Mission: The King of Beasts (Alye, Eclipse)

Aian had been spending the past month helping others within the guild-mainly lower ranks- with missions. But that was only a side project to help distract his mind. What he really had been doing, was focusing on fierce mediation to increase his mental strength. All that roamed in his mind throughout the month was how horrible things could have gone when Kamuy was released that night. He watched as his best friend, Reiki, was heavily pummeled by Kamuy. Thankfully, nothing serious was done; though he was sure bones were broken. And then there was Alye. Though he had not attacked her; he was sure his trust with her was broken to a severe degree. She seemed nice, but he couldn't help that a high level of mistrust was placed in her for him that night. It drove him near mad to every night to where he had not slept at all for the past couple weeks.

One day however, he received a letter from his friend Reiki. The letter asked him and ALye to meet at the Hunting Village to take part of a mission he had heard of. Aian was not sure what the mission was, but if it meant getting to reprove himself than it would be something he could not pass up. Though he did hesitate greatly; he was overwhelmed with doubt. "How can I show my face to them again...Reiki, he is used to it...but I never attacked him like that before. Alye....what does she think of me now?...I have not seen her around the guild sense that night...then again, I haven't tried..." He contemplated what to do. If he could not control Kamuy this time, he wasn't sure what would happen. He sat there for the next several hours in his room thinking. He was slowly gathering materials into his knapsacks for emergencies; though with Alye there it would be almost useless. Yet he did it anyway. He packed until there was nothing more he could carry, and hoisted the bags onto his body and belt. He was silent the entire time as he walked down the hall, down the stairway, down the main hall, and to the door. He was silent as he walked out of the guild, down the mountain trail and to the forest. He just walked in silence of mind and tongue; his mind blank. It would take him time to reach the village, though as he walked it was in silence. His head was down the entire time, as every now and then the thought of "What will they think of me?" popped into his mind.

Reiki walked into the Hunting Village a day earlier than he had asked his teammates, Alye and Aian, to meet him there to take up a mission. On his way home from his training, Reiki had heard from a nearby city that the tribe that lived in the Hunting Village was being harassed by a large pack of lions that lived in the nearby plains. The lions were effortlessly taking livestock from the villagers. That was the part that interested Reiki. Why would a village that was dedicated to hunting be asking mages for help? As he began asking questions in the city a few weeks ago, Reiki had learned that it wasn't just regular lions that the villagers were dealing with. Evidently, the issue they were having was with the pack leader, described as a hulking beast of unseen proportions. For Reiki and Aian, having been raised by dragons, they probably saw bigger. Still, a chance to hunt what the villagers had nicknamed the "King of the Beasts" was all Reiki needed to get excited.

Hunting was an avid part of Reiki's training, both with his foster dragon and his foster monk parents. For Reiki, this was going to end up being an amazing mission. It had been quite some time since he last saw his teammates, though longer since he had seen Aian. Having trained with Alye before leaving to do his own training, Reiki essentially hadn't seen Aian since the incident with Kamuy. This mission would be Reiki's demonstration of just how much stronger he had become. It was also a chance to demonstrate his hunting skills. 

Slowly, Reiki made his way to the weapons shop in the village. If he was going hunting, Reiki wanted at least one weapon with him. That weapon, would be a bow. During his training with Gellidus, Reiki had learned how to shape and use a makeshift bow out of simple wood bark. As for ammo, Reiki had always just used icicles as opposed to actual arrows. Once he forgot his memories and wound up in the care of the Thunder Wolves, then Reiki learned to forge makeshift arrows at a moments notice. No one really knew it, but Reiki was actually quite the marksman.

As he was browsing the bows, an elderly voice rang inside his mind. So, you honestly plan on taking on a giant lion, with a bow and some arrows? it asked, curious of Reiki's plan, if he had one. Well, yes and no, Azrael. When we get to that, I'll more than likely just end up using my magic. Though, depending on how many arrows I have left by the time I find it... it may have a few icicles in some uncomfortable places. Reiki thought, knowing Azrael could easily hear him. He didn't want to speak aloud, worried the locals would find him insane and drive them out of their village.

As he browsed the bows, Reiki finally found the perfect one. The shopkeeper explained he had forged it personally from the oldest tree in Fiore many years ago. Due to the price, no one had ever purchased the bow. Reiki honestly didn't blame them, but the bow was worth the price tag. The detailing was incredible, and the bow pulled strong and true. Reiki just had no idea how he was going to afford such a thing. When he explained to the shopkeeper why he was in the village, the shopkeeper enthusiastically gave Reiki the bow, along with every last arrow he had in the shop. It seemed that the people were glad that someone was coming in to take care of the lion issue. 

As he strapped on a satchel to hold his new bow along with 2 very large quivers, Reiki made his way out of the shop. The sun was just beginning to set over the vast plains that lay just beyond the villages western gate. Out there roamed the pack the three would soon be hunting for. Tomorrow night, the fun begins. For now, I need some rest. Gonna really need to practice tomorrow. It's been too long since I've used a bow. Reiki quietly said to himself, somewhat speaking to Azrael as well. Reiki erupted his crystal wings from a magic circle and took off to the highest point in the village, the lookout tower. Atop its roof, Reiki gazed out towards the plains. He could see dozens of farms dotting the horizon. Those would be their first targets. However, that was something to think through tomorrow. For now, Reiki undid the strap around his jacket that held his new weapon, set it beside him and drifted off to sleep.

The next day, from dawn until about five in the afternoon, Reiki was practicing his archery skills. Arrow after arrow he silently fired into wooden targets. Reiki had already made so many holes in seven other wooden targets, they had become completely unusable for practice anymore. He was on the last one the village had, as some of the villagers finest marksmen came and watched him go. As he let loose his final arrow, he looked up into the sky to see the position of the sun getting closer to sundown. That time already, huh? Where did the time go? Reiki asked himself, unaware that Azrael had been ranting to him for at least three hours now about the great hunts that he and Gellidus used to go on when they were younger. Reiki had gotten used to the fact that there was a dragon in his head that had a tendency to ramble on about things rather quickly. Gathering up his arrows, Reiki made his way over to the chieftains hut. Outside, he stood and awaited the arrival of his fellow teammates. Azrael continued to ramble on, Reiki finally making conversation with him as they awaited the others.

