Shine Like the Moon! ( Mission / Ardere )

Chuckling a bit at the young girl's comment, Ardere's composure changed a bit as he gazed up at the Blood Moon. It seemed to be at it's peak, shining bright in the sky unlike any moon he had ever seen before. As they wandered along the path, they would reach their destination. A cave, with a rather large entrance was unveiled. He could tell the noises were coming from inside the cave, they were noises of struggle. Into the depths we go eh? Holding his blade, the flames on it would dissipate. The elegant blade red and white revealed itself, it had been hiding underneath those flames. His armor was tight, and his mind was sound, as they entered the cave. It would not be long before they came across a large room, but something was off. Moonlight shone down into the room, onto some sort of tablet which he presumed was the source of this curse. Red moon light caused the tablet to shine, but in the back of the room he saw something. Several of the townspeople were tied up in the back, presumably to be fed on or turned. The room was silent now, which sent a chill down his spine.

Just as he was about to make a move to go save the people, the earth beneath him shook. A figured, dark and gargantuan would appear. Golden fur, shining in the moon light. A beast larger than any of the previous ones, but what was the most disturbing was how calmly it carried itself. Walking on two feet rather than all fours, it's red eyes focused on the two mages. The Alpha, it was no doubt. Slowly walking towards him, for the first time in his life, Ardere was overwhelmed by a power that sent fear through his veins. He had experienced mild fear before, but this prompted him to stand still for a moment. Then, a voice ran through his head. It was the voice of his mentor, Hephaestus. The flame of the Gods, a flame that cannot be extinguished. He remembered those words, and a new fuel for his power appeared. The combination of Will and Anger he rarely experienced together, sent a powerful dark aura across his body. He had never let out the full potential of his magic before, he had always held back to protect his friends, but this time he would not hold back. His attitude almost never switched from laid back to angry, he could be serious, as he did not view the world as a joke, but his feelings here were amplified unlike any situation he had encountered. The Alpha gaining on them with a wicked smile, would find a being of black flames and rage in front of him, holding one of the most well crafted blades in the country. For a moment, he forgot Aiyana was even there. She could provide ample support to his attacks, but he still had to make sure he did not harm her. It was time to end this, the mission, the curse, all of it.

Staring the golden beast down, combat would ensue. Lifting a fist up and drawing his sword back, just as the lycan appeared to be charging him. Black flames enveloped the fire king as his body was shot forward, like some sort of rocket. The trail of flames he left behind began right in front of his partner, she would not be harmed but she would feel the power behind the attack. His flames would crash right into the beast, as he expected to knock it into the wall. Instead, he found that he was in mid air firing like a rocket, as the beast barely moved back a meter, being mildly harmed by the flames. Widening his eyes a bit, Ardere began to overload the magical energy within the beast himself as an instinctive reaction, and caused a massive explosion in front of him. Shaking the entire room, some dirt and rocks fell from the ceiling. The combination of Crash and Flame magic left the room with a golden glow for a moment, which he found ironic due to the color of the Alpha's fur. Sadly, the werewolf barely slid back another meter. During this ruckus, he slashed twice with his blade to deal damage to the beast, but it seemed his skin was quite tough. Instead, it howled at the fire mage.

Taken by the shock of the howl, he had no choice but to activate one of his sword's abilities. Creating a sphere of black flames, he blocked the brunt of the howl, but was sent tumbling back next to his partner. Quickly regaining his balance, he stabbed his blade into the earth to stop himself from being flung any further. Stopping right next to Aiyana, it was obvious he had taken some damage, but not enough to take him out of the fight. He was surprised that the beast was unaffected by any of the knock backs from his spells, instead it seemed to tank all of it. The beast was injured there was no doubt, but he was far from beaten. If anything, now was a great time for his partner to attack. Kuso. That beast is strong, you distract it a bit and I'll try and pop around it. Swearing in his native tongue meant the situation was serious, and of course it was. Though he knew they could beat this large bastard, even if they were knocked around a bit. The lycan did not seem to be distracted for the moment though, for he was about to charge the two mages relentlessly. Sch strength and ferocity, it was no wonder he was the Alpha. This would perhaps be the hardest battle he had fought thus far, which surprisingly enough could be a good thing. Strength was to be gained here, and that was his alternative goal from saving the village.

Ardere, dashing around to the left, watched as the beast would attempt it's onslaught upon his mission partner. Gritting his teeth a bit, the fire mage charged to the beast's side. Laying out heavy slashes with his enhanced strength, the ground beneath the two shook a bit. Repeatedly laying out slashes, the beast performed a swipe to counter. Ducking beneath the swipe, some of the air from it caught him, and sent him backwards. The man sliding back a bit, like the beast was also relentless. This was the final stretch, and he would not let it go to waste like this. Repeatedly pummeling the beast with his sword, he blasted black flames from his feet. Fueling his jab, the blade broke the skin of the beast between it's ribs, prompting a howl from the pain. Dropping down, he performed two slashes on both of the beast's legs, until it finally collapsed. The god slayer was panting, his body banged up from the attacks, but they had finally beaten the beast. It had taken them some time, but they had completed all but one task; destroy the tablet to end the curse.

First, he needed a moment to gather himself. Fighting the beast was exhausting, even for a mage with stamina far above a normal human's. Stabbing his blade into the ground, he lifted himself up. Looking over at his partner, who seemed to be injured, he made sure she was alright. Are you alright, do you need help? It was merely in his nature to be concerned for the well being of other people, especially guild mates. The two had gotten together this far, it would be a shame if they could not finish it together. Letting out a slight laugh, he was glad he had beaten the large golden bastard behind him. The alpha was completely unconscious, covered in burn and gashes. The golden fur seemed to have large black splotches now, unfortunate for the beast. Sheathing his red and white blade, Ardere helped his new friend up if she needed it. His armor was a bit tattered and worn, but as was expected from a battle such as thing. He had gained a lot of experience on this mission, something he could use in his life. The only thing left to do was destroy the tablet. Looking over to the glowing thing, the moon light still shining on it. Looking back to Aiyana, they knew what they had to do here now.