The scouts, including the ravens, had returned to their platoons, informing them they were closing in to the walls of the battlefield.

"Walls?" Brone Heavyaxe was confused. There was no mention of walls from the Joyan rebels who joined the army. They stopped to prepare for battle, waiting for nightfall in order to strike. During that time, communication was set up through lacrima stones. From what was gathered, the wall was nearly erected, which was why none of the rebels knew of it. So this was confirmation that the enemy was aware a war was immanent.

The sun was sinking in the horizon, causing the darkness the swallow the army that hid within the trees. The Generals had ordered their platoons to keep from lighting any powerful lights, nothing brighter than candles; all for the sake of keeping the enemy from spotting them. Brone had asked Lumikki if she can check beyond the wall, "Make it a quick trip" he cautioned her. The information of what was beyond the wall had already came to him from Huginn and Muninn; there was platoons of enemy soldiers spread about, taking positions, but not aware of the invading army. But the information the ravens had brought couldn't be shared. The moment Brone would speak a word of what he knew, then his ravens would leave him; so he asked Lumikki to scout so she can bring back the information herself in order for the dwarf to speak freely, giving the information to his neighbors.

"Stone bless the women in your family, lass, for gifting you with such a ring" Brone had mentioned to his niece before she took flight. He was so impressed by her scouting ability; she was possibly even more capable than either Huginn or Muninn. And with her skill to join the skies with the ravens, he was able to go around his verbal limitation. He only wished he could tell Lumikki about the pact he's made with the ravens, for he wasn't even sure if she knew that he was able to speak to them, or why he couldn't tell her about anything they whisper to him.

When Lumikki would take off, Brone would whisper to his ravens to keep her company; mostly because he wanted to know her position at all times during this war, but partially because he wanted her to have friends to fly alongside with. When Lumikki had first visited the guild, the dwarf worried whether or not she would make friends, but the frost witch had proved him wrong and managed to bring life back to the guild; his pride swelled.

The war was starting. Once Lumikki returned with the information needed, the Generals will order the troops at sundown to march forward and break through the wall. Several of the platoons will light their way with fire and light base spells, but for those who moved through the dark, like Brone, Lumikki, and the rogue ninja, they will keep to the shadows for their advantage.

505

The wall was news to the marching platoon, and if it came out of nowhere in such short time, it would be safe to assume a lot of things changed from within as well. What ever Intel of what rests inside were voided for the moment.

This didn't particularly bother Lumikki in the slightest. Not much could get pass her eyes and a raven hardly ever turns any heads. So on her Uncle Brone's call, she took on the task. Running forward toward the wall until a flourish of feathers overwhelmed her form. A raven pierced through the fluttering plumage and darted for the battle field. Her eyes glimmering as she flew for her target.

She could see in the corner view of her vision two ravens darting behind her. It felt good to share the sky with her friends. It pleased her that they had come to also love her as she them. As they neared the field in question, she knew they would be able to handle themselves fine. Let's separate at first and link in the center when done. I need the gist of what is to come, and I'm sure there's things you need checking on for Uncle. We can make the final sweep together and be out."

"Croak," her companions said in unison. Lumikki nodded in contentment to be on the same page with her brethren. "Ya'll and I are kin ya hear. I really do love you so like brothers I've never had. Let's face this war and be done with it." Her brothers Croaked to her once more before they all parted their ways. There was a lot of land to scout out before her. She left the other two to investigate the specifics for Uncle and left the run down of details the soldiers would need to fight the war on her plate. She wasted no time getting started in reconnaissance.

The territory was big, even with the birds actively looking together, they rarely crossed paths. Nothing more than a croak was shared among them as they passed by. There were times Lumikki ventured low below and perched around soldiers that appeared of higher ranking. Noting their words and positioning as she would feign looking for scarps as birds like her tend to do. Picking and pecking in areas nearby the enemies planing and discussions. Before she returned to the center to meet with her brothers she scoured the walls and tallied all the men typical stationed for the watch. Noting all the gaps of view in the the men's positions but also inspecting the make shift walls. She ultimately found 5 holes in their defenses in areas that were yet to be reinforced. Satisfied with her findings she flew for the center as planned. Huginn flying in just a little before her. The light was dimming to their displeasure and so she guided them back tot he makeshift camp. Ready to tell Uncle of her findings.

She perched on his shoulder first and got started. Her bothers stayed within the tree nearby patiently waiting their turn. They were pleased that some of the burden of scouting was lifted from their shoulders, only having to searching for more obscure information than recanting a lot. Even so they didn't have Lumikki's drive and interest to memorize fine details as they only saw the need to share the gist of what they felt was important.

"Bring me over a map," Lumikki said after nuzzling her Uncle affectionately for her return greeting. She patiently waited for one to be brought and unfolded before her. She glided right to the table shifting form before touching ground. Her woman form appearing through a cluster of feathers as her hand was the first to show when she reached for a pen.

She wasted no time as she began to write of all they things she saw of note on the map. " Yes so I happened to see points here, here, there......here and here." Lumikki was furiously and rapidly marking off every single point of note she could remember. Zoned out as she did so since she wanted to pour it all out of her and display every bit of knowledge she recovered all at once and quite eagerly. Her intelligence and memory was one of her biggest prides and she loved to show it off when she could. It is because of those beloved traits of hers that she remembers so clearly her father's uttering of craftsmanship and structure. When they would walk around the city, he could never stop himself from from commenting on good and bad work he saw on their walks. One day as they passed a house with a freshly built brick fence, he lost his senses with how shoty the work appeared. Over analyzing every detail from the quality of the materials and the way they were arranged like an amateur. It was safe to say she was well informed in what looked like weak spots in a wall.

When she finally finished her furious scribbling she looked back at her Uncle beaming. She began to point at all her marks as she spoke. "All of the places along the wall I found were weak and easy to enter. I inspected them myself. They must not of allowed themselves the time to finalize."

She began pointing in areas within the structure. "Counted twelve platoons within the wall total. About thirty-forty men each. These are where I happened to spot the commanders. I only had time to listen in on two meetings with them. Nothing of note beyond the shifting of men and positions for the defense, and nothing shown on their maps of note either." She proceeded to jot down notes on the gaps she observed in their watch, and the number manning each area before putting the pen to rest and icing her hand to chill the pain. She was gripping at the pen very hard as she wrote manically all she recanted. Looking up at her Uncle once more to chime in with her notes and observations.

1026

As the three ravens took to the sky, Brone watched them until they flew out of his vision. He would sigh, silently whispering a prayer to the Stone as he shifted his feet against the ground. When he looked back, he found a handful of soldiers looking to him, the light of a few candles illuminating their faces. They looked concerned, "And what ye want?" the dwarf growled a stern voice to them, setting them to stand at attention, especially when before their commander.

"The other Generals had their platoons at set up their camps as well, now they're just waiting for word from us" Sasha spoke up, though with a bit of nervousness on her tongue.

