In their hasty pursuit towards where their companions lay in wait, a violent quake spread the grounds.

Amyra braced herself by stabbing her sword into the ground, gripping it tight. “What the hell?”

As Erin was debilitated from before, her reflexes failed her and she ended up falling on her posterior. “Ow,” she winced, lightly.

“Are you alright, milady?”

“It’s nothing.” Erin picked herself up without much trouble. As she was patting her backside of the dirt, she noticed a huge shadow had swallowed them.

Amyra and Erin turned to look and they saw a large structure made of dirt and vines had been erected out of nowhere. The structure stood as tall as a small castle. Upon closer inspection, Erin could see and feel magic emanating from the structure.

“Isn’t that the direction where the girls are?” Amyra mused.

“It is.”

“Do you think this… structure is their doing or the enemy’s?”

“Guess we’ll find out,” Erin said and continued with their pursuit. She had taken only a few steps when her world suddenly overturned and she lost her footing. She brandished her sword and kept herself from falling.

“Whoa! Milady, you should get some rest even if it’s just for a minute or two.”

“They are under attack by forces of the accursed Divines, Amyra. And you want me to just sit here and rest?”

“You won’t be doing them much favour if you head to them now in your… current state.”

“I’ll be fine,” Erin said firmly and tried taking a step. Her world rippled like the surface of water and she lost her bearings.

Amyra swooped in like a quick but gentle breeze and received the falling Erin in her arms. “Milady, are you sure you are truly alright? Maybe you should get some rest first before—”

“No need,” Erin said, stubbornly, and pushed herself off of Amyra. “I’ll be fine. I’m just…”

Amyra grabbed Erin by the hand and pulled the Fox-kin back into her arms. “Milady, please stop. You’re clearly not fine. You faltered from taking just a few steps.”

“Let me go, Amyra,” Erin demanded while attempting to tug her arm free from Amyra’s hold. “It’s just a mild concussion from—”

“Milady, have you already forgotten your promise?”

Erin froze and ceased her struggle. “...I haven’t.”

“Then stop trying to overwork yourself. You are not alone in this endeavour and your companions are not some helpless damsels. You do not need to do everything yourself. Have some faith in them… in us.”

“This is different. Our enemies this time are agents of the Divines. They are not—”

“They have fought Demons and lived.”

“Demoids, not Demons. That’s a huge difference. Demoids are not fully Demons.”

“And these Apostles and Acolytes are not actual Divine beings. They are merely proxies.”

Erin tutted.

“Milady, please calm down. I know you are afraid. His Grace has told me. You have forsaken so much in your old life, taking so many things for granted. Now, you are afraid to lose all those that you couldn’t have had before. Your fear is perfectly understandable but this insecurity of yours would only lead to your and their undoing.”

Erin stared. “What if something happened to them while I’m here… taking a rest?”

“Then you shouldn’t have brought them along in the first place. It’s not wrong to worry about your loved ones but do you intend to keep worrying about them constantly until the end of everything? They’re fighters like you, milady. Trust in them.”

“...Fine.” Erin sighed.

“That’s the spirit, milady.”

Erin chuckled weakly. “I don’t believe you understand when you should be using that.”

“Doesn’t matter. You get the idea, milady. Anyway, just rest for now. A good few minutes will do you a lot of good.”

Erin smiled wryly. “I certainly hope so….” Then, her smile dropped. She brandished her sword and her grip around it was as tight as a boa around its prey. “Unfortunately, I won’t be getting that rest.”

Amyra sighed. “Such is life, milady.” Without giving any prior glance, Amyra immediately spun around with her sword swinging.

Sparks flew and a sharp clangour rang out.

Amyra’s blade bounced off her target, which happened to be a man, or at least it was in appearance but moulded out of metal. Yes, the man was made out of metal instead of flesh.

“Are you Erynthea?” the man of metal asked, his deep and imposing voice was what one would expect from a being such as him.

“Who the fuck are you?”

“Bora,” answered the metal man calmly.

“Well, Bora. Fuck off,” Amyra snarled and swung her sword again.

Bora caught her sword this time and halted the slash. “If you’re not, then move. I have no qualms with others.”

Amyra grimaced. She gathered flames in her fist and drove it right into Bora’s torso.

However, the metal man barely staggered from the punch. “My mercy and patience are finite.”

Amyra clicked her tongue. “Good.” Amyra then let loose the flames gathered in her fist and the blaze swallowed Bora.

Though his metallic skin was turning red from the heat, Bora’s face showed no indication that he was bothered by the fire that enveloped him. With a flick of his arm, he battered Amyra away with ease.

The Augur went tumbling across the ground until she crashed into a log.

“Are you Erynthea?” Bora asked as he turned his gaze.

“I am,” Erin answered and rose to her feet, sword at the ready.

“I see… Please forgive me for what I’m about to do but you must die.”

“You’re forgiven,” Erin said and flourished her sword from a drawing stance, a faint violet glow enveloping her blade.

Bora reacted quickly and Erin’s blade cut only the air. “Surrender now. I can perceive your actions. I know what you will do before you even think of it.”

“A clairvoyant?” Erin smirked. “This should be interesting.”

“Now that you know, surrender—” Bora stopped his words midway and dodged a slash that threatened to cut him vertically in half.

Erin reeled in her slash, lightning crackling all over her blade. “You have speed, clairvoyance, and nigh-impenetrable defence.”

“Nigh impenetrable but not completely so. I know about your… ability, Erynthea. Nothing is impervious in the face of your blade.”

