Gleipnir

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**Hello there my friend!**

The large tower that served as the Saint's meeting site, hidden from all but the saints themselves and some of the trusted Toranku higher-ups. Despite the recluse nature of the building, it was rather lively with staff. Something which hadn't happened in over two decades since the short-lived Ishtaran War. The nature of the emergency meeting not known to Alice, but it was surely important if all four of them had been summoned to attend without being notified of the situation beforehand. She would be a liar to claim the sudden nature of the summons did not disturb her peace of mind but little would come from a wandering mind when there was nothing she could draw accurate conclusions from.

She reached out her hand, pushing open the large wooden door to the meeting chamber. The hinges creaked and the semi-heavy door slowly swung open to reveal a round table with four chairs signifying the cardinal direction that each of them represented. In three of the four chairs were her colleagues. Looking at her watch, Alice saw that she had arrived precisely when they were meant to. Having always taken punctuality seriously, even to a fault. Settling into her seat, she looked over to her western neighbor, the blonde braided locks of the girl dangling from her head and swinging ever so slightly with every movement of her head. "Lady Tasya, forgive my impatience if you can find it in your heart but perhaps you can enlighten us on the nature of this meeting? Did your husband tell you anything of what this summon entails?"

The blonde tilts her head to the south of the table, her braid bouncing on her squishy cheek before being brushed back to reveal her polite smile. "You know that Izar takes privacy seriously, it would be unbecoming of the Chairman to share governmental issues so freely with his wife. Now that's not to say he hasn't mastered the art of whispering beyond draconic hearing just yet though." Theia giggles out, as she daintily taps on her own ear. "I have only heard faint worries of the movement of our lovely neighbors to south. A Valhallan vessel was spotted on a naval test run near the edge of our waters, Izar sounded quite flustered..." The pleasantry of her smile fell gradually as she recounts the whispers she heard from her beloved only a matter of days ago. "I don't want to speak on his behalf though, so I feel it's probably best to wait for him to call this meeting to order once he arrives."

"I agree, though it is safe to make some assumptions based on the fact that we were called though." A pensive voice calls from the north of the table, the chair spun around to face the large map of nations along the wall behind her. Her eyes darted across the continents that reign prominent in her mind as her friend spoke. Ashvattha and Valhalla, two of the most populated continents with the might to back up their numbers. "Surely a time of peace may see it's end depending on our actions. The Burned Branches have had little movement as of late, so we can rule out most internal affairs. And based on what Theia has said, it seems we may have to step into foreign matters... something that doesn't sit too well with me." Sammara sighs and spins her chair back around to face the two other Beast Saints that have arrived. She puts on an apologetic smile as she tries to lighten the mood, "Well I'm sure our speculations will be settled once we all arrive. I wish it was under better circumstances, but I am happy to see you all doing well. Alice any word on your Cousin in law's whereabouts? I see she hasn't absorbed the Vroman way of timeliness yet." Samarra smirks and lets out a soft laugh.

"No, but then again, there are more matters than just dubious foreigners that stands as a concern these days." Joked the still young and spritely voice of the raven haired woman whom had just been the subject of conversation. Despite her days reaching a maturity that would definitely display the lines of aging, she appeared just as young and vibrant as the day she had become one of the saints. With a smile on her face, Carwen Vroman stepped in through the door into the room, a little pep in her step and with a look of someone who knows a bit too much and is trying to hide her concerns in any way she so can. Like a child who eavesdropped on talks of her Christmas gifts and can't really hide it. Only with a bit of a more twisted undertone. "It is good to see everyone gathered under one roof again. Not that it usually bodes well." She joked. She was nervous. Skittish. It was clear to most that her humor was but a front.

Alice raised a hand to her face, pushing her glasses further up the bridge of her nose. "Yes, indeed. It rarely means good news when we are all gathered in the same room and never at all when that room is here." She echoed Carwen's words in a less joking manner, "Something to do with foreign interference of some kind? Ashvattha has been able to avoid major conflict for some time now. I'd hope that we can continue that trend, at least for the remainder of my time as a Saint." She continued before turning to her Cousin in law as she took a seat, "You look pale, Carwen. It's ever so unlike you and given your blood's talent for hearing things not meant for their ears I can't help but imagine that you know something about why it is we're here today."

Before Alice could continue to questioning her cousin-in-law, a crackling sound from the center of the table caught her attention. Alice checked her watch, "Two minutes and forty-seven seconds late." She stated under her breath before a clear quality hologram of the Toranku's chairman, Izar Tasya appeared before them. "I apologize for the tardiness, Alice." He said immediately, almost on instinct. "Good afternoon, Ladies. As I am sure you are aware, I did not call this summons for you here today on a whim for my own amusement." He continued as he disappeared and a map of Western Hylion took his place, "A Valhallan ship was spotted moving toward land near Zakura in the early Twilight hours of the morning, attempts to contact this vessel were met with silence. Upon running a preliminary scan of the ship it was discovered that whatever the ship is containing carrying contains a great deal of latent magical power. After further attempts to contact the crew we sent a Skyshredder to intercept only for it to be blown from the sky before it could make contact. However, a report from the crew of the shredder before its destruction was able to tell us that the ship appeared to be unmanned."

Izar appeared to clear his throat as the map became smaller and he reappeared again. "It is for this reason and the magical readings from the ship that we have come to the conclusion that the ship might be carrying a bomb of some kind. Perhaps an unstable magical crystal the size of a basketball. Something of that size and magic power would be able to wipe all of Zakura and the surrounding countryside off the map. Now, understanding the severity of what may be at stake, I hope that all of you understand why it is that I've brought you here. The ship is predicted to reach land in two hours time, We've chosen to deploy the Cambium Knights in Zakura and all nearby towns to work alongside Theia to help the townsfolk evacuate should worse come to worse. As for Carwen, Alice, and Samarra, I would like for all of you to intercept the ship before it makes landfall. Try to stop it, or at the very least slow it down to buy as much time for evacuation as possible." He gave them their mission before taking a breath. "Should any of you choose to decline the mission given to you please say so now. If there are no questions or objectives, I'd like for all of you to deploy right away. The Bifrost is already set to Zakura and you can use it when ready."

Theia sighed as she stood up as she muttered under her breath, "Man I hate it when I'm right..." She gave a small salute with a smile towards the hologram of her husband. "No worries here sir, I am ready for evacuation duty sir!" She giggles and lets her hands fall and swing back and forth like a child before saying, "I wish you would let me in on the action, but I know you do this cause you care babe." She gave a wink and blew him a kiss, loving to poke fun at him when he is in his 'business mode'. In truth, she was happy to help the people of Zakura get to safety. Her friendly personality and knack for keeping people calm would probably be the best suited for dealing with the potential mass hysteria that could break out with a sudden evacuation. Theia looked to the others to see if they were ready to leave, but the look on Samarra's face made her think they weren't quite ready to go just yet.

"First, we must thank the Skyshredder pilot for his sacrifice in bringing us this information, for his life will surely save thousands. But surely a vessel carrying such force would not be left unguided to the cruel ways of the sea... and for our plane to be shot down close by..." Any bystander could see how the wheels were turning inside Samarra's head. She wanted to make sure they were going in with as much detail as they could possible know to avoid any costly surprises with this explosive problem. "In order to make sure its course stays true to its target from the long journey between Valhalla and Ashvattha there must have been a crew or guide ship within a few leagues... Izar-- ehem sorry. Chairman, sir, have we sent any crew further than the borders? Subaquatic or airborne?"

Izar nodded to Samarra, "We're readying crews now but we're focusing the majority of our efforts on the evacuation as the safety of those in and around Zakura is our highest priority. We received a threat from an unknown source around the time the ship was reported to be moving toward the shore. We don't know for certain if the two are connected but it do believe that it is safe to assume that they are. So you may very well be correct that there may be more to this than we know. I'll keep all of you updated as we receive more information. I wish I could send you in with more than this but time is of the essence in this operation. All of you stay safe."

Carwen nodded at Izar, having sat back to listen and analyze every sentence uttered rather than speak. She tried to find the slightest hint of suspicion regarding what might be behind this. When she wasn't able to come up with anything, she was quick to stand up. "In that case, we should be on our way. Two hours isn't much to evacuate on, so we should be quick about this. By the sound of it, there isn't really much more to go on, so it would be prudent to see to their protection before it turns into a cavalcade of chaos and dismay. You said that there was a Bifrost prepared? Then I suggest we wrap things up and get going."

