What started off as a pleasant spring day quickly turned into yet another nightmare. Kerii watched with wide eyes as a tear ripped through space time itself, letting demons pour onto the streets once more. "No..." she said weakly in a fractured voice. This couldn't be happening. Not again. The elf's hands trembled and for a few moments, her legs refused to move. Parents and children ran for their lives, but some unfortunate ones were caught by the hoards of goblin-like demons and slaughtered on the spot, splattering Astera's perfect ivory streets with scarlet blood.

The horrors of what happened in Orchidia were flooding back into her mind, and now it was all being redone right before her very eyes. Something told her that the demons in Orchidia wasn't the last of them, but she still didn't want to believe that another incursion could happen again... and yet here she was, standing in the midst of it all. Once she got her bearings straight, she sprung into action. For now, she would have to deal with the lesser demons until she encountered the major ones.

WC: 185/3600

Purple streaks of lightning filled the sky over Astera. The sound of stampeding feet could be heard from all over the city. Chaos rained, and demons ruled the city , another city in earth land was going to be ravaged by the demons unless someone, or someones stepped up to the challenge. That's where the man in black came in, Manzo could be found standing atop one of the cities highest flag polls, surveying the area trying to decide where to start.

He closed his eyes, concentrating all of his magic prowess trying to find the spot with the most demons. The spot with the most was a concentrated area to the south. There was another source of magic there. Perhaps another magic he could team up with. At the speed of lightning Manzo lept from his perch through the air in the southern direction.

He looked down from where he was currently gliding, and threw himself into a nose dive position, landing on his feet and letting out a massive shock wave of lightning magic, clearing out a majority of the smaller hordes. He turned to see a familiar face also doing her best with the situation at hand.

WC:200/4000

The demons lashed out, targeting every living thing in their path. Blood was being spilt left and right, and there were only so many people that could be saved. Lacking in weapons and in offensive spells, the best the elf could do was get up close and fight with her bare hands. Needless to say, this earned herself her fair share of cuts and bruises, but that was nothing compared to the terror they had so pointlessly unleashed on the innocents who couldn't fend for themselves.

In the midst of all the fighting, Kerii hadn't even noticed when a familiar dark-haired man dropped in to fight. She had just slammed one of the lesser demons into a wall using her vines when a flash of lightning illuminated the area. She squinted her eyes and instinctively threw up her arm as if to shield them when she saw that the person who cast the spell was none other than Manzo. She let out a sigh of relief and gave the mage a smile. "Manzo!" she exclaimed before hurrying over to him. "Last time there was more than just these demons... Have you seen any larger ones?"

WC: 380/3600

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After the shock wave died down and the dust cleared Manzo surveyed the area looking for any sign of survivors. Turned out that there was indeed survivors, or survivor. He turned his gaze to the blonde elf who stood not too far from him. She looked relieved to see him. Manzo cracked a faint smile at the sight of her as well. She rushed over to him, probably because from the looks of it, defense was more her specialty than straight up combat.

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes little elf."

Manzo said cracking another small smile. Though not a moment after he would turn his attention back on the task at hand which was the demons that were beginning to surround them yet again. Manzo quickly re positioned Kerii behind him in the support role, while electricity crackled around his body, charging up for another attack.

"I have encountered several large ones in the days leading up to right now. So odds are, the large one you're referring to, is muhc strong than the ones I've already faced."

Not long after his response another wave of small demons came. They were easy enough to dispatch, but he was more worried about keeping kerii on her feet and able to work in tandem with him than anything else. Keeping her alive would more than likely be the key to both of their survival in this ordeal. He quickly clapped his hands together and slammed them on the ground sending a stream of lightning toward the demons. Once they had been dispatched, he quickly grabbed Kerii into his arms and leaped at the nearest rooftop. This would be the safest option for them both at the moment until they could come up with a plan of attack. One that would actually work in this scenario.

"We are going to need a plan, and we have to make it fast before they have time to regroup. I was think a sword and shield approach."

WC: 545/4000

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Kerii smirked in response to Manzo's statement, but that little exchange was short-lived, for the sound of more demons approaching heralded by the screams of bystanders killed the mood, and alerted the two mages of the impending danger. Despite how close they were getting, the two still had a slight amount of time to discuss matters related to the demons, starting with what they would be up against.

