I might be posting a poll later. I haven't decided what question I wanted to ask yet. Anyways, enjoy the now, new, longest chapter.

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Henry, after being given his commands, left the fruit inside the warehouse but kept the bracelet close. Although, years ago, any bracelet would've done, that was not the case a few months ago. After seeing such a bracelet, the very one he had within his pocket, he immediately rushed over to a merchant that he and other members of the Twelve knew to an extent.

The accessory wasn't anything special to look at. If Henry pulled a normal person, anyone off the street, to examine it, they'd think of it as a bracelet with a few pretty carvings, yet nothing worth losing a few slices of bread over. But a young child, through their keen sense of curiosity and ever wandering eyes that seem to latch onto any single thing that catches their interest, might just see the value that such a piece of metal had for the man who carried it.

Yes, certainly a child would have a much better chance of determining its full value to Henry. People, of any age, who saw the bracelet would notice a slight scratch, a scribble as one might see it. Adults would disregard the item, not because they didn't find any value from the metal band but, simply because of the value they thought to be lost due to the scratch. Children on the other hand, who have not fully grasped nor succumbed to the need of money, would, instead of calling it a scratch, refer to it as a messy signature. The markings of a child, of the child who had owned it before it made its way onto the market.

In full sprint, hopping from building to building, Henry made his way to the warehouse as soon as Carlyle gave the command. While moving towards the warehouse where once he and his two allies went, he'd occasionally glance at the direction of his sister's house and at the academy. Very rarely would Henry look down at the citizens on the ground.

A few citizens, on each street, looked on blankly at the almost invisible smoke that blended into the night. The city, ever so lively in spite of the dreary weather seemed to lose some of its voice as citizens started to recognize where the smoke was coming from. The jewel of the city, the place that made it famous, was where the smoke started.

If one were to attack, where would that be? A town square wasn't a bad idea, surely many people would be injured, but what about a landmark? As the citizens of the city watched with dried eyes and puffed chests, an intimate fear tread through each of their bodies. If it was an attack then who did it?

Some of those closest to the academy, either merely passing by or living near, ran. Not all were affected in such a way, many, most, of the people who saw the large crater where the entrance used to thought of it as only a magical mishap. Lots of them were unable to understand that such a hole was created on purpose. With no information on what happened, or was happening, the people tended to stop and stare instead of running with fear.

The several scattered guards, a little tired from their work, did their best to keep anybody from panicking. Guards, who weren't either on the walls, asleep in the barracks, or calming citizens, ran to the academy.

Henry did his best to make it to his assigned destination as soon as possible. If anything were to happen there, it would certainly be now while no one understood what was happening.

Finally reaching the warehouse where he witnessed the strange exchange before, Henry scoped out the area from above. He scanned the ground for any activity and looked at the other rooftops. The attack, as the men from the warehouse had said, should've taken place another month from now, something was definitely wrong.

Before setting foot onto the ground, Henry cast a few protections spells onto himself. Unlike the body protection spell which was used to passively protect and lower the damage from blunt and magical attacks, the ones which he cast were to lower fire damage and protect against stuns. The latter, though a very useful spell which lasted over three hours, wasn't used by many because of the time it took to cast it, the level at which it was at, advanced, and the mana needed to fuel it.

Stun, or paralyze, was a very dangerous spell. Most people protected against it by using rings, such is the case with the members of Krestfall, and others simply did their best to dodge to attacks. Henry fell into the latter of the group but felt the need to still use the spell. Though the paralyze, or stun, spell was ineffective at ranges shorter than seven feet, thus making it easy to dodge and not something for melee fighters to need to worry about if they were able to stay that close, Henry had a feeling that it would be needed.

He nodded once and jumped onto the ground. With a slight brush of his fingertips, he lifted his knife out of his pocket. He approached the door and took another look around. From the corner of his eye he spotted quick movement. Fast steps, he closed the distance.

"Stop." he called out to the three shadows he saw. "Who-" Henry stopped. Before him weren't any bloodthirsty killers, they weren't even armed. Facing Henry with large eyes that seemed to shine with excitement, and smiles full of glee, three children stood there in a triangle.

