The requip mage had something he needed to do. He was going to Central Fiore. It was the place where the King of Fiore had lived and was stationed. He figured that he would go pay him that visit, but things changed. The King had secretly met with him here, and they discussed his future with Fiore. Once that was secure, something had happened within the North.

It would be something that Yuurei didn’t expect to happen. He was in his office in peace, as the member of the guild had thought he had left. He was enjoying his time at peace, and Renji had enjoyed his time napping. Of course, peace would come to an end sooner than he thought. The Seraphim didn’t know this, but a guild of evil intentions was waiting for him to leave the North to attack. It would seem like things were going as planned for them.

It wouldn’t take long, but someone within the guild would get a message about what was happening around Rush Valley. They would announce throughout the guild, which would make it to Yuurei’s ears. They had used their magic to relay the message to everybody at the guild, and he would start hearing commotions around his guild. He had a smirk on his face because his guild was quick to start mobilizing for the sake of the North.

Yuurei would get up from his seat and would look over at Renji. The young Exceed would get up from the couch as he would wake and rub his eyes as he opened them.

“It seems like there is some stupid group out there, that thinks it was a good idea to attack the North.” He said to Yuurei.

Yuurei would crack his neck and then his fingers as he was ready for this. He wouldn’t forgive anybody for attacking their home.

“Yeah, for now, we make sure that everybody is doing what they need to do in the guild. We will keep an eye on everybody.” He said this to Renji.

Renji would hear this and he would climb Yuurei’s shoulder. Once he was on his friend’s shoulder, the two of them would make their way out of the window and onto the roof of the building. Yuurei’s eyes would look around from outside as he would see people running around as they were getting ready for what might be war.

402

Brone Heavyaxe was spending his time organizing the equipment for both the regular forge that was below the kitchen and on the side of the cliff, as well as the Great Forge that he had built deep within the mountain, just above a magma chamber. The dwarf was within the regular forge, placing equipment he deemed durable enough to handle the intense heat within a cart. He was about to take the cart down within the mountain to the great forge when he was magically contacted. This was what Gnicholas had referred to as a 'Magical Announcement' spell or something of the sort, a good way to send messages that all of the guild needed to hear.

The dwarf couldn't understand the details, but he understood enough to know that trouble was brewing in the north, so he quickly donned his armor set and holstered his weapons before making his way up the staircase to the guild hall. As he had reached the surface, Huginn and Muninn, his two ravens, had perched upon his shoulders, already giving him the information he knew and needed.

"The guild is preparing for an attack, taking defensive positions" Huginn said.

"Yuurei and Renji are on the roof of one of the buildings, keeping a look out" Muninn added.

"I'll mobilize my ground troops" Brone said as he made his way to the main entrance of the building, "Huginn, take to the sky and do some recon on the enemy; Muninn, do recon on our allies" Brone gave his order and the ravens dispersed.

When the dwarf reached the front of the building, his mercenaries were already there waiting. They saluted their commanding officer and Brone saluted back, "Split into two groups, each side covering the east and west points to guard the paths to the guild, have range personnel on high points, keeping watch of the area.

"Who's the enemy?" One of the mercenaries asked.

"Not sure yet, but once we find out, we'll all know, just ready yerselves for a fight, regardless of who's attacking" The dwarf gave his order and his soldiers readied themselves as they took up their positions to guard the guard. Once everyone fell into their area, all fell quiet. Brone watched as he was standing at the center of the bridge that connected the two points of the guild, waiting for the first attack to be made.

402

Yuurei wouldn’t see an attack coming this way, which meant whoever attacked knew that this was a place to avoid. That wasn’t good, but he thought of one guild. Sleeping Calamity was attacking the North? Nah he shook his head because he doubted they would do such a thing with Paradise Dawn around. It had to be a guild or organization that didn’t know Paradise well. Still, he would see that people were mobilizing in different areas. It would seem like they were being careful for the time being. Still, he didn’t mind the guild being empty, the ones that needed to be taken care of were the people of the North.

“So, who do you think attacked us?” Renji asked him wondering what he would say.

Yuurei would have a smirk appear as he didn’t really have an answer for that.

“I don’t know who it is, but they have some courage to attack this region. Well, we know what to do and it’s clean it all up. I’m assuming the first place we should head to is Rush Valley. That would be the closest city to us that might have been endangered by the unknown.” He said to Renji as he thought of what to do.