Manzo had supposedly encountered several of the larger demons prior to the main attack, which Kerii found peculiar. That was unlike the first incursion, for she would have most definitely heard of such a thing occurring in her own town; however, the lightning mage still thought that the demons she could be referring to were far stronger, to which the Wood Elf nodded her head.

"I helped fight one back in Orchidia and trust me. If one that powerful was roaming around earlier, we would have heard about it." By 'larger,' she didn't mean slightly taller than these ghoulish goblin ones. She was talking six metres, give or take. Now obviously something of that stature should have been clearly seen at this point, unless it used some sort of magic that concealed its true appearance, but as Kerii recalled, it was the only thing that could control the lesser demons, so it should be there somewhere...

Another horde of the grotesque demons came in. Kerii held up her fists to fight, but it seemed that Manzo was way ahead of her. With a clap of his hands, he sent lightning sprawling in every direction and, much to Kerii's surprise, grabbed her and leapt onto the rooftops where they would be safe... for now.

"Thanks," she said once she was on her feet. She nodded her head in agreement to Manzo's idea. "I'll tell you now that pretty much the best I can do is heal, but I can do it really well. I can't exactly heal myself though, and we'll need to target a very large demon, as in, six metres tall. I don't know why we can't see it now, but it's the one that controls the smaller demons."

WC: 380+358=738/3600

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Manzo smiled as she spoke, there was always something so elegant about Kerii, it probably had a lot to do with the fact that she was indeed an elf. Elves were always adorable in one way shape or form. Though now was not the time to be focused on such things. Now was the time to form a strategy now that they had everything worked out with their respective strengths and weaknesses. She had almost no offensive capabilities to begin with, which was a big hole, were it not for her ability to heal. Meaning he could more than likely be kept going while taking care of the trash on the streets.

That settled it once and for all, now that they had their strategy it was time to descend back down to the streets bellow, but not before he took out a few more waves of enemies. Then it hit him, that was it. That was the misconception he had pointed out to Sage days earlier. More than likely in order to keep the hordes going like this, their boss must have brought the rift crystal into the mortal world. That way it could spawn more than the average fair of demons they had encountered so far. But that would mean the crystal was teleporting all over the city. Which could only mean one thing. This demon had ingested the crystals, meaning he was also phasing in and out of reality every few minutes. Which had unfortunately made this a very deadly waiting game.

Kerii more than likely had more reserves of mana than he had up to this point but that didn't mean he could go to the well every time he was out of energy, or in this case blood. So in fact the strategy was not completely thought out yet. Though he hadn't informed Kerii about any of his thoughts yet, which meant he couldn't just throw her out to the wolves without any information.

"Kerii, we are working with limited time here. We are going to have to make quick work of the small fry, and keep moving. The big guy is moving every few minutes. We are going to have to find him, and not only that. Rip out his core. In order to do that, you're going to have stick close to me and keep me on my feet."

Once he laid it all out on the line, hopefully she would be able to follow him on all the information, because from the sounds that were coming from the streets they were running out of time here. A honestly, the more the screams increased in pitch, the more he could feel the big guys power increasing through the electricity in the air. So much so that the street lights had already blown due to the surge in the area. Things were only worsening with every passing second.

At that point he couldn't wait any longer for her to process all that he said. He quickly threw off his cloak revealing his battle armor underneath. It had been a long time since he had shed his cloak in order to fight a battle. Which only showed just how serious he was taking the task at hand. Underneath is cloak was an all black zip up shirt with a high color, and short sleeves. His wrists taped up to his knuckles, and around his neck was a joyan amulet with the symbol of strength engraved into it. He pulled a solid black bandanna out of his pocket and tied it around his forehead pushing his hair out of his face, revealing eyes once black were now surging light blue, signifying his sync rate with his Lightning Magic was at a level near 100%.

He quickly scooped Kerii back into his arms and lept from the roof top back down to the ground bellow sending another shock wave of Lightning magic through the street and disintegrating the small fry in his wake.

WC: 1,219/4000

Kerii folded her arms across her chest and slightly tilted her head to the side as she looked at Manzo with a confused expression on her face. Her eyes narrowed with suspicion when he explained the movement of 'the big guy,' referring to the six metre tall one that controlled the smaller ones she mentioned earlier. How did he know that it was moving every couple minutes? The incursion had only just begun, and the elf hadn't even caught sight of it. She thought she knew the lightning mage well enough to fight alongside him, but now she had her doubts. What did he know that she didn't? And what did he mean by 'rip out his core?'

