//------------------------------// // 2-8 Ignite! // Story: Renegade // by Slendy //------------------------------// Canterlot was set ablaze. Streets ran rampant with chaos and screams that formed an orchestra of death under a grim sky: infected Originium Slugs, both gelatinous and arachnid variants tearing through stalls and detonating against walls. Metal Crabs spun like saw blades, shredding the armour of many Royal and Night Guards as though they were butter. The worst were the crystal-plagued Reunion shambling through streets like zombies, ripping apart doors and soldiers in their way, sword clashing and magic taking many shots to put one down only for two more to fall in their place. However, what frightened the Guard to their core, those on the frontlines as citizens evacuated toward the castle, was the sight of a horrendous glow straight from the bowels of Tartarus itself. Flaming spheres crashed into shields and magical barriers, exploding onto the streets and buildings, ablaze many buildings. A large fissure snaked its way through the earth, a channel of flowing magma that begun to surface, large protrusions of obsidian spurting streams of fire in its wake. The world itself tore itself apart, unleashing an unearthly roar. Inside the castle within Celestia's throne room sat a large table meant for day-to-day discussions between Celestia and Nobleponies. Now it was littered with maps and diagrams of Canterlot, surrounded by Guards of various stations. Cliffheart stood next to Luna and Rocklock; to the Lunar Princess's left was Celestia. Cinder inspected his notes alongside Astra on the opposite end, the filly young but familiar with what he discussed in private beside her, the girl's head nodding in understanding. "We have to be prepared for the enemy before they reach the gates; if they break our only foothold, we'll spare no chance of reclaiming the rest of Canterlot." One declared with a few voting on their side. A Bat Pony shook their head, motioning to the dark purple skies through the shattered window. "If we don't find the source of this storm, we may not survive at all, and what about the citizens? Sure, we can defend but against an endless enemy? Hardly!" "That's not all!" One newer scout returned to draw the eyes and ears of all ponies present. Saluting quickly, he spoke. "One street, in particular, travelling through the commercial district, there's... fire, just... fire everywhere, and it's moving - nothing we've done can make a dent it whatever's channelling it." "Oh great, more good news," The recovered Cliffheart muttered into his hoof, waving to the scout. "Please, any other reports, bring them in as soon as possible; we'll need all the information we can get." "Sir!" With that, he galloped away as the ex-hunter slammed his muzzle into the table. "Cinder, I... really could use your cryptic words right now." He motioned to the old Hollow, who hummed deeply, then Astra sat up on her stool. "It's not Kranon, perhaps another Infected we've never seen before?" She suggested. "We would need more information to discuss with W if that were the case." Cinder added. "Somepony want to ask why a filly is sitting here?" Rocklock grunted with his wing pointed to the silver-eyed pony who perked up at the mention of her age. Then her already neutral expression formed into a disinterested frown. "This isn't a place for a foal to be playing." "Sir, do you have any experience in conflict with an unknown race that is highly resilient to magic? Perhaps you've fought against the creatures that explode upon death, or the crustaceans with armour plating thicker than most weapons can pierce?" Astra left no room to breathe, and some swore her eyes gave off a shimmer of moonlight. "And what of the humanoid men with the swords, some infused into the flesh and bone? If not, I highly suggest saving your breath as every second count as of current events." A few actually snickered at how a young pony just shut down a senior guard with logic and professionalism. Though Rocklock bit his cheek in anger, ultimately complying. "Fine, but what of the fires? Care to explain that mess?" "It's Pompeii and a damn annoying Infected at that," W sounded from the doorway to Celestia's left; all ponies present watched as the Prince strolled inside at the mercenary's hip, a few guards still unsure of her motives, but she clearly lacked any compassion to care, waving a hand dismissively. "High temperature in the air, fires breaking out from a stream of magma creeping its way from nowhere, sounds a lot like the Slug from