"Send word to the other camps that I had already sent out scouts; so ask for their patience" the dwarf sighed. Five soldiers mounted their horses and had rode off in different directions to deliver the message. Brone walked over to the foldable table that was set up and sat in one of the provided seats.

"You're worried for her" Sasha's voice was soft, though louder than a whisper as she sat across from her General.

"This is her first war... I was hoping it'll be at least a decade before she was involved in one, but..." it was obvious who they were speaking about. Brone placed his blue helmet on the table so he could massage his temples, trying to calm himself down, "To leave her behind would be to insult her dwarven pride, and I would never do such a thing to someone I care for".

"You must be proud of you as you are of her" Sasha smiled at the dwarf. Brone couldn't help but chuckle which caused Sasha to laugh in return.

"When we return, you'll be transferred to the Day Patrol" Brone quickly threw in that statement before quickly changing the subject in order to prevent Sasha from bursting out of her seat to hug him. Partially to keep the image that everyone needed to be serious and vigilant, but also because he would easily get embarrassed. He would mention that Lumikki was listed as Sasha's recommendation before they fell into word about what plans were available for the fortress.

Eventually, the ravens had returned. One perched onto his shoulder, though it wasn't until she nuzzled against him that Brone confirmed his suspicion that it was his niece. He blushed, trying to keep from nuzzling his sweet niece back as the rest of the troops were staring. As Lumikki ordered for a map, one soldier quickly retrieved one and placed it on the table. With a whirl of black feathers, Lumikki revealed her true form, already at work at pointing out information on the map and most importantly the weak points in the wall. When she was done, Brone had sent out five more soldiers to inform the other Generals of the information and that Brone's platoon would be claiming a point away from any of the weakspots.

"But, sir, there's no weak point here, and there's a high ranking Samurai appointed there!" Sasha questioned Brone, her eyebrow raised. Brone didn't get angry, but laughed as he drew forth his black axe Dhuraindarin.

"Leave the weakpoints to the other Generals; as for us, we'll make our own entry in the wall" Overjoyed with the information they collected and a solid plan coming together, Brone would put an arm around Lumikkie's shoulders and pull her down to his height, bringing her into a hug and nuzzled his face into her hair, "Lass, you've done good!" he couldn't hold in his emotion, a tough thing for a dwarf of his caliber. A handful of soldiers witnessed this, but chose not to say anything, fearing the dwarf would shift in his attitude towards them.

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Lumikki watched her Uncle as he got to work directing his men. With information she had brought him, he had no trouble telling any of them what they needed to hear. He divided his forces accordingly, sending them to the various openings within the wall's defenses with the plans they charge forward and take advantage of all the weaknesses.

There was a lot of rustle and bustle as the men frantically got to work spreading the word around and preparing their forces. It was one thing to charge here, another for them to face the feeling of actually fighting; but his has been the most clear Brone has gotten with the information of an area in a while. It brought them ease knowing for once what they were walking into and they appreciated Brone all the more for it. As if a bridge of trust and knowledge had occurred.

Lumikki gave her Uncle a massive hug and stopped before Sasha before taking off herself. "Welcome to the day shift aye, and good timing too. I've been hearing word of things bumping in the night as of late. Oh, and if you ever find yourself needing help again. Feel free to bother me, might as well chip in the work round here. Only the Primordial frost knows how Uncle tolerates lining up the rowdy bunch of men of his this long. Though I suppose I can only say so much, being a horror myself. Comes in handy though." Lumikki said as she turned to look at Sasha before feathers formed around her. Shifting into a raven she flew for the point her Uncle had hoped to breach himself. With the only weapon stronger than a stubborn Dwarf's head she supposed.

She flew within the walls once more, entirely shrouded and caressed by the darkness. Her inky black feather melted into the sky seamlessly. Lumikki glided her way down as to not make unnecessary noise. Perching in the area of the Samurai and his trusted men. Her eyes gleamed in the darkness. As she awaited the arrival of her Uncle and his men she observed her opponents. When they get startled by the attack and attempt for form their defense, she hoped to disrupt their efforts and only make it that much harder.

The samurai was one of the higher ups she tailed before in her previous reconnaissance. She followed for a bit of time listening into the things he would say. Lumikki was hoping to make use of a new trick she was practicing for a while now. One Nan had told her that her family had done for ages now.

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"Thank you, Ms. Lumikki, and yes, I will reach out if there is any trouble" Sasha smiled as she saluted the ice witch.

The sounds of explosions is what gave Brone the signal to move forward. He signaled for his own platoon to follow as he he rushed up to the area of the wall he had personally selected; a mid point between the two nearest makeshift towers that bore light. This area was basked in darkness to the point a hand full of candles were needed to guide the dwarf's platoon as they followed him.

With one mighty swing from Dhuraindarin, Brone shattered the wall, leaving a large gaping hole so a dozen of soldiers can walk through abreast. The dwarf was the first to enter the dark interior. By the time his platoon was entering, Brone had already ran several meters, meeting his first enemy.

The enemy samurai was patrolling the area, bearing a signal lantern when the explosions were going off. His free hand went to his hilt as he was looking about, trying to make out in the darkness of what was happening. Several points where large braziers were, he could see breaches and enemy soldiers pouring in. He was going to head to his commanding officer to ask for orders, but a nearby explosion caught him off guard. Because his section was void of a brazier, he didn't see the dwarf clad in blue armor coming out the darkness and cutting him down.

"Send all patrol units to backup the guards at the entry points, keep the enemy at bay just as we discussed!" the enemy General Hitsugaya was yelling out orders as he stood upon the high ground, looking over the general area. He kept within the light of two lanterns, but wasn't able to see Lumikki tailing him in the shadows.

"General! There's some kind of monster that burst through the southern wall, but lacks light; it hides in the darkness, striking like a wild animal" One of the soldier ran up to Hitsugaya in a panic.

"Why are you covered in frost as if you came from the mountains?" the General asked as he noticed the soldier had ice patches and snow covered parts of his body.

"The monster, i-it calls forth the deepest cold, l-like an oni from the frozen north!" The soldier was beginning to get frantic.

"Get a hold of yourself, it's obvious it's Fiorean magic. Mages hiding in the shadows, pathetic and cowardice; take a platoon with torches and secure that breach in the south" the General growled in irritation, disgusted by the fear his soldier had shown. The soldier nodded, bowed, and left to follow his orders.

Meanwhile, Brone was striking at any soldiers that he could see, using the darkness to his advantage. As for his platoon, they had made their way to backup one of their neighboring platoons. Though Sasha was reluctant to leave Brone by himself, the dwarf assured her that when he unleashes his full might, it was usually best for the rest to stand clear. So with a salute, the Day Shift patrol woman rushed to assist her comrades.

