Nearly a week had passed since
Morrigan’s broadcast was released to the galaxy. The lack of answers caused
ever growing anxiety amongst Helen and her team.

Mo’Emori tapped her fingers hard
against her computer keys as she responded to another correspondence from the
CoU, stating that there had been no update to the whereabouts of Morrigan’s
location.

“Sweetie, it'll be okay…” Helen
said trying to soothe the anxious Eskarii beside her.

Mo’Emori shook her head with
drooping ears, “No Mem, we should have heard something by now!” she
whined as she stifled a cry.

Torvil stepped up behind his
sister and placed his hands firmly on her shoulders, “All is well, my dear chwaeda.
I am certain one of ours got to the young Swyn’wyr.”

Mo’Emori crossed her arms and
grabbed ahold of her brother’s hands. She closed her eyes and tried to calm
herself however, her anxiety only managed to wrap around her spine even
tighter.

Yanking down on his arms, she
dragged him closer, “Do not patronize me, my dear brawder! You
forget this is your doing and I will not calm until I know she is safe!”

Helen’s eyes were wide with shock
at the abrupt change in the young Eskarii’s demeanor. Even Jen bolted upright
from the couch at the commentary snarl Mo’Emori spoke in.

“Girlie! Come on! That’s not
fair… he’s only trying to help.” Jen exclaimed from across the room.

Mo’Emori gripped Torvil’s hands
tighter as she struggled not to be angry, letting him go in order to cover her
face in shame.

“I’m sorry! I just… I can’t
handle this…” she breathed into her hands as she began to cry. Torvil shook out
the pain in his hands and backed away from his sister, knowing better now than
to try approaching his upset sister again.

Jen looked to Helen at a
concerned loss. Everyone was run ragged as they did what they could to figure
out where Morrigan had disappeared to after her broadcast.

The last known report was from an
Eskarii Frigate that claimed the prison was mostly deserted, except for a
handful of prisoners they had intended on bringing aboard their ship before the
arrival of a Federation Cruiser.

Helen stood up and moved behind
the crying Eskarii, wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug.

“Its okay sweetie, we’re all
stressed out from this but we’ll find out who has her.”

Mo’Emori leaned back into her
adoptive mother and continued to cry. Even a mother’s touch didn’t soothe her
fraying nerves. All Mo’Emori wanted was to know Morrigan was safe and healthy
yet no one she called upon had any answers.

Helen inspected Mo’Emori's
computer screen and saw the waiting connection at the bottom right of the
screen. “What’s that, sweetie?” she asked as she pointed to the screen.

The Eskarii girl looked up and
sniffled as she used her sleeve to wipe her eyes,  “I’m waiting for a satellite… I umm… called
someone. The um.. Inquisition.”

Torvil let out an irritated grunt
before stalking around his sister and sat at his own computer with a scowl,
muttering incoherently to himself.

Jen cocked her head in confusion,
“Who the hell is that?”

Helen stood straighter and ran
her fingers through Mo’Emori’s hair, “the Inquisition is an independent
collaborative organization between the Eskarii and CoU. They more or less do
the police work at their behest though they operate with total freedom.”

Jen furrowed her eyebrows as she
looked between her group, “How come I've never heard of them?”

Helen sighed, “Because I've
barely heard of them… and the only reason I've even heard about them is because
I was an intelligence operator. They’re more or less a ghost story to the
Federation. I’ve only seen one or two reports involving the Inquisition
throughout my career… their existence is kept under lock and key from the
general population and even most of the military as well.”

“A bunch of freelance Terrans
thinking they know what is best for the Eskarii!” Torvil growled.

Jen scrutinized him, “Sounds like
the Eskarii support them, so why hate on them so much?”

Torvil merely grunted and waved
the conversation away.

“My brawder doesn’t like
Terrans… especially organized Terrans…” Mo’Emori noted dejectedly, her ears
giving that sad droop for all to see.

Jen didn't want the girl to be
upset and knew exactly how to take advantage of the situation. She stood up and
leaned over Torvil’s desk to look Mo’Emori in the eyes with her usual shit
eating grin.

