Path of the Warrior

Knight, Herald, and Launchpad attempt to re-take the tower alone. Meanwhile, The others try to re-group as they make sense of recent events. And a mysterious force makes itself known to the admins.

The plan was made, Herald, Knight, and Launchpad would sneak their way back into the tower and try to take it back covertly. They had decided that if they ran into Mr. Ereksin, they would kill him. They had tried to contact the other admins, but no such luck. They were on their own, but they believed they could achieve success. Even if the off chance that Mythos was alive turned out to be true, they would end him as well. No hesitation, quick and easy that was the plan.

 

Launchpad said he wouldn’t kill anyone other than Mythos or Mr. Ereksin, and Knight and Herald respected his wishes, but if worse came to worse they knew a few people might have to die. They weren’t fond of the idea, and they knew that they would incapacitate over kill any day, but who knew what circumstances they would be facing ahead?

 

Launchpad prepared some canisters of water, it was unknown if they would have access to water at all times during the coming fight, and it was important to be prepared.

 

“Are you ready?” asked Herald. The other two nodded. “Then take my hands” they did, and with a sudden pull they teleported. They landed in a storage area in the base of the tower. They had agreed that this would be the least populated area, and they wanted to sneak in.

 

“Ok, let’s move out” said Knight.

---

 

“Any luck contacting the others?” Logos asked Pathos.

 

“I put out a group chat, but nobody has seen it yet,” he replied. Logos returned to their makeshift bunker. Ethos was in there prepping his rifle.

 

“I told you we can’t take the tower back all by ourselves,” said Logos.

 

“I know, but if we get attacked again, we can’t be unprepared,” Ethos said, not looking up from his task.

 

“Who would attack us?” asked Logos.

 

“You saw how many men they had, I’d bet any money that they have search parties out there looking for us,” said Ethos solemnly. “And the fact is, we’re not exactly well hidden, it won’t take them long to find us,”

 

“Well in that case, I hope the others are safe…” Logos mused mostly to himself.

 

“Logos! I got ahold of jojo!” came Pathos’ voice from outside.

---

jojo had given up trying to contact the others, it didn’t appear like Facebook was a safe modem of communication anymore anyway. For all they knew, Ereksin had found a way to monitor their personal Facebook accounts, and was watching their every move.

 

Prisma had created several rock golems, which he had patrolling the area. The all agreed that it was a necessary precaution. If they sensed danger to the admins, they would send a powerful shockwave through the earth to alert Prisma. Then he and the others could prepare for an attack. Meanwhile the remaining rock golems would converge on the admins to provide extra muscle.

 

Jake, meanwhile, had shifted his cube back into a hoveroard and was searching for any sign of the other admins. Unfortunately, they had agreed that he should stay within the perimeter of the golem patrol so that if there was danger, it wouldn’t have been attracted by Jake flying around. This meant there was little to no chance they would find any of the others, but it gave Jake some peace of mind.

 

They had been using their phones to communicate for the time being.

 

“I don’t think you should have gotten off of Facebook, jojo,” said Jake. “We need to keep that option open as a means to get into contact with the others,”

 

“I agree,” said Prisma.

 

“If they haven’t gotten in contact with us yet, what makes you think they’ll do it now?” asked jojo.

 

“They might not, but when we’re cut off like this, any lifeline helps.” Sighed Jake.

 

“And what if Ereksin tracks us through our personal accounts?” retorted jojo.

 

“At this point, it’s entirely possible, but then again, he’s stripped us of all power, what makes you think he’ll try and finish us off,” said Jake bitterly.

 

“We may be stripped of our titles but we still have our strength,” said Prisma primly.

 

“And that’s exactly why Ereksin sees us as a threat!” exclaimed jojo.

 

“You may be right, but if there’s any hope of reuniting with the others, it’s worth the risk,” said Jake with conviction.

 

“Fine!” said jojo finally conceding. “I’ll open it now,” there was a pause, and then jojo’s voice came back.

 

“Sonofabitch” he breathed. It was almost a relieved sigh. “Pathos got through, I’m talking to him now,”

---

Pathos: To any admins that read this, please contact us! ASAP!