Although it was true that they were working on limited time, the elf had a few questions. If they went unanswered, she wouldn't quite know how she would feel on the battlefield. Her guard would just have to be kept that much higher if she was around a person she distrusted, especially if that distrust pertained to the very creatures they were fighting.

"And you know this how?" There was so much else she wanted to say, but as Manzo put it, they didn't have much time. If he chose to explain himself, he had better come up with a good explanation as to how he knew all of that information (some of which Kerii was surprised about, considering she had seen the very sort of demon they were going to face). If not, she would be even more cautious than before. Hopefully that would not be necessary, but if it was, hopefully Manzo would redeem himself in another way-- in a demonic incursion, this would not necessarily be too difficult to do.

After their exchange on the rooftop, Manzo once again scooped Kerii up into his arms and landed on the ground. Though she was less surprised this time, her muscles still tensed habitually out of nervousness. Regardless of the answer he did (or did not) construe, there would still be some residual tension within the elf that, just because of who Kerii was, she couldn't rid from herself just yet.

When they landed, Manzo released yet another blast of lightning, scorching the lesser demons on the ground. For now, the immediate area was cleared, but who knew how long that would last. If it was anything like Orchidia, the demons would seem to endlessly pour in through random rifts here and there. "Let's get out of here," Kerii advised. This seemed to be a hot spot for the demonic goblins, and notably not one for the demon responsible for controlling them.

WC: 738+441=1179/3600

Manzo knew she had questions that needed to be answered, and now seemed a good a time as any now that they were in the thick of it. "This isn't my first rodeo with creatures like this. Not to mention my mentor left me his journal. It has information on just about everything one could imagine. These demons have come to earthland before. Not only just now, had I not had this information I would be just as lost as you." Manzo said while he continuously kept moving through out the streets.

Truthfully speaking it was the first time he had seen something like this, never in his wildest dreams did he think it was remotely possible for such an outpouring to occur without tearing the very fabric of reality. That only meant that these beings were not strong enough to accomplish such a feat. But that didn't give him much security, it only made him all the more uneasy. In his unease, he made a very careless mistake, leaving himself open to an attack from a goblin.

Manzo found himself with a blade through his abdomen. He slumped over and chuckled. "How foolish of me."
He said as he brough his hand to his gut, trying to keep blood in his body. Shaking his head in disappointment. He preached about staying on guard, but in his haste he forgot to do the same for himself. What hurt the most was that he had allowed himself to be struck by such a small enemy, an enemy that was beneath him. Such a waste. an utter waste. He carried himself over to a wall and held himself up there. "Little Elf, get the hell out of here. Find that big son of a bitch, and kill him." Manzo said with a faint smile.

WC: 1,532/4,000

Kerii wasn't sure she entirely bought Manzo's story. Technically, he was consistent thus far, but something still didn't quite add up. There were demons in Fiore. That was a fact, so it would make sense for someone to hypothetically encounter them outside of the incursion. Only, Manzo reportedly encountered some of the stronger variety prior to the incursion, and his mentor evidently did so as well and recorded everything in a journal, which Manzo conveniently read, but also neglected to share until the elf directly asked about it. She supposed that it could have just been because he felt no need to explain himself, but still, Kerii might have naturally said 'according to so-and-so's journal' to give merit to her statement. But then again, that was just her.

The elf could go on and on debating the authenticity of Manzo's claims, but there was little time for her to even think about it. Though they had fled in a different direction, danger was still eminent. A few sneaky demons lingered away from the crowds. Acting more as solitary hunters, they were silent. It made sense that neither she nor Manzo was able to see one of them until it was too late.

A small ghoul of a demon revealed itself. "Manzo!" Kerii yelled in an attempt to warn her ally, but it was too late. As she yelled his name, the dagger was already leaving the demon's hand, and in the blink of an eye, had impaled him in the gut. Kerii's eyes scanned for where the normally unarmed creature could have picked up a weapon and found another dagger sheathed in the scabbard of a dead man. She quickly grabbed it, put an end to the demon who got Manzo, threw the knife aside, and rushed to the lighting mage.

He was leaning against a wall, hand covering the injury. He told Kerii to get away and kill the demon, but she didn't listen. Was he forgetting that she was a healer, or did he simply not trust her abilities? Honestly, it was kind of funny, in an ironic way.