"A-are you the v-vigilante?" one of the boys asked while playing with his hands.

Henry shook his head, "No. I'm not him." he glanced down at his clothing, not as dark as the thirteenth's but under this light, which was nothing thanks to the clouds, he understood how someone could've mistaken them.

"Do you know him?" a boy with long elf ears said. Elves and other races weren't exactly too common in Aurora City but weren't rare. Aurora City actually had the most racial diversity out of all the cities in the Kaldora Empire.

Henry lifted his hand to shoo them away but stopped, "I do." he said. The boys begun smiling once again. "But you three have to leave now okay? It's not safe here."

"We want to help! We wanna be good guys too!" the elf boy said again.

"Yeah!" the tallest one chimed in.

Henry's palm shot up to his head. How was he going to stop them from doing anything stupid? He thought of using a spell on them to stun them but that wouldn't be nice and could hurt their little bodies. Thinking for another second he nodded slightly to himself.

"How about you kids go get some guards and send them my way okay? That'd help out a lot."

The tallest one flexed his right arm and said, "Got it!"

Sighing as the three left, Henry made his way back to the warehouse.

He slowly pushed open the door. It creaked, he winced, and pushed it fully open, taking in the view, searching for any sneak attacks.

The room, brightly lit, with not a single shadow or soul in sight made him feel uneasy rather than relieved. The boxes sat on top of each other, exactly the way he last saw them. Though he didn't have anything close to a perfect memory, he could tell that not many, or none at all, had been touched in the last few weeks.

Going to test this, he swiped his finger across a box, following the guidance of a thin plank. He could easily feel it bunching into one mass as he rubbed his fingers together. Next, he made a move to push the box. With little to no effort, it slid like melting ice.

"Is no one here?" he asked himself quietly. He shook his head. There was no way that no one would be here. Even if no one was here, this was their base or cover up for a few weeks. The reports that they've gotten from the person watching the activities confirmed that the dog man had continued to visit the place.

With light steps, starting with the soles of his feet and rolling the rest onto the floor, he quietly made his way through the, so far, empty building. As he neared the middle, unease started to creep over him, the muscles in his back tensed ever so slightly. The urge to turn around, to look behind himself, was almost unbearable. Surely only taking a quick look wouldn't hurt right?

Henry didn't exactly think that way, but he looked nonetheless.

Nothing.

Another strange feeling struck him and he rolled to the side. He frantically searched the area for signs of life or any attacks. Was he just being paranoid? Henry stood and rubbed his neck. He desperately wanted to leave. Coming this far and finding nothing, wouldn't his skills be better put to use if he went to assist Carlyle in the academy?

Yet, he knew that something was wrong. Ignoring the unease, he continued his journey through the warehouse. Only a little bit further until the whole was explored. Then he could go and assist the others.

Every little noise Henry heard, he would turn his head towards it, searching for hostiles. Once again he'd fine nothing, just the sound of the wind blowing overhead or a rat running around. Which was it? He didn't know and he didn't care. If the sound wasn't made by an enemy it was fine by him.

Reaching the other side of the warehouse, he took one last look. If all the boxes were empty like the first one, then maybe someone could be hiding inside one of them. Just to make sure, he went over and tested three more boxes. Nodding to himself, he started a fireball in his hands. Even if there was evidence, it would be better to make sure that no one was waiting in ambush.

Concentrating and scanning for the best spot to launch his spell, he ignored the rat that ran up to him. With two squeaks, it seemed like the rat was unsure of what the man in front of it was doing. Tilting its head, it sat there.

*BOOM*

"UUUHWA!"

The flames that erupted from the rat at Henry's feet sent him flying back against the wall. He landed on his butt with minor burns on his arms, the sleeves were burned away.

From out of the boxes where Henry aimed his shot, two men came out. Dressed in light gear, the taller man with a lean physique, long arms, and brown hair, brushed himself off. The other man, dressed in cloth armor with dark purple hair stood next to his friend.

"Looks like your trap didn't work." the one with purple hair said.

