Four months.....

Thank you to anyone who waited for this chapter, the reviews and comments this time were amazing and I'm really grateful to all who has read this far.

A special thanks to those who have stuck with this story since i started writing. The few of you who make yourself known in the comments really do make writing this thing worth while.

As you saw in the description i lost a large amount of writing during the making of this chapter so note that i wrote every scene of this twice. So if something seems rushed it was because it was. Just wanted to get past this chapter to be honest,

Hope you enjoy the read. Myo~

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

It was sunset by the time Red and I had made our way back to the great cart and the sun’s scarlet fingers of light had already bathed the land in a soft orange glow, amazingly breaking through the blizzard that was now beginning to settle.

However with the illumination, the result of last night became even more apparent.

The snow had been stained red in a wide semicircle surrounding the cart, and the bodies of the deceased laid void of life in the snow. Even with the winter driving away the majority of the animals, carrion birds had still managed to gather in the small time we had been away, and in a sickening display, begun ripping large chunks of vulnerable flesh out of the motionless figures. Yet that wasn’t the worst of it. No, a number of physically unharmed bandits still scatted the red tracks of snow, writhing in pain from unseeable wounds, creating tortured wails that echoed into the endless sky. I grimaced slightly, recognising the symptoms of being suddenly released from a controlling presence.

The stone gargoyles summoned from the now silent cart continued to prowl around tirelessly, mercifully ending the lives of the defenceless enemies and silently securing the perimeter. They made a scary sight, with their jagged spikes still splattered with blood, or in rare cases entire limbs. I let out a sigh of relief, remembering their part in the conflict. It was quite likely that they were the only reason we escaped without a single casualty.

Alison, Henry and Rina were nowhere to be seen, presumably the twins had taken the sorcerous inside to lie her down. Rina had been unconscious when we left her and it would be surprising had she awoken already.

Herog and Truog were still moving despite their injuries, without complaint taking it upon themselves to pile up the eviscerated bodies to clear a path ahead of us, a task made easier by the armour, weapons and shields having dissolved after their uses death, most likely in an effort to stop us from using them ourselves. Unfortunate really, the magical resistance would have come in useful. All in all moving the remains made sure that the cart would avoid the twisted bodies that tended to get caught up in the wheels.

Speaking of the cart, a quick glance showed me that even now it was bolted shut from the inside. Likely leaving the inhabitants panting with fear as they were unable to know what was happening outside. I doubted any of the mercenaries felt the desire to relieve them of their fear.

Casio noticed our appearance first. Standing up from where he had knelt to the ground to catch his breath. “Well look what we have here”, proclaimed the fencer in a jovial voice. Out of all the front line combatants Casio had come out the least harmed. With only a single slash wound on his upper left arm. Most likely a lucky hit by a stray bandit. “We thought you had run away little one”. He laughed as he walked up to me and characteristically tussling my hair. Shocking me in a way as his attitude towards me hadn’t changed a bit.

I smiled in return before waving my hand over his wound, briefly watching the skin knit back together before addressing the silver haired man. “Never occurred to me. Though now that I think about it, running away would have been the easier option”. A pause as I felt my face crease into a frown before looking up into the man’s eyes. “Nothing has changed I hope, you don’t mind if we continue to travel together”? I asked, allowing a sliver of hope to seep into my voice.

Casio’s eyes widened slightly in surprise before he answered in a low voice. “How I see it little one, is that you saved our group tonight, or at least prevented the situation from being worse than it was. Honestly I couldn’t care less how you did it, just know that you have my gratitude”.

We stood there silently for a moment before Casio’s gaze shifted to Red behind me, and with a final pat on my shoulder the man swept forward to repeat his gratitude to the Shedim. Who despite his newly found confidence, lowered his head in shyness at the praise.

Two booming footsteps caused me to turn sharply to find two hulking giants standing right before me. Without words I set to healing their wounds and within minutes the pus filled sacs that blighted their skin had been magically removed, once again becoming unblemished. “Thank you, and well done”. Herog said calmly accompanied with a slight nod. “I’m not sure how it would have turned out without you”. I also noted the glint of respect in the giant’s eye as he reached down to shake my hand, causing a grin to break out across my face.

“Right back at you”. I replied, feeling the muscles in my face strain with the smile. “It was your quick thinking which saved us, I just provided support”.

Another nod and a small smile came from the giant before he pushed his younger brother towards me with a pointed look that caused my grin to fall slightly. I noticed Truog’s trepidation and I flinched somewhat when I saw the large figure in front of me raise onto the balls of his feet, allowing him to move quickly if threatened. I sighed, clearly not everyone thought as rationally as his older brother. “Thank you”. Came the small voice. Nothing like the usual boisterous giant but instead left an unsure youngling.

I tried to keep the smile on my face as natural as possible when I reached out to shake the giant’s hand. Hoping desperately to remind him of the time we met. Where my first impressions of the two had left me hesitant to return the same greeting. “Anytime Truog” I replied happily as he took my hand, his posture subconsciously becoming more relaxed. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Herog’s nod of approval but I attempted to ignore it as the young one, still holding onto my hand continued to calm down until finally. “I didn’t know you were so strong Aare! You should join our training sessions, shouldn’t he brother”!

A small chuckle of relief was let out by the older giant as the crises was averted, “we’ll see, but for now let’s clean up this mess and get out of here.” Herog replied while gesturing around the cart. “It wouldn’t be good to stay long”.

“Do you need help”?

