“Give me a ride!” I called to Steve, leaping into his back as he launched into the air gliding with his feathered wings. Hayden trailed behind on his Undead Gryphon as we beelined for Phoebe, Derrick and Becky who were fighting a winged woman. The last time we dealt with a lady with wings, dozens of giants, water druids and humans alike were shredded by the talons of that wretched Harpyja. Whig was all the more reason for my urgency to assist after Hayden spotted their fight.

  The winged woman’s animalistic screams cut through the deafening booms from the constant bombardment of fiery missiles ripping through countless Mandrakes, Qilins and whatever species of giant bees failing to get past the forest treeline.

  For now, we had to hope the artillery could hold down the south side while we assisted my squad further north along the settlement wall. The winged woman wielded a pair of incredibly long katanas, her arms glowing with white energy that shined off her fitted armor. I made a point to give her an Identify before Steve finished his descending bite attack.

  [Maddened Nephilim of Nature (Level 13)]

  The fuck is a ‘Nephilim’?

  Steve’s maw snapped down at the Maddened Nephilim, clamping onto air as she darted away in a yellowish-white blur. My eyes barely caught a glimpse of the single flap of her wings that launched her several feet away in a blink. In one fluid motion she unleashed a flurry of blows at Derrick, who blipped out of existence in a flash of violet energy for a full second before materializing a foot away. The Nephilim didn’t bother waiting for him to return, instead continuing toward Phoebe and Becky.

  Hayden’s undead Gryphon swooped down slamming its body into the Nephilim, launching her off course and tumbling across the grass. The Maddened Nephilim slid on its knee, slamming one of her katanas into the soil. In front of her rose a wall of vines rising forward in a wave of greenery bursting from the grass, heading straight for me and Hayden. The vine wall continued spreading in width, wrapping around us like a massive hand.

  A thick, orange flash exploded in front of the vine wall's path, blasting into a burst of flames instantly burning through the massive tangled wall. A glowing figure bursted through the burning wall of vines, spiraling aloft with her katanas trained on my chest. Fluidic Fighters Stance activated, giving me enough speed to slide my body away from her spinning descent. A guttural growl whizzed by my ear, along with foamy saliva slapping against my shoulder. The Nephilim slid across the soil ripping the grass from the earth before popping back to her feet. Her head shook with rage, her piercing yellow eyes glowing across the whites of her eyes as she gnawed her spittling jaw.

  “Holy shit, are you fucking rabid lady?!” I asked, seeing fully she was just a woman with wings rather than some bird-lady amalgamation. The Nephilim growled louder at my question

  “…KILL!” The winged woman roared, launching herself at me like a bullet train, her katanas dancing around one her body. The sheer speed of her slashing arms left afterimages, making her momentarily look 6 armed flying through the air. Steve dashed to the side to avoid her charge, however I could tell he didn’t have time given his sheer size.

  Without thinking, I pressed my feet off the side of Steve’s neck, leaping to meet the Nephilim head on. Her blades flashed a bright white light as she drew nearer, though she showed little care for any type of defensive measures loading both weapons at her sides. Mana swirled from within the pit of my stomach, rising throughout my nervous system like a building wave. The Lightning constantly crackling across twinblade extinguished in a flash, replaced by a thin layer of water activating Tidal Flurry.

  My body accelerated into the Nephilim, allowing my upwards slash to cut across her breastplate between her cocked back Katanas. The Nephilim screamed in pain contorting her flight path diagonally away. I tried to plant my foot and continue my counter assault on the winged woman. Instead, the energy that launched me forward instigated on pulling me along my original path, the force from my own skill nearly sweeping my legs out from under me.

  My twinblade erupted with unstable Lightning mana in my hands as I caught my balance, though the steel blades still had droplets of water mana dripping from the edges. The Nephilim’s raging roar snapped me out of my self evaluation, seeing her unleashing ferocious flurries at both Steve and Becky with her katanas. Hayden and Phoebe were firing their respective projectile attacks from either side, Hayden his crimson shards from his twirling scythe and Phoebe her fiery arrows. The Nephilim failed to dodge the majority of either form of projectile, already struggling to fend off our serpents snapping maws from differing angles. Derrick popped in a puff of violet energy every so often slipping in swings of his halberd at the raging Nephilim. She managed to deflect most of his sneaky attacks, though a few cracked through her armor unabashed.

