R. A. T. H

Twenty-Eight

The flames devoured the girl and the Reaper watched with a slightly sullen expression. As much as she would have liked to end things without pain, her job hardly ever allowed that. Shana's hazel eyes looked as the homunculus struggled within the wave of fire.

'She's not screaming?' That was unusual, homunculi could feel pain, but she had yet to hear any screaming. That was the point she would go to before she called off the spirit.

Yet—

Her eyes widened.

It took only a few seconds for Rose to realize the flames did nothing to her. The blaze of fire spun around her figure, swirling and mixing, before being forced into the weapon in her hand as it burned orange. She could hear the sound of a bird whimpering and crying as in pain and, soon, the spirit of fire flew away from her—receding with the flap of its fiery wings.

Emerald eyes looked ahead to see the Reaper already grasping her weapon back in hand with eyes of confusion.

". . .a gear?"

She was in disbelief and Rose swung her blade.

Fire blazed the entire rift of her front, a cry rang, and a beak opened up and flew to devour the girl. Yet, the experienced fighter was quick as she jumped backwards and her phoenix spirit dived forward to meet its counterparts.

The two creatures of mana clashed and fire spurred the surroundings. Rose looked on to see beak and beak ripping each other to shreds and taking to the sky.

The heat in the surroundings sharply increased and the desert sand rolled with the wind. The two females stared at each other as the two flaming beasts within the air cried their last and disappeared in a spurt of fire.

'Well,' Shana thought, 'There goes one.'

"Just let me be," Rose said as she gripped <Igris> tighter. The blade was very familiar at this moment and she couldn't understand why it was a must she be taken back to the city of Alos and reconfigured.

She wasn't one to shy away from battle, nor was she one to stray from killing if the need rose—but she rather it didn't.

"No can do," The Reaper replied, smiling slightly and taking out what looked akin to a metal slab. 'Let's take you down, first, and chat later.' In reality, she was only aiding her curiosity.

The metal vibrated then—swoosh—out came a blade of blue, made out of compressed, azure mana. It looked calm at the moment, as if it had actually become solid. The weapon reached to the feet of the soldier and touched the ground, instantly making a cut in the floor.

Rose was the first to move, taking a step forward and breaking into a run.

Shana raised her Mana Blade and slashed out.

The blade of the armament squirmed, danced, then disappeared. . .

When the slash passed, Rose found herself facing a maze of condensed, mana blades slicing towards her. They covered the air like a net.

'Armaments can do that—?' Of course they could.

She gripped her weapon and shifted her body, dodging through the volley of attacks as her consciousness latched onto the mana in the air. She moved with clarity and ease, her clothing ripped with the unfamiliarity this new type of battle brought as they touched the blades, but at the end, she had escaped the volley to meet the Reaper head on.

But Shana merely laughed.

"I don't have only one Spirit, kid."

Behind her, a brown mist manifested into the image of what appeared like a bull with crimson eyes. It floated and then opened its jaws, roaring into the world as the air shook. It ran within the air and then leaned into the girl.