Anthony always kept his necklace close by in battle or at rest. Having been gifted this item by one of his maids helped him feel safe, a good luck charm that protected him ever since the day he came to the Duchy. Even now as he was fighting in a formal suit of iron bear-cotton he kept it tucked safely in his inner pocket where it would be safe and secured. What Anthony had not noticed was that all the while he was fighting, the silky blue amulet started to crack and spring like a sprout coming out of its seed. As it flowed like water it began to melt with his suit fabric as if taking the iron and expanding several times tearing up every strand piece by piece. Then it creeped toward a broach that was placed together with the amulet when an unexpected effect occurred.

In a split second, the two mysterious metals melded together in perfect unison and grew as one creating a new yellowish-blue material that was jagged as bone but as smooth as petrified wood. It began to consume his iron suit from arms to chest until his coat was completely turned into a new form of armor. The shards that could have pieces man’s flesh into from the shock now broke like the tinkle of shattered glass against a stone floor.

Crash, crash, crack! Anthony barely had time to recognize what was going on, and simply stood his ground as the many ice blocks were broken against his chest and arms, while he covered his head.

“Bios, what’s going on back there?!” Zoe asked, hearing the sound of ice breaking.

“Something new Master Zoe, but very familiar!” As he deflected the ice from his back with his arms he could feel the same spot between his eyes getting warmer and warmer.

Together they held their grounds as the two mages, continuing their feral assault without rest. When they were exhausted from their ineffective maneuvers at all angles, they turned to each other with a new tactic.

“This isn’t working, Ar!” Ly the Water Mage screamed practically exhausted. “Time to switch things up.”

“Rack em’ up!” Ar the Earth Mage stopped firing his shards and lifted up piles of fine earthen dust into the air.

Breaking was a higher level of Crushing, a basic Earth Magic technique, typically used for forging and reforging materials for blacksmiths. However, the way that Ar was using it was a way Anthony had never seen before, as the dust settled above his head. He saw Ly toss water into the same spot until it mixed into a muddy type mixture. Again, Anthony felt an uncertain instinct that something bad was in the works, but before they could finish, he quickly grabbed Master Zoe’s hand and ran away.

“Master Zoe, duck!” He pulled on her wrist without a second protest.

It was then that Ar and Ly combined their forces into one, a combined attack of Ly turning the muddy water into a large ball of frozen permafrost pulling one hand back like holding onto a long sling. At the same time, Ar waved his hands forward fast and fierce with a force as powerful as pushing an invisible ball against his palms.

BOOM! With the force of a catapult being launched, the large protective cover of frozen dirt shot at Zoe and Anthony with the force greater than before. If not for Anthony’s quick thinking, they would not have narrowly avoided the direct backlash of the large moving object as it toured through the trees. Dirt and rocks scatter into a large pile of dirt as particles hit the earth and the sky so loud that Anthony had to cover his master’s head. As he protected her from any dangerous debris that may have traveled, a cloud of fallen dust covered their surroundings. Ly and Ar caught their breath from expanding so much energy in one shot.

“Ah, my ears!” Master Gaia called trying to get the dirt out of them.

“Quit, Master Zoe. It will take them time to recover, but we’re not safe yet.” Anthony tried to remain composed.

“Sorry kid, it’s been a while since my old war days,” The more she tried the less it seemed to be working. “I think that was a combined attack, but greater than anything I’ve ever seen before. Where in the King's name did they learn that?”

“I don’t know.” Anthony explained. “My sister once thought that such elemental techniques were possible but not at this level of potency.”

“What did you say, I’m a little deaf right now?” Master Zoe befuddled her words.

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“Stay here, I’ll have to handle this myself.” He brushed the dirt off himself and moved forward.

“Wait, kid, where are you going, how are you gonna...” It might have been Zoe’s imagination but she could swear as Anthony left into the dust that his clothing seemed different, more rugged but sleeker and not as gray as the same time.

Ly and Ar had just caught up with their strength ready to survey the scene for any sign that their targets had been eliminated as planned.

“You think they’re alive?” Ly asked.

