Angelica laid flat on her face. Her left leg throbbed with enormous pain and her side burned like fire. She struggled to look up and the cuts on her face stung the breath of air.

The Rogue stumbled over to her in silence as he picked her up in his hands, “Dead yet?”

Angelica went to give a sarcastic answer but a coughing fit came out instead.

The black mask above her gave a grave nod then looked up at the beast in front of them.

The buildings around them had long since been torn apart, leaving only splintered wood and shattered glass. The beast still gazed at them with its empty eyes. It showed no sign of aggression or peace, it simply hovered over them like a shadow of death. Despite all this Angelica couldn’t help but smile. Leren still was hunched over the Vindex of Melgon and the Jester rang his bells without interference.

“Looks like they only want me dead.” Angelica let out

The Rogue shook his head, “If that thing wanted to kill you, you would already be dead. It’s playing with us.”

“I don’t know if I should be glad or insulted.”

“The dead don’t have the luxury of such a thought.”

“Guess you’re right.”

The black mask turned its attention to the monster, “It’s stopped.”

Angelica’s mouth tasted like iron and salt as her expression went grim.

The creature still stared at them, but looked to be frozen in place like a statue.

The Jester appeared next to them, “What’s the point of a spectral form if those shadows can slap us through the air!” He felt the smile of his mask, “You don’t think he can break this do you!”

The Rogue and Angelica practically ignored him, watching the creature expectantly.

“Well! Do you think…”

Angelica gritted her teeth and the Rogue summoned a crossbow and aimed it up at the crumpling seawall. At the end of his line of sight stood a woman clad in shadow, clutching her head in extreme pain.

“WHY! This wasn’t supposed to happen. This wasn’t supposed to happen. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I WAS SO CLOSE! What did I do to deserve this cruel fate.” The Mistress of Tragedy cried to herself. Her nails broke her skin, sending blood down her face. She cried and cried. Even the emotionless kraken before them looked to her in concern. Her cries pierced the air until…

“Wait…” Hope, “Wait there’s still a chance. There’s still a chance isn’t there? Yes, yes, yes,” She straightened her back, her arms going limp. She swung herself around to face Angelica. It was as if her eyes pierced the saint’s very soul. She threw her hand out, “Kill her. Kill her Lindra. Let’s show him how useless it is to resist. As he holds her corpse in his arms, my words will be sweet honey to his battered soul. KILL HER!”

The monster gave a deathly shriek, and lifted all its tentacles and the whistle grew to a deafening sibilance.

“Give me a body.” The Rogue’s voice quivered.

“Me too! Me too!” The Jester shoved his face close to Angelica’s

She heard neither of them. The deadly whistle consumed her very being as drool ran down her cheeks. She heard none of the begs, curses, or protest.

The Rogue jumped to dodge the first tentacle, Angelica went up in the air with him, but barely noticed. Neither did she hear him sigh as the remaining tentacles drew closer together with them in the middle, threatening to crush them.

She wasn’t even aware that her death was near. She had sometimes thought about it, how she would die. This was not close to any of the circumstances she imagined. If she was fully cognizant, she may have been afraid or ashamed.

Ignorance is bliss, isn’t it?

A blinding white holy light flashed before her, sending the tentacles flying. The monster shrieked in terrible pain. Angelica felt as if her eardrums might burst from the sheer volume of it.

The Rogue fell to the ground and jumped away from the beast, but his eyes were no longer on it, instead on a new entrance. With the whistling gone, Angelica’s mind was clear, but she couldn’t escape the surprise and confusion at the sight before her.

The stranger from the clinic, holding the strange axe. Its blade glew with a dull holy light. Green flames wisped from his body.

Canadine was a bit surprised by what he found when he arrived at the seawall. He had expected from how easy was to subdue the woman in black that he wouldn’t have much of a problem putting down her minions, but it seems like things weren’t going quite his way today.

Canadine couldn’t help but sigh, “What are you going to do?”

