Incline 26: Oddity Student Liadanann

"Nin... Please find me..." I let out quietly before a terrified breath drowns out my whisper. Ever since we all got separated by whatever magic was in this place... All I have ever been was alone. The sounds of humans were everywhere.

I thought, maybe, having this armour would give me confidence. But, I was incapable of feeling safe at the moment. No matter how many times my magical shield protected me from the traps in this place. And, it did not help that so many of these places reminded me of that place...

This arena I had stepped in, it was a filthy, dark and dusty place with high vantage points around the rim. It was basically a carbon copy of that place where I learned only despair. And, I don't think Nin was going to suddenly come and save me. So, I was hiding and hoping I could avoid it all.

"Shh, do you hear that?" a human girl asked what I hoped was only one other.

"Scraping?" another asked. And, I froze up because this small space I was in was tight. I couldn't help but scrape my armour or claws along the stone and sand.

"This way!" a boy told the others before I heard them rush towards my position. And, in a state of panic, I let my magic activate so I could be protected by its divine power.

"Is she one of ours?" someone asked as some of them started to prod my defences.

"She?" the same boy asked with a scoff. But, I soon heard the sound of a slap and a shock-filled groan.

"Look around you, drownedbrain!" one of the girls scolded before the boy began to mock her with mutters.

"Alright, the rest of you back away, if this isn't someone from Traditional House, we're all going to get warped out." one cautioned before the ground began to tremble. And, soon, I was staring down a worm made of wind. Or, a tunnel made of it. It did not matter.

All I could do was attack the spell that had snuck under my magic and try to escape. Yet, my awkward position only brought me out into an exposed trap. And, I couldn't help but tremble in fear. All these humans had spells ready to be fired off at me.

"Hey, hold up, isn't that...?" one began to say as their hands moved down to their sides. And, just like that, all the magic began to disappear as what seemed to be cruel joy spread across their faces.

"By the gods... It is!" one said excitedly before they all looked at me as if I was a toy. They all wanted to have a turn with me and I did not want that to happen... I could not let it happen! These humans would stay away!

"H-HEY!" one shouted when I started to run away. Yet, I would soon plummet to the ground as some kind of magic rope had tripped me.

"It's alright, we just want to ask you some questions!" one asked me with a smile while I shook and trembled on my way back to my feet.

"HELP!" I cried, much to the confusion of the humans as one of them had just proven no help was nearby. Yet, I still couldn't help but try and call for help over and over. My magic was useless! They had spells that could get around it!

"Woah, hey, calm down!" one said gently as she laid down her weapon before she slowly approached.

"Uh, Sula, this is a fight, remember?" the boy asked the girl approaching me.

"Nothing is going to happ-" this Sula confidently brushed off before I struck them when they got too close.

"STAY AWAY!" I roared before I desperately tried to claw and slam my way out of the chamber. But, something was stopping me. Some kind of force was stopping me from getting a good grip on the walls. So I just could not climb out of here!

"AH! You little-" Sula began to screech before she brushed herself off and breathe deeply.

"Should we fight her?"

"Yes, should we?" the boy asked with the greatest aggression in his voice.

"N-No, it was stupid of me to get so close to her when she's clearly terrified." Sula commented before she started to stare at me with a ponderous gaze. How dare she... I was not some curiosity! I was a living being! Not some science project!

As such, I couldn't help but growl and take on a more aggressive posture. I did not know if my armour would let me hurt these people. But, it should at least give me enough power to survive whatever they had planned for me. It had to...

My Divine Lord gifted me a power to use, and this armour was to be used in conjunction with it. However, if I was not strong enough to use it, then I only brought shame to his name. I only made my people seem weak to the world... We were clinging on, but we were not weak!

"Again, fight?" the boy asked as I started to act with increasing rabidity. If they wanted to treat me as the Tobabllians had, then I would do the same. If this place wanted to remind me of that place, I would teach them of what it taught me.

"Come on... A weapon, give me a weapon!" I demanded of my god's power as I started to hyperventilate. I did not want to stain this work of art with such bad memories. Yet, it was the only way I knew how to fight. A blade on the tail and a bladed shield on each arm.

"Sula!" one of the girls nearly screamed before she fired off some magic at me as blades formed on my wrists.

"G-Good..." I stammered out as a cold sweat covered me. This talisman could create weapons even though it made shields before. But, maybe the talisman wasn't there to make shields. Rather, to create a defence.

And, sometimes, the best defence, was an unrelenting offence.

Either way, their curiosity turned to caution and a different kind of excitement. Even now, as I tried to land a blow on their faster bodies, I was still treated like a curiosity. Was I really that weak even with this power? What was I doing wrong?

"Protect Meya!" one of them said to the others. But, that statement gave me something to work with. Was this Meya offering them some kind of advantage that their numbers needed? If so, it did not take long for me to find them amongst the humans.

"Eh!? It's chasing me!" this Meya squealed in an almost mocking manner before I was able to corner them. Despite the barrage of magic heading my way, the armour was holding up. The advanced machines in that workshop were doing what they needed to do. I may have felt the blasts that hit but they did not hurt beyond the impact.

"GET IT AWAY FROM MEYA!" one screamed before I lunged at the vulnerable witch. Yet, rather than seeing blood appear when I hit them. All I saw was a blue flash and they just disappeared.

"MEYA!" they would all scream before an unrelenting barrage suddenly came upon me. I was forced to create another dome shield around myself and I started to cower again. There was no way I could take out this many!

"Ah..." I cried before falling to the ground. All this magic was irritating my old injuries and they seemed to hurt more than they should have. What was going to happen to me if this shield broke!? Were they going to treat me like the humans back then did!?

I couldn't help but wail for Nin, surely he would come and help, right!? Right!? I couldn't do this on my own otherwise... I needed someone to help me...

"Liadanann." the talisman then said with a clear voice despite all the explosions around me. I was also not baffled by how it made me calm. How it made me feel safe...

"Yes...?" I asked the voice that I felt like I knew.

"Roar." it ordered before the talisman started to glow brighter than it did before. Then, after a brief delay of thinking about what it meant, I did as asked. I took in a deep breath, and then I let it all out with as much confidence as I could muster.

The shield that was protecting me began to break yet I could not stop roaring. I kept on going until I felt confidence seemingly pump through my veins. My doubts were gone and my mind was focused. Their attacks had not relented, but, I was not scared right now.

So, I launched at the closest one with my bladed shield and I struck at them before swiping at another. Tail and claw did I attack with. And while my armour did crack and break under their barrage. It steadily got quieter.

"Woah... So that's what you are capable of..." Sula uttered as she slowly got up after my tail sliced along her gut.

"SULA!" the boy screamed before he tried to lance me through with a close-contact magic blast. Yet, thankfully, I was able to make a shield in its path. So he instead went flying when it backfired on him.

"No... Wait..." Sula panted out before I got the chance to leap at the fallen boy.

"Quiet!" I told her before I struck at her until she disappeared in a flash.

"You... Stupid creature..." the boy mocked as he spat out blood before he collapsed.

"A bold claim coming from a human who tried to battle against the power of a god." I told him before I leapt and landed on his back. And, just like that, it was over. The humans were gone and I was safe.

"Well done." the talisman said before a strange sound came from it. Almost like when Vadei interfered with me as I did things on the airship...? I was perplexed by how it ended, but, I was thankful either way.

"Look at me, Nin. I can defend myself now." I confidently mutter with a small smile before I collapsed to the ground in pain. A strange message then suddenly appeared before me. It was asking if I wanted to quit?