Ruin was draining the life of the spawn he'd managed to capture in his left arm when Shadour reemerged from the ruins of the nearby house with the limp body of a spawn hanging from his hand. Ruin's rose colored eyes were glowing brightly as the energy of the spawn was visibly being pulled into his body. He took a deep breath and tossed the dried out husk of the spawn aside while shaking his head to clear his mind. That marked the 42nd spawn Ruin had captured and killed by this same method. He could still keep going like this but Ruin had to admit this wasn't going to work out for much longer if the spawns' numbers continued to grow like they were.
He commanded Shadour to keep hunting more of them while Ruin himself flew into the air. He blinked once robbing the world of all it's red orbs that marked their shapes as being alive. He took a deep breath and slowly raised his arms above his head creating a black cloud above him that began to expand itself as Ruin extended his arms outward. The cloud was blotting out the light of the sun and dimming the shimmer of the sky, but as it continued to grow the spawn that were chasing after the people of the island paused and looked up to Ruin and the cloud he was creating. He knew that they wouldn't be able to resist looking up at him and the sheer amount of magic that he was using to do this.
Making sure to take into account just where everything else that wasn't a spawn was, Ruin's pink eyes crackled with electricity before he closed his hands into fists. In that moment the cloud that Ruin had made began to unleash lightning bolts as frequently as if they were raindrops. Hundreds of thousands of lightning strikes hit the ground, buildings were more or less untouched but even Ruin couldn't control all of his lightning bolts. Strewn through all the streets were the charred bodies of more spawn, their bodies stained black by the lightning strikes. Yet as Ruin let his arms fall heavily to his sides he was glad to see that all the Lavians that'd been in the area were left untouched by the lightning bolts.
He fell down to the ground and sucked in a deep breath running his hands over his white hair praying to all the gods that between he and Morgan that they'd be able to deal with these creatures before anything too bad happened. He took another deep breath before straightening up and he began to head towards the next island that he could feel the most spawn presence on.
~*~*~*~Avil~*~*~*~
Avil was helping to evacuate the city as they were all heading towards the Kings Monument, there were some of the Lavians that were helping the other citizens. Some were merely helping direct, others were taking a direct approach to help by fighting against the spawn. Avil would have been among those out fighting but he thought it better to make sure that the way through the Alluring was kept open. But he had to admit, seeing more and more people dressed in nothing more but aged leather and rusted armor rushing out to fight against the spawn was wearing on him. He didn't like the idea that there were others out there not as well equipped as he was going to fight against these monsters.
He'd seen a youth no older than 14 run to his house much and reemerge with nothing but an old battered sword before charging into the city much to his mother's cries to wait. Make sure they don't cut off the opening to the gate, he told himself in his head as he shut his eyes which only served to amplify the screams of young men and women that were still in the city. If the spawn got this far he might be the only one here that can properly defend it... Stay here, he told himself though his jaw was taught and his teeth were beginning to ache with frustration. Another cry was heard in the city and Avil's body began to radiate very faintly with a red light.
How can I just stand here while they're out there fighting, he thought silently scolding himself as he opened his eyes just as more and more young people were rushing into the heart of town with their old and damaged weapons and armor. It was the only way they could fight back, he'd warned them about using magic against them and how they'd only get stronger if they did. Only use it if you're sure you can kill them, he'd said remembering his own mistakes less than a month ago. These people, these kids were taking that to heart and all the youth that wore red in their hair in honor of Kenra were bravely charging against the spawn.
But what was he doing? This was a coward's place, he thought to himself his hands balling up into fists as he looked on at the city. The spot of a ruler, of a leader too afraid to do anything and instead chose to let others fight for him! Avil turned toward the city his brown eyes beginning to turn into a shade of orange as his own power began to flood into his body. He didn't know what he'd be able to do, but being out there fighting amongst the people sure beat waiting here for the spawn to come to him.
"Hey Under!" He heard a familiar voice call out and when Avil turned to look he saw a figure with rainbow lights streaming around his feet coming to him. He narrowed his eyes and was surprised to see that it was Troy waving at him. "I'm glad you're here-" He said before bringing up a bag that was squirming around. "This little guy won't stop squirming-"
Troy let out a gasp as the bag opened up and Nim flew out directly to Avil, coiling around his shoulders and hissing at Troy. "Wha- Why do you have Nim?" Avil asked patting the infant on the head and giving Troy a look. "Where's Isa?"