"Shut up Ben." the other barked. "Why don't yo go finish him off then."

"I will." Ben, the man with purple hair, pulled out brass knuckles and equipped them. "[Iron Fists]."

"Only that much?" the other man asked.

"Yeah." Ben responded. "He's alone so there's no need for any more."

Henry sat back, doing his best to catch his breath. He looked down at his arms which sustained only minor injuries. Channeling mana into his hands, he smiled as he thought back to the spells he cast beforehand. It didn't seem like they were going to stun him so that was a little bit of a waste but better safe than sorry.

Ben, paying no attention to his opponent, threw his punch, aiming for Henry's chest.

A simple flick and Ben was launched into the air. His partner only watched in a stunned silence, unsure of what just happened.

Ben landed on his feet, he moved to brush off the imaginary dirt on his clothes.

Henry also stood, his knife ready in one hand, pointed at both of them. His first thought was to get away from the wall so he could have room to dodge.

"[Hydro Blast]!"

The torrent of water came towards Henry, ducking he sought to detach himself from the wall.

"Not so fast! [Echoing Fist]!"

Ben's arms shot out like arrows. Henry ducked under his attacks, the boxes behind him were destroyed as his fists released strong forces of air which smashed them into nothingness.

Backing away from Ben, one fist seemed to go straight for him, the fist wouldn't reach but the spell would.

Thinking on his feet, he pulled his knife up between himself and the wind.

"[Enchantment: Spell Parry]."

A flick of his wrist and the pressurized air flew back towards Ben. It was destroyed by his punch.

Henry, now in a better position, thought about his next move. His gaze constantly hovered over the magician in the back. That should be his first target, the man with the fists shouldn't be too much of a problem. He thought.

Scurrying beside him, the rat squeaked twice. Henry immediately threw his arms into an x and threw up a barrier, a second too late. The blast from the rat pushed him closer to the middle of the room. Instead of being in the same aisle as before, he was on the opposite one.

Ben rushed for the opening created by the blast.

Henry rolled back, putting all his pressure on the upper part of his back and neck, dodging the fist that landed where his stomach was.

With a push from his arms, he kicked Ben in the face.

"GUH!"

Ben grunted and wiped away the blood from his nose.

"[Twin Flame]!" Ben's ally shot out two small particles of bright orange flames.

"Barrier!" Henry locked himself in.

"RRRAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Ben, with one punch, shattered the barrier completely.

The two flames converged on Henry. Instantly gaining mass, they exploded.

Ben, who was close to the blast, came out with little to no burns. The rings on his fingers gleamed under the bright torchlight.

"Got him?" Ben asked.

"No." his friend responded.

Henry, stood further away than where he once was, suffering only a few wounds from the last attack. Yet, he panted heavily. He was only barely able to escape thanks to using the full force of his ability to blow himself back. It wasn't enjoyable for Henry. Normally he'd only use his fingers to shoot out the air but he had to use his palms to dodge the spell, otherwise he wouldn't have been blown back.

From his fingers he could send little gusts of wind powerful enough to knock someone around but it would only be a small burst. If shot from his palms, the gust would turn into more of a stream, a constant flow that would move the user unless they were locked to the ground.

Another rat ran up to the tired Henry.

*BOOM*

Luckily for him, he was able to shield himself with a barrier this time. Unfortunately, he took the blow of Ben's fist that came crashing through, under the cover of the smoke.

Tumbling on the floor, he pushed himself onto his knees, coughing all the way. Searching for that familiar link he called out to Rainen.

I'm in trouble. Need help right away.

Ben came roaring towards him, fist raised.

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Anne, just like Henry, left as soon as Carlyle gave the order. She thought about running back to quickly summon a companion before heading out but went against that idea. Anne wanted to clear her head before summoning another pet, maybe she'd summon a spirit like those in the academy.

Anne smiled to herself, she knew that she didn't want that. That's why her first summon was Bes, a beast. She was certainly a little less than pleased with what she got on her first successful attempt. Bes, though a powerful thunder beast, was only a child back then.

