Gae Bolg (3/4)

Sunlight crept through the forest canopy. With a groan, Aife stirred. When she opened her eyes, she found herself lying on the forest floor, and after getting up realizes that she is also locked in a big wooden cage, without knowing how she even got here. She would've panicked had it not been for the sound of the other person inside with her also coming to. Aife turns and sees Kihli stir before getting up and walking to him to help him wake.

"Kihli? Come on, wake up."

Aife gives the boy a gentle shake on the shoulder before sitting him upright.

"Wh- What?"

Collecting himself, Kihli looks around and sees the predicament he and Aife were in. With a frightened look, he asks Aife the obvious question:

"Where are we?"

"No clue besides that we're still in the forest," Aife said before asking, "Do you remember anything?"

Kihli struggles to recall.

"Well, I remember falling asleep last night, but next thing I know, here we are. How about you?"

"Same," Aife answered solemnly. She was doing her best to stay calm and collected while feeling as afraid as the boy before her as she helped him get on his feet. "Beats me how this happened. We need to get out of here."

She then saw Kihli staring out, wide-eyed beyond the bars of the cage.

"By we, you mean-?"

In confusion, AIfe follow's the boys gaze and to her astonishment, saw a dozen other cages nearby besides the one they were currently in, filled with other children, all distressed and frightened. It didn't take long for the two kids to recognize them as all the other children from the village.

They were all being held prisoner...

Aife looked out through the bars of each side of the cage, looking around frantically to see if one particular individual was with them. And it soon became apparent...

"I don't see Scathach anywhere," she said aloud, not knowing if that should relive or worry her. "I hope she's safe..."

"And what about us?" Kihli asked her as Aife then tried prying the door to cage open with no success. "Why are we being held here? Who could-?"

"Shhh-!" Aife cut him, hearing footsteps approaching from the bushes, then whispering to the boy. "Someone's coming!"

Aife took a couple steps away from the barred door, and Kihli went up beside her. Instinctively, Aife hugs him protectively, fearing the worst.

And her fears were justified...

Two men in cloaks and masks emerged before them, followed by an armored soldier. They made rounds, passing by all the cages, scaring the other children into silence. Watching them, Kihli whispered to the girl.

"Aife... I'm scared."

Aife gives the boy a reassuring rub on the shoulder, trying to be brave.

"It's going to be okay, Kihli..."

But she knew it wasn't. Aife recognized these figures as the same barbarian tribe who attacked Her's and Scathach's village, and could only mean bad things if they were the ones holding them all captive. Her heart sank when the trio of men stopped in front of their cage and unlocked it. The two children stood frozen as the soldier entered the cage and address them.

"You two are coming with us."

"No thanks," Aife defied in a fleeting display of courage, dashed as soon as the soldier drew his sword.

"I wasn't asking..." He said as he gestured to the men behind him. The two cloaked figures came inside to grab Aife and Kihli, separating them. They struggled in their grasps as they were forced out and led away from the other cages.

As Aife tried in vain to fight back, she saw once they've turned the corner that they were in a large encampment filled with tents, chopped down trees, racks full of weapons and more than dozens of other soldiers along with a few more cloaked/masked individuals. She even spotted one such person appearing to cast a spell on the outskirts of the camp as if he was erecting a wall. Aife couldn't stop to observe as she and Kihli were forced through the encampment and stop in front of the largest tent.

"Chieftain," the soldier called. "We have two more for inspection."

Aife stared at the entrance of this tent, and the person who emerged was immediately recognizable and instilled instant fear and anger in her...

---

//Meanwhile//

Scathach continued trekking through the forest as morning broke, following the echo of the foreign invaders who took Aife and Kihli. With her newly remade spear, Scathach felt ready to meet whatever was waiting for her at the end of this trail. She was not going to let anything prevent her from getting her sister and the other kids back.

Taking Aife, Kihli, and the other children... these bastards made a big mistake...

Coming at the top of a hill, Scathach kept following the echoes until they suddenly disappeared. Scathach stood there, looking around while feeling perplexed. There was no sign of other barbarians, much less all the children. The surrounding forest appeared normal and untouched.

"The trail stops here," Scathach said, collecting her wits with growing suspicion. "But something's not right..."

She knew the barbarians had mages with them, and just they have used magecraft to kidnap all the children, Scathach figured that they could be using it to cover their tracks. She reached out her hand and felt around, taking a few small steps forward-

!

She felt resistance. Trying again, Scathach pushed her hand against an invisible force, straining to break through, only for it to push back harder. Letting go, she summoned her spear, Gae Bolg, remembering that she put a disenchantment rune on it when she reshaped it. Bringing up the blade of her spear, Scathach slowly "cuts" a vertical slit in the invisible barrier, one just big enough for her to squeeze through. She dematerializes her spear and passed through the opening she has made. Once on the other side, she gasped and quickly ducked behind a bush.

The section of forest before was almost entirely cut down, replaced with an encampment full of other barbarians. Peering through the bush, Scathach surveys the camp, noting the section of deforestation, slaves collecting wood, soldiers patrolling and cloaked figures putting up enchantments along the perimeter. She spots the tents and cages on the far side of the field, and decides to circle around to get closer. Scathach wraith-dashes up a nearby tree and traverses across the canopy silently. Dashing over the heads of unsuspecting soldiers stationed in the brush, Scathach eventually stops on a high branch overlooking the main camp. From her perch, Scathach sees the numerous tents and weapon racks, along with the cages full of children from the village. Surveying further, her heart wrenched when she saw Aife and Kihli brought before the largest tent in the camp by a group of three men.

-Aife!-

Before she could jump in and rescue them, she heard the soldier with them call out, using her enhanced hearing:

"Chieftain, we have two more for inspection."

Scathach observed a man in ornate armor emerge from the tent, and her gut wrenched at the site of him. He was well-built and towered over his subordinates.

She recognized him... he was the one who first locked up Scathach and Aife into cages after their village was destroyed, and he was the one who sent soldiers after them when the sisters made a break for this forest.

Scathach looked on as the Chieftain walked menacingly over the captive Aife and Kihli. She fought the urge to charge down and confront him lest putting Aife in Kihli in more danger. The lone soldier and mages bowed briefly in respect as the Chieftain stopped before them.

"Are these the last ones from the settlement?"

"The last of which we could abduct," the soldier told him. "The mages that we've sent reported that there was one remaining child in the village that managed to resist the trance."

"Well, isn't that unfortunate," the Chieftain remarked sarcastically, displeased with the news. "However, if there was one child mage in that decrepit place, there must be more. Perhaps these two haven't awakened their circuits yet. The rest so far have proved to be lacking in any magic potential."

