Lustron had improved so much in the past month he barely recognized himself. With each bit of incremental growth, his scales had turned more of a lustrous silver hue add to his physical changes as well.

Gran had taught him a lot about his silver head orb. The inorganic magic he had been granted applied to stone, metal, and ore. How to integrate his powers to boost his skill to create armor, weapons, and everything in between were among things she covered.

Normally it may take a person years to learn the craft, but with magic, he had become almost competent.

As he ran alongside a fully armored Gran and Gramp, the three could only watch as one of the smaller guild groups was decimated by the beasts Lustron had grown to hate. The mantis had been growing in number and audacity, frequently attacking the defenseless orphanage they called home.

The three outcasts held no hope in their hearts when they saw the Royals come out of the gates. They knew where those with power stood and what they cared about.

He wished the two elders were at their best, but he knew they could not last long in a fight. As they approached the battle, a man seemed to be running toward the smaller group. Lustron had no idea what this one man was thinking, running as if he could do anything to the large group of monsters, but the sight inspired him to a certain degree. The display of bravery made him double his effort to reach the battleground.

A gasp from the two elders at his sides grabbed his attention, as the running man began to glow with an iridescent light.

"That's not possible," Gran whispered.

"I told you he was alive. Lustron having that ring was proof enough." Gramp rarely spoke, but his deep, grating voice boomed out of his armor.

Lustron watched through his helmet as the man in the distance then tossed the light around his shoulders, and flew into the air. Dirt flew in every direction from the blast of green magic that propelled him forward.

The conjured rainbow of powerful energy fluttered behind him. From their distance, it looked like a cape made of glittering diamonds.

Understanding something he didn't Gran and Gramp began to softly glow in their respective mana fueled grey and yellow colors, where their sockets should hold gemstones or an orb there was only burnt flesh. The scarred tissue became even more prominent with the call of their energy. Though dim from their feeble state, they both had the aura of those who once wielded great power.

------

Auron fought with everything he had to keep the monsters at bay, but he fought a losing battle. His new colorful power had faded almost completely. With it went his access to an extended energy supply, and increased wing magic uses.

Gashes were ripped over most of his body, and he had a bleeding debuff adding to the slow downward ticking of his health bar. Using healing wind, and even healing gale had contributed to his mana bar sharing the same fate. Though he seemed much stronger for some reason, likely due to an after effect of the mysterious power, he still could not manage to take on the tide of monsters with his dagger. Each strike with the close-range weapon granted him several wounds taken as retaliation.

Just as he was losing hope for the guild members behind him, a thick line of earth erupted from the ground. The thick barrier of earth separated the wounded guild members from Auron and the tide of monsters.

Standing slightly higher than his own height. Auron smiled at the fortification as he pressed his back to it.

Though his mind was hazy from overexertion, through the haze, he still understood that now that even if he failed, only his own life would be at risk.

Bleeding, and broken he used the wall to help keep himself standing. His magical cape started to fade away entirely as he used up his dwindling energy and mana. Eventually, nothing of it remained, but still, Auron fought.

As he was about to accept his fate, two men then leaped over the wall.

Both wearing heavy armor, one of them landed hard on a remaining angler. The weight of the man and his armor squashed the creature effortlessly.

The other newcomer landed deftly, a dull yellow aura wrapped around this person. They seemed starstruck at the sight of Auron, lightly touching the rogue's cheek with one hand his other hand threw three punches faster than Auron could track.

Thinking only of the guild members in danger, and not of a stranger's weirdly touching him, Auron spoke as his eyes lit up.

"Get the others to safety, please. Auron asked the man in between heaving breaths. His adrenaline-fueled state not allowing any time to understand the interaction.

The man seemed strained by his own powers, but gave a deep bow and flashed back over the summoned partition. As he watched the individual go, Auron noticed the wall was slightly crumbling.

Standing in front of him was the man/beast from his dream. Auron was not altogether sure because of the armor he was wearing, but he had a feeling deep down. This was the same person.

This feeling was confirmed as the man took a hard step forward and placed himself between Auron and the crowd of bloodthirsty beings.

His armored arms folded out into two round shields with a massive click.

"I will be your guard if you can use that knife of yours to attack from my sides." A deep voice echoed out through the metal helmet as the man began blocking slashes and throwing punches.

Auron said nothing in response but answered by taking one of the arms off a shifting mantis trying to get around to the man's back. With a nod at each other, the two began pushing back the horde.

With their shield and strike tactics, and the commander ape flanking the monsters, Auron began to think they had a chance. Together they could last until reinforcements broke through. They may even defeat this group on their own.

