exceptions to this,¡± Leo paused and looked around, ¡°Also, something else to think about is your ability to move from our realm, and to the veil is unheard of. By the way, have you found any repercussions to your ability? It is just half my job to know this.¡± Lexy felt herself shuddering when she remembered the teeth, the headaches, and coughing up blood. ¡°Yes, I cough up blood if I use it over two times. But I have a question: can magic grow?¡± Leo nodded, ¡°I''ll have to keep that in mind but yes magic can grow. I''ve seen someone take a minor ability and grow it to something extradentary.¡± Leo looks up and spots the shop he was looking for. He quickly leads her up to it and stood in her view of the shop, ¡°You said knives, yes?¡± Lexy nodded, Leo smirked and stepped aside so she could see the shelves upon shelves of knives for sale. All surrounding the merchant. Lexy was about to talk but then remembered Leo¡¯s warnings, ¡°Maybe you should talk to the merchant.¡± Leo nodded, ¡°ok, so less on preference just as long as it''s sharp?¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°yup¡± Leo took out a bag of shearlings and walked up to the salesmen. Which was a red-colored dragon blooded. ¡°Excuse me but how many blades can I get that are throwmenship and magic grade?¡± The merchant took out a box filled with long triangle knives with circles after the handle that had no center. ¡° I can offer that whole box for ten silver pieces..¡± Leo raised a brow, ¡°These are not magic grades, who do you think you''re trying to fool?¡± Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. The merchant shook his head, ¡°Sorry I don''t have what you want. The dark apostles have been buying up a lot of the weaponry around here. But I do have these. They''re throwing knives just not magic grade.¡± Leo frowned, ¡°What are they planning? Do you know?¡± The dragon blooded shuddered, ¡°no, I don''t but hey, the switchblades are on sale.¡± Leo raised a brow and picked up one of the throwing knives, ¡°I''ll pay five silver.¡± The dragon blooded seemed to think this over for a bit, ¡°Alright, you have a deal.¡± Leo pulled five small silver coins and handed them to the dragon blood. The dragon blooded then handed Leo the box. With the box of knives in hand, Leo walked up to Lexy and Varikin, ¡°Alright, that¡¯s it for you?¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°yup¡± Leo smirked, ¡°Well, there are a few more things I want to get for myself. I need some more glass test tubes.¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°Thanks, Leo¡± Leo shrugged a small smile found its way onto his face, ¡°Sure thing kid.¡± He led Lexy to a glass shop and bought himself a small box of thin oval test tubes. ¡°ok I think that will do, come on¡± Lexy nodded and resumed to follow Leo when she saw a hooded man that was seemingly about to walk past them. When he pulled a knife out and went to grab Varicin. Lexy quickly threw a knife at the hooded man. The man dodged, this caused his hood to go down. Revealing the man had a black boar mask on his face with piercing green eyes. He had a small braid that started from his front dark silver-blue hairs and was tucked to the back of his hair while the rest of his hair was combed back. He narrowed his gaze at Lexy and Leo, ¡°Give me the wonder wolf.¡± His voice was monotone and gruff. Lexy narrowed her eyes and brought out her father''s knife. ¡°Over your dead body.¡± The man shook his head, ¡°I doubt that.¡± He then snapped his fingers. Lexy and Leo could only watch when a dome of grey energy was made around them. Lexy felt her stomach churn and coughed up blood. Leo rushed in front of her and smashed a potion against the ground. His eyes widened when all this did was leave shattered glass and liquid on the floor. ¡°Dead magic.¡± Leo cursed under his breath and the boar masked man pulled out a sword, ¡°Now I''m going to ask again, give me the wonder wolf.¡± Varikin growled and stepped up teeth bared while snarling. The man gazed into Varikin¡¯s eyes and for a short moment, there was a flash of purple in the wolf''s eyes. The man sighed, ¡°Ah, I see, alright this is pointless. Have a good life.¡± Lexy narrowed her eyes and the dome fell. Quickly Lexy went to go after them when Leo stopped her and shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s not worth it, let''s just head back.¡± With that, Leo led Lexy and Varikin out of the black markets. The three are back in the city. The three enter the city square and Lexy shudders at the sight of the gallows. The three are leaving the city through the front gates and the three-stop for a short moment as they watch ten cartloads of slummer families and prisoners being hauled by tiger horses. Leo had a look of sympathy and regret in his eyes, ¡°come on it''s not worth staring¡± Lexy nodded and the three left the city and started to head back to the base. Leo looked to Lexy when he took back her cloak, ¡°tell Alcore about the slummers being sent to the gallows.¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°I will¡± Leo nodded and he left for the lab. Lexy looked around and saw Fendres. Lexy walked up to her, ¡°Hey Fendres, do you know where Alcore is?¡± Fendres looked to Lexy, ¡°Oh yeah he is in his office down that hall and then it¡¯s the third door to the left.¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°Thanks, Fendres.¡± Lexy quickly headed down the hall and stopped at the third door to the left. Lexy knocked on the door. ¡°Come in,¡± Lexy heard from the other side. Lexy walked in with Varikin shortly behind and saw Alcore working with a hologram. He turned to her and surprise came on his face, ¡°oh hi Lexy, what do you need?¡± Lexy tightened her grip on her box of knives, ¡°When I and Leo were leaving the city we saw ten cartloads of slummers all coming into the city. They''re going to be hung tomorrow.¡± Alcore¡¯s expression changed to a smirked, ¡°It''s ok I''ll take care of it come by tomorrow and watch you''ll see I''ll take care of it. But before you go head to Jackson he has a training session set up for you.¡± Lexy frowned, ¡°ok, just ok?¡± Lexy exited Alcore¡¯s office and turned to Varikin. ¡°I don''t suppose you know where Jackson is?¡± Varikin just huffed and looked away. Lexy¡¯s frown deepened ¡°Well, you are not very helpful. I¡¯ll just ask one of the other captains where Jackson is.¡± Lexy walked through the halls and got to the cafeteria. Lexy looked around to see Fendres talking to someone Lexy did not recognize. Lexy walked up to the two. ¡°hey Fendres¡± Fendres looked at Lexy with a solemn expression on her face. ¡°Hey kid this is Jennie¡± Jennie gave a small wave. Lexy smiled, ¡°hi I''m Lexy¡± Jennie leaned back a bit, ¡°Ah, so you''re the one Talo challenged, good luck with that.¡± Lexy scratched her arm. ¡°Thanks, I think I''ll need it but not the point Fendres do you know where Jackson is?¡± Fendres shrugged, ¡°Yes, he is in one of the training rooms waiting for you two I think.¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°Thanks, Fendres¡±. Fendres nodded and pointed to the hallway Lexy came from. ¡°you head down that hallway take a right and it will open to the training rooms after a bit of a downwards hallway¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°Thanks again¡±, and with that, the blond-headed back down the hallway she came from and took a right to see the hallway, as fenders said, sloped downwards. Lexy continued down until it opened to a very large area with multiple dummies around the room. Yet Jackson was not there despite there being other trainees in the room. Lexy turned the corner and saw Jackson standing against the wall, ¡°There you two are, I was wondering if you were going to take any longer. Come on¡± Jackson brought Lexy to one of the training areas. He turned back to Lexy, ¡°Alright, I want you to try to punch me or injure me, use whatever you can except for outside help. That means you Varikin¡± Varikin nodded and backed away from Lexy. He walked over to the side and sat down. Lexy tilted her head ¡°ok so just try to punch you?¡± Jackson nodded and got ready. Lexy set down the box of knives behind her and picked up one while pocketing her free hand. Lexy turned around to face Jackson and had a smile on her face with a knife in hand. Lexy bolts at Jackson with the knife. Jackson prepared for the knife while watching it but was quickly surprised to see Lexy drop the knife at the last second and go in for a punch to the gut. She knows she can¡¯t reach his face, so she goes somewhere she can. Jackson quickly stops the punch and holds her fist tight with his left hand. Lexy quickly goes in for a kick to his left. Jackson stops it with his right hand, and he realizes what she did, but it is far too late. Jackson expected a punch from this small child to be equivalent to a tickle. This is not what happens when her fist meets his face Varikin, Jackson, Lexy and all the other trainees in the room all hear a sickening crunch. Jackson feels his jaw and nose begin to pulse with pain. All the trainees stopped and watched Jackson stagger back while he held his face and dropped Lexy. Many gasps while some just gazed with wide eyes while Lexy quickly hopped back to her feet and looked just at what she did. Lexy gasped, ¡°oh my gosh, I¡¯m so sorry I should not have gone that far.¡± Jackson let his hands down and saw the blood on it, ¡°no I said punch me you very successfully did so. I¡¯ll be fine. I have been through worse.¡± With that, he wiped away some of the blood. ¡°Alright let''s try that again and don''t hold back¡± Lexy nodded and rushed towards Jackson. She went to use both hands to punch him only for him to stop both. Lexy quickly used this as an opportunity to kick Jackson in the bladder. Those who were watching gasped while some chuckled. Jackson let out a high-pitched whine and dropped Lexy. ¡°Alright, I think that will be all for today. I''ll come up with something better tomorrow, this isn''t going to work the way I intended it.. ¡± He spoke in a strained voice. Lexy frowned softly and nodded, concern for him not fading from her. But she agreed, ¡°yeah, I¡¯ve got to get home soon anyway.¡± Lexy picked up the knife she dropped and put it back with the others in the box. Lexy turned to Varikin, ¡°Come on, let''s go home¡± and with that, they went and passed Fendres. Fendres chuckled having watched the whole thing, ¡°who knew Tethys¡¯s mighty power would come down on you in the form of a toothpick.¡± Jackson glared ¡°oh shut up.¡± ***** The man with a black boar mask and dark silver-blue hair walked out to three men in the desert. One was Albis, his one hole here twitched slightly in the wind. Albis raised a brow at the man with a mask. ¡°I don''t see a wonder wolf Tarvos.¡± Tarvos shrugged, ¡°Sorry but the wolf is already bonded. Unless you want a bonded wonder wolf?¡± Albis shook his head and pulled out a file, ¡°No, we have a change of targets. See to it that you succeed this time.¡± Albis handed the file to Tarvos. Tarvos let out a breath when he looked at the picture in the file. The picture was of Lexy, ¡°Sorry kid but it looks like that nice life I talked about. It doesn''t exist for you.¡± Training with a dash of combat. Lexy rushed to the mansion, Varikin shortly behind. She made it just an hour before sunset. Lexy stepped cautiously through the large front doors of the mansion. Varikin Followed her and did not display any fear. Lexy however, was terrified. After taking a few steps inside Lexy sighed, relaxing her shoulders. ¡°What''s wrong, did something happen while you were in the forest?¡± Lexy screamed and almost dropped her box of knives. not expecting Thokath to be by the door, ¡°Oh my gosh, don''t scare me like that. I thought you were away doing your job thing again, but no I just got carried away again sorry I¡¯ll try not to do that again¡±. Thokath softly chuckled, ¡°It''s quite alright Lexy, I two used to find sanctuary in that forest. Tell me did you see the white-tailed deer? They are very breathtaking are they not?¡± Lexy gave a soft smile and scratched the back of her neck, ¡°yah me and he did see the deer¡± Thokath eyed the box in Lexy¡¯s hands, ¡°what¡¯s that?¡± Lexy gave a sheepish smile and held up the knives, ¡°it¡¯s a box of knives I wanted to see how they did it¡¯s also why I was out there so long, sorry¡± Thokath shook his head. ¡°don¡¯t be sorry I am your guardian. I know with a little guidance you can achieve anything you put your mind to¡± Thokath ruffled Lexy¡¯s hair, ¡°Now let¡¯s go eat. I believe they''re making macarons. I think you will enjoy them.¡± ***** The next day Lexy woke up to Varikin barking at her door, ¡°I¡¯m coming¡± with that she gets into a gray hoodie and black cargo pants. She grabbed her knives and put them in her side leg pockets on her pants. With this, Lexy walked out of her bedroom and looked to Varkin ¡°alright let¡¯s go I¡¯m skipping breakfast.¡± Lexy then made her way out of the mansion and out into the woods. Lexy leaned over to Varikin and put a hand on him while she began to think of the desert and the doorway to the rebellion base. Lexy opened her eyes when she felt sandy winds against her skin. She looked to the doorway and went through with Varicin shortly behind. The two made their way through the stone town where people were going about their day. Lexy and Varikin entered the base to see Alcore coming up to the two ¡°hey are you two coming?¡± Lexy nodded and Alcore smirked. Alcore quickly rushed away in a blur and then came back with a cloaked figure behind him along with an extra cloak. Alcore handed the extra cloak to Lexy. Lexy eyed the cloaked figure with them while she put on the cloak. She couldn''t see any features besides that their whole cloaked looked wet yet no water was dripping from them. With that, the four left the base and headed for the city. When they enter Lexy could see the crowd that has gathered around the hallows and the slummers. Upon entering the square Lexy could see the huge line of slummers better. The slummers consisted of mothers, children, and men of all ages. Their hair is matted and even from here, she can count their bones. They had bruises littered on them like smallpox. Blood and dirt caked on so much it looked like it was a part of their skin. Lexy could see their hopeless faces. Their eyes were dim in life and their heads low. Alcore turned to Miko, ¡°make sure she doesn¡¯t stop me.¡± Alcore said, referring to Lexy. Lexy looked at Alcore confused, ¡°Wait Alcore, what are you¡± but it¡¯s too late and he disappeared into the crowd. Lexy¡¯s attention was then brought to the guards upon the gallows coughing to get the crowd''s attention. ¡°attention you are about to witness the hanging of these scum who have refused to be a part of our community and serve our great king any who try to stop this shall be ¡° He was suddenly interrupted by Alcore saying with utmost confidence, ¡°Excuse me.¡± The guard stops and everyone looks at Alcore. The guard turned sharply, ¡°what?¡± Alcore smirked, ¡°I have a proposition if I do not die on the gallows then you have to be released every single summer here on death row.¡± The guard along with a few others burst laughing. ¡°oh, you must be joking?¡± Alcore shook his head. ¡°no, I mean it, you can hang me here and now.¡± The guard smirked ¡°alright looks like we have a jokester here let¡¯s see how happy you will be when you die. I accept your proposition.¡± With that two other soldiers grabbed Alcore and brought him up to the gallows and placed a noose over Alcore¡¯s neck woven with barbs. The guard smirked and stepped off the drop platform and nodded to the executioner. Lexy¡¯s eyes widened and went to shout but were stopped by her feet being suddenly covered in ice and Miko covering her mouth. To Lexy¡¯s surprise, Miko¡¯s hand is grey, wet, and webbed. Lexy looked from Miko to Alcore just in time to see the trap door underneath Alcore open and Alcore be hanged. Tears had begun to escape her eyes. Lexy turned her head to see some of Miko¡¯s face and a soft smirk on him. She feels left out here how he could be smiling when their friend just died. The guard chuckled, ¡°Not so cocky now, dead man?¡± Alcore smiled, ¡°eh I think the noose could be comfier, but beggars can¡¯t be choosers. It¡¯s kind of fun though not standing. I¡¯m doing fine, how about you, you''re looking rather pale?¡± The guard was in fact pale and he staggered back ¡°what kind of magic is this? Not even a dragon-blooded man survives being hanged!¡± He exclaimed with shock. Alcore¡¯s smirk grew, ¡°good for me I¡¯m not a dragon blooded.¡± Lexy heard this but didn''t believe it. Her eyes were still wide and mumbled ¡°how?¡± along with the crowd who is just as confused. Alcore gripped the rim of the platform and pulled himself up. The guard just staggered back terrified, ¡°Just what are you!¡± Alcore stood up on the platform and pulled out the barbed noose from his neck. Holes from the barbs began to heal while he turned and faced the guard, ¡°I''m not a ghost or a demon, I''m only human.¡± This sent the crowd into an uproar and two other guards came up to the first, ¡°Sir what do we do?¡± Alcore chuckled, ¡°I can tell you what to do, you uphold your side of the bargain. I didn¡¯t die so it¡¯s only fair, otherwise good luck stopping me and my friends.¡± The guard¡¯s eyes widened ¡°there¡¯s more of you?¡± Alcore smirked deviously and placed his hand on his hip, ¡°Oh of course there are many of us hidden around and they aren¡¯t nearly as kind as me, but I bet they will be far more willing to let you go if you hold your side of the bargain.¡± The guards look at each other terrified as Alcore nears the three. ¡°w-we will not need for violence. I''ve heard stories of what happens to those who don''t side with humans.¡± And he quickly turns to his two other companions, ¡°you heard the human go!¡± and the two quickly scrambled to get the chained slummers free. With that Alcore hopped off the gallows and the crowd parts like the seas. The expression on Lexy''s face immediately changed from sadness and shock to frustration when Alcore gave her a quick bow. ''Do you enjoy it?¡¯ He only received a slap to the face, ¡°Jerk what the hell is wrong with you!¡± her voice was in an angry hushed tone. Alcore rubbed his cheek, ¡°ok yeah, I guess that¡¯s deserved.¡± Lexy huffed and her gaze narrowed, ¡°You guess? I thought you died up there, I cried!¡± Alcore smiled, ¡°oh, so you care?¡± ¡°Yes, I care. I care for your mental health.¡± Lexy nodded painfully. ¡°Is this the first time you''ve done this?¡± Alcore smiled at the thought of the situation ¡°no, it''s not the first time I''ve done something like that for them but for this particular city, yes, it''s the first time.¡± Lexy shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°you¡¯re hopeless.¡± Alcore chuckled, ¡°Well, I like to think of myself as hopeful and with that out of the way I need your help getting these people to the base. I don¡¯t think it would be good for them to stay in the city. But I¡¯ll let that be their choice.¡± Lexy glared at Alcore ¡°ugh fine but next time tell me at least.¡± Alcore smiled and nodded ¡°ok fair enough I¡¯m sorry.¡± Lexy snorted and rolled her eyes, ¡°apology accepted.¡± With that Alcore turned on a dime and headed to the growing group of freed slummers. ¡°Excuse me but just curious, do any of you have places to stay?¡± Some of the slummers shook their heads while others just stayed quiet. ¡°all alright if any of you would like me and my friends can take you to our place and give you food and decent clothing in return for some simple labor of course.¡± The slummers glance at each other and then one after another they all step up. Alcore gave a kind smile and began leading the group of slummers. He now joins back up with Miko, Lexy, and Varikin with the large crowd of slummers behind. Lexy gazed back at the crowd watching for any unwelcome pursuers when they entered the desert. To her surprise, Alcore¡¯s tricks must¡¯ve really scared the townsfolk more than Lexy was willing to give Alcore credit for. She looked to Miko, ¡°So why does Alcore do this? Freeing people from death is nice and all but he does it in such a crazy way.¡± Miko looked at her and uncloaked his left arm and there was a device clipped onto his wrist that had a keyboard on it. Miko typed on it and then a message popped up above it. ¡°He¡¯s looking for the guardian sent by a god.¡± Lexy raised a brow, ¡°Really which one?¡± Miko shrugged and typed again, ¡°I don''t know if the story is so old. Plus a lot of people typically argue that the God who sent the guardian was Tethys or it was Orien. but in some of the older versions of the story, there¡¯s mention of a third god. But It''s just a story.¡± Lexy glanced at Alcore and then back to Meko, ¡°Must have been a good story.¡± Alcore quickly helped the four and the slummers settle into their new surroundings, while Lexy smiled when she watched her friend helping the slummers with their children. When suddenly her attention was caught by Jackson coming up to her, ¡°Hi Jackson, how is your face doing?¡± concern laced in her voice. Jackson shrugged, ¡°It is fine but not the point. I am going to have to cancel combat lessons today and I need your help with something else.¡± Lexy smiled and nodded, ¡°What do you need help with?¡± Jackson huffed ¡°I can¡¯t honestly describe more of, show you, Follow me.¡± With that, he brought her back to the training area, and she saw some other members training but that¡¯s not what caught her eyes. They''re running and smiling without a care in the world going ¡°we!¡± was a little beast-blooded girl with fluffy pigtails, brown hair, and bear ears. She was dressed in a pink fluffy skirt and a t-shirt. The little girl was half a foot smaller than Lexy Jackson huffed, ¡°This is what I need help with. Kuma gave her sugar before he left and now, she¡¯s well you can see¡± A surprise-filled expression occurred on Lexy¡¯s face: ¡°I didn¡¯t know Kuma was a father, and uh, please remind me who Kuma was again?¡± Jackson raised a brow, ¡°He''s the guy who transformed into a bear when you met Alcore the second time.¡± Lexy blinked, ¡°oh ok.¡± The little girl shifted her gaze from Jackson to Lexy, the little girl locked eyes with Lexy and then ran up to Jackson hiding behind him from Lexy. Jackson turned to the little girl, ¡°Kanki this is Lexy be nice okay? Lexy this is Kanki¡± Kanki eyed Lexy and tilted her head to the side causing her ears to flop. ¡°What are you? you don''t look like a Beast-blooded? Did someone cut off your ears and tail? Because you just look weird¡± Jackson frowned ¡°Kanki what did I just say be nice.¡± Lexy just smiled nervously ¡°it''s ok, no I¡¯m not beast-blooded.¡± Kanki stepped up to Lexy ¡°Then what are you? I know you¡¯re like mister Alcore, a human, are you his daughter?¡± Lexy raised a brow ¡°no I¡¯m not his daughter and I¡¯m human as for your other question. But how do you know what a human is?¡± Kanki hummed softly and smiled, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s what Alcore called himself, but hey, how about you play with me? It''s been so long since someone has played with me.¡± Kanki looked at Lexy with wide eyes and her hands in a begging position. Lexy did to be rude, she went to talk but was suddenly being dragged by the hand by this little girl. Lexy gave a pleading look to Jackson. Jackson shook his head ¡°oh no I¡¯m not doing that. You haven¡¯t seen her angry, it''s not pretty.¡± Lexy sighed out of frustration and Kanki smiled. She then walked over to a corner where she had a few stuffed dolls and a little bag that had a few more and sat down. The little girl had begun to brush Lexy¡¯s hair, ¡°You know your hair reminds me of my mommies¡¯ hair, but her hair was long and had flowers in it. She would tickle me with it two and she would let me braid it.¡± Lexy looked at the little girl who was smiling, ¡°oh do I? where is your mommy actually?¡± Kanki hummed, ¡°I¡¯ve asked daddy that, but he refuses to tell me. He just ignores my question and goes to something else. I haven¡¯t seen her since we moved to this place.¡± The way it was said didn¡¯t sit right with Lexy, but she decided not to press any further. Kanki then hugged Lexy and gave out a yawn ¡°I¡¯m tired can you tuck me in as mommy would?¡± Lexy blinked ¡°uh sure but where is your room?¡± Kanki smiled and led Lexy past Jackson and Varikin to a room that was covered in flowers and plants. In the room were pictures and at the corner is a bed made from giant flowers. The little girl laid on the bed and looked to Lexy, ¡°So what kind of magic can you do?¡± Lexy shrugged, ¡°eh, nothing much besides going to the veil.¡± Kanki¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°Wait, you can go into the veil! The other world without getting hurt. Wow!¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°Yeah that¡¯s about right.¡± Kanki furrowed her brows, ¡°So does that mean if I open my eyes really wide that I can see the other world with the pretty flowers?¡± The little girl then opens her eyes as wide as she can, ¡°See! Will I be able to see the other world now?¡± Lexy chuckled, ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s how it works.¡± Kanki shrugged when she nuzzled into the flowers, ¡°Maybe someday I will.¡± With that, the little girl fell asleep and Lexy left the room. The blond-headed back over to Jackson, ¡°So Jackson I was thinking what if I brought some seeds and started working on a food supply.¡± Jackson nodded and looked over her a little bit and then back to her, ¡°Did Kanki fall asleep?¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°Yes so, Jackson, what do you think of my whole plant idea? I can get all the seeds and the soil, and then we could make pots out of clay.¡± Jackson hummed, ¡°you would probably have to ask Katie. She handles food, but I like it if a farm could really help with low supplies. But you need to practice more if you want to fight against Talo and make it out ok. Just because you agreed to combat where the opponents don''t kill each other doesn''t mean that she can''t severely injure you.¡± Lexy raised a brow, ¡°Ok, what kind of training will I be doing?¡± Jackson smirked, ¡°Not smashing my face, that''s for sure. Today I''ll take you out to the fields to fight Meko.¡± Lexy scrunched her face when she remembered the entry in the book Callum had given to her that was on dragon blooded when she looked at Jackson, ¡°So dragon blooded uh, they can turn into dragons, or do they just look like it?¡± Jackson nodded, ¡°Yes, dragon blooded can turn into dragons. Some are stronger than others. Now come on¡± Lexy followed while she thought for a moment Varikin shortly behind, ¡°What happens when a child is both dragon blooded and something else.¡± Jackson shuddered briefly while he leads her out of the training room and out of the building, ¡°Believe it or not the king is part dragon blooded.¡± Lexy raised a brow, ¡°how do you know that?¡± Jackson looked to her while he slowed in his pace, ¡°Well, the last king was half-dragon blooded and half wizard. So it would stand to reason that his lazy son is part dragon blooded.¡± Lexy raised a brow, ¡°Why do you guys always call the king lazy?¡± Jackson let out a huff, ¡°Because he is the whole reason the kingdom went into the hell abomination it is in now. He instilled in the council to do half of his job while he has his siblings do the rest of his job. He¡¯s downright despicable and lazy. Because of him, there''s the child tax.¡± Lexy narrowed her eyes when she remembered her promise to Niph. Lexy looked to Jackson, ¡°Do you know why he did the child tax?¡± Jackson¡¯s eyes widened as he continued to lead Lexy out of the stone town, ¡°Oh, right you''re not from around here. Ok, so the royalty of Anawrath have always been protectors of the people. In which they literally would go and fight on the front lines to defend the colonists and mines in the ten constellations Anawrath has in its grip. Thus this led to over the years a low need for a huge military. Because the royals were enough. But this all changed when the lazy bum became king. He has never once defended the kingdom¡± Lexy¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°So then if a lazy king came in and didn''t fight, that would mean a high need for a large military.¡± Jackson nodded and stopped when they got out far in the fields and there was Meko with a bamboo staff. ¡°Thus the child tax. Alright, Lexy this is Meko, Meko this is Lexy. You two will be sparring against each other. Not trying to kill just till first blood. Varikin will not aid you in this.¡± Lexy looked to Jackson while Varikin went to the dragon blooded, ¡°We''ve already met but got it.¡± Jackson blinked and took a couple of strides back while Varkin followed him, ¡°Oh, alright. Well, I''ll just take a few steps back now. Start at three. Alright one¡± Lexy looked at Meko and pulled out two throwing knives, one in each hand. ¡°Two.¡± Miko tightened his grip on his staff. ¡°Three¡± Lexy immediately threw a knife at Miko. Only to be surprised when instead of Miko blocking with his staff. Water had risen up and frozen the blade in place. Lexy¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°Oh boy¡± Miko made more water rise around him and with a swift motion of his staff into the ground ice spikes began to erupt out of the earth. Lexy ran from the freezing water and grabbed another throwing knife from her pocket. She then sharply turned around and leaped back just enough to doge the next ice spike. Lexy stabbed the still rising spike of ice with her two knives and used this to push herself into the air while she pulled out the knives. This sent Lexy heading straight for Miko. Lexy quickly threw one of the two knives in a different direction while she held onto the other. Miko had his attention on the knife she threw, not entirely her. His eyes widened when he saw the knife hit the ground and quickly he whacked her with his staff just in time. This sent Lexy flying and landing on the ground. Lexy wheezed as she felt her head go light and her air leave her lungs. She laid there for a bit letting herself catch her breath. Lexy felt warm liquid seep from her side along with sharp pain. She looked to her side to see a large cut that had gone through her hoodie, her t-shirt, and into her skin with blood seeping from it. Lexy got back up and smiled at Meko, ¡°You''re really good. Thanks for sparing.¡± Meko silently nodded while he walked up to her and her surprise she watched as he moved water to her wound and her injury came back together but there still was a thin cut remaining. Jackson came up to her with Varikin by his side, ¡°Alright, I think that is good for today. If you try and keep going you''ll reopen that wound.¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°Thanks, Jackson. I think I''ll talk to Kaite before I go.¡± And with a wave, She and Varikin left the fields and walked back to the rebellion''s main building. Lexy walked into the building and headed into the cafeteria. She walked to the food serving area to see no one there. Lexy looks to someone passing by, ¡°Excuse me?¡± They looked to her, ¡°Yes?¡± Lexy glanced at the empty food serving area, ¡°Do you know where Katie is?¡± The person blinked, ¡°oh Katie she headed home you''ll have to come in the morning tomorrow.¡± Lexy sighed, ¡°oh ok, thanks anyway.¡± The person nodded and walked away. Lexy then looked to Varkin who only stared at her, ¡°I guess it would be best to go home now.¡± Varkin gave a quick yip in response and Lexy smiled, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s head home.¡± Lexy then walked out of the building with Varkin by her side and headed out to the stone streets of the base until they reached the doorway to the desert. Lexy stepped through the doorway with Varikin. She leaned over and touched his scruff when she began to think of the mansion and Thokath. Lexy opened her eyes to see she and Verkin were once again in the lush greenery of the forest. She smiled and began to walk to the mansion. Once Lexy reached the mansion, she opened the front door and walked up to one of the butlers, ¡°Tell Thokath I''m heading to bed.¡± The butler only nodded and with that Lexy went to bed. Theres a reason she has those trophies. Two beast-blooded guardsmen stand at their posts. Just by the front doors in the throne room. One of them with wolf features yawned and then glanced to the other, ¡°So did you hear about that dust walker kid?¡± The other with cat ears scoffed and shook his head, ¡°Yeah, an exact result of the king¡¯s fabulous ways of doing utterly nothing, didn''t the guy have to get his hand cauterized because of it?¡± The one with wolf features nodded, ¡°I believe so, the child even called the general a nitwit. What is a nitwit anyway?¡± It was when the two guards talked that a tall man silently entered the room. He pulled his scarlet red hair with black tips out of his face. His blood-red gaze fell onto the two guardsmen. His eyes were red with black sclera instead of white. While his attire consisted of a dark-colored fancy tailcoat with red and gold embroidery and ash-colored pants accompanied by lacquer black boots. The tall man walked over to the two guardsmen and the two men stiffened. The one with wolf ears looked to the tall man but didn''t look the man in the eyes, ¡°Yes, your highness?¡± The tall man narrowed his eyes, ¡°where did you hear about this child that called a general a nitwit?¡± The soldier furrowed his brows, ¡°Well, many have been talking about this. The child was able to severely injure two Anawrath guardsmen and then was left in the desert to die by rebels.¡± The tall man¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°By whose order?¡± The guardsmen shuddered, ¡°By General Fenicce¡¯s.¡± To this, the tall man froze and then gave a cruel smile, ¡°Thank you for this information.¡± With that, the tall man stormed out of the throne room and rushed through the halls. He eventually reached one set of doors and burst through them when he entered the room. The many generals that were in the room flinched and looked at the tall man. The man that they had never seen entered this room once. One of the generals looked to the man, ¡°Sir? Uh, what are you doing here?¡± The tall man strode through the room looking from general to general, ¡°I want to give a military command.¡± The generals looked from each other and to the tall man. They began to laugh and the man smiled, ¡°Silkie, Demos rise.¡± The general''s laughter died to gasps of horror when all the water floated in the room and two green horses were now by the man. These horses had large pointed teeth sticking out of their cheeks and chunks of skin peeling off. The creatures hissed through their teeth and gazed at the generals hungrily. The tall man¡¯s smile changed to a cruel grin, ¡°I am the blood king, you are going to listen to what I tell you to do and if you choose against that then my friends here will get to have you for dinner tonight, am I clear?¡± The men nodded and shrunk a bit in their seats. The blood king seemed to suffice with this and continued, ¡°So I want you all to create a map of rebel activity, even a sighting. Then I want you to send search parties out to those areas to investigate. Should they encounter rebels, have them capture the children and kill the adults, those are your orders.¡± All the generals nodded, ¡°Yes sir!¡± ***** Lexy awoke with a groan as she heard barking outside of her bedroom door. She got out of bed and walked over to her dresser. Lexy pulled out one of her light blue hoodies, a grey t-shirt, and cargo pants. She changed into clean clothes and grabbed her red goggles. She then grabbed her throwing knives, her bow, and arrows and her father¡¯s knife. Lexy walked over to her bedroom door, opened it, and flinched when she saw Varikin sitting in front of the doorway. The animal gave a gruff short growl. Lexy sighed, ¡°Ok sorry, you don¡¯t like being left alone, but since I have some spare time maybe I should go downtown to get food for the others.¡± Varikin gave a thoughtful look and then nodded. Lexy weirded out by the fact the dog understood her raised a brow, ¡°k ima go but you¡¯re going to have to stay here. Will you be ok?¡± She said as if expecting an answer, ¡°Wait, why am I talking to a dog?¡± She said while watching the dog for a response. Varikin narrowed his eyes and then nodded softly up and down to say yes. Lexy smiled, ¡°alright I will be back.¡± Lexy walked away from the dog and headed downstairs to one of the butlers, ¡°Can we head downtown to get some food supplies?¡± The butler nodded, ¡°Yes, I''ll go get one of the drivers.¡± Lexy watched the man leave and a few minutes later she heard a limo pull up. She then walked out of the mansion and got into the limo. The driver asked her, ¡°Where is the young man?¡± Lexy hummed ¡°is there a Walmart in the town nearby¡± The driver noded, ¡°Yes, would you like me to take you there?¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°Yes please.¡± The driver nodded and began his task. As the trees went by and the country land became urban, Lexy already had a recipe in mind for the meal. Biscuit stew, her mom had made it for her occasionally. The driver pulled up into a large strip mall that has a Walmart. The driver while he did, ¡°Would you like me to drop you off at the front?¡± the diver said when he looked at her. Lexy nodded, ¡°I would like that a lot, thank you.¡± The diver nodded and pulled up to the front of the Walmart and handed her some cash. Lexy got out of the vehicle and got a smaller cart while she pocketed the cash the butler had given her. Lexy got weird looks from other customers and she knew why, it''s her height. She is a foot taller than an average five-year-old. Even though she is thirteen and soon to enter high school level classes. But Lexy did not care about her height. She was more focused on the task at hand she probably was going to have to triple the recipe and so she started shopping. When she got to the register the lady raised a brow, ¡°Where are your parents?¡± Lexy gave a blank expression, ¡° I am thirteen and they''re out in the car waiting for me. Have a problem with someone who has dwarfism?¡± the lady gave a shocked expression and was quiet after that. Lexy bought ten concentrated cans of cream of chicken, Eight bags of uncooked chicken, two bags of vegetables, and one bag of potatoes. Along with fifteen cans of jumbo biscuits. Lexy placed what she purchased back into the cart and hauled all of it outside to see the driver parked the Limo in one of the first parking spots she saw. Lexy brought the cart of food up to the back of the limo. The driver came out of the limo and opened the trunk for her, ¡°Young miss, do not bother yourself with this, I can put it away for you.¡± Lexy tilted her head still not used to people doing stuff for her but didn''t want to make them feel bad so she nodded and smiled, ¡°Alright, and thank you.¡± Lexy got into the limo and a short moment after the Driver was back. The driver started the car, ¡°Alright, we''re too now, young miss?¡± Lexy smiles ¡°back home please.¡± The driver nodded and started up the limo¡¯s engine. The way back was quietly leaving Lexy to her thoughts ¡°I wonder how Varikin is doing. I wonder how mom is doing. She¡¯s probably happy I''m gone¡±. Lexy felt a sharp blade of sadness and anger bubbles up when she pulled herself away from those thoughts. Lexy then realized that they were pulled up into the driveway of the mansion. The limo halted and Lexy gets out of the limo and turned to the driver, ¡°I''ll get the stuff I''ve just got to do a few things first¡± the driver nodded and Lexy headed inside. Lexy remembered what Alcore said about most nonorganic materials disappearing because they aren¡¯t real. So, she walks up to one of the maids, ¡°excuse me but do you have cotton sheets that no one cares for?¡± The maid nodded, ¡°We do actually, it''s rather large though.¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°it''s fine¡± The maid nodded, ¡°ok, I''ll go get it for you.¡± With that, the maid left. Varikin came up to Lexy. Lexy smiled and the maid returned with a large white sheet that¡¯s folded and handed it to Lexy. Lexy smiled, ¡°thank you¡± and turned to Varikin, ¡°come on¡± Varikin nodded and followed Lexy outside. Lexy walked up to the driver, ¡°Could you pop the trunk please?¡± The driver nodded and with the press of a button the trunk opened. Lexy walked back over to the trunk and opened the sheet. Lexy had begun to put the food into the sheet and with the last bag of chicken, Lexy tied the sheet around the food. Lexy picked up the sack worth of food which was heavy and waved to the driver, ¡°Thank you.¡± and the driver left. Lexy slowly entered the forest, the sound of nature filled her ears. She began to follow her trail of chalk markings on the trees. Varikin shortly behind is no longer in his Doberman pinscher allusion instead now in his wolf form. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Lexy sighed and sat down on a fallen tree branch. Varikin came up to her and just stared at her. Lexy smiled and sighed, ¡°Hi, I''m still not sure about you. I''ve never been around dogs before, but we¡¯ve got to keep going. I hope they like the food. Got to hurry otherwise the chicken is going to defrost too soon.¡± Lexy stood up and picked up the sack of food. She resumed walking and following her markings on the trees. The two get to the clearing and Lexy leaned down and touched Varikin on the scruff and with some heavy thoughts brought the duo to reality. Lexy noted Varikin immediately began sniffing the air ¡°what is it?¡± Varikin growled and began to lead Lexy by taking a left, ¡°Where are we going?¡± Lexy asked confusedly as she struggled to follow Varikin. Varikin eventually stopped after what felt like an hour to Lexy. Lexy looked up and sighed upon seeing the door to the base. Lexy stepped through the doorway and headed to the rebellion¡¯s main building. When the two entered the base they were instantly bombarded with questions about what she brought with her by a group of little kids. Lexy tried to answer some of them but before she could she see a familiar bi-pedal brown bear come to the back of the group of ankle biters, ¡°QUIET!¡± Silence filled the room when Lexy watched the children flee. ¡°h-hi uh¡± Lexy was trying to remember his name. ¡°Kuma my name is Kuma and pardon the shovel kids have yet to eat and their rowdy¡± Lexy followed Kuma through the entrance and through the cafeteria which has tables and seats now set up for the day, ¡°don¡¯t mind me asking but why are their kids here? Also, I brought food¡± Lexy said while following Kuma. Kuma shrugged, ¡°Well those are kids abandoned or are children of some of the rebels and I''ll bring you to the cafeteria¡¯s kitchen.¡± They get to the end of the cafeteria where there is a slightly chubby but charming-looking old lady, she looked to be in her forties busy in the kitchen area. The kitchen had three giant cauldrons filled with water that had a fire lit underneath them. Next to the cauldrons is a long metal counter made probably from scrap metal. Kuma coughed to get her attention. ¡°Katie this is Lexy''¡± The lady immediately had set her eyes on Lexy, ¡°oh bless my stars you¡¯re the one everyone is talking about. You are adorable and by the look of it you bought something with you?¡± Lexy took this as her queue to talk, ¡°yes um I brought food and thank you¡± . Lexy smiled, ¡°well I was thinking we could make a dumpling soup, but I don¡¯t know how to operate the kitchen¡± Katie smiled, ¡°It''s ok I can get the water ready, you clean the vegetables and prepare the dumplings.¡± Lexy used water to clean the vegetables and then used one of the kitchen knives to cut them, she looked to Kaite, ¡°We add the chicken concentrate to the water and then put in the veggies. Once that simmer for a bit we add the dumplings to it and have them cooked in the stew.¡± Kaite nodded and with that Lexy added the chopped vegetables to the soup. Lexy took a turn stirring the soup with a long spoon and it wasn''t easy at first. With so much food in the cauldron, it felt like trying to stir concrete. But once she got it stirring it was much easier to keep going than starting it. They added the huge dumplings into the soup and let them cook in the broth. When the food is done the two begin dishing food out on boles made from clay. Lexy had begun to help Kaite dish up food and got ready to dish up for whoever was next only to see Talo and her wonder wolf Lexy quickly dished her up a bowl of soup, ¡°uh, soup?¡± Lexy raised the bowl a bit defensively. The dog smiled, ¡°Talo.¡± Talo turned to the dog, ¡°what?¡± The dog looked at Lexy¡¯s extended bowl of soup and looked back to Talo, ¡°You never answered their question and I am hungry so if you don¡¯t want the soup, I¡¯ll take it and you will be staring off into space.¡± Talo looked back to Lexy, ¡°ugh fine I¡¯ll take two bowls of your stupid soup.¡± Lexy nods and quickly dishes them up to two bowls of soup, ¡°Wait, the wolves can talk?¡± Talo stops and smirked, ¡°oh has Varikin not? Well, that¡¯s not surprising why would a rare white wolf talk to likes of you, stupid vail child.¡± With that Talo and her friend walk away. Lexy got ready for who was next and was greeted by Miko who set a holographic device on the table. With this type, ¡°Sorry about Talo, she''s harsh but I am not against the thought of having a vailer. At least I think that¡¯s what her problem was.¡± Lexy shrugged, ¡°Well, it''s ok. I can understand that no one usually likes foreigners. Want a bowl?¡± he nods, Lexy smiles and dishes him some food. Once finished helping Katie, Lexy gets food for herself and looks for somewhere to sit, and decides to take a seat at an empty table. Lexy begins walking over to where she wanted to sit. Varikin is shortly behind. Only to be stopped by Fendres Fendres was talking to Miko and Leo. ¡°oh, howdy Lexy. I¡¯d like you to meet Leo and Meko. They handle our science and techno gaits. Though sometimes I wonder what you make in that rabbit hole of yours. Some of those contraptions have gone crazy as the king¡± Lexy looks over at Leo and his eyes visibly twitch at Fendres¡¯s words. Leo shook his head and ignored Fendres and turned his attention over to Lexy, ¡°Fendres me, Miko, and the little kid have already met.¡± To this Fendres shrugged and smiled ¡°well you could have told me.¡± Lexy never liked being called small but did not make anything of it. To not be rude she gave a soft shrug, ¡°um, yea I¡¯m going to go sit over there so yeah.¡± ¡°Bye, how old are you?¡± Leo asks with curiosity on his face. Lexy was expecting this question to come eventually, ¡°I am thirteen, also where did Varikin go?¡± She said while she looked around for the wolf. Fendres made a slowdown motion with her hands, ¡°Wait there the minute you are thirteen I thought you were some super-smart little kid, damn, You¡¯re the size of an ankle biter, no offense and to your question, he probably went to report to Alcore.¡± Leo and Meko nodded in agreement. Meko began to type on a device on his wrist and then finished. The message floated above his wrist and directed it toward Lexy, ¡°Have you gotten assigned to a squad yet?¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°Yes, Jacksons, and what are the squads?¡± Fendres chuckled, ¡°The squads are what type of fighting zone you work under. Say someone is stealthy, they go in the stealth squad. We find one skilled at flight and aerial combat. You would go in my group the Blue renegades also known as the flight squad. Then there is the battle battalion they are our heavy hitters if you can hit heavy and take on multiple all at once. Then there¡¯s the one you are a part of the k-nine¡± Lexy nodded and ate her soup while standing, ¡°oh makes sense¡± Lexy was not paying them much mind she was thinking about what time it was. ¡°Um, I will be back tomorrow, but I have got to go,¡± she said, slightly nervous. Lexy went over to the exit and grabbed the sheets that smell like chicken and vegetables. Varikin was already at the door waiting for her. ¡°oh hi, you are back com on Varikin lets go¡± Lexy and Varikin were about to leave when suddenly the door bursts open and a panicked-looking Kuma runs into the cafeteria ¡°all hands! We have an enemy battalion coming in! They just breached the door!¡± Alcore came rushing in passing Lexy, ¡°Crud they found us again? We can¡¯t run anymore. We have had too many injuries from last time.¡± He turns back to the crowd ¡°ready for combat all who can fight that is.¡± Lexy turned to Alcore, ¡°How can I help?¡± Alcore shook his head ¡°those who can¡¯t fight include you.¡± He mumbled, ¡°what was I thinking?¡± And ran off with Kuma. Lexy glared and turned back to the crowd of other members getting ready. She saw Leo and two others putting out crates of weapons, shields, arrows and she smirks once she sees the rack of bows. Lexy walks calmly up to Leo ¡°hey is there a way to the roof?¡± Leo nodded, ¡°Yes, you just follow that hallway.¡± He pointed to a hallway Varikin was not quick enough to stop the girl when she rushed up, grabbed an armful of arrows, put them in her quiver and a shield made from metal. Leo rushed to go get more supplies not having time to think about what Lexy grabbed. Lexy ran down the hallway that takes a left and led her to a ladder. She quickly hopped up the ladder with one arm and it opened out to a flat open roof. No one is up there. Lexy crouched and put the shield in front of her while peeking from behind to see where she was going. She reached a foot from the edge and stopped. Lexy looks out at the battle situation before her Alcore, Kuma, Jackson, Fendres, and a few others are fighting head-on against at least fifty enemy soldiers. She set the arrows she got from Leo in her quiver and readied her first shot. To Lexy¡¯s surprise, purple energy exactly like the glow that had come before from her father''s blade seeped from her fingertips and into the arrow. Lexy readied, aimed, and fired an arrow into the air. The arrow makes a whistle as it splits into five other arrows, all five arrows hit. Lexy looked with wide eyes at the result and stared at her hand for a bit before notching another arrow onto her bow¡¯s string. Alcore was about to swipe at his enemy with his blade when he heard a whistle and they dropped down to the ground and black tendrils spread from an arrow in the enemy¡¯s chest. The tendrils quickly spread over and then within a dark puff of smoke. Only a small single mark was left remaining. Alcore looked in terror and turns to Fendres who fires her dual crossbows at a few enemy soldiers, ¡°Fendres are you using a new arrow?¡± Fendres punches a soldier in the face and then shoots him in the head ¡°no?¡± Alcore curses ¡°damn it, I think they have an archer hidden around here.¡± Jackson blew fire at the enemy and then looked around ¡°I don¡¯t- ¡°He was interrupted by the sound of whistles. The group watched as ten enemies got hit by an arrow then consumed by black tendrils and disappeared into the smoke. One of the enemies stopped at seeing the death of his comrade. Only thirty-five left ¡°wha-¡° their words were short-lived as they got hit by one of the strange arrows and consumed by the black tendrils along with four others. Thirty left. Kuma looked around, ¡°Where the seven hells is that coming from!?¡± Alcore shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t know, just keep going, they don¡¯t seem to be aimed at us.¡± Lexy pegged on four arrows and released them into the air and watched as twenty soldiers fell to her. This only left ten. The group watched in awe, as twenty soldiers got slain by the strange arrows. The last ten looked at the group with terror in their eyes. Alcore leaned forward ¡°boo!¡± The ten jumps to their feet ¡°You people have demons on your side! Demons!¡± With that, the group began to run for the hills only to be shot down like the rest. Alcore frowned and looked behind. Only to see a small blond jump up from behind a shield, ¡°Yes! Oh ...hi.¡± Alcore frowned, ¡°You.Down. Now.¡± Fendres looked from the scorch marks on the ground and back to the child on the roof, ¡°No way. Jackson, you don¡¯t think?¡± Jackson blinked, ¡°I think so.¡± With that, the group entered the base. Lexy huffed and took the remaining arrows, the bow, and shield down with her. She headed down the hallway with a smile on her face. She entered the cafeteria to see a frustrated Alcore who marched up to her, ¡°What were you doing up there? You know it wasn¡¯t safe.¡± Lexy shrugged, ¡°I know.¡± Alcore huffed and Leo walked up to him. ¡°sir?¡± Alcore turns to him, ¡°what?¡± Leo looked at the arrows in Lexy¡¯s hands, ¡°You said there was a hidden archer, Yes.¡± Alcore huffed, ¡°Yes, and why does this have any relevance?¡± Leo smirked and pointed to Lexy, ¡°Well, she¡¯s standing right in front of you.¡± Alcore¡¯s eyes widened and he looked to Lexy, ¡°Is this true?¡± Lexy puffed up her chest, ¡°Yes, it is.¡± Alcore sighed, ¡°I told you, you couldn¡¯t fight.¡± Lexy puts her hand on her hip, ¡°and I just did you nitwit.¡± She said in a taunting tone. Alcore sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. While Leo smiled, ¡°Sir, I don¡¯t think you realize just what she did. Those arrows were the splitters. Do you remember yes? No one could get them to work until her.¡± Alcore huffed, ¡°fine, but one question Lexy how come I didn¡¯t see you or the enemy you should have been in plain sight when on the roof¡± Lexy smirked, ¡°guerilla warfare silly are you a commander I would have expected you to know that.¡± Alcore raised a brow, ¡°So you hid in plain sight using this tactic?¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°Ok, teach me,¡± Alcore says his tone is respectful. Lexy must take a step back. She was not expecting the tone of respect. Her smirk leaves, ¡°Well, guerilla warfare is pretty simple. you get as close as possible to the enemy without getting spotted or being suspected.¡± Alcore nodded, ¡°You have methods we could use, yes?¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°Yes I do, I¡¯ve been thinking of two. That would work perfectly with our area. Number one is a system of underground caverns that we can use to escape if things go south too quickly. We also can use them as outposts. The outpost hatches will have dirt on them and it will make it less suspicious. The second tactic I used today was to set up a tall riming around the roof with holes big enough to fire an arrow through.¡± Alcore turned to Leo, ¡°Do you think you can make some blueprints?¡± Leo nodded, ¡°Yes, I can make you something ready by tomorrow with Miko''s help and some of the earth wizards.¡± Alcore nodded, ¡°good.¡± He then turned back to Lexy and Leo went to get started on the new project. ¡°And for you thank you for not listening.¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°any time.¡± Alcore returned the smile, ¡°Now, quick question: how do you already have combat experience?¡± Lexy smiled bitterly, ¡°For a short question, this is a long answer. My mom is one of those people who will go through life fast and leave nothing but half-baked items behind her. Cruel and blind. She will have her fun with something and then once done it¡¯s another broken item added to the collection. The only way to get her attention was by doing something interesting. So I found out that archery got her attention and I found it was something I could practice in the backyard. Then once she saw I could do archery she took me to self-defense classes. I did my best in those two. I even got to the point that I enjoyed it and I was winning competitions. But I guess in the end it wasn''t interesting enough for my mother. ¡± Alcore pondered and a short silence went by, ¡°so, you know archery and self-defense? Is that how you managed to give Jackson a bloody nose?¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°Yeah, it is.¡± Alcore smiled ¡°Hey, has Varikin changed yet?¡± Lexy tilted her head confused, ¡°Change? You mean his allusion?¡± Alcore shook his head ¡°if it hasn¡¯t happened yet, let me tell you, you''ll know it when you see it.¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°Hey, do you guys want the same food I bought today or something different?¡± Alcore chuckled, ¡°I quite liked what you bought. But I¡¯ll let you pick. Oh by the way head to Jackson by the gate door I believe has something planned for you.¡± Lexy smiled and nodded, she looked around. ¡°Hey, where is Varikin?¡± Lexy said while she looked around for the white wolf. Varikin came up from behind Alcore and just sat down by Lexy. Lexy smiled, ¡°Sorry Varikin, let''s go see you around Alcore.¡± Alcore nods ¡°see you around.¡± Training is so. so...Wait why did those rocks move? The blood king hummed when he and his generals looked over the map of the land, ¡°So we destroyed the den and they ran, but to where?¡± One of his generals looked at him with a frustrated glance, ¡°they could have gone anywhere with your highness.¡± The king nodded, ¡°Well that is why I ordered all those battalions to go scouting and where is peaty captain Dalise? He should have come back with a report by now.¡± It was then a fox Beast-blooded came through the door, this was peaty captain Dalise ¡°sir I am here to report.¡± The king nodded a pleased smirk from on to his face, ¡°Good now tell me what the battalions found?¡± The captain nodded, ¡°yes sir, all battalions returned empty-handed except for twelve, I am sorry to report sir that battalion twelve didn`t check-in.¡± Gasps and outrage filled the room. The king¡¯s once pleased expression twisted into one of rage, ¡°What! The rebellion has never been that strong! How did they do that? I''ve made sure all citizens with that kind of power either be killed or become a part of the military.¡± The captain swallowed ¡°I don''t know, sir.¡± The king gripped the table and glared at the pawn representing the rebellion ¡°Ready my kelpies and specialists I¡¯m heading there immediately!¡± **** Lexy and Varikin walked to the doorway to see Jackson with a tiger horse and a cloak in his arms. Jackson looked to the two and handed the cloak to Lexy, ¡°Today''s training is going to consist of you two surviving out in the desert until sundown. I will be supervising but I will not intervene unless necessary. You have your bow and arrows and knives. Good luck.¡± Lexy peered at Jackson for a long moment and then sighed, ¡°Ok fine, this will be fine. Besides, what''s the worst thing that could happen?¡± Jackson shrugged when they walk through the doorway, ¡°You could get lost to the point I can''t find you. A lot of things actually.¡± Lexy glared at him with a raised brow and Jackson pressed his lips into a fine line, ¡°Oh, you were trying to be optimistic. Right.¡± With that Jackson got onto the tiger horse¡¯s back and began to follow Lexy as she and Varkin ventured into the desert. It was hot and annoying until Lexy saw two of those monsters she had fought before begin to head towards her. Lexy quickly took out her bow and clipped one of the splitter arrows on. She aimed and fired. Lexy watched as the creatures shrieked, shriveled to the dark tendrils from the arrows, and died. Lexy looked to Varkin, ¡°Come on let''s get to some shelter before those sand storms come.¡± She said looking to the horizon where incoming sand storms were approaching. With that, the two began to try and make their way to a large rock formation. Lexy turned to see Jackson had stopped a while back and was waving at her frantically. Lexy looked at him confused and looked back to Varikin to hear him snarl. She was about to talk when she felt the ground and sand begin to shake when the pointed giant rocks that they were approaching began to rise and the biggest monster Lexy had ever seen in her life rose from the sand. It had glowing blue eyes under the giant antlered skull on its head. The top of its body was covered with rock-shaped spines and was black in color while its underbelly was a dark gray. It has long arms with a possible thumb and two fingers on each one of its two hands. Its Digi stilted legs were like that of a goat with its cloven hooves. Blue electricity crackled around the monster as it narrowed its gaze at the child before it. ¡°Suffer the wrath of Alvigorian, say your prayers mortal, and die!¡± Lexy¡¯s eyes widened and began to run now understanding just why Jackson was waving to her about. Quickly Lexy pegged her last splitter arrow onto her bow. She aimed, pulled back, and fired. The arrow split to five and all hit Alvigorian on the chest. Alvigorian hissed but the arrows did not kill him he lowered his gaze onto Lexy and snarled, ¡°You dare to attack me! I am hell''s wind and heaven''s lightning. You, you are nothing but a mouse!¡± Alvagorian sat back on his back legs, took in a deep breath, and began to exhale lightning. Lexy grabbed Varikin and screamed with her eyes closed, ¡°take me anywhere just as long as it¡¯s not here!¡± Lexy opened her eyes to see she was now on a rock formation that overlooked the desert. There were points higher than the one she and Varikin were on. Lexy looked out at the dessert and even from here she could see Alvagorian in the distance. ¡°Well, this is a surprise. Someone aggravated Alvigorian.¡± The voice was male and Lexy quickly turned around to see a man about three feet taller than her with a thin build. He had a skulled mask on his face with a boater hat that had pendants and feathers attached to the hat. Their attire was a dark purple tailcoat with white and black accents and dark black pants to match with the grey boots. They had red hair, cat-like eyes, and elven ears. While there was also another person next to them. They were female and had barbarian armor with furred boots, a jagged large bone that looked to be shaped like a sword while they had wooden pendants on their hip. Lexy quickly pulled a few throwing knives into her hands and for once to her surprise Varikin did something. The white wolf leaps in front of her, his teeth bared, his ears flat against his head, and his hackles raised. Varikin looks back to her as he grows to the size of a semi-truck without a trailer, This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°First off I¡¯m not a dog you nitwit I¡¯m a wolf. Second, you are either really stupid or really brave, and third fight for your life.¡± The man smirked, ¡°oh, I see you¡¯re one of those kids the rebellion has under protection. Mogaline if you please level the playing field.¡± Lexy listened to the words this man said and tightened her grip on her throwing knives. Lexy looked to Mogaline who grabbed a carved wolf pendant off a string on her side. She bites her finger and blood forms from the bite, and it drips onto the carved wolf. Mogaline tossed the bloodied pendent into the air. It glowed and grew into a large wooden wolf bigger than a horse. Its eyes glowed a haunting green as it peered at the duo. The wooden wolf stared back at the growling Varikin. Varikin glared at the wooden creature, ¡°Lexy these are not normal Anawrath soldiers, their specialists. Specialists are soldiers hand-picked by the blood king or anyone in the royal family and are usually extremely dangerous and extremely aggressive.¡± before Lexy could respond. Mogaline made a move to grab Lexy. That was when Varikin leaped to bite Mogaline but was blocked by her bone weapon. Varikin leaps back and growls menacingly. The wooden wolf leaped at Varikin. The sound of barks, snarls, and gnashing of teeth fill the air. ¡°Lexy I know this might be strange at the moment, but I can bye, your time. What I need you to do is run. Run and do not falter¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°ok I trust you please be careful¡± Lexy with a jolt started to run like she never has before. Lexy stole a glance to look behind her to see Magi pursuing her and Varikin fighting a wooden wolf and Mogaline. Mogaline smirked, ¡°Run if you like but you¡¯ll find you might have bigger problems than me¡± Lexy continued to run. Varikin saw Magi pursue Lexy and cursed. Varikin howled and his body doubled in size, his teeth too big to stay in his mouth. Parts of his body look like they''re made from crystals; others look to be made from galaxies. Varikin is now tall enough to look down on his enemies. Varikin leaped into combat and locked against Mogline¡¯s weapon. Lexy stumbles as she runs through the rocks and that¡¯s when she hears her pursuer say something in a strange tongue. Fire shot from Magi¡¯s mouth to attack her. Lexy speeds up the pace but finds it mostly futile when Lexy doges just enough for her hair to get signed but not burned. She looks ahead to see a man, his face outlined with red light seeping from his glowing red demonic eyes. The man smirked, ¡°Well, what do we have, here a shovel gang kid? No, oh, I see you¡¯re a vailer!¡± He says with amusement. Lexy despite the fear goes to one thing she can do, ¡°Whoop I¡¯m a Vailer what a big deal why don¡¯t you just get out of my way. Your stupid nitwit.¡± The man frowned, ¡°Excuse me, you silly little girl.¡± Lexy huffed, ¡°I am not little, I am a young woman!¡± This made the man chuckle, ¡°same difference.¡± Lexy¡¯s expression changed from a smirk to a glare, ¡°Alright that¡¯s it, mister, I don¡¯t know who you are nor do I care I¡¯m going to teach you a lesson!¡± The man smirked, ¡°Really now what are you going to teach me how to sow a dolly?¡± Lexy, now enraged, took the throwing knives she had and rushed at the man. Her anger rolled off her. The man however was not affected. He merely raised his arm and flicked his wrist, sending a burst of energy that sent Lexy on her back and gasping for breath on the ground. It was as Varikin fought with Magi and Mogaline he suddenly felt a very strong pressure that was not Lexy. He immediately looked to Mogaline and Magi both smirked, ¡°Looks like someone pushed the wrong button on our king, saying goodbye to that little friend of yours.¡± While Lexy was choking and blood dripped from her mouth, the taste of the copper liquid flowed heavily over her tongue. The king raised his head, ¡°I am the blood king and you should know your place, raven.¡± Lexy now getting some air in her lungs stands up wiping the dirt and blood off her cheek and pulling her father¡¯s knife out, ¡°Then all that means is all the more I have to kick you¡¯re but!¡± With that, she charged at the king with her fathers¡¯ blade and within the moment she didn¡¯t notice it glow an ere purple. The king with another flick of the hand sent Lexy flying further than the last time. Lexy charged again at the king and sent a slash his way and to her surprise, a slash of her deep purple magic flew off her blade and headed towards the king. The king huffed and with another flick, the magic was deflected and destroyed a few rocks. ¡°Why must you persist even though I am clearly stronger than you?¡± Lexy huffed when she wiped the blood from her mouth and picked up the knife, ¡°because if I quit what does it mean for those who are weak and hopeless? I can¡¯t stand idly by and watch them suffer!¡± With this, she got back up despite the bruises and the cuts she kept going. With that Lexy stood up firm and with a yell purple magic danced off her and into the blade. The rune on her blade flashed and as she sent a slash at the king the blade extended and a huge wave of magic leaped off the blade charring the ground as it went. The king¡¯s eyes widened and with two quick flicks of his wrist he creates a wall of swirling red portals and with a snap of his finger the portals discharge huge beams of magic fire, The two attacks of magic clash, sending wind and loose ground flying as Lexy¡¯s attack disperses and the blood king¡¯s burst through and hits Lexy. Lexy stood there for a short moment and coughed blood dripped from her mouth when she fell to the ground. The king huffed ¡°it was you who took out the battalion wasn¡¯t it, then consider this my move little bird.¡± There isn¡¯t a response and he sighed, ¡°Mogaline! Magi! Come!¡± The two quickly came running when Varikin was shortly behind them. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re highness?¡± The king turned on a dime. ¡°Come I took care of the problem, leave the wolf he has no value to me.¡± Varikin looked frantically for Lexy after hearing the king¡¯s words and once he spotted her battered form, he rushed up to her and glared daggers at the king when the king and his two minions left into the shadows they came from. He looked at her breathing form and frowned ¡°Lexy come on, they''re gone stop playing dead.¡± Lexy chuckled softly and sat up, ¡°Sorry Varikin, ok, let''s go home. But uh why did he let me go?¡± She said while she was struggling with her words. Varikin narrowed his gaze at the shadows, ¡°I will be honest with you. I haven''t a clue.¡± Lexy leaned on Varikin and thought of the mansion. This brought them to the front doors of the house. Lexy coughed and her head began to feel light. Varikin, under the guise of his illusion, with Lexy in tow, entered the mansion. They were greeted by the butler. ¡°Hello¡­ oh, my goodness, are you all right?¡± the butler stammers upon seeing Lexy¡¯s frizzled, blackened hair and all the bruises, blood, and cuts. Varikin¡¯s black and brown fur is clumped and dingy. Lexy, nodding slowly states, ¡°Umm, yeah, I got lost on the way home. Oh, please don¡¯t tell Thokath.¡± Her shaky voice and expression stressed me with worry and fear. The butler looks at her with compassion and reserve. ¡°My dear little Miss, I cannot lie to the Master. But what I can promise is I will only tell him if he asks me directly. It appears to me that you can use some time to destress. Would you like me to draw you a bath?¡± Lexy smiled weakly, ¡°Yes, please, that sounds very nice.¡± Bowing, the butler smiled and exited. Turning to Varikin, Lexy runs her fingers through his dirty fur. He gives a soft tender growl and leans into her touch. ¡°I am so sorry my friend, I promise to stand my ground better next time.¡± She giggled and smirked, ¡°You get a bath tomorrow, your illusion is not strong enough to suppress your stink.¡± He moves away and lovingly bares his teeth at her in a warning snarl. ¡°I can care for myself¡± he snapped in a frustrated tone. Lexy¡¯s smirk only grows, ¡°Oh look the big bad wolfy now.¡± She laughed while he growled. She runs her fingers once more through his mangy fur. He leaned into her touch with his teeth still bared in a warning. ¡°I will leave you to it then¡±, she smiled and departed for her bath. A new member for better or worse? The throne room, a room lavishly painted with dark reds around and gold framing tapestries with elegant designs. Plants spiraling up the white marble pillars. Their red twisted flowers open for all to see. There in the center of the room is a red carpet that leads up and up to a throne made of bone and stone. The blood king sits on this throne. He glared while watching the doors as they opened to let in a woman. The woman was dressed in simple armor consisting of pieces at the shoulders, the elbows, and arm braces. Underneath it she was wearing a black tunic and a short blue skirt with black leggings, her leather brown boots having a bronze buckle the half-inch heels clicked against the floor causing echoing around the room, and on her hip was a broadsword. The sheath had a Phenix engraved into it. Her long hair softly danced in the air like a raging inferno. It was red as polished copper, a soft red glow coming off it. She entered the room, her back straight and a sad scowl on her face. Hand on her sword when the large doors close. She heard a scoff from the king. ¡°so, you really are stupid, I had suspected it before but to come here after what you¡¯ve done! I should kill you and then feed you to my kelpies!¡± The blood King''s voice started calm and then went into an enraged yell. Yet the woman stares up at the king, she sadden scowl twists into an enraged glare ¡°why? Why are you doing this to your people?¡± The king bursts into a loud boisterous laugh and shakes his head ¡°oh you poor delusional thing. This is what you came to talk to me about after sixteen years of being gone?¡± He says as he quickly goes from a smile to outrage ¡°you Know exactly what this is about!¡± The woman¡¯s eyes go from having a fire to a glimpse of fear ¡°no, not that I will never let you keep that, and we will still be in this war so I¡¯m going to ask while you still can. Can you please stop this?¡± The king sneered his eyes glowed red and blood red magic began flaming from his hands and the skin on his hands began turning ash black. ¡°You lost it the second you sent it away but, Stop? Stop? This started because of you.! You started this after you left and lied for so many years! I hate you! I wouldn¡¯t have to do this if you had not lied. You really weren¡¯t fit to be a father''s. Even he didn¡¯t lie like you do mother. Now leave before I decide otherwise. I have better things to do than deal with you.¡± A few tears fall off the Queen¡¯s face ¡°I love you¡± she says softly and with that, she leaves back to where she came from. The king watched his mother leave and he shrugged ¡°no matter the outcome of this war, I still win.¡± He then looked to the guards standing by ¡°Send word to the council the queen is against us.¡± With that, he turned to a side entranceway and walked down the stairs that open to a hallway. The king heads down the hallway and then takes a left opening to an open area with stone walls and soldiers patrolling and keeping a lookout. In many of these walls are opening ways to the dungeons. One of these openings was being guarded. In front of the guarded opening were ten carriages being hauled by tiger horses. They snorted when the king passed by. The king approached this guarded opening with a smirk on his face. The guards parted ways for the king ¡°morning your highness.¡± The king grinned ¡°morning you two, I have a good feeling for today.¡± The two watch him leave and glance at each other with worried looks. When he entered, he passed cages to his left and right. The bars of these cages have runes of a magic language engraved into them. Inside these cages are rebels, each glared daggers at the king as walked up to a man in a lab coat with bloodstains. They have glasses and grey combed back hair. Atop their head are wolf ears and their grey wolf tail whipped back and forth, unlike the many others in this room they were not caged. The wolf Beast-blooded had a large book with him and a few herbs around him. His focus is on writing down notes. The king chuckled, ¡°Good day Dr. Levins, how are all the little patients?¡± Dr. Levins flinched and looked up at the king. ¡°oh, hello your highness. All the patient¡¯s infections are gone, and their bodies have accepted the implants.¡± He said with a shudder as he looked at the rebels. All of which have necklaces of barbed wire woven into their necks. He despised this job. The king smiled and looked around the room, ¡°Good day little mice. I have good news since the doctor has given me a clear. You all get to go home!¡± The rebels looked at each other with shock and then back to the king, skeptical. The king chuckled seeing their skeptical glances at him ¡°hey it''s ok, but despite this, I¡¯ll get a few carriages ready, and then you all can write down where you want to go. Sounds fun?¡± silence rings in the room. The king shrugged ¡°what not a word, oh well that¡¯s respected.¡± He turned to Dr. Levin¡¯s ¡°thank you doctor for working so hard on this. You are dismissed.¡± Dr. Levin¡¯s nodded and with a scurry he left. The king chuckled and walked up to the two guards ¡°you get the rebels into the wagons.¡± He said pointing to one and then he turned to the other ¡°you go get the stagecoaches.¡± The two guards nod and run to go do their given tasks. ***** Lexy sat up when she heard Varikin barking at her to wake up, ¡°ugh this is never going to end is it?¡± She got out of bed and began to get dressed. Making sure to strap her containers of knives onto her belt. She put on a thin t-shirt and then a turquoise baggy hoodie over it. The hoodie two sizes too big covers the knife''s up from view. Lexy walked out and saw Varikin. She huffed, ¡°Please stop barking, it''s the crack of dawn!¡± Varikin only leaned his head to the side smiling. Knowing exactly what she¡¯s talking about. Lexy glares and then sighs ¡°ug fine come on might as well go get breakfast.¡± She said frustration and sleep were present in her voice. With that, she put on her hood. The two-headed downstairs to get breakfast and once Lexy looked to one of the maids ¡°would you or one of the butlers please take me downtown?¡± A few minutes later the maid comes back and holds the door open to where Lexy and Varikin can see a limo with a driver in it ready to go. This slightly confuses Lexy, but she decides to go with it. Lexy smiled and turned to Varikin, ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡± With that Lexy exits the mansion and stops after she gets past the door, ¡°Thank you,¡± she says to the maid who was holding the door open. The maid nodded ¡°any time young miss.¡± Lexy gets in the Limo and buckled herself in, ¡°To the store please, I''m hoping to get some seeds to grow there.¡± She said with a smile and the driver noded. Once Lexy entered the store she quickly grabbed Corn, Beats, squash, and wheat seeds. She purchased them and then headed back to the Limo. After her brief trip to the store, Lexy returns to the mansion and steps out of the limo ¡°thankyou¡± and the driver nods and leaves. She pockets her hands in her pocket shuffling around the seed packets as she enters the building. She saw the twins pass by her, but she paid them no mind. She turned around and saw Varikin and smiled softly, ¡°Hey, I got the seeds, come on.¡± Varikin stood up and followed Lexy as she left the building again. Lexy hummed as she and Varikin walked through the forest. Varikin followed Lexy as they reach the clearing and the two stop, ¡°So what seeds did you get?¡± He asked with curiosity in his voice. Lexy¡¯s eyed Varkin a mischievous glint, ¡°oh yeah you do talk but I just some corn and a few other things.¡± She leaned over and touched his fur. She focused on the desert air of reality and warped her and Varikin over to reality. The two begin to walk to the doorway of the rebellion out in the desert, ¡°you¡¯ll see they are really good and very useful¡± The two entered the base and Lexy stretched ¡°ok let¡¯s get planting.¡± Her calm expression changes to a kind smile. Lexy and Varikin walk into the cafeteria and Lexy sees Katie, as usual, dishing up food. She looked at the tables and saw Miko, Leo, Jennie, Fendres, Jackson, Alcore, and Talo. Lexy entered the kitchen and walked up to Katie, ¡°Hi, Katie.¡± Katie turned to see Lexy and smiled, ¡°Hi Lexy, hey last night I checked to see how much clay we have, and we are going to need a bit more for those large flower pots. You¡¯ll find a shop in the city, ask for two packages of clay from them and take one of the boys with you just in case.¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°oh ok, sure thing but I don¡¯t have money.¡± Katie quickly served up someone''s food and reaches into a container inside a cabinet to her left and pulls out a stack of coins. She handed the coins to Lexy and resumed her work. Lexy put the coins in her pants pocket and turned to Varikin, ¡°Who do you think should come with?¡± Varikin shrugged, ¡°I don¡¯t care, that''s your choice.¡± Lexy hummed, ¡°I¡¯ll ask Miko.¡± And the two exited the kitchen and entered the cafeteria. Lexy was careful to avoid Talo and she came up to Miko. Taping Miko¡¯s shoulder barely inwardly cursing her short height. Miko turned to her and tilted his head to show that she had his attention. Lexy gave a soft smile, ¡°Hey, Miko, could you come with me to the markets? Katie said someone needed to come with me besides Varikin and I didn¡¯t want to bother the captains about it so, yea.¡± Miko nodded a yes. He then pulls out his holograph device and typed ¡°sure thing¡± *** The blood king sat at a simple desk in a room that was just as simple. He stared at the papers scattered around his desk with distaste vivid in his eyes. Their complaints and requests from other kingdoms. Some ask for a trade, others begging for them to leave their constellation of planets. It''s not his fault his father was dead set on taking over their constellation and succeeded. The Anawrath kingdom was already ten constellations strong. The militia of the kingdom was already stretched out enough with the borders against its neighbors. The star dwarfs, The Elves, and the kingdoms'' closest neighbor the Trilleons. Anawrath''s most advanced neighbor was Trilleons. Trilleons were inventors and human-like in mentality. With their pale white paper skin and one horn that looks like a halo fused to their head. They were very smart and one of the first Anawrath had a treaty with. He never understood why the star dwarves were called that when if anything they should be called giants. They tower over any forest giant he¡¯s seen. Not many have seen forest giants on this planet; most have just died off because of deforestation in the north. There are still a few around but they don¡¯t dare attack. The blood king agreed with what was left of the mighty creatures. The forest giants would get home if the giants help construct fortes and such tasks of the sort. Although they are not the smartest of creatures, they understood the contract. It¡¯s when the king heard the servant enter the room that the king pulled himself out of his thoughts ¡°your highness one of your specialists is back from their assignment.¡± The blood king looks up strands of his black and red hair slightly sticking to his face. He gives a mischievous smirk and nods to the servant ¡°ah yes let him in¡± Magi enters through the door after the servant leaves. ¡°good evening you''re highness you wanted to see me?¡± The king gives a hum ¡°Yes, I want you Mogaline and caption Varolus to observe or to capture the child we met a day ago. I have a suspicion. That I need confirmed¡± Magi nods ¡°yes your highness¡± Magi bowed and pulled out a teleport vile and stopped as he saw the harsh glare coming from the king, ¡°oh right sorry forgot you hated the smell of this stuff.¡± With that, he walks out and then smashes the vile and he disappears. Magi reappeared in a tent. The tent had two beds and a desk with herbs and a min brewing stand with two caldrons one filled with blue liquid and the other gray at the desk was a chair that had male dragon blood in it. The dragon blooded was dressed in a blood solder uniform and has dark blue scales and a half-broken horn with jagged bits splitting off. The dragon-blooded looked at magi with a stoned face, ¡°oh good, you¡¯ve already been briefed, Yes?