The tentacles that he had sliced burst into flame and disintegrated on the earth. However, the creature screamed and two more grew in their places.

Canadine stared at this development blankly, readying his axe, “What. Are. You. Going. to do.”

Another cry went up into the air, from the woman in black, “How could you heart my baby! Why do such a thing to such a poor creature! He has suffered enough!”

Canadine glared at where she stood on the seawall, “Found you,” He looked around once more and saw a blonde teenager clothed in white, hovering in the air.

Canadine scrunched his nose, she looked familiar. She appeared to dress like a member of the church and that hair…but she was a little younger than she was supposed to be. Then again, the years kinda blurred together.

“Alesria!” he called, “Get out of here it's not safe.”

The girl's eyes widened as she looked at him, “What did you call me?”

Canadine didn’t have time to worry about it. She was stubborn when she was little, but there was a lot of time until then.

He noticed another figure in a white robe significantly closer to the beast. It appeared to be a man and by his robes a priest…”Leren! I don’t know what you're doing, but I think it best if you get a little further away from that thing.”

He got no response and got just a little annoyed by it. Whenever that man wouldn’t respond it was because he was too busy to talk or he wanted to be referred to by his title. Both annoyed him to no end, nonetheless.

“Charastro Lerendum! Get away from that thing.”

Leren jerked his head towards it. For some reason that Canadine couldn’t comprehend he wore a mask with a cross on it. Well, it had been a lot of years since he last saw the priest.

“Why are so many people reminding me of my past glorys! I don’t know which of those three boys you are, but you better be able to use that axe!” Leren went back to what he was doing before.

Canadine tapped his foot on the ground. Not much of a welcoming homecoming, but he didn’t expect much from the man. At least he recognized him…a little.

Another shriek from the monster and the tentacles began to wreak havoc. Canadine met them with fire and blade.

Leren nelt over the body of the Vindex praying fervently. He was numb to the chaos around him. Fire, screams, and blood. All they were to him were distractions, but nothing got to him more than the voice.

“Stupid priest. You waste your breath. God’s light has abandoned him when he made his covenant with me. You’re blessing will not reach him for he is forsaken.”

Leren clenched his fist as he looked up to the source of the voice. A woman with serpents for hair and red eyes. It hovered over the Vindex watching Leren with an amused smile.

“Silence demon!”

The woman smirked, “You have no authority over me priest. Now say your empty words and be done with it. This one’s soul is mine when he leaves this earth.”

“You will not have him yet, you heathen!” He spat.

“He has died too many times; he will be mine soon. You’re blessing is useless!”

“God loves every one of his children! The words will reach him! Even if he is in league with a demon!”

The demon gave a cheeky grin, “We’ll just have to see about that. You’ll die while you waste your time on him.”

Leren glanced to the side, flashes of holy light burst forth from the axe of the stranger as he fended off the beast, “I’ll just have to have faith.”

Every time Canadine cut a tentacle two more would take its place, and every time he would grimace in chagrin. He had to find a solution, but he didn’t have time.

He looked back at the Alesria and Leren. They were both defenseless. Alesria already looked injured and rattled while Leren was leaning over some stranger, not giving anything else the time of day. The tentacles seemed to lash out randomly, but with each of Canadine’s slashes he noticed a pattern. They were moving towards Alesria.

A tentacle appeared in front of Canadine as he was focused on Alesria. All he could do was put his arms up and tuck his head. The massive mass slammed into him. His eyes bulged from the impact. He was sent flying into the rubble of a nearby building. Before he knew it, he was staring up at the sky. He waited with heavy breaths for the pain to come. It slammed into him with the force of a bull.

His leg spasmed, his arms felt like static. His back throbbed and convulsed. His head felt like a spike had been hammered into it. The air had been knocked out of him and his lungs refused to take in more.

Sobs. They came from his left. He let his head fall in that direction. A family greeted him. The father shielded the rest from him, his eyes filled with fear. The mother clung to the two children filled with confusion.