“Best check and see, I’m not gonna explain to Zee if the Landslide was effective.” Before even walking into the smoke he saw someone was already stepping out of it. “Speak of the demon.”

Anthony walked closer to the men, his Crystalline knife in one hand walking like a soldier out of the mist.

“You should have stayed down, we might have let you...”

“...Ar, look at his hand.” Ly pointed to his left hand, slightly covered in the dust cloud.

As his right hand started to glow with Crystal knife to lead his way, Anthony’s body began to take form outside the dust cloud. His left arm seemed encased, as if jagged rocks had formed along his armed like horns across his arm and shoulder. When the dust began to settle they saw that his left arm and halve his chests was now encased in a strange new armor. It was a mix of blue and gold that stretched from his heart to arm and shoulders. A row of bones melded together in a pale-greenish pigment that turned into a rock of spines along his shirt. With his fire gem swords in hand he looked more like a greater beast than man and a light in the middle of head gave the impression of some strange humanoid demon walking toward them.

“I was not the one who started this, but I’ll be the one to finish it unless you leave now.” He stood his ground in a defensive position.

“You think new armor is going to save you!” Ly said as he emptied his pockets releasing a series of metal ball bearings onto the ground. “We’ve got more than rocks and dirt on our side?”

With a clench of his fist, the ball bearings broke into a fine metal dust that came fluttering through the air. Ly Dismantled the metal and Forged the bonds together again converting the metal balls into a large metal battering ram aimed at Anthony’s chest.

“Take this!” Ly launched the object with little hesitation as Ar called out in protest.

“Wait, don’t!” Ar called out in protest but Ly did not hear him as it tossed the object at incredible speed.

The large piece of metal fired at Anthony with swift proficiency, while Anthony held his armored arm and knife together for defense. The metal battering slammed into his armor like steel against a stone wall.

BOOM! He held the metal at bay but slowly it was tearing his armor apart as Ly pushed it further like a slow moving pike. In that instant, the armor reforged itself and reinforced, tearing the right part of his coat in the process. Unceasingly in its target, the pole continued and the cycle of tearing reforging persisted making it stronger and sturdy.

The pole continued to drip deeper and deeper refusing to give up as Anthony refused to let it knock him down. The entire right half of his suit had now disappeared by the time Ly began to strain every muscle in his body. Pale-green armor reached out from his left shoulder to his right fist tearing more of Anthony’s suit in the process. Bare chested and covered in dust Anthony stood his ground surrounded by the fallen remains of his armor. It was then that sudden feeling came to him. He felt tingling in his hand as he found the chips of armor that had fallen off his hand were now shaking with a strange vibration. He contemplated the significance of this feeling while Ly tried to catch his breath.

“By the King’s...what is...that armor...made of?” Ly called out his magical limitations.

“Orchialcum doesn’t even act like that.” Ar took a step back in fear. “We got to nail this in the box and fast.”

Ly had practically exhausted all his strength, but knew there was no other option. With one hand he held the metal ram’s pressure and with the other hand he helped Ar gather the resources to combine for another Landslide attack.

With his Earth Mage talents creating the same dust cloud Ar used his water and ice to greater the permafrost ammunition. Anthony recognized the feeling in the air and in the earth, the feeling of incoming peril from their combined forces. Yet, now the new armor had no more of his coat to feed off and soon it would crack under the strain, leaving only this knife to keep the metal ram from knocking him flat against his back. Perhaps, even kill him at the sheer force used to keep it in moving. He tried to concentrate and increase the strength of the spot on his forehead trying to remember that feeling he felt that night at the barn.

“Look out, Bios!” He heard his Master Zoe called, snapping him out of his trance.

The large pile of ice and dirt was heading for the metal wrecking rod. If it struck it would increase the damage on all sides, being unable to block the impact. With no other option he decided to stop thinking and started acting.

“Yah!” Anthony called out, pushing his armored arm against the ram.

It was enough to push the piece of metal back slamming it into the ball of permafrost and causing it to explode before it was fully formed. In mid air ice and dirt flew from every direction forcing Anthony to cover his eyes as it came toward his face. He didn’t know if he would survive the aftershock or if his enemies would, but he remained steady standing his ground with his feet firmly planted.