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Lumikki chuckled to herself as she overheard the general's statement. It is more cowardice to torment your own people she thought, there was simply no real honor here and she refused to meet them with any of her own.

Before the soldier ran off to relay his general's orders Lumikki flew to the path he would take. Shedding her form in the darkness so that she remained hidden away. Tendrils form and melt in the all-encompassing dark. As his steps were nearing she readied herself for the attack, soon enough he crossed her sight and she nudged her spell to ensnare him. Her tendril coiled the man's body rapidly, prioritizing squeezing all the air from his lungs before he had the chance to draw breath and plea for help.

Lumikki approached her victim tangled in her trapped as pleased as a spider ready to take apart its meal. Even as she walked through the areas slightly lit, the darkness clung to her skin as if they were one. Her form obscured even within the man's range of sight."One with darkness as you were always meant to be; but by your means." His face contorted in fear as he tried to fight back the hold and his emotions, but the bind was rendering him weak and the cold sapped all the warmth from his body. He could only grow increasingly limp with every step Lumikki took toward him. Nothing but the sight of purple glowing eyes piercing through the darkness and flashes of wings were all he focused on. "How many monsters did they send....," was all he could think of before Lumikki finally stood before him. She hovered in the air so she could meet his eyes, drinking all his fear and dread as the man fought to scream. Her hands reached up and brushed his face before her talons for nails pierced his cheeks, drawing blood that hardly dripped far before freezing instantly in her presence.

”Return to the sweet oblivion." Her voice reverberated as she spoke in a hushed tone to the soldier. "After all, your lot are the pathetic cowards ay?" Lumikki let out an angelic laugh chime that only led to the soldier's confusion and terror growing. For a beast to laugh so sweetly is more terrifying than any ugly monster. Though he hardly had time to take in this experience any further before his throat was closing quickly on him. His body was already too weak to move any further. All he could do was simply close his eyes and accept the rest thrust upon him, as Lumikki savored freezing over his lungs and heart. Ice black as the night piercing his throat. Her tendrils dissipated as soon as her attention went elsewhere, dropping his literal cold and dead body to the ground in a thud. She willed the darkness to brush him to the side where he wouldn't be spotted any time soon so that she could enjoy her fun. The Daemon in her flooded every aspect of her being.

She wrapped herself in the excess of darkness while she silently flew behind the general. He truly thought he would be safe up here she chuckled to herself softly. We were the cowards but he wouldn't fight with his men? Perhaps I should give him an honorable death like his soldier, she mulled over. Cupping her hands in flight as she neared his vantage point and blowing her cold frost toward his lit lanterns so they snuffed out instantly."What is ha...," he began to mutter but Lumikki soon enough rendered his voice useless. Surrounded by nothing but the darkness made it take no time to clamp him in her magic. Though this time her spell was taking on a new form, one more defined than the tendrils ever were. A shape that dazzled and surprised even Lumikki herself. So entranced in the mayhem she was in the midst of causing, it must have been tempering her will and magic.

The general was swallowed in a grip that resembled a raven's talon. The sight brought joy to Lumikki as her nature was echoed in her very existence. "You are finally coming to your own." Lumikki nodded in agreement to the voice in her heart, she never felt more melded together with her. Her? "Tenevi." The voice knew to answer, finally giving Lumikki her name. Claiming proper space and identity in her mind. Yet Lumikki only felt one and was at peace with this being called Tenevi.

The general fighting the grip of her talon and the cold of her might brought Lumikki back to the thrill of the moment. A wide grin crept on her face as she hovered near. He was unlike his soldier that succumbed to fear the instant he was snatched, no this man had grit and fire. It only compelled Lumikki to play with her catch. It appeared as if she was softly dancing in the sky, the form of an ice skater twirling in the air, as she circled the general and spoke. "Think what ya want of us, but we brought your doom and you were helpless to stop us. None of you knew as I flew through the air and watched your movements, as I counted the cracks in your walls. Now I get to enjoy watching my men crumble your pathetic forces and shatter what's ever left of your empty makeshift pride." She stopped before his face to drink up all the anger and rebellion from his face before she continued to speak. Her dark frost was already creeping within him, choking him inside, and out."Return to the sweet embrace from where we all began general. To the primordial frost and darkness." She gripped his face in her talons cutting deep. "And know when you pass that you will leave with no honor, none to your name. As I use your voice to send your men to death, they'll curse the general who failed them. Who lead them to their demise...."

The general fought harder than ever in her grip, not fully understanding the meaning of her words. Yet he was already too late, she willed her spell to bring him to the other side and death was already embracing him. Before he was completely taken, she was swallowed in her darkness and before he could blink away the last seconds of his life he was met with a voice that shook him and widened his eyes. Finally, Lumikki got to look at the terror on his face and drink from it blissfully. "Yes it's time to sleep general. You have done enough and it is time to rest....'' but before she could finish his body went limp and she laughed. The softest chimes of fairies could be heard on the top post if one was even around to hear it.

"We are doing well to hold them off soldiers. I now need backup in section 9 immediately. There is word of enemy sighted there, so pull back and address the location. Otherwise, there is potential for them to flank us!"

Lumikki cackled hysterically when she finished her announcement. Pulling soldiers away from the wall would make the fodder cut down faster. By the time they reach section 9 to find no one there, they'' be sitting ducks for her combined squadrons to hunt down. She cleared for a voice for a moment before matching the tone, pitch, and voice of the soldier from earlier properly.

Mimicking the voices of others as ravens is part of why her family was both feared and valuable. The neighboring tribes did well to keep the Omena by their side. After all, so many things could go undone with well-placed words.

And so Lumikki went off to spread her detrimental orders before joining her Uncle in battle.

1312

Huginn and Muninn flew over the battlefield, taking note of what was happening. However, there were two who they couldn't account for: Brone and Lumikki, who even though they entered two separate areas, chose to move through the darkness. Out of the three ravens, only Lumikki had the eyes that can pierce the dark veil, so the other two had no choice but to do the best they can with limited vision the light of the torches provided.

"The General had sent a messenger to rally others to swarm Brone's area, but his torch went out, now is lost to the darkness" Muninn reported as the two ravens flew by one another.

"The General's torch went out as well; possible Lumikki had reached him" Huginn replied.

"Or it could have been Brone" Muninn added. But Huginn croaked in laughter; both of them knew well that the dwarf wasn't tactical enough to get that far without causing some kind of noise, nor was his quick enough to reach that position already. They then broke away and continued to scout in the evening sky. Word would reach them of the General had sent the order for reinforcements to relocate to Section 9, so Huginn had taken the initiative to keep watch of said area.


Brone had been swatting soldiers who had found themselves entering the deep shadow of the southern section. Most of them were not aware of the growing shadow, for as Brone continued to move closer to the center of the battlefield, where he assumed the General was, he would occasionally destroy the torch sconces, spreading the darkness further into the encampment. However, eventually, he had stopped this process, which eventually led him to accidently stepping into the light of one of the lit torches, which was long enough for him to be spotted for Sairensa, one of the high ranking shinobi.