It took Aian several days to arrive, due to his slow pace. Every now and then he would also encounter a shrine, and pray for forgiveness and safety for his friends. He would also test out his hunting skills when he needed something to eat. While training with Metallicana, Aian was left to fend for himself with no teachings of how to hunt; so he had to learn from scratch. This gave him a sense of instinct and ways of watching prey closely and read their slightest movement and reactions. Of course, living in a hot canyon, not many things were ever active during the day that were edible. So finding the right spot with his heightened senses of smell and hearing were a key trick he had to learn in order to catch hiding prey. Of course, it took him a couple of months to get used to finding prey. The next thing he had to learn, was how to deal with creatures one would need to be cautious about. In the canyon, many things used venom to kill their prey as to not waste energy on a meal. Aian however did not have such an ability; and it took him even longer on how to deal with most catch able prey, let alone cook and eat them properly. 

Still, Aian mainly had to use his hands and or small sharpened sticks, he wasn't an open field hunting but a scavenger. However, he still had hopes he would be of use for the mission. If the creature was hiding or went into hiding; he would be the one able to find it first for his team mates if they are better hunters than him. The only other thing he knew, was herpetology due to having to cure some poisons after being taken to location by Metallicana. The only thing he would do to help Aian other than drilling him in his training. It came in handy if he failed or got struck by venom filled barbs or fangs; it also came in handy to being able to tell which plants would be able to do what to humans. Or at least what it would do to him. Metallicana even took him to exotic places to study and gather rarer herbs in order to increase this knowledge. Putting this knowledge together with his scavenging skills, he learned what type of plant would attract certain prey to open areas; or protect them from others due to the plant's traits. 

Upon reaching the village, he looked about for his team mates, Alye and Reiki; though he was cautious about searching openly and kept hidden to the shadows in order to observe how the two were doing before approaching them. He was still too nervous to approach them immediately and doubting his own personal security in holding Kamuy back. He was still unsure if this mission would be a good idea.

Reiki leaned against the outside of the chieftans hut, his ears perking as he sensed a familiar force of magic. Well, shes here, so that makes all of us. Now just need to wait for Aian to crawl out of hiding. Reiki said with a grin, as he closed his eyes. Having not seen nor spoken to Alye for a month, he was rather looking forward to seeing her once more. As for Aian, Reiki had little to no idea as to what was happening with him. Knowing his old friend, he was probably still sulking over the whole incident with Kamuy.

Reiki's mind was too distracted to even notice the majestic beast that was descending upon him from the skies above. Once he finally realized, Reiki panicked, spinning around as a large, blue feathered bird landed before him. Reiki stopped spinning, his bow fully drawn back with an arrow pointing directly into the birds face. The two stared each other down, neither of them moving a single muscle.

After a few moments, Reiki simply tilted his head as he continued to stare at the bird. The mission clearly stated that they would be hunting lions and various other land animals, nothing to do with giant birds. So what exactly was this bird doing here? It didn't seem hostile, at least, not at the moment. Reiki lowered his bow, still having the arrow slightly drawn. His legs were tensed, ready to move if the bird was going to try anything. Somethings... odd about this bird. I've never seen it before... yet, for some reason, it has a somewhat familiar essence surrounding it.... it feels like.... Alyes... Reiki thought, as he continued to stare into the birds eyes.

Reiki was silent for several seconds before a worried look was painted on his face. W-wait..... Di-........ DID ALYE TURN INTO A BIRD!?!?!?! he shouted in confusion, completely forgetting the fact that he had just sensed Alye's magic power just moments before. Reiki may have grown a lot stronger mentally and physically, but he was still the goof ball he always had been, still having some extremely odd and mentally absent moments. Somethings just never change.

Aian had felt Alye's presence from above, rather than on the ground like what he expected. Other than Reiki whom he had been able to find and keep hidden from behind corners, he didn't expect her to be flying on a giant bird. He noticed her jump off, having spot him with ease and call out to him. "Aian" The sudden confrontation almost caused him to run; expecting to face some form of her wrath from the previous night they all were together. Even when she came into the sunlight, he was cringing and backed up as she came closer; not fully sure what to expect. He listened as she began, "I know how you're feeling. Trust me, I do. Reiki and I aren't mad at you, nor do we blame you at all. I...just felt that you should know that. We don't want your head somewhere else while we're on our first mission as a team!", she said with a closed eye smile. Her words sounded sincere but he couldn't tell...In his head he could only hear doubt that what she was putting out to comfort him was not what she truly felt. Too many times had it been plastered into his head the negative reaction people got upon seeing Kamuy; so his doubt was with just cause as he listened to her explanation. "Now, come on! Reiki and Reniro should be waiting for us!", she said as she stepped out of the shadows. He couldn't bring the urge to respond; his throat was clogged with the worry and guilt that flowed through his mind and heart. He simply watched as Alye walked out towards Reiki and her giant bird, named Reniro, from his examination of it all. Though he still had major doubts within his mind that the two have truly forgiven him. He couldn't see how they could. Still he slowly followed; knowing that he was going to confront both of them either by being dragged or by them coming to him in the shadows.

He walked out to see the giant bird on the ground for the first time, taking it as Reniro. He feared approaching due to how animals had a higher take in not only their owner's but other people's emotions. He didn't trust himself going near the bird to have it possibly freak out on him as it sensed his worry and guilt. He looked to see Reiki who looked a lot stronger than he did the last time they met. He physically looked the same, but his spiritual stature appeared to be more solid than before. Aian envied that; knowing that he was rather weak in that same sense. He couldn't help but feel he had drastically fallen behind his team mates; but it gave him a bit of confidence knowing that if Kamuy was released- this time Reiki wouldn't take as much damage as last time. Aian continued to stay a ways back, not wanting to officially get close; feeling insecure and unsure of the true emotions of his friends.