"I dislike going into a job like this with such little to go on. But with a time window that small I must agree that we have to act now." Alice grimaced, reaching up and adjusting her hat atop her head. "Mr. Chairman, if it becomes clear that we cannot stop the ship before it reaches shore should we attempt to detonate the device ourselves?" Alice asked, cutting straight to the point.

Izar was silent for a few moments, clearly in deliberation over the question. "Should it come to that, stand by for orders. Don't be reckless, and try your best to make it home safely tonight. All of you." He spoke in a solemn tone though clearly a bit shaken by Alice's question.

"Understood, Sir." The Witch responded before moving toward the door.

The group exited the conference room where a staff member led them to where the Bifrost had been set up. Swiping their ID cards the four Saints entered the glowing gateway and were instantly transported to the coastal town of Zakura. The smell of the numerous floral shops that lined the beach-front coast was a sweet perfume that could hardly mask the uncertainty seeping from the pores of the Fox Saint as Samarra took a look around from where they landed. Numerous knights could be seen ushering people from the shops into crowding streets as murmurs of confusion and worry were buzzing from the congested masses. People were seen trying to push past groups of knights, fighting to get back into their homes to grab belongings and mementos as loud protests were being shouted at the knights who were forced to take actions to get people to leave.

Theia shook her head as she surveys the seen and sees the evacuation route that people are being funneled through. The roads are congested with cars attempting to turn around to return to the city, only to be met by those trying to leave it. Those on foot did not fair much better as the narrow station entrances were being plugged by knights and citizens alike. "I admire their gungho spirit in an attempt to save time, but the knights really should have waited for us before starting the evacuation. This is so disorganized!" The ringing on the groups phones gave them a notification from the Toranku's Emergency Notification Network reading off a dangerous tsunami warning in the area and to evacuate to Yoshino immediately. As the loud buzzer of phones alerted the masses to the issue, the murmurs seemed to die down as an understanding of their unexpected corral came to dawn on the citizens. Making use of the few seconds of peace as word traveled of the TENN's message, Theia used her Light Magic to send out signal orbs along the road and create 6 light clones that began running in different directions to aid the knights in helping the citizens of Zakura. Turning to the 3 other women she came with Theia bid them with a hopeful message before taking her leave, "Well leave it to me to deal with the mess here. I'll keep comms open in case of any news from Izar or you guys about the threat. I will let you all know when the city is clear and will come assist if possible. Do you best out there!"

"You too Theia!" Samarra said as Theia took off towards the crowd at the train station. Samarra then looked to the others as they began making their way to the harbor to seek passage with the naval ships that are heading out to sea border to aid the saints in stopping the explosive crystal. "We should hurry to board the vessel that Izar mentioned was being prepared. If possible I would like to only use them as a means for transport. We shouldn't let them get close to the enemy ship if possible. We don't need any more military sacrifice in my opinion." The girls begin running to the dock heading to the large vessel whose steel armor sports the Toranku crest proudly on its bow. "What concerns me most is this 'threat' he mentioned. He used the word threat, so I wonder what it is the enemy is asking for in return for avoiding punishment... either the government declined their request and their attacking, or we haven't given in and this is their way of proving their seriousness. Either way I don't think there is a peaceful way out of this now..."

"There rarely is when all of us are asked to gather. Were they in need of a negotiator I'd doubt we would be their go-to for a situation such as that. The motives or desires of our enemies are unknown to us but the present threat is clear. Someone with the resources and know-how to find and secure an object capable of radiating enough magic power to, if it were all released at once, wipe out a city. I've little doubt there will an extensive investigation into the perpetrator or perpetrators following the conclusion of this mission." Alice commented as they boarded the ship.

Knowing there was little time in the way of formalities, the captain made it clear that he was told they might be stepping aboard his ship for transportation. The vessel setting off before getting down to the plan. The wrinkled his mustache before he spoke to the three, "There is a small boat that can be launched from the stern of the ship. We'll be heading directly toward the enemy vessel, bringing you as close as we can before launching your boat and making a sharp starboard turn to join the rest of our fleets toward international waters. This will put you on a path of collision with the enemy ship. How you'll board from there is for the three of you to decide. It'll take twenty minutes for us to intercept the ship and launch your boat. Until then, you're free to do as you wish. It's an honor to have you on my ship." The burly captain said with a nod and a tip of his hat before returning to his own duties as the crew prepped the Saint's boat for launch.

"Hm, It seems that the Toranku have most of this figured out already. Though, I suppose the stress of the situation is likely to put some dynamism in you." Alice spoke before turning to her fellow Saint's, "It seems we have twenty minutes to figure out how we'll board the ship once we're in range. I would suggest Carwen's draconic form... however, I worry that she would become a target for whatever weapon took out the Sky shredder if she were to take to the air while near the ship. Unless we can provide cover for her that is. Do either of you have ideas?"

Carwen wasn't as effective a strategist as her fellow saints, so all she could think of was a single prospect. "They are our enemies. They are effectively our adversaries due to their vile act of shooting down an airship in our air and ocean space... I think we should use me as bait. I'll fly through the sky and draw their attention. See what it is we are up against. I believe it will prove for the best. My scales can handle most magical trauma, and physical even more so. While they are preoccupied with me, you should have an opening to step onto the ship. If they were to try and fire on the ship instead... Well, I think we together have a good chance of countering anything they may want to..."

There was now a sight which caused Carwen a level of concern. The ship they were heading towards was picking up speed and was encroaching upon them at a rapid pace. The twenty minute closing distance was swiftly becoming a ten minute closing. When they were at their closest, the other ship, a wooden construct of simple proportions, opened two hatches at the front. There was a vast gathering of magical power that was being felt all the way over from here, and Carwen wasn't even really a sensory type mage. "At the ready!" Carwen called out as the magic kept building, a radiating chill in the air as it did. The water around the ship was starting to frost and freeze against its hull, and yet it pressed on.

Samarra feels a shiver run through her body, not knowing if it is from the lowering temperature or the uncertainty she feels from the growing magically presence around her. It was almost eerie at how the alone the boat looked in front of them, making Samarra question how their plane was taken out earlier, but the sign of the hatches opening on the enemy ship made her double think their initial assessment. "I don't know if you guys saw, but two hatches on the ship seemed to have opened up. That makes me more certain that someone must be close by in order to remotely activate the ships mechanisms. Either that, or our intel was wrong and the ship actually has personnel on board." Samarra pursed her lips as she rubbed her thumb along her lips in a habit that she had picked up when she was thinking deeply. Another possibility dawned on her, and she contemplated on sharing it, afraid that too many possibilities would be overwhelming and lead to wasted time in the short window they have before leaving the naval vessel. "Or...well, there could be a third method that would require technology I am not sure Valhalla has acquired yet considering the size and make of the ship we see. It could have an autotargeting defense system that would shoot down incoming objects of a programmed size. Given that this ship is practically a portable bomb, I think that is the least likely option, as blowing it up would be a great waste of money... but who knows what they are thinking at this point."

"But to focus at the problem in front of us, I do like the idea of Carwen drawing the attention of whatever attacked our last vessel, but I beg you to stay safe and give enough space between you and the ship to avoid any attacks you can. The patches of ice that seem to be forming around the ship may prove useful for Alice and I on approaching the ship unnoticed." Samarra spoke, pointing to the frosted water that seemed to surround the vessel, the magical aura of the crystal on board seeming to create what Samarra could only describe as a "snow globe effect". The ship creating its own atmosphere that separated it from the otherwise temperate sea around it. The half frozen sheets being cracked apart by the power of the boats engine, as it sliced through on its way to destruction. "We can use those to get closer if our approach vessel is noticed, though it is risky..."

Quickly recovering from the shaking the ship briefly experienced, Alice brought the brim of her hat down to cover her eyes as she considered the idea. Samarra was right, the idea was risky and the plan was working off a lot of speculation. However, with their time window closing, she understood the need for such risks. "I concur. If it is an auto-targeting system of some kind then it might be a good idea to have Carwen keep it distracted for a short while we make our approach. If it does only target objects of a certain size then she'll be able to revert to her human form and join us on the ship once we've boarded." Alice reiterated Samarra's idea with a little more added on the end about how Carwen might join up with them. "If we're all in agreement with the plan, then we should get it started." She concluded before turning to Carwen. "Stay safe up there, as Samarra said. We'll reach the stern and once the boat has been launched we'll give you a signal to start the diversion." Alice said before waving down one of the crew and telling them to show her and Samarra the way to the boat.