¡± Magi nodded, Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°yup, so why do you think the boss man would be interested in an adorable little child, Varolus?¡± Varolus shrugged and resumed working on a mixture by putting in a few herbs into a cauldron of bubbling blue liquid. The second the herbs touch the liquid it begins to hiss and change from blue to pitch black. ¡°how do you already know about our target?¡± Varolus reached into a satchel next to him and pulled out a book of potion recipes. He flipped through the book and glanced at Magi who shrugged, ¡°I had an observation assignment and remember how I and Mogaline came back with giant bite marks?¡± Varolus turned back to his work and began stirring the caldron of once blue and now green liquid and nodded. Magi shrugged, ¡°Well our target is constantly being protected by a wonder wolf and that was the day I met the target. Also, are you trying to make a Potion? You know you have to be a wizard to make those right?¡± Varolus stood up ¡°oh I know luck for us our half wizard is standing right in front of me. Care to finish these up?¡± Magi sighed and walked over to the potions and put his hands over them. The potions glow for a short moment and then he moves his hands away. Magi raised a brow knowing exactly what these two potions are. ¡°Is this a youth potion and asleep potion? I can guess what the sleep potion is for but the youth?¡± Magi started not quite liking the idea of being in a childlike body. Varolus looked him in the eye as he took out a set of four potion bottles and poured the sleeping into three and then poured the youth potion into one and handed it to Magi. ***** Lexy, Miko, and Varikin entered the city of Charter Lexy as last time wearing a cloak and hood. Leo¡¯s warning was still very vivid in her mind. Varikin was by her side and was just wearing an allusion strong enough to hide his crystals. The three walk through the busy streets with Miko in lead and Lexy shortly behind. The trio walks through the town square and Lexy stops when she sees Magi, Mogaline, and Varolus for a short moment until they''re suddenly gone. Lexy shrugged ¡°probably paranoid.¡± And finds that she has lost sight of Miko ¡°Miko? Varikin, did you see where he went?¡± Varikin looked up to her ¡°he disappeared into the crowd sorry, but hey, don¡¯t worry he''ll come back once he realizes that you¡¯re gone it would be best to stay here.¡± Lexy nodded and looked behind herself just in time to see a red-headed little elf boy maybe a little shorter than her with green and red eyes. His clothes were tattered. The boy had a panicked look on his face when he rushed towards her screaming back, ¡°No I don¡¯t want to go, you can¡¯t make me!¡± and he bumped into her. He stopped and helped her up ¡°oh so sorry but I¡¯ve got to¡± he stopped when he saw her hood off revealing her fluffy blond hair and storm blue eyes. He stares at her for a short second and then shakes his head and Lexy dusted herself off and puts back on her hood, ¡°It''s quite alright but who are you running from?¡¯ She inquired. The boy no longer clutching fear in his eyes just curiosity and looked behind him and then back to Lexy, ¡°I¡¯m running from the specialists. Apparently, I¡¯m special because of my magic. Can you help me?¡± Lexy¡¯s eyes widened ¡°specialists here? Yes, I can- ¡° Varikin interrupted her ¡°Lexy. I don¡¯t know, they smell familiar.¡± Lexy turned her head to Varikin ¡°I¡¯m helping that¡¯s final.¡± Varikin sighed ¡°fine it''s your funeral.¡± He said with frustration and sourness in his voice. The boy looks to Lexy, panicked as he sees Varolus and Mogaline closing in. The boy grabs Lexy by the hand and begins running with Lexy in tow, ¡°sorry but they''re closing in.¡± Lexy panicked, looked behind her to see Varolus standing there, and then she bumps into the redhead elf boy. She looked past his shoulder to see why and she saw Mogaline. Fear crawled up her spine and then she heard Varikin ¡°what did I say.¡± Lexy then straightened her back ¡°oh hi, I¡¯ve seen you before.¡± She says pointing to Mogaline and she then turns to Varolus ¡°but not you, you¡¯re new and you look familiar but not the point. You guys steal kids all the time, can''t you just let my new friend here go?¡± Varolus chuckled ¡°Oh sure and why not let you go? Yea no.¡± Lexy shrugged, ¡°welp I tried.¡± Lexy said and placed her hand on the boy who was looking at her confused as she reached over to Varikin and teleported herself, Varikin, and the boy over to the vail. The boy froze when he looked around, seeing people and cars pass by and they¡¯re on the sidewalk. His eyes were wide as saucers ¡°where? Where ARE WE!¡± he said in terror when he looked around. Lexy smiled, ¡°Hey you¡¯re fine I can bring us back if you would like.¡± He looked at her in awe and confusion, ¡°Can you teleport? This doesn¡¯t look like any village I know of.¡± Lexy giggled a smile on her face ¡°that¡¯s because we aren¡¯t in your reality I can teleport between realities.¡± The boy only nods still very confused ¡°so we are safe?¡± he says with slight caution. Lexy nods ¡°yes and I never got your name. I¡¯m Lexy.¡± Magi shakily extended his hand and shook hers ¡°Cody.¡± He says with a nervous smile. Varikin peered at the boy suspiciously ¡° The name is Varikin. Nice to meet you, Cody.¡± Magi noded ¡°nice to meet you two but I think we should head back. I think they''re gone by now.¡± Lexy nodded ¡°Got it one second.¡± Magi shrugged ¡°ok¡± Lexy shut her eyes and put her hand on Magi¡¯s head and teleported them back. Magi looked in awe as the world changed around him going from the modern world to the world of magic. Lexy opens her eyes and retracts her hand from Magi¡¯s head. The two looked around and saw no trace of Mogaline or Varolus. Magi shrugged ¡°ok what now I didn¡¯t really have a plan besides escape.¡± Lexy smiled ¡°it''s ok but I¡¯m actually looking for someone, come on.¡± Magi noded, deciding to trust the girl, and followed Lexy and the wonder wolf. The three entered the town square and Lexy spotted Miko. Lexy waved to Miko and he quickly rushed over and typed upon his holographic device ¡°are you ok? I¡¯m sorry.¡± Lexy gave a nervous smile ¡°I¡¯m ok but meet my new friend.¡± Miko turned and saw Magi he typed up onto his holographic device. ¡°hi, I¡¯m Miko, who are you?¡± Cody smiled, ¡°I¡¯m Cody, nice to meet you, Miko.¡± Miko nodded, he turned to Lexy and typed ¡°to the markets?¡± Lexy nodded ¡°yes ¡°and she turned to Cody ¡°hey we''re heading to the markets do you want to come?¡± Magi chuckled, ¡°Sure, besides I don¡¯t want to be left out here, those specialists might come back for me.¡± he said sticking with his story. Miko tilts his head and Lexy chuckles ¡°yea good point, oh right you don¡¯t know Miko. Cody was about to be caught by specialists and I helped.¡± Miko nodded and typed upon his holograph ¡°Oh, alright so he is coming with me then if that¡¯s the case let''s hurry.¡± Lexy nodded in agreement. Miko led the group of four through the town and the four entered a market¡¯s area. Lexy smiled ¡°Ok, we are looking for clay Miko do you know the way?¡± Miko nodded and pointed to a market straight ahead. Lexy smiled and walked up to the stand. The stands merchant had on display large blocks of colorful clay. The merchant was wearing a large wizard hat and robe. He''s old-looking but doesn¡¯t have a beard like you would expect a wizard to have. The wizard¡¯s eyes are cat-like and the veins around the eyes softly glow his yellow eye color. The Wizard smiles ¡°hello how can I help you today?¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°I just need two blocks of clay please.¡± The Wizard nodded and pulled out a bag. The wizard put two blocks of clay into the bag ¡°that will be two bronze coins.¡± Lexy nodded and pulled out the two bronze coins Katie gave her. Lexy handed the coins to the Wizard and the Wizard handed her the bag of clay. Lexy turned back to Miko and Cody, she walked up to the two, ¡°ok, that¡¯s all we needed from here. Back to the base but Cody I need to ask you a very serious question.¡± Magi was a little nervous ¡°Uh ok what is it?¡± Lexy went from a serious expression to a kind smile ¡°do you want to join the rebellion, Cody?¡± Magi felt every voice of logic yell at him to say no go back to where you belong, figure out a plan. The last thing you need is an angry boss. Cody was silent for a short moment and then smiled ¡°I would love to join the rebellion.¡± Lexy turned her head to Varikin who sighed, ¡°fine but YOU are explaining this to Alcore NOT me.¡± The blond smiled, ¡°of course.¡± Lexy turned back to Cody ¡°ok then you¡¯re coming with.¡± Magi smiled and the four left the markets. Entering the busy streets of Charter. Miko led the group of four out of the town and entered the desert. Magi eyed Lexy curios ¡°Hey Lexy why do you hide your face?¡± Lexy pulled down her hood ¡°oh it¡¯s just when I¡¯m in public. I¡¯ve already been spotted by the guard, so they know what I look like, so I must hide it, it¡¯s also my hair¡± Magi noded ¡°yea what is with your hair I¡¯ve never seen anything like it. Not to be offensive.¡± Lexy shook her head ¡°no you¡¯re fine and no, it''s not made of gold this is just my hair and it doesn¡¯t have any magical properties as far as I¡¯m aware. Plus, you know how you saw my home reality and all?¡± Magi merely nodded as the bubbly girl continued ¡°There this is a very common hair color.¡± Lexy says with a small smile. Magi hummed ¡°Then what are you because you don¡¯t look like an elf or a wizard, I know of.¡± Lexy chuckled, ¡°That''s because I¡¯m human and the reality I come from is filled with humans.¡± Magi¡¯s jaw drops ¡°wait WHAT you¡¯re human but what do you mean? Humans can''t do magic or at least that is how it is in the stories.¡± Lexy shrugged, ¡°I understand the skepticism. At max I¡¯m part human but as for what the other part is I have no idea.¡± Magi noded ¡°makes sense but if I were to guess what half you are, I would say elf. Did your magic appear after touching an item?¡± Lexy shook her head ¡°no I discovered it when I was thinking about another world and then I found myself there.¡± Magi hummed, ¡°then a safe bet would be wizard, I am a half wizard and half-elf. My parents were middle class and then gave me up to the specialist after they taught me some spell and potion basics. But because I have dream magic that apparently made me special.¡± Lexy nodded ¡°so how do you tell if you¡¯re a wizard or part wizard?¡± Magi smirked ¡°oh that¡¯s easy, try to make a potion only a wizard can get them to work. Sure, someone can add most of the ingredients, but the wizard must do the last of it and give the potion his or her blessing. I could probably set up a simple potion for you some time to try.¡± Lexy¡¯s eyes glittered ¡°really that sounds so cool I can¡¯t wait.¡± Varikin shrugged, ¡°yea that¡¯s if she lives past tomorrow.¡± This caused Lexy to groan ¡°no don¡¯t remind me ugh I am not looking forward to that.¡± Magi tilts his head ¡°wait what?¡± Lexy sighed and Varikin shook his head. ¡°Talo challenged her to a Gershon, a match of extreme combat that the rebellion uses to tell what squad you go into.¡± Magi was about to ask who Talo was until he saw Miko stopping and opening the door to the rebellion base the four entered and Magi looked around curiosity filled with his expression. Lexy smiled and grabbed Magi by the wrist ¡°come on you have to talk to Alcore first.¡± Lexy pulled him along to Alcore¡¯s office door. Magi is a little nervous ¡°Lexy wait is this mandatory?¡± Lexy nodded ¡°oh of course he¡¯s the leader all recruits get passed by him.¡± This doesn¡¯t entirely reassure Magi, but he decided he was going to have to trust Lexy. Lexy knocked on Alcore¡¯s office door and ¡°come in.¡± came from the other side. Lexy, Cody, and Varikin enter Alcore¡¯s office. Alcore looked at Magi''s curiosity present on his face. ¡°Lexy, who is this? Are you a recruit young man?¡± Magi was nervous but pushed his worries aside ¡°yes sir.¡± Alcore turned to Lexy ¡°did you find him?¡± Lexy nodded ¡°yup.¡± Alcore turned back to Cody ¡°why do you want to join?¡± Magi huffed ¡°I want to join so I can end the child tax.¡± Alcore noded and hummed ¡°Ok you can join.¡± He turned to Lexy with a stern expression ¡°he is your responsibility meaning if he turns out to be a traitor it will be on you and you will have to kill him if it goes south.¡± Lexy opened her mouth but didn''t say anything and nodded. Alcore sat back down and said, ¡°You may leave now.¡± Magi, Lexy, and Varikin walked out and Magi sighed. ¡°He scares me.¡± Lexy tilted her head ¡°not me he just came off as a big brother to me. But I guess I can see your point. Hey on a different subject, do you want to plant seeds with me and Katie?¡± Magi shrugged, ¡°Shure why not I¡¯ve read about plants, but my parents never could afford to buy the seeds. I remember the ones that intrigued me the most were flowers. Flowers have many very powerful uses for a wizard.¡± Lexy hummed ¡°really is that why there are no more flowers? I see them all the time where I¡¯m from. I''m not sure if I could bring one over. But considering all things it should work.¡± Magi¡¯s eyes sparkled even in the military he never got to see the beautiful plants let alone work with them. ¡°Yes and no, wizards had a part of it. Another part is the lack of royals doing their job. There are these monsters called dusted wendigos. They would be killed by the royal family. But because the royal family hasn''t these monsters have had time to grow and now there¡¯s a lot of them around. Dusted wendigos create large sandstorms around themselves while hunting. This causes deforestation in their hunting grounds. But do you really think you could bring a flower from your world?¡± Lexy smiled ¡°I¡¯ll try it on the way back and if it works, I promise I''ll bring you a cluster of flowers. But as for a dusted wendigo, I think I met one whose name was Algavorian.¡± Magi smiled, was it bad for once he felt loved. Not even his parents gave him this feeling, feelings had died once he learned the real reason, they were favoring him over his siblings. Because they were going to give him up. He remembered how at first, he didn¡¯t want to believe what he had heard from his parents, the ones that gave hugs and cuddles every day making the best of things if it meant he would be happy. Only to find they were monsters willing to give up their precious child at the age of twelve just so they can have riches and better food. The better you do in the military the better your family does. He remembers how at first, he was purposely failing. Until after three brutal years of training he was put into the fighting ring and rose to the highest-ranking any soldier can earn as a specialist. Personal guard of the king. Magi smiles and decides not to fight this feeling just this once, it¡¯s not like it comes around that often anyway. ¡°Ok, let''s do this plant thing.¡± He said with a cheer in his voice. Lexy smiled ¡°Come on, we have to drop this clay off with Katie.¡± Magi nodded and followed Lexy to the kitchen and saw Katie. Katie was rushing around the kitchen preparing food. She immediately stopped once she saw the three, ¡°oh bless my heart we have a new one, oh you two are so adorable! Oh, you got the clay, perfect the pots I have in the back room are ready for seeds there should be two rows. Have fun.¡± With that Katie opens a door revealing a room. Magi blinked, unsure of how to react to this cheerful lady. Luckily Lexy piped in for him, ¡°Thanks, Katie¡± Lexy turned back to Magi with a smile, ¡°Commonly, let¡¯s plant these things!¡± Magi smiled at Lexy¡¯s cheerful attitude. Lexy, Varikin, and Magi enter the room that has a simple large table in it. The table has two rows of large tall pots made of clay filled with dark soil. Lexy smiled and pulled out little pouches she made each labeled. Magi turned to her ¡°so what are we planting?¡± Lexy set the pouches of seeds on the table and then picked up the pouch of corn seeds, ¡°We are planting corn while it¡¯s not a flower. It is still very useful. Corn can be made into a powder that you can use to make baked goods. You also can just eat it off the plant once you peel it.¡± Magi¡¯s eyes sparkled ¡°really? Then what are we waiting for? Let''s plant these things.¡± Lexy nodded and poked her pinkie into the soil creating a hole ¡°poke your finger into the dirt once and then put in a seed.¡± Lexy puts the seed into the hole and covers it up; she then turns to Cody and hands him a few corn seeds. While she took a jar of water nearby and began to gently water what was planted. Magi smiled and went to the other row of pots and repeated the process of planting the corn. Once the two finished up Magi smiled and turned to Lexy, ¡°ok so what now?¡± Lexy finished the last pot and chuckled, ¡°Well, I actually need to head home.¡± Magi nodded, feeling a strange pain at the thought of being away from this strange girl. ¡°oh, are you going to be back tomorrow?¡± trying not to sound desperate. Lexy smiled, ¡°Of course I¡¯ll be back tomorrow.¡± Varikin walked over to Lexy ¡°don¡¯t forget you need to practice for tomorrow. Tomorrow is your battle with Talo and you will need far more than luck on your side.¡± Lexy gave a nervous smile ¡°yay can¡¯t wait to die tomorrow.¡± Sarcasm dripped off her voice. ¡°Well I¡¯ll see you tomorrow Cody and who knows I might not die or get horribly injured. Oh, hey if you¡¯re wondering where you will be sleeping just ask Katie or Jackson, but I¡¯ve got to go or Thokath will have my hide.¡± With that Varikin rushed off with Lexy. Cody hummed when he watched her leave. ****** Lexy rushed out of the base the sun an hour from setting. Lexy reached over to Varikin and touched his scruff. Lexy closed her eyes thinking of flowers for Cody and the two were back in the veil. Lexy opened her eyes ¡°ok we''re not heading home quite yet I want to know where some flowers are for Cody.¡± Varikin nodded and began walking back to the mansion slowly looking for the plant as requested. Varikin sighed ¡°I¡¯m not sure about Cody; he smells like Magi. One of the king¡¯s specialists.¡± Lexy hummed ¡°I''ll keep it in mind.¡± Varikin nodded and then he saw another clearing that¡¯s filled with an array of colors ¡°Lexy look.¡± Lexy turned her view to where Varikin was referring to and she saw the clearing of flowers. She smiled and walked over to a tree, pulling out the chalk Thokath gave her. She marked a tree in front of the clearing and then turned back to Varikin, ¡°Alright, let''s head home.¡± Varikin nods and turns into his smaller wolf form and he looked like a Doberman pinscher. Lexy and Varikin resumed walking, listening to the nature around them as they left the forest and entered the mansion. The fight with Talo Lexy awakened to barking ¡°again? Seriously, we talked about this.¡± With a groan, she got up and felt the nervousness creeping up her back about today¡¯s fight. Lexy puts on her clothes and loads up her knife containers onto her belt. She hums ¡°probably not enough.¡± She then equips her father''s blade and stares at it for a moment remembering her fight with the king. Lexy then looks to her bow and quiver. She grabbed her bow and arrows. Lexy walked out of her room to see the worry on Varikin¡¯s face and she knew why. Varikin looked around, only him and Lexy, ¡°eat light before a fight you might get punched in the gut. You don¡¯t want to throw up; it will lead to giving your opponent the advantage.¡± Lexy nodded ¡°makes sense but gross.¡± Lexy and Varikin walk down the stairs into the lobby room. No one there but Lexy and Varikin. Lexy and Varikin take a right turn from the lobby and enter a hall. Lexy stopped after the fourth door. She opened the door and she and Varikin entered the dining room to see Thokath sitting down at the head of the table along with everyone else. Lexy sat down by Carin. While Varikin goes over to his filled food dish. Carin smiled, ¡°Morning Lexy.¡± Lexy gave a soft smile back ¡°morning Carin.¡± It is then that a butler comes up to Lexy ¡°excuse me young miss what would you like for breakfast today?¡± Lexy hummed ¡°not a lot this morning just some eggs and water please.¡± The butler nodded and went back to the kitchen. Lexy smiled and saw Mina and Misa talk amongst themselves about some prank ideas. She turns and looks at the people around her. Her smile brightens and the butler returns with her eggs and a glass of water. The butler sets down the food in front of Lexy. Lexy quickly stuffs it into her mouth and drinks down the water. Lexy stands up ¡°I¡¯ve got to go.¡± Varikin stopped what he was doing and came up to her. Thokath noded, ¡°Sure thing, just be back before sunsets.¡± Lexy nodded and she and Varikin left the dining room. The two head through the hallway and then they leave the lobby entering outside. The duo entered the forest and Varikin turned to Lexy ¡°you ready?¡± Lexy huffed her expression firm ¡°ready as I¡¯ll ever be.¡± With that, she leaned over and touched Varikin¡¯s scruff as she thought of the doorway to the rebellion. Lexy glanced over to Varikin only to look in awe when he changed to a ferret and climbed up Lexy and perched on her shoulder. Lexy looked at Varikin when she entered the base ¡°wow now that is cool!¡± Varikin eyed the stadium and the sound of cheers and combat coming from it. It is then the duo enters the base and then walks into the cafeteria she begins looking for Magi or Cody and that¡¯s when randomly other members just begin walking past her, patting her shoulder while shaking their head, and then go back to whatever they were doing. Lexy, a bit weirded out, turned her head to Varikin ¡°what are they doing?¡± Varikin looks back at her ¡°this is a tradition that other rebels do when they think someone is going to lose. Otherwise, anyone who does this thinks you¡¯re going to fail.¡± Lexy gave a sarcastic smile ¡°lovely.¡± That¡¯s when Lexy spotted her red-headed friend sitting down at one of the tables alone. She smiled and walked over to Cody with the flowers behind her back and sat next to him, ¡°good morning Cody.¡± Magi¡¯s once frustrated expression changed to excitement ¡°oh hi Lexy are you ready for today.¡± Worry in his voice and face as he looks at Lexy. Lexy gave a nervous smile ¡°ready as I¡¯ll ever be. But hey I got the flowers.¡± Lexy pulled out the flowers and Magi¡¯s eyes glitter with joy. ¡°oh, I still have a potion book. I can probably figure out how I could use these. But you should probably get ready the fight is going to start in ten minutes¡± Lexy¡¯s eyes widened ¡°wait what? I''ve got to go! Thanks, Cody, are you going to watch?¡± Magi hummed ¡°I think I will. I want to see you kick that jerky scaly but. I met her when you left, she¡¯s a jerk.¡± Lexy smiled, feeling some confidence knowing she has friends cheering for her. Lexy turns her head to Varikin ¡°you?¡± Varikin smirked ¡°you bet. But I can¡¯t join you in this fight. I¡¯ll stay with Cody and we''ll go find a good place to watch. Won''t we Cody?¡± Magi nodded ¡°yes.¡± With that, the two ran off. Lexy sighed and walked to the arena. She placed her hand on her father¡¯s knife. This gives her a bit of comfort as she enters the hallway to see another rebel guarding a doorway. Lexy walked up to the guard ¡°excuse me but do you know where the entrance to the ring is?¡± The guard looked at her ¡°oh you¡¯re the challenger.¡± Lexy nodded nervously as she scratched her arm ¡°yup that¡¯s me.¡± The guard nodded and stood aside, letting her pass. Lexy enters an area she has never seen before. The room has another exit where she can hear the crowd. It had fighting dummies, a bin of water, and a wall of weapons. That¡¯s when she sees the other door open and hears a loud disembodied voice say, ¡°both fighters report to the ring.¡± Lexy felt ice up her spine but shook it off when she exited the room. Lexy walked down a sloped hallway that opened to a large room with dirt flooring. She looked to her left and saw a stadium-sized seating arrangement; the fighting area was the size of a football stadium. ¡°Wow, glad to see all the people here for my demise¡±. She mumbled to herself bitterly when she then turned to see Talo coming into the ring with two large blades in hand. Lexy put on the sweetest smile she can muster, and she pulled out two of her throwing knives, hiding them with her hands with her oversized hoodie sleeves. Talo stopped and the disembodied voice echoed around the stadium. ¡°Welcome challengers, you may begin the fight in 3¡­2¡­1!¡± Talo smirked when a bell was heard around the room. She stopped once she saw Lexy¡¯s seaming happy smile. ¡°Alright, freak let''s go.¡± Lexy smiled and nodded, ¡°Alright buddy pal chum friend,¡± Lexy said sweetly. Talo shook her head and launched herself at Lexy with blades first. Lexy flipped backward to dodge while she threw two of her knives at Talo. One of the knife''s stabbed Talo in the leg while another grazed her cheek, ¡°so you can fight. I knew it would come to show me. Show me what you can do. Show the others what you can do so they can see what you really are!¡± Lexy, seeing Talo falter in her attacks, immediately takes a huff of air and charges forward at Talo with one of her throwing knives. Talo quickly grabbed Lexy by the throat. Her choked breaths echoed around the stadium. While many of the audience began shouting for Talo to stop. ¡°You know I have no idea why a little thing like you is still alive. You¡¯re just worth forgetting. So why don''t I end you here?¡± Lexy dropped the small knife and with her other hand grabbed her larger knife, her father¡¯s knife. Talo reacted quickly enough to see the attack and dropped Lexy while she leaped back. Lexy landed gracefully on her feet and saw Talo coming back at her with one of her blades. Lexy went to block it with her knife only to watch the rune on her knife glow an eerie purple and cut through Talo¡¯s blade. Lexy felt anger burn in her veins and the audience was forced to kneel when they felt the rage of this little child again. Cody felt this magic aura. It was like a tone of brick had been put on him. He collapsed off his seat and saw everyone else around him was collapsing too. Varikin looked at Cody when he struggled to get up and climbed up one of the chairs to see what was happening. Talo stood up and looked in shock when she looked at Lexy¡¯s knife and then she saw Lexy¡¯s angry face. She chuckled and dropped her broken blade, ¡°oh boy did I strike a nerve?¡± Lexy gritted her teeth and within a flash. Lexy jumped up and her father¡¯s blade glowed, ¡°Just shut the hell up!¡± Talo flipped back to dodge the attack and watched when Lexy plunged her blade into the ground. Deep purple magic danced off the blade and into the earth. For a short moment, nothing happened and Lexy took her father¡¯s blade back from the ground. Without warning, the earth quaked and the ground cracked. Now the loose ground began to float and in all the cracks were currents of deep purple magic. Sweat dripped off Lexy as she let out puffs of air and looked to Talo who stared at the floating rocks with wide eyes. Talo felt the shaking stop and took her spare dual blades from their sheaths and charged at Lexy. Lexy narrowly dodged two attacks but received two cuts to her left cheek while getting cut on the shoulder. Lexy dodged another attack and leaped back landing on one of the floating chunks of rock. She looked at her glowing blade and remembered her fight with the king. Lexy made a cut in the air and a discharge of magic leaped off the blade and hit the ground at Talo¡¯s feet. While she had lost her balance Lexy leaped into the air and punched Talo in the face with the blunt end of her father¡¯s blade. This knocked Talo unconscious. With that Lexy took a shaky breath and looked down to her knife. To see it glow with dark purple tendrils of magic seeping from the rune engraved into it. Lexy sighed and felt the anger leave. The blade stopped glowing purple and the crowd could stand up again to see what happened. Everyone looked in awe to see this little child standing over an unconscious Talo and begin cheering. Alcore, still standing, looked over to Jackson who was getting up and dusted himself off. ¡°I think it may be better if we exploit this little one for more combat than just supplies.¡± Jackson noded ¡°Are we going to host this month¡¯s meeting?¡± Alcore noded ¡°yes in fact I had already scheduled it for this evening. Seeing as head captain Phenic was very adamant in the meeting being soon .¡± Jackson nodded and turned his attention back to the crowd leaving the stadium and a set of medics taking Talo to the infirmary ¡°do you want me to up her training? I already did a test to see if she had experience and I was surprised.¡± Alcore raised a brow and nodded ¡°Is that why your face got beat up? But yes, please do. Especially in a magic aura, we can¡¯t have her magic hurting others by accident. Start as soon as possible¡± Jackson nodded ¡°yes sir.¡± *** Lexy sighed, turned to see Varikin coming up to her, and smiled ¡°hey guys that did not go the way I expected.¡± Varikin smiled, ¡°I was surprised today.¡± Cody nodded a nervous smile on his face ¡°yes but I think you need to practice your magic energy and remind me not to get you mad like ever!¡± Cody then looks at Lexy¡¯s knife eyeing the rune ¡°hey by the way where did you get that knife? Because normal weapons can¡¯t cut through blades as yours did.¡± Lexy hummed and brought up the knife worry on her face ¡°I... My dad gave it to me for my birthday when I was three but of course, my mom didn¡¯t let me have it, so I was only given it last year. But it was from my dad¡± Cody hummed ¡°then I want to say that your dad must have had some connections because that blade was clearly forged by a star dwarf. I only heard rumors, but now, I know they''re true. Star dwarf blades can turn someone¡¯s aura into a weapon. It wasn¡¯t quite the way I expected but still impressive. Have you used it before?¡± Lexy nodded ¡°a few times, and only once before, and this time this symbol on it was leaking out purple magic.¡± Worry spread over Varikin, ¡°Purple? Teleporting magic is usually red or orange. There is only one magic that is ever known to be purple or black. Witch magic is purple and black but it never behaves quite like this. But there''s nothing to worry about, you''ll be fine. Come on, let''s go celebrate your victory!¡± ***** Lexy walked out of the arena with Magi and Varikin, ¡°yea, so Cody have you figured out a way to use those flowers? Or a potion I can try?¡± Magi shook his head when they entered the large building, ¡°no not yet, but we can look as we eat. It will have to be something simple though as far as potion-making. I don''t want you to be strained to try to make some high-level potion.¡± He said when he pulled out a large book that was thick as a brick from a satchel. Lexy scrunched her nose, ¡°so do flowers let someone make high-level potions? Plus does each potion require a different type of flower? By the way, this is a big question I have, how do you tell the difference in bloodline stuff anyhow?¡± The three entered the large building while Varikin hopped onto her shoulder from Cody¡¯s and the two sit down. Magi hummed, ¡°Ok so no matter what creature or bloodline is they are one of these three classes Radiance, Absorption, and physical. Radiance class- all creatures who give magic from their soul fall into this class. Absorption class- creatures who absorb magic from around them fall into this class Physical class-all creatures who fall into this have their abilities not because of magic but because of relying on chemical systems in their body. beast-blooded is straightforward, no animal ears or tail so no on that, especially since beast-blooded can¡¯t use magic attacks. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Elf is tricky, Elven magic is activated by an item it doesn¡¯t even have to be magical just a random item. So, if you touch something and you¡¯re suddenly able to use different magic that you have not been able to before. You''re likely an elf. But here¡¯s the thing, in why I¡¯m doubting you, your wizard. Even if you have one-third of wizard lineage or you¡¯re a half wizard, have cat-like eyes that glow and that¡¯s also a no. But you can do magic and it''s confusing! You look human and ugh, You¡¯re a riddle. I really can¡¯t answer this question well, sorry Lexy.¡± Frustration in Magi¡¯s voice when he rested his head against the table. Lexy smiled ¡°it''s ok Cody I appreciate the effort I really do. Eh, magic or no magic I am happy to be here as long as I can help.¡± Magi nodded ¡°oh hey I heard they''re working in a lobby so that people don¡¯t have to always sit in the cafeteria while waiting for orders or training to start.¡± Jackson came up behind Lexy, ¡°good thing you don¡¯t have to wait.¡± Lexy jumped and let out a squeak, ¡°you came out of nowhere!¡± Jackson shrugged, ¡°Alright follow me to the training grounds right quick this includes you to Varikin as for you Cody you already know where you go.¡± Magi noded and Lexy turned to Magi confused. ¡°Wait, what?¡± Magi shrugged, ¡°oh yea I forgot to tell you I¡¯m a part of the potion engineering since I already know a lot about potions and spell types.¡± With that, the redhead grabbed his book and left. Lexy turned back to Jackson while Varikin followed ¡°alright so what type of training will we be doing?¡± Jackson shrugged, ¡°just something I do to get new ones used to the field.¡± Lexy nodded and followed Jackson when he led the two out into the open fields beyond the housing structures. There were ten people out here with cat eyes and wizard hats; they had mismatched red and blue uniforms with black lining. By them was a table with eggs and two spoons. Jackson chuckled upon seeing Lexy¡¯s confusion ¡°Curios? This is the magic of my wonder wolf, Saylis. Wonder wolves upon being bonded with someone can create worlds within their crystals and have doors be gateways into them. Now, this is a rather simple lesson.¡± He said while he took an egg and placed it in the spoon and then took the other spoon and placed it on top. ¡°take this. Your job is to get as far as possible without cracking this egg. Quick rule use of magic is against the rules so no teleportation tricks. Oh, and a tip, if you let your magic go crazy it will crack the egg and that means starting over again and beginning here.¡± Lexy nodded ¡°understood.¡± What¡¯s so hard about going as far as possible and not cracking an egg. So, she won¡¯t have to use magic, this will be easy. Jackson nodded ¡°good now one more thing.¡± Jackson pulled out a blindfold. ¡°Varikin will be your eyes.¡± He said when he quickly blindfolded Lexy and spun her to face the field while Varikin leaped onto her shoulder ¡°now get running I would if I were you.¡± Lexy struggled when she began running forward unsure of where to place her feet. Varikin climbed up to her head ¡°keep going you¡¯re doing great.¡± Jackson watched as Lexy ran and a black snake peaked from his shoulder ¡°so I bet ten seconds once the explosions go off.¡± The snake''s voice is feminine. Jackson shrugged ¡°well see if they last long enough Saylis we shall see. I bet a minute.¡± Jackson then turned to the group of five mages and nodded The mages all extend their hands skyward and their palms begin to glow reds and blues. Within a short second blue and red beams of magic come hurling towards Lexy and Varikin. Varikin¡¯s eyes widened ¡°OH HEAVENS! RUN! RUN! RUN! LEXY RUN!¡± Lexy had begun to push herself as hard as she could but she could not see the dangers ¡°how is the egg?¡± Varikin said ¡°It''s fine. Now, LOOK OUT! I Mean TAKE A LEFT!¡± Lexy quickly moved to the left and the sound of explosions began to fill her ears when blue magic hit the ground making large spans of ice. The red magic hit and made a crater and sent the two flyings ¡°WHAT''S GOING ON?¡± Lexy shouts as she falls to the ground and the egg cracked. Varikin and Lexy both scream as an electric shock is sent through their bodies. Once it stopped Lexy huffed ¡°what the heck was THAT?¡± Varikin shuddered ¡°I don¡¯t know but we have to restart.¡± Lexy nodded and Varikin guided her back to the start. Jackson chuckled when he watched the two come back ¡°ready to try again?¡± Lexy groaned ¡°yes and no why did we get shocked?¡± Jackson smirked when he handed her an egg and she put it between the spoons. ¡°That''s because if one of you gets hurt, you both do. Also, if you get hit by one of the blasts. Those are meant to simulate what dying is like.¡± Lexy frowned ¡°do we have to do this?¡± Jackson nodded and turned her towards the field again. ¡°Yes, and you are going until you succeed.¡± Lexy groaned as she went to try again, and again, and again until she was on her twentieth try. Lexy groaned when she practically dragged herself back to the start. Her hair was now partly frozen. Her whole body was littered with bruises ¡°I quit this; this is impossible.¡± Lexy exclaimed, tired of getting shocked and hearing Varikin screams. Jackson shook his head and handed her another egg ¡°NO, Go again.¡± Varikin groaned and Lexy stood back up ¡°ok Varikin I¡¯m ready to listen.¡± Varikin nodded ¡°alright go forward.¡± Lexy nodded and listened carefully to Varikin when she dodged the holes and then they both heard the sound of magic flying through the air and then the boom that shook the ground. Varikin looked around when another flurry of attacks came at them ¡°It''s ok keep going!¡± Lexy¡¯s breathing grew labored when she pushed herself harder. The adrenaline rushed as fire and ice rained from the sky. Lexy felt a warm hum of magic coming from within her when she ran. She recognized the feeling of the fight from the time she got angry. She concentrated on preventing the feeling from spreading, not wanting to have to start all over again. Varikin looked behind to see more explosions; he then looked forward to seeing a forest and grassland. ¡°Ok slow down, we''re about to enter a forest so put your hand forward so you don¡¯t-¡°he¡¯s cut off by being flung forward and seeing Lexy fall and the egg cracks. Ringing rang in Lexy¡¯s ears when suddenly, the ringing in Lexy''s ears faded, and the sound of wings flapping against the wind replaced it. Varikin turned to see Saylis transform into a large wolf-like form standing on her back legs, her crystals blue and green. As Saylis gently picked up Lexy by her hoodie "Are you alright little one?" Lexy moved a little "I think so" Saylis nodded and walked back to the beginning. Saylis set Lexy down by Jackson and sat down making a loud thud. Jackson turned to Lexy ¡°you failed. Do you want to quit?¡± Lexy huffed and wrinkled her nose while she lifted her head a bit ¡°I¡¯m not quitting.¡± Jackson smiled ¡°good¡± He then turned to Saylis ¡°Saylis if you would please do the honors.¡± She nodded and closed her eyes. Varikin watched when the terrain changed from a flat desert to a hilly forest. Jackson then handed Lexy another egg ¡°Go!¡± Lexy began running and Varikin shouted, ¡°wait Lexy have your hand out they changed things up.¡± Lexy nodded and put her hand out when she felt a tree. She felt her way around the tree and continued going. Varikin constantly glanced from the sky and what¡¯s coming up ahead. Then he saw a clearing ¡°Alright Give it all you¡¯ve got.¡± Lexy nodded and began to sprint through the clearing egg in hand and uncracked. Varikin looked up to the sky to see magical attacks coming in ¡°keep going just move to the left a bit.¡± Lexy did as told just in time to miss an ice attack. Varikin looked back to see an explosion set the trees on fire. ¡°keep going but put your hand out.¡± Lexy, as told and began finding her way around the trees, that¡¯s when Varikin noticed that the magical explosions stopped. This made him feel on edge. Varikin looked behind them to see that a small fire was now an inferno a few minutes behind them ¡°keep going.¡± Lexy nodded ¡°got it.¡± The two left the thicket of the forest and it opened to a large clearing. Varikin stood a bit, raising his head to see a bit higher up ahead. Varikin felt his blood go cold when he looked up to see Jackson waiting for them at a large boulder that¡¯s painted finish. Jackson was with a different group of five mages. However, instead of red and blue magic two of the mages have yellow magic and the other three have their hands to the ground. Lexy felt the ground rumble when she ran and suddenly lightning struck around and behind her. ¡°GIVE IT ALL YOU GOT!¡± Varikin says while hugging onto Lexy for dear life. If the lightning wasn¡¯t enough, giant spikes made of rock begin launching out of the ground. Lexy concentrated on staying calm and running. Her ears rang from how close the lightning was. She couldn¡¯t even hear Varikin. Lexy despite how the attacks increased in velocity causing debris to hit, cut, and bruise her. She gritted her teeth in pain and focused her last effort on running. By the scrape of her teeth, she made it and not a chip or crack on the egg. She landed on her back next to Jackson sweat dripping on her face. Varikin collapsed next to Lexy. Jackson took the egg and inspected it for any cracks and set it down on a table next to him. ¡°You may take off the blindfold Lexy.¡± Lexy sat up and took her blindfold off her eyes widened. ¡°I walked through that?¡± her jaw dropped when she stared at the fire, the scorch marks from the lightning, and the huge spikes of rocks. Jackson handed her a small glass of water and she drank it all. He hands her another egg and Lexy frowned ¡°wait what?¡± He looked at her ¡°you¡¯re going to go again and this time without Varikin. So, you can earn him a glass of water.¡± She huffed in frustration when he put the blindfold back on her ¡°wait what? Why?¡± Jackson smirked ¡°you always put your partner first. So, because you didn¡¯t you get to try again without him. Now go.¡± Lexy groaned when she turned back towards the field and went again, and again and now had been at it for the last two hours. She groaned when she was set down by Saylis at the beginning. Jackson hummed ¡°you can quit you know.¡± Lexy glared through her blindfold ¡°No I can¡¯t Varikin needs water. More than me.¡± Jackson smiled and handed her another egg. With that, she¡¯s off and with one hand she holds the egg and the other she uses to feel for obstacles. Lexy ran swiftly and fell out of the trees while she heard the shrill sound of magic fly through the air. She heard it get closer and moved more to the left in time to dodge the fiery attack. Lexy continued to use this method despite how the lightning struck, the fire roared, the ice spiked and the ground shook; she did not waver until she reached her goal. Lexy collapsed onto the stone while holding on to the egg and heard Jackson¡¯s chuckled ¡°you did it.¡± She turned to Jackson who handed Lexy another mug of water with a proud smile on his face as she pulled off her blindfold. ¡°You know you aren¡¯t the first student I did something like this to. But unlike the last students, you managed to get to the end. Most of them couldn¡¯t get along with their partner while others got too traumatized from the explosions and injuries. Others just stopped trying but you are the first to want to try again and I¡¯m proud of that, don''t lose that determination it might just save you.¡± Lexy handed the cup of water to Varikin ¡°take it.¡± Lexy turned, saw Saylis, and flinched ¡°wow were you the one who brought me back?¡± Varikin immediately began drinking the water. Saylis noded ¡°Yes, I was me.¡± Lexy hummed ¡°where you. How did you change the world? I don¡¯t see walls?¡± This caused Saylis to chuckle ¡°do you know what a wonder wolves¡¯ crystals can do?¡± Lexy shook her head ¡°no I don¡¯t actually.¡± Saylis chuckled ¡°Well when our crystals have grown large enough, we can choose who we give them to which is very, very rare because we are naturally picky in who we give this to because people can enter our crystals. Witch, we control what the land looks like and the person we give it to can change it to.¡± Lexy nodded not feeling nearly so hot and sweaty. She turned to Varikin only to see he had drunk the rest of the water. Lexy smiled and pet Varikin a bit on the head ¡°thanks buddy for getting me through.¡± Varikin nodded Lexy then had a light go off in her head ¡°you made the rebellion base.¡± Saylis nodded ¡°yes little one that was me and congrats on your victory.¡± Lexy smiled ¡°thanks so Jackson anything else?¡± Jackson shook his head ¡°No you¡¯re free to go.¡± Lexy smiled and watched in awe when Jackson flicked his hand and a doorway rose from the ground, ¡°That will lead out to the main building.¡± The mages nodded and left. Lexy got up and Varikin hopped onto her shoulder. Jackson turned to Saylis and nodded when the four exited the room. Saylis transformed into a snake and Jackson picked her up, letting her onto his shoulder. That¡¯s when Lexy saw a woman with red copper hair wearing a black tunic blue skirt and tanned pants. On top are armor pieces on the shoulder and arm braces. On her hilt was a sword with a phoenix engraved into the sheath. This woman had three other rebels by her side. Two with armor that looked like it was crafted from leaves. While the third looked very odd. He had horns that curled around to meet his cheeks. He had flopped over deer-like ears. But his eyes had black background while one was a haunting orange and another was a deep-sea blue. He had a bat set of wings and a dark-colored lion tail. This strange man only glared at Lexy while the woman with red copper hair stopped once she saw Lexy and Jackson. Jackson gave a nervous smile ¡°hi you- ¡° The woman huffed, ¡°oh cut the formalities, Jackson. I already know who you are.¡± She then turned to see Lexy who still had scrapes, and bruises littered around. ¡°oh, you look like you¡¯ve been through a lot. Tell me what happened?¡± Worry was all anyone could see in her eyes. Lexy smiled and shrugged ¡°Oh I¡¯m fine I just finished up training with Jackson. My name is Lexy, what''s yours?¡± The woman smiled ¡°oh training really now? Well, little one I am, well how do I put it? I was queen, but I really don¡¯t quite go by my title anymore. How about you just call me C.¡± Strangely the temperature increased. Lexy looks in shock ¡°wait you¡¯re helping the rebellion? Then does that mean you¡¯re going against your husband?¡± This caused C to chuckle ¡°oh no little one the king is my son. My husband died a while back.¡± Lexy¡¯s expression went to one of sympathy.¡°oh, sorry to hear that.¡± C¡¯s expression grew to one of distaste, ¡°Oh don¡¯t be sorry he got what he had come to him. Got too involved in dealing with the dark apostles.¡± C then turned to Jackson with a murderous glare, her hair softly glowed. ¡°Jackson, why are the rebellion training children? I thought even Alcore agreed that we were against this.¡± The room temperature begins heating up again. Jackson nervously sighed ¡°oh boy Lexy could you tell her how old you are?¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°I¡¯m thirteen.¡± Jackson gives a soft smile ¡°see older than ten we all agreed they have to be ten or up before we start training. But the reason she is getting the tougher training is that she has already shown magic.¡± He said with fear. C looked at Lexy and then Jackson. With a sigh her heir stopped glowing ¡°very well, I wish you the best of luck Lexy.¡± Lexy smiled ¡°thank you, ma¡¯am.¡± With that Lexy and Jackson watched, C left with her three companions. Jackson sighed in relief ¡°for a second I thought she was going to barbeque me. Thanks, Lexy.¡± Lexy smiled ¡°sure thing and you weren¡¯t the only one who thought she was going to barbeque somebody. But uh I know she¡¯s the queen now and all, but I¡¯ve never seen her around here. Why?¡± Jackson smiled ¡°well this isn¡¯t the only base we have Lexy. We have one in the southern desert, one on the sea, another in the eastern woodland, and one more on the starring. The queen manages the woodland rebellion. Alcore is the leader of all the branches of the rebellion. But if the queen is here already it must mean so are the other commanders.¡± Lexy nodded ¡°oh that makes sense. So quick check we are done for today Yes?¡± Jackson nodded and then his eyes widened ¡°yes you are done for now you may choose to go home or see if Cody is done with his lessons. But hey, I''ve got to inform you before you leave. Uh, you remember that dusted wendigo you shot at right?¡± Lexy frowned and nodded, ¡°yes?¡± Jackson took in a deep breath, ¡°well, he kind of held a grudge and has been spotted following your trail. So be careful if you head out into the desert. Not even the rebellion could handle killing one of those and it¡¯s hunting you.¡± Lexy nodded and walked away into the cafeteria. Lexy looked around to see Magi with a bowl of green liquid. Magi waved Lexy over and Lexy came over and sat next to the redhead. Lexy smiled ¡°hi! Uh, what¡¯s that?¡± she says pointing to the bowl of green goop. Cody smiled ¡°this is the test to see if you¡¯re a wizard or part wizard at least. All you have to do is add the last herb, stir it and it should turn blue.¡± Cody took out a handful of dried leaves and handed them to Lexy. Lexy grabbed the herbs and put them into the potion. Cody handed her a spoon. Lexy took it and stirred the potion. Varikin and Cody look at the potion in awe as it goes from a ghastly green to a deep sky blue with bubbles forming off it and floating away. Lexy smiled ¡°I did it oh my gosh I did it!¡± Cody tilted his head ¡°yea, this means you''re part wizard, but you don''t have the whole eye thing.¡± Lexy smiled ¡°does this mean that my dad is a wizard?¡± Cody shook his head ¡°I¡¯m not sure you don¡¯t show any physical features of a wizard, but you do show magic wise. I¡¯m not sure, sorry.¡± Lexy smiled ¡°no you¡¯re fine this is so cool what can we do with the potion though?¡± Cody looked at the potion ¡°well this one that you made is just a simple bubble capture potion. Honestly, the names say exactly what it can do. You blow a bubble with it and you can trap a person in them. But they can escape if someone else pops the bubble,¡± Lexy nodded ¡°Hey, what time is it?¡± Cody hummed ¡°about afternoon why?¡± Lexy¡¯s eyes widened and she stood up ¡°so sorry but I¡¯ve got to go home otherwise Thokath will have my hide!¡± Lexy runs out the door with Varikin on her shoulder. Cody shook his head ¡°silly girl.¡± Lexy walked out of the rebellion base¡¯s door with Varikin on her shoulder and before she could do anything she felt something sharp hit her in the back of her neck. She looked to Varikin only to see he had a feathered dart in his back as she felt her world go black. ¡°Sorry kid, nothing personal.¡± To be kidnapped twice is totally an accident. Sure The queen entered a large room with a table that had five chairs. Four of them are filled with only one chair remaining and the queen sits in it. There in the other three seats are Alcore, a bird beast-blooded wearing a kimono, an elf, and a wizard. Alcore looked up ¡°oh good that¡¯s all of us, Yes?¡± Everyone in the room nods. Alcore smiled ¡°good now who should go first?¡± The beast-blooded bird stood up. They have a set of long feathers that are braided together with red ribbons. Their feathers are red, brown with white accents. They have gold-colored eyes with a black beak ¡°I will.¡± Alcore noded ¡°very well reported Phenic.¡± Phenic nodded, ¡°yes sir, as of recently we have discovered the soul stone''s location it¡¯s just a matter of retrieving it.¡± While saying this she taped a button on the table and in the center, a holograph of a large set of crumbling ruins, and in the center was a broken-down castle. ¡°It is literally on the other side of Terra. But we can¡¯t ever seem to get to the ruins before nightfall and you know well as I do no one wants to stay there after nightfall.¡± The elf tilted his head ¡°I forget what the problem is about being there after nightfall?¡± Phenic turned to the elf ¡°the reason that we cannot afford to stay there during night Eltric is that curse on the land. Remember all the land turns to fire. Do you not remember history?¡± Eltric shook his head ¡°no, sorry I¡¯ve been in space too much.¡± Slight sarcasm in his voice. Phenic sighed ¡°very well I will explain, do you at least remember the war of fire?¡± Eltric nodded ¡°that I do.¡± Phenic sets her wing on the table and looked up at Eltric ¡°good, that saves me a lot of time, after the war, many of the powerful weapons and relics were hidden by the victorious. What no one really remembers is that the wizards also sided with the witches. Then why aren¡¯t the witches still around you may ask? Well, who do you think agreed to stay behind to guard, manage, and protect the said powerful articles of war. The witches only activate the curse at night. We have never gotten close enough to talk to them and I doubt they would listen. Seeing as in history they swore loyalty to the crown. But seeing as the queen informed me personally that the king¡¯s father or his mother never told the blood king of this. We still have a chance to get it before the blood king does.¡± Eltric noded realization In his eyes ¡°oh, ok now I see why this is so important.¡± Phenic nodded and turned to the queen ¡°that is all I have to say on that. Now what I was thinking is that since we still have a chance is that you can negotiate with the witches. But our one problem is getting there fast enough. Even when we leave at the crack of dawn, we don¡¯t get there quick enough.¡± Phenic turned to Alcore ¡°which is why I would like to know if our scientific team has had any breakthroughs with the mechs?¡± Alcore shook his head ¡°No but I will put Fendres up to see if she can find an ace. I¡¯ll tell her to test everyone. The same goes for the rest of you. Have your flight captains test everyone.¡± They all nod Alcore then looked around ¡°now how well are supplies flowing? Reply on a scale of one to ten. Ten is perfect zero is near to nothing¡± Phenic replied first ¡°7¡± then Eltric ¡°5¡± then the queen ¡°6¡± the wizard last ¡°5¡± Alcore noded ¡°good. Now does anyone else have something to bring up?¡± No one responded. Alcore noded ¡°all right then I would like to share with you some interesting information my stealth captain has brought up. She found out that two-thirds of our troops are still alive and as far as we are aware, they are currently imprisoned in the capital. I have not shared this with anyone lower than a squad captain. I recommend the same precaution. This is a need to know bases only.¡± The others nod. The wizard stood up¡°so are we to rescue them or is it too early.¡± Alcore shook his head ¡°it is too early to tell Drew.¡± Drew nodded his expression solemnly and Alcore went sympathetic ¡°I understand you want to know if your daughter is alright, but it would be best to wait. I worry if we act too quickly that it will be a trap and then they will kill the ones who we were trying to save and the rescue party.¡± Drew nodded ¡°I understand knowing she is alive is relieving for now.¡± Alcore nodded ¡°good that is all I have in this situation does anyone wish to bring something else up?¡± No one responds, ¡°Good then this meeting is adjourned.¡± With that, they all leave the room. Everyone but Alcore who stared at the table ¡°need of an ace.¡± He left the room and walked through the halls, took a left then a right. He entered a hallway that ended with one door. He opened the door at the end of this hallway and entered a spiral stairway leading up. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Alcore walked up the stairs that led him to another door. He walks through it leading to a large open area on the roof of the base. There are a few racks of metal backpacks and uniforms. Above this rack was a shelf that had a set of large bracelets. They''re sitting on a chair looking at the fields in the distance was Fendres. ¡°so, what do you want cuz I''m going to assume you came up here for a reason other than watching the sunset?¡± Alcore chuckled and walked up to her ¡°you know me well as pretty as the sun is, you¡¯re right. I didn¡¯t come up here just for the scenery. I came here to tell you about your new set of orders. You are to test everyone who has magic strong enough to use a mech. Find the fastest cadet and then tell me once you find them or if you find them. I already have the other bases doing the same.¡± Fendres nodded ¡°very well. I''ll start tomorrow. I have a feeling in my guts about a certain individual.¡± Alcore noded ¡°Good, I can¡¯t wait to see the results.¡± With that, he left. **** Lexy woke with a groan when she opened her eyes to see she was in a cell and her hands were cuffed together with metal. She looked around with panic to see she was in a cell made of stone and metal that had engravings into them. While there was one door that had no handle. ¡°Hello? Varikin!¡± But no one came. She was alone and she hated it. ¡°Varikin? Where are you?¡± No response came. Not until thirty minutes of nothing. Was when she heard a set of footsteps and the cell door was opened by someone Lexy had seen before. The man with a black boar mask. He looked at Lexy, ¡°Oh, you''re awake. I was starting to get worried if I had overdosed you on the drug.¡± Lexy snarled and if glares could kill this man would be dead, ¡°The hell you want me for!¡± The man shrugged, ¡°A bounty set up by some pretty high up people. They''re going to pay me a pretty penny for you.¡± Lexy raised a brow, ¡°And what do they want me for?¡± To this, the man only shrugged again, ¡°Them? I think It would be pretty obvious to the guardian herself.¡± Lexy wrinkled her nose, ¡°Guardian? Like the guardian that was meant to be a gift from one of the gods?¡± This made him nod, ¡°Yup, the said being that is meant to help and protect the people. Well lucky you. These high-ups believe it¡¯s you. Now come on or do I have to drag you?¡± Lexy narrowed her eyes, thought hard, ¡°I will only come willingly if you tell me where Varikin is.¡± The man raised a brow from under his mask, ¡°Varikin? Oh, the wonder wolf. I already handed him to them.¡± Lexy huffed and stood up, ¡°Fine, I''ll go willingly.¡± Tarvos attached a lead to the iron cuffs and began to lead Lexy through cave systems that opened up to where there were three people in black hoods. By them was a cage with a snarling Varikin who was doing everything he could to get out of the cage. Tarvos walked up to one and handed the line to them. ¡°You already paid me for the wolf and the kid. Do you have any more targets you want?¡± The man took the line and shook his head, ¡°No this will be enough. Tarvos¡± Lexy smiled when she looked to the exit of the cave and saw a sand storm. The hooded man pulled off his hood revealing he was Albis. Albis¡¯s half ear twitched when he grinned at Lexy, ¡°We meet again, guardian. I do hope no one will be missing you. Because you are about to die. Now any last words?¡± He said when he pulled out a knife. Lexy looked at her shadow and gazed at it for a moment. She smiled when it flickered on its own. Lexy closed her eyes and listened carefully. Her smile grew to a knowing smirk when she felt the ground shake. She opened her eyes and looked at Albis. ¡°I don''t believe you realize just who you captured. I am not some mere child you just get to kill.¡± Albis smirked and raised a brow, ¡°Really now why would that be?¡± Lexy felt the ground shook more, which got everyone''s attention. Albis looked to the exit of the cave. ¡°What is that?¡± Lexy looked to Tarvos who had the key to her metal cuffs and then back to Albis, ¡°That¡¯s why.¡± Without warning, a booming voice echoed around when Algavorian approached. The titanic beast cackled, ¡°You think you can hide from me, little mouse! I am death and I am lightning! Now die!¡± Lighting crackled when Algavorian took in a deep breath and exhaled the chaotic energy. Lexy quickly dived to move varikin out of the way while the others in the room did the same. Lexy used to lighting attacks from training, was able to snap out the shock from the attack, and saw Tarvose had landed near her and the key even closer. Lexy quickly snatched the key from the ground and undid her shackles. She then used the key to free Varikin. Lexy put a hand on his scruff and looked at the monster readying for another attack. While she thought of being in her bedroom, ¡°See ya, ya bunch of nitwits!¡± Before they could say a thing Lexy was in her bedroom. She groaned upon sight of her lack of equipment, ¡°dang it, I forgot my stuff.¡± Varikin raised a brow, ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s all right there.¡± Lexy¡¯s eyes widened and she turned behind her where her shadow was to see all of her equipment. Testing and grim fates. Lexy woke up to hear barking, as usual, she got up, got dressed, equipped her favorite knife from her dad and her throwing knives. She let her red goggles hang around her neck. She then put on her favorite hoodie with black leggings. Lexy walked out of her room and patted Varikin on the head. ¡°Morning buddy.¡± She said with a sigh he only barked in return. Lexy smiled and walked over to the bathroom. She took out her medication, opened it, took a pill out, and swallowed it. Lexy resealed the container of pills and put it back. Lexy walked downstairs to see one of the maids waiting for her with a medium-sized paper bag ¡°morning young miss. I have become aware of your morning schedule. Thus, I made you breakfast.¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°oh thank you so much. Oh, hey I need to go town could you please go get one of the butlers. The maid nodded ¡°oh of course I''ll go get one of the drivers immediately.¡± Lexy nodded and watched her leave. Ten minutes later she then turned to see at the front of the house a limo pull up. Lexy turned to Varikin, ¡°Alright, stay here and go get the sheet so when I come back, we have the stuff to put the noodles in.¡± Varikin tilted his head confused as to what a noodle is. But I decided to let it go. With that Lexy stepped outside to see a limo and the same driver she had seen before waiting for her. Lexy got into the vehicle and the driver turned to her, ¡°where to young miss?¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°to the grocery store please.¡± The driver nodded and began to drive the limo. Lexy watched trees pass by and then they leave the estate and stop at a road crossing. That was when she saw it across the road to her left was a military camp or at least it looked like one. There were even active U.S soldiers walking around and setting up equipment. Lexy raised a brow, she¡¯s never heard of stuff like this happening. Lexy watched with curiosity as the driver resumed his course and the military place passed by. She shook it off and went back to watching things pass by. Eventually, the driver pulled up into the parking lot of the store and dropped Lexy off at the front. Lexy rushed inside and grabbed pork, flowers, tomatoes, and a large bag of edible salt. She purchases the items without a problem and gets them out to the limo. When the driver came out of the Limo and opened the back seat door for her, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it from here young miss.¡± Lexy smiled and then a striking thought came up: How was she going to get all this to the base. She can¡¯t carry this. This was three times the amount of food compared to last time. What if Varikin helped her with his large wolf form? That''s something she could do. Lexy got into the limo and sighed. The driver finished putting in the items and got back into the car, ¡°anywhere else young miss?¡± Lexy shook her head, ¡°no, but thank you.¡± The driver noded, ¡°very well.¡± With that, the driver turned on the limousine engine and began driving. Lexy watched buildings and trees pass with curiosity. She looked for that military camp and sure enough right before the entrance to the estate, it was there. Lexy looked at the U.S soldiers with a frown. It didn''t look like the national guard. These soldiers had different uniforms. The uniforms were a darker camouflage. The driver looked up seeing the sparkle in the young girls¡¯ eyes, ¡°Young miss, do you want to be a soldier when you get older?¡± The question caught her a bit off guard and into a soft chuckle, ¡°Maybe I¡¯ve never been sure what I want to be. But I think so once I am old enough. I will.¡± The driver nodded and drove into the estate. Pulling up into the driveway the driver parked the car in front of the mansion doors. Lexy smiled seeing the driver already popped the trunk and got out of the vehicle. Lexy walked to the back of the trunk and after a short pause, she walked to the front doors and opened them to see Varikin. Lexy smiled, ¡°Come on.¡± Varikin nodded and followed her when she went back to the trunk. Lexy began to bring the items to a certain point in the forest and she turned to Varikin, ¡°make sure no unwanted critters get into this. K?¡± Varikin noded with bark and stayed while she got more of the items. With a huff, Lexy managed to get the last of the items out there, ¡°ok, that¡¯s the last of it I''ll go get the sack and maybe some paper bags I''ll be right back.¡± Varikin nodded and watched when Lexy left for a good ten minutes and then returned. The driver looked to her, ¡°Do you need any help?¡± Lexy shook her head, ¡°No, I''ve got it. You can put the limo away if you want¡± The driver raised a brow at what she had in tow six large paper bags but nodded, ¡°Very well young miss.¡± The driver then pushed a button on a remote and part of the mansion opened up to reveal a garage. Lexy went back into the woods and put the uncooked noodles in three bags. She put all the ground-up pork into two bags and overflowed the other two with tomatoes. Lexy turned to Varikin, ¡°alright can you turn into your big Wolfen form please?¡±, Varikin nodded and his allusion faded with a soft light when he grew. The light faded leaving Varikin in his wolf form the size of a horse. Varikin laid down when Lexy got all the supplies upon his back and once situated she sighed, ¡°Ok, just take it up for a walk at max.¡± Varikin noded and gently stood up. He walked through the forest, the gentle sound of wind whistling against the leaves. The two got to the clearing and Lexy hummed and thought of reality while she closed her eyes. She opened her eyes and saw they had returned to the doorway to the rebellion. Varikin resumed walking toward the main building in the rebellion and even though to Lexy it had felt like hours. When it was only thirty minutes. Lexy hopped off Varikin making sure not to topple over the supplies on his back. She opened the door and Varikin walked through slightly crawling to avoid the roof. Other rebels looked in curiosity when Lexy and Varikin headed through the cafeteria and entered the kitchen. Katie came up to Lexy, ¡°Alright, what did you bring today?¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°I brought spaghetti.¡± Katie tilted her head, ¡°say what? ok, I can get the pots ready, but you¡¯ll have to cook this because I have no idea what that is.¡± Lexy giggled with a smile on her face, ¡°It''s a culinary masterpiece from my world that is simply divine. The first step is water. Could you please get one of the cauldrons boiling?¡± Katie nodded, ¡°Sure can kiddo.¡± Katie went over to a shelf of pots and began putting water in a large cauldron. Kaite gripped the large cauldron of water and hung it over a large red stone that radiates heat. Lexy then grabbed the bags off Varikin and set them down on the kitchen counter. Katie raised a brow at the tomatoes. ¡°What in the world is this?¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°It''s a tomato you pluck all the green off and then we put it into the boiling water,¡± Lexy said while she put the ground pork into a large cooking pan and set it on a stovetop with four red stones on it similar to the one she saw Niph used. Katie nodded and the two got to work. Katie once finished putting all the tomatoes into the bubbling water turned to Lexy who was standing on a crate to manage the cooking of the pork ¡°All alright what¡¯s next?¡± Lexy looked at the pot, ¡°Ok after thirty minutes we next pull the tomatoes out of the bottom and cut off a bit of the top. You should be able to peel off the skin if you can''t. It needs to go back into the water.¡± Kaite nodded and turned the tomatoes a bit before she looked back to Lexy, ¡°So what do you do when you leave the base?¡± Lexy hummed and stirred the cooking food, ¡°Typically I just head home and go to bed. But as of recently when I went to head home I and Varikin got kidnapped by a bounty hunter named Tarvos.¡± Kaite froze and looked to her with wide eyes, ¡°How in the world did you get out of that?¡± Lexy pressed her lips into a fine line while she took the pork off the stove and went to one of the cleared counters. She pulled out a bag of flowers, a large bowl, a stirring spatula, and water. Using the stirring spatula she mixed the water and flower till it was dough. ¡°I may have stalled enough for the dusted wendigo that is hunting me to get there cause chaos enough so I could get out of there. It was a crazy day. So this is nice.¡± Kaite stared at her for long while, ¡°I don''t know whether to be in awe of you''re lying or be in awe if you actually went through all of that.¡± Lexy shrugged, ¡°believe what you like but those tomatoes should be ready now.¡± The woman nodded and began the process. Once finished she turned back to Lexy, ¡°Alright, what now?¡± Lexy turned to her while she finished using a knife to cut the dough to make noodles, ¡°Alright take the noodles and put them in the boiling water. While I take care of the tomatoes. Also, do you have a bowl and a large spoon?¡± Katie nodded and pulled a large bowl out and placed it next to Lexy. She then grabbed the noodles and began putting them into the bubbling water. While Lexy took a large spoon and began smooshing the tomatoes into a paste. Once both are done there is a large caldron of noodles and a huge pan of tomato sauce with ground pork and salt. The aroma from the food already attracted a large line of hungry faces. Katie set up a pile of bowls and began dishing up the food. Lexy watched with excitement when the first person took a bite of their food. Lexy watched as from the first bite they began shoving it in their mouth. Lexy felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see Katie holding two bowls of spaghetti and two forks, ¡°You''ve done good, it''s for you and Varikin to go and sit down.¡± Lexy smiled and took the two bowls, ¡°Thanks, Katie.¡± Katie smiles, ¡°Sure thing kiddo.¡± With that Lexy walked out of the kitchen only to be greeted by a very, very tall and well-dressed wolf beast-blooded or at least that was what Lexy assumed he was. Lexy smiled, ¡°Hello sir, do you need something?¡± The man looked at her and chuckled, ¡°I was wondering if this would work. Do you really not recognize me Lexy?¡± Lexy tilted her head, the voice sounded somewhat familiar and the guy''s shoulders had crystals growing out of them. So, did the nip of his neck. His hair was snow white. His skin was nearly the same color. His eyes were werewolf-like. Lexy tilted her head to the side, ¡°wait? Varikin?¡± Varikin chuckled, ¡°Yup.¡± Lexy¡¯s jaw dropped ¡°Ok, how does this whole changing form thing work?¡± Varikin smiled, ¡°Well the stronger we trust each other. The more forms I gain. So this is a sign that we both trust each other a lot more.¡± Lexy made an o with her mouth, ¡°Oh that makes a bit more sense so then, back to my question do you want some spaghetti?¡± Varikin picked up the bowl of food and nodded, ¡°So where do you want to sit?¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°with Cody of course.¡± Varikin nodded and looked around. He spotted the young red-headed boy. Varikin pointed to the direction Magi was in, ¡°that way.¡± Lexy smiled and walked over to Magi Varikin behind her. Magi looked up from a book and smiled, ¡°Hi, Lexy.¡± He tilted his head upon seeing Varikin, ¡°who is that?¡± Lexy chuckled, ¡°This is Varikin, he is just in a human form which I was unaware he had until now.¡± Magi nodded, ¡°oh ok seeing as he is a shapeshifter and all. Anyway, did you try the stuff the cafeteria is serv-¡° He stopped once he saw that Lexy and Varikin both had bowls of spaghetti ¡°oh never mind.¡± Lexy and Varikin sat down by Magi. With Lexy in the middle Varikin to the left and Magi to the right. Lexy smiled, ¡°I¡¯m glad you like the food I made with Katie.¡± Magi¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°Wait, you made this?¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°Yeah, it wasn¡¯t a big deal.¡± Only to get a sudden hug. Magi then let the girl go ¡°you are a wonderful chef do not deny this. This food is so good. It¡¯s the best I¡¯ve had in my life.¡± Lexy watched with shock and then chuckled and handed Magi her bowl, ¡°Have it, you need it more than me.¡± Magi muffled a thank you, but it was hard to hear through him shoving noodles into his mouth. Lexy set her head on the table only to be startled by hearing, ¡°ATTENTION!¡± Everyone looked up to see Fendres with a group of dragon blooded and one beast-blooded next to her ¡°squad captain of the renegades has a message.¡± Fendres stepped up ¡°right the following names I list need to get into groups of six. I will then number the groups. All I list please come up with us and then we will go from there¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Whispers began to fill the room, curiosity in the air. Lexy didn¡¯t really pay attention anymore; she was more lost in thought than she doubted she would hear her name. Who would want the weak pipsqueak for anything? ¡°And the last of them is oh yes one more Lexy.¡± Lexy sighed she always must jinx herself, didn''t she? with that, she stood up and Varikin turned into his ferret form. He hopped onto her shoulder, ¡°Any idea what¡¯s going on?¡± Lexy shook her head, ¡°no clue.¡± With that Lexy walked up to Fendres, ¡°Right, you are a part of group six. Now all of those I have called follow me as for the rest of you, Good day.¡± ****** The wind howled at Lexy, Varikin, Fendres, and a few other rebels outside five stories up on a flat roof. Lexy, Fendres, and the rest of the group were wearing blank dark blue uniforms with the rebellion¡¯s insignia on the back. The interior of the outfits was lined and to no one¡¯s surprise, they had to make a quick cut on the sleeves and pant legs so it would be a uniform not a tripping sweat trap for Lexy. Even then the torso was still a bit baggy on her. But it seemed like they had tried to make this uniform for her. Seeing the other uniforms were over twice the size of the one they offered her. Lexy felt beyond nervous when she and all the other members with her besides Varikin and Fendres. All struggled to put on a vest that had a bunch of straps and clips connecting to a metal backpack that had two pull strings on it. That looked to be meant for a parachute. But it was apparently called a mech. Fendres was already wearing one of these vests and mechs. She just watched the group struggle with Varikin sitting next to her. ¡°Alright now let¡¯s put your helmet on and I can teach you the basics¡± Fendres went to a metal shelf and got a large ring-like trinket. It''s black and has a clip and strap on it. It looked big enough to go on someone''s head or around their neck. She grabbed one that was smaller than the others. Fendres hands one of these to each of the recruits. While she handed the smallest to Lexy. ¡°you cuff them around your neck. They are your helmets. Tell me once you all have them on. I¡¯ll do a check on you to see if you have them on right.¡± Lexy put the black thick part of the thin cuff on her neck. It felt strange against her skin. She clipped it to the smallest setting and a soft tint of blue fills her vision. Lexy looked in the corner of her vision seeing a set of numbers underneath a strange circle with a graph in it. Lexy then realized these were coordinates. Fendres had done a check-up on all Lexy¡¯s equipment and everyone else¡¯s ¡°alright you all are good just let me just adjust mine¡± Fendres now had her mech adjusted ¡°alright see those cuffs with the black inside dangling to your side? you¡¯re going to put them on your wrists but don¡¯t lock them yet, alright.¡± Fenders showed the recruits which cuff goes to what wrist, Fendres then got in a position like she was about to jump. ¡°All alright now get in this position¡± Lexy and the recruits did as told, confusion on their faces. Fenders closed her cuffs and a soft engine roar emitted from her mech. ¡°Alright stay calm that is what I need you to do ok. So close you¡¯re cuffing now alright.¡± Lexy took a deep breath and closed the cuffs. she felt the vibrations come from her mech when she now understood what someone meant by an engine purring. Fendres smiled, ¡°Alright you¡¯re doing great now it is time for takeoff. it''s easy, you just pull your white ringed cord and jump!¡± Lexy watched in awe when Fendres jumped and was now a good ten feet off the ground with the aid of two airplane-like wings. Lexy closed her eyes and jumped as hard as she could while pulling the cord. Lexy opened her eyes to see she was now hovering ten feet in the air along with the other recruits. Lexy looked down with a smile and adrenaline rushed through her. Yup, flying is checked off her bucket list. Flying in an airplane was one thing but this was an entirely different matter. Fendres gave a smile, ¡°alright keep your feet like you¡¯re walking and vary, very carefully lean one side and then to another¡± Lexy, heeding Fendres'' advice leaned to the left first and moved a good five feet to then to the left. Lexy now understood leaning and small body maneuvers were how to move. She leaned one way to another to explore how she can move in the air. Fenders whistle like someone did something impressive. ¡°dang most trainees have crashed by now alright I say you bunch are ready for soaring, now this is a little bit tricky so pay attention you look face up, and as weird as it''s going to feel DON¡¯T look down or away from you only stearin with your body when hovering. you do stearin with your head when you¡¯re soaring, got it?¡± Lexy and the other recruits nod taking Fendres words to heart. ¡°Good now, follow me. If you¡¯re having trouble, go back to hovering and we can stop it? That means if one stops you all stop and the second, I hear a groan or a sigh you will land.¡± The recruits nodded, ¡°yes, mam!¡± Fenders looked straight up and launched like a rocket. The recruits followed her lead. Lexy, not wanting to be the one holding others back, looked in the direction Fendres was in and launched with speed she never could imagine possible. Lexy never felt freer, the feeling of tearing through the wind, the excitement running through her. Although she¡¯d be lying if she said she was not scared. Now about five feet away from Fendres the group was soaring under white puffy clouds that look almost like you could eat them. The group was now so far away the base looks like a speck It was smooth flying until the group started to hear the sound of wings moving through the air, ¡°What''s going on?¡± one of the group members asked. Fendres didn''t stop; she eyed the cadets to examine what they would do. They heard it again but with more than one set of wings. ¡°Dragon-Blooded, ok be on the look ¨C¡± ten dragon-blooded in their dragon form come down from above the clouds and surround them. ¡°attention land or be burned to a crisp under orders of the anawrath kingdom.¡± Lexy frowned when her thoughts followed by how a royal dragon blooded squad found them. They haven''t even left through the rebellion''s gate. Fendres cussed under her breath and turned to the group a mischievous glint in her eyes, ¡°Alright I did not plan to teach this one so soon but it¡¯s time for dogfighting one-o-one outmaneuver and out speed, you¡¯re opponent without blacking out and most important don¡¯t pull¡± Right when Fendres was about to finish her statement one of the dragons blooded went to take a bite out of Fendres. Fendres dodged with grace in her flight like it was second nature, unlike Lexy who still struggled with balance and with dodging out of the way of the jaws of their enemy. The group of cadets struggled to doge and even process what¡¯s going on until the group saw one of the dragon-blooded soldiers coming for them. The group fleed and dispersed. Lexy after dodging two of her enemy¡¯s notices one hot on her tail and two more in front. So Lexy decided to try something risky but worth a shot. Anything is better than becoming dragon chow or getting captured. She rocketed heading straight up her pursuers following. Lexy continues going straight up past the milky layer of clouds into a sunny zone but not here for sightseeing she goes higher till she feels slightly lightheaded taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. Lexy dived, Lexy hears the wind whistle past her and gives a glance behind, her pursuers follow hot on her tail. Lexy continues to dive past the clouds and hears an ear-shattering boom from behind her. Lexy, despite this, continued to dive until she began getting a little too close for comfort to the ground and made a sudden turn to the left and evened herself out in the air. Her enemies did not expect this and crashed harshly into the ground. Lexy soared back up to Fendres to see if she needed any help. However, Fendres managed just fine while she guarded a cluster of cadets ¡°Hey kiddo you okay I saw that dive stunt you did you know that trick is dangerous to try again, I¡¯ve done it myself but not the point good job to all of you, you didn¡¯t die now let¡¯s get you home¡± The group more than agreed only to turn to gasps of fear when they see all the dragon blooded fly back behind Fendres. This caused her and the dragon blooded to burst into laughter ¡°you all did a lot better than expected. This was a test I needed to see how you all reacted to that and no, they are not trained Anawrath soldiers there on our side.¡± The dragon-blooded chuckled ¡°yea no, but I''ll say the one that dived through us for a loop.¡± Fendres set her eyes on Lexy, a smirk on her face. ¡°This was a trial for a selection for what I can¡¯t tell all, but I can say that some of us are being selected as new members for the renegades so congrats. Let¡¯s go back and I''ll tell you the results.¡± With that, the group flew back. Fendres and the dragon blooded were the first and only to have grace-full landings. Lexy landed with a crash to the floor. Leading to pain from the knee but beyond that, she stands up and brushes herself off. Varikin came up to her in his ferret form and hopped onto Lexy¡¯s shoulder. Fendres raised a brow, ¡°you alright.¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, don''t worry about me.¡± Fendres noded, ¡°Good to hear. Now I believe you all are interested in the results. Keep in mind you aren¡¯t the first group so don¡¯t mind me rushing. Alright, you two.¡± She pointed to two of the other cadets. One was a bear beast-blooded while the other looked to be made from blue fire. ¡°Your place is somewhere else and please leave the equipment here¡± She then turned to the remaining four. ¡°you three when you head down the stairs take a left that will be, you¡¯re new sleeping arrangement. You may head down there now and get situated.¡± The three nod and leave. Fendres then turned to Lexy, with an expression Lexy wasn¡¯t quite sure of what it was or if she should be worried or not. Fendres walked up to her, ¡°as for you Lexy, you are dismissed for now,¡± Lexy looked at Fendres confused. ¡°Did I fail?¡± Fendres shook her head, ¡°no just wait I''ll tell you later once the results come out for you. Oh, and you can keep the uniform just leave the mech.¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°Oh alright?¡± with that Lexy exited the roof. Varikin hummed, ¡°So what do you think that was about?¡± Lexy turned her head to him, ¡°what she didn¡¯t tell you?¡± Varikin shook his head ¡°no she didn¡¯t.¡± Lexy shrugged, ¡°Just curious and it¡¯s not my place, now let¡¯s see what fun training exercise Jackson has.¡± She said with sarcasm in her voice. Varikin rolled his eyes, ¡°Yes, fun.¡± With that, the two-headed down the halls only to run into Talo by accident. ¡°Sorry, Talo.¡± Lexy looked up to look at the older beast-blooded, who has a half-bandaged face and has Milo on her shoulder. Talo sneered, ¡°I don¡¯t even know why they kept you. You are nothing but a monster.¡± Lexy gave a soft glare. But before she can respond Talo walked away while saying ¡°oh and Captain wants you for the next training exercise. He is in the training room.¡± Lexy nodded and began to walk through the halls and then headed into the training room. Lexy and Varikin didn¡¯t talk to each other until they reached the entrance of the training room Varikin hummed, ¡°so, I¡¯m going to say explosions or some kind of mass destruction is going to be involved in this lesson.¡± Lexy shrugged, ¡°you know I wouldn¡¯t put it past him.¡± Right after saying this, the two entered the training room to see a dead forest zone was the best Lexy could call it. The trees were black and dead. The grass looked like someone doused them in oil. Jackson came up to the two, ¡°oh good I was worried you had headed home. Today¡¯s exercise is simple but eh, I¡¯m not going to say easy. You¡¯re going to put on the blindfold Lexy and Varikin, you are going to go and hide somewhere as of right now.¡± Varikin nodded and ran off into the forest. While Jackson blindfolded Lexy ¡°All alright now I need you to focus on your energy than once you have it spread it around in a very thin layer. Use that to find Varikin.¡± Lexy nodded and began focusing on her magic. It felt like she was facing down an angry sea of chaos that was being held back by a thin glass wall. So much it was overwhelming. So, she focuses on what she can grab and heads for the drops of magic that flow over the glass holding back the angry sea. Lexy then began to spread it as far as she could. She didn''t feel much at first until it was like a ripple in a pond. Lexy began to follow it. She put her hands out to feel for the trees so she did not bump into them. Lexy followed this ripple wondering for how long she would have to follow it? She doesn¡¯t have a clue. Until she touched something fluffy, ¡°Varikin?¡± the girl inquired. Varikin chuckled and turned into his human form, ¡°yup. Now let¡¯s get you back.¡± He said while he picked her up. Lexy huffed and squirmed in his grasp, ¡°hey let go I can walk on my own.¡± Varikin chuckled, ¡°I know.¡± He said while he was walking back from where the two came from. Lexy sighed, ¡°If you know then why are you doing this?¡± Varikin shrugged, ¡°because.¡± Lexy groaned in response ¡°ugh, fine.¡± Varikin carried the small child all the way back to Jackson. Jackson tilted his head, ¡°why?¡± Lexy huffed, ¡°He refused to let me walk.¡± Jackson noded, ¡°Oh ok, Varikin let the girl down.¡± Varikin smiled and let Lexy down. Lexy steadied herself, ¡°Can I take off the blindfold now?¡± Jackson shook his head, ¡°No, since you did that so well, we''re going to move to something a bit more difficult.¡± With that Varikin watched when the land changed to an open clearing surrounded by a lush thick jungle. Saylis emerged from the other side in her bipedal large wolf form. With a huge cage in tow somethings snarling inside and shaking the cage. Varikin glanced from Jackson to the cage Saylis set down in the opening ¡°don¡¯t tell me.¡± Jackson noded ¡°yup, Lexy you will be fighting an Orbea. With a blindfold. Use your magic the way you did to find Varikin to fight.¡± Lexy nodded and focused on spreading out what magic she could while she closed her eyes and to her surprise, she saw the silhouettes of Varikin and Saylis whose silhouette was colored blue while Jackson''s is a dark blue. She then glanced at the cage where she saw a red silhouette. Lexy looked at her own hands and they were dark purple lined in white. Along with her wrists were blue chains that floated off into the air. Lexy frowned at it but remembered her current task and faced Jackson ¡°all alright¡± while she said this, she took out her fathers¡¯ knife. Jackson smirked, ¡°I¡¯m impressed it usually takes a lot to use magic sight. Now Lexy do you already have your choice of a weapon on?¡± Lexy pulled out her father¡¯s knife and it glowed a dark purple ¡°yes, so I¡¯m fighting?¡± Jackson shrugged and backed away, Varikin did the same and took the hint. ¡°Good, now there are two ways of winning. You defeat this thing, or you find a flag that is hidden somewhere in the forest. Oh, and yes you are fighting, Now begin.¡± The cage door opened by Saylis pulling a string and a black creature the size of two grizzly bears. Launches out of the cage. It has gray feathers with a face of a barn owl. Its wings were fused with its front bear legs. Its coat was a mix of fur and feathers. The Orbea went for Lexy with a low roar. Lexy leaped to the side to dodge the large red mass in her vision when it launched at her with its talon, ¡°oh dam!¡± she said with panic in her voice and threw a knife at it with her free hand. Two of the knives hit the Orubea in the chest and it didn''t faze it. It seemed far too angry to care its eyes glowed red and heat began to roll off the beast, Varikin¡¯s eyes widened ¡°Wait, that¡¯s an enchanted monster from a trap box. I thought what we didn¡¯t activate was meant to be exterminated. Jackson what the hell?!¡± He looked to Lexy and was about to jump in when Jackson stopped him. Jackson hummed while he watched Lexy doge and thrown more of her knives at the monster. ¡°She can do it, doubting what one is capable of will be your worst mistake. Just watch, she is your handler if anything. I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t come talk to me when you chose her as your handler.¡± Varikin huffs in frustration ¡°I chose her not just for her strength but her spirit. When she became my handler something strange happened. I could sense her magic. Part of it felt normal like all magic while the rest of it felt cut off and I couldn¡¯t quite reach this other part of her, it felt cut off but her magic is powerful. I just don¡¯t consider it wise to put her in these types of situations.¡± Jackson watched when Lexy kneeled under the enraged monster to do a wing attack. Lexy took her father''s knife and thrust it into the belly of the beast. Her knife flashed purple when she cut the beast in half with its own momentum. Thick blood fell onto her when did so. Gurgling could be heard when the monster collapsed down and died. Lexy huffed and with a sigh, she put her blade away. She turned to Jackson while she whipped blood off her face, ¡°Am I good to go now?¡± Jackson nodded, ¡°yup, good job today.¡± Lexy smiled and took off the blindfold. This revealed a cut on her cheek accompanied by a red mark. Varikin turned into his ferret form and climbed onto Lexy¡¯s shoulders while she walked out of the training room. ¡°You know, I¡¯ll be truthful. I adore being able to pick things up. I never understood thumbs before, but now I do.¡± Lexy giggled at Varikin¡¯s silly demeanor when he said this. She walked into the cafeteria and waved goodbye to Magi, who waved back. With that Lexy left the base and silence fell between the two until Varikin spoke up ¡°so you crashed about three dragon-blooded by doing a move that requires a lot of training and you walked away without a scratch dam. Lexy''s color impressed me.¡± Lexy was not used to so many compliments ¡°well I didn¡¯t do much ok so don¡¯t go telling it around besides I don¡¯t think Thokath would approve and how did you know that?¡± Varikin noded now that he thinks more about it he would not let one of his little siblings try and do something so distraught not while he could stop it. Varikin shrugged ¡°When you did your dive thing I saw it from the base and I heard Fendres mumble about it.¡± Lexy nodded while she leaned down and touched Varikin¡¯s scruff. ¡°oh. Makes sense.¡± The two continued walking Varikin began to ponder while Lexy brought the two into the veil. Thokath, how was he related to Lexy anyway? But Varikin can tell Thokath cared for Lexy no shadow of thought there. But then again he could be overthinking again. Most of all, how does Lexy not know her abilities well? Maybe one of her parents abandoned her or they both had his brain rattled with questions. He was about to ask a few of those questions when he realized they were already at the mansion, he will have to ask those questions later. Lexy greeted Thokath when she saw him upon entering the mansion, ¡°hi¡± Lexy waves her hand overly fast. Thokath chuckles ¡°hello Lexy, hey I think Varic wanted you he¡¯s in the entertainment room.¡± Lexy nodded and now that she thought about it she had never fully spent time with Varic yet. Lexy walked down the hall and entered the entertainment room. The room was large and spacious, similar to the dining room. In the room were a few lavish couches, a huge tv, and Varic sitting on the floor with a couple of scattered papers around him. Varic looked up from a clipboard and saw Lexy ¡°oh -hi Lexy come and have a seat um do you like drawing?¡± Lexy took a seat in front of him, careful not to damage any of the papers in front of him. While Varikin stays away from the ring of papers not wanting to destroy the beautiful artworks ¡°yes actually I do but I think I suck at it.¡± Varic shook his head, ¡°oh c¡¯mon I have seen plenty of good artists who do great at drawing and don¡¯t give themselves nearly enough credit common show me¡± Lexy sighed, ¡°ok,¡± Varic hands her paper on a spare clipboard and a spare pencil. Lexy decided to draw whatever comes to her mind and starts with basic shapes. Lexy continues drawing until her hand hurts ¡° can¡¯t keep going hand. Hurt. to much¡± Varic giggled, ¡°ok let¡¯s see what you have¡± Varic picked up Lexy¡¯s drawing eyes wide ¡°Uhm hay Lexy what type of creature is this?¡± Lexy sat up, ¡°it¡¯s a wonder wolf it was in my dreams one night¡± Varic scratches his neck ¡°sorry just curious it''s good I love how it¡¯s a mix of cartoon and realistic¡± Lexy smiles ¡°thanks but can I just watch you draw I¡¯m done for now¡± Varic chuckles ¡°alright how about I draw you and your dog?¡± Lexy gives a smile ¡°sure¡± Varic nods ¡°ok so sit cross next to him ¡° Lexy sat next to Varikin and gave a soft smile, ¡°ok good¡± Varic gave a thumbs up and grabbed his clipboard and began drawing. Lexy finds the sound of someone drawing almost like a rhythm a little annoying but tolerable and after about thirty minutes. Varic sat up ¡°alright got it you can move now¡± Lexy stood up and stretched. Lexy was now interested in how the drawing turned out. But Varic was already one step ahead. ¡°Here you can keep it¡± Varic hands her the paper ¡°well what do you think?¡± Varic scratched his neck a little nervous. Lexy looked at the drawing and smiled brightly at the artwork of her and Varikin. ¡°I love it thank you Varic¡± Varic smiled, ¡°you are welcome Lexy now let''s go and get some dinner wouldn¡¯t want to worry Thokath¡± Lexy nodded and decided to ask a question, ¡°um hey Varic how is it that you are all related to each other not me but to the others, I was never told¡± Varic, a little startled by the question, looked to her slowly like his soul was just taken. ¡°We''re all brothers and sisters, I¡¯m the second youngest but you, do you know how you and I are related? I¡¯ll tell you if you don¡¯t¡± Lexy shook her head no. Varic looked very surprised by this and muttered, ¡°oh, that explains a lot¡± Varic picked up his drawings, ¡°That''s ok I just need to go and talk to Thokath before dinner really quick ok?¡± Lexy nodded and headed to the dining room. Varic got up and started heading to the dining room himself but let Lexy go ahead and he stopped himself. ¡°Thokath you can come out now I know you like watching¡± Thokath came from the end of the hall ¡°oh but can you blame me?¡± *** Lexy sat down at the table sitting by Mina and Misa across from her was Carin. Next to Carin was Axle and Varan at the end of the table was Leslie but two of the chairs remained empty. Lexy huffed with a frown, ¡°You guys eat, I''m going to go get them¡± Lexy got up and wandered to the area she last remembered seeing Varic and heard talking right around the corner. ¡°When are you going to tell her?¡± that sounded like Varic ¡°I can''t yet,¡± there was a strained sigh from Thokath ¡°it¡¯s too fragile of a situation right now. The best we can do is just be there for her when she needs me. We cant ask her to just leave I''m worried that if we did.¡± Varic finished the sentence for him, ¡°That we would lose her. Then she would get involved in who knows what.¡± Lexy entered the hall and saw the two talking ¡°Thokath? Varic?¡± Thokath and Varic perk. Thokath kneeled to look at Lexy¡¯s eye level and offered a kind grin, ¡°Hi Lexy, did you need something?¡± Lexy returned the smile, ¡°I wanted to tell you that the food is ready.¡± She paused and her smile faded, ¡°Thokath I wanted to tell you... Thank you for everything. Sorry if I seem distant, always heading out into the forest but I guess I can¡¯t help it. Going exploring has always been a thing of mine. Because I''m not used to someone waiting for me at home. I apologize to Varic and everyone you guys aren¡¯t here that often.¡± Thokath and Varic were quite taken back by this and look at her with surprise ¡°oh you don¡¯t have to say sorry Lexy I don¡¯t mind you going out to the forest. So do not feel bad, ok we love what time we get with you ok.¡± Varic piped in ¡°yeah let''s just go eat¡± Lexy¡¯s expression went furrowed and sullen. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s eat. I''m hungry,¡± she said, faking a smile. Thokath sighed and the three-headed into the dining room. Thokath sat at the head of the table while Varic sat next to Varan and Lexy resumed her seat. They all eat their dinner in peace. Once finished everyone but Lexy retires for the night. She sits by her door and turns to Varikin. ¡°Varikin,¡± she says in a hushed tone. Varikin, having been asleep groaned, ¡°what¡± Lexy gave a frustrated sigh, ¡°Do you think Thokath is hiding something from me?¡± Varikin looked up at her, ¡°I''d say he''s hiding information, yes, but what is that information? I haven''t the faintest clue. Plus, I have never sensed any ill will from him toward you so I¡¯d say it''s fine¡± Lexy nodded and decided to go to bed. Testing and briefing. Lexy sat up the second she began hearing barking from the door. ¡°I¡¯m up, you can get breakfast today, how about you?¡± Varikin yipped with a happy tone and the two-headed downstairs took a turn into a hallway and entered through a set of doors to the dining room. To her surprise, everyone else was already up and eating. steak and eggs. Lexy sat down by Carin ¡°Morning.¡± Carin smiled, ¡°oh good morning Lexy eating breakfast with us?¡± Lexy nodded ¡°yup trying something different today.¡± Carin nodded, ¡°Sounds good.¡± With that one of the butlers set a plate of eggs and already cut steak in front of Lexy. Lexy smiled and turned to the butler, ¡°Thank you.¡± The butler nodded and left. Lexy ate the food and once finished she stood up and turned to Thokath, ¡°May I go to the forest?¡± Thokath at first hummed and then nodded ¡°yes you may.¡± The young girl smiled and hopped off her chair and rushed out of the room with excitement on her face with Varikin on her heels The two exited the mansion, the driveway, and then headed into the forest. Varikin turned into his giant wolf form. He lays down for Lexy to climb onto his back. ¡°Shall we go, little one?¡± Lexy giggled ¡°yes onward to the revolution! You know Varikin, you are my friend, my best friend.¡± she said when she climbed onto his back and put on her goggles. Lexy smirked ¡°Let¡¯s go! FOR TOMORROW!¡± she did not notice that when she said he was her friend that his crystals flashed a soft shade of purple. Varikin smiled and launched off into the forest plants swaying from the wind of his speed. Lexy looks in wonder as Varikin went through the forest. Lexy saw the two are coming up to the warp point and began thinking of the rebellion''s door while she closed her eyes. She opened her eyes and the duo was in front of the rebellion''s base door. Lexy hopped off Varikin. Varikin then transformed into his ferret form. Lexy entered the base with Varikin by her side and right when she entered the cafeteria she was pushed to the ground by some force, ¡°Oh that hurt, did a wall hit me?¡± Lexy looked up and saw Jackson. Jackson looked at her with wide eyes, ¡°oh sorry Lexy did not expect you there here¡± Jackson offered a hand to help Lexy up of which Lexy accepted and took his hand. Lexy stared at Jackson, ¡°you know I have asked what you are made of because I feel like I was hit with a giant boulder or squashed by a giant.¡± Jackson chuckled ¡°nope just a normal dragon blooded here¡± Lexy shrugged and then a question came to her, ¡°Hey Captain how do you deal with ambushes I don¡¯t want to be stuck like last time¡± Jackson tilts his head, ¡°wait what do you mean again¡± Lexy blinked, ¡°yea Varikin and I were ambushed by some specialists¡± Jackson¡¯s expression changed to a concerned and Lexy¡¯s changed to a nervous one while she scratched the back of her neck, ¡°I encountered them when I ran from that dusted wendigo.¡± Jackson hummed and then held a stern expression, ¡°Alright I''ll let it slide this time, but next time tell me immediately, Specialists are not a joke. Varikin you confirm this?¡± Varikin noded ¡°Yes, Lexy¡¯s report is correct, we have encountered specialists.¡± Jackson nodded a somewhat surprised expression on his face There was a short silence and Jackson sighed, ¡°there¡¯s something else I just can¡¯t quite remember, Saylis can you help me here.¡± The black snake pears from his shoulder ¡°yes you were to tell her that Fendres has the results for her from yesterday.¡± Jackson snaps his fingers ¡°oh of course how could I have forgotten. You got all of that, yes?¡± Lexy nodded ¡°Yes I did, I''ll be on my way then.¡± Jackson sighed ¡°good you do that and I''ll try and figure out where I was going¡­..Why am I so forgetful as of late.¡± Saylis hummed her tongue and flicked out when she did so. ¡°Don¡¯t ask me, I don¡¯t have a clue as to what goes on in your thick head.¡± Lexy and Varikin walked through the halls and Lexy headed up to the launchpad to find Fendres talking to Leo, ¡°Yes, she will need a custom mech to make sure it can handle her magic output.¡± Fendres turned her head to see Lexy and Varikin, Fendres smirked, ¡°oh perfect you are already here. Leo here needs measurements for your mech.¡± This confused Lexy and Varikin who both tilt their heads. ¡°Wait What? I thought I didn¡¯t make it?¡± Fendres chuckled, ¡°ha-ha oh you¡¯re funny, no actually you passed. You did so well I put you down as a candidate for a special retrieval mission over in the eastern lands. So, congratulations you¡¯ve been picked to do the mission by the higher-ups.¡± Leo walked up to Lexy with a long strap that had measuring points on it. ¡°It''s fine I¡¯m just measuring your height.¡± Lexy nodded and stood straight letting Leo get her height. Leo pulled out a pen and began writing the measurements in the air his wrist. To Lexy¡¯s surprise, white glowing lines remain from his pen. Leo then taped a black bracelet and the information hovering in the air flew into the bracelet. Leo then turned back to Lexy, ¡°Now did you keep the uniform from yesterday?¡± Lexy shrugged, ¡°yea but I left it here with the others. So that it would be here when I needed it¡± She said when she pointed to the rack of renegade uniforms. Leo nodded and headed over to grab it. ¡°great this is all I need to make your mech also quick question Lexy do you want a customized pack two?¡± Lexy tilted her head, ¡°a pack?¡± Leo nodded, ¡°Yes, a pack. A bag of equipment that has supplies costumed to what you need.¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°yes that sounds perfect could you include a small medical kit in there too?¡± Leo nodded while he wrote this down, ¡°Would you like spare weapons?¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°yes, actually spare packs of throwing knives. I need to be able to easily get out the knives but not have them fall out and a sheath for my blade.¡± She said while she pulled out her Father¡¯s blade and one of her throwing knives. She handed them to Leo who handled them with care while writing the rest of this down. ¡°got it, me, and the scientific team should have all this done by this afternoon.¡± Fendres nodded, ¡°good in the meantime I will brief you on the mission you two.¡± Lexy nodded and watched when Fendres pulled out a large board on wheels. With a large map on it of a coastline and a castle ruin mapped inland. Fendres pointed to what looked like a turtle mapped on the water next to the coast. ¡°This is where you will be flying to as the first goal and you¡¯re going to be brought there not by mech but by sail flapper.¡± Lexy tilted her head, ¡°What¡¯s a sail flapper?¡± Fendres shrugged ¡°it¡¯s pretty much a sailboat that flies. I''ve been to the veil a few times. Anyhow this is where you will get additional supplies, have a more detailed briefing, and rest for a bit then you will be carrying the queen to this castle and she can take it from there. But in summary, you¡¯re the only one with enough magic to get to this point with the queen bye mech.¡± Lexy tilted her head, ¡°one last question. Why can¡¯t someone get there by sail flapper?¡± Fendres snapped her fingers, ¡°oh, I knew I was forgetting something. But to answer your question sail flappers are fast but they consume a lot of magic and they can¡¯t fly high. This makes them an ideal target for the enemy, as for what you are up against, I don¡¯t know, and you will be briefed on that once you get to the sea post they have on the coast.¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°makes sense.¡± Lexy then turned to Varikin, ¡°Do you have any questions Varikin?¡± Varikin nodded ¡°yes I do but just one what will I be doing?¡± Fendres hummed, ¡°well you will be magic support and what that means is sense wonder wolves can help regulate how much magic their handler puts out. You will help make sure she won¡¯t overload the mech or put out too little.¡± Varikin nodded, ¡°right. Got it,¡± Fendres noded, ¡°Now to get to the sea outpost is a day-long flight and then the mission takes place early in the morning. The sail flapper will be here tomorrow to get you, so I hope you don¡¯t have any reservations for tomorrow or the day after.¡± Lexy sighed she could already see the disappointment on Thokath¡¯s face, ¡°yes mam and a quick question will I be attending Jackson''s training session today?¡± Fendres shook her head, ¡°No you won''t, we need you ready for this mission.¡± Lexy nodded, This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Anything else?¡± Fendres shrugged and kicked the board away which went and crashed into a wall. ¡°nope, so Lexy you came from the veil. What do you think of magic?¡± Lexy chuckled ¡°if someone told me beforehand that I would be fighting in a revolution involving magical creatures and magic in general. I would have thought they were mad. But magic is so wondrous I can¡¯t even begin to explain.¡± Fendres nodded ¡°I understand entirely magic is just magic. Anyhow, what do humans do for fun? Sorry, I¡¯m just asking. Human culture is very foreign to us magics.¡± Lexy shrugged, ¡°It''s quite alright. I don¡¯t know much about magical culture either. Humans like playing sports for fun. It usually depends on personal preference. We also like clothes and hats.¡± Fendres nodded and looked up at the sky. ¡°I used to have a hat. It was a unique hat a bit like a tricorn but different. I lost it and I¡¯ve never been able to replace it.¡± Lexy saw the sadness in Fendres¡¯s eyes, but before she could ask about it the doors to the roof were opened by Leo walking in with Lexy¡¯s flight uniform, a mech with a blue bag and the rebellion''s symbol on the front, ¡°A surprise that did not take as long as I thought it would.¡± The symbol had a dove on it that had its wings spread while perched on top of a skull. There is a ribbon that goes through the skull that has written on it ¡°until our last breath we shall fight!¡± Leo handed the uniform to Lexy that unlike last time she saw it. It now had a utility belt that was equipped with knife holders for her throwing knives and her father¡¯s knife in a sheath. Lexy smiled and put the uniform on over her clothes. She pulled up the zipper and Leo handed her the mech and bag. Lexy remembered how to put on the mechs. So put it on with ease and to her relief, this one was not nearly so heavy. Leo hums, ¡°It fits a lot better than expected. Alright, Fendres, do you think you can.¡± He looked up to see that Fendres was already ready to go. Leo gave a shocked expression and blinked, ¡°Oh never mind.¡± Leo turned to Lexy who had yet to put the cuffs on, ¡°oh good Fendres at least taught you about that. Now Fendres get your mech ready in case things go a bit... bad.¡± Lexy looked to Leo with panicked eyes, ¡°Wait, what?¡± Fendres put her cuffs on and her mech came to life with the loud sound of its engine buzzing. Leo turned to Lexy, ¡°alright put those on,¡± Leo said while he took a step back and Lexy put on the cuffs. Her mech came to life with a soft purr not nearly as loud as Fender''s. Leo smiled brightly, ¡°oh my gosh, it works. It works far better than expected. Now on your helmet.¡± He said while he pulled out the same one she used last time. ¡°There is a slide switch on the back. This will let you go far faster. But I will warn you now I have no idea how fast or if the machine will need to cool down from the higher intake and speed. So, I also upped a few things. Any questions?¡± Leo said while handing Lexy the helmet Lexy nodded and put the helmet on, ¡°yea is there a chance it¡¯s going to explode?¡± Leo huffed, ¡°no, it can''t explode unless you crash into something and if I accounted for everything I possibly can.¡± Fendres shrugged, ¡°Otherwise he has no idea.¡± Leo huffed and just turned his back to Fendres. Varikin turned into his ferret form and hopped onto her shoulder. ¡°so, I need to be in the bag because I hate heights.¡± Leo nodded, ¡°Yes, you will be in the bag. I made some adjustments so it¡¯s safer for you.¡± Leo came up behind Lexy and opened the bag letting Varikin hop in and then zip it up. ¡°alright you are ready to go test it out you two.¡± Lexy nodded and was about to pull the jet wing cord only to be stopped by Leo, ¡°Oh yes. Pull the other one.¡± Lexy, puzzled, nodded and pulled the black ringed cored. The noise of gears and a slight acceleration came from the mech. She turned to look at her back only to see two large deep purple wings with black and white tips have sprouted from her mech. She looked in awe at these large wings that drape against the floor. Leo chuckled, ¡°alright go try it out.¡± Lexy nodded and jumped, the wings came to life and with one flap she was off the ground. She flew through the air with ease when she rose higher and higher. Fendres looked in shock and awe, ¡°holy and that¡¯s the slow mode. Dam alright I better go and Leo I swear if your machine kills that kid I''ll beat you into the grave myself .¡± Fendres then took off after Lexy. Leo smiled, ¡°good luck with that!¡± Lexy continued flying until she saw she was about to go through the first layer of clouds. She stopped herself and looked down expecting to go down only to stay still. Lexy saw Fendres flying up and then she saw a flashing icon in her vision from her helmet. Lexy moved her hand over it to see if it would do something and then suddenly, she saw in the corner of her vision an icon that said Fendres. ¡°Hey kiddo good to see he put it on the radio. Oh, good you finally stopped.¡± She said while she flew up to Lexy. She sighed, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s set some ground rules don¡¯t get too close to the village or any other structures for that matter. You see people then you¡¯re WAY too close just far enough to where you can barely make out shapes so yea and once you¡¯re done you know how to land yes?¡± Lexy smiled and gave a thumbs up. ¡°Yup.¡± Fendres nodded ¡°alright do what you will.¡± Lexy nodded and then saw another name come up on the radio line saying, Leo. Lexy hummed, ¡°Hi Leo, what do you need?¡± She heard a chuckle, ¡°Well, it''s still in slow mode. Do you want to try it going on the fast?¡± Lexy shook her head, ¡°No, I''m just going to get used to the wings first.¡± She heard a click from the other side, ¡°Got it, don''t want to be faster if you¡¯re not used to the current speed.¡± Lexy smiles, ¡°But hey quick question Leo.¡± Leo raised a brow, ¡°ok shoot.¡± Lexy scratched her neck, ¡°Yeah, I think I went up by accident. I''m not sure how to steer with the wings.¡± Leo chuckled, ¡°oh, it''s easy you steer with your back, not your head I did this so it''s easier to fight when in the air.¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°Got it, thanks, Leo.¡± Leo smiled, ¡°you¡¯re welcome now to put that thing to the test!¡± Lexy nodded and put her back straight. Her wings pushed against the air in one flap and she was suddenly going through the white layer of clouds. ¡°whoa, I¡¯m a superhero!¡± She then heard Fendres come back on the radio, ¡°you¡¯re who?¡± Lexy shrugged, ¡°Eh, nothing important. I''ve just always wanted to say that.¡± Fendres looked up to the layer of clouds and shrugged, ¡°All alrighty kido, do what you will.¡± Lexy smiled and rolled through the air with the adrenaline from the speed, ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to up the intake.¡± Leo hummed, ¡°ok head back while upping the speed I want to see this.¡± Lexy went back under the clouds and stopped. She turned until she saw the base and Fendres who Lexy could vaguely see. Lexy reached to the back of her neck and pushed the switch softly and then Lexy could feel the pull on her magic. Lexy moved forward and instantly she heard a short and sharp charging noise and then a flash of purple as she moved forward accompanied by a loud crash. Suddenly Lexy was moving so fast she just sees things moving past her in a blur. Leo looked up when a purple flash went through the sky leaving behind a purple trail of magic behind her. Leo barely had time to say something when Lexy passed by and a harsh wind blew into his face. He smiled brightly at the sight of success. ¡°YES! YES! I knew you could do it. I knew it!¡± Leo exclaimed with joy and jumps around a bit, ¡°Tethys this is amazing! Just Look at you go, when you took off you broke the sound barrier!¡± Lexy reached back to her helmet and pushed the switch back to normal. The mech slowed down and she stopped. ¡°Hey, Leo, we really should put this to the test, right?¡± Leo smirked, ¡°Sure, be my guest, just be careful. I don¡¯t know if that thing will overheat or not.¡± Fendres then piped up, ¡°yea I really don¡¯t need you exploding kid, so yea doesn¡¯t die.¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°I won''t die, besides I¡¯ve got Varicin to help. Alright, here I go.¡± With that, she reached to the back of her helmet and flipped the switch all the way to the other side. Lexy immediately was accelerated through the air and yet again a shattering boom rang through the sky. Lexy was going so fast she was having trouble steering and immediately reached back and flipped it back to normal intake. She huffed, ¡°Ok I think that is all the speed I need for today, can I come down and take a break.¡± Leo chuckled a wide smile on his face, ¡°Of course that much magic usage can be harmful if you¡¯re not careful so if anything, I implore you to.¡± Lexy nodded and came in for a landing only to see Fendres was already there. Lexy landed and huffed a smile on her face, ¡°ok that was awesome-¡± She was quickly cut off when Leo rushed up and hugged her, ¡°by the heavens! Thank you, Lexy! You got it to work!¡± Leo set Lexy down with a smile, ¡°I could care less for the color of your wings. What matters to me is that you got this thing to work.¡± Lexy smiled and then hummed, ¡°ok so when do I need to be here?¡± she said when she turned to Fendres, who shrugged, ¡°eh, the sail flapper will be here early morning so yea. A bit before early morning.¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°Then I''ll head home now. So, I can get a good rest. Oh, I¡¯ll leave the stuff here.¡± She removed all her equipment while she let Varikin out. Varikin hopped onto her shoulder, still, in his ferret form, he shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m glad I was in that bag because I probably would have died if I was on your back while going that fast.¡± Lexy chuckled, ¡°yea probably. Now let¡¯s go home. I need rest and I need to talk to Thokath.¡± Fendres tilted her head, ¡°why? Who¡¯s Thokath? I don¡¯t think we have any superior officers named that.¡± Lexy turned to Fendres with a grin on her face, ¡°Thokath isn¡¯t a part of the rebellion. He¡¯s my guardian as of now and is who I¡¯m staying with.¡± Fendres tilted her head and raised a brow ¡°you¡¯re so young I wouldn¡¯t expect you already to have somebody.¡± Lexy tilted her head confused by Fendres¡¯s statement and Varikin burst out laughing, ¡°no oh no. He is nothing like that; he''s more of a substitute dad and mom. He¡¯s a guardian you know caretaker who¡¯s not your mom or dad because something happened to them or something along those lines¡± Fendres and Leo nodded their expressions went to that of relief, ¡°oh ok, that makes sense.¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°Welp off, I ''m going to see you tomorrow, Fendres.¡± Fendres smiles, ¡°Sure thing kido.¡± With that Lexy and Varicin left the roof with a smile on Varikin¡¯s face, ¡°That was hilarious.¡± He said while Lexy turned a corner and entered another hall. Lexy raised a brow, ¡°yea and I still have no idea what she even meant.¡± Varicin chuckled, ¡°don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Lexy huffed ¡°fine.¡± Once the two finished the conversation Lexy entered the cafeteria. She glanced around looking for her redheaded friend. Varikin huffed, ¡°I thought we were supposed to be heading back, you know, needing to talk to Thokath?¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°I''m fine besides I didn¡¯t talk to him yesterday?¡± Suddenly Lexy heard from behind her, ¡°Who did you not talk to?¡± Lexy and Varikin jumped and Lexy turned on a heel to see who it was only to sigh. Seeing the redhead, she was just looking for it. Cody smiled, ¡°Hi, Lexy. Did I scare you?¡± Lexy groaned, ¡°Yes you did, speak of the devil and they come. Anyway, how have you been?¡± Cody smiled, ¡°Busy helping Miko with potions while experimenting.¡± Lexy returned the smile, ¡°I¡¯ve been busy, but I just wanted to talk before I leave. Do you have any of that capture potion left?¡± Cody nodded and pulled out a few small bottles, ¡°yea why you ask?¡± Lexy smirked, ¡°Perfect, can I have a few?¡± Cody shrugged and handed her a large hand full of the small bottles ¡°sure I have no use for them. But why do you?¡± Lexy¡¯s smirk grew when she pocketed the potions, ¡°I¡¯m heading on a mission tomorrow and you can never be too careful.¡± Cody smiled, ¡°True, you don¡¯t need to die, and being prepared is better than not seeing you after your mission.¡± Lexy scratches her neck, ¡°yea ill be gone for the next two days.¡± Cody smiled, ¡°Then I give you the best of luck, see you in two days.¡± He says while waving, Lexy smiled and returned the wave, ¡°See you in two days then.¡± With that Lexy and Varikin leave the base. Lexy looks at the sky to see the sun a thumbs distance from the setting. She looked to Varikin leaned over and thought of being in front of the mansion. Lexy opened her eyes and the two entered the lobby of the mansion and to Lexy¡¯s surprise, Thokath was in the room ordering maids, ¡°You tend to the curtains and you two start on dinner and tell the chef to make a pie. Tell him to make two types of apple and lemon.¡± The maids nodded and rushed off to go do their given tasks. Thokath turned to Lexy, ¡°oh hi welcome back I have a bit of a sugar craving today so there¡¯s going to be pie to go with black forest sandwiches tonight.¡± Lexy nodded some guilt forming in her gut, ¡°That sounds great but I have a question.¡± Thokath''s expression went to concerned, ¡°go ahead.¡± Lexy twiddled with her fingers, ¡°yea could I spend the next three nights camping out in the forest? Just for this once though. I promise I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Thokath hummed, ¡°I, you know what, just as long as Varikin is with you. Got it?¡± Lexy gave a smile from ear to ear and giggled, ¡°Yes sir.¡± Thokath nodded, ¡°good girl now what do you want to do to pass time?¡± Lexy looked out the window seeing the sunset and yawned, ¡°honestly could you save me some, I''m tired.¡± Thokath chuckled, ¡°sure thing kid I¡¯ll tell the maids to give leftovers to you for breakfast.¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°Thanks, Thokath.¡± With that Lexy dragged her feet up the stairs and to her room. Collapsing on her comfy bed. Pirates just great. Lexy woke up to the sound of barking and sat up, ¡°I¡¯m up.¡± And the barking stopped. Lexy changed into a spare blue hoodie and black slim genes. The blond grabbed the bubble capture potions into her hoodie pockets. She slipped her red aviator goggles over her head. She turned to glance out the window only to see its pitch-black outside and then the small blond leaves her room feeling refreshed. She turned to Varikin, ¡°Alright, I¡¯m ready.¡± Varikin noded and the two-headed downstairs. Lexy now in the lobby stopped ¡°wait I want to at least grab some food.¡± Varikin noded and the two-headed through a hallway on the lower level of the house. Lexy took a left and went through a door opening to the dining room. Lexy was expecting no one to be there only to see a maid standing by the doors to the kitchen. The maid smiled when she spotted Lexy, ¡°Hello, young miss I''ll go to warm up your meal.¡± Lexy put her hand out, ¡° wait.¡± The maid stopped, ¡°yes?¡± Lexy gave a sheepish smile, ¡°Could you just put the food in a paper bag please and no pie?¡± she smiled, ¡°Of course young miss.¡± Within a few moments after leaving the maid returned with a large paper bag and handed it to Lexy, ¡°enjoy your time in the forest.¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°I will.¡± With the bag of food in hand, the two left the dining room, and then they exited the hallway. They entered the empty lobby Lexy already felt anticipation begin to stir inside she huffed and pushed the feeling down. The two exited the mansion, the darkness greeted the duo with a gentle wind. Lexy turned to Varikin, ¡°Can you see?¡± Varikin smirked, ¡°Of course.¡± Lexy nodded, leaned down, and touched Varikin¡¯s scruff. She closed her eyes and looked up to see in the sky. The moon glowing almost brighter than a star and, in the distance, she could see a large ring-like structure that also was glowing. But beyond that, the stars look the same, just not their placement. Lexy looked around to see the rebellion''s door was now on top of a plateau and to her surprise, she saw Fendres talking to two other rebels. Behind the three was a ship the size of a medium party boat fit for sea. It had large feathers sticking out of its sides and was strapped to what Lexy could only assume to be a blimp. Lexy then looked at the two figures Fendres was talking to. One looked like a male bipedal ram wearing leather armor and a red scarf. The back flowing like a cape. He looked to be armed with two knives and a large curved blade. While the other was a female bipedal raccoon wearing a vest, wrist bands, a light tan shirt, and short shorts. She was resting her arms on a rod and doesn¡¯t seem to be very armed. Lexy approached the three and Fendres turned to her, ¡°oh hey, you got here just in time to meet your two escorts. She pointed to the male bipedal ram, ¡°This is Reginal,¡± she then pointed to the raccoon ¡°and she is Tela.¡± She said pointing to the two. Reginal and Tela turned to Lexy and Varikin, ¡°So this is our ace? Not what I expected but I will take what I can get.¡± He said while he put his cloven hand out to shake. Lexy smiled while she ignored the comment, ¡°I¡¯m Lexy and this is Varikin.¡± Tela smiled, ¡°Nice to meet you two. Go get your equipment, time is of the essence.¡± Lexy nodded and went to the rack and put on her flight uniform and her mech. Lexy is now equipped and her father¡¯s blade by her side. She walked over to the other three while Varikin hopped back on Lexy''s shoulder. Lexy turned to Reginal and Tela ¡°alright I¡¯m ready.¡± The two nodded and headed back onto the ship Lexy shortly behind. Once the three were on the ship Reginal picked up the wooden plank they used to board the ship. Reginal headed to the steering system and pushed a lever. The ship came to life and began moving forward. Lexy looked back to Fendres who saluted Lexy when she faded from her vision. Lexy looked around the boat and saw a few chairs around and she sat down. Lexy looked at her mech''s cuffs only to see a note on her right cuff. ¡° There is now an on and off switch for your mech on the cuff I placed the note on.¡± Lexy peeled off the note and sure enough, there was an on and off switch on the right cuff. She switched it off and put on the cuff. Lexy was about to say something only to hear from Reginal, ¡°all hands prepare for rising!¡± Lexy was unsure of what to do besides hang on to the side railing of the ship as it climbed in altitude. The ship moved through the clouds and stopped rising once above them. Varikin shuddered to look at the height, ¡°I can¡¯t take this I¡¯m hiding in the bag, wake me when it¡¯s over!¡± that Varikin scurried into the bag. Tela came up to Lexy from a lower deck with a spyglass in hand, ¡°do you know how to use one of these?¡± she said, handing it to Lexy. The blond nodded, ¡°yup, want me to keep a lookout?¡± Tela nodded, ¡°yea I¡¯ll be working on the food we should reach the base by sundown in the meantime do tell me if there are any ships near.¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°got it!¡± With that Lexy expanded the looking glass and peered through it just clouds and some openings here and there, after three hours Lexy pulled out her food bag. She pulled out her sandwich and took a bite when she looked through the spyglass again to see a large clearing of clouds. The ship enters the clearing and Lexy looks down out of curiosity. She looked down to see a set of four islands and an ocean. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Tela comes up to her with a bowl of mushrooms in hand. ¡°Hey kid, have you seen anything yet?¡± Lexy looked up and picked up her sandwich. Tela raised a brow, ¡°What is that?¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°It''s a sandwich I brought with me since I didn¡¯t eat breakfast at home.¡± Tela nodded, ¡°oh ok so is it ok if I have your bowl?¡± Lexy nods ¡°sure I don¡¯t care. Oh, and question what are the islands down there?¡± Tela shudders ¡°those are the monster lies only death awaits whoever is foolish enough to go there. They say Orien sleeps there and incases himself in stone to trick the foolish.¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°oh, scary.¡± Tela then glanced around, ¡°Where is your wonder wolf?¡± Lexy pointed to her backpack, ¡°He''s not a fan of heights.¡± Lexy pulls a chunk of her sandwich off and puts it into her bag, ¡°Tell me if you want more, ok?¡± The only response she gets is the sound of munching and an ¡°ok¡± Lexy picked up her sandwich and takes a bite. But she stopped when she looked beyond Tela was an incoming ship that was on the horizon. Lexy stood up with concern on her face when she grabbed the spyglass and looked through it. Tela now shared the same expression and followed the young blond''s gaze when she saw the ship. She looked back to Lexy, ¡°what is it?¡± Lexy looked and a small part of her was excited while the rest of her was filled with dread knowing exactly what was coming at them. ¡°Uh, it''s a ship.¡± Tela¡¯s eyes widen, ¡°What flag is at the top, kid, this is important. What flag.¡± Lexy shrugged, ¡°a skull with crossbones and black background.¡± Tela cursed under her breath, ¡°Damn it, why did it have to be pirates?¡± Lexy turned to Tela, ¡°Wait for their pirates in this world¡­ ok at least there¡¯s something that makes sense. So, does this ship have a defense system or not?¡± Tela rushed past her, ¡°no, it doesn¡¯t.¡± She rushed up to Reginal, ¡°We''ve got bloody pirates approaching from the east there going to catch us at this rate.¡± Reginal huffed, ¡°Damn it, we don¡¯t even have enough to quench whatever tax they will want and tell Lexy to get under deck. She is our number one priority.¡± Tela nodded and rushed back to Lexy, ¡°Kid, I need you to go under the deck, don''t make a noise and you might make it.¡± With that Tela opened the hatch to the lower deck. Lexy headed down, ¡°got it.¡± And Tela closes it behind her. Lexy looks around and sees two hammocks and a small cooking area. Lexy taped her bag, ¡°Varikin we¡¯ve got trouble.¡± Varikin hopped out of her bag and climbed onto her shoulder growling, ¡°I will fight if it means you live.¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°Glad to hear it but I need you to stay in your current form until the last second. Just stay calm and if things go the way I think they will, I need you to be calm.¡± Varikin noded ¡°Very well I trust you.¡± Tela and Reginal stop the ship''s hands-on their weapons ready if things go south. The two watched when a ship twenty times the size of theirs stopped next to theirs. On it was a horde worth of goblins, elves, and steering the ship is a black bipedal wolf creature wearing a skull on the top of his face. He was wearing a feathered tricorn along with a captain¡¯s robe. The captain along with two elves swing from some ropes and land on the smaller ship. The captain smirked, ¡°I must thank you for ya cooperation. Usually, my men and I must shoot, then ask questions later. So, what are yea two lonesome birds doing out here and what do ye have to offer some and my men are persuaded enough to let ye live?¡± Reginal swallowed hard and tossed the captain a medium-sized bag of shillings. The captain opened it and hummed. He then handed the bag to the elf next to him, ¡°well, I¡¯m sorry to say that¡¯s only enough for one of you to live unless you have more?¡± Reginal looked to Tela who shook her head, ¡°We don''t have anymore.¡± She said with venom in her voice. The captain put his hand like a paw over his chest, ¡°oh lass you hurt me I don¡¯t want to have to choose who to kill so I''ll tell you what we will take half of what we like from your ship and we let you live Fair?¡± Tela was about to protest but Reginal shakes his head, ¡°It''s not worth it.¡± The captain smirked, ¡°see lass he gets it.¡± The captain turned to his two elven companions, ¡°go to the lower deck and take half of their supplies. Fuel, food, whatever.¡± The two noded and head lower deck only for one of them to quickly come back up with Lexy in hand ¡°captain there¡¯s a third and look at her hair it¡¯s made of gold.¡± Varikin snarled at the elf baring his teeth for even trying to touch Lexy. The elf stands behind Lexy who keeps a calm face and turns to Varikin, ¡°Varikin what did I say earlier. So sorry about him. Hello good sir.¡± Tela raised a brow at Lexy¡¯s calm demeanor. While the captain asked, ¡°well this is unexpected you have two more I¡¯m sorry but taking half of the ye supplies will not be enough to cover these two. I guess we will have to kill three or take all of your supplies.¡± Lexy raised a brow and smiled, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry but that¡¯s not going to happen. If anything, you should be worried about your life and your crews.¡± The captain and his crew burst laughing, ¡°oh, little one ye must be joking. I like ye spunk but check ye numbers mine are much higher than ye and let¡¯s not forget ye about half the size of me so what a little thing like you going to do?¡± Lexy blew out what could have been smoked. She focused on her magic and instead of staying on the shallow end. She focused on her anger and spreading out her magic. She gripped her fists in anger, ¡°excuse me but I think you should be careful who YOU CALL SHORT.¡± Varikin could feel the magic and like the last two times, he felt it. He was rendered immovable along with Reginal, Tela, the captain, and his crew. The captain wheezes out a response, ¡°you gah what are ye.¡± Lexy snarled, ¡°I¡¯m sorry that¡¯s not what I want to hear. I want an apology and safe passage through these airways and so help me I hear you EVER bother these two again I WILL KILL YOU. Now say it, all of you.¡± The captain whimpered as his ears drooped, ¡°I¡¯m, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Then the rest of the crew in unison, ¡°sorry.¡± Lexy then gives a happy smile, ¡°good¡± The captain raised a hand while shaking, ¡°then young miss what ships are we allowed to take from?¡± Lexy smirked, ¡°Anawarath soldiers if anything I recommend you do. But not the rebellions if you do. know well who will be coming for you. Got it puppy?¡± The captain whimpered and nodded with the rest of the crew. ¡°y-yes mam. Thank you, mam.¡± Lexy nods and takes a deep breath to calm down. The captain stood up and he and his two elves grabbed their ropes and headed back to their ship. The captain turned to his crew, ¡°What are ye all looking at? Let''s get a move on and not bother them any further ye scurvy dogs.¡± The crew quickly got to work on setting sail and leaving. Tela and Reginal shared glances and Tela was the first to speak, ¡°Remind me not to get you angry. No wonder you¡¯re our ace.¡± Lexy shrugged, ¡°I don¡¯t even entirely know how that works myself. Heck, I wasn¡¯t even expecting that to work.¡± Tela sighed, ¡°bloody, well I¡¯m glad it did, who knows how bad that could have gone. But the quick question would you have really killed them?¡± she said curiosity was in her eyes. Lexy smiled, ¡°No, I don¡¯t have the guts for that a lot. Would you be surprised if I told you I hate killing¡± Tela shook her head, ¡°It does actually I thought you were going to kill him the second he called you short.¡± Reginal nodded, ¡°Well, let¡¯s get moving on the double.¡± Lexy sighed, ¡°that I can agree to.¡± Reginal then headed back to the steering system and the ship started moving again. The next five hours were uneventful for Lexy when she fazed in and out of sleep. Until the next time, she opened her eyes and the sun was setting on land and she woke up to hearing Reginal shout, ¡°all hands prepare for landing! We will descend in t -minus ten.¡± Lexy¡¯s eyes widened and she leaped to grab onto the railing of the ship. The ship began descending and some of the loose crates slide to the front of the ship, when the ship lowers Lexy sees more and more of the land. Lexy began smelling the salty air and began seeing the rebellion''s sea outpost. She then realized the outpost was on the back of a giant turtle. Oh no. The ship landed into the air dock with a soft thump. Lexy let go of the railing and looked at the base. Tall skyscrapers made of wood were at the center and in random areas were large pistons moving and giving off steam. Tela came up to Lexy, ¡°Welcome to the sea outpost also known as the living base. Oh, hello Head captains.¡± Tila said when she turned to what looked to Lexy, a giant bird person, and standing next to her was the queen or C to Lexy. Both standing on the dock Lexy turned to the two and she walked off the ship, ¡°hi C and hello I don¡¯t think we have met. I¡¯m Lexy.¡± When Lexy said this Varikin hopped out of her bag and climbed onto her shoulder. Phenic put out her wing like a hand, ¡°Welcome and thank you for coming, Lexy and Varikin. I¡¯m the head captain of the sea outpost, the name is Phenic and you have already met C.¡± Lexy gently shook her wing, ¡°thank you but if I may ask what the mission is, the information I got earlier was rather vague.¡± Phenic shook her head, ¡°not here it¡¯s too open you never know these days, but I hear you. You will be informed properly in the morning. Come the night is falling and if we do not hurry the food will be eaten already.¡± Phenic and C begin to walk toward the base. Lexy walked by Phenic who turned her head to Lexy while she was walking, ¡°so how was the trip here?¡± Lexy shrugged, ¡°Only one problem but it ended fine. Nobody got hurt, except for some pride.¡± Phenic raised a feathered brow along with C, ¡°oh, really what happened?¡± Lexy shrugged, ¡°eh just some pirates, nothing to worry about. I didn¡¯t kill anybody if that¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about.¡± Phenic shook her head, ¡°oh no, you¡¯re fine.¡± C just looked in thought when Lexy asked her next question, ¡°So quick question, what''s with the large pistons and moving gears?¡± Phenic smiled, ¡°Ah, that is the pride and joy we have. It is a machine that moves hot air into houses and buildings. The turtle gives off warmth and we harness it to heat water that then becomes steam.¡± Lexy hummed, ¡°Why haven¡¯t the other bases used this?¡± and C perked at this ¡°oh that¡¯s easy, what if the base gets discovered we don¡¯t want these new developments falling into the wrong hands because unlike the others this base can move and go underwater.¡± Ley nodded, ¡°oh makes sense.¡± When she said this, the four left the docks and entered the streets while other rebels passed them carrying supplies and going about their business. Silence fell between the group until Varikin piped up, ¡°So is this the oldest base then?¡± Phenic smirked at this, ¡°Actually yes, the turtle was raised by the rebellion''s founder, thus why it¡¯s so large and not afraid of people.¡± Varikin tilted his head, ¡°So that brings another question: who was the founder of the rebellion?¡± Phenic¡¯s smile went joyous, proud, and sad all at once. ¡°they were female actually, and they were a beast-blooded that could turn into a white bird. They say it all started with entering the veil not just with how she says the empire was becoming corrupted. She died in battle. Her name was forgotten but not what she did.¡± Lexy and Varikin see a tear slip from Phenic¡¯s eyes and then with a sigh Phenic and C stop outside a building that instead of front doors just has a set of staircases that lead to different doors. Phenic tossed Lexy a key, ¡°Your dorm is on the fourth floor of that building, I''ll send Tela to fetch you in the morning. There is already food, water, and a few spare uniforms in there for you two. Night.¡± Lexy cached the key and nodded, ¡°night.¡± With that C and Phenic leave while Lexy heads up the stairs to the fourth door only to find it was locked. Lexy put the key into the lock and the door opened and she stepped into the two-room apartment. The main room had a stove and a large device Lexy recognized as an old-styled fridge. The floor was wooden and in the middle of the room was a table with a few chairs. Lexy turned around and locked the door, ¡°Ok I''m ready to sleep, do you need anything Varikin?¡± Varikin hopped off her shoulder and turns into his human form. ¡°Let me see.¡± He walked over to the fridge and opened it to find water and some dried meat with stale biscuits. ¡°yea ill be fine.¡± Lexy nodded and entered the other room which had two hammocks divided by a curtain. Lexy took off her mech and set it next to her hammock. She laid down on the hammock and fell asleep. **** Lexy woke up to Varikin shaking her. ¡°ugh I¡¯m up, I¡¯m up.¡± She said rubbing her eyes and she got up and put on her mech, ¡°Is Tela here?¡± Varikin shook his head, ¡°no but it''s before sunrise and I¡¯m hungry.¡± Lexy groaned, ¡°Did you eat all the food in the fridge?¡± Varikin gave a guilty face and whimpered a bit, while he hung his head low ¡°maybe?¡± Lexy sighed and pinched her nose, ¡°ugh lucky for you I have some spare food in my bag unless you ate that two?¡± Varikin shook his head, ¡°No, I didn¡¯t eat that.¡± Lexy nodded and pulled out her paper bag. She reached into it and pulled out two beef sticks. ¡°You get one, I get one fair?¡± Varikin noded, ¡°Ok fair.¡± Lexy handed Varikin a beef stick and began eating her own. She pulled out the bubble capture potions and loaded them into her utility belt. Lexy entered the main room and sat down on the table only to hear a knock on the door. Lexy sighed and got back up. She unlocked the door and opened it to see Tela standing there, ¡°a morning to you two I¡¯ve come to get you for your mission information conference. With the two head captains.¡± Lexy nodded and turned to Varikin, ¡°hey come on we¡¯ve got to go.¡± Varikin nodded and stuffed the rest of his beef stick in his mouth. He then transformed into his ferret form and hopped onto Lexy¡¯s shoulder. Lexy walked out of the room and locked the door when she left and then resumed following Tela. Tela led the two through the busy streets of the outpost and eventually to a tall skyscraper in the center. Tela led the two through the building which looked like a type of office building to Lexy. It wasn''t until Tela guided them to a large meeting room and then Lexy realized this was strategic HQ. The room had large maps of pieces on a map on the table. In the room were Phenic and C. The two head captains turned to see Lexy. Phenic looked to Tela, ¡°You are dismissed.¡± Tela nodded and left, closing the door behind her. Phenic turned back to Lexy and Varikin, ¡°well with that taken care of now we can explain to you what this is all about.¡± Phenic pointed to a castle pawn on the table, ¡°that is your point of the main objective. You are to carry C with you to this point before the sun goes down. Then once you three get to this point there will be witches there let C negotiate with them and then go with C to retrieve an item from the which we are here for the soul stone. You are not to engage in endless combat. The witches are not aware that the queen is no longer in rule. So, I do not recommend giving off any info that could jeopardize this. Do you understand?¡± Lexy¡¯s brows furrowed, ¡°Yes, so my job is just to get C in and out, yes?¡± Phenic nodded, ¡°good, hand me your helmet.¡± Lexy did as told and watched when Phenic pulled out a long red ribbon and inserted it into the helmet. The helmet pulled it all in and once done Phenic handed it back to Lexy. ¡°Your helmet will now be able to take you to those quadrants. Now C will take you to the launch pad and I wish you three the best of luck.¡± Lexy and Varikin nod. The blond turned to Varikin, ¡°You may want to get in the bag now.¡± Varikin nodded, ¡°don¡¯t have to tell me twice.¡± And with that, he hopped into Lexy¡¯s bag. C walked over to the exit, ¡°Follow me.¡± Lexy nodded and C led the young blond up a set of stairs that opened to a large launch pad on the roof of the building. A lot of light was hitting Lexy¡¯s face with the smell of smoke when she got to the roof. C puts on a vest, a necklace with a red pendant that had a rune on it, and a mech with a clip on the back. She had a line in hand with a clip on the end. C walked up to Lexy and handed her the line with the clips on each end ¡°this hooks up to yours and then can you hook the other end to my back. Could you hook it?¡± Lexy nodded and did as told and then looked at the horizon only to see no sun ¡°hey where is that light coming from?¡± C turned her head to the mainland and pointed to it, ¡°It¡¯s a curse that sets the land aflame whenever the sunsets. I assume you smelled the smoke too?¡± Lexy nodded and now that her eyes adjusted, she could see even the shore was set aflame. Along with there being moving skeletal monsters, ¡°holy cow, should we be worried about those?¡± The queen shook her head, ¡°No, they only bother you if you get too close. alright, let¡¯s go.¡± C nodded and put her cuffs on. She pulled her black ringed cord and white wings spread from her mech with orange tips. Lexy pulled her black cord and her large purple and black wings trump C¡¯s in size. Lexy switched her mech on and an arrow pointed to the direction she needed to go. With that Lexy was the first to take off with C in tow and she switched the intake bar a bit. Her mech made a sharp noise and then a large boom was heard when she increased in speed. Lexy looked at the ground that was set aflame while following the arrow. Five minutes in and the sun''s first light touched the land and the fires went out. Leaving behind black charred land and large bone piles. Four more minutes and Lexy sees a large castle-like structure that looked a bit beaten up but at the entrance to it were men and women all dressed in black suits and dresses. Lexy hummed, ¡°land at the front gates?¡± C nodded, ¡°Yes, that will do.¡± Lexy nodded and switched her mech''s magic intake back to normal. The two landed and were immediately surrounded by witches. C folded up her wings and the witches all bow or give a curtsy. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. C straightened her back, ¡°Hello my subjects, you may rise.¡± The crowd did as told and one of the witches came forward her black long curly hair flowed as she stands above the others, ¡°My mistress of flames, what brings you here?¡± C gave an angry expression, ¡°I am here to get the soul stone an enemy has decided to toy with my kingdom, and I wish to show them our kingdom is a force to reckon with and not some joke.¡± The witches chuckled evilly, ¡°oh I would love to see that, but my place is here as you know.¡± C tilted her head ¡°oh and why is that Quendlin. Tell me, has something happened to Salem?¡± Quendlin nodded, ¡°She isn¡¯t dead just came down with sickness again. But not the point, your time is few. Come I will lead you to the stone. You remember the rules, you must leave your little guard here, my sisters know someone to keep them company.¡± She glanced back at her sisters. C noded a soft frown on her face, ¡°very well.¡± Something about her tone sounded worried but Lexy glances worriedly as she watches C leave. C walked quietly while Quendlin continued the conversation as she led C up the slope ¡°so how are your children?¡± C sighed ¡°a handful as usual my oldest is becoming more than I would have expected but that is good it means when I leave the kingdom has a strong king.¡± Quendlin noded ¡°good, good oh we are here.¡± With that, the two enter the castle. ****** Lexy waved shyly to the witches when they smirked, ¡°Oh little one, you must be the one he speaks of.¡± Lexy immediately went to her father¡¯s knife only to hear a voice she never wanted to again ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary.¡± Lexy turned on a dime to look behind her and she glared. There standing before her was the blood king. ¡°Oh my, what aggression! I''m so scared. You know I find it ironic you being here with my mother. Did the rebellion really value her so little to put you as a guard? Oh well, it makes my job all the easier.¡± He said with amusement. Lexy narrowed her gaze, ¡°and what job would that be?¡± The blood king gave an eerie smile to Lexy while he put a hand on a sheathed sword ¡°Riding a thorn in my side.¡± Lexy¡¯s eyes widened and she looked to the castle. Then back to the king only to see him gone. She looked around herself only to find he was behind her. ¡°But as for you, I don¡¯t think you should die today.¡± Lexy leaped back, ¡°oh, and what did I do to earn such an honor?¡± spite and sarcasm in her voice. The king shrugged. ¡°I think you already know you just don''t like the answer. You know what I''ll give you an option you could kill me. Hell, I¡¯ll let you, or I''ll let you try to save the queen. If you kill me, you can take the soul stone. Isn¡¯t that what you are here for.¡± he said when he pulled a white stone out. Lexy looked from the king to the castle and smirked, ¡°I''d rather kill two birds with one stone.¡± The king smirked and leaned forward, ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t¡± Lexy glared and began running and then turned her mech on and took off into the sky, ¡°Varikin, I need you ready!¡± She could feel some movement from her bag when she flew into the castle to see C fighting against a horde of witches, ¡°C! we¡¯ve gotta get out of here!¡± C turned to Lexy, her hair glowing, and her sword was a flame, ¡°We can''t, we have to get the soul stone!¡± Lexy shook her head, ¡°It''s no use if your son has it.¡± C nodded and with a wave of her fiery sword the barricade of witches screech at her and fell to the ground. C walked up to Lexy, ¡°Do you have a plan?¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°Do you think you can fight?¡± To this C smirked, ¡°That''s even a question.¡± Lexy returned the smirk and quickly reconnected her mech to C¡¯s, ¡°good.¡± Lexy took off and focused on the veil while closing her eyes. She opened them and they are flying away from London¡¯s clock tower. Lexy smiled, ¡°say hello and goodbye to London town!¡± Lexy closed her eyes again and brought them back to reality. She opened her eyes and they were back, in reality, flying toward the king. Lexy lands and unclips C¡¯s cord to her mech. Varikin hopped out of Lexy¡¯s bag and turned into his giant wolf form while he stood by Lexy''s side. The king burst out laughing, ¡°oh this is hilarious but¡± he paused and his smile faded as water washed it away, . ¡°I''ll say one more time that in the end, I will win!¡± C glared and launched into battle her hair was glowing when she took off her mech. The king smirked while orange and red magic sparks flew. The witches cheered at the sight of battle in the way wolves do to wounded prey. C jumped back and Lexy looked at the king wondering what weapon he was using. Only to see he wasn''t using a traditional blade there spread from his lower back are four long black tails that at each tip they form into a weapon. Now that Lexy looks at them the tips look to be swords. The king ran his hand through his hair and smirked, ¡°a fight you want mother? Very well let¡¯s fight.¡± The king launched at C and sparks flew. Lexy backed away and she turned to face the witches who to her surprise only watched with a smile on their faces when they began to chant ¡°the traitor will pay! Down with the traitor and her treasonous ways!¡± Lexy looked from them and back to C who looked like she was about to lose when suddenly her hair burst to flame and her skin began to boil and crack. The cracks glowed a bright fluorescent orange. The king smiled, ¡°I wonder if you will rise from the ashes if I kill you. You and I both know you¡¯re only half Phenix!¡± The blood king pushed against C with his tails and Lexy began seeing horns emerge from his head. She rubbed her eyes and did a double-take. He did have horns. C moved faster with her blade and even though she¡¯s away from it Lexy can feel the heat. ¡°I told you before my child I will never let you keep them even if it means DEATH!¡± Orange and red auroras started to come off the two and the next time they clashed a powerful gust of wind sent all staggering back when the ground crackled. Lexy was the only one still standing while the rest of the onlookers were kneeling or trying to fight the wind from the clash of the two¡¯s magic. Varikin was kneeling and trying to fight the wind while Lexy could only look in awe when all of C¡¯s body was aflame. Lexy quickly leaped back when some of the flares from the attack began to strike anything in their way. The queen with a flash of fire two wings of flame rise from her back and the two take their battle to the skies when a set of draconic wings emerge from the king''s back. The auras increased and Lexy fell to her knees and turned to look at Varikin who was struggling far more than her. Quickly Lexy rushed over to him and then she looked to the sky in awe when huge blasts of magic were released through the air. Lexy quickly used her mech wing to block some of the after flames from hurting Varikin and looked to the sky one last time. To see the king unleashed another burst of speed and the queen didn''t react fast enough she received a blow to the head. She falls to the ground unconscious, with a thud and her flames go out. Lexy quickly pushed C out of the way from what would have been a fatal blow to the queen. The king immediately stops his next attack, ¡°I won¡¯t let you end yourself that easy child.¡± The king summoned a red portal and reached into it. He pulled out a white stone. The king then spoke into the stone, ¡°yeith tcarta llahs enots siht. Lliw elliv fo serutaerc llA. esruc a ecalp doolb dna hself nwo ym htiw, gnik eht I.¡± he then bit into his thumb drawn blood and put it onto the stone. Hissing was heard from the stone and Lexy watched when the blood seeped into the stone. The king looked to Lexy an eerie look in his red and black eyes. When he merely tossed Lexy the stone, ¡°I''m not interested in fighting you nor do I care for that stone.¡± With a smirk, he turned to C ¡°Now to finish off this thorn in my side.¡± He took out his sword from its hilt. Lexy¡¯s eyes widened and she stood in front of C with her arms open, ¡°stop! Ill.¡± She looked desperately for something to say and she looked to Varikin who only looked at her with worry and was frozen with fear. The king raised a brow, ¡°Stop, well this is quite the predicament, they are a thorn in my side so you would have to give something very valuable to me. So, think of something fast.¡± Thoughts buzzed through Lexy¡¯s head she then blurted out what sounded best, ¡°a piece of my magic?¡± Varikin looked at her with wide eyes and shook his head finally breaking out of the fear that held him back. Varikin leaped for the blood king, his teeth bared. ¡°Lexy no!¡± The king smirked and made a smooth flick motion at Varikin, sending him back. ¡°That will do nicely so you¡¯re offering a small piece yes?¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°y-yes as long as she gets to live.¡± The king nods ¡°very well little rebel I shall grant this exchange. ¡± Lexy scratches her arm and she shuts her eyes. She began to focus on her magic and held a piece of it in her hands. Dark purple energy begins to form and bubble from her hands. Pain spreads from her palms and wrists, a few tears slip from her eyes. The king watched when she struggled with her magic. He grabbed her wrist and she screamed. Suddenly a small orb that is black and purple appears between her hands and the king swiftly pulled out a knife and puts it to the small orb. The orb dissolved into the knife and the king whispered into the knife, ¡°laes¡± Lexy was trembling when she fell to her arms and knees. Varikin came running and leaped in front of Lexy snarling. The king smiled, ¡°Thank you for your service. Little rebel.¡± Varikin growled louder and the king turned to him, ¡°oh my, how frightening! Just kidding, calm down wolf. I¡¯m a man of my word I will not kill my mother. I already gave the child what you came here for. In return, I got this.¡± He says raising the blade that was now glowing a dark purple with a rune on it. Varikin snarls and then stops and looks at Lexy who was trembling. The king looked to Varikin, ¡°Besides, I''m the least of your worries. Losing even a small piece of magic like that is very straining on someone. For her age, it could be fatal.¡± Varikin curls around her protectively, ¡°you will not harm her. I will make sure of that.¡± The king chuckled, ¡°until the last breath? Yes? You wolves are loyal. I find it adorable. Now I have things to tend to. I recommend getting out of here. I may not kill you today, but they might.¡± Varikin watched when the king opened a portal that on the other side looked like the capital. The king walked through it and then the portal disappeared. Varikin looked frantically from Lexy and back to C. He nudged Lexy ¡°come on you¡¯ve got to get up.¡± Lexy wheezed out a response, ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can Varikin. It hurts. My arms hurt.¡± That was not the answer Varikin wanted or was hoping for. This only left one option. He must get these two out of here before things go south. Varikin turned to Lexy, ¡°I¡¯m going to get you out of here.¡± Lexy curled into him and could only nod. ¡°It''s ok Varikin I love you my silly puppy and it''s ok if you can¡¯t.¡± Varikin¡¯s eyes widened and watched Lexy pass out. The fire of determination and protection filled him. He focused on Lexy¡¯s magic and his crystal began to glow a dark purple along with his eyes. Varikin then thought of a form something large enough to carry these two out of danger and large enough to scare away anything to wish his little handler harm. Then he knows. He knows exactly what to turn into. With a howl a purple and blue magic swirl consumed him. Snapping of his bones could be heard when he changed shape and size. He grew by ten stories, the purple and blue swirls ended. This revealed him to now have changed into a gigantic bird with almost a crown worth of dark purple crystals sprouting from his head. His feathers were a beautiful purple with white tips and on his underbelly, there were swirled blue and white feathers with dark purple and white-tipped ones. His left eye was blue while his other was purple. He had four feathered wings. His beak was sharp and serrated. On Lexy¡¯s inner arm right underneath the rebellions, a golden-colored crest formed a blue wolf symbol. Gently he picked up Lexy, C, and placed the two onto his back. With that, he took flight, his wings blowing away onlooking witches who gaped in awe. ***** Phenic and Tela stand on top of the building roof, on the launch pad Lexy and C left off about a few hours ago. Phenic frowned when she saw in the distance a large feathery mass. ¡°What is that?¡± Tela hurriedly pulled out her spyglass and looked through it. ¡°Captain, it''s them. The bird is Lexy¡¯s wonder wolf. She and C look to be unconscious!¡± Phenic¡¯s eyes widened ¡°quick tell the others to fetch some of our healers.¡± Tela nodded and tossed the spyglass to Phenic as she rushed by. Phenic looked through the spyglass, ¡°holy I never in my life have seen a wonder wolf have that large of a form not sense Emelly¡± Phenic backed up and put away the spyglass. She watched in awe when Varikin landed on the launch pad, his feathers glistened with the sunlight. He laid down on the pad almost crushing Phenic and turned into his wolf form. He had an exhausted look on his face, ¡°help them, SAVE HER.¡± Varikin collapsed on the ground but was still conscious. Phenic rushed to check Varikin¡¯s pulse, ¡°Still breathing, you¡¯re going to make it.¡± Tela then bursts from the doors with a team of healers shortly behind her. The group rushes up there and they check on C and Lexy first. One of the medics with Lexy looked at her hands, ¡°magically inflicted burns starting from the fingers and ending at the forearm, first-degree burn. She''ll be fine.¡± He puts his hands above Lexy¡¯s arms and a green magical glow from his palms, and within a few moments, the burns on Lexy¡¯s arms disappear. The medic with C frowned ¡°she¡¯s breathing but these wounds need immediate treatment and her magic is extremely depleted.¡± He turned to the two other healers¡¯ by her, ¡°get her to the medical bay and put them on an iv drip and a magic accelerant.¡± The medic then turns to the other with Lexy, ¡°How are they?¡± The other medic smiled, ¡°unconscious but fine.¡± Varikin sighed letting the tension in his chest relax, ¡°good¡± The medic frowned, ¡°Are you alright?¡± Varikin nodded, ¡°I¡¯m fine, that transformation just took a lot out of me.¡± Phenic came up to him, ¡°Tell me, was it a success?¡± Varikin nodded, ¡°yes it was but they knew, and the king was there. He and C fought. He was about to win when Lexy interfered and saved C. How? I¡¯m not entirely sure. But she did. The soul stone is in her utility belt.¡± Phenic nodded and walked over to the medic by Lexy who already pulled the white stone out of her belt. The medic handed it to Phenic. Phenic sighed, ¡°We are so lucky. Now the king has lost this destructive weapon.¡± Varikin looked at her and tilted his head, ¡°Are we going to use it against him?¡± Phenic shook her head, ¡°Oh no, we wanted it so we could destroy it. Souls should not be tampered with. No matter how good-willed. It shouldn¡¯t be used.¡± Varikin noded and transformed into his human form. ¡°I understand.¡± He turned to the medic with Lexy, ¡°Can I take her to her room?¡± The healer nodded, ¡°Yes, she will be fine. If she doesn¡¯t wake up in the morning, then you should be concerned but for now, she will be fine.¡± Varikin nodded and picked her up. Phenic smiled, ¡°Tela and Reginal will take you two back in the morning, you chose a strong familiar didn¡¯t your wolf.¡± Varikin nodded, ¡°I chose her as my handler but only until she accepted it was it official, I am as much as her familiar as she is to me.¡± Phenic noded, ¡°So you love her?¡± Varikin frowned, ¡°No, not the love you¡¯re thinking of. She is my best friend and I know now without a doubt she would die for me as I would for her.¡± He said while he hugged Lexy Phenic hummed, ¡°Ah, I see. Take care of her wolf, she''s a good kid.¡± Phenic then turns to Tela, ¡°Tela showed him to their apartment.¡± Tela nodded and began leading Varikin, ¡°Follow me.¡± When Varikin passed Phenic, he saw her smile and heard her say, ¡°good job both of you.¡± Varikin nodded and began following Tela back to the apartment. Those eyes seem to fallow me. Lexy woke up to barking as usual, ¡°go figure. This is a thing now, isn¡¯t it? You know what I don''t answer, I already know the answer.¡± Lexy got out of bed and put on some fresh clothes consisting of a turquoise hoodie, a white shirt underneath, and black pants. She headed for her bedroom door. Lexy stepped out of her room and saw Varikin, ¡°All alright I need to head to town to grab a bunch of food. I¡¯m thinking about how they responded to spaghetti. I''m just going to get more of that and oatmeal for those who have barbed wire stuck in their necks.¡± Varikin nodded and followed Lexy downstairs to the dining room. The two entered the room to see everyone was there but Leslie. Lexy took a seat by Carin and tilted her head, ¡°Where''s Leslie?¡± Thokath looked up and smiled, ¡°Oh, she has a court case this morning.¡± Lexy¡¯s eyes widen, ¡°why? Is she getting sued?¡± Thokath shook his head, ¡°oh no she¡¯s a lawyer she just had a case. It''s her work.¡± Lexy nodded now understanding, a butler came in and placed Lexy¡¯s food down in front of her. Lexy smiled at the man, ¡°Thank you.¡± The butler nodded and walked away. Varikin once finished eating watched Thokath, interest, and curiosity filled the wolf. Last night it makes him wonder if Thokath knows what he is? He hums he has never sensed ill intent from this man. But for how he was talking it also makes him wonder about Lexy¡¯s mother and father. Varikin shook it off; he likes simple things. Why can¡¯t things in the world just be simpler? Then his head wouldn''t hurt from so many questions. Lexy finished up her food and stood up, ¡°Hey, Thokath?¡± Thokath turned to her, ¡°Yes?¡± Lexy gave a small smile, ¡°could you please have one of the drivers bring me downtown?¡± Thokath nodded and turned to one of the butlers who nodded and quickly strolled out of the room. Thokath then turned back to Lexy, ¡°The driver should be here so you can go ahead.¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°Thanks, Thokath.¡± Thokath smiled and nodded, ¡°any time kido.¡± With that Lexy left the dining room Varikin shortly behind. The two entered the lobby and no one else was there. Lexy turned to Varikin, ¡°you¡¯ve got to stay here ok?¡± Varikin frowned and nodded; he never liked this. Lexy smiled, ¡°Tell you what, I''ll bring you back something Ok?¡±, Varikin tilted his head and then nodded With that Lexy exited the mansion. Outside was a limo waiting for her. Lexy got into the limo and the driver looked back, ¡°the store as a usual young miss?¡± Lexy smiled and nodded, ¡°Yes please.¡± The driver returned the smile with one of his own and started the engine. Lexy watched yet again with curiosity when they passed the military camp at the crossing at the end of the estate. Beyond that nothing interesting on the way there to Lexy. Until the driver pulled up into the parking lot. Lexy rushed in with the butler and purchased ten sets of oatmeal containers, twenty boxes of noodles, ten large bags of frozen pork, ten containers of oatmeal, five bags of sugar, five bags of salt, and ten bunches of tomatoes. She got all the food in eighteen paper bags and got them out to the limo. The driver helped her put the food in the back and then got back in the limo. He turned to her, ¡°anywhere else?¡± Lexy shook her head, ¡°no, just back home please.¡± The driver nodded and started back up the limo. The drive back was uneventful. The driver pulls up into the driveway and stops. Lexy smiled and turned to the driver before she exited the vehicle, ¡°Thank you.¡± He returned the smile and nodded, ¡°Of course, young miss¡± The driver popped the trunk and Lexy exited the vehicle. Lexy headed to the back and unloaded the food in the paper bags she set them down on the concrete and then waved the driver goodbye. Lexy walked into the doors of the mansion and opened the door. She peeked inside and saw Varikin waiting for her. She smiled, ¡°Come on you, silly boy.