She immediately attempted to break her contract with Bes, but her mother, who was supportive of her pursuit, also because she was her teacher, stopped her.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

"I want a big one like yours mom!" Anne stomped her foot on the ground.

Instead of explaining the benefits of having them grow together, Anne's mother simply said, "If you don't keep him, then I'm going to stop teaching you."

Luckily for both Anne and her mother who had trouble with words sometimes, Anne grew close to her beast which she soon later named Bes.

"I really do need to clear my head." Anne said to herself. Certainly she did, some older memories were resurfacing. Though happy, in a way, it was littered with its own tone of sadness.

Much like Henry, Anne ignored the people on the ground, she quickly did her best to reach her destination in the shortest amount of time possible. With the people distracted, her hood up and hair tucked inside, she had no trouble during her trip to the barracks.

The barracks was closer to the walls of the city than the warehouse that Henry went, it took Anne just a bit longer to reach her destination than Henry.

Before she went inside the rather large building, she took another look at the smoke from the academy. She wondered, should Carlyle have let Rainen go with him to the academy? He attends school there so it would make sense that he'd want to go and protect it. Yet, he was stuck back at their hideout, forced to wait for a call for assistance.

The thought crossed Anne's mind, maybe she should call Rainen over then send him to the academy. She shook her head as more explosions came from the academy, he'd be safer, although she knew that he didn't want to be, waiting in the warehouse.

She turned to the large wooden doors of the barracks. Anne was unsure of whether to knock or to pull open both door handles and yell at the dozens of guards inside to go to the academy. Before she even made a decision, she felt another rumble and heard a few yells.

Initially, she turned to the academy but soon realized it was coming from the barracks. Opting to go with the latter, she grabbed onto the door handles and pulled. Again and again she did it, the doors would only rattle each time. Was the stone building, much larger than those surrounding it, full of arrogance? Was it taunting her strength? Was she too weak to open its doors? Was it laughing at her for being weak in both body and mind?

Anne stepped back. Anne, though she didn't look it, was stronger than the average man, if a guard could open the doors then she could as well. Something wasn't right. Lifting her arm up, she planted her feet firmly on the ground and shouted, "[Stone Cannon]!"

The rock slammed against the doors, scattering the wood like the wind would with sand. Anne sprinted inside, taking out one of her scrolls she summoned a wisp which she sent downstairs while she climbed upwards. The beds, where some of the guards slept, were all in a mess, the blankets were on the floor and the sheets were crumpled up, some looked like someone twisted the sheet.

Anne immediately sat down on the bed to look through her wisp. She knew that no one was here, but still she called out once with no response. Through the wisp, the blurry images were that of guards, scattered on the floor, their bodies strewn about, it was as if a twister had passed through. None of them seemed to be breathing.

As the wisp continued, the sounds, muffled, came through. Grunts and screams were all that was heard by Anne. People were being thrown about, flying left and right, crashing into the walls and being burned up by a fireball afterwards. The wisp only was able to catch a glimpse of the people causing such havoc underground, before it was destroyed, it was two men.

Anne took deep breaths, and pulled out her scrolls. Her hands were shaking as she started to unroll them, unlike her usual self who could summon monsters on the fly, she had to put it down. Using the floor to steady the paper, she more than happily poured her mana into the scroll.

From out of it came a Halora, the same beast that Anne summoned at the auction. A monster with two tails, wings, a scaly back, and long ears that could, if the Halora wanted, reach the ground. After that, Anne moved onto her next summons, a thunder beast, and a demon.

Most demon possessions happen because the people who try to summon them use the contract circle, not one made for summoning temporary assistants. Though, most people who do get possessed by demons did want their power and thus, willingly, most of the time, entered into the contract.

With her familiars in tow, Anne rushed down the stairs. She had been preparing for this day, the extra summons weren't because she thought that she'd need them but because she knew that one of them, the one who killed Bes, could banish summons.

Sending the formless demon first, which wasn't as powerful as demons who had hosts, Anne followed behind it.

"GWUAAAAAAH!"

Upon reaching the larger underground part of the barracks, a guard was slammed against the wall and fell silently to the ground.