The Chieftain then pulled out a small crystal from a pouch in his outfit.

"Let's start with the boy," he motioned to Kihli. "On your knees!"

Kihli was forced down by the mage who held him, and struggled fearfully. Aife thrashes against her captor, trying in vain to stop them from hurting Kihli. She was forced to watch as the Chieftain leaned down and held the crystal in front of Kihli. The crystal eventually glowed, but when nothing else seemed to happen, the Chieftain was once again displeased.

"Another like the others," he said in frustration before getting up and ordering the mage holding the boy: "Put this one back with the other empty shells."

Kihli was led away back to the cages, leaving a distressed Aife alone and surrounded by her captors. When the Chieftain turned to her, he paused.

"Wait," he said suspiciously. "I recognize you, lass. You were the one of the runts we've rounded up before, and then slipped through our fingers."

Aife stayed silent and glared at the man as she was still being held. The Chieftain continued.

"We are missing one child from your new home," he said tauntingly, leaning down to meet Aife at eye level. "That wouldn't happen to be your sister per chance, would it? Is she a mage? Tell me-"

Aife cut him off by spitting in the Chieftain's face. In response, he backhanded her across the face and Aife fell on her knees. Witnessing this, Scathach seethed. Aife was trying to protect her sister but the Chieftain punished her for it.

"Foolish little runt!" the Chieftain chastised as he wiped his face, and pulled out his crystal again. He clenched Aife's bottom jaw and forced her to face him. The girl's face was stained with tears as she thrashed against her bonds. The Chieftain's crystal glowed as he held it in front of Aife.

And unlike with Kihli, something happened. When the crystal touched her, glowing lines appeared over Aife's frail body, which only went away once the Chieftain was satisfied and retracted his crystal. Scathach's face morphed into one of shock at the sight.

-Magic circuits... my sister IS a mage!-

The Chieftain at last let go of Aife and stood up. He then addressed his subordinates.

"This one's a keeper. Tie her up and leave her in my tent. We are going to find her sister and bring them to the Zealots."

One of the mages complied and started tying Aife's hands behind her back.

"What do you want us to do with the other kids?" asked the soldier. "Kill them?"

"I rather we put them to work first," replied the Chieftain as Aife was handed over to him. "We need to cut out a path through the forest. Once we get our siege weapons through, we level the village and assault the fortress. Start rounding up our new slaves."

"Yes sir."

Having overheard, Scathach was perplexed.

-They want to attack the fortress? Why?-

Before she could even think about it, The Chieftain started pulling Aife towards his tent, all while talking down to her.

"Don't you worry lass. Your sister will be joining you soon enough, once we've captured her..."

"Bastard! Let me go!" Aife struggled against him as they've disappeared into the tent. Scathach decided it was time to go down and rescue her and the other children. Hopping down from her perch silently, she hid behind a bush and peered through the branches watching guards walk by obliviously. She surveyed the tent again and saw the Chieftain emerge and head towards the cages, leaving it unguarded. Seizing her chance, Scathach stood up to sneak over-

!

She was suddenly grabbed and pulled backwards behind a nearby tree. Scathach tries to yell, but her unknown assailant covered her mouth, so she starts thrashing and pulling at his arms in an attempt to free herself when...

"Shhh..."

Scathach froze when she realized the assailant was only holding her still and out of sight from the rest of the camp. She slowly let's go of the person's arms and falls silent, assured she was not in immediate danger. That was when the assailant relaxed his grip on her, allowing Scathach to turn and see who this interloper was.

She already knew by the time she got a look at his face-

"You weren't being very mindful of your surroundings..." the Shadow criticized. Scathach figured that he must have followed her into the camp without her knowing.

"Apparently," Scathach bitterly mused, not knowing how the Shadow tailed her without her senses picking up on his presence. "How long?"

"Since just before you've breached the Boundary Field," he told her as they kept hidden on the edge of the woods. "It's been hiding this camp so that I wouldn't sense them. I then followed behind you."

"Babysitting me?" Scathach asked rhetorically, her tone unfriendly upon remembering the last time she and her mentor spoke. "Then you've must have seen the village..."

"I was wondering why you didn't show up at the fortress at dawn," he said before his tone then turned serious. "Yes... a friend of yours filled me in."

"Fimir," Scathach deduced, but with her mentor intruding on her, she had no time to discuss things further. "I appreciate the help, but I can handle things here just fine. Now if you'll excuse me-"

"Wait lass!" the Shadow whispered, pulling Scathach towards him by the arm before she had the chance to leave cover.

"What?!" Scathach snapped impatiently without raising her voice.

"First of all, don't take that tone with me," The Shadow chastised as Scathach tried wrenching her arm free. "Second, you don't know what kind of people you're dealing with here."

"Yes, I do," Scathach insisted, feeling like every second wasted only put the children in more danger. "These are the barbarians who destroyed my home and countless others including Fimir's. I've watched them slaughter my whole village!"

"This isn't just any barbarian tribe lass..." the Shadow revealed. Scathach stopped and stared right into his eyes, realizing what he was implying. She pulled her arm free at the Shadow's reluctance, but did not walk away.

"What do you know about them?" Scathach asked in a low voice. The Shadow obliges:

"They call themselves the Heralds of The Sovereign. Think of them as a militaristic cult... one that has existed for as long as human civilization has. Every brutal thing they do is all for one purpose..."

"And what is that?"

"It's in the name, lass... they are heralding the return of their God..."

-Their God...- Scathach didn't like the sound of that. Rather than learning more from the Shadow, she decided it was best to save that for another time. She turned back to survey the camp and the many soldiers patrolling. If what her mentor said about these people were true, then their devotion coupled with their cruel savagery made them more dangerous than she thought they were. Peering to the children trapped in the cages, there was one lingering question she had to ask.

"What do they want with the children?"

Coming beside her, the Shadow tells her:

"My guess is... They are looking for any potential mages among them like you and your sister, turning them into acolytes. The Heralds look to expand their influence through magecraft, and they'll get any mages they find to serve them... willingly or otherwise. The rest are collateral..."

Scathach felt her blood boil at the thought of her sister and Kihli being forced to serve this sick cult until they are ultimately expended. She would kill them all before she allowed that to happen.

"Monsters..." she seethed under her breath. "ALL of them."

The Shadow puts a hand on her shoulder, staving her anger momentarily.

"Listen. They will keep Aife alive, but if any spot you they will start killing the children. You've got to be smart about this."

Heeding him, Scathach focuses and visually determines her path through the camp to reach the children. The question was what to do after she frees them. The cages were in the middle of the camp, and a literal army of soldiers all around. Scathach could not engage them lest risking the children getting hurt or worse.