“Very true.”

“But even the sharpest blade is useless if it can never touch its mark.”

“We shall see about that, Bora.”

“Your zeal is admirable but it will not save you.” Bora clenched his fists and strode towards Erin.

A searing luminance engulfed Bora from behind as he was approaching Erin. When he turned around, a silver flash was streaking towards his head. He had plenty of time to dodge the blade but he did not move an inch.

Amyra’s sword struck Bora’s head but much like her previous attempts, her sword was ineffective against his metallic skin.

“Leave him to me, milady. Just rest your weary body. You’ll need all your energy for the Aerysians.”

Erin was hesitant but she reluctantly relented to Amyra’s wishes for both of their sake. “Give him hell, Amyra.”

Amyra grinned. “Your wish shall be granted, milady.” And she moved in between Erin and Bora.

“Move, Augur,” said the man of metal.

“Who reins your leash?”

There was a slight frown on Bora’s forehead. “I have no leash.”

“Then your Divine is making a big mistake.”

“You dare insult Lord Mordius in his Apostle’s presence?”

Amyra raised an eyebrow. “You’re a skinwalker? You will get uglier than you already are?”

“You have none of the grace of an Aeryon. They used to be elegant and refined but look at you. You sully your predecessors’ honour and name.”

“Oh, shut it. I don’t want to hear this shite from an Apostle of another Divine,” Amyra snarled and lunged at Bora, flames enveloping her blade.

Bora stopped the sword with his bare hand.

Amyra tried to pull her sword back but her strength failed her.

“I don’t want to kill you. I’m only here for your lover.”

“We’re not lovers. Not yet, perhaps. And you are not laying your filthy hands on Her Grace.”

“Don’t make me destroy you.”

“Your words are trite,” Amyra scoffed and let go of her sword. Flames converged on her hands as she coiled them into fists.

Bora tossed Amyra’s sword aside and prepared to receive Amyra’s punches.

Instead of throwing a punch, Amyra went for a grapple. She threw her arms around Bora’s waist as they both tumbled to the ground. Her arms remained firmly wrapped around Bora and intensified the flames on her hands.

“Your flames are nothing to me!” Bora bellowed.

Amyra did not take his words to heart and continued spreading her flames and strengthening the blaze.

“Let me go!” Bora roared.

Amyra tightened her hold further and let the flames swallow them both. Sparks flew and some fell to the ground. The twigs and dead leaves strewn all over the ground caught the sparks but a fire could not sprout due to the pouring rain.

The heat turned Bora’s skin red and beyond. The red became a glaring crimson and shrieks began escaping Bora’s lips. “Damn you!!!” he cried.

“You’re not impervious to fire. Just resistance. But not impervious. Now, burn!”

Bora let out a garbled howl and mustered enough strength to break free of Amyra’s grasp, flinging the Augur away from him. Bora wasted no time and darted for Erin, but the Fox-kin was no longer where he last saw her. He looked around briefly and found footprints leading towards the massive dirt floral structure ahead.

Amyra chuckled as she scrambled to her feet.

“You deceived me…” Bora growled, turning his gaze back to Amyra.

“I distracted you,” Amyra corrected. “It’s a shame… I sincerely wish she could get some rest but with the circumstances more dire than I like to admit, no rest for the weary.”

Bora tutted and began chasing after Erin. However, a Drake emerged from the tall vegetation and leapt into his path. There was a person mounted atop the Drake.

“Stand back, Skinwalker. She’s ours,” said the rider, who was a well-dressed man. In fact, he was a little too well-dressed to be on a battlefield, in a three-piece suit with a top hat. There was also a walking cane tucked under his armpit and a pocket watch in the lower pocket of his coat.

“Back off, Aeryon,” Bora hissed.

“How rude,” the man scoffed. “I am an Aerysian, not a false idolator you called an Aeryon.”

“I don’t care. Move.”

“Strange,” Amyra mused, sauntering towards the two with her sword in hand. “If Milady’s death is all that you care about, what difference does it make of who gets to kill her?”

The two fell silent upon hearing Amyra’s question.

“It’s not her death that you all are after, is it? I reckon it is the Guardians’ favour that you lot are trying to attain.” Amyra snorted. “How depraved. You’re going for her life not because you truly believe she’s a danger. You want her dead because her death brings the one responsible good benefits.”

“Aye, you’re not wrong about that, Augur,” the man admitted. “No shame in that.”

Bora slowly turned around and faced Amyra. “Take back your words, Augur. Don’t be presumptuous.”

“Am I?”

“You do not know my story,” Bora growled. “You have no idea what outworlders are capable of. The destruction they could bring to this world is unimaginable. Clearly, none of your loved ones have ever suffered at the hands of these outworlders. They are a plight. Their uninhibited growth is a threat to the whole world.”

“You’re doing it for the benefit and you… you’re doing it for revenge, I gather. Either way, it doesn’t change the fact that you two are merely acting on hearsay from those relics.”

“It’s a waste of breath and time talking to you, Augur.” Bora turned back to the Aerysian. “And you. Move or be moved.”

The man chuckled. “The glory belongs to Aerys and no one shall steal it from her.”

“Very well. You have made your decision.” Then, a pair of horns sprouted from Bora’s head as he began to grow in size and his appearance morphed drastically into something inhumane and beastly.

“Holy hell…” Amyra gasped, laying witness to Bora’s true form as an Apostle of Mordius.