Shock was the first thing that had overcome Reiki's mind as soon as he heard Alye's voice come from behind the bird. He stood there, mouth agape, his mind too distracted to note her magic power coming from just behind the creature, not the creature itself. He sighed in relief as he watched the white haired girl fall from behind the creature, giggling like a child. I can't believe I honestly fell for that... he slightly laughed, as he welcomed Alye's hug with open arms.

"Try talking to him, Reiki. You are his best friend. Your words can do more than mine" she asked of Reiki, letting go of him and smiling. He moved his right hand up to begin scratching the back of his head. Well, a little easier said than done... I dunno what's harder to get through, his defenses or the natural thickness of his skull... he commented, turning his golden yellow eyes to meet Alye's own. But, I guess I can try if you really want me to. he finished, as he began walking toward Aian. Reiki could tell that she was worried about him. It wasn't that Reiki didn't have concern for his friend, it was just the sheer difficulty of the task she had asked of him. Learning to control his magic was one thing, breaking through Aian's skull was on a whole other level.


Reiki proceeded to greet Aian in the usual fashion, bumping Aian on the shoulder with his fist. Reiki didn't notice it, but he actually put more force behind that than he intended. His physical strength had grown quite a bit during his training, despite the fact it looked like he almost barely changed physically. Yo, been a while huh? he smirked, watching as Aian just stood there, looking more insecure than usual. Really? C'mon, what kind of way is that to greet someone? At least make a damn noise... Reiki sighed, scratching his head yet again and looking back towards Alye. This was the worst he had ever seen Aian before, and it was difficult just to get through to him normally. This was going to be quite a challenge...

Turning back to his friend, he placed his right hand firmly on Aian's shoulder before he began to speak. Look, you're probably still depressed over what happened that day.... Well don't be. Me getting hurt was my own damn fault. When I saw it was Kamuy and not you, I panicked. I wanted to protect him from going after her so I acted like an idiot hoping it would distract him... I wasn't taking it seriously, I figured he had the same power you displayed. I was wrong, and I got messed up pretty bad for it.... Reiki paused, looking down at the ground for a moment. He then tightened his grip on Aian's shoulder and looked at him with a smirk, but not with his usual cocky confidence. This face was filled to the brim with serious, the change in the tone of his voice reflecting it. And that's exactly why I started training harden than before. Both my training with Alye and my own training up in the north have made me a hell of a lot stronger. The Son of Gellidus is getting back to the power he should have been using all along. You don't need to worry about letting him loose. You have us to beat the living daylights out of him, and prevent you from harming a soul.

With that, Reiki let go and turned back towards the hut. He turned his head and smiled at Aian. Now come on, we gotta show her how the sons of dragons hunt, right? he laughed slightly, his hand reaching around under his jacket to the small bag tied around his waist in back. He wanted to make sure that the lacrima he obtained after his fight with Azrael was still there. To the others, it looked simply like a bag of supplies. Ever since he took it from the ruins, the lacrima really didn't give off any magic aura to it. Yet Reiki kept it close, as a memento to his father until he figured out what to really do with it. He had considered the possibilities of eating it and what that might do, but he decided not to worry about it for the time being. Right now, they had a mission to deal with. Turning to look at Alye, he nodded as he decided to take lead and step into the chief-tans hut. The mission was on now.

Aian came out around the corner slowly; his head hung down afraid to look into the eyes of his comrades, when Reiki approached in his usual manner; pumping his fist against Aian's shoulder. Normally, Aian would be glad and give him a gesture back; but he felt too ashamed to look at his friend in the eye. To them, the incident was done and over with; and meant little to nothing. But to Aian, it meant a great deal more. Yo, been a while huh? Reiki smirked, watching as Aian just stood there, looking away and at the ground, holding part of his arm for some form of security. Really? C'mon, what kind of way is that to greet someone? At least make a damn noise...After his own training; Aian thought he had come to terms and become strong enough to keep Kamuy under control...He was confident, and arrogant in that fact; and that is what caused him to slip up so badly as to allow Kamuy to harm his friend. If not more out of despair for the actions committed, Aian felt himself purely in ruins; his mind once again no longer stable or solid as it was before...He felt as though his mind had cracked open like an eggshell; split in two once more instead of whole.
"Sorry Reiki..." He uttered quietly, unable to think of anything else to say.
Look, you're probably still depressed over what happened that day.... Well don't be. Me getting hurt was my own damn fault. When I saw it was Kamuy and not you, I panicked. I wanted to protect him from going after her so I acted like an idiot hoping it would distract him... I wasn't taking it seriously, I figured he had the same power you displayed. I was wrong, and I got messed up pretty bad for it.... Reiki paused,Aian looked up at his friend to see his smile across his face; though it was different and more serious. Aian had not seen Reiki get so serious before; the time they spent training away from each other changed him; Aian thought it changed himself as well, but in truth from the previous incident he had only been fooling himself...Aian began to think he had not changed at all; only becoming more a nuisance. He continued listening as Reiki had picked up one more, And that's exactly why I started training harden than before. Both my training with Alye and my own training up in the north have made me a hell of a lot stronger. The Son of Gellidus is getting back to the power he should have been using all along. You don't need to worry about letting him loose. You have us to beat the living daylights out of him, and prevent you from harming a soul. Aian felt happy about how his partner had become so much stronger; but there was so much Aian hid from him as well. Kamuy's physical strength was relevant to Aian's; meaning that Aian was just as powerful but held himself back in fear of letting too much out at once to harm someone. He felt as though he had as much control over his own body as he did his mind; little to none anymore. This thought tore himself apart; he felt himself no longer whole as though he was about to collapse onto himself. However, something did catch his mind of what his friend had just stated.
"You remember your dragon's name? Congratulations." Aian smiled at his friend for a moment, trying to show his happiness in his friend's understanding of his magic and its origins; but quickly fell back into his previous state, now feeling even more ashamed of himself.

