Myron stepped into the outpost, the gates where broken open. Inside the earth was packed densely, there were huts and pens holding drugged Aimon or chained Aimon within thick bars of steel. Tens of them. There were warehouses too, and even a few abodes made with walls of stone. For what purpose Taher had built such a large Outpost and not a simple fortification Myron did not know, which made Taher all the more of an unknown.

There in the distance of this central avenue upon whose edge Myron strolled, Taher stood clenching at the walls. The Battle on the other side of the wall raged, and great plumes of miasma caught on fire while earth shaking blows dealt with sundering thunderbolts as thick as trees stood tall.

Myron walked, freely, behind Choro who marched carelessly, behind Taher who was none the wiser. The situation was comical, if not for the promise of violence it held, Myron would have been laughing his ass of at the proverb given life.

Then, as things always tend to do, Chaos broke out. Taher cursed and the Gazelle Aimon standing next to her grabbed her and jumped away leaving a blinding trail of fire in his wake. The gate blew open in a searing blaze as Irnet - Myron became certain of this from Mery’s reaction - passed through the crumbling wall. Below her burnt a fungus wheel with five screaming mushroom capped heads. Seeds as big as baseballs flew from all five mouths. A machine gun of bullets tore into Irnet. She grunted once before she broke all over, flew off the fungus Aimon which lifted and grunted in anger. A large pink tongue stuck onto the Pygmaleon and pulled her away before soaking her in healing water.

“What the fuck is going on here!?” Taher shouted as she landed on a roof, seeing both Choro and Myron simply walking through her base unbothered. Myron knew it was time to act, or maybe it was already too late. “Whip!” He called and Choro fell to the ground. The Gazelle jumped down and kicked Ivana the Glacilin with a fiery hoof, picking her up in his horns and throwing her to the sky. Cali the Princinix spread her tail and engaged with the bipedal Gazzele while Nebuch shot large bombs of black mud at the Mushroom Aimon.

So ingrained into them was the ability to act without orders, that they didn’t even notice the lack of orders by their Trainer. Or rather, so intense was the threat they perceived by the Third Tier Aimon in front of them that they simply acted without thought.

Thankfully, Syl wasn’t like them. She listened and she listened well. She appeared behind Choro who was only now standing. His mouth opened and he shouted orders to Ivana falling from the skies. Icicles crashed into the Mushroom and the area around it as a running train of lightning maneuvered across the changed battlefield with speed and grace before crashing into its enemy and shoving it through walls of ice in a powerful tackle, all the while exploding in a shower of lightning.

The sound of thunder made for great cover and Syl knocked Choro unconscious, any attempt to ask for help gone with the wind. She then offered a hand to Dakini who bit down on her tongue and took the pain of breaking her Bond with Choro in silence, who made not a peep as well at the sudden pain he should have felt. Hence the need to knock him out.

She coughed blood and took Syl’s hand. The Aimon pulled the fox into a princess carry as did Mery with Myron and the four of them were off like the wind. Taher saw them and chuckled, before laughing madly. She then screamed at the skies in sheer rage. But her hands where tied and the situation was getting too out of hand. She jumped out of the way of an attack by Ivana who was left without an opponent before the Ice type rushed to her Trainer’s side.

Thus Taher who had rolled off the roof and to the ground level did not notice Syl stopping before one of the enclosures she had been forced to create to cage those that had come to stop or profit from the business she was trying to open.

With magnificent cuts, she felled bar after bar of steel. Syl cut open the cages and ran. And from inside burst out the destitute Aimon days or weeks from withering away into dust. Some mad with anger, others in fear, and many in desperation. They exploded in motion and Aether, leaving devastation in their wake.

Syl dropped Dakini and Mery dropped Myron to the floor once they exited the outpost through the broken doorway.

“That went well enough.” Myron nodded and Syl tried to respond when Dakini pushed them both away, her tails curled around to the front of her body and molded into each other. Liquid metal morphed into a shield two meters tall and wide as the attack of an Aimon clashed and sent her feet cutting sliding on the ground. Syl appeared behind the feline and killed her on the spot.

“We should get out of here, quick. These Aimon are desperate.” She said and the four of them picked up the pace.

“Thank you Dakini.” Myron said just moments later as they dove into the thicket and then he remembered something. “Oh wait. Where are we going?” He called out to Syl.

“South, Directly South. We need to get out of here, and we need to get you into civilization. And most probably registered to a Guild. Oh damn, you also need to choose a class.” Syl’s brows raised and her antennae twitched, taking even herself by surprise.

Myron rubbed the back of his head. “We can think about all that later. For now, getaway.” They all nodded and kept moving.

“Oh no you don’t!” From the skies above, almost muffled, a voice called out. Hatred oozed from the long and wide beak of the Wind Type Aimon. “That’s a Pyrobill.” Syl called out. “They are fast and strong, capable of extreme heat they gather within their hard beaks.” She explained.

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The Pyrobill stared down with amber eyes, casting curses upon them with his mere gaze. He swooped down, blindingly fast.

“[Sprout]!” Myron called as he turned around and pulled Dakini behind him. ‘Into Mandrake.’ He whispered through their bond and the forest came alive, the tall grass growing even taller. Reaching up to the incoming missile of fire and weaving themselves together into massive muscled hands.

Like seeing a chef prepare to slather butter on a piece of toast, the gray feathered opponent opened up the Ability like it put of no resistance and crashed into Syl with a wing that glowed white in flames right as the [Shrieking Mandrake] begun its horrid call.

