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{The Dragon Within}; Daughter of Storm
Ch 38 - The Judge, The Champion, The Chosen.

Ch 38 - The Judge, The Champion, The Chosen.

Shocked as Lune's unconscious body collapsed out of the wall and onto the ground, the three immediately unsheathed their weapons.

Del, Lizbeth and Gale each took up arms, facing off against Seiki.

Standing taller than any of them, Del gathered himself, clenching his hands around his axe. "You've always been stuck up to the chain of command." He mused, "Times are changing, Sei, you're on the wrong side of history."

"Oh?" Seiki exhaled, heat radiating out with her breath as her expression flashed into focusing on Del. "Did I say you can speak?" Her form then shed into light, bursting over to Del and reappearing before him, her knee diving deep into his gut as bile was forced back up and out of his mouth.

Sending Del tumbling back, Seiki gazed over at Lizbeth and Gale. Both shaking, as Lizbeth clenched her sword and Gale suddenly charged forth with his spear.

Rushing in as suddenly three small creatures burst out of the trees above, their and Gale's eyes gaining a green hue. All converged down on Seiki.

"New tricks?" She mused, as her form rose up and span midair, her blades flashing out and slicing down each of the clawed creatures before rushing down upon Gale and past his spear point. Several slashes cut through his spear's shaft as she dashed into a mere foot ahead of him, his weapon falling apart in his hands as he then bumped into her.

Catching him with one arm, Seiki and Gale's eyes met briefly, before suddenly Gale felt his feet being knocked out from underneath him. Seeing the world spin, then feeling the earth smash into his back, the dirt parted as Seiki slammed him down causing a rush of blood to exit his mouth and nose.

As above them, Del's axe sliced through empty air, a drop of sweat falling off his chin as he stared down in surprise.

When Seiki used Gale's fallen body as a stand, raising legs up and standing up-side-down, she spun and slammed both legs into Del's back sending him tumbling once more. All the while twisting her hands into fists over Gale's chest, before an invisible force pushed her down, in turn crushing Gale underneath her.

Continuing the movement, she pushed herself up, leaping several feet into the air as a large fox-like form rushed underneath her fangs bared. Spinning herself mid-air once more, both of her daggers launched out at the fox who barely evaded them.

Lizbeth turning around just in time to find Seiki standing before her snout, then feeling her knee kicking it up, the force behind it almost knocking her unconscious. But she held on, she held onto the fear, planting her feat down Lizbeth bit forth but with great ease, Seiki evaded.

Bending her body back, Seiki planted her hands down onto the ground, then kicked up with her feet nailing Lizbeth in the snout once more before turning and continuing the momentum with two more kicks down planting Lizbeth's head into the ground.

Then a bellow of anger filled the air, as Del's form bulked up, the visage of a lion taking over his appearance yet he still stood on two feet.

Seiki returned to her feet, then took out two more daggers. "I left you for last, Del dear."

Del growled, "Damn witch." as pain filled his muscles, as in turn they grew further.

Throwing his axe aside, "Like beasts then!" he bellowed out.

Seiki smirked, dropping her daggers too. "Like beasts."

Immediately then Del charged her, as her form had just begun to rise and change. Her own feline attributes, taking over.

When Del's fist planted itself squarely into her gut, sending Seiki dragging back several feet away, as her form finished changing. Her white-silver eyes joined with a hue of gold, rose to meet Del's grin as blood trickled down her mouth.

"You know, I am the strongest, of our generation. My transformation, the worst curse, but the most powerful form." Del said, as he stood a good four feet higher than her, his body crackling with every movement. "You could never match me, you never will. Or will you use this hand-me-down power you've earned? I see it, I smell it on you."

Seiki sighed, "You've always been an ass. Yes, this power..." she straightened herself, "It was lent to me, but to defeat a coward like you, I don't need it." She said, and the golden glow in her eyes faded.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Del laughed, "And what, in our years of training and clashing, makes you think tha-"

When Seiki began raising her arms to her side, slow movements then began gleaming all around them, all converging down to her hands, wrapped and coiling around her fingers before running down her arms and up into her armour. Pulling, at her hair that lay also falling down into her shirt.

Strings, over a hundred of them lay surrounding Del, spun around the trees, the wall, everything around them. Like a web, it lay above them both.

"When did you-" Del began to say in surprise.

"While you ran, I've been there, Del. I saw it with my own eyes. I felt it, with my flesh. I smelled it, tasted it, endured it." Seiki growled, "The bloodshed, the clashing of blades, the sound of metal sinking into bodies, and then the sound of them hitting the ground. And the sensation..." She then pulled at the strings, causing them to tighten, the web to fall down upon Del and at the same time enclosing around him.

