Fiend Hunt II: The Dance Macabre

Village Outskirts

- Bastion -

From an outcropping overlooking the village, Bastion surveyed the landscape. All seemed quiet and peaceful, but he could sense the Fiend, sense the impending attack.

"It's here." He turned to Vayu and nodded. "But it's waiting for something..."

He glanced toward the horizon where the sun cast a bloody hue as it slowly disappeared over the edge.

Village Outskirts

Vayu was sitting under a tree, the shadows of the fading sun looming over them. He also looked towards the village.

"Tell me more about these fiends," he asked. "How come you can sense them?"

Village Outskirts

- Bastion -

Bastion shook his head slowly. "I don't know for sure. But when Asra brought me back, something changed."

He wished he knew why, but Archangel hadn't been able to tell him - whether because he didn't know or wasn't allowed to, Bastion wasn't sure. He hadn't even tried to ask Prince, certain he'd get the same response.

Speaking of which, he felt a prompting from inside his gauntlet and released the angel, who floated gently above the grass, hands folded like a school teacher about to give a lesson.

"Fiends are the incarnations of death, conceptual manifestations of its many forms and beliefs. When death is inflicted back onto them, the concept crystallizes into a Deathstone. With enough Deathstones, one can wield death itself and inflict it even upon beings who do not ordinarily contain a concept of death."

"Like Mother Harlot," Bastion said quietly. "That's why we have to kill them wherever they pop up and collect those Deathstones. But..."

"There is a hunter of Deathstones," Prince mused. "Yes, Archangel reported as much. I am curious how this Asher fellow found out about them. And how he plans to use them."

Village Outskirts

"I see," he replied and for a moment his own thoughts drifted back to that moment.

He was pulled back into the present when Archangel appeared to explain more about the fiends.

"Thanks, Prince," he said, "So it's not just about killing the fiends, but also do it before this fiend hunter gets his hands on them?"

He stood up and clenched his fist. "That does sound like a great adventure," he said with a grin and pumped his arm half way up. "Let's go kill that fiend first then and collect as many of those deathstones as we can."

He then paused with a blank expression to look at Bastion and Prince. "So....how much longer do we have to wait?"

Village Outskirts

- Bastion -

Bastion smiled - it felt like a while since he'd done that - at the sight of Vayu's enthusiasm.

"I'm glad..." he trailed off, struggling. "Thanks. For helping with this. It means a lot."

When Vayu asked how much longer it would be, Bastion turned back to view the skyline as the sun finally disappeared over the horizon.

"I think-"

Just then, they heard a very faint noise coming from the cemetery plot other side of the village. It almost sounded like musical notes, though it was hard to make out the melody from here.

"It's starting," Prince said sharply. "Quickly."

Nodding to Vayu, Bastion hurried after the angel as he flew down the slope toward the cemetery.

-------------------------

- Ilio -

The villagers, who'd been hurrying their activities as the sun had been going down, froze at the sound of a melody bleeding over the walls from the cemetery beyond. Scattering, they hurried into their homes and sealed their doors, leaving Ilio with the village elder, who started backing toward his own door.

"It's started. The Dance Macabre." He pointed a shaking finger over the wall. "The dead will rise and dance to his tune. They'll come to add more to their numbers. You have to stop it!"

With that, he slammed his door shut, leaving the Vanguard alone in the deserted town square.

Village - Ilio

Village was just doing fine when she just arrived, but such scenary did not take long to change into a scene that was common among the villages she very well knew. She nodded at the elder who she was speaking with about the Dance Macabre. "Well," Said the vanguard, letting out her demon partner - "Vidofnir, time to do some scouting" The golden avian demon vowed, "Ah yes, milady, as you wish" The demon flapped its wings, taking a flight and look over the wall what was going on.

While Vidofnir scouting the area, Ilio casted herself an enhance spell - "Indomitable Will" the light covered her violently, and with her weapons visible, she started to walk towards where that tune was coming from.

Spoiler:

Village Outskirts

"Finally, a smile," Vayu said with a wink, but not any less enthusiastic. "Of course, I'll help. We're friends."

Thankfully they didn't have to wait much longer. They could hear musical notes coming over from the cemetery. "Let's go then."