"Hoh. If I'm not wrong, you're the bitch who I owe my mangled arm to." Yalsal, the mage who killed Bes, stood in a circle of bodies. On his clothes were bunches of dark red spots.

Undor's, the large gorilla beastman's, arms were covered in blood. Much of the people at their feet had their jaws hanging loosely, only held together by their skin. Necks were twisted, arms were broken, some of them even had their own limbs torn off.

Where they were, all the guards, Anne, and the two before her, were in the underground part of the city. In more specific terms, the water system in which the people were able to use to bathe their bodies and where their waste went. The water, luckily for the residents since it would've been dyed in the guards' blood, was not there. Indeed, this place, under the barracks, was only one of the many entrance ways that led to the far more intricate system.

Where all the guards was one large, flat, block of stone that connected to many pathways. The pathways were signified by the large arches that started them. The room in which Anne was to do battle with her two familiar enemies was larger than the barracks with its yard, where the guards trained, included.

Most of the bodies seemed to be in a pile, a pile that Anne found annoying. It was more of an obstacle to her than anything. She looked down onto the bodies of the guards around her, all of these men, dead, and not a single scratch on the two in front of her, how useless.

The demon smiled.

It smiled for the power feeding it, not just the mana of its summoner but her hatred too, gave it strength. The demon would've said something if it could've. Demons, unless the host was taken over, could not talk to a person with words. In minds, using telepathy, they could, but they could not talk, like a person could, without a host, or, considerable power.

*Cough cough cough*

As one of the guards showed signs of life, the demon's smile broke into a frown.

Anne, immediately losing her dangerous train of thought, ran over to the fallen guard.

"[Greater Lightning Bolt]!"

The beam of light shot towards Anne.

With a roar, the thunder beast jumped in front, absorbing the blow.

"Are you alright?" Anne asked the guard. She used her arms to support him. "Hold on, I'll heal you." her hand started to glow.

He pushed it away with one hand, "To, to late. T-The, the beastman..." the guard broke into a cough. Anne ignored the sound of battle behind her. "W-, you, run..." the guard's eyes closed and his arms fell.

Anne gently laid him down.

Be calm. She thought to herself. Anne was glad that the guard had caught her attention, she too, noticed the smile of the demon but chose to ignore it before. It was happy at the rage she held, the guard, though such a little change, took her out of her harmful state.

Standing up, Anne ordered all her summons to attack.

"Annoying." Yalsal said. "[Banish Beast-"

Anne was prepared this time.

"[Hell Fire]!"

A circle appeared under Yalsal's feet.

"[Earth Pillar]!" he switched his spell instantly, using the pillar to push himself out of the way.

"HUMPH!"

The thunder beast that was engaged in combat with Undor was thrown up into the air. The Halora charged with the opening.

With a roar, Undor slammed his fists down on the beast's head, stopping the Halora at his feet.

It raised its two long ears, electricity started to spark between them. The thunder beast, landing on its feet a little further away, also charged up an attack.

Undor, reacting quickly, grabbed onto the Halora's ears and tore them off with brute strength.

Anne, watching by the stairs, saw the ridiculous action. Though Halora's ears were thin, they were by no means flimsy. If anything, the Halora's ears were at least as powerful as a human's arms. Yet, looking around, many of the guards were missing limbs.

"[Flame Lance]!"

A single pointed flame shot out at Anne.

"Protect me." Anne commanded.

The demon, with its shadow like body, intercepted the attack with a shadow ball. Back and forth the two exchanged spells as if it were a game of ping pong.

With the demon keeping Yalsal, the mage of the two preoccupied, Anne sent a message to Rainen.

I'm facing off against two people, one's a mage and the other's a beastman. They're the ones from the auction. I need you to come right away. 

Finishing her message, Anne helped her beasts. "[Thunder Shock]!"

Electricity shot from all of Anne's five fingers. Undor dropped the Halora's ears and dodged to the side.

"[Burst Hit]."

Anne threw up a barrier and the shock wave failed to have any effect on her.

*ROAR*

Finishing its collection of energy, the thunder beast catapulted the ball of electrical energy at Undor. The beastman opened his arms wide, like he was going to hug someone, and clapped his hands together.