“Well, here's a little secret my
little niece…” grinning even wider as Mo’Emori's face brightened.

“Your brother happens to like
this Terran ass very much, so there's still hope!” she said with a wink.

Torvil sputtered in his seat as
he looked up and raised his arms in exclamation, “H’yn am angrén!?”

Jen ignored him and shook her ass
at him to drive her point home only for Torvil to grunt and smack her ass.

Jen yipped loudly as she jumped
away laughing,  “See! Can't keep his
hands off me!” she laughed while giving Torvil a dirty smile.

The display had Mo’Emori giggling
again, including Helen for that matter as she rested her cheek upon the girl's
head.

“So, why must you wait anyways?”
Torvil gruffed as he focused back into his work, ignoring his playful choice in
partners.

Mo’Emori rubbed her hand on one
of Helen’s soothingly, “The Void Star uses the same communications as
starships. We have no way to directly communicate with it except by satellite
since we do not have a particle accelerator to tear open tiny worm holes for
our messages… I had the CoU contact them via the flagship over Earth but that
was during more desperate times… I don't think they've forwarded my messages to
the Inquisition, so I have to wait for a satellite to pass over head…” Mo’Emori
explained sullenly, though there held a small amount of hope in her voice.

“Stupid technology…” Torvil
muttered under his breath though everyone heard it. The comment made all three
women chuckle lightly as the tension died in the room.

Helen and Mo’Emori’s attention
was drawn to her computer as a chime rang out from it. The small screen in the
bottom right came to life revealing an older man with a thin gray beard. The
man smiled as the smaller picture of both women came into view.

“Ah, you must be Mrs. Clarke!”
The man stated joyously.

Helen bent down and looked at
Mo’Emori as the Eskarii girl looked as if she could barely contain herself, her
bright yellow eyes wide as saucers as her brain caught up with the fact that
her plan finally paid off.

“Yes, that is me. Who do I have
the pleasure of speaking with?” Helen asked, putting on her professional
demeanor.

The man on the screen smiled, “I
am Gregor Solomon, Lord Inquisitor of the Inquisition…”

“Do you have Mori!?” Mo’Emori all
but yelled as her capacity to contain herself busted at the seams.

The man laughed heartily at her
outburst and nodded, “Yes, my dear girl, we have secured Morrigan Clarke.
She is safe and healthy. I must say Mrs. Clarke, you have raised one resilient
young woman,” the way he said it made Helen’s eyebrows furrow. All the
while Mo’Emori squirmed joy in Helen’s arms.

“In what sense?” she sniped
defensively.

“Well as it stands, after
everything she has endured in that wretched prison, she has decided to join the
Inquisition and is currently undergoing a training evaluation to become an
Inquisitor. She is strong willed and highly intelligent as well as moves as if
she had never been in the prison in the first place. She even has become the
first Terran ever to befriend a Saurian, or Marmuro’k, as your daughter
explicitly stated is their true name. To say the least, Morrigan is a very
special woman.”

“Damn, that’s my girl! Little
Clarke has been busy!” Jen exclaimed while both Mo’Emori and Helen looked
surprised.

Mo’Emori giggled and nodded
vigorously while Helen stared blankly at the screen, trying to process
everything that had been just thrown at her.

She knew little about the
Inquisition but it was beyond surprising to hear that her darling daughter not
only suffered in prison for two whole years and then jumps into a life of
potential danger with the same people who were the monster in the Federation’s
closet. “And to top it off, she’s friends with the most unfriendly species
in the galaxy?” she confided to herself.

“Can we talk to her!?” Mo’Emori
chirped excitedly.

That made the man laugh even
more, “Sadly, she is in the middle of an evaluation at the moment however,
we can certainly coordinate a time for you to call her though she has also made
the request that the Inquisition extract your group from Earth, which is a
promise I intend to work out with the CoU. I have heard tales that the conflict
around Earth has taken a bad turn for the CoU and she worries for your safety.”

Both women nodded though Helen was
the one that spoke, “Yes. We are still within Federation territory and
returning to the CoU has become difficult… there have also been reports of an increased
number of starships within our solar system though the ground forces have
retreated and fortified their borders…”

The Lord Inquisitor hummed
thoughtfully at this information before operating something off screen. Both
women watch intently as the man did what ever it was he had been doing.

