GoAbsolutelyCrazy

Sundari peered out the window, her green eyes leering through the window as she glanced at Zoological City in some admiration. This view of the city of animals was perfect from the balcony of the Harvestar Mansion. Several birds flew across the evening skies. Nightjars and owls along with bats flapped their wings as they soared across the skies. “Maybe Savannah needs to get something off her chest tonight. I’m gonna help her out,” she said to herself as she walked out of the room. Lon then burst into the room. “Hey Sundari!” He said. Sundari leapt back. “Whoa! Whoa! It’s alright! It’s just me!” Lon said. Sundari glared at him. “Lon! What is wrong with you moron?!” She cried out.“Sorry, was just trying to talk with you,” he said. Sundari snarled. “Do that again and you’ll be getting one up your nose,” she hissed. Lon turned. “I’ll keep that in mind. Anyway, Murasaki and I will be heading on a little search mission for them Dogmen. Maybe make sure they don’t attack again. Possibly go into the city to play some arcade games as well,” he said in a cool tone. Sundari rolled her eyes, but chuckled to herself. “Got a little crush on the jaguar girl I take it?” Sundari laughed. Lon turned. “Sort of,” He said bluntly. “Nice!” Sundari laughed, giving a friendly punch. “I’m gonna hang out with Savannah for something.”Lon nodded. “Let me know how it turns out,” he said before walking off with Murasaki in front of him. Lon then shifted into his wolf form while Murasaki transformed into her jaguar form and ran straight out the Harvestar Mansion door. Sundari sighed. “That idiot. Reckless but loyal and Brave,” she said to herself. Sundari then padded out of the room. She moved over to a purple door with dark violet and black butterflies or moth decals stuck on it. “Savannah’s room has quite a nice door,” Sundari said to herself as she started to transform into her tiger form. But then, Sundari stopped part way. She now seemed to look like an anthro humanoid tiger that she had seen in some comic books or manga at the library, only with her trademark violet fur and her black hair. Sundari then looked at herself in the mirror next to Savannah’s room. “Yeah, now I see why this look doesn’t work in real life,” she said before shapeshifting back into her human form.Sundari then knocked on the door.Savannah opened it. “Oh hey Sundari,” the vampire said nonchalantly, now wearing a light bubblegum pink or purple pizazz long sleeve button down shirt with a black and purple plaid vest along with a skirt that was the same color and black ankle high low heel boots. Sundari nodded. “Evening,” she replied. “Do you know where these folks you lived with, well, live?” Savannah nodded at Sundari’s question. “In a town just on the outskirts of that smelly swamp,” Savannah said, disgust present in her voice. Sundari rolled her eyes. “And I’m gonna get you to a store as well Sundari! I am not letting you just waltz around my hometown completely barefoot!” Savannah said, dragging Sundari.“Savannah,” a voice said. Savannah turned and saw Melissa standing there. “Melissa, how’s everything?” Savannah said nervously. Melissa sighed. “Savannah, I was going to tell you to just be careful and keep your guard up. Radan is still out there and you want to also try and make amends with those you feel you have wronged. However, you have to let yourself become open to them in the process if you want them to hear you out,” she said. Savannah turned and walked off. Melissa turned to Sundari. “Try and be there for her, and not just in the literal sense,” Melissa said. “She’s had some hard times there.” Sundari nodded in agreement. “I’ll keep this in mind,” she replied before racing off after Savannah.Lon’s eyes peered through the night as he rushed through the forest in his wolf form with Murasaki beside him. The Werejaguar looked around with Lon. Lon sniffed the air. “Dog breath,” Lon said. Murasaki nodded as she observed a pair of strange footprints on the ground. The way they were positioned were a dead giveaway to an animal that was walking in a bipedal fashion. A herd of Chital deer suddenly stampeded through the undergrowth.Chital deer are active in the day, evening and night, as these are the times of day when it’s coolest for them or when predators are least likely to try and attack them.Lon and Murasaki rushed over to the side as the deer herd leapt over them and ducked through the undergrowth, their white tails raised in alarm! “C’mon! Move it! We’re stampeding here!” Several of the deer cried out as they ran off into the forest! Right behind them was a Bengal tiger!Murasaki looked on as she and Lon continued down the trail. The scent of Dogmen wafting in the breeze was starting to be come overwhelming. “It smells like a bear’s butt fell off, and then got sprayed on by a bunch of skunks,” Lon said. But Murasaki stopped dead in her tracks. Lon approached her. “What are you looking….” The werewolf asked.But then, he glanced down and immediately realized who was there.“At?”Ichiko and Smoke were prowling about the forest. The sound of bones snapping as Smoke gnawed on a carcass hung through the air too. Lon and Murasaki hid behind some bushes, just barely avoiding being caught by Ichiko’s wandering eye. “Now what?” Lon asked.Sundari watched outside through the train window while Savannah tapped her seat. Sundari now had a black vest with purple tiger stripes over a purple button down shirt with a ribbon tied around the neck area of the shirt along with a black and purple plaid skirt extending down to her knees and black boots with violet toes and ribbons at the tips. Sundari pulled slightly around the heel of the boot. “Can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” she grumbled to herself. Savannah turned. “Wanted you to look presentable,” she said. Sundari rolled her eyes in mild annoyance. What exactly was your hometown like Miss Blakiston?” She then asked as she glanced at the vampire. Savannah turned to her. “Well, it was a pretty big town, though not as big as Animal Junction. The lights of the town were also able to be seen from the skies and even the forests,” she replied. “Only people live in Firelight Village.”