hell." "I'm sorry, a Slug is doing this?" Cliff blurted out, rubbing his forehead. "You know, after everything that's happened, I'm just going to nod." "Probably best if you don't want your head to spin," W remarked, approaching the table with maps of every district in Canterlot. This was good she could work with this. Tapping the commercial district marked with fire hazard markers, she elaborated further. "Pompeii is a volcanic Slug, but due to exposure to Originium, it's mutated and grown into a living volcano that will destroy everything and anyone in its path." Drawing a line down the streets, W's brow quirked once she noted where exactly Kranon told it to go. "Huh, hey Sora, does this route jolt your memory?" Tapping the page, he followed her finger and quickly realized the creature's path. "It's heading straight for us-" Many present gasped and murmured in a panic. "-if it does, it won't matter if we station the castle as a safe zone; it'll just burn its way here regardless." "So then we must prepare to intercept it beforehand," Cinder proclaimed until W put her hand out. "Nah, let it burn all it wants; it buys us more time to kick it where it hurts," W grinned, quickly cutting off any smartass comments. "Oi, Captain, how long will it take pegasi to gather sources of water? Preferably... thirteen-thousand-five-hundred gallons? Give or take." Everypony present looked to her as if she grew two heads, and the silence was irritating her to the point she banged the desk. "Look, I'd love to give you all a lovely pep-talk about how I hate everything you've done to me since I got to this backwater world, but quite frankly, I'm more concerned for how many lives you're all willing to waste away contemplating my methods of doing your jobs for you," Waving her arms wide she asked. "So, any questions?" "It'll take us roughly half an hour; I suppose it doesn't matter if the water is fresh or not?" Cliffheart murmured and saw the Sarkaz nod. "Okay, Rocklock, gather every pegasus we can find and get them to help transport as much water as they can to... where exactly?" He asked nervously, then saw where W pointed. The street is only three blocks away from the castle walls. "Right... where she's pointing." "Are you insane?" Rocklock blurted out. "We're putting the lives of Equestria's citizens in that creature's claws?" "Hands dipshit," W snapped, brushing off his glare while wiggling her fingers. "Don't like it then, by all means, go poke Pompeii with your fancy sticks see what happens but don't come crying to me when this place is turned into the world's biggest bake-off." She warned, and after a small staredown, the pegasus huffed and waved for some to follow. "Ta-Ta now! Okay, next, Celestia, Luna, you two need to focus on getting everyone out of the kingdom before Pompeii arrives." "And why's that, wouldn't our efforts be better suited to the task at hoof?" Celestia inquired; while W was brash and very informal, she was her kingdom's best lead on combatting these monsters, then saw her deadpan face. "You're basically the Goddess of the Sun, so unless you can waterbend, you and Luna here have the highest magic stamina of anyone else, only you two can teleport the injured and what-not out of the hot zone, implying we fail, of course." W was on a roll and kept going, switching back to Sora. "Fly-Boy, does this world have concrete blockades of any kind?" To her relief, he nodded. "'Course, used for construction of newer, more modernized buildings, especially in major cities," She grinned knowingly before his face lit up. "I get it, that's it!" "What's 'it'?" Astra asked as Sora flipped over a map and grabbed a marker, drawing two lines and then a curve at the end of the other. "The street Pompeii will take, it's flat, there's no slope, so his velocity will be much slower, but with the buildings and a concrete barricade, we'll create a horseshoe to keep the flow of magma around Pompeii from spreading to nearby trees and residential homes nearby!" He devised, and the guards all nodded along, some smiling at the crazy but effective idea. "As so with Pompeii stalled, we dump enough water atop it to harden the magma, leaving it vulnerable to direct methods of attack, clever." Cinder complimented while Luna stepped forward. "And what of Kranon? He will not take our actions lightly without retaliation," Luna raised a valid point, one that W grimaced at. "No, he doesn't care; he knows we'll be focused on saving everyone that'll buy him enough time to finish whatever else he's planning, preparing himself for the end of