They hurried down to hte cemetery.

Village Cemetery

As Bastion and Vayu hurried into the cemetery, Vidofnir hovered above, gazing out over the area. They all saw it at the same time.

A figure pranced through the fog that had settled over the gravesites, and the tune they'd heard seemed to emanate from its direction.

"It's... a violin," Bastion said. It was uncommon to hear such an instrument now, and while the tune played was haunting, there was something entrancing about it as well. "I wonder why-"

Something shifted in the earth near them. They shuffled back, noticing that the dirt around the graves seemed to have been freshly disturbed. Just as they were considering this, hands burst from the ground, white and skeletal, clawing their way out.

"The Fiend calls them forth with his song," Prince said, clasping his staff and bringing it crashing down on the skull that emerged nearest Bastion's foot. "If it isn't stopped, we'll be overwhelmed with numbers."

"But if they aren't kept in check..." Bastion glanced back at the village. "They'll add more to their numbers."

"If we act quickly enough, it won't matter," the angel replied. "Quickly, before the hunter arrives."

A: Target the Fiend.
B: Prioritize defending the village.

Village - Ilio
B: Prioritize defending the village.

The scout returned and the demon reported to its master with heavy heart. "I have spotted the fiend, milady." The golden bird demon glanced back at the figure covered with the fog, "But what I got is just a general sense of its location, and I have much grimmer news." Vidofnir knowing his partner well, he knew what her reaction going to be when he told her what he saw... she was going to chose what many consider short sighted action, an action that may be furtile to many eyes.

"I saw hordes of undead coming towards the village."

Ilio smiled weakly, she could sense the hesitation from Vidofnir's report. The demon was reluctantly telling the truth to her cause he knew very well what she would do, she shrugged. "Oh well, did you see other vanguards around?" She asked, Vidofnir shook his head, "I just spotted what appears to be the fiend, and saw the incoming horde."

Ilio ready her weapons - Speculo and Apeiro, "You know what I am going to do" Said Ilio, moving towards where the incoming horde would make its way to the village. "Let's start with a bang." she said, showing her trust to her demon companion. The golden bird bowed, "Yes, milday!"  

Vidofnir flew and cast his magic. "Bright Burn!"

Spoiler:

Village Cemetery

A: Target the Fiend.

Bastion hesitated, struck with indecision even as the dead began to full escape their graves. "I..."

A flash of light came from the direction of the village, and they spotted a lone figure standing before the cemetery gates, a golden bird hovering above her.

"A Vanguard?" Bastion asked, then shook his head.

It seemed as though she had the situation covered. He hoped.

"Let's get moving then," he said to Principality and rushed into the fog in the direction of the dancing figure's outline. He dodged the skeletons wherever he could, wanting to save his energy for attacking the Fiend.

Village Cemetery

A. Target the fiend.

The sounds of a violin drifted through the fog and suddenly the soil around them began to move.

Vayu looked surprised at Prince. This didn't bode well. How were they supposed to stop an army of zombies from reaching the village while taking down the fiend?

"We better be quick about it then," Vayu nodded, fully ready to put his entire focus on the fiend.

A quick glance back at the village showed a lone figure basked in a bright light.

"Let's hope she can hold them off long enough," Vayu agreed with Bastion. He spread out a little to the side, so they wouldn't all come from the same direction and began heading for the violin tunes.

Village - Ilio

Spell casted by her demon partner bathed the dead with its holy light burning the dead away and Ilio slashed them with her sword, Speculo, to finish them off and did not show mercy to the dead. She quicky tossed Apeiro, the flying weapon multiplied itself and slahed the deads and came back to her.

"Talk about numbers, sheesh." Muttered Ilio, "It brings back memories."

Then she made another slashing arc of her sword giving the peace to the deads. Her demon partner on the other hand used his Ultrasonic spell, moving through the demon hords and dealing damage to them, and Ilio made sure they won't able to stand up again.

Ilio, however, made it sure she won't venture far as her aim was to protect the village, and guarded the enterance to the village. Then in the distance she could see figures that was moving towards the fog, unlike the deads, they seemed like people and a winged demon. They weren't far, yet they weren't close either. "So there were other vanguards." She frowned, ending a fiend was a must, but for vanguards to not even consider the lives of the villages... She sighed, they weren't the first ones any ways.

