The Flow of Arcane: New Legends Arises

Mythic Hunting

Within the forest regions of Japan, a beautiful young woman was walking alongside a middle-aged man with oddly purple eye coloring. The woman herself seemed to be in her early twenties and wore the yukata variant of a kimono dress, better suited for casual wear than for special events. The dress itself was an icy blue with traces of white to compliment the coloring. Her hair was red yet styled akin to the kanzashi fashion, allowing for her hair to remain less of a struggle to manage while using a hairpin to lock it in place. The hairpin had a kitsune design on one end, allowing her to show off a sense of fashion to others. Her eyes were a vibrant emerald green as she hummed happily as the man next to her was... Semi-frustrated with his situation, he scoffed silently in boredom and irritation away from his escort. The man had a warrior's physique in comparison to the woman next to him. His hair was brownish coloring yet styled in a militaristic manner, matching the three-piece suit that the man wore. Sensing the distaste from her bodyguard, the woman looked up at him and asked: "You're this upset that you have to act as my bodyguard for a while, Peng? I know you're an uptight jerk based on what I have heard about you." The woman went on as Peng twitched in anger at the uptight comment, "Yet, at least try to enjoy yourself. I hired you and your crew because of the ongoing events with The Ethereal Council as well as the rumors regarding the human group of Knights and even White Star trying to track down Mythics." She finished off as the woman was clearly worried for her safety due to the stories.

"Yeah, yeah. We know about that... Ever since Midgardians found their rock collection, things have been getting a bit whack lately for both Mythics and Midgardians alike. Though, Tamamo, you have nothing to worry about. Me, Azure, and the rest of the team take our jobs seriously when it comes to having to deal with those puny Midgardians." Peng declared with a cocky grin on his face.

Tamamo-No-Fea knew better than to underestimate the cleverness of humans. Their history has repeatedly shown that they are a force to be reckoned with if they feel cornered. "Also... Has Azure found my... The other half?" The Kitsune questioned with dread and fear regarding her darker side, Da Ji. "I don't want her hurting anyone else... We know how sadistic Da Ji can be..." The Kitsune emphasized the danger that Da Ji posed.

Peng sadly could not give any confirmation about this concern. "Sadly, we have not been able to turn up anything. You are more than aware of how crafty Kitsunes can be when they feel hunted, Tamamo." The Garuda Warrior relayed with a sympathetic expression before he felt something thanks to an ability to feel The Mana from others. Stopping in place, Peng searched for what was the source of this approaching Mana while gesturing for Tamamo to remain close and behind him as Peng summoned his spear to ready himself for battle.

However, he wasn't expecting to see a large man adoring a suit of armor with a design based on a group of warriors from long ago. The Armor took on the appearance of a Templar Grandmaster. Even more so, the armor itself seemed to grant the Knight the defensive and offensive capabilities of a walking tank, yet it also seemed to be a form of cybernetics. After all, Peng was quick to notice how The Templar's right arm was replaced with a large cannon. With each step the Knight took, a loud and heavy clank was heard. "Interesting... I did not expect to find two mythics..." The Cyborg announced as he raised his arm cannon, charging up a powerful energy blast as Peng attempted to do battle with the Cyborg.

"Who the Diyu are you?" Peng questioned as he pulled out his pole staff and charged toward the Templar Warrior, yet with a small gesture of his left hand, it glowed with a form of kinetic energy. Peng was swiftly held in place and then thrown with powerful force as the Templar thrust his hand forward. Peng was pushed through various trees within the forest before The Templar raised his hand upwards and slammed it aggressively at the ground. With these movements, Peng was forced into the air and crashed into the ground with enough force to create a small crater upon impact. Peng spat out blood as he felt his back and a few of his ribs breaking from the attack.

The Templar Cyborg, however, felt disappointed that he was easily taking on Peng despite the tales of his power in Chinese Mythology. After all, he was, in truth, a powerful Garuda Warrior, a race of Mythics that take the form of Anthropomorphic Birds like a Falcon or Raven. Tamamo was frightened by the Cyborg as he turned his gaze onto her. "I was expecting more from you and your group... But this will have t-" He monologed until the Templar Grandmaster was stuck by a mighty shockwave created by the roar of a lion. Dazing him for a while as another infamous warrior of Chinese Mythology charged with his greatsword and true form in tow.

The Azure Lion was able to deal a heavy blow on the Cyborg, forcing his tank-like body to slide across the ground as slide marks were left behind until The Cyborg used his left hand to stop himself. Looking up at the Lion Demon with rage, he began to charge up his arm cannon with powerful magical energy before firing it at Azure. Thankfully, the Lion was able to react fast enough to dodge the attack yet did not foresee the follow-up strike as the demon endured a punch from the Templar Grandmaster before he grabbed Azure and slammed the demon through a large stone. Causing it to completely shatter as Azure was shoved into it. Growling from the pain, Azure stood up and readied himself for battle once more. However, a smirk grew on the lion's muzzle as he saw Templar's helmet crack as scarred skin and eyes filled with rage stared back. "How's that for a demon, Knight?" Azure mocked as he took on a battle stance.

The Grandmaster did not respond but only raised the cannon and took aim at Azure. Within a split second, Azure was nearly unable to dodge the energy blast that came from the cybernetic arm cannon. What was left from the attack were only ashes and burning flora as smoke emitted from the cannon. The Templar began to fire rapidly at Azure, Peng, and Tamano did their best to avoid these blasts. With each shell fired from the cannon, more destruction was left behind due to the failed attacks as the forest was engulfed with blazing flames. "If I can not kill you myself, I know that I can make your chances of survival very limited." The Templar coldly stated as it became clear that he was never trying to hit the Mythics but destroy the forest surrounding them. Trapping the three within the forest as the raging inferno sapped the oxygen with each second, the area became engulfed by flames. Slowly, Azure, Peng, and Tamamo found it hard to breathe as it forced them to their knees while the Templar was unaffected. The heavy clanks of the cyborg's feet grew closer and closer to the three as they tried to power through both the heat and lack of breathable air. With a mighty roar of defiance, Azure hit the Templar with a shockwave that launched him into the mountains in the distance and heavily damaged his cybernetic armor.

Elsewhere, Athena came across the news of another wildfire within the regions of Japan as she groaned in frustration at the news. As if she didn't need to make a cover story for her recent events from last night due to The Wraiths and their commander. However, as she continued to watch the feed, Athena was stunned to hear of the claims that a robot man was fighting a trio of demons from Midgardians. 'How the hell is that possible? Unless the theories from Thoth were actually...' The Olympian thought to herself before growling in rage at the very idea of admitting the Aker was right. With that, Athena shut off the TV and headed to check on the newbies she and Red Son had to work with at the moment. Much was off-putting within The Realms. The more active nature of Mythics on Midgard. Nadrok and Ryequar are growing bolder with their ambitions. The mystery of who created the MYBAH monster and rumors of something crawling between the shadows. 

She recalled the suspicions that Nez Ha had brought up to The Ethereal Council about a group that was the influence behind The Chernobyl Disaster. However, when The Lotus Prince voiced the possibility of their time of origin... She had never seen them so terrified. "What were they afraid of?" Athena asked herself as she met up with Red Son, Tyrik, Ricky, Washta, and Judy as they tended to the unconscious Dark Elven Princess as Esmeralda moved around restlessly in her bed.