Canadine forced his head up and saw the beast still lashing out. He couldn’t help but sigh. Now there were more people he had to protect. He couldn’t just lay here.

He focused on the heat in his chest, and the green fire intensified around him. The children cried in terror at it, but he had to ignore them. The fire spred through his limbs, sending a warm sensation throughout his body. His back cracked, his arms snapped back into place, and his kneck clicked. The stabbing pain in his head was replaced by a warmth that carried it away.

Canadine struggled to his feet taking a deep breath, his lungs filled with relief in thanks. He looked at the family once more, their eyes filled with even more fear than when he landed. He gave a simple nod and looked back towards the beast, and his eyes flew wide open as he stared at the tentacled flying towards Alesria.

Angelica gritted her teeth. Chaos and disorder surrounded her as the monstrous tentacles lashed out at everything around her, and yet she remained still.

“If you aren’t going to move, you can put me down.” She shouted at the Rogue.

The Rogue stared forward, his mask following each tentacle, “I can’t do that.”

“Then move!”

“There’s too many of them. If I move, I might run into one.”

“So, you think staying still is the solution!”

“In some cases, it is better to be reactionary.”

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“What are yo…”

The Rogue’s grip suddenly tightened around her as he jumped to the side. A giant mass slammed down to where they once were.

Angelica’s eyes widened as the wind from the impact lashed at her face. Before she or the Rogue could recover another tentacle lashed out at them. Angelica couldn’t do anything but stare at the inevitable and all the Rogue could do was tsk.

The Tamer appeared in front of them. His whip cracked and a beast of the eart shot forth. It wore three horns, had the hide of an oak tree, and the face of an oxe.

Green fire blinded her eyes. The stranger rammed into the tentacle with the force of the mightiest beast that roamed the earth and a fire so hot that even demons would flee in terror.

He looked back at her with a keen desperate fear. His eyes now bright yellow, taking on an animalistic glare.

Canadine couldn’t help but blink. Alesria was no longer hovering by herself. Instead, a lean figure in a pitch-black mask and a tattered cloak held her up. To his right a man with a dragon mask and red hair cracked a whip at some kind of fearsome creature. Odd times it was indeed.

The tentacle shattered upon impact. It burst forth into pieces with a black liquid staining the ground and everyone who witnessed it. The creature cried at the blow.

Canadine was dazed by the impact, but the green fire burnt it out of him. He looked back to Alesria, her eyes were filled with apprehension.

“Your eyes…” she let out

Canadine put his finger to his eyes. Nothing felt different. He looked around and blinked a few times just to make sure that everything was the same. He rather hoped it was. To his dismay the tentacles that were once a blur of chaos and destruction now appeared to move slower. He could make out each and every tentacle as it whipped through the air. He bit his tongue; he had lost control. He had to stay calm. Another slip up and…

He felt like he was being watched and he turned and saw the man with the dragon mask. His arm was badly burnt, but he simply considered Canadine.

Canadine motioned to the injury, “I’m sorry, I paniced for a second there.”

“Impossible!” The figure with the black mask hissed.

Canadine looked to him, “What was that?”

Alesria looked from the figure with the black mask to Canadine and went pale, “You see him.”

Canadine gave a nod.

“Are you alive?”

Canadine furrowed his brow, “Of cour…”

The monster let out a deafening shriek that shook the earth like an earthquake and pierced the air like a hurricane.

Canadine had to slam his axe into the ground to stop him from flying back.

The shriek died, and Canadine jerked his head back at the figure in the black mask, “If you not going to do anything, get Alesria to safety!”

Alesria looked as if she had gotten smacked in the face, “You have no right to com…”

The Rogue jumped back to the rubble of some buildings before he heard her finish

Canadine saw that the man in the dragon mask remained and considered him for a moment, the man did the same before they exchanged a brief nod and turned back to the monster on the seawall. It raised its numerous tentacles above its head, blocking out the light of the moon, and then it was on them again.