"He's scrapping with a right twisted looking guy over by the Crystal Lake." Troy said pointing to a rather far off island that had a lot of smoke raising from it. "He said take the kid and get out of there. I tried hanging back to help but those things they- They just don't go down no matter how hard ya hit em!"
"I know..." Avil said stroking the side of Nim who was trembling now. He looked out towards the island where Isa was fighting against someone, and he knew in his heart that meant Ruin and Morgan were out there fighting too. "I need to be out there."
"Oh you're split cuz, no sane man would-"
"I'm going!" Avil said before he hurried into the Allurring, he wasn't sure whether or not Troy was following him but that didn't quite matter to him at this point. He was looking around for Yeva and when he spotted her helping several injured people dress their wound he ran over to her. "Yeva!" He called making her look up to him. "I need you to watch after this little guy."
Avil grabbed Nim and pulled him from his shoulder holding the wriggling dragon out to Yeva who didn't look like she wanted to take him. When Nim continued to thrash around Avil brought him to eye level and spoke sternly. "Nim stop it!" He said making Nim's body go lax as the little dragon looked him in the eye. "I need to get out there and help. You need to stay here with Yeva alright?" As if in response the little dragon began to squirm again. "Look you'll only be in the way out there!" He said in an even sterner voice. "I can't help if I'm worried about one of those things grabbing you. Do you understand me?"
Nim's big silver eyes stared at Avil for the longest time before they blinked and the little dragon let out a chirping sound as if to say he understood. This time when Avil held him to Yeva the little dragon didn't thrash his body around, he didn't protest or anything he simply let himself be taken by a stranger. Avil quietly thanked Lord Iro for somehow making Nim understand him before he began to head towards the cave entrance again only to have Yeva grab his hand.
"You're not really going out there are you?" She asked with a frightened expression on her face. "Those things are- There worse than anything these stories talk about, they could kill you."
Avil turned his body back to her and nodded his head. "They might, but if I don't go out there while my friends are fighting than what kind of king can I hope to be?"
"A kind doesn't need to fight his own battles." Yeva exclaimed.
"No-" Avil said agreeing with her before he gave her a half-hearted smile. "But that's not the kind of king I want to be."
Yeva's eyes grew slightly larger just then but she must've understood because her hand loosened on his wrist and Avil was able to pull away. He ran into the tunnel and out the other side where he found Troy still standing, looking out among the city and when he turned he spoke. "You're cracked," He said. "Cracked I tell you!"
"What about you?" He asked giving the other boy a look. "You where the red of Kenra, why aren't you out there?"
"Because I'm just an ordinary person, I'm no fighter." Troy said and as he said that Avil heard the sound of approaching footsteps.
He turned to see another youth was running past him, this one no older than 12 by the looks of him but Avil stopped him by grabbing his shoulder. In that same moment he entered the boy's mind, learning both his name and where his house was. He was running to retrieve his family's sword so that he could help fight off the monsters. "You stay here." He said and as the boy protested Avil cut him off. "You need to stay here and guard the entrance. If any of those things come here-" Avil raised his hand up imagining the blade that the boy was going to retrieve.
"Come." Avil said out loud and moments later the blade of this boy's family flew threw the air like an arrow to his hand. He knelt down and held the sword out to him which the boy gladly took. "Stay here, guard the entrance-" He said before standing up and glaring at Troy. "Someone has to."
Troy flinched at that as Avil turned and began running down the stone path heading towards the city. As he ran he felt the familiar weight of his family sword appear at his hip, but on the opposite side he felt the weight of the other sword that Berg had made for Morgan back in Calapris. He glanced down at the saber, Silver's Edge is the name that Berg the blacksmith had given it. He'd warned them that he wasn't exactly sure what it could do but he'd promised it'd be helpful to the wielder.
"Well, time to put that to the test Berg." Avil said grabbing the saber and drawing it with his left hand. The sword escaped its sheath with a loud ringing sound, and the instant he drew it he felt a wave of strength surge through him as though the blade itself were assuring him that it would help. "Okay... Let's see what you can do."
Avil turned a corner seeing several young fighters locked in a losing battle with a group of spawn. He charged in with a sword in each hand, though only the saber in his left was giving off a glow along it's platinum-like edge. A spawn turned to him and raced to meet him, Avil stopped just short of the creature and swung the arm holding his saber. The spawn brought up its right arm that'd turned into a blade to block it and for a split second the blades were locked with bright orange sparks flashing from the two blade. But only for a moment as Avil suddenly felt a surge of overwhelming power rush through his left arm, the glowing edge of his sword grew brighter and white fire began to radiate from the edge before suddenly the blade blew through the spawn's arm. Avil's eyes grew wide as his saber was suddenly tearing through the armored exoskeleton of the spawn until it's body was completely severed.