They made their way through the halls of the ship, moving ever downward until they reached what appeared to be a large open room of some kind. Inside was a small dry dock where a boat awaited them. "It seems that'll be our transportation from here on out. Have you ever sailed a ship before, Miss Samarra? If not... I certainly hope it has an auto-pilot of some kind."

Samarra chuckles as she scratches the back of her head. "Well I've had a few lessons from my father, but nothing I could really write home about... But if all we need to do is go in a straight line, it shouldn't be so bad right?" Samarra says skeptically as the two mages hop into the boat. They are thrown a little off balance as the weight of the entire vessel shifts and causes them to rock back and forth on the suspended boat. "I take it Carwen has transformed, so we best get moving it we want to reach the enemy ship before Carwen takes too many hits."

The boat drops into the water and Samarra is a bit taken back at the sudden rush of cold air; being on the water you can truly get a feel for the icy chill that fills the space. Samarra tells Alice to man the sail line and keep the sail low until they escape the drag from the main boat. Meanwhile Samarra takes control off the motorized engine to give them enough power to get through the waves of the main vessel, taking on sprays of frigid water as their boat rises and falls against the ocean. Once they were clear they cast the sail and gained noticeable speed as the wind filled their sails and pushed them towards to source of danger. A sudden lurch in her stomach told Samarra that it wasn't all smooth sailing towards the vessel however. The sheets of ice became more frequent and thicker as the enemy ship filled more of their view. The power of the small boat was not strong enough to slice through it and they were beginning to lose speed. "Alice, do you think you could make us a modified hull to help break the ice up? Give us a bit more weight to crack through?"

"I believe that is possible," Alice said, her eyes moving from the ship ahead of them to the boat. She took in a deep breath, exhaling visibly in the cold air before she held out her hand toward the front of their boat. As though by magic, because it was, stone began to form on the front and sides of the ship which seemed to create a half-baked but workable ice-breaker. Their speed began to pick up again slowly but surely as they made their way through the icy waters. Alice's eyes took to the sky as she watched Carwen flying toward the vessel at a speed they could not match for a variety of reasons. "I wonder why they haven't taken a shot at her yet? She isn't much smaller than your average sky shredder, perhaps there's something we're missing? Or maybe she just isn't close enough to be considered a threat just yet?" Alice asked, trying to deduce what was going on.

Carwen had taken to the sky, following through on her plan of acting the decoy. However, she didn't seem to function as one. She felt the magic still gathering, and they were still doing nothing more than making and approach and freezing waters. *What are they planning?* She thought. Something was off. They had shot down an airship for only getting close. They were now getting even closer, and presented a far greater threat, and yet they do nothing. Why?

The interiror of the opposing ship started to radiate with a icy blue light. Shortly after there was a mighty roar to rival that of Carwen's own and three rays of magic came out of the ship. The first came ahead of the others, blasting the captain's ship to smithereens. Nothing remained of it but the echoing screams of the now deceased and a frozen wreckage. The second ray came for Carwen, soaring through the air and intending to shoot her out of the sky. With a mighty flap of her wings, she dodged the ray just in time to also see the third ray come and flying towards the smaller ship of her fellow saints. Diving towards them, she let her front claw radiate with her divine dragon magic, slicing the spell in half, splitting off and flying two directions, right beside the ship. But that would not be the end. The two splitting icy rays continued their travel, colliding with the shoreline, creating two colossal glaciers that consumed the harbor of the city, reaching higher than trees. Just as Carwen thought the coast was clear, the ray she had dodged returned like a bolt and struck her left shoulder, freezing her wing in place. She cried out in surprise and pain as she crashed into the ocean, breaking through the ice that had been built as she was starting to sink, finding it hard to get up and out of it with a wing that no longer obeyed her.

Transforming back into an ordinary human, the ice was shaken off of her, allowing her to use her magic to dash up and out of the freezing ocean, crashing through the surface and landing safely on the deck of the boat.

Samarra reaches out with one hand on the boat and one hand onto Alice's wrist as their boat is rocked with the sudden crash of Carwen's dragon form breaking through the ice and sending waves that almost capsize their boat. The sheer panic of almost being hit by a blast of Ki is replaced by a sense of self preservation as Samarra looks for ways to get out of the path of the open hatches and onto the back end of the enemy boat.

Gauging their distance was fairly close now, Samarra activated her Luminous Cloak, a lightning spell that gave her increased speed to a point where she could cover the distance between them and the edge of the boat in a few strides in the shattering ice around them. The downside was that they were covered in water which would make Alice highly conductive to her touch. "Alice ground yourself. Hold on!" Hoping that her friend would understand, Samarra wrapped herself around Alice and leaped out of the boat to jump along the ice before jumping up to the deck of the enemy ship as the rumble around them seemed to die down a bit. Turning off her Luminous Cloak she looks to Carwen, "Are you okay?"

Shivering from sheer cold, she spoke through rattling teeth: "That... That was... Not that fun." She spoke only to realize a bit too late how callous that might have sounded considering all that had just happened.

Samarra almost chuckled at Carwen's way off brushing off the incident, when she knew it must have hurt to block that attack that was headed straight for them. Her amusement faded quickly when she saw that the attack wasn't dissipated but instead made contact with the harbor in the far off distance. Horror in her eyes, Samarra quickly called to Theia on their communicators. "Theia please tell me the harbor is clear?!"

"What the hell was that!" Samarra heard crackle through her phone from the usually bubbly mage. "Those areas were clear, but we haven't full evacuated from the nearby hills. A few miles north and we would have lost a lot... We need more time!" Samarra feels a sense of relief after Theia's message, but the sense of urgency was not lost. "Well I'm surprised Izar was wrong, but based on that roar we heard earlier, I'd say we are dealing with a living being, not a crystal. What do you guys think?"

"I can't come to a satisfactory conclusion just yet..." Alice spoke as she tried to wring out the hem of her shirt. The cold was most uncomfortable to her and was certainly something she had not expected when hearing the location of their mission. "If it is indeed a life-form of some kind on this vessel capable of being the source of the magical readings large enough to make our intelligence think it is a gem... I suppose that whoever or whatever is on this ship is well beyond the prowess of your average mage or even your average Saint for that matter." Alice deduced before her eyes began to wander around the deck of the ship they'd boarded. "It concerns me a great deal... but our mission doesn't change regardless of what the source of the magic is, I suppose." Her eyes catching the bridge not far from them. She held her hand out to the other two Saints, Ki pulsing before a bright flash and feeling of heat appearing before being gone as quickly as it had come. The only trace of its existence being the fact that Samarra and Carwen were no longer soaked in water, still leaving them somewhat damp. Alice then did the same for herself.

"We should get moving, stopping the ship should take priority before we see to neutralizing whatever the source of that Ki is. That way, the threat doesn't reach the shore." Alice pointed up toward the bridge, "I do believe that controls are normally in there. Even if the ship is being piloted remotely, there might be an emergency stop or the antenna that is receiving the signal. If worse comes to worst, we can blow the engine room." She explained before moving in the direction of the bridge.

Samarra lets out a breath of relief as the frigid water was evaporated from her clothes, letting her thoughts be a little more clear without the distraction of the freezing cold. "You're right, taking out the engine would be the best course. That doesn't stop the fact that now this... thing- is close enough to make contact with the harbor, but at least we can limit its reach if we stop the boat." Samarra concludes as the group heads towards the door leading to the interior of the vessel. As soon as they opened it however, they were hit with what felt like a wall of energy that choked them a bit. It was as if the pressure inside had finally found another exit to pour through and rushed past the saints to be set free. Shaking her head clear Samarra pushed forward through the door and noticed that it was far bigger than what it looked like on the outside, or perhaps it was an illusion of the numerous corridors that stood before them. What struck Samarra as strange was that there were lights on lining the corridor and a peek into the first room showed it stocked with items that would seem out of place considering they were told this was unmanned... "Guys, I think we might have some wrong information... why would the interior be stocked on an unmanned vessel..?"

Carwen was most grateful for the drying of her clothes, even if it was a bit of a non-issue in the grand scheme of things. As they got further and further into the interior of the ship, trying to find the engine room. When Samarra brought up a most concerning idea of resources aboard an unmanned ship, Carwen didn't have much time to think about the matter before she heard a rustling sound behind her. The whooshing of something being thrown her direction. Side stepping the flying item, she quickly grabbed the thing, which proved to be a dagger, and quickly hurled it back at her assailant, embedding it into her forehead.