¡± He yipped with a happy tone and followed Lexy out of the building. Lexy then brought all the food into the forest as far as she could. She turned to Varikin, ¡°Can you please help me Varikin.?¡± Varikin nodded, ¡°Yes, I will.¡± With that, the white wolf grew to the size of a draft horse. He laid down and let her carefully put all the bags of food on his back and then hopped on herself. ¡°Alright, you remember last time?¡± Varikin nods ¡°I do¡± with that Varikin begins the slow walk through the forest and to the clearing. Once there he stopped and looked at Lexy who smiled knowing what he was asking. Lexy closed her eyes and thought of the rebellion''s base door. She opened her eyes to see the door had moved again. It was now at the base of some cliffs. Varikin resumed his slow and steady course until they got to the outside of the base''s larger building. He laid down and let Lexy get all the food off him. He then turned into his human form and picked up eight of the bags while Lexy picked up two. He turned to the small blond, ¡°I can get some of the others to get the rest you take these and get started on the food.¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°Thanks, Varikin.¡± He smiled and brought what he grabbed to the kitchen. Katie smiled seeing what Lexy brought, ¡°Oh good, the others ate the last of the soup last night.¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°Glad I can help. Varikin and a few others are going to get the rest of it.¡± She said while she smiled at Varikin. Varikin nodded and headed out to the cafeteria; he spotted Cody and walked up to the young redhead. ¡°hey Varikin¡± Cody looked around, ¡°Where''s Lexy?¡± Varikin sighed hating for what he¡¯s about to ask, ¡°Will you help me bring in some food? It''s for Lexy.¡± Cody blinked, ¡°Wait, Lexy supplies the food?¡± Varikin nodded, ¡°Yes and she can¡¯t do it all alone, so I need you and Espa and Reba.¡± The young redhead nodded, ¡°Sure, I''ll help.¡± The two find the elf and wonder wolf pair communicating through Reba writing on parchment and Espa asking questions for her. The two walked up to the pair, ¡°Hey, Reba? Espa? We need your help to bring in some food quickly.¡± Varikin stated. Reba nodded and then Espa did the same, ¡°Very well, we will help.¡± The brown and crystal spider said her tone monotone. Varikin smiled, ¡°Thank you.¡± With that Varikin began leading the three to the exit. Magi looked back at Reba and Espa only to see the two smirk at him and say ever so softly while their eyes glowed a fluorescent red ¡°hello Magi.¡± Magi¡¯s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. He looked at the duo with absolute terror he now knows why these people were spared they were given a fate worse than torture or death combined. He shrunk in stature knowing who exactly was talking through the two females. Magi whimpered out a very, very soft, ¡°Hello, your highness.¡± The two noded and their eyes stopped glowing. Cody looked straight forward shuddering. He had to tell Varikin. He pulled himself out of his thoughts and looked at Varikin worry on his face. The four head outside and Espa hopped on Reba''s shoulder and turned into her human form. She and everyone else picked up two bags. The group headed back inside and set down the bags on the kitchen counter. Lexy smiled, ¡°Thanks, guys, it''s appreciated.¡±, Varikin and Cody smiled. While Reba and Espa¡¯s eyes flashed red while mumbling, ¡°Little rebel.¡± But Lexy didn¡¯t notice. Magi did though and was relieved to hear Varikin, ¡°All right there¡¯s just two bags left I can get them.¡± Reba and Espa nodded and walked away. Varikin turned to go get the last two bags when Cody jumped in front of him, ¡°Can I help PLEASE?¡± Varikin stopped and saw the fear in Magi¡¯s eyes. He nodded, ¡°come on¡± Magi nodded and followed Varikin. Once out of the base Varikin stopped, ¡°Alright, what do I need to say? It must be pretty scary if a specialist is scared.¡± Magi¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°How?¡± Varikin shrugged and picked up the last two bags, ¡°you¡¯re sent, why do you think I don¡¯t like being near Lexy? Now, what do you need to tell me about Magi?¡± Magi shuddered, ¡°the survivors, there is something wrong with them. Something worldly wrong, and I¡¯m not referring to the barbed wire. Have you ever seen their eyes glow red?¡± Varikin shaked his head, ¡°no but I feel you did, and you know why?¡± Magi nodded, ¡°Yes, It¡¯s the king''s magic. He planted a seed in them and no it''s not physical it¡¯s through emotions. He can manipulate them and change how people feel about certain things. If he does it often enough with someone, he will eventually be able to control them.¡± Varikin¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°So you''re saying any who survived are being controlled?¡± Magi shook his head, ¡°Yes but do understand the host doesn¡¯t know when he was controlling them and their eyes glow red that is a key factor.¡± Varikin looked to the base with worry in his eyes and he looked back to Magi, ¡°Is there a way to save them?¡± Magi nodded, ¡°Luckily for us, my elven magic is dreams and memories, I can create a dream but it is very hard for me to force sleep on someone. It can have horrid side effects on the person I do it to. But shortly we need all survivors asleep so I can fix them. If we don¡¯t fix them soon this can become permanent.¡± Varikin nodded, ¡°it would also be easier if everyone was asleep. But for us. Do you think you could brew a potion?¡± Magi hummed, ¡°mmm, maybe it will probably need a flower.¡± With that Cody pulled out of his pocket a tiny piece of leather and unfolded it until it¡¯s a large book. He opened it and started flipping through the pages. Until he found what he was looking for. The redhead sighed, ¡°I knew it, it needs a bloom called a passionflower and I don¡¯t know what these other ingredients are.¡± Varikin hummed, ¡°mm write it down, Lexy can probably find them for you.¡± Magi raised a brow, ¡°you¡¯re going to drag her into this?¡± Varikin glared and dangerously ¡°be glad I¡¯m not telling her your secret boy.¡± Magi shuddered when he remembered the bite behind Varikin¡¯s growl, ¡°Yes sir.¡± With that Magi pulled out a piece of parchment and turned to a Page with a feather on it and pulled off the feather. He then turned to a pitch-black page. He dipped the feather in it and wrote on the spare piece of parchment and once done handed it to Varikin, ¡°I need four of each ingredient. You do that and I¡¯ll find somewhere we can make the potion¡± Varikin nodded, ¡°very well. I''ll inform Lexy of this matter. Be careful.¡± Magi noded and the two-headed back into the base. Varikin and Cody split off to go do their set tasks. Varikin set down the last of the ingredients on the kitchen counter and Lexy smiled, ¡°Thanks, Varikin.¡± Varikin nodded, ¡°When will you be done?¡± Katie looked from what she was doing, ¡°why? Do you need her?¡± Varikin nodded, ¡°yea and captain has another training exercise for us.¡± Katie turned to Lexy, ¡°You can go, I''ve got this.¡± Lexy nodded and turned back to Varikin, ¡°oh hey quick I wanted to show you the greenhouse.¡± Varikin nodded and followed Lexy to the greenhouse and looked in absolute awe when all the corn was grown along with other plants he did not recognize and was being picked by other rebels. Lexy turned to Varikin and smiled, ¡°Kanki had some fun with the plants. So that¡¯s what I was doing while you got the supplies. I was showing Katie and the others how to pick and cook this stuff. I just need to finish explaining the tomatoes and why you can¡¯t eat the rest of it.¡± Varikin nodded, ¡°Do you have your father¡¯s knife on you?¡± Lexy nodded confused by the worry in his voice, ¡°yea?¡± Varikin sighed, ¡°Keep it on you. But go and finish. Just be careful.¡± With that, he turned into his ferret form and hoped onto Lexy''s shoulder. Cody¡¯s note being held fiercely tight in his paws. Lexy walked up to the survivor with the tomatoes and a basket in their hand. She smiled, If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°Sorry, where did I leave off?¡± They point to the leaf¡¯s and Lexy snaps her fingers and turns to the tomato plants ¡°oh yea I had screamed at you not to eat the leaf. Yeah sorry about that but the leaves are poisonous along with the stems but the red fruit, you can eat.¡± She didn¡¯t see the once orange eyes of the survivor go to dangerous crimson. The survivor smirks and gently pulled at the necklace made of thorns unaffected by blood beginning to seep from it, ¡°Hello, little rebel.¡± Their voice was soft yet knowing. Lexy and Varikin freeze, only one person ever calls Lexy this. She sharply turns around panic and fear pulsing through her like lightning. The rune on her father¡¯s knife began to glow dark purple. Her storm blue eyes meet those of crimson. It''s then she realizes that the king isn¡¯t here but the eyes. The blond¡¯s blue eyes widened, ¡°what? How?¡± Varikin glared, ¡°This is what I wanted to warn you about.¡± Lexy glanced from Varikin and back to the survivor. She was about to say something only for them to chuckle, ¡°How? Oh, gladly I¡¯ll tell you.¡± He paused ¡°Magic.¡± sarcasm dripped from his voice. Lexy¡¯s shocked expression changed to a glare when her blue eyes looked at the red ones. ¡°Why are you pretending to be one of the survivors? It''s pathetic and enraging how far you have gone.¡± The survivor chuckled, ¡°oh no I promise this is very much a person just someone else is talking.¡± Lexy went to pull her knife from its leather sheath, the rune on it began to glow brighter and Varikin could feel the magic pressure increase. They smirk, ¡°oh go ahead injure them but you¡¯ll be hurting them instead of me.¡± Lexy stopped herself from drawing the blade, ¡°I will stop you¡± They smirk, ¡°I''d love to see you do so.¡± With that their eyes stop glowing and they shake their head and look at Lexy confused. Lexy and walked out of the room. She headed outside and stopped, ¡°alright do you have a plan?¡± Varikin sighed, ¡°Yes, Cody and I do.¡± Lexy raised a brow, ¡°Cody knows? Alright tell me the plan¡± The ferret handed Lexy the list of ingredients for the sleeping potion, ¡°We need three of each.¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°Right, first I need to head training with Jackson if we don¡¯t act normal, they will ask what¡¯s wrong and I don¡¯t want to lie. Then we head back home and get all the stuff for Cody¡¯s potion¡± Varikin nodded, ¡°Alright sounds good let¡¯s go.¡± Lexy sighed, ¡°right.¡± The two-headed back inside. Lexy walked swiftly through the base and reached the entrance of the training area to see Jackson standing by the doorway. Saylis on his shoulders. Jackson turned to Lexy, ¡°oh hi, I heard you were here today I wasn¡¯t sure if you would have remembered or not with all the commotion as of late. Come on¡± With that, the group entered the training room. Lexy looked in awe when she entered the new area filled with forest on giant cliffs and waterfalls. Jackson smirked, ¡°alright Lexy, today I decided since you did so well on your mission, I think it¡¯s time I brought up your training. Today you are going to be hunted by me, Saylis and Varikin. You can beat us by lasting an hour or snagging our flag. Each of our flags is at a different peak. The flags will be guarded as well by something.¡± Lexy nodded and Varikin hopped off her shoulder while turning into his giant wolf form. ¡°Do I have time to hide?¡± Jackson nodded, ¡°go ahead but I¡¯m not telling you when time is up.¡± Lexy ran into the forest. She ran until she saw a stream feeding from one of the waterfalls. She took Magi¡¯s note and put it in her utility belt and took off her hoodie revealing her black shirt and chain scars. She placed the hoodie on a nearby tree and then jumped into the stream. Lexy swam to the other side without too much trouble. Now on the shore, she covered herself up with mud and then continued running. While running something caught her eyes and she stopped a hole covered up with a bush and a tree on top of it. She quickly gathered up loose leaves and hopped into the hole. She covered up the entrance with the leaves and curled up into the hole watching and waiting. **** Varikin looked at the forest with curiosity and then heard Jackson, ¡°Alright, that¡¯s as long as I¡¯m waiting. We all split up. Saylis you take the right; I take the left and Varikin you take the middle.¡± The two wolves took off in their given directions. Varikin immediately caught Lexy¡¯s scent and began to follow it. He eventually followed the scent until he saw her hoodie. The wolf immediately went to tackle the hoodie only to find it¡¯s not Lexy. He sniffed for more of the scent but it went beyond there. He shook his head as his mind rattled with one question, ¡°how?¡± **** Lexy focused on her magic being bottled up and hidden in herself. It''s then she heard heavy footsteps. Lexy stayed quiet and still. The footsteps passed and she just kept focusing on keeping her magic in. She stayed like this until she heard shouts, ¡°LEXY! LEXY? Where are you? It''s over now. You can come out.¡± She heard Jackson say worry was in his voice. She crawled out of the hole now standing right behind Jackson ¡°oh ok.¡± Jackson jumped in surprise and quickly turned on a dime to face Lexy while he drew his curved blade. He sighed the second he saw the small blond, ¡°oh, it''s you. What¡¯s with the mud?¡± Lexy shrugged, ¡°It''s a part of a trick I know.¡± She says shaking off all the dirt. Varikin and Saylis come up in their wolf forms and then both transform into their human forms. Saylis''s eyes were a deep hazel and blue. Her long black hair is near to touching her ankles. Her dress is simple with a dark blue body with white accents. Her black ears are pierced with simple jewelry. Saylis smiled and was about to praise Lexy when she saw under the thin coat of mud. Lexy¡¯s scars. Saylis¡¯s smile faded and stared at Lexy. Lexy recognized that look it was the same one she saw on the little lizard beast-blooded. It was like Saylis was looking at a monster. ¡°Lexy. What are those scars from?¡± Jackson and Varickin stopped and looked at Lexy, their eyes widened. Jackson stepped forward, ¡°Lexy what are those from?¡± Lexy¡¯s expression hardened while she was silent analyzing the different expressions of her peers, ¡°If you must know, I''ve had them for as long as I can remember.¡± Jackson¡¯s eyes narrowed and he shared a worried glance with Saylis, ¡°Alright, you''re done for today.¡± The blond nodded, ¡°Hey, do you have my hoodie?¡± Varikin noded and tossed it to her. She caught it and put it on, ¡°Thanks, Come on Varikin, we''ve got other stuff to do.¡± Lexy then turned to Jackson, ¡°Thanks, Jackson, that was fun.¡± Jackson sighed, ¡°it wasn¡¯t supposed to be fun it was supposed to be a training exercise¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°But it was fun, anyhow come on Varikin time is of the essence.¡± The wolf nodded and hopped onto her shoulder while he transformed into his ferret form, ¡°Do you have the note?¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°Yup.¡± She pulled out the list, ¡°Alright we need to head back and find where we can get one of these passion flowers but beyond that, all these other ingredients will be a synch.¡± With that, the duo headed out of the training room and then outside the rebellion''s base door. Only to see Magi waiting for them. Lexy smiled, ¡°hi, Cody you found a place to make the potion?¡± Magi shook his head, ¡°No, not yet, do you know anywhere?¡± Lexy frowned and her mind went to Callum¡¯s Library. ¡°I know a place.¡± Lexy put one hand on Magi and another on Varikin. She thought of the cave Callum and her promise made. Lexy opened her eyes with a sad look while Varikin and Cody looked in awe. Cody looked to Lexy, ¡°What is this place? It will work perfectly!¡± Varikin looked to Lexy who just gave a fake smile, ¡°Alright I got all the materials and we met here at night.¡± Magi nodded, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get this ready, meet you then. I have a few spare transport positions I can use so I can bring stuff here.¡± Lexy gave a thumbs up and touched Varkin¡¯s scruff, ¡°meet you then.¡± She thought of the vail and Lexy opened her blue eyes to see they were back in the forest. Lexy and Varikin walk to the mansion. Varikin put on his allusion and the two walked to the entrance of the building and entered to see Thokath in a chess match against Varan who for once is not reading a book. But Axle was chucking popcorn at him. Thokath looks up to see Lexy, ¡°oh hi, you two.¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°hi Thokath quick question is there a computer around I can use?¡± Thokath hummed, ¡°yes actually there¡¯s a few in the entertainment room here I¡¯ll show you.¡± Thokath turned to Varan, ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a bit.¡± Varan nodded and picked up a book. Thokath led the two to the entertainment room to see Mina and Misa playing video games. Thokath led Lexy and Varikin to the back and pulled a laptop off a shelf. He set it down on the desk which has a printer next to it. He opened the laptop, turned it on, and put in a password. The computer showed a home screen. Thokath pated Lexy¡¯s head and walked off, ¡°have fun¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°Thanks, Thokath.¡± But he was already out of the room. Lexy turned back to the computer and took out the lists of ingredients for the sleeping potion, ¡°Alright, we need a pinch of a spice that burns, the hair of a caster, and a passion bloom. Passionflower, where have I heard that?¡± She typed into the computer Passionflower and it came up with flowers that have properties that help people relax and sleep. She grimaced at the next piece of information ¡°they grow in southern areas? Dam it¡± Lexy stood up and closed the computer. She left the entertainment room and entered the hallways. The blond-headed to her room passing Thokath and Varan. She entered her bedroom and grabbed a piece of paper and a hairband. Lexy then returns to the halls and heads back through the lobby. She walked through and headed to the dining room. Lexy entered the dining room and laid the black paper flat on the table. She grabbed one of the pepper shakers and poured a mound of pepper onto the paper. Lexy put back the pepper shaker and took the edges of the paper. She quickly realized this was not going to work. Lexy headed into the kitchen and grabbed a paper bag. She walked back to the dining room and carefully put all the pepper into the bag and then sealed the top with the hairband. With that, she headed back to the lobby and stopped by Thokath. Thokath makes a chess move, ¡°Do you need anything else?¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°yea do the stores sell passion fruit?¡± Thokath hummed, ¡°mm I don¡¯t know if they do probably not but there is an Asian market on del. St id tries there.¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°Thanks, Thokath.¡± With that, she rushed up to one of the butlers, ¡°Hey, do you think you could get the driver, please? I need to head to the Asian market in town.¡± The butler nodded, ¡°very well young miss.¡± The man rushed off. Lexy smiled and headed upstairs and grabbed the card. The blond then headed to the front of the mansion only to see the limo was already there. ¡°I still wonder how they work so fast.¡± Lexy then walked out of the mansion and got into the vehicle. The driver looked to her, ¡°to the local Asian market?¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°Yes please.¡± With that, she put on her seat belt and the driver began taking her to this store. They drive past the growing military camp and the store she usually visits. They head to a different strip mall and there the last store was the Asian market. The driver pulled up into the parking lot and parks. With that, she rushed inside and stopped. It''s much different than she expected, a lot of china where and noodles in packaging she can¡¯t read. But her efforts were not worthless there in the fruit section is a bit of passion fruit. She grabbed two and put them into a shopping basket. Lexy headed up to the cashier who was a teenager with black ruffled hair and looked to be at least seventeen holding their head in their gloved hands and that was when Lexy saw it the rebellion''s crest was on his arm. Lexy gasped, ¡°Where did you get that?¡± she said while handing him the passion fruit. He looked at her and shrugged, ¡°you wouldn¡¯t believe me if I ever told you, kid.¡± The boy said with boredom in his voice as he rang up the fruit, ¡°that will be six dollars please.¡± She smirked and pulled down her sleeve to show her crest, ¡°Actually I think I will.¡± The teen''s eyes widened, ¡°Wait, you? Do you know? You¡¯ve seen them haven¡¯t you.¡± Lexy nods ¡°yup who did you meet?¡± He smiled, ¡°I used to live south with my parents. I was out fishing when a giant talking bird landed on the boat. If it wouldn¡¯t have been for them, I would have been dragon food.¡± Lexy smiled while she handed him some cash, ¡°Well, I¡¯d say you met Phenic or one of the beasts blooded.¡± He rang it up with a smile, ¡°you know the different creatures?¡± and handed the fruit back to her She smirked, ¡°yup, they''re a bunch.¡± With that, she took the fruit and was about to leave when she heard him say, ¡°and forever say for tomorrow.¡± She turned back to him, saluted, and left. Lexy got in the limo, ¡°All alright home please.¡± The driver nodded and started up the vehicle. They drive past the stores, caf¨¦¡¯s and eventually the military camp. The driver reached the estate and parks. Lexy smiled, ¡°Thank you.¡± The driver nodded and Lexy got out of the limo with the passion fruit in hand. She headed inside and saw Varan and Thokath were still playing chess. She smiled when she saw Varikin walking toward her. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m heading back to the forest. I love you see you later bye!¡± The two rushed out of the building before Thokath could say anything, ¡°You love me?¡± He restated it, he himself was trying to understand those simple words left from Lexy¡¯s mouth. Lexy and Varikin headed into the forest. Varikin stopped and transformed into his giant wolf form. ¡°so, you have what you need?¡± Lexy shook her head, ¡°Yes and no we need to visit Kanki. As for the spice that burns, I knew exactly what to get and a strand of the caster that¡¯s the hair of whoever is making the potion. The flower of passion? These things I got are passion fruit and that¡¯s what we¡¯re going to need Kanki¡¯s help with.¡± Varikin nodded while Lexy leaned over and touched his scruff. She closed her eyes and thought of the rebellion''s door. She felt a sharp pain in her stomach. The second she opened her eyes. She coughed and choked on blood. Varikin¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°Are you going to be ok?¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°yeah, ill¡± She took in a shuddered breath, ¡°I''ll be fine.¡± Lexy whipped the blood away from her mouth. The wolf nodded and shortly after he turned into his ferret form and hopped onto her shoulder. The duo entered the base and then the cafeteria. To Lexy''s luck, Kanki was eating lunch with her dad. Lexy walked up to the two, ¡°Hey, Kuma?¡± Kuma turned to her, ¡°yes?¡± Lexy blond smiled, ¡°Can kanki get these to grow just until their flowers really quick?¡± Lexy said while she pulled out the passion fruit. Kanki smiled, ¡°sure.¡± The little girl came up to Lexy and taped the two fruits and they began to grow. ¡°I would put them in a pot though.¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°Thanks, Kanki.¡± And rushed to the green room with the growing plants. She entered the room and put the two growing plants into two pots large enough for her to fit in. Lexy backed up and watched when two trees grew from the pots. She smiled when she saw the color full blooms come from the trees. Lexy quickly grabbed three of the blooms before they became fruit. She gently grasped the blooms and turned to Varikin who smirked, ¡°Alright, we do this at night.¡± The two exited the green room and the. Magi¡° Do you know what?¡± Lexy smirked, ¡°Yes, we have all of what we need.¡± Magi smiled, ¡°That''s great, this gives me time to prepare it, but I¡¯ll need the ingredients.¡± Lexy nodded and handed him all of what she had, ¡°ok, so you have a strand of caster-covered hair then? Because that¡¯s the hair of whoever casts it.¡± The redhead smiled, ¡°got it, meet you there at night.¡± Lexy and Varikin nodded, ¡°Yup.¡± Lexy and Varikin left the base and Varikin hopped off the blond shoulder and turned into his wolf form. Lexy leaned down and closed her eyes. She began thinking of reality. Lexy opens her storm blue eyes and she now finds that she and Varikin were in the forest. Lexy let out a strangled cry when she coughed up blood. Her arms shook and her scars felt itchy. Varikin stared at her with worry but before he could say anything he saw her shadow move on its own. In an unnatural way that did not match Lexy¡¯s. He gave a soft growl at whatever was in Lexy¡¯s shadow and it seemed to notice him. Lexy shook her head, ¡°Ok let''s go, I''m ready for a bit of sleep.¡± Varikin nodded and looked back to her shadow that outlined somebody that was not Lexy. Varikin stopped once he saw the mansion. The two head inside to see Thokath and Varakin reading the same book now. Lexy smiled, ¡°hi.¡± The two-wave and respond with a vague, ¡°hi.¡± Back. Lexy shrugged, ¡°welp I¡¯m going to bed. Night.¡± She hears from the two in unison, ¡°night.¡± Lexy sighed and headed up to her bedroom door. She turned to Varikin who laid down on the dog bed next to her door, ¡°we will sneak out once it''s dark out.¡± Varikin nodded to her and then curled into himself on the dog bed. Lexy headed into her room. **** The teen sighed his dark hair loosely in his face, his brown eyes danced around boredom filled him. The girl was interesting, but she left before he could lengthen the conversation. He remembered when he met the rebels and how he tried to tell his parents only for them to send him up to live with his uncle Mark who was a detective and his uncle¡¯s wife who operates an Asian market. He looked up when he saw his uncle enter the building. ¡°It¡¯s dusk outside. I''m surprised you got back early today.¡± His uncle looked at him and shrugged, ¡°Damian, do you think you can close up the shop for your aunt? I think she fell asleep in the back. The door was locked¡± He isn¡¯t old, none of his hair is white, and is just in his late twenties, and trust when Damian says that this man is a great lie detector. Damian smiled, ¡°Sure thing.¡± This was why his uncle was so confused by Damian¡¯s story of seeing a human-sized bird. His uncle nodded, ¡°Oh, my brother will be coming by to pick me up. He''s in town and no, it''s your uncle roger.¡± Damian tilted his head confused, ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t uncle Roger a military general?¡± His uncle Mark nodded, ¡°yes and that¡¯s what I¡¯m going to ask him about. There¡¯s a military camp on the outskirt of town.¡± With that, his uncle was about to head to the back only to see a car pull up, ¡°And that¡¯s him, see you later kid. Take care of your aunt.¡± Damian nodded and watched when his uncle Mark exited the building. Mark looked to the setting sun and sighed when he got in the back seat. On the opposite back seat was another man who was dressed in a U.S general uniform. Mark looked to the man, ¡°So Roger, what are you doing here, some special operation?¡± Roger¡¯s expression hardened ¡°you know I can¡¯t tell you that but since you¡¯re an officer and my brother I will tell you this. Be careful not everything is going as it seems. This whole town is in danger.¡± *** Lexy watched when the last of the sun''s light left. She smirked and grabbed her utility belt and put it on. Now equipped for the night, Lexy left her room and turned to see Varikin was awake. He stood up and began following the small girl. The two-headed down the stairs and to their luck no one was in the lobby room. The two then headed outside and entered the forest. Varikin transformed into his ferret form and hopped onto Lexy¡¯s shoulder. Lexy closed her eyes and thought of Callum''s library. She opened her eyes to see she was in the library and Magi was already there. Lexy hopped off and saw the glowing green eyes of the redhead, ¡°Hi Cody, is it ready?¡± Magi flinched and nodded, ¡°yea, oh and you two are going to need these.¡± He said handing Lexy and Varikin gas masks like the ones Anawrath soldiers were and he put on his own. He opened his satchel which was filled with vials filled with a glowing magenta liquid. ¡°you open it and set it down. That¡¯s all you need to do.¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°got it.¡± Lexy then put a hand on Magi¡¯s shoulder. She closed her eyes and opened them to see they were at the rebellion¡¯s door. Magi pulled out two satchels and divided the vials among the bags. ¡°Alright, you each get a bag and make these count. Tell me once you find the dorms of the survivors.¡± Lexy nodded and Varikin turned into his human form. Magi handed him his mask and then Magi handed the two the satchels. Magi opened the door and opened one of the vials and slid it inside. They open the door slowly and see that anyone who was in the cafeteria was asleep. The three split up and began spreading sleep near to everyone in the base. Lexy headed down a hall and recognized it as the one where the survivors sleep. She rushed up to the dorm door and opened it softly and slid in a potion. She quickly finishes putting all the others to sleep and heads back to Cody. Lexy walked up to the redhead, ¡°Hey, Cody?¡± The redhead finished sliding another potion and turned to the blond, ¡°yea?¡± Lexy hummed, ¡°I found the survivor''s dorms.¡± Magi noded, ¡°lead the way.¡± Lexy nodded and led him to the survivor¡¯s dorms. The two entered the room filled with sleeping rebels. Magi in the middle of the room begins humming a slow tune, his eyes begin to glow a gold color, and all who were asleep in the room, a white tendril came from there for heads and connected to Magi. Magi gritted his teeth, this was proving harder than expected. He balled his hands into fists when he felt the strain. Varikin walked up to Lexy and then saw what she was gaping at and the two looked in awe when suddenly a large flash of white light consumed their vision. Soon after a long minute, Magi was there panting with an orb of red magic. He grabbed one of the vials and put the red magic in it. He sighed, ¡°alright Lexy, can you hide this?¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°yea.¡± And put the vial of red magic in her satchel, ¡°Cody, can you clean up all the vials before anyone wakes up?¡± Magi nodded, ¡°yes.¡± Varikin looked between Magi and Lexy, ¡°ok, so we head back?¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°yea I don¡¯t want to be caught by Thokath.¡± Varikin nodded Cody stood up and began picking up empty Vials. While the duo left the building only to see a wall of water in their way. Lexy turned to see where the water was coming from. There standing with his hood off was Miko. His skin was ash black along with his hair. His eyes are golden yellow. His head was encased in water. He glared and made his water shape into swords ¡°what are you doing?¡± His voice is soft and comes out in strange bubbles. Lexy sighs ¡°I can explain.¡± Miko was sitting across from Lexy, Varikin, and Cody. Make pitched his brow and shaped softly whispered in a tone that of a frustrated parent, ¡°So let me get this straight you three discovered that the king was possessing the survivors with magic and you three extracted what was letting him control them?¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°yea.¡± She pulled out the container of dark red magic, ¡°see.¡± Miko¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°oh I see alright but my requirement for not telling. If you three keep me in the loop of this kind of stuff. I have a feeling this won¡¯t be the first instance.¡± The three nods and Lexy and Varikin stood up. ¡°We''ve got to get home and thank you, Miko.¡± Miko nodded to Varikin and got up. The two-headed outside and Varikin took off his mask and handed the mask and his satchel to Lexy. Lexy put the mask and bag in her satchel. Lexy put a hand on Varikin and thought of her bedroom. She opened her eyes to see they were in her bedroomVarikin headed to his dog bed by Lexy¡¯s bedroom door. While Lexy just collapsed once she got on the bed. Machines, cats and secrets Thokath hummed when he cleaned his chess pieces and was inspecting them for any chipped parts. It¡¯s early morning butlers and maids are yet to come in and start on breakfast. That''s fine though Thokath enjoys the stillness that settles over the house like a sleeping mouse. However, he found his peace interrupted when he heard two firm knocks on the front doors. Thokath¡¯s brows were knitted together. The maids and butlers never knocked. Thokath stood up from his place and walked toward the door. He opened it and his eyes narrowed at who was standing before him, Azriel. Azriel¡¯s tail flicked back and forth, ¡°hello lord Thokath, I do hope your day is going well.¡± Thokath huffed and stood out of the way allowing Azriel to enter, ¡°I assume you''re here about Lexy?¡± Azriel nodded, ¡°Yes, I am. How is she?¡± Thokath gave a soft smile, ¡°She''s doing fine. No incidents yet with the apostles.¡± Azriel nodded, ¡°Good, you do know what''s at stake here, yes?¡± Thokath shook his head, ¡°I have a few theories as to why Tethys herself would have an interest in her. But I think I''d like to know what you have to say.¡± Azriel nodded, ¡°That child is the guardian and more. I can''t tell you why but there is one more thing. If she dies it will result in Orien¡¯s freedom. So if I deem you fail in the role of guardianship I will take her in my custody.¡± Thokath narrowed his mouth into a fine line, ¡°That¡¯s why those cultists want to kill her. But while you''re here tell me.¡± Thokath leaned forward and his expression was cold, ¡°Are they why she has those scars?¡± Azriel sighed, ¡°I''m not allowed to tell you that.¡± Before Thokath could say another word the cat was gone. ***** Lexy woke up to barking and sighed, ¡°I¡¯m up.¡± She said when she put on a soft blue hoodie, black shirt, and black pants. She equipped her utility belt and headed out of her room. Varikin stood up and followed Lexy downstairs and then to the dining room. Lexy, as usual, sat next to Carin as she ate breakfast with the others. She quickly finished ¡°alright and I am off.¡± Thokath nodded, ¡°See you later.¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°yup, Later.¡± Lexy and Varikin left the mansion and entered the forest. She put a hand on Varkin and thought of the rebellion''s base door. She opened her eyes and saw the door was set on top of an open plateau. Lexy began her way to the training area only to be stopped by Alcore. He sighed, ¡°oh there you are, I was looking for you. We have a new mission for you that¡¯s tomorrow.¡± Lexy¡¯s brows furrowed, ¡°Wait for tomorrow? And what do you mean by we?¡± Alcore smirked, ¡°you and all available wonder wolf pairs. Will be working with all other squads for this mission.¡± Lexy turned to Varikin and shared a confused glance with him and then turned back to Alcore, ¡°What does this mission entail?¡± Alcore smirked, ¡°I knew you would ask that. I¡¯ll tell you here since everyone else has already been briefed. The king will be attending his favorite opera with some high-ranking nobles. We will be making a surprise visit there. Not to kill the king but as a final warning.¡± Lexy smirked, ¡°This sounds fun and ironic.¡± Alcore noded, ¡°Yes and for this to work I need one final element and I was wondering if you had an idea on keeping people in the theater without using blockades. Blockades take time to build. Time we would not have.¡± Lexy hummed, ¡°Do you have any metal cord?¡± Alcore nodded, ¡°Yes, but it''s kind of thin.¡± Lexy smirked, ¡°All the better means less will notice. Ok next question, do you have someone with lightning magic?¡± Alcore raised a brow, ¡°yes?¡± Lexy put her hands together a mischievous glint in her eyes, ¡°Perfect, alright what you can do is you take this medal cord and wrap it around the doorknobs and handles. All used to open an entrance or exit. Then you have your lightning magic user have electricity flow through the cord.¡± Alcore smiled and nodded, ¡°Got it, thank you.¡± Lexy returned the smile, ¡°You are welcome, sir.¡± Alcore watched Lexy leave with Varikin, ¡°dang, I forgot to ask what a nitwit is.¡± Lexy smiled and resumed heading to the training arena Varikin¡¯s expression knitted into one of thinking, ¡°Hey, Lexy, how do you know all these war tactics?¡± She smiled, ¡°history books and to me a lot of this stuff is just based on everyday items and other stuff.¡± Varikin nodded, ¡°got it so what exercise do you think the dearest captain will have us go through today.¡± Lexy shrugged, ¡°with any luck, he will be busy overseeing this mission stuff.¡± With that, the duo entered the training area and unlike previous instances, it looked like the normal training room she saw the first time she entered the room. In the room with them are Valour, Resper, Reba, Espa, Menarie, Zoric, Talo, Milo, Jackson, and Saylis. All the wonder wolves in the room are in their standard wolf form except Varikin. Jackson turned to Lexy, ¡°oh good you¡¯re here today we will be seeing just how well everyone has done with their wonder wolves. I¡¯m going to have Varikin show me the largest form he can reach but first I¡¯m going to do this with the others.¡± Lexy nodded and got in the line with the others. Varikin hopped off her shoulder and went to his normal-sized wolf form. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. First was Valour and Resper. Lexy watched in awe when Resper turned into a wolverine the size of a semi-truck. Jackson nodded and jotted some notes onto a piece of parchment that¡¯s on only what Lexy could assume to be a clipboard. Next up Reba and Espa yet again Lexy could only watch in wonder when Espa turned into a Tiger the size of a semi-truck. Third Menarie and Zoric. Lexy looked with panicked eyes as Zoric turned into a gorilla the size of a semi-truck. Talo smirked when she and Milo were called, ¡°watch this loser.¡± Lexy raised a brow, ¡°says the one who has a broken arm.¡± Talo glares and passes without another word. Lexy watches with curiosity as Milo turns into a giant black leopard. Jackson jotted down some notes, ¡°good you have improved now Lexy, Varikin you¡¯re up.¡± Lexy sighed and Talo snickered when she passed the girl, ¡°good luck beating that with your poor excuse for a mutt.¡± Lexy was about to glare and retort, but she decided to hold her tongue. She and Varikin walk up to the cleared area. Jackson turned to them, ¡°Remember the largest form.¡± Lexy nodded and focused her energy on helping Varikin transform. The wolf could feel her anger from Talo¡¯s comment and took the energy to transform into his Nevermore form. Everyone looked in awe when Varikin was consumed in light and grew and grew. Jackson''s eyes widened and turned to Saylis, ¡°make the room larger.¡± The snake nodded and the room enlarged to accompany the size of a ten-story building. Talo looked up in terror at Varikin and back to Lexy who was glaring at her. She feels frozen with absolute fear while the others look in awe at Varikin who has now finished growing. The beast looked to Talo and both Lexy and Varikin said in unison, ¡°How''s that for a mutt?¡± Jackson looked with wide eyes, whistled, and turned to see Lexy he said under his breath, ¡°Damn, what are you kid?¡± He looks up to Varikin ¡°alright you can change back now.¡± Varikin noded and changed back to his smaller wolf form. Lexy sighed, ¡°ok, I felt that and saw it.¡± Jackson wrote down some more notes, ¡°Alright with that in place let''s do some combat practice. Leo!¡± Leo came through the doors a few other scientists trailed behind with large inventions that had four legs and what Lexy could only guess were lenses. Leo glared at Jackson, ¡°I don¡¯t know if this is a good idea. I know Alcore said it was fine since these are the ones that we can change the functions but really? Your squad against these are you mad? Sure the lower models were built for training but these are meant for the field. You know kill¡± Jackson smirked, ¡°Just prepare for your robots to need repairs.¡± He then looked to Lexy and Varikin, ¡°Also how are those splitter arrows coming?¡± Leo followed Jackson¡¯s gaze, ¡°oh is that why you wanted more of them. Well if you remember the splitters, we had been at the experimental stage, so we don¡¯t have a solid blueprint yet. Unlike you, I have a thing called patience.¡± He said with sarcasm Jackson shrugged ¡°tell me have you ever heard of someone single-handedly taking out a battalion?¡± Leo shook his head, ¡°not counting Alcore, no.¡± Jackson turned to his squad, ¡°alright most of you know the drill however for those who don¡¯t I¡¯ll explain. It''s simple to blow these things to the high sky¡¯s or his preference¡± he said while he pointed to Leo ¡°just disable them.¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°got it.¡± Jackson smirked and then nodded to Leo. Leo and the other scientists walk up to the ten machines, pull a cord, and then tap a few buttons. When the machines come to life steam and sparks come from them when they begin to move toward the group. Lexy pulled her fathers¡¯ blade from its sheath, ¡°Varikin go into your ferret form and see if you can find a loose part on these things.¡± Varikin nods and goes into his ferret form and begins looking for an opening while dodging the stomping legs of the machines. One of the machines stopped ten feet before Lexy and it hopped into the air while changing the tips of its legs into blades. Lexy tuck and rolled. Barely dodging the near-fatal attack. But then she saw it on the underbelly of the machines was exposed gears. Lexy hopped to her feet and saw Espa in her tiger form pin down one of the machines while Reba came in and shut the machine down by flipping a switch underneath a panel. Lexy turned back to the machine that was charging back at her with its blades whirring. She slid under the robot while cutting one of its legs off. The machine quickly leaped into the air and fired a few small darts at the girl. Leo smiled, ¡°Well, at least that works.¡± While the other scientist writes down some notes. The machine fighting Lexy along with the other six hopped into the air and the machines within a blink began burrowing under the ground. Lexy looked to Leo and back to the hole, ¡°Are they supposed to do that?¡± Leo looked with panic, ¡°uh, I thought that function was disabled?¡± Jackson slapped his head and pinched his brow, ¡°and THIS is exactly why Alcore hasn¡¯t approved these for the battlefield yet.¡± Leo glared, ¡°and THIS is why I said they weren''t meant for training!¡± The other scientists begin to worry and talk amongst themselves. Lexy and all the other squad members begin to feel the ground rumble. Lexy quickly understood what was about to happen leaped from her spot just in time to dodge the robot attacking from the ground. While the others exploit this to turn them off leaving three left. Varikin hopped off the machine still in his ferret form and Lexy realized he was on it when it burrowed into the ground. Her eyes widen ¡°are you ok?¡± she says while picking up her companion. The ferret nodded, ¡°yea ill be fine but it would be really convenient if you put that to use.¡±, He said pointing to her fathers¡¯ blade. Lexy dodged another attack from one of the mechanical beasts. ¡°What do you mean? I have been using it.¡± Varikin shook his head, ¡°You know well what I''m talking about! The magic, Lexy use your magic!¡± Lexy nodded and focused her magic on the blade while she dodged a few more attacks. Dark purple tendrils of magic began to seep from the rune on the blade and unlike before. This time the tendrils wrap around the blade and it grows in length by a few inches. Lexy looked in awe at the blade, ¡°Thank you, dad.¡± Lexy took a swing in the air directed at her opponent and she smirked when the blade launched a slash of dark purple magic at the machine. The magic latched onto the machine and spread over it until it was covered in a layer of magic and then everyone heard the sound of metal being twisted and broken. The structure collapsed on itself. With a loud pop and hiss, this left a black scorch mark on the ground. Leo, Varikin, Jackson, and everyone but Lexy look in horror or awe. Leo glanced at Jackson fear in his eyes, ¡°Is THAT what happened to those soldiers when they got stuck with the split arrows!¡± Jackson nodded his face reflected the same fear as Leo, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s exactly what happened.¡± Leo looked back to Lexy. She looked in confusion at the horrified faces, ¡°What''s wrong? What did I do?¡± Talo sneered, ¡°I told you, you didn¡¯t belong here.¡± While the other three smile and whisper something to their wonder wolves. Resper was the first to come up to Lexy who was still in his Wolverine form with Valour behind, ¡°That was freaky but cool. Cool but freaky.¡± While Espa, Reba, Menarie, and Zoric just stare with curiosity. Jackson sighed, ¡°Alright, I think that¡¯s enough for today. Now I want all of you to go to bed early. We leave before dawn. Lexy, have you been briefed on tomorrow?¡± Lexy nodded and put away her father¡¯s knife, ¡°Yes sir.¡± The dragon-blooded huffed while smoke came out of his nose ¡°good now go to bed. All of you.¡± The group nodded, ¡°yes sir!¡± they all said together. Varikin hopped onto Lexy¡¯s shoulder in his ferret form and the two left the training room. Leo sighed, ¡°Damn, we''re really doing this. I''d almost say it¡¯s a dream.¡± Jackson nodded, ¡°as much as I would love to say otherwise but I¡¯m going to have to agree.¡± Leo hummed, ¡°Do you want me to do a magic-type test for her? For how destructive it is, I''m surprised you¡¯re not worried about her getting out of control.¡± Jackson sighed and merely nodded, ¡°do it a day after the mission.¡± Leo noted this down, ¡° Got it well, we all need a good rest tonight with tomorrow and all.¡± Leo and his companions then grab their machines and leave. Leo was the last to leave and is stopped by Lexy, ¡°Hi Leo, I have a quick question.¡± The man hummed, ¡°mm ok shoot.¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°Do you have a bag big enough for my uniform and my mech to fit in? This way I can be ready by the time I get her.¡± Leo smiled, ¡°yea the standard-sized ones should do. There are a few spares in the lab. I''ll have Cody show you.¡± Lexy smiled and nodded. ***** The blood king studied the poster advertisement for an opera tomorrow in his hands and settled it down on a table. He stood before his twenty-three generals. They look at him with concern, one of them stands up, Fenic, ¡°So you¡¯re saying sir that you are going to use yourself as bait and you do not want us to engage only to have our men watch?¡± The blood king noded, ¡°Yes, that is exactly what I want them to do. General, do I need to reexplain to you. Or should we discuss that little rebel that only became that because of you?¡± He said dangerously Fenic¡¯s eyes widened with fear, ¡°no! no, my king you need not re-explain. I-I was merely making sure.¡± The blood king tilted his head and gave a cruelly kind smile, ¡°Are you sure? Because if you have any problems by all means speak. I¡¯m sure we would love to hear any extra opinions. If you don¡¯t feel able to talk comorbidly here I¡¯m sure I could arrange a dinner¡± His eyes glowed an eerie red at certain words The general fiercely shook his head, ¡°no I- I¡¯m fine.¡± The king nodded, ¡°Good now, any more interruptions?¡± Everyone shook their heads no, ¡°good because once our men have found where the little mousses hideout is. We strike.¡± They all nodded, ¡°yes sir!¡± A real hero never says they are one. They just act like one. It was a dark and stormy morning. The sun was long from showing up. Lexy didn''t wake up to the crash of thunder. No, she woke up to the sound of barking. Lexy groaned, ¡°Ugh fine I¡¯m up, happy?¡± The barking ceased and she got dressed into her uniform and equipped her mech and knives. Lexy walked out of her room and headed to the bathroom to take her medication then swiftly returned to Varikin. She took a deep breath and then let it go. It didn''t do much to ease the tension. Instead, the thick feeling of tension bound into her skin. Like a tightening cord, it felt as though it could cut off circulation, but it didn''t. She nodded to Varikin, ¡°Come on.¡± He nodded and the duo headed downstairs. No one is out yet. This lets Lexy breathe easily. The duo then left the mansion and entered the dark forest. Put a hand on Varikin and closed her eyes. She opened them and the duo was now in reality. They stand on side of a plateau with the rebellion doorway to her left. Varikin turned into his ferret form and hopped onto her shoulder. While Lexy looked around to see Jackson hand Talo a mech. He looked over and saw Lexy, ¡°oh good you¡¯re here and you¡¯re already ready to go. Good, since that¡¯s everyone, let''s head to the launch area¡± Jackson and the squad of wonder wolf pairs walk up a rock path that opened up to the top of a plateau launch aria. To Lexy¡¯s and Varikin¡¯s surprise, the whole plateau was filled with rebels ready for takeoff. Fendres and Alcore looked at the new arrivals, ¡°Alright, that¡¯s the wonder wolf squad. That everyone. The first battalion is prepared for takeoff!¡± Varikin without a word hopped into Lexy¡¯s bag and she turned her mech to normal and turned it on as everyone turned on theirs and they took off. ****** Mic, the director of the play, was sipping some of his tea. Still drowsy from the stress of the play. ¡°Hey Mic, nice job on the trapeze artists but why are they on the rafting?¡± Mic turned to his co-director giving a face of confusion, ¡°What trapeze artists?¡± The young cat beast-blooded co-director pointed at the rebels on the rafters, ¡°those¡± Mic spitted out his tea and dropped his cup, ¡°Those are intruders, and the king is in danger!¡± What two guards were supposed to be in the same room were now knocked out and tied up at the door. Standing by the two guards was Jennie spear in hand. The two directors put their hands up in surrender knowing they don¡¯t stand a chance. The squads go into faze two and connect all the door handles with a wire and then Fendres handed Jennie the end of the cord, ¡°if you do me the honor?¡± Jennie smirked, ¡°oh of course.¡± She said with sarcastic delight blue electricity surges from her hands when she holds the cord. Alcore then gave the signal to cut the audio. The crowd of nobles began to whisper with worry. Alcore then gave the signal for the two squads up on the rafters to hop down and the squads at the windows to leap through and make their dramatic entry by shouting, ¡°for today!¡±. The actors on the stage flee in terror and hide. Alcore and Lexy along with Jennie, Jackson, Leo, and Kuma accompanied by a few others all walk onto the stage. Leo hands Alcore a microphone, ¡°I 1.2.3 testing alright I will tell you this once and only once this is not part of the show but does not be alarmed we are not here to kill anyone and if you are wondering about yourself your highness no not here to kill you. In Fact, all of your soldiers are all safe and knocked out, and back to the question probably on everyone¡¯s mind. Who are we and maybe why we are here? Well, I will gladly tell you we are the doves and we are here to state our demands to the king.¡± Alcore turned his direction to the blood king in a booth with a Butler but the king¡¯s attention is not entirely on Alcore it is also on Lexy who has her gaze on him with a smirk as she mouths to him silently ¡°my move¡± Alcore with a smirk on his face continued, ¡°Our demand is simple. Be a real king before I come in to replace you. ¡± The audience looked up at the king for a response. The blood king stood up, ¡° I would like to see you try¡± Alcorn shrugged, ¡°Very well if we don¡¯t see change, we will come for you and we will capture or most likely end you. You must understand we will prevail with or without you¡± And with that, the doves left as soon as they appeared. The blood king watched the rebels leave and smirked when he leaned into a communication device, ¡°I told you they would come. Now tell me what do the observers have for us?¡± The other end came to life, ¡°you know that trade town up north in the intersection of the two rivers?¡± The blood king noded, ¡°You mean Charter?¡± The other line comes back to life, ¡°yea there hiding there.¡± This was music to his ears, ¡°Perfect ready the troops we have some exterminating to do.¡± **** Lexy sighed when she took off her helmet and put it in her bag with her mech and equipment. Lexy put on her bag and Varikin hopped onto Lexy¡¯s shoulder, ¡°That was interesting.¡± Lexy nodded ¡°did you see the look on the noble''s face? That was funny.¡± Varikin noded ¡°That I did.¡± Lexy looked to Varikin a shadow fell over her face, ¡°We still have a good seven hours before sunset. I have a promise to keep. I''ll understand if you don''t want to help me.¡± Varikin raised a brow, ¡°What did you promise?¡± Lexy looked to the distant desert and then pulled out a cloak from her bag and put it on, ¡°To find Callum and they went missing on tax day. No, they weren''t taken by the soldiers. I should know. So I''m going to be investigating missing kids. That kind of stuff.¡± Varikin looked to Lexy, ¡°Sure, where are we going to start though?¡± Lexy put a hand on Varikin¡¯s scruff while she closed her eyes, ¡°Charter.¡± Lexy opened her eyes and the two were now in the streets of the dusted city. She began walking along the streets taking time to listen as people passed by when Lexy noticed it. The particular cart she saw in the black market was covered in vines and led by a deer fox. Lexy walked up to it and the salesmen looked to her with wide eyes, ¡°Oh, hello little one, what are you doing here?¡± Lexy frowned, ¡°I''m looking for information. Have there been missing children lately?¡± The salesman hummed his wolf ears flicked a bit, ¡°Well, there have actually. I''ve seen some people plead to the church for assistance on the matter since the royal guard hasn''t made much headway on the problem. The church is just over there.¡± he pointed to a large white building with stained glass. Lexy tilted her head, ¡°So who has been taking the kids?¡± The salesmen shrugged, ¡°If I could guess it would have to be those crazy people that hop on the roofs at night. They had haunting orange eyes.¡± Lexy narrowed her eyes and pulled out a small notebook and pencil from her bag writing the info down, ¡° Do you know any more about these crazy people?¡± He shook his head, ¡°no, but it may be worth asking the white sword what they know.¡± This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Lexy nodded, ¡°Thank you for your assistance.¡± Lexy walked away and headed to the church building he had pointed to. It was when Lexy got closer with Varikin by her side that she noticed the stained glass depicted a woman with blue hair and white clothes with golden accents. Lexy looked to Varikin, ¡°Hop on my soldier.¡± Varikin nodded, turned to his ferret form, and hopped onto her shoulder. He then hid in her hood peering out. Lexy entered the church and was immediately surrounded by white-cloaked figures, ¡°State your business to the church.¡± Lexy pulled off her hood, ¡°I''m here about the missing children.¡± The guards were about to say something when Azriel came in, ¡°what is going -¡± He stopped once he saw Lexy. ¡°Oh, hello, what do you need?¡± Lexy looked to Azriel, ¡°I''m investigating the missing children.¡± Azriel hummed, ¡°The missing children. Ah yes, the children that weren''t taken by the guard but still taken. The reports say they were taken in the middle of the night. Very few witnesses but a few of our soldiers have found the thieves outpost.¡± Lexy narrowed her eyes, ¡°and where is this outpost?¡± Azriel tilted his head, ¡°and why should I tell you this?¡± Lexy frowned, ¡°Well, now that I know there is an outpost. I''m just going to find it on my own.¡± Azriel raised a brow, ¡°Are you saying you would be willing to find them on your own?¡± Lexy petted Varikin¡¯s furr, ¡°Yes, yes I would.¡± Azriel hummed his tail flicked back and forth irritation clear in his expression, ¡°Then I believe we could work together instead of going alone. I and a few others will assist with this.¡± Lexy scratched Varikin¡¯s chin, ¡°And when are you going to attack?¡± Azriel smirked, ¡°Today actually we were going to leave within the hour. You can come if you have a ride.¡± Lexy stopped petting Varikin and glanced at him. Varikin nodded and Lexy looked back to Azriel, ¡°Sure.¡± Lexy and Varikin headed out of the church and watched when the other church members came out with tiger horses. Azriel looked to Lexy, ¡°You have a ride?¡± Lexy nodded and looked at Varikin. Varikin hopped off her shoulder and transformed into his giant wolf form. He laid down for her to get on. Lexy got on Varikin¡¯s back and looked to Azriel, ¡°Yes, yes I do.¡± Azriel sighed in defeat, ¡°Very well.¡± With that Azriel clicked at the horse and they began their ride. Lexy hung onto Varikin on the journey she learned something you hold on with legs, not arms or you fall off. The ride was an hour-long. They slowed when they had begun to approach a large canion that had bridges in the upper parts of the rock. Lexy noted how there were random large patches of glass. She narrowed her eyes at another patch while Azriel raised his paw, ¡°Be ready.¡± Lexy heard movement across the rocks and she looked up to the top of the rocks to see a whole hoard of dutch lizards. They all had haunting orange eyes. However, Lexy found it strange that the beasts had yet to attack. Lexy quickly loaded her bow with an arrow and set her gaze back on to the entrance of the canyon. She glared when she saw Albis with his hood down and two others behind him. He smiled at Lexy, ¡°So we meet again, guardian.¡± Lexy glared at Albis and then smiled at the electrical scar over his face, ¡°I see you survived Alvagorian, it''s a shame he could have had your ears match.¡± It was Albis who now glared at Lexy and then his gaze set on Azriel. His eyes widened in fear yet he clenched his fists in anger, ¡°Azriel.¡± Azriel only tilted his head to the side a bit, ¡°Albis, tell me how is this going to play out?¡± Albis gave a wicked grin that, ¡°With you dead!¡± Albis turned to the two others, ¡°Do it¡± Their eyes widened, ¡°But sir-¡± Albis interpreted them with an angry shout, ¡°JUST DO IT!¡± They nodded and disappeared. Albis looked back to the group and snapped his fingers while he turned away. The royal dutch Lizards leaped in for the attack. The creatures snarled and barred their teeth while they unsheathed their claws. Lexy watched the tiger horses snarl and unsheathed claws of their own. Their riders pulled out what weapons they had and began to fight the lizards. Lexy swiftly pulled back her bowstring, took aim, and fired. The arrow flew through the air and hit one of the monsters right in the eye. Varikin leaped at an incoming beast biting straight for its throat. Lexy tightly held onto his back for dear life. When suddenly what had looked to be flower petals whizzed through the air and the monsters fell dead. Azriel growled, ¡°Come, we must move on, the children are at stake here.¡± Varikin calmed down and the group entered the canyon. Upon entrance, they felt the ground rumble and the wind pick up. Lexy looked to the sky to see sand swirling and frowned. Despite it, the group continued until the canyon ended at a cave with torch illuminated lighting. Azriel eyed the cave, ¡°It would be better if we left the tiger horses here¡± The others of the group nodded while Lexy hopped off Varikin. Varikin turned into his normal wolf form. Lexy readied her bow while Azriel grabbed a torch while they went down the cave. The ground rumbled again and the ceiling of the cavern began to crumble. Lexy¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°GO!¡± The group rushed out of the collapsing cavern and looked in awe when it opened up to a huge cavern with crystals. The crystals glowed a haunting orange while the only other light was emanating from the torch Azriel was holding. Through the dim lighting, she could hear the sound of children crying when the ground rumbled again. Lexy looked to Azriel, ¡°Get the kids out of here, I''m going to stop the earth from shaking.¡± Azreil raised a brow, ¡°But it¡¯s the earth.¡± Lexy shook her head, ¡°No, it¡¯s not. Now GO!¡± Lexy looked to Varikin, ¡°Come on!¡± Varkin nodded and the two went down a cave to their right. When they went down it the ground didn''t just rumble. Lexy heard the ever-familiar roar of Alvagorian. Lexy quickened her pace. She heard the sound of chains shaking and then Lexy saw why, when she entered a gigantic cavern that had seven immense arches. Each arch had a huge chain that was tethered to Algavorian. Algavorian¡¯s once blue eyes were both now a haunting orange. His entire body was coated in dark wispy energy. Albis walked up a set of stairs that led to a deck in front of the dusted wendigo. When he did he put on a dark metal helmet that let his own set of haunting orange eyes glow. He held in one hand a bladed spear and glanced at Lexy. Albis smiled and looked at Alvagorian. The dusted wendigo lowered its head revealing it had a saddle attached to its lower neck. Lexy¡¯s eyes widened and she looked at the cave. She felt her blood go cold, ¡°The others won''t make it if we battle here.¡± She looked to Varikin, ¡°Hang on to me.¡± Quickly Varikin turned into his ferret form and hopped onto her shoulder. Lexy dashed toward Algavorian and Albis while she put her hand out. The second she touched Alvagorian she thought of the open fields in the veil. The storm was still raging and the only light was the lightning crackling off the storm and the haunting orange light that seeped from Albis¡¯s and Algavorian¡¯s eyes. Albis¡¯s eyes widened and then he smirked, ¡°I see the tale is true, you really are a hero of Discord¡¯s making. You are the guardian.¡± He sighed as if he finally found peace in the world. But as all peace, it never lasts forever and he gave out crude laughter when he tightened the grip on his spear. While Algavorian began to take in a deep breath, lightning crackled from the beast''s mouth. Through the sound, it was near to impossible to hear Alibis but Lexy clearly heard the following dialogue. ¡°You''re a hero right? THEN DIE LIKE ONE!¡± Lexy¡¯s eyes widened while she quickly began to run, ¡°Varikin, let''s kick this lizard¡¯s but!¡± Lexy focused her energy on Varikin while he leaped into the air and he transformed into his Nevermore form. Quickly Lexy grabbed onto Varikin¡¯s back. This let them barely escape the bolt of lightning from Alvagorian. Varikin took to the skies while the rain fell in sheets and the lightning crackled like the drums of war. Lexy could see nothing but darkness until a lightning bolt struck. Varikin glanced back at her when he circled Algavorian. ¡°Any ideas on how to beat this guy? You don''t have any splitter arrows and I know you can''t see well in the dark as I can.¡± Lexy looked at her father''s knife and an idea hit her. She pulled off her hoodie and took out her father''s knife. ¡°Alright, do you know how a bird of prey dives down?¡± Varikin nodded, ¡°I do.¡± While Lexy tore a long strip of fabric off her hoodie she blindfolded herself. She tightened her grip on her father''s knife. ¡°Great, I need you to do it to this big lizard. But I''m going to hop off when you head down. ¡± Varikin dodged a lightning blast from Alvagorian, ¡°Alright, I just hope you know what you''re doing, hang on!¡± Varikin pushed against the air and began to go higher, and higher. Until he entered the very clouds of the thunderstorm. Lexy held on to dear life when Varikin even went past the clouds. Lexy felt harsh winds blow at her and her heart skipped a beat as varikin dived down. It was like a rollercoaster, she¡¯s reached the point of no return on the ride. Lexy focused on spreading her magic out to use the technique Jackson had taught her and she could see the magic flow through Algavorian. Lexy also noticed how one of the wounds from her splitter arrows was on Algavorian¡¯s shoulder. Lexy watched when Varikin swiftly approached Algavorian, readied his claws for an attack, and clashed with the beast. Lexy quickly took the opportunity when she saw it and leaped off Varikin toward Algavorian¡¯s shoulder. She raised her blade in the air when the lightning crackled and the thunder roared in her ears. Albis watched in awe when her father''s knife glowed such a vibrant purple that it looked like a sword. Lexy pushed the blade into the same point one of her arrows struck, she focused on her magic spreading. Albis¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°You''re not supposed to be able to do that!¡± He frantically looked around as the black magic spread over Algavorian who was shrieking like a dying rabbit. Quickly Albis slid off the dying beast and watched as it turned to dust with a crackle of energy. leaving only a giant scorch mark in the land. Albis stared quietly at the scorch mark while Lexy was caught by Varikin. Varikin quickly landed in front of Albis and looked to Lexy, ¡°What do we do with him?¡± Lexy slid of Varikin, ¡°Ask him if he knows where Callum is.¡± Lexy walked up to Albis and he eyed her chain scars with a wicked grin that pushed against his cheeks, ¡°Dear what pretty scars you have.¡± Lexy stopped and narrowed her eyes, ¡°What would you know about these? I''ve had them since I can remember.¡± When Albis reached for his spear, he laughed, but as Varikin growled, he halted. Albis eyed Varikin and then Lexy a sly knowing glint in his eyes, ¡°I know not just about your scars.¡± He laughed maniacally, ¡°I know who gave you the scars. Spoilers they are someone you miss very much.¡± Lexy glared having enough she looked to Varikin ¡° I vote to take him to the rebels. After all, he is also one of the general''s right hands. Varikin noded and changed to his human form. Lexy handed him her blindfold and they used it to tie Albis¡¯s hands together. Lexy then put a hand on Varikin while Varikin had a hold on Albis. Lexy closed her eyes and thought of the rebellion''s cafeteria. She opened her eyes and Varikin kicked Albis away, ¡°Quick! it¡¯s Albis''s right hand of one of the blood king¡¯s generals!¡± Albis¡¯s eyes widened when the whole cafeteria went for him as if he was dinner for the wolves. Lexy wiped the blood from her mouth, ¡°Alright let¡¯s head home bud.¡± Varikin nodded and Lexy placed a hand on his shoulder. Lexy closed her eyes and when she opened them she was in front of the mansion. Lexy looked to Varikin who was now in his wolf form. The two-headed up to the building and entered the mansion. Lexy and Varikin entered the mansion to see Thokath talking on the phone again, ¡°uh yes, I understand very well call you later.¡± The phone clicked and Thokath turned back to Lexy and smiled, ¡°high kido are you going to eat dinner with us today?¡± Lexy gave a tired smile, ¡°you know why not.¡± Thokath looked at Lexy and her tattered state. Worry was in his eyes but he sighed in defeat. Frustration replaced worry. It was clear she wasn''t going to tell him today either. ¡°Good to hear that I had the maids make pie.¡± Lexy raised a brow, ¡°you really love that stuff, don¡¯t you?¡± Thokath nodded, ¡°yes, yes I do.¡± The three enter the dining room. Lexy smiled when she saw everyone sitting at the table. She took a seat next to Carin while Varikin headed to his food bowl. The butlers come in and set food in front of everyone. Lexy turned to the butler ¡°thank you.¡± He merely nodded and left Lexy eats her food quickly and then heads to bed. A proven secret In the morning Lexy woke up to Varikin barking. She sighed, ¡°I¡¯m up.¡± And he stopped. Lexy got dressed in her usual hoodie, pants undershirt, and goggles. She grabbed her bag of equipment and walked out of her room to see Varikin waiting for her outside of her bedroom. She sighed, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see what Jackson has in store for us today.¡± Varikin gave a soft growl and huff at this. The two head downstairs and see no one was up yet or they''re already gone. Lexy sighed, ¡°Well grab something to eat at the base.¡± With that Lexy and Varikin exited the mansion the sound of the doors closing echoed around the house. The duo enters the forest in the morning sunlight hitting their eyes when it seeped through the canopy of leaves. Varikin turned into his ferret form and hopped onto Lexy¡¯s shoulder. Lexy closed her eyes and thought of the rebellion''s door. She opened her eyes and the two were in front of the door. Lexy and Varikin head through the doorway and unlike how there are typically people going about their day moving supplies. Instead, there are groups on the side and a buzz of energy in the air when many of the people have large papers with writing on them. Lexy and Varikin enter the main building and head into the cafeteria. Only to see everyone passing around the same large papers Lexy saw with the people outside. But the strange thing was the writing, she didn''t recognize it. Varikin smiled his pearly white teeth showing, ¡°Oh boy, the mission made the paper.¡± Magi and Miko entered the room from a hall and saw Lexy and Varikin. Magi and Meko then walked up to the two, ¡°hey did you just get here?¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°yup. Hey quick question, can you tell me what the papers say?¡± Magi blinked, ¡°oh did you try reading it?¡± Lexy shook her head, ¡°no, why?¡± Miko grabbed a spare news article and handed it to Lexy. Lexy grasped the paper and watched in awe when the writing changed to English. Magi smirked, ¡°They do that so they can reach more audiences and it saves them money.¡± She nodded and began reading it out loud, ¡°Anawrath times address. Sabotaged show. Yesterday our beloved king attended his favorite opera. The show went well at the beginning only to be intruded upon by a bunch of evil ruffians! Be wary citizens and make no mistake these are not fellow countrymen, these are monsters and demons, sons of Orien. If you find one, report it immediately. Remember in fear we trust. Church heroes, Yesterday the twenty missing children from the local village Charter were returned after being rescued by the white sword. Many were horrified to learn that the children were stolen by dark apostles. Who brought the children to a cave due north of the town. The church discovered the base but many of these criminals are still at large.¡± Lexy sighed and shook her head knowing this probably will only be the beginning of such hate speech. ¡°hey Lexy¡± Leo greeted her while he came up behind Miko and Magi who jumped slightly at seeing Leo. Lexy looked to Leo, ¡°Hi Leo, do you need something?¡± Leo scratched the nape of his neck when he glared at Miko and Magi. This look of ill deal with you later was clear in his expression. ¡°yes actually Jackson told me to do a test in how your magic works I already have some simple tests set up and they probably won¡¯t hurt¡± Lexy raised a brow at the probably and shrugged, ¡°sure why not no harm in learning more about me¡± Leo nodded, ¡°Ok, Magi, Miko come,¡± he then turned back to Lexy, ¡°All I need you to do is stand in the combat room and try to use your magic for this first one, follow me please¡± Lexy followed Leo to the combat room that had four large pillars in a square formation in the middle of the room. Leo, Miko, and Cody check monitors while Lexy stood in the center of the pillars, ¡°OK, Lexy I need you to stand in the center of these pillars, and then when I tell you try to use your magic ok? Oh, and Varikin please come to the side here¡± Lexy gave a thumbs up and Varikin quickly rushed to where the other three members were. Leo pulled a switch on a panel with glowing buttons that was hooked up to the four pillars. The pillars glowed a gentle blue and gave a soft roar. ¡°alright Lexy try to use your magic¡± Lexy nodded and closed her eyes. She focused on the other world, the flours, and deer in the meadow. The four pillars began flashing red and discharging strands of magic towards Lexy. Leo and Miko began frantically pressing buttons. In a moment of terror, Magi and Varikin watched as Lexy suddenly vanished. Lexy opened her eyes and found herself back in the forest instead of the Rebellion¡¯s base. Lexy huffed and began thinking of Leo and the combat room and found herself back in the combat room with a terrified Leo and around her were now the dusty remains of the pillars. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. The four looked at Lexy with worry and Leo was the first to talk, ¡°oh my gosh Lexy I thought I killed you, but you used your magic that is not.¡± Leo rubbed his chin, ¡°That''s not possible unless. You''re a¡± Leo paused and looked at Lexy with sadness in his eyes. He then put on a fake smile but the sadness in his eyes never left. ¡°You don¡¯t use your own magic that you produce, you absorb the magic around you and reuse it. Yes, that must be it, how else could we explain what just happened. These pillars are supposed to make anyone in their field unable to use magic by storing magic inside them from the surrounding area. On that subject, you might want to avoid directly absorbing any type of magic from someone. It could cause irreversible damage to you mentally and physically.¡± Lexy scratched her neck, ¡°I think I will take your advice on that. Any more tests?¡± Leo shrugged, ¡°No, this is going to take me a while to clean up.¡± Lexy exited the dusted area to be greeted by Varikin. He gazed at her with worry in his eyes. ¡°Are you ok?¡± Lexy gave a confident smile, ¡°ya, I¡¯m fine.¡± Jackson entered the training room while he drank from a clay cup and Saylis, who was in her human form, was shortly behind. Jackson dropped his cup and it shattered on the floor, ¡°What in the seven hells happened here?¡± Leo looked at him, ¡°well, Jackson Lexy is.¡± Leo paused as if he himself struggled with what he discovered, ¡°She broke my machines and would every time.¡± Jackson paused and he gained a solemn look in his eyes when he looked to Lexy. Jackson walked up to Lexy, ¡°Alright, I have one more exercise for you kid.¡± Jackson pulled out a crystal necklace and Varikin hopped onto Lexy¡¯s shoulder. Lexy raised a brow, ¡°and what is that?¡± Jackson smirked, ¡°a test of limits.¡± Varikin huffed, ¡°lovely.¡± Jackson put the crystal to Lexy¡¯s head and she disappeared. Varikin eyes widened, ¡°what are you doing?¡± Jackson¡¯s smirk grew, ¡°This is her test, not yours.¡± Jackson and Saylis touched the stone and disappeared. Lexy looked around and to say this place looked strange was defying gravity. Around her were floating mini planets. Lexy heard a footstep from behind and she turned sharply and saw Jackson and Saylis. ¡°ok so how does this test of limits work?¡± Jackson looked to her curiosity keen in his eyes, ¡°Well, I want to see how well you can control that destructive magic of yours.¡± A stone statue of a person appears between Jackson and Lexy. ¡°All you have to do is destroy the statue''s arm. Not the whole thing, just one of the arms.¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°Got it.¡± Within that moment, she set down her bag and picked up her father''s knife, then concentrated her energy on the blade and the rune that glowed. Dark purple tendrils seep from the blade and the tendrils wrap around the blade and it grows in length by a few inches. Lexy kept her focus and went up to the stone statue and touched the tip of the blade to the carved hand. The black and purple magic quickly seeped from the blade and began spreading over the statue. She tightened her grip on the blade and focused on her magic on just taking the arm. The tendrils curl back once they reach the beginning of the shoulder. With a crack and a crunch, the arm collapsed on itself and the magic seeped back into the blade. Lexy sighed and turned to Jackson with sweat dripping off her face, ¡°Is that it?¡± He shook his head, ¡°Nope, now we are going from small to big. This is a spare crystal and its dimension can be near to infinite. I want to see how far you can stretch your devouring magic.¡± Jackson and Saylis jumped off and landed on one of the mini planets. Saylis hummed, ¡°I¡¯m willing to bet five she gets half the planet destroyed.¡± Jackson smirked, ¡°I bet ten that she destroys most of it.¡± Saylis¡¯s eyes narrowed, ¡°oh you are so on, Now let¡¯s see.¡± Lexy took in a deep breath and then let it out, ¡°as far as I can go... Ok, let¡¯s go.¡± Lexy stabbed her fathers¡¯ blade into the earth and focused on destroying it, spreading all her magic around and absolute destruction. She closed her eyes and focused harder. Dark purple tendrils begin to come off in waves and begin spreading within the blink of an eye they have reached as far as she can see. Jackson and Saylis watched in awe when they heard the crackling sounds of the stone breaking. They could only watch when the whole planet Lexy was getting consumed by the magic. Lexy huffed when sweat fell down her face and her head was beginning to feel light. Lexy gave out a loud cry and all her veins light up a bright purple. She felt her hands burning when she pushed more magic through the blade. Having enough Lexy let go of the blade and looked at her burnt hands. Within a moment a loud crash was heard and the planet was gone. This left a Lexy floating in the air. Her eyes widened when she looked around. Her breathing quickened when she tried to stay still but just flailed around like a fish out of water. Jackson turned to Saylis, ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough for today.¡± Saylis noded and with a flick of her wrist. The three are back in the test room. Lexy exhaled, ¡°that- That was different.¡± Lexy stood up and turned to Saylis, ¡°Can I have my bag?¡± Saylis noded and with a snap of her fingers, Lexy¡¯s bag was on her back. Lexy smiled exhaustion present in her features, ¡°Thank you.¡± Saylis gave a smile, ¡°Of course young miss.¡± Lexy put away her father¡¯s blade and put it in her bag. Varikin hopped onto her shoulders, ¡°Alright, that took a while, what now?¡± Lexy humid and turned to Jackson, ¡°Captain, am I dismissed?¡± Jackson noded ¡°yea you¡¯re done for today.¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°Thanks, Captain, see you tomorrow.¡± He nodded and watched her and Varikin exit. Lexy smiled when she went through the base only for her smile to fall as the two-headed outside of the rebellion''s doorway as she saw the falling sun. Frantic, she closed her eyes and thought of the doorway to the mansion. Lexy opened her eyes, the only light left in the sky was a soft twilight. The two entered the mansion to see Thokath asleep, his head on the table and his hair messy with leaves and twigs. Lexy sighed and walked up to him, guilt formed in her chest. Lexy gently poked his cheek, ¡°Thokath?¡± Thokath immediately shoot up, ¡°Lexy!¡± he turned over to face her and hot tears began pouring from his eyes, ¡°oh my gosh Lexy I-I was so worried please, please don¡¯t do that I was so scared of losing you¡± Thokath pulled her into a tight hug, ¡°I- I can¡¯t lose you please don¡¯t go so long ever again you have to promise me please I ¡®I¡± Lexy surprised by his tears gave a soft smile and returned the hug ¡°ya I promise, I promise I won¡¯t leave for so long ever again so don¡¯t cry I will come back every time¡± Thokath parted from the hug and wiped away his tears. ¡°Good now I¡¯m going to have to ask why you keep heading out there. I know it''s fun but what¡¯s so special out there that you were gone for so long?¡± Lexy looked down not wanting to meet his gaze, ¡°I-¡° She looked him in the eyes, ¡°I go to a meadow and I close my eyes and imagine myself going on adventures with these magical rebels that call themselves doves, as we fight against an evil king and Varikin, is a loyal bodyguard that relies upon a magical wolf. I also have magic powers in this magical world to teleport and absorb magic around me and then reuse it to my ability.¡± Thokath blinked and gave a warm smile. Worry was present in his ruby eyes but there was also something else that Lexy couldn''t quite place, ¡°Uhm well that explains a lot sometimes can you show me this magic meadow I would love to see it also Lexy thanks for telling me the truth¡± Lexy gave a fake smile feeling more guilt, ¡°ya um may I go to bed?¡± Thokath nodded ¡°yes, you may¡± Lexy then headed to bed. Some things go unsaid. The very next morning Lexy stretched and climbed out of her bed. She got her equipment in her bag, put on a new hoodie, and grabbed her bow and arrows. Lexy exited her bedroom waking up before the barking Varikin now by her side the two head for breakfast. The two-headed downstairs headed down a hallway and entered the dining room. Lexy sat down at the large table a seat away from Thokath, ¡°So Lexy, are you going to help the doves today?¡± Lexy looked up at him, ¡°Nah I think they will manage for a day without me besides I was wondering if¡± Lexy paused her throat felt like sandpaper, ¡°I know you¡¯re related to but uh did you know my dad?¡± Thokath froze and looked up at her as if he feared the question she asked, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Lexy restate the question?¡± Lexy scratched her neck, ¡°my dad you or did you know him?¡± Thokath gave a shaky sigh and turned his face away from her slightly, ¡°ya . . . I knew him and if you¡¯re gonna ask what he thought of you, no I don¡¯t know that either.¡± Thokath paused and continued, ¡°we¡¯ll he died ten years ago, and I never got to know him that well. I was only nineteen at the time and our family doesn¡¯t exactly throw family reunions often as you would think or like for that matter. I¡¯m sorry if I wasn¡¯t much help but I don¡¯t think you would have liked him he wasn¡¯t a very nice person, to say the least¡± Lexy¡¯s expression looked crushed and a few tears were leaking from her eyes. Thokath turned and saw her face. His expression quickly changes to slightly stressed and worried ¡°oh no, don¡¯t cry please don¡¯t- ¡° Lexy broke into full waterfalls of tears. Thokath stood up, walked over to her, and scooped her up into a hug. Lexy doesn¡¯t resist the hug and rests her head against his shoulder, ¡°shh i-it¡¯s okay I¡¯m sorry I shouldn¡¯t have said it that way I¡¯m such an idiot. Is it because something came up?