The Lull of the Clouds (ERode and Akame)

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Despite the sturdiness of his shield, each impact could be felt with his own body, and Ier-Briar was slowly being worn down. Suddenly, however, that sensation faded, as a massive barrier of ice stood before him, deflecting the projectiles that seemed to ceaselessly burst out of the centipede's body.

"Thanks, Kaylee! Maybe next time make it something other than a heart though!"

With that barrier now, he could focus on going on the offence once more. As Kaylee used the Signet Ring to freeze the monster over, Ier-Briar drew his shield back, turning it into a massive hammer with a wicked spikes on both ends. It was gargantuan, an oversized weapon perfect for squashing this oversized bug. As he reeled back, however, the red-haired youth widened his eyes in surprise as his partner lost control of her wings from the attacks of the beast once more, sent flying off into the distance.

Should he take this opportunity to attack, or should he catch her before she hit anything?

Well, Ier-Briar definitely couldn't call himself a man if he didn't do the latter.

"Wings, BURST!"

The Fortress reverted to dagger form as he dashed through the air, his eyes tearing from the sandy winds that blasted into his face. Slowly, ever so slowly, he caught up to Kaylee as she flew through the sky, and with another burst of speed, managed to turn, getting behind her. Placing both palms behind her back, despite the flaming wings that got in his way, Ier-Briar forced her to slow down, until the two were stable once more.

Off in the distance, the centipede monster was howling viciously once more, recovering from its injuries at a frighteningly fast pace.

"Alright," he said, wiping sandy grime off the cut on his face, "Ready for round two? Got all the information you need for one of your famous strategies, Kaylee?"
 
Kaylee screamed as she flew backwards, until she came to a sudden stop. "Oof!" She said as Ier-Briar's hands met her back. "Thanks." The beast was already regenerating, soon it would have regained itself and attack again. "Shit...it can regenerate too fast. It's a good thing I know a lot about mending though. No matter what, vital organs such as the heart and brain can't regenerate. If we can fibd it's heart or brain with our attacks, it's done for."

She mulled over ideas as the beast came charging again. "This will be dangerous but it's all I have now. Let me distract it, and you go in for the lethal shot. Got it?" Ice formed around her body. Soon it showed she had made armor of her magic, ice blocks covered her body and she formed a weapon too, specifically a Bo Staff. "Please don't let me die."

She flee to face the beast once more. "Twice you've sent me flying. Now it's time to pay!" She charged in quickly, cutting at its spikes as they tried to impale her. It seems she was extremely proficient with a bo staff. It must be a weapon she's trained well in.
 
"Alright," Ier-Briar nodded, "In one minute, get out of there. I'll bring down the hammer."

With that, he flew off diagonally, ascending while he neared the centipede once more. Grabbing his dagger in both hands, the red-haired youth held it pointed downwards. His eyes closed, he began to channel his magical power through the device once more.

"What is true strength?
I wander in search of it.
To be proud?
To make a vow?
I still can't find it."

Slowly the handle lengthens.

Down below, the centipede squirmed as its spikes proved ineffective. Changing tactics, it began to swing its body up and down instead, great waves of sand rising up and turning that area into a localized sandstorm.
 
"Crap!" She covered her eyes as the sand came up. "If this continues, Ier-Briar wont be able to find the monster." She dropped her ice armor and weapons as they melted off. "And I cant use ice in this environment. Okay then!" She began launching fire at the beast, trying to keep it off her until the sand dulled. Without her armor though, she suffers a strike to her left shoulder. She cringed in pain, not built to take a hit without protection. "Hurry..." she said weakly. Her magic powers were waning with the injury to her shoulder.
 
"While lost, confused, and suffering,
I gouge out my sins without running or hiding."

Words of power left his mouth, an incantation of self-sacrifice that grew in volume alongside Ier-Briar's magical aura. It was becoming tangible now, a radiant flame that began to burn the seams of his armor. A crack split through the steel sheets as golden rings appeared in his eyes. Small cuts opened up on his arms as veins burst, the blood flowing onto the blade that was growing from the Fortress.

Soon. He could only hope that Kaylee was still holding up alright in there.

Down below, hot air burst outwards, dispersing the sandstorm raised up by the monstrous centipede. For a moment, everything appeared calm, tranquil, the roaring flames having chased away the beast. But then, without giving her any moment of reprieve, the centipede coiled up like a spring and launched itself skyways, its massive pincers stretching wide to the side. It could smell the lifeblood flowing from its prey's body, and that scent drove it mad.
 
Kaylee's eyes widened as the centipede began to dive bomb towards her. "Ah! Can't hold back! Shell Trump Card Alpha Fire Dome!" She knew using this would be risky but there was no other way. A barrier of fire emersed around her, the centipede slammed straight into it, but for some reason it didn't pass through. The monster lit ablaze and began panicking due to the pain.