the world," That was the only factor W was uncertain of, what was Kranon doing if not attacking them head-on? Why use the Infected if not to distract and divide his enemies? "I don't know..." "Then I shall ensure he sees no progress of his own," Cinder put forward, sword risen from his scabbard. "Focus on stopping Pompeii and allow me to buy you time." "Can you even fight him? Who knows what powers he has now?" Sora asked but received only a silent stare from the stallion. "You... knew that, didn't you?" "You have your fight, and I have mine; my powers are not suited for such a battle, but you two are," He motioned toward the humans. "Do not worry for me; I have handled far worse than a man who has lost his mind." "That's what worries us," W added, but with her hands creased against the table, she let out her breath. "Fine, just... you know what I mean?" "That I do, lass," Turning around, Cinder slowly marched away, not before Astra rushed to his side. "Hey, wait, kid-!" "I can help him too; I'll be careful!" Astra shouted back, cutting W off as Cinder waved a hoof. "Not to worry, I believe her power may be what I need in this battle; she will go unharmed!" Sora had to put his hand on W's to keep her from moving irrationally, everyone seeing the tension in her features. "Fuck... you better, or I'll shove my boot up your ass, both of you!" She yelled until they disappeared out the doors, leaving her to punch the desk so hard a portion splintered. "Freakin' brat..." "She learned from the best," Sora proclaimed with a smile. "She'll be fine." "That again is what I'm worried about, but fine," Clapping her hands, then to her cheeks, she raised her voice. "Alright! Waiting for some grand ol' speech!? The world's falling apart out there, so get moving'!" "RIGHT!!" All present declared, scattering like ants while Celestia met W's gaze. "You worry a lot for her, Astra, I mean?" While only her, Luna, and Sora were present, the woman wrapped her arms behind her head bashfully, turning to hide her pensive expression. "Wouldn't any parent, Sun-Butt?" With that, she wandered off to prepare her own gear with Sora in-toe. As they ran, she quirked a humorous look toward her partner. "You totally got that idea from Volcano, didn't you?" "You know you're never one to strategize anyhow." He retorted in kind, hearing her giggle despite the threat ahead of them; it was relieving to hear. "Hey, if it works..." Canterlot was in a state of coordinated pandemonium. As the glow of a raging inferno crept closer and closer from the streets, the Guards worked around the clock to evacuate the last of the citizens inside as unicorns worked to levitate over large, cuboid slabs of concrete, melding them together to form large concrete dividers between the two buildings facing the castle's outer hillsides. Bat Ponies watched the skies for any movement, intercepting the Infected that stormed the mass construction team in droves. Upon sweeping closer, the street became engulfed in a fiery explosion thanks in part to the cunning smirk plastered on W's cheeks, herself tossing her remote detonator between her hands. "Boom," She loved her job. Looking back at work on the barricade, she grimaced. "Good thing this isn't actually a volcano." Shaking her head, she leapt down off the balcony and onto the street, dropping more mines to create a vein in the road to pool most of the magma into a single point. "Hey, W, you should come see this!" Up above, Sora hovered while motioning toward the end of the street. Giving a short wave, she watched him take the vanguard while strolling casually down the abandoned street. During her mellow walk down ruined blocks, she caught the clop of hooves behind her, drawing back her eye for a moment. "What's wrong?" Her tone shifted as though she expected something to have gone astray in such a simple plan. "Aren't you as lovely to talk to as ever," Cliffheart snorted as W kept walking, the orange eyes following her step. Looking around awkwardly for a time, Cliffheart eventually spat out what was plaguing his mind. "...I'm sorry-" "Don't remember asking," She retorted, causing him to flinch while her tail whipped around to point at his nose. "You and the Elements really put me through hell, especially you and Sparkle Butt." "I know, I... am well aware," Cliff couldn't ever shake those memories from his head; they were etched in and wouldn't fade for a very long time. "To think I was used, my own code twisted to... do the very thing those nobles did to Sora." It sickened him every time he found that little boy sat