"Seems like we have been presented with yet another aspect of lacking intel." Carwen said as she walked up to the corpse. "The resources are quite substantial in quantity. I doubt this one will be the only one... If they can be drowned out by whatever is in here, then I can't imagine them really matching us. All the same, we should exercise caution."

"I see... We should continue with the assumption that the majority of the intel we received is wrong or simply inaccurate. I don't believe that relying on hastily gathered information will do us any good at this point." Alice said, kneeling down and searching through the pockets of the deceased foe. Finding little in the way of useful items, gum, and a wallet with no ID or anything else that could be used to discern their identity. Reaching into their breast pocket, she found a note. But the writing was smeared and it had clearly been far from neat even before that. She could make out some words, like wolf, and power. But ultimately the rest was illegible. "Well, we know for certain the ship is manned and that they have some purpose for being here. Given the ship is manned, I don't believe it to be too large a jump to dismiss the idea that whoever or whatever they're bringing to shore isn't meant to blow the place into oblivion." Alice tossed the letter into the ground before getting back to her feet and turning toward her fellow saints. "We can still attempt to blow up the engines if you'd like, but if we're under the assumption their plan is different from what we initially thought, I worry about leaving our uninvited guest waiting too long."

"I think blowing the engine is for the best; we need to protect the people and our land first and foremost." Samarra said as she looked away from the fallen soldier with scrunched up features. She was never one for killing, the eyes of the dead always seemed to haunt her thoughts, so she moved to the fallen guard and closed their eyes. "Come on, let's move. Keep your guard up for any others patrolling, there's bound to be more in the control room." The group began their way down the maze of corridors, unable to sense out any presence among the mass of Ki that filled the air. As the group rounded the corner, they came face to face with a pair of guards. Samarra quickly grabbed hold of the closest one and send a large current of electricity through his body, effectively overwhelming his system and cause him to pass out onto the ground. The group wasn't quick enough to subdue the second guard before he sent out a few words over their radios "Intruders! South wing corr--". The second guard collapsed just as quickly as Samarra sent a shot of lightning from her fingertips towards his fleeting body. Unhappy with their presence noticed, Samarra reached for a nearby light within the corridor and began to overload its circuits. The lights in the corridors grew exponentially brighter before each bulb shattered in a subtle pop as the hallways grew dark. Some lights could still be seen aglow inside rooms, but it seemed most of the hallways ran on the same circuit and fuse which would surely give the saints early notice considering they had Carwen's enhanced sight to warn them ahead of time.

After giving their eyes a moment to adjust to the darkened state of the corridor they made their way forward. Though they already had a destination in mind, the fact that their presence had been announced gave them all the more reason to avoid staying still for too long. Keeping Carwen as the vanguard, they followed her as she could see best in the low light. After descending some stairs, Alice caught a glimpse of a sign that read "Engine room", knowing that they would soon arrive at their destination. Surely enough, upon rounding a corner a set of double doors sat at the end of the hall. Light poured in from the two windows that allowed them a peek into the engine room. In any normal circumstance, nothing would seem out of the ordinary. But with no guards present at the doors even as the presence of intruders had been announced, Alice couldn't help but feel wary. A feeling likely shared by her fellow Saints.

Alice's eyes inspected the corridor, looking at the ground and ceiling for any sort of traps or tripwires. It seemed like a longshot, that they would have been able to set up anything too complicated in the short time before their arrival. But with all the unknowns that plagued this assignment, she couldn't itch the feeling in the back of her mind that they needed to be cautious. Feeling satisfied that nothing of note awaited them in the hall, she walked alongside Carwen as they made their way down, keeping close to the walls as to remain less visible should anyone walk by the windows. When they reached the door, gathering on either side of it. Alice put her ear to the door, hearing little more for the sound of shifting metal and the creaking of the wooden ship. Alice motioned for Carwen to do the same, to hear what Alice herself lacked the ability to.

Carwen nodded before shifting over to the door to listen in. The sound of the engine resonated in the other room, rumbling through the planks and into the door for her sensitive senses. There was the subtle sounds of footsteps inside, something which made it all the more fitting that Alice had asked her to perform the same act. She decided to take a few moments to just continue to listen, to see if she could gather anything more beyond the obvious. After a couple of moments, she turned to Alice and Samarra and gestured that there was something along the two walls inside that was making a sound, and that there was at least seven different people inside the next room. She then looked to Samarra with a look that asked: 'What will we do from here?'

Samarra thought for a moment about how best to take on the challenges that Carwen motioned were inside. The sounds along the walls was probably the navigational equipment and machinery that powered the engine; vital components that need to be taken out in order to halt the ships advances and buy more time for the evacuation back on their homeland. Out of the three of them, Carwen probably possessed the greatest raw strength with her draconic enhancements, so Samarra motioned for Carwen to take out the machinery and focus her strength on halting the boat. With Samarra's speed and Alice's versatility, they would focus on taking out the guards that would surely try to stop them. Samarra motioned for them to be ready on the count of 3 as she pulled out her Taranis Katana on her back and held it at the ready. As she signaled 3, Carwen and Alice pushed open the doors they were leaning on and charged forward. Samarra coated her blade in lightning as the closest guard took a slash from it in the stomach, his body convulsing with the sudden current coursing through his body. That left 6 guards who began to draw their weapons, Samarra could see that 2 were over by the controls, one in the center of the room, and 3 at the table to the right. "Alice you go right, I got the others!"

With a flash of speed, Samarra found herself behind the guard in the center of the room, the gun he drew still facing forward as it fired a shot to an empty space where Samarra once stood. With the synaptic acceleration her Lightning Magic gave her, his reaction speed was far too slow to stop the Fox Saint from slicing her katana's blade across his back and leaving him unconscious on the floor in mere moments. With the greatest threat out of the way, Samarra heard one of the guards leave his post at the controls and run towards Samarra with a blade drawn, but his yell of anguish at the loss of his comrade gave away his intentions far too much and Samarra struck her blade against his before he could make any contact. She could see the other guard at his station begin to move towards Carwen, so Samarra swept the leg of the guard she was engaged with causing him to fall on his back. Samarra grabbed the wrist that held his blade and twisted it to use his own weapon to stab him in the shoulder while she put all her weight on his legs to keep him in place. Throwing her katana towards the guard at the controls, the blade stuck into the control panel in front of the advancing guard in which he laughed and shouted "You missed!" In which Samarra smirked and used her electrokinesis to force the lightning magic that coated her blade to shoot forward from the blade and electrocute the smug guard with a flick on her fingers.

The guard beneath her fought with a grim expression on his face, "You don't know what you're getting into, there's no way you're gonna win, so just give up now! She'll devour anything that gets in her way!" Samarra found it odd that someone in his predicament would still speak as if he had won, but Samarra could feel as if it was an omen of bad will. She knew she should pay no mind to the words of an enemy, as they don't seem to preach the truth, so she used her free hand to punch and incapacitate him before he could speak anymore. With three guards down she looked to see how Alice was fairing.

Using Samarra's sudden entrance as a distraction, Alice did as she was told and moved to the right upon entering the room. Covering the palm of her hand in stone, a palm thrust sent the earthen hand flying across the room and pinning one of the enemy's hands to the table as they reached for their weapon. Another was quickly upon her, however, thrusting what appeared to be an electrified prod toward her. Ducking under in time for it to knock the hat from her head, she grabbed hold of the man's wrist before thrusting the palm of her free hand up to deliver a mighty blow to the chin. The strike sent the man to the ground, out cold.

Getting back to an upright position and covering her arm in rock, she raised it to block an oncoming attack from the third and final enemy that had been located at the table. The blade of a Kukuri bounced off the hardened earth much to the surprise of the attacker. In that moment, Alice held her open palm toward the target but he was not the one she was aiming for. The metal table was ripped from its bolted position, flying toward the man before her and dragging the one who'd been pinned along with it. The table, bending as though putty, snaked around her two foes until there was no hope that they could break free.

Carwen rushed straight ahead. A single remaining guard attempted to intercept her, apparently undeterred by the sight of his comrades being swiftly neutralized. She cared nothing for it. With a flick of the wrist, she sent four light scales flying towards the four points which held the engine stable and in place. With a kick to the man's forehead, a sickening crack following as she had broken his neck in the act, she dashed forward and roared with her divine magic, sending forth a beam of epic proportions which rather than causing an explosion, seemed to outright dismantle the machine and the wall behind it.