“No, we should have it. But if you could remove that wall of ice, that would be great”. I blinked quickly before shifting my gaze upwards at the sphere of enchanted ice that beautifully reflected the morning light, splitting the rays into a spectrum of different colours that for a moment took me away from the battlefield. It’s a shame to get rid of it I thought as I reached out with my mana to reverse the freezing process, exciting the water molecules into a gaseous state that dissipated into the air.

For a brief moment I felt the humidity raise suddenly as the air became saturated with gaseous water. Refreshing in a way when my clothes and hair dampened considerably, as if I had just emerged from a freezing stream. Closing my eyes in a moment of bliss, I felt the water as it seemed to wash away the events of last night before shifting my eyes to search out Red. Who was talking to the two giants just out of ear shot.

I felt a pang in the depths of my heart as I considered the young Shedim, who without question or doubt, had flown me in search for the unknown power behind the attack. A power who’s combat ability had been completely unknown.

I felt a frown crease my face upon thinking about the encounter with our mysterious aggressor. The women with hair woven from light itself had no doubt been a celestial. Which brought up a worrying idea. Why had we been targeted by a servant of the gods? I reached behind my head to scratch the back of my neck in thought. Searching for a time when I could have offended anyone or anything capable of commanding a celestial. Generally the creatures were incredibly proud and to follow another went against their basic moral code, let alone calling that entity a master!  Was the master a god? But I had never even talked to a god, let alone call upon ones wrath. The only reason I could possibly come up with was the god discovering my resurrection and somehow being offended. But if this was the case why didn’t the god merely come down to finish me off himself?

I shifted through the memories of my past life. Forcing myself to remember the kilometre long scriptures dedicated to each god. Out of the hundreds that I had read only two could possibly have been insulted. One was the god of life and time, while her lover was the god of death and space. Both beings that would have killed me in an instant had they discovered my triumph over death, and considering I was still here, most likely meant that they were not the ones who called in the assassin.

“You…. OK?” Came a concerned voice.

I whirled, never having heard the Shedim approach. “I’m fine Red. Thank you”.

“Don’t…. Look fine”. The broken English came again.

I smiled, attempting to assure him. “Nothing we can do for now”. I said, choosing my words carefully. “Though we will need to keep our wits about us if my hunch is correct”.

A nod was his only reply as the Shedim spun and took the first step towards the cart, presumably to sleep off the weariness from the encounter. It said a lot about the young demon to not question me further. I could only assume we had reached a level of trust that if I didn’t feel the need to say something he would leave it at that, and for a moment as I fell into step besides the crimson figure I felt blessed to have such a friend at my side.

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

The soft carpet brushed against my feet as I slipped out of my hard leather boots. Beside me, Red was doing the same. Removing the heavy armour that glinted in the candle light, looking closely, there were dozens of deep gashes in the smooth metallic surface that reflected the viciousness of last night’s encounter. I sighed knowing that even with his dampened emotions, Red shouldn’t have been subjected to such a trail.

“You’re back”? Came the soft murmur from the corner of the room causing me eyes to automatically shift and find Rina, propped up in her bed as the twins slept by her side. Her face showed no hint of the childishness that usually lingered there as her mouth moved to speak again. “Thank you for helping me back there.” She said as her face scrunched up into an ugly grimace, “When I heard that thing’s voice, telling me about the man you killed, I... I just froze”.

Glistening eyes showed that she was on the verge of tears as I turned away to move to my small bed. So after giving her a few seconds to gather herself I replied. “I would always help a friend. And Rina, I will always consider you one, I just hope last night won’t step you from thinking of me in the same way”.

A few sniffles came from behind me as I pulled away the white sheets before climbing into bed, not waiting for an answer as my head sunk deep into the softest pillow I had ever laid upon as sleep began to claim me. I barely heard the feminine, “thank you friend”. Before the darkness covered my vision.

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

Truog’s towering form began to sweat as he glared down at the table between us. A stray hand absently scratching his chin as his mind whirled between his current options. Sitting down with us were Red and Herog, the latter laughing at Truog’s expression. “He’s got you good brother”!

Truog’s hand reflexively swatted his older brothers head before moving down to push forward three small wooden models across a world map, one of a young man holding a pitch fork, another holding a bow, and another who’s hands were alight with a magical fire. “I defend my wall with my peasant, archer, and magical corps”. He said somewhat shakily, contrary to the usual confidence the giant exuded. “Your move Red”.

The Crimson demon sitting to my left nodded in answer before picking up a large model depicting a great dragon in mid-flight, its back lined with several humans carrying long bows. “I attack….  Your wall…. with dragon riders”.

“Wait! Red, please. Do you know what you’re doing? “Truog suddenly spluttered as he grabbed Red’s wrist before the dragon could touch his wall.

“Yes”, came Red’s monosyllabic reply as he struggled against Truogs superior strength.

“B-but, you won’t even gain anything. Your, unit will die and mine will just be weakened. You don’t have anything else to take my wall afterwards and Aare will just take it in his turn!

“I… know”.

“W-w-what, but you two aren’t even on a team! Aare will just attack you after he finishes off my empire”, Yelled the now panicking giant as his remaining hand gesturing to what little land was still marked as his on the map.

“Always…. On Aare’s team”. My crimson ally replied as his blank expression looked directly towards me whilst simultaneously giving me the thumbs up. The sight of the completely serious demon caused me to chuckle, before I smiled sinisterly at the larger giant.

“You can’t possibly stand between the two of us and victory”. I said to the shocked giant. Maybe if you hadn’t betrayed your brother three turns ago, his empire might be strong enough to help you.