"I can get to the cages, but I can't free all the children at once. They'll slow me down and raise alarm from the other soldiers."

"I have a plan for that," the Shadow revealed. "You go free the children and signal me when you do. Take out any cultists in your way, but DON'T kill them..."

That last set of instruction caused Scathach to look back at him in dismay.

"What?! Why n-?"

She cuts herself off when it became apparent the Shadow disappeared.

"-Aaaand he's gone..." she said to herself in annoyance at her mentor's antics. Scathach then stamps down her frustration and focuses her attention back to finding her way to the cages undetected.

-Guess it's up to me then...-

Scathach waits for a patrolling guard to pass and she wraith-dashes across the road into a lone bush. Peering through the leaves, she sees another guard standing close by with his back turned. Making sure no one else was watching, Scathach summoned her spear and leapt out to gag the panicked guard with the shaft. Using her strength, she pulls the guard off his feet into the bush, and then with a twirl, Scathach knocks him out with the blunt end of her spear to whack the guard across the head. The guard goes limp, and lies out cold in the shrubbery where nobody would find him.

"Sweet dreams..." Scathach remarks as she banishes her spear in a puff of smoke before moving on once the coast was clear.

Meanwhile, a Herald mage was busy fortifying the Bounded Field around the camp. He stood casting a spell near the tree-line, well away out of sight from patrolling guards. The mage stopped when he heard footsteps behind him and turned to look, only to find the Shadow walking up to him. The mage panicked and drew a knife, only for the Shadow to knock it out of his hand and grab him. The mage was helpless as he was pushed head-first against a tree, knocking him out. The Shadow casually tossed his limp body into a ravine, and he began drawing a rune against the Boundary Field.

Back to Scathach, who was getting closer to where the children were being held. She saw a pair of guards in front of Kihli's cage, and listened in.

"Look at this scrawny kid. I bet he won't last ten minutes of movin' logs."

"I disagree... I think he won't last five."

Standing up against the bars of his cage, Kihli had been listening to these guards debating how best to work him as a slave for the past few minutes, and frankly he was getting tired of it. Despite his tears from earlier, Kihli tried acting brave by threatening his captors.

"You just wait 'til I get out of here! I'm gunna-!"

"You'll what, lad?" one guard amused. "There ain't nothin' that a little runt like you can do to us! You think we're scared of some kid in a cage?"

The guard jabbed Kihli away from the bars with the blunt end of spear, poking him in the stomach and knocking him over. The other guard taunted him.

"Besides, no one from your town knows you're here. Your mum ain't coming to save ya'! We own you now!"

The guards laughed as Kihli seethed, choking back tears at this humiliation before his captors. He sat back up and briefly froze when he looked past the guards and saw a certain "someone" sneak up behind them. Kihli then gathers his resolve and taunts them back.

"You own me, huh?" he said with a cocky smile. "It seems to me that you are the ones about to get owned..."

That immediately made the guards stop laughing.

"What did you just say, you brat?" one guard questioned.

"You know," Kihli challenged, keeping both his captors distracted. "You're both going down..."

"Shut up!" the guard was annoyed now. "We got this entire camp patrolled non-stop. No monsters getting in thanks to the Bounded Field. Quit dreamin' kid!"

"It seems this runt still got some backbone," the other mused to his disgruntled colleague while Scathach crept closer while drawing a rune. "We should remind him again that we're in control."

"Oh yeah?" taunted Kihli. "Want to think again? Look behind you..."

"Look behind? You think we're stupid, runt?!" said the now angry guard, neither him nor his colleague paying heed much to Kihli's amusement. "That does it! I ain't waiting to work you to death, slave! How about I instead put you out of your misery right n-?!"

(Bzzzzt!)

Scathach casted her lightning rune and electrocuted both of the guards, making them collapse into unconsciousness. Kihli immediately stood up and ran up to the side of the cage to greet her.

"Scathach!" he said joyously. "Am I glad to see you!"

"Likewise..." Scathach replies. "Smart of you to distract of those guards. Stand back..."

Kihli obeys and takes a step backwards. Scathach twirls and breaks the lock on the cage with her spear. She opens the door and immediately Kihli runs up and hugs her. Scathach returns the embrace in full.

"I knew you'd come. I just knew it!"

Breaking away, Kihli goes on to tell her:

"Listen. They have Aife, and they're going to attack the village next!"

"They are not going to stop there," Scathach reveals. "But we're not going to let them anywhere past this camp. Help me free the other kids before more guards come..."

They then went to work opening the other cages, freeing more children. Scathach estimated that there were several dozen children held in this camp, and it was going to difficult getting everyone out of here, especially considering a crowd this big does not move very fast. Once everyone was gathered, Scathach conjured a rune and shot a red orb of mana into the air, signaling her mentor.

-That is going to put the whole camp on high alert,- Scathach thought as she could already here the chatter of nearby guards shouting and ordering each other after seeing her signal. -Shadow better act fast...-

Come a whole army of soldiers, Scathach was not worried for herself but for the safety of the children. She didn't know if she can protect them all...

"There! Prisoners are escaping!"

She can already hear them coming. The barbarians will be within sight soon, and all the children were starting to get scared-

(SHATTER)

Everyone looked up to see the transparent shroud of the camp's Boundary Field break and shatter like glass, dissolving into mana as the enemy soldiers and mages stopped to witness the damage unfold, much to their astonishment. The Chieftain left his tent to look up at the collapsing field, before quickly calling on some soldiers and mages to follow him back inside. Silence filled the air, as within seconds, a thick fog rolled in and obstructed visibility throughout the camp. Suddenly, Scathach understood the Shadow's plan immediately.

And she was horrified...

"Everyone," She called out to the kids, as hushed as possible as to not alert the soldiers OR the monsters that came with this fog. "Hold on to each other and stay close. Do not speak unless I say you can."

The children were shaking were fear, and some even cried, but they all obeyed and huddled in a tight group. Kihli held the hand of a little girl as he afterwards reached for Scathach's.

"What is happening?" Kihli whispered as Scathach held his hand with her left; her spear held tight in the other.

"Where are they?!"

"I can't see them!"

"Then spread out you fools! Capture them!"

Scathach and the children heard the cries of confused soldiers, stuck in disarray at the sudden turn of events. She went on to explain to the boy as everyone walked carefully in unison into the fog:

"The Boundary Field not only hid the barbarians from my mentor, but from the creatures in this forest as well. The fog is giving us cover while they will be distracted by the Draugr."

"That's crazy!" Kihli exclaimed under his breath.