It was then the mage who had announced the threat that appeared had gained more information to tell the guild.

“I just received more information from our scouts. They have said that multiple places have been attacked by a mysterious group. From what they gathered, it seems they are called Chaos Eclipsed. They have attacked Rush Valley and are capturing, and killing people. It seems like anybody who defies them is being taken out. We should start leaving the guild after everybody has gathered everything they need.” He said to everyone in the guild.

The Seraphim would hear this and he would shake his head. He would hope that Brone would understand that the guild wasn’t being attacked. It also meant that they needed to leave the guild as soon as possible. The hunter didn’t need to prepare as everything he needed was with him.

“I guess we should wait for everyone to leave before we make our move.” He said to Renji.

Yuurei could see Elise, and Emil leaving the place, which was good. It showed that those two were at least able to work together when things got tough. He knew how much they were loners and to put that aside for the sake of the North was the best thing to see.

“At least the guild isn’t falling apart. They aren’t waiting for your signal or a speech or anything.” He said to Yuurei.

Yuurei would hear this and he would smile at his friend. It was true what he had said and he wondered what kind of approach he should take on this situation.

“Yeah, I mean most of them think I’m not even in the North. Still, I’m glad that they are able to move on their feet. I know this place will be just fine. Once the guild leaves we make our move as well.” He told Renji as they were waiting now.

527|929

The view was beautiful, but the silence in the air was deafening as the troops were readying themselves for whatever is to come. Brone would look up at one of the towers where an archer was positioned. He could see the archer shaking her head, letting him know that there was no sighting of an enemy yet. This didn't bother the dwarf, for he had learned patience long ago; he was sure to hold his position for days, in order to make sure that his home was well protected.

Eventually, another announcement was broadcasted to everyone regarding the attacks. Brone grumbled in anger; whoever these 'Chaos Eclipsed' were, they were cowardice to attack innocent people when they had a guardian such as Paradise Dawn. The mage who broadcasted the message had made the suggestion to take the fight to them; to which the dwarf agreed, but the order didn't come from the Guild Leader, Yuurei, so he waited for confirmation.

Muninn flew overheard and when he had heard the announcement, he kept his eyes on Yuurei and noticed him nodding his head in agreement. With that, he flew down to where Brone was to report, "Yuurei is holding his spot on top of the building, but he nodded at the statement" he said as he perched upon Brone's left shoulder.

"That's good enough for me" he said. He was about to whistle for Geri, his tempest wolf, but the wolf was already running up to him on the bridge. On Geri's head was the gnome and floating behind them was Benimaru, the shield and sword.

"Figured you'd want to lead the troops into battle" Gnicholas said as he hopped onto Brone's right shoulder.

"Aye" the dwarf said as he mounted Geri.

"Aren't you the one usually keeping to the guild hall, defending it during such times?" Benimaru asked as he floated onto Brone's back, hitching a ride.

"If Yuurei needs me there, he'll send word to me and I'll turn back without hesitation, but for now, the order is to head to Rush Valley" And with that, Brone directed Geri, sending the wolf racing to the eastern side of the bridge so he can call out "Gather in vehicles and carts and make yer way to Rush Valley!" then he rushed by them, heading down the rocky slope towards the Valley as the troops mobilized their transportation.

After several minutes, Huginn flew down from above to glide along side the sprinting wolf, "No enemies in the immediate area; as for your troops, they are already making their way to Rush Valley not far behind."

Brone nodded in thanks. He could remember before when such situations left him running on foot alone, trying to catch up to the others, now he was in the lead, guiding everyone else, and he was sure to help guide them to victory.

483 | 885

Yuurei would see that members within the guild had started making their moves. This was great as they needed to go and make sure that the people within Rush Valley didn’t die. He figured the damage was done, but they could prevent more death from happening in that area. He would see that it took them a while, but they would start heading out of the guild.

Soon enough, it would just be Yuurei, and Renji who were left. The entire guild would go to war with this unknown, but it would also show the North that they meant business and will always be there for them.

“I think we should be on our way too. It would only be for the best. We got to make sure that they don’t run into something they cannot handle.” He said to Renji.

Renji would hear this and he chuckled. They had Brone, Emil, and Azure; those three alone had experienced that others could only imagine. They had fought against the guild master for one reason or the other, so they should be fine.