“Firelight Village, this is Firelight Village!” The conductor announced through the speakers. The train pulled into a station with stained glass windows. Surrounding the station was a town that had several massive buildings and even a few apartment buildings as well piercing the nighttime skies, illuminating the atmosphere as they stood outside the train. “Quite the sight,” Sundari said, but Savannah was already starting to walk off as well. “Let’s see if we can find your group,” Sundari said, bolting off after her.The two girls soon found themselves near the edge of a canal. Ducks were seen floating on the water’s surface seemingly blissfully unaware of their surroundings. The waterfowl paddled through the water on webbed feet. But then, Sundari’s eyes detected movement in the bushes. A shadow bolted out. A small grey cat with black spots. A fishing cat.Fishing cats like to live wherever there is water, and sometimes, if they can find any there, the cats can enter into fairly urbanized areas in order to hunt for prey. Their nocturnal behavior and small size allows them to stay out of sight of people traveling on the streets at night.Sundari watched as the fishing cat skulked around the reeds, peering at the ducks menacingly through its green eyes. The cat then disappeared amongst the reeds too. Savannah watched on before she and Sundari continued on. The vampire girl’s eyes wandered around a bit before she turned her head. Savannah’s eyes widened in shock and horror. “Sundari, I’ll meet you that castle over there!” She said, pointing to a massive gothic style castle before shifting into her bat form and flying off. Sundari turned and burst off! What was going on with her?! The Weretiger turned her head and saw something in the corner of her eye. Sundari’s heart skipped a beat when she saw it and she ducked into an alleyway! “This way!” A loud voice shouted on! The sound of claws scratching on the ground could be heard as Radan led a small group of Dogmen through the streets! The giant Nosferatu was in mouse form and he sniffed the air, trying to follow their scent.Sundari lowered her head. Savannah must’ve caught these guys earlier with her excellent hearing. One of the Dogmen suddenly turned to where she was hiding. Its nose seemed to be twitching somewhat as it pointed it into the air, picking up any faint odors that could be lingering nearby. The dogman continued to approach where Sundari was lying, with the Weretiger starting to unsheathe her claws, readying to spring out. A low growl was emitted from the dogman, and another one came from Sundari, a very clear and audible threat.Many carnivores will emit growling noises when they feel intimidated or are threatening an adversary.Savannah continued flying, her wings flapping even harder until she crashed right into an abandoned church cathedral building! Savannah shifted into her human form as she flew into the massive cathedral! She landed on top of a massive wooden beam overhanging the altar of the old church. Savannah sighed in relief.“Thank goodness that’s over,” she said to herself. A crack was heard underneath her. Savannah looked down below her and gulped when she saw several beams, some of which were broken, below her before the floor was seen! “Uh oh…..” Savannah said meekly. Her eyes widened in horror as the fragile beams started to break under her weight. Then, a sickening snapping sound was heard and Savannah fell through the beams! She hit several beams before getting briefly stuck on one of the low hanging beams by the strap of her dress before that too broke! Savannah fell and crashed onto the church altar!“Ow!”The beam then slammed onto her head!“Ow!”Savannah rubbed her head as she got to her feet, brushing off herself of sawdust from the wooden beams. She looked around the cathedral. Massive glass tinted windows surrounded her, and many cushioned seats were seen as she looked around. Savannah then noticed something else. She winced as she backed away from a strange pendant lying on the ground.A silver cross. Savannah hated those things. Silver not only hurt for her to look at, but if banged against something else that was silver, or any other metal, it would produce a sound that was at a frequency so unpleasant to hear, she felt that she would tear her ears off! Werewolves also had a similar aversion to silver, something she noted when she had been with Lon. One of the few things they shared in common.Savannah sat on a seat a good distance away from the silver pendant. But then, as she looked around, a shadow approached.“Surprised to find you here of all places Savannah,” a friendly voice said. Savannah turned to find a young man about her age with dark skin, black hair and dark brown eyes. “Trey,” she said.Sundari prepared to lunge out as the dogman inched ever closer. But then, the dogman raised its head in alarm! “Get over here you mangy mutt!” Radan snarled as he shifted into human form. Sundari was surprised. “Looks like he gave himself something to treat male pattern baldness,” she muttered to herself. The dogman approached Radan. “What is it now you dirty rat?!” The dogman barked irritably. Sundari could tell by the tone of the voice of the dogman that it was not a male as she initially thought, but a female. Radan snarled at the dogman angrily. “Don’t raise your tone of voice to me you hairy ape!” He retorted. The dogman snarled, lowering her head and snarling, ears pinned back as she did while she barked her teeth, lips curled back to bring the teeth out to bare! Radan simply glared at her! “Keep on searching for that Weretiger as well as that treacherous vampire!” He snapped! The female dogman barked at him before walking off! The other Dogmen joined her, padding off as their claws scratched the ground as they did. Sundari waited until they had finally disappeared into the city. The Weretiger then spotted the church in the distance where Savannah had flown off towards. “I better find her,” Sundari finally thought to herself as she ran off, still in tiger form, straight towards the cathedral building. “I have to get to her before Radan and those Dogmen do!”Trey and Savannah looked at each other as they walked over to the basement of the cathedral. “Hey, look who came!” He called out. Another boy, one with lighter skin and equally dark hair along with blue eyes and a girl with shoulder length strawberry blonde hair and grey eyes looked at Savannah. “Well, nice to see you again Savannah,” the boy said. Savannah nodded. “Same with you Nathaniel,” she said, looking away slightly. However, the other girl looked on at Savannah. “Savannah? How come you’re here?” The girl asked.Savannah turned to her. “Kimberly….” The vampire started to say, some remorse in her voice. Kimberly turned to her. “I’m more intrigued about where you were after the night of that incident. What exactly happened?” The young girl asked with interest and sympathy present in her voice. Savannah sighed. “My secret got found out,” she started to explain. Kimberly nodded. “Yeah, but I just wish for you to explain. I just want to know what’s going on,” she said sympathetically. Savannah nodded. “That day, I was actually hanging out with you and then, you got knocked out after you hit your head when you fell off,” she continued. Kimberly nodded. Trey turned to the second boy. “Hearing this Nathaniel?” He asked. Nathaniel nodded. Savannah went on, guilt present in her voice as she spoke. “I went to try and check for a cut, but then, something took over when I saw the cut and the blood…..”Kimberly’s eyes widened. This was the first time she was hearing this in full detail, and this was still coming as a shock to her, especially considering that this was her friend saying this. The next words Savannah said would hit her like a ton of bricks.