Jason stared grimly out from the forest, watching the approaching spidery shape, while trying to not let the distant thuds unnerve him. He inhaled deeply and turned to look at the forces with him. He saw Adventurers of every kind, archers, a few alchemists, warriors, and mages; he also saw a few high-level craftsmen, which he’d been incredulous about, until he realised that they had high Stats.

It was quiet, everyone watching the approaching army with a sense of finality. He turned again, to look at his two teammates, Brand and Ilis, who were observing things as well. Falan had unsurprisingly stayed behind, especially when it became obvious how much his presence was helping Falisty. He winced when he recalled her reaction to waking up, and pushed the images out of his head.

“Soooo…” He said conversationally.

The others glanced at him, and Ilis snorted. He smiled weakly. “Anyone up for a game of eye-spy? Or something? Please?”

They looked at him strangely. “What kind of game is that?” He explained it to them, and soon enough they had begun to have a half-hearted attempt to play. It was one of the worst games he had ever experienced, but it did help somewhat with the tension. However, it was soon time. The Grasping Hand had arrived.

Looking out across the white fields, he saw an army twice the size of their own. He struggled to breathe. Where the fuck did they get so many people? Silver drifted down on his platform, much like the snowflakes around them, and landed halfway between the two forces. Everyone looked at Ilis, and she rolled her eyes. “Fine, I’ll talk to him then.” She headed out towards him, taking her time, as if she were going for a stroll. Jason’s mouth twitched when he saw how much it annoyed the manipulator, who still looked like he was suffering from his and Ilis’ assault. His skin was taut, and his head a shiny bald; his body was now wiry, so very different from the man he’d met. He had sunken eyes which were boring into the Fiery Enhancer as she moved towards him, and everyone held their breath when she finally came into talking distance. Silver started to say something, and Ilis interrupted him by flashing forwards before causing a thunderous explosion with her fist. The air blasted back from the impact, sending the ice into his squinting eyes. When the puff of steam dissipated, it showed a large ball of Silver, some distance away, and Ilis laughing her head off. The ball unfurled, into tendrils, and Ilis started running back, before the enemy roared.

“Why the fuck did we ask Ilis again?” Jason shouted over the noise.

Brand replied, his voice booming easily over the sound. “What? Isn’t that exactly what we wanted to say?”

Jason puffed his cheeks. “You guys are fucking crazy…” he whispered. They started to retreat into the shadows of the stone trees, preparing themselves for the fight. Jason used his manipulation to make the bone flow over his head, his ghostly visor flaring into place, and then they waited. One second, two, three, four, fiv- a silver limb crashed into the ground, causing him to jump. He looked up at the man sending a hail of metal spears down into the forest. He sighed. It’s always him that we’ve got to deal with, isn’t it? He grew the sword-arms from his shoulders, and then started swiftly sending spacial energy at him. He was so high up though that he dodged it easily. However, he wasn’t good enough to evade the twenty or so other ranged attacks that joined from the others. The man moved back, and raised his hand in a familiar gesture.

“Brand!” He called, as he watched streams of Silver rise from the ground, before forming into a sweeping wave. He heard the stone trees crack, and his eyes widened as the wave approached him, before suddenly slamming to a halt. He could feel a breeze blowing towards it and, somehow, stop it in its tracks. He grinned. Magic, before returning his attention to the manipulator. His eyes widened as he saw that the rest of his army had joined. Spells rained from the sky, cracks ran across the snowy ground. He jumped out of the way, grateful for his bone helmet protecting his ears. Way more firepower than us. He tightened his fists, and looked out at the many Grasping Hand mages that were hanging back. Slowly, he grinned, and then started to advance.