With all seven guards taken care of and the engine destroyed, the ship could be felt as it slowed down in its approach, steadily succumbing to the resistant waves of the sea. Carwen smiled at their quick success, even though she knew it wasn't over yet. That comment: 'She will devour anything that gets in her way.' She? Her? Not the typical choice of words for an animal. Before she had the chance to comment on this, there was another boom coming from the front of the boat. The ship halted in its tracks, not even the waves could budge or move it anymore. With a punch towards the wall behind them, it opened a line of sight towards the area: The front of the boat had been busted open, and towards the shoreline was now a long line of frozen water. And something was running across it, pulling what was best described as a floating chariot after it. And it was moving fast. Multiple new soldiers and guards came running from the pathways and the great hole Carwen had busted open. She took battle positions as she called to her comrades: "Intercept them. I'll handle the small fry."

Alice's eyes locked onto the object moving across the ice. She couldn't tell exactly what it was but she was sure that it had come from the vessel and was thus an enemy. Normally, she wouldn't attack a fleeing foe, but she sensed the magical energy that they'd been sent her to seek out and halt from reaching the shore moving further away. Whatever or whoever they were meant to intercept was on that chariot. She raised her hand toward the sky moments before air seemed to be drawn into three separate places high above them. In a bright spark, three large balls of fire that appeared as though they were scale model suns in the sky above them. The air cold air surrounding the fireballs seemed to turn to steam in an instant before Alice threw her hand at the fleeing enemies.

As though guided by some telekinetic force placed upon them, the balls of fire shot forth like cannonballs toward the chariot. Just when Alice was sure that they would hit their mark, the chariot dashed to the side and pick up even greater speed. A wall of steam formed as the fire hit the ice in a loud explosion of hot and cold meeting suddenly and violently. The sound of a "tch" Escaped Alice's clenched teeth before she turned to Samarra, "Our target is headed toward the shore! My attack failed," She spoke in a calm but clearly urgent tone.

Samarra finds their opponent's speed and maneuverability oddly fast and responsive for any usual drawn chariot that she has come across. The fact that they were able to outmaneuver the Owl Saint's attack would attest to the large magical energy that they could still feel as it was fleeting towards the shore. Wasting only a breath, Samarra created a magical rune circle on the splintered surface of the shattered boat and summoned forth her trusted Komainu companions, Kokoro and Kratos. "Hop on Kokoro, let's go!" Samarra said urgently to her sister in law as she jumped on Kratos' back and urged them to follow the fleeing chariot along the icy path laid out before them. With their large muscle and great magical energy, their speed would be able to close the gap between the two forces faster than they would on foot; and given their size in comparison to what Samarra could see, the komainu's gait is far larger than the creature pulling the chariot.

"Kokoro, Kratos, we can't let them reach the shore. I need you to create the strongest barrier you two can to prevent them from passing. Don't worry about anything else, including me. You need to stop them in their tracks, so make it wide and make it strong." Samarra yelling into the lion dog's ear over the howling wind that whirled past them. As the back of the chariot came into view, Samarra couldn't believe her eyes. The chariot took a sharp turn in an effort to lose them, but with ice being the only path along the sea, the road they traveled was the same. What Samarra didn't expect to see was a side glimpse of what was in the front of the chariot... "Is- is that a human in the front?! No-wait- a wolf?! No--what is that?!" Samarra yelled out as she points out some sort of hybrid creature running on all fours with tremendous speed as the chains that bound it connected it to the chariot at its rear. Samarra didn't have time to take in it's appearance as the komainu's growled to signal that they were close enough to set their barrier, and Samarra had to focus on what would come next. Samarra wanted to improve their chances as much as they could to get the chariot to stop or run into the barrier, so using her Lightning Magic she threw out a ball of lightning in front of the chariot with the goal of blinding them momentarily as the Komainu twins cast their Perennial Tamagaki barrier across a wide span of the ocean.

The chariot and its "carrier beast" turned temporarily blind, and as a result, crashed into the magical wall. There was a strange sound coming from it as it happened. The tackle made the immediate area of the impact ripple by the force from it yet it held strong as the sound of of warping metal resonated in the area. With everything said and done, the chariot hovered in place, the chains that connected the wolf-like woman to it shattered and broken. The creature rose up from its crumbled self and shook its body like a wet dog, rustling off the shards of metal and shaking off the aches in her body. Standing up on her four limbs, she looked over to the woman that was quickly approaching. She growled, but did nothing in response. That was until there was a voice coming from behind: "This is our chance, Lady Fenrus! ATTACK!" With a roar to rival that of Carwen's, the wolf-girl ran ahead at blistering speeds towards the approaching Komainu's and their saint comrade. With an outcry of exertion she jumped to deliver a mighty punch to the face of one of the beasts.

Samarra saw the wolf-girl, who she now assumed was named Fenrus, sprinting full speed towards her and Kratos with her fist cocked and ready to deliver a blow. Samarra felt herself get lifted by the back of the shirt as Kratos reared back and took hold of Samarra in his teeth, getting ready to fling her behind their approaching opponent. A loud grunt of air from the Komainu could be heard as the punch connected and sent him rolling backwards across the expanding ice, as he took the momentum of the smaller girl's punch through his core. Samarra felt each scratch of the small ice shards that were dug up from the chariot and its steed as she fell down between the broken chariot and Fernus. With their positions separated she could easily tell now that Fenrus was the source of the great magical power, and thus, the more important foe that they need to take down. Seeing that Kokoro was taking Alice to the other Komainu brother to check on him, there was a clear line of attack between Samarra and Fenrus that would assure that she would not hit Alice in the process.

*Gotta go all out from the start with this one...* Samarra thought as she brought her wrists together at her hip as a circle of runes formed around it and began charging up electrical Ki energy within her palms. She focused the energy as much as she could into a single point, so as increase the piercing power the attack would have, while she simultaneously shouted to her companions. "Alice leave the komainu, they'll hold the barrier, focus on the wolf girl! She's the problem!" After a few seconds of charging Samarra thrust her palms forward and released her Raiju Roar Fifth Strike, an attack that moved at blistering speed towards Fenrus with enough volts to rival that of a high altitude lightning strike.

Alice slid off the Komainu as it headed toward the other, sliding on the ice for another ten feet before she was able to come to a stop. At Samarra's words, she turned to look at their foe which appeared to be a mix between a woman and a dog. Without Hesitation, Alice held out her hand toward the wolf woman, she sent a hail of fire missiles toward the creature to cut lower the number of directions their target could escape to. Simultaneously with her other hand, she began to melt the ice around Fenrus in hopes that any move to dodge would send the wolf-girl into the icy waters. "We might not be on stable ground but we have the advantage in his field!" Alice shouted to her sister in law with confidence that she would understand what her words had meant.

Fenrus didn't hesitate for a second when Samarra came for the charge. She decided to countercharge in turn. She ran up at speeds that made the ice and nearby water tremble in her wake. Rushing forward, she was about to make a punch and jump at such speeds that it rivaled what Samarra herself was doing, she suddenly was knocked out of composure. The hail of fireballs from the skies made the ice she was on unstable and unreliable, which halted Fenrus' approach. This was the perfect opening given to Samarra as her Fifth Strike made impact to her chest. A flash of lightning, a searing heat and a roar of thunder was heard as the impact and ensuing shockwave sent resonating waves of power through the air, hurling Fenrus into the distance. Crashing through the boat they had come from, splitting it in half and splintering the rest, she flew into the horizon before crashing into the waves.

Bursting out from the waters came the draconic shape of Carwen Vroman, flying over towards her two comrades. "I suppose I should be grateful for all my endurance training. Anything less might have been rough." She tried to joke. "Much like that barrier of yours, Samarra. Though... I think whatever remained of the forces on that ship can't say the same. Luckily, we still got the chariot. Maybe they can tell us what this was all about?"

Alice adjusted her glasses as she watched their foe go flying through the air, a sigh of uneasy relief as she couldn't decide on whether or not to believe it was truly that easy. At Carwen's suggestion that they get information from those in the chariot, she turned toward them, using her magic to create pillars of earth to keep the chariot in place. An intimidation attempt, seeing as how they couldn't go anywhere without their wolf woman anyhow. Keeping a safe distance but approaching the chariot nonetheless she called out to them. "Surrender yourselves, intruders upon this land. Do so now and you will be treated peacefully and with respect. Such is promised by a representative of the Toranku."