After a few minutes, he made a
sound inciting that he had found what he had been looking for before turning
his attention back to them.

“If you're able to get out of
Earth’s atmosphere, we have a ship equipped with some experimental technology,
one being a warp drive capable of short distance jumps through space. If you
can send a signal from what ever you manage to use, I can position our ship in
the shadow of the moon and it will warp to your location for pick up and escape
quickly before transitioning into FTL travel,” he stated confidently.

Everyone in the room looked at
each other conspiringly. “Do you think you two can get us a ship?” Helen asked
Torvil and Jen

Jen shrieked nonchalantly in
excitement with a smile while Torvil sighed, “It will take time to find one but
it can be done.”

Helen nodded, “We can do that,”
she told the man.

He smiled, “Good…I…send…relay…”
came through as the connection broke apart, shutting down the call and
revealing a blank screen.

Mo’Emori panicked as she tried to
reestablish the connection, “No, no, come on!” tapping the return key hard
before tossing her computer from her desk onto the floor.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay sweetie, we
at least know what to do,” Helen cooed while rubbing her back. Behind them the
door flew open as Dr. Yuma stepped inside.

“Have you seen this?” he asked,
indicating the laptop he carried before surveying the room. He looked to
Mo’Emori's laptop on the ground and quickly set his on top of her desk. “Maybe
you have but just in case…”

Torvil and Jen moved around to
look at the screen which showed a frozen Federation bulletin. Once he pressed
play, the video showed several CoU satellites as well as a CoU Destroyer being
blown apart in space just outside of Earth’s atmosphere.

The video switched over to a once
live feed to a man dressed in a pristine, high ranking military uniform, a man
Helen recognized immediately.

With a wide, nearly lifeless
grin, the man started speaking.

“My fellow citizens, I am Lord
Commander Amaranthe,”

“What!?” Helen growled angrily.

“Today marks a special occasion
for the Federation. Recently, we had a bit of a… problem per say, with the
leadership that guided our glorious government. Not only did they let an
extremely dangerous criminal live, but they let this criminal broadcast a very
slanderous message across the entire galaxy, and then, let her slip away into
the void of space.”

Amaranth flourished his arms in
exaggeration as if it had been the leaders of the Federation’s fault before
continuing.

“Therefore, I have ridden away
our problem of poor leadership and seized control. Under my command, the
Federation will bring about a whole new era of glory and prosperity while we bring
our enemies to their knees. I have recalled a portion of our fleet and severed
the CoU’s ties to our territory and after weeding out the filth from our
beautiful garden, I shall crush the CoU under our heel before taking to the
stars to take our rightful place as the dominant species in our galaxy!”

The clip cut off right there. The
seething rage coming from everyone in the room was palpable as Helen rubbed her
face vigorously.

“How could they give total
control over to that fucking lunatic!” she asked no one in particular.

Dr. Yuma cleared his throat
cautiously, “About that… the last of the reports to come in were confirmations
that most, if not all, of the top political and military players within the
Federal regime have been assassinated.”

“What?” Helen snapped at him.

Dr. Yuma nodded stoically, being
the only one in the room to have a complete semblance of calm, “Yes, though he
does display delusions of grandeur of the highest potency… it seems that he is
far more than a mad man as you say. The level of…”

“Yeah, yeah, the level of
planning it would take to organize a mass assassination indicates a dangerous
level of intelligence…” Helen cut him off with an exhausted breath.

“What do we do?” Mo’Emori asked
meekly as she looked to everyone.

Torvil growled incredulously, “Have
you forgotten your training?”

Mo’Emori shrank under her
brother's voice and shook her head.

“Hey! Don't be an asshole to your
sister! She's scared!” Jen barked back.

“She is Sybrydian! She is
trained!” Torvil countered angrily.

Jen put her hands on her hips
defiantly, “Yeah?  So am I yet I’m scared
shitless now that shit just hit the fan, you going to be an asshole to me too?”
she dared him.