“I tasted your blood and…..I liked it,” Savannah said, placing her hand on her forehead.Kimberly backed up. Nathaniel nearly felt his jaw drop. “What?!” Savannah turned. “Some people also saw me. Your dad was among them Kimberly,” she said, her head lowering in shame. “He actually grabbed me, thinking I would’ve killed him, and…..”Tears started to well up in her eyes as she finally made the heart wrenching confession.“What happened Savannah?” Kimberly asked, starting to grow concerned and her voice getting somewhat tense. Savannah finally sighed.“I bit him. I bit him and flew off.”Sundari raced through the streets, following the Dog men’s trail as well as Radan before she found the church. Savannah must be in there, she thought to herself. Sundari quickly yanked open the door. As she shifted back into her human form, she saw Savannah standing in front of a shocked and horrified Kimberly.Sundari’s heart sank. Savannah had confessed to them and she wasn’t around to help the vampire. “You bit him?” Kimberly asked in shock. Nathaniel got in front of her. “It was an accident Kim,” he reassured her. Maybe she could still help now, Sundari thought to herself. She quickly leapt in front of Savannah!“Sundari?” Savannah asked, wiping her eyes. Kimberly turned. “Who’s this?” Nathaniel and Kimberly asked. Sundari turned. “Akiho Sundari. I’m Akiho Sundari,” she said. The Weretiger looked at Savannah and nodded. “I’m here for you Savannah,” she said. Kimberly then approached Savannah. “You’re a vampire aren’t you?” She asked.“Of course she is!” A familiar voice said gruffly! Sundari turned her head and found Radan standing there! “Sundari and Ms. Blakiston! What a pleasant surprise to see you two here,” he said with coy politeness. “Don’t patronize us! We know you’re working for that serial killer Koyote!” Sundari said. A dogman rushed out at her and pinned her to the ground, along with eight other members of the pack!The humans turned to Savannah as Radan approached her. Kimberly turned to Nathaniel. “Hand me a rod,” she said. Nathaniel nodded as he passed a large metal bar! Kimberly lunged, but Radan smacked it out of her hand! “Uh oh,” Kimberly said. Radan morphed into his mouse form and swiped her with his tail! The force of the impact sent Kimberly flying into a wall! Savannah turned to Kimberly!“Kim!” She cried out as she raced for her! But Radan blocked her! “You remember what I mentioned about humans finding out about us?” He said, a menacing tone as well as a bit of sly mocking in his voice too. Savannah glared. “But they’re not my enemies,” Savannah said. Radan turned. “Oh, is that what they think after I had the girl’s father find out?” He whispered into her ear. Nathaniel approached. “What exactly are you telling her rodent?” He asked with suspicion in his voice.Radan’s ears pricked up. “Ah, so you haven’t told them your secret. You hadn’t told them that you were a vampire I see,” he said mockingly. Nathaniel clenched his fists. But then, he heard something else going on. The sounds of crashing and banging going around! Savannah turned as well. “Radan, you might want to be ready to fight now,” she taunted in a singsong manner. Radan turned around and saw several Dogmen flying! Sundari burst out! “You really think Savannah’s gonna let the words of some mouse brain like you destroy her?! Well think again!” She said. The female dogman bared her teeth! “I’m gonna enjoy this you midget!” She said as she rushed out at Sundari! Sundari leapt away as the dogman slashed at her and punched at her! Sundari delivered several powerful kicks to the dogman’s chest, but the massive beast grabbed her by the leg and threw her into the wall! Sundari crashed through and hit a bookcase! The dogman rushed out, but Sundari landed another punch too and leapt away briskly!Sundari turned to Savannah. “I’ll deal with this one!” She said. Kimberly turned to Savannah. “Something tells me that rodent is hiding something about what’s going on more than he’s letting on.” Savannah nodded. “He is,” she replied. “How did you know about my friend’s parents?!” Radan snarled. Savannah’s eyes widened at his lack of response! “You set my exile up!” Radan turned to the other Dogmen. “Kill them all!” The Dogmen lunged at the vampire and humans! Savannah threw a few away, with Kimberly blowing a dog whistle at them, stunning them briefly before they were hit by a metal pole! Nathaniel turned to the corner. “Alright, attack!” He said. Several hyenas and lions lunged out from the shadows along with a colony of bats and rats! The Dogmen fought viciously, clawing at the hyenas, but the lions ferociously clawed back! The hyenas bit at the Dogmen as both sides ferociously tore at each other! Savannah turned to Radan, who was starting to slink off! However, lightning flashed, illuminating his body! Savannah raced after him! A bat approached Savannah. “Find Harvestar Mansion and get help!” Savannah said. The bat nodded and flew off!Some species of bats can fly as fast as 60-100 mph, making them the fastest flying animal in level flight, though some birds of prey, such as red tailed hawks, golden eagles and especially gyrfalcons and particularly peregrine falcons can reach higher speeds with their dives.Sundari leapt away and rushed into a room, slamming the door shut! Sundari grit her teeth as the dogman banged on the door! She was shocked by the amount of strength that this dogman had, and this was proving to be a tough opponent as well! As Sundari then got in front of the door, she saw the dogman burst in! Sundari punched her adversary square in the nose! The dogman stumbled back as Sundari ran out! The dogman shook off the pain and ran after her, both dodging Dogmen and the animals fighting each other! “Where’s Savannah?” Sundari asked. “In the main room,” Kimberly said as a Dogman lunged out, only for a lion to leap out and repel the strike! Sundari rushed up to the main room! She rubbed her foot. The dogman would be coming up soon! Sundari quickly ran over to the cathedral room. She finally grabbed at the boots. “These have got to go!” Sundari said, finally pulling the boots off and throwing them to the ground! The dogman then came up to where she was! Sundari leapt off a chair and delivered a powerful kick to the dogman’s chest! The dogman flew back before she got up! Sundari delivered a powerful strike to her opponent again before finally pinning the dogman down with her bare foot! “You’re a strong one little tiger girl!” The dogman snarled. “As are you,” Sundari said. “What’s the meaning of this? Why are you and the Nosferatu after us?!” The dogman chuckled. “I’ll take it to my grave!” She said. “And you’ll come with me!” Sundari gasped as the dogman grabbed her ankle and threw her into a room and tackled her! Sundari threw the dogman off and finally shifted into her tiger form! But then. Sundari turned and spotted Radan and Savannah nearby. Lon and Murasaki started to approach as well as they looked on at Smoke and Ichiko’s last known position. Lon finally leapt out of where he was hiding. “Alright Ichiko! Let’s go!” He shouted