—---

Ilis rocketed through the air, [Flickering Tune] at full blast, giving her the mental focus to dodge each attack from the earth mage. She quickly advanced and savoured the man's wide-eyed expression as her fist blasted into his face. He flew backwards, and she was about to chase, when a Ferre rose up from the shadows, and silently stabbed him in the throat. He gave her a nod and sunk back into the ground again. The entire sequence had happened faster than she could blink. “Oh.” She shook her head and looked for the next enemy. She soon spotted a flaming skeleton fly through the air, its eyes popping out rays of intense energy. She grimaced, and readied herself. Fire against fire usually always just became a slug fest. She bent her knees and launched herself at it, her fist leading. Sure enough her fist cracked into its ribcage and the flames were only warm. It turned presumably to shoot fire at her, but then paused when it saw her smouldering fist, and slumped. “Yeah I know dickhead,” and she punched it in the cheekbone. Its head spun around making it disoriented, but nothing else. She was about to continue, when a clawed hand fell on her shoulder. She looked back to see a Cani knight in dirty armour standing there. “Let me.” She said gravelly with a smile, before stepping forward. The flaming skeleton had stopped its head spinning, and put it back correctly just in time for a sword to flash, and embed itself into its head. It flailed, and the woman grunted before swelling up in size, pushing harder on the blade. There was an audible scrape, before – CRACK. The skull shattered and the skeleton clattered to the floor. The Cani woman sighed in satisfaction, and nodded to her, before setting off. Ilis, feeling a little put out, looked around for another enemy, and saw one that she definitely needed to deal with. Silver was floating on top of a plate, his hand outstretched as he fought against Brand’s defensive Ability. A viscous expression bloomed on her face, and she started running, her stride lengthening with each step, ramping up to use [Explosive Movements] and rocket through the air. The man saw her coming, and dropped his hand to raise his other one, sending rivers of silver towards her. Like her mother, she tried to guide herself through them, slipping through deceptively small gaps, but she wasn’t quite good enough. However, she was good enough to brute force it, and she punched the attacks that got too close while drawing nearer to him. With a kick off of an attack, she surged near, and her flames stretched towards his face, but with a flash of metal, he slapped her back, sending her spinning, and she felt something cold embed itself into her arm. The pain didn’t distract her, thanks to [Flickering Tune], but it also gave her the clarity to realise that she wasn't good enough to make it to him. She would need to try something else. She used explosions to steady herself, and ended her humming, the pain immediately sending her staggering. She gritted her teeth, and then started using [Choir of the Bonfire], reaching out to every ally, and there was a lot. Instantly she felt multiple people's surprise, and a large portion completely refused to give their power. But, there were enough who accepted. Strength ignited inside her, making her blood pressure spike. Her flames became blue, and she looked up at the manipulator who was reacting far too slowly to stop her. The world blurred as she flew straight at him, and he couldn’t even get his metal in the way as her hand rammed into his stomach. Flesh started sizzling, while she travelled at almost breakneck speeds. She raised an arm and punched, roaring as she did so. Something broke under her knuckles, and she flared the flames once more, sending azure burns across his body. His skin started flaking away, revealing gleaming bone underneath; it travelled up to his eyes causing them to shrivel. She raised her other fist to do it again, but was interrupted by a sudden rippling of goosebumps, and her eyes widened as he raised a bony finger. Even in the howling wind, she could hear his voice emerge from his ruined lips.

“Die.”

She jerked her head up, using the motion to create an explosion which sent her spiralling downwards. She caught glimpses above her, as she saw a thin black line fade away in the wind. The power that had been filling her started to gutter as more people started taking it back. She fell through the air, and started using her normal explosions to keep her afloat. She looked around. They had moved pretty far from where the fight was, which was good, it meant- she quickly swerved as another line of darkness shot right where she was. She looked up and saw Silver sag a bit, before forcing himself tall again.

She groaned. This was not going to be easy.

—---

Falan had to remind himself to keep watch for the fifth time. His gaze kept dragging itself over to where Falisty was using her… her powers to possess the high-level body. He could hear the muffled booming of the fight in the distance, as well as occasionally feel the vibrations with his feet. He swallowed, and spoke, “How is the fight going?”

There was no reply for a bit, until, “good. Not many losses on our side.” Her voice had taken a completely different quality. It was clear, ringing like glass, occasionally getting so loud that it hurt his ears.

He nodded, gripping his wand tighter. “That seems…”

“Yes.”

His brow became furrowed. They're planning something. He sighed. He could only have faith that his friends would pull through. They were silent for a bit, until he harrumphed. “So, what do you want to do after this?”

