They ran, hiding in alleyways, climbing to rooftops, avoiding the mage soldiers that were looking for them. They stop by a building, four stories high, seeing the whole landscape of the city, and a huge castle located at the middle of it.

Alexa: Are we there yet?

Herol: We’re near.

Akino: And how can we tell you’re not lying?

Alexa: Umm, check your satellites?

Akino: The city’s magic barrier blocks off my thermal imaging, can’t see through the buildings and stuff.

Lyka: He’s telling the truth. I could sense them… demi-wolves, like us.

Herol points at the castle.

Herol: Inside of that thing.

Akino: Nice… another castle dungeon-mumbo-jumbo-adventure…

Alexa: Want me to create the ant-thingy again?

Lyka: Yes… that will be safer.

Herol: Ant-thingy?

Alexa once again produced a lot of ants on her forearms and released them towards the castle, shocking Herol upon seeing it. After a few minutes of waiting, the others noticed that Alexa seems to be irritated at something.

Alexa: How the hell did they know?!

Lyka: What’s going on?

Alexa: They are burning the ants!

Akino: Yeah, right, if you swarm them in large number, they’ll notice it.

Alexa: No, dumbass! Of course, I scattered them, and one-by-one bit the soldiers inside! But one guy wasn’t affected by my neurotoxin, and the next thing was they were burning every ant they see inside!

Lyka: I – I noticed they strengthen the magic barrier around the city…

Akino: How strong?

Lyka: Not sure… nothing can enter or leave the barrier unless it was opened by someone or something.

Herol: Then we have to enter it by the gate.

Akino: We’ve got no choice…

Lyka: Wait, wait, wait – I can’t use invisibility magic!

Akino hands something to Lyka – a small circular piece of metal.

Akino: We’ll cloak ourselves with the surroundings, Alexa can turn herself invisible already so use that cloaking device. Once we’re ready, Herol will go to the gate and ask to enter the place, then we enter with him without being noticed. Sounds good?

Herol: Cloak yourselves?

Alexa: Another espionage tactic…

Akino: Get used to it.

The four went down and headed at the front gate of the castle. It is heavily guarded by mages and magic knights. Herol went first while being followed by the three, cloaked and invisible. Some guards salute at him, others mock him for being a demi-wolf. He warns the insulting soldiers that they will be punished if they taunt their superior once more. It turns out that Herol is a legionnaire captain, promoted by the Altruis knights. The soldiers stop being funny, gets serious, and assists Herol as he enters a small passage being opened by the mages. Herol briefly passes, and the three girls hurriedly entered before the mages close the barrier again.

Once inside, Herol went to a weapon storage room filled with five soldiers standing-by, playing with cards and stuff. The soldiers saw him and salutes at him. Herol commands the soldiers to leave and take a patrol, leaving him and the still invisible girls alone in that room.

Herol: You guys still here?

Herol whispers. The three deactivates their cloaking and looks around.

Akino: Yup, still here. So, where are they?

Lyka: They’re… under the ground? You didn’t know they put them in dungeons?

Herol: I – I don’t know… my senses are strong but only works on a small range… I wasn’t able to confirm where they were treated after that fight we had with your father’s herald.

Lyka: I’m sorry…

Herol: It’s fine… I just – emotions took over me a while ago… I should be the one apologizing…

Akino: You seem calm now, huh? I thought you’ll lash out again.

Lyka: Aki?!

Herol: … I am not that savage…

Alexa: Ehem! Now what? We secure the demi-wolves, then how do we get out of here?

Akino: Does the barrier extend all the way through the ground?

Lyka: I haven’t checked it, let me see…

Lyka kneels and places her right hand on the ground. After a few seconds, she stands up.

Lyka: The barrier extends deep for a meter, but deeper than that there’s no barrier left.

Akino: I see… alright, so here’s the plan… we take Herol’s people to the deepest part of this castle, then I’ll start digging up a hole towards the sewers leading to the fortress we occupied earlier. While I’m digging the hole, you three will protect the others since I’m not sure they’ll like my digging. Are we clear?

Herol: The fortress you occupied?