out. But there was nobody there. Lon looked around with Murasaki coming out, getting her sword out. “Where are they?” Lon asked. Murasaki looked around. But then, her violet eyes spotted something!Smoke lunged out! Murasaki leapt away and another dogman slashed at her! Murasaki slashed the dogman with the sword she was holding, but Smoke tackled Lon. Lon threw him off! “Okay, I’m starting to wonder what the heck is going on with you guys!” He said. Murasaki slashed at another Dogman, not noticing Ichiko coming up behind her with Smoke! Lon heard a loud punch and Murasaki collapsed to the ground unconscious! Ichiko approached her. “Ah, Murasaki. How serendipitous,” Ichiko chuckled to herself as Smoke joined her. Lon leapt away, trying to hold off all of the Dogmen before throwing some of them away, repelling strike after strike with his tough hide! However, Smoke howled into the air and the Dogmen ran off! Ichiko and Murasaki were both gone. “Uh oh,” Lon said. “This is not good.” He then saw the tracks on the ground and went after them! A margay looked on before rushing off through the trees.Margays are the most arboreal felines in the world, rivaled only by the Clouded leopards of the genus Neofelis. They almost never descend to the ground except when hunting terrestrial prey or if they need to travel on the ground.The bat flew over to the massive mansion and fell down onto the ground where the margay was seen. “You look awful. What happened?” The margay asked. The bat turned. “Battle at Firelight Village, involving the Blakiston girl and the Weretiger. Dogman and Nosferatu trying to kill then!” The bat squeaked. Mina rushed out with Melissa. “And Murasaki has been spirited away by Ichiko and Smoke and the guy with her went after them!” The margay said. Benedict turned. “Melissa, I’ll take the Dogmen. Mina, you and Nicolas will go for the church!” He announced. Melissa nodded. “I’ll go with you!” Nicolas grabbed Mina and flew off! “I’ve been there once. I can take you there too!”he said. Mina nodded. “I’ve got the battle axe!” She said. Nicolas rolled his eyes.Radan lashed out at Savannah while Sundari lunged at the Dogman! Savannah leapt up into the air and entered her bat form before landing on Radan and biting down! Radan quickly pulled her off, tearing her off as well as fur before throwing her to the ground! Savannah ended up shifting back into human form, but before she could do anything, Radan bit and clawed into her back! Savannah screamed out and Sundari immediately rushed out and tackled Radan!Radan crashed to the ground as Savannah started to struggle to her feet. The vampire girl struggled to fight off the pain inflicted by her injuries, but she rushed towards Radan! The dogman rushed out at her! However, Kimberly tackled the dogman! “Go now!” She said. Savannah nodded and grabbed Radan at full speed! Savannah bit down on his shoulder! Radan grabbed her and threw her to the ground! Sundari threw the dogman into Radan! Then, she ran over to Savannah. “How can we get you to fight him better?” She asked. Nathaniel approached. “I read something about vampires and they drink animal blood as a main form of sustenance, but they’re at their strongest when they drink human blood,” he explained. Kimberly approached. “If that’s the case, then I’m going to become the donor,” she said.Savannah turned to her. “You sure?” She asked. Radan was already starting to get up. “Get off me!” He screamed at the dogman. Sundari and the dogman then rushed at each other! Several other Dogmen lunged out at Sundari, who delivered several kicks to them before slashing at the Dogmen! Entering into her human form, she then delivered a series of spinning bird kicks to the charging Dogmen! Savannah nodded and approached Kimberly. “You’re gonna feel a pinch,” she said. Kimberly nodded bravely before closing her eyes. Kimberly then winced as she felt a prick on her neck, like a needle being put into her!Radan looked on in shock! “That was my target!” He snapped! But Savannah’s wounds seemed to heal already. Kimberly backed up. “You want help?” She asked. Savannah nodded. Radan and Savannah faced each other! Radan charged first but Savannah leapt away and took on her cat form! Now, she resembled a dark brown mountain lion that was the size of a jaguar and had the same musculature too, but had the fangs of a Sabertooth and the stripes of a tiger! She then leapt forward and lunged out at Radan! The Nosferatu and vampire snapped at each other, hissing and roaring at each other! They clawed at each other too, slashing out fur with their razor sharp claws! Nathaniel and Kimberly also grabbed Radan by the tail and the girl slammed the silver cross onto his tail!Radan screamed! He then turned around and tried to bite her, but Nathaniel banged a silver bell onto the seats of the church! BAAAAAAAANG!!!!!!!!!Radan cringed at the sound! Savannah flattened her ears in pain, but she fought through it and delivered a powerful slash to Radan and sent him flying down the stairs! Sundari then punched the dogman and sent her crashing through the church!“Here we come!” A familiar voice then cried out. Savannah and Sundari turned. “Mina!” Then, another voice was heard. “Beware the creatures of the night!” Savannah’s eyes widened. Nicolas!The two of them crashed through the window, shards of glass flying as they flew into the room! Nicolas turned to Radan! “C’mon traitor! Let’s dance!” He said. Radan charged at him, but Nicolas wrapped him in the cape! Radan attempted to slash the cape off, but Mina swipes at him with the battle axe! Radan leapt away, but Mina his one of the Dogmen! The dogman fell to the ground! But then, Radan was ambushed by Sundari! She then grabbed him by the tail and threw him into the female Dogman! Radan and her flew towards Mina, who then bashed them into a massive wooden beam! A loud bang was heard as several crashing noises were heard as the Nosferatu hit the beam along with the dogman! “Uh, that was the central beam that was still holding up the church!” Trey said in fear. Everyone’s eyes widened as the building shook around, finally giving way! Nathaniel turned. “We better get out of here now!” He said. Sundari grabbed her boots and rushed out with Savannah after her! Everyone then started to rush out of the collapsing building as fast as their legs could carry them! Lions rushed out with the hyenas as they chased off the other dogmen! Nicolas grabbed Savannah and Mina while Sundari ran off as well! A massive beam landed on a dogman! Sundari turned around and saw the dogman struggling. She quickly turned back and lifted up the beam off of the dogman’s legs! The dogman ran off with Sundari chasing after the beastman! Sundari then rushed out the door, with everyone looking on! She was the last one outside the crashing building! The entire building collapsed to the ground in a cloud of dust! Mina looked on with surprise!