"Let's hope they are good enough to take care of the fiend." Said Ilio, her partner gave a short hmph, "Well, unlike your noble heart, many vanguards believe in small sacrifice for greater good, milady." Ilio smiled, "And they are not completely wrong, people need to make scrifice to make the world as better place. But, I am not going to make sacrifices this. If I am going to make sacrifices, than I would rather sacrifice my life to make sure there's hope for others to live on."

Ilio sliced another arc with her sword, putting deads to rest. "I am a Vanguard," said Ilio, "A sworn protector and the defender of hummnity, and I won't have it any other way."

Spoiler:

Village Gates

- Illio -

A soft gasp from behind Ilio drew her attention as a young girl, no older than fourteen, stood inside the gates, watching her. She clutched a light, thin blade in her trembling hand and brushed her shoulder-length blonde hair back.

It was obvious she'd been watching Ilio for a little while, her eyes wide with amazement. When she realized Ilio had noticed her, she jumped and shied away.

"Sorry, I... I heard that the Vanguards had sent a woman. When I saw the light, I... I just wanted to see what you could do." She glanced at the shaking sword in her own hand. "And maybe..."

She trailed off, too embarrassed to continue when it was so obvious she had neither the skill nor the boldness to do anything.

But she had ventured out, had stood this close when no one else had.

"You really mean that? You'd sacrifice yourself like that?" she asked quietly.

As her eyes flickered toward the fog, she gasped as more undead shambled out toward the gates. Voice caught in her throat, she could only point them out before falling into the shadow of the gates to hide.

-------------------------

Village Cemetery

- Bastion and Vayu -

Bastion tore through the fog, grateful that the undead seemed more propelled by will than sight. As long as he didn't stay near them longer than it took to rush past, them seemed more intent on going toward the village than attacking him or Vayu.

But just as the dancing figure of the Fiend drew in closer, and he began to thank his luck, a shape shot through the fog. Bastion barely had time to notice the movement and swing his spear around before something sliced through the air and crashed against it.

He only had a moment to register the familiar, bladed underside of the gun barrel and the flash of golden eyes before a foot slammed against his stomach and threw him back into a grave.

"If the fog weren't so thick, you'd both have already been dead."

Asher turned toward Vayu, caught off-guard by this appearance, and figured a Stinger shot at his leg. Pain lanced through his limb and dropped him to the ground as the paralysis effect took hold.

Bastion, coughing and struggling to get his breath back, was protected by Principality, who stood before him like a shield. But Asher no longer seemed concerned with them and pointed his gun at the figure who pranced out of the fog, white face painted in a macabre grin.



"You can join Hell Biker now," Asher said, firing a bolt of golden maga directly at the skull's head.

With a erratic move of his hand across his violin, a piercing note sounded through the cemetery. Sound waves like a bubble, empowered with maga to the point of becoming visible, deflected the shot away and slammed against Asher, knocking him back.

He landed nimbly on his feet, baring his teeth, as the Fiend laughed and swept into a bow.

"I am David, he who leads the dance of death! Please, join us. Death welcomes all with arms held wide!"

He resumed the tune they'd heard before, and bony white hands shot out of the ground, seizing them.

Village Cemetery

Vayu slid through the fog, trying to avoid the undead that were still heading towards the village. He could still barely see Bastion and made sure to not lose sight of him while they headed of the fiend.

Suddenly, Bastion's approach was stopped as a figure appeared out of the thick of the fog. Before Vayu could react, pain shot through his leg and he dropped to the ground.

"Pixie," he quickly called forth his High Pixie. The demon fluttered around him, casting his healing spells. "Master, my power is not enough to completely remove the ailment," the Pixie whispered. "But I have increased your defense."

The Pixie continued its fluttery, sending a rush of slicing winds towards the bony white hands that were trying to seize Vayu.

"That's alright," Vayu said. The pain had subsided and even though his leg still felt numb, the rest of his body only kept tingling and was able to stand up.

With a snap of his fingers the High Pixie disappeared and the Empusa appeared. One glance over told him that was Bastion was getting to his feet. He moved closer to him.