all alone, crying. How many nights and days did W do something similar? This drew her stroll to a halt, simply basking in the heat of the kingdom and the sight of chaos on the horizon, large thorns of black earth uprooted from the crust, painting the world in hell's image. "You never answered my question. Were you happy? You won; you caught the notorious Beast of the Everfree." Cliff grunted. "You call that satisfying?" He pressed forward, motioning to the ruined street. "I lived for the thrill of the hunt, I've seen so much before I got roped into a desk job - but you, you were everything I dreamed of back then, a hunt where neither side is the prey, two hunters outwitting the other," His smile was hard to mask, W could tell. "I may have been in the wrong, but I can't shake how thrilling it was to chase you - so when I found you, defeated at my hooves, I think... seeing that made Kranon's hold on my mind slip, my dream was... stripped away in that split second." "Guess there was one silver lining," Her tone lifted his head to see her wicked grin over her shoulder. "It was exciting when you almost caught me," Then she winked. "If the world's against me again, you better hunt me down, Captain." The two soon shared a small laugh, hunter and hunted. "Tch, you can bet on that, Creature." She giggled and soon continued on her stroll Sora spotted the pair's approach while he hid behind a corner store, motioning them to move quickly and quietly. W slipped in next to him with Cliffheart by their feet, the trio peering around the bend only to recoil slightly from the extreme heat that brushed by, embers scattered from a hot gust of wind. "What the hell is that?" Sora pointed to the glow emanating from the centre of the road. The glow originated from just shy of the road's brickwork, the cracked bricks crumbling back into the stream of fire that followed the abomination hidden by debris. While its volcanic stream didn't burn anything, the beast underneath vomited small payloads of fire that broke up the street, smashed through windows to set fire to their insides. It was a moving apocalypse that was beginning to surface. Volcanic sludge pooled out before it, a large body rising to stand just over six feet tall. It was coated in thick, basalt and obsidian hide, large protrusions jutting from the back, the funnels that produced the many fireballs flung into the empty, burning streets. Inside wasn't even slime, just pure, molten slag with a core burning so bright it was as if they stared directly at the sun. "So that's what we're up against? What kind of world are you from?" Cliff gaped, licking his dry lips while peeling his face away before his whole body could be set ablaze by the monstrous Pompeii. "Terra isn't a world you'd ever want to visit if racism doesn't get to you first, the Infected will." She remarked pointedly. Lightly slapped the boys on the shoulders, she wandered back in the direction of the barricade. "Now then, let's go stop a volcano." "I get the feeling you're enjoying this too much." Sora grimaced with a faint smile as the woman just cackled loudly. Not long after the trio returned to the concrete wall at least six feet high to compensate for the sheer size of the Infected, all present finally had a strong look at just what horror approached them in a gradual crawl. Pompeii roared with such ferocity that windows shattered, both from the heat and its earth-trembling cry. Crimson Infused Slugs crawled around Pompeii, rushing the barricade with shrieks while normal Beta Slugs crawled behind them. W didn't sit by and wait, her job was complete, but she turned to Sora beforehand, grabbing his shoulders tightly. "Sora, listen, I need you to fly up as high as you can and wait until we turn this walking slag into crust, get me?" His eyes widened slightly, recalling how little his swords affected obsidian before. "You're the ace in the hole here." "I-I can't," She didn't budge on his refusal, holding him firmly. "Aoi, I can't do it, my swords won't-" Her hand came up to bonk him on the forehead, bringing his face so close their noses touched. "Will you stop thinking and act just this once on impulse? You're more than an Aasimar; stop thinking this body is the endgame," Letting go, she lifted her launcher, hopping atop the makeshift wall-walk's edge toward the Slug horde. Her form was radiant in Pompeii's glow in Sora's gaze. "You're a Prince; embrace it." Lunging toward the first arachnid, W stomped on its head and vaulted back, effectively punting it into the horde as it exploded. Some ponies