“No!” Truog shouted as Red pushed the dragon into contact with the wall. Suddenly the models came to life with the dragon circling above Truog’s models as they shot arrows and bolts of magic into the sky. Small numbers made from light hovered above the fighting models showing the number of people/dragons left in the units and slowly but surely the numbers ticked down. Finally Red’s dragons retreated. A white flag of light shining above the model as it moved away from Truog’s wall.

The final result was that Red’s dragons had been decimated, but not in vain. The peasant’s number had reached zero and had been removed from the game completely while the archers and mages had less than half their original number. Red, taking a second to wipe a tear away from his eye that had begun to form at the sight of his dragon retreating spoke resolutely. “Aare’s turn”.

I grinned, patting my ally’s arm in consolation before making my move.

“I move my legion of imperial knights into Truog’s territory”, I said calmly as I pushed the small model of a heavily armoured human into contact with the wall. Watching with unconcealed delight as my model held firm against the first wave of missiles from Truog’s entirely ranged army before cutting through them like a scythe through a wheat field. At last the wall was mine and I laughed in sadistic pleasure as Truog removed his models.

“I surrender”. Came the voice of the younger giant, dejection and disappointment evident in his voice. “That was my last defence and I wouldn’t be able to beat either of you let alone both of you together. Anyway we should be arriving soon”.

I let out a sigh as I stood from the table, the game forgotten from my mind as I paced to the window and tried to get a glimpse of the fortress ahead of us. Although it was largely obscured from view I could still make out the white walls that loomed off into the distance.

**Have you decided on whether we should stay**? The voice of Blue stirred in my mind as the dream demon wiggled to make itself comfortable behind my eyes. **A mercenary group attracts a lot of attention but who would think to look for YOU here**?

Time passed by slowly as I pondered the questions, it had been three months since our encounter with the Celestial and Red and I had thought extensively over the pros and cons of staying at the Cobra’s nest. But the idea of fighting under the command of someone I don’t know made me break out into cold sweats. “As long as this mercenary group doesn’t bite off more than it can chew and get us all killed there shouldn’t be any problem”. I said aloud as I turned to catch Herog’s eye.

“There shouldn’t be any problem there lad”, the giant replied as he began to pack up the few belongings he had. “The Cobra’s nest is known for only fighting if winning is guaranteed. It shouldn’t matter anyway. If you and Red are together I don’t see you kicking the bucket that easily”.

I nodded as the cart came to a sudden halt, signalling our arrival. “Let’s hope so”. I said more to myself than to the giant as Red and I left the confines of the cart first. The chilling cold hit us hard as the slow drifting snow began to settle in our hair. Placing a protective hand above my eyes to shield them from the weather I looked around.

We stood beneath the ginormous gates of the Cobra’s nest. Like Tesuit it was built to withstand a siege and its high walls were topped with jagged spikes and archers nests, stopping all but those who could fly. Unlike Tesuit however, these walls contained hundreds of small holes that presumably went into a hollow section inside that could house all manners of projectile wielding adversaries.

“Let’s not wait around Aare”, came the smooth voice of Casio as he stepped fluidly past me, “Its best to get inside and out of the cold. That goes for you too Red, especially since Green is with you”.

I looked back to find a wrapped bundle in Red’s arms, held carefully in his crimson plumage. For a brief second a corner of the silk slipped down to reveal a reptilian face, with shard intelligent eyes and emerald green scales. A wyvern to be sure, hatched from the egg we found when we first encountered the pillar demon. About a month had passed since it hatched and it had yet to do anything but eat and sleep, really not much to comment on.

“Cover her up Red, if Green catches a cold it could be fatal for a youngling.” I reprimanded quickly as Red fumbled to wrap the delicate bundle. Just quickly I would like to say I had no choice what so ever in the name. Green had been entirely Red’s idea, chosen as soon as he noticed her colour, and after the wyvern had started following him around it seemed only natural to give Red the final choice.

I blinked out of my thoughts as we joined the static line of those trying to fit though the small opening in the wall.  It quickly became apparent why the line was so slow, as right next to the entrance stood two surly guards dressed in tight fitting black robes that fell down to their ankles and hoods that covered their faces. They would stop each being trying to enter regardless of species, gender or size, ask a few questions, write something on their scrappy notebooks and bark orders concerning what to do inside. Nothing less than expected but the small doorway definitely slowed the whole process down.

I sighed quickly before waving my hand above my head. Allowing my mana to form an almost translucent barrier above me and my companions. Making the snow fall harmlessly to the side, it did nothing however, to the biting cold that still lingered and honestly, I didn’t want to use the exuberant amount of man necessary to heat the air around us for however long we would be stuck in the line.

“Step aside! Step aside you cur’s”! Came the imperialistic snarl of Anotonius Farrell. Who strode down the line before coming to a halt besides us. “What the hell are you doing, get out of there! Even if you are merely soldiers for hire, you are currently under my employ. And neither you nor I will be seen lining up like mere cattle”! So under the wrathful gaze of dozens of angry onlookers we shuffled guiltily to the front of the line.

What happened next honestly completely surprised me. The soldiers who had initially brandished their spears threateningly at Antonius’ appearance flinched considerably before hastily moving to the side as soon as Farrell showed them an unassuming brass ring drawn from his coat pocket.

“Welcome home Sir Farrell”. The first spluttered almost incoherently in what must have been his attempt at brownnosing.

“Should we notify Patriarch Farrell of your arrival Sir”? Choked the second.