"Do we have a plan?" he whispered.

Village Gates - Ilio

Ilio was very surprised by the girl's appearance - it was clear while others were just focusing on to save their own, this girl gathered her courage to fight to protect her village, her home. However, Ilio could see that she was not ready to wield her weapon. She smiled at the girl with warmth when she asked if Ilio really meant what she said, "I meant every word." Said Ilio, "And you are one brave soul, and that just shows my life is not going to be scrificed in vain. But, for now, leave this to me and protect your family, and seeing you gathering your courage to fight encourages me to fight better."

As the girl disappeared behind the gate, Ilio looked at her partner, "Ready to give another bang?" The golden bird noded and another bright light was engulfted area, burning the deads. Such brilliant light was followed up with another arc from Ilio, helping the deads to find their peace.

"Hmmm," Wondered Ilio, "Do you think deads are changing their direction?" She asked her demon partner. The golden bird flew up and carefully studied the movement of the deads, if it were changing its direction.

Village Gates

- Illio -

As Ilio paused to take stock of the situation, it became obvious that the dead had begun to shy away from the gate and head for the walls, attempting to clamber over the sides.

The girl, who’d begun to retreat from the cover of the gate, let out a scream as one of the undead fell over the wall and landed near her, reaching out with bony hands toward her. On instinct, she crudely thrust the blade into the creature’s torso, knocking it over. Her blade remained lodged in its bones, however, and she abandoned it as more dead began to clamber over the side.

-------------------------

Village Cemetery

- Bastion and Vayu -

Bastion clawed his way up the nearest gravestone until he was back on his feet, finally regaining his breath. Vayu joined him shortly, and they both stared at the Fiend playing his violin with skilled, sweeping strokes.

“If we can get destroy that violin, I think we can stop his power, but…” He glanced over to where Asher was picking himself up, teeth gritted. “It’s not going to be that easy.”

David gave a merry laugh and sauntered between the gravestones, the movement of his violin changing. Something in the air changed, a wild tune and a red haze seemed to form, and on instinct, Bastion shoved his fingers into his ears to block out the sound.

Archangel, who began to double over, swiftly fled inside the gauntlet to avoid the sound.

Asher, however, was not so lucky. With both hands occupied with Void and Vanity, his twin weapons, he fell to his knees at the sound. His eyes began to glow with a violent, reddish hue, and his teeth became bared like a wild animal’s. He turned toward Vayu and Bastion and streaked toward them, firing Stinger shots haphazardly that struck off the tombstones as they dove for cover.

Village Cemetery

Vayu stared at the violin and he realized Bastion was right. It was amazing what power items could hold.

He saw Bastion plug his ears and having only a second to realize what was happening to him, Vayu wasn't fast enough to prevent it. The Empusa demon also fled back into the gauntlet when the music became too much.

"Synchro Gift," he pressed out before a red mist washed over his eyes and he drew his ninjato. Instead of dodging away from Asher's bullets, he instead charged at him. Maybe it was the luck of madness, or maybe it was skill, but he made it to Asher without taking a hit.

Acting like a madman, he began attacking Asher slashing at him over and over again.

Village Gates - Ilio

"To the wall, Milady! The Undeads now decided to change their tactics!" and just then Ilio heard the girl's scream, Ilio moved quickly and reached where she was - the brave girl tried her best to undo the dead, but it was too much for untrained girl to fight the undead. "Vidof!" Ilio called out to her demon, he quickly charged with its lightning zap, preventing the deads advancement. Ilio send out Apeiro, weapon multiplied itself and thinned the deads that were coming over the wall. "Vidofnir! Get her to safety!" Ilio commanded her demon, the demon nodded. "Come now, young lady! I will cover you!"

Before they took off, Ilio called out to the girl, "Hey, what's your name? Mine is Ilio." She asked the girl, as the girl introduced herself, Ilio would give a warm smile. "You are a strong girl, now quickly, Vidofnir will help you."

She looked upon the hordes, "Indominateable Will" she muttered, and she found her maga rushing through her veins, once again empowering her. She swung her sword in giant arc putting down the deads to rest. Perhaps deads should not feel any emotions as their emotion were lost with their death, but display of power from Ilio may invoke fear, the very first emotion that they thought they had lost it.