Lyka: Ummm… well, Camilla sent us to rescue some civilians wanting to leave Ravine, and we occupied a less guarded fortress so that we could enter the city through the sewers it was connected to…

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Akino: So, we good?

Herol: The deepest part of the castle is the dungeon area. If Lyka’s correct, we might find my people as well there…

Alexa: I know where this is going… and I don’t like it…

Akino: Don’t jinx it!

The three decloaks themselves again and follows Herol towards to the deepest chamber of the castle. They went in and was shocked, seeing Herol’s people locked up in cells. This makes him angry, and it intensifies when he saw some guards trying to ‘harass’ the female demi-wolves.

He plunges himself, with his giant sword, cleaving the guards in half. The three follows him, and helps in freeing the others, being locked up and chained liked animals.

After freeing the demi-wolves, Herol went and talked to them one-by-one.

Herol: Where are the others? Have you seen Hilda?

Herol kept asking the others. Lyka notices this and was about to ask him when Akino stopped her.

Akino: Lyka, get ready.

Lyka: Aki, what is it?

Akino: We’ve got company. About 3 minutes before they reach this place, but not that alarming.

Alexa: Should we knock them out?

Akino: And bring them in the cells. I’ll start drilling a way out. Ask out Herol to guard these civilians, okay?

Lyka: Got it.

Akino starts drilling with her hands, while the other three protects the demi-wolves. Alexa went ahead and tried to scout the place outside the dungeon.

Alexa found some guards heading their position, so she tranqs them. More and more, tens of guards pile up in the cells of the dungeon. Akino is nearly halfway through the sewer network, but she needs to take haste or there will be a bloodbath, so she blasts through making the whole place quake. The alarmed soldiers marched in, and in front of them were Lyka and Herol, holding swords to protect the demi-wolves behind them. The guards charged at them, starting a fight. Fifteen on two, yet the two manages to keep up. Alexa, on the other hand, stops the other guards from sending in reinforcements, but as she sees a battalion of mage soldiers rushing to their location, she hurriedly went back.

Alexa: Aki! How long is it?!

Akino: A few more minutes! Why?!

Alexa: A shit-ton of mage dudes are coming this way! You better be quick doing that digging!

Akino: I am hurrying!

The soldiers and guards kept on coming. Lyka and Herol defends the line with all their strength. Alexa stands behind the two, readying the demi-wolves once Akino finishes the digging.

Akino: I’M THROUGH! LET’S GO!

Alexa assists the demi-wolves to go through the dug hole, and Akino joins with Herol and Lyka in holding off the soldiers.

Akino: Alexa, go with them! Make sure you reach the other side!

Alexa: Gotcha!

Alexa quickly morphs herself with cheetah like legs and a body covered in smooth chitin. She leads the group of the demi-wolves out, while the three stays to fend off the enemies.

Minutes passed. No other soldiers were heading and trying to attack them. All that’s left were the three and the bodies of the soldiers.

Akino: (Alexa, where are you?)

Alexa: (We’ve made it! Kal and Torion were going to transport them back to Camilla’s base. How about you guys?)

Lyka: (I think were done… but Herol looks like he’s missing something.)

Herol walks forward, then looks back at the two.

Herol: You take your leave. I’ve got something to do.

Akino: What is it?

Lyka: We can come with you, if want…

Herol: My little sister… Hilda… she’s not here… I need to find her.

Lyka: We’ll help.

While the two converses, Akino sensed something moving fast towards their location. She immediately drags Lyka away, thinking she was the target but the fast-moving object hits Herol instead.

The fast thing was a being, a knight, wearing golden armor that has prominent wing designs. The knight in golden armor looks at the two, but Herol smashes the ground, summoning a wall of fire between them. The fire wall turns into a solid ashen wall. Lyka tried to blast it with her magic but managed only to crack it. Then, she used her left arm, punched it really hard, and the wall breaks only to see that Herol and the knight were gone.

Lyka: Aki! Can you detect them?

Akino: Give me a sec… they went up… I tracked that knight’s speed burns on the ground… speed burns also work on magic, huh?

Lyka: O – okay! Let’s go follow them!

The rushes up to the main chamber of the castle. On their way, they encountered many soldiers which they knocked down in an instant.