That was, until a whip cracked through the air.

The two types of monsters immediately parted to make way as a second group of the Shapeshifting enemies rushed to meet the charging guild reinforcements. With a flick of the monsters feminine looking arm, her whip wrapped around the commander ape's neck, and with a tug of the spiked weapon, turned it into a mist that flowed back to Auron.

------

Finally.

Finally, born out of a dungeon.

No master could command it. Well, in this form, "Her" would be appropriate.

Flexing her cold hands, the being reveled in the ambient mana that fed into its body. The semi-intelligent monster knew it would not have the power to kill the large group of snacks just yet, but it could eat the two closest to it.

By fleeing into the jungle, the stupid but useful bug monsters she had at her command could generate an army from just a few of themselves. All she would need is time.

With a mental command, she sent the bulk of her mindless force to hold off the larger group of food.

Patience. Patience she had in droves. She could build her level by eating these foolish creatures.

The small snacks from outside the tall wall would sustain her no longer. Though the joy of making them scream was exhilarating to her. As she smiled at the two delectable ones in front of her, she realized the larger one's scent was familiar. It was the treat that survived the bite of her arms when she first spawned.

She shivered. Not from the cold twisting its way around her, no, the metaphorical worm of joy that wiggled its way through her belly gave her a delightful tickle.

The feminine fiend grinned so wide, it split the blood-stained ice caked on her cheeks.

She would rectify her previous missed meal today.

-----

Walking calmly forward, the frozen whip fiend approached the two men. Her arm blurred, and Auron could only watch as the whip approached his face.

Expecting the attack, Lustron's arm shot up before it came, and the whip wrapped around his exposed elbow.

He pulled the arm down with what looked like great effort, making the fiend fly forward toward them.

Watching this occur, Auron summoned his onyx bone rod into his left hand.

Activating his strength runes by channeling mana through the rod Auron used the moment the fiend had to push his blade deep into its rib-cage, his enhanced strength needed to pierce the higher-level creature's flesh.

With a deafening scream of rage, the Icy fiend turned its other arm into a long block of frozen spikes resembling a macana war club and thrust it toward the two men.

Pushed back by the blow's force, the paired fighters hit the wall behind them, crumbling directly through it.

Now on the other side of the hastily created wall, Auron was able to see the guild team he had fought for were a reasonable distance away with the two armored people Lustron came with the two elders were dragging a struggling Leon away from danger. A smile tugged at Auron's lips seeing his friend unwilling to abandon him.

A high pitched squeal of a laugh grasped his attention.

The creature ran a hand down its bleeding side, following the movement a thin sheet of ice formed over the torn skin and broken ribs. Now held together, the monster raised its arms as they turned into twin spiked whips. As its assault began, Lustron threw his body in the way. Auron remembered he had something sitting in his ring, taking up several spots. He had no use for the item, but it was perfect for a tank.

"Catch," Auron yelled to the man in front of him as he summoned his crimson ogre shield. Any doubts that the man had the necessary strength to wield it quickly evaporated as his round shield gauntlets clicked back into place, and he hefted the Black and red tower shield up.

As the rectangular blockade took hit after hit, Auron knew he had to do something.

"Activate the shield's ability," Auron yelled over the grinding of the whips on the bone of the protective cover and the shrieks coming from the aggressor.

After a moment of reading what Auron assumed was his own screen, Lustron slammed the base of the tower-shield into the ground, and it released a low hum accompanied by a slight gravitational pull of the monsters attacks.

Every other strike, the whips would become stuck to the shield temporarily, leading to the monster pulling furiously to regain control of its limb.

Auron could hear a battle cry from the guild members, but he could not see them from where he was on his side of the crumbling wall. Knowing Gregory would see him did make Auron hesitate, but he knew what needed to be done. Looking at his mana bar, he hoped he would have enough to make his plan work.

As the blows hammered down on Lustron, Auron noticed a few well-placed arrows were also hindering the fiend.

Bringing green mana to his feet, he initiated thrust slash and aimed his dagger toward the sky. Shooting up and over both Lustron and the Ice fiend, he activated his stealth right as he roughly hit the ground. The attack was not meant to be used like wind blast. Auron now limped from how he landed.

The maneuver did not cause Gregory to miss the wind magic, and Auron could make out his eyes widening as the remaining guild members charged over.

He sucked in breath from what felt like a sprained ankle. Hobbling forward with his stealth activated, he stabbed the fiend deep in the back.