“Okay enough!” Helen shouted in a
mother's commanding voice. It was compelling enough to make even Torvil flinch.

“We’re in for a world of bullshit
and the last thing we need is to be at each other’s throats because we're
worried,” she stated as she rubbed her temples as a headache began to set it
before turning to Dr. Yuma.

“Doctor, we're leaving and we
need a starship. If you want, you can come with us but we’re going to
rendezvous with the Inquisition in low orbit. If you know anything useful, now
would be the time to say so,” she said in demand before turning to her team.

“Torvil, find us a damned ship.
Jen, find us weapons…” her eyes settled on the shaken Eskarii curled in her
chair. Helen even saw the therapist eyeing the girl with concern.

Helen waved her team away to do
as they were told, Jen walking out the door and Torvil taking his seat and
typing into his computer.

She knelt next her
pseudo-daughter and gently rubbed her hand on her back, “It’s okay sweetheart,
you should go take a nap,” she said softly.

Mo’Emori shook her head and
stuttered through frayed nerves,  “N-no,
I-I need t-t-to help-p.”

Helen shook her head firmly, “No
sweetie, you need sleep. Don’t think I haven't noticed that you haven't been
sleeping again. Your body and mind are exhausted, you got us what we needed so
you've done your part, so go get some sleep, love.”

Mo’Emori’s tear laced yellow eyes
looked into her as her lip quivered, “b-but Mem...Mori…”

Helen gently touched the young
girl’s cheek as the tears threatened to spill, “We will see her again sweetie.
You heard Solomon, she’s doing okay, in fact, it sounds like she's doing great.
We will make a plan while you sleep and we will see Mori again real soon, “ she
said with a motherly smile.

Torvil let out an audible huff
that was about to earn Helen’s ire however, he stood up and moved around to
kneel next to her his sister.

“Helen is right, an’lyf
chwaeda. You need rest. I’m… sorry for yelling,” he said stiffly though
Helen could see he had been sincere.

Mo’Emori’s eyes shifted to stare
into Tovil’s violet eyes before nodding sullenly, leaning forward and wrapping
her arms around his neck.

He shuffled and sputtered as he
caught her when she used him to pull herself off the chair and fell into his
arms.

Helen chuckled loudly as she
watched, “I'm pretty sure she wants you to tuck her in.”

Torvil rolled his eyes and
groaned as he stood up all the while she let out a small giggle that bled into
a content, childish hum.

“You are ridiculous,” he stated
softly as Mo’Emori let out a squeak of a yawn before nodding.

Helen could not help but smile
and appreciate the weird dynamic she was wrapped up in. “In comparison to
what my life would've been without the three of them… I wouldn't trade them for
the world…” she mused to herself as she took a seat to watch Torvil lay his
sister in the couch and cover her with a blanket, Mo’Emori nestling the covers
underneath her chin and peeping one bright yellow eye open, giving Helen a
sweet, sly smile before settling down to sleep.

◇◇◇

“My name is Vanessa Dezinaria,
and I will be your practical magic instructor,” a crotchety older woman in her
upper 60s or lower 70s stated firmly. Morrigan could not tell which end of the
age spectrum she fell into.

Not that it matters, this old bat
isn’t going to be able to teach you anything! Apollyon growled in irritation.

“Maybe, but I still have to
undergo this training unless told otherwise,” Morrigan thought back
reluctantly.

She had passed every physical
evaluation the Inquisition had thrown at her with flying colors. Perhaps it
could be considered cheating with the nature and functionality of her power,
but what the Inquisition did not know could not hurt them.

It was amusing to Morrigan when
she had to do the stress test and run around a track until she could not stand
anymore. The joke being her constant flux of energy fueled her body endlessly
when required, allowing her to steadily keep pace significantly longer than any
human or Eskarii that took the test with her.

Even the weight lifting aspect of
her evaluation was a joke. She ended up pulling back on her powers when she
bench pressed 300lbs with her power infused strength, baffling the
administrators that documented the test. Truth of the matter was, after lifting
the locked blast door on Castile V, she felt that she would rarely come across
something that her strength could not handle.