Sairensa had been watching the light of the torches go out here and there. He assumed a dangerous enemy would be moving through the darkness, so as he was ordered, he would focus on picking off enemies who may pose a threat. So when he spotted the dwarf, he immediately attacked. He threw a large shuriken, allowing the soaring weapon to flew through the darkness. By the time it would reach the light of the torch, the dwarf would be struck from behind, his blind spot.

Brone's battle senses kicked in; allowing him to sense the shuriken coming in from the darkness behind him. He quickly twirled about, deflecting the giant shuriken with his black axe, causing the flying weapon to be destroyed in an instant. "Good try, but that ain't working on me" the dwarf spoke into the darkness. Sairensa, who hid in the shadows met with the dwarf's eyes. From that point, he understood that this smaller creature was able to see perfectly in the dark, and some how was able to sense a silent attack which was out of his line-of-sight; so he switched up his tactic to frontal ranged attacks.

The shinobi, in one quick motion, would toss forward a handful of small shuriken forward, then with a quick series of hand signs had activated a spell to cause the flying shuriken to multiply to several dozen. Brone grit his teeth, finding the spell annoying, but without enough time to do anything else, he swung both his black axe and Spellcleaver. Both were able to destroy a handful of shuriken, but the small weapons were so numerous and quick, several that managed to bypass the blades had struck the ice of his body armor, one imbedded itself in the helmet and one stuck into the dwarf's left leg.

"Do you need any help?" Gnicholas asked as he poked his head from the cowl.

"Not yet, stay hidden" Brone was quick to give the order and the gnome hid himself again. The dwarf was aware of how dexterous this shinobi was. If the enemy knew the gnome would be a problem, he might be able to quickly strike Gnicholas faster than Brone could respond.

"Sir, I found the General dead. His area was quickly basked in darkness, so I went to inspect it and found him dead and his body cold as if he's been dead for a while" Another shinobi appeared from the shadow, standing beside Sairensa.

"A pity; then there is another who stalks the shadows" Sairensa kept his eyes on Brone; he also noticed that he could see his own breath through his black mask. It's possible that it was another dwarf, since the tactic seemed to be the same: hiding in darkness and using some form of cold magic. Though he wasn't sure why the cold element was present, he could only assume that the invading army was using these 'Cold Strikers' to move through the shadows to harm the army in secret, "We'll dispatch this dwarf and then look for the other; we must rid away of their shinobi, that was our task."

"Yes, sir" The smaller shinobi, Hanabira, looked at the dwarf, not understanding how this stocky creature could be a shinobi, but if he was using the shadows, then he would count in some way; either way, she had a job to do. She dashed through the shadow, encircling the dwarf. Two things she took note of: her speed was dropped; she could assume it was the extreme cold this area was producing, like what she sensed where the General was; and the second was that the dwarf's eyes were tracking her, which meant he was able to see in the dark.

Once she was on the other side of the dwarf, both shinobis enacted their combined move: "Inazuma!" They both pointed their fingers towards one another. The electrical surge of magic caused a lightning bolt to fire from both ends of their fingers, being attracted to another, they would connect at the center, which was where Brone was. Because of how fast the spell was, the dwarf wasn't fast enough to deflect it.

Brone felt the lightning burn right through him. It was powerful enough to burn him from the inside. As the light from the bolt vanished, Brone spat out a bit of blood. His body jerked but he kept himself from falling. He looked up and stared at the male shinobi, his anger flaring in his eyes as a low growl could be heard. A passing breeze of wind seem to have caused the air to drop further in temperature, a bit of snow could be seen before the only torch went out. Now Brone too was cast in the shadow.

Sairensa and Hanabira cared not, for they were both proficient in Shadow Fighting. Their eyes shifted, allowing them thermalvision.

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Lumikki had flown around spreading the "general's" orders to all the men below and watched as they shuffled and divided themselves to leave the wall and head for the trap location. She chuckled to herself as she saw their weakening forces.

When the first squadron of her side finally cleared the area she flew to its leader. Informing them of her plan and what it meant for their cause. He grimaced at the cruelty of her actions but appreciated the opportunity. The shift in enemies present shifted the tide of battle and spared his men. He bowed in appreciation and sent some of his own to inform the other mercenaries squadrons in Lumikki's place, saving her the trouble of spreading the word. "You really are a cold-hearted ice demoness you know," he said before she took flight once more. "Aye, but be happy I'm on your side and pray ya stay there," Lumikki responded as she was flapping her wings to take off. She caught the sight of him shivering at the idea of it, the thought of the ice demon's wrath. This pleased her greatly as she flew to check over her work.

Flying straight for section 9 she found Huginn on his way there, she figured he must have caught wind of her orders and wanted to check the results for himself. Watch the carnage perhaps? It ruffled her feathers even in flight to see her brother so curious of her work, though he yet knew her involvement she surmised. She flew beside him and at first, Huginn was confused, just leaving his brother Muninn after all, but quickly recognize it to be Lumikki in her raven's form.

"I told the men where I needed them most to die, the squadrons are cleaning up the ones who've stayed while the ones that parted would find nothing for them here. Soon the squadrons will combine to clean the rest, I already alerted one and they have begun to spread the word. Nothing left but another blood bath." Lumikki laughed, her voice shifting from that of the fallen general to that of her own as she did so.

Huginn was already startled and disturbed when she spoke in a voice not her own, but the change in tone as she laughed only cemented his unease. His feathers prickled from the sensation as he eyed her but he got over it just as quickly when she began to talk in her own voice again. "It amazes me how easy it is to play games with those that were supposed to be more experienced than me. I could only guess it never occurred to them we could be as tricky, but then again it's not like they deal with my ilk often. Still, I'm having more fun than I thought I ever would." She looked at Huginn as she spoke again, "Maybe this line of work suits me. Something to explore when we return back home. I hope the battle below in section 9 entertains you," Lumikki giggled before parting ways.

Flying for the darkness of the south in search of her Uncle. She was no longer entertained by playing with the fodders' lives, she wanted to join him in greater battles. Sure enough, she could still see lanterns being snuffed in the distance, she took it as the work of Brone. Using the darkness in his favor as much as she wore it for her own. She raced in his direction in utter excitement and impatience. Shifting along the way to her Daemon form and grabbing at the darkness like it was a veil to be worn. She had no need to use another's voice and she wanted to be ready to attack. The advantage of watching from above afforded her chances to set up traps along a target's way, and in their rush, they hardly had a moment to mind their step. Though she was more eager in spotting her Uncle in the darkness than some grunt to torture. She missed him and wanted to see how he fought in the war, curious to see him and his abilities in action. Fascinated by all the stories she's been told, she could only be satisfied with the sight of them in person now.