“Well, that was unexpected,” Kimberly said. Savannah nodded. “You alright Kimberly?” Kimberly nodded. “I am now,” she replied. She hugged Savannah. “Thanks for coming back.” Savannah hugged Kimberly in return. Sundari sighed and slumped to the ground. “What a night!” Mina turned to Sundari. “How’s the City holding up for you tiger?” She asked. Sundari let out a heavy breath. “Crazy,” she replied. “An evil witch, Dogmen, vampires, getting burned in a circus, and getting involved in a citywide crisis. I never thought I would deal with this.” Mina nodded as she listened to this. “Skinwalkers are quite the dangerous enemy and they will actively try to kill you if they can,” she said. “Mr. Harvestar said that.” Sundari nodded.Mina then sat down. “You should enroll into Paracelsus Academy,” she then said. Sundari turned. “Why do you say that?” She asked. Mina smiled. “To help you learn more about this town and in particular, get you acquainted with other supernatural creatures,” she replied. Sundari nodded. “That could work out.” Then she turned to Mina. “Anything regarding Lon and Murasaki? I haven’t heard from them tonight since they left.” Mina’s eyes widened. “Actually, there’s a big problem,” she said to the Weretiger. “What’s that?” Sundari asked. Mina shook her head. “Ichiko and Smoke has Murasaki and Lon went after her,” she replied to Sundari. Lon looked on at the entrance of the cave. He was in a dark cave, and it looked like a massive chamber too. As he entered inside the cave, he noticed an area where it seemed like there were stalagmites hanging in front of a chamber. Then, he saw Murasaki waking up. Murasaki looked around too. “This is an odd place,” she said. “Glad you were able to make it,” a familiar voice said. Murasaki snarled. Lon also remembered the voice too. Ichiko. She was here. Lon snarled. "Alright Coyote Witch, let's dance," he said.Ichiko looked on from overhead, chuckling to herself.

III.The journey to the village was a long and quiet one for both Adamas and Roselyn. The beastman kept the hood of his cloak up, wanting the shadows to hide his face and not look at Roselyn again until they arrived at the village. Roselyn on the other hand, could tell that something was a little wrong with Adamas by the way he was hiding his face. The little space he put between himself and her was evidence of his odd behavior. She couldn’t tell what was bothering him and wanted to talk about it, but decided to remain silent for the time being.Adamas wondered how many miles were left before arriving at the village? He needed to take his mind off of Roselyn or else it’ll get even harder for him to control his urges. The scent of roses that lingered in his cloak wasn’t helping at all. Luckily, he put his worries to rest when he saw a pointed sign that said “Ackerman Town”. Although the first part of the name brought familiarity to the beastman, his eyes narrowed in confusion over the last name and mutters, “Odd.”“What is it?” Roselyn asked.He didn’t answer her, but continued the trek until they came across a stone gate leading towards a town. Upon entering said gate, Adamas gazed here and there, seeing some of the nearby buildings that were familiar to him while others seemed to have been built years ago. On top of that, the ground was no longer smooth; just like how he remembered. Instead it became cobblestone to greet anyone in a more welcoming manner. “Well, I’ll be damned!” he softly chuckled, placing both paws on his waists within his cloak. “This place went from a small village community to a small town.”“You mean you’ve been here before?” Roselyn asked curiously.“Few times actually,” he answered truthfully. “Guess after being gone for a very long time a lot has changed since then.”Roselyn wondered what he meant by that? Just how long has it been since he’s last been here?“Speaking of change…”Adamas took a whiff of the air before exhaling in content.“Ah, I smell either a pub or a tavern that must’ve been added here and somebody is making some good food.”Roselyn took a sniff through the air, but could find no faint trace of food being cooked. Thinking of the mere mention of food made her a little hungry. Adamas had the same thought and wanted to find the source so they could fill their bellies, but had to focus on the task as he tells her, “Before we grab ourselves a bite to eat. First let's find the Blacksmith Alchemist.”They were going to head further into town to find somebody on where the Blacksmith Alchemist was. As luck would have it, however, there was a nearby fruit cart vendor with a male seller that had a black cap and white feather attached to it inside just near the entrance to the town. “You there!” Adamas called out, getting the attention of the fruit seller. “Can you tell us where we can find the Blacksmith Alchemist?”“Blacksmith Alchemist?” the fruit seller questioned with a raised eyebrow. “Never heard of him. I just arrived here a few days ago.” Adamas softly sighed and was about to leave him to find somebody else who knows, until the fruit seller says, “Although I did see a blacksmith if you're looking for him instead.” He points ahead, telling them, “Go that way and take a right turn, then after going down two streets take a left turn. You’ll find his sign, you can’t miss it.”“Alright thanks!”Taking the directions the fruit seller told them, Adamas wondered if the Blacksmith Alchemist was there and not some ordinary blacksmith that the trader saw while Roselyn herself wondered what he would look like. Upon going down the second street and taking a left turn, they found a hanging sign that had an anvil symbol with a hammer on top of it and inside a forge was a man with tan gloves sitting in front of a grinding stone; polishing a sword. He was around in his twenties, quite very young in his age, brown hair and eyes that matched, and wore a blacksmiths apron. Adamas could not only smell his scent from where he was, but detects another somewhere around the establishment. Judging by both scents, with the young man’s being mixed, there was a sense of familiarity that made him smile big. “You there!” the beastman called out, getting the young man’s attention.The young man stopped polishing the blade, noticing an odd but mysterious man covered in a red cloak with a young woman wearing rags for clothes standing behind him. “Can I help you?” he asked questionably, wondering if this strange man could be another customer. At least he hoped.However, his eyes widened with shock when he saw a paw come out of the cloak, then reached over and pulled the hood over, revealing Adamas’ face towards the young man.“Oh, my God!” he gasped, dropping the sword and falling on his rear before quickly scrambling out and around the forge. “Father!”The beastman softly chuckled and slowly shook his head at the sight while Roselyn protested, “Adamas you didn’t have to scare him like that, you could’ve-”“Relax,” Adamas calmly assured her. “This was the only way to bring him out.”“Bring who out?” she asked, confused.“Just wait and see.”While Roselyn waited, Adamas’ keen ears listened as he heard a door opening somewhere around the back and the young man’s voice shouting for both of them to hear, “Father, there’s a monster out there, we have to get out!”