Now come on, we gotta show her how the sons of dragons hunt, right? Reiki called turning his head towards Aian before leaving to the hut. Aian felt himself lower at the thought of his mentor.Indeed he was grateful still; but he felt as though he was bringing shame upon Metallicana's name by being his disciple. As the trio entered, immediately they were greeted with a booming voice from the back center of the hut, "Mages!" An old, but youthful looking muscular huntsman stood up; his staff like can helping his body rise as he glared down at the trio. His voice, despite his age, contained a large amount of power in itself; demanding respect as the bronzed man rose to his feet; his feathery garment flowing in two directions while his bare lion skin cloak wavered about upon his standing. On his shoulders, were two large lion paws, acting as pauldrins whilst his torso remained bare; littered in scars and wounds of various sizes. His belt containing the tails of various beasts-wolves-foxes-cats-lizard-bird tail feathers-buffalo- and various others that strung around like a personal trophy case bound to his body. His bear tunic flowed down to his knees lofting in the wind though never enough to reveal his lower body. He wore no shoes or sandals, as being one with the environment. "Be you three the ones who have come upon my request? Speak now or take your leave at once; or you shall be forced to by any means which comes first!" His heavy voice bellowed as he held out his hand in a fit of warning; indicating he had no time for games with those who are not there to help with the dilemma at hand.

Reiki kept his silence as the chieftan bellowed at them. This guy was insanely huge, but he was no Gragas. Yet due to the clothing and his physique, he looked much stronger than Gragas. Reiki couldn’t help but imagine what fighting this guy would be look. Due to his nature and his training, he was tempted to vouch for the “forced out by any means” option, but now wasn’t the time for such a thing. However, nothing said he couldn’t once the mission was completed.

Alye decided to be the one to take the reins of the conversation, asking the chief for more information about what exactly it was they were called in for. A village of highly trained hunters, lead by this man of all people, couldn’t handle a single lion? There had to be more to this than simply the fact that it was larger than average.

The chiefs expression grew grim as he looked Alye in the eyes. ”Yes, of course.. It is shameful, but I shall explain the situation to you three.” he stated, turning his gaze to one of the lion heads mounted on his wall. “It all started roughly two weeks ago. A pack of lions strangely came far too close to the village for our comfort. At the front, leading them was an enormous male, the likes of which none of us in the village had ever seen before. The damn thing was at least 50 feet tall, if not bigger. Together with its pack, it tore the village apart, killing several as well as damaging our buildings and crops. Then, they suddenly up and left without warning. I was furious at this, letting some damnable beast destroy my village. I gathered together the best hunters and warriors we had and set out on what would have been a hunt for the books….if we had succeeded”

The chief moved his gaze down to the ground, clenching his fist so tightly, it’s a wonder he didn’t draw his own blood. ....The hunt turned out to be an absolute failure. We lost well over half the men we brought. That male...that thing isn’t normal. The beast was imbued with some kind of magical energy. Its fur went from normal to a blood red in seconds, and I swore I saw some sort of magic circle on its forehead. Its attacks were also imbued with magical energy. I’ve brawled with several mages in my lifetime, I know magic when it hits me. It tore my men to pieces on its own…..including my own son. he paused, letting out a sigh of agony. That is why I’ve called in mage guilds for assistance. The lion is far too much for any normal human to handle.

So there IS more too this other than its a big lion…. Reiki thought to himself once the chiefs story was over. The lion was able to use some form of magic? No wonder they had such trouble dealing with this thing. One thing did strike him as odd. Why would lions senselessly attack a village like that? Generally they were pretty lazy animals, only awakening to go on hunts and mate. Attacking a village made little sense for a lion to do, let alone an entire pack. This would clearly take further investigation of the beast itself. Thank you for the information. We’ll be sure to take this thing down so it won’t be a threat to you or any other village anymore. Reiki calmly stated, as he turned and walked out of the hut.

Once outside the hut, he began walking to the village gate on the opposite end from which he entered the village and began to look around. The signs of the attack were rather obvious, now that he was looking for them. He turned towards his guildmates and decided to speak his mind on the situation. Lions randomly attacking a village and the largest one can use some kind of power boosting magic on itself? Nothing seems right about that. Obviously I don’t have much to go on right now, but I think that someone or something is controlling this thing. What do you guys think?

Aian listened and examined as the chief began talking, staying closest to the back where Alye and Reiki took the lead. Alye started off firmly while Reiki remained silent. Out of the three, it seemed appropriate for now. The chief than began to start; his expression grew grim as he looked Alye in the eyes. ”Yes, of course.. It is shameful, but I shall explain the situation to you three.” he stated, turning his gaze to one of the lion heads mounted on his wall. “It all started roughly two weeks ago. A pack of lions strangely came far too close to the village for our comfort. At the front, leading them was an enormous male, the likes of which none of us in the village had ever seen before. The damn thing was at least 50 feet tall, if not bigger. Together with its pack, it tore the village apart, killing several as well as damaging our buildings and crops. Then, they suddenly up and left without warning. I was furious at this, letting some damnable beast destroy my village. I gathered together the best hunters and warriors we had and set out on what would have been a hunt for the books….if we had succeeded”