 

jojo: Well I’ll be damned, good to hear from you.

 

Pathos: Oh good, you guys are ok! Who do you have with you?

 

jojo: It’s just me, Jake, and Prisma.

 

Pathos: Oh, that’s good, but I was hoping that the other three might be with you too.

 

jojo: No, But I think they’re with each other. So we get into contact with one, we get into contact with all three.

 

Pathos: well that’s good I suppose.

 

jojo: for the most part, we should regroup, where are you guys?

 

Pathos: We have a camp set up about a mile west of the tower, we’ve been monitoring the activity there.

 

jojo: Activity?

 

Pathos: Ereksin has already taken up residence, he has an army with him.

 

jojo: I’m beginning to suspect this wasn’t just an attack, I’m thinking Ereksin started a goddamn war!

 

Pathos: Well he attacked us! He brought it on himself!

 

jojo: He’s an idiot.

 

Pathos: Well come meet us, we’ll keep an eye on the tower and continue to try and contact the other three.

 

jojo: sounds like a plan.

---

Knight, Herald, and Launchpad snuck out of the storage area and into the hallway. There was no sign of anyone yet, which was a good sign. The three of them knew the security layout like the backs of their hands, and they knew how to get around it. Not that the system was flawed, but not many people had Herald’s unique teleporting ability, which could be used to bypass the system.

 

“How are we going to find him?” asked Launchpad.

 

“Easy, I’d bet he’s in the computer hub,” said Knight.

 

“It would make the most sense,” replied Herald. Just then a figure rounded the corner. He spotted them, and then turned to run.

 

“Crap he’s seen us! Herald! Get him!” Commanded Knight. Herald drew his swords and teleported after the soldier. In an instant he was upon him, and cut him down before he could round the corner again.

 

“Did we have to kill him?” asked Launchpad, a mixture of repulsion and remorse layered his voice. Herald was looking down at his swords intently.

 

“…it” he finally said.

 

“Excuse me?” asked Launchpad.

 

“It wasn’t a ‘him’ it was an ‘it’” said Herald. He held out his sword for the others to see. “Look,”. His blade was stained with blood, but it wasn’t red. It was black.

 

“Demon!” cried Launchpad.

 

“I think it’s even worse than that,” said Knight solemnly. “we’ve seen that before. Mythos had black blood too, remember?”

 

“What does it mean?” asked Launchpad.

 

“I’m not sure…” said Knight, “But I’m dreading what we’re going to find in the computer hub…” Knight took a closer look at the foot soldier. By all accounts it looked human. It wore a black jumpsuit, which had a hood that covered the eyes and mouth. Knight pulled the mouth part down. The creature had no lips, and the teeth were jagged and sharp.

 

Knight had no idea how a creature such as this would even be created. There was no existing lore on monsters like this. At least the impossible Titans had a basis from the anime, and other existing lore of giants.

 

“These monsters are not one of God’s creations, what is going on here?!” cried Launchpad incredulously.

 

“Whatever it is… We need to dispose of this body. We cannot alert the enemy to our presence,” said Knight.

 

“We can take it to the combat room, there’s no security cameras, and there’s a chance it’s empty too,” said Herald. Knight picked up the body and hoisted it over his shoulder.

 

“Launchpad? Think you can take care of the blood?” asked Knight. Launchpad nodded, and thrust his hand out at the blood. A jet of water shot out from one of his canteens, and mixed with the blood. The clear water soon became black, and Launchpad bended the black water back into his canteen. The stain was gone.

 

“I suppose we should keep this for a sample, eh?” asked Launchpad. Knight agreed, it was worth taking a look at. With that, Herald grabbed onto the other two and teleported them into the combat room.

 

Inside was an entire legion of the monsters.

 

“Aww hell,” said Herald. Knight summoned his Keyblade, and got into his fighting stance, Launchpad drew his own shortsword and kept his other hand at the ready to bend his water.

 

“No!” commanded Herald. “I can take them,”

 

“Are you crazy!?” cried Knight, “look at them all!”

 

“What good are we if we tire ourselves out and then find Mythos, no, you two alone can take Mythos, I’ll take this fight!”