His eyes were wide with shock at the force this sword had just produced and without even thinking Avile sheathed his red sword and switched hands to his more dominant hand now wielding the saber. Another spawn that'd seen Avil cleave the first one in half came at him, this time when Avil swung the blade rather than try to match the blade it dodged. However, thanks to the tight curve of the saber Avil was able to bring it back up with the blade not even grazing the ground as his straight sword would have done. The fluidity that the shape of Silver's Edge offered allowed Avil to bring the blade right back up and split the head of the second spawn.
Again he was left aghast by his own actions, it was as though this sword were guiding him, almost like there was another presence fighting along side him telling him exactly what he needed to do. He heard a loud cry and when he looked up he saw that several spawn had one of the young warriors down on the ground and were fighting to grab him by the face with their left arms. Avil narrowed his eyes before that same certainty came to him once again as he extended his left arm out and a mirror of Silver's Edge appeared made entirely of white light.
"Stip." He said his body flashing for an instant before being propelled forward like he'd just been fired from a cannon at the spawn.
He spun his body around in a circle bringing the swords around like a whirlwind of blade, cleaving through all of them without even once touching the boy they were trying to devour. Avil's body slid to a stop several yards away, from where he'd just left those spawn in a pool of their own black blood. He turned around to see the boy getting back to his feet and nod at him as thanks. Avil nodded back to him but looked down at the saber in his hand, and the blade of light in the other. He wasn't the one making this, he realized looking at the two blade. This was the sword's doing...
That blade will not let you down, is what Berg had said when he'd given the sword to Morgan. She'd said that this sword was magic but- was this really what it meant to have a magically imbued sword? Avil looked up just in time to see the young fighters finally deal with the last of the spawn marking 6 spawn that'd been here. Avil had managed to deal with three of them when before he'd struggled just to handle one. Again his eyes went down to the sword in his hands before he looked at the young fighters.
"Head back to the King's Monument." He said pointing back towards the Allurring and before any of them could protest he added. "There are more of these things than we're equipped to deal with. At least at the monument we can set up a defense, as long as you're all out here they'll pick you off one by one and then who will be left to defend the people at the Allurring?"
They all looked at each other for a moment before one of them spoke. "We were the red of Kenra, we can't just hide-"
"Honoring Kenra should come second to protecting your people!" Avil exclaimed silencing the youth. "Wearing the color of a King doesn't mean just one thing. If you want to honor your king than live! There's no way for you to honor them if you die out here in the streets.
"Show your strength by protecting your people, not by throwing your lives away." Avil said in a commanding voice before he pointed once more with his swords. "Now get back there and protect your king's people."
There was another moment of silence before one of the youths nodded their head to Avil and began to run back towards the Allurring. The others were hesitant for a moment but very quickly followed after the first one to leave. Avil turned around and took a deep breath, casting his vision out from his body he was searching for more people that hadn't been able to escape just yet. He didn't find any more people running but he did spy another group of youths trying to fight off another batch of spawn. Bringing his vision back to him Avil opened his eyes and with his sabers in hand he began to head to where they were.
Meanwhile up above him standing on the rooftops of a nearby building, a silver clothed boy with bright orange hair peered down at him. "Hmph, I can see why Morgan thinks he can be a liability." Gideon said as something made a sound behind him. Gideon's eye twinkled and suddenly the spawn that was trying to ambush him was reduced to nothing but ribbons as he turned his head. "And you are far more disappointing that she made you out to be."
Turning his attention back to Avil he let out a yawn. "But I suppose I should help out. These people don't seem to know a thing about fighting."
A/N: AVIL'S USEFUL!!!! Lol don't lie you were probably thinking it too. But dang talk about a sword huh? To make Avil go from struggling with one to being able to tear apart 3 like they were nothing! Will it continue or do you thin he's going to get smacked around again soon? Think Troy will straighten up and help out, or do you think he's actually a coward? How about Gideon at the end absolutely destroying that spawn and calling them disappointing?
For any that's curious here's a peak at Avil's new sword, it's more of a scimitar than a saber but eh saber just sounds better to me :D