The chief moved his gaze down to the ground, clenching his fist so tightly, it’s a wonder he didn’t draw his own blood. ....The hunt turned out to be an absolute failure. We lost well over half the men we brought. That male...that thing isn’t normal. The beast was imbued with some kind of magical energy. Its fur went from normal to a blood red in seconds, and I swore I saw some sort of magic circle on its forehead. Its attacks were also imbued with magical energy. I’ve brawled with several mages in my lifetime, I know magic when it hits me. It tore my men to pieces on its own…..including my own son. he paused, letting out a sigh of agony. That is why I’ve called in mage guilds for assistance. The lion is far too much for any normal human to handle. Aian couldn't help but feel sorrowful for the loss of the chief's son; but what concerned him was the magic the Lion was using. It appeared odd and no information was really given on what kind of magic it used; though Aian felt too skid-dish to try and ask the chief of the village for more information; especially when he noticed his team mates turn around and begin walking out of the tent after receiving the information. Aian bowed to the chief in his own form of thanks and began following his comrades. He was able to swallow enough of his depression as they walked, his mind now focused on the mission instead of the previous event with his team mates when Reiki began brainstorming. "Lions randomly attacking a village and the largest one can use some kind of power boosting magic on itself? Nothing seems right about that. Obviously I don’t have much to go on right now, but I think that someone or something is controlling this thing. What do you guys think?"
"Lions are similar to a pack of Chimera...normally they only attack when hungry or trying to force something out of their territory like other Chimera prides...If this large Dominant Male lion was leading an attack, it could have possibly been to try and expand its territory; or claim what it wants. We don't know how much area it already has claimed; something that size is bound to clear out a large amount of land to be its territory...A normal lion would take up several acres...This thing would need to take up several hundred if not a thousand acres if it has the same intention and pride range. It is bound to attack again when it wants too. As for why it left; it could be anything. We have to settle this before it happens once more. As for magic, it is odd...I can't draw a thesis on this." His voice was firm and emotionless like it was when he normally contemplated a situation; giving the illusion he was over the previous scenario. However, he still refused to look his team mates in the eyes without having to divert looking down or in another direction out of guilt, a small grimace upon his face when he did so. "I do agree though; one of the other hunters might be able to explain the magic a bit more...if we try to hunt it now, we would only be unprepared for what it has...it might know more magic that we don't know about or even them sense no one here really has any of it. The threat might push it over the edge. If we can label at least an element of what the power boosting was, we might be able to figure out what type of attacks it will use on us." Aian finished, returning himself back to the silence he had given before. He looked at Alye, though not in the eye to see if she had anything to add.

Well then, guess our jobs are pretty clear then, huh? Reiki asked Aian, watching as Alye walked back into the village. As Reiki turned to stare out into the wilds beyond the village once more, he heard a voice from behind, one that didn’t belong to Aian. So, how would you guy’s like me to carry you? On my back or in my talons? the voice asked. Reiki spun around to see the bird ruffling its feathers as it looked at him and Aian. You can seriously talk!? The hell didn’t you talk earlier for!? Reiki asked in shock. He had figured that Alye was just playing a prank on him earlier, so he thought Reniro was incapable of speech.

Reiki shook his head quickly to regain his composure, as he looked Reniro directly in the eyes. Well I guess its not that weird… when you think about I was raised by a giant talking reptile…. Reiki laughed. Azrael then decided to begin voicing his opinion, loudly. HOW DARE YOU COMPARE US TO MERE LIZARDS!? I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT GELLIDUS RAISED YOU WITH MORE RESPECT!!! Azrael shouted, nearly giving Reiki a migraine. I didn’t mean it disrespectfully! I was just saying you guys are basically talking lizards when you think about it logically! Reiki retorted. The scene of Reiki shouting retorts into the air played out before Reniro and Aian for a good two minutes or so.

After those two minutes, Reiki smacked himself upside the face and turned to answer Reniro’s question before the argument with his uncle unfolded. You don’t need to worry about flying me around, I’ve got my own wings. Aian’s the one you’re going to be dealing with. Bought time someone else was able to fly him around that wasn’t me…. Anyway, we’ll cover more ground by splitting up. So lets see….. Reiki paused, looking up into the dimming sky. Judging by the suns position its roughly……. 8 p.m now. Let's meet back here at midnight on the dot. Were just stalking our prey, not hunting it yet! Reiki reminded Aian, as if he was the one that needed to keep that in mind. With his statement, an icey blue magic circle spawned on the back of his jacket, sprouting forth crystaline ice wings from them. Aian had seen this before, yet he should have been easily able to note that the wings seemed bigger and made from an ice that looked stronger than previous versions of the spell. Without giving Aian or Reniro a moment to say anything more, he launched off into the sky, kicking up the dirt where he once stood. Once airborne, Reiki sped off into the prairie, deciding to stick in the sight of the setting sun. He figured it would be suitable for cover until the sun went down completely, hiding himself from mostly anything that would look up at him.

"Lions, as you said Aian, are very territorial creatures,"Aian broke his grim demeanor for a moment with a smile as his assumption between the chimera and lions were correct; and continued listening to Alye,"They have deep connections with the land they call home. If the magic this beast uses is any kind of elementally attuned magic; I would think it would have to be Earthly in some kind." Aian thought about the idea for a moment while looking out to the open prairie. It appeared she would be correct, as the only two elements that would be possible were Earth or Wind. If this beast did use elemental power, it would be affiliated with the two as she suggested. However, there was still a chance of it being something different. Aian had to keep an open mind in his assumptions as he continued to ponder about the situation as Alye continued to speak, "As for your idea, Reiki, I don't think it could be that. Lions are very intelligent creatures, and this special lion is no exception. If it wields such powerful magic, it must have the brain to use it properly. One cannot use magic and be incompetent" Aian gave this a thought as well. Normally, beings which used magic uncontrollably did not last long; as the magic would over take them and drain their life force. If this beast was using magic, it would very well be it had a high intelligence; which would make hunting it that much more dangerous. If the three weren't careful, even while hunting they could very well turn into the hunted no matter how the odds stacked in their favor if they underestimated the intelligence of the large beast. They would need to find a way to observe it before hunting; which he figured Reiki with his Ice wings and Alye with her bird could very well do; but it appeared that Alye had other plans as she continued.