“You will do no such thing”, snapped Farrell, who against all odds was in worse mood than any I had seen before. Before the two guards could finish their clumsy salutes Farrel stormed past, leading the way through the white gate.

Herog reacted to Farrell’s disappearance first, after a quick apology to the guards he moved through the small door, pulling his smaller brother along behind him. I went next, not even needed to look back as I knew Red would be a step behind me, and by the sound of the angry murmurings behind us the other mercenaries/servants had kept right on our tail.

And so we found ourselves in a long white passage way. Brilliantly lit by a dozen naked flames entrenched in the stone above us. The passage way was too long to measure accurately, however stationed every few metres on either side was a guard dressed identically to those outside. What caught my attention however was that each guard held a unique weapon? Ranging from swords to scythes and made from a range of rune etched alloys to poorly maintained bronze. Not an organised force, more likely the entire fortress was run by this mercenary group.

Our group led by Farrell continued to move forward for close to half a day, It was near impossible to be sure of exactly how long it had actually been as there was no sun to compare with underground but most of the servants behind us were seriously dragging their feet by the end of it so it seemed to be a fairly close guess. Barely daring to slow our pace, the group managed to keep up with the long strides of our ‘fearless leader’ and more than once I absently wondered how the man was so fit when all he did was sit around for the last three months.  

At last we reached the light at the end of the tunnel and after a few final stairs we emerged from the tunnel to find ourselves at the epicentre of the the cobra’s nest. The first thing we noticed was that the temperature was mild and there was a definite lacking of wind. Looking up I noticed a faint shimmer similar to the mana shield I had deployed outside. However the open sky and its faint barrier did little to distract me from the awesome sight that was the Cobra’s nest.

The first point of interest was that the place was ginormous, towering walls created an artificial bowl which spanned over dozens of kilometres where the ground itself actually led all the way up to the tips of the wall in a natural incline, and standing in the centre we were able to see each building spread out for miles all around us. With every building made of a white crystal like material, it was like being in the centre of a great sports stadium made of living fire.

However the most impressive sight were four separate castles, floating freely in the air on great mountains of limestone, each slightly different and bearing flags or varying shapes and colours.  “Incredible” I whispered to myself as the skull white world filled my vision. However my wonder was cut short when Farrell suddenly broke into a sprint.

I shook myself out of the trance I had been in and glanced at the immediate surroundings. Quite literally we found ourselves in an arena, and before I had a chance to move, Farrell had made his way out of one of the few open gates that littered the edges of a small wall around the outside moments before the rest shut ominously. A second of scanning more and I noticed the lattice of thin stone chains that created an artificial cage preventing us from jumping out.

Perhaps you will chide me for not noticing such an oddity when I first arrived. However I urge you to understand that I had let my guard down upon realising that every possible combatant we had passed was human. Essentially meaning that it would be beyond easy for our group to fight back through the way we had come, after all, only a select few humans could match a demon in combat, even less if the demon slightly dabbled in the magical arts. My guard was also down because the area looked more like a contest arena than any colosseum. The chains, while aesthetically pleasing would barely stand against a single blow from Red’s halberd which was now firmly in his hand.

“What’s going on brother”? the younger giant asked as Herog drew the large battle axe from his back.

“I don’t know, but it doesn’t look good so draw your weapon, I’ll need you with me if it comes to a fight”. Herog replied, his voice confident but filled with caution. “Aare, what do you think”?

I startled, not expecting to be included in Herog’s council. “Whatever they have planned for us it can’t be good. However, it shouldn’t be difficult to break open the door to where we came from, from there we could probably escape without too much difficulty”.

“You’re forgetting about Farrell’s attendants”. Came the voice of the giant as he gestured towards the few dozen civilians who had handled the cart on our journey here who at this very moment were pounding on the door Farrell had escaped through. “You’re also forgetting that we would have nowhere to go if we did escape”.

I nodded at that, it would be near impossible to escape while protecting the lives of all the people Farrell had dragged into whatever we were in now and while the weather was calm inside the walls, the biting cold was still fresh in my memory.

“So we just wait to see what happens”? I replied carefully.

“I’m saying that we should find out what’s happening before we make any rash decisions. This might just be a customary check for everyone who enters the Cobra’s Nest”, the giant continued optimistically. He wasn’t fooling anyway listening, let alone himself but it did show that we knew nothing about what was going to happen.

Regardless, I drew my mana into my palms, not quite materialising it, but making it so it would be ready at a moment’s notice. I would be ready. For the sake of my companions.

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

The soft glare of the sun dispersing into a spectrum of colours through his crystal ceiling, had been the first thing the Patriarch of the Farrell family had seen when he woke. He often told his servants that it was the best way to wake up, not that they would ever be given the same curtesy.

It did not take the Patriarch long to wrap himself up in ceremonial garbs that the day warranted, made carefully from dark silk, interlaced with golden embroidery that somehow managed to compliment his grizzled appearance and slowly greying hair. “The commonwealth games”, the man said slowly to himself as he strapped a ceremonial dagger to his thigh. The dagger would never kill someone, it was just to show his upmost position in the family.

Seconds after he was dressed, the man strode confidently though the exit of his chambers, startling the guards in golden robes standing outside who immediately fell into step behind him.

“Good morning Lord Patriarch”. Said one who fell into step with the man. “The Farrell family representatives are ready, the other primary families won’t know that hit them, let alone the secondary scum”.