"How numerous may you be, I will not let you do as you wish."

She sliced another arc putting down several undeads again, and sent Apeiro once again to thinned their numbers.

Village Cemetery

- Bastion and Vayu -

"Vayu!"

Bastion called after his friend, but it was no use. The other Vanguard lunged with an animalistic ferocity at Asher and began to slash with his blade over and over again. Asher deflected and traded each blow with the bladed undersides of his guns, pushing Vayu through the graveyard further and further away.

Helplessly, Bastion watched them before turning back to the Fiend, who'd begun merrily prancing his way toward the village. With no choice, Bastion turned his back on the disappearing figures of Asher and Vayu and rushed after David. He considered summoning Principality again, but it felt more like a potential liability if the Fiend used that maddening melody of his again.

When he finally drew in close enough, he whirled his spear about and pointed it at David's back. "Holy Horn!"

The Fiend sidestepped, though not quickly enough to avoid the blast striking his side. With a menacing flash of his eyes, he turned to face Bastion and whisked the bow of his violin across the strings. Bastion tried to drop his spear to plug his ears, but it wasn't fast enough. As the first eerie, haunting notes hit his ears, his body went stiff, and his eyes rolled back in his head.

Where had the graveyard gone? He was standing up high somewhere, overlooking a village. It seemed familiar, but...

“Since this belongs to you,” a low, female voice said. “I should return it back.”

The spear he'd dropped levitated into the air. His eyes widened as it rotated, pointing the head directly at him. Then a pale hand settled on his shoulder, and Mother Harlot's face appeared from beside him just as the spearhead skewered his heart. He lurched in terrible pain, a scream jammed behind the blood in his throat, and fell.

Black tendrils emerged from all around, hoisting him into the air. Mother Harlot swayed around to face him, her lips curving into a terrible smile.

Dead... he should be dead. Why wasn't he dying?

"Kill you again? And have the angels drag you back to life? That would just be a waste," Mother Harlot said with a tinkling laugh. "I can do better than that."

Another spear materialized, and it stabbed into his flesh. Bastion twitched and writhed in the prison of tendrils, watching in horror as the spears seemed to come alive and invade his body where they'd entered, corrupting his flesh into something demonic.

"No!" he screamed before a tendril ensnared his mouth and muffled the next cry as a spear pierced his side.

Back in the graveyard, his body stood immobilized, stiff except for the occasional twitch, as David and cackled and turned away to continue his march to the village.

-------------------------

Village Gates

- Illio -

The girl gratefully took the wing Vidofnir offered and pulled herself up. She turned to follow the demon, but as Ilio called out to her, she turned and smiled.

"Davina!" she called back breathlessly. "I'm Davina."

She watched in awe as Ilio turned to face the incoming undead before Vidofnir succeeded in pulling her out of sight.

As Ilio worked on hewing the numbers of the dead, she could see through the gates the approaching form of the Fiend working his violin with masterful strokes.

"Philistine!" he called out. "How terribly cruel, to deny so many the chance to join such a masterful performance!"

Village Gates - Illio

"Devina, a good name indeed." She reminded herself of the girl's name as she put down another horde of undead where they belong.

She turned around and faced the fiend who called her out for disrupting his 'masterful' performance. She smiled at the fiend, "Hmm... Masterful performance?" She looked at the fiend, and her eyes locked at the fiend's violine. "I wonder," She tossed her Apeiro at the fiend, "if you can play your music without your instrument!" The weapon duplicated itself as it headed towards the fiend, and she had her shield upfront charging towards the fiend.

Village Cemetery

Vayu kept trading blows with Asher, unaware of where they moved to in the cemetery or what was going on around him with the rest of the undead.

Catequil’s voice called into Vayu’s head, trying to bring him back to reason, but his calls stayed unanswered as the rage went on.

Suddenly the rage began to fade. The red glow in Vayu’s eyes faded and he looked around disoriented, still being pushed by Asher’s blows. He slipped under Asher’s guns and rolled to get some distance.

“Catequil!” he called out his demon. Catequil appeared right before Asher with his spear sinking into the ground. The lightning strike struck Asher and the explosion blew the other man back.