She even recalled punching
through a foot and a half of solid stone to escape the maddening caverns within
the depths of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

Yeah, as the youngin’s say, you
are the definition of “swol” hehehe

Morrigan snorted and immediately
tried to straighten her face as the instructor’s hawk eyes zeroed in on her.

“Is something I said amusing,
Miss Clarke?” the old woman demanded.

Morrigan bit her lip and shook
her head, “no, ma’am. My apologies.”

Dezinaria’s eyes narrowed on her,
“Well, seeing as you wish to interrupt my class, you will go first,” she said
gesturing to a stationary tank that sat in the middle of a wide-open platform.

“Today we will gauge your
offensive capabilities before moving onto defense, which I know most of you
will have no training in… your objective is to disable this Federation main
battle tank’s movement and offensive capabilities with your magic; on your go,
Miss Clarke,” the woman snubbed.

Destroy a tank? Is that all? How
quaint, Apollyon
mused, it’s words dripping with sarcasm.

Morrigan stifled her laughter as
she eyed the other recruits. All of them were training to be Inquisitorial
soldiers and all of them were mages, which normally would have put her on edge
except she knew for certain that none of them were a threat to her.

Alright little goddess, show this
old hag she’s far out of your league!
Apollyon cheered sadistically.

Morrigan grinned as she took a
step forward up to the edge of the platform, stepping up to confront the tank.

The tank’s engine roared alive
and its tracks began to move, causing a moment of shock in Morrigan. “No way
they would put a living person in that thing if we’re throwing energy about…”
she theorized to herself.

Hey. If they’re dumb enough to
use live targets, I say go for it hahahaha

Morrigan smirked as she focused
on her flow of her energy, inciting her own anger as she recalled memories of
Castile V. The deaths of her three friends, the worm that murdered them both.

Anger and fury coursed through
her emotions as the memories flashed through her mind, a crimson clawed hand
enveloping her right hand as she watched the tank’s turret spin to aim at her.
She no longer cared if someone had been in the machine, it would meet her wrath
regardless.

She forced her hand forward and a
massive crimson claw appeared and soared towards the tank, slamming into the
turret.

The barrel bent and split as the
spectral claw collided and the long spectral talons tore through the metal of
the turret.

Morrigan grinned savagely as she
gripped the tank and swung her hand away, watching the claw tear through the
dense metal with an ear-piercing shriek as the talons tore downwards and
shredded the steel track, even taking out two of the wheels as it pulled away
and carved into the platform.

Her blood sang with the
destruction of the tank as she let her energy dissipate. As much as she wanted
to tear into more, she knew she had met the requirements of the test and turned
with a sinister grin to the instructor.

Dezinaria had an eyebrow raised
as she scrutinized the efficiency of her work, her wrinkled face twisting in a
mix of annoyance and being impressed.

“Well done Miss Clarke… the power
you wield is rather unique…”

Morrigan’s grin falter at the
mention of the power she wielded. The look of the other trainees did not help
her as they stared at her with shocked expressions.

Dezinaria looked between her and
the tank before giving her a tight-lipped smile, “I was told you were unique
but I could not have guessed the extent of the claim. I think it’s fair to say
your control over your power in an offensive manner is quite skillful though I
do look forward to see how you handle a more defensive situation… you may fall
back in line.”

Morrigan did not comment as she
stepped back down and took her place in the row of trainees. Part of her felt
worried and the other part of her felt dejected by the response the instructor
gave her.

Don’t worry about it. You’re so
far above her pay grade she has no idea what to make of you, Apollyon said soothingly.

“Thanks… I just hope it
doesn’t bite me in the ass later…” she responded as a large industrial
loader moved the tank off the platform and another rolled up to a stop.

Nah, the old man is already aware
of what you were capable of, if it were an issue, I’m fairly certain he
wouldn’t let you walk around freely… or he’s an idiot, I mean both are
plausible,

Morrigan smirked and let out a
deep breath. Apollyon’s criticism helped make her feel better, especially given
the fact that she was fairly certain the Lord Inquisitor was not an idiot.