“Let go of me, son!” an elderly voice yelled for Adamas’ ears to hear. “What nonsense are you talking about?!”“There’s a monster around the front! We have to get Mother and my sister out before it finds us!”“What monster are you talking about?” he grunted.“Father, not that way!”Adamas sensed aggravated steps marching around to where he and Roselyn were.“I swear son, if you pulled me out of work just to waste my time over your deluded excuse I will-”An old man appeared before the duo, dropping his hammer that he carried with him in shock. He had a white bandanna over his head and wore the same apron and gloves as the young man has, but around his waist he had a tool belt which Adamas could tell from the sigils that were on the tools was undoubtedly ones used to create enchanted weapons or items. A true Blacksmith Alchemist always carries them close no matter what craft they work with. The young man grabs his shoulder, pulling him back while saying, “Father, we have to go!”The Blacksmith Alchemist didn’t look at his son, but did push him back with his shoulder, then said to the beastman softly, “Adamas?”The young man looked at his father, wide-eyed in shock. Roselyn felt the same way when her eyes darted to both the old man and the beastman. “Adamas,” the elder said, walking slowly towards the beast. “Is it really?”Roselyn noticed Adamas’ lips raised a bit, showing her that this must be his true smile while he said to the old man, “Hello Henry.”The old man known as Henry, guffawed before suddenly wrapped his arms around the beastman’s neck in a greeting but happy hug. “Adamas, you big lug!”“Henry, you foolish clod!” Adamas returns the hug. “How’ve you been?” The beastman and Henry shared a laugh before pulling away. “And look at you. You’ve become a Blacksmith Alchemist and I never thought I’d find you here. You're finally living your dream and have probably become a master now. Although the years haven’t been too kind to you.”“Maybe through appearance,” Henry shrugged, smiling. “But not physically.” He flexes his right arm. “I’ve been exercising this body for a long time. So don’t expect to see a weak, crippled old man be looked down on.”Adamas chuckled before ruffling Henry’s head, nearly pulling off his bandanna while saying to him, “I’m sure I won’t.”Henry softly giggles, then takes off his bandanna and brushes his white hair back with his hand. “Father, what is going on here?” The young man asked.Henry opened his mouth and was about to say something, but Roselyn said to the beastman, “Adamas, you know this man?”The elder looks at her, now noticing a young beautiful woman standing next to Adamas. “Well, now. Who’s this?”“Oh, sorry,” Adamas apologized before introducing her. “This is Roselyn. Roselyn, this is Henry Taversh. He’s an old friend of mine and a former apprentice to a Master Blacksmith Alchemist. As you can tell, he too has become a master of the craft as well.”Henry offered his hand, saying greetfully, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss.”“Um…” Roselyn said awkwardly before taking the old man’s hand and shaking it. “The pleasure’s mine, I guess.”“So where did you find this beggar woman?” Henry asked Adamas, judging by the clothes she wore.“Actually, she found me and she’s not a beggar woman,” Adamas answered.The two men looked at him oddly. If this woman wasn’t a beggar woman, then what was she?Adamas could tell what they were thinking and said to them, “It’s a long story, I’ll explain later. Anyway, what’s become of your old master?”“Yeah, Master Kaldin retired fifty-five years ago,” Henry answered. “Five years after that, he passed away.”“Oh, I see. What about your mother, Helen, isn’t she still here? It would be nice to see her again.”“Adamas,” Henry sighed solemnly. “I’m afraid she passed away twenty years ago. I’m sorry.”Adamas gave his own solemn sigh, crestfallen over the loss of Helen while closing his eyes and bowing his head. “Don’t feel bad. I’m sure she’ll be happy to know that you haven’t forgotten her and that sooner or later in life you’ll be able to see me again.” He giggles a little, adding, “And damn she was right about that. After sixty years of waiting, I always knew that one day I’d see you again.”What the two men and beastman hadn’t noticed, Roselyn was both shocked and confused. Sixty years is when Henry and Adamas met? How is this even possible? Adamas would have to be…well old, yet he didn’t appear to be and he looked so young. “I mean look at you,” Henry says, bringing Roselyn out of her thoughts. “You look just like I remembered. Still possessing that same old cloak, which I’m surprised that it hasn't aged or that you haven’t gotten rid of that damn thing.” He points at the longsword’s handle that was exposed over his shoulder, attached to the string of Adamas’ sack that hung on his neck, proudly showing himself that he was a warrior for anyone who noticed that blade, adding, “And your still carrying my masters finest sword that he made for you.”“Indeed,” Adamas agreed, looking over his shoulder to see his sword. “This weapon has served me well, and your master did say it was his greatest masterpiece.” He brings his paw towards his shoulder, clutching the cloth, adding, “As for this cloak, the reason why it hasn’t aged is because it's enchanted and bound only to me. Besides, this has sentimental value and there’s no way in hell I’ll ever part with it. Even if I did, it’ll eventually return to me.”This was new information for Roselyn concerning Adamas’ cloak. That would explain earlier how it appeared next to her. Although to her it was strange, the real reason why it followed her was because it was returning to its true owner. However, there was something even stranger. When she woke up from her sleep with that cloak draped over her. How come it didn’t follow Adamas after he left for the lake? Maybe there was something more to that enchanted cloak than even she realized. The bottom line of it all was that she never knew that kind of enchantment would work on a simple piece of cloth.“Um, excuse me!” the young man interrupted. “Can somebody please explain to me what the hell’s going on here?”“Don’t mind my idiotic son,” Henry waved off. “And sorry for the way he reacted earlier.”“It’s quite alright,” Adamas shrugged while smiling. “As the saying goes ‘Like father, like son’. Speaking about that, from the scent he’s giving out…” He softly giggles before saying, “You and Margaret have finally tied the knot.”Henry threw his head and gave a hearty chuckle before saying, “Indeed we have, Adamas! Fifty straight years we’ve been married and have managed to raise not one but two kids!”“Twins?”“That’s right.” Henry points his thumb towards his son. “My boy, Darren, was born by several seconds with our twin daughter, Marron, being the last.”“Where is your daughter?”“She’s with Marge back at the tavern that’s a few streets around the corner from where we’re at.”