Leren kept whispering a prayer as the demon mocked him. Sweat began to drip from his brow. He remembered the time when he missed the sensation of sweat, only now did he realize how foolish that was.

Suddenly pieces of one of the creature's tentacles landed around them with a wave that roared throw the air.

The demon gave a cruel laugh, “When you go back to heaven will you tell them that you were too weak to conquer a demon such as I? Will you beg your archangels and God for forgiveness, for mercy? Oh, how I would love to see…” The demon's eyes bulged and her lip quivered in shock, “That is impossible.” She spit.

The Vindex’s finger began to extend. It trembled with the effort, and once it was fully extended a tiny shard of stone shot out from it, piercing the skin of a tentacle piece. The piece slowly turned to stone. Color began to return to the Vindex’s face as he reached out his hand with a terrible effort. Shards of stone impaled every single tentacle piece around them.

Leren couldn’t help but smirk at the demon as they all turned to stone.

“No this…this was not supposed to happen! You cheated!”

The voice of the vindex rose in between them, “Ahh, c’mon Messy after all we’ve been through you didn’t think I would die so easily.”

The demon's eyes glew a terrible red, “We had a deal human!”

Ferian grinned as he took aim at one of the tentacles Canadine had severed from the main body, “Yep we did, but I haven’t died yet have I?”

“Hah! Fine! Have it your way! You don’t know what you're dealing with. You have no chance against this beast! You will fall to it, and you soul will be mine.”

“We’ll just have to see about that.” He let the stone spear fly at the tentacle.

Canadine dodged the tentacles along with the man with the dragon mask. Everytime one got too close, instead of chopping it off, he would summon the fire and it would flee from it with great terror. In other words, he was in a cage. He couldn’t cut any of the tentacles off and there were too many blocking his path to the head.

Just as Canadine started to question why he was in such a situation, a joyous hollar of defiance rang through the air.

“I’M NOT DEAD!”

A man with a stone spear and military coat shot through the air like a ragdoll. Some of the tentacles pursued him. He stabbed his spear into one and it began to turn to stun. He hung onto his spear as the creature tried to fling him away, sending him into the air again. He landed on another tentacle, running on it while dragging his spear through its flesh. By the time he went to the air once more, half of the tentacle had been turned to stone.

He hurled himself past Canadine to out of the tentacle’s reach. When he landed he tripped over himself and was sent into the mud below. He slowly stood up brushing himself off as if he had just fallen on a leisurely stroll.

Canadine gawked at this, and was punished for his lack of attention with a tentacle slamming into his side. He was sent flying towards the man with the stone spear and nearly missed him.

Canadine groaned as his side began to scream in pain. The fire filled his body and eased his insides with a crack.

The man with the stone spear looked down on him with a peculiar expression then held his hand out, “Names Ferian, Vindex of Melgon, and if you can stand after that I would very much like to be able to call you a friend.”

Canadine took his hand, “Canadine, just Canadine nothing more.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“You’re gonna have to believe it.”

“For now…so how should we go about killing this thing? By the way, I can’t get too close. I’m in short supply of lives you see.”

Canadine looked back at the monster. Its tentacles were flailing every which way, destruction in each one's wake. The beast’s dead eyes were fixed on the man in the dragon mask. Every kind of animal and beast that had ever roamed the earth sprouted from his whip, and the tentacles shot at each and every one with great tenacity. Certainly, the distraction would not hold out for much longer.

Canadine gazed at the the beast’s neck and tightened his grip on his axe, “It doesn’t look like getting close will do us much good.”

Thin roots grew from the hilt of the axe and wrapped around Canadine’s wrist. He cocked his arm back and, with all his strength, hurled his great axe towards the giant kraken's neck. It flew through the air with great sibilance and imbedded itself into the creature's neck.

The thing didn’t even flinch.

Ferian scratched the back of his neck, “It was a good effort, but I think we’re gonna have to do better than that…”

Canadine clutched the thin root in his hand and closed his eyes in concentration.

A blinding holy light consumed the fearsome monster. When the light faded, the thing's head hung by a thread from its body.