Though as she was flying toward the last lantern she saw to be snuff, a flash of lightning cracked from below. Emil, a guild member of hers wasn't stationed alongside them so there shouldn't have been lightning anywhere near this camp. The suddenness of the spell filled Lumikki with urgency to press on faster, worry balling in her stomach. Uncle Brone would be the only one on her side to be fighting here, he's the only other capable of seeing fine in the dark.

Lumikki could feel the snow in the air and so she matched it with her own. Letting her lavender aura leak from her body and causing black snow to mix with the white. Not like anyone but her could notice, only she could see clear enough to spot it in the dark of the night; but she did so to add solidarity, only her Uncle could be the cause of the snow descending from the sky, and as his will shows in the flurry to fall, so would hers.

Looking down she saw her Uncle wounded and angry. He was locked in battle with what she was told prior to the depiction of a shinobi. Her curiosity about their ways grew but it could never match her fury from the pain they inflicted on Brone. Her anger iced over the remaining bit of heart she had as she descended swiftly. The air only got colder as she did. The shinobi never stood still, shifting position often to keep a distance. Brone's helmet slowed them, and she was sure to slow them further. Whipping her arms back made a lavender circle appear from behind her and soon the night around her warped and swiftly smothered the shinobi within its cold embrace. Their focus on the Dwarf made them open from above, though they only assumed for the moment that Brone slowed them further. Their heat leaves their body all the faster and their choice of positioning became all the more precise.

Though their movement slowed, their speed throughout their weapons had not. She could hardly make them out in the air. From above it almost even looked as though they were setting up something, as Lumikki could vaguely make out an outline being formed from the stray weapons being thrown too haphazardly to ever be meant to hit Brone. She knew they weren't known for carelessness and so she began to charge her magic, sucking in the darkness as she had to sustain her spell. She clasped both of her hands, almost missing one of the shinobi within her bind. Her talons gripped them back but it didn't stop them from activating the spell they prepared within the area. An electrical current spreads from one dagger to the next attempting to snare her Uncle within their trap.

"From above!" Lumikki heard women shout. It seems they somehow spotted her, though she was not sure how any human could. All the same, she wrapped herself once more in cold darkness as she went in for the women. "they're gone..." Lumikki herd her mutter, good. So this helped shield her from their view, though it was sloppily done Lumikki just needed the dark to cover her thickly. Lumikki never realized it was not through normal sight that they used but through thermal vision. The cold dark she layered on her skin masked the heat her body had.

In her narrow-sighted focus to claim the woman's life as she shot through the sky, Lumikki never noticed that the other slipped from her bind. Throwing a flurry of weapons in the air where they had figured her to be and grazing Lumikki all over. Her wings shielded her vitals but a few sunk into her legs. Her veil of darkness disturbed and he could make her out in the air once more. Not letting up on his onslaught, he was trying to move to his partner as he kept up his attack.

Lumikki was furious, the rage inside her rendering the world mute. Her form evolved in her fury. When Lumikki had flown before, it was through her darkness that she sustained flight in her woman form. Her existence as a Daemon granted her access to that power, and her desire to grow unlocked it. She bore six wings made of pure darkness and frozen from her frost. The bottommost wings were her largest and the ones she use in flight, as the others were too small to hold the air. They were all in the likeness of a raven and framed her form beautifully. As Lumikki shifted forms in this battle, she was able to seamlessly for she could fly in either.

Though now in her fury the darkness spread, the form temporarily disturbed. Lumikki curled up in the sky as the measly and puny wings of her upper and mid back began to grow rapidly, taking in the surrounding darkness. Her arms and legs were becoming covered as well as the Obscura spread, shaping talons on her hands and feet. On her head grew a pair of open wings that adorned her in darkness, completing her new and full Obscura form. Her wings solidified back into the likeness of a raven.

When she opened her wings and uncurled from the sky, she let out a blood-curdling screech and focused on her prey once more. The shinobi were nowhere in sight at first, Lumikki Covered her eyes, lavender circles appearing as she opened them. She scanned below to find where they hid as they prepared their next move, lowering herself to be next to her Uncle as she looked around. She could see traces of heat all over from the battle and so it was not easy to make out where they hid. "Are ye okay Uncle? They seem to be a bother, though least more entertaining than the others."  


1697

The platoons continued to fight against the battlefield's defense at separate points, but due to the invader's organization compare to the defenders', it seems the battle was beginning to lose on the side of the home team. Those invading, who had overcome the enemies on their side, had received the message passed on, so when they were able to regroup with their squadrons, they would advance north towards Section 9.

As for Brone, the electrical shock had stunned him for but a moment. But a combination spell such as that could do serious damage to him if he took another hit, so he needed to act; but as he tried to rush towards one of the shinobi who he spotted running about, circling him, a pair of daggers were thrown his way. Electricity surged between the two flying daggers, creating an arc. Luckily the dwarf drew forth his green axe, Spellcleaver, to cut the magical cord, rendering the tactic useless. Brone was getting irritable; he was ready to charge forward and tackle the male shinobi, but what caused him to hesitate was seeing Sairensa's lower half of his body gripped by black ice, like a giant hand of shadow. Before he could register what had happened to the male shinobi, his attention was drawn to the female who had brought attention to the sky.

Brone looked up to see a dark angel. Fear enveloped him; the memories of all the battles he had against the previous angels had returned to him. He wasn't even aware that all four of his arms were out and were bearing weapons like instinct. Kunai and shuriken were shot into the air in scattered fire. For that exchange, Brone didn't know what to do, like frozen in fear. He didn't expect an angel to come seeking vengeance during a war. He wanted to move, to get into a defensive stance, or maybe to strike against her, but her mouth opened and a powerful soul-shattering screech filled the air, freezing the dwarf in place once more.

Then the dark angel descended, landing beside him as he looked up at her, his eyes wide, his teeth clenched as tightly as his grip upon his weapons. Just as he was about to raise his weapon against her, he heard her echoing voice. Though it was different, shrouded in the cold starry night of that echo... it was Lumikki's.

"Yer father always said ye be an angel, and my men had whispered ye to be a demon" Brone lost his fear, his smile a reflection of warmth returning to his spirit, "Which are ye, lass?" he chuckled, so happy to see his niece.

Gnicholas on the other hand was the only being in the immediate area who wasn't able to see in the absolute darkness that they were all shrouded in, so he continued to hide within the white cowl, just listening to the best of his ability. He wondered if that intense screech was from his student or not, "I would like a full report of your actions in this war effort, Lumikki, this'll be your extra credit, young lady" the gnome's voice came from the cowl as he remained hidden.

For a moment Brone had nearly forgotten about the shinobi, but his instincts kicked in as a surge of electricity emanated from both shinobi were conjuring forth powerful spells.