Samarra watches the chariot with intensely focused eyes, a stark contrast to the tiredness her body was feeling from releasing such a large blast of electricity from her body. Thankful for the break to allow her muscles to relax, she could hear stirring inside the chariot and murmurs of the mages inside, most likely debating to heed the words of their enemies. Wanting to force their hand and get them to surrender, Samarra chimed in, "It'd be wise to listen, unless you wish to be dealt with in the same manner as your steed and allies on your boat? Please, make this easy on us, I don't want any more blood stains on my clothes." Her voice being even and stern, showing that they mean business.

A man crawled out from the wreckage of the chariot, his chest bloodied from a gash in his torso, leaning back and up against the wreck, he chuckled but immediately flinched in pain. His ribs were likely broken from the crash. "You don't... Get it, do you? Our purpose here is not to survive this. We were all expendable. What matters is to test out the strength of Fenrus against the strongest and finest of your paltry nation. Fenrus... Fenrus is what matters here. And-" He cut himself off with a groan. "And this is far from over... Case and point?" he said when Carwen heard a sound in the distance. Like a gunshot. She felt a chill running up her spine, and rather than turn around to see what just happened, she elected for immediate action. Grabbing Samarra and Alice with her grand draconic claws, she flapped once with severe might and hurled herself into the air with them. A lucky decision as shortly after there came another icy shot and crashed against the wall, creating yet another glacier of ice that made the grand magical barrier ripple from the impact, cracking in places which were quickly recovered by the Komainus. In the far distance they could now see Fenrus rushing towards them, the sea freezing as fast as she was running, offering her a foothold to run on. "Seems like they had a point." Carwen said as she set them down on the once against renewed ice and transformed back to a human. "Ready yet again, ladies?"

Alice didn't like the air, or not being on the ground at all for that matter. Though she knew that Carwen would not have picked her up if not for a reason, a reason that quickly showed itself when the ice beam hit Samarra's barrier. The witch's eyes followed the trajectory of the attack to see the wolf woman running toward them at break neck speeds. Frankly, she'd hoped that they were done with that one. Though on further reflection it was foolish to believe someone with Ice magic would freeze to death or drown that easily. "I'll try to slow her down." Alice spoke calmly, holding out her hand in the direction of the wolf, hot steam forming on the ice as Lava began to manifest on the water and parts of the ice. She hoped the heat would be too much for her to handle, but didn't plan on underestimating their foe this time around.

"Kokoro, Kratos...hang in there..." Samarra whispered to herself as she watched her beast summons recover from the massive shot and fortify their barrier to continue to protect the evacuating citizens on land. Samarra would say that she was rather shocked that this beast, Fenrus, managed to recover from her Raiju Roar in a matter of mere minutes despite it being one of her stronger lightning spells. Samarra could see through the steam of Alice's lava that their opponent was only slowed a bit by this maneuver and would continue her advance through the barrier in due time. "This long range fighting in the open isn't doing us much good. Our opponent is strong, and has the terrain advantage here. As much as I'd hate to admit, we need to get her to land where we can get a tactical upper hand and land a surprise attack where she won't have enough time to defensively react." Samarra could feel her body still aching a bit from her last attack, so she wouldn't be much use in firing another big attack. Instead she opted to use both hands to rain down numerous bullets of lightning to aid Alice in slowing down Fenrus. "We need to buy a little more time to evacuate the hills, but I think we can move towards the harbor that is clear. This will give us more cover than staying out here in the open water." Samarra looked between both her companions, hoping for their insight into her idea and if they had any idea that might involve less property damage.

Alice thought about Samarra's suggestion, it was true they weren't gaining much ground here on the ice. But there was no guarantee that the same wouldn't result from taking her on land. It was risk, no two ways about it. "I'm not suited for up close and personal fights but I don't mind bringing her to shore as much as I'd have liked to avoid letting her onto the continent. We should try to lead her a bit further down the beach, it would buy time for the evacuation and we could avoid damaging the harbor. The question becomes whether or not we can change her course at all. Do either of you have any ideas on that front?" She asked her two saint companions before pressing a finger to the communicator on her neck. "Theia give me an estimate on the time you need to finish evacuating the civilians? We may need to bring the target to shore, things aren't as we believed they were."

A crackling across the communicator could be heard as the Dragon Saint speaks, "Uh, give us like 20 more minutes. We just cleared the hills, but that explosion early gave people quite a fright and slowed us down. The shore is clear though... hang in there guys." Theia said across the radio, cries and murmurs of worry being heard in the background, giving Samarra an uneasy feeling in her stomach. But dwelling on their ways of peace before this wouldn't help solve the problem at hand. "Alice you have a point, the shore may be better as far as damage goes given the wolf's wide attack range. But as the get her there..." Samarra looks down at the barrier her beasts are currently holding. "We could use the barrier as a guide, but in order to move it at a pace that could keep up with her the Komainus would have to take it down and recast it numerous times which is exhausting … perhaps we guide her with our attacks and smaller earth walls in cooperation with the komainu to push her towards the shore? Carwen what do you think?" Samarra says as she looks up to the large dragon holding her.

"I think it will take too long to get it done proper, and the other alternative risks putting you and the Koma's in a state of magic deficiency. We can't afford either, considering how this creature seems to be able to operate quite well in these conditions as it is..." She muttered as the wolf continued to make its advance. "What I do believe though is that I can hold her off long enough for the rest of you to make it to the shore and make preparations there until I can retreat to you and continue the fight there. "Just give me the signal and I can keep her at bay until you are prepped." She said, manifesting a platform of hardened light for them all to land on, hovering ever so slightly over the water's surface. Letting go of her comrades, they all stood there as the wolf maneuvered its way through the terrain, whether that be jumping over it or just powering through it. A most horrible sight was of her just plowing straight through a pillar of lava which only appeared to have singed her fur. "What do you think?"

Alice considered the proposal though by the look of things Carwen had already made up her mind regarding this approach. "I do not believe it wise to split up with our adversary capable of withstanding our previous onslaught..." She started, a moment of hesitation resulting in brief silence among their group. "Though if you believe yourself capable of holding her off then given the situation I believe it best that Samarra and I hurry. Better to trust in you and get things done than to doubt and waste precious time. Shall we be off, Miss Inari?"

"I'm with Alice on this one, but..." Samarra clicked her tongue and turned to face the beach. "Just don't be reckless Carwen, we will be ready quickly. Let's go Alice!" Samarra said as she signaled to her Komainu to drop the barrier and come towards her and Alice. Using smaller barriers and platforms the two beast let the Saint's hop on their backs and race towards the beach. Looking over her shoulder, Samarra saw Carwen block her view of Fenrus as she stood her ground in buying them time to get to the beach and set up some sort of trap.

"Alice, I think I can use my Chain Prison to capture this wolf once again, but I really need to up the power if I'm going to be able to keep her restrained... But her speed is too much for my chains to keep up with, we would need a way to slow her down or even stall her for a few moments to get my spell to work... Any idea on how to do that?" Samarra said as they made landfall on the beach. Her Komainu twins disappeared, their Ki all spent from the large scale barrier and the impact of Fenrus forcing them to retreat to recover.

There was a slight sense of relief inside of Alice as her boots stepped down onto the wet sand of the beach though short lived as she knew they were far from out of the woods. At Samarra's question, she knelt down and ran her hand along the surface of the white sanded beach, looking back over her shoulder for a moment toward Carwen doing battle with their foe. "I do. Let's move a bit further up the beach."

Putting some distance between themselves and the water, Alice held out her hands in front of her aimed down toward the sands before them. The ground shook before the sand began to flow almost like water, twisting and mixing as though a current was being carried through them. Water held deep below the sands began to bubble up, leaving the beach looking muddy and almost swamp-like. "Once our foe steps foot on the beach they'll begin to sink, I'll solidify the earth around her and hopefully that'll keep her still long enough for your chain prison to take hold."