¡± Lexy between hiccups and sobs nodded. Thokath sighed, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m probably the worst guardian ever?¡± Lexy slowed her crying and shook her head, ¡°no, you¡¯re here more often than my mom is you play games with me and let me explore the forest. You let me keep Varikin and told me the truth. I would rather deal with the truth than a bunch of lies, you give me a roof to sleep under and a warm bead plus most of all you care about me last night was proof of that.¡± Thokath began messing with her hair and gave a soft smile, ¡°Yeah, the way you say it makes me sound like a big teddy bear.¡± Thokath gently puts Lexy down, ¡°Hey, do you want to go downtown and get an ice cream?¡± Lexy giggled, ¡°Sure it¡¯s okay if Varikin stays?¡± Thokath looked over at Varikin, ¡°I think he will be okay if we leave him alone for a bit.¡± *** Thokath and Lexy headed to a local ice cream place. Lexy got pistachio and Thokath got chocolate chips with cookie dough. The two sit down at a booth and begin enjoying the ice cream. ¡°So Lexy have any ideas on what you want to be when you grow up?¡± Lexy looked at him and blinked, ¡°I want to find a way to help people and no not a doctor I don¡¯t think I can handle that I mean help people like maybe be a police officer or a firefighter and before you say yes I am aware of my height but just because I¡¯m shorter or seemingly weaker doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m worthless it doesn¡¯t mean I shouldn¡¯t be allowed to dream its why-¡° Thokath looked into Lexy eyes and now saw the fire in her eyes, ¡°why you practice with knifes hand to hand combat you don¡¯t want to be useless I think I understand you a lot better now¡± Lexy looked down at her ice cream and then back to Thokath. ¡°Oh and thank you for the ice cream¡± Thokath gave a soft smile. ¡°Of course now as much as I love spending time with you. I¡¯ve got to go back to work.¡± Lexy nodded. ¡°Yeah let me just go use the bathroom really quick.¡± Thokath nodded and watched Lexy leave when he heard the door to the shop open. He looked up to see four people enter the store with dark black outfits. One man was Tarvos without his mask while another had long light green hair. The one with green hair was female, her haunting orange eyes set on Thokath. She took a seat across Thokath and smirked, ¡°Tell me, how much did they pay you to care for the child?¡± Thokath clenched his fists, his blood boiled as he gazed at this woman with the rage of a hurricane.¡°Not a coin Elvira.¡± The woman¡¯s smile frowned. ¡°You know who I am, then you should know what happens to those who stand in my way.¡± Thokath put his hands together, ¡°Then you should know who I am and that Azriel wouldn''t trust the guardian with just anyone. After all Tiera¡¯s lullaby will play at dawn.¡± It was as if the room chilled to sub-zero. Elvira, Tarvos, and those with them stilled like statues, eyes wide. Lexy came into the room and Thokath stood up. ¡°Come on Lexy, let''s head home.¡± Lexy eyed the people who were still. ¡°What''s their problem?¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Thokath shrugged. ¡°Nothing, they just got a little scared.¡± Lexy looked to Thokath who had a mischievous glint in his eyes.¡°If you say so.¡± *** Lexy groaned when she woke up to hear barking. ¡°This will never end will it?¡± She heard a short bark and sighed, ¡°Fine, I¡¯m up.¡± Lexy then got dressed in a light green hoodie, a white t-shirt, and a set of black shorts. She grabbed her bag of equipment and headed out of her room. Lexy frowns when she sees Varikin give an innocent expression. Lexy glared, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I thought.¡± The two then head downstairs, go through a hallway, and enter a dining room. Only to see Thokath and the others aren¡¯t there. She turned to one of the butlers, ¡°I''ll be off now if Thokath comes back, you know what to tell him.¡± The butler nodded and the two left the dining room and then the house. The two reach the forest and Lexy puts her hand on Varikin. Lexy began to think of reality, then opened her eyes to see she and Varikin were now in reality, in front of the rebellion''s door. Varikin turned into his ferret form and hopped onto her shoulder. The duo entered the base and headed into the cafeteria. Lexy saw Katie making soup and putting out large bowls of fruit. Cody talking to Miko and Kuma trying to talk to Kanki. She was going to go and talk to Miko and Cody, but she felt a tap on her shoulder, and she turned to see Jackson. Lexy straightened her back, ¡°Oh hello captain, is it time for another training exercise?¡± Jackson shook his head, ¡°yes and no. I thought it was long overdue for you to get one of these.¡± He pulled out of his bag a nicely folded blue vest that has the letters k nine-unit embroidered into it along with a wolf crest above it. Jackson scratched the back of his neck, ¡°you¡¯re supposed to get one once you¡¯re a part of the squad. But I¡¯ve been lazy so far. And yes, I have a training exercise planned for you. Come on.¡± Lexy smiled, put on the vest, and followed Jackson to the training area that was now cleaned up, but all around was targets. She then saw Leo in the room standing next to two large crates of arrows and in hand a recurve bow without a string on yet. Leo turns to her ¡°hey how much can you handle on a bow?¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°sixty-five pounds.¡± Leo nodded and put a cord on the bow. ¡°Alright, that should do the trick here.¡± He handed Lexy the bow and a handful of splitter arrows in a fur-lined quiver. Lexy smiled and put on the quiver. She turned to Jackson, ¡°Alright, I''m going to guess that you did this for a reason.¡± Jackson smirked ¡°yes actually these arrows have blown up in our faces or nearly killed us when we try to use them. Thus, the only person who can use them is you and I must say are a force to be reckoned with when put in your hands. So why waste a powerful resource.¡± Lexy nodded now understanding, ¡°got it.¡± Leo came up to her, ¡°I made the bow to be more travel friendly. Push that button.¡± He said pointing to the button on the handle. Lexy did so and she and Varikin watched in awe as the bow collapsed down to a thick stick four inches long. She smiles ¡°thanks, Leo.¡± Leo scratched his neck, ¡°Thanks, kid but the point of this is a magic test actually.¡± Jackson noded, ¡°Yes, depending on certain aspects of your magic, you can determine how many arrows you can split from one.¡± Lexy nodded and Varikin looked around, ¡°So she''s going to hit as many as possible with one splitter arrow?¡± Jackson nodded, ¡°precisely.¡± Lexy turned to Varikin, ¡°Can you get off my shoulder? The weight might throw me off.¡± Varikin nodded and hopped off her shoulder. Lexy presses the button on her bow and it expands back to its original state. She draws a splitter arrow from her quiver and loads it into the bow. She focused her energy on the arrow. Dark purple energy spreads into the arrow and turns it near to pure black and purple. Lexy after a long moment releases the arrow. It whizzes through the air and with a screech it splits into fifteen arrows. All a direct hit. The targets collapse into the magic and then with a hiss their dust. Jackson nodded, good now see if you can push yourself further.¡± Lexy nodded and pegs on another arrow. This time she kept it on longer. She released the arrow. The second it was released it was quick as a commit and before she could blink another fifteen targets are gone. She stared, ¡°Well, I think the limit is fifteen. Because I just speed it up.¡± Leo looked with a smile, ¡°I think you''re right. Another fifteen went missing, maybe try a little more.¡± Lexy nodded and loaded the bow again and closed her eyes and concentrated instead of just holding it longer. It didn¡¯t take long for hissing to be heard and before anything could be said the arrow exploded. Lexy coughed when she walked out of the explosion covered in soft burns, ¡°I think I can check exploding arrows off my bucket list.¡± Leo hummed, ¡°Alright, this means I''ll have to adjust the magic capacity for now. Just don¡¯t do that again and you will probably be fine.¡± Jackson nodded, ¡°good now let¡¯s see how well you do in the field.¡± Leo huffed, ¡°Here we go. You did that cursed door trick without telling me didn¡¯t you?¡± Jackson only smirked, ¡°maybe.¡± He said in a sly tone. Varikin and Lexy watched when the world changed to where the five were now standing on a hill covered in tall grass and trees that had targets hidden around a trail leading down the hill. Jackson turned to Lexy, ¡°Alright, hit as many as possible and as fast as you can go.¡± Lexy nodded and readied an arrow. She began to head down the trail and quickly spotted ten targets. She closes her eyes and concentrates on the arrow hitting her targets. The arrow splits into ten they wiz around her and then hit the targets. She quickly continues and loads another arrow into the bow. Lexy began running down the hill and passed five targets she spun on her heel and fired her arrow. She hits four. After hitting ten more targets she reached the bottom of the hill to see Varikin, Saylis in her human form, Jackson and Leo all standing there as she had never left. Lexy walked up to the four confused about how they got there, ¡°wait what?¡± Jackson looked to Leo, ¡°how long was that?¡± Leo hummed his blue marks brightened a bit, ¡°five minutes.¡± Jackson nodded, ¡°good. Tomorrow I want a bit faster, you¡¯re dismissed for today. Lexy''s expression softened about the question she¡¯s about to ask that had been on her mind for a while now, ¡°hey do any of you know the last name of the royal family?¡± Leo looks at her curiosity clear on his face ¡°ya it¡¯s Blood lander why you ask¡± Lexy gave an expression Varikin has never seen on this girl, absolute and utter dread. As if the words from Leo¡¯s mouth came to life and stole Lexy¡¯s soul, ¡°nothing I¡¯ve. . Got to go see you guys tomorrow.¡± As soon as she left with a hurry in her steps Varikin tried asking, ¡°Lexy what¡¯s wrong?¡± But Lexy just ignored him. He jumped onto Lexy¡¯s shoulder and frowned. Lexy pressed the button on her bow and put it in her bag. She walked out of the training room to see Magi, ¡°hi Lexy? Are you ok?¡± She huffed and kept walking while Magi¡¯s eyes narrowed, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you out of anyone to be hiding secrets, huh.¡± Lexy walked faster trying to ignore Varikin¡¯s questioning stare when she exited the base, ¡°Lexy! What is up with you? Why are you bothered by the royal family''s last name so much?¡± She stopped, ¡°i- It doesn¡¯t matter. Just a forgotten friend.¡± Varikin doesn¡¯t have to look at her to hear her guilt, her anger, her frustration. But most of all he could tell she was lying. Lexy leaned down and put her hand on Varikin¡¯s scruff. She closed her eyes and thought of the veil. She opened her eyes and was greeted by a lush forest. Lexy sighed, ¡°Let¡¯s just go home, I need to take my medicine¡±. The two walk through the forest silence between the two. Lexy and Varikin reached the end of the forest and Varikin hopped off Lexy and went back to his normal form. He puts on his allusion and the two-resume walking to the mansion in silence. Lexy and Varikin enter the mansion to see Thokath staring at the chessboard. Thokath turned to see Lexy and flinched, ¡°oh sorry you scared me kido. Are you hungry?¡± Lexy sighed, ¡°I¡¯m going to go to bed, but could you ask one of the maids to make sure Varikin gets some food.¡± Thokath nods ¡°s-sure thing.¡± Lexy almost stopped at that she had never heard Thokath stutter. She shook her head and decided to go to bed. When things get dark It''s early morning, Lexy heard no barking and with a sigh, she looked at her half empty medicine bottle. ¡°Hopefully mom will send a refill soon¡± She mumbled quietly. Lexy put a smile on her face and grabbed her bag of equipment before she headed out of her room and walked downstairs, Varikin following quietly behind. The two head down the hall and into the dining room to see Thokath and the others were here. Lexy sits by Varic and Carin. Carin begins ranting about progress with her golden orb weaver research and other arachnids. Lexy finished her breakfast quietly, ¡°hey Thokath after you are done eating could we go for another round of chess?¡± Thokath, brought out of his trail of thoughts looked up with a slightly nervous expression ¡°o-oh sure¡± Lexy stopped there in thought and looked up at Thokath something seemed to vary off about him. He always has a proud calmness to him but today everything about him seems a bit off that Lexy cannot just shake off. Like the person, she was staring at is a dull copy of the original. Lexy frowns but decides to make nothing of it. She gets up and goes to set up the chessboard. Lexy set up the coffee table with the board despite disputes from the maids after ten minutes. Thokath comes and sits down at the table still holding a nervous expression. Lexy puts on her best stone face she has learned from sense last time. Thokath makes his first move. Lexy analyzes the move and it doesn¡¯t hold the possibilities of routes like his other moves. The game ended quickly, something was clearly off with Thokath. The strangest part was that she won Lexy gave a firm look, ¡°Thokath are you alright it seems like you¡¯re going easy on me?¡± Thokath shakes his head no ¡°n-no I am just distracted today¡± Lexy noted in her head how Thokath¡¯s entire demeanor was different. The way he holds his head and his hands. It was all different, ¡°Varikin it is time to go, well this was fun Thokath, but I¡¯ve got to go now¡± Thokath gave a soft smile, ¡°yup see you later.¡± Lexy and Varikin exited the mansion and head outside Lexy huffed, ¡°Something is up with Thokath today.¡± Varikin raised a brow, ¡°like how something was up with you yesterday? Eh, let it pass. I bet he will be back to normal tomorrow.¡± Lexy nodded and the two entered the forest. She closed her eyes and thought of the rebellion¡¯s door. But the second Lexy opened her eyes she was hit by the smell of smoke and chemicals. Followed by the roar of explosions and giant plumes of smoke trailing from the city of charter Lexy¡¯s eyes widened and the two rushed into the base. Their comrades were either already suited up or working on it. Lexy quickly gets suited up and then rushed up to Leo who was handing out weapons and equipment ¡°what¡¯s going on?¡± Leo huffed, ¡°no time you can either help or stay here and just hope for the best¡± Leo then handed her two gas masks. One larger than the other, ¡°The big one is for Varikin.¡± . Lexy nodded and took the mask not sure why she would need it or her friend. She then spots Alcore. She rushed up to him, ¡°Alcore what can I do?¡± Alcore looked at her with a straight face while he handed her a piece of equipment that looked like an earplug, ¡°I need you along with the group heading out to get any survivors out of there before this turn to any more casualties go quickly also Leo has established a set of comlinks. It goes in your ear¡± He gestured to the group heading out. Lexy nodded and grabbed one, put it on, and then helped Varikin with his gas mask. The duo rushed to join up with the group he pointed to who was leaving out the front door. Lexy hopped onto Varikin¡¯s back and the two followed the group heading out to the city under attack and now that they''re closer she realizes what looked like a giant plume of smoke is really a flying warship. ¡°Does anyone know what¡¯s going on?¡± She said with wide eyes as she put on her goggles. One of the members turned to her ¡°oh hi last-minute assignment kid?¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°yea just got here.¡± They nod ¡°I don¡¯t know either we just all got assigned as the cleanup crew.¡± Lexy tilted her head ¡°clean up?¡± They shrugged, ¡°yea we just save whoever is still alive. While someone covers us. But usually, they assign the wonder wolf pairs with the battle zones.¡± With that, the group began to enter the city and everyone else put on masks. There were burning buildings up ahead but that¡¯s not what she finds herself gazing at. She¡¯s staring at the lifeless, open-eyed bodies of nearly all ages. Lexy¡¯s read about war and the horrors it can inflict but this. This is nothing compared to ink on paper. This doesn¡¯t bring her to tears, it brings her to anger. Lexy snorted out a puff of air and clenched her fists to the point they''re shaking, ¡°how did they die?¡± She said in a strained voice while trying to keep her anger and magic at bay. The group took a sudden halt before they could answer as Lightning crackled when Jennie came rocketing out of an explosion. She then charged back into battle, her spear crackled with lightning when she clashed with a large dragon. The dragon blooded snorted out smoke and took in a deep breath. They exhaled an inferno of deep-blue flames at her, and then sparks flew from their blades. Jennie stared down her opponent and quickly touched her com unit when she slid back from another fire blast, ¡°Alcore they sent some of their best we... We won''t hold that long if. But we do have her¡± The others in the group frowned, ¡°common there won¡¯t be any survivors here¡± The group did their best to get out of that fray seeing one of their strongest struggling, they found it troubling. The group found a small group of survivors. Most of the group needed immediate medical attention. ¡°Lexy stayed here and covered us and we were going to bring these guys to the docks in the river. Tell us if someone is coming.¡± The whole group left as they put the survivors who couldn¡¯t walk on Varikin¡¯s back leaving her to her own devices. ¡°Great¡± Lexy mumbled already having trouble with her temper today. That¡¯s when she heard talking and one she came to hate with a living berthing passion, ¡°Yes, set them up in the town square while my specialists and the soldiers keep them busy.¡± Lexy narrowed her eyes and began following her way to the source. She got to the point where she can hear it clearly now. She stopped at the corner and took a quick peek. The blood king was talking to one of his generals. Right, when Lexy was about to touch her com unit she stepped on the end of a rake and it snapped up hitting her on the face with force. Lexy was not prepared for that and stepped back with a yelp into the open. Her eyes narrowed with the rage of a thunderstorm when she saw the king smirking at her. But before he could say anything. Lexy quickly pulled her father¡¯s blade from its sheath and with a yell, she slashed the air sending a slash of her dark purple magic at him. The blood king¡¯s smirk grew when he calmly deflected the magic with a small swipe of one of his fingers. The magic landed on a building and took out a section. Lexy¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°wait what?¡± She was sure her magic had gotten stronger. But compared to the king it seemed like she was still at square one. He just bursted into laughing. ¡°Oh, did you really think I would fall for that so easily? That¡¯s the same thing you did when we met. Little rebel you know I can tell you have great magic but what¡¯s clear to me is that you just have not used it to its full potential.¡± Something clicked in Lexy as she realized the potential for her veil hopping. Now it¡¯s her turn to smirk, ¡°you want to see more of my magic? Then here you go!¡± Lexy rushed at him and right when she was about five feet away. She thought about her world and went to punch the air and then used her magic yet again. Lexy appeared right in front of the king and went to punch him with all her might. The king blocked it with his hand. Lexy knew her magic that was bottled up felt like a raging sea but compared to the blood king¡¯s her magic felt like a drop of rain against a tidal wave. The king tilted his head and his expression amused ¡°oh I see.¡± the king grinned when he dropped her. Lexy glared at him, ¡°sorry that¡¯s all the magic I know your highness¡± venom practically dripped from her words. Lexy stood up griping her father¡¯s blade fiercely The king merely chuckled, ¡°no I can tell; someone knows when another has similar magic. Which is why you¡¯re so interesting¡± Lexy¡¯s glare hardened, ¡°which is why you¡¯re a psychopath¡± she spit out blood when she yet again sent another slash of magic only for it to be deflected and consume a building. Lexy could feel the king¡¯s grin from his voice, ¡°Psychopath? Oh, no little one I just like to go about things differently. It¡¯s not my fault others are delusional idiots and I¡¯m the one who understands perfectly.¡± Lexy brushed herself off and that¡¯s when she heard some explosions from battles around the town. Lexy heard a beep come from her intercom. ¡°hey¡± It''s Alcore ¡°Lexy can you hear me? I know I told you to go with a scouting group, but I need you to send your special version of hell down on these guys. Lexy do you copy?¡± Lexy glared at the king when she slowly pressed the com in her ear. While he looked at her confused, ¡°hey guys sorry, but uh there''s a nasty-looking nitwit in front of me and I need help making his highness face look worse.¡± *** Jennie¡¯s eyes widened when she heard this from the coms, ¡°Very well then¡± she glanced at her opponent. The dragon blooded smirked, ¡°ready to die rebel scum?¡± Jennie glared and grabbed her spear, electricity surged from her veins and danced over the spear, ¡°the only scum I see here is you and you¡¯re king!¡± Jennie threw her spear seemingly missing her target. The spear goes past the general and explodes a water reserve sending water all over the general. The general smirks ¡°what was that I''ll tell you what that was- ¡°they''re cut off. Jennie put out her hand and smirked. Her markings glowed and summoned her lightning into thousands of spears floating above her ready for her command. The general¡¯s eyes filled with shock and now it was Jenny''s turn to smirk, ¡°bang¡± The thousands of spears hit the general and surrounding water. The general¡¯s body shakes and then drops to the ground dead. Jennie walks past them ¡°go burn in a hell trash bag, in need to regroup with the others.¡± The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. *** Lexy continued fighting the blood king. She sent flurries of her magic at the blood king who merely deflected the attacks. ¡°I want to know what you are fighting for?¡± Lexy glared, ¡°Go burn you nitwit, I know you kill rebels why haven¡¯t you killed me yet?¡± The blood king chuckled, ¡°oh I have my reasons besides I think it would be more enjoyable to watch them squirm as they try to save you and I just can¡¯t wait till the day you¡¯ll be like me. But it will already be too late.¡± Lexy glared at him ¡°like hell I am anything like you. You¡¯re a monster that just sees people as pawns to a game. I care for the safety and the future of these people. They deserve a hell of a lot better than this. To be killed and you know what I don¡¯t give a dam for your stupid game!¡± Lexy smirked as she closed her eyes. She cared about getting away from this guy and began to think of home. Lexy teleported back into her regular large country town but wasted no time. Lexy ran halfway down the block and then teleported back to reality. Lexy looked back at the king only to see him smirk and laugh. She shook her head and continued to run. Lexy needed to get back to her group, ¡°why couldn¡¯t I have just listened to them¡± She started with a sour tone. ¡°ya, that¡¯s the problem with you little rebels you have resistance so dead set you sometimes.¡± The blood king hummed a tune as he quickly leaped in front of Lexy, ¡°You know I wouldn¡¯t stick around for too long, the place is going to blow¡± The king said with amusement when he stairs her down Lexy¡¯s eyes widened when she saw the king standing before her, ¡°what! Why? the citizens have nothing against you, you¡¯re a maniac!¡± The king smiled, ¡°oh I prefer creative also to answer your question, this town has been plagued with rebels and seems to be the source of nearly all this mutiny so I took all those loyal to the crown out of here and left those neutral or against to die from gas or die in the explosion. The rebels themselves. It was inevitable that they would flock here like moths in search of survivors only to die with them. Of course, a new town will be built afterward." Lexy glared at The blood king fury of thousand suns burned in her. She let out a yell of rage, ¡°I WON¡¯T LET YOU!¡± Lexy put her hand out without knowing why, it felt like instinct. She made a circular motion in the air. This created a glowing floating purple portal-like object and then made a push motion. The object of magic made a high-pitched charging noise for a split second and then it released a purple lazar larger than it right for the king¡¯s head. The king moved out of the way but not fast enough. The lazar hit his left ear leaving only a singed half ear. The king brought his hand up to his ear or the stump of what¡¯s left. As if someone had drained Lexy''s energy, she was unable to move. Looking down slowly she saw that her hands had been burned at the tips and some other places. The king begins laughing maniacally as blood drips from his head, ¡°well that¡¯s one way of confirming things so I was right. Oh, look, it''s your saving grace!¡± At the end of the road was Alcore but no one was with him. Lexy looked at him and was filled with shock. Alcore began to walk toward Lexy and the blood king fire burned in his eyes when he unsheathed his sword, ¡°surrender before I kill you and this all will be a lot easier!¡± The king merely rolls his eyes, ¡°oh yes the guy obsessed with killing me. Get in line you idiotic boy¡± Alcore charged while he took out his sword and seemingly at first was slashing at air until it extended to hit the king. This creates a cloud of smoke and Lexy looked with horror when the blood king spread his tails out and stopped the blade with one. He chuckled and stepped out of the smoke, his eyes glowing red. His horns were now out. Alcore charges forward and his sword clashes with the king¡¯s tail blades. It sounded almost like the gnashing of teeth as the weapons clashed. The king then sent Alcore¡¯s blade flying to the side. Alcore¡¯s eyes widened while the king smirked and to Lexy¡¯s horror he pulled out the blade infused with her magic. The king chuckled darkly like a panther that just caught its prey. He smiled, ¡°let¡¯s see if you can walk away after this boy.¡± He quickly made a long cut along Alcore¡¯s face starting at the forehead and then down to his chin. Leaving behind a thin tendril of Lexy¡¯s magic. Alcore screeched in pain and backed away as Lexy can hear the harsh hiss of burning flesh. He was used to pain but, this felt like hell. He goes to touch the wound only for it to burn his fingers. Alcore flung the magic onto the ground. One eye opened another closed. He couldn¡¯t even audio a response. well I have to head back home I will come back with extra supplies tomorrow, so I just need to go find Varikin¡± Alcore nodded The two then hear a loud crash as they see a giant dragon leap and take a bite out of the now fleeing warship. Lexy looked with wide eyes, ¡°what the hell!¡± Alcore smirked, ¡°That¡¯s Lexy, seeing an opening, quickly pulls out her father¡¯s blade and sends an attack at the king. The king dodged with ease but it forced him to let go of Alcore and the magic hit the base of a building. This caused it to collapse, ¡°That was interesting. shame the blade ran out¡± The blood king then looked to Lexy an eerie look in his eyes, ¡°but I know where to get more welp it was fun seeing you again, but I¡¯ve got things to do, people to see, folks exterminate ta-ta¡± and with that, the king was gone before she or Alcore could blink. Lexy still couldn''t move, she was screaming at herself to move! To do something but whatever she did took a lot out of her. ¡°Alcore he¡¯s not the problem the whole city is going to blow! Get the renegades to find the bomb and get rid of it before it¡¯s too late I¡¯ll be fine¡± Alcore looked at Lexy and saw she was not bruised besides a bit ruffled and looking tired but ok and not dead. Alcore was filled with relief before he touched his com ¡°Fendres were on a crunch they left a bomb strong enough to blow the city we need to find it now¡±. His voice was rough and tired. His com gave a beep ¡°roger that¡± Alcore turned his attention to Lexy and walked up to her ¡°you ok can you move?¡± Lexy chuckled, ¡°yes I am fine, just tired, but I¡¯ll be ok. I got separated from my group when I encountered the king, he is, to say the least, a bit on the strange side. But your face, what was that? Shouldn¡¯t you have healed by now?¡± She said trying to sound like she doesn¡¯t know anything. Alcore gave a shaky sigh, ¡°I don¡¯t know but it hurts like hell.¡± Lexy finally found the strength to move and dusted herself off, ¡°where are all the refugees going to go, I don¡¯t expect them all to join¡±. Alcore¡¯s com beeps it was Fendres, ¡°hey Alcore we found it this thing is big, but we already have Leo on it. The timer is at twenty minutes so everything is going good now or as good as things can be right now Jennie, Kuma and Jackson are taking care of any remains of the soldiers. I have pilots organizing lines for those wanting to join, live in the black markets, or stay here.¡± Alcore sighed in relief, ¡°alright good job. What about that warship is that gone?¡± His com beeps before Fendres replied, ¡°you will find that Jackson will take care of that.¡± Alcore nodded, ¡°good¡± He glanced at Lexy. She let out a long breath and then turned to him ¡° So Alcore are you rely set on killing the whole royal family?¡± Alcore¡¯s expression darkened to one of revenge ¡°they killed my dad, my little sister, and my stepmother, my birth mother died after I was born. They killed my family by burning them alive. SO, yes. I''m not resting till they''re all gone.¡± Lexy scratched her arm as worry swum through her gaze, ¡°Then who will be king after they''re gone, you?¡± Alcore looked to Lexy and nodded, ¡°either that or someone better.¡± Lexy looked away, ¡°ok, what the heck is that!¡± she said with wide eyes when she watched a giant dragon tackle the airship. Fire bursts into the sky followed by an angry roar. Alcore smirked, ¡°that''s Jackson''s dragon form.¡± Lexy¡¯s jaw dropped, ¡°ah I see. Well, I¡¯m tired and I need to find Varikin. Oh, and Alcore thank you. Make sure and go see a medic for that wound it doesn¡¯t look good¡± Alcore noded ¡°Yea, Yea and you¡¯re welcome.¡± and walks away. Lexy sighed and looked around the smell of blood and gunpowder filled her breath. Chemicals from explosions and dust from destroyed houses. She takes another sigh and begins looking for Varikin. Her stepped echo around the collapsed buildings, the piles of ash and she found this silence disturbing. Lexy entered the central square to see Fendres organizing lines of recruits and those wanting refuge. While Alcore is at the emergency medic bay. Lexy shuddered when she saw the growing pile of dead citizens and some fellow soldiers. She felt a pat on her shoulder and turned to see Reba and Espa. Espa in her wolven form. She saw Reba say something and the blond turned to Espa confusion on her face. Espa looks at Lexy, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you here and now. You¡¯ll never unsee see the hell their willing to put people through¡± Lexy could only nod when she let a tear fall off her face. ¡°they gassed the civilians... That¡¯s why they told the cleanup groups to stay on the edge of the city. Isn¡¯t it?¡± hatred in her voice. The wolf could only nod ¡°yes, the gas disperses quickly though. But I hear what you¡¯re saying. But if I may ask, where is Varikin?¡± Lexy huffed, ¡°We got separated in the conflict. I came here to look for him. If you see him can you tell him I¡¯m looking for him?¡± Reba and Espa both nod ¡°Very well.¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°thanks.¡± Lexy walked up to Alcore who has an eye patch over his face. ¡°hey you found Varikin?¡± Lexy shook her head, ¡°no I haven¡¯t found him. But I have a question for you.¡± Alcore looked at her ¡°ok shoot.¡± She huffed, ¡°Do you have a burial ceremony for the dead?¡± He nodded ¡°we used to have a special burial site by the four seas. We had to stop because it was too open. The tradition was we burn the bodies and then bury the ashes. Now we save the vests and weapons. We''re going to hang them on one of the walls in the base.¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°understood. See you later, Head Captain.¡± Alcore looked at Lexy with shock; she''s never addressed him like that before. He could only watch when she walked away. Lexy resumed wandering around the town and saw some rebels helping citizens put out the fires. While some were moving the dead bodies onto carts and being brought to the town square. She keeps looking until she sees Jackson covered in blood and leaning against Saylis who is in her human form. She rushed up to the two, ¡°Captain are you going to be alright? Jackson nodded, ¡°yea, the blood isn¡¯t mine if that¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about. Transforming just takes a lot out of me.¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°understood but have either of you seen Varikin?¡± The two glanced at each other ¡°no we haven¡¯t sorry.¡± Lexy sighed and began walking to the edge of the town when she heard it. The sound of children playing. She followed the sound to see a bunch of kids having fun riding and hopping off Varikin. Lexy smiled. ¡°Varikin¡± she called. Varikin parked and walked over to her. The children hesitantly fallow and one comes up to Lexy ¡°s-sorry we played with him¡± Lexy gave a shocked expression, ¡°I don¡¯t mind I just need to go and need him back¡± The kids gave smiles and went to play. Varikin looked at Lexy¡¯s roughed-up appearance, ¡°did you get in a fight?¡± Lexy chuckled, ¡°ya I fought against the blood king himself, so I am just fine¡± her voice laced with sarcasm. Varikin stopped his expression filled with astonishment. ¡°so, you survived a battle against the blood king and the third encounter at that. Plus, you are not missing a limb or an eye, damn. Did he walk away without a scratch?¡± Lexy scratched her arm, ¡°no actually¡± Varikin perked, ¡°rely now, do tell¡± Lexy shrugged, ¡°ya I may have burned off half his ear¡± Varikin laughed ¡°ok how did you burn off his ear¡± Lexy started walking ¡°I apparently can make floating purple disks that shoot lasers¡± Varikin shrugged, ¡°whelp now you know you can do more magic and knives and arrow stuff¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°Let''s head home. Tomorrow we need to bring more supplies.¡± The wolf nodded. ¡°yea but don¡¯t you need to change out of your uniform?¡± Lexy stopped, ¡°oh yeah. Here.¡± Lexy began taking off her mech and unzipping her uniform. Varikin¡¯s eyes widened and he looked away. Lexy tilts her head ¡°what I wear my clothes underneath. I¡¯m not naked.¡± She hopped out of her uniform and folded it up. Varikin looked back up and sighed, ¡°oh I see.¡± Lexy put her uniform into her bag, along with her mech. She sighed ¡°alright let''s head home.¡± A warning is not something to dismiss. Lexy woke up barking and sighed ¡°ugh no not today why?¡± She got dressed and she walked out of her room while she grabbed her bag of equipment in hand. Varikin raised a brow at the blond¡¯s groggy expression. Lexy quickly went to the bathroom to take her medication and then returned. She yawned, ¡°Come on let¡¯s go.¡± Varikin noded and the duo headed downstairs, through the hallway, and into the dining room. Thokath looked up when he saw the two enter the room. ¡°Hi, Lexy.¡± Lexy rubbed her eyes and sat down, ¡°hi.¡± She said groggy and in a tired tone. Carin looked up worry was written on her face, ¡°do you not feel good?¡± Lexy sat down and began eating what was served, ¡°no, I am . . .fine I don¡¯t feel sick trust me okay¡± Carin¡¯s face scrunched in disbelief, ¡°okay but I am checking your temperature after breakfast. Lexy grumbled a reply and continued to eat Come after breakfast Carin checked for a temperature, ¡°ok you¡¯re fine¡± Lexy nodded and headed up to one of the butlers, ¡°can you take me to the store please¡± the butler nodded and left to go get the car. Varikin came up to her to silently remind her that he hates being left here. Lexy shook her head silently saying no she was not bringing him with her. Lexy sighed as she exited the mansion and entered the car. The driver asked her, ¡°where is the young miss?¡± She smiled¡°just to the store please.¡± The driver nodded and started the vehicle''s engine. Lexy looked out the window when they passed the forest and then the military base that looked almost finished now. She watched it pass and then the passing buildings. The driver pulled to the front of the building and dropped her off while he found a parking spot. Lexy began to look around through the drinks section. She was quickly brought out of her thoughts by someone trying to talk to her ¡°huh?¡± Lexy looked to see who it was. Standing before she was a man about in his late thirties dressed in a high-ranking military uniform, she didn''t recognize who but still felt nostalgia rush thru her, ¡°oh sorry but I was wondering if I could get in front of you there¡± Lexy moved and smiled ¡°oh sorry but uh I got to ask because this town is not visited by military folk often or are you just heading thru¡± The man picks up his basket now having a few drinks in it, ¡°oh no just passing thru here¡± Then there¡¯s one more question she has ¡°I have to ask have you ever been out in the front lines if so how. Do you deal with seeing bodies?¡± The man looked shocked when she said this. That was not the next question he was expecting. The general looked at Lexy better now, taking a quick glimpse into her eyes and he recognized the face he saw before him. He has seen it before the look of someone who had been on the front lines. He sighed, ¡°young girl I don¡¯t know what, you¡¯ve seen but from the expression, you are wearing currently I can tell nothing good, but I can dish out advice the best thing to do is try and move on but I am not saying it¡¯s easy¡± Lexy smiled softly ¡°thank you¡± the general nodded and walked away wondering what in the world did that little girl see to have those eyes or ask that question. Lexy then finished up what she needed by getting ten large bags of noodles, five of corn, wheat, and tomato seeds, flour, sugar, salt, and ten more bags of oatmeal for the survivors. She headed out of the store and saw the general before talking to someone. She shrugged it off and headed to the Limo. The driver came out and smiled, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of this young miss¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°Oh thank you.¡± With that, the driver loaded the food into the limo¡¯s trunk. Once done they get back into the driver¡¯s seat and they turn to the small blond. ¡°anywhere else young miss?¡± She shook her head, ¡°not just home please.¡± The man nodded and started the engine back up. On the way back Lexy saw yet again the finished military camp. The vehicle pulled up into the mansion¡¯s driveway and Lexy turned to the driver ¡°Thank you¡± The driver nodded and popped the trunk for the girl. She smiled and got out of the vehicle. She set all the goods down on the concrete. The sound of items being shuffled in the bag as she did so. Now done she looked to the driver, ¡°all good you can head back.¡± They nodded and drove up. She then began bringing the paper bags of food to the forest. Once done she quickly entered the mansion. Lexy entered the empty lobby and then saw Varikin rushing up to her. She smiled, ¡°Come on.¡± He nodded and the two-headed outside. The duo enters the forest and Varikin turns into his giant wolf form. The blond gets all the bags onto his back and then gets on herself. Varikin looks at all the supplies and begins walking carefully ¡°hey Lexy what are all the extra noodles and seeds for?¡± Lexy sighs ¡°these are goods that will be for the winter along with some materials so the others can make their own food for wherever they go. There also were a few bags of sugar, salt, and flour too.¡± Varikin nodded and then thought about the number of supplies, ¡°hey Lexy why are you so worried about us having supplied over the winter it is not like you won¡¯t be here for us over the winter¡± this statement did not improve her mood if anything it felt like a knife to the chest that she couldn¡¯t take out it just keeps cutting. Lexy sighed ¡°ya about that. It¡¯s because I''m not always here. like if something happens and you guys are stuck without me¡± Varikin frowned and nodded. The two reach the clearing and the blond closes her eyes thinking to reality. She opened her eyes and the two were now in reality. Varikin resumes his slow pace in silence. Lexy looked to the sky and saw the glowing moon and faintly could see the star ring. She sighed when the two went through the base¡¯s door and Lexy hopped off her furred friend. Lexy set all the bags down onto the ground, making sure not to spill or drop the contents. Varikin turned into his human form and picked up an arm full of items while Lexy struggled and grabbed the rest of it. The two enter the base to see a buzz; some members still have bandages from the other day. They passed the cafeteria wall and the blond stops. She sees the wall has twenty vests hanging with weapons. Their names are engraved into clay tablets above the vests and weapons. Lexy sighed and resumed her route to the kitchen. The two entered the kitchen to see Katie working on food. Kaite turned to the blond and smiled as she saw the two set their loads onto the counter. Katie walked up to the two and looked through the bags, ¡°All alright I''ll work on this you go take a seat.¡± The elven woman said with a glimmer in her eyes. Lexy smiled ¡°oh thanks, Katie.¡± She turned to Varikin ¡°come on let¡¯s see if Cody is here this morning.¡± Varikin huffed, ¡°fine.¡± Lexy shook her head and the two-headed back into the cafeteria. She looked around and saw Alcore sitting with the captains and then she saw her redheaded friend sitting with Meko. Lexy smiled and the duo headed over to the two. She sat across from Miko and Varikin sat across from Magi while being next to the blond. Magi smiled, ¡°hi guys did you two get caught up in all that chaos yesterday?¡± Lexy groaned, ¡°yes.¡± Varikin raised a brow, ¡°She did. Not me.¡± Magi and Miko shared a glance. Cody raised a brow, ¡°really what happened. Because I and Miko were helping in the lab. We didn¡¯t really hear what happened.¡± Lexy shuddered as the smell of blood became more present as she remembered ¡°It was bad they were using gas, chemicals, and bombs along with soldiers.¡± Magi hummed, ¡°sounds like they were trying to wipe the city out.¡± Lexy could only nod and then she saw Alcore stand up, his eye patch still present and the wound still looked an angry red. Alcore turned to the other''s excitement on his face as he raised his hands and silence fell over the crowd, ¡°right I had been saving this for when she got here. Ok, so the king was in the city during the gassing and fights. Well guess who had the nerve to try and fight the king alone and not only that but survived plus walked away like a champ and if you think that¡¯s not enough, she burned off half his ear!¡± The others cheered while Jackson just laughed, ¡°I would have loved to see that fool¡¯s expression. I bet he wasn¡¯t expecting a fight from the girl and then that moment when he realizes he only has half an ear!¡± Jackson raised his mug of water as well as the others. ¡°to Lexy!¡± all shout with joy ¡°AYE!¡± Alcore nodded and looked to Lexy ¡°ok then on other news I have assigned you to is a day from now we are going to be escorting a ship that will be hulling weapons and recruits from Turtle golf base to here. We will be going down the river of shadows. You have permission to use your mech to get home and back¡± Lexy nodded and went back to her lunch. Once done she stood up, ¡°whelp I have done my job. I¡¯ve got to ask Jackson if we are doing training today.¡± Varikin nodded and began talking to the two others at the table. Lexy walked over to Jackson and tapped his shoulder. Jackson turned to her, ¡°hi what do you need kid?¡± Lexy tilted her head, ¡°Are we doing training today?¡± Jackson nodded, ¡°yes we are. Is Varikin with you?¡± he says getting up. Lexy shrugged and pointed to the table Varikin was sitting at, ¡°he¡¯s over there.¡± Jackson noded, ¡°meet me and Saylis in the training room with Varikin.¡± Jackson then headed out of the cafeteria. Lexy nodded ¡°got it.¡± With that, she headed back to Varikin. Varikin looked at Lexy, ¡°let me guess more training?¡± Magi smirked when he heard Lexy say, ¡°yea there is come on.¡± Magi smiled at Varikin, ¡°I told you.¡± While Varikin huffed with a glare at the redhead ¡°ugh.¡± He then turned into his ferret form and hopped onto Lexy¡¯s shoulder ¡°let¡¯s see what fun will be involved this time.¡± He said with sarcasm in his voice. Lexy chuckled at the comment from Varikin and she turned to Miko and Cody ¡°see you guys later.¡± The two waved to their friends as the duo leaves for the training room. In the room were Fendres, Saylis, and Jackson. The room was mostly empty except for a phone-sized black box about twenty feet away. The duo entered the room and dread-filled Lexy¡¯s gut when she saw a smirk on Jackson''s face and a worried one on Fendres¡¯s ¡°I swear Jackson this goes south the blood will be on YOUR hands.¡± Jackson¡¯s smirked did not waver ¡°you want to bet on that mouse?¡± he said, putting his hand out. Fendres rolls her nose and snorts ¡°sure as the seven circles of hell backing Orien.¡± As she shakes his hand. Jackson¡¯s smirk grows once he sees Lexy and Varikin. ¡°oh, perfect, today will be a combat exercise. With something I thought would be a bit more for your skill level.¡± Lexy raised a brow but nodded ¡°alright let me get ready.¡± Jackson nodded and Lexy put on her uniform and vest over her clothes. She equipped her utility belt with her father¡¯s sword and her bow. On top of that, her last item was the splitter arrows. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. She turned to Jackson, ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± He nodded with a smirk when Fendres and Saylis sighed. Varikin turned into his wolf form and Lexy looked to Jackson, ¡°ok so who or what are we fighting?¡± Jackson gave a mischievous look at Lexy, ¡°just head over to the box and you¡¯ll see.¡± Lexy and Varikin glanced at each other and began carefully walking toward the small box. Once five feet away from it. The small black box flashed with light causing Lexy to glance away and then look back to see a large creature the size of a school bus. Its many scleras are black while its pupils are a deep midnight purple. Its scaled body is a shiny black. It had at least ten eyes. It had an extra lower jaw that splits in half revealing the closed maw. Its claws are dark purple and six inches long. It has a long set of six legs, three on each side. The creature leaped at Lexy, her eyes mesmerized by the creatures. But she doesn¡¯t know why, why something about this monster felt very familiar. It only got as far as a cut on the cheek and shoulder when Varikin tackled the beast with his teeth. Lexy quickly took a few steps back. Blood softly trickled from her cheek. Jackson¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°wait NO! That is not what was supposed to be in there. Lexy RUN!¡± Fendres looked at him, ¡°Wait what! What was supposed to be in there?¡± Jackson looked to his fellow captain with wild eyes, ¡°I had just sealed a flared cat. Who the hell switched this out for an actual demon!¡± Lexy looked at this creature that was now twitching and going to attack again. Jacksons warning fell on deaf ears. It was strange, how there was this feeling in her chest that told her she was supposed to fight this thing. Lexy quickly concentrated her energy on her fathers¡¯ blade and with her other hand made a circular motion. Her palms began to heat up and it made a vibrant magic circle in the air. She made a forward motion. Only for the scars on her wrists to glow a vibrant blue. Her palm began to burn and the markings glowed brighter. Desperate as Lexy saw the beast launch at Varikin she made a slash of purple magic at the demon with her blade. ¡°Varikin look out!¡± Varikin quickly dodged and Lexy watched in shock to see the demon split its body in half to doge the magic. Jackson shouted again, ¡°Lexy get out of there!¡± Jackson and Fendres watched in terror when Lexy did not listen to the captain. He turned to Fendres who now had her crossbows ready and Jackson took out his sword. The two captains see Lexy send a charge of magic at the beast. Only for it to split its body in half to doge and then put itself back together. The charge of magic hit a few feet away from the three. Saylis looked to Jackson ¡°do you want me to engage?¡± Jackson nodded and the snake leaped off his neck and turned into her wolf form. Her blue crystals glimmered with her purple eyes when she headed in for an attack at the beast while it was fighting with Varikin. The demon hissed and split itself in half to dodge the attack coming from Saylis and Varikin. Varikin rolled to the side to doge Saylis. The black wolf landed and huffed. Varikin stood back up to see the demon was no longer near them. But heading to Lexy. Lexy saw the creature heading toward her and then it randomly changed its direction by rushing at Jackson and Fendres. Fendres fired her two crossbows at the creature and one hit while the other arrow missed. Jackson dodged a slash from one of the demon''s many claws. Jackson stabbed his blade into the side of the beast while it leaped into the air. The demon hissed from the injury and resumed its chase for Lexy. She quickly brought out her bow and fired a splitter arrow at the creature. The arrow screeched thru the air and splits, all five were a direct hit. The arrows just stay in its body and for a short moment, Lexy didn¡¯t think it worked until she saw the demon¡¯s limbs begin to be covered in her magic. The creature went to leap at her while Lexy closed her eyes while she made another magic ring and went to make a forward motion. Only for the now glowing chain scars to expand off her wrists into five chains of each wrist and float to seemingly nowhere. The chains halt all efforts to proceed with her attack. What was left of the demon falls into the portal. She looked with wide eyes at the chains connected to her wrists. Lexy stood up and the chains moved with her. No longer feeling like she¡¯s being stopped, Lexy looked to her fellow members. Only to see they were frozen like statues. Not because of the cold, at least it didn''t feel cold to her. Lexy began to look around frantically when she started to hear the sound of hoof steps and the crackle of a fire. The lighting grew dim as the sound grew closer until a headless person came storming in while riding on a flaming skeletal horse. They had a sword on their hilt and their own severed head held by the hair in their left hand. Could a severed head glare at someone? If not this head surly masters the allusion, ¡°Know now child, should those bonds be broken. You will meet your end. By my blade or the law of nature.¡± The headless body kicked at the skeletal horse, ¡°I will be watching this is your only warning.¡± With a bolt of lightning, he was gone. Lexy looked around with wide eyes while Varikin huffed and Saylis walked up to her, ¡°well I¡¯ll take you two the medics to get those wounds and mine treated to keep it from being cursed. While you guys figure out what the hell just went wrong.¡± Jackson and Fendres noded. While Lexy was taking a moment to try and understand what just happened. The three leave the training room. Lexy frowned ¡°hey Saylis?¡± The black wolf looked to her while leading the two through the halls ¡°yes?¡± Lexy looked to Saylis, ¡°What is a creature called that rides a skeletal horse on fire, has its head in its arms, and is very spooky?¡± Saylis raised a brow, ¡°That¡¯s oddly specific, but what I believe you''re referring to is called a dullahan.¡± Lexy furrowed her brows, ¡°got it.¡± Saylis stopped at a double-door entrance and opened one to reveal the medic bay. There were a few patients around the large room, some asleep and some awake. The nurses were going about their business. Saylis turned to her human form and turned to one of the nurses ¡°hey where¡¯s Salviris?¡± The beast-blooded nurse smiled, ¡°oh the doctor? He''s over in his office.¡± Saylis nodded, ¡°got it¡± She led the two to the back of the infirmary to an orange-colored dragon blooded who was sitting on a desk while looking over some papers. Saylis coughed to get his attention. Salvaris looked up ¡°Oh hello Saylis and you.¡± He said, narrowing his eyes toward Lexy, ¡°I don¡¯t think I''ve ever seen you before young one.¡± Lexy shrugged, ¡°Oh I''m new and I''m Lexy nice to meet you?¡± Salviris smiled, ¡°oh my name is Salviris. Now I assume you didn¡¯t come here just to talk.¡± Saylis shook her head, ¡°no we need holy water on our wounds do you have some?¡± Salviris leaned to the other side of his desk and pulled out a white bottle, ¡°yes you three get into a fight with a demon?¡± Varikin nodded, ¡°yea.¡± Salveris looked to one of the nurses, ¡°get some bandages soaked in this holy water for these three.¡± The nurse nodded and rushed to go do their given task. He turned back to the trio ¡°show me your injuries.¡± Salveris pulled up her sleeve revealing a slash in her arm. Varikin lifted his shirt to show the bite mark on his side. Lexy just pointed to her cheek. The nurse came back with soaked bandages and handed some to Salveris. The two begin bandaging the trio up. Salveris, once done with Varikin, changed his attention over to Lexy. ¡°Alright, yours is on your cheek. Yes?¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°yea.¡± With that, the dragon blooded Doctor snipped one of the bandages into a smaller piece and put it onto her cheek. While they grabbed some medical tape and used it to keep the bandage to her skin. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s all of you.¡± Varikin smiled, ¡°yes thank you and that is all.¡± Salveris noded and dismissed the three. The trio exit the sick bay and Saylis turned to the two, ¡°I''ll be helping Jackson clean up the training room. You two should head home and get some rest.¡± Varikin hopped onto Lexy¡¯s shoulder, ¡°yes I agree.¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°Ok then see you tomorrow Saylis.¡± **** Lexy and Varikin have just entered the forest. The blond on Varikin''s back when she hopped off. Varikin stopped ¡°hey why did you stop?¡± Lexy smirked, ¡°I am going to train¡± Varikin watched as Lexy made a swift circle motion thru the air and to his surprise, a disk-like sphere appeared in front of her hand. He frowned, ¡°wait what about the whole chain thing?¡± Lexy shrugs ¡°I think it only happens when I try the attack and besides the more, I know the better.¡± Varikin¡¯s frown deepened, ¡°I don¡¯t like the idea of this but fine.¡± Lexy, wandering about something, repeated the motion and a second one appeared in front of her other hand. She didn''t feel any strain from this and now it¡¯s time to test one of her questions. Lexy touched the one with her left hand. She felt no pain, so she put her hand into it and her hand appeared out of the one to her right. This proved her theory right; they were portals. Lexy goes to put her whole arm through, and the two portals expand. Lexy looked at the other portal her arm is just floating out of it and she moves a bit ¡°weird¡± She pulled her arm out and decided to try something. The blond made a slash motion at the portal to her right and it dissipated. Lexy then walked forward five feet and made a portal above her as high as she could reach. She then turned back to the other portal, backed up, and ran at it. The portal quickly expanded and Lexy ended up jumping out of the other portal. Lexy quickly closed the one she had gone through and made another portal higher than her current position. She fell back into the portal beneath her and jumped out of the new one and repeated what she did before. Varikin watched as she reached a two-story height and then closed the one under her and let herself drop as she quickly created one above her and at the last second, she made one under her. This created a falling loop. Varikin can¡¯t help but chuckle when she started making funny faces each time she fell. She ended her loop and had a graceful landing. ¡°ok I am ready for dinner after doing that I am tired but not as much as last time. I think next time I do this I should practice with bow and arrow¡± Varikin nodded, ¡°that¡¯s good your body is getting more used to your magic so If I''m remembering things correctly. you mentioned you can shoot lasers from those portals and it was from using this that the blood king is now one-fourth def.?¡± Lexy chuckled, ¡°ya I wasn''t aiming for his ear I was aiming for his head '''' slight frustration in her voice. Varikin could relate, ¡°I understand you feel like you could have ended the suffering there, but you missed and it¡¯s frustrating. But you must understand and look at all the other things you have accomplished so far. You have survived more than one encounter with the king and put damage on him you have helped create a new base for us as well as more than double the quality of our food and quantity I¡¯d say those are all great accomplishments¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°oh thank you¡± The duo began to walk to the mansion, ¡°hey Varikin am I the only one who has noticed Thokath¡¯s recent strange behavior?¡± Varikin had noticed the man¡¯s change of behavior as of late. He seemed much more nervous or tired. ¡°yes, actually I wonder what has him so stressed lately¡± The two enter the mansion and Thokath does not look nearly as stressed. He was eating a cookie while staring at a chessboard and then he noticed Lexy and Varikin, ¡°oh, hi Lexy, Varikin dinner should be ready in ten minutes. How about you go wash up, you look like you just ran a marathon¡± Lexy gave a sheepish smile and when he was just out of range she mumbled ¡°you have no idea¡± Lexy walked up the stairs to head to her bedroom and Varan was about to pass her when a question came to mind for him, ¡°Hey Varan I¡¯ve seen you read a lot of history I have a question for you.¡± Varan stopped and closed his book ¡°ok shoot¡± Lexy scratched her arm, ¡°I know the basics of the American Revolution, but I was curious didn¡¯t they have a flag before the American flag? I think it involved a snake?¡± Varan scratched his chin, ¡°yes actually it was the don¡¯t tread on me. The flag is yellow as the background but has a rattlesnake on it I think I have seen a few of them for sale at the big box store¡± Excitement filled Lexy¡¯s eyes, ¡°thank you!¡± But does not hear Varan¡¯s reply, ¡°any time kid¡± Lexy rushed up the stairs and checked her medicine. A cold rush of fear rushes up to her spine. She only has three pills left. She hopes she can make it. Lexy put on a fresh set of clothes and went to the restroom to clean up her face. Lexy headed downstairs, entered the dining room, and took a seat by Varan and Leslie. Lexy still has some questions for him. ¡°Hey, Varan.¡± Varan flips through a page in a book he is reading ¡°ya still got some questions for me?¡± Lexy nods yes ¡°All alright let''s hear it¡± She thinks of her first question. ¡°I know the basics of guerilla warfare, but do we still use it now?¡± Varan noded ¡°yes a lot actually, but a bit more modern per se. The military uses what is called gully suet. This suet lets you attach plants to it as well as whatever else you think will help camouflage you from the enemy; it''s basically suet that is made from loosely tied string and clips. To even tunnels between buildings.¡± Lexy gave a soft smile, ¡°thank you Varan¡± Varan went back to reading his book, ¡°yup¡± food was served and Lexy never felt hungrier. She didn¡¯t wolf it down, but the first plate did not fill her up nearly enough. Lexy stopped one of the butlers passing by, ¡°excuse me but could I get another serving please¡± The butler nodded and picked up her plate to bring it back to the kitchen. ¡°hungry?¡± Carin asked, raising a brow. Lexy nodded, ¡°ya I have had more of an appetite lately and I don¡¯t know why¡± Carin gave a soft smile, ¡°hey you might be going thru a growth spurt then you won¡¯t be so short¡± Lexy gave out a snort, ¡°hey I am not¡± Varan closed his book, ¡°actually you¡¯re only about three feet tall, which is very short for someone your age so I would be worried if you don¡¯t hit a growth spurt.¡± Lexy huffed and the butler from prior brought her second helping of food. Lexy hastily ate it. Now finished her meal Lexy stood up, ¡°I am going to head to bed early because I am heading to the forest early with Varikin¡± Thokath nodded, ¡°alright just make sure and grab a snack before you head out there, I don¡¯t need you starving¡± Lexy gave a smile and a thump up, ¡°you know it¡± She headed upstairs, Varikin now at her trail and the two entered the bedroom. Varikin laid down on the dark blue plush dog bed and began to fall into sleep. She did not bother to change her outfit and just cuddled into her blankets and plush toys. Falling into her land of dreams. Testing testing practice Come to the morning Lexy woke up before the sun. She plopped out of her bed, got dressed, grabbed her bag of equipment and mech and walked over to Varikin, and started to shake his shoulder. Varikin sits up and gives a sleepy glare ¡°ya, ya I know the mission is tomorrow, but I want to practice more with my magic. ¡° Varikin sighed and stood up. Lexy walked out of her room with Varikin by her side. The duo stop by the dining room. She walked up to one of the butlers, ¡°is it ok if I can get a snack on the road?¡± The butler nodded, ¡°yes we actually already have something prepared for you¡± another butler came in with a paper bag. Lexy gave a smile, ¡°thank you¡± she gave the butler a quick hug and rushed for the door with Varikin by her side. Lexy and Varikin entered the lush greenery, the heat of the sun being blocked by the canopy of leaves creating a cooler area, ¡°before I go and practice I want to see how the city is doing¡± Varikin merely nods he does not have anything to add on. Lexy and Varikin get to the clearing, the blond put her hand on Varikin¡¯s scruff. She breathed in the stale air and was happy the smell of smoke and blood doesn¡¯t quite linger like the day before. Varikin turned into his ferret form and hopped onto her shoulder. The two entered the base and walked into the cafeteria. People were organizing supplies, some were packing supplies. Lexy spotted Magi helping Jackson and a few other kids put things away. Lexy walked up to the group, ¡°Hey Cody, Jackson what¡¯s going on here?¡± Magi was the first to respond, ¡°hi Lexy as far as you¡¯re question goes the rebellion was basically making the whole city into a fortress but yet a city it is complicated¡± Jackson continued putting supplies in storage containers, ¡°what he said, also if you have the time, I think Leo has a quick upgrade for your mech.¡± Lexy gave a smile and waved ¡°thank you!¡± Lexy rushed off to the Lab. Magi watched her go and sighed ¡°so how did Lexy join the rebellion?¡± Jackson chuckled, ¡°eh define join.¡± Magi tilted his head, ¡°do you know how she ended up here? Working with you guys?¡± Jackson chuckled, ¡°well I''ll tell you. It all started with us on the run from one of the higher-up generals. Oh, what did she call herself? oh yes! The mistress of monsters? It''s close enough. We have these devices that let us temporarily go to where all the humans are. Do you know what a human is?¡± Magi nodded, ¡°yea I¡¯ve heard of them, and one time when Lexy and I were running from some specialists she took me to a place with self-moving carriages. It was strange and then we quickly went back here. Back to this realm¡± Jackson nodded, ¡°yes we have devices that can open gaps in that world and this and let us pass into them. Lexy however does not need this to pass into and out of that and our realm. But not the point back to the story. We were all running because we had too many injured and sick with us. Alcore told us to hide and he would divert their attention. Well to get away himself he had to use one of those machines to go through a tear.¡± Magi nodded, ¡°continue.¡± Jackson chuckled, ¡°well from here is what he told me. He said right before he got through is when a drake under the mistress control took a chunk out of his side. But since he has the whole super heal ability he knew he would be fine. So, he went through anyway. This is when he met Lexy. He said she freaked out when she saw him not because he came out of nowhere but because he had the hole in his side.¡± Magi chuckled, ¡°I can see it now¡± Jackson grinned, ¡°oh just wait it gets better. He said he had to shove her out of the way so she wouldn¡¯t get attacked. And then¡­then...¡± Magi tilted his head, ¡°what? What happened afterward?¡± Jackson shrugged, ¡°I don¡¯t know he stopped there and said he had to go check on something¡± *** Lexy entered the lab and was not surprised to find Leo packing as well, ¡°hi Leo¡± Leo sat up, ¡°oh yes I was wondering if you would come in today It is over here¡± He took out a few vials of blue swirling energy and set them down on the table. Leo then grabbed what looked like a small square plate with a bunch of engravings on it. Leo turned to Lexy, ¡°you have your mech?¡± Lexy nodded and Varikin hopped off her shoulder and Lexy pulled out her mech and handed it to Leo. Varikin eyed Leo, ¡°so what will this upgrade do?¡± Leo smiled, ¡°oh well it''s simple with this you can go longer and not use as much of your magic.¡± Lexy and Varikin then watched when Leo put in the rune plate first and then began to put in the vials of magic. Lexy tilted her head while Leo¡¯s eyes brightened when he finished, ¡°oh I will gladly tell you. You see since I can double a material I can do the same to magic. What I do is I take a little bit of the magic ora around a person and put it inside of the container and then I double the amount of magic until it''s full. Then ta-da! magic in a bottle¡± Lexy had to admit that sounds really cool to her ¡°That''s cool." Leo stops ¡°Uhm me cool no I only make random stuff for the others to use. I used to have some cool inventions but they disappeared with the fall¡± Lexy shook her head, ¡°no think about it you are important you make machines that let anyone touch the sky my people have this yes but they can¡¯t do magic they can¡¯t make wings in milliseconds let alone use them to just make one it would take twenty years or more to make just think on that for a bit¡± Leo huffed, ¡°well in any case here you go¡± Lexy took the mech into her hands and smiled, ¡°thank you, Leo!¡± Lexy exited the room and Leo cannot help but smile. ¡°you know there really is something special about that kid¡± Meko, having his head covered by his hood nodded and then brought up his hologram, ¡°so I managed to get the results from the testing you sent me. Which I painfully did and it was strange. As you said she absorbs magic to keep herself stable, but her body is doing this constantly. This has caused a buildup of magic in her and that build-up is what she¡¯s using for magic attacks from her blade.¡± Meko pauses and then resumes ¡°Her using her magic and never having before is going to cause her body to up the rate of magic intake. That could lead to a higher build-up and if her body reaches its max, she would at best give off a magic burst that could blow up a building. Let alone if that blast used all her magic. Did you give any of this info to Salveris?¡± Leo pauses ¡°eh not yet, why?¡± Meko hit his forehead then typed ¡°they¡¯re going to be going on a mission to escort a ship with supplies¡± Leo blinked ¡°ya I know if I record any medical info, I am supposed to give it to Salveris head of the health department of the rebellion so we can make a better judgment on who goes on what kind of mission. I know but why are you bringing this up now?¡± Meko from under his hood was giving a ¡®are you serious¡¯ Meko then typed ¡°there sailing up the river of shadows that thing is filled with strange magic I don¡¯t know that doesn¡¯t sound like a good place for a kid to be¡± Leo sighed ¡°well you know as well as I that¡¯s Alcore¡¯s and their captain¡¯s choice and I don¡¯t know why if you want to know more, I think you should talk to Alcore maybe he knows why? I don¡¯t nor is it my place.¡± Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Meko¡¯s curiosity only increased and he exited the lab. He entered the cafeteria to see Alcore talking to Jennie and walked up to the two. Alcore and Jennie notice him and stop their conversation. Alcore was the first to speak ¡°hi Meko do you need something¡± Meko noded and brought out his holographic device. ¡°Do you guys know why Lexy is going on this recent mission? I really don''t recommend it, because if she continues like she is going her magic could get out of control¡± He typed up on the device the letters glowing in the air before Alcore and Jennie. Jennie held a puzzled expression. Alcore piped up a dark glimmer in his eyes before he let Jennie speak, ¡°I could throw around a few guesses, but I think maybe the best person to ask would be Lexy herself. She volunteered.¡± Jennie shook her head, ¡°no she -¡± Jennie stopped when Alcore gave her a quick glare. ¡°You might be able to catch her tomorrow though,¡± Alcore said, while he put a hand on Miko¡¯s shoulder. Meko nodded and then an idea came to mind. Meko typed into his device ¡°could I come with you on the escort mission?¡± Alcore raised a brow, ¡°uh why?¡± Miko typed back a response, ¡°The mech Lexy has is a new version I don¡¯t know if it might need agistments or not in the field an engineer could come in handy with that.¡± Alcore nodded, ¡°very well.¡± **** Lexy struggled when she tried her tenth time at opening a portal above her and one in front of her. Until after a yell of frustration finally got the portal stable. Her marking on her wrists glows softly. She readies her bow with a set of normal arrows. ¡°Finally alright three! Two! one!¡± with that she charges through the portal and is sent into the air by the other. Her focus on her energy towards an attack. Lexy within a split second. Watched when purple energy seeps from her fingers and the energy spreads over the arrow as she releases it. The arrow whistled through the air and instead of hitting her homemade target hit a tree. Lexy looked at what she¡¯s done to her target and the poor tree that looked ready to topple any second. Shock filled her expressions as she looked at the damage that had accrued. The tree with a loud groan falls away from Lexy creating a loud crash startling birds to fly off. Varikin was surprised, ¡°uh are normal arrows supposed to do THAT? How about not using magic so that you know we don¡¯t set the whole forest a flame?¡± Lexy nodded and began thinking about this a bit better. She hums, ¡°I have an idea we need a stopwatch, rope, and more targets.¡± Varikin nodded, ¡°Ok but what is a stopwatch?¡± Lexy gives a confident smirk, ¡°it is a tool that allows me to figure out. For example, how many targets I can take out in a second.¡± Varikin now understanding, ¡°oh¡± Lexy and Varikin first got sticks for the targets and then headed to the mansion for a stopwatch and rope. The duo entered through the fancy but familiar doors. She headed up to her room and brought out her other backpack. Lexy pulled out some twine and a stopwatch. She and Varikin walked downstairs while Thokath strolled into the room at the same time and spotted Lexy with Varikin. Thokath put on a happy smile, ¡°hi Lexy would you like to join me and the others for lunch?¡± Lexy stopped and looked at Varikin. Varikin shrugged, Lexy smiled and looked back to Thokath, ¡°sure I would love to. What¡¯s for lunch?¡± Thokath gave a small smile, ¡°Lobster soup and for dessert apple cobbler.¡± Lexy raised a brow and wrinkled her nose, ¡°What is a lobster?¡± Thokath blinked, ¡°oh have you never had shellfish? Well the I think you will quite like it¡± Lexy smiled and followed Thokath into the dining room to see. Mina and Misa snickering meaning a prank was likely brewing. Axle talking to Varin about a new race game. Varic talking about a special spider that lives in the tropics to Carin. Leslie reading a book on Law history. Lexy sat down by Thokath to find a hot bowl of lobster soup waiting for her. She took a spoon and scooped up some of the soup. Lexy while eating listened to Carin and Varic¡¯s conversation about a spider. Varic brings out his phone and shows a picture to Carin of a black and gold-colored spider, ¡°They''re called Golden Orb Weavers. They create golden-colored silk plus, correct me if I am wrong. The Golden Orb Weaver catches birds and bees. It''s also about the size of your hand!¡± Carin¡¯s eyes practically have sparkles in them as she gazes at this, ¡°oh my gosh that is cool I would love to research this creature, not harm it of course but to test the strength of its thread.¡± Lexy about halfway through her soup stopped listening to her relative¡¯s conversations and just focused on her soup. she finished her food and stood up, ¡°I and Varikin are heading back outside I¡¯ll be back before dinner though¡± Thokath noded, ¡°alright, stay safe.¡± Lexy gave a smile, ¡°will do¡± She and Varikin headed back to the clearing they were using beforehand and began working on the target dummies. Lexy used string to tie together the sticks and used her knife to sharpen the bottom so the targets will be easier to set up. Lexy tied the last one and looked at the sky only an hour after they left the mansion. She shrugged and started setting the targets up. Lexy set the targets up in a circular formation. She stands back to admire her work ¡°All alright looking good but... How am I going to time myself?¡± Varikin smirked, ¡°I think I can help with that¡± with that he turned into his human form and Lexy shook her head and handed Varikin the stopwatch, ¡°you press this button to start and this one to stop¡± Varikin noded. Lexy got reedy and closed her eyes feeling when the magic rushed to her veins. Varikin straightened his posture, ¡°3¡± Lexy took a breath, ¡°2¡± she tightened her grip, ¡°1! Go!¡± Lexy bolted to jump in the air, created a portal above her and under her. She let herself fall and jumped out of the upper portal and closed both. She readied, aimed, and fired in a blur of attacks. Lexy shots at the targets as she saw them. The target collapsed as purple fire lingered on whatever was left. She gets as many as she can and lands on the ground panting, sweat forming on her face ¡°what¡¯s my time?¡± Varikin looked at the watch. ¡°seven-point fifty-six, that''s pretty good.¡± Varikin then looked to Lexy, ¡°actually are you ok?¡± Lexy laid on the grass taking big breaths feeling desperate for air. Lexy got a better hold on her breathing and calmed down. Varikin came up to her and looked down, ¡°so what are we going to do now you destroyed all the targets and a few bird nests?¡± Lexy closed her eyes, ¡°well I don¡¯t want to head inside yet so how about¡± Lexy sits up ¡°we go and explore the forest¡± Varikin shrugged ¡°eh why not¡± Varikin transformed back to his wolf form while Lexy stood up and stretched. Lexy took out her chalk and as the duo explored, she marked the path on her map. Lexy listened to the birds sing and the soft sound of her feet against the grass and then she heard it. Water, the sound of moving water. Lexy turned to Varikin, ¡°do you hear that?¡± Varikin¡¯s ears twitch, ¡°yes actually I think there might be a river nearby¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°oh we could make a net with some of the string and catch a fish for food!¡± Lexy and Varikin follow the sound of running water. Until it leads out to a riverside. The river was about nine feet wide and crystal clear to where the duo can see all the fish under the water. Lexy smiled and took off her shoes. Varikin tilted his head, ¡°what are you doing?¡± Lexy sat down and dipped her toes in the river, the cool water helping her relax. ¡°I am relaxing maybe you should try it sometime¡± Lexy said, bopping Varikin¡¯s nose. Varikin gave a playful snarl, ¡°well you can relax knowing I am your mighty protector because you clearly hold no threat, you¡¯re just too adorable that¡¯s why you totally have lasted so long it¡¯s because you¡¯re adorable.¡± Varikin said with a smirk, sarcasm filled his voice. Lexy huffed and puffed her cheeks, ¡°I am not adorable¡± she said with frustration. Varikin merle chuckled, ¡°but what I will give you is that determination to help others.¡± Lexy smiled and laid down keeping her feet in the cool water. The warm summer wind gently tugged on her blond hair. Varikin laid down but stayed alert as an hour passed by and she fell asleep. Varikin looked up at the sky for an hour till sunset. Varikin turned into his human form and picked Lexy up, ¡°Lexy! Wake up!¡± Lexy rubbed her eyes, ¡°huh what? No need to yell.¡± She said groggily. Varikin rolled his eyes and set Lexy down on her feet, ¡°common we don¡¯t need Thokath in another crying session like last time¡± Lexy sighed, ¡°fine but after tomorrow I want to come here and catch a fish¡± Varikin shook his head at Lexy¡¯s silly behavior. The walk was quiet and the duo had seen some deer again. They didn¡¯t make any stops due to a storm rolling in and not wanting to get caught in the rain. Lexy and Varikin got inside right before it started pouring the sound of thunder crashing through the air. Lexy flinched at the sound, ¡°that was close.¡± Varikin agreed with a yip. The two go through the empty ballroom and then into the dining hall. Everyone was already seated and eating, leaving an open seat by Mina and Misa. Lexy headed over and sat down by the duo. A slice of apple pie was already on her plate along with mashed potatoes and sausage. Lexy decided not to question this and just ate quietly. Lexy wanders to the mission tomorrow and if it is going to be anything like her last endeavor with the blood king. Lexy shudders at that, she is also eager to see the Doves progress with the city. She also is slightly wondering how well the king¡¯s hearing is doing. Lexy finished dinner and helped clean up. Lexy and Varikin head up to her room. She opens her equipment bag to see her mech spare knives, arrows, her bow, her uniform, and utility belt. Varikin raised a brow, ¡°what are you doing?¡± Lexy smiled and turned to her friend, ¡°I¡¯m seeing if I¡¯m ready for tomorrow.¡± Varikin noded ¡°makes sense.¡± With that the two head to bed. Hold my hand were heading down the river. It was five in the morning, Lexy and Varikin were all ready to go with her mech, backpack, and at the entrance into the woods. Lexy made sure to leave a note for Thokath not to worry. Lexy used her ability and smells the stale air that used to be strange to her is now comforting rather than one choked with warfare. Lexy and Varikin quickly passed by some people setting up the plateau with the rebellion door on the other side of the flat rock. The duo entered the base and it was much quieter than it used to be. Yes, a few members were walking around and doing what they''re told. Lexy was quickly approached by a female beast-blooded, a renegade with gold and blue-colored fox ears and tail. They come up to the blond ¡°excuse me are you Lexy?¡± The blond gives a slightly nervous expression ¡°yes I am¡± The beast-blooded has a stoned expression ¡°good we will be taking off in five minutes for the escort mission here is your flight equipment.¡± They hand Lexy a white ribbon. she puts on her classic smirk ¡°I will get ready immediately¡± The beast-blooded noded ¡°good, see to it¡± Lexy, knowing she was short on time, rushed to change into the equipment. She put the ribbon into her flight helmet and with a soft click it spins up all the info. Lexy only had about three minutes left, so she put on her mech and backpack. Then headed out of the rebellion door to the paltoue with Varikin in his ferret form and on her shoulders. Already at the flight range was the fox beast-blooded from before, Alcore, Meko, Fendres, Varikin, and a few others. Lexy put on her helmet and goggles. Then turned to Varikin, ¡°so are you going to come with?¡± Varikin held a calm expression while he raised a brow, ¡°well I will just turn into one of my smaller forms and be in your backpack as usual. What do you think¡±? Lexy blinked ¡°oh that makes sense- ¡° she was quickly interrupted by Fendres shouting like drill sergeant style, ¡°Alright, boys, we are heading out in less than two minutes. But before that, I wanted to bring up a few things. I am aware that we have a few rookies among us! Heed this I will not have stray offs doing what they damn please even if it seems like I¡¯ve lost my marbles. Always follow upper-rank orders even if they are from a different branch. THIS IS A WAR. Now wings up.¡± During this Varikin climbed into Lexy¡¯s backpack. Lexy then pulled the white cord on her mech creating the metal wings to appear. ¡°ENGINE READY!¡± Fendres shouts, pulling her cord to start her engine. Lexy jumped up creating the force to let her hover five feet in the air along with her allies. ¡°TAKE OFF!¡± Fendres shouted. She looked up to the sky, her comrades doing the same. Their mech¡¯s engines roar, sending them flying into the sky. Lexy did her best to stay close to the group and not speed past them. The group stopped descending and Fendres took the lead of the group creating a v formation. Lexy struggled a bit with the speed and put the mech on its slowest level. From there she had smooth sailing for them but as the sun rose. She could feel tension spreading through the group. She looks for what could be causing this, but she doesn¡¯t find anything that would cause this. So maybe it is because the sun is up. The blond thinks about why this would cause tension while focusing on where she is going. Lexy then realized it would be easier to spot the group and that¡¯s probably why they left so early. She heard the com link beep in her helmet, ¡°alright we''re going into a straight formation from here.