“I hope for your sake that you are correct, boy. I won’t tolerate anything but complete success. If the Farrell family wishes to stay as a primary family we need to show our military might today”.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“Of course Sir”.

The Group continued to move forward confidently, brushing past the other members of the Farrell family who bowed subserviently at the sight of the Patriarch. Eventually they arrived at the edge of their castle, floating a hundred metres off the ground, suspended on a mountain of floatstone, or at least that’s what the Cobra’s Nest called it.

It didn’t seem to bother the group as they didn’t hesitate as they reached the edge, calmly walking off the ledge and fell feet first towards the ground before remarkably slowing down and landing safely in a magical circle. As if it was a common day occurrence (which it probably was) the group began the long trudge to the centre of the city, down the hundreds of perfectly crafted white stone steps that led to the centre of the Arena. Although the commonwealth games wouldn’t start for a few hours it would be best if the patriarch arrived early, lest the other families think he was worried.

By the time the group arrived at the centre of the Cobra’s Nest the sun was high in the sky, and could be seen clearly through the snowstorm above that the shimmering barrier made sure to keep out. For the Patriarch the next few hours would be the most boring of the year. The Farrell family’s designated seating was with the other primary families and it would be impossible not to engage in small talk with the other heads of the families who would also undoubtedly arrive early.

“Exodus Farrell, we were wondering when you would arrive”. Came a cheerful voice from the seating area.

‘Talk of the devil and he shall appear’. The Patriarch inwardly groaned as he forced a smile to his face. “Roy Lin, it’s good to see you again”. The man known as Roy sat relaxed in a similar style of clothing to Exodus yet in place of the gold trimmings, were sky blue patterns that seemed to fly across the dark silk they were placed on. Exodus had never liked the man who was well liked amongst the secondary families. One should always remember his position, and to consort with those lower than himself would only breed arrogance in the lesser minds. “I wonder which of our families will bring honour to us today”.

The head of the Lin family laughed briefly. “The honour isn’t for us Exodus, but for the family. You of all people should know that”.    

The smile briefly dropped from the Patriarchs face as he replied. “So it would seem”. He opened his mouth to continue when a Young girl of perhaps sixteen years of age leaned forward to whisper in Roy’s ear. “We have company?” He asked quizzically.

“Oh where are my manners” Roy gasped as he led the girl by the hand to stand before Exodus. “Patriarch, I would like you to meet my granddaughter Aurelia”.

“A pleasure to meet you Sir”. Came the young girl’s voice, the fire in her eyes showed her personality to be different from the meek girl before him.

“I’m sure it would be”. Exodus replied quickly before turning back to Roy who was grinning with pride at the young girl. “And why, pray tell, is she here”?

“It’s her coming of age in two weeks”. Roy replied nonchalantly. “And she’ll be required to create her own cohort as is family tradition. Today the best fighters in our employment will ne here so we brought her along to take the first pick and give her a head start”.

Exodus froze briefly, yes it was custom for a child of the family to create their own personal army, but this special treatment of choosing from the best fighters was usually reserved for the upper echelons of the family. What made this girl so special that she warranted such a choice?

“She’s part demon”. Roy said pre-emptively, noticing the questioning look on Exodus’ face. “Her mother made… Strange choices. However it is all for the best, she gained the beast’s magical affinity and will serve as a strong bulwark of the Lin Family”.

Exodus forced himself not to flinch as he gave the girl another look over. She was beautiful, possessing an adorable face framed by brown hair that curled tantalisingly down her figure which had already begun to fill out in the right places. It was a scary thought to consider that such a youngster could rip him apart mentally if it weren’t for the dozens of guards that surrounded him at all times. “I see, well I hope you find what you’re looking for”. He said somewhat hesitantly. It wasn’t the strength of girl that scared him, no. Exodus himself had an entire legion filled with demons of all types, it was simply that the simple minded demons tended to follow the strong rather than those who had money. If the Lin family had such a powerful leader it was quite possible that the demons of the Cobra’s nest would rally to their side.

It was only when a series of small whispers began to emerge from the few spectators who arrived early that Exodus took his eyes off the girl before shifting his gaze so that he was looking down into the contest ring beneath him. Where at this very moment small figures began to emerge from one of the 15 entrances of the city. It was the leader that drew his attention first. A snivelling coward who Exodus himself had banished from the city three years ago. Behind him where two hulking figures that could only be some manner of giant half breeds, after them came a duo that couldn’t have been more different, a young child, presumably a girl by the long black hair that drifted casually to her feet, and a crimson demon of some description. Behind them came out a plethora of humans, some of which Exodus recognised as former Farrell slaves before the family had sent them along with his son.

Although he strained his eyes, the Farrell family stands were too far away to make out any more details of the emerging group, and Exodus could only seethe quietly as his son broke off from the group to make for the nearest door in the arena. Which upon his exit closed hastily behind him. Leaving the majority of his group pounding on the closed exit.

“Isn’t he one of yours”? Came the amused voice of Roy. “What is he playing at”?

Choosing to ignore the two questions, Exodus could only watch in shame as his youngest disinherited son scrambled up the steps towards him. It wasn’t the reappearance of a banished family member that shamed him, but the fact that the man was in full view of each of his rival families. However Exodus held his emotions as Antonius knew he would. After all, a family must at least appear united, lest the other families take advantage of the internal conflict.

“Antonius”, Exodus’ voice rang out with false pleasantness. “It is good to see you again, though tell me, why have you returned”?

“Father”! Came the exhausted voice of Antonius Farrell. “Three years ago you were forced to banish me, but now I have returned to regain my rightful place amongst the family”.