"I would like you two to take Reniro and go scout these beasts out from the air. They won't be able to mess with you from there, and knowing their exact location at a time like this would be optimal. I'd go myself, but I have a feeling that we can learn more detailed information if we can win over the trust of the populace. And that can only be achieved one way. With miracles." Aian wasn't sure what she exactly meant, but knowing that she had an ability to heal others with her magic meant that she was simply going to treat them. It would be a good idea to help out, find it they also used any other forms of tricks and figure out their attack patterns on human sized prey or how deep the wounds the large Lion made were. The more information they could gather on what they were in for was good information. However, Aian wasn't so sure how the people of the village would take this idea; as they seemed pretty non-magic reliant. They used herbs and medicine that magic can easily cure instead, it didn't even appear that they had even mages in their entire village. This brought up a very good question in his mind: If the lions attacked these people; was it because of their magic-less abilities? Also, if it doesn't know of how mages fight, how would it react to the three of us? This drove the urge of seeing how well the beast dealt with being against magical beings compared to how it dealt with normal animals. Was its dominance simply because of its magic, or from its natural strength? To figure this out, the scouting would have to be very precise.

Alye whistled for her bird companion which flew itself straight too her. She requested her bird to assist Aian and Reiki in their attempt to patrol the vast plains before walking off back into the village. The bird looked at the two, releasing its ability to speak which didn't surprise Aian that much, but appeared to freak out Reiki a bit as it stated, "So, how would you guy’s like me to carry you? On my back or in my talons?" Either option didn't feel right to Aian, as he was still unsure of how the large bird felt about his presence; he would rather not impose and make the bird uncomfortable. Reiki however, began going off on a tangent speaking to himself; thought it appeared to be an entity in his head from Aian's heightened sixth sense; though it didn't last long as Reiki quickly regained composure in front of the two by smacking his forehead. "You don’t need to worry about flying me around, I’ve got my own wings. Aian’s the one you’re going to be dealing with. Bought time someone else was able to fly him around that wasn’t me…. Anyway, we’ll cover more ground by splitting up. So lets see….." Reiki paused, looking up into the dimming sky. Aian estimated that he was searching for a time estimate; something he was familiar with having to do so during his time in the canyon; though back then it seemed as though days would stay almost the same length most of the year except for the blazing season. Reiki then continued after gaining his estimate, "Judging by the suns position its roughly……. 8 p.m now. Let's meet back here at midnight on the dot. Were just stalking our prey, not hunting it yet!" Aian wanted to protest the last bit, appearing as though Reiki was the calm and level headed one when he was always the one to rush head first into a situation when they were younger; making him the rash one while Aian stayed back and came up with an analysis. However, Reiki gave him no time as he quickly conjured his Icy wings, and flew off into the sky in mere moments. Aian wondered just how much stronger his friend had become, and how much left he still had to go. It was clear from his aura that Reiki had changed a great deal; but Aian wasn't sure about himself. How much have I changed in your own eye? Am I still the same as I was back then? Have I made no progress?...Master...Am I still worthy of your magic? The thoughts rushed to his head, causing his gloomy demeanor to return once more. It was common for Aian to second guess himself; though now it seemed like despite how much physically stronger he became, he lost a large amount of faith within his mental state. He also did not know what to think of once more: in his training, he found that his own abilities were greatly hindered by his own moral goals.

Aian turned back to the bird, knowing that even though it might resent him that the mission had to get done. He just hoped nothing went wrong as he calmly walked next to its side. "Over experiences in the past; I would prefer not to dangle from your talons...If it isn't too much trouble, your back would be the most suitable area." Aian explained/requested, although he felt safer on the ground; there would be no way he could view and watch the lions if he was on the ground in their territory.

Reiki tore through the night sky, his nose guiding his path. It was faint, but there was still a scent in the air that he had picked up on in the village. However, the question was which scent was the right one? At first, it was the same scent for quite a few miles. Then one became several, all smelling the same yet each one slightly different and branching off in different directions. Did that giant lion also have some form of magic to throw off its scent for potential trackers? Just how intelligent was this damn thing? Reiki pondered all this as he continued to fly, trying to stick to just one scent.

As he flew, the night sky began to cloud over. This was more a help to Reiki than a hindrance. He was no stranger to hunting at night, let alone on nights where the moon's light was blocked out. His other senses were also more honed than a normal human beings. This coupled with his hunting experience granted him a much better chance of hunting out here than other mages.

Continuing his flight for roughly an hour, the scent Reiki had been following had finally begun to pick up. He continued flying eastbound as the scent grew stronger and stronger. Reiki finally came to the edge of a large canyon that went on for miles in all directions before him. Swooping down to perch himself on the cliff, Reiki took one big whiff of the air as he stared down into the canyon. About damn time I found a change in scenery other than plateaus. That sure is one hell of a drop though…. Gotta be at least 1000 meters deep, maybe more? This place even has multiple layers almost like the floors to a tower…. Now where the hell is the scent I’m following hiding…. Reiki thought aloud.

As he took another whiff, Reiki noticed the scent was much stronger now and was continuing to do so; while he wasn't moving. His ears perked up, turning to the left as he heard a thumping sound growing louder and louder. Before him, running on one of “floors” as he called them in the distance, was a much larger than average lion. The beast stood as large as the chieftain had said, having to be at minimum 50 feet tall. A grin of success grew on Reiki’s face as he watched the beast run past his spot at the top of the canyon at an incredible speed. Well now, you’re a fast one aint ya? Guess you’re out for an evening stroll! Reiki exclaimed to himself as quietly as possible, as to not draw the beasts attention.