¡± Everyone gave a thumbs up and started getting in formation. Lexy ended up in the tail of the formation when she heard whale sounds, but that¡¯s impossible because whales don¡¯t fly. The group does not waver to the sound. They act like this is a common occurrence. The group went above some clouds and that¡¯s when a large head raised out of the cloud its head is like a dragon, but it is white in color and has a large set of blue antlers. Lexy watched out of the corner of her eyes as this creature raised it to have a worm-like body with long thin arms from what she can tell. The blond activates her com on her helmet ¡°what is that should we be worried¡± Shortly after this, she heard a beep, ¡°Nah it¡¯s just a weather worm but it''s harmless, those noises you¡¯re hearing are talking to the rest of its pod. Well, correction is harmless until provoked. Just don¡¯t bother them and they won¡¯t bother you. Also, the rest of my rookies don¡¯t get too close to it; If you do well let¡¯s just say it will lead to a shocking experience¡± Lexy looked at it and yes, it was breathtaking as it is magical but decided to take Fendres¡¯s advice on this and stayed away. A few more weather worms followed but are not as close as the first one. Some of them have colorful markings while others are just one color. Lexy was filled with wonder but reminded herself that she was over one hundred feet in the air. She looked back ahead and felt terror grip her with its cold claws. when she saw there about to enter a giant thunder cloud. She hears her com beep, ¡°alright we''re here now for those experienced go first. Rookies follow the example and pull the black cord when they do while driving. Alright. FOR TODAY!¡± Fendres while turning to dive pulled her black cord and with a poof, her mech turned into a pair of huge light orange wings. Others follow the same actions, their wings light shades of different colors. Lexy got to the dive point and pulled her cord. The engine of the mech quieted and her huge black and dark purple wings spread into the air. Lexy dived not too far behind from the gravity pushing her down thru the storm wind whistling against her. Lightning clouding her vision, thunder drowning her ears. She noticed their heading into the heart of the storm when the wind howled louder she heard a soft beep in her com, ¡°All alright heading to land in ten¡± Lexy watched as the group headed into the eye of the storm. She felt herself brace for the worst. Lexy entered the eye of the storm and watched when the storm somewhat melted away. She continued to follow the others as they landed on the familiar giant turtle. Lexy¡¯s eyes widened when she looked around. Having not expected to see this place again. She hears her com beep ¡°welcome to the rebellion of turtle golf.¡± Fendres spoke through the com unit. Lexy followed the others when they landed on the tallest building¡¯s roof that had colorful markings like an airport. She gets ready to make her landing and runs onto the roof gradually slowing down and stops but a little too fast her wings continue and smack her in the face. She huffs and looks at the others who just stare at her. Lexy looked at the other''s shock written all over their faces. She gave a confused expression ¡°hey what¡¯s wrong?¡± Fendres and Alcore take off their helmets and glance at each other. Fendres just shrugged and Alcore is the first to speak, ¡°you have black and purple wings. Were used to their being white and light shades of color but this. This is different but we are here. Now, where is Phenic?¡± Fendres was about to speak when a familiar feminine voice to Lexy interrupted, ¡°right here staro¡± Then came up the bipedal tall bird that was dressed in a rebellion-themed vest with a black set of pants. Had a bamboo hat and a small smirk. Phenic looked at the group, ¡°so you brought some rookies with you are you sure they can handle this? Oh, hey kid¡± she said waving to Lexy and then turned back to her commander. Alcore looked at the group and a confident smile appeared on his face ¡°yup I would not have picked them if I thought otherwise.¡± Phenic raised a brow at the sight of Lexy ¡°Risking our ace?¡± Alcore nodded, ¡°yup I chose each individual for what they have to offer and went from there¡± Phenic shrugged ¡°alright I trust your judgment¡± Phenic¡¯s gaze slightly lingering on Lexy. Lexy pulled a cord coming from the wings and with a puff, they turned back into her mech. She opened her bag to find a sleeping Varikin curled up still in his ferret form. Lexy felt a rumble in her stomach and forgot to eat breakfast. She turned her attention to her other group members and the fact that they were leaving. Lexy rushes to follow the group and goes up to Meko. She gave a smile, ¡°hi Meko.¡± Meko gave a small smile from under his hood and then remembered he had a question to ask her but maybe later as he eyed the leaving group. The group follows Phenic through the city made of wood, steel scraps, and rope. The giant pistons let off hot puffs of steam when they move. The place smelled like humidity and sweet-smelling fruits, unlike last time. Phenic leads the group through the lower levels of the town. Children who were once playing stop to watch them pass by. Some of the residents stopped as well. The group reached a docking area for ships. Lexy noticed fewer citizens and more members of the rebellion. Lexy could tell by the emblem on their uniforms. She also has noticed that yes there are similarities in the uniforms, but distinct differences are highly present. Phenic lead the group to a large sailboat with engravings on the dark-colored wood. The sails were made of white unstained fabric. Lexy flinched when she heard a raspy voice, ¡°alright I will be your captain, and this is my ship the Serpentine. My name is Mafo, but you can also address me by captain. We still have an hour till we depart.¡± Lexy looked at Mafo. He was a red panda with an eye patch. Mafo was wearing a male version of an old-styled kimono. He had a long mustache but despite him looking old he still looked tough. Phenic stepped up, ¡°in the meantime feel free to grab some food or extra supplies. Notice to those who haven¡¯t been here before. We do have links to the black market. That is all¡± Lexy watches as everyone else starts to go off in smaller groups. Lexy felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see Meko. Lexy gave a smile, ¡°hi Meko do you need something?¡± Meko brought out his communication hologram device and typed, ¡°yes I was wondering since this is my tenth time here would you like some assistance?¡± Lexy gives a nervous smile and scratches her neck. ¡°yes, please this is my second time here¡± She feels her stomach rumble. Meko typed ¡°Hungry? I know a good place where we can get breakfast. Where is Varikin?¡± Lexy sighed ¡°I am, also to your second question Varikin is asleep in my backpack we should get him some food two.¡± Meko noded and typed, ¡°sure I''ll lead the way.¡± Meko led Lexy to a caf¨¦ that was only a few minutes walk up a sloped road. The interior of the cafe had wooden tables and chairs. Candles lighting any dark corners and generally a cute-looking caf¨¦. Meko got a bar seat and Lexy got one left for Meko. Lexy opened her backpack to see Varikin was still asleep as a ferret. She gently picked up her friend, ¡°Varikin wake up.¡± Varikin woke up with a jolt and looked up at Lexy, ¡°Lexy? Where are we?¡± Lexy giggled, ¡°you fell asleep on the way. We are already here, are you hungry?¡± Varikin before answering hopped over to the seat left to Lexy. With a huff, Varikin turned to his human form, ¡°yes, yes I am also hi Meko¡± Meko wavered and a waitress came up to the group. She was a bipedal dark green lizard beast-blooded like Talo. Her white hair is frizzy and white while her skin was dark-toned. The old woman smiled, ¡°hello Meko what can I get you and your friends. We have fresh fish, fruit, and dried meat today.¡± Meko typed, ¡°I¡¯ll have fish and I¡¯ll pay.¡± The waitress nods and writes down on a stained piece of paper with a quill. Lexy after some quick internal debating ¡°I will take a bit of fruit and meat, please.¡± The waitress nodded and wrote down her order. Varikin took no time to decide what he wanted. ¡°I will take some dried meat,¡± The waitress wrote down Varikin¡¯s order and headed into the back. Varikin starts first ¡°so Lexy I heard you did well during the whole siege event. Sorry, I missed your battle against the king by the way, what is he like?¡± Meko nodded in agreement. Lexy shuddered, ¡°he, I want to say psychotic, but he seems too smart for that may be a mix. His magic is from what I can guess. a kind of mind control and energy control.¡± Right as she finished her rant. The waitress came in with their food and set the plates of food in front of each customer. Meko ended up with a cooked two-inch-thick fish steak covering the whole plate Meko gets a fork and took a bite of his food while he typed, ¡°interesting you know there has only been a hand full of rebels to survive him in hand to hand combat and so just wondering how did you¡¯re encounter go with him?¡± a shadow looms over Varikin¡¯s and Lexy¡¯s faces. Varikin takes a bite of his food before talking ¡°that actually was her third or fifth encounter; her first was what happened after her third or fourth day after joining us. She walked away from that just fine too.¡± Lexy nodded stuffing the food in her mouth and then swallowed ¡°the first time we met he recognized that I was from the veil. He found it amusing that I joined the rebellion, so he considers that I and him are pretty much playing a game of chess or cat and mouse nonsense. I fought him then and he absolutely totaled me.¡± She said with a frown and then sighed, ¡°Now come most recently I put up as much fight as I could against him, but I only was rewarded with him now part def. He has not yet fought back against me like he does others. Which honestly is strange.¡± Lexy continued eating. Meko now halfway through his food typed, ¡°oh since we are here how about after we finish eating, we should see the Peryton farm it is not that far. It''s right near the docks'''' Lexy blinked as she thought back to Callum ¡°Sure I''d love that! I''ve seen one before.¡± Varikin tilted his head ¡°Wait when have you seen one?¡± Lexy frowned Mako was the first to finish then Lexy, Varikin. Meko paid for their meals and began to lead the group past the houses and docks to a fenced-off pasture, five minutes from the docks. Lexy stared and smiled as she looked at the peryton. Lexy looked back to the docks, ¡°as much as I would like to stay and pet one, we have a job to do and I see the others getting on the ship thank you Meko for breakfast and for showing me this.¡± Meko noded and Varikin turned back into his regular wolf form. The trio headed back to the docks and boarded the boat with the others. The captain standing at the wheel looked at the group, ¡°All alright now that my crew is ready, and you are on board. We have a few rules here. Number one never questions my orders, or you get thrown overboard. The second rule is you need to look like us other ships will be having suspicions if they see you in, you¡¯re uniform out on deck. Third, the second we get to those inspection points I want all of you down in the hidden deck unless I say otherwise. I will tell you twenty minutes prior. This will be a three-day trip. That¡¯s all my rules. There are beads prepared for you on the hidden deck. Oh, and stay alert, the king''s goons are not the only danger in these waters as of late.¡± Lexy watched when the crew lowered the sails and the ship moved with a sudden jolt. She hears the waves crash against the ship when it moved. The humid salty air filled her nose. Lexy, Meko, and Varikin begin to wander around the ship to find the hidden deck. They found their way to the wine cellar where a few crew members were having a drink. One of them came up to the confused group ¡°are you three trying to find the hidden deck?¡± Lexy nodded and the crew member chuckled, ¡°well you¡¯re already close to it here let me show you¡± the crew member led them to a shelf of barreled alcohol, ¡°this is it¡± he reached in between the two barrels and pulled a lever. The group heard gears click and shift as the shelf split into two revealing a spiral staircase down. Lexy looked with awe, ¡°thank you¡± She said to the crewmate. Lexy followed Varikin and Meko to the hidden deck. Half of the hidden deck was filled with boxes and crates, the other was a bunch of hammocks. Lexy walks up to an empty one that hazes a bunch of white sheets on it. She goes to touch it and the sheets with a puff of smoke turn into clothes that are just her size. Lexy looked in awe, grabbed the clothes, and headed to one of the restrooms to change her clothes. Once dressed in her sailor or her opinion pirate-like outfit. Lexy then headed back to her bag of equipment and grabbed her utility belt and quiver. She loaded her quiver up with normal and splitter arrows. Lexy grabbed her bow, which is in its compact form, and put it in her utility belt. Now ready she put back on her bag and mech. Lexy turned back to the hammock to see Varikin in his ferret form and he hopped onto her shoulder. ¡°hi¡± she says with a smile. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Varikin smiled, ¡°hello.¡± Lexy turned around to see Reba and Espa, ¡°oh, hey you two I didn¡¯t know you would be here.¡± She said with surprise Reba and Espa turn to the duo. Espa in her wolf form looked to the duo and Reba smiled ¡°hi.¡± Her voice was soft but with a firm undertone. Lexy looked at Reba and saw the stitches around her neck and smiled, ¡°oh you got that thing out that¡¯s awesome Reba.¡± Reba and Espa noded ¡°yes the others got theirs removed two. I see you already have the garbs of requirement on¡± Espa was the next to speak, ¡°Yes Zoric, Menarie, Resper, and Valour all got assigned to go and negotiate with the thunder pixies.¡± Lexy tilted her head and Espa continued, ¡°Thunder Pixies were hoping they¡¯ll be an ally in all this and help free the slum zones.¡± Lexy frowned, ¡°what are the slum zones and these magic robes are garbs of requirement?¡± Reba glared at the horizon, ¡°the slum zones are the place families is sent to starve and then be killed as for your other question these are magic clothes woven by a star dwarf¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°got it well I¡¯m heading to the upper deck you are coming, right?¡± Reba nodded, ¡°understood but no I am to stay down here under head captain Alcore¡¯s orders.¡± With that Lexy and Varikin head to the upper deck. When she reached the open air. She felt the wind ruffled her hair and the soft splash of water. The salty air was slowly fading as they approached an entrance to a river. Lexy watched birds fly by ship and listened to the splash of water. She watched when they entered the mouth of a river. It was clearly a river but what is weirding her out was she cannot see the other part of it. Lexy walked up to Alcore, ¡°Hey Alcore, are we entering the river of shadows?¡± Alcore snapped out of staring at the horizon and looked to her, ¡°huh oh yes we are why you ask?¡± Lexy¡¯s face scrunched a bit with confusion, ¡°I only see one side how big the river is?¡± A smile found its way on Alcore¡¯s face, ¡°oh that¡¯s because it''s too large to see the other side¡± Lexy¡¯s jaw dropped, ¡°this river has to be over a mile wide!¡± she exclaimed flabbergasted. Alcore shrugged, ¡°We chose the river of shadows because it is not nearly as hectic as the river of wonder. The river of wonder splits and flies in the air.¡± Lexy¡¯s expressions changed from shock to confusion, ¡°how can a river fly? Oh, wait let me guess magic?¡± Alcore nodded. Lexy gave a hum. ¡°So if the river of wonder flies, why is this river called the river of shadows?¡± Alcore¡¯s smile faded ¡°well that¡¯s the reason we are escorting the ship while the river of shadows is not as hectic as the river of wonder it is more of what is in the river than the river itself. We will probably have monsters and checkpoints to deal with.¡± She nods and then she remembers another question that had been on her mind ¡°also by the way where is Fendres?¡± Alcore¡¯s soft smile returns ¡°Fendres- ¡° As if right on cue the captain shouted, ¡°checkpoint! all escorts on the hidden deck in twenty minutes or less!¡± Lexy walked to the front of the ship to see what the checkpoint looked like. The checkpoint didn''t look like what she expected. It is a ship much larger than the Serpentine; it had a three-headed horse carved out of wood on the front of it. The sailing black midnight in color looked so beautiful, yet she knew that danger lurked from its core. Yet despite that, she can¡¯t help but be captivated by it. Reality snapped back into Lexy as she heard the captain, ¡°Two minutes till checkpoint!¡± She rushed down the decks and made it to the secret deck. She sat on a hammock when a few of the others were or like Alcore and Miko they were sitting on the ground. But no one dared speak, the air felt like you could run a knife through it and a single noise would cause suspicion. The captain can feel the tension coming off his crew, yes, they are used to checkpoints but this time it is much different. They have illegal weapons and fugitives of the law on this boat. If these inspectors suspect anything, they have every right to dissect the ship for anything and if they find anything that proves any of his crew or himself are against the crown, they will all be sentenced to death. They know one rebel is enough to get them killed but fifteen that means a fate worse than death. He himself was a part of the rebellion as well as his crew but since they just run supplies from one base to another or stage as a fishing boat to spy on coastal bases. But it was not just the extra passengers that had him and his crew stressed more than normal, it was what he was hauling that required an escort. The captain steadied the ship as his crew lowered the sails and prepared to be boarded by the checkpoint ship. The ship stops next to the checkpoint ship. With a loud clack, a board was set onto the two ships to act as a bridge. One of the first inspectors came onto the ship. They have high-rank clothing with laces. They look almost human if it is not for their deep ocean blue hair and cat-like eyes. They straighten their jacket and pull out a scroll, ¡°By the orders of his majesty, every boat is to be inspected high and low for any illegal weapons or artifacts of any kind. Furthermore, if we find any ship hiding rebels, we are to bring the rebels to his majesty, and as for the crew that hides them his majesty himself shall choose their fate of his preference.¡± They put away the scroll and put on a soft smile. ¡°Good morning captain, it has been only a week since I saw your glorious Serpentine sail. I hope you had a good fishing trip.¡± The captain gave a smile, ¡°well we did pretty good until a freak storm hit us barely got out, I think something has the weather worm¡¯s wrath possibly or another fool tried to capture one for enchantment dust. But yes, it is good to see you, my friend. How is being on high ranks doing you for being a water mage?¡± He let out a chuckle trying to not let tension hang. The inspector gave a soft laugh, ¡°you know I would not put it past some of those idiots out there. There are some creatures you just don¡¯t bother. For your second question not bad I think I am doing well my magic helps greatly¡± He lets out a whistle and five other men board the ship. One wolf beast-blooded. Second, a blue and yellow dragon blooded. The third was a bipedal frog with a peg leg. Forth was a beast-blooded with goat legs. The fifth was a bipedal jaguar missing an eye. The five begin to search the ship for anything that would raise suspicions. Lexy heard the shifting of items and loud footsteps from above her head. She put a hand over her mouth and nose not wanting dust to get her and so many others caught, When what felt like hours passed it stopped. Silence hanging over them for a moment and through the silence they heard ¡°alright your ship is clear, have a safe trip.¡± With a soft clank heard in the background and a minute later they feel the ship move again. ¡°Alright, we''re in the clear!¡± Lexy, Alcore, Varikin, Meko, and a few others all head to the top deck. Varikin starts a conversation with Alcore and soon Meko joins. Lexy however wanted to sightsee more. She eventually found her way to the back of the ship and was captivated by the rippling waves coming from the ship and the passing lands. It was after a short moment of this that she began to hear the soft almost angelic sound of feminine singing, coming from the left back end of the ship. This intrigued her and she headed to the other side of the backend of the ship. It was then she saw many small ripples in the water get larger. Until the heads of horses emerge from the water. Their fur and mains are an iridescent dark green, as they emerge further from the water these gorgeous captivating steeds¡¯ mains catch in the wind and flow as if magically through the air. Their hooves are dark black. More and more of these steeds rise from the water until there are at least twenty of these magical steeds. Lexy so fixated on these gorgeous and captivating creatures could hardly bring herself to look away. She sighed ¡°maybe Alcore or one of the others know about these pretty horses are¡± Lexy headed over to Alcore, Varikin and Meko, ¡°hey Alcore¡± Alcore, Meko, and Varikin stopped their conversation and change their attention to Lexy. Alcore was the first to respond, ¡°yes Lexy?¡± Lexy gave a soft smile, ¡°do you know what type of horses can move very fast in the water? Are they magic?¡± Alcore¡¯s expressions furrow with confusion, ¡°magic water horse none that I can think of that are friendly in freshwater, why you ask?¡± Lexy¡¯s expression changed to only more confused, ¡°well there is a whole herd of horses behind the boat and they are swimming about as fast as the boat if not faster.¡± She said, perplexed. Alcore¡¯s and Varikin¡¯s eyes widened and the two rushed to the end of the boat. Lexy and Meko quickly followed. Alcore eyes filled with worry turned to Mafo, ¡°Captain we have a hungry herd of kelpies on our tail!¡± The captain has someone take over steering for him. The captain stared out at the herd of Kelpies, ¡°Draw your weapons and ready the cannons!¡± Mafo draws his katana as his crew scurries to ready the cannons and weapons. Alcore drew his sword, Varikin turned to his larger form, and Lexy readied her bow with a splitter arrow. The herd splits into three groups one on the left the second to the right the third staying behind. Lexy walked up to Alcore, ¡°can we outrun them?¡± Alcore grimly shook his head, ¡°no this is a snail pace for them¡± Lexy heard cannons fire at the kelpies. The sound of demented nickering quickly followed. Alcore rushed to one of the boat sides, his sword extended to attack the kelpies that were going to jump onto the boat. Lexy now realizing what was happening ran to a boat side Varikin on her tail. Lexy released her arrow at the kelpies and to her surprise they doge. Then suddenly she heard a hiss as the arrow that was now in the water exploded and sent out a large burst of black tendrils that began to drag and devour three of these creatures. One of the kelpies leaped to the side, railing its black eyes to meet her own, filled with terror as it had just barely missed Lexy. Varikin lurched forward and bit the creature''s face. The horse hissed and went back to where it came from. Varikin now by Lexy¡¯s side snarled at the girl, ¡°keep your head in the game.¡± Lexy nodded and pegged another splitter onto her bow. She looked at the once magnificent steeds. Their once glossy coats were now rotted. Flesh falling off leaving a skeleton. Some of the others who were escorting the ship focused on battling the kelpies that jumped onto the ship and started to attack the crew. Meko lowered his hood and took off his cloak. His skin is black in color, his eyes deep brown hazel. He had axolotl gills and a tail. His hair was coal in color and puffy. He rushed to the back of the ship and stepped back just in time to dodge a kelpie that jumped up and tried to bite him. He summons two whips made from water. That quickly appeared in his hands. Meko jumped off the boat and used one whip to attack the kelpies while another kept him attached to the boat. Alcore attacked the kelpies when they jumped up to attack him. The last thing they needed was more kelpies on board. Alcore heard cannon fire and then the kelpies screamed with absolute furry. He thrust with his sword making it extend and kill the last few kelpies on his side of the ship. Lexy stopped shooting when she saw that the kelpies were trying to hug more to the boat making it much harder for her to get a good shot but just beneath enough to not get hit by cannons. She pulled back the string on the bow, loading it for another shot. She summoned her magic creating a portal beneath her and another about five feet away from the ship. Lexy felt herself fall into the portal and then jumped out of the one five feet away. She felt as if time was in slow motion, she aimed and fired. All within a few seconds killing off the last of the stragglers on her side with a splitter arrow. Lexy let herself fall back into the portal she had jumped out of. She jumped out of the portal on the boat and closed it before she fell back into it. She then closed the one on the side of the ship. Lexy heard kelpies screeching mixed with the snapping of whips coming from the back of the ship. She rushes to the back of the ship and loads her bow for another shot. Lexy looked over the edge to see Meko create a shark out of the water and send it after the Kelpies. The demented steeds screech and then stare at Lexy for a swift moment and leave. Lexy sighed, she put her arrow away. Meko in swift movement tugged on one of his whips and was sent flying through the air and landed on the deck of the ship. Varikin sighed, ¡°that was crazy.¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°yea go talk to Meko to check if there are any of those things left.¡± Varikin nodded and went to do his given task. She walked up to Alcore, ¡°so I am going to guess that they were after something on the ship.¡± Alcore shook his head ¡°they don¡¯t usually come in a hearing like that. Kelpies hate sharing food. They were probably desperate and really hungry.¡± Lexy frowned; she knew a lie when she heard one especially when they suck at it. She raises a brow putting two things together in her mind ¡°uh we''re hauling the soul stone are we not? Why are you trying to hide that?¡± Alcore¡¯s eyes widened ¡°How did you?¡± Lexy just smirked and tilted her head to the side, ¡°do you really take me to be so stupid? The soul stone got an enchantment put on it by the blood king. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it attracts monsters.¡± Alcore blinked ¡°no I wasn¡¯t expecting you to or it to. What?¡± Lexy shrugged, ¡°oh it''s ok I just figured it out on my own. I won¡¯t tell the others unless you want me to.¡± Alcore nodded, ¡°yea please no.¡± Silence fell between the two and he smiled ¡°you know I have had short glimpses of the veil and to most around here humans are the stuff of myths. The times I have tried to be in the veil I would get horrible headaches.¡± Lexy chuckled, ¡°Then what about the first time we met you didn¡¯t seem to have a headache then you had a hole in you the size of a dinner plate, and what did you tell me. Oh, right I remember now. I am fine, don''t worry about me.¡± A sarcastic tone lased in her voice as she tried to impersonate him. A soft smile lingering once she was done with her performance. Varikin chuckled when he came up to Lexy, ¡°all good.¡± He looked to Lexy who mouthed a thank you. Alcore tilted his head, ¡°I really was fine it healed really quick, so I don¡¯t understand why you were so freaked out. Is being immortal rare?¡± Lexy burst laughing, ¡°rare? Rare! Rare doesn¡¯t even describe it as impossible! People know of magic in the veil; you could say they just believe it¡¯s fake because it is something they don¡¯t understand. People or humans whatever you want to term them to. They hate not understanding things, so they chart magic as a child¡¯s imagination or fake.¡± Alcore noded took a short moment to think of what he was about to say. ¡°So, I have wanted to ask what your home is like if you don¡¯t mind me asking? I mean you just come and leave but the only one who remotely knows anything about you personally is Varikin¡± Varikin nods ¡°yea but even then. She¡¯s just staying with her uncles or Cousins'' house.¡± Lexy hummed ¡°well my home currently is really nice. I love the people there like a bunch of siblings I never had and no I don¡¯t have any siblings. The place is surrounded by a bunch of forests and wildlife. I guess I am pretty lucky to even know what living trees look like.¡± Alcore can agree to that but there are still a few more questions he has for her. ¡°What are your parents like?¡± Lexy flinched; she didn¡¯t expect him to ask that. THAT question she hates. It was what kids almost always asked wherever she went. No, not immediately but like the reaper of death it would followed. She remembered the other kids saying my dad¡¯s going to bring me ice cream WHAT''S YOURS? My mom bought me a new bike for Christmas WHAT did YOUR MOm GET YOU? No, there was a better question than that. WHERE was her mom for the moments that another kid just wouldn¡¯t, no, couldn¡¯t think of their parents being gone for? Like Christmas, a birthday, happy anniversary, winning first place in an archery competition, Mother¡¯s day, Father¡¯s day, these are events kids expect their parents to be there. Not hers, no her mom was too busy for her, her mom didn¡¯t have time for her, her dad left one present and left. That was the ONLY present she had ever gotten from either one of her parents. Mother just had the audacity to say, ¡°Sorry dear, I''ll remember next year.¡± The other people who did take care of her never really stayed long and once she showed she could manage on her own her mom left her mostly alone. She would just get visited by someone who would make food for her clean a bit, teach her that day''s lesson and then leave. If she was lucky, they would leave a book for her. Lexy shuddered, ¡°well I don¡¯t remember my father. My mom, she is¡­¡± What was her mother to her? Lexy sighed and looked to Alcore, ¡°Can we change the subject please.¡± Alcore frowned and another question surfaced that will hopefully be a happier subject for Lexy, ¡°what is the veils culture like or at least where you¡¯re from?¡± A smile formed from Lexy¡¯s lips a silent tear fell, ¡°well I think I speak for most people you have not lived if you have not had a burger of which you have not. So, I am going to change that before I leave for good. Got it?¡± The tone Lexy spoke from was that of passion. This to say the least left Alcore confused. Why would she be so obsessed with food? Is it really that good? Alcore shrugged, ¡°sure why not. But you know I think I can relate a bit. My mom died when I was born. My dad died in battle against one of the kings while he killed him.¡± Lexy tilted her head ¡°wait what? Is the king we have old or new?¡± Alcore¡¯s response was immediate and dark, ¡°he¡¯s new he only came to the throne ten years ago. His grandfather was killed by my father. His father was the one who sentenced my little sister Lily and my stepmother. To death by being burned alive. They killed my family. I''m going to kill theirs.¡± Lexy nodded silence fell between them and Alcore smiled, ¡°hey did you know whether worms are so big that the veil covers them up with clouds and thunderstorms because it just can¡¯t handle them all that well.¡± Lexy looked at the sky while listening and the sun was setting, the sky barely changing color. Panic struck her in the chest, ¡°oh shoot I have to go!¡± she rushed to the hidden deck ¡°Varikin!¡± she says with a shout. Varikin was lying down and dazed when he heard her. He jumped to his paws and ran up to her ¡°Lexy wha-¡±, He was quickly cut off by Lexy, ¡°I have to get home!¡± Varikin noded turned into his ferret form and jumped into her backpack. Lexy buckled the straps on from her mech and rushed back to the top deck. Lexy stopped by Alcore ¡°Alcore how do I get home?¡± Alcore chuckled, ¡°well I actually am a step ahead on that.¡± Alcore pulled out a jar containing a large red and purple swirl-marked butterfly. ¡°you tell it where you want to go and then it will lead you there¡± he handed it to Lexy. ¡°See you tomorrow?¡± Lexy gave a thumbs up. ¡°See you tomorrow¡± She then opened the jar, ¡°lead me home please¡± The butterfly rose out of the jar and led the way of the ship. Lexy pulled the black cord on her mech and in a puff outstretched her black and purple wings. She took off after the butterfly wanting to get home as soon as possible. After following the butterfly for fifteen minutes she could no longer see the ship or the river. Thirty minutes later the sun was halfway set and she could see the rebel''s base now Lexy didn''t land there though. Lexy closed her eyes and thought of the forest near the mansion. She opened her eyes to see from there she could see the mansion. Lexy slowed down and prepared to land. She got into a glide position with her wings and in a short few moments, she landed near the mansion. She took off her bow and quiver. She looked at her outfit it changed into a black hoodie and a pair of genes She put her wings away and let Varikin out of her backpack. Varikin transformed into his wolf form and then put on the illusion that makes him look like a Doberman pinscher. The duo carefully walks inside the soft click of every step on the checkered floor echoing around the massive ballroom. Halfway through the room, the silence is shattered. ¡°so, what captivated you so long that you were going all day?¡± Lexy turned around and scratched her arm, nervousness beginning to take hold. There standing behind her was Thokath looking at Lexy with a narrowed disappointed gaze while he tapped his foot against the tile impatiently. Lexy sighed and averted her gaze from Thokath¡¯s disappointed one. ¡°I and Varikin were playing by a river we found the other day and we lost track of time. Sorry¡± Thokath sighed, ¡°it''s ok just leave your note somewhere more obvious next time k?¡± Lexy nodded and she felt like she was starving. But her lack of sleep was more pressing than eating her as of now, ¡°ok I am heading straight to bed and good night Thokath¡± she said trying to sound like her cheery self. She headed up the stairs down the lavish hallways and to her bedroom and flopped onto her bed and let herself fall into sleep. Nothing can go they way you want it can it? The wind gently blows against Menarie, Valour, and their two wolven companions as they face a forest with trees large enough to have a four-lane highway go through them and still have room to spare. Standing next to the four were two Peryton. Menarie was happily skipping while Zoric followed her in a calm demeanor when she strapped on a bag and set a bucket of water for the large creature next to her along with some oats in another. Valour looked to Menarie, ¡°remind me why we have to leave the Peryton at the edge of the forest?¡± Resper shortly in his stead as the two walked up to the female elf. Menarie stoped, ¡°well look how big these trees are silly they would get stuck in all these roots easy if we had them walk and the forest is too thick for these guys to fly through. Besides their exhaustion from the flight over the mountain¡± The male elf nods as he turns to his peryton and gives it a bucket of oats and water ¡°right guess you have a point. So, what¡¯s you¡¯re guessing? Do you think the Thunder pixies are friendly or not?¡± Menarie shrugged ¡°Let''s hope so. Oh, and Valour¡± Valour turned to Menarie, ¡°yea?¡± Menarie gave a glare, ¡°don¡¯t you dare pull one of those allusion tricks on me or when we get to the thunder pixies chief. Otherwise, I will drag you by the ear on the flight back. That goes for you to Resper.¡± Her tone was dangerous. Resper whimpered, ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything but understand.¡± Valour chuckled ¡°yes mam.¡± Menarie raised a brow and then nodded, ¡°good now let¡¯s go.¡± Zoric only chuckled as the four entered the woods. Silence fell over the group as they entered the thicket of the forest. Large brushes begin to cloud much of their site. That when they hear it the sound of thunder coming from ahead. Yet there wasn''t a cloud in the sky Resper tilted his head, ¡°are those bees?¡± he said, confused. Menarie''s eyes widened and she quickly dropped any weapons she had. She then turned to Valour, ¡°drop all your weapons NOW!¡± Valour quickly did as told and turned back to Menarie, the sound of thunder getting increasingly louder and now that it gets closer it almost sounds like marching. ¡°Why did we do that?¡± right as he says this the noise stops. The forest closed to a deathly silence and Menarie pointed up to the trees. ¡°That''s why.¡± Valour, Resper, and Zoric all looked up to see tall figures on the branches with bows made from black wood but their arrows and bowstrings made of lightning. The light from the bows reflected on the many figures revealing their ash blue skin and dark color hair. Their eyes were electric blue. One of them raises their hand ¡°halt these are not soldiers. But be on the ready¡± their voice is feminine, unlike the others she had a crest of large white feathers with gold tips coming from her head. Her hair braided a few strands in front of her elf-like ears. Her clothes were made from animal skins. Two small skulls on her shoulders. She looked at the four and the weapons they had dropped. ¡°interesting I take it you are our first guests to actually want to talk and not fight. Tell me what you are here for?¡± Menarie sighed, ¡°thank you. I and my friend here are present to represent instead of our leader head captain Alcore. We are a part of the rebellion and we are here to speak to your chief.¡± The thunder pixie smirked, ¡°I am chief Wilma and a rebellion? Are you against your own crowned king?¡± Menarie nodded, ¡°yes we are, our leader wished to know if you would aid us in the fight against him.¡± Wilma sighed, ¡°I will make no such decision until I meet your leader. If you wish I will go with you to speak to him. I like it. You did not put up a fight or be arrogant. That deserves hospitality at a minimum. Come where are your steeds.¡± She then turned to other thunder pixies, ¡°I trust you will watch over the village in my stead.¡± They nod and she turned back to the four, ¡°now how long is the journey?¡± Zoric looked to her ¡°only two days to get there. Give or take.¡± Wilma looked to Zoric ¡°oh you¡¯re a wonder wolf I thought your race died a century ago.¡± She then looked at Resper, ¡°tell me did the rebellion save your kind?¡± Resper nodded, ¡°yes, yes they did.¡± The chief smiled, ¡°very well it¡¯s still morning shall we depart?¡± The four nodded and led her back to the two Perytons that were now finished with their food. Wilma smiled, ¡°I like your Perytons.¡± Zoric turned to his otter form and hopped into Menarie¡¯s bag and Resper turned to his form and hopped into Valour¡¯s bag. Menarie hoped on to her Peryton and then Wilma hopped on behind her. Valor mounted his peryton and the group took off. **** Lexy woke up to the sound of barking and sighed. She got dressed in her clothes of requirements. Giving her a dark black hoodie and black pants, not her look but if it is what the magic thinks she needs she will go with it. Lexy put on her backpack of equipment. She headed out of her bedroom. Varikin waited for her out the door, laying on the ground. He stood up and stretched, ¡°so we head back their first thing, or what¡¯s the plan?¡± Lexy started walking Varikin by her side, ¡°get breakfast then go.¡± Varikin nodded, ¡°still have the butterfly Alcore gave you?¡± Lexy nodded the two-headed to exit the hall but was hit in the face by a wall of saurian wrap. Lexy huffed and got the clingy clear material off her and then Varikin. ¡°why? You know what, never mind I don¡¯t want to know.¡± She said with confusion in her voice. The two-headed down the stairs then through the halls and entered the dining room to see a snickering Mina and Misa. She just chuckled and shook her head. She sits down by Carin and began to eat. Lexy finished eating and stood up, ¡°I and Varikin are heading outside, we should be back by dinner.¡± Thokath nodded, ¡°I will hold you to that.¡± Lexy headed outside, Varikin by her side. The two head into the forest silence between the duo. Until Lexy turned around and can no longer see the mansion ¡°alright let¡¯s do this.¡± With that, she equipped her mech and bag. Varikin sighed, ¡°the wonders of flight yay. Not.¡± He transformed into his ferret form and climbed into her backpack. She pulled the black cord her wings now flap out and adjust themselves. She pulled out the jar containing the magic butterfly Alcore had given her from her backpack. Lexy opened it releasing the butterfly and whispered ¡°take me to the Serpentine, please¡± the butterfly took off and Lexy soon after it. On the way, Lexy saw a few weather worms but didn''t bother to think too much about them. Come ten minutes later Lexy can see the river and the serpentine. It was after getting a little closer she could hear the cannon fire from the Serpentine at another ship and vice versa. Lexy looked at the other ship. It had a black sail and a blood-lander flag. The ship was nearly triple the size of the Serpentine this filled her with a twinge of fear. But if they''re being attacked this means the gig is up. She swooped down and landed on the deck of the Serpentine. Alcore ran up to her, ¡°oh my gosh you¡¯re here. I was starting to think you weren¡¯t coming¡± Lexy put a sassy smirk and expression on. ¡°Well I¡¯m here now but Alcore, not the point?¡± Alcore noded ¡°Yes, do you think you can help us sink that ship before it does that to us?¡± Suddenly a flash of light fills both of their vision and lightning struck the serpentine¡¯s sail setting it aflame, ¡°and maybe take care of the lightning mage?¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°what do you have the others doing?¡± Alcore before he could talk a round of cannon fire and more lightning attacks at the side of the ship. ¡°I have Meko and a few others helping the crew with repairs. Then I¡¯m trying to help so you¡¯re the only one with a personal mech or that bothered to bring theirs onto the ship. Do you think you could fly me over to them?¡± Lexy hummed, ¡° I¡¯ll try. Varikin is in my backpack so he can help to¡± She puts her hood up, spreads her wings, and raised into the air then swooped down and used the momentum to pick up Alcore. He was a little weirded out at first but after a short moment, he was used to being in the air and being held by Lexy in the air. Lexy let Alcore down onto the front part of the blood army¡¯s ship and he began fighting. She shortly after swooped down and with the momentum from the dive, she kicked one of her enemies in the head. While using her throwing knives to slash two. Giving them bad slashes on the chest. Lexy then landed and quickly opened her backpack and let Varikin out who is still in his ferret form. Rushed in front of Lexy and started snarling at his foes. The crew burst with a laugh, ¡°and what¡¯s this little thing going to do hug me!¡± a few laugh harder, and when one goes to kick Varikin. Varikin jumped at them and in midair changed to his giant wolf form. He bit the head of the man¡¯s shoulders and quickly headed for another one of his enemies. Alcore extended his sword into its whip-like form and sent out a furry of slashes against one enemy that was putting up quite the fight. They were a female snake beast-blooded equipped with two axes. They''re fast-moving and just overly cocky in his opinion. Alcore went to attack but again in vain as the female evaded his attack, ¡°I thought you guys are tougher than this, or it just because I am so strong? Probably the last one.¡± Alcore¡¯s eyes narrowed ¡°fine have it your way.¡± Alcore sent a furry of quick slashes. The beast-blooded only managed to dodge a few. They earn a slashed-up arm and a slash over the eye. ¡°bloody hell! Alright, that¡¯s it!¡± the beast''s blood¡¯s snake tail wiped viscously. They held the slash on their eye while thick dark red blood ran down their chest, arm, and face. Varikin continued his fight by biting his enemy¡¯s torsos out or just sent them overboard. Varikin tossed a few more of his foes overboard and watched when Lexy dived down. The sound of her whistling through the air as she knocked out one of her foes with a kick and slashed a few others in the throats. Varikin, after watching, headed back to fighting the blood of his fallen enemies dripping off his maw in rivers. Lexy, after knocking a few more goons out of the way, noticed one person on the ship while flying in the air. He had pulled back slick blue hair but what caught her attention the most was how it goes from light yellow to black tips. It is just like the king''s only yellow. She watched as he raised his hand and yellow energy rose from his hand and into the sky. The sky rumbled and another set of lighting attacks hit the serpentine. The man¡¯s yellow and black eyes twitch with annoyance with this human and dog on his ship... The yellow-haired man huffed, ¡°I will tolerate no rebels or doves whatever they are calling themselves in my waterways or on my ship kill them if you have to.¡± His elven captain flinched when he watched more of his crew fall. ¡°but my prince was supposed to capture and not kill them if it can be helped, it is one of your majesty''s new rules!¡± The yellow-haired prince rolled his eyes, ¡°oh yes that I know why he just kills them but fine tell the crew that and go and do your job for once I swear.¡± The sun flashed in his face and then it didn''t. The prince looked up to the sky suddenly mesmerized by a winged figure blocking out the sun. He knows the rebellion has special machines that grant them flight. But he has seen their wings never had black or very dark colors, if anything their wings and outfits were always white and light colors or something like it. Nor had he seen wings this size. To him, it was like staring at an angle of death and for a short moment, he swore he could feel his sins crawling up his back. From just being under this silhouette''s gaze. He heard more canon fire. The prince blinked and realized this black-winged figure of judgment was coming straight for him. Lexy pulled out her father''s knife. Diving blade first straight for the yellow-haired prince. The prince quickly turned to the side and grabbed Lexy by her wrist and he slammed her onto the deck. Lexy went to get up but was stopped by a sword to her throat. Her hood is still hiding her face and hair. Now that she is closer, she can look at him a little better. The prince¡¯s outfit was not that different from his older brothers, just more yellow. His eyes have pure black scleras and yellow eye color. He had pale white skin and black lines for veins. The prince¡¯s eyes narrowed; he had seen these clothes before. ¡°you¡¯re not from here are you?¡± Lexy glared at him ¡°I¡¯m not telling you anything you crazy psychopath¡± she tried to hide the fear in her voice but some still find their way. The prince smirks and runs his hand through his hair however there was a sad glimmer in his eyes. ¡°I hoped it wasn''t true but I guess you chose your role.¡± the prince lifts his blade to her hood and gently pushes it aside. His smirk widened and a silent tear fell from his face, ¡°so you¡¯re indeed from the veil that would mean I am going to go out on a limb here since you have that attitude they carry, American?¡± Lexy glared at him if it wasn¡¯t for the blade at her head, she would ever so eagerly wipe that smirk off his face with a knife to the face or chest so she will settle for words. ¡°so, what I don¡¯t care about, it just means I have the right to plead the fifth and bear arms.¡± The prince chuckled and shook his head, a somber look in his eyes, ¡°I don¡¯t see what¡¯s so special about you damn Yankees from what I can tell you only yell at each other, have ridiculous court laws, and have a sandwich obsession.¡± Lexy¡¯s glare harshed and then it faded to a smirk ¡°you know you have a point, but I don¡¯t think you really understand us. A real American knows that the most favored food is a burger, not a sandwich.¡± She kicked the sword, then jumped up and readied her throwing knives for a flurry of attacks. ¡°Second off, yes we may yell at each other but that¡¯s just called freedom of speech, something the people here seem to lack of which I want to change.¡± The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The prince staggered back a bit and picked up his sword. This wipes away his smirk. His hair glowed softly electric yellow and gave a cold laugh, ¡°do you really think you will win? It won¡¯t matter if you have more numbers unless you have stronger magic. So, what is your magic little rebel show me if you have what it takes to survive.¡± Lexy smirked, ¡°I think you¡¯ll regret that request!¡± She said, pulling her father''s blade off the boarded floor of the ship. She quickly made a portal in front of her foot and one behind the prince. ¡°Yankee doodle this your son of a bitch!¡± She said kicking the prince in the back. The prince, despite the pain, launched at her with his sword. Lexy dodged to the side but got a cut on the cheek. She threw one of her knives at him and one hit him in the arm. His blood was deep black and oil-like. The prince gave no reaction to the wound besides pulling the knife out and throwing it onto the ground. He slashed his sword in a flurry of attacks at Lexy; a few hit her giving her slashes on the chest and arms. She ignored the pain blooming in her chest and arms. Lexy created a portal in front of her to block a strike that would have killed her She then quickly closed her portal, breaking his sword in half. The prince¡¯s eyes widen and then his once calm face spreads back to a smirk. ¡°So you have teleportation magic, interesting but not fascinating.¡± With that, he tossed aside his broken sword. The crowd of crew members who had been watching and fighting, backed away to make space. This gave Lexy the clue that her opponent was about to use their magic. From what she can tell and from her experience a lot of magic needs space. Lexy took a glance around. Varikin was fighting what she could tell was the Elvin captain. Alcore was fighting against a snake beast-blooded all meaning she was on her own in this. The prince made a swift downward motion with his left arm. Lexy saw the area underneath her glowing yellow and the soft zaps of electricity. She dashed to the side and just in time to dodge a lightning strike. Lexy¡¯s eyes widened when she stared at the charred part of the deck that would have been her. Her ears were ringing from the sound of thunder. The only thing she can hear softly is the sound of cannons firing. Lexy despite being a little deaf. Shook the pain off. Lexy dodged more lightning bolts, her ears began to ring, and her body burned from pain. She dogged again but got hit in the left foot. She screeched in pain but after a short moment, it just melted with the rest of the pain. The prince¡¯s smirk returned, ¡°give up yet?¡± Lexy coughed and chuckled, ¡°if I gave up now everything I have done before would all be a waste¡± she stood up her left foot blooming with waves of pain but she gritted her teeth a pushed onward, ¡°I still have too much to live for and most of all you are going to have to beat me to my last breath before I give up on the people. Therefore I can¡¯t give up!¡± She dodged more lightning bolts and sent more knives at the prince. The prince got hit by two knives one scratched his cheek the other embedded into his right hand. He moved to get the knife out and Lexy noticed the glowing spots where the lightning was about to hit and faded away. He took out the knife and threw it on the ground. Lexy noticed one flaw of the prince''s magic: he can¡¯t move while using it, which explained why he would choose a sword for a weapon often. She dashes thru more lightning bolts the noise making her ears bleed and get about a foot away from him ¡°hello¡± she quickly concentrates a burst of her magic into her father¡¯s blade sending out an attack of the toxic energy. The prince did not doge fast enough. The magic hit him right in his side. He hissed and screeched in pain and after a short moment, he fell onto his knees. He looked up at Lexy and smiled, ¡°I believe in you.¡± Lexy gazed with wide eyes and she understood. Five crew members rushed to help the prince and began trying to get the magic off him. While a few others headed after Lexy. Taking this as her hint to leave she quickly spread her wings and took back into the sky. She looked for Varikin and Alcore only to see the two in the water, Alcore waving at her. Lexy swooped down and hovered above Alcore and Varikin. Varikin is on Alcore¡¯s shoulder in his ferret form ¡°hi you guys need a lift¡± Alcore looked like he was about to have a panic attack. ¡°Yes, go quickly pleased¡± Lexy raised a brow and shrugged. She rose into the air and then dived down and picked up Alcore and Varikin. Lexy gave the enemy ship a glance when she set Alcore and Varikin down onto the serpentine and then landed herself by the duo. ¡°So Alcore why did you and Varikin jump off the ship?¡± Varikin just stared at the ship and Alcore points at the blood lander ship that now has large bubbles from underneath it. But before Lexy could say a thing. A giant black and white six-tailed fox erupts out of the water and takes a bite out of the front part of the ship. Lexy¡¯s eyes widened and she jumped back, ¡°the hell you never said that giant creatures were in here!¡± Alcore scratched his neck, ¡°oh no she doesn¡¯t live here in the river she is my bio warrior.¡± Varikin and Lexy both gave confused expressions. Alcore shrugged ¡°I¡¯ll explain later¡± Alcore changed his attention back to the black and white fox that was about to head for the remainder of the ship, ¡°Metra! Good job, come back! And maybe shrink a bit please?¡± Metra raised her head and then swam back toward Alcore. Alcore tied a rope around his waist and climbed down the side of the ship. Metra shrunk down to the size of a normal fox. Alcore picked her up ¡°alright pull me up¡± Lexy opens her wings and uses them to help her pull Alcore and Metra up. Once the two are up Alcore sighs a bit more relaxed now, sits down, and begins petting the six-tailed fox he doesn¡¯t notice Lexy¡¯s wounds. Lexy feels the adrenaline fade and the pain grows far more present. Lexy saw Meko come up to her, his hood off and his eyes once filled with joy and excitement quickly changed to concern when he saw the blood soaking through her clothes. Varikin and Alcore see Miko¡¯s concerned gaze and follow its direction. Lexy almost fell from the lack of stabilization in her foot from the burns after getting hit by lightning. Alcore set her down ¡°hey you going to be ok Lexy?¡± Lexy gave a half hatred laugh, ¡°define ok I was going up against Mr. Lightning prince and I got hit by one of his lightning strikes. On top of that, I got cut up a bit by his sword. Didn¡¯t dodge fast enough¡± she said with a soft shrug. Meko rushed over and ripped up his cloak to make temporary bandages and begins raping her wounds. Alcore looks a little shocked and then gives a comforting smile but before he could say anything Varikin interrupted, ¡°well if he hit you did you hit him? Did you burn off his ears?¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°I think I hit him in the side with an attack from my fathers¡¯ blade with a magic discharge¡± Meko finished wrapping up most of the injuries and then looked at her burnt foot. He began typing up on his holograph device ¡°there is a healer back at base that can patch you up I just needed to stop the bleeding. But not the worst wounds I have ever seen. I hope you know you¡¯re lucky right? You successfully defeated one of the princes but not killed but still for how young you are I am surprised.¡± Alcore can agree not everyone was so lucky, ¡°so how did you beat him?¡± Lexy was about to respond when Varikin interrupted with a parent-like glare ¡°Lexy I do not believe that is the best course of action. Your magic strains you a lot, don''t think I never notice this. Because I do.¡± Lexy gave a slightly nervous expression; he sounds like a parent to her. Lexy closed her eyes ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later. Ok?¡± Alcore nodded and sat back down and resumed petting his six-tailed foxes. Lexy let herself fall into a blissfully dreamless sleep. Varikin curled up against her bathing in the sun and watching things pass by his fur gently swaying with the wind. Meko climbed to the crow nest of the ship and looked out to the horizon, the sun high in the sky. The river of shadows was more on the east and acts as a clear barrier between the rich farmlands of the rich and the poor villages that have dilapidated houses and half-dead people living there. That¡¯s why people join the rebellion. Most of them are a parent who wants their children to have a better future or their siblings that have seen in some way what their older sisters or brothers were really sent to. Then there is that rare high-class person that joins because they see the atrocities of the royal family''s true ways. Though from what Meko has gathered this was not Lexy. She didn¡¯t have siblings she wasn¡¯t a parent she could have left and forgotten about them and yet she more than just stays. She fights along with them and brings them food and proper materials. Never once did she ask for a thank you as far as he can remember. Maybe that was why he was so curious about her motivation. Meko lets himself get lost in thoughts, his axolotl tail wagging softly one way and another. The wind blows strongly at his water shell causing ripples through his light ash hair. The ship accelerates with speed as the wind pushes it. Two hours passed and Lexy was rudely awakened by the sound of Alcore shouting out orders. Lexy sits up which is rewarded with blossoms of pain from her injuries ¡°ugh Alcore what¡¯s going on?¡± Alcore changed his attention to Lexy ¡°oh you¡¯re awake good we just docked twenty minutes ago.¡± Lexy stood up limping with her left foot while Varikin gave her support. Alcore sighed, ¡°before you head backstop being brave and at least get your foot healed at the care center. The new care center is set up not too far from here. You head straight down the street for two buildings. You stop, and the immediate care center is to your right.¡± Varikin nodded and transformed into his larger form. Lexy tried to get on his back but it was to no avail with her injured foot. Varikin laid down as far as he could go, ¡°now try¡± Lexy got on and gripped with all her might onto Varikin¡¯s fur as he stood up. Varikin took off in long bounds, his strides against the dusty coble of the city sounding like the rhythm of a horse galloping. Lexy stretched out one of her arms the feeling of the cool wind blowing against her. Reliving some of the pain from her injuries. Varikin made a sharp stop. She looked at the cobblestone building that used to be a store and had a sign plastered over the window saying, ¡®immediate medical attention¡¯ In bold black letters in cursive-like handwriting. She doesn¡¯t have enough energy to protest. Varikin let Lexy down and helped her into the care center. The smell was of chemicals soft in the dull air. A polar bear beast-blooded comes up to the two. Her hair is hazel in a color that goes well with her soft and kind silver silted eyes and white fluffy bear ears. She was tall enough to stare Varikin in the eyes. Her hair was in a messy braid. Her skin is a mix of dark and white. Her attire consists of medieval doctor¡¯s attire. Varikin was the first to talk ¡°she has an electrical magic burn on her foot along with cuts along her body.¡± He said worry filling his voice The beast-blooded nodded her expression goes stern and worried from tiredness and a soft smile. She picked up Lexy, gentle and strong arms embracing the little warrior. She turns her gaze to a few of her companions ¡°I need a bed set up and prepare for treatment of an electrical burn and deep cuts. Patent is awake but not very responsive as of current¡± her companion''s nod and rush to the set tasks. She then turned back to Varikin ¡°you, you brought her here do you know what type of magic she has?¡± they move some of her hair to look at her ears ¡°and what is she exactly?¡± Varikin thought for a moment and shook his head, ¡°no I really don''t know what type but if it helps, she does absorb magic around her as for what she is. I know this sounds crazy but she is part human and as for what else I do not know¡± The beast-blooded at first is filled with shock. In all her life and even though the past week or so ago she never thought she would ever meet anything human. She frowns they don¡¯t have any medicine meant for humans but like hell is she going to let this little one die. Her frown changed to a look filled with determination ¡°alright stay here we will do our best¡± she rushes away from Varikin and enters a short hallway where another medic is waiting. This medic is a mystic lizard creature with two sets of arms and two tails. They were white lab-like coats and did not have shoes. The lizard begins walking beside the beast-blooded on all six. He has a casual smirk along his face ¡°so what is it this time we do not get emergencies that often. That get you like this Lissa¡± his voice cracked and slightly high-pitched. Lissa turned and opened a door to a room filled with medicines, one caldron, and a bed. ¡°I don¡¯t know if we have any medicine that fits them Miskal.¡± Miskal stopped in the doorway, ¡°what do you mean? we have one of the widest varied medicines and potions in this district.¡± Lissa turned on a heel to face Miskal, ¡°yes, but do we have any medicine built for humans and a child at that?¡± Miskal¡¯s eyes widen ¡°human? Child?¡± he walks up to the half-awake Lexy ¡°I could delude the medicine. These injuries cannot go untreated, but it might be better to have Tharif handle this he does have healing magic... It is you call Lissa¡± Lissa got a determined expression and sighed. ¡°very well bring in Tharif, I think he is our best option here.¡± Miskal nods and runs off to go get Tharif. Lissa turned to the half-awake Lexy ¡°Uhm hello?¡± to her extreme surprise. Lexy goes from staring off to giving Lissa her full attention. Lexy gives a soft smile ¡° thank you for helping me.¡± Lissa is shocked the kid can even respond. She knows of the tales of the monsters that were called humans. That they were demons to be feared and killed. But the look of gratitude in the child''s eyes. Lissa was beginning to question those stories. Lissa gave a smile, ¡°hi I am Lissa, and do not worry it is just my job to help all types of creatures but. Never seen a human before, at that a human child. But I am a nurse¡± Before Lexy could respond Miskal walked in with Tharif. Tharif was a little shorter than Lissa. He had goat legs, curled horns, and dear ears. He has small vines hanging from his horns and ears. He had light blue hair with green streaks. He had well-tanned skin and is wearing an old-style doctor coat from the medieval era. Tharif walked up to Lexy and grabbed a chair. He sat down and looked at her injuries. He smirked, ¡°I will have this done in a jiffy¡± he brings his hands to each other and quickly rubs them creating bright green sparks of magic he takes his hands apart. He then had a bright circle of bright, green magic on the palm of both his hands. The first injury he healed was her ankle. By just hovering his hands ten inches above the injury. In less than a minute he has healed Lexy¡¯s ankle. He then at a slow and steady pace did the same with all her other injuries. Tharif gave a smile, ¡°ta-da all good do you have any other injuries?¡± Lexy gave a smile ¡°nope and thank you very much do I need to pay you'''' or `` Tharif shakes his hands and sweats a bit ¡°oh no you don¡¯t have to pay you are a part of the rebellion right?¡± Lexy nodded. Tharif snapped his hand, ¡°then free of charge you see the rebellion made a contract with our medical station. The rebellion pays by giving us proper supplies and food. So, no worries little buddy.¡± Lexy gave a smile ¡°oh ok but uhm can I leave now?¡± Tharif noded ¡°yup free to go just make sure and come back if anything else comes up¡± Lexy nodded and hopped for the hospital bed. Lexy exited the room and headed down the hallway back to Varikin. Varikin noticed Lexy and stood up ¡°where to now?¡± She gave a soft hum looking out at the sun that was halfway through the sky ¡°how about home?¡± Varikin shrugged, ¡°sure hop on I can get us to the warp point in a jiffy¡± The blond nods and hops on to Varikin¡¯s back. The pain was no longer there. Varikin exits the healthcare station and runs with the blond on his back. Lexy looks at the town buildings as they pass by. Some are still broken from the fighting but are under construction. Most of the outskirt¡¯s buildings are being turned into watchtowers or walls. They pass the last set of houses and enter the abandoned convex area. Varikin begins making sharp turns. Lexy does her best to lean with the sharp turns and does not cut herself any more than she has on some of Varikin¡¯s crystals. She loves the feeling of his fluffy fur; it has comfort to it whenever she touches it. It reminds her of her mother. Varikin made a sudden sharp stop. If Lexy had not been hanging on so tight she would have flown off. ¡°We''re here.¡± Lexy nodded and started to think of the veil. She closed her eyes and opened them to see the lush forest. Lexy sighed, breathing a little easier she missed the sound of nature. She still finds reality a little weird due to the lack of trees and anything that would seem logical is gone by a long shot. She got off Varikin¡¯s back and he put on his Doberman pinscher allusion. Lexy started walking to the mansion Varikin steady in pace by her side. Lexy put her hands into her black hoodie pockets, ¡°hey Varikin I have been thinking is there a library that has magic-type records?¡± Varikin raised a brow, ¡°yes but you would have to be a specialist or higher to access the royal archives. Plus on top of that, it would be suicidal to enter the capital; they have high-level soldiers, constant patrols, and to be on that level of the city you have to be one of the higher-ups or an aristocrat; it is death to any rebel who would dare enter. Then if you somehow get through the city you have to sneak into the Castle where may I mention the royal family lives. I am frightened that you even think about it.¡± Lexy shrugged and put on a smirk that says yes, she does want to try and go through all that. Varikin sighed and shook his head with a frown, ¡°I am questioning your sanity don¡¯t you know we will die if we go in their¡± Lexy maid a sassy hip posture and leaned to Varikin ¡°no you just said what we would have to face it and that doesn¡¯t sound like certain death¡± Varikin raised a brow ¡°really know what it sounds like?¡± he says in a sarcastic voice. Lexy put on an overly large smile, ¡°it sounds like almost certain death and when we are captured we will be tortured and then broken. And then they will make us battle the others for them.¡± Varikin frowned a bit, ¡°you said all that with way too much joy in your voice¡± Lexy giggled, ¡°oh common you know I am joking.¡± Varikin sighed ¡°ya I know but are you serious about sneaking into the capital and for what info on magic types. Why?¡± Lexy''s expression went to serious and focused, ¡°I know what range of magic the king has it is a concept so I want to find a catalog of information on magic types so we can know if he has some crazy weakness or something like that¡± Varikin¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°Oh I see! Lexy you¡¯re a genius, but I don¡¯t think you should try this alone, maybe talk to Alcore.¡± Lexy hummed ¡°you wouldn¡¯t come with?¡± Varikin shook his head, ¡°of course I would, I just would have to be in a smaller form. I have a job to do and that protects you. . .even if you go on a crazy suicide mission and drag me along¡± Lexy raised a brow, ¡°who said I am actually going to?¡± Varikin huffed ¡°oh please I know you better by now you would not just suggest something like this and then just drop it with no more thought.¡± She chuckles ¡°ya your right¡± Varikin hummed, ¡°you know an interesting fact about that butterfly Alcore gave you. Did you know if you have a map it can show you where a place is if you know the name it¡¯s called?¡± Lexy nodded, silence fell when she fell into her thoughts as her response. The rest of the walk was peaceful for the duo Lexy enjoyed the short moment of silence in the mansion. Lexy and Varikin reach the mansion to see a large limousine pull out of the driveway and leave. Lexy shrugged it off as one of the others going to a business meeting or something like that. Lexy and Varikin enter the mansion. The first person to greet Lexy is Thokath to her surprise. ¡°Evening Lexy dinner is a bit cold but I am sure the chefs can warm up some for you.¡± Lexy gave a small smile, ¡°sure that would be great.¡± Covert mission without permission Alcore sighed when he saw two peryton land on the landing deck Metra standing by him, the size of a dog. ¡°What, I thought you two would be gone for another day or so?¡± He looked at Valour and Menarie and then saw Wilma, ¡°I showed them a few shortcuts. I am Wilma chief of the thunder pixies. I was told a human named Alcore wishes to make a treaty with my people.¡± Alcore blinked, ¡°oh that¡¯s me.¡± Wilma nodded ¡°very well my time is little, shall we discuss now.¡± Alcore could only nod ¡°Uh yes Menarie, Valour take the perytons to rest.¡± Wilma looked back to Alcore, ¡°now let¡¯s discuss this treaty. I am willing to fight the king. My people have hungered with revenge, we have been training after watching our brothers and sisters be slaughtered on their own land. Other tribes being extinguished like their nothing.¡± Alcore noded ¡°I will guarantee that your efforts shall not be for nothing. What I was thinking is that we remove all of the royal family''s grip on the western coastline and gain numbers by freeing the great slum zone.¡± Wilma looked at him and hummed ¡°I will only try this after being here for a day so I may see if you¡¯re worth my people''s while.¡± Alcore noded ¡°Very well come I''ll show you to your dorm.¡± ***** The king rests his head in his black-gloved hand. He sits in his carriage watching as things pass in a dark blur the sun has set by now and he doesn¡¯t mind if anything he quite likes the feeling of being surrounded by shadows. He was on his way to a meeting, but he wasn''t wondering why a meeting would be called ahead of schedule. Right now, his mind is thinking about the footage from one of his little brother''s recent battle¡¯s and he must say he was surprised. His brother, calm and intelligent to lost to a certain little rebel. Just in one shot. How he would get footage from a fight you may ask. Well, materials from the veil can¡¯t be brought to reality but that doesn¡¯t mean stuff like video cameras and phones can¡¯t be made. The king just orders his personal factory to whip something up for him; they do so as ordered. The king sits up and hummed ¡°they have gotten better at fighting and with their magic but they use it as a last resort¡± the carriage stops abruptly to the king''s slight discomfort. He sighed and a worker opened the carriage door for him. He stepped out and walked up to the two kelpies attached to the carriage. They nickered softly in hello, ¡°hello my beauties thank you for the ride¡± the king turned to the stagecoach ¡°I think you could have done a little better at the turns and been a bit gentler on my kelpies.¡± The stagecoach sweats and gulps nervously as he feels himself shake. ¡°Yes sir.¡± The king gave a soft smile, ¡°good see to it¡± the king stops half a foot away ¡°oh and one more thing¡± a harsh smirk spread on his lips ¡°would you mind feeding the kelpies for me¡± the stagecoach began to shake and sweat as he turned to look at the kelpies who lick their maws staring at him like he is their next coarse meal and gulps ¡°y-yes sir¡± With that, the king entered through a large set of doors opening to a large room with a long table. That was lavishly set, there at the table are already many figures with similar outfits to the kings. Murmuring can be heard as he walked to the table Two were wherein masks while the rest were masking over their eyes. One is black and white while the other is white and black. These are his siblings and generals. The king took a seat at the head of the table. He sets his hands on the table ¡°so what is so important that you summon a meeting half a month early?¡± The first to talk was one of his little brothers he was the one Lexy recently fought with, ¡°yes you see the rebellion has a Vail Walker. This would not be such a problem if the fact that they''re clearly more than just a soldier. Plus there¡¯s the fact that there-¡° The king puts up his hand ¡°I already know, I have already encountered them twice out in the field. The first time they didn¡¯t really fight against me but the second time.¡± He pulled at some of his red to black hair to reveal what he had left of an ear. Quiet fills the room. The king rests his head on one of his hands ¡°yes they will be quite the wrench into our plans but if you listen to me. Because I already have a plan on how to deal with them. If my plan works, the rebellion will be no more than a distant memory.¡± One of his generals raised a brow ¡°I am a little concerned how does this plan work?¡± The king chuckles darkly ¡°oh I was hoping someone would ask. You see I have selected a group of you to fight them not all at once. The ones who have been chosen are the ones who were all given cards before I came in here. However, for those who already do not engage them in battle again otherwise, the plan will be ruined. I don¡¯t care about the order except for you two.¡± The king points to the two wherein black and white outfits. ¡°right after everyone else and I want you both to attack at the same time or a little bit after the other. If you choose after the other, I want you¡± He points to the one who is wearing the blacker outfit ¡°to be last¡± he ran a hand through his red and black hair ¡°as for everyone else I don¡¯t care who fights them next. But I do want to be aware of who it is, as for you general''s I want you to pull half of the troupes from the slum zones and move them aft go to fort Telveno I will be there with further instructions¡± His selections begin to mutter among themselves. The king waits patiently for an answer. His generals were quiet and one of his female generals stood up. This one has her dark green hair that turns black at the tipped hair into a bun. ¡°I will be next but how do I get them into a fight?¡± the king chuckles darkly ¡°oh don¡¯t worry I have eyes everywhere an opportunity will reveal itself¡± ***** Lexy sat up out of bed and sighs as she was dressed in her pajamas. She tiptoed her way through the room to not wake Varikin. Before she left her room, she made sure to grab her bag of equipment and mech. She stepped out of her bedroom. She went to the bathroom and took her medication. The hallways are poorly lit, but she must check something. The blond walks downstairs to go to the entertainment room. Lexy opened the door to see Axle asleep on the couch who clearly fell asleep playing video games as she looked at the screen. His game finished at one o''clock and it was three o''clock in the morning. She headed over to the table that had three tablets on it. Lexy opened one and turned it on. No password. It just opened to a popular search engine. She brought up a weather radar for thunderstorms. She took out the jar with the butterfly inside it and whispered, ¡°where is the capital city of Anawrath?¡± with that she lets the butterfly out of the bottle. The creature lands on the computer screen blue energy come off it and the light forms into two words Oklahoma City. She smiled and the butterfly returned to the jar. Lexy sealed the bottle and put it back into her bag. She then typed in Oklahoma City weather and the map moved in on Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City was currently covered in a set of thunderstorms which was what exactly Lexy needs. She remembered Alcore once saying whether worms are so big that the veil covers them up with clouds and thunderstorms because it just can¡¯t handle them all that well. The next step in her plan was to figure out how big the storm is. If the storm was big enough it meant a lot of weather worms and that was what Lexy was after. She zoomed out and to her luck yes a lot of weather worms. Lexy closes the laptop and heads back upstairs to her bedroom for a change of clothes. She tiptoed into her room and changed her clothes to her flight uniform. Lexy grabbed the large jar with the enchanted butterfly inside. Lexy quickly grabbed her shoes and now ready to go, headed out of the mansion. Steps out to the driveway and pulls the black cord on her mech. Her large black and purple feathered wings spread out. The blond closed her eyes and thought of reality. She opened them and No wind greeted her, just warm dull air at the edge of the convex area. Lexy pulls out the enchanted butterfly, its soft blue glow reflecting on her face ¡°take me to the capital, please¡± the butterfly fly took to the sky its delicate wings give the sound of a soft flutter. She soon followed it into the air. It didn¡¯t take long to get to the capital for only fifteen minutes. Lexy stopped midair and caught the butterfly, ¡°this is fair enough, thank you¡± the butterfly returned to its jar after a short pause. Lexy looked at the capital and it was far more impressive than what she expected. The houses were like ancient Japanese palaces that are all built around tall stone pillars the size of a skyscraper. Bridges linking the houses and acting as walkways that even could hold a horse. The whole city was lined with a large wall. But as to her calculations, there was a large system of weather worms flying over and with them a storm. She saw flying ships going from place to place. She also noted the wall with patrols all over the place. Some on the wall, some outside the wall. Lexy sighed, ¡°alright already this far no turning back¡± She entered the storm that has encased around the weather worms, the sound of thunder filled her ears flashed of lightning cause her to flinch. Lexy flew lower but just enough to be covered by the storm. As she enters the eye of the storm, she sees the giant castle that sits on a foundation of stone and sits above the clouds. She looked down at the base of the stone foundation and saw a large set of sewer systems that lead into the castle. She smirked knowing this will be her way in and brought back out the enchanted butterfly ¡°take me home please¡± the butterfly led the way and it¡¯s another fifteen minutes back to the mansion. Lexy landed in the driveway and put away her wings and the enchanted butterfly. She entered the mansion and entered the entertainment center. The blond tiptoes through the room to not wake up Axle and puts away the phone. She then sneaked out of the room and headed upstairs to her bedroom. Lexy softly opened the door and entered her bedroom. Lexy tiptoed to her bed and put away her mech. Her robes of requirement changed into a fluffy set of pajamas that were yellow in theme. Lexy lays down and heads back to sleep. **** Lexy woke up groggy to the sound of Varikin barking ¡°ugh no doggy¡± Varikin only got louder in his barks. She sighed ¡°fine I¡¯m up¡± She sits up and her robes of requirement change to a set of blue jeans and a red hoodie. Lexy put on her sneakers and exited her bedroom with Varikin by her side. The blond-headed down the halls not really wanting breakfast. When she bumped into Carin ¡°oh, sorry Carin¡± Carin adjusts her glasses ¡°oh no you''re fine¡± Lexy then had an idea strike, ¡°hey, Carin I am actually glad I bumped into you. I know that this is a bit out there but what if you took spider silk and made a giant net from it.¡± Carin hummed in thought and pulled the clipboard out from her arm. She then pulled a pencil out of her ear and began jotting down ideas for this. Carin then pulled the sheet of paper off the clipboard and handed it to Lexy. Carin began walking away, ¡°that should give a good start in what you would need to do but keep in mind that getting spider silk is a tedious process¡± Lexy nods and folds the paper then pockets it. The blond decides to head to the dining room for breakfast. Lexy then decided to head to the dining room for breakfast. She entered the dining room with Varikin by her side. She noted that everyone was here. Lexy decided to sit by Axle. Axle grumbled, ¡°uh my arm is sore maybe I slept on it funny.¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°ya maybe it¡¯s from sleeping on the couch too much. Maybe try one of the guest beds they aren¡¯t that bad¡± Axle blinked, ¡°you kind of have a point there, kiddo¡± Lexy gave a kind smile, ¡°yup happy to help you Ae because I love you guys. You¡¯re like a bunch of older siblings I never had honestly¡± There was an immediate silence as to whether she did something wrong. No, she didn¡¯t, Axle after just being silent for a moment he leans over and hugs her. ¡°love you too kiddo, like a big brother kind of way¡± he released her from a hug. This brought a lot of easier thoughts to Lexy for a short moment she thought he hated her or something. She continued to smile but it slightly wavered. Lexy watched when one of the maids set a plate of steak and eggs with a glass of apple cider. She also noticed they set down a strange-looking purple-like fruit in front of her. The blond perplexed by this fruit pokes it a bit. Axle chuckled and grabbed the fruit, ¡°it¡¯s called a queen fruit¡± Lexy watched when Axle took a sharp knife to the fruit and cut it in half revealing white like orange slices inside of it. ¡°You eat the white part¡± Axle set down the queen fruit in front of Lexy. She grabbed a piece of the white part of the fruit and put it in her mouth to try, which she quite enjoyed. She ended up eating all of what she could eat of the fruit. Lexy then eats her steak and eggs. Now finished with breakfast Lexy stood up and pushed her chair in, ¡°whelp off to the forest I go, I might be back by dinner¡± She then headed upstairs to her room and grabbed her mech. She then hooked it up to her backpack. The blond then heads downstairs to join up with Varikin. He eyes her mech with a skeptical look in his eyes. The two left the mansion and entered the forest. Once they were far enough Varikin begins with ¡°so you are going to talk to Alcore right about the mission to infiltrate the capital¡± Lexy gave a smile, ¡°yup but I think he is going to say pretty much say what you did.