The General And The Serpent

A golden helmet crumbles under the weight of a warhammer. The swing then blows through the dead soldier and slams into three more sets of armor, warping the shiny metal into the bodies under them, shattering bone and crushing organs. A sharp clang sounds and Ingen spins to see a Utherian soldier staring up at him with wide eyes. The man barely stands as tall as Ingen's waist.

The soldier jolts and stabs up at Ingen's stomach as if on instinct. Another clang and the sword bounces off the black diamond, leaving behind not even a scratch. Ingen looks from his chest to the soldier, then hums, "Isn't your kind supposed to be intelligent?"

The soldiers only response is a weary step back, his terrified expression plain under his helmet. Ingen raises his warhammer and brings it down with a grunt, the attack striking directly on top of the soldier's helmet. The Utherian man falls like a dropped tunic, blood pooling around his mangled body.

After finishing off the few left in the Utherian unit, Ingen looks over at the rest. He stands on one of three enemy Utherian ships that were probably moving to join the rest that invaded Raj. Ingen had only just awoken and was heading up to the upper deck when Yoru and Alyra met him on the stairs to warn him.

They had both tried to convince Ingen that they should all stay below deck to avoid a fight with so many soldiers, especially since Kyro wouldn't be helping. He didn't blame them for their ignorance and only told them that there would be a fight either way. The Utherians would undoubtedly check a stranded boat in the branches, especially if it was one of their own.

Though there was another reason for his willingness to battle. Ingen has had few chances to test his new Vas magic, and he saw this as a perfect opportunity. And so, while Alyra went down to wake Cage, Ingen headed up to intercept the threat.

The ship Ingen stands on now floats beside their stolen one, another floats before their ship—blocking them from escaping—and the final one stalls on the opposite side. There, Ingen can see Utherian soldiers falling one by one under the pressure of a pale figure. Cage hadn't even spoken to Ingen before rushing the soldiers that planned to board their ship.

Ingen has noticed that Cage—who is nearly naked save for blood-stained pants—fights desperately as if the soldiers will slip away from like shifty rodents. Ingen wonders if that ferocity will help him against the Anima user that is undoubtedly on deck.

And as if the universe is responding to his thoughts, the fighting suddenly halts and the Utherian soldiers left over surround Cage. Ingen can't see them past the line of golden armor, but he can sense two presences that have come from the lower deck.

Even if he didn't believe that Cage can handle himself, Ingen suddenly has his own problems to deal with.

Ingen turns and notices a Vas source below the deck of the ship he stands on, heading up to him. Looking through the deck where the stairs leading up are, Ingen sees the figure of a person outlined by white mist, ascending the stairs with no sign of being in a rush. Ingen furrows his brows, if this is the Anima user for this ship, then why are they just now revealing themselves? Do they not care for the casualties of their fellow Utherians?

Narrowing his eyes, Ingen notices the curves of the person's body.

It's a woman—

Wooden splinters spray from below and bounce off Ingen's diamond armor. His eyes snap down just in time to see a phantasmic blade slam into his armor and send him tumbling.

---

Cage steps to the side to avoid a falling blade. The tip of the soldier's sword chips the deck wood, and before he can raise it again, Cage digs his fingers into the man's throat and rips his larynx out. Blood sprays on Cage's face. Black tendrils take the soldier from this world before he hits the deck.

Another set of golden armor charges behind his fallen comrade, eyes wide with a mix of determination and fear under his helmet. Cage summons one of the spears from his first kill in his black hand, and the arm flashes forward. He rams the weapon through the Utherian's skull, ignoring the pain of another soldier's blade biting into his shoulder as he absorbs the one he just killed.

Cage slits the throat of the soldier that cut him with the tip of the spear, absorbs him, then halts. He looks down with a grimace to see a spearhead sticking out of his stomach. He half turns with a scowl, meeting the eyes of a surprised soldier holding the spear. Cage's black hand morphs into a blade and slices the spear in half.