"It wasn't my idea," Scathach remarked as they ventured slowly through the camp. The chatter of the soldiers was eventually drowned out by the growls of the Draugr, soon replaced with screams and the blood splatter. Walking on, they stumble over the corpses of dead soldiers. Scathach had to stamp down her anxiety as the children grew increasingly distressed, both at the sight of dead bodies and the distant sounds of terror around them. She led the children to where she believed Aife's tent was located, as there was no way that Scathach was leaving without her-

A girl's scream grabbed her attention, and Scathach saw a Draugr armed with a rusted sword emerge from the fog and charge at the helpless children. Letting go of Kihli, Scathach immediately turned into wraith form and dashed between the group of kids and rematerialized to impale the intruder with her spear before the Draugr could touch any of them. The creature's body went limp and fell, but there was no time to celebrate as Scathach turned when she heard another one approach from the other side of the group.

"Drop!" Scathach ordered as she drew a fire rune, and the children ducked as she casted, blasting away the incoming Draugr into the mist.

"Scathach!" Kihli said in a panic. Scathach immediately dashed back in front of him and deflected a sword-swipe that would've taken the boy's head off before beheading the Draugr with her spear and kicked its twitching corpse away. She stands panting as Kihli stood in shock.

"Well..." he said, collecting himself. "That was..."

"Yeah..." Scathach finished for him, not in the mood for praise right now. She grabbed Kihli's hand again and led everyone on.

-That was too close...- Scathach thought. It was one thing taking on these creatures herself, but it was another matter entirely to protect children while doing so. She may be immortal, but none of the kids were. Any mistake on her part would be costly. They continued on to where Scathach was sure the Heralds were holding Aife, yet she felt something was off...

She hadn't heard any more cultist soldiers since the chaos started, nor she had expected so few corpses lying around, including the ones the group walked over. Scathach was sure there still be more soldiers despite some being killed by the Draugr. Where was everybody?

Scathach did not feel safe until the group came up to the tents where the Chieftain's was located. Thankfully there was enough cover around them for the children to hide from the Draugr.

"Everyone, inside here," Scathach directed the children into the Chieftain's tent, which was large and spacious enough to hide all of them. Once they were inside...

"Aife-?"

They quickly discover that the tent was empty, and from the looks of the myriad of supplies and racks thrown about, it was cleared out in a hurry. This confirmed what Scathach had suspected; the elites and the Chieftain had already fled, and they have taken Aife with them.

"Where have they taken her?" Kihli asks, having also pieced together everything from the sight before them. Before Scathach could even think about it, she gasped when she heard noises from outside.

"Get away from the walls!" she said in a panic. Before she knew it, the walls of the tent were being torn open, letting in bloodthirsty Draugr, making some of the children scream. Kihli directed the children into a tight group again as Scathach wraith-dashed to engage. She cut them down as the came but more creatures came flooding in every-which way. With them trapped inside, Scathach couldn't risk using any elemental magic lest hurting the kids or burning down the tent.

And it made her life more difficult at the moment...

Kihli made everyone duck-down as Scathach frantically dashed around to kill any Draugr before they got near them, seemingly ignoring her and going for the vulnerable children. Things became even more problematic when the roof of the tent was being torn to shreds, and to everyone's horror could see Fell-beasts hovering above them and tearing away canvas with their claws. The tent was completely destroyed by the time Scathach quickly dealt with any remaining Draugr and summoned copies of her spear to impale the winged-nightmares in midair.

But not before one managed to grab Kihli by its feet and started to fly off with him.

The boy screamed in terror as he was carried off. Scathach reinforced her legs and packed all the mana she could into a powerful jump upwards, flying several feet up to collide with the Fell-beast and grab it around its neck. The creature spun and thrashed about until Scathach summoned her spear and sliced its chest open, killing and making it drop Kihli. The boy plummets and screams, and Scathach dives down to grab him. They meet in freefall as she wraps her arms protectively around the boy. Scathach reorients them both and channeled mana into her legs. The group of kids below back away just before Scathach lands feet-first on the ground, kicking up earth on impact with Kihli in her arms.

The children stand frozen in awe as Scathach, breathing heavily, takes a moment to assess the shaken boy in her grasp, but who was relatively unharmed.

"Are you okay?"

Still a bit in shock, Kihli nods, and Scathach stands him up. With no more creatures around, and the fog starting to thin, the children begin to whisper and chatter amongst themselves.

"Did you see all of that?"

"Yeah, she can fly!"

"She took them on, all by herself!"

"They didn't stand a chance!"

"With the witch-girl here, we are safe!"

But just then, the ground started to shake, causing everyone to fall silent. Acting quickly, Scathach quickly casted a rune that caused the group children to separate, just as a Legless burst from the ground beneath their feet and missing the kids by its jaws. The creature reorients and Scathach summons her spear in response, but to her surprise the monster was hit with a lightning spell and collapsed lifelessly on the ground. Then everyone saw the Shadow standing behind the defeated creature.

While all the children were amazed to see him, Scathach however...

"Where have you been?" she questioned with annoyance laced in her tone. The Shadow was unfazed.

"Easy. I've been taking care of the bigger monsters before they made it to the camp. You've been following my plan well thus far..."

"THIS was your plan?!" Scathach shot at him, motioning to the slowly thinning fog around them. "Did it ever occur to you that by making the Draugr wipe out the soldiers that it would put everyone here in danger?!"

His answer was blunt as always...

"Yes, BUT you were here. I knew they'd be perfectly safe with you. I was making sure you had less to deal with..."

"Wha-? That's not the point! You should have run this by me first-!"

"Uhm... if I may?" Kihli interrupted their verbal spar. "We're still not out of this yet. And then there's..."

Scathach stared at the boy and composed herself quickly.

"Right," she acknowledged before turning back to her mentor. Scathach forced down any frustration she had with him for now to focus at the matter at hand. "The leader has fled, along with a small force."

And with a sigh, she added:

"...And they've taken Aife."

The Shadow glances at his student as he turns and leads everyone to nearby stables.

"I didn't sense anyone leave during the chaos. They must be using concealment magic."

"Which is the fastest way out of the forest?" Scathach asks as they hurriedly walked behind him. Once they caught to him, the stables were in sight.

"East, by the valley," the Shadow answers before opening the pen, which held a couple horses, left behind when the Heralds fled. "The road by the ravine is narrow and weaving. It'll make it easy to catch them."

At that, Scathach felt a glimmer hope. She might get Aife back before the Heralds make it out of the forest, and get some much-desired retribution for what they did to their home. She brandishes her spear with determination.

"Good. I'm going to get my sister-"

But the Shadow had other plans...

"Don't... I'll go. You stay with the kids and get them back to the village."