“I don’t think you have anything to worry about, but it is best we go. They might miss something or they could be held back, which could mean the death of someone.” He said to Yuurei.

He understood those words whole heartily and he would move off the edge as he would start descending to the ground. It wouldn’t take long, but the young man would never touch the ground and instead would be sent flying forward. His cape had activated as he would go through another path. He didn’t want anybody from the guild to see that he was around. He knew it would boost morale, but he wanted to see how the guild would be able to handle things without him.

“Whoever their leader is, will pay for invading the North. This is my home, and they weren’t invited.” He said to him as the wind pressed against his face.

Yuurei would move quickly as he could but made sure that he didn’t get ahead of the group who had left before him. The Seraphim wanted them to handle the general situation at hand. He knew others had left before Brone did, which meant they were either quick on their feet or they wanted to fight and this was an excuse for it.

Renji had an odd feeling about all of this and he felt that things were going to be a problem in the long run. These guys must be strong if they thought they could take on Paradise Dawn with Brone still in the North. Yuurei kept pressing on as he wondered what kind of plan Brone had. He knew his friend well, and he wouldn’t have been surprised if the man had rushed straight into Rush Valley looking for a fight. It would be the logical thing to do for him, but with Gnicholas around would things be different? He chuckled as he doubted that, but he couldn’t wait to see how things would escalate when they got to Rush Valley.

518|1447

It was late in the afternoon, which meant the sun will begin to set soon. Brone wanted his troops to reach Rush Valley before sundown since a small army of the guild's fighters would draw attention. At night, it would be difficult for onlookers to spot them, but since Brone was one of the few people who could see in the dark, Paradise Dawn would need to light torches and lanterns in order to guide themselves, and the lights would alert the enemies, giving them the advantage over the heroes.

Brone had sent Huginn forward to scout the city, hoping to give him more information; as for Muninn, he would fly off to keep an eye on the rear, making sure that Paradise Dawn's small army was properly gathered and making their way to Rush Valley.

"Do you have a plan?" Benimaru asked.

"Just the main one: Rush in and defeat anyone who looks like an enemy and ultimately save the city" Brone answered in confidence.

"That's not a plan, but with the lack of information that we have about the enemy, we cannot do anything else about it" Gnicholas said as he continued to ride in the cowl of Brone's new white cloak. Though the dwarf was confident in this straight forward plan, Benimaru and Gnicholas were concerned, but chose not to say anything else; either way, they had some form of confidence in Brone since he was use to such situations.

Eventually Huginn and returned, flying along side the running wolf mount, "The dark guild are taking citizens prisoner while also destroying the city itself, causing fires and property damage."

Brone lost his smirk, now his expression exchanged to that of concern. Both Benimaru and Gnicholas noticed this but knew better than to ask. Whenever either of the ravens squawked at the dwarf, Brone would refused to even address them about what the ravens say; they're not even entirely sure if Brone was even able to speak to them, he just ignored any questions about them. However, the gnome was very sure the ravens were providing some form of information and he knew that that specific raven came from the direction of Rush Valley. Whatever was happening there at the moment wasn't good.

The dwarf increased the speed of Geri, but Gnicholas had to remind him about their allies, "Don't out run your troops, Brone, even if you can handle yourself, they need to be guided". With that Brone, nodded in agreement, understanding the gnome was right, so he slowed down so that his troops can keep up.

435 | 1,320

Yuurei kept moving through the air as they were approaching Rush Valley soon. Renji was concerned about how strong the enemy would be. The Exceed had seen something with Yuurei and he couldn’t believe someone could truly harm him like the last time. He had seen his arm being taken off without a problem, and he had lost that cursed arm. There was no bandage there anymore, but something else had taken its place. It was weird and it was why Renji found himself on the opposite side.

Migi had finally awakened from his slumber, and he would see that his host was making their way to a location.

“Where are we going guys? Nobody told me we were taking a stroll.” He said to them.

Yuurei and Renji would look at his arm and they would shake their heads. This was something that they weren’t used to yet.

“I mean you should know when I’m awake, so that’s your own fault.” He said taking a pause before speaking again.

“Still, if you must know, we’re on our way to Rush Valley. It seems like a group is causing harm to the people there.” He said to Migi.

Migi would hear this and he would return Yuurei’s arm to normal.

“Understood, well let’s chop them up and make sure that they know not to mess with us three.” He said to Yuurei.

