- The Final Straw

Lia bolted down the curving streets, searching for the owner to that horrid screech. Her legs began picking up speed as her breath became foggy.

The weather was getting colder out, and the nights showed its ugly side to such weather.

Passing by carts and shopkeepers who were running away in distress towards the square that had once been crawling with beasts, Lia got a general idea of where this monster had to be.

As she raced down the busy streets crawling with civilians searching for shelter in the broken buildings, shops, or bars, Lia didn't take notice of the two men following not too far behind her.

One carried a bow, strapped across his shoulder, and though he wasn't particularly good at firing it, his marksmanship was something of a hidden talent.

While the man gripped fast his iron and metal gauntlets, the plates rubbing against each other, giving off the sound of an iron giant walking.

They were both strong and unafraid of the danger that no doubt awaited them.

As Lia rounded a corner, leaving her temporarily covered by the large crowds of people turning the opposite direction, she felt a tingling sensation crawling down her body.

Soon after, she took a casual glance at her arms and legs, only to find the clothing and disguise she had once worn gone, disappearing in the air like mist.

Replacing them was a set of light but sturdy leather armor. Cain's doing no doubt.

'What was the point in hiding my appearance just to remove it later?'

'I didn't want any onlookers to see your strength. It would be somewhat hindering my plan if word of your power got out.'

Rounding another corner, Lia narrowly ducked around a card that was carrying jewels and jewelry in several different boxes, an overhang casting a shadow on her face.

'Specifically so that you weren't the one to show that strength. I was. If they started spreading rumors about how 'strong' you are, then they would be empty praises.'

'What, are you saying I'm not strong?'

Lia could feel Cain's face grimace in annoyance as he realized immediately that she was teasing him, even now of all times.

'Focus, please. It's not that you aren't strong. You're just not that strong. Specifically having enough strength to snap a Grockoil's neck with your bare hands. I didn't want you getting into a situation where you would be expected to show that strength, yet have none of it.'

Lia thought for a moment, as the final piece of her disguise - the mask - disappeared into dust.

'I suppose I should thank you for that then.'

'Your welcome…'

An awkward silence enveloped them. Lia knew they were some ways out from the owner of that terrible screech, leaving her and Cain a few minutes to talk.

Yet no words were said, nor spoken.

'...Cain?'

After several moments of hesitation, Lia spoke.

'Yes?'

'Where were you? I…I was worried.'

'...'

Cain said nothing, and for a moment, Lia thought he wouldn't.

'...After the goblin king raid I was busy dealing with some third party people. Someone who would have caused you harm while you were focused on Kara, the town's speaker.'

'...you were protecting me?'

Cain hesitated, hearing the emotion in Lia's voice, almost as if his words had brought her much needed relief to her anxiety.

'Yes…at least I tried.'

'Tried? You failed? If you failed then why am I still standing here?'

'The fact that you're standing here fighting these beasts is the reason for my failure. I was too late.'

Lia took a look around her and thought of what Cain said heavily, knowing that this was probably weighing deeply on him, she wanted to reassure him.

However, unbeknownst to Lia, Cain wasn't sorry at all. In fact, he simply saw this attack as something he could have prevented, and therefore, something he should focus on fixing.

A mistake to him was a mistake. Something that needed to be fixed. He paid no mind to what that mistake caused.

Secretly he thought to himself, blocking off his mind from Lia's temporarily.

'Someone else is involved. And I bet I know who it is. This ought to prove difficult for Lia, but I can't step in like last time.'

Midway into his suspicions, Lia's voice echoed in his head, instantly snapping him out of his own thoughts when he heard what she said.

'So, does this mean one of those three 'I owe you one's' are gone?'

Lia smiled to herself, knowing that Cain really did want to engage in that battle back at the square, but said nothing.

Instantly, she could feel Cain's emotions and expression changing into that of a frown.

He sighed, holding his head in one of his hands.

'Fine. You caught me there. But next time I would be so merciful. You would have died then if you didn't receive my help, so I was only helping you this time, though I'll count it.'

'Didn't you say that these 'moments' would only be taken up when you wanted them to, in order to keep me from making a mistake?'