Ferian gave an impressed whistle, “Nevermind.”

Canadine tugged on the root and his axe came flying back to his hand.

The man with the dragon mask backed away with great caution from the beast. It’s innumerable tentacles now slumped lifelessly over the seawall.

The air was still. Nothing seemed to move or speak. Very slowly though, a soft sob began to grow. It grew and grew to a painful cry, “He’s been through so much, yet he still suffers so! How cruel! How heartless! Do you have no sympathy! No compassion!”

Canadine clicked his tongue and rushed at the seawall with tremendous speed. The green fire consumed and trailed behind him; his yellow eyes trained on the woman in black.

He leapt to the height of the seawall; his axe eager for the taste of her blood.

A low rumble eluded him before a loud crack whipped through the air. His arms reverberated and reared in shock. He found himself lying on the ground with a terrible black mass over him. He gritted his teeth as he held his axe against the tentacle as it threatened to crush him under its massive weight.

A low moan sang through the air. A crunch and a snap and the beast’s eyes took on life once again.

Ferian looked upon this with wide eyes, “Well I guess cutting off the head simply isn’t good enough nowadays.”

He readied his spear and chucked it through the air; it whistled through the air as it striked true into the beast’s chest.

The beast’s head reeled as it gave a sorrowful cry. Stone spread from where the spear had eaten into its flesh.

All the tentacles recoiled from the impact, and Canadine took his opportunity and with all his strength he heaved and pushed it off of himself, spitting green flame as he went.

The tentacle withdrew and he stumbled back. His arms felt like static from the effort, the fire slowly sent it away but he still panted from the effort.

“I’m so sorry Calheil!” A cry came from the seawall, “I didn’t want you to be in so much pain! The girl, Calheil! The girl! Once you get her it will all be over. I promise…”

A low murmur came from the beast and his tentacles shot forward. Canadine readied his axe once more, but his his mouth went tight at what he saw. The tentacles grew longer.

Ferian backed away with uncertainty, “Will you look at that?”

The Rogue held Angelica among the rubble of a building. Angelica stared speechlessly at the sight before her. That thing had just reattached its head. How was that even possible? They were so close. So close.

“How do you kill something like that?” Angelica let out.

“You don’t.”

“Then how..”

“We turn it into the stone.” The Rogue still looked straight ahead at the monster.

“It tore that spear right out though!”

“There has to be a way.”

“Why are you being so optimistic! There is no future in which…”

The rogue jerked his head towards Angelica, “It will die! I will not have something like this stop me from finishing my business on this earth. I will do anything to see that path through. The devil himself won’t be able to drag me back down to hell until I am finished.”

Angelica’s mouth clamped down at the Rogue’s quiet rage. She looked back at the beast and her tongue caught in her throat. All the tentacles were coming for them, and they were no longer out of range.

The Rogue started to run before she said a word. He jumped and slid past the ones that got to them first. They smashed into the ground, sending stones and wood flying through the air. The Rogue tried to shield Angelica’s face, but they both knew that his spectral form wouldn’t stop any of the physical debris.

As the rest of the tentacles descended upon them Angelica looked around in panic. In no reality could the rogue dodge the innumerable limbs all at once. At this rate she would be dead in seconds. She looked around and spotted the Tamer.

“Throw me.”

“What?”

“Throw me!”

The Rogue followed her gaze towards the Tamer and understood. The tentacles fell with formidable speed and the Rogue rushed to avoid them. Angelica’s mouth practically fell open at the speed of the Rogue compared to the tentacles. Compared to when he first sought to avoid their strikes, it was as if they had been possessed by a sense of slothfulness.

The Rogue jumped through a gap in the onslaught, giving way to an unimpeded path towards the Tamer. The rogue took his chance and heaved Angelica towards the Tamer.

Before the Rogue knew if the girl was safe, he spun around, brandishing his blades towards whatever assault came upon him. However, the tentacles didn’t move, they only trembled in place.