Scathach was dismayed as the Shadow took the horses by the reigns and led them across to some carriages. The children all watched as Scathach argued with her nonchalant mentor.

"If YOU think I'm not going to try and get MY sister back, you're crazy! Besides, the children will be safer with you!"

"I'm serious," he said without turning to face her, steadily growing a frustrated as he tied each horse to the front of each carriage. "Remember what I said about these guys. They aren't messing around."

But Scathach wasn't having it...

"I don't care! I am going back for Aife-!"

"Enough." the Shadow nearly exclaimed when he at last looked at Scathach in the eye, silencing her. "Here. Get the kids back to your village and I'll come back with your sister."

She falls silent and eventually cast her head down. Scathach reluctantly banishes her spear and complied.

"Okay..."

Satisfied with her answer, the Shadow finished securing the horses. Meanwhile, Kihli climbed up into the back of one of the carriages, and his eyes widened when he found what was inside.

"Follow the river back to the village," the Shadow said to Scathach as he turned his back and towards the direction where the Herald fled. Unbeknownst to him, Scathach slowly raised her head and her free hand slowly glowed with mana. "The horses should move the children quickly-"

He was about to fly away until his legs became tangled in glowing strands and tethered by a glowing rune on the ground.

Followed by his arms...

The Shadow turned his head back as far as he can to see the sorry-not-sorry look on the person who trapped him. The children also looked on in surprise at the rash move of the perpetrator. Kihli gasped in shock at what said person just did.

"Apologies teacher," Scathach said before summoning her spear. "But Aife is my responsibility."

Astonished at the fact he had been tricked, the Shadow warned, almost pleading:

"Don't-!"

Before he could finish, Scathach went into wraith form and flew off out of sight, leaving the Shadow stuck in front of all the children. He was kicking himself for not expecting to be back-stabbed like that from his own student no less.

And also thought it was a clever move on her part.

-Sneaky little brat...-

The Shadow briefly struggled with his restraints, until he eventually forced his arms free, pulling the strands of mana until they snapped under his immense strength. The children watched as he then did the same with his legs, and soon he was free. Looking up to where Scathach disappeared to, the Shadow fumed under his breath.

"When I get my hands on that lass, I'm gunna-!"

"Mr. Shadow... sir?"

His head snapped his head to the side to see Kihli looking up at him, cautiously. Extremely low on patience, the Shadow asked the boy.

"WHAT?"

"None of us know how to steer a horse," Kihli stated. "We can't get back..."

The Shadow stared at him for a moment before answering bluntly:

"Figure it out..."

He then turned to take off until, Kihli tugged at his sash, making him turn to the boy again.

"You wouldn't really leave us all alone in this place," Kihli said to him while rubbing his arms as if he was cold. "Would you?"

The Shadow's scowling expression turned miffed when he could see the boy was trying his best NOT to smile.

"Are you seriously guilt-tripping me right now?" he asked the boy. Kihli only pouted, and he was soon followed by the rest of the children, all giving comically pleading expressions to the grizzled man before them. The Shadow stood speechless at the sight, and he eventually sighed in annoyance... and defeat.

"Fine..."

He supposed he can make sure the children were safe before he went after Scathach, and hopefully before she did something even more rash.

---

A group of men on horseback were galloping through the forest with Aife tied-up and blindfolded riding near the front of the group with one of the Herald elites. The terrain gradually shifted from forest to rock as they went, moving with haste to escape the forest. Following the path between a narrow pass, the cavalry became bottlenecked and their speed reduced greatly. A shadowy figure was stalking the group from the clifftop above.

It was the perfect spot for an ambush...

The group continued on until the sound of an explosion caused the horses to panic. Rocks fell ahead of the group, obstructing the path and preventing traversal on horseback.

"Ambush! Weapons out!" The Chieftain ordered, and the mounted soldiers drew their swords while mages got off on foot. They frantically looked around for signs of hostiles, until the lone rider in the back of the group was suddenly pulled off his horse by strands of mana and yelled as he was slammed into the cliffside. Everyone turned in a panic, and Scathach made her move, she landed in the middle of the group, surprising everyone. She dashed around, sweeping mages off their feet and knocking soldiers off their horses until she made her way to Aife. An archer tried vainly to shoot her, only for arrows to pass harmlessly through Scathach's wraith-form, and was swiftly dealt with as she lands on him and pins him down with a strand rune.

She then sees her sister on top one of the horses.

"Aife!"

Restrained by her guard, Aife's blindfolded form perks up.

"Scathach?!"

Scathach makes her way to her, but a mage was firing spells at her. She fires an ice rune at his feet and leaps over the mage as a column of ice formed. Scathach flips and kicks the mage in the back sending him crashing into it and knocking him out. Using that momentum, Scathach flies to the mounted soldier holding Aife hostage and summons her spear, clotheslining him with the shaft and knocking him over. Because he was saddled, the entire horse is knocked over from the impact, and Scathach grabs Aife while in wraith-form before she fell. They re-materialize several feet away, and Scathach hurriedly slices of the ropes tying her sister and removes the blindfold over Aife's eyes. Their faces light up at the sight of each other.

"Aife... you're safe!" Scathach says with a grateful smile that Aife returns until-

"Look out-!" Aife yelled as she looked past her sister at an oncoming, glowing projectile heading in their direction. Scathach turns to it and goes back into wraith-form in response-

But to her shock, the orb miraculously hit her anyway, discharging a surge of energy that sent Scathach flying. She rolls across the ground and drops her spear, her limp body eventually coming to a stop.

Aife gets up and tries to run to her sister only for a soldier to come out of nowhere and grab her.

"No!" She screamed and thrashed frantically, trying to get free until her captor puts a dagger to her neck. Scathach stirs and tries to push herself up, but she felt pain all over. She looks down at the magic circuits in her arms and sees them fluctuating feebly.

-What... is this? I feel... weak...-

Whatever it was that hit her, it wreaked havoc on her magic circuits, leaving her unable to use magecraft, not even to go back into wraith-form. As Scathach tried to force her body up, she was restrained against her will by the mages she took out previously, who have recovered and hoisting her body up with magecraft. Soldiers surrounded her and pointed their weapons at her...

"Nobody touch her..."

The Chieftain's command kept the soldiers distanced away from Scathach's immobilized body. She forced her head up to face his approaching form and noticed a silver orb hovering over his open hand. Scathach could make out the runes etched along its smooth surface, along with a distinct, Celtic symbol.

-It can't be...!-

Before she could confirm what she believed that artifact was, the Chieftain's footsteps became louder. Scathach dreaded his approach, feeling vulnerable for the first time since she honed her powers. Her adversary stopped at a safe distance away.