The Seraphim would hear this and he chuckled at those words. Renji would shake his head as he couldn’t believe this was happening. Yuurei would keep going as he didn’t have time to waste.

“We will make sure that anybody that is left there, we take them out without hesitating.” He said to the two of them.

Renji would scratch his head as he looked at his arm and he would decide to ask the question that was in his thoughts.

“Hey Migi, could you separate yourself from Yuurei?” He asked him waiting for him to give him an answer.

Migi would pop out of Yuurei’s arm as he looked at him with a smile on his face.

“Yes, I can actually, but I don’t think Yuurei would want to lose an arm in battle unless he felt like it would give him an edge.” He said to them.

Renji found that interesting to hear. He didn’t think Migi would be able to detach himself from Yuurei. Hell, Yuurei didn’t even know that was possible until he heard what he said. That was interesting, yet scary at the same time. If that had happened, he would only have his left arm in battle.

Yuurei would see that they were now above Rush Valley, and he would see the destruction that came with the visual and arrival. He could see the houses burning, and he could hear people screaming as they were doing their best to run away or fight back. He would shake his head when he saw this because he was not happy with this at all. He would descend from the sky and he would end up in an area where people couldn’t see him.

“It seems like some of our people have arrived at the battlefield before Brone. That is good because it would mean they are saving those who need it. I guess we shall find something to do while we’re here.” He said to the two of them as he was getting ready for battle.

572|2019

[exit]

Two of the troops had ridden ahead to catch up to Brone. The dwarf could recognize them as two of the well trained mercenaries he had personally trained. They showed concern on their face, but they made sure to express that they didn't have fear in their hearts, that they were ready to defend those who needed them, for it was molded into the troops that Paradise Dawn was made to help those in need.

"Sir, some of the troops are concerned, wanting to know what to expect" One of the two said as their horses matched the wolf's speed. The dwarf, however, didn't reply, but grunted, annoyed that he wasn't able to voice what he had learned from Huginn, otherwise he would break the pact he had with the ravens, losing them forever. Such a deal felt like a curse where he had to be silenced. Such information that could be gathered could save lives, but because of the secrecy, he couldn't speak not a word, not even to explain why he's unable to voice information he's gathered.

"There's no information on the matter yet, so make sure to be prepared and listen out for any announcements or signals" Gnicholas the gnome popped his head out from the white cowl to redirect the two mercenaries. The gnome had observed Brone and the ravens enough to understand that they communicated somehow, but whatever is said between them can't be recited for some reason.

The two mercenaries looked at one another before giving the gnome a stern look. Brone noticed this and was quick with his words, "Ye heard the gnome" he didn't even look towards them, but it was enough for the two mercenaries to fall back to report to the rest of the troop. After a minute of silence, the dwarf said "Thanks".

"Don't worry about" Gnicholas replied. He wanted to ask if he had any ideas or plans for once they entered the city, but he wasn't sure how much he was able to talk about, so remained quiet. After a minute of silence, the gnome went back into the cowl.

Brone sighed in sadness, though he fought against the feeling of regret, knowing that he accepted this pact of secrecy, and knowing he may hurt people close to him by remaining silent.

"How annoying; they should just follow your orders, after all, you are their superior" It wasn't the first time Brone had heard the voices in his head. Ever since he had found the white cloak, he had been hearing voices in his mind; and they weren't timid or passive, but strong and one was aggressive, which was the voice that was then speaking at that moment. Brone ignored him.

"Give them the respect they deserve, for they had mounted their horses and taken flight without information, following their leader with great trust" came the voice of the other personality.

"If you don't lead with a heavy weapon in hand, no one will respect you, there will be another who dares to take your place, mind my words" The first voice was heavy in tone. The two voices in Brone's head went back and forth; the former being more aggressive and the latter trying to be stoic by retorting the former.

The dwarf did his best to suppress the thoughts, to ignore them, to pretend as if they don't exist, but the two voices continued to get louder.

"Can I eat some souls when I get there?" Benimaru's voice came in as a whisper. But due to all of the voices in Brone's head, he couldn't hear the spirit speaking through the shield at first. But when he asked a second time, he managed to get the dwarf's attention.

"If they are evil, maybe" Brone brushed off the statement.

Soon enough the voices calmed down and Brone led the troops to the gates of the Rush Valley. The fires that were display all throughout the area were noticeable from afar. They rushed in.

680 | 2,000

[Exit]