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The Hellfire Chronicles
Chapter 3: Justice and Blade

Chapter 3: Justice and Blade

"THE DEVILDEALERS WHO CONTROL THE ARCANE OF CLOUD ARE CLOUDSUMMONERS. THEY ARE MY WARRIORS OF JUSTICE."

- THE HELLFIRE CHRONICLES, HOLY BOOK OF TRAGSXT

2nd of Jirath, 1012 on the War Calander:

Enjin Gilthar summoned clouds to float the king of New Learu city away from the Hollows.

After the king landed safely, he turned to the entrance of the steel warehouse.

"Glass," Enjin asked his Pledgeborn, "Is it true? A Jkri Tusk close to here?"

A groan rang in his mind before Glass responded, "Yes, I can feel its presence." Pledgeborn didn't seem to like Jkri Tusks much. Or freezebugs and Ira Vultures. The closest to an explanation Enjin could get out of Glass was, "They feel wrong."

Enjin held his hand to the side, where clouds started to bubble until they molded into a steel katana; Enjin's Devilblade, His Pledgeborn brought to the physical realm as a weapon, the ultimate symbol of their bond.

Clouds started rippling at his boots and arms before crawling to the back of his armor and sprouting massive wings of pure white.

Enjin jumped, and his wings started flapping, keeping him in the air subconsciously.

He kicked with his foot to begin soaring through the sky at insane speeds. Stormforgers could also fly, but not with the control that Cloudsummors had. The freedom was intoxicating.

He flew until he left the mountain, finding a huddle of Yjraith archers in support position; they were waiting for him to lead.

Enjin stomped to the ground in front of them. "Stay in position! Draw your bows!" The men and women complied, notching arrows.

Enjin looked at the beast. It stood around 15 feet tall, covered in a deep navy fur patterned with light markings, resembling a mammoth with eight legs, two tails, and three heads, each bearing a singular red eye along with two massive tusks protruding upwards.

It was an adolescent; adults had three tails and four heads.

"Glass! Are you ready!" Enjin asked his friend,

"Always!" The Pledgeborn replied.

Enjin lifted a hand to the side, signaling his archers to fire on the beast. As the arrow split the sky, so did Enjin as he flew towards the Jkri Tusk, katana held to his waist.

The Jkri tusk roared, trying to ram the archers below Enjin. The Elevated One of Yjraith swung his blade in the air, making wind gust forward, stopping the Jkri Tusk in place.

The beast was positioned directly below him, at a perfect angle to strike the neck. Enjin stuck down, hoping for a quick end to the fight. When the skin of the Jkri Tusk collided with the katana, a clang rang through the air along with bright gold sparks. The black markings of the beast started glowing a soft blue hue as a blast of gold fired from the beast.

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Enjin knocked himself back, but it was too late. His hands had started to get colder, unless treated, he would die of hypothermia. Luckily, Devildealers have an easy out.

Enjin swung his sword a few times, wrapping the Jkri Tusk in a prison of flowing wind that should last a few essential seconds.

The cloudsummoner dropped to the ground and rammed his blade into the dirt, winds of ivory white gusted around him, clouds forming when they collided with trace amounts of water.

Enjin breathed in the air. He could feel the Cloud Arcane filling him, cleansing the venom of the Jkri Tusk. Be couldn't take too long or else the Jkri Tusk's prison-

The beast's prison broke.

The monstrosity charged towards Enjin, Tusks dripping. It was too late to avoid the attack. Enjin closed his eyes and prayed to Kalendi, the Arcanum of Cloud.

A wave of power filled him.

When the Jkri Tusk smalled into him, it didn't hit. Its tusks stopped inches away from him. A soft layer of Yjraith armor had appeared around his chest made of clouds before disappearing just as quickly as it appeared.

Enjin looked up towards the Jkri Tusk. He didn't have time to think about the new ability he discovered. Replication didn't seem to work at the moment, and he had a beast to the butcher.

Enjin rose back into the air. The beast had lost a few of its runes; when it ran out, its defense would be easier than butter. Enjin flew around the beast, arrows volleying around him, occasionally striking.

Slowly, the Jkri Tusk started to drop. The beast roared despreatly, using to rest of its runes to spray venom everywhere. Enjin glided his blade through the air, forming a prison of wind that dropped the poison to the ground.

After the venom spilled on the dirt, Enjin dropped the prison of gust and slammed into the ground in front of the Jkri Tusk.

The beast looked at him angrily with its singular red eye before dropping to the ground, asleep.

Enjin's archers stopped firing arrows and waited for him to kill the beast. Enjin studied the beast for a moment. The beast did feel off. He couldn't really describe it; it was just wrong, like the opposite of all things good.

Enjin scowled at the thing before jamming his blade into the beast's eye, spraying blue blood everywhere.

"Good riddance!" His pledgeborn muttered, and Enjin couldn't help but agree.

The carcass started stiffening up before freezing into a solid statue of pure blue ice.

According to Yjraith documents, when the Jkri tusk was first discovered, plans were made to hunt them, but humanity quickly found that killing one just turns it into ice.

Enjin turned and stepped away from his men, slashing with his katana to give them lifts the same way he did for the King of New Learu City.

Hopefully, the Jkri Tusk attack would draw attention away from his little stunt, and how Enjin let him go.

Enjin redoubled his wings with energy and flew back to camp.

When the rest of the soldiers saw him, they had equally awed and disgusted expressions. Enjin raised an eyebrow, only then realizing he was covered in blue blood from the Jkri Tusk.

"I'd say that a shower is an order," Glass said.