As the knife buried itself to its hilt, the monster flailed wildly. One of the movements caught Auron on the bridge of his nose. His attack did not do enough damage to finish it. Falling backward, his free hand rushed to his face to stem blood flow as his ability deactivated.

Turning its full attention and whips on Auron, the creature began ripping off Auron's flesh with its weapons.

Strike after strike Auron could barely follow the path of the whips. Each hit of the small frozen blades felt like fire from the contact with the sub-zero material. Even without the points' sharpness, the material was ripping his skin apart just by contacting it and being torn away.

Lustron tried hitting her with his shield from behind, but the defensive item had little effect on the enraged fiend.

Auron had his arms up defensively, but he couldn't do much other than protecting his face and throat from the deadly rope-like weapons.

A whistling sound came through the air, and Auron opened his eyes just in time to see Gregory's great-sword rip the fiend nearly in half.

In disbelief of the events, the fiend fell toward the ground, only to be held up by the blade's massive hilt. With a sickening squelch, it slipped out of the creature.

Still alive crawling to him, Auron realized he had just enough mana for one more strength rune activation.

Knowing the creature could kill him if he allowed the time he ripped his other dagger from its sheath. Once again, pulling mana from the air into his wand, Auron activated his runes, this time, sacrificing a stat point permanently as he closed the distance between them and plunged his dagger into the creature's eye.

The fiend still lived as Auron pushed with all of his might to keep the knife in its eye. It took everything he had just to hold on as it morphed its whip back into a hand and clawed at his face.

With a shout of warning from the wall, he dove out of the way.

An arrow seemed to bloom into existence in the foul beast's other eye.

Auron looked up to see the archer wearing the eye bandage was responsible.

Still thrashing and alive, now blinded, the fiend trounced the ground in its reach furiously falling back on its rear.

The monster's arms transformed rapidly from whips to macana to scythes matching the mantis.

Auron watched as his temporary teammate's large armored man's hands shook.

"You will not kill another child," Lustron screamed with vitriolic hatred as he dropped his shield and charged forward.

Running forward, tanking the wild hits as if they were nothing, he reached the monster. Raising one foot, he kicked the knife still in the creature's eye all the way in. The Frozen whip fiend fell swiftly to the earth, its eyes beyond obliterated, void of life.

Cheers of the guild members sang out so loud Auron thought he might go deaf. Giving a nod to Lustron and raising a fist in thanks to the archer on the wall, Auron collapsed.

His body exhausted, the gore of the battle now quickly overtaking his mind. Finding himself in a river of blood formed from a mixture of man and monster, he voided his stomach. Auron shakily pushed himself to his feet, but no matter how hard he looked, he could not find Sylvia's body.

Reaching them a minute later cheering all the way, the surviving guild members hoisted up Auron on their shoulders.

"Who knew the skinny rogue Gregory took in could fly" One of them said. As the others cheered in agreement. Auron was shocked and slightly enraged by the members' joviality, but scanning the faces around him, he could see that none of them matched the tone they were speaking with.

Watery eyes and scowls of hatred were in abundance. Still, they cheered and celebrated the victory. Vet Guild members had seen plenty of bloodshed and lost friends. This must be their way of pushing through it all. Auron could understand the necessity, but he wanted to mourn all the same.

A vast emptiness filled his gut. After witnessing the death of Sylvia, he just wanted to go home.

Unfortunately, the Guild-members were not having that.

Auron's eyes met Gregory's thunderous expression as the man walked over and hefted his great-sword into its place on its back. Walking over to him, Gregory placed a hand lightly on his shoulder and simply said, "I am glad you survived. We will talk later." Before he turned to head back to the gate.

Auron worried about this talk's implications, but not for long before Leon came and gave him a light punch on his shoulder.

"You saved us, man. We would be monster food if you didn't rush in." Leon said with genuine praise and adoration in his eyes.

Even with the words gushing with appreciation, Auron could tell he had forgotten about the rescue details.

The truth of his friend's words did not help with how he felt responsible for the death of the 5 guild members and Silvia.

Looking past the cheering crowd, Auron found Lustron walking back toward the institute. After shouting a few times, he was either unheard or Lustron did not want to come and celebrate in the city. Literally dragged away by enthusiastic guild members offering booze and food for his feats in battle, Auron could not speak with the man. All of the recruits were being heaped with praise. Auron saw through the ruse, though. The older members must have been trying their hardest to help the new members through their first run-in with real casualties.

As the group moved back into the kingdom, Auron had three things trapped in his mind. Gregory seemed furious about his hidden magical abilities, He should have saved Sylvia, and the mysterious festival that everyone kept mentioning was tomorrow.