above used magic to deteriorate the others until W moved in close, striking with strong kicks to trigger the chemicals in their abdomens while firing a series of frag M32s, stripping a layer off the road to blind and shred the Slugs as some approached from her blindspots. "Duck!" She did, and a polearm swatted one of the arachnids that pounced, Cliffheart fanning his staff wide, breaking spines protruding from the Slugs while W blew them away with one thunk from her launcher, tossing C4 high into the air to rain debris from ruined buildings atop the Infected. Pivoting on his heels, Cliffheart erected a barrier to ward off a burst of Arts at their feet from a robed Sarkaz. "Big guy!" "On it!" W ran through the dissolving barrier, booting the Sentinel in the face as it rallied the Infused Slugs to rush her position. Dropping a mine, W rolled back from the issuing explosion, a polearm parrying the staff of the Sentinel from her face, giving her ample time to load another grenade, shoving the muzzle of her launcher against the Sarkaz's chest. "Boom!" The inferno tore through its hollow body, reducing it to crumbling dust. "Get back, hurry!" One of the spotters above cried out, hiding behind several magic barriers as four fireballs splashed against their faces, causing the Guards to grunt and yelp in fright. Turning around, the remaining Infected were burnt away by Pompeii, the beast decimating anything and everything in its path, four blasts honing in on the pair as W slid under Cliffheart's erected shield a second before the payloads detonated, himself sweating up a storm so much he quickly undid the clips of his breastplate to free his movement. "Man, I hate this boss," W coughed, wrapping an arm around Cliffheart's chest before sprinting back toward the wall where a set of magic steps awaited her, a series of flaming attacks raining down with wailing descends behind her. One struck close and forced the mercenary to wrap her tail around her waist to save it. "Out of my way! Out of my way - yah!" She yelped while diving up and over the wall, rolling behind the newly erected barrier to endure Pompeii's assault. "Thank you..." Cliff coughed up beside W, the pair pulling themselves back to their feet/hooves. As the remainder of the street began to fade under Pompeii's assault, his magma slowly pooled into the small trench W had created, slowing the magma flow from gathering by the concrete. This was the final assault, the lava would brace the wall soon, and Pompeii unleashed an almost constant stream of fire to batter and weaken the unicorns, several others on standby for emergencies. Bat Ponies hid among the rooftops while Earth Ponies watched the wall for leaks or stood atop the wall to aid in protecting any unicorns that lost control of their magic. W and Cliffheart looked around in the dark skies, no sign of those tasked with gathering payloads of water in clouds and magic, nor was Sora within sight of W's gaze. Many were rooted to their posts, unable to move as the wall buckled against the full weight of Pompeii's magma beginning to fill across the base of the wall, some of the slabs starting to shift backwards through soot and dirt. Pompeii roared once again, producing another volley of explosive payloads to rival W's own. Her weapon wouldn't dent it, nor could she enact the finishing blow without causing magma to fly everywhere. "It's all on you, Fly-Boy." There was still no sign of support as Pompeii destruction engulfed the street, and beyond in fire and brimstone, the very path carved appeared like a corridor from hell itself, the heat staggering to behold, the sheer intensity from a single creature rivalled that of an elder dragon's breath. High in the clouds, Sora kept himself aloft, observing the battle of endurance from the safety of the skies, his mind racked with anxiety and fear of his own inability to complete the task at hand. He wasn't as strong as Cinder or W; they had various attacks and methods; without his swords, he was vastly limited in capabilities, even they couldn't cut it, so how could he possibly win? Below, Cliffheart's ears flicked, and many more turned to the same sound in the air, "That's it, lower the barriers now!" Cliffheart yelled statically. "Any with water spells, keep throwing everything you got onto Pompeii, don't you dare let up!" W demanded, helping to move several unicorns in front of her while firing a few blank grenades to intercept the remaining fireballs, seeing them detonate like fireworks. Above again; That was when a cold gust of wind tickled Sora's hair, and