"The instinct of survival, that you feel, when you find yourself standing before a war." Seiki mused, as her web entangled itself around Del's body, holding him from even moving an inch.

"But you wouldn't know, you ran from that war." Seiki snarled, "A war that...made me realize what is truly important." She pulled once more on her hairstrings, as they cut into his body. "Not our own skins." She grumbled, and kept pulling.

"Not our own fortunes."

"Not our own futures."

"The future."

Cuts formed across Del's entire body, as blood gushed out across the strings, painting them red. But the pain was nothing, not to Del, who's own transformation caused him greater pain. Yet, still he couldn't move. Every part of his body, covered, contained. Del felt imprisoned, petrified in his own skin.

"Why do we fight? To survive? How far will that take us? What happens when we're captured? Held? Enslaved?" Seiki began to shout, "What happens when our own survival, does not go the same path as everyone else's?" She snarled, "We'd run, like you ran, like you all fucking ran."

"Erika opened my eyes. As she fights for more than just herself. Instead of fighting with us, she left, to lure the enemy away from us all. She was going alone, just herself and her mount. She wanted to face it all by herself, victory or death, she walked her path without second thoughts." Seiki's entire body shook as she spoke, trembling as she grinned widely. "To have no regrets."

"To fight not for myself, but for the future ahead."

"To walk my path without having to question it at every turn."

"To stand strong, against overwhelming opposition!"

"To face it all, even if I don't last, just knowing that there will be those who will continue on my same path!"

"That is how we should all fight. That, is how I wish to live, even if I die."

Her gaze then rose to face Del's eyes, "Because I am Lycan." She said, suddenly putting her hands together and twisting the strings into one another, tying them up.

Releasing them, she ducked under, and made her way through the maze of webs.

"Because opposing fate, is in our blood."

Making her way closer to Del.

"Opposing fate, is in my blood."

Picking up his axe on her way.

"And oppose fate."

As she came to stand before him.

"As Lycan."

"As Champion."

"As Chosen."

"I shall."

Then slammed the flat of the axe into his forehead with every ounce of her strength, knocking him out cold.

Sighing, Seiki dropped the axe beside him, leaving him hanging there.

As she turned to the other three, Lune having regained consciousness mid-way, each lay there astonished. Turning to them, and the wall of Lycans. "So I ask of all of you, in the name of those who sacrificed their lives, for our people. In the name of our guest, who fought for us! When she needed not!"

The golden hue then returned to her eyes.

"Lend me your strength. Lend me, our people's strength. To fight back, to strike at those who hunt us down like prey. To reunite our world. And to pay back those that we owe." Seiki shouted, "As one people, as one pack. Because seperate, we're fodder for their hounds. But united, together." Her eyes shone now, a bright fierce visage. "Together, we're the apocalypse this world has cried out for."

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Deep in the midway depths of Hell

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A web of chains lay coming from dozens of portals of a holier realm, holding aloft a singular form.

Erikathyr hung mid hell's air, held by heaven's chains. As Demons and Fallen Angels surrounded him, hundreds over hundreds of guards watching him, yet each lay trembling with anxiety, as his aura befell them all.

His eyes closed, yet his mouth grinned, as slowly he struggled against his chains.

Waiting.

Testing the restraints.

Four Arch-Angels scoured around him, watching, feeding their power into the chains as to keep them strong.

One of them Jeremial, gazed thoughtfully at Erik's form.

A magical expert himself, he knew if the chains weren't cared for, the beast would break out.

But also knowing what these monsters are capable of, he put in more than the rest to keep its bindings secured.

He'd watched, as the Dragon changed from silent struggling, to sudden bursts of fury. Like a natural disaster waiting to happen, the very incarnation of chaos.

But none of them could forsee, the true calculative chaos of Erikathyr.

As each movement, was planned.

Each burst of fury, a piece of the puzzle.

Every twist of his chains, a dozen moves on the board.

As if one looked at his chains...from a certain, specific angle...Then twisted them just a bit more.

One would see, with horror-filled eyes, akin to what Jeremial had now.

As all colour drained from the Arch-Angel's face, his eyes shaking, trembling.

As he realized, Erikathyr had also.

Meeting the Dragon's face, as his eyes opened wide, and his grin widened too.

Erikathyr struggled against his restraints once more, pulling, turning and twisting.

Altering the chains all around him, and forming a very specific entanglement he had been working on.

All of the celestials went pale, and all of the demons froze in place.

As the magical circle of celestial chains was finished.

And a storm engulfed them all.