Sairensa and Hanabira had lost sight of the winged demon due to the intense cold, but the heat signature of the dwarf still remained. Though the two shinobi were separated from one another, they were well entuned to the point they can follow up on one another well, so when Sairensa charged his high level spell, Hanabira understood the plan was to finish off the dwarf as quickly as possible so they didn't need to worry about two powerful enemies at the same time. So both shinobi mirrored the spell. The large amount of mana being converted into their right hands sparked and became visible electricity. This spell was practically a super charged Inazuma, like before, but this time, it would finish off the dwarf like it did with every other enemy the shinobi faced before. The only thing that could possibly stop the spell would be that cursed Spellcleaver they heard about, but they worried not about it, for Inazuma moved like lightning; the dwarf wouldn't be fast enough to deflect it.

"I guess I should show them why they call me the Shield of Dawn!" Brone slammed Spellcleaver into ground, blade first, to free his hand before he reached back, and slipped his fingers beneath the collar of his armor. The moment his fingers touched his Guild Insignia, the symbol then glowed brightly. Several magical circles appeared floating around not only Brone, but Lumikki as well. A magical light will cover them both.

The shinobi weren't sure what the mysterious light was, but they didn't want to take the chance, so they finally fired the spell. Like vertical lightning; a beam of electricity shot across the distance between Sairensa and Hanabira with Brone being the target in the center again.

The lightning strike vanished just as fast as it was conjured. "He's still standing?" the male shinobi was confused; the heat signature of the dwarf was still warm, still standing.

The spell "Paradise Armament" had conjured forth full body argent armor. The dwarf stood fully covered. The armor had several distinct designs reflecting the wearing, such as the chest resembling a large angered ram's head and the shoulder guards look like stern bearded dwarven heads. Lumikki's armor would take on of form reflecting who she is. This was not only limited to them, but all throughout the battlefield, those who bore the insignia, and those who stood along side them had received their own powerful armor as well. The soldiers were confused about this and hesitant until they heard a powerful yell coming from the south and they recognized it was that of the dwarf of Paradise Dawn. His warcry surged valor within them, so they fought harder and pushed forward. This was Brone's most powerful spell, created and blessed by the God of War, a symbol of what he stood for, the defense of the guild, this is why he's been deemed the Shield of Dawn.

As Brone yelled out his loudest battlecry while raising his golden axe into the air, he activated two more spells. The spell within the golden axe summoned forth a blizzard that enveloped him, Lumikki and the shinobi; the second spell within the nevermelting ice armor sprouted, causing ice to explode from within and cover the newly made Armament armor, causing it to alter, no longer argent, but cyan. Shards of ice jutting throughout the armor, resembling horns and scales, now looking more draconic. His helmet seem to have reformed, covering more of his face to the point there were two slits, one horizontal for eyes to which were barely visible and one vertical for his mouth.

With the sudden blizzard and Brone's ice made armor, neither shinobi were able to find his signature. They were completely blind, which meant they were in danger and they knew it.

"Lass, ye have my permission to go all out" Brone's voice had a strong rumbling chill, his breath frozen and visible as it escaped the slit in his newly forged helmet. He then picked up his spellcleaver again, focusing his senses to the two shinobi who continued to run around them, though their speed were slowing with each passing second.

1,263 | 4,070

Lumikki chuckled and softened when her Uncle Brone had eased himself from his fears. She had only assumed it was from the opponents before him that he displayed terror for just a moment. Her menacing aura waning for just a moment to embrace him and his happiness to see her. "I am whatever ye perceive of me," she laughed like fairies in merriment before she spoke once more. "And to some," she began to scan for her enemies again, "more than likely think Ima demon though I can't say they are far off." Here features hardening once again as she became focused on the shinobis. Entertaining as they were, she didn't care for what they did to Brone. Even if it cost her the joy of her kill, she'd see to it they were killed as swift as she could manage.

"I'm not sure you'd want to read any of it," the thought of writing her exploits down shook her from her focus. She wouldn't know how he would see her after it all. "not sure it would be worth the extra credit bore ye with my sightings..." She awkwardly laughed hoping to be rid of that, and sure enough the enemies made their moves soon enough to shake the conversation.

Lumikki looked back out and spotted her prey as they ran, their signatures clear and made even clearer with the heat of the lightning they charged. She pulled her lips back in a snarl as her fanged teeth showed. Her anger and disgust took over. Though before she could think of charging forward, her Uncle acted faster. Reaching behind his cowl before the light of his magic shone, almost blindingly, though it had no effect in obscuring her sight. As the magical circles appeared, she saw the light creeping over her Uncle, unaware at first that it spread around her as well. Looking at her arms when she finally noticed and raising them up to see more clearly as she scanned over them. Though Lumikki felt wholly fine in the idea of being swallowed in the darkness and the abyss, the light gave her a feeling of actually becoming erased from existence. It displeased her greatly though it didn't last much longer as it gave way to armor.

As the metal affixed to the front and the light waned, her darkness ate at the suit hungrily. Leaving her plating with an iridescent purple sheen apparent only to those who see in the dark. As it only existed in sheer darkness. Her darkness and frost merging with its form further as it jutted out in many places like it was adorned in sharp feathers and wings. The back of the armor gave way to her form as the plating had an arched opening that hugged just above her coverts. Her helmet covered half her face, and was made of pure darkness in the front plating so she could easily see through. Open wings adorning the top and coming down on the sides into points. The chest plate covered her torso entirely, a purple crystal just below her throat. Dwarven markings etched along her chest and shoulders. Black metallic closed wings hugged at her hips as a sheer veil of darkness spilled just from underneath trailing to the floor. The frost within makes it sparkle like the night sky above. The armor on her legs bore a wing on each knee, the metal on her shins cutting off just before her talons. She felt so powerful as wore it, flexing her wings and stretching her limbs to gauge her range of motion. It had given way perfectly, obstructing nothing in her movement.

"Mighty fine trick ye have there." Lumikki said as she looked on to the shifting forms of his armor. She was thoroughly impressed with both as she knew how to appreciate good work and form. She couldn't stop grinning from her amazement from the spell or his theatrics in his transformation. The kicking of the blizzard adds to the euphoria of the moment, sending wave after wave of pleasure as it's cold hits her skin.

"I love the way ye work Uncle! I'll take the woman!" Lumikki inhaled as deep as she possibly could, drinking in the blizzard as she did. She released another blood curdling screech before kicking off into flight and gunning for the woman. With Lumikki's vision, she was locked on and nothing could stop her rampage. Darting forward like a hungry beast she flew quickly in the sky.

Hanabira tried to reposition but the presence of the blizzard slowed her down greatly and obscured her vision further. Lumikki wrapped in her cold element remained undetectable in her. She could only think about finding Sairensa and re-strategizing their approach. When she heard the second screech of the winged yokai from before, dread and fear began to sink within her, though her movements remained sharp as ever from the years of training and muscle memory. Albeit much slower and harder to execute in all the sheer cold around her. There was no training for this, and it only fed her terror more. She never thought the enemy forces would use the cold and dark like this.