¡± Varikin shrugged ¡°probably¡± the duo continues walking through the forest until they reach the clearing. Lexy put a hand on Varikin''s head and with a quick thought, the blond teleported them to reality. The odorless air greeting her and Varikin. Lexy led the way to the base, ¡°I don¡¯t know if he will be at the base Varikin, what if he is helping out with the village defense, I noticed those walls being built.¡± Varikin noded ¡°ya I see what you¡¯re saying but we should at least ask you never know¡± Lexy sighed and shook her head, ¡°ya but he kind of comes off to me at times as overprotective. But other times he is a bit scary and other than that I can see why you would have him be the leader of the rebellion. Even though he is a little young in my opinion¡± She felt a sudden change of atmosphere from Varikin, his ears drooped and he lowered his head ¡°it¡¯s not his fault if he becomes overprotective with you. I think you should know. He lost everything because of the royal family. And you are a constant reminder to him¡± Lexy tilted her head ¡°how?¡± Varikin sighed, ¡°you look just like his little sister Lily. I just thought you should know.¡± Lexy nods understanding now, Alcore a bit better. ¡°I think he told me about that a few times.¡± Silence then fell between the duo and they reached the base. The two entered the base, other members busy with their work. Lexy noted Magi and Jackson putting water into cauldrons in the kitchen talking to each other. Lexy and Varikin walk up to the two ¡°hi Lexy¡± Magi spoke happily while Jackson waived, ¡°hi how was your escort mission?¡± Lexy gave a nervous chuckle, ¡°ya that was fun¡± she says in a highly sarcastic voice. Lexy scratches her arm ¡°just almost got eaten by a pack of kelpies then attacked by one of the princes that had crazy electric storm magic. Trust me he was tough.¡± The two glanced at the other, ¡°you survived another encounter with royalty, bloody you seem to be a beacon of trouble.¡± Jackson said with a hint of suspicion and sarcasm in his voice. Magi stayed quiet, worry filling his expression. He knew he needed to head back to his side. He didn''t belong here, he was crueler than anyone here. He kills without a second thought but these rebels kill to survive and try to leave the world better than they left it. Lexy smiled kindly, ¡°Tell me, anyhow Jackson, do you Know where Leo is?¡± Slight annoyance flashed over Jackson¡¯s face, ¡°oh him yeah he and Meko are in the lab working on some bugs with the mechs or something like that¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°thanks Jackson¡± Jackson noded and returned to putting water in the cauldrons. Lexy and Varikin entered the lab and saw the usual messy mash of parchment glowing tubes and writing on the walls. Maybe the last one is new? The blond walked quietly behind Leo and looked over his shoulder. While Varikin headed over to talk to Miko. To see Leo was working on what she has no clue of what it is ¡°Hey Leo- ¡° Leo jumped extremely startled by her ¡°ahh! Oh? Hi. What do you need?¡± Lexy smile ¡°sorry Leo didn¡¯t mean to scare you¡± Leo sighed, ¡°it is ok but what do you need?¡± Lexy pulled out the paper of notes that Carin had made. ¡°yea just curious what if we had nets against dragon blooded that the renegades could deploy in an aerial fight. I was thinking the material could be spider silk. When it''s so thin it can stop a bee, what could it stop when it is as thick as a pencell? Also, one last question: do you know where Alcore is?¡± Leo hummed for a bit, ¡°yea I think he is down in the dungeons supervising a few interrogations on some Anawrath soldiers. While showing Wilma around.¡± Lexy tilted her head to the side a bit, ¡°we have dungeons, and whose Wilma?¡± Leo nodded ¡°ya you head down the hall that leads to the combat room and there will be another hallway at the end to the right and that leads to the dungeons.¡± Lexy nodded ¡°thanks Leo!¡± and rushed out of the lab Varikin rejoined by her side. ¡°so, he said no?¡± Lexy shrugged ¡°not sure, anyhow on to the next one¡± Varikin sighed ¡°oh boy here we go¡± Lexy took a turn and entered the hall that led to the combat room. The duo made it down the hall to the end and the right was another hallway. The duo entered this hallway to be greeted by two large doors. The doors opened to reveal a large hallway. With prison cells on both sides. Inside these cells were Anawrath soldiers and other creatures of the sort. That¡¯s when she hears a soft low voice ¡°what? You young one over here.¡± She turned her head to see a wispy black figure that held a human-like silhouette that was almost angelic. Its eyes were haunting blue and orange. It gazed back at her, confused when she looked at the creature. it boomed with a laugh that echoed through the halls. That brought Alcore running down the hall shortly behind him was Wilma along with a few other weapons drawn. Alcore looked at the laughing creature, eyes wide ¡°you- you spoke.¡± The creature stopped laughing, ¡°Oh forgive me I just never in a millennium thought I would see one of their kind again, Alcore.¡± it says with a smirk. Alcore glared ¡°their kind, who are you talking about?¡± The creature chuckled, ¡°Oh let me guess you don¡¯t know, do you little CELESTIAL.¡± It finishes with venom and amusement in its words. Alcore looked around to see Lexy ¡°oh you know what she is?¡± The creature yet again chuckled but this time with far more amusement in theirs voice. ¡°oh, do I know? Why yes, I do, however, I had to get a better look to realize. They usually look a bit different.¡± Lexy stepped up, ¡°then what am I?¡± The creature smirked, ¡°oh no I¡¯m not going to say that easily I''ll tell you and the celestial this. One of you will fail and soon fallow die, while another is not what they think they are and must face their brethren¡± Alcore frowned, ¡°alright I think that¡¯s enough let¡¯s go.¡± Wilma looked at the creature, ¡°you know don¡¯t you.¡± They only nod in response and Wilma caught back up with the group. Lexy sighed, ¡°sorry Alcore I was looking for you and Leo said you would be in there.¡± Alcore scratched his head, ¡°it¡¯s ok and why are you looking for me?¡± Lexy straightened up a bit to gather all the courage in her guts. So, she can push down the nervous feeling spreading thru her, ¡°yes I came looking for you to ask if I and Varikin could¡± She paused a bit and then with a huff of air, ¡°infiltrate the capital so I can then sneak into the Castle all to find a book that will let us find a weakness of the king¡± Alcore blinked and for a very short stressful moment, he stayed quiet. Then his expression changes stern, ¡°no, absolutely not that would be a suicidal mission I forbid any of my soldiers to go in there. I know you want to help, and I have a few missions coming up that I think you¡¯ll be a great help on so be a little more patient and it will be rewarded, ok?¡± Lexy nodded and smiled, ¡°yup I will wait and be patient thanks for the talk Alcore, I¡¯ll just go and do exactly what you told me not to¡± Alcore a little weirded out by the tone she used just decided to leave it be. Nor did he quite catch the last part of Lexy¡¯s words yet. Lexy and Varikin rushed off like it¡¯s the end of the world with a quick ¡°goodbye!¡± Alcore was left standing there repeating all that Lexy said in his head to understand why she just ran off and then it hit him like a freight train. ¡°CRUD! LEXY! COME BACK HERE!¡± Alcore ran with all his might to the exit only to find she wasn''t there. So, he rushed to the launch pad where Fendres was calmly overseeing some aerial drills while sipping on some dumpling soup in a mug. Alcore runs up to Fendres with a panicked look in his eyes ``Fendres please to the heavens and Tethys has Lexy been here?¡± Fendres shook her head softly, ¡°Nah what¡¯s got you in a not?¡± Alcore not calming down ¡°LEXY! Is what she¡¯s heading to the capital!¡± Fendres spit out what soup was in her mouth and now shared the panicked look that Alcore has ¡°she WHAT? Well, I¡¯ll be sure she really is growing so fast. Alcore you know we all have defied orders. But I will say this is a bit extreme¡± Alcore sighed ¡°otherwise not here but there is one last thing I want to check¡± Alcore ran off to the lab and with a loud bam, he opened the door to the lab. Which scares Leo half to death letting out a high-pitched screech ¡°heavens you know there is such a thing as knocking on the door right?¡± Alcore walked up to Leo ¡°sorry but slim on time did Lexy pass through here?¡± Leo nodded, ¡°yes¡± startled by how urgent. Alcore sighed and ran a hand through his hair, ¡°did you catch where she went?¡± Leo leaned back into his chair ¡°uh no was I supposed to?¡± Alcore merely cursed under his breath ¡°no but, uh this is so frustrating!¡± Meko peaked out of his side of the lab to see what all the commotion was about. Leo put a hand on Alcore''s shoulder ¡°calm down she probably hasn¡¯t gotten that far away yet we still have time to catch up to them¡± Alcore sighed and took a breath, ¡°you are right I¡¯ll get Jackson and a few others to come with¡± Alcore ran off to get Jackson, and as he said a few others. **** Lexy quickly rushed through the canyon walkways around the Rebellions doorway. Out of breath she stopped and looked behind herself to see Miko and Magi both equipped with mechs. Magi huffed, ¡°do you really think we would let you do something so stupid alone? And before you question, we better get moving and yes Varikin already filled us in.¡± Lexy left speechless only nodded when she heard soft chuckling from Varikin who turned into his ferret form and got into her bag. She sighed and took out the butterfly Alcore gave her. She opened the bottle and whispered, ¡°take me to the capital.¡± The butterfly took into the air and Lexy pulled her black ringed cord. Her black and purple wings spread and pulled her into the sky. Meko pulled his black ringed cord and motioned for Magi to just pull his normal one. Meko¡¯s wings were white with ocean blue tips. Meko attached a cord from his mech to Magi, having typed up ¡°trust me.¡± And with that, they take off into the air following after Lexy. The three now in the sky follow the butterfly when it leads them over the layer of clouds and comes after five minutes of silence. Lexy looked at the system of weather worms going over the capital in the soft distance they swirl in and out of their own storm that these creatures have created. The group was ever-growing closer. Lexy sighed, ¡°alright so I plan to infiltrate the capital, Sneak into the castle bye heading through the sewer systems. Once we infiltrate the castle, we find the library. We get the book I¡¯m after and then we go as quickly as we got there.¡± Magi frowned, ¡°Wait a book? All this for a book? What¡¯s so special about this book?¡± Lexy huffed, ¡°I¡¯m looking for a book that can tell us what kind of magic the king has and what its weakness is.¡± Magi nodded, ¡°yea that makes sense. But uh how are we getting in there in the first place?¡± Lexy smirked, ¡°enjoy the calm before the storm.¡± She said pointing to the storm system circling over the capital. Magi frowned, ¡°wait what. We''re going in the storm?¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°yup, that¡¯s how we get in. Low visibility and sneaking through the pipes that go through the sewer lines and lead up to the streets.¡± The other two nod when five minutes pass and the three stop at the edge of the storm. Lexy put the butterfly back in its jar and put the jar in her bag, ¡°All alright you ready?¡± Miko noded and Magi looked to Lexy, ¡°ready as I¡¯ll ever be.¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°alright let¡¯s go!¡± with that, the group plunged into the storm. The sound of thunder clouding their hearing and lightning consuming their vision intermittently. The group despite this managed to dive at the edge of the castle and land at the edge of the sewer systems at the castle''s base. She looked up at the looming castle rain falling on her face and lightning struck the sky as she did so. She folded up her wings back into her mech. Varikin hopped out of Lexy¡¯s backpack and transformed into his wolf form then landed in front of her, ¡°do you have a light?¡± Magi smirked, ¡°good thing I brought these then.¡± He said pulling out three medium-sized lanterns. He handed one to Meko and one to Lexy. ¡°Here is a knob on them that will turn them on and the further you turn it the brighter the light but do be aware it does fuel off your magic.¡± This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. The three turned on their lanterns. Leys glowed purple while Cody¡¯s glowed red and Miko¡¯s glowed blue. Varikin nodded, ¡°good, follow me¡± Varikin led the way, a strange silence between them when they walked through the stone sidewalk of the sewer systems, the smell was bad but not intolerable. Until Lexy broke the silence, ¡°so were you born at the Capital base?¡± Varikin frowned and he only nodded and continued to lead the group. Magi has honestly never been down in these tunnels before. Heck, he didn¡¯t even know they existed before today. He looks around at the tunnels. Nothing important. It was then Varikin led them to a left down a single way there at the end was what seemingly used to be a wall blocking an entrance of a straight-up tunnel that had a staircase in it. The group followed the white wolf. Varikin didn''t stop but merely continued to lead the way. The stairs lead up to a large cavern that had smashed tables, plates, rocks accompanied by scorch marks and slash marks. Lexy gives an impressive whistle ¡°did a storm come through here?¡± Varikin and Miko both have strong expressions of sadness ¡°no this is what is left of the capital base¡± Lexy and Magi glanced at each other now understanding the sadness in their teammate¡¯s eyes. Varikin shook his head, ¡°common let¡¯s keep going¡± Lexy nodded. She was a bit curious about how this place got destroyed but that should be the last question to ask right now. Magi looked around at the scratch marks that were burned into the tanned stone walls. Varikin leads the group to a large hallway that had a lot of openings in the side of the hallway and a set of exit at the end of the hall. One of these exits looked large enough to fit a car in but for now, she will leave it be she has spotted something else that catches her eye. Lexy stopped at the opening on the left side of the hall. The doorway-sized hull opens to a large laboratory. It had giant test tubes with glowing liquid inside along with shattered glass and broken tables. Lexy then noted that there was a book underneath a broken table. It¡¯s large and thick with thin pages. She picked it up and skims through it to realize this was a book of research records that Leo made.When she eyed the illustrations of inventions and notes on them. She put it in her backpack and turned around to see Varikin, ¡°sorry got distracted¡± Varikin looked around a bit when Magi and Miko entered the room ¡°no it¡¯s ok I was wondering if there was anything left here. I remember the last thing Leo was working on was invisible blankets and other stuff like that¡± Miko nodded in agreement. Magi eyed the tall test tubes, ¡°That¡¯s not creepy at all.¡± He said with sarcasm. Lexy perked at this and excitement filled her at the thought of finding a cloak that grants invisibility. Lexy began to look around the lab for this said Invisible cloak tech. Until she tripped on a box. Lexy regained her balance, turned around, and picked up the box. The box is about big enough to put a set of shoes in. It¡¯s black in color and looks like it has seen better days. Magi peaked over, ¡°what is that?¡± Lexy looked at him ¡°I don¡¯t know. I tripped on it.¡± She opened it and inside was a quilted blanket. She turned to Varikin and raised the cloth for him to see only to be able to see him through the cloth, ¡°do you think this is it? Because I can see you through this thing¡± Varikin shrugged, ¡°probably from what I can remember it looks like it. If I remember correctly, he was still working on a few bugs with it¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°alright I want to check the other rooms too¡± Varikin tilted his head and followed her out of the abandoned lab. ¡°Wait, why? Are you going to get something for everyone that they forgot or lost?¡± Lexy gave a smile, ¡°yup¡± Cody nodded, ¡°I think I¡¯m going to look in this lab place a bit longer.¡± Miko nodded and typed up on his device, ¡°I''ll stay here two see if I can find some of my old work.¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°sure thing I''ll come and get you two once I finish up.¡± With that Lexy and Varikin entered the room across and found it was filled with the pink color of all sorts of girly things, along with a bunch of horseshoes. She turned to Varikin, ¡°is this Kanki''s room?¡± Varikin shook his head, ¡°no this is Fendres¡¯s actually¡± she makes an o with her lips a bit shocked. Lexy looks around the room. The walls were pink but beyond that, it¡¯s badly trashed, the dresser was smashed, the bed was halfway burnt and broken alongside the litter of broken items on the floor. However, one item that was not nearly as broken or smashed laid gently on the smashed dresser. This item was from what Lexy can tell a cowboy hat. She stepped over broken items and gently picked up the hat for closer inspection. The hat had feathered wings on the sides. Despite the dust, the hat is in good condition. Lexy opened one of her portals and put the hat in it. ¡°It will come out whenever I open the next time I open a portal. I hope¡± With that, she closed the portal and exited the room. With Varikin shortly after. The next room didn¡¯t have much color to it. Yes, it¡¯s trashed, the bed was broken and turned upside down. ¡°who''s room is this.¡± Varikin looked around, ¡°this is Alcore¡¯s¡± Lexy looked at the room, ¡°you see anything he would like to have back?¡± Varikin looked around the room and something caught his eye. Varikin pointed his paw out to the broken door of the closet that is somewhat blocked by the broken upside-down bead. ¡°There I think it¡¯s his father¡¯s sword; he lost it during the fall.¡± She carefully pulled out the sword of the ruble and splintered wood. Lexy¡¯s expression changed to one of wonder as she gazed at this sword. The blade had this natural glow to it. Lexy turned to Varikin, ¡°why does it glow?¡± Varikin turned toward the exit of the room and glanced back ¡°it is an enchanted blade they commonly glow like that.¡± Lexy nodded and opened a portal. Fendres¡¯s hat fell out of the portal. She picks it up and puts it back in along with Alcore¡¯s father¡¯s sword. The two head to the next room and Varikin stopped Lexy from going in, ¡°Varikin what is up with you?¡± Varikin keep his head low, ¡°there¡¯s no point in going in, their dead¡± Lexy''s expression softened, ¡°oh ok let¡¯s go to the next one then¡± Varikin noded. The next room had a few scattered dolls made from leaves as far as Lexy can tell. She picked up one that is shaped like a fairy. She looked over to Varikin, ¡°is this Kanki¡¯s?¡± Varikin noded. Lexy opened a portal. The sword and hat fall out of the portal. Lexy picked the items up and put them back in the portal along with the doll. The two left the room and entered the next. This room was mostly trashed and broken. The blond began to carefully look through the rubble and trash while Varikin kept watching. ¡°I think that is Kuma¡¯s room and are we really finding something for everyone that they forgot?¡± Lexy saw something shine under some broken and cracked wood. ¡°No, not everyone, just Leo, Kuma, Kanki, Jackson, Fendres, Jennie, and Alcore. So the last ones are Jennie and Jackson. Do you know where his room is?¡± Varikin nodded, ¡°yea it¡¯s at the end of the hall¡± Varikin led the way down the hall to the room, and just like the others it looked like a tornado went through it. Lexy entered the room and after her first step in she heard cracked glass clattering. She lifted her foot to see that she stepped on a photo with a broken frame. The photo was of Jackson and Varolus. Lexy¡¯s eyes widen ¡°Jackson''s brother is a specialist¡± Varikin walked up to the photo, ¡°I think that we should have a chat with him when I get back¡± She opened two portals one above the other. Creating an endless fall for the items. Lexy picked up the picture and added it to the loop of falling items. Lexy closed the top portal and then the bottom. ¡°ok let¡¯s go to Jennie¡¯s room and get that book or books¡± Varikin then lead the way to Jennie¡¯s room. Just like the others, it looked like a total mess. Lexy and Varikin discover a barbaric spear with animal claws and teeth tether to it; its other end has gold-colored fur with a feather attached to the fur. Both sides have a curved blade. Lexy picked it up and opened her endless loop of falling items. ¡°this is in pretty good condition actually¡± Lexy put the spear into the loop of falling items and then closed it. Varikin comes up to Lexy ¡°so that¡¯s it we sneak into the upper levels and then into the castle archives?¡± Lexy nodded her expression going moniton ¡°yes then we can figure out a weakness of the king''s magic and Alcore can do what he wants with it.¡± Varikin nodded, ¡°right I''ll lead the way and stay close you can get lost in these tunnels really quick.¡± Lexy nods understanding. The two head back to the lab Cody looked up ¡°time to go?¡± She nodded and Cody motioned to Meko it''s time to go and the four regroup. Varikin began to lead the way through by leaving the base and going into a tunnel large enough to fit a car in. Lexy then noted the many stairways that lead up. She also noted that there was a sign above each stairway but they were written in writing Lexy did not understand. Varikin takes a stairway to his left, Lexy tailing behind. It was as they climbed up the stairs, they heard loud noises and when they got closer. Varikin stops once he reaches the top of the stairs. Cody hummed, ¡°what is that?¡± Varikin peered out of the stairway to see what was making the noise. Varikin saw a large cavern with dwarfs making weapons each having a furnace system around them. The loud noise was the sound of the dwarfs striking the iron. But it¡¯s not the dwarfs that worry him, it''s the guards that are watching them work. Now that Varikin takes a better look at the dwarfs. They aren¡¯t singing their glorious songs of creating almost angelic masterpieces for swords. Instead, their faces are sad and miserable. They have chains on their legs that bind them to the floor. Varikin turned back to the other three ¡°if we stay quiet and crawl on the floor, we should make it without being spotted by any of the guards. I also don¡¯t recommend the use of magic unless necessary. I''ve always wondered where the counsel had their weapons made sense, they banned the teaching of blacksmiths. They enslaved the dwarfs. Magi, do you have a potion that can break through those chains?¡± Magi smirked, ¡°lucky for us I¡¯m a fire mage. So yes.¡± Varikin looked at Lexy, ¡°Lexy, do you think you can move Cody to the chains without getting spotted.¡± Lexy nodded and glared at the guards. Varikin tilts his head ¡°Hey, Lexy, you ok?¡± Lexy didn¡¯t glance at him, she just stared at the guards. The thin glass, for once Varikin felt it crack, ¡°slavery should never be legal in any way shape or form. I don¡¯t care what the reasoning behind it.¡± Varikin could feel the magic pressure building around her and he knows that when someone was excited or emotional, the amount of magic they put out can increase or decrease. Lexy''s expression didn¡¯t waver when she turned to look at varikin, ¡°quick question for you, the invisible cloak we grabbed?¡± Varikin maid a small shake of his head, ¡°no idea if that thing even works, I say it¡¯s not worth risking¡± Magi looked to Lexy, ¡°hey calm down I understand the anger trust me I do. But try and tone it down a bit.¡± Lexy nodded and took a deep breath the magic aura around her settled back down and they begin their new task Lexy and Magi quickly find that military-style crawling will turn you into a dirt and lint roller. The sound of the dwarf¡¯s hammers against the hot metal they are working with is equivalent to the sound of thunder. Their ears were ringing from the sound. With all the noise it made it a lot more difficult to hear the guards approaching. But that was okay. They had Varikin with Meko who both have better hearing. Varikin watched the guards change place leaving a window for Magi and Lexy to go in and break the chains on one of the dwarfs. Varikin gave the signal and Lexy and Magi sped forward to a group of four dwarfs. The dwarfs note the two and look at her with shock. Lexy makes a quiet motion with her hand. They nod and watch with aw as Magi murmurs a few things and his hands turn a bright hot red as he breaks the chains enough to where at just a glance it looks fine. Lexy then quickly whispered to the group ¡°when I give you a signal you free your friends and others to get out of here.¡± They nodded and she and Magi hopped into a portal right before a guard turned around. The group repeated these four more times around the room. This led to a group of twenty dwarfs ready to go and free the other dwarfs. Lexy sighed, her hands softly burned and the scars on her wrists were glowing. She felt sweat drip down her face from the heat in the cave. Lexy leaned against the stonewall, the group hiding in a corner of the cavern. ¡°Ok, let''s check to see what is in the next room before we give the dwarfs the signal. If the next room has more guards, we take care of them and then give the signal. After we free the dwarfs we head to the library and come back and get them out of here by taking the sewer systems under the city or after taking care of the guards and getting the books we could put the dwarfs in my pocket space of magic.¡± Varikin shakes his head ¡°not that last one it might not work.¡± Magi and Meko nodded in agreement. Lexy hummed, ¡°I know what if we first go get the book come back here and then free the dwarfs by leading them out the city thru the sewers¡± Varikin nodded ¡°All alright I¡¯ll lead¡±. The group quickly began sneaking through the cavern. Making a sharp stop at the first furnace Varikin peaked past the corner to see if any guards were coming towards him and the others. Not this time Varikin quickly crawled forward to get to the next furnace Lexy shortly behind. Varikin checked the next corner, a guard heading their way. Varikin quickly turns around to face the others and shoves them both out of the guard¡¯s sight. The guard looked down the aisle, shrugged, and went back to his post. Varikin peaks back to make sure that the guard does not see him or the rest of the group. The coast is clear enough to make a mad dash for the next room. Varikin turned to the group, ¡°All alright let¡¯s dash for the next room¡± Lexy nods and gives a thumbs up ¡°all alright¡± While Cody and Miko nod. Varikin noded turned around and waited for the perfect moment when a guard turned around leaving a perfect path to the next room. Varikin bolts for the next room and the rest of the group shortly after. The group barely made it to the next room which had a bunch of mine carts that were filled with brand new weapons. Some yet to depart onto the railing. To their left was a set of stairs with a sign above it that is in a language Lexy doesn¡¯t understand The group looked around the room and saw no soldiers. Lexy quickly noted the stairs and pointed to them ¡°hey Varikin those stairs go up I think that¡¯s where we should head next¡± Magi noded ¡°yea the sign even says stay out.¡± Varikin looked in one of the carts. Inside were some swords and cadavers. All of which have tags that tell what they were made of and what enchantments they have. None of which would be good to Lexy; she has no experience with the art of swords; she just handles knives. He knows that non-enchanted weapons can only take you so far also. ¡°hey, you guys see anything you like?¡± Lexy walked up to one of the carts and she doesn¡¯t know how to use these weapons. ¡°Sorry, Varikin I don¡¯t know.¡± Magi smirked when he saw an enchanted short sword ¡°I know how to use this.¡± He said picking it up. While Miko shrugged as he typed ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Varikin shook his head, ¡°all I have are teeth and you have magic that is an emergency only weapon. You do have those throwing knives Leo made for you?¡± Lexy noded ¡°yup sounds Right ok let¡¯s go¡± Varikin noded and resumed leading the way. Varikin leads up the stairs slowly and cautiously. Once to the top another set of tunnels splitting off with signs above them. However, unlike the previous tunnels, these are arched and made with gray stone. Varikin read the signs above each and then resumed leading the group to the archives. The tunnel was well lit and eventually opened to a giant room that let one pear up to the upper levels. It was filled with shelves of books. The floor that the group was currently on is filled with tables and chairs. Bookshelves at the walls of the room. Lexy looked around the room, jaw dropped in awe. ¡°Ok so how in the world are we going to find this book?¡± Miko nodded and Cody gaped in awe when he said, ¡°I agree.¡± Varikin turns to Lexy ¡°do you still have the butterfly Alcore gave you?¡± Lexy¡¯s expression filled with realization. ¡°Oh ok!¡± She clipped her backpack and opened it to find the butterfly. Which was a breeze due to the blue glow from the insect. Butterfly glowing a bright blue. She pulled out the jar with the butterfly inside, closed her backpack, and put it back on. She lets the butterfly out of the jar ¡°can you take me to a book about different magic types and their weaknesses?¡± The butterfly¡¯s only response was flying up to the upper floors. Lexy pulled the cord on her mech. Her black large wings spread out. With a push of the wings, she flies to follow the butterfly up to the third floor. The butterfly landed on a book with an inch worth of dust on it. Lexy softly flies up to the book and the butterfly then lands on the blond¡¯s shoulder. She pulls out the book and the cover is worn but thick. Dust flying everywhere. Lexy flew back down to Varikin and made a gentle landing. She sets the book down to put the butterfly away and pulls the cord on her mech to put away her wings. She pulled off her mech and put away the butterfly. Then put it back on. Lexy turned to Varikin and the rest of her team ¡°All alright let¡¯s go kick some soldiers to next week and free a couple of dwarfs, all on a day¡¯s work, right?¡± Magi chuckled ¡°yea next we''ll take down the empire all on its own and be home in time for diner.¡± Miko typed up on his device ¡°If this is a new version of a day¡¯s work then I¡¯ve been really lazy.¡± Varikin shrugged, ¡°Nah this will be the easiest part the hard part will be surviving the enraged captain Jackson and Alcore.¡± the whole group smiled and Magi shrugged. But before Magi could say another word there was the haunting noise of the large libraries doors being opened, ¡°Yes, you''re enraged captains because you will have failed your mission and you will have to tell them the tragic tale of how the guardian died.¡± The group turned on a dime to see Elvira. Who smirks at them as she makes a large circle in front of her. Black light seeped from her fingertips and the group could only watch when a dragon stepped out of the portal. Black scales shimmered over its body that was littered with holes. Seeping from the holes was an eerie bright purple liquid. The beast leaned back and took a deep breath. Purple sparks licked at its teethed maw. It was there again this strange feeling like Lexy recognized this monster. Like they came from the same place. She couldn''t help but stare. Before they could react two women each wearing a mask came rushing in with weapons. One with black clothing had a sword of light while the other had a large shield of shadow rising from the ground. The one with a sword of light looked to the group, ¡°Don''t ask questions, just go!¡± Lexy turned to the others her trance now broken, ¡°alright let¡¯s go¡± She quickly lead the way back to the dwarfs her fathers blade out and already glowing an eerie purple The tunnels provided no problem until they reached the large cavern of dwarfs. Lexy stands up and readies herself. Magi looked to the other three, ¡°I focus on freeing the dwarfs you cover me¡± Varikin nodded, and with that they all spring into action. Lexy charged with Varikin in his ferret form. Anawrath soldiers shouting at them to stop. Lexy sent out a loud whistle and the dwarfs Cody had freed earlier snapped their chains. Then spring to action and attack the soldiers with what they have. Meko begins fighting soldiers while freed more dwarfs and right when he gets to one a soldier is about to strike at him with his sword when one of the dwarfs deflects it with a hammer. ¡°hurry I¡¯ll hold them back¡± Magi nodded ¡°thank you!¡± The redhead ran when he dashed to free another dwarf. Lexy smirked when she saw a soldier rushing at her with a spear. She dodged the spear and sweeps his feet off the ground with a kick The soldier toppled over and Lexy put a portal over his head and created another to her left just big enough for the soldier''s head to pop out of it. The soldier looked at her and then his body. His eyes widened in terror ¡°what the bloody hell you do to me?!¡± Lexy smirked, ¡°eh making you more manageable.¡± With that, she checked his pockets and pulled out a phone. She smirked¡°thank you kindly. I didn¡¯t know there were phones. Now as for you.¡± With a stab, the black and purple magic seeps from the blade. The man screamed in agony for a short second and was gone. She closed the portals and looked at the horrified soldiers. ¡°D-Demon!¡± She smirked, ¡°oh please I¡¯m far more real.¡± With that, she slashed the air with her father¡¯s blade, sending an attack through the air. Two dogged but the third wasn¡¯t so lucky. The other two shook with fear when they saw their comrade be consumed by the magic. Lexy pulls her black cord letting out her two large wings as she leaps behind the two wings flailing out over her head ¡°BOO!¡± The two took one glance and they ran for the doors screaming in terror. Lexy chuckled and saw all the other soldiers had been taken care of. Lexy headed to the exit made a loud whistle, and a follow-me jester. The group quickly rejoins with Lexy at the front of the pack of twenty or so dwarfs. She looked at the large group of dwarfs ¡°I almost can¡¯t believe we did this year mom would so kill me if she even heard of me doing any of this. Alright, Varikin, can you please lead the way back?¡± Varikin noded and began to lead the group through the tunnels and then the abandoned base. Lexy heard soft murmuring from them. They reached the sewers and then after a good twenty minutes of walking. They reached a tunnel opening to the outside of the city and the wall around it. Outside of the city and the wall is a set of villages that don¡¯t have nearly as often patrols. But it doesn¡¯t mean they shouldn¡¯t be careful. Lexy turned to Varikin and the rest of the group, ¡°alright there are fewer patrols than in the capital, but it doesn¡¯t mean we shouldn¡¯t be wary. But there is something I need to do before we continue.¡± Lexy turned to the dwarfs ¡°are any of you injured?¡± a soft murmuring spreads over the crowd of dwarfs and a few raise their hands. ¡°alright we''ll treat wounds and then we¡¯ve got to move¡± fifteen dwarfs step up. Nothing too severe, just shallow cuts along the arms and some burns. Lexy takes her medical kit out of the bottom of her bag and she pulls out gnaws, antibiotics, and butterfly stitches. Magi watched when she walked up to the first dwarf who had just a long cut on his arm. He didn¡¯t say anything. So Lexy puts on a pair of gloves and her first step is applying the antibiotics. Then wrapped the wound in gnaws. She repeated this on any of the others who have cuts until she came to the last dwarf with injuries and he looks the worst out of them all he got burned on the left of his face accompanied by multiple cuts on his shoulder down to his hands. Lexy uses the rest of the antibiotics, butterfly stitches, and gnaws on his injuries. The dwarf stares in wonder at her work ¡°do you specialize in medical practice?¡± Lexy shrugs ¡°no I just know the basics. Anything else?¡± he shakes his head ¡°no but if I may ask what your name and your comrades and did someone send you?¡± Lexy puts away the emergency kit and puts back on her equipment ¡°no one sent us. We came on my accord, as to your first question my name is Lexy that¡¯s Cody, Miko, and Varikin. Now that is taken care of let¡¯s get moving¡± She led the way and she decided it was best to go around the villages then through them. So, she began leading them through tall grasses and shrubs. Ten minutes of this and they get to a field of crops that leads to eventually desert flatlands. It took them another twenty minutes to reach out to the desert flats and that¡¯s when they heard it. The sound of running mechs and a bunch at that. Lexy and her team look up to see all the renegades including Fendres accompanied by Lexy can already tell an enraged Captain and Alcore. Alcore landed in front of her with Jackson and Fendres by his side. He had the expression that Lexy can only explain as the look of an enraged mother. Lexy felt herself shrink a bit. Alcore has come off as intimidating before but this may slightly terrify her. ¡°hi, Alcore- ¡° She was quickly stopped by Jackson, ¡°save it for when we get back and mind explaining the dwarfs?¡± Lexy noded, ¡°Our original goal was to get a book on magic types that would tell us a weakness of the blood king. Which I will say was a success. The dwarfs found out that the empire had enslaved the dwarfs to make armor for them. So, we freed them and treated their wounds.¡± Alcore sighed ¡°fine bring the dwarves with and you¡± he turns to Lexy ¡°are getting an earful once we get back. Got it?¡± Lexy noded a smug grin on her face. Magi and Meko glance at each other ¡°oh boy here we go.¡± Fendres turned to the other renegades, ¡°alright pull out your extra harness and get these guys hooked up¡± she said and referred to the dwarfs. The renegades noded and responded with ¡°yes captain!¡± They all begin pulling out harnesses and cords to attach to the harness and the mechs. The renegades begin helping the dwarfs put on the harness. Varikin turned into his ferret form and went into Lex''s bag. Fendres walked up to Lexy, ¡°well you¡¯re the last one I expected to pull something off like this. I was expecting to find you dead. So, more power to you kid¡± Fendres ruffled Lex¡¯s hair. Fendres turned to the renegades and the dwarfs ¡°alright ready to go?¡± all the renegades give a thumbs up while the dwarfs give nervous expressions. Alcore was the first to take off and then like a domino effect they all took off. The flight back only took ten minutes. Fendres landed in the town with the renegades and the dwarfs. While Lexy, Cody, Miko, Jackson, and Alcore land in the base. Lexy landed near Alcore and Jackson. She opens the zipper on her backpack to let Varikin out. Varikin crawled up to Lexy¡¯s shoulder in his ferret form. Alcore folds in his wings and takes off his mech. Jackson does the same and stands by Alcore. Alcore turned to the base, ¡°follow me¡± Alcore and Jackson lead her through the base others giving her curious looks. They pass through the cafeteria, Katie making food, Kuma and Kanki talking to Jennie. They turn and wave to Lexy. Lexy softly returned it with a smile and a small wave. Alcore and Jackson lead her to a room with a table and three chairs. Three chairs on one side, two on the other. Alcore and Jackson sit on one side while Lexy, Cody, and Miko sit on the other. Varikin still perched on her shoulder. Alcore was the first to talk, ¡°what the hell were you four thinking you could have been killed or captured. You went against orders and ugh what do I do with you. What was so valuable to go there for!?¡± Lexy kept a straight face with her two comrades and shrugged, ¡°well now that you¡¯re done yelling, I can show you¡± She took off her bag and pulled out the large dusty book she got from the royal archives. Both Jackson¡¯s and Alcore''s eyes widened like saucers. Their jaws drop. Lexy shrugged ¡°I can¡¯t read it, but I was wondering if you could¡± Alcore gently touched the book, ¡°this is a book of arcane by the great priestess Invaria of the white sword this is invaluable. How did you ...never mind? I will take this to Leo to see if he can translate it. I leave Jackson to cum up with a punishment for you four¡± Alcore gently picked up the book and headed off to find Leo. Leaving Jackson and Lexy, Magi, Miko, and Varikin behind. Jackson hummed for a bit ¡°early morning each day for the next two weeks or until I say otherwise that will be all you four are dismissed¡± The four nodded and walked out of the room. Magi sighed, ¡°I thought they were going to kill us. But I¡¯m glad they didn¡¯t hooray! I Live!¡± Miko noded harshly in agreement and then typed, ¡°well Leo¡¯s going to want an explanation com on Cody. See you in the morning Lexy¡± Lexy nodded and watched the other two leave. She then looks at Varikin ¡°alright let¡¯s head back to the mansion I am hungry¡± while leaving she waved goodbye to others and then exited the base. Varikin hopped off Lexy and turned into his wolf form. He begins leading Lexy thru the maze-like area ¡°We only got let off easy because you brought the book¡± Lexy shrugged, ¡°ya I was wondering about that, but it is what it is¡± the rest of the way was quiet. Varikin stops. She put her hand on Varikin¡¯s scruff and began thinking of home. Within a second she heard the chirping of birds and the soft sound of humming crickets. She begins walking to the mansion and Varikin put up his Doberman pinscher allusion. The two walk through the forest midday sunlight seeping through the tree''s canopy. ¡°So, do you think Thokath is hyperventilating?¡± Varikin pondered at her question ¡°no because you left a note but then again, he comes off as a bit clingy to me¡± Lexy thought back ¡°ya know that you mention it he is a bit clingy¡± The two reached the mansion and Lexy opened one of the large doors. She and Varikin stepped inside the mansion to see Thokath talking to one of the butlers. Thokath turned to see who entered and he gave a soft smile, ¡°oh hi you¡¯re back Lexy. You can go and have dinner if you want but I have a guest coming for a meeting he wanted to do personally.¡± Lexy tilted her head ¡°Meeting?¡± Right as she said this a black limo pulled up into the driveway and shortly after there was a knock on the door. Two butlers hurry to let in three people. Lexy felt her whole body freeze as she saw the blood king enter the room. His outfit was a simple tuxedo. Two female¡¯s by him one with white hair and the other with black their outfits very similar to the kings. Lexy recognized these two they were the ones who held back the dragon and the green-haired lady. Thokath walked up to the king ¡°I''ll go get those from papers. They¡¯re too big to be opened in my office.¡± With that Thokath rushed off to go get form papers. Varikin growled menacingly at the king standing protectively in front of Lexy teeth bared.The king looked to the source of growling and his eyes widened ¡°Oh hello, I didn¡¯t see you when I came in. It¡¯s a pleasure to see you again and I must say I¡¯m surprised¡± Lexy glared ¡°like I wanted to see you either this surprised me as much as it did you.¡± The king chuckled and then his expression changed to serious ¡°I know what you took, and I expect it to be returned. That book is no joke child. It has power, power by dark forces.¡± Lexy frowned, ¡°What kind of dark forces. The apostles? I thought you sent them after me¡± The blood king shook his head and he looked at her with shock, ¡°no, not the apostles and I''ll be dead the day I work with them. It¡¯s the white sword, not everyone is who they claim they are. Now I''m going to ask this. Do you have the book?¡± Lexy smirked ¡°sorry I don¡¯t seem to have it on me must¡¯ve left it somewhere, oops. Bye, the way are you in need of a hearing aid, Your highness.¡± The king glares ¡°I¡¯m getting tired of that remark Child and things will get worse if you continue to aid the rebels. That will be your only warning¡± Lexy¡¯s smirk only growed ¡°oh such a hypocrite, I thought you wanted to play a game are you getting tired cuz I¡¯ve learned how to bend the rules. You¡¯re highness.¡± She says with an overly sweet childish tone. Thokath walked into the room with some large scrolls and papers. Lexy smirked, ¡°I¡¯m going to go and sit on the side here.¡± With that she sat on the top of the stairs watching for any shady moves from the king or his goons and until an hour later only then did he leave. Lexy sighed, ¡°I wish that will be the last of him.¡± Siblings, sibling what you gonna do. Lexy groggily woke up to Varikin barking at her ¡°ugh what you want?¡± Varikin rolled his eyes ¡°really? Remember you have a morning watch today! Now get up I don¡¯t want to get into any more trouble than we already are in.¡± Lexy up out of bed, ¡°ugh fine you win, let¡¯s go.¡± She got up and put on her favorite blue hoodie with a pair of black baggy pants and her special red goggles. She then pulled out from under her bed her mech and emergency backpack along with her knives. Varikin and Lexy head out of her bedroom, through the hallway, and downstairs. Lexy looked out one of the large windows, the sun yet to even she¡¯d its life-giving rays on the girl. She then spotted one of the butlers and walked up to them ¡°excuse me but could you please tell Thokath that I went to the forest to play again?¡± The butler nodded ¡°very well young Lexy¡± Lexy gives a soft smile and begins leaving. Varikin shortly behind her ¡°thank you!¡± Lexy bolted out the doors, Varikin easily kept up with the girl, ¡°what¡¯s the rush?¡± Lexy turns and the two enter the forest. Lexy gave out a sarcastic laugh ¡°rush? You said it yourself, do you want to be late with anything to do with Jackson let alone angering him?¡± Varikin shrugged, ¡°eh touch¨¦¡± The two reach the waypoint though Lexy did have to stop because of the lack of light and then have Varikin help her. Lexy touches Varikin¡¯s scruff and thinks of the rebellion¡¯s door. Within seconds she smelled the stall air it brought. Lexy looked at the moon while she walked into the door. The moon glowed brighter than a star. The two enter the dove''s base and the two are greeted by the sight of Katie making food with her usual smile. Jackson eats breakfast with Fendres, Jennie, Miko, and Kuma accompanied by Magi who has a troubled expression. Left lost in his own thoughts of why he couldn¡¯t bring himself to leave. Jackson was first to notice Lexy and Varikin. ¡°Oh, I was wondering if you were going to come. Have you had food yet?¡± Lexy shook her head ¡°no not yet¡± Jackson''s eyes narrow down a bit, ¡°grab some food for you and Varikin. Then I¡¯ll bring you to your post¡± Lexy nodded and walked up to Katie, Varikin by her side ¡°hi Katie.¡± Katie¡¯s eyes brighten up ¡°oh hi Lexy I don¡¯t usually see you in the mornings this early. So, what can I get you and your partner?¡± Lexy tilts her head at the statement ¡°partner?¡± Katie quickly gains a shocked expression ¡°oh, you aren¡¯t. I thought you were. Well what can I get you we have mushroom soup with biscuits and for drinks we have ail but I don¡¯t think you should. Beyond that we have water.¡± Lexy turned to Varikin, ¡°so what do you want?¡± Varikin turned into his human form, ¡°I think I will take mushroom soup with some water. You?¡± Lexy shrugged ¡°same¡± Katie nods and begins to dish up their food into wooden bowls. She grabbed two mugs after dishing up the soup and put water in. Katie handed them each a bowl of soup and a mug of water. The two take their breakfast and walk up to Jackson. Jackson stood up along with Magi and Miko, ¡°ok follow me¡± Jackson led the four out of the base and began leading them to the town or fortress that the rebellion made of a village. The village now has opened roof watchtowers around it and fortified gates. Jackson led the group to the closest one of these towers and stopped ¡°your station is at the top of this tower. I will come and get you once I deem you have been up there for an appropriate time. If you spot a monster or intruders, you ring the bell, and then you may try to stop it. Furthermore, if you find that an intruder is a specialist or higher ranked you send off a flair. There are multiple flairs and lighters up on the tower. Got it?¡± Lexy nodded ¡°got it to captain¡± Jackson sighed ¡°good with that I¡¯m off¡± Jackson then leaves the two while Lexy looked at the tower and noted the stairway was on the outside of the tower instead of inside like she expected. ¡°ok let¡¯s go.¡± The group carefully gets to the top of the tower due to a lack of railing. Lexy and Varikin look around the top of the tower, a shelf of weapons to their left, and next to it were two crates. One consisting of flairs the other of flint and steel. In the center of the area was a small table with four metal chairs. The two sat down at the table and began eating. Lexy drinks her mushroom soup with a quick go while Varikin just drinks slowly and took his time. Magi looked around, ¡°huh so I brought a deck of cards to want to play Miko?¡± Miko nodded and the two sat down and started playing a card game. Lexy, now finished, goes and looked around from the tower. She can see the rock formation that the base is hidden in. Beyond that, she saw stone paths and crop fields of cactus plants? After the crop fields, she just saw plains of dirt. But there is a moving object she just can¡¯t make out Lexy sets down her bag and opens it to pull out a spyglass. Varikin turned to see what Lexy was doing ¡°what is that?¡± This caught Magi¡¯s and Miko¡¯s attention, ¡°what is what?¡± Lexy extended the spyglass and begins looking thru it, ¡°it''s a spyglass it lets me see stuff far away that I usually can¡¯t¡± Varikin took a drink of his soup, ¡°and what do you see right now?¡± Lexy hummed and looked around a bit better and that is when she saw a tall lady. Wearing a tattered lab coat that goes to her feet. Her hair was in a long braid that goes to her feet and deep green. She also has small elk-like black horns coming off her head. The lady was talking to terrifying-looking creatures that look familiar to Lexy. They have large steel-like claws, scales, and long whip-like tails. Yup, they are the same monsters that attacked her and Alcore when this all started. But the only difference is these look much, much bigger Lexy feels her blood run cold as the lady then points to different towers sending the monsters at the watchtowers including Lexy¡¯s. She immediately put away her spyglass and throws it on her equipment. She pulled her cord, her black and gray wings spread. She grabbed Varikin, Cody, Magi, and took off into the air just in time to watch one of those monsters run into the tower. Reducing it to rubble the creature looked up and saw Lexy who was struggling to hold on to her teammates tightened her grip on them. The creature stood on its hind legs taking in a huge gulp of air and then shooting fire at them. Lexy barely dodged it to the point she could feel the heat from the attack, ¡°sorry Varikin but I think breakfast just got cut short¡± Varikin stared at the monster for a bit and then the realization hit his face ¡°That¡¯s a drake! A subclass of dragons is very strong, very fast. They were bred by the empire to be used as weapons against demonic warfare though I never knew they could get so big.¡± Lexy watched as other watchtowers fall and fire erupt from other locations. ¡°they''re invading the city!¡± Varikin changed to his ferret form and climbed up to Lexy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Then let¡¯s kill some drakes.¡± Magi noded, ¡°yea and besides how long are you going to be able to keep us in the air like this?¡± She dodged another fire attack and lowered in altitude. ¡°Not long and no, the others will be arriving quickly to take care of them. We have to go to the source. These drakes are being commanded. It''s like a beehive if we want to win, we must kill the queen otherwise it won¡¯t matter who we kill. They will just keep coming.¡± Varikin noded, ¡°alright you have a point.¡± Lexy nodded ¡°thank you¡± with a flap of her wings she moved forward with the green-haired lady as her target. She flew past the horde of drakes heading toward the village and the green-haired lady ¡°ready?¡± Varikin chuckled, ¡°ready as I¡¯ll ever be.¡± Lexy landed by the green-haired woman. Varikin hoped off Lexy and turned into his giant wolf form. Growling and snarling at the lady. Lexy readied her knives. Miko summoned a water dragon while pulling out his twin blades and Magi pulled out the short blade, he got from the Capital Magi now closer recognized this woman, ¡°you¡¯re the blood king¡¯s sister.¡± Lexy glanced at Magi, while the lady turned toward the group and smirked, ¡°yes I am but I am the second youngest. I am the second youngest sibling the mistress of monsters!¡± The ground rumbled around the four and the ground began to rise. Lexy turned to the rest of the group, ¡°Jump!¡± The four quickly jump off the rising ground. Giant pieces of the ground rose and shaped into a rock-like giant that was five stories high. With the mistress on its shoulder, It turned towards the group and roared in their faces sending dirt on them. Lexy¡¯s eyes widened after she wiped away the dirt from her face ¡°the hell is this thing!¡± The monster goes to punch Varikin who with a burst of speed dogged and headed over to Lexy, Magi, and Miko. Magi frowned ¡°it¡¯s a rock golem, a mindless monster that is summoned by someone to act as a puppet; their common weakness is water. Miko and I can focus on this thing while you go after the mistress.¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°got it, divide and conquer. Varikin, will you aid me in this battle?¡± Varikin smirked when he turned to his ferret form and hopped onto Lexy¡¯s shoulder ¡°that even a question?¡± The group leaped into action. Miko sent his dragon made of water at the golem while Magi murmured a few words and launched into battle with his hands red hot as he punched the golem cracks form from the impact. Lexy spread her wings and took to the sky while Varikin hung on to her shoulder for dear life when she flew up to the mistress of monster¡¯s level. She quickly tackled the woman and she pushed her to the ground with a thud as the mistresses¡¯ heads clashed with the ground. Lexy huffed as she stood back from the green-haired woman on the ground. Varikin growled when the woman chuckled and stood up, shaking herself off. The mistress pulled out a rod and with a press of a button, it expanded to be a speer. Varikin turned to his giant wolf form. Lexy looked up to see the golem staggering back and was about to step on her and Varikin. The mistress stepped out of the way and Lexy pushed Varikin out of the way. Lexy and Varikin stand back and once the golem moved again the blond can see the mistress on the other side of the golem smirking when Magi was bashed off the golem and crashes into the ground in front of Lexy now unconscious. She rushed up to Magi and to her relief he¡¯s breathing. Lexy felt anger bubble through her veins. Miko lands next to her and quickly types on his device ¡°Water isn¡¯t working I¡¯ll take him to the medic and I''ll come back. Can you last that long?¡± Lexy nodded ¡°yea I and Varikin can last you take Cody we¡¯ve got this.¡± She said with an angry glint in her eyes. Miko nodded picked up Cody and summoned up a horse made of water, got on, and began to ride to the village. Varikin watched when the golem picked back up the mistress, ¡°you fools did you really think you could beat me? You just sent half of your friends away.¡± Varikin looked at Lexy nervously, ¡°do you have a plan? Please say so because they have a point.¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°yes do you think you can do your giant bird form while I attack the mistress?¡± Varikin noded, ¡°as of right now yes.¡± Lexy nodded and pulled out her bow and arrows. With that the two launches back into battle. A glow surrounded Varikin when he changed to his nevermore form and began to fight with the golem. Lexy hopped from portal to portal when she climbed in altitude and loaded up her bow with a normal arrow while trying to doge Varikin and the golem fighting. She reached close enough for the mistress to see her and the woman re-draws her twirled sword. Lexy released her arrow at the woman and instead of hitting like she expected the mistress deflected the arrow with her blade. However, the magic from the arrow stayed and began spreading over the blade. The sound of breaking metal was crystal clear. The mistress hissed in frustration when she cast her blade away and leaped at Lexy in a blind rage. The blond had not expected to be thrown off balance and the two began to plummet. Lexy quickly got back her sense of balance and begins to push the mistress down to the ground faster. Within a second and a loud crash the two collide with the ground. After letting the ringing in her ears subside. She saw the mistress was unconscious and her bow was broken. Lexy sighed, whipping away the sweat from her head, and heard the loud sound of the golem falling apart. The blond looked at Varikin who was in his giant wolf form and was standing above what is left of the golem with a proud look on his face. She sighed, ¡°alright let¡¯s tie her up, go get Alcore or Jackson and then come back.¡± Varikin nodded off the rubble and walked over to Lexy while he transformed into his ferret form. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get this over with.¡± With that, he hopped into her backpack. With a flap of her wings, she was back into the air and was flying toward the village. The fires that were once there are now gone and Lexy didn¡¯t see any more alive drakes. She spotted Jackson and Alcore talking amongst each other. She slowed down and landed by the two. Lexy folded up her wings ¡°hi¡± both Alcore and Jackson jumped. Alcore turned back to Lexy, ¡°hi Lexy did you see the Drake¡¯s?¡± She nodded, ¡°ya while you were busy with that I and the others had to fight a giant rock golem and the mistress of monsters. More like the mistress of crazy¡± shock fills both Alcore¡¯s face and Jackson''s. Alcore came a little closer to Lexy ¡°did you win?¡± Lexy smirked ¡°of course we did I even tied them up¡± Jackson and Alcore look at each other. Jackson was next to talk ¡°can you show us?¡± Lexy nodded ¡°yup¡± Alcore pressed his lips into a fine line, ¡°alright you lead the way¡± Lexy nodded, she pulled her black cord and her wings spread open yet again and she took off first then Jackson and Alcore. Lexy spotted the large pile of golem remains and a black carriage with two kelpies attached. The three lands by the carriage to see the blood king picking up his younger sister and gently putting her in the carriage. Alcore¡¯s expression changed to a snarl. The blood king turns around ¡°oh hello. You surpassed my expectations today, good on you. But rest assured that I will win this.¡± Like a cat examining its prey, he gazed at the rebels. Lexy felt anger and frustration bubble from her veins and steam through her skin. ¡°No, you aren¡¯t so why don¡¯t you fight us now or are you scared? You know where to find us if you¡¯re looking for a fight.¡± Alcore glared daggers at the king, ¡°go back to the hell you came out of and I may consider not killing you and your family!¡± Within a flash the blood king was holding Alcore by the throat. ¡°understand this here and now you¡¯re only saving grace and your comrades is the Raven if she wasn¡¯t with you, I would love to find out just how many times I could throw you into the fire till your death is permanent. Then take your remains and irradiate them off the plane of this very existence! So be a good pawn and shut your bloody hole for a maw!¡± The king threw him down leaving Alcore gulping for air, ¡°ta-ta I can¡¯t wait for the next turn.¡± With a sudden smile on his face like he¡¯s an angel the blood King stepped into his carriage. The driver snaps the whips and they''re gone. Leaving behind only a cloud of dust. The four cough a bit. Varikin came out of Lexy¡¯s bag, ¡°right when you think the world can¡¯t get weirder it doubles back at you and slaps you in the face.¡± Lexy frowned and looked at Jackson, ¡°so quick thing my bow got broken in the fight. I have a spare bow at home. Do I head to Leo or?¡± Jackson hummed, ¡°You help save the dwarves see if they''re willing to help with that, and then head to Leo.¡± If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Lexy nodded, ¡°got it thanks, Jackson.¡± With that Varikin hopped back into Lexy¡¯s bag and she took off. Alcore sighs ¡°I¡¯m going to lead the attack on the militia in the slum zones with the thunder Pixies. Will you oversee this base while I¡¯m gone tomorrow?¡± Jackson nodded ¡°yes I will.¡± **** Lexy landed in the middle of the town. She looked around at the people passing by to fix things that were damaged. When a dwarf suddenly came up to her ¡°oh great mistress I and my brothers never got to say thank you for freeing us. From the tyrants. How could we ever repay you?¡± She hummed and put her hand to her chin ¡° Could you please make me a new distance weapon.¡± The dwarf nodded, ¡°one more thing mistress about the armor. We dwarf-like to base armor of battle names. Do you have one?¡± Lexy hummed ¡°no sorry I don¡¯t have one.¡± The dwarf nods ¡°Then well just base it off of magic. I will go and talk to my brothers meet the same time tomorrow?¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°sure, tomorrow I will bring the plans for the weapon I have an idea for¡± The dwarf began to run off ¡°will do miss!¡± Lexy turned her head toward Varikin who had his head sticking out of her bag, ¡°well that was random but next on the checklist delivering some presents¡± She opened her wings and took off to the rebel¡¯s base. She reached the rebellion¡¯s door in less than a minute. She looked down to see Fendres talking to some of the renegades. Lexy landed right next to Fendres. Fendres turned to Lexy ¡°oh hi their kid. What do you need?¡± A big smile found its way to Lexy¡¯s face, ¡°I have a present for you¡± she opened a portal big enough for Fendres¡¯s hat to fall out. Right above her hand. The hat falls out and Lexy closes the portal. Lexy turns to Fendres, the hat in hand. With one look at the hat, Fendres immediately begins to cry, ¡°you found it I never thought I would ever see it again!¡± Fendres gently took the hat and put it on, ¡°oh! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I never thought I would see it again!¡± Fendres brings the blond into a tight hug and then lets her go. Lexy did not expect this reaction. Nonetheless, she gave a smile, ¡°you are welcome but if you don¡¯t mind me asking. What¡¯s the story with you and the hat?¡± Fendres nodded, ¡°fair enough, I¡¯ll tell you the whole story. This whole thing started when I was ten. The hat originally belonged to my older brother. My family lived in-between the desert plains and the dunes. My family was barely scraping by due to one main reason. My family refuses to give my brother up so we were enslaved to go into hole and mine for materials. The more we found the fewer whips we got. This was a blessing compared to what other families got. I know that sounds bad but at least we were together. My brother hated it so one day he started a riot and freed me and my parents. I remember what he said to me that day. He said something like this after he broke the heavy chains on my wrist. Go be free and let your heart guide you. If you have something to say and never stand down. He then took off his hat and placed it on mine. I remember telling him, I¡¯m not leaving without you. '''' He said, `` I still have work to do.¡± The tears turn to rivers going down her face ¡°I went up the cave a bit so I could see him come out with the others only to watch him die with a sword through the heart and him smiling at me whispering, be free and touch the sky. The only things I have left of him are my memories and this hat.¡± Fendres wiped away her tears. ¡°thank you Lexy I really mean that, for this hat is invaluable¡± she says as she puts the hat on her head. Lexy smiled. She now understands why people do charity a lot better, being nice can be addictive. ¡°yup just doing some good¡± Lexy put away her wings and headed into the base Varikin hoped out of her bag and began to walk with her ¡°who do you think we should do next?¡± Varikin gave a smile ¡°how about Leo?¡± Lexy nodded ¡°alright Leo it is.¡± She headed through the base and entered the lab. To see Leo working on the book from the capital, ¡°hi guys.¡± Leo flinched and sighed pinching his brow ¡°Lexy, what have I told you to knock but what do you need.¡± Lexy set down her bag. ¡°well I don¡¯t want anything from you I just have a gift that I think you would like¡± Leo raised a brow ¡°something for me? What is it?¡± Lexy smiled and pulled out the box with Leo¡¯s invisibility cloak and the book of blueprint and notes. She walked up to Leo and handed him the box. Leo tilted his head, ¡°why to give me a box?¡± Lexy giggled ¡°just open it silly¡± Leo shrugged, ¡°ok¡± and opened it ¡°uh theirs- ¡°he cuts himself off when he puts his hand in the box, ¡°My invisibility cloaks how did you? Never mind what else is in here.¡± Leo¡¯s eyes sparkled when he pulled out his two-and-a-half-inch thick book of science. ¡°How do I even begin to say thank you Lexy.¡± Lexy gave a confident smile, ¡°by doing what you do best¡± with that Lexy left the lab with a speechless Leo and out to the cafeteria. To see Kuma watching Kanki play. She opened a portal and pulled out the ring and Kanki¡¯s fairy doll. She walked up to the two with a smile. Kanki looked at what Lexy had her eyes widened, ¡°My mommy doll you found it!¡± Kanki ran up to Lexy and she gave Kanki the doll. ¡°Thank you!¡± Kanki ran back over to Kuma ¡°daddy look she found my mommy dolly; Now I can play with mommy again!¡± Lexy walked up to Kuma''s ring in hand. Kuma looked away for a short moment to wipe away a silent tear, ¡°hi Kuma I actually have something for you too. I found It back at the abandoned base¡± Kuma scratches his head confused ¡°uh ok.¡± Lexy handed him the ring, ¡°There you go¡± Kuma¡¯s eyes widened and tears began to silently fall as he looked from the ring and back to Lexy. A smile formed on his face and hugged her just for a short second. Lexy sighed ¡°what¡¯s up with people hugging me lately?¡± Kuma let her go ¡°maybe because your good person¡± Lexy smiled and turned to Varikin ¡°ok who next?¡± Varikin shrugged, ¡°how about Jackson?¡± Lexy smiled and nodded, ¡°ok then, next up Jackson.¡± Lexy bolted into Jackson''s office only to find he was not there. Lexy shrugs ¡°I¡¯ll just leave this for him¡± Lexy opens a portal and pulls out the photo of Jackson and his brother. She sets it on his desk and then leaves his office. Varikin hummed ¡°I think that leaves Jennie and Alcore¡± Lexy smiled and nodded. ¡°Alright let¡¯s go. I think I have seen her in the cafeteria¡± Varikin nods and the two head down to the cafeteria. She and Varikin entered the cafeteria only to bump into Jennie. Jennie gave a shocked expression ¡°oh hi Lexy. I didn¡¯t see you there. Do you need something?¡± Lexy smiled ¡°yeah actually, well it¡¯s more of a present¡± Jennie''s eyes sparkled ¡°oh I love presents!¡± She opened up a portal and pulls out Jennie¡¯s double-bladed spear and handed it to her. Jennie¡¯s expression of interest charged to one of confusion ¡°Wait, I recognize that my parents gave me this before they tried to force me to join the military. That didn¡¯t work out well for them. I remember that. Leo, he¡¯s my little cousin. His parents were going to send him off at the age of five. My parents however had already sent my sister to the militia and I saw what really happened to people there and so I ran away with Leo and ended up with the rebels. It''s kind of strange to see it again but thank you Lexy¡± Lexy nods ¡°hey do you know where Alcore¡¯s office is I have a present for him to¡± Jennie nodded, ¡°Yeah I know where it is but what type of present is this?¡± Lexy gave a smile ¡°I found his father¡¯s sword, so I want to give it back to him¡± Jennie nods and smiles ¡° a kind heart is rare these days.¡± Jennie leads Lexy to Alcore¡¯s office. ¡°ok you see if he¡¯s here and if not just leave it in the drawer of the desk.¡± Lexy turned towards the door, ¡°Alcore?¡± no response. So, Lexy opened the door and no one was there. She entered the room and saw the desk. She opened the largest drawer and opened a portal. Lexy then pulled out Alcore¡¯s father¡¯s sword and put it in the drawer. Lexy looked at Varikin and smiled, ¡°I think he will like the surprise. ¡° Varikin nodded, ¡°you have a big heart just be careful who you open it up to not many are used to kindness here but yes I think he will like it.¡± Lexy shrugged, ¡°eh to each their own, ok let¡¯s go back to the mansion I¡¯m beat.¡± Varikin nodded, ¡°I could not agree more.¡± The two leave the room to see Jennie. Jennie smiles ¡°All right with that done see you later.¡± Lexy nodded and waved ¡°alright let¡¯s head back I have some stuff to print out.¡± Varikin nodded and then tilted his head ¡°yeah but what¡¯s a print?¡± Lexy chuckled, ¡°print is the action of a machine making images on paper for you.¡± Varikin noded ¡°oh ok¡± The two left the halls and entered the cafeteria to see Magi sitting down with a bowl of soup. She walked over ¡°hey Cody?¡± The redhead looked up ¡°yes?¡± Lexy smiled ¡°do you think you or Miko could look this over?¡± She says pulling out the phone she stole from the guard. Magi¡¯s eyebrows furrow; he''s seen these small devices around before and to say he is not a fan is an understatement. He looks back up to Lexy ¡°Lexy do you know what this is?¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°yes we have them from where we came from.¡± She says picking the device back up and pressing the power button right as Fendres was passing by. The small device burst with a loud gentle melody and then said in a feminine robotic voice. ¡°Version of the future of technology. Welcome, user.¡± Fendres immediately, eyes wide, pulled out her crossbow and loads it with an arrow pointing towards the phone, and shouts ¡°DEVIL BOX!¡± Everyone else in the cafeteria jumps up, weapons pulled out and on edge. Lexy¡¯s eyes widened and stood up ¡°Hey, ok everyone calm down this is NOT a devil box it¡¯s a phone two entirely different things.¡± Fendres frowned with a glare, ¡°ok but if I hear it talk again, I¡¯m sending it back to the seventh circle of hell of where it came from.¡± She lowered her crossbow and everyone else calmed down. Magi sighed and picked the device up, ¡°All alright I''ll see what I can get out of this. But don¡¯t cross your fingers this stuff is difficult to take apart.¡± Lexy nodded ¡°understood thanks, Cody.¡± Magi smiled ¡°yup any time.¡± Lexy smiled and waved goodbye to Cody, Varikin shortly behind her when she exited the base. She leaned forward and touched Varikin. She closed her eyes and thought of reality. Within a flash the two are back, in reality, the trees gently swaying with the warm summer wind. Varikin resumed his pace until they saw the mansion. He stopped and let the small bond hop off his back. He then changes to his smaller form and his allusion is back. Lexy and Varikin entered the mansion to be greeted by Mina and Misa ¡°hi Lexy and Lexy¡¯s doggo¡± Lexy eyes the duo suspiciously, ¡°yeah okay what are you up to this time? Glitter and glue? Balls in the toilet?¡± The two shook their heads, ¡°no what would make you think that but not the point. We were going to ask if you knew where some deer skulls are since you¡¯re always out in the forest.¡± Lexy raised a brow, ¡°yah sorry to disappoint you but no, I have not seen any skulls just laying around. Anyhow with that done, I have a question for you two. Do we have any printers and something I can use to find pictures?¡± Mina nodded ¡°ya actually it¡¯s in the entertainment room. Come on, I''ll show you.¡± Misa shrugged, ¡°oh it¡¯s ok I¡¯ll go look while Mina shows you that¡± Misa leaves and Mina begins leading Lexy and Varikin to the entertainment room. The three entered and to no one¡¯s surprise Axle was playing video games while munching on chips. Mina smiles ¡°hi Axle¡± Axle waved but doesn¡¯t take his eyes from the game, ¡°hey sis and Lexy and Lexy¡¯s dog¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°hi¡± Mina led the two to the back of the room. It had a large desk and cabernet next to it. Mina pulled out a printer from underneath the desk and set It on the desk. She then walked over to the cabernet and pulled out a smartphone. Turned it on and pressed a few buttons. Mina turned to Lexy and handed her the phone. ¡°Come and get me once you found what you want to print¡± Lexy nodded ¡°yup thank you for your help¡± Mina smiled ¡°any time Lexy¡± that Mina exited the room leaving the blond to her own devices. She looked at the phone and searched up blueprints for a gun she was familiar with and was the strongest she could handle. So, she searched for blueprints of an ar-15 assault rifle. Lexy found what she wants and sets the phone down She then headed out of the room and saw Mina playing on a phone, ¡°hey I found what I want to print out.¡± Mina pocketed the phone and turned to Lexy, ¡°alright¡± Mina and Lexy entered the entertainment room and Mina picked up the phone. She pressed a few buttons on the phone and the printer. The printer came to life and printed out the ar-15 assault rifle blueprints. Lexy grabbed the paper and inspected it. She smiled, ¡°alright that is all I needed thanks, Mina.¡± Mina smiled, ¡°sure thing oh and here take it I don¡¯t need it¡± Mina handed Lexy the phone, ¡°Whelp see you later kiddo. Have fun in the forest, just be careful wolves can hide in all sorts of people, especially the ones you least expect, and sometimes you will find the most sweetness in the worst of people.¡± Lexy tilted her head when she watched Mina left, ¡°what did she mean by that?¡± Varikin looks up to Lexy and shrugs. The blond smiled, ¡°well who knows but really quick I¡¯m going to put this up in my room and then we take these blueprints to the dwarfs as soon as possible.¡± Lexy put the phone in her room upstairs and then headed back downstairs to regroup with Varikin. ¡°Ok let¡¯s go!¡± The two lead into the forest with Varikin shortly behind eyeing how Lexy happily skips with the paper held tightly in her grasp like it gold ¡°I think I have ever seen you this excited to make a weapon or anything really to do with stuff like that what is this thing anyway it looks rather strange.¡± Lexy smirked, ¡°oh you will see this can be of mass destruction¡± Varikin tilted his head ¡°I doubt that I saw the ones Thokath got you at most they look like a bludgeon how in the world are they going to help you. Your knives seem like a better idea than this but fine prove me wrong.¡± Lexy grinned slyly with a hand on her hip ¡°oh trust me I will¡± The two enter the forest and shortly after reach the clearing. The blond leans down and touches Varikin¡¯s scruff. She began to think of charter and within a blur, the lush greenery changed to standing outside of the entrance of charter. The two enter the city, villagers walking around and bringing supplies to damaged buildings. It was after wandering around for a bit Lexy sighs and she looked around ¡°I don¡¯t see them. If I were a dwarf and considering earlier, I want to say that they would probably be at the weaponry.¡± Varikin nodded, ¡°probably the rebellion and the townsfolk did set one up, but I don¡¯t know if it survived the attacks from this morning.¡± Lexy looked around at the people passing by moving supplies to fix the damaged watchtowers. She walked up to a random villager, ¡°Excuse me but I am looking for a large group of dwarfs. Have you happened to see them by chance?¡± The elven villager hummed, ¡°dwarfs you say I think I saw some go into the tapestry and then the enchantment shop.¡± Lexy smiled ¡°oh thanks so much. But would you happen to know where the enchantment shop is?¡± The villager noded ¡°ya it¡¯s just across the street¡± he pointed to a store behind Lexy. She smiled, ¡°oh thank you. Have a nice day!¡± She made a three-sixty and jogged over to the enchantment shop with Varikin shortly behind. The two enter the store and saw two dwarfs bickering over something. Lexy walked up to the two, ¡°excuse me¡± the two stopped and turned to her ¡°oh it¡¯s the great mistress and one of her loyal servants. What can we do for you?¡± She twitched at the comment to Varikin ¡°he is not my servant, but I was going to ask what you two were arguing about?¡± one of the dwarfs scratched his neck ¡°well we were trying to decide what the third enchantment should be? The first is a silent enchantment. The second is a fitting enchantment and we¡¯re deciding whether the next should be speed or strength?¡± Lexy tilted her head, ¡°what is it for?¡± the two dwarfs smiled ¡°well it¡¯s for the suit we''re making for you but no one knows what color your magic is or exactly what it does. What is it again I can¡¯t remember as well as my older brother?¡± Lexy gave a smile, ¡°well my magic color is a dark purple and I can create portals that¡¯s all I can really do besides using some kind of weapon to channel it through.¡± The two dwarfs nodded, ¡°alright then I think speed and what we have.¡± They then picked up said enchantments and purchased them. Lexy watches this thru and when the dwarfs begin to leave Lexy comes up to the two ¡°hey where are you guys going?¡± One picked up the box of enchantments. Which looked like a bunch of glowing strings, ¡°we are heading to group up with the others to make your armor you can come with it would help.¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°sure come on Varikin¡± Varikin stood up and followed her and the two dwarfs to the other dwarfs that were at the armory. The four enter the armory to see dwarfs gathering materials to use. Everyone stopped once they saw the four enter and stop everything. One of the dwarfs walked up to the four ¡°good you too are back, and mistress hello¡± Lexy nodded and they immediately began working with leather, feathers, and other materials she had never seen before. She walked up to one, ¡°is there anything I can do to help?¡± The dwarf shook his head, ¡°no we¡¯re actually almost finished so if anything, we will need you to try it on soon.¡± Lexy nodded and laid down on Varikin ¡°what are you doing am I a pillow to you?¡± Lexy smiled and buried her face in his fur on his back, ¡°yes, yes you are.¡± Lexy sat up and looked back at the dwarfs. They all stopped after an hour of watching them work and Lexy watched when one of the dwarfs placed the enchantments on a black tail coated outfit. The outfit had the rebellion¡¯s crest underneath the left shoulder. Both shoulders and the inside of the tail of the coat are padded with black long feathers. On the waist of the outfit is a utility belt with a knife being held by it. The sleeves have arm guards and gloves have what look like containers or a small machine. Lexy also notices the bird skull mask and the hood. The pants have padding and like the top peace¡¯s it¡¯s black. Lexy looks in as tears begin falling no one went this far for a gift, not even her own mother would. The only thing her mother would let her use and even then, she had to earn gun lessons and ammo. Her mother didn''t buy the guns, they were just some old ones that were in the family from after the civil war. This led to her love of exploring forests and gun practice. It''s something she had control over. Tears come down in streams as she walks up to the outfit the dwarfs are beyond confused ¡°do you not like it?¡± She shook her head, ¡°no it¡¯s beautiful I love it. Thank you no one has ever done anything like this for me. Can I try it on?¡± The dwarfs smiled all around, ¡°yup here let me show you we end up adding some features we think you will find very useful.¡± One of the dwarfs pressed a button on the shoulder and the outfit changed into a cube that¡¯s pocket size. He places it on Lexy¡¯s shoulder, presses the button and the outfit forms itself onto her. The skull mask on her face leaves her goggles dangling around her neck. Smiling ear to ear ¡°I love it so much! Thank you! But I was wondering if you could make me a custom weapon? I even have blueprints of it.¡± The dwarfs smiled, ¡°sure thing¡± Lexy smiled and took out the blueprints from her bag by Varikin. She handed the dwarfs it and they looked at it. ¡°My this is interesting. I love a good challenge. I¡¯ll do it¡± Lexy smiled ¡°Thank you!¡± With that, the duo leaves the dwarfs to their work and Lexy leaned forward and thought of the veil. Within a blink of an eye, the desert terrain changed to forest and lush greenery. He resumed his pace until he saw the mansion. He stopped and Lexy hopped off his back and he turned to his normal-sized wolf form. He put on his allusion and the two approached the mansion in silence. Lexy and Varikin stepped up to the front doors. Varikin looked at Lexy ¡°hey the outfit.¡± Lexy looked at herself and realized that she was still in her combat outfit. She pressed the button on her shoulder and the outfit went back to a little pocket-sized square. She put it in her pocket and the two entered the mansion. To be greeted by Leslie and Varic. Leslie was in more casual clothes, ¡°hello Lexy I don¡¯t think I have ever gotten to spend time with you.¡± Varic comes up to Lexy ¡°so what do you want to do?¡± Lexy hummed and a mischievous glimmer found its way to her eyes. ¡°TAG!¡± she shouted when she touched Varic and bolted it. The shock would be an understatement for the two''s expressions. Varic smirked, ¡°ok first to catch her wins!¡± Leslie smiled ¡°you are so on!¡± the two bolts after her. Lexy quickly learned something from this, never challenging these two to tag. The blond gets pinned to the ground by Varic ¡°captured you yet again. Me two Leslie one and you zero. I can see why kids like the game it¡¯s fun¡± Lexy huffed, ¡°ugh I give up you guys are too good at this you win¡± Varic smirked, ¡°then that declares me the winner and as the winner, I tickle you!