There was a pause, before…laughter, echoing through the forest. He whirled around in surprise, staring at the rustling tree, whose face had that rare and beautiful smile. Her crystal green eyes opened, and winced when she saw him looking. She looked away, back at the violently twitching corpse, and said very quietly. “You really think that, Falan? That we’re going to just come out of this fine?”

He regarded her very seriously. “Do you remember what Herald used to say?”

Her gaze flickered to him, and he continued. “He said, ‘there will be times where everything is rubbish, where there doesn’t seem to be much point in carrying on, but we just have to do it anyway’. Do you want to know what he said to me afterwards?”

She blinked owlishly at him. “He said, ‘My boy, you are different from everyone else, your life will far outstretched theirs, you will be there one day holding their hands as they die, withered and old.”

Her expression became slightly distraught, and he chuckled. “Yes, I always thought Ilis got her Fatalism from him. Nevertheless, it stuck with me…” His gaze travelled down to the body. “I am ashamed to say that one part of me sees this as an opportunity. To not be alone for the rest of my life, but to have you there instead.” He smiled sadly. “Don’t feel obligated on my sake though, I am trying to point out the benefits, but I know that I too would not be so accepting of such a change, and all I can say is that we will be there for you, like we always have.”

Falisty’s eyes slowly travelled up, and she bit her lip. “C-come over here.”

Understanding raced through his mind. “Um- well- are you-”

“I was fucking asleep the first time, get your ass over here.”

He flushed and hurried over, meeting her gaze, before cupping her cheek, and planting a kiss on her lips. His eyes widened as it quickly became a bit more than a gentle kiss. He stood there, their mouth’s entwined with each other, before they stopped and drew back, gasping.

Her eyelids fluttered, and he was sure that if she’d had normal skin, she would have been blushing as furiously as he was. She swallowed. “Well, that was…” she trailed off, and suddenly started snarling. He held his hands up defensively, but she smacked him painfully with a stone branch. “Not you, idiot, something’s coming.”

—---

Brand spread his presence throughout the forest, guiding strikes to hit harder, turning feet to dodge faster, and slowing enemies. His Class hummed, basking in the glory of defending. He had always felt something like this when he was with his party, but now? Now it was almost overwhelming, the sheer power. He breathed out slowly. Things were going well. Jason had run off to fuck up the mages, and Ilis was keeping Silver distracted. The rest of their force were doing good, especially the Cani, Ferres and the few Hanes that were helping. Yet, he couldn’t help but feel unsettled. It shouldn’t be this easy. He frowned, and let the wind spread further, searching for whatever trap they had in store. It was when he had moved some distance beyond the battlefield, that he felt it; an undulation under the snow, preventing him from seeing what it was. Possibilities flashed through his mind, and his expression firmed. He sent his voice out to his allies, letting them know of the danger approaching, when he felt something shift in the forest. He head whipped up to look at the still trees start to shake, before crystal roots emerged from the ground. The entire forest was becoming alive, groaning and shaking. “Falisty! Focus on-”

He felt the undulation break, and rise into the air. His eyes widened as he saw five figures riding on a tsunami of barnacles. The clacking sound of it rising swiftly drowning out all other noises. “Nevermind…” He whispered, before blinking and clenching his fist. Moments like this were why he was here.