below and in the sky surrounding him came large quantities of white, puffy clouds pulled along by numerous pegasi, even citizens not in armour were helping to move along large clusters of cloud packed with water. Unicorns below did much the same, levitating large deposits as one through the Guards to the front of the crowd. Many barriers fell, and some even used low-tier water spells like hoses to dampen the air and apply a constant veil of liquid to the massive abomination of fire. A great weight pounded in Sora's chest at the almost heroic sight of countless ponies moving in formation to toss and drown gallons upon gallons of water onto Pompeii, the massive beast's wailing drowning under the sloshing liquid and steam. The magma started to crust and compact with every ounce of rain, salt, and freshwater pulled from the clouds like a waterfall. "Okay..." Flapping back, Sora closed his eyes and held both silver swords flush against his sides, descending like an arrow while his mind raced, feeling the wind move to cone around his head. It was a cold, night say for the sight of the moon embedded with the morbid symbol of a mare across its face. From what Sora knew, it was his aunt; he knew his Mom never wanted to talk about it much as it remained one of her biggest failures as a sister, so he never pried beyond that. Just there, sat on one of the statues in the garden, was the mare in question he waited to see again. Her mane was a soft lilac while her eyes were that of gold, spinning around on her flank with a fanged smile. "You want to know how to fly better?" She repeated what he requested of her earlier in the afternoon, tilting her head to roll the question around in her mind. "Uuuum, probably best you ask one of the Shinies, Bats operate a little differently from-" Shinies was a nickname the Night Guard gave their counterparts; their rivalry remained unchanged. "But none of them understands the sky like you, not Bat Ponies but you, Selene," Her words were caught in her throat, again silent as she tapped her hooves to the bland statue she sat upon. With one wing curled to rub her chin, she asked. "What makes my flying different from others?" His eyes blinked wide at her smirk. "Yeah, I know you know, so I'll bite since you're complimenting me and all." Flapping up once, she did a few slow, graceful twirls without so much as flapping an inch, landing before Sora with a bow. "Flying is about more than just using your wings to catch the wind; you and the wind are one, partners in a dance day or night, you flow into a groove only you both can feel. You let yourself become a traveller and the wind your guide; with that, you can do more than just flap your wings and fly; you dance as part of the sky." "'You dance as part of the sky'..." Sora murmured the words before a pair of hooves took his hands, tugging him forward with a cheeky smile. "Come on then, won't you treat a lady to a dance in the clouds?" She joked as her laughter only made his maddening blush worse. Smiling to himself, Sora let the tension in his wings lessen, his magic flowing to the astral appendages increasing on their own. At the same time, he followed the direction of the wind that spiralled, his speed increasing in the flow almost as if he were in a wind tunnel. With each increase in his own velocity, his wings began to streak a contrail of aqua blue. Parting his eyelids, his form shot toward the scorched earth with a small clap in the air behind his boots, his olive coat flat against his body until he swished his swords forward, fanning out his body and wings seconds before he came too close to the ground, causing his tailcoat to fan out like an extra pair of wings. Pompeii was immobilized in a thick obsidian shell, a large gust of wind tearing over the heads of dozens like a bolt of silver lightning. In a blink of an eye, Sora carved through the mass of volcanic rock in a streak of silver, his feet cratering the ground around him, swords were drawn to either side like his radiant wings, now overflowing with magic power. In contrast, a massive, silver cross shredded Pompeii in a single stroke of silver. The beast moaned out a final, deafening wail, the core splashing against the road while the body crumbled and dissolved in the lingering puddles of magma. Any Infected that remained quickly turned tail and fled from the sight of the winged human with eyes blazing sapphire, his wings scattering blue embers, a living embodiment of sky towering over the corpse of Pompeii. "I... I did it? Heh... hahahaha!" Sora gasped, falling to