'That-'

'The words you used were, if I remember correctly, "It's like watching a game and you watch as your player does something stupid wishing you could go down there, and do it the right way." Something along those lines?'

'...'

Cain said nothing as he was left in a moment of shock.

She really was abnormal.

'Fine…you win. Though don't blame me when you end up needing my help and I won't take it.'

'Alright, alright.'

Lia still said nothing, knowing that she could just summon Cain to help, as it was written in the contract.

She had caught him in his own web.

She smiled sinisterly to herself, as she rounded the last corner, believing this to be the place where the screech from before came from.

And she was right.

Mounted on top of a tavern, the very same tavern she and her party had visited on their first day here, at the edge of the roof, hunched over a beast with feathers and a long, and deadly beak.

Seeing Lia, the lone person in the empty streets, the beast turned to her, ruffling its feathers.

"Graw!"

It roared that birdlike roar, as Lia raised her hands to cover her ears.

From the roof, it spread its wings wide, and jumped, gliding swiftly towards Lia at unimaginable speeds.

"Sh*t!"

Lia called out as she scrambled to draw her blade back out from its scabbard, the giant bird-like monster closed the distance between them at unimaginable speeds.

***

Rian and Lukali sped down the streets, dogging between careless civilians driving carts, horses, or simply trying to herd their families away from all the chaos.

Several times they had to stop just to help a civilian stand back up after they had caught the ugly side of the crowd. Only to then run off and do it all again.

To the both of them, who were running angst he motion of the crowd, they came close to being trapped alive by the feeling people.

Screams of terror, pain, and the cries of children rang out in the streets, blurring into one agonizing sound of chaos.

Lukali had to cover his ears several times in order to keep himself going, for fear the constant screams would leave his head feeling fuzzy, sending him back to the times when he was just a crying child underneath an empty cart, staring at his mother's dead body.

To Rian however, the sounds contributed to a different pain filled memory. One where he led several of his friends and brothers into narrow tunnels, darkness surrounding them. Screams were heard that day in the dark, no matter what he did, he couldn't find where they came from. An empty scream with no voice. When he came back out, he was alone.

They both pushed their painful memories out of their minds, hoping the severity of the situation would cull those thoughts.

"I don't see him!"

Lukali called out over the sounds of chaos surrounding them, his voice only audible by the echoing sound.

Rian, who was separated from him by a mass of people rushing past, called back.

"I don't either. He can't be that hard to miss!"

"What happens if we don't find him?!"

Rian looked around, watching men, women, and children rush past. Some were laying against the walls of buildings, scars of blood running down their bodies.

Others didn't move at all, and it took everything Rian had to just look at their disfigured bodies.

"We follow the crowd!"

He called back.

"But we just came from there!"

"Not back to the square. Follow where they are coming from!"

Lukali looked past the sea of people to find that a large majority of the crowd was coming from one particular direction around a corner.

Turning back it Rian, he nodded and called out.

"What about Lia?! I haven't seen her since this morning!"

Rian too was worried for Lia, but knowing that she had a monster in her shadow, he didn't need to fret over useless worries. She would be fine.

"I haven't either, but she will be fine! We need to focus on the here and now!"

"Right!"

"Follow me! I'll lead the way!"

Rian began shoving people and carts aside, his large figure and strength contributing heavily to the fact that many of the civilians avoided his large stature.

"Right behind you!"

Lukali followed close behind.

***

'Lia dodge!'

Cain cried out from her head, interrupting her struggle to draw her sword.

She didn't even think and jumped to the side, barrel rolling across the hard ground as the space behind her exploded. The monster touched down on the hard stone ground, breaking the street into pieces.

"Graw!!"

The turned its head to face Lia, baring its sharp and deadly beak while keeping its own wings spread wide covering several meters in length, blocking the front side of buildings and casted a shadow across the remaining street.

Lia stayed close to the ground in case she would have to move quickly again, her hand on her sword ready.

'What should I do Cain?!'

'Calm yourself. Right now you're in a situation where I can't help you.'

'What?!'

Lia was left flabbergasted that Cain was joking at this moment, considering she was almost turned into a bloody pulp a few seconds ago.