On closer inspection the Rogue noticed roots wrapped around the shadowy masses. The source, the stranger with his axe stuck into the ground.

Canadine’s eyes bulged and he felt as if his veins would be ripped from his veins from the effort of holding the tentacles back.

He began to slip.

The beast cries and murmurs shifted from intelligible animal noises, to comprehensible words.

“Why? Why Mahveki? Why do you do this to me? Old friend, why do you hurt me? Why do you hurt me in defense of a mere human girl?”

Canadine grunted as he struggled with his axe and the roots, holding back the tentacles, “shut up.”

“Is it because I look like this? Have you abandoned me because of what I have become? They did this to me Mahveki. Those humans. I gave them everything, and for what? To be fished out of the sea and gutted. I should have listened to you, old friend. You were right all along.”

“Be quiet.”

“The mistress saved me though. Now I am like you, yet you try to vanquish me, just like they did. Why? Why do you treat me so Mahveki? What have I done to deserve such a thing that you haven’t?

The roots began to strain, “Grrrrr.” Canadine growled.

“Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why? ANSWER ME MAHVEKI!”

The fire intensified and Canadine let go of his axe. He spun around and let out a furious roar that sent a shockwave through the air, knocking the beast back.

The roots broke yet all was silent. The only sound in the air was the sound of Canadine’s breaths. He felt a hand on his shoulder and jumped. He turned to find Ferian staring at him grimly.

The beast woke from its trance, it’s sob now an intelligible animal sound that Canadine didn’t recognize. He took a sigh of relief at that.

The Rogue appeared next to him, “You have to turn it to stone.”

Canadine considered him for a moment then turned back to Ferian, “You think we can turn it to stone.”

Ferian looked to the beast as it began to move its limbs once more, “I won’t be able to get too close without dying I don’t think, so I’ll have to throw it. For it to have enough time to do its work, that thing will have to be subdued. No way to work around it.”

Ferian looked at the beast, wondering about how exactly he could work around it.

The Rogue spoke once more, “Can you subdue it with those roots once more.”

Canadine twisted his axe in his hand, “Maybe, but they would all have to be in one place. The tentacles I mean.”

The Rogue looked to the beast then perked his ear up at the sound of hooves as the Tamer road away with Angelica, “I could arrange that.”

Canadine glared at him, “Don’t put the girl in harm's way.”

The Rogue waved his worry away, doing not much to ease Canadine’s concern.

“He won’t do anything that would seriously risk her life.” a voice came up behind them.

The Rogue’s voice went bitter, “What have you been doing all this time Priest?”

“A place of battle is no place for a priest. You’re lucky that I was able to save the Vindex.” Leren said dismissively.

He took a hold of Canadine’s face turning it every right and left, then considered his body for a moment. Leren reached up and touched his shoulder, “It’s nice to see you again Canadine. I’m glad that the lord chose to send you back to us.”

Canadine was a bit off put by Leren having to look up to him. Last time he remembered the man seemed to tower over him. There was also that mask on his face…

Leren placed his hand on Canadine’s axe, “I can only dream how you came upon such an abomination, but at least the blade is pure…is this where your angel went?”

Leren looked up at him, back Canadine looked away ashamed.

Leren looked back down, “I see.”

He mumbled a small prayer and the blade of the axe appeared to take on a dim glow, “That should do you some good.”

Ferian looked upon the two as he scratched his chin, “I will gladly admit that I am completely lost, what are we doing exactly?”

Candine hefted his axe, “We are going to give you and opening. Your job is to wait until you have one.”

Canadine nodded at the Rogue and he disappeared.

Leren cupped his hands together, “May God be with you, my help ends here I’m afraid. A priest can only do so much until after the fight is over.”

Leren walked away towards the rubble, disappearing into the dust.

The beast leaned back over the seawall, giving a guttural cry as it raised its tentacles ready to seize its pray.

As Canadine faced the thing down with only an axe, he couldn’t help but remember how Selari was on her way. She really was taking her time, wasn’t she?