"Well... what have we here?"

The Chieftain's voice betrayed his displeasure at the fact that this seemingly unassuming girl has been the one giving him trouble, but also a hint of curiosity. Scathach could only assume that his ability to wield the divine construct must be due to the fact that this man was a mage not unlike herself.

"If it isn't the other girl who fell from our grasp," he said taking a brief glance between Aife and Scathach. "And it looks like she's picked up some new tricks..."

Scathach glared at him as the Chieftain continued surveying her. Her face didn't show it, but she felt disgusted by the way this man's eyes looked all over her.

"A suppose it's a blessing of fate that you and your sister managed to escape. Had you not grown a brain, we would've been the ones to awaken your circuits, and from what I've seen from you just now, it would have left much to be desired..."

He gave a nod to the mages restraining Scathach, and in response they tightened the tendrils holding her. Scathach winces in pain as her arms were pulled, not able to break free due to her magic circuits still not responding. The Chieftain came very close and pulled out the crystal he had used on Kihli and Aife previously. When he brought it upon Scathach, her circuits glowed violet, yet they would still not obey her. The Chieftain's eyes widened at the sight before him.

"Incredible," he whispered in awe. "Such power... more than what we've seen from anyone. This forest has blessed you lass, just as it will bless us too. You will serve us well... even after we take whatever the guardian has in his castle."

That made Scathach's head perk up slightly. She didn't know exactly what kind of power these fanatics thought was inside the fortress, but at least it explained why she overheard their plans to assault it. Yet, they knew the Shadow stood guard over this place. What could have been worth them risking the Shadow's wrath by attacking his home?

"You've met him, haven't you?" the Chieftain's question snapped back Scathach's attention, and she continued to glare at him. "The guardian, puppet... charged by the false gods who call themselves the rightful owners of this World, and imposing their will upon humanity. Our potential is being squandered under them. They won't under ours when it comes..."

As he was saying this, Scathach thought briefly that this man was spouting nonsense, yet there was no denying by his tone that he believed what he was saying to the fullest. The Shadow warned her that these people were committed...

The monster of a person before her may have been fanatical, but he wasn't a raving lunatic like Scathach would've liked to label him as...

"You, along with every mage we find will serve us. Once we have what's in that fortress, the Sovereign will come, and liberate humanity."

The Chieftain retracted his crystal, and Scathach sighed as her circuits dimmed down.

"Keep dreaming..." Scathach said defiantly. "After what you bastards did, I will never serve you..."

"You mean your village?" The Chieftain asked rhetorically. Aife looked on at their interaction and her heart-wrenched in anger at what he casually said afterwards. "It was merely a necessity. Sacrificed... to serve a greater purpose..."

And Aife wasn't the only one. Scathach seethed silently as he continued. She knew this man had no morals; thrown away in his dedication to his "cause."

"And that purpose you WILL serve. Believe me lass, our Order has ways of making you cooperate..."

When the Chieftain's gaze turned to Aife, Scathach's heart sank...

"It would be a shame on our part to spill magical blood," he said as he started walking towards Scathach's sister, still held at knife point. He then stroked Aife's chin, much as she tried to resist. "But we have ourselves a very powerful being we can leverage. The expense of the life of one dormant mage would be a reasonable price to pay for such advantage..."

"No!" Scathach yelled, feebly pulling against her restraints despite not being able to break them.

"I'll make this simple lass," the Chieftain said seriously as he turned back to Scathach. "Join us, and your sister lives as long as you serve faithfully. Refuse... we slice her throat."

As if to hammer his point home, the soldier holding Aife pressed his dagger harder against her neck and causing a small cut. Terrified, Aife screamed, enraging Scathach.

"DON'T. YOU. DARE...!"

She pulled harder against the tendrils holding her, seeing red at the sight of the sneering Chieftain, unthreatened by Scathach's fury. He then addressed his subordinates.

"If the girl opens her mouth again, kill her. And you-"

He motioned to one of the other soldiers.

"-Bring me her spear. I'll have the Zealots examine it..."

The Chieftain walked off to prepare his horse. Aife stopped struggling against her captor, but tears started running down her face. Scathach watched, still seething as one of the soldiers picked up her spear right in front of her. She forced her anger down as she tried to think.

That's when she noticed it...

The aching sensation in her circuits faded, which means the effects of the orb that hit her had begun to wear off. The only thing preventing her from using magecraft were the magic tendrils holding her, sustained by the Heraldic acolytes. She then remembered when she used Gae Bolg to cut her way through the Bounded Field; she enchanted the weapon made of Curruid bone to "sever" other enchantments.

-If I can just get my spear back... Aife!-

She locked eyes with her sister, who after looking up did the same with Scathach, who motioned her eyes between her and the red spear that the unaware soldier was holding. Aife's eyes then lit up.

She got the message...

While that was happening, Scathach grinded her foot against the ground, loosening it. She thought it fortunate that the soldier holding Aife had pulled his mask up...

And despite her bonds, Scathach was still unnaturally strong.

"Aife!" Scathach called just as she reeled her leg back, and what followed happened quickly. Aife looked away and shut her eyes tightly. Her captor noticed and threatened to drive his dagger into her neck, but with a powerful kick, Scathach sent an explosion of rock and dirt in his direction, traveling a significant distance to reach him. The soldier was blinded and let his guard down, just in time for Aife to capitalize. She grabbed and wrenched the dagger out of his hands to then drive it into the soldier's leg. He yells in agony and releases Aife. As all the Heralds were alerted, Aife ran to the soldier carrying Scathach spear just as he turned and collided with him, pushing him into Scathach's direction. The soldier fell backwards, flailing Gae Bolg. Scathach pulled hard on the strand of energy holding her, putting in the path of Gae Bolg's blade, rotating and falling upon it.

When it touched, the tendril was severed...

With her arm free, Scathach grabs her spear and twirls it and slices at the remaining tendril holding her. The mage acolytes recoil from the sudden release of tension and fall backwards as Scathach stands and brandishes her spear; her circuits now lighting up freely.

While this was happening, the Chieftain ran back to grab Aife before she could recover and he started pulling her away, leaving his soldiers and acolytes to cover his escape.

"Get her you fools!"

The Heralds scrambled back to regroup, standing between Scathach and the retreating Chieftain taking Aife hostage. Scathach narrowed her eyes at the combatants before her with malicious intent, forgetting the Shadow's earlier warning. She didn't care at this point and the soldiers pointed their weapons and the acolytes charged their spells.

After everything these monsters did to her and Aife, Scathach was determined to make each and everyone here pay with their lives...