Vayu was breathing heavy but took the moment to get his bearings. In the distance he could see the lights of the village flickering through the fog and faintly the music still rang through the night.

Without giving Asher another thought, he returned Catequil to his gauntlet and turned on his heel and headed back to where he guessed Bastion and the fiend were.

“Thanks for having my back,” Vayu thought while running through the cemetery. “Of course,” the demon replied. “I wish I could’ve gotten through to you earlier.” Vayu shook his head. “That rage was scary. I felt like I was losing myself in it.”

Finally, he arrived near the gates of the cemetery. Trying to catch his breath, the first thing he noticed was Bastion standing completely still looking like he was possessed while the fiend was on his way to the village. The fiend’s advance was stopped when Illio confronted him. Vayu wondered for a moment who she was. It must be another Vanguard.

Torn, he turned back to Bastion, lost on what to do.

A. If possible:
It had to be another curse from this fiend. And if Catequil’s voice hadn’t been able to reach him, who would be able to reach Bastion? His eyes fell on Bastion’s gauntlet. Yes, it was worth a try. Without hesitation, he put his hand over Bastion’s gauntlet. With his eyes closed, he pushed a concentrated burst of maga through Bastion’s gauntlet, hoping it would allow Prince to pass the barrier.

B: if A is not possible:
“High Pixie,” he called out. The Pixie appeared and fluttered around Vayu. He pointed at Bastion. “Can you heal this ailment?”

The Pixie fluttered around Bastion, releasing the pixie dust as it cast the Fairy Folk’s Favor in an attempt to cure his ailment.

Vayu grabbed Bastion by his shoulders and shook him lightly. “Bastion!” he called out. “C’mon Bastion! Come back here! You have to wake up! I need you here!”

Village Cemetery

- Asher -

The rage began to wear off, and Asher shook his head to clear away the last dregs of the maddening fog from his mind. The Fiend. Where had it gone?

As he glanced around, Catequil emerged in front of him, and by the time he turned back, it was too late. The lightning blast hurled him back, and he skidded to a halt by a cluster of tombstones. Gritting his teeth, he straightened up as Vayu hurried away toward the gates, and he pursued after him.

Vayu stopped in front of the other Vanguard, who seemed to be paralyzed in place, motionless and unaware. The stupid kid was completely distracted, and Asher was tempted to fire a retaliatory Stinger shot right at his back, but he had better things to do.

Streaking past the two, he came near to the village where the Fiend has stopped, his path blocked by a woman. Another Vanguard, probably. Lip curling, Asher raised Void and Vanity, waiting as the woman unleashed a spell to replicate the sword she’d thrown.

————————————-

- Bastion and Vayu -

At Vayu’s touch, Prince emerged from Bastion’s gauntlet, giving them both a swift look before settling behind Bastion. Nodding to the High Pixie to do her work, who was hovering uncertainly, he raised his wings, his body becoming translucent, and stepped into Bastion’s body.

In his mind, Bastion writhed as the corruption that had spread across his body, now a horrible mass of dark, scaly flesh, spines, and claws, crept up his neck.

“It’ll be all over soon,” Mother Harlot cooed reassuringly.

“It’s over now.” Bastion’s eyes glowed a fierce white, and the corruption dissolved away like so much mist, as did the tendrils holding him up.

Principality stepped out from inside him, and Bastion panted as he looked around. “Prince, what-?”

“Nightmares and illusions, nothing more,” Prince replied. “Now, hurry.”

Bastion looked around the ruins they stood in. “I don’t see…”

A tear opened in the air around them, and he could see Vayu’s worried face and a High Pixie fluttering about. Bastion ran for the opening, Principality right behind him, as Mother Harlot let out an inhuman roar like the echo of many beasts crying out at once. He didn’t dare to look back, just ran for all he could and threw himself into the opening.

In the graveyard, Bastion suddenly lurched forward, and Principality emerged from his body to catch his arm. “It’s all right.”

It was far from all right, but he didn’t have the time for that now. Asher had reached the Fiend, unaware of his presence as it faced the other Vanguard.

“We…” His voice faltered, and he swallowed. “We have to hurry. We can’t let Asher win.”