Exodus sighed softly. He remembered that little lie. He had indeed told Farrell he had been forced to banish him, when in reality his embarrassments had simply outweighed his usefulness. “Unfortunately child, I can’t simply accept you back into the family, you know this”.

“I do Father, which is why I request a trial by combat!”

“Accepted, and I’m guessing that group down there will fight for your sake”?

A slight hesitation, “they are all willing father”.

An obvious lie, and a small ball of pity for the warriors down in the ring grew in Exodus’ heart. He would of course go along with this farce, by sending a few elite soldiers into the ring he could be rid of the pesky nuisance that refused to leave his side. “You” Exodus suddenly spoke to the golden robed guard to his left. “Prepare the golden legion, though before they get here tell them to take it easy on the group, we wouldn’t want any unnecessary casualties. Also, prepare a gold coin for each of their combatants, I won’t have them be unrewarded for going though such a trial”. No one felt an inkling of surprise over the words as even though Exodus had more than his fair share of elitism, he was in no way cruel and his kind treatment of those around him was one of the many reasons he was still the head of his family.

“Yes sir”! Shouted the guard who ran from the stands to fetch Exodus’ own legion. The barracks was only a few blocks away so it wouldn’t take long before they arrived. Before then Exodus would set the stage.

The Patriarch of the Farrell family took a steadying breath is he stepped to the edge of his stand for all to see. “Brave warriors, I must thank you for bringing my son back to me, and I must also thank you for agreeing to fight for him to resolve his banishment”. Exodus grimaced as the panic began to become more evident in the civilians below, he would punish his son later for putting such people in this position. “However, let it be known that none of you will die today, we assure you that a variety of mages will tend to any wounds you receive, though I must ask that in turn you do not make any fatal blows of your own against your adversaries”. Exodus smiled as a few of the figures still capable of thinking rationally nodded in understanding. “Good, I must also warn each of you that today you will be fighting under the watchful eye of the four main families, fight well today and you will thrive here. That is all”!    

With that said the Patriarch turned, making his way back to his seat to find his infernal son sitting beside him. “If I were you” he spoke calmly, “I would hope that they win, after all. You will not get another chance”.

“I know father”! I even went far south to find those half giants, they are the best of the best. They even killed a great entity on the way here.

“And you saw this did you”?

A hesitation again. “Well no not really, I was doing important work at the time and I couldn’t see out from the cart you gave me”.

A vein began to throb in the Patriarchs forehead. How he had given birth to such a pathetic excuse for a human was beyond him. Regardless, after today he would be long gone. A memory that would no longer bring him years of headaches.

“Sir”, came another voice from behind the Patriarch. As a black skinned demon wearing a long golden cloak leaned down to whisper into his ear. “I know you want the brat gone, but why bother fetching the golden legion. You could have sent me down, or do you not have any confidence for your strongest fighter”.

“Calm down Liriel. I’m saving you for the games later, but if it seems the legion is having trouble I will send you down. But not before then”.

A grunt was the only reply he got as the demon straightened up behind him. Looking thoroughly fed up with being on the sidelines. Exodus was saved from further questioning however when five demons entered the arena. Demonic hounds to be precise. That stood three metres tall on their hind legs with three separate heads that gnashed threateningly at those already in the arena.  Each hound was armoured to the teeth with golden coloured plate armour and golden cloaks made from interlocking scales from an unknown monster. They each held great broadswords, far too big to be carried by a human, yet lifted easily by the monstrosities in gold.

“You bring out demonic creatures against an unknown enemy”? Came Roy’s chiding voice.

“If it was too easy to re-join the family then banishing them would be pointless”, Exodus replied curtly.

“If you say so”. Said Roy once again as he made himself comfortable to watch the show.

The five hounds didn’t waste a second, sprinting at a speed that would have seemed natural if they were on four legs. Exodus noticed that they didn’t bother to go for the civilians but instead chose to focus on the eight figures standing their ground in the centre of the arena.

The younger giant met them first, swinging his axe to deflect a broadsword aimed at his legs, before literally punching away one of the heads that swayed too close. The other hounds rushed past, looking at the more easy prey.

The way the group positioned themselves was as follows. The red demon and the taller giant braced themselves before four of the hounds that made it past the first giant still desperately charging forward. While five human sized figures stood behind them. One of the human figures drew a thin rapier before standing in between his two larger allies while three others began chanting and raising their hands. Flinging pieces of the arena floor and arrows made of light at the charging demons. The last just stood there, seemingly confident that the others were perfectly capable of holding their own. Exodus laughed quickly at his optimism as he watched the dogs whether the projectiles and close in on the group.

What happened next silenced the whole arena as just before the Hounds reached the group the taller giant simultaneously stepped beneath a Hounds lunging broadsword and dropped his axe.  Before literally grabbing the middle neck of the first hound and back handing the second. What surprised the crowd was that this apparently casual back hand launched the second dog over fifty metres where it fell down upon the sandy floor of the arena, unmoving. As if what the giant had done wasn’t amazing enough the first dog that had been grabbed was then slammed to into the floor. Incapacitating it as well.  

The remaining two hounds ceased their charge, whilst not overly intelligent they both understood that the giant was out of their league. However, they would soon realise that the giant wasn’t the primary concern as the crimson demon flashed forward, taking advantage of their momentary hesitation as its great halberd covered in a blazing fire seemed to jump between the two remaining dogs which fell to the ground, burnt and bleeding yet not dead. Quickly glancing back to where the first hound had engaged with the younger giant Exodus could only gape as the battle was already finished, with the younger giant standing victoriously while the hound tried to reattach a lost leg.