"Where do ye think ya going...," Hanabira heard growling from nearby her, though she could not make out the beast in the blizzard. As she attempted to dip toward the right where she could faintly see her partner, the blizzard was eating at the heat of their body and if they could not escape they'd likely freeze to death. Before she could make the step further, a wall jutted up before her. She couldn't see it as it formed as it was black as the night around her and made of ice, so it escaped her senses and she barely stopped herself from walking into it. Feeling the surface, she could barely make clear the outline of a rams head etched in the ice, though it didn't seem like a real danger so she didn't linger. Right as she tried to step around the wall, another formed right before her. Her face slamming into the ice this time and she recoiled in her surprise. "Stop playing with me if what it is that you want is to kill me!"

She heard a voice that echoed within the night even though it was just above her. It came out like a taunting hum just as cold as the blizzard around her and dragging out in an eerie whisper. Void of all compassion and humanity. "Oh but where's the fun in that little hare.~" She shivered a she was being toyed with by a demon. She never heard of a Tengu that wielded frost and her senses were only failing her further. She made signs with her hands and shot a weak zap of lightning into the air, it just barely missed the yokai but she finally had a slight peek at the monster above her. It was both beautiful and grotesque. A creature that was black as the cold night and covered in a cluster of wings. Face half shrouded. Their talons sharp and outstretched as the crackle of lightning brushed pass, her fangs lit in the flash. What kind of demon did that dwarf set on her she wondered as she strung more hand gestures for her next spell. She wasn't ready to die. She heard a cackle moving around her in a circle, and soon after ice shot toward her cutting into her skin. She flinched from the pain but kept her sequence of gestures. A poof of smoke appeared before being cleared away quickly from the blizzard and reveling three Hanabiras within.

Each one of her set out running, the desire to live charging her with the motivation to make speed even in the cold. They clapped their hands and regained some of their lost speed. Re-positioning in their moment to move.
They kept going as each one was executing gestures as lightning channeled in their hands. They raised their hands up in unison, each with two fingers point in the sky. It looked like serpentine dragons made of lightning shot out of their fingers as their construct tried to coil the Tengu and barring her movements before the dragons all tried to crash in the center all at once. In the light of the spell Hanabira witness the Tengu snared in place and take the brunt of the clash all at once. As the spell and damage fizzled out, the scene dimmed. Hanabira sighed in relief as she tried to look around again only to have her spin chill where she stood. Another cackle was heard sharply within the sky. All Hanabira tried to toss their daggers at the area only to all miss their marks. The beast was unharmed, how? She thought hard as her and her clones tried to keep moving and keeping the farce, but it was too late. They all were impaled with ice shards that rose from the floor below. Her clones fading from the damage and just leaving herself behind. Her strength leaving her all at once as her skin was encased in ice, black flowers creeping over her arms, legs, and chest. What ever will she had to live was fading with her warmth.

"I like your tricks lil hare but I'm getting bored." Hanabira could hardly move anymore, her body was failing her in the intense cold. Freezing talons cut into her shoulders as she was pulled out the spikes and brought up into the air. Soaring faster than her churning stomach would of liked. "I must say, out of all your people I killed, ye and the partner of yours have been my favorite. Ya gave me the most time to have fun." Lumikki gripped Hanabira's even harder within her talons until they cut into the bone. She didn't stop until she flew above the blizzard, the moon barely visible as a crescent in the sky but the stars were dazzling all the same in their brilliance. "Ye remind me of myself ya know. The man, like my Uncle? He guides ye right? If ya weren't on the wrong side I would've never come ta kill ya. And if you never hurt my Uncle that badly, I would of killed ya much quicker, painless even." Hanabira would of squirmed and fought Lumikki's grip but her body had gone limp. Lumikki sense it as she held her up, Hanabira had no fight left in her.

"My gift to piece of me I saw in ya. What's you name lil hare? Ye fought well enough against two monsters so die with that honor." Hiragana the woman respond and Lumikki nodded."Good night Hanabira...may you find peace in the primordial dark." Lumikki lingered in the sky for a minute or so, letting Hiragana enjoy her last sight in life before she slowly slid her talons out her flesh and let the woman fall back into the blizzard. Hanabira fell accepting her fate, making her peace within her mind as she looked back her fight and final moment. She thought to herself that perhaps there was a sliver of humanity in the monster after all. Just enough to let the warm touch her skin or a moment and she the sky one last time and a view like that. Though she was still sad and angry to lose, there would be no other chance to overcome for her. To get stronger. To fight alongside Sairensa. Tears welled at her eyes only to freeze as fast as they fell. And so she thought about how grateful she was to have what she had at all. Until her body finally stuck the ground.


Hanabira, Lumikki thought to herself as she glided down toward the woman's shattered body. Hanabira she repeated over and over as she mulled the woman's name. It was the only name she took and the only she tried to remember. Maybe she wanted to hold onto this death she thought, since for once she felt remorse. She shook her head as she pushed the thought from her mind. It didn't matter anymore. Lumikki crouched by the body of Hanabira and picked at her until she found something to hold onto. A reminder she thought, of this pitiful event. She found a small charm in the form of a flower in the woman's hidden pocket. Lumikki stared at it before slowly gripping it in her hand lightly. Her talon receded.

Lumikki sat beside Hanabira's body until the blizzard would fade, humming to herself a song her Nan taught her long ago.


2121

Brone hesitated for a moment when Lumikki had indicated about her being some form of 'demon'. The dwarf wasn't good at reading people during conversation, but he felt that statement his niece made might have something behind it. Whatever it was, he didn't have time to ask about it, for they were in the middle of a war and two skilled shinobi were targeting them.

As Lumikki claimed the female shinobi, Brone focused on the male, "Have fun, lass" he told his niece before she screeched and took off towards her prey. As for the dwarf, he began running towards the male shinobi, his axes ready to bite down.

Sairensa formed several hand-signs as he gathered his mana. In the next moment, his body sent out an electrical pulse. For a split second, he was able to sense the feedback of that pulse as it bounded off three targets; the dwarf, who was closing in on him; Hanabira, who's movements he always recognized, and the winged yokai who was encircling the female ninja. Though he was concerned about his companion, he needed to deal with the dwarf quickly, otherwise he would be wasting time going after the flying demon.

The male shinobi barely dodged the axe as it nearly beheaded him. He then dashed back, gaining distance from the determined dwarf. He realized his agility and speed had dropped significantly; clearly it was because of the intense cold he was feeling in his body, he was doing everything he could to keep his mind off of it, letting the tension of the fight warm him up. He needed speed to overcome this slow; so long as he can keep himself faster than the dwarf, then he can avoid his attacks and deal a clean blow.