“Ah,” Adamas smiled. “That would explain the smell of food before we arrived here. This must be her doing.”“That’s right!” Henry said with pride, placing both hands on his waists while smiling. “If it weren’t for her cooking and hospitality, she’d never own herself a tavern. Hell, if it weren’t for the both of us, we never would’ve garnered a lot of attention which changed this place from a small village to a small town in the fifty years that followed.” The Blacksmith Alchemist waved off, adding, “But enough of that. What brings you and your friend here?”“I need your help with something.” Henry watched with intrigue as Adamas dug through his pocket and pulled out a white crystal. The two men were both curious yet odd by Adamas’ find while Henry took the crystal, brought his glasses from out his apron pocket and put it on, and said, “I’ve never seen such an enchantment like this. Where did you find this?”“From incompetent knights that were after Roselyn last night.”Henry and Darren once again looked at him oddly.“Again, it’s a long story. However, I found more than one from the swords they were carrying.” He simplified his story by showing them two more white crystals, surprising them both a little. “I don’t know what kind of enchantment was used to make these, that’s why I need your field of expertise to de-enchant one of these.”Henry hummed, eyes squinting at the crystal he held, his curiosity peaked. He won’t deny that these crystals were strange but interesting at the same time. He’s never seen or even heard of a white crystal in decades, nor has anybody, not even him, has ever created one. At least from his point-of-view. With his mind made up, he shrugged, “Well, what the hell?” He tosses the crystal and catches it, adding, “Might as well crack open this little box and see what kind of surprises it has. Follow me.”The duo followed Henry with Darren already ahead. They go around the same direction the father and son took, and enter a room where there were shelves filled with metal ingots, clear crystals, and two very unique shelves. One displayed enchanted weapons consisting of swords, daggers, pistols, and a single crossbow with a quiver of arrows. The other, however, showed very strange items which to both Adamas and Roselyn’s perspectives looked like contraptions of some unknown kind. Some appeared to be weapons in the form of guns, another was a small bag that must’ve contained something within it, and the last being a tan color spherical object. It looked no bigger than that of a softball and had dials that showed numbers and letters, and right at the top showed to Adamas’ surprise a symbol of a compass.Turning their attention to the center of the room, there was a stone table with rune sigils forming a circle where at the center laid an odd contraption. It appeared to be a dark metal tube with a single gray dot and right on the top it had a clear crystal, cleanly carved and polished into a teardrop shape. The duo wondered about this strange device, then Roselyn became the first to question Henry, “What is this thing?”“That is one of my latest inventions,” the elderly Blacksmith Alchemist answered, taking the device off the stone table. “This contraption of mine will revolutionize those who either don’t use magic or simply don’t have enough magic and will one day bring forth a new age of alchemy making.”“What is it?” Adamas asked, curious to know about this new invention.“I call this: The Flashlight.”Roselyn and Adamas looked at one another with odd looks over that strange name, then they turned their attention back to Henry. “What does it do?” the young woman asked.“This is meant to act as a torch while saving time in making one and like I said before be used in case someone doesn’t have enough magic to cast a light enchantment.”“Does it work?”“Well, it’s not quite finished yet.” Henry looks at his son, eyes glaring while adding, “It would’ve been if someone hadn’t interrupted my work.”“What about those weapons over there?” Adamas pointed back at the shelf with his thumb. “Are those too meant to revolutionize?”“Of course, those weapons are meant to be fit for a royal army and it’ll advance additional firepower without always having to rely on those old rifles, pistols, or even a gatling gun.”“What about that metallic sphere?” questioned Adamas over the device he and Roselyn saw earlier. “What’s that do?”“That’s another invention of mine I’ve tested years ago and perfected, but I’ll explain later in another time. For now…” the elder Blacksmith Alchemist placed the Flashlight invention in his pocket while placing the white crystal in the center of the rune circle. “Let’s go ahead and open this little surprise box.”Taking out his hammer, after already picking it up before him and his son led the duo, and a chisel, he spread his arms out, then raised the chisel first. Upon bringing it down towards the center of the rune circle, the sigils glowed and a medium-sized green barrier surrounds the white crystal, confusing Henry and Adamas as they’ve never seen a glow coming from an enchanted crystal like that. The elder Blacksmith Alchemist puts that aside and returns to his focus, bringing up the hammer and slamming it down, making it cling with sparks coming out of it. He kept slamming his hammer a few more times, showing no signs of de-enchantment. “Oh, so you wanna be an ass about it, huh?” Henry replaces his first hammer with a more stronger one, not taking his chisel off the barrier. Raising his new one, he slammed it down hard three times, causing the barrier to crack a bit. Pulling out the chisel, the cracks continued to web around the barrier while the Blacksmith Alchemist smiled with pride and twirled his second hammer, saying, “My heavy hammer never fails.”The three humans and beastman lean forward slightly with curious eyes not leaving the cracked barrier as it finishes breaking through, leaving a sickly green small mist surrounding the crystal. They were confused over the sudden mist while waiting for the de-enchantment to take effect. When it was finished, the mist dissipated and it revealed something much to confuse Henry, Darren, and Adamas even further while Roselyn became a little intrigued over the sudden change.