Anise tensed as she tried to force her body to move. She felt her body weaken further and further as she felt the poison flowing in her veins. The poisoned whip coiled around her neck as Lohki laughed.

“What, out of fuel already?” He snickered sarcastically as the whip kept getting tighter.

Anise kept trying to push herself to move. Her eyes glowing more concretely, her skin changing into a sandy color with bright grey lines. If only I had some other way, something else I can use to fight. Grimaced Anise as she kept resisting. She felt the effect of poison weaken, yet the whip coiled around her neck didn’t give her a chance to make use of that opportunity.

As the tension in her body piled up further and further, she felt as if something broke inside her. The world froze for a moment as her mind went blank. Instinctively, she let out an inhumanly majestic roar. Indeed, It was not the roar of a human, but of a dragon.

Her pupils compressed into vertical slits, as her skin exploded into scales. As she thought of wanting to cut that whip that tortured her, a long tail emerged. Almost as tall as her, yet as strong as steel, the tail whipped towards the whip, cutting it effortlessly. She felt her fingers, now razor-sharp claws, as she clenched her hands.

She stared at Lohki, who turned angry as his whip was cut. He pulled a rapier from his whip as he said, grimly. “Ah, it seems I will have to punish you.”

Anise could barely notice his movement as he thrust his rapier, still out of range of the weapon, yet she could feel something approaching as he jumped to the side, feeling something cutting the side of her arm.

Yet, the injury had barely hurt her. She felt newfound strength in her body, even her soul. As she landed, she pushed off the ground, reaching Lohki who shouted. “Don’t you even learn?”

She swiped her claws at Lohki who dodged his strike just like he did previously. However, she felt how much closer her hits were, how much more effort he had to put into dodging. After slithering back once again he sent his rapier towards her heart from an impossible angle. It was almost impossible for her to react to it. Almost.

A clash was heard as her tail whipped, colliding with the rapier. Lohki was visibly shocked by the feedback of the strike. Anise swiped her claws at Lohki again, making use of the opportunity, as he hurriedly tried to parry the strikes with his rapier, finding it impossible to dodge from that distance. As he dodged a claw coming at his head, he gruntled as a cut appeared through his thigh. Anise’s tail whipped again, aiming to severe Lohki’s leg completely. He twisted his rapier downward in a panic as Anise stepped forward instead, grabbing his neck with her claws.

“Y… You…” Gruntled Lohki as a crunch was heard, as Anise threw him to the side, his neck now crushed.

Anise turned around, looking towards Jorish as determination sparked in her eyes.

- - - - -

Jorish held the spear he picked up, slamming its base against the floor as he stood up. He faced the senator with newfound insanity in his eyes. He knew that his situation didn’t get any better, his weapon was always one or two hits away from breaking. The senator was stronger, faster, and just overall better than him.

But that doesn’t matter.

Jorish lunged forward, trying to maximize his focus on the senator’s movements. Jorish reacted as he saw the senator’s hand move, throwing himself to the floor as he felt the strike go over him. The senator's hand started to move again just as Jorish’s hand fluttered, throwing sand and dust at the senator.

The senator’s hand instinctively moved to cover his face as Jorish pushed himself off the ground and thrust his spear towards the senator’s head. The senator stepped back as he quickly waved his hand to block his thrust.

As he did so, Jorish pulled back his thrust as he did smaller, faster thrusts towards the senator’s head. He kept striking faster and faster, making sure to pull back before the spear’s tip and the senator’s strike could collide completely. The senator went into a panic as Jorish increased his pace, trying to keep up and recover his balance.

Noticing the senator’s recovery, Jorish increased his pace to the most he could manage. After his thrust, he swiped with his leg hitting the senator’s knee forcing him to momentarily lose his balance. Afterward, he jabbed his spear again, barely missing the senator’s neck.

As the senator rolled back in a panic, a roar erupted around them, stunning him momentarily. Being more accustomed to Anise’s roars, even if that one was much more strong and majestic than usual, Jorish took advantage as he lunged with his spear.

Finally recovering, the senator tried to dodge. The spear missed the senator’s neck again, yet it took a path through his cheek, causing the senator to grunt in pain as he stepped back, holding his injured cheek. His face distorted into rage as he shouted. “You...You… You will pay for this!”

Jorish shook his head. You are trying to kill me, what do you mean I will pay for this? As he picked a sword from the floor, seemingly left behind from the guards they had defeated. He held the front of his spear with his left hand, supporting the back of the spear to his back, and the sword in his right.

Jorish lunged in again as he kept his attention on the senator. He felt the energy swirl around the senator as he moved his hand again, knowing that the next strike will be stronger than all the previous ones. Damn, he was messing with me all along. Jorish knew, smiling as he kept advancing.