Meanwhile in the shield, Kaylee was on her knee. The wings had turned blue and she couldn't stand. "It's up to you Ier-Briar...finish it..." she collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily.
 
Ier-Briar watched in horror as the centipede reached out, clamping its pincers onto the flaming sphere. For a moment, he wondered if he had made a fatal mistake not letting Kaylee be in charge of landing the lethal strike instead, but, as its body was lit with flame, he grit his teeth and cried out the last lines of the incantation.

"With my voice, as I am!
I ask my courage, I strike my resolve!
This is my holy sword!"

Finally, the sword revealed itself, an ornate longsword that looked like it had been carved out like a jewel. Space seemed to warp around its blade, as the name 'Ascalon' shone on the base of the sword. Grabbing it with both hands, the red-haired knight dove down, into the maw of the burning monster. Like a fly, he disappeared into it, and for a moment, there was silence.


"BEHOLD!"

A deafening roar shook the heavens as a massive holy sword erupted from the body of the centipede, splattering its carapace and its juices every which direction. Buried in the sand, the gargantuan sword stood upright as its owner flew down, still covered in blackened ichor. Rushing towards Kaylee and ignoring his own pain and exhaustion, Ier-Briar held her up, slapped her face twice on both sides, and said, "Kaylee! You did great, so stop flopping around like a dead fish!"
 
Kaylee put her palm to the ground to raise herslef."Ow! I'm not dead yet." She slowly pulled herself up. "The heat from the sandstorm melted my armor and weapon...I was forced to use one of my 3 trump cards. The one you witnessed was called Alpha Fire Dome. It protects me and my allys while lighting enemies of fire Iif they're stupid enough to try."

She took a deep breath holding her shoulder. "Itgot me pretty good. Nothing a little mending magic cacan't fix though." Ier-Briar noticed now that Kaylee's hand was glowing yellow. This must be the magic itself.

A deep sigh escaped the girls mouth. "That was intense. I haven't been that scared for my life since my parents-" She shut up quickly. She wasn't ready to reveal any kind of past experiences with anyone. The past is something that really haunted her. Getting information about how her parents died or what happened would probably be the toughest thing to do with her.
 
Three Trumps, huh? Maybe it would have been easier if she used all of them.

As Ier-Briar watched Kaylee heal herself with her magic, he lifted up his own hand, and the building-sized holy sword reverted to Fortress's dagger form. He caught it, sheathed it, and decided to look the other way when the red-haired girl stopped herself from speaking about her parents. Everyone in this line of work had some issues, and Ier-Briar was willing to admit that they weren't close enough for that kind of talk yet.

Wincing at the dozens of small cuts in his arm, he asked, "Think you can still fly? Might as well head back to Regana-Hier now, right? Go report to the Headmaster and then get some food?"
 
She smirked, "yeah, the fire in my wings is weak from using my trump card, but I still have enough to fly." By now her shoulder had stopped bleeding and she could move it more freely. "That really takes a lot out of me. Using them so often wont be smart in combat situations."

Just the sound of the word food made her stomach growl. "Unh, I could definitely go for some food right now. Please, let's hurry back. Angry, hungry teenage girls are one of the most feared beings on the face of the Earth you know?"

She let Ier-Briar take lead. The both sprouted their wings and took off, heading back to the teleporting stones they entered from in Carnhol. "So, do you have any close family Ier-Briar? Like siblings?"
 
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"Really? Geez, here I was, thinking that you could use magic to make more magic," Ier-Briar joked, before flying off back to the Fairy Rings. "That being said, I would be more scared about these hangry girls if the face of the Earth still existed. Alas, I guess they're just an extinct race now~"

Flying through the sky while doing lazy loops whenever he got too far ahead of Kaylee, the youth scratched his chin at her question, before saying, "Well, I have two younger sisters and a father back in Ilyushan-Ash. Haven't seen them since last year though. Why you ask?"

Honestly, for someone who stopped herself from talking about her parents a few moments ago, why WAS she asking?
 
She smiled, "I might be over emotional about it, but cherish them. You never know when they'll be taken from you, or even when you'll be taken from them. Sorry that Im getting personal about it after I wouldn't share info about my parents. It's all just bad memories for me. I'm sure I'll end up telling you sometime."

She flew through the sky slowly, her wings starting to return to the rays of orange and red they once were. "Phew, I'm feeling much better." She stretchedher shoulder out where it had been badly injured.
 
"Understandable," Ier-Briar replied, "Don't feel pressured about it though. Everyone has skeletons in their closet, and sometimes, they're better off staying there."