The Ability cut off, burnt to a crisp as Syl slammed into the ground and skid across the earth through the trail the fire bird had left in its wake. The air shrieked as it flapped its wings and turned around in a big loop to dive bomb them yet again. ‘Whip her out of there.’ Syl had still not gathered herself so Myron made the order.

Even faster than before, with his squat and heavy beak now burning a sizzling blue fire, the opponent disappeared. The Next moment a [Water Whip] rose from the earth and pulled Syl along from the hip. Just fast enough to miss being impaled. Like a Dart with the after image of a laser the Pyrobill stuck its beak to the ground and a devastating explosion rocked the earth. Syl went flying, her head buzzing, the world spinning.

Myron was held up by Dakini as the heat singed his skin and hair. His eyes closed.

“[Water Whip] that guy!” Myron shouted and before the Pyrobill could extricate himself from the ground, The crack of the wind resounded through the clearing the Aimon had created all on his own. Once, twice, Thrice, the whip cracked. Before Mery was close enough to step into melee range with a heavy left foot and slam his skull.

“[Hard-Right]!” She called in righteous anger.

His head snapped back, his beak cracked and healed though the pain remained and he opened his throat to shout but another [Hard Right] dug into his opened beak, literally, and punched the top of his mouth from within, crushing bones and sending him to the ground, hot tears streaking from his eyes as blood plugged his throat.

He struggled and gurgled. “Fuck him up!” Myron called out, Dakini still by his side.

The fire bird heard that and as it lay on the ground its feathers caked in mud and coals spun around and fire plumed out from its form in crescents. He kicked off the ground and gained more distance for himself. Only to realize that Mery had never stepped close enough for the [Fire Spin] to have an effect on her. He cawed in indignation at having fallen for the Trainer’s tricks.

The realization came too late, for a wave of water twice as tall as Mery consumed him and toyed with him in its depths. His head cracked on the earth, his wings snapped, pulled at different directions, and water assaulted his nostrils, ears and mouth. The Water crashed into the ground hard and his brain bounced against his skull.

He vomited out a deluge of water, his brain still swimming and his ears having gone nearly deaf, plugged with water on both ends so deep that the damage to his eardrums could be permanent. Fear gripped him when a dizzy spell fell over him. He fell to the mud and splattered, unable to stand, to keep himself upright and find balance.

He crawled on the ground, his wings sopping wet, folded on his back. Even though there was no need for it, with but a whim he could dry himself off and take to the skies. His shield would heal all damage, as there was some still remaining. But, in that moment, he couldn’t see the way out, and his trainer was not there to do it for him. He was without help.

He pulled with his hands and nails, dragging himself across the Earth as another wave consumed him. He closed his mouth and eyes and pushed out with Aether. An explosion thundered, only to be swallowed by the water, and a cloud of steam spread out in all directions, shrouding him in its gray fog and stealing from him the only sense that still worked. His vision.

He came out of what was left of the [Surge] in silence. Alone. Every snapping twig, every gust of wind, every move of the fog, every crackling of coal. Each sound was a threat, each threat meant death. He felt weak and beaten… He shook his head and cleared his ears with a puff of fire. Mist vacated them in cartoonish fashion.

He had his pride, and he would meet this opponent head on. He wouldn’t surrender, that is not the quality of Aimon Taher kept in her company. So when Mery stepped heavily on the earth, each hoofed leg digging into the squelching ground, declaring her approach, he spread his wings and readied himself.

He beat his wings and the mist disappeared. The two opponents could no see each other clearly. He smiled, which translated to him opening his beak and slanting the very hard edges upwards. “Let’s do this.” He said ready to take her on.

Mery bowed her head. “Thank you for the opportunity, thank you for the sustenance.” She said with seriousness, sending her opponent out of balance once more. He chuckled, lost. He snapped his beak shut and burst forth, took flight, parallel to the ground, just inches above it. He folded his wings on himself and spun. A fire drill that shot forth with great purpose.

“You’re mine!” He shouted, and then missed completely. “What?” He asked, because in his eyes he had just passed right through her. He stopped, hopped on the ground on his talons to find balance and turned around. Mery was nowhere to be seen. Dakini flashed Myron a smile at a mission accomplished..

“You seem to have forgotten about me little rooster.” Syl said and appeared from behind him. She cut, and she cut again. His blood spilled across the earth but she did not relent. She carved him open and snapped his legs and tore his wings from his person.

When he turned around in desperation, fire building within his throat she stopped, and pulled back. He released the flamethrower, bathing the skies in red and orange fire like the setting sun, overtaking his glow for just a moment of overdrawn power, with his overstuffed Ability.

He fell to the ground. Dead.

Myron stepped out of the shrub of tall grass and Dakini hopped towards him with an expectant grin. “Well done!” He said and caressed her head behind the long and sharp ears that sprouted from within her silky smooth black mane. “Thank you.” She said with a serious look flashing through her eyes.

Myron turned to Mery who seemed fine enough, and then to Syl who was being healed by Mery through [Healing Soak]. She had taken quite a bit of damage in the two attacks she had almost sustained. Being four times weak to an element was no joke and Myron was glad for his decision, to target the fire type with all they had, back in the ambush of Choro and the rescue of a little electric sheep - now where had he seen that before - he scratched his chin and the rapidly growing stubble with amusement.