 

“We don’t even know Mythos is actually alive! For all we know the only challenge is a fifty year old man, I think we can take him!”

 

“Then do that, and if that’s the case feel free to kill some monsters, but until then, GO!” With that, Herald pushed Knight and Launchpad, and they were teleported to the computer hub.

 

“Good, now that we’re alone…” said Herald turning to the monsters, “Let’s have some fun!” he readied his swords, and charged into the frey.

---

 

“Herald!”Yelled Knight when he had landed in the computer hub.

 

“My my…Trouble in paradise?” came a voice from behind him. Knight and Launchpad spun around, and saw Mr. Ereksin standing there.

 

“EREKSIN!” cried Knight in anger. He held out his Keyblade pointing it right at Ereksin’s heart. “I’ll slaughter you!”

 

“Big words, from one so weak and stupid,” he said with a dismissive air. “Do you even know what is you’re holding?”

 

“Any idiot could tell it’s a goddamn Keyblade!” roared Knight. “How stupid do you think I am?”

 

“Very,” replied Ereksin matter of factually. “Because that is not, in fact, a Keyblade as you so delicately put it,”

 

“What?” asked Knight and Launchpad in unison.

 

“That, dear boy, is one of the Thirteen Machaera.

“Thirteen…Machaera?” asked Knight.

 

“Yes, you simpleton.” Said Ereksin. “The Machaera are special weapons that were forged at the beginning of time itself. They have been at the heart of every world changing conflict throughout history! Light, Darkness, Space, Time, Earth, The Moon, Water, Fire, Wind, Ice, Lightning, Nature, Illusion, These are all attributes that each individual Machaera possesses. Every human shares an energy typing like this as well. The Machaera find and choose a human with the same type, and latch onto them, making them their chosen wielder. The sword you wield is, by my estimation, the Machaera of Wind,”

 

“…Wind?” asked Knight.

 

“Yes, Wind, just look at the blade itself,” said Ereksin. Knight looked closely at his Keyblade. It wasn’t a basic Kingdom Key, but he figured that was because Keyblades showed what was really in a person’s heart. It appeared as silver, and razor sharp. The teeth of the key was a birds wing, and the designs on the blade seemed to flow like the breeze. Knight supposed wind made sense, except…

 

“Normally Keyblades are instruments of Light, why is this one Wind?” he asked. Ereksin sighed.

 

“Not all Machaera appear as Keyblades, they change according to the personal preference of their chosen wielder. Your preference is obviously that of a Keyblade,” Knight guessed that made sense, either way there were more pressing matters at hand.

 

“So what you’re telling me, is that this is some all powerful weapon, if that’s the case, what’s to stop me from killing you right here, right now?”

 

“I’ll admit, seeing a numbskull like you receive a Machaera was certainly surprising and a setback. But do you really think I’d have gone to these extremes if I didn’t have insurance?”

 

“Insurance?” asked Launchpad.

 

“Hello, boys,” came a familiar voice. A hooded figure rose out of Ereksin’s shadow. He was holding a katana, but the blade was longer than most, at least five feet, and the blade was pitch black, not even a reflection of light showed off the metal. “How do you like my Machaera of Darkness?” he continued.

 

“It can’t be…” said Knight through grit teeth. “I didn’t want to believe it!”

 

“That’s right, I’m back!” said Mythos as he drew back his hood.

---

Herald, swung and took out another of the monsters. He had killed at least twenty so far. He teleported, and took off the head of another creature. However, no matter how many he killed there always seemed to be more to take their places.

 

Herald wasn’t going to go down without a fight though. He still had plenty of energy left. He teleported again and again, swinging as he went. He took out another five monsters.

 

“This is taking forever!” he grunted as he sliced two more of them in half.

 

“KiiIIiiLLll!” came the raspy voice of one of the monsters.

 

“Oh? So you can talk, eh?” Herald asked mildly surprised. “Let’s change that shall we!” he yelled as he stabbed his blade into the monster’s throat, severing its vocal chords. The combat room was now painted in black blood.

 

Herald was breathing heavily. He was strong, but he was still mortal.