Next up was a typical pyro mage
that had been the generic combat type of the Federation military. Without
hesitation, the mage thrust forward and let out a constant torrent of flames
that engulfed the tank. The jettisoned fire pressed harder and harder against
the tank until the mage deemed it time to release his power.

The mage staggered as he fought
to regain his balance. It appeared to Morrigan that such a steady output of
power was extremely tiring, which seemed almost alien to her. Her body’s
absorbance of the ambient primal energy that existed throughout existence
itself left her wondering how anyone lived with such limitations.

As the flames burned out, the
tank was left standing though the outer shell was glowing a dull orange before
it tried to roll forward. Both tracks shattered as well as a mechanism within
the turret snapped, leaving the war machine completely immobile.

Morrigan was certain that if
anyone or any ammunition had been inside the machine, everything would have
cooked to death or exploded.

Dezinaria scrutinized the man, “How
long have been practicing young man?”

The man panted heavily before
mustering enough oxygen to respond, “Six years, ma’am.”

The old lady’s face twisted in
disgusted disappointment before snubbing the man, “Six years… and all you can
manage is an inferno that cannot even melt the armor of a tank? That is
disappointing. It seems I have my work cut out with you…” she paused for a moment
to think.

“How else could you have handled
the tank?” she asked as she took a step up to the platform and stood next to
the man.

It was amusing to watch a little
old lady two heads shorter than her student patronize him with fierce
intimidation.

When the man shrugged Dezinaria
sighed before flicking her arm out launching a small little fireball down the
barrel of the tank.

A moment later the tank exploded
in a brilliant display as it sat there burning from the inside out.

“You see, if that tank had been
armed it would not exist in this plane of existence anymore. However, since it
is a still a functional tank, I focused my energy down the barrel until I could
target the fuel lines of the engine and ignite the fuel tank within… get back
in line,” she said pointedly as she narrowed her eyes at the man.

“Ouch, she’s hard as fuck,”
Morrigan thought to herself as she watched the man slump his way back into
line.

Well, you have to give her this
much. Old lady gots the moves hehehehe

Morrigan subtly shook her head as
she watched the rest of the class repeat the same test until her class was
finished.

It was an interesting experience
to see how the various mage abilities had been taught to each trainee. Some
were telekinetic, most were elemental and all were met with the harsh scrutiny
of Instructor Dezinaria.

As the class let out, Dezinaria
called out, “Ah, Morrigan! A word if you would.”

Morrigan deflated, dreading the
conversation she was about to have as she watched the rest of the trainees
leave the area.

Putting on her best resolve, she
strode over to Dezinaria.

“Your power, I must say is quite
impressive. Do you have any idea where it comes from or how it is formed?” she
asked curiously.

Morrigan bit her tongue for a
moment, “I can’t just say ‘oh it’s from one of four cosmic gods, one of
which lives inside my head and makes me a far better mage than most people’.”

Apollyon snickered; I mean…
you could. Not that I think the ol’ crone would believe you. I bet she’d
believe she were a leprechaun sooner than believing that.

Morrigan cracked the smallest of
smiles trying not to seem disrespectful and shook her head.

“Well, as far as we’ve determined,
magic is an ability given to those with specific genetic mutations within their
DNA, allowing them to bend reality to their whim whether it be through the
elements, or increased cognitive abilities such as telekinesis, although that seems
to be more of an Eskarii classification. There is even those who can manipulate
the metabolic rate of a living being which thankfully the Federation has yet to
discover how to weaponize such an ability… it is quite devastating,” Dezinaria
rambled before catching herself, clearing her throat.

“I digress, anyways, my point is
your abilities seem to be very unique in nature- tell me, are either of your
parents of Eskarii blood?”

Morrigan’s mouth dropped open at
the implication her instructor had insinuated, “I didn’t even know humans and
Eskarii could have children together… no, both of my parents are humans…”

Morrigan decided it was best to
omit the fact that no one in her family were part of a mage bloodline.

Dezinaria hummed thoughtfully as
she started to step around Morrigan in a full circle, inspecting every inch of
her which made her feel uncomfortable.

“And how does your power feel? In
a natural sense.” She inquired.