"[Reflecting Pulse]."

The ball changed direction, colliding with the side of the wall and sending some of its energy through the bodies on the ground, making them twitch.

The Halora, with its ears missing, got back on its feet. Its hard head seemed to have been unaffected by Undor's powerful strike.

Anne watched the beastman with great intensity. He was the one who seemed to have done the most damage to the guards. He was the one who beat around Bes the most. She balled her hands into fists, If he didn't hurt Bes so much, then he could've lived through the spell.

The demon laughed to itself, how easy were the people who fell into dark thoughts.

As its ethereal shoulders moved up and down, Yalsal also laughed.

"Stupid demon." he said. "[Holy Judgement]!"

Hearing those words, the demon immediately did its best to scramble out of the way. Too late.

"GGUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Under the intense, soul shattering power of the light, it was able to let out an earth shaking cry of agony. The deep, powerful voice, seemed to be full of dark energy.

When the spell finally ended, the demon was slumped over, smoke coming from its body. The demon, though not a powerful one, was able to survive the attack. Despite still taking such a blow, the demon soon came back seemingly stronger than before.

Its body twisted, the once black, shadowy, misty monster began to take a more solid shape. Claws grew from the hands, its body turned from red, to green, to grey. Muscular, human like arms, two sharp, pointed horns came from its forehead. Large, stone textured wings sprouted from its back.

Only able to growl, the demon stepped forward with its long rectangular feet.

"[Holy R-"

He stopped his spell to dodge the shadow ball that flew towards him. The demon followed up with waves, lashes, of dark attribute attacks.

Undor glanced over at his teammate.

"I won't let you help him." Anne yelled. "[Fire Ball]."

"No need for me to." Undor responded.

"Barrier!" Yalsal protected him. "Why don't you cast your own barriers!" he ducked under an attack.

"Because mine aren't very strong." Undor pulled back his fist, "[Burst Strike]." much like [Burst Hit] but it was a much more concentrated version.

Anne threw up her barrier which deflected the attack.

*ROAR*

Two beasts, the Halora and the thunder beast, charged Undor.

He swatted away the thunder beast but tripped over a body and was pinned down by the Halora. On his back, he was getting violently thrashed around, his previous strength seeming to have left him. With him being suppressed by the two, Anne turned her attention to Yalsal.

"[Greater Lightning Blast]!"

The demon was hit by the spell which increased its size upon hitting the demon. It growled in frustration.

"[Twin Flame]!" Anne let the two specs of flames leave her hand.

"Barrier!" he shielded himself from the spell but was unprepared for the demon's attack. "GUH!" Yalsal was scratched right across his chest.

-------------

"Ha, ha, ha."

Rainen jumped from building to building, going as fast as he could. He had just awoken from what seemed to be a long nap, seeing how Henry, most likely, was already at the warehouse that they had visited before. The trip there, while in full sprint, would take even someone as fast as Rainen more than a few minutes, certainly more than twenty.

He could use his ability but after using it once to get to the top of a building, he refused to use it. Why? Because when he did, he'd feel faint. That being said, he was a bit wobbly after waking up. In fact, to him, it felt like he took on a large wound that wouldn't close.

It had been fifteen minutes since Rainen started his way to assist his allies. During the tenth minute, he received a message.

I'm facing off against two people, one's a mage and the other's a beastman. They're the ones from the auction I need you to come right away.

If Rainen were to turn to assist Anne, Henry, who seemed to be in trouble for a longer time would have to be a sitting duck. Also true was the fact that Henry was just a little bit closer than Anne was. As much as Rainen trusted in Henry's abilities, after battling with him as much as he did, Rainen wasn't sure how long he could last in such a situation.

Indeed, to Rainen, who should he save? The person who was closer or the one who seemed to be in more trouble. Anne's facing off against two people but Henry's been in a pinch longer. Henry's closer, but Anne's fought against her's before.

Rainen hit his fist against his thigh. He had made his choice three minutes ago, one right after receiving Anne's message.

"I'll go there first." he said.