 

“I can barely remember the last time I was in a pinch like this!” he said with an excited smile. “I may actually need to use it,”

 

One of the monsters took a swing at Herald, trying to sneak up on him. Herald used his blade, and blocked the attack.

 

“DdiIIiiiEEEeee!” it wheezed.

 

Ehh what the hell, let’s end this! Herald thought.

 

“Fool, this isn’t even my final form!” Said Herald in a commanding voice. As he said it, a white aura erupted from his body. His long brown hair, slowly turned a bright silver, and his eyes turned into a striking shade of gold.

 

In a flash of light he vanished, and a slash of white light sliced through ten enemies. It took a second, but they split in half, and black blood exploded from their bodies. Suddenly, Herald re-appeared, amongst the pile of corpses.

 

“The leash is off!” he said with conviction. “Time to die!”

---

“How are you alive?!” cried Knight. “I stabbed you through the heart!”

 

“It’s simple, Ereksin brought me back,” replied Mythos.

 

“Why the hell would you do that?!” Roared Knight.

 

“Because, when you break someone’s tools, the obvious step of action is to fix it!” said Ereksin calmly.

 

“What do you mean?” asked Launchpad.

 

“I mean that I created Mythos for the sole purpose of taking over your page!” said Ereksin.

 

“…You’re not really with the facebook company are you?” said Knight.

 

“How very astute! No I am not, but that doesn’t change the fact that one way or another I will have your page. Mythos was my first real attempt. He was supposed to take you all out, and pave the way to your page in blood, but you were too strong for him,”

 

“What do you mean first ‘real’ attempt?” asked Knight.

 

“It took a few tries to perfect the formula to create humans,” replied Ereksin.

 

“Those monsters we saw…”

 

“Were one of my many attempts. However labor like those Metas are hard to come by, so I cloned them and made them into the perfect army,”

 

“You created those Titans too!” said Launchpad.

 

“Yes, but they are so expensive to make. Metas are far more efficient. Anyway, I’m done with you, Mythos, kill them,” said Ereksin, as he left the room.

 

Knight and Launchpad charged at Mythos. Knight leapt up into the air, and went for an areal attack, while Launchpad stayed low and swung at Mythos’ mid point with his shortsword.

 

Mythos deflected Knight’s attack with his katana, sending Knight flipping backwards. In a flash, the katana also deflected Launchpad’s attack. Knight landed on his feet, charging to the side, aiming to flank Mythos.

 

He’s so fast! Knight thought to himself. Mythos turned to face Knight’s attack, which gave Launchpad an opening to attack him from behind with a jet of water. Mythos looked over his shoulder at Launchpad, but was still able to deflect Knight’s attack. Mythos kicked Knight away, and charged at Launchpad. With a swing of his katana, Launchpad’s arm was sliced. He cried out in pain, and clutched at his wound. Before Mythos could finish him off however, Knight came in and took his attention away from Launchpad.

 

“Fire!” he cried out, swing his Keyblade horizontally. A ball of fire shot at Mythos, and hit the ground causing an explosion. Then Knight remembered, Ereksin had said that he was wielding the Machaera of Wind.

 

“I wonder…” he mused to himself. After a moment’s hesitation he pointed his Keyblade and cried out.

 

“Aero!” he screamed. A powerful gust of wind erupted from the end of the blade, and shot right for Mythos. He tried to resist the wind, but within a second he succumbed and was blown backwards, slamming into the wall behind him. He slumped over.

 

“Whoa! Knight, where did that come from? I didn’t know you could do high level magic!” exclaimed Launchpad.

 

“That…That was a level 1 spell…” gasped Knight in disbelief.

 

“Level 1! Are you kidding me!”

 

“Anyway, do you want me to heal you?” asked Knight.

 

“No… Not yet, I have an idea. Can you keep Mythos busy for a few moments?”

 

“Easily,” said Knight. He ran forward and Unleashed another wave of wind, which went after Mythos.

 

“Hey Mythos!” said Knight as he ran.

 

“What!” Mythos screamed back at him.

 

“I’m an Airbender!”

