The Warrior And The Pacifist

End Game

What Tamura had feared had come to pass. The Old One had returned. All those months, all those damn months he had been trying with every fiber of his being to prevent it had all been for nothing. He had seen him once in a dream, so massive that he blocked even the stars in the night sky, but sprits be damned that dream hadn't done justice to the true horror that was Hevio.

He had heard Leki speak, how the world needed its Avatar. But he had centered his entire plan around stopping Hevio before he was able to leave the sprit world. But he had failed in that regard miserably, yet another failure to add to his name.

He was scared out of his mind. But not scared for himself though that was indeed part of it. He was more afraid of leaving the world defenseless, dying on this mountain top and leaving Hevio to make his way across the globe devouring everyone and everything in his path...he was more afraid of not trying than he was of failing.

But how in the name of all that was holy and sacred were they supposed to to kill something that was never truly alive to begin with? He would worry about that later...for now he needed to stay alive long enough to come up with an idea of something that could work. "Let's rejoin the others!" Tamura ordered.

Turning he saw that Baliph and Leki were already rushing out of the collapsing building as what was left of the roof came tumbling down. Hevio letting out that loud whaling sound that shook the very ground, how something without a mouth could make such a sound was beyond his ability to comprehend.

Reaching outside they were greeted by the remnants of the order who had survived the battle, noticeably less of them than when they had started. Each face had a look of absolute horror as they stared up at Hevio, he couldn't blame a single one of them if they had decided then and there to cut and run. But wether it be from disciple or simply crippling fear, none so much as stuttered backwards.

"AVATAR!" Arin shouted, running with Wangdek close behind, meeting them half way. "WHAT HAPPENED?!"

"We were too late." Tamura said, trying to keep his composure in the face of something so horrible that even though he was seeing it with his own eyes, his mind couldn't fully comprehend what it was seeing. "Kosha was able to capture a Nomad during all of this mess, sacrificed him before we were able to stop her."

"Spirits preserve us..." Wangdek said, his voice solemn

"What are we going to do?" Baliph asked and he found that all those present were looking to him now for guidance. But how could he guide them against a force of nature?"

Behind them Hevio wailed loudly again. At the very least he had seemed to have stopped growing so that was something at least. But he was still far too big for one person to take on alone.

"How did Tesha force Hevio back into the spirit world?" Tamura asked.

For the first time since meeting Arin, he looked genuinely flustered. Before this he had been a man who while he didn't have all the answers had an idea of what direction to go in even if it wasn't accurate now to the letter. But now he was confused, at a loss. "I-I don't know, I wasn't with her when she did it. The only one who saw was Gemeng!"

Tamura growled. Once again Gemeng had known something that would have been most helpful and he had decided to keep it to himself. "damn that man, damn him straight to the underworld!"

A rumbling sound echoed outwards, one of Hevio's tentacles slamming into the ground hard, sending a shockwave that threw all those close by it. Screams bellowed by those thrown, the nomads among them able to rely on their bending to at least slow their descent and land relatively unharmed, but for the others they hit the ground hard, some among them becoming motionless.