Morrigan held up a hand and let
the energy coalesce into its iconic claw shape around her hand, “Destructive…
angry… as if insatiably hungry,” Morrigan responded truthfully knowing full
well it was the nature of her power.

Dezinaria let out another
thoughtful hum, “What about defenses? You seem to be a girl who has seen
combat, how do you defend against attacks?”

Morrigan released the energy with
a snort, “By killing them before they can attack,” she quipped.

Ha! That’s my girl!

Dezinaria turned to Morrigan with
a wide smile across her wrinkling face, “Tell me, have you ever encountered an
energy mage?”

Morrigan cocked her head, “Energy
mage?”

Dezinaria nodded and turned her
back as she slowly walked away from her, “An energy mage is an elemental mage
who harness the energy of electricity. Pulling the energy out of protons in the
air to generate powerful strikes of electricity.”

Morrigan instantly flashed back
to Amaranthe, everything he did to her aboard his dropship. All the torture and
blood shed.

She grimaced as her anger spiked sharply,
“Yeah… I have,” she let out in a muffled growl.

“Good, then you should be
prepared,” Dezinaria stated before turning swiftly and sending a bolt of
electricity straight towards Morrigan.

With wide eyes Morrigan
reflexively pulled her energy to the fore and palmed the arc of electricity
with a clawed hand.

“How the? What the fuck? I
thought you were a Pyromancer? Was that really necessary?!” Morrigan exclaimed
in blatant surprise.

Dezinaria gave her a toothy grin,
“All elemental mages can harness from each element girl, with enough training
of course. Seeing as you seem to have a mastery in offense, I see no reason to
get your defensive evaluation out of the way. No sense wasting either of our
times if we don’t need to.”

Morrigan felt her resolve harden
as she understood the old lady’s point. If she wanted to challenge her, then
Morrigan would step up and face her.

Dezinaria gave no notion to
attacking before she let loose blast after blast of electricity.

In more surprised reactions,
Morrigan countered each electricity blast with a crimson claw until a massive
ring of electricity formed above her, a smirk on appearing across Dezinaria’s
face.

The amount of anger Morrigan felt
about the persistent attacks only pushed her farther into her rage as she
crouched, her crimson wings bursting forth from her back and enveloping her
body in a shroud of glowing red.

Several lighting strikes cascaded
down upon her form, pelting painfully into wings as the destructive energy
devoured the electrical energy.

“Hmmm, that’s a neat trick, it’s
also interesting to see how your power seems to negate my own effortlessly, as
if a polarity effect though if that were the real case, your own energy would
at least respond to mine… you are quite interesting Miss Clarke.”

Morrigan stood as her wings
flared in a brilliant display before fading from existence, though her peaked
anger sent a wave of crimson electricity down her body. She was not enjoying
being observed like some lab rat.

“Can you form a shield with your
power girl?” Dezinaria inquired.

Morrigan’s eyes narrowed as she
considered the question.

“You mean like the Lord
Inquisitor?” she asked.

Dezinaria nodded, “Precisely. I
am the one who trained him how to turn his energy into a shield that can
encompass him, or others if need be.”

Morrigan shook her head angrily,
her anger refusing to give as the woman prodded her.

“Good,” the old woman smiled
before a dozen glowing blue orbs appeared surrounding Morrigan.

Morrigan looked around in panic
as the orbs grew brighter, causing her eyes to go wide as her crimson wings
sprouted from her back.

As the orbs discharged
electricity, Morrigan tried to block the attacks with two large crimson claws
floating around her as well as her wings curling around her. Many of the
attacks she managed to block however, one slipped through under her wing and
smash against her kidney in blinding pain, sending her flying ten feet towards
Dezinaria.

Morrigan coughed and winced as
Apollyon worked on repairing the singed nerves and skin on her back while
Dezinaria stepped over her with a triumphant smile as she started walking
across the training area.

“See you tomorrow, Miss Clarke.”

Morrigan growled as she leaned up
on her hand and elbow scowling at the older woman left her on the ground, “What
a bitch…”

Heh yeah, who would’ve thought
the bag of bones could pack such a punch, Apollyon mused.