Pouring mana into her legs, Scathach bursts into motion before any could react. She targeted the mages first, slicing open the torso of one with her spear while the other fired a volley of curses at her. Scathach dodges and conjures a barrier in front of her and closes in on the other acolyte. He fires more in panic as she closes the distance in nearly no time at all, his spells dissipating against Scathach's barrier harmlessly. When she got close, Scathach reels back her spear and drives it through the acolytes chest and out his back. Not missing a beat, she passed by the mage's lifeless corpse and pulled out Gae Bolg from behind him so now her spear was completely soaked in blood.

Witnessing this, the soldiers briefly quivered in fear and futilely rushed at her weapons drawn, while few others pulled out their bows to shoot Scathach from a distance. This does little to even slow her down as Scathach side-steps an oncoming sword-strike with her wraith form and stabs the foolish soldier in the side. He collapses as thorns grew out of his skin and another soldier tried to run Scathach through with a spear; she dives and slashes at the soldier's leg, making him fall into Scathach's outstretched arm. Pouring mana into it, Scathach then throws him into the side of the ravine, shattering his spine as he impacts the rock wall.

The Chieftain looks back in terror as he continued to forcibly take Aife away. Aife herself was also looking back, watching Scathach tear through Heralds in attempt to reach her. She was unsure what to feel as she saw such ferocity come from her sister. On one hand, Aife felt hope that she might be rescued, but on the other-

"GET A MOVE ON, GIRL!" the Chieftain yelled as he pulled Aife away before berating his other soldiers on standby. "Don't just stand there, you morons! Stop her!"

The remaining soldiers rushed in to aid the other Heralds. Meanwhile, the archers fired their arrows at her, and Scathach conjures a wall of ice with a rune to block them. She then poured mana into her legs and kicked her ice wall, shattering it and sending blocks crashing into the archers. Knocked down, they had no time to recover as Scathach leapt into the air and projected copies of Gae Bolg to fly down and skewer them. Scathach lands, but before she regains her footing, a fire spell explodes next to her, knocking her down.

"I've got her!" yelled an acolyte, as soldiers ran in and pinned Scathach down before she could get up. Her vision blurred and her ears ringing, she was dazed by the lucky shot from a mage, and her awareness was lost until-

(SHRNNT!)

Scathach screams as she felt the metal blade of a sword pierce her flesh and through her heart; the pain so great that it drowned out any other sense she had. The Chieftain paused his retreat, turning to see the witch-girl slain. Aife's gut wrenched at the sound of Scathach's scream of agony and looks back to confirm her worst fear.

"SCATHACH!"

Aife's scream was but a distant echo in Scathach's ears, as blood flowed out of her wound, her vision blurred, and her strength waned. Her head droops and hits the ground as her entire body went limp.

-No... NO!-

Aife was on the verge of tears... despite what Scathach had said about being immortal, it all seemed irrelevant upon seeing her sister stabbed through the heart, internally tearing her apart. She knew no human could survive a wound like that, and it felt like Aife had just lost her sister...

The soldiers stand over her in victory, but they did not see what was happening within...

They slowly backed away when they saw it. The circuits on Scathach's limp body glowed; the blood that poured from her wound dissolved, then black mist came emanating from her. Like a dead corpse possessed, Scathach pushed herself off the ground and slowly stood up. She raised her head revealing the dull, lifeless eyes after death which then glowed bright violet.

Aife looked on, initially feeling relieved at seeing her sister get up from a fatal blow. But when she saw her face, the captive girl gradually felt frightened, not sure if the being before her even WAS Scathach...

The Chieftain kept a stone-cold visage at this sight, yet his eyes betrayed true terror:

The fear of God...

Gae Bolg reappeared in Scathach's grasp, glowing and sparking with dark energy. She raised it over her head slowly-

"Kill it! KILL IT!"

The Chieftain's panicked order came as he hurriedly pulled Aife towards the rocks blocking the pass. The soldiers fired arrows, and the acolytes fired spells at the newly risen Scathach. The arrows and curses dissipated before they even got within a foot of her, the air around Scathach becoming so thick and distorted with mana that nothing short of truly powerful spells could touch her. With the mortal spear in both hands, held high over her, Scathach inhales a breath of life...

Then she slammed it down.

The moment that the blade of Gae Bolg touched; red spikes suddenly jutted out the ground all around her, impaling the many Heralds before her. They scream in agony and die almost instantly, blood from their corpses dripping down onto the dirt floor. The other Heralds try to run, but Scathach retrieves her spear and reels back to throw. She lets it fly, and the spear becomes just a jagged red contrail, incredibly fast as it seeks and pierces the hearts of the soldiers and acolytes in rapid succession. One by one, the Heralds are struck and killed within seconds, and as the red line that was Gae Bolg flies around her, Scathach walks forward in the Chieftain's direction; her gaze fixated on his retreating form. The Herald leader hurriedly weaved between the rocks pulling Aife behind him, not bothering to look back at the sight of his subordinates falling before the force of nature that was the witch-girl.

He thought he was home free when they weaved past this massive stone, and he can see his horse within sight-

(CRASH!)

The Chieftain recoils at the sound of the rocks parting behind him. He turns and pulls Aife into a stranglehold as he sees Scathach floating towards him, having moved all the rock with a rune and a wave of her hand. She lands gracefully on her feet and walks towards the duo with purpose. Aife gags as she is held tight at the neck by the Chieftain's arm.

"Stay back!" he commanded, backing up while holding Aife in front of him as hostage. The glow from Scathach's eyes faded, and her indifferent visage from her high of mana morphed into a hateful glare directed at the Chieftain. She holds out her hand as Gae Bolg flies back in her grasp, the blade dripping with blood as the witch-girl kept walking towards them.

Seeing this, the Chieftain grew more panicked and warns Scathach:

"I'll KILL her...!"

He tightens his grip around Aife neck to emphasize his threat, but it still didn't make the witch-girl stop. He thought for a moment maybe he could leverage Scathach into serving the Heralds by threatening her sister, but the look on the witch-girl's face told the Chieftain that no matter what, he was a dead man. Changing tactics quickly, he threw Aife to the side and pulled out the weapon he'd used on Scathach previously. In a singular motion, he held out his arm as the silver orb hovered over his shoulder. Circuits glow as he reels his arm back as if to throw. The orb charges with mana and spins. Scathach does not relent one bit at the sight of the artifact that moments before weakened her.

She was ready for it this time...

The Chieftain then chants:

"Behold. Blade of the War God! The Retaliator!"

The orb briefly projected a ghostly image of an ornate sword before charging to its apex.

"Fragarach!"