When Sairensa focused on the dwarf after his electrical pulse went off, he was able to lock onto him without the need of sight, but the downside to that was he wasn't able to know where Hanabira and the yokai are, at least not until he casts that jutsu again.

The shinobi formed more handsigns as he noticed the dwarf was running towards him again. He then spat out several electrical needles. Brone swiped several of them out of the air with Spellcleaver, but Sairensa knew of the axe, so his tactic was to hit him with a scatter shot. Sevearl needles he wasn't able to cut down had landed upon his legs, causing static to surge through his lower body, preventing him from moving any further, as if frozen in the snow.

The shinobi took this chance and formed another jutsu; his muscles expanded and tightened; his internal temperature increased as his blood flow quickened. His adrenaline heightened. With this, he was able to gain his speed back as he dashed towards the dwarf. Midway through his run, he let his mana surge through his sword. This technique was designed to pierce through the toughest armor; Sairensa had defeated many foes with this tactic, now he was aiming for the dwarf's heart to end this battle.

As he closed the distance, Brone swung his axe to counter, but he wasn't fast enough against the shinobi's new speed. Sairensa's blade sank into the dwarf's armor... but it didn't go all the way through. For a split second, the shinobi was lost in confusion; little did he know, behind Brone's frozen helmet, hanging from his nose, is an enchanted septum ring, imbued with the feather of an angel, designed to heighten the defense of the wearer's armor, to prevent such dangerous strikes.

The split second gave Brone enough time to raise his golden axe into the air, but as he was bringing it down to strike, the shinobi gathered himself in time to dodge the attack, gaining distance again. But as the golden axe hit the floor, an explosion of hail erupted from where the dwarf was. The blizzard increased in speed; the temperature dropped lower; and now hail was added to the mix.

"This is insane" Sairensa found himself speaking out loud, his teeth beginning to chatter. This dwarf was a walking statue. He couldn't waste anymore time on him, so he turned and rushed in the direction he last saw where Hanabira was. He let off another pulse, but he couldn't find her nor the yokai anywhere on the battlefield. Once again he was blind. "Hana!" The shinobi was beginning to get frantic as he was searching for his doe-eyed student. He didn't worry about the dwarf, for with the adrenaline rush, the shorter being wouldn't ever catch up to him, regardless of the blizzard.

Suddenly, something hit the floor just a few meters beside him. He let off another pulse and the moment he realized that it was a corpse, his heart sank. He was able to read the electrical pulse feedback, like sonar; it was the exact measurements of his student... but there was no heartbeat.


"HANA!!!" A surge of mana erupted from Sairensa as he began to form his next jutsu.

He was surprised; for the dwarf was already behind him, but before the axe could fully arc, the shinobi dashed away. His speed allowed him to reach the top of a nearby sentry tower. His mana formed a crossbow, with the bolt surging with powerful electricity, enough to replicate a lightning strike a dozen times over. Sairensa's trump card only had two shots, but it greatly drained him once they were done. It didn't matter. With Hana gone, his own promise to himself didn't need to be held.

The electrical pulse came back and he could see the outline of the winged yokai floating down. He aimed at her. The demon woman landed beside Hana's body. "Don't you dare touch her!" He yelled as  he pulled the trigger.

A quick blur intercepted the bolt, cutting it, negating it. Spellcleaver finally struck and stopped the devastating bolt. But what the shinobi saw, wasn't the dwarf, but a tall eleven foot tall white werelion running at an insane speed through the blizzard, towards him. In a panic, Sairensa adjusted his aim, but it was too late, the werelion rushed up the side of the tower. When he closed the distance, the golden spear struck the shinobi; it's tip protruding from his back.

To protect who I love, I shall be a monster:

"...Hana..." Is all the shinobi was able to say with his strength as the light in his eyes faded. The sound of battle was still ringing in the air outside of the blizzard in other sections, but the south went quiet as the controlled storm was dying down. Brone shrunk, returning to his true dwarven form, all the while looking into the shinobi's silent eyes.

"Ye both fought well" Brone whispered to the fallen shinobi before he pulled the spear from him.

By the time Brone got back to where Lumikki was, the blizzard had completely stopped, and the sound of battle was replaced by distant cheers. The dwarf had Sairensa's body on his shoulder. He then laid the male down beside the female and made sure to close their eyes. He gave one last look and slammed a closed fist onto his chest where his heart was, a salute of honor. Then he would look to his niece and gave her a slight nod before looking towards the north west. There were torches moving; platoons moving towards their direction.

Huginn and Muninn landed on both his shoulders, and indication that everyone who knew Brone and the ravens that the battle was over and all was safe. They would whisper into his ear, telling him that the enemy troops were defeated, but the dwarf didn't respond. He stood, though as short as he was, seemingly tall, for the sake of his troops. The war wasn't over, though the battle was won.

As the allied troops were getting closer to the Frozen North Dwarf and the Witch of Black Ice, Brone thought about the shinobis... and how they resembled him and his niece.

1,570 | 5,640

[Exit]

Lumikki clutched the charm in her hand as she looked over at Hanabira. Her face was surprisingly at peace and she could not understand how and why. Yet it brought her some relief from her regret and remorse. Everything in the background faded to Lumikki as though it wasn't there. Not the lightning of the spell headed toward her or the shouts of Hanabira's partner. Lumikki was lost in her daze only woken once again when the blizzard subsided. Her Uncle approached with a body on his shoulder. Lumikki didn't have to guess to whom it belong.

She stood up, snapping her fingers. The earth shifted just below their feet. When she felt she had a good hold of the dirt underneath, Lumikki would stomp the ground. Her dark frost pushed aside enough earth to make a large grave. Lumikki's tendrils gently slithered and wrapped around the bodies, pulling them to her makeshift burial. Carefully moving them out of respect before their bodies are properly placed along the other. With a swipe of her hand, her dark frost pushed the earth back on top. It would have to do she thought, though she wasn't keen on burials herself.

She crouched down and touched the earth, squeezing it in her hands before exhaling deeply. Her dark frost crept just over the top of their grave sprouting into intricate flowers. Almost like a black garden to garnish their tomb. She didn't just stop there as she furnished the head with a massive bellflower. Taking her time to get the details just right. Before she stood up, Lumikki would pray long and hard to the primordial dark and primordial frost, that it would receive them safely, and that her headstone would hold. May my Bellflower last the ages she thought to herself. Her last gift and her last regret that they had entered this needless war on the wrong side.

"Goodbye Hanabira," Lumikki said softly as she walked away to join her people.

As the years passed, Lumikki's prayers and powers were able to hold the spell despite the passing of time and seasons. The spot was forever marked by the black shard garden, though no one had any idea as to how and why it came to be. Revered for its beauty and mysterious nature, couples would flock to the marker to proclaim their undying love. Praying to the being who made and maintain this structure to hear their wishes and grant them true. The name Hanabira was etched in the massive flower towards the end of the garden, and it was her name that they called out to as they prayed.