his knees with relief as his wings shimmered behind him, observing his reflection in his twin swords. "Thanks... Selene, I owe you a dance later." Tapping the face of the blades to his forehead Sora rose just as a fist connected to his shoulderblade. "Ow, what was-" A quick pass of lips against his own rejuvenated him as W grinned like she had won the lottery, swinging him around briefly. "You crazy bastard, ahahaha! That was freakin' awesome, I told you!" With a growing smile, he agreed by tapping his forehead off hers. "Yeah, you did," "Both of you." Although his joy slowly subsided as both saw the ponies above cheering and praising one another, Cliffheart was still staring at them with a determined face, one nod for them to go while the calm lasted. "But we're not done; Cinder can't fight Kranon alone." "No rest for the wicked - let's move it!" She patted his shoulder, the pair quickly sprinting in the direction of the lingering chaos across Canterlot. W's heart thundered against her ribs, blood pumped into her legs, increasing her speed over the rough terrain. "We're ending this hell, right here!" Sometime during the fierce battle with Pompeii, Cinder stepped away from the ruins of two buildings and into a large, empty courtyard, ruins of stalls and benches lining the edge, burn marks, and the signs of battle littered the area. The only other living creature in the region was that of the man dressed in rags, behind the body of a man who had fallen victim as all Displaced had. Kranon the Collapse Dragon. "Look how far you've diminished, and for what? These equines? This world?" Kranon held a hand around at the chaos unfolding. "I have fought and seen many worlds, and They believed a farmhand had any real way of defeating me? What chance do three inconsequential tethers have against a Vex?" "You claim to be a nigh-immortal being, but that was long ago," Cinder paced with Kranon, the pair circling the other until they stood in the centre of the courtyard. "That seal has weakened you; you are fallible like all other creatures," His flames billowed in his own heatwave. "You failed to kill me, to kill Sora, and foolishly neglected W and Astra's intervention, your Forsaken and soon your Pompeii shall fall." "I know, they never could stand against the human quality that is perseverance, that is all you humans are, rats refusing to die until the very last drop of blood," Kranon surmised, raising a finger to Cinder with a dark twist in his tone. "But, let's not pretend you are here for anyone but yourself, Hollow; I know why you came here," He leaned forward as if to whisper the words in his ear. "The Abyss was my puppet, so that makes me the one who slaughtered your comrades like rodents, including that annoying little Bat." Not a soul other than the one hidden away could feel the rising heat surrounding Cinder, he was silent, but his heart was flooded with fury, pure, controlled, and direct fury. Sensing Cinder had nothing more to say, Kranon stepped forward. "Come then, you worthless Hollow," Kranon declared with a wave of his hand, flesh and cloth split across his forearms with magic. "You shall join your comrades in the end." Within Cinder's inventory, he closed the tab with just his eyes, magic weighing a small, blue crystal shaped like a shard of glass. It was a fragile and tempered piece to his collection and a relic an old friend left for him to use someday. Letting out the breath he had held to contain what slithers of fear he held for the Vex standing before him, Cinder felt his body ease into a colourful flame within his soul. "'Hollow' you called me? Tch, do not spit such peasantry words in my face, drake," Crushing the relic in his magic, a great light bloomed in the darkness, enrapturing all those that could witness as a knight stepped forward with his greatsword clasped between his fingers. A towering posture of a human draped in ruined armour, flames pouring from his sword's edge. "I am no Hollow, no equine, no Displaced." Cinder cupped the handle in both hands, gently inserting the tip into the cracked brick road, flames pouring into the face of the blade, drained from the environment surrounding the pair. These flames licked and embroiled the knight, with a great thrust of the sword, its length grew to that of a longsword, flames erupting from the coiled sword, blinding Kranon momentarily to reveal a knight touched by crimson flames, his sword a brilliant glow of embers, lingering specks of colourful flames invoked from within the sword's soul. "I am a Lord of Cinder." To Be Continued...