With part of the spear still skewering him, Cage ducks under another blade, dashes around the soldier standing frozen with a broken stick in his hand, grabs his chin and the back of his head, and yanks the Utherian's head to the side until he hears the crackle of bone.

This soldier disappears too, and so does the spear stabbing through Cage's abdomen. In the next few moments, he lets adrenaline and hunger drive him. Throats are sliced, hearts are punctured, and skulls are shattered as Cage fights savagely through the soldiers. Through the bloodthirsty fog in his mind, he barely notices the cuts and stabs that he earns in the process.

There is a voice in the back of Cage's mind telling to be more careful, warning him that his healing may not last forever. He would listen to the voice if it wasn't for the hunger. As the battle goes on, he feels a bit more satiated, but it's not enough. Each soldier absorbed a crumb of bread to a buffet for a hundred people.

Cage clenches his jaw as he jams his blade-shaped black hand into the throat of a soldier, raising the gurgling man into the air. The soldier is taken by those tendrils, along with his shield and blade. The black arm disappears, and Cage looks around. Puddles of dark blood and, stray pieces of entrails cover the deck, and bloodied weapons surround him. Farther out, the rest of the Utherian soldiers circle him with raised weapons and shields.

Silence falls for a moment, that is until Cage hears the click of shoes against the wood. Near the back of the ship, where the door leading to the lower deck is, the line of soldiers divides.

Two men step through the line. The one leading frowns down at the lack of bodies to join the rest of the mess staining the wood, then frowns at Cage. He has the natural long white hair of a Utherian, which is tied into a neat bun behind his head. He wears a slim white military uniform lined with gold embroidery and buttons, and a short cloak of a similar design that hangs from his shoulders to his elbows.

"Hmm," The man says. He studies Cage with golden eyes. His pale, sculpted face flashes with something resembling surprise. However, his frown returns a moment later.

"Huli... No Vas," The other man mutters, staring daggers at Cage with gold eyes like this Huli persons, only this one's are smaller with slight bags under them. He also wears a white military uniform, but it lacks the shining gold fabric. To add to the differences between the two men, this other has a lanky, slumping frame, and his thick, wild white hair falls past his butt.

"Not even a speck of Anima either. Interesting," Huli replies.

Suddenly, a loud clang sounds from the side. Cage snaps his vision to the side to see Ingen crash and roll back to his feet on their stolen ship. A light flashes from the enemy ship on the other side and a figure falls and lands softly a few paces before Ingen.

It's a woman with tanned skin and silky white hair. She wears white the same as the two men before Cage, but the design is simpler and the pants flesh out farther down her legs. It's clear that she isn't Utherian, but that detail is overshadowed by the ridiculously long blade in her hands, formed by bright green energy that whisps off the weapon like smoke. An Anima user. A Conjurer.

"Nemari. That is a Rajin man, is it not?" Huli asks, staring over at Ingen with that constant frown on his lips, "You've seen them. You should know."

"Yes," Nemari responds, a grin slowly growing on his face, "Ingen. He's a Vas man now, like me."

"You know Ingen?" Cage asks with furrowed brows. He wipes blood from his cheek and glances around at the surrounding soldiers.

Nemari meets his gaze, chuckling quietly, fingers twitching at his sides, "We've met."

"Nemari fought in a battle with the Rajin once. That day was a loss, of course, but he managed to escape," Huli says, eyes lingering on Ingen before they slide over to Cage. The Utherian hums, looking the blood-covered, black-eyed man over, "With the stolen ship and the fact that you are traveling with a Rajin in this part of the branch, I'm inclined to believe that you escaped the clutches of a Splinter. How?"

"Figure it out yourself," Cage says flatly, "You look smart enough."

"Perhaps," Huli says, ignoring the crashes and clangs of a battle between a Vas and Anima user nearby, "It was merely a question."

"Can't say I'm in the mood for those," Cage replies, solid blackness slithering from his shoulder and pulsing as it forms the arm, "We all know where this is going. Someone has to die before this is over."