 

Launchpad spilled some water on the floor. He cast his hands out over the fairly large puddle, and began to chant in Latin. He moved his hand, and placed it on the wound he had gotten from Mythos. When he soaked his hand in his own blood, he slammed his palm into the puddle. Instantly, the puddle began to morph and change. Soon it took the form of a large fox.

 

“Launchpad, why have you called me here?” it asked.

 

“Karuma, it’s good to see you again, but now is not the time to talk. Mythos is troubling us once more, we must finish him this time,” 

 

“Mythos!?” exclaimed Karuma, surprised. “Yes, Launchpad, I will aid you in this fight!” Together they charged into the fight to support Knight against Mythos.

Knight, Launchpad, and Karuma fought against Mythos as one. Launchpad and Knight stayed back, using their bending powers to attack from afar. Karuma couldn’t bend, but was fast on his feet, and attacked Mythos with tooth and claw.

 

Then Knight decided to switch tactics. He bent a sphere of air around himself and used it to propel himself forward, like a hyper charged hamster ball. He flew towards Mythos with great speed, and used the wind to slice at him. The air became one with the Keyblade, making it’s ability to cut even more deadly. Knight swung at Mythos, however Knight’s attack was blocked by Mythos’ own Machaera. The Keyblade clashed with Mythos’ black katana. Sparks flew between the two blades, as neither seemed to be able to surpass the other. Then Mythos let out a Dark charge, sending Knight flying backwards.

 

“The Machaera of Wind allows you to control air, did you really think the Machaera of Darkness wouldn’t give me dark powers?” asked Mythos mockingly. “That is simply the most basic power of Armageddon.”

 

“…Armageddon?” asked Knight, getting back to his feet.

 

“Yes, the Machaera have names of their own, you know. Machaera of Wind, Machaera of Darkness, those are just titles. The name of your blade, I believe, is Archangel,” said Mythos.

 

“I suppose that explains the wing,” replied Knight. “So they have titles, they have names, and they change shape to the preference of a wielder that they choose. These Machaera really are incredible weapons,”

 

“You really are something, Knight,” said Mythos coldly. “I will never understand why you of ALL PEOPLE were chosen. You’re egotistical, overconfident, reckless, you have all that power, but if it weren’t for your Limit Gates, you’d actually kill yourself with it. I swear, you’re lucky to have the other admins, otherwise you’d have been dead so long ago. You’re pathetic, and why such a mighty weapon as Archangel would choose such a lowly being as yourself, I will never understand.”

 

“You shut up!” commanded Launchpad. “Yes, Knight has his ego, his failings, his mistakes, but that’s because he’s HUMAN! Underneath all his faults lies the heart of someone who would never turn his back on his friends, someone who would fight to the last breath to protect what matters to him. Knight is an admin of Team ASIA! He’s one of us, and just like we know he’d never turn his back on his friends, we’ll never turn our backs on him! Now I’ve had just about enough of you, DEMON!” Launchpad turned to Karuma. “It’s time!” he said with large amounts on inner strength.

 

“Right!” said Karuma leaping in front of her Summoner.  Launchpad knelt down next to Karuma and reached up to place his hand on her back. Launchpad began to pray in Latin. As he prayed, Karuma’s eyes began to glow golden, and her fur became a deeper shade of red. Launchpad stood up, opening his own eyes which were also gold now. Karuma, who used to come to Launchpad’s waist, not stood just as tall as Launchpad was himself. Launchpad pointed at Mythos and with power dripping from his voice said:

 

“Holy Canon!” Immediately, Karuma opened her mouth and a blast of yellow energy came shooting out at Mythos. At first Mythos seemed surprised at the massive amount of power from Launchpad’s attack, but then he held out his hand and a sphere of dark energy appeared around him, creating a shield.

 

“Not so fast!” he said. The yellow energy collided with the shield, and for a while they were at a stalemate. But then Mythos’ dark shield began to crack, and then exploded, Mythos was thrown backwards, and crashed into the big screen that was on the wall behind him. The yellow energy dissipated and vanished into nothing.

 

“What…the hell was that!?” roared Mythos getting back to his feet. “You don’t even wield a Machaera, and yet you possess that kind of power!?”