¡± Varic tickles Lexy who bursts to laugh ¡°no!¡± Varic stopped ¡°oh ok what do you want to do next¡± Lexy sat up and gave a tired yawn, ¡°go to sleep I¡¯m tired¡± Varic chuckled and pouted when he picked her up ¡°are you tired? It¡¯s ok we can watch movies with Leslie and Mr. Couch potato.¡± Lexy really was tired. She doesn¡¯t fight her to be able to fight against being picked up otherwise she would have been trying to get down. Leslie walked up to the two ¡°oh so you won dang it. Is she asleep?¡± Varic looks at Lexy. Her eyes were drowsy but not closed. He shakes his head ¡°no she still has her eyes open. Don¡¯t you Lexy ¡° Lexy nodded softly, ¡°ya I¡¯m just tired my legs hurt you guys don¡¯t play fair¡± Varic chuckled, ¡°fair is all a point of view but come on Leslie I still want to spend time with her so. I want to watch movies.¡± It was after that Lexy fell asleep. Ready aim fire! The blood king glared at the two men before him from his throne, ¡°Speak.¡± The men looked to him, ¡°You''re majesty, the counsel has grown worried with your focus on the rebellion. You will be straining the borders your father carved out with his own hands. This will strain the industries in Terra. The people see you as weak already. Your focus on the rebellion only proves this.¡± The blood king sneered, ¡°No, tell the council I refuse to do that.¡± The men¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°You know the consequences! Do as-¡± The blood king rose from his seat, ¡°Did you know that when a rabbit gets too scared it will die from a heart attack. So if you have no fear then you will not die. So tell me what I am?¡± The man scoffed, ¡°You''re a pansy that-¡± he couldn''t finish his comment. His breath shook, his blood felt cold, his adrenaline pumped like a deer on display before the wolves. He looked at the man with him and saw he was in the same state. His breathing quickened, his heart went faster, ¡°What is?¡± The blood king grinned as he took another step, ¡°what is this that you''re feeling? Your heart is racing so fast. Is it starting to hurt? Little rabbit¡¯s?¡± The king took another step and the two men started to give out strained cries of pain, ¡°Your fear is evident little prey.¡± They started to hyperventilate once he was on their level. Tears fell down their faces as they struggled to let out their pleas. The blood King grabbed one of the men and he began to drag him toward one of the windows. ¡°It¡¯s ok to be scared. It means you feel. I only need one of you to send a message to the council and you will use the other''s blood to write it.¡± The king then opened the window and chucked the man out. The man gave out a shrill scream before a sickening splat was echoed around the castle grounds. The blood king looked back to the remaining man, ¡°Run rabbit, run¡± The man¡¯s eyes widened and he rushed out of the room. While the blood king looked to the two Kelpies that appeared by his side, ¡°Kill him.¡± ****** Lexy woke up to Varikin barking, ¡°hey wake up we¡¯ve got morning petrol or look out remember?¡± Lexy nodded ¡°ya, ya, I know.¡± She got into her clothes and grabbed her bag of equipment and mech, ¡°k, let¡¯s go.¡± With that the two head downstairs. Lexy grabs an apple from the kitchen and some beef jerky for Varikin. The two head out to the lobby to see Varan who is usually reading a book and sitting on a chair ¡°going to the forest as usual?¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°yup I like exploring¡± Varan closed his book with the sound echoing around the room ¡°we¡¯ll have fun I won¡¯t stop you but why do you almost always have injuries when you come back? Did.¡± He paused, not quite liking the question he was about to ask, ¡°Did someone hurt you or.¡± Lexy shook her head, ¡°no I¡¯m just really clumsy it¡¯s ok! Bye!¡± with that Lexy and Varikin leave. Lexy looked at the horizon with only small cracks of sunlight gracing the darkness and the light of the stars. The duo entered the forest and Lexy touched Varikin¡¯s scruff while she closed her eyes thinking of reality. She opens her blue eyes and sees the desert area that¡¯s now ever so familiar to her. She looked to the rebellion¡¯s base door and the duo entered. Upon entrance into the base to see everyone gearing up for a fight checking weapons and armor. Lexy spotted Meko and walked up to him, ¡°hey what is going on?¡± Meko typed, ¡°there is an army of enemy soldiers with a high-rank general leading them. They¡¯ll be here by tomorrow morning.¡± Lexy nodded a heavy feeling of dread for the coming battle ahead, ¡°alright Varikin let¡¯s see if the dwarfs finished my request after petrol¡± Varikin nods ¡°yup¡± the two stop by Jackson ¡°we are off to patrol sir!¡± **** Wilma stood on top of the hillside sadly gazing at the land below her and the people on it. The families were already halfway dead either from disease or starvation. Then some were being sent into the air by the fiery sentence of surviving hell. Their sorrow forever shall linger as their remains block the sun''s warm rays. Alcore walked up next to her, his mech equipped and his pure large white wings flowing behind him. Wilma looked at him ¡°are you ready?¡± Alcore smirked as he looked at some of the soldiers he took with, ¡°ready as I¡¯ll ever be.¡± She nodded and unsheathed a long blade, her light thin wings rose and began to move in the sink with her many comrades behind her. This made a sound so loud it sounded as if Alcore was standing next to a raging thunderstorm. Wilma pointed her blade forward, ¡°Wings up and take no prisoners!¡± With that she and all her comrades took to the sky the sound of their wings moving through the air sounded like an army was descending from the heavens when they swooped down and began fighting against the enemy soldiers. Alcore killed three soldiers with a swing from his blade and turned to clash blade with a large bone for a weapon being wielded by Mogaline. Alcore huffed, ¡°you what are you doing here?¡± Mogaline smirked, ¡°oh you know having fun!¡± she says as she clashes yet again with Alcore ¡°oh, and by the way love the eye patch!¡± Mogaline smirked when she quickly bit her own thumb. Her blood began to drip down the wound. She quickly grabbed a griffin carving from her hilt and placed it on the carving. The carving began to glow brightly, and she tossed it into the air. Alcore¡¯s eyes widened and he quickly jumped to the side as a large wooden griffin swooped down to attack him. He roughly landed next to a barrel of water and smirked. He pulled out from his bag, Metra. The black and white fox yawned and he opened the top of the beryl. ¡°Metra it''s time for a size up.¡± She nodded and hopped into the water. He quickly turned back to the wooden griffin that was coming for another attack and pointed at it with his blade. ¡°Metra attack!¡± A large glow consumed the beryl and Metra leaped from the beryl now the size of a horse and began to fight with the Griffin. Alcore looked to his left to see Wilma fighting against Varolus. He shook his head and focused back on his own battle. With a hell of furry, he charged back at Mogaline. Sparks flew when his sword clashed against hers. Alcore sent Mogaline staggering back. She looked past him to see Metra had made shavings of her griffin. She burst into laughter when she saw she, Valorous, and a few others were left. She heard the bells of retreat and nodded to Valorous who stopped fighting and with the few others began retreating. Mogaline looked to Alcore, ¡°You may have won this battle, but this is NOT the war!¡± she said as she fled with her comrades. Wilma walked up to Alcore with a smile, ¡°we¡¯ve won you¡¯re right together we will stand. I already have my people tending to the wounded.¡± Alcore shook his head when he watched the enemy retreat ¡°no, this... this was WAY too easy. The kingdom had a whole army here. I think they knew we were coming.¡± Wilma frowned, ¡°Then where is the army going?¡± Alcore¡¯s eyes widened when he saw the sun¡¯s rays reach through the clouds. He now saw a worn path that leads from the camp and through a clearing in the mountains. ¡°They''re heading for charter! Hell, they''re probably already there!¡± Wilma frowned, ¡°I will aid you.¡± He nodded, ¡°Have half of our forces stay while I go with the other half go and reinforce the Charter.¡± *** Lexy and Varikin woke to a bright morning of a quick breakfast and heading to the base. The duo entered the base to see absolute chaos of people getting armed and equipped for battle. The tension from yesterday felt more like a fire. Magi quickly rushed up to her from the crowd, ¡°Lexy there isn¡¯t much time until there here you need to get ready for battle.¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°Got it.¡± With that, she got into her combat suit and she and Varikin rushed to Charter for her order from the dwarves. Once there Lexy and Varikin entered the armory and were greeted by a dwarf, ¡°hi the others told me you would be stopping by here to get your custom order. The ugh ar-15 assault rifle I think.¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°yup that¡¯s me¡± the dwarf nodded and took off the shelf the rifle and a box of bullets and handed it all to Lexy. The blond loads up her utility belt with ammo. The dwarf smiled ¡°oh and we added a special bullet that can act as an anchor point for your magic so you can teleport further. Along with one that takes your magic and charges the bullet with it and then splits up some scientist guy came and helped us.¡± He handed her two large boxes of ammo. Lexy nodded, ¡°will do¡± Lexy strapped the gun on and turned to Varikin while she was loading up the clips with ease, ¡°you ready?¡± Varikin nodded, ¡°after all we¡¯ve been through, I am ready for whatever they can throw at us.¡± Lexy nodded and the two-headed back to the base. The two entered the base to see Jackson ready to go mech attached while many others also looked ready for battle including Miko and the hole k nine-unit ¡°ok you ready?¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°yes sir we are ready¡± Jackson nodded, ¡°good but what is with the weapon?¡± Lexy smirked, ¡°just wait and see¡± With that Varikin turned to his ferret form and hops into her bag as she and many others march to the launch deck. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. She got to the roof to see many launching off and heading for battle. Talo smirked at her ¡°Doubt that you¡¯ll even scare anything off the field with that poor excuse for a weapon on your back.¡± Lexy huffed and looked at Jackson when she saw his white wings spread into the air. Lexy quickly pulled her black cored. Her purple and black-tipped large wings spread as the group took off. She felt her blood cold when she looked to the horizon and saw the thick lines of soldiers coming for the rebellion and when she got closer. She looked down below to see the battle had already begun. Jackson looked at her ¡°You stay in the air and rain hell on these bastards. How? I don¡¯t care, just do it.¡± With that, he drew his sword ¡°FOR TOMORROW!¡± Lexy turned off the safety on her rifle, she loaded it with the splitter bullets, she took aim, took a breath. Then purple energy flowed from her fingertips and spread through the gun. She exhaled and pulled the trigger. The bullet flies faster than a commit leaving behind a soft trace of purple energy. With a sudden and short shriek, the soldiers began breaking formation and dropping like flies. one shouts ¡°the- ¡°and he¡¯s dead. The captains begin shouting ¡°find who it is and get back information¡± and he is knocked out. One of the captain¡¯s rushes to the back of the lines up to head captain ¡°Sir! the soldiers are dropping like flies!! There must be thousands in the air. All the lines are breaking, and the enemy is advancing into our lines¡± the General turned to the frightened captain. The general¡¯s blue hair with black at the base, his eyes hidden behind a sun guard just like the other generals. He where¡¯s a frost touched suit. He sighed, ¡°It''s fine, it''s probably just one. I¡¯ll take care of it. This is who I was sent after any way I know it: Keep the army in line.¡± The head captain turned to the troops, ¡°all of you duck¡± they do as told and the General with a mere flick of his hand sends out a flurry of his magic. creating thousands of shards of ice breaking through the trees and high into the air. Lexy saw the ice heading for her. She turned to get away, but her wings got covered in a layer of ice. She began plummeting in altitude and as a last attempt, she quickly created a portal down low as far as she could reach and one in front of her. With a thud, she met the ground. She turned to the soldiers and the general. The soldiers murmur. The general walked to the front of the group while Lexy quickly reloaded. The general was in front of the group, ¡°hello I must say you are a lot easier to draw out than I thought and for goodness sake put down the gun girl it¡¯s not going to work on me.¡± Lexy didn¡¯t respond; she only fired a bullet right for his head. But to her surprise, he caught it with ease while it was encased with ice in his hand, ¡°what did I just say man¡¯s tools won¡¯t get far against magic.¡± Varikin snarled and turned into his wolf form as he leaped in front of Lexy from her backpack. The prince smirked, ¡°I''m not after you so sit and wait!¡± The prince froze Varikin¡¯s pawed to the ground, ¡°I don¡¯t recommend you move you might break your paws off.¡± Lexy grits her teeth and a plan begins to form. Lexy brought out one of her larger knives and quickly made a motion at the sky. This created a portal high above the prince while Lexy began to run toward him. The prince sent waves of ice at her relentlessly. Lexy created a portal in front of her. The ice then began to fall from the sky at the prince. Shock filled his expression and then it went to a smirk. He created an ice shield on his arm and blocked the ice. Lexy takes this opportunity to go in with a knife and make a slash on his side. Lexy was expecting anger but he laughed ¡°Hahaha! You are everything the rumors say you are. So, let me show my gratitude for a worthy exponent!¡± The prince unsheathed his sword and stabbed it into the ground; he sent a glacier worth of ice straight towards her and Varikin. Lexy quickly got in front of her friend and created a large portal in front of her. The ice hit and the portal in front of her. Creating a hole in the ice letting her and Varikin see another day. Lexy walked out to see the prince smirking ¡°oh look at that you''re still alive.¡± The prince sent another attack of ice shards at her. She used the same strategy as before. The prince, as before, made an ice shield as the shards fell from the sky Lexy went at the prince with a knife but dropped it and grabbed his loose hand. She remembered what Leo said she absorbed magic. This felt like the raging amazon river crashing against her. Lexy absorbed some of it but it¡¯s just too much. Lexy dropped his hand and backed away. The prince smirked, ¡°Feeling cold?¡± Lexy shivered like a leaf, that was a bad idea, but this might be a better one. She stood up and quickly went to stab him with one of her knives. He dodged and was about to comment when Lexy fired a bullet straight for him. Through a stroke of luck, she made her mark and he was out. Lexy looked up to see Alcore flying in with a large group including Jennie, and Fendres. Lexy shivered when she took out some cord and tied the princess'' hands behind his back. Varikin came up to her in his ferret form ¡°is he dead?¡± Lexy shook her head ¡°no¡± Varikin looked at Lexy¡¯s shaking form, ¡°you ok?¡± Lexy nodded ¡°just a bit cold I¡¯ll be... Fine.¡± Varikin doesn¡¯t buy it but takes it for now. She quickly turns back to look at Alcore who just landed by her. When she heard the sound of a clock. Lexy looked at Alcore but was confused. He isn''t moving, not even breathing in mid-step. She looked at the rest of the group only to see that they were in the same state. She looked back to Varikin who is also frozen in time. Lexy looked at the general and saw he was two. Until she sees above him is a stone-faced lady that was dressed just like the general but there were a few exceptions; she had a clock and gears on her outfit. Her hair started black and faded to white. The clock dangling around her neck and she wasn''t alone. With her was a man whose back was slouched back and the puppet crosses on his back. His hair is black to silver. Lexy noted the red portal behind which they came from. The man smirked when he looked at Lexy, ¡°aww no one told me she was so cute. Why didn¡¯t you tell me? Oh, and looks like she won two oh this will be fun! Dearest general, will you take care of him while I have some fun!¡± The female nodded, ¡°remember what he said.¡± The man chuckled, ¡°ya, ya I know.¡± With that, the woman picked up the general and put him in the portal that they came from. The lady turns to the man ¡°I will keep time frozen until it is over brother¡± Her brother nodded and with that, she left. The brother turned to Lexy ¡°gosh kid you have horrible luck. But that face I love.¡± Lexy snarled, ¡°why do you do psychopaths always pick with me when there are plenty others who would love to kick you''re but.¡± The man chuckled, ¡°tsk, tsk I can¡¯t tell you that you haven¡¯t seen the final show yet. But let me introduce myself. I am the puppeteer and I already know you. You¡¯re the sweet little dole Polly of our show. So, let¡¯s get started!¡± With that, he took one of his puppet crosses and stabbed it into the glacier. Lexy loaded her gun and jumped back. The puppeteer snapped his hands and silver strings came from his fingertips and attached themselves to the puppet cross in the ice. He pulled one of his silver strings and the glacier morphed into a giant golem-like creature. Lexy felt the cold spreading more and she shivered. She didn¡¯t know if she could hold out, but she didn¡¯t use too much magic. The blond dodged a punch from the ice puppet. She scanned the puppet over and spotted the others, first she needed to get the puppeteer away from the others she can¡¯t risk them getting hurt. Lexy began to get away from the others and led the puppeteer away. The puppet clicked his tongue ¡°tsk, your friends are lucky to have you. I¡¯ll tell you what if you¡¯re so worried why don¡¯t we bring one with us. One of the feathers flocks together.¡± Lexy heard this and began rushing to stop this only to see him pick Alcore. Lexy stopped because she didn¡¯t want to hurt Alcore. She turned to the puppeteer and went to attack him when Alcore stopped her and went to punch her. Lexy dodged and looked at Alcore who had a puppet cross in his back. Lexy moved cautiously ¡°A-Alcore?¡± another wave of cold spread over her. Shivering and her teeth chatting she was almost ready to curl into herself if it meant she could be a bit warmer than she was now. Her breath was white as snow. The puppeteer smirked, ¡°you seem cold, do you need a hug from your best friend?¡± Lexy shook her head ¡°No! Damn you. That¡¯s it¡± Lexy turned to the puppeteer and brought out one of her larger knives. Alcore blocked her path and unsheathed his blade. Within a flash, Alcore sent his blade at Lexy. She resaved a slash on the solder when trying to doge. She turns on a hard dime and goes to remove the puppet cross only to get punched in the face by Alcore and knocked to the ground. Her gun slid away from the motion. The puppeteer smirked and picked up the gun, ¡°Here not that it''ll help you much but here you can keep it if it makes you feel better.¡± He put it back in her hands ¡°you know though you would fit right in, I¡¯m sure my brother could find a better place for you than with those friends of yours. I mean you already have well-proven you could be in our ranks.¡± Lexy frowned, ¡°I will never be anything like you!¡± she said with venom and fire in her voice. He smirked, ¡°oh such a fighter. Now I¡¯ve noticed you really are cold, you sure you don¡¯t want a hug?¡± Lexy went to punch him while she jumped up. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a no,¡± Lexy noted how Alcore and the puppeteer both back away. She looks up to see the Ice puppet going to punch her. She quickly made a huge portal, her blue chains appeared from her wrists as pushes against them, and with a yell and a short charging noise, a huge burst of magic destroyed the ice golem. She panted and kneeled when the cold spread again. It was almost to her heart now. She felt her hand begin to go numb and shivers profusely. The puppeteer whistled when he looked at the damage on the ice, ¡°damn you know the only other person I have ever seen pull something like that off was my brother, the king.¡± Lexy quickly took this chance to fire a bullet at him and it hit its mark. Knocked him out and stopped his control over Alcore. Lexy laid down on the ground curled into herself she looked at her arm which now has a gentle coat of frost over it. Lexy watched when the other general reappeared and left with the puppeteer through a red portal almost exactly like hers. Time resumed and Lexy felt herself being picked up by Alcore, ¡°crud you¡¯re cold. What happened? I saw a glacier coming out of nowhere on the fly here¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°cold, so cold too much but no chance for my awesomeness. I faced two of them.¡± Alcore spread out his wings and Varikin hopped on his shoulder, ¡°Is that so, is that what gave you the nasty bruise?¡± Lexy shook her head ¡°no you did¡± Alcore took off with her and Varikin ¡°Varikin what happened?¡± Varikin looked worriedly at Lexy and then Alcore, ¡°I remember her knocking out the ice guy that much is true but. From there one second she¡¯s fine the next I see you picking her up. During the fight, she tried to absorb his magic and that could be why she¡¯s so cold.¡± With that Alcore lands on the flight deck and rushes to the sick bay to see Leo talking to one of the doctors ¡°she needs help!¡± Leo walked up to Alcore and Varikin ¡°what happened?¡± Alcore handed Lexy to one of the doctors who set her on one of the beds. Alcore sighed, ¡°she took on apparently two head captains and tried to absorb the ice magic but that clearly didn¡¯t end well.¡± Leo''s eyes widened ¡°then the problem is a magical overload, or her body wasn¡¯t ready for that magic. I think I have something that can help.¡± With that Leo ran to his lab and grabbed a machine a little bigger than his hand. Leo rushed back to Lexy and Alcore with this in hand. Leo turned to the doctor ¡°we need to do an implant.¡± The doctor stopped what he was doing. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Leo took out a vial of fire magic and loaded it into the machine, ¡°this dispenses magic in small bursts. The problem here is her body isn¡¯t used to the ice magic she absorbed so we need to keep her warm while she gets used to it.¡± The doctor nodded and turned to Alcore ¡°We''re going to have to ask that you leave, we need to go into surgery.¡± Alcore and Varikin nod and leave. ****** Lexy woke up with a groan, ¡°ugh what happened¡± Leo smiled, ¡°cold?¡± She shook her head ¡°no but how?¡± Leo sat down by her, ¡°Alcore brought you to sickbay. Oh, and be more careful with what magic you absorb. The uh implant bye your lower back. You need to put in one of these¡± he took out a vial of fire magic ¡°any time you start feeling cold or try using ice magic even then I don¡¯t recommend using it after a week.¡± Leo scratches his arm ¡°Oh and one more thing I thought you would like to know me and Meko are working on a better version of the mechs were calling them shirkers we never would have been able to if it wasn¡¯t for you finding the book so as a thank you. You can keep the mech you have. Use it for whatever you like.¡± Lexy smiled, ¡°Thank you.¡± Leo nods ¡°oh ya Alcore is putting a plan into action tomorrow and I hope it works. Anyhow, I recommend going home for some rest.¡± Lexy nods ¡°ya I think I will take you up on that. Thanks, Leo.¡± Leo nodded and Lexy left the medic bay to the cafeteria. She saw Alcore talking to Varikin and walked up to the two ¡°hi guys.¡± Alcore looked over to her, ¡°oh hey you¡¯re up. Really quick none of us know what happened but you so, could you please tell us?¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°ya the reason why you don¡¯t know if there were technically three head captains. I fought the first one knocked him out and then the other two showed up and put on a red portal. One she could freeze up time the other. The one I had to fight has control magic that lets him control people and objects. Which is why I have bruce and a few cuts on the shoulder because he used you as a puppet Alcore.¡± Alcore sighs a bit ¡°oh ok. So, what are you doing next?¡± Lexy yawns ¡°sleep I¡¯m heading back home for the rest of the day and I will be back tomorrow.¡± Alcore nodded and watched when she and Varikin left. Let us pray for the final hour comes! Azriel walked into a large field of flowers that was surrounded by castle-like walls. He bowed when he heard footsteps approach him. A feminine voice spoke, ¡°I am disappointed Azriel. The child has been put in more danger than necessary.¡± Azriel sighed, ¡°I am sorry my goddess. My failure is unacceptable. What would you like me to do?¡± A large hand raised Azriel¡¯s head. For him to gaze at Tethys. A woman with long blue hair, her eyes almost haunting orange, and came with a black background. Her ears softly flop over. Her skin was a porcelain grey. Her pure white dress reflected the sun''s rays. By her was an armored man with purple and red hair. His armor was silver with goldcrests and glowed with enchantments. He had a hood on that had metal crest pieces at the top of the hood. In his left hand was a speer. Tethys¡¯s expression went stern, ¡°Protect the child and take her from Thokath¡¯s custody. I can not afford that child¡¯s death.¡± Azreil frowned, ¡°Thokath will not willingly give up the child.¡± Tethys raised a brow and then gave a smirk when she looked at the guardsmen with her, ¡°Let me rephrase that. Take the child by any means necessary and take him with you.¡± she said while she gestured to the guardsmen. Azriel nodded, ¡°Yes, my goddess.¡± **** Early in the morning Lexy woke up yet again to Varikin ¡°hey wake up we need to go.¡± Lexy sighed ¡°k¡± she got up shivering and got dressed. She put in one of the fire magic containers and felt the cold slowly go away. With that, she grabbed her equipment and mech and walked out the door only to be greeted by Leslie. Lexy¡¯s eyes widened ¡°h-hey Leslie.¡± Leslie gave a small smile and handed Lexy a paper bag, ¡°I asked the chefs to make you breakfast and lunch. I¡¯ve noticed you¡¯ve been getting up early lately ¡°don¡¯t need you starving.¡± Lexy nodded and smiled ¡°thanks Leslie see you later.¡± With that Lexy put the lunch in her bag and re-secured the mech to the bag. The two leave the mansion, the sun still yet to rise. Only a twilight of light seeping through. The duo entered the forest, a soft cool breeze touching their faces as Varikin changed to his wolf form and Lexy hops onto his back. She closed her eyes and thought of reality. She opened them and saw the deserted area, the base, and Charter. Lexy sighed, ¡°Let''s get to the outpost before Jackson has our hides.¡± Varikin nodded and took off to the lookout towers. The two get there shortly and set up. After an hour Lexy is looking through the spyglass while Varikin sits down stacking thin stones ¡°you sure are paranoid today but all things given I can¡¯t blame you but maybe take a break¡± Lexy sighed, ¡°ya ok I¡¯ll stop but just for food.¡± She turned to her bag and pulled out her food. She set down her gun. ***** Once finished with their patrol the sun was up halfway in the sky. The two were walking to the base. Lexy was ready for lunch. She turned to Varikin, ¡°hey after lunch you want to go to the meadow and practice or go fishing, fishing sounds good to me you?¡± Varikin noded ¡°Sounds good, hey is that Alcore?¡± Lexy looked up to see Alcore looking around until he spotted the duo. Alcore smiled, ¡°Oh, hey I was looking for you.¡± Lexy was about to smile when she saw the woman who can freeze time standing in the corner of her vision and that¡¯s when she could hear the sound of a clock. With a chime of a disembodied bell, everything and everyone but Lexy froze. Lexy quickly went to load her gun only to find it''s frozen too. Lexy turned back to the woman who gave a curt bow, ¡°Let me introduce myself I am the mistress of time.¡± The mistress of time summoned a clock-hand sword. She launched at Lexy with her sword while Lexy quickly made a portal in front of her. The mistress went to attack Lexy¡¯s side. Lexy quickly made another portal to block the attack then jumped back while she closed her portal. The mistress smirked ¡°you know I have always wondered after watching all your battles up to now. I¡¯ve seen how you¡¯ve struggled; I¡¯ve seen how those soul chains try to stop you but most of all. You know, don¡¯t you, you''re in denial of the truth. Your time is running out to accept it on your own. Come then see if you will survive as the clock will count down.¡± Lexy pulled out her knife and made some throws only to watch when the mistress easily caught each and broke each to dust. Lexy then swiftly pulled out her father¡¯s knife and made slashes of her violent magic in the air. The mistress of time deflected each but each time she had to take a step back, ¡°good but not good enough!¡± The mistress of time lunged for Lexy with her blade first. Lexy quickly leaped back, narrowly dodging the fatal attack by a breath. She then quickly stabbed her father¡¯s blade into the ground. The earth rumbled as her chaotic magic spread from the blade. This made chunks of earth float around. Lexy smirked and quickly hopped from piece to piece to doge more attacks from her enemy. The mistress of time quickly caught on and began to do the same. It was almost like a dark waltz of blades, blood, and magic. Each attack was closer than the last. Each breath made a difference. Lexy didn''t dodge fast enough and the mistress of time slashed Lexy in the arm. This caused Lexy to drop her father''s knife and skid back. Lexy let out a frustrated breath, sweat ran down her face. She felt fatigued from her recent battles. Despite this, she pushed onwards and she knew this left with only one option. She had noted that her opponent was fast so with a sigh Lexy stood firm and began summoning a wall worth of portals. The third portal, eyes halfway changed. At the fifth portal, her eyes have changed completely. Once the white was black her pupil was a slit and her eye color was purple. Purple smoke leaked from both eyes going up into the air in spirals and then fading away. The blue soul chains spread through the air. With a yell, Lexy fired the portals at her opponent. The mistress smirked ¡°so you¡¯re true to color shows. She dodged Lexy¡¯s attack and then was too fast for Lexy to block in time and earned a slash on the side. Pain spreads over like lighting but the adrenaline calms it. Lexy let out a snarl of frustration and made three more portals. The glass cracked yet again. Lexy¡¯s hair changed to tipped purple and black at the roots. Horns growing out of her head, slightly curved. Lexy fired multiple portals at different times and then all together. The mistress smirked and deflected each with her sword. The blasts left behind huge scorch marks. The mistress of time clicked her tongue, ¡°I think it¡¯s time we finish this up.¡± With that said Lexy redirects her portals in front of her only to watch as the mistress jumps past and knocks Lexy out with the blunt end of her blade. **** Lexy woke up her portals still there. Her ears ring, she looked around to see the mistress with the soul stone and the fact that she is in front of Alcore ¡°Now you¡¯re up good now I can leave.¡± Lexy panicked when she looked from the mistress to Alcore when she left and as time resumed its course. Alcore stopped what he was going to say and stared at Lexy ¡°what happened?¡± Lexy felt herself shaking ¡°time mistress they took the soul stone.¡± Lexy turned away His face indescribable ¡°and you lost. Come on, we need to talk.¡± Alcore just roughly grabbed her and forced her to her feet. Leaving Varikin confused ¡°what wow who took a fire mage to the Earth. Lexy?¡± Lexy recognized this room it¡¯s the interrogation room. They take a seat while Alcore just has a glare ¡°so. When were you going to tell me that you are one of those bloody monsters!¡± He shouts with such furry. Lexy flinched with each word was like a punch to the gut. ¡°I¡¯m n- ¡° Alcore interrupts ¡°No how can I trust something like you! Before you say anything.¡± He pulls out a small mirror. Lexy looks at her reflection and realizes why she looks just like one of them. She¡¯s shaking like a leaf now and watches as it fades away her hair and eyes back to normal. The horns go away. ¡°I don¡¯t want you here, but I know we need you here. Just how am I going to trust you?¡± Lexy clenched her fists, ¡°I have given all I could, I have given up time with others who care about me just to help you! Don''t YOU DARE ask how you can trust me! when I have done nothing but trust you!¡± Lexy sighed, ¡°If you don''t want me here I get it but. Honestly, I didn''t know.¡± Alcor¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°You didn''t know?¡± He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, ¡°Alright, rest all of tomorrow you need to be ready for the upcoming battle.¡± Lexy just nodded ¡°yes sir¡± and brushed past him. Lexy exited the room and saw Varikin ¡°hey what¡¯s wrong. What happened?¡± Lexy looked to him, ¡°Stay here for tonight. Find out what''s going on. Something weird is up.¡± she walked past him. Varikin watched Lexy leave. ¡°what am I missing here?¡± Magi came up to the wolf out of seemingly nowhere ¡°I think she and Alcore got in a fight or something like that. I heard it.¡± Varikin flinched and turned to him, ¡°gosh you come out of nowhere. But what did she do wrong?¡± Alcore walked by and is stopped by Jackson ¡°Alcore it missing the- ¡° Alcore stops ¡°soul stone I know. But trust me we can still win this, are they ready?¡± Jackson noded ¡°yeah they''re all coming now they should be here by after dusk.¡± Alcore sighed ¡°good, hey do you still have the tear device?¡± Jackson nodded, ¡°yeah.¡± Alcore smiles ¡°good notify me once all our troops are here.¡± Jackson stands straight and smirks ¡°yes sir¡± and walks away. Magi hummed ¡°I think something big is going down and I don¡¯t think I like it.¡± Varikin nodded in agreement. ***** Elvira stood before a black stone church with orange stained windows. It had metal chains holding it to the ground. While it sat on a cliff that faced the sea. The air was salty while they heard the seagull''s caw and the ocean claw against the cliffs, both awaiting a meal. Shortly behind Elvira was Tarvos. Elvira sighed, ¡°Come on the longer we make him wait the worse it will be.¡± Tarvos let out a frustrated huff, ¡°Do we have to be the ones to report. It¡¯s usually Albis.¡± Elvira rolled her eyes, ¡°Yes it is. but since he got himself captured we have to do it for him. I know you don''t like him¡± Tarvos narrowed his gaze while he followed his mother, ¡°It¡¯s not just that. He''s damn creepy.¡± Elvira and Tarvos entered the church. Inside it was empty except for one podium. A masked man was standing at this podium. The man was covered in black robes. He tilted his head to the side, ¡°Where is Albis?¡± Elvira tensed while Tarvos averted his gaze, ¡°He got captured by the rebellion sir. Discord made the guardian well. You, out of all of us, should know Black Iris.¡± Black Iris tapped his fingers against the podium in a rhythm. The sound echoed around the church, ¡°Well then focus your efforts on a trap instead of taking the guardian head-on. The best traps are the ones at home. Yes?¡± **** Alcore was in his office and Jackson walked in, ¡°sir they are all here¡± Alcore smirked ¡°good¡± With a brief walk from the base to the village. Alcore entered the center of town which was filled with rebellion soldiers and nearly tripled the number of armed civilians. People stacked on top of each other to see. Some on top of buildings and posts. Jackson was behind the city waiting for his cue. Alcore walked up onto a stage Leo handed him a speaker device that amplifies his voice. Alcore is now at the center of the stage with all his captains and head captains behind him. ¡°Good day, my brothers and sisters of the rebellion tomorrow at midnight we will march to make a better land for our families, our friends, and our fallen. We shall not let their sacrifice be for nothing. I promise we will avenge you and pave the way for a better tomorrow! So, armor yourselves.¡± Someone gives Jackson the go-ahead. Alcore smirked, ¡°and prepare for a new dawn!¡± Jackson transformed into his dragon form. Towering over the city now. His roar shook the earth and sky. The crowd bursts into cheers and whistles all shouting ¡°for tomorrow!¡± raising their fists and weapons. Magi and Varikin were in one of the watchtowers. Cody¡¯s eyes widened upon seeing Jackson, ¡°we have a titan dragon blooded!¡± Varikin nodded ¡°yes, yes we do that¡¯s Jackson, but I think I¡¯m getting the same feeling you do know there is something off about all of this if Jackson was our major weapon he wouldn¡¯t have him doing this. So, what is it he has up his sleeve.¡± Magi¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°Someone he would have rested before the big battle!¡± Varikin sighed, ¡°Let us pray Lexy will be rested for this battle. Because this one is going to go down in the books.¡± **** Lexy was coloring downstairs in the lobby when she heard a knock ¡°who would be here at his hour?¡± She readied her father¡¯s knife and opened the door slightly to see Jackson with his mech on and Varikin on his soldier ¡°it¡¯s time are you coming?¡± Lexy nodded and put on her combat suit over her clothes and utility belt, ¡°ready as I¡¯ll ever be.¡± She grabbed her mech that she left by the door and put it on. ¡°Let¡¯s go¡± Varikin noded he hopped on to Lexy¡¯s shoulder and then into her bag. Lexy touched Jackson and warped them to reality. She opened her eyes and they were in front of the rebellion¡¯s door. They both pull their cord and Jackson and Lexy take off with Jackson in the lead. Jackson led her to the marching army of civilians and rebels. Dragon blooded in their dragon forms armored. The queen leading airships with Phenic. Some of the giant geckos. Others on tiger horses and some on peryton. Lexy¡¯s eyes widened ¡°holy! Crap!¡± The two landed by Alcore leading the march. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Jackson walked up to Alcore ¡°she is here.¡± Alcore nodded, ¡°good you may go¡± Jackson nodded and left. Lexy walked near Alcore, ¡°so this is it walking up a hill?¡± Alcore shook his head ¡°no that is.¡± The two reach the top and Lexy sees the sleeping army of anawrath soldiers in the valley. Alcore signaled the army to stop and pulled out the speaker device. ¡°Come my friends, let them hear you today. The king himself is here. So, say it with me loud and proud!¡± They all raised their fists and screamed at the top of their lungs, ¡°FOR TOMORROW!¡± The earth shook with each step the soldiers took when Alcore charged with his sword. Lexy loaded her gun, the adrenaline tingled at her fingertips. She felt goosebumps chill their way through her skin. She let out a breath as if to assure this is happening. She is at the battlefront and there is no turning back. Varikin hopped into her bag as she took off to flight. In midair, she saw Meko armed with two swords and riding a dragon he had made from water. The blood king was doing some late-night strategy with his generals, ¡°so I think it would be-¡° one of the generals was saying when the ground started shaking. The blood king ran out of the tent to see what was going on outside to see what was happening and saw the army of civilians and rebels charging straight for them. Two figures appear by him, one with black hair and the other with white. Both are wearing masks. ¡°I know what you are here to do and she¡¯s here. She¡¯s up at the front.¡± The two nod and disappear into black and white smoke. Varikin turned into his giant wolf form and Lexy hoped on. She immediately began making headshots at guards while Varikin attacked whoever came up. Meko attacked a few soldiers who were coming up from the side. The sun begins to rise Then Lexy leaned over to Varikin¡¯s ear ¡° stop.¡± Varikin stopped and the army of rebels passed them ¡°something isn¡¯t right.¡± Meko noticed Lexy stopped and rushed up to her. He tilted his head. Lexy looked at the battle with skepticism, ¡°Alcore said the king himself is here but from what I¡¯ve learned we should be expecting.¡± Right as she said that they watched when the blood king took to the sky with bat-like wings and summoned twenty portals. He then begins firing at their allies. ¡°That.¡± Lexy let out a breath and tightened her grip on her father¡¯s knife. ¡°ok here we go.¡± Lexy was about to ask Varikin to go forward but suddenly the rising sun¡¯s light was blocked and the three were trapped in a pinch black dome. Lexy opened a portal that created a purple glow revealing the two other figures. Lexy narrowed her gaze, ¡°Are you here to help me?¡± The two looked at each other and then back to Lexy Lexy, ¡°We are here to give you a last offer of sorts. We can promise the safety of you and one of your friends. But only if you come with us.¡± Lexy raised a brow, ¡°And if I refuse?¡± The two tensed, ¡°We will keep our vow if you''re willing or not.¡± Lexy focused magic into her father¡¯s knife, ¡°Well I''m helping with that fight whether you want me to or not.¡± Lexy looked at her two friends'' tension knotted in her gut. ¡°Miko, Varikin. I won¡¯t judge if you hate me afterward but please, we need to work together if we want to beat these two.¡± Miko nodded and smiled. He brought back his water dragon and held up his swords. Lexy created seven portals, her hair and eyes changing causing a purple glow from her. Spirals of purple magic glowing from her eyes. Her horns are three inches from her head. Blue bindings appear in the air cuffed to her wrists. Meko stared in shock with Varikin at Lexy. Swiftly they changed focus back to fighting. Lexy went to fire at one of the two head captains. Who dodge and brought out a white sword of light and attacked Meko. Meko blocked with his two swords Sparks flying from his blades. Varikin went to help Meko and Lexy saw one of the shadows move; she quickly went to face it, the glow from her magic revealing the soft black silhouette of her enemy. Lexy moved her portals to block them off. They stop and attack Lexy with a black sword. Suddenly the dome went from black to white. Lexy slid to doge another flurry of attacks. ¡°You have no idea who you face if you fight that battle¡± Lexy smirked, ¡°I think I do.¡± The two stop and stand together both turning their weapons into a seethe. The two charge at the trio. Lexy aimed her portals ¡°keep them still and I can make a shot¡± Meko noded and locked blades with them both Varikin turned into his human form to help him. Lexy made a few more portals, a total of ten her horns got longer. She created them in a dome shape above ¡°alright break!¡± Lexy brought down to the dome and put a few under the two. Creating an endless fall for the two. The two shrieks in displeasure. Lexy loads her gun with bullets and fires multiple shots at them. The two stop and Lexy call back all her portals. The two fall onto the ground, one stood up and helped the other up, ¡°Don''t say we didn''t warn you.¡± Lexy was about to say something when the ground rumbled again and the three watched with many others as Jackson flew over in his dragon form but he wasn''t attacking. Lexy watched what looked like mechs at first until they started diving letting out multiple loud shriek-like noises and then they hit a point in the air and let out a flash of magic attacks. She turned back to see the blood king''s set of magic attacks; one came close to her and she had to duck to doge. Smoke began to choke her, desperately she waved the dust and smoke from her view. She quickly saw Varikin was fine. She looked to Meko and something cold crept under veins. It made her want to throw up. To pretend what she was seeing was fake. But no it was the real Meko. Meko had a hole where his stomach should be. She could see how bright red blood was flowing from him. She could even see the burn marks on the ground through the hole. Lexy rushed up to Meko, her eyes wide and hot tears had begun to rush from her eyes, ¡°Meko come on please, please, please no! No! Don¡¯t go, I come on. Please.¡± Only to see him hand her his short swords, smile, pat her head and open his mouth ¡°It''s ok, I can''t think of a better angel to take me to heaven and guide me through battle. Thank you, Lexy'''' His voice was gentle and soft. ¡°They can forget me. But you.¡± He smirked, ¡°I can¡¯t think of a person alive who could-¡± He didn''t get to finish. Life left his eyes and Lexy was left with nothing but a shell of her friend. Lexy hugged him and screamed tears falling off her face ¡°please no, come on me. It wasn¡¯t supposed to be like this please no!.¡± Varikin looked down, ¡°Lexy..¡± She faced Varikin ¡°no! I''m not leaving him, he''ll make it let me take him back please!¡± Her eyes glowed a deep purple. Denial in her expression Varikin changed to his human form and walked over to her shaking his head ¡°no, he is gone. There''s nothing you can do.¡± Lexy falls silent when she gently set Miko¡¯s dead body down and turned to the blood king, angry tears falling when the whites of her eyes change to black and those storm blue changed to a dark purple ¡°you.¡± She seethed ¡°I AM SICK AND TIRED OF THIS!¡± Lexy dropped all her weapons and her mech. All except her father''s knife. Varikin could feel a pure rage and how the thin glass holding back an ocean of magic. ¡°L-Lexy what are you? '''' it shattered. She didn¡¯t respond to him. Words no longer had a place here. Lexy¡¯s hair and eyes change. Her horns extend and then come back to frame her face. Her nails changed to claws and fourteen long black tails appeared. A set of black feathered wings spread from her back. She launched herself off the ground leaving a crack and blowing away nearby people. Lexy wielded her father''s blade which had magic forming off it to where it didn''t look like a knife, no, it was a sword. Lexy clashed against the blood king. Sending huge shock waves of magic blowing away and burning anyone to close. The king brought out his four tails and the two clashed as they summoned their portals and attacked each other. The blood king tossed her away and crashed into the ground cratering a crater.¡±It¡¯s time for the game to end¡± Lexy quickly got back up and flew back at him with her father''s blade. Purple magic dancing off her in auroras like the northern lights. The king summoned two long blades made of red magic and the two clashed. Purple and red tendrils of sparks flying from the weapons the two break the deadlock and try hitting each other with a fierce velocity of attacks that they''re too blurry to look at. The two clashed again and again. The earth below began to crack and float. **** In the veil people just minding their day were suddenly interrupted by the ground shaking and seeing large tendrils of purple and red magic flowing around like auras. A detective and a general look in awe. The detective looks to his brother ¡°is this what you meant?¡± The world glitched and every single human could see as their houses, phones, and cares go transparent and could see the magic. The wind began to whip up and many went to grab on to their transparent surroundings to faze right through them. The world glitched again and the humans can even see the magics not just here but in Texas many look in awe at their surroundings and at the giant turtle on the coast. Those who were on boats suddenly fall into the sea and shriek in horror as rebels try to save them. Lexy broke away, her feathers flying off at the king-like blades leaving behind her skeletal wings with dark purple magic dripping off them. Again and again, the two clashed and further and further were bystanders sent flying back or killed by deflected attacks. Both sides began to flee and then look in shock at the many humans and the transparent buildings. The king sent Lexy flying again into the earth, huge boulders were sent flying from the force. But did not let her get back up. The blood king aimed and fired a portal right at Lexy. Lexy screamed with pain and the world went white. Lexy paused and looked around strangely. The pain was now gone. She saw white, white and a strange man in a chair. Wait, a strange man in a chair? Lexy looked at the man. He had one whole horn while another was broken down to a stub. His black and purple hair was braided and very long. His eyes were purple with a black background and he had large feathered black and purple wings. His clothes were black with purple accents. His ears flopped over and he had a long black tail with purple accents. But most of all he was huge, sitting down he was about fifteen feet tall. He looked at Lexy and he looked shocked to see her as she did to him. He leaned forward, ¡°Well hello there little one. I''m a bit confused, what are you.¡± he stopped when he saw all her injuries, ¡°Oh, I see now.¡± The man sighed, ¡°well this is a bit of a predicament. Typically this would be the point the guardian would receive a blessing and they would officially be a guardian because they accepted the change. But I''m not too sure what to give you.¡± Lexy raised a brow, ¡°Why do you not know what to give me? Are you? Are you Orien?¡± The man snarled, ¡°Don''t you dare compare me to that scumbag. He''s the reason I''m in this mess in the first place.¡± Lexy tilted her head, ¡°Uh then who are you?¡± To this, he smiled, ¡°My name is Discord, god of the underworld and maker of demons.¡± Lexy frowned, ¡°So explain to me why I''m before you?¡± Discord hummed, ¡°Well imagine there used to be many gods and they made guardians have people believe in them. I made monsters to make the people fear me. This led to something for the guardians to fight. Until the people got greedy and they made their own monsters. They grew tired of being at our saving grace.¡± He scoffed, ¡°Look at where that got them now. Worshiping false gods and at each other''s throat. Because of the lack of belief. I am the only god left. They wanted their guardian back so badly. So ten years ago I made something. I made their precious guardian. But.¡± He paused and gave a cruel smile, ¡°I don''t make heroes, I make monsters.¡± Lexy blinked, ¡°So I''m, oh that¡¯s why you''re not sure what to give me.¡± Discord narrowed his gaze, ¡°That is true, but I have a question for you. What would you like?¡± Lexy frowned and then looked at Discord, ¡°I''d like to have a way to save what friends I have left.¡± Discord tilted his head, ¡°So then a way to beat your fow?¡± He grinned, ¡°I have just the thing. It¡¯s a fun little spell called Apocalyptica. You will know it once you leave this place. So go, show them what the wrath of Discord looks like.¡± Lexy nodded and closed her eyes. She felt the pain wash back over her with the adrenaline. Her hair extended when she stood back up and her skin began to pall when she flew back towards the king. ¡°Today I open the havens to cast their judgment¡± More feathers burst from her wings and stab the king. This skewered his wings forcing him to fall. It was when he falls to the ground and begins yelling curses, ¡°and I open Discord¡¯s land so he may send his hounds of hell and the havens send the angels to smite. Try as you mite the earth itself will bind your soul forever to this land.¡± When she said this purple lightning struck him and skeletal dogs rose from the ground attached chains of bone who began to bite him and drag him into the ground blood running over their teeth. ¡°with this amen¡± The earth consumed him and then a huge burst of magic sent whoever was too close flying. While the vail glitched and for a good second everyone for a hundred-mile radius sees reality. Lexy landed and she went back to normal. Her vision swam and she coughed up blood, her chains rattling. She heard the cheering of hundreds around her. While the remaining enemy soldiers fled. She barely managed to stand when she watched Alcore speak to who¡¯s left, ¡°come we have been victorious let us go celebrate.¡± Everyone but Varikin left. He walks up to her in his human form ¡°I¡¯ll take you home I have all your stuff here¡± Lexy smiled and took her stuff. ¡°I''m going to be out for a few days, I think it would be better if you stayed here in case something happens.¡± Varikin nodded, ¡° I will do my best.¡± Lexy nodded, ¡°I know you will.¡± Varikin¡¯s tail wagged, ¡°I¡¯ll go celebrate your victory for you if you can''t. See you next time my brave friend.¡± With that, he turns into his wolf form and runs to the top of the hill, and leaves. Lexy turns around and sees the dead body of the king; she walks up to it with slight curiosity. Only to see his face and hair change from the kings to someone with elven ears and wizard eyes. She gazed with wide eyes at the lifeless body. ¡°Oh no.¡± ****** Azriel walked along the forest while he dragged a box behind him. The guardsmen by him while he did so. They both froze when they heard a loud set of pops. The sound of popping and the sight of smoke rising from the tree lines. They knew this smoke was from a teleportation potion. Azriel¡¯s eyes widened when it didn''t stop, the sound of teleportation magic continued. Azriel looked to the guardsmen, ¡°You take the one hundred to the east and I take the ones to the west?¡± The guardsmen closed his eyes and ten black shadow copies of himself appeared. He leaped into battle the second he saw the first dark apostles. Azriel looked to his approaching foes and opened the box that was filled with blades. He closed his eyes and the blades from the box all began to float. Azriel opened his eyes and they glowed white. The small blades had begun to dance around him as if he was in the eyes of a tornado. He walked towards his foes, the blades making swift work of them. Their screams of anguish and agony echoed around the forest. **** Thokath frowned when he heard screams come from the forest. He sighed and walked out to the front of the mansion where all the gargoyle statues were. He looked to the forest, ¡°Kill them if their dark apostles. If they are white sword, find out their reasoning for being here.¡± The statue''s eyes glowed an eerie red and as if they weren''t made of stone every single one took to the sky. Thokath sighed, ¡°Please hurry home Lexy. I''m not sure how long it will be safe.¡± **** Lexy opened her eyes and saw she was in the woods near the mansion. The sky was a dark black with the only light from the stars. She felt nauseous and walked slowly when she heard it. The rushed sound of footsteps. Lexy looked around with wide eyes and let out a scream when Azriel rushed up to her blood stained on his clothing. Azriel looked to Lexy, ¡°Are you ok?¡± Lexy looked at him confused, ¡°yah but what the heck is going on?¡± Azriel looked at the hooded figures with haunting orange eyes, ¡°A fight. Now I need you to come with me.¡± Lexy narrowed her eyes despite the haze on her mind from the pain. She could see this strange glimmer in Azriel¡¯s eyes. Lexy took a few steps back, ¡°No, I''m heading to Thokath.¡± Azriel growled, ¡°That wasn''t a request.¡± ¡°AND NEITHER IS THIS!¡± Suddenly one of the gargoyles came swooping down in front of Lexy. Their large stone wings unfurled. Their glowing yellow eyes illuminated in the darkness. They bared their teeth at Azriel, ¡°You WILL step away from the princess.¡± They looked at Lexy, ¡°RUN!¡± Lexy nodded and began to run to the mansion. Her breathing was labored while she ran until she tripped on a rock and fell on her face. Lexy pushed herself back up with her arms only to look up and see a dark apostle with a sword. She looked away. This was it, she¡¯s dead. All that for nothing or so she thought. Until she heard the slick sound of metal meeting flesh. She looked back up her eyes wide when she saw the shadowed figure of Callum Dustwalker wielding a sword of shadows that had pierced the dark apostle¡¯s chest. Callum in the figure looked like himself but he looked like someone covered him in whispering shadows. It was soft but the words were sweet when she heard him speak, ¡°I told you, as long as you have a shadow.¡± Lexy smiled through her blood coated teeth, ¡°I will always have a friend.¡± tears fell down her face and she continued to the mansion. She reached the doors and looked back to the podiums in front of the mansion to see they were all empty, ¡°I knew it.¡± Lexy entered the mansion despite using her hoodie to try and cover her many still bleeding wounds. She still looked roughed up. With the bruises on her face and the blood seeping through her clothes. Fancy music played in the mansion but Lexy was more focused on trying to walk, her head beginning to hurt as the adrenaline rush was beginning to leave. Thokath looked to Lexy ¡°my do you need help little sis.¡± A knowing tone in his voice. Lexy feelt ice run through her and looked up to see Thokath in the blood kings¡¯ attire. Along with Leslie dressed as the time mistress, Axle dressed as the storm prince, Varan as the ice prince, Varic the puppeteer, and the twins as the ones she just recently fought. Lexy shook her head, she wants this out of everything that has happened to be fake, a bad nightmare that was just in her head ¡°no this is fake you¡¯re dead where is Thokath?¡± Thokath shook his head and his expression changed to concern when he looked at her bruised bloody state. ¡°Hey, calm down, those injuries look bad.¡± Lexy could only stare at her oldest brother with no response. The adrenaline from the battle draining and the pain from the burns from the scars begin to sting. With her clothes tattered and multiple injuries littered around. She begins to feel her head go light. She wanted to scream but only blood left her mouth as her vision went black as she passed out due to severe injuries. The end ????? and the story continues. Lexy opened her eyes and saw she was in the woods near the mansion. The sky was a dark black with the only light from the stars. She felt nauseous and walked slowly when she heard it. The rushed sound of footsteps. Lexy looked around with wide eyes and let out a scream when Azriel rushed up to her blood-stained on his clothing. Azriel looked at Lexy, ¡°Are you ok?¡± Lexy looked at him confused, ¡°yeah but what the heck is going on?¡± Azriel looked at the hooded figures with haunting orange eyes, ¡°A fight. Now I need you to come with me.¡± Lexy narrowed her eyes despite the haze on her mind from the pain. She could see this strange glimmer in Azriel¡¯s eyes. Lexy took a few steps back, ¡°No, I''m heading to Thokath.¡± Azriel growled, ¡°That wasn''t a request.¡± ¡°AND NEITHER IS THIS!¡± Suddenly one of the gargoyles came swooping down in front of Lexy. Their large stone wings unfurled. Their glowing yellow eyes illuminated in the darkness. They bared their teeth at Azriel, ¡°You WILL step away from the princess.¡± They looked at Lexy, ¡°RUN!¡± Lexy nodded and began to run to the mansion. Her breathing was labored while she ran until she tripped on a rock and fell on her face. Lexy pushed herself back up with her arms only to look up and see a dark apostle with a sword. She looked away. This was it, she¡¯s dead. All that for nothing or so she thought. Until she heard the slick sound of metal meeting flesh. She looked back up her eyes wide when she saw the shadowed figure of Callum Dustwalker wielding a sword of shadows that had pierced the dark apostle¡¯s chest. Callum in the figure looked like himself but he looked like someone covered him in whispering shadows. It was soft but the words were sweet when she heard him speak, ¡°I told you, as long as you have a shadow.¡± Lexy smiled through her blood-coated teeth, ¡°I will always have a friend.¡± tears fell down her face and she continued to the mansion. She reached the doors and looked back to the podiums in front of the mansion to see they were all empty, ¡°I knew it.¡± Lexy entered the mansion despite using her hoodie to try and cover her many still bleeding wounds. She still looked roughed up. With the bruises on her face and the blood seeping through her clothes. Fancy music played in the mansion but Lexy was more focused on trying to walk, her head beginning to hurt as the adrenaline rush was beginning to leave. Thokath looked to Lexy ¡°my do you need help little sis.¡± A knowing tone in his voice. Lexy felt ice run through her and looked up to see Thokath in the blood kings¡¯ attire. Along with Leslie dressed as the time mistress, Axle dressed as the storm prince, Varan as the ice prince, Varic the puppeteer, and the twins as the ones she just recently fought. Lexy shook her head, she wants this out of everything that has happened to be fake, a bad nightmare that was just in her head ¡°no this is fake you¡¯re dead where is Thokath?¡± Thokath shook his head and his expression changed to concern when he looked at her bruised bloody state. ¡°Hey, calm down, those injuries look bad.¡± Lexy could only stare at her oldest brother with no response. The adrenaline from the battle draining and the pain from the burns from the soul chains begins to sting. With her clothes tattered and multiple injuries littered around. She begins to feel her head go light. She wanted to scream but only blood left her mouth as her vision went black as she passed out due to severe injuries. Thokath quickly rushed over and caught his little sister. Frowning at the burns ¡°Damn it. I knew it. Silkie, Demos rise.¡± Water in the room floated and his two kelpies appeared. He looked to his siblings ¡°I¡¯m taking her to the royal infirmary. Have the maids and butlers abandon this place. I don¡¯t need the rebels, or the churches coming after us.¡± With that he holds the small girl tightly, her blue tattered hoodie falling off while one of the kelpies kneels for him to get on. ¡°Head to the capital.¡± The dark steed nodded and took off. **** Varicin walked into the rebellion''s base with a smile the rebellion won. Things will get better and those who fell will not have died in vain. He walked up to Magi currently in his wolven form ¡°hey Cody.¡± Magi looked at the wolf confused ¡°hey where are Lexy and Miko?¡± Varicin¡¯s ears drooped ¡°Miko fell in battle while Lexy went home to rest.¡± Magi¡¯s once confused expression fell to sadness, ¡°ah I see.¡± Varicin gave a smile, ¡°Hey but you missed the battle of a lifetime! You-.¡± he was cut off by the feeling of his connection to Lexy going from a river to a thin barely flowing creek. Magi¡¯s expression changed to worried ¡°what¡¯s wrong with you? You look like someone just cut off your arm?¡± Varicin¡¯s eyes widened and he shuddered, ¡°no, no, NO! Cody, we need to go now!¡± Magi looks at Varicin confused ¡°Uh why?¡± Varicin snaps out a snarl ¡°I DON¡¯T HAVE TIME!¡± That put Magi into silence and the boy quickly hopped onto Varicin¡¯s back and the wolf took off. Going as fast as Varicin could push himself, he ran through the rebellion''s gate door and focused on trying to use what scraps of Lexy¡¯s magic he had. Magi could only watch when the world changed to a forest. Magi could only frown at the state of the forest. There were claw scratches on the trees. Burn marks into the grass to whole trees ripped out of the ground and looked to have landed somewhere else. Varicin continued to head somewhere. Magi isn''t sure but as soon as a large building could be seen through the trees. They started to see dead bodies of dark apostles to gargoyles that had their skin turned dark black with weapons stuck in their chests. Magi frowned, ¡°I''m guessing this isn''t what it¡¯s supposed to look like. Is it?¡± Varicin only glanced at Magi with a look that one could only describe as dread. Dread of what awaits them in the house that is grimly emitting emptiness. Varicin frowned that all the lights were off, ¡°It''s only an hour past sunset the lights shouldn¡¯t be off.¡± Quickly Magi hopped off the wolf''s back and opened the door to see a huge pool of blood. While there was water in the shape of hoof prints. But by the blood was an ever so familiar hoodie. Varicin walked into the mansion and saw Magi¡¯s horrified gaze then followed it to the blood and water hoof marks. But most of all the tattered bloodied and singed blue hoodie that lies by the pool of blood. Magi¡¯s eyes narrowed, ¡°Kelpies. That is what did this. There was only one person I know who would do this and have them.¡± Varicin changed to his human form and picked up the hoodie and put it on. He looked at Magi ¡°who?¡± Magi frowned and was about to speak when something black and white swiftly ran out of one of the hallways. This black and white blur stopped once they perched themselves atop the railing that overlooked the room. ¡°I can tell you exactly what happened. But you don''t want to hear the details. Do you?¡± Azriel let out a long sigh, ¡°I regret to inform you that the child was slain by the dark apostles. Strangely someone came in on horseback. Saying he was going to try and save the girl.¡± Magi frowned, ¡°Why should we believe you?¡± Azriel shrugged, ¡°Look around if you like but you''ll find it¡¯s best to accept the truth then run from it.¡± Varicin gritted his teeth. As blood trickled from his hands, he continued to clench his fists, ¡°Mark my word there will be hell to pay. Come on Cody we have to go¡± Magi nodded and the two began to head back to the base. While they walked through the forest Varicin looked to Magi, ¡°We have prisoners to visit.¡± Magi tilted his head, ¡°Which ones? The rebellion has tons of prisoners.¡± Varicin glanced at Magi, a dark look in his eyes, ¡°You will see.¡± Varicin then leaned over and touched Magi¡¯s shoulder while he closed his eyes and thought of the rebellion door. He opened his eyes to see they were both standing before the rebellion doorway. The two-headed through the door and Varicin headed straight for the dungeons with Magi shortly behind. Varicin went down the hall of cells and stopped at one. This cell had a wispy black figure that held a human-like silhouette that was almost angelic. Its eyes were haunting blue and orange. The creature looked at Varicin and its haunting orange eye glowed ever so softly. Its eyes then settled on Lexy''s hoodie on Varicin, ¡°What happened to the child?¡± Varicin huffed, ¡°She is.¡± He paused as he himself was unsure of Lexy¡¯s exact whereabouts or state. ¡°That¡¯s not what I''m here to talk about. I want to know about the dark apostles.¡± The creature tilted their head to the side, falling silent for a long moment, ¡°The dark apostles.¡± They began to go over the words over and over until they just fell to silence. Varicin frowned, ¡°Ok well come back to them later.¡± Magi raised a brow at the pondering wispy creature, his gaze lingered on it and then resumed to follow Varicin, ¡°Who are we going to visit next?¡± Varicin huffed and clenched his fists, ¡°Albis.¡± Varicin continued down the halls until he reached one cell. Where Albis was sitting on a white chair giggling with a large grin that pushed against his bones, ¡°Oh my it looks like someone is missing from your group. Why did something happen?¡± Varicin snarled while he clutched the hoodie, ¡°I want answers. Where is she?¡± Albis humed, his tail whipped back and forth in thought, ¡°How would I know. I''ve been stuck here.It¡¯s not my fault she had an incompitent protector.¡± Varicin slammed his fist against the glass of the cell. Albis stared at Varicin with wide eyes for a moment before he bursted out into hysterical laughter. He suddenly stopped laughing and tisked, ¡°Come back the day you have something worth my time. Till then gentleman.¡± Magi looked at Varicin with a sad expression, ¡°Varicin let¡¯s go. We can come back later.¡± Varicin glared at Magi and then let out a sigh, ¡°Yeah.¡± The two head back to the cafeteria both hang their heads low when Jackson comes up to Varicin with a smile until they see the tattered blue hoodie in their arms. Silence fell over the dragon blooded, he stared with wide eyes like someone had done the impossible. He held this expression until he said ¡°Is she?¡± He didn''t want to finish the sentence. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Magi merely nodded while he scratched his arm, ¡°yeah she is.¡± Jackson sighed, ¡°Alright Varicin, I''ll start teaching you how to fight without a partner tomorrow.¡± Varicin merely nodded and looked away until he saw Alcore in the background. Rage signed through his blood Lexy never would have been attacked there if it wasn¡¯t for Alcore. Angrily he swiftly darts for the head commander. Giving Alcore a hard punch in the face before the commander could react. The crunch echoed around the cafeteria and everyone fell silent. Alcore staggered back a bit and glared at the Varicin ¡°what the hell was that for?¡± Varicin glared daggers at the man, ¡°She never would have died if she had never been a part of that battle¡± Alcore looked at him confused while blood fell from his healing face, ¡°what? Lexy, she didn¡¯t take you to the mansion?¡± Varicin only glared back. Alcore huffed and whipped away the blood, ¡°Why it''s not my fault you didn¡¯t earn enough of her trust and most of all it''s not my fault you weren''t strong enough to protect her.¡± Varicin let out a deep snarl and went to lunge at Alcore only for Jackson to hold him back ¡° head to your assigned dorm.¡± Varicin looked at Jackson and angry tears fell from his face, ¡° that¡¯s an order. Varicin¡± Varicin grit his teeth ¡°Yes sir.¡± ******* Thokath held Lexy tightly while he got off his Kelpie at the front gates of the castle and rushed to the medical wing quickly handing the girl to one of the doctors. Come thirty minutes later the lead doctor walks up to him Dr. Levins ¡°Sir the patient you brought in is stable but they will need healing from a highly skilled herbalist. None of the doctors here including myself have the skill needed to finish the treatment that she needs. The level of exhaustion her body is in. It sent her into a harsh build up of magic. For this she needs an herbalist.¡± The blood king gives a dangerous glare ¡°Then where is a herbalist that can treat her.¡± The doctor humed ,¡°well I know of one who could do this but there with the rebellion. You would have a disguise and sir why in the world would you want to heal the rebellion''s ace. Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t hear descriptions from the soldiers.¡± The doctor huffed, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to kill her?¡± A dangerous glare came from the king, his eyes glowing red ¡°And wouldn¡¯t it be better to kill the doctor who can''t do as I tell them?¡± Dr. Levins shook in fear and began to cower as he felt his heart rate increase, ¡°Please have mercy your highness!¡± Thokath glared, ¡° I don¡¯t have time to waste. Tell me where I can find them.¡± The doctor shivered under the cold gaze of the king. ¡°Well, I heard rumors they moved to Charter.¡± The king let out a huff of air ¡°Alright I''ll return shortly for the child.¡± Sure enough, Thokath returned after twenty minutes, his hair dyed black and his eyes silver with no black background. His clothes have been changed out for peasantry clothing. If not for the king''s glare the doctor would have surely thought this was someone else. Quickly the doctor walks over to Lexy and then the king carefully picks the child up. Levins stared in confusion. For how the king held this child. It was like he was holding something so precious that a single mistake could turn her to dust. The blood king turned to the doctor, his eyes glowing red. The doctor clutched his chest and his colleagues gazed with wide eyes as dr. Levins let out a strangled breath and died. The blood king looked to the other doctors, ¡°Take care of the body and one of you will tell the stable hand to ready two tiger horses.¡± Thokath then walked out of the castle gates with two tiger horses hauling Lexy whose hair he dyed black and had the maids change her outfit out for a tattered present dress. The girl was set up in a cart filled with clean straw that was hauled by the two steeds. Thokath snapped the rains and the steeds began to pull the cart. Thokath kept looking around for any apostles or white swords. He let out a breath once he had gotten out of the capital''s gates, ¡°Let''s hope for an easy trip.¡± **** Tarvos huffed with frustration and he looked to Elvira as she entered his house, ¡°So mother, what great plan does the church have for us now?¡± sarcasm dripped from his voice. Elvira looked at Tarvos with a smirk, ¡°My plan currently.¡± She pulled out from a satchel a jar with a blue butterfly. Tarvos¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°How did you get access to an interstellar market?¡± Elvira shrugged, ¡°Had to pull a few strings but it''ll be worth it.¡± Tarvos sighed, ¡°Very well. After this will I have permission to visit my two daughters?¡± Elvira hummed, ¡°Maybe if you succeed otherwise you don''t have much ground to stand on before Iris. You know how he gets about failure.¡± Tarvos traced a hand over his mask, ¡°I know.¡± Elvira looked at him and handed him a box from her bag. It was black and simple. Tarvos skeptically eyed the item. If he didn''t know better he would have thought it was a gift. He took it and peered inside to see a gold-colored bracelet with glowing black engravings. He recognized this. It was a calamity bracelet. He wanted to scream, he felt his insides churn. He looked to his mother with a pleading look, ¡°You wouldn''t.¡± Elvira looked at her son with a cruel smile, ¡°if you''re worried about it doing what it did to your wife. Don''t worry Proteus sent the modifications to fix it. Besides, we best have some kind of advantage otherwise the beast the others sent after the child might just succeed. Now put the bracelet on¡± Tarvos nodded and hesitantly put the bracelet on. He let out a shrill scream as he felt fire erupt from his skin. Elvira¡¯s eyes glowed a haunting orange, ¡°Let the hunt continue.¡± **** The two Tiger horses that haul Thokath¡¯s cart snort out puffs of hot air while they approach a city. The green forest that surrounds the capital even reached here. While he approached the city he slowed the pace of the Tiger Horses as he heard the gentle noises of the weather worms. He looked up to the blue sky to see them. He felt the ground rumble like it was shaking from large footsteps. He looked to a hill to his left and saw two forest giants with bags on their backs filled with mined ores. Thokath smiled, ¡°At least they have a place to live.¡± He snapped the reins and the two Tiger Horses continued. They entered the city to see people going about their day getting food, tending to the cactus they had by their houses, and the livestock. Thokath halt¡¯s the two steeds by a water trough ¡°Wow.¡± He glanced back to Lexy who looked like she had seen better days. With the bruising near her neck and her bloodied clothing. Thokath sighed, ¡°Let¡¯s get some water and some food.¡± Thokath then got off the stagecoach seat and walked into the bar that was set up in front of the water trough. While he walked in the smell of alcohol and food filled his nose. Many of the people in the bar stopped what they were doing and eyed him. Thokath sat down at a bar seat and looked to the bartender, ¡°One bottle of whisky, a glass of water, and a warm meal.¡± He pulled out a bronze shilling and put it on the counter. The bartender was a clothed giant rat with one missing left eye. The bartender eyed Thokath before he took the coin and began to get what Thokath ordered. While he did that the man to the left of Thokath looked at him, ¡°So what are you doing out here stranger? You''re just hauling hay?¡± Thokath looked at the man, ¡°I''m getting my sister to an herbalist.¡± The man tilted his head to the side while the bartender placed Thokath¡¯s order on the bar. ¡°Oh really is she pretty or is she needing an herbalist because she had too many one-night flings?¡± The man began to laugh at his own joke only for it to be cut short when Thokath grabbed the man by the arm and sent him crashing into a table, ¡°Talk about me all you want but I don''t want to hear a filthy word from you about my little sister.¡± The other people in the bar stared at him only for a brief moment before they charged at him or began to fight with someone else. Thokath smirked, ¡°oh this is going to be fun.¡± One charged at him with a sword. Thokath stepped to the side to dodge it, grabbed a bottle that was thrown at him, and smashed the bottle against the man''s head. The man stumbled back as he dropped his sword. Thokath took what he ordered off the counter in time for the items to not be destroyed by someone sent sliding down the bar table. Thokath lowered himself down as he began to walk to the exit to dodge a knife that hit someone else. He reached the exit of the tavern and stepped out like he hadn''t just started a bar fight that would last for who knows how long. Calmly he walked over to the two tiger horses and got up in the stagecoach seat. He steered the two steeds for the north path out of town and snapped the reins. The tiger horses huffed and began to haul the cart forward. Thokath looked back in the wagon to see Lexy still asleep. He sighed, ¡°Please make it.¡± ****** Lexy sat in the white void, again. ¡°uno¡± She said. Well, it wasn''t completely empty. There also was Discord. Discord huffed, his wings fluffed out, ¡°Surely we can play something else?¡± Lexy hummed and scrunched her face a bit, ¡°Oh we could play chess!¡± Discord tilted his head to the side, ¡°What is chess little one?¡± Lexy stared at Discord for a bit before she chuckled, ¡°you''re the god of chaos, death, and destruction. Yet you don''t know what chest is? For that matter, you didn''t know what Uno was either.¡± Discord¡¯s wings drooped, ¡°It¡¯s not exactly easy for me to keep up to date with the mortal ways, little one.¡± Lexy tilted her head, ¡°how did you gain info?¡± Discord shrugged, ¡°When a god or deity gains followers they get a whole group of special spirits dedicated to informing their deity. But since I only have about ten true believers I no longer have such a leisure.¡± Lexy scrunched her face, ¡°Do I count as a believer?¡± To this Discord shook his head, ¡°No, you don''t.¡± Lexy raised a brow, ¡°Why not?¡± Discord chuckled, ¡°Because you aren''t a mortal little one. You are intangible so long as I desire. My magic courses through your very fabric of existence.¡± Lexy looked at Discord only more confused. The deity gestured to his wings and plucked a feather. He leaned down and let Lexy look at the feather. It shimmered with magical energy and the longer Lexy gazed at it the more it looked like there was a snake engraved into it. Discord continued, ¡°You see I pluck my feathers and I make monsters from them. When the monsters are defeated they come back here to rest.¡± Lexy frowned, ¡°If you made me.¡± She paused as if to take a moment and grasp on to her next words, ¡°Then why am I not stored into a feather when I''m here?¡± Discord smirked, ¡°I didn''t use a feather to make you.¡± ***** Thokath while looking around the trail whistled softly with the night wind. When the carriage reached the top of a hill he saw an outpost ahead. He could see the soft lantern light from the wooden structure. Upon approaching it he felt his blood go cold. The only light was the broken lantern by the front entrance to the out post. but that''s not what made him worried. What made him worried was the huge claw marks and the ashes littered around. He picked up the broken lantern, careful not to make much noise with the broken glass on the ground. He felt his nerves on end, if he went by himself through a demon''s territory it would be different. But he¡¯s not alone, he has Lexy. Lexy who is sick and unconscious would currently be a prime target for such a monster. Even the Tiger horses have better chances. Thokath held tightly onto the lantern while he got onto the stagecoach seat. He glanced around and then harshly snapped the rains. The two Tiger horses huffed and took off into a gallop. The rhythm of the wagon wheels rolling over rocks echoed around the forest. That¡¯s when he heard the sound of growling. He felt the tiger horses give it they''re all. Thokath looked behind the cart to see a demon. The beast has an extra jaw that separates like an ant¡¯s mandibles. It looked like a crocodile the size of a school bus. Its body is pitch black and at times Thokath swears he sees extra legs or eyes on this thing. Its haunting orange eyes set on Thokath, ¡°Give me the child little star! Let me give the young a swift death just as I did to your precious Evalin and Eris!¡± Thokath¡¯s eyes widened with recognition and burned with rage. He stood upon the stagecoach seet, ¡°NO! I refuse to let you take someone important away from me EVER again!¡± His veins and hands turned black while heat began to roll off him and his hair changed to black and red. The demon laughed as it continued to chase the carriage. But before it could speak again Thokath summoned a portal and fired it at the demon. The beast dodged it and only gave a demented laugh in return. Thokath huffed, ¡°Go back to the circles of hell.¡± He summoned more of the deep red portals. until there was a wall worth. The demon¡¯s eyes widened as he was hit by the powerful blasts. he let out a deep screech of pain. Thokath huffed and sat back down on the stagecoach seat. He glanced back to see Lexy was fine and smiled, ¡°I won''t let them take you I promise.¡± ***** Varicin hummed as he went through the prison halls. The tune echoed softly until he heard someone talking. He continued down the hall until he saw Proteus talk to the wispy figure in the cell. Varicin felt himself freeze when he clearly heard Proteus speak, ¡°I hope you''re doing well today sister.¡± The figure stared back at Proteus before she responded, ¡°I- I am.¡± She paused, ¡°Brother? Where did the guardian go? I don''t feel her spirit here anymore.¡± Proteus sighed, ¡°Well then that just means that she could be dead and our master will soon be free, Karasu.¡± Karasu hummed her whole being flickered with the noise, ¡°Who is our master again?¡± Proteus smiled, ¡°Why Orien of course.¡± Varicin¡¯s eyes widened and quickly turned into his ferret form and slipped away.