Roughly forty minutes of flight later, the two arrived at the village of Carnhol once more. What blood had sprayed on Ier-Briar's body had now crusted over, forming a dark red coat over his skin. It itched, but he didn't want to get monster blood under his fingernails either. The sun fell down, and to the north, large clouds gathered over the horizon. Looked like snow was falling over there.

Sniffing his own blood-soaked body, the boy screwed his face at the stench and said, "I think I could do with a shower myself."

"And, sadly, I can't offer you that." Sharr stepped out from one of the dusty buildings at their arrival. A low whistle blew through his lips at their ragged appearance, before the stubbly man said, "Yeah, you can keep that dress, Kaylee. Don't think there's any point in taking it back now. Was the monster that rough?"
 
She landed next to Ier-Briar and sighed. "Yeah, uh, sorry about the dress." It had been mostly turned red with all the blood. "At least my clothes didn't get ruined, not to be selfish, but they were sort of expensive. I'll keep this dress as a reminder of our first mission Ier-Briar." She received her clothes from Sharr. "Thank you, and yes it was quite tough for a centipede, even if it was 20 meters long. It regenerated it's body faster than we could kill it, but still, it lies dead."

Remembering Ier-Briar talking about food, she looked over at him. "So, you're taking me to dinner right?"
 
"Sounds rough," Sharr replied, "And hey, if you have some spare change lying around, go send some clothes and toys over, yeah? Kids would probably like that, and you do owe me for that dress now."

As the Fairy Ring Operator began to reassemble the stone blocks and activating the structure, Ier-Briar waved at the kids that went to see them out. Turning to Kaylee once the portal was made, he began walking forwards, saying, "As long as you don't buy everything on the menu, sure, I can pay for that."

Sharr perked up at that. "Oh, dinner date? What a lady killer."

"W-" But Ier-Briar was already through the gate by then, and in a blink of an eye, found himself back on Regana-Hier. He scratched his head, and then checked his wallet. It'd probably be much lighter tomorrow, huh…
 
She smiled at Sharr, "I'll see what I can pull together for you guys, and see what other supplies I can find for you as well. Thank you for your assistance in our mission." She stepped up to the runestones with Ier-Briar. "Haha, then get ready. For a small girl, I eat like a large dog." She said jokingly. "No, really, I don't eat a lot of food, especially when someone else pays."

The flash came and they were back in Regana-Hier, greeted by Pray Meyer. "Assuming you're both alive, I presume your mission went as planned. Good. Keep it up." She flew off leaving the two young adults alone.

"So...What do you want to eat? You can choose since your paying. That is, after we take showers and what not. I smell disgusting."
 
Did she actually…

Oh man, if Ier-Briar felt a little more antagonistic that day, he might have made fun of Kaylee for that less-than-flattering self-comparison, but as it was, the red-haired warrior simply sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. He'll be chivalrous and pretend that he never heard that come out of her mouth.

Blinking at the Headmaster's sudden appearance and then disappearance, Ier-Briar scratched his chin when she flew off moments later. Maybe they did smell that bad after all. The Ring Operators of Regalia were giving them a wide berth, after all, and literally every other student still loitering about wasn't exactly pleased with their blood-stained presence.

"Well then…clearly, we should go to that All-You-Can-Eat barbeque stand. It's on the seventh floor of Ravenstrong Sky Tower. Meet you there in 30 minutes then? Need time to wrap up my cuts and all that."
 
Her view gazed across the crowd. "Why don't you guys go kill a giant centipede with a regenerating carapace! There's A LOT of blood in that." She remarked loudly, and angrily. "Yeah, I'll see you there, I need a looooong shower."

She spread her wings and headed home. She flew quickly too, looks like she was in a hurry.
 
Twenty-five minutes later, Ier-Briar was at the Cattle House, a large family restaurant that took up the entire seventh floor of the Sky Tower. His bandaged arms were hidden underneath the sleeves of his sweater hoodie, and he leaned against a wall of artificial wood, standing outside the establishment. The aroma of sizzling meats worked up his appetite, and he tapped his feet eagerly, waiting for Kaylee. The centipede's blood had washed off faster than expected, and by now, he was totally, absolutely, positively, undeniably clean.

It was rude to not bathe before a dinner outing, after all, even if the Cattle House wasn't the fanciest of places.
 
She showed up late, just like their first meeting. She flew quickly and hurried to the seventh floor.

"Oi! Ier-Briar, sorry I'm late!" She ran over to him. She was dressed in a hoodie and a black skirt. "I misjudged my time in the shower. You know for being such a tactical fighter, you would think I would better at time management?" A smile came across her face as she rubbed the back of her head. "So, shall we eat then?"
 
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