Feeling the strike coming, Jorish poured all his remaining energy to the sword, trying to reinforce it as much as he could. He tilted the sword, trying to slide the strike off. He succeeded, yet the sword cracked as he got close enough. Jorish pushed his spear forward, letting go of the spear before grabbing it again from the back. The senator barely dodged the strike again, as another cut appeared at the side of his neck.

The senator immediately sent a strike straight at Jorish after his attack. Knowing he had no way to dodge it, Jorish held his sword and supported it with his spear to block the attack. Moments later, the sword burst as Jorish was thrown back, hitting the floor.

Jorish gruntled in pain, he couldn’t feel his right arm. He turned his head looking at it just to see a mess. Jorish gripped his spear as he tried to push himself off the floor. However, before he could do so, he saw the senator approach him until he was within two meters from him, waving his hand.

Jorish heard a clang, he looked forward as he saw Anise blocking the strike with her claw. Jorish’s eyes widened for a moment as he looked at Anise’s form before pushing the thought out of his mind. This is not the time.

Jorish used the spear to support himself as he stood. He quickly shuffled behind Anise as she engaged the senator.

The senator, now enraged at his companion’s failure, went all out as his hand blurred. Anise recoiled as strike after another went at her, barely blocking her with her claws and tail. Jorish could see white marks accumulating after every block. She can’t last for too long. He thought as he moved closer to her back, trying to stay out of the senator’s vision. After every clash he heard, he jabbed his spear from the side. The senator and Anise went back and forth for a few minutes as things stood on a standstill, Anise’s draconic body getting more worn down while new cuts appeared on the senator’s body from Jorish’s spear.

Please, Anise. Give me the chance I need! Thought Jorish as he kept up, despite how heavy his spear felt. His legs didn’t listen to him anymore, yet he forced them to listen. Suddenly, as if his prayers were answered, Anise stepped forward, jumping. She swung both her claws and tail as the senator panicked, shuffling back as he tried to block her strikes.

Jorish eyes tightened as he stepped back. He lifted his spear, letting go of it as he switched to an overarm grip. He pulled his arm back, stepping forward. Finally, he threw his spear as his arm whirled forward. The senator, distracted as he tried to block Anise, noticed the spear approaching him in horror as it embedded itself in his stomach. His arms dropped as they went around the spear instinctively before Anise’s claws swung from the top, severing his arms.

Anise grabbed the senator’s neck, holding him up as he howled in pain. He grunted as he spoke. “You inhuman thing, you should be dead. They should’ve killed you! You…”

Before he finished his speech, her claws sank into his chest. Bursting his heart as he fell, lifeless.

Anise stood still, seemingly overpowered by emotion for a few seconds before Jorish shouted. “Anise!!”

Seemingly waking up from her stupor, they started to walk, to try to get away. But the sound of guards approaching could be heard from around them. We can’t take any more fights, not as we are right now. Thought Jorish. He was more or less disarmed, both literally and figuratively, as he lost both his spear and most of his right arm was turned into mush. Suddenly, a cloaked man dropped in front of them. Jorish tensed momentarily before he heard a familiar, eerily cheerful voice as the man stood up, revealing his face.

“I just knew you couldn’t stay out of trouble! All right kids, take those and follow me!” said Traves as he threw two pills at Anise and Jorish.

Jorish immediately swallowed the pill as he felt his pain subside and his fatigue reduce. At that same moment, he felt as the world around got clearer and his speed got faster. Cail. Jorish knew as they raced behind Traves.

Traves zipped through the city as guards fell wherever he stepped. Minutes later, Jorish found himself in front of the Tyrant’s castle.

“Where are we…?” asked Jorish as Traves replied cheerfully.

“It is a bit earlier than I would have preferred but when life gives you lemons… ignore it and do whatever the hell you want!”

Two practitioners stood guard at the entrance, they stepped forward as they began to prepare to fight Traves, just to fall down uninjured moments later.

Just as they were about to enter, the many irises in the sky, as well as the eye started shining. Many soldiers were approaching from all sides as Jorish looked at their garbs and recognized a few of the robes that candidates wore. Jorish felt frustrated and unsure as Cail spoke. “Traveller. You handle things inside. I will take care of things here.”

Traves nodded as they entered the castle, breezing throughout as Jorish asked.

“There's an entire army there. As well as those irises and eyes. Even a Monarch cannot stop all of that!”

Traves smiled as he spoke. “An ordinary Monarch wouldn’t, indeed. However, let me tell you something. That man, Cail, has had many names throughout his life.”

“He is more commonly known as the Artifactor, yet earlier in his life, some idiots dared to call him the ‘weakest Monarch’.”

“Yet, there is another name. One that not many know about it.”

“For he is Cail, he is the fortress.”