Standing up as quickly as he could, Reiki began running along the cliffs edge in the same direction the lion was currently headed before flapping his wings and taking off. He kept at the cliffs edge as he followed the beast, stalking his new found prey. Fearing Reiki would engage the beast single handedly, Azrael decided to butt in as the voice of reason. Reiki, aren't you forgetting what Alye said? You’re supposed to return as soon as you found out anything about the lion, not engage it on your own. Hell, those were your exact words to your friend; you’re stalking your prey, not hunting it! Reiki simply laughed at this. I know what she said Azrael, and I said we’re meeting back at the village around midnight. Besides, how relevant can simply seeing the thing be? This canyons huge and has multiple layers to it. Who knows where this thing calls home? I’m simply finding out where he lives is all. Reiki explained as they flew. Azrael was rather intrigued by this. He had been with Reiki for quite a while now and knew quite a lot about his nature to run into things headstrong. To see him with a plan like this was rather interesting. Here I thought you were going to just challenge the beast on your own…. I guess I was doubting the way Gellidus brought you up. Yet at times like this, I wish I could actually read your mind to know if you’re lying to me or not…Have I ever told you of the time your father and I fought a mage that could read our minds? That was an interesting battle to say the least. You see, it all started when- Azrael began to ramble on and on, as was his typical nature to do so. Reiki simply rolled his eyes, listening to his uncles story as he continued to pursue the beast.

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'Monster Dice' :

Aian watched as the bird leaned one of his mighty feathers down, and kneeled before before him. Aian climbed aboard the bird from its feathers; making sure not to accidentally pull any out with his heavier mass. As Aian sat down upon the bird's back, it stood up once more almost not even hindered by his weight. "And Alye said you were heavy, silly girl." Aian watched the bird turn its head toward him with a smirk on its beak. Aian however, wasn't impressed or amused by the joke his mind thinking too heavily on the doubt in his mind about how weak he probably was in comparison to his team mates now. Aian didn't notice the bird nod, or even begin to lift its plumage to prepare for flight; all he saw was that the moment they caught the wind, they were suddenly airborne. Aian noticed the bird shivering and thinking it was his weight causing a bit of off balance; he tried adjusting himself so the bird had an easier time to fly about. The large cyan bird continued flapping its wings, kicking up dirt and dust from the ground as it tried to catch wind to begin moving forward. The bird angled its wings to catch the wind causing them to moving forward. Aian began to fade again as the flight began to smooth out; putting his focus once again onto the level of doubt in his mind.
Suddenly, the large bird began to speak to him bringing his focus back them flying in the air. "It feels nice to talk to someone new after such a long time. I've never formally introduced myself. I am Reniro Shokohu, my friend. You need not introduce yourself seeing as how Alye has done it for you elsewhere. However, I would like to pose you a question. You, I, Alye, Reiki, we all know of the sadness in your heart. Emotions are a man's business, but I am not a man. I am a creature of the sky. But I am bound to a man. Well, Alye to be more appropriate. Her interests are my interests, her emotions are my emotions. However, her well being is also my concern as well. Tell me, Aian, is your sadness worth Alye and Reiki's lives?" Aian couldn't dignify it with a response; feeling to low in himself now for realizing that his own doubt was risking the lives of his friends. He couldn't find the words to speak right away, letting them drift along the wind in silence for what seemed like an eternity in moments and seconds. Finally, Aian began talking, his voice heavy with depression and sorrow.
"Sadness isn't what it all is...it is my placement in the team. Alye is a lot stronger than us; able to do a large amount of damage without becoming winded; and still have time to help others. I watched Reiki go from being a speed demon lightning mage, to what he is now...I felt his magic back there; I felt how much stronger he had become. But where have I gone? Over the years nothing has really changed no matter how hard I tried...I always put myself at risk to keep Reiki and others safe, but all I end up becoming is nothing more than a hindrance....How is it that now I am a threat to them more so than ever now that he has come out and attacked them...Just like in the past as Reiki left me behind to charge ahead; I always fell behind and became a burden...Reiki is now as strong as me with his defenses; he doesn't need me anymore to keep him safe from harm that could keep up with him. Alye is powerful and can take care of herself; but Reiki is sure to follow and protect her...I can't help but feel as though it is only a matter of time...till I am left alone..."
As Aian uttered the last phrase, his head began to pound heavily as though a large nail had just been driven into his skull an d still going. Gripping his head and flinching; he could hear Kamuy's dark whisper echo in his ears: All they will do is leave you alone. You are destined to be alone. That is why we should remove them. Remove them first, so they do not remove us. Because when we are alone, is when we are our best. "Shut up," Aian interrupted; continuing to grip his head tight with his palms trying to force Kamuy back as a dark aura could be felt circling out from his mind around him, "Shut up-Shut up-Shut up." Nearly falling off of the large bird, Aian began tilling to the right before catching himself with his left hand; straightening himself out. It was then he recalled what the old woman stated for him to do from his last training session: "Where one flows in darkness the other must flow into light. You are easily susceptible to your surroundings and the emotions of everyone around you; quacking and giving in to despair and depression falling like the lump of coal you are. It won't be easiest thing to do; but you MUST clear your head of darkness and stay within the light. So long as you continue to fall, you won't be able to master the power of your old Mentor. You will do nothing but bring him shame; NOW STRAIGHTEN UP AND GET BACK TO WORK!" Though not feeling better by thinking of this; it gave him enough to force Kamuy and the aura back for the time as he put his mind onto the mission to keep himself distracted. "Let's just keep an eye out for anything we see..." he suggested, not wanting to talk about personal matters for the moment.