Huli glances at the black arm, brows raised, "Is that so? And here I was thinking that we can end the bloodshed," He says, scanning the bodies surrounding Cage, "I saw you in action, and I must say... I'm interested," He meets those black eyes, "Two men and two women aboard your stolen ship, and the most powerful one is injured. Continue traveling with a vulnerable party such as this, and you will die sooner or later. However, come with me, satiate my curiosity, and all is well. What do you say?"

Cage pauses, face blank as a slate. He glances over at Ingen, who trades blows with the tanned woman and her summoned sword. He's holding his own for now, but there's no telling what kind of tricks the woman has up her sleeve, "No," Cage says, looking at Huli.

"I see," Huli replies, seeming genuinely disappointed. Clasping his hands behind his back, he nods toward the third ship blocking the path of the Cage's ship, "Nemari, inform the third unit that they are cleared to continue on their path. We will join them momentarily," he says.

Nemari nods, "Need me to return and help you?" he asks, looking at the back of Huli's head.

"Hardly," Huli says, sounding almost offended, "Assist Shari. I'm sure Ingen will be delighted to meet you again."

Nemari grins, "Thank you, General Huli," he says. Cage winces and shields his eyes as a blinding light flashes from the man. He looks a moment later to see Nemari rocket upward, his forearms dissolved into bright, solid light. Cage watches with parted lips as the man flies overhead toward the third Utherian ship, the light propelling him forward shifting from vibrant green to deep blue, then bright crimson.

"Beautiful, isn't it? Not to mention powerful," Huli's eyes linger on Nemari before he meets Cage's eyes, "Meanwhile..." The General raises an open palm, and crimson specks of glowing energy float up from his hand like snow falling in reverse.

Finally, it gathers into a massive shape behind him, flashing and transforming into a three-headed serpent. With all three heads raised and staring at Cage, the summoned creature stands nearly as tall as the Spider-Eyed Wolf. Its backside is covered in sharp, slanted plates similar to Skoan armor, which extends out of sight as part of the serpent's body splits the line of soldiers and hangs off the side of the ship.

Huli looks up at the serpent, a slight smile on his face, "Undoubtedly powerful. But beautiful...? Perhaps to the deranged," he says. He then scans the soldiers surrounding them, "You've done well to protect your ship, but I will take over now. Get to the lower deck and rest."

The soldiers begin moving without a word, the only sounds being their boots stamping the deck and the furious clashes of Ingen and Shari's battle. Most have a straight path to the door leading to the lower deck, but some are forced to walk around the three-headed serpent. As the final few soldiers make their way past, a black shape suddenly flashes across the deck and yanks a soldier back with a yelp.

Cage holds the soldier up in the air, his black hand stretching over the struggling Utherian's head. A scream is muffled and the soldier kicks frantically as the darkness compresses, "General, huh? You must not be that important if this is all you command," Cage taunts while gesturing to the ship on the other side and the third that's gone under the others and appeared on the other side. His eyes are glued to Huli as the now unmoving soldier disappears from reality.

Huli sighs, "Exactly what I've been thinking. I've no idea why they wanted me to leave most of my forces when Mammoria is already on its last leg," he says, shrugging, "Ah, but who am I to try and understand my superiors ways? At least I will be one of the first to dive deeper into this branch."

Cage curses in his mind. It seems the situation with Krash's home is worse than they all thought. He and Ingen will need to finish this quickly if they are to help Mammoria. Cage takes a deep breath, summoning one of the spears into his real hand, "I suppose I can give in to your curiosity a bit. I can't promise that you'll like it though," he says.

Hilu reveals a polite smile, as if he's exchanging pleasantries in a political meeting, "I believe I will. Learning new things is always a delight," he says, putting a hand out to the side and snapping his fingers, "The lesson begins."

With those words, the three-headed serpent makes its move. Cage soon learns that the Spider-Eyed Wolf and Polk are not the only summoned creature with strange abilities. But all the same, he is not the same man he was when fighting those two.