"Quit being dramatic," she told him as she crouched down to examine the wound. It looked deep, but she'd far healed worse. Manzo would be fine so long as he didn't protest. "Hold still and I promise it'll be over in a moment." If he allowed her, she'd pull the dagger free and immediately heal him. Translucent violet petals would drift to his wound and flawlessly heal it back up. Once it was done, Kerii would smile at Manzo. "Now, ready to go kill a demon?"

WC: 1179+437=1616/3600

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Being over dramatic was a sign that Manzo was starting to let his guard down around Kerii, and truthfully he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Usually he would keep his guard up no matter who he was around. But the little elf, probably without really knowing was slowly breaking down those walls. Though if it was going to go this way, he would soon show the ultimate sign of trust. The people he had met in his travels were showing him that maybe being a wanderer wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

As she was healing him, he placed his hand on her cheek and caressed it slowly giving her a smile. Showing his appreciation, because words were not always his strong suit. Though in this moment he was going to try. "Thank you little elf, your kindness means more to me than you will ever know." He said as he removed his hand from her cheek as she was done with her spell to heal his wounds. Meaning it was time to go once again. This time he would not allow himself to be taken off guard again.

"I am ready to go, but I'm not going to be fighting a demon like this. This form is just a mirage of my true self, and I can't allow myself to hold back against something as powerful as a demon." Of course she would have no idea as to what he was talking about, but it would be made clear very soon, moments were the only thing that separated them both from a very telling moment. While kerii was probably already having her doubts about Manzo as a whole, maybe she would find it in her heart to trust him, even though the person she thought she knew was not him at all.

He looked back at her one more time before he snapped his fingers, releasing a decade long spell that he had kept up for far too long. It was time to spread his wings, though he didn't actually have any to spread. But the time for pretending was over, the time for wandering was over, it was time to be his true self, the person he hid from everyone, for fear of losing those close to him again. He was not afraid of such things anymore.

In the face of real danger he was not going to be a coward who hid behind a mask. A magic explosion made of light had finally released him from his decade long prison. The man in black was gone now, and as far as he was concerned he was never going to come back. The man before Kerii and the demons was the true stormcaller, the slayer of gods, and demons alike. His straight black hair shifted to a shaggy blueish white, his dark eyes shifted to a piercing red, he gained a few more inches in height, as well as filled out his otherwise scrawny body, his true self was far more muscular and filled out.

His black attire shifted as well, to something that truly spoke of where he came from, and who he was. His standard outfit consists of a white yukata with a blue swirl pattern on the bottom and at the end of the sleeves, worn so that his arm only goes through the left sleeve and the right half droops down over his obi. Over this he wears a black belt buckled so that there is leftover dangling from the buckle, from which his bokutō Lake Toya hangs. Underneath, he wears a black red-lined shirt with a popped collar and black pants. He also wears knee-high black boots, buckled at the top and above his foot, which appear to add about half an inch to his height. It is shown that he has a closet full of replicas of this outfit, so whenever it gets destroyed he can appear in the next episode or chapter with a new one. All in all, his outfit suggests an air of laziness and may be a reflection of Manzo's own personal sense of style.

"I know I have a lot more questions of yours to answer after this, and I promise I will answer all of them. In a short time you have become quite the precious person to me Kerii." He said as the light faded and the dust settled, his true form on full display for all to see. In the midst of his little speech another small battalion of demons came rushing towards them. In the blink of an eye their heads were separated from their bodies, smoke coming off of Manzo's right index finger suggested that he had shot them all down with a lightning spell so fast that it escaped the naked eye.

He brought his index finger up to his lips and blew the smoke off like it was some kind of firearm. He had seen someone do such a thing in an old western film he had seen as a kid and thought it was pretty cool for someone to do that, he had seen similar things in anime and manga, and he always wanted to immolate his favorite heroes. No matter how childish that may come off as, he didn't truly care, it was his life and his prerogative.

"Well now that, that is taken care of, shall we be off? We have a very important date to keep, with one ugly son of a bitch." He said with a smile as he turned his back to kerii and began to make his way toward another area where the big ugly boss could be. He did hope that after all of this new information, that kerii would still be willing to work with him, he would make it worth it in the long run.

[EXIT]

WC: 2538/4000