The Chieftain thrusted his arm forward and the orb shot over his shoulder towards Scathach. He sneered as it travelled towards the witch-girl at incredible speed. In response, Scathach poured mana into her spear and spun a flourish; swinging her spear so the flat part of the blade will get hit by the oncoming projectile.

Or rather be deflected away, sending the orb hurling back towards its owner...

The Chieftain's face morphed from victory to that of shock, and gasped as the orb rebounded towards him, striking him in the side.

"ARGH!"

He was knocked off his feet and flew several feet backwards. A crystal flew out of his pouch from the impact and landed near Aife's recovering form. The Chieftain meanwhile landed on his back and clutched the side of his chest; pain from having at least two ribs broken. He looks back and sees his artifact lying on the ground some distance away. He attempted to crawl towards and retrieve it-

And froze when he felt the blade of Gae Bolg against his neck...

The Chieftain rolled over to see Scathach standing over him, her face showing cold indifference. She then slammed her foot against his, breaking it. The Chieftain screamed in pain, but Scathach did not quiver in the slightest as she then twisted her foot and caused this pathetic sod of a man to scream even more.

She didn't want rush things with this one... Scathach wanted to savor the pain he was in before she ultimately ended him...

She then released her foot from the Chieftain's leg; his screaming stopped but he was left reeling. Shaking, he raised his head to meet Scathach's gaze.

"P-Pl- Please..." his faltering voice came through and full of cowardice. "Mercy...!"

Scathach felt anger ripple through her again and tightened her grip on Gae Bolg; sparking with energy as reflection of the turmoil in her heart.

How dare this man plea for her mercy...

After everything he and his cult did to her, Aife, Fimir, Kihli, and everyone in the village. How many homes have they razed? How many lives have they destroyed!? All at the behest whatever higher power they believed gave them the right to do so!?

How DARE he...!

Scathach's circuits glowed brighter, so did the fires of rage coursing through her veins. Did this man not know that he was a mere insect to her!? A Goddess among humans! She could crush him with but a single thought!

Her heart hammering in her chest, Scathach slowly raised her spear over her head, reeling back to drive Gae Bolg straight into the Chieftain's heart. She made sure the wait would be agonizing for her soon-to-be victim.

As would be his death...

-HE SHALL RECIEVE NO MERCY FROM ME!-

With an anguished yell, Scathach thrusted Gae Bolg down, about to end this monster's life-

!

But it stopped before it made it halfway, for the shaft was caught by the Shadow, who suddenly appeared beside her and held back Scathach's spear from piercing the Chieftain's chest. He could see that Scathach didn't even notice his intervention. She was fixated on the man beneath her and yelled again in frustration as she tried to force the spear down with all her might. After trying and failing several times, her strength started to wane.

"Lass..."

The sound of his voice finally made Scathach pause. With rage still evident on her face, she slowly turned to look at him, breathing heavily. When she saw the look on her mentor's face; one of pleading and pity, it lulled the anger in Scathach's mind. Enough for her to regain some semblance of awareness.

The air was still and quiet... save for someone's sobbing...

Scathach's heart wrenched, and her face turns from one of rage to sad realization when she turned her head in the other direction, and saw who it was coming from.

She knew the answer before she saw it... Aife.

There her sister was... still on the ground and looking right at Scathach, with tears streaming down her cheeks. From the look of shock on her face, Scathach wondered if Aife even recognized her.

Because the way Aife was staring at her... it wasn't how one would ever look upon family... it made Scathach wonder with worry:

-Why is she looking at me like that? WHY is she crying?-

Then it hit her... she needed only to look back at the site of carnage behind her to affirm her worst fear; The site of the destruction from her spells... the site of the many soldiers and acolytes she'd slain horrifically.

Scathach took one last glance towards her sister to realize the bitter truth, and a tear fell from her eye.

Aife wasn't starring at her... but something that only resembled her sister...

Scathach... in Aife's eyes...

...

Was a monster...

Aife had become afraid of her sister.

Gae Bolg wisped out of existence, and Scathach broke down; falling to her knees and sobbing uncontrollably. The Shadow was there to catch and hold her, but Scathach hardly noticed. She was too ashamed to look upon anyone after what she just did. She was too consumed by rage to realize what her display of power instilled in the person she was trying to protect. Scathach didn't know what came over her; only that after being stabbed through the heart, she threw restraint to the wind and retaliated against the Heralds.

She was prepared to do anything to get Aife back, even kill as many as it took and more to reach her...

Yet it only ended up driving her sister further away, and Scathach hated herself for it.

She continued to cry in the Shadow's arms, who didn't say a thing throughout it all. His only focus was relieving the despair his student was experiencing, and kept hugging her protectively. Time seemed lost on them as the mentor allowed his student to grieve. Scathach's crying eventually stopped, but her voice sounded frail and broken when she broke the silence.

"How do I come back from this?"

The Shadow hesitates for but a brief moment before...

"Well... forgiving yourself first is a start..."

Scathach sniffled and slowly lifted her head to look at him in the eye. Hearing his blunt, but honest answers had a weird way of getting her to pull herself together.

"I guess... I still need to work on discipline..." she remarked to her teacher. If she was truthful to herself, she never told him just how much he was such a-

(RUMBLE)

The ground shook, pulling Scathach out of her melancholy. Her senses sharpened at the prospect of danger, reinforced by the Shadow tensing up too. What really caused her to worry was seeing the look on his face.

"No..." she heard the Shadow say under his breath. "Damn it! I was too late!"

Before Scathach could question him, the ground beneath them suddenly burst with bright energy, sending them flying backwards. The two landed with a thud and watched as a giant mass emerged from the earth, radiating with dark energy.

A familiar roar akin to a howl made Scathach tense up in horror.

-A Netherlyst!-

As she watched this immense beast rise up before them, she caught a glimpse of the Herald Chieftain on the far side, whom despite his injuries has miraculously made it on to his horse and got away.

Aife was backing up at the sight of the Netherlyst as it towered over the whole forest. The beast roared again and began to glow from its joints. The Shadow stood up and flew towards it in wraith form, but before he could get close enough to use his blades, the Netherlyst let loose a powerful shockwave from its body, blasting the Shadow away and making him crash somewhere in the forest. The shockwave rippled across the ground, blowing apart stone and earth. Scathach's attention turned to Aife, who was out in the open and about to be engulfed.

"AIFE!" she yells in a panic, and Scathach wraith-dashes as fast as she could to get to her. Aife puts her arms up in a futile attempt to shield herself as the torrent of destruction raced its way towards her, threatening to bury her under an avalanche of rock. Scathach reaches her sister and quickly casted a rune beneath them as they got buried alive under a mountain of stone...

---

[TBC]