'I'm not joking. Right now I can't step out, or else when this is all over, if you do survive this creature, you'll be dealing with even more trouble.'

Lia caught the meaning in his words. Narrowing her eyes, she tore her glance from the monster in front of her, passing over the empty streets and alleyways. Over the dead bodies that dotted the area, as well as the crumbling rubble of former buildings.

'I'm being watched aren't I?'

'Correct.'

Cain answered without hesitation, malice edging his words.

'Kara - the town speaker is watching all this. So be careful what you do here, increase she decides to use it against you.'

Lia frowned, her anger not bothering to hide itself.

'Why would she use anything here against me? I'm trying to save her city!'

'What makes you think she didn't plan for that?'

Instantly, once Cain's words registered in her mind, her eyes widened in hatred.

"She did this!"

'Correct. She and her accomplices. Now, focus!'

The creature reared it ugly head, and leapt towards Lia, snapping its deadly beak in her direction.

Lia jumped to the side, barrel rolling again. Only this time, it seemed the monster was prepared for this, as it slammed its wings back down against the ground, sending dust and rubble flying everywhere from the force of the wind caused by the wings.

Lia narrowly dodged the attack by running under the beast's body, around its right leg, and rushed off down the street using the dust cloud created by the monster to cover her escape.

However, the monster wasn't done with her yet.

Raising its body from the ground, the monster swiped its right wing across the air horizontally, sending the dust cloud barreling down the streets, revealing Lia trying to escape in the midst of it all.

Using its left wing, continuing the motion of its body from before, the beast sent a second gust of heavy wind towards her, which slammed against her body and sent her flying.

Her body smashed against the rubble of a building, causing the air to leave her lungs, and dust to cover her eyes, burning them.

"Gah…!"

Coughing out the dust that had stuck to her throat, Lia struggled to get back up, spewing blood from her mouth.

"I think I bit my tongue…"

She said whimpering, holding her jaw up so that the blood would stop spilling from her mouth.

'You smash into a building, filled with sharp rocks and wood, and you're coddling over having bit your tongue?'

Cain asked, as if he was really questioning why she was so worried.

"Cause it hurts!"

Lia gave him that answer though her blood filled mouth, barley coming out to be a gurgle of blood.

'Yeah, and so did my brain when I tried to understand what the hell you just said.'

Lia groaned in frustration, wiggling her legs from the pain as she didn't want to move her head.

'Lia, look out!'

Lia gasped as the appearance of the bird-like beast threw itself from the raging dust cloud in her direction, its jaws wide open waiting to cut her to bits.

Instantly she activated [Drifting Winds] and sped off underneath the large feathered body of the creature, ducking her head to avoid the bottom of the creature's large beak.

The space behind her exploded into pieces, rubble flying everywhere, crashing against the street and buildings.

Lia ran down the empty street, hoping that with a narrow pathway like this, she would be able to see the creature coming at her from afar before it ever reached her.

But just as she cleared the distance between her and the monster, just enough that she was able to feel comfortable, the beast raised its head from the rubble, two large and solid back eyes watching her run away.

Widening its beak to an almost impossible angle to where the two sides were almost in a straight line, its tongue flailing out in the open air, a large and ear piercing screech came from the depths of the monster's lungs.

"Craaaoooowwwww!"

A sonic pulse wave shot off from the monster's beak, encompassing the entire area, including Lia.

Instantly, Lia's speed stopped abruptly, her legs freezing in space along with the rest of her body. She couldn't move, couldn't speak, and couldn't do anything.

'Paralysis?!'

She struggled to move, to fight against the beast power, her own challenging it in a frontal assault.

Her body grew warm, and with it, thought incredibly slowly, she could feel herself gaining back the ability to move, wiggling her fingers only slightly.

'Come on! Come on!'

She urged her mana and magic to work faster, to fight harder against the monster's power, and quickly.

But as she regained control of her right arm, the feeling and sensation of blood flowing back to her legs, her eyes landed on the tavern's cracked and destroyed windows.

There, she saw herself, smiling.

While the darkness of the monster's mouth filled the background.