Immediately medical personal filled the arena knocking out and dragging away the fallen hounds. Leaving the sand bare, with only a few patches of blood being the only evidence that a fight had occurred at all.

Not even Roy said anything as he leaned forward in his chair, hands clutching the arm rests tightly. “Liriel”, Exodus muttered in the confusion.

“Yes my lord”, came the excited voice.

“Take ten hounds and end this farce before we lose any more face”.

“I would be enough my lord”.

“I said take ten hounds. We cannot afford to lose right before the commonwealth games”. A grunt once more sounded behind him before Liriel dissolved into the wind, reappearing at the gate, where he led ten fresh hounds into the arena. The Patriarch pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. ‘Why did Antonius bring these monsters before the four families, when he hadn’t ascertained their loyalty, surely after this the families would descend like carrion birds upon the group, trying to convince the two powerhouses that their family would be the most lucrative.

A quick thought made the Patriarch’s head spin to the girl sitting beside Roy. Perhaps she would make a move to rope the red demon into her new army. How could the timing have been any worse?

Watching from the stand, the Patriarch waited in anticipation as the Hounds bounded towards the group of unknowns. The heads shaking in undisguised fury, as they scrambled over the top of each other in their haste to be the first to sink their teeth in.

As for Liriel, he laughed sadistically as he moved swiftly between the Hound hoard. Dodging between them as magical projectiles thundered around him, drawing countless splashes of blood which the Hounds seemed to ignore. “Magic really is the only way to combat magic”. The demon laughed to itself as it began to reach for the mana inside it. Diving into his core to feel the boiling mana, rippling and straining to burst free, though as he tried to draw it from the surface it became unresponsive.

“What”? The dark demon whispered frantically to itself, of all the times where it wouldn’t work, why now! Desperately searching for the answer Liriel followed the mana trails up to his palms before finding each of the dozens of mana points on his hands barred by a foreign power. “When”? The demon whispered to himself. To inject mana into a mana point was a skill based on precision, to even block a single point required a certain amount of skill. But for the opponent to close every single point. Without him feeling it and in the small amount of time that Liriel had attempted to charge over was insane!

There was no time to hesitate, instead Liriel drew a small knife hidden in a small pouch beneath his cloak and shadowed the Hounds. Once again showing impressive feats of agility as he dodged past the maelstrom of flesh and projectiles until he was at the front of the pack.

He left the younger giant to three Hounds. Unlike everyone else Liriel had paid attention to every aspect of the previous fight, and whilst the younger giant had won his fight, it had been a close battle. Now that the giant had three times the number of opponents he didn’t stand a chance. No there were three main problems, the first was the overwhelming power and skill from the elder giant. The second was the speed and technique of the crimson demon and the last was the unknown magician. The third was most likely one of the individuals launching the projectiles and would be taken care of swiftly once the first two were removed.

And so, Liriel launched himself at the giant. Twisting around a flying yet unconscious body of a hound that had been slightly too enthusiastic about fighting the giant. Before thrusting forward his serrated knife in a series of faints and snake like strikes. To his credit the giant held his own, deflecting the majority of the blows with the palms of his hands before leaping back just as the knife was about to separate him from his intestines.

The giant let out a sigh of relief as his feet nimbly landed on the ground, barely disturbing the sand as they shifted slightly to regain the partial loss of balance. “It seems as though there is someone worth fighting here after all”, came the rugged voice of the giant. As he scooped his discarded battle axe off the ground, finally resting it in his hands after a quick flourish.

“So it would seem”. Liriel grunted before spiriting forwards. “Unfortunately I can’t say the same thing”.  To the eyes of many Liriel seemed to disappear. Blurring into nonexistence as he moved in a way only demons could. Completely avoiding the falling axe that had been the giants last line of defence before bringing his small knife to rest in the giants stomach. With a cruel twist Liriel withdrew the blade, still soaked in the odd pus that made up a giants outer layer. Meanwhile the elder giant crumpled to the ground clutching his wound, hopefully taken out of the battle.

A grin spread out on the dark skinned demons face as he once again became a blur of motion that skirted around the hounds currently tying up the crimson demon and the silver haired human. Before finding himself in front of the three members of the group that help no type of close combat weapon. Who upon seeing the defeat of the elder giant, doubled their effort, tripling the size of the projectiles shooting towards Liriel.

“Petty human magic”, the demon laughed, as he sidestepped a particularly large chunk of ground that rocketed past, only to hit a hound behind him which flew backwards several dozen metres before regaining its feet in a moment of complete disorientation.

The three humans never knew what hit them as the black blur fleetingly traversed between them, knocking each of them cold with a simple palm to the back of their heads. “Rest easy”, the demon muttered condescendingly before aligning its gaze with the final member of the group. An infant incubus, with long black hair that fell to his feet. “A beautiful but harmless specimen”. Liriel muttered to himself. “Look kid, if you lie down ill knock you out quickly, no use struggling against a real demon”.

Whatever reaction Liriel had expected, a relaxed smile hadn’t been it. The child, eerily calm simply gazed in… pity? “Blue, it’s over now, you can let him go”. Liriel hadn’t moved since the child opened his mouth. The quite sentence still hung in the air, like a wisp of perfect clarity that echoed inside his mind. Such a level of magic in the voice of a mere incubus was impossible.