Far below as the two continued to ride swiftly on the wind; Aian noticed a large pack of moving dots on the ground. One group was golden in color while another appeared to be black, both of them very separated from each other and apart. The gold group appeared to have the advantage of numbers, while there was only countable a group of five black dots. Telling Reinaro to descend to get a better look; Aian continued to examine what was going on. There was a large herd of armadillo like beasts with large heads and bodies with small tails and a shell covering from the front to tail tip. The gold and black dots appeared to be that of lions, and getting closer; he could see that the gold group had both female and male younger lions just reaching the point to learn to hunt; the males having odd red stripes along their bodies growing in while the females were pure gold. The other group of lionesses were similar; pure black as though to blend in with the over cast and darkness. The gold group was the first to make a move, sending the guiding lion out to herd the beasts into the direction of the rest as to get at least one of the large creatures before they burrowed to safety. The black group moved behind the gold, stalking and waiting till their backs were clearly shown. As the gold lions managed to tackle, and bring down one of the big beasts, the black group sprung up and attacked all of the younger lions first; the adolescents not having a chance against five seasoned and stronger adults; each one breaking their necks. The gold group's hunt was cut off with the need to save the young ones, getting there in time to at least save one of the female lions and attempt to scare off or kill the other group. Both stalking each other before leaping, creating nothing but flashes and dust clouds of black and gold rolling along the grass and ground.

The scene struck Aian odd as black pigmented Lions were not supposed to be common; their gold and tan coloring was to hide themselves in the reeds and tall tan grass to camoflauge themselves till ready for attack. Not only this; even if it was a .0000000000000001% chance of a black lion being born, why were the two groups fighting if the land was dominated by a single head Lion? Having Reinaro rise back up; Aian continued to search the plains looking for the cause of the disturbances.

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'Monster Dice' :

Reiki continued his pursuit of the lion for many miles. The beast was now down upon the lower levels, effortlessly running through the canyon. The beast made each turn as if it was like breathing. Clearly this was its home territory and it knew every single nook and cranny of this sprawling canyon. It was quite amazing to witness.

As Reiki flew overhead watching the lions every move, he was strategizing in his head how exactly he and his team would go about fighting this creature. They could go about fighting it in the canyon, though this could prove quite a challenge. Being its home territory, it would know this area far better than any of them. There was also the issue of Aian. While Alye and Reiki had the capabilities to fly to aid their combat, Aian would be stuck to the ground, where the lion would have the most advantage. Though this could be solved with the aid of Reniro, how well would Aian perform mounted combat?

All this went through Reiki’s mind as he cut through the night sky, keeping a watchful eye on the lion. It’d probably be easier to lure it away from the canyon and then engage it. Though….what the hell would you even present as bait for this thing? Reiki thought, struggling to think. We would need like a… a giant…. A GIANT STEAK! Reiki and Azrael thought simultaneously. Both paused there thoughts before slightly laughing. To think, Azrael and Reiki’s way of thinking was in sync, though brief and for something rather ridiculous.

Reiki’s thought was interrupted as his ears perked. He felt the air around him change ever so slightly, as a familiar sound ringed in the direction of the village. Reiki turned to face the village, stopping dead in the air. Is that a storm? This suddenly out of nowhere? Reiki asked himself quietly aloud. Whilst his ability to sense magic wasn’t perfect, he could feel Alye’s magic power radiating in the distance. Even this far out I can feel her power… jeez thats scary. What is she doing? Reiki asked himself again, being interrupted by the voice of Azrael. Reiki, aren’t you forgetting about something rather important? Reiki’s expression changed from curious to panicked in a split second Shit! Right, the lion!!! Reiki yelled, as he turned around and took off flying once more.

Closing his eyes and trying to focus, Reiki pushed his other senses aside to see if he could feel for the lions magic power to find it again. If it did have magic, then Reiki should be able to pick up on it, as well as act as a slight form of training for his ability to sense magic.

Aian continued scanning the plains, looking for any signs of a den; when he could feel a powerful force gather up around the village he had left. The sky began to rumble slightly under the power, Aian smelling a storm approaching. Figuring Reniro was used to storms and didn't need to worry about lightning, Aian didn't have a need to worry about his safety; but he had come one too many times close to being struck by lightning to know that he was still a lightning rod this high up even without his armor on. Guiding Reniro to lower their altitude; Aian wanted to continue their search for the lion den along the plains.

As their search continued, Aian began noticing more and more black lions rummaging through the shaded plains; as the ground itself looked as though it was withering and dying slowly: the soil turning very dark brown and drying up-the clouds overhead getting darker and darker-the grass turning brown over light tan- and the seldom trees losing leaves and lightly wilting over as they crossed the plains. Even lion cubs were seen running about through the dying foliage with their mothers not far from behind. Aian turned back to look at the gathering magic once more, seeing that the village itself was almost completely out of sight; nothing but a small spec on the horizon. Wondering how far they had traveled so fast, Aian began to try and scan the area once more between them and the village when a powerful roar shot an updraft underneath Reniro; almost knocking Aian off of the large bird if he had not gripped the feathers quickly. Aian looked below to find a super large black lion with a very thick mane hiding in the shadows of the darkest clouds; its purple eyes shining brightly through the darkness, it watching Aian and the bird very carefully. Aian tried to guide Reniro away from the mammoth beast and circle around it to get a better look. But each way they turned it followed their movements, its eyes never leaving their sight. Aian could see though, that its main was very thick and ragged, its fangs were large sticking out from the jaws by a few feet while the dark black stripes running across its already dark fur were scattered all over its body. A bright-glowing-purple magic circle could be seen on top of its head, constantly glowing; causing the eyes to stay brightly lit as well.

Aian remembered that the lion would be using some form of magic, but this looked almost like it was possessed: nothing about this lion or its kind were normal- Black fur, dark magic circle, and everywhere it went it appeared to get darker and darker. Aian could smell the dark magic corrupting this creature and the smaller ones around its feet, all snarling up at Aian and Reniro hoping they would fall to tear them to shreds. Almost everything in this situation made Aian's stomach curl up as corruption to the environment and its creatures irritated him to no end. "To think, someone is behind all of this....There is no way this is natural cause now...Reniro, let's return to the village immediately." Aian ordered, his voice firm and heavy; as he noticed that this thing's path was headed straight towards the village. If this was their target, it was going to be a bigger challenge than they first thought.

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'Monster Dice' :