They reached the main chamber. Inside, soldiers of high caliber of armors are seen standing around the table of the elder priests. The man in golden armor was also there, and Herol who’s beaten up severely. The other demi-wolves are chained to the table, being pointed by the knives of the priests.

Herol: Please… save them… take my life instead!

Lyka: Herol!

The golden knight slaps Herol’s face.

Golden Knight: Silence! You are a stinking traitor! I knew it we shouldn’t have taken you!

Elder Priest: Stand back! Or we’ll cut off this animals’ necks!

Lyka enrages, but Akino calms her down.

Akino: (On my signal, Lyka. On my signal.)

Lyka: (On your signal?!)

Small multiple rocket launchers emerged on Akino’s both shoulders. Everyone else in that chamber were not aware on what that thing is, except for Lyka. Akino fired it, aimed at the elder priests’ arms that points knives, sticking to it and explodes, making them let go on the captured demi-wolves.

Everyone else in that chamber were surprised, but bLyka and Herol takes this opportunity. Herol, with all of his might, breaks free from being chained and immediately brawls through the enemies and smashing his way to the captured demi-wolves. Lyka casts immediately her multiple shadow clones and attacking the soldiers. The golden knight quickly moves and tried to slash her in half, but Lyka manages to block it with her shadow clone, sacrificing it in the process.

Golden Knight: Not bad!

Lyka: Tsk!

The two clashes as Akino and Herol takes on the charging soldiers to protect the remaining demi-wolves in that place. Surges of magic blasts as Lyka blocks the knight’s mace with her bionic arm. Swings here and there, smashing this and that, the knight moves so fast that Lyka was in defensive. The knight manages to hit her on her back, throwing her off to the ground.

Akino: LYKA!

Akino tried to go to rescue Lyka but she has to protect the demi-wolves from the waves of the enemies.

Golden Knight: I remember you! You’re that bitch in the village forest! I thought Jean killed you off… whatever!

Lyka, once again, remembered the event in her home. The screaming, the cries, the spilling blood and spreading fire. All at once, she remembered it.

“It’s happening again… I don’t want to happen it again!”

THEN REMEMBER THE THINGS THEY’VE DONE TO YOU! TO YOUR PEOPLE!

“I don’t want to remember it… I DON’T WANT TO!”

THEN UNLEASH IT!

“Unleash…?”

IT’S YOUR CHANCE!

“My… chance?”

Akino looks at Lyka, about to be attacked by the knight. Akino was shouting at her to move, but Lyka was only staring at the ground.

Akino tried to shoot the knight, but he dodges it and aims to hit Lyka’s head. He was about to hit her when his mace bounces back, hitting an invisible wall. Blue flames emerge from the ground and encircles Lyka, covering her in a dome. The knight looks at his mace, and it’s already melted like butter.

Golden Knight: A demigod in action?! Looking forward to –

The knight was immediately blasted by a ball of flame coming from Lyka, melting and burning a huge portion of his body. Akino was now relieved that Lyka stood back up, but it was only for a moment. As she stares at Lyka battling the knight, a notification pops up on her vision –

> [ZERO-ENTROPIC SYSTEM ACTIVATED: HQC-101 IS HARNESSING ENERGY FROM ZERO-ETROPIC SPACE]

Akino: Lyka! Use only the – the mana thingy! I – we still don’t how that zero-shit works!

Lyka, despite of Akino’s words, kept on battling the injured knight. She’s on the offensive now and takes the upper hand against him. His mace and her left arm, her greatsword and his armor. They tackled and battled, but Akino noticed Lyka’s face. Unlike before, it’s the very first time she saw her full of rage, like she wants the knight more than to be dead.

Lyka finally lands a hit on the knight by slashing her greatsword on his armored legs. The knight drops on the ground and looks at her, terrified. The next scene made Akino stunned, as she looks at Lyka mercilessly punches the knight with her bionic arm. The punches were so hard, it didn’t only dent his armor but turned the knight’s face flat. Her final blow was strong enough to splatter his brain all over the place, like a tomato being stomped on.

Lyka then proceeds to go after the other enemies, cleaving them in half and flattening their bodies. Brutal actions Akino didn't expect to see on her, only fueled with anger.