A manic laugh tore the demon from his thoughts. **But it’s been so long since I’ve had such a capable subject**. The sadistic speech came from within Liriel’s own head as a blue trail of smoke emerged from his ear, only to slowly float over to the incubus who’s hand clenched tightly around it.

This was accompanied by Liriel’s entire world melting away into an abyss of blue, as the space around him warping slowly but surely into comprehension. Until finally Liriel found himself once again in the arena of the Cobra’s nest. However now the situation was vastly different. He stood alone on the far side of the arena, crouched in a fighting stance aimed at an enemy that was not there. While far to his right stood the intruding group. Standing completely untouched over a pile of defeated hounds.

“An illusion”! Liriel spluttered. For him to fall to a bloody illusion! “Damn you all to hell”, the demon screamed in a mixture of fury and embarrassment. He knew what it meant. The entire fight would have consisted of him striking the air randomly as those watching from above laughed as he brought disgrace to the Farrell family. What this group of unknowns had done was ruin his life in the Cobra’s nest whether they knew it or not. For what family would display him as their celebrated fighter after such an embarrassment.

So in a bestial rage the demon roared. Blurring into obscurity in a way that made his movement during the illusion look like child’s play, each step bringing him closer to the damn incubus and its blue pet. “I’ll kill you”! He screeched moments before he was slammed to the ground. An invisible force pressed against his back and making movement impossible.

Exodus gazed on from above, fingers white after gripping the edge of his chair since the beginning of the fight. The hounds had been defeated almost instantly as his best fighter had been slashing the air on the opposite end of the arena. Such a disgrace had been unprecedented in the Cobra’s nest. The worst part lay in the fact that today was a competition, meaning all the family heads would be watching, judging silently but laughing in their hearts. And now, his prized fighter lay on the floor as an unknown magic pinned him to the ground. Searching the arena Exodus noted the demon child’s outstretched hand and a new anger bubbled in his heart. A child was effortlessly disposing of his prized warrior. He could no longer watch as he stood from his seat before walking quickly from the stands. Heading back to the castle dedicated to the Farrell family, stopping for the briefest of instances to tell a golden robed guard to pay each member of the group brought by Farrell. Whilst he loathed to do it, a promise was a promise after all. And to back out of one when the great families had witnessed its making would be a poor decision.

Today was supposed to be a memorable occasion true. But not like this. No, today was meant to be the day in which the Farrell family secured their position in the mercenary group. “Father, did you see! The group I brought back has fought for my place in the family. I can now re-join the family and bring you honour once again”. Unbeknownst to Exodus, his son had seen his departure and rushed to keep up with him.

Exodus fought to reign in his emotions, anger was not something to be acted upon and he would be damned if he did something he would regret. “Not now Antonius, today’s events has left me with a lot to think about. However, true to my word you may now re-enter the Farrell family”, and with a final glance at his sorry excuse of a son. The patriarch began his long climb that would hopefully allow him to rant and shout in his chambers, undisturbed by the cruelness of the world.

Antonius for his part, grinned in pleasure before turning on his heels, striding confidently back into the arena. The guards knowing that he was now reinstated amongst the Farrell ranks, bowed easily. Before moving aside and opening the chain linked gates.

Briefly poking his head through the open door Antonius said casually to the group eyeing him expectantly, “your contract is at an end. I must thank you all for helping me regain my rightful place here. You may all be on your way”. With a flick of his wrist, the guards responsible for opening the gate to the outside sprang into action. Opening the once dormant door to the underground tunnel that would lead them outside.

“If the contract ends then you still owe us the money you promised”. Came the disgruntled voice of the elder giant. It was obvious he hadn’t known about the sudden termination of employment.

“The money we owed you has been paid with the food you and your companions were given”. Chuckled Antonius. “But I am a generous man”. With nimble fingers he reached into his pocket before withdrawing a single silver coin. “Here, share it amongst your friends, but beware. Don’t spend it all at once”, and with a gleeful laugh Antonius tossed the coin into the arena, where it came to a sudden stop upon hitting the sandy floor.

The arena fell into silence as the door leading to Antonius closed.  It was too far away from the stands for the families to hear what was said but it was clear to all that the Farrell family had cut whatever ties it may have had with the group. So naturally the shouting came. A group strong enough to defeat an equal number of Exodus’ personal army was well worth fighting over and in an instant the commonwealth games became the second most important thing that day.

However, sitting in silence amongst the families desperately shouting offers were Roy and his Granddaughter. “Which ones do you want”? Roy said easily, his hand already reaching for his back pocket, where his fingers closed around a small pouch that clinked satisfyingly at the touch.

“That one”. The girl replied, simply pointing to the smallest figure in the arena. Who had seemingly done very little in the fight over all.

Roy eyes quickly glanced over to meet Aurelia’s where he saw her usually chestnut brown eyes flashing blue. A sign that a veil of mana was currently covering them. “The final bout of magic”?

“Stronger than anything I have ever seen before”.

Wasting no more time Roy stood and began making his way down to the arena itself. Instantly Aurelia fell into step behind him, showing the necessary respect a family member gave to the leader. “Then we better make sure he is ours, remember to smile”. The older man chuckled, before taking a deep sigh and signalling to the guards to open the door once again. If all went according to plan, there would be many changes in the Cobra’s nest. All that mattered was patience and a steady hand. So with a genuine smile, the head of the Lin family strode into the well-lit sandy showground. “Time to make history”.

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

Thanks for reading. Would be great if you could leave your thoughts below, as well as any mistakes you find. I will read them all and hopefully reply.