 

“That is what it means to be an admin,” replied Launchpad simply.

 

“Go to hell, you self-righteous monk!” screamed Mythos angrily. A dark fire burst around Mythos. And Knight could sense that his power was increasing exponentially. Finally, it reached a spike.

 

At first, Knight thought Mythos would charge at Launchpad, as that’s where his anger was focused at the moment, However, Mythos’ eyes flashed to where Knight was standing, and in an instant he was flying at Knight with great speed.

 

“Crap!” exclaimed Knight in surprise as Mythos was coming at him. Knight raised Archangel into a defensive position. It wasn’t much, but it was all he had time to do. Knight closed his eyes waiting for the end to come, but then he felt a hand push him back. There was a sickening sound of metal piercing flesh and bone.

 

Knight opened his eyes, and saw Launchpad standing over him. Mythos’ blade had run him through, Launchpad had taken Knight’s place.

 

“…L-Launchpad?” Knight wheezed in disbelief. Knight sprang up, grabbed Launchpad, and with his other hand sent out a blast of wind that sent Mythos and Armageddon flying across the room.

 

Knight fell to his knees, cradling Launchpad’s lifeless form.

 

“Launchpad…why?” Knight asked. But he knew there wouldn’t be any answer, Launchpad was already dead. Knight saw that Launchpad was smiling, he was actually happy to have laid down his life. This broke Knight’s heart, and reduced him to uncontrollable sobbing.

 

“You fool! You should have kept fighting! Why did you sacrifice yourself for me!?” screamed Knight. Mythos began to get to his feet.

 

“What a damned fool, throwing away his life for one so pathetic such as yourself,” said Mythos.

 

“I’ll kill you…” Knight Muttered.

 

“Excuse me?” said Mythos, actually unable to hear what Knight had said.

 

“I’LL KILL YOU!” Knight erupted. I’ll kill you, and I’ll avenge Launchpad McQuack! Limit Break Level 2!” he cried out. A white aura began to appear around Knight’s feet, and then exploded upwards in a column of pure energy. Knight placed Launchpad on the ground, and stepped over him. He wished he could move his body to a more secure location but he knew the only time to kill Mythos was now. The tears were still streaming down his face, fueling his anger, and his desire to slaughter the monster that stood before him.

---

Logos, Pathos and Ethos were just sitting around waiting for the other three to meet up with them.

 

“God this is taking forever!” complained Ethos. “I wish I at least had my laptop so we could play League!”

 

“You mean so you could carry me Senpai!” said Pathos with a smile and a light shove. Logos was being especially quiet. Pathos took a notice to it.

 

“Why so down in the dumps?” he asked.

 

“I can’t help it…” said Logos quietly, “These thoughts I have in my head,”

 

“What are you talking about?” asked Ethos, growing concerned.

 

“I failed the team when I let that Titan slip by my watch,” The other two fell silent. Logos continued. “If I had just kept my eyes open, I might have seen it coming, I could have given more notice, we could have killed the Titans and kept control of the tower. Now, well look when my poor judgment got us,” Then, Ethos punched Logos in the face, causing him to fall over.

 

“Ethos! What the hell!” cried Logos, rubbing the spot where he had been hit.

 

“Get up, and stop acting like a whimp!” commanded Ethos. “If you honestly think it was your fault we lost, you’re even more pathetic than Knight’s ego!”

 

“I don’t think Knight would appreciate you talking about him like that,” said Logos.

 

“Screw Knight, this isn’t about Knight! This is about you! You did the best you could! I was up on that roof with you, I didn’t see it coming either, so I guess we’re both to blame, but you don’t see me moping around!”

 

“That’s different! I wasn’t your job to keep an eye on Titan movement!”

 

“Look! We all make mistakes! It happens, but stop beating yourself up over this!” said Ethos.

 

“That’s enough!” said Pathos. “We can’t afford to lose ourselves in petty arguments! Logos, it is what it is, no one blames you, so stop blaming yourself,” Logos looked away from Pathos. He didn’t doubt that no one blamed him, but that didn’t shirk his guilt. Then everyone froze. There was a sudden shift in energy.