He moved a bit closer, taking several deep breaths and shaking himself. It rumbled closer, passing over their enemies harmlessly, until it loomed above him. He was panting now, and he smirked. Silver’s given me plenty of practice for this. He outstretched his hands, and a breeze blew forward. The parasites slammed into his barrier, causing his face to go red with the strain. He started growling, pushing back against the incredible weight. His arms started to tremble, and he felt a cold grip in his gut. Then, roots shot through the air, arching towards the parasites and whipping around in a frenzy. The strain started to lessen, and his breath came easier as he watched portions of the parasites flake and crumble away. He had just started to relax when someone entered the range of his breeze, flying at high speeds. His head twisted towards the side. Ilis? Sure enough, he could see the woman through the trees, tumbling across the ground. She was covered in splotches of metal that struggled to constrain her. She tried to get to her feet, but was yanked back down again. The man responsible floated into his senses a moment later, drawing closer to Ilis’ writhing form. More and more metal flowed to trap her, and he watched as his skeletal finger lifted to point at her. “No…” he whispered, his eyes widening and he cast the breeze out again, searching for something that he could do. His metaphysical eyes alighted on Jason, slaughtering his way through some of the last of the mages. He sent a command. “Ilis needs you…” and he felt the man jerk. He used the wind to guide his head, just in time to see Ilis explode with fire, preventing the line of death magic from being fatal. However, it still did strike her along the cheek, causing her to spin wildly. He felt Jason tense, and ran as fast as he could, sending his strange magic attacks towards Silver. The manipulator paused to allow them past, and turned silently to the new attacker. Brand felt a stone settle in his gut. It won’t be enough. He gritted his teeth. I’ve got to help them! He cried in his mind, to which the Class immediately retaliated, showing him how their forces would be wiped out if he stopped protecting them now. He shoved an image of Falisty dealing with the barnacles instead, and it grumbled. He continued, showing what would happen if Silver wasn’t dealt with; streams of metal piercing everyone from all directions while barnacles crawled and claimed their corpses. His Class wavered, and then agreed. He smiled in relief, but it was soon wiped away when he saw Jason get pierced in the chest.

“FALISTY!” He roared her name, sending the breeze back to her. “Take care of the barnacles, I’ve got to stop Silver.” He received no acknowledgement, but more roots started flying through the air. It wouldn’t be enough. He grimaced, and slowly lowered the barrier. His knees trembled, and he staggered forward. He saw the controllers push their attack, and he felt a portion of his people fade away. His teeth were grinding so hard, that he thought he might chip a tooth. Focus. He ran towards his friends, both of them at Silver’s mercy. He flung his power out again, protecting both of them from being further impaled. His chest became tight when he saw that Jason wasn’t moving, but he couldn’t do anything for him now.

“SILVER!”

His voice shook the ground, and the manipulator twitched violently. He unslung his sword and shield, the breeze making his motions smooth along with his steps. He paced closer, his stride practically gliding across the snow, sending streams of it into the air. The manipulator turned, swiftly and raised it’s finger at him, before promptly shooting him in the chest. It had been so quick that he couldn’t react, and he felt the magic worm its way inside him, before his Class responded. He was larger than life, he was the defence of the people, he was the people.

[Vitality of the Protector Lv 6]

He hissed, the death energy steaming out of his mouth. He pumped his arms harder, and shrugged off the blows that the manipulator was sending his way. He neared him, and the skeleton finally started sending metal to enclose him. He grinned viciously, and created a tunnel from the breeze, barring any attacks. The Skeleton started to panic and tried to pull more from the ground, but he created another barrier along the floor, preventing it. The manipulator was throwing whatever attacks he could at him, but he just ignored it. Silver was retreating now, and tripped, but continued to scramble back. Brand raised his sword, twitching with every death strike hitting him, and brought his blade down. It cracked into his ribcage, causing an unearthly scream. He wrenched it out and struck down again, chipping deeper, and he pulled it out once more. He watched as Silver pulled out a knife, lunging for him, but he just bashed him down with his shield, throwing him on his back. He stepped forward, and raised his foot, before bringing it down with a CRACK.

Everyone was silent. He looked up at the shocked forces of the Hand, and he spoke. “Your leader is dead. You’ve lost. The Holy Will is coming. Leave. Us. ALONE.” His voice snapped across the field, causing them to falter. He turned and looked high above himself, at the remaining two controllers who glanced at each other. In that distracted moment, another stone root shot forwards, wrapping around one of their throats, eyes bulging, before they were pulled into the woods. Their screams lingered in the air. Then the tide of barnacles moved back, and the rest of the forces hastily followed. He watched them go, bloodied and defeated, before turning round to his two unconscious teammates. He sighed. “Reckless idiots, the both of you…” He grinned and reached into his satchel to pull out two healing potions. “Good thing you’ve got me.” He finished smugly.