Carwen nodded as the two of them ran off towards the beach, preparing for what was to come. She fixated her gaze firmly on the creature known as Fenrus. She was still coming, and soon she would be upon her. Shifting from full dragon into Demi-Dragon, she prepared herself for the worst. Running forward to meet Fenrus halfway, she prepared her Divine Dragon's Iron Palm. Fenrus answered not with a blow as they began to come close, but with a breath of sheer, unrestrained cold. Carwen only so barely managed to raise her Divine Dragon's Coat to protect her from the chill as she delivered her blow. The impact sent ripples in the water as she knocked the wolf backward, a stigmata appearing on her chest. It was a weakening Stigmata. Weakening fulfils the task of both slowing and reducing strength, but at a lower ratio than the individual stats does. But not being able to spread them so thinly out, she decided that this was the best course of action.

Fenrus, however, was not deterred. Landing on her feet against frozen water once again, she scurried towards Carwen. Delivering relatively light palm strikes against her body, Carwen hoped to bring about as many stigmatas as possible, allowing them to fester on Fenrus body until they became so potent that she would hopefully be reduced to a relative non-threat for them. Easier said than done as Carwne was having a hard time counter striking and defending at the same time. Frankly, Fenrus landed considerably more blows against Carwen than the other way around. It was painful to say the least, but her nigh unnatural durability helped greatly. Even so, she could feel herself starting to bruise up. *They better get done with their plan sooner than later.* She playfully thought even as she was being served the battering of her life.

Back on the beach Samarra was scanning for places to put her last two summoning seals to complete the area in which they could trap Fenrus. "The trouble is, if the surface these seals are on are destroyed, I have to end up placing them again...Alice, is there a way you can make the areas my seals are at more flexible in nature with your Terrain Magic? So rather than shattering, they act more like rubber? I know that may be asking a lot..." Samarra said with a sigh as she concentrated on concealing a mark on the back face of the coast rocks that lined the shore. She examined her range that the 4 summoning seals were now in place; the area was rather small, only 150 square feet in total, but in order for the chains to reach Fenrus at her incredible speed, they needed to spawn relatively close. *I don't know if this will be strong enough or fast enough to catch her... There's always the higher level sealing spell I've been working on, but I never got it right and ended up in the hospital for a week last time I tried...ugh! Let's just have faith in our combined strength that we will be able to stop Fenrus here.* Samarra thought to herself as her knuckles grew white with the strength of her resolve.

Alice considered Samarra's request, unsure of it was possible. "I can try but I don't know if they'll be able to hold up if they're struck directly." Alice gave the only answer she could in good conscience, focusing on the rocks on which Samarra had placed her seals, changing the properties of the stone allowing them to bend more freely but a stone was still a stone and thus it wouldn't be able to take too much of a beating before it shattered. Bringing a finger to her ear she spoke into the communicator.

"Carwen, try to bring our enemy to shore, Theia should be finishing up the last of the evacuations about now and our trap is in place."

"No need to tell me twice." Carwen muttered with a nazely tone. Her nose had been broken from a very hard blow. She couldn't even remember the last time she had actually broke something, or even taken a wound of any greater note. All the same, this fight should be approaching its end. It needed to. As Fenrus came in for a clawed strike, Carwen dove down and swept the wolf girl off her feet, making her tumble. But before she had the chance to even land, Carwen was already behind her, and with a heavily magic-infused palm strike, she sent the wolf hurtling through the air, landing in approximately the right area of the sealing spell. Carwen didn't stay however. She needed to be with them quick if something were to go avry. Leaping towards them faster than Fenrus travelled, she corrected the structure of her nose bone as Fenrus landed in the sand.

Alice was quick to act as the wolf creature hit the beach with a wet thud as its body slid through the dense wet sand. Closing her hands, Alice solidified the the muddy sand into solid rock leaving their enemy partially submerged within the stone. She knew this would only hold for a few moments at best and as such she did not dare distract Samarra with any sort of signal. Trusting her sister-in-law to do as they'd discussed before hand without hesitation.

Samarra released the seals on her Chain Prison as soon as she saw Fenrus' hands sink into the sand. The chains sprung forth and snaked their way towards Fenrus as the closest one wrapped around the exposed portion of the wolf's left leg and spiraling up to gain a further hold. When 2 other chains circled the other free leg and one of her arms, Samarra was certain that their affects would begin to work as she noted the weakening stigmatas on the wolf that Carwen placed would make it hard to physically resist the strength of the metal as it snaked around her like a boa constrictor catching its pray. As the 4th chain made its way up her last free arm Samarra spoke out, "There's no where to go Fenrus, my Chain Prison is infused with Soul Repeal magic that shuts down a mage's ability to use magic. Now care to tell us why you're here and where the rest of your friends are hiding? Surely that one ship isn't alone." Samarra says as she places one more seal on the ground to summon up a 5th chain to wrap around Fenrus' neck, tracing the path of chain marks from what looks to be her previous restraints.

Fenrus let out an ear-piercing roar that shook the very skies like a thunderbolt as the chains crept up her body. The wolf-girl struggled and tried to force her way out of her trappings, partially getting through the solid stone around her feet, which would have swiftly worked if not for the containment of her new prison and the weakening stigmata. This kind of teamwork was now making swift work of her threat. Bound down to the ground, denying her space to move around in, she started to feel... Clearer. Clearer of mind. Looking around herself through the corners of her eyes, being unable to turn her head to any greater extent. After having a mind so clouded for so long, to feel this kind of freedom was liberating, funny as the choice of words might be.

Once she felt her mind was no longer as clouded, she started doing the very thing she had not done all day and for a long time; Speak. "Friends...? Hardly... The bonds are... Weakening. Their grip... fading. Their control... Slipping." She groaned out, only getting a few words out at a time due to the tight chain around her neck. " A great fleet... has made landfall... They're... Swarming."

With the solidified mud and magical chains around her, Alice was sure that whatever being they were looking at was finished. "Surrender now and we'll have no reason to harm you further. Continue to resist and we cannot guarantee your safety, tell us what you and your friends were planning!" Alice ordered, following protocol on the matter despite not even knowing what the beast in front of them was. Some kind of hybrid? A demon perhaps, she didn't know but so long as they had it under control she didn't care.

"I wouldn't call them... Friends. They are thieves. Bandits. Jailers. They keep me under lock and chain. I am... A battery to them. Fueling their own powers. Their invasion as begun... They have already attacked Vroldafn. More will come... Ishtar next." Fenrus spoke as she resisted her bonds. Her fur stood on end as she appeared to shiver. Her limbs shook and buckled under this new force being applied to her, neither stigmata or chains. She appeared pained. "And... Here it comes... I hope you have reinforcements... This is going to get nasty." She hissed as her fur darkened and spread across her body. Her eyes shifted in color. What's more, eyes began to manifest all over her body with the same sickening color, leaking some pus-like liquid. Fenrus roared once more, this one causing the very buildings around them to rattle and rumble. Her body began to twist, her bones cracking as she grew in size. "Fight! Fight for your lives!" Was the last words Fenrus spoke as her face contorted into the snout of a monstrous wolf, growling her defiance as the stigmata's shattered and the chains began to break.

Samarra began backing away with a look of awe and disgust, as she watched this now hideous beast break free from her Chain Prison. Never before had she encountered a foe who was able to break out of one of her most powerful sealing spells, but the grotesque sound of cracking bones and dripping pus that came from Fenrus told a story that this was a power of another world that could outclass the magic of a mere human mage. Pressing into her earpiece Samarra signaled out for their reinforcements, "Theia we need you here NOW! Leave the rest of the evacuation to the Cambium Knights, our enemy broke out of my chain prison, we need help to recapture it."

A few miles to the north of the battlefield Theia's face drew into a worried expression as she turned around to face the coast and saw smoke and dust billow into the air where the battle was taking place. The immense energy that was coming for that area had her hair's standing on end, and the words of the Fox Saint made her stomach drop. "Do you think I should bring more people to help? The Knights can b--" Theia began but was quickly cut off by her senior, "No, leave the Knights to protect the people. They would only get hurt here. Now hurry, quickly." Theia activated her Scaled Ascension form as light began to cloak her and scales covered most of skin, giving her unimaginable speed, as she raced to join her fellow Saints and see the might of this beast.

Samarra said as she ran to take cover behind a nearby building as her brain scurried to come up with a new plan. *How are we supposed to take on this monster?! Argh, Samarra stay calm. Think. Our two options are to kill it or contain it. Option 1 to be the easiest course of action... Containment is more humane, but if my chain prison didn't work...and no one has any other sealing spells stronger than that. But like I said I have the spell I've been working on, Ankou's Carriage...but that's a last resort...* Samarra sighed as she pressed the communicator to talk to her team once again, "At this point killing is our best option, we need to give everything we got to taking it down here and now! How is everyone doing with their chi levels? We will need some high level spells to take out this monster."