-------------------------

Village Gates

- Illio -

The Fiend cackled as Ilio tossed her weapon at him and caused it to duplicate until a barrage of swords flew through the air at him.

“A triifling demonstration,” he mused, sweeping the bow of his violin across the strings.

The sound waves, made visible with maga, expanding outward and knocked away the swords in all directions. Some of them clattered off Ilio’s shield, which then collided into the wall of the sound wave and sent her skidding back.

“No encore for you, I think!” David cried, just as two Stinger bolts hit him from behind.

The Fiend staggered, momentarily stunned, and Asher leveled his gun with a smirk. “Game over.”

His shot spiraled, golden bright, brimming with deadly power. It was a finishing shot, and everyone knew that.

But at that moment, Principality swooped through the air, snatching up one of the dead and tossing it into the path of the bullet. The shot struck the creature, and golden maga erupted from within its body, skewering it repeatedly until it resembled a sea urchin.

“Idiots!” Asher snarled, turning on Bastion and Vayu. “I could have-“

But he was cut off by a delighted laugh from David, who recovered and began to sweep his bow in a frenzy, bringing forth an unearthly resonance. From his strings swept out a barrage of ghostly apparitions, which swirled through the air before firing off in all directions, homing in on Asher and the three Vanguards.

“This opera of despair is now in its final act. They're waiting for your curtain call in the land of the dead!” David called. “Cursed Concerto!”

Village Cemetery

Vayu quickly withdrew his hand, feeling a light sting when Prince appeared. He looked relieved when the angel immediately sprang into action to bring Bastion back.

He kept gripping Bastion’s shoulders tightly. From the corner of his eye, he saw Asher pass by him, probably in pursuit of the Fiend.

Finally, Bastion snapped back into their reality and a wave of relief washed over Vayu. He paused for a moment to assess Bastion’s state of mind. “Are you ready to stay in this fight?”

They turned around just in time to see Prince swoop a disruption in between the Fiend and Asher. Unfortunately, that allowed David to retaliate while Asher also turned to them, looking furious.

The High Pixie cast its High Protection of the Fairies over Vayu and he felt a warm glow wash over him. With a nod, the Pixie disappeared back into the gauntlet. “Arcane Barrier!” Vayu called out when the ghostly apparitions started in on them. He could feel the impact as they collided with the barrier and a wave of cold air still washed over them.

The other Vanguard, he could now see to be a woman, stood at the other side of them and he hoped that she was equipped to defend against the attack.

“Should we divide and conquer?” he asked Bastion, not taking his eyes of either the Fiend or Asher. “I’ll keep Asher distracted and you deal with the Fiend? The other Vanguard will hopefully pitch in too.”

"Catequil, get ready," he thought in his head. "He won't fall for the same thing twice, so we'll mix it up." When he felt the barrier, that was protecting them, began to fade, he summoned Catequil. The demon appeared with a roar of thunder. Instead of calling forth lightning, he cast his Power Bind spell in an attempt to immobilize their enemies.

Village Gates - Ilio

The weapon she tossed out soon met with resistance and due to the resistance it puffed into smoke, returning only one of them to her hand. As she was about to retaliate against the fiend, it was attacked by the gunslinger, and the gunslinger had his final moment, but he failed as the demon possibly from other vanguard interrupted his attack.

With quick wits, she realized something was off as such event happened in front of her. She was not entirely sure what was going on, but it was clear that gunslinger and other vanguards are not working as a team. It looked like, possibly, they were playing who would deal the final blow to the fiend.

Ilio frowned, she did not like that such idea. Putting their goal first before the lives of others. Sure, gunslinger could do that for fun, but not for Vanguards.

Such process of her thought did not take long to pause as the fiend use the opportunity provided by the bickering between the other Vanguards and the gunslinger to his advantage. But, Illio too was not going to let the fiend cast his spell to have that effect that easily.

"Not so fast! Disruptor!"

Ilio jumped high and slammed her shield to the ground sending her own knocking back shockwave to meet fiend's.

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"And now! Vidof!"

She shouted, the golden bird that was just returning from its duty flew straight to the fiend and casted his spell,

"Bright Burn!" with the light to blind the fiend temporarliy.

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