“Is that…”“...an egg?” Roselyn said last after Darren.Indeed it truly was an egg. The shape appeared to look no similar to that of a chicken’s egg; albeit slightly bigger as it could fit a whole hand. Darren and Henry never saw something like this come out of its enchantment while Adamas wondered about this egg. Why does it look so familiar? His thoughts were halted when the egg shook, surprising the two men and Roselyn as she smiled and layed down in front of the egg, wanting to know what kind of cute creature would pop while wondering why someone would want to enchant a defenseless egg like this. However, the moment the shell cracked, Adamas got a whiff of something very familiar and knew exactly what that was. “Back!” he cried out, quickly pulling Roselyn away from it and backing away with her. “Get back!”Henry quickly took his friend’s warning and pushed his son back while getting back himself. Roselyn was about to ask Adamas what was wrong, but no words came as something leaped out of the egg towards her, hissing while she yelped and raised her hands in defense. The hissing continued in front of her, expecting something to try and reach her hands. Instead, she felt a warm breath, yet whatever it was didn’t even come close to reaching her. Wanting to know what it was, Roselyn slowly lowered her hands; only to see a strange creature trying to lunge at her which made her gasp a little. The creature appeared to be a gray snake, except it had no scales but did possess a slick smooth body. Everytime the snake-like creature hissed, it revealed a flower mouth with small sharp teeth and beady black eyes that did not take its gaze off her. It wiggled its body, trying to get out of Adamas’ tight grip after he had already caught it quickly before it could ever reach Roselyn.“Adamas,” Henry said. “Is that what I think it is?”“Yeah,” Adamas answered, having the same idea while bringing it away from Roselyn, raised his paw over the creature’s head and clasped it, closing and muffling its hissing mouth. “No doubt about it.” With a sudden jerk, there was a crack, causing the creature to stop wiggling as it drooped still. “That was a Demon.”Henry sighed over that word as if he dreaded hearing it while he said, “After sixty long years, I never would’ve thought I’d see one again.”Although Roselyn didn’t show it, she became confused over what Henry meant.“Where the hell did it come from?” Darren asked.Henry gave his son a look that said “Are you serious?” while Adamas answered Darren, “Hell, is where it came from. From one of the depths of Purgatory.”“Well, what kind of Demon is it?” Henry asked.“This is a parasite and judging by how weak it was, it’s from the first layer.”“First layer?” Roselyn questioned.“There are nine layers in Purgatory where you can use magic to summon a Demon, but this is dark magic territory.” Roselyn was taken aback while Adamas continued, “The lower the layer, the more magic and focus you’ll have to use in order to summon a Demon. However, depending on the Demon you're summoning, there’s usually a price to be made.”“What about that parasite?” Henry asked about it. “What’s the price for summoning that? Does it control you or something?”“No, not unless it’s black. This one’s gray but it’s still dangerous to summon something like this.”“How dangerous are we talking about when it comes to those?”“These can grant magic to those who don’t have it or increase it by twofold, but it’ll cost a piece of yourself.”Henry didn’t have to ask as he knew what Adamas meant by that.“In order to gain power, you have to let it burrow into your flesh or…”“Or what?” “Ingest it whole and alive.”Roselyn gasped and placed two hands on her mouth while Darren gagged and covered his own mouth, nearly throwing up from the mere thought. Henry places a comforting hand on his son’s shoulder. He couldn’t blame his reaction as he felt his own stomach churn. Letting a Demon like that burrow into someone’s flesh is one thing, but swallowing it alive, that’s something nobody could stomach. “Does it only work once and that’s it?” Roselyn wondered aloud.“No,” Adamas answered. “It’s like an addictive drug. People who get a taste of this power will only want more and the more you take from it-”“The more you become a Demon yourself.” Henry finished before sighing and slowly shaking his head in dismay, adding, “Such a heavy price to pay to those who become greedy for power.”Adamas nodded in agreement. Greed was always common as it could easily change or sway someone when it came to those wanting power. Unfortunately, if one cannot control that power, then it’ll consume them in the end. That was something he knew from experience.“Although, there is one thing I don’t get.” Henry crossed his arms and questioned, “How the hell did a bunch of knights get their hands on some Demon eggs, much less have them enchanted into crystals?”“I don’t know.” Adamas looks at the dead Demon in his paw, then digs out the other enchanted eggs that still remained in their crystal form. “Whatever the reason, I doubt it’s anything good.” He looks at Roselyn with suspicion in his eyes. “And whoever it was that sent them, must’ve had something evil planned which concerns her.”Henry and Darren now looked at Roselyn, wondering why those knights would want her and this person who sent them. Although Adamas hadn’t told them about the baron yet, he could vaguely guess only one thing and that concerned with her being the fiance and why those knights had possessed those enchanted Demon eggs attached to their swords. Even though he doesn’t know the full details over this baron wanting to marry her or who he was, Roselyn should be lucky that she ran into him and decided to be her bodyguard. If things would’ve been different, then this wouldn’t be a pleasant ending for her. Seeing that this was making Roselyn uncomfortable from all the staring, Adamas changed the subject by saying, “Henry, is there a cleric here in this town that’s under the house of God?”“Yes.”“Good, Darren come here.”“Huh?...Uh…”Darren was taken by surprise over the sudden order. He was a little hesitant, much less even nervous to be near the beastman. Henry sighed and rolled his eyes in annoyance, then shoved his son forward towards Adamas while saying, “C’mon, boy, he ain’t gonna bite ya!”With Darren now before Adamas, the beastman adds, “He’s right, my roar is worse than my bite. Trust me.” He playfully smiled, showing off his fangs while growling slightly.Darren gasped and quickly took a step back.Adamas chuckled and walked towards him while assuring Darren, “Relax, I’m just pulling your leg.” He places the dead Demon in the young man’s apron pocket, surprising Darren a little and almost freaking out if the beastman hadn’t placed his paw on his right shoulder to calm him down, then adds the enchanted Demon egg crystals before instructing him, “Now, I want you to keep these hidden and don’t take them out of your pocket until you get inside to the church, then once you find the cleric, tell him or her to have these purged immediately, but make sure you explain what you’ve seen first. Understand?”Darren nods in understanding, knowing what he had to do. Adamas brings him over to the door and right before he stepped out, the beastman gives a hard pat to his back, knocking the wind out of him and causing him to stumble a little while Adamas says to him, “Be off with you, boy.”After already regaining his balance, Darren starts walking but suddenly picks up the pace and begins jogging as his father had yelled, “Get the mud out of your ass, son!” When he puts enough distance, Henry cups his hands and adds while yelling, “Once you're finished, get back to the house and bring the gift I’ve been saving, then come back to the tavern!”“Gift?” Adamas questioned.“You’ll see. Now then…” Henry rubs his hands, smiling, “Who’s hungry?”