Her hat was sent flying as Alice covered her ears as the beast let out a roar, moving back to a safe distance as the creature seemed to transform. Perhaps she was right in her presumption that the wolf may very well have been a demon of some kind. When the roar died down and she heard Samarra's voice over their comms in spite of the ringing in her ears she bit down hard on her lip for a moment before answering. "I have enough for a few stronger spells but it was able to break through your chain prison. I'm not sure if there's anything we can throw at it that'll be any more effective than that, nothing on hand at the least." Alice spoke through the comms, adjusting her glasses.

"I'm afraid anything that may even come close to damaging the creature would reek devastation on the surrounding area as well. I know collateral damage isn't exactly something we've managed to avoid in the past but I'd prefer if we gave these people homes to return to if possible." She explained, knowing that none of them would like to explain why they had to drop a meteor on a city.

Carwen grinned. "I may have something!" Carwen shouted at Alice as she jumped back as Fenrus was consistently breaking loose. "Remember my Lockburst? That spell I was all but forbidden from using? How about using that? If we are to put it down, we could at least try. It will drain me for the next week, but... Think you can throw that thing into the air for me? Preferably extremely high?"

Before Alice would have the chance to reply, Fenrus swiped with its paw in Carwen's direction. The attack was fast and strong, as evident when a very concerning sound was made: The breaking of her bones. Carwen cried out in absolute agony as her raised left arm was all but shattered by the impact. When had she last broken something? Had she ever? This was suddenly a danger of a whole new level. "Better give me an answer quick! I don't even know if dragon me can keep up with this thing now!" She shouted before Fenrus was now completely free from her shackles, growing into a beast of greater size than even a dragon. Roaring to the high heavens, it raised its paw and brought it crashing into the sand. The saints would consider themselves lucky for that single fact, as any more solid of a foundation would likely have broken apart a sizable chunk of the city.

Sand and hardened mud rained down upon the saints, Alice gritting her teeth when she'd heard the sound of Carwen becoming injured as a result of their enemy's attack. Her mind couldn't really process Carwen's question, could she? Could she throw the beast up into the air as her cousin in law requested. She didn't doubt the abilities of herself or any of her fellow saints but the closer they were to being driven into a corner the more she understood just how dire their situation was.

"I've got this!" She raised her voice though in it carried a hint of doubt, throwing her hands up into the air as the sand and mud underneath the beast began to rise up like a mountain from the ground itself. "Gaia's Reach!" She spoke out the name of her spell but any of them who'd seen the spell before would know that it wasn't meant to lift that much Earth at once, the sweat that poured from Alice's brow was proof enough that she strained to raise up so much as quickly as she was. She hoped the upward push would seen the beast flying as high as Carwen needed. If not, she wasn't sure what they could do.

Theia raced onto the scene as the flash of light left by her magic trailed behind her as the monster came into view. Theia stopped just outside of the city as the fowl beast could be seen peeking over the tops of the buildings shrouded in dust and debris from the fight. Theia was rearing to go as she had Ki to spare, and was aching to let loose on the monster that seemed to have her senior saint members on the ropes. Overhearing the comms between Alice and Carwen, Theia saw that Alice was doing her best to raise the monstrous beast into the air. Wanting to give a helping hand, Theia used her Photon Acceleration to appear on the scene beside the rising mountain that Alice was creating as she looked up at the flailing limbs of the wolf like beast that lost its footing. Reaching her hands to the heavens, Theia gathered an enormous amount of Ki into her hands as she releases a large Photovoltaic Blast up towards Fenrus to push it further into the air and release some of Theia's built up anger at the intruder to their land. The blast shot off in a swirl of light and lightning as her most powerful blast was imbedded with a paralyzing effect, causing overwhelming muscular contraction, due to the barrage of millions of charged metallic particles. Though it's reach was a fraction of the size of the beast, it's penetrating damage would surely take out one of the many eyes that covered it's body. "Sorry I'm late everyone, but trust me, I've got energy to spare to teach this monster not to mess with the Beast Saints!"

And with the confirmation of aid, Carwen began to channel her magic power. With a broken arm though, it was clear that she would not be able to gather enough Ki in time before the window of attack had elapsed. Left with no other option, she could only pray that she was not overstepping her bounds as the beast was hurled into the sky. "Soul Relinquishment!" She cried out as her body flared with intense magical power. She was currently tributing pieces of her soul in exchange for more and faster power. Hotoke had taught her this technique in the past for emergencies, but with the caveat that she could only sacrifice so much before her soul would be unable to recover from the ordeal. She didn't even quite know her own limit. But it was all or nothing. "20%. 40%. 60%. 80%! 91 %! Lock Burst!" She cried out as she felt the agonizing pain of sacrificing so much of herself. "**Heavenly Judgement of the Pristine Dragon God**" Came her shout as the very skies darkened in a near instant and all around the beast manifested magical circles. With a clench of her still functioning fist, the circles spewed a bursting array of comets of dazzling divine light. The comets hammered at the beast, its roars of anguish barely heard over the reality rattling power of her lock burst. Dust was scattered, blood and pus splattered over the sandy ground as the magic then came to a still. Falling from the sky came the battered wolf. Besides from the eyes in its skull, all the others had been closed or just outright destroyed. There was just one little issue.

She was still standing.

"My. Hatred. BUURRRRNSSS!" cried the almost masculine sounding wolf as it reared its head for a bite at Carwen's direction, and with her emptied and weakened self, she could not muster the strength to move fast enough to avoid the consuming bite. She couldn't even muster the strength to speak. She could only hope that her comrades would be able to act fast enough to save her. If not? Well... She had a good life. Even if she would never get to see any grandkids.

An Earthen archway appeared above Alice to block the blood and viscera that rain from the sky, sweat poured in beads down her brow. She would be fine though, at least for the moment though with the beast still standing none could say for sure if that would remain the case. It was as she'd said before, she had few more cards up her sleeve to play and she was about to use one of them now.

Seeing Carwen in danger, Alice's hands were thrown up and in that same moment three large gates rose from the bloodstained mud and sand. "Seven Gates," She spoke the name though she'd only summoned three it was all she could fit between Carwen and the monster that gained ground on her. Her most powerful defensive spell, she knew at the very least it would buy Samarra or Theia time to deliver something more offensive and that's all she could do in their current predicament.

"Attack it's legs, if nothing else crippling its movement capabilities will work to our advantage!" She yelled to the two others saints nearest her. Theia nodded and tapped on her comms to signal Samarra, "We can't take down both legs, but I think one would be enough. Aim for the left kneecap...thingy...Wait for my mark!" Theia said as she took a look at the gruesome pile of blood and rage that was fighting against Alice's barrier.

"Got it! Let's make it count!" Samarra responded, trying not to let her labored breathing show through and be of any concern to her teammates. Through the dust she could see a large condensing area of life that would be like that of fallen star, a beautiful glow in the settling air, if not for the circumstances. Samarra readied a spell of her own as she did her best to set her sights on the leg that Theia directed her to. Lightning began to spark and emanate from her as she cloaked herself in raging bolts of electricity that was poised to be shot directly though the beast before her and bring it crashing to the ground.

Theia gathered all her might and put as much Ki as she could into the growing ball of light as it swallowed up the Ki particles before them to grow in size. When it reached it's critical mass, Theia wasted no time in tossing the ball of light and send it hurdling towards Fenrus as she shouted "NOW SAMARRA!". From both sides of the sturdy joint that held up the now bloodied beast came swirling, screeching, and raging masses of magic aimed at shredding through the limb like paper. The two mages screamed with might and with hope that their attacks would keep the beast at bay in the town and protect those that are still running from this travesty.

The two attacks scorched the air as they traveled towards Fenrus. Too fast for the massive and hurt beast to act upon, Fenrus right front leg tanked the full brunt of the two attacks. She tried to resist it with all her might, but within short there was the sound of a resounding crack of bones. With the fade of the two spells, the result of their efforts could be seen. Pus and blood dripping from the twisted and contorted leg, Fenrus howled in agony. But it was not ready to lay down and just break. With its three functioning legs did it leap towards Samarra, jaws wide open with clear intent. It's eyes spoke a different story from the body language however. It was in agony. It was suffering. It was confused and distressed. It was clear that it wanted it all to end, but with a body so determined to cause destruction and carnage, such just wouldn't be possible as it stood.