 

“Did you just-“ began Ethos.

 

“Yeah… I felt it,” Logos said, cutting him off.

 

“Me too… something is happening at the tower, something big,” Said Pathos.

 

“We have to get over there right away!” said Ethos.

 

“But what about jojo and the others?” asked Logos.

 

“They know to come find us here, we’ll leave a note telling them to come to the tower,” said Pathos. “For now, we need to investigate,” And with that, they wrote out a note for the others, and set out for Team ASIA tower.

 

When The Trinity arrived at the tower, they found that the entrance completely deserted.

 

“Should we go in?” asked Pathos.

 

“I don’t know, it could be a trap,” said Logos.

 

“But that energy we sensed…”

 

“Yeah, I know it was Knight’s Limit Gate. What I find weird is that he released level 2, he skipped over level 1. He normally resets his gates when he opens them, such a rush of power from skipping a gate…he’s reckless. And if he’s acting this reckless it means something’s going down. But at the same time, we don’t know what exactly we’re rushing into, we have to be cautious,” said Logos.

 

“Screw caution! Our friends are in there!” roared Pathos.

 

“Yes, because I can’t argue with that sound logic…” replied Logos in a surly manner.

 

“Alright, Logos and I will go and storm the door. Ethos, you give us support from here with your sniper rifle, we’ll signal you when it’s safe to follow us,” said Pathos.

 

“Roger,” replied Ethos, setting up his sniper, and aiming it at the doorway. Pathos drew his scythe, and Logos brought out his sword in a flash of purple light.

 

“Let’s go” he said to Pathos. Together they sprinted straight for the doorway. They met no opposition along they way, making them wonder what was going on, but they didn’t question it outright, they just kept moving. When they were about halfway to the door, a window higher up in the tower shattered, and a figure jumped out. It was one of the foot soldiers that had seen patrolling the outside the first time they were spying on the tower. Several more windows broke, and more soldiers poured out. Even more began to come out of the doorway Pathos and Logos had been running for.

 

“D****t,” cursed Pathos, “Looks like we have no choice but to fight,” Then shots rang out from the woods as Ethos opened fire. Two of the soldiers fell, black blood staining the grass at their feet.

 

“I don’t think these are human,” said Logos.

 

“Less guilt when we tear them apart then,” replied Pathos. With that they charged into battle. As they fought, the field became littered with the bodies of the creatures they cut down. Back in the woods, Ethos was picking them off one by one himself.

 

Over the curse of the battle, Logos and Pathos became separated. But it didn’t matter, they could watch themselves against such low level enemies. However, Ethos became more and more worried about their sheer numbers. They might not have been very powerful, but a swarm like this, any one would have difficulty.

 

Logos began to switch out weapons every so often, trying to find which he should use, which would be most effective against the monsters. While he was fighting, he didn’t notice that he had become surrounded. When he saw this, he summoned his scythe, and began to swing, chopping his enemies down one by one. However no matter how hard he fought there were just too many of them. One came from behind and, with it’s sharp claws, pierced his shoulder. Logos screamed in pain, and dropped to his knees. The creature that stabbed Logos loomed over him, preparing to finish the job. Logos dropped his head in shame, he had been beaten.

 

“Crap…” he muttered to himself.

 

You’re so pathetic, so weak! Came a voice from inside Logos’ head. His eyes widened in surprise.

 

“Wha-“ he said in confusion.

 

I think it’s time you sat back and watch how a real warrior get’s it done, said the voice. Around Logos erupted a pillar of fire. When the pillar dissipated, Logos was standing there, triumphantly among the pile of seared monster bodies. He held out his hand, and fire engulfed it. He brought his hand to the wound on his shoulder, he winced as the fire seared the wound shut.

 

“There, at least I won’t bleed to death now,” he said. Suddenly, a scythe cut through the wall of monsters and Pathos emerged from the crowd.

 

“Logos! What the hell was that fire just now?” he asked in an awed voice.

 

“My name isn’t ‘Logos’” he responded matter of factually. “I am Lytta,”

 

 

Author's Note

how are fights handled?