  My sprint slowed to a jog watching as my team overwhelmed our rather impressive adversary. It was refreshing not being absolutely necessary for their success, though this incredibly human enemy’s power was rather concerning all the same. Based on the ‘maddened’ prefix in her race title, this was clearly somebody suffering some sort of affliction that drove her mad. What’s odd was, the vine casting skill she used earlier looked identical to the Mandrakes bodies. Sure, that could easily be coincidental or a limitation of whatever affinity they shared, but she’s here now. Attacking us alongside beasts, even fighting and roaring like one.

  The Maddened Nephilim’s wounds were quickly accumulating, her armor shredded from the combination of attacks hitting her at all angles. She struggled trying to escape from the death box, only to be pressed back in by a descending fiery missile. Those turrets were damn diligent in prioritizing anything within its minimum range, which was a mere 16 feet from our settlement wall. There was a moment where I felt genuinely sorry for whoever this woman may have been, before being roped in with the wrong side of a Pylon Defense.

  That moment of remorse vanished in a flash as the Nephilims voice doubled in volume screaming a thunderous roar. All around her raged a sickening yellow energy that whipped around unstably. Whatever mana type it was invoked a sense of confusion that invaded every fiber of my being it contacted. Recognizing it as a foreign energy trying to essentially fuck with my head made most of its effects subside all at once, though our serpents slithering back toward the settlement gate implied they weren’t so wise.

  The Nephilim pulsated with this sickening yellow energy as she whipped her head toward Phoebe. Her arms spread wide letting out a guttural screech, firing out a blast of yellow energy at the fire archer. Phoebe lept to the side, the concussive force of the yellow beam launching her further through the air before crashing to the grassy field against the Settlement wall. Our crazed winged adversary turned her attention toward Hayden, rearing her head back for another blast.

  A jet of black sludge blasted into the Nephilims side, pushing her across the grass. She screamed angrily, stabbing her katanas into the soil in frustration, a wave of vibes exploding out at either side towards absolutely no one. Her legs tensed preparing to burst toward Hayden, likely to unleash another barrage of katana slashes. Of course, I’d finally found the angle I needed to charge my only ranged attack, having been bought extra time by the sludge attack knocking her over.

  The pressure weighing on my entire body finally became unbearable, surging through both my arms in a massive surge of blue mana that covered my limbs shoulder to blade. My arms clapped together, slapping the blade tips together and channeling this immense internal weight out of the tips. A linear stream of Lightning shot straight through the Nephilims chest, burning straight through leaving a 6 inch hole in its place. The Lightning latched onto the black sludge, amplifying across her body sending her into violent convulsions. The Nephilims body steamed as the sludge evaporated slowly as she slowly backed away trying to regain control over her faculties.

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  An arrow whizzed by my head, slamming into the Nephilims neck causing her to reel further backwards. Her back had just hit the grass when a barrage of missiles blasted into her prone body, instantly concealing her in a ball of flashing flames. After 5 full seconds of close range bombardment, the explosions stopped leaving a raging wall of fire spread 15 feet across the edge of our turret range.

  After taking a sigh of relief, I began feeling out my mana pool, now sitting at a mere 15/124 after that charged Lightning Bolt. My arms felt like boulders on my shoulders, the idea of lifting them sounded less pleasurable than chewing a cactus and drinking rubbing alcohol. Remembering where I was, my head wrapped around toward the forest treeline and…nothing. Other than a few fires slowly burning themselves out, not a single flaming missile impacted the earth. There was no movement whatsoever, and hardly any remains left other than massive piles of ash. Not even Cassi barked orders from within the settlement walls. It was completely silent.

  That is, until Hayden’s deep belly laugh broke the tense uncertainty in the air. The last time we thought we were in the clear, a Harypja flew in and wiped out a quarter of our forces. After nearly a minute of only Hayden’s cackling hanging in the air, Phoebe joined in from behind me. Derrick tried desperately to conceal his laughter, his face turning beat red before air bursted from his nose. Nothing gets me chuckling quicker than a grown man snorting, which was exactly what Hayden was doing through his metallic mask.

  Steve and Becky slithered over, shaking their heads and fluttering their eyelids, no doubt due to whatever after the effects of whatever the Nephilim’s strange energy did to them.

  “I’m glad you guys had fun.” Steve sneered, only making me laugh harder. Everyone with two legs was hunched over holding their stomachs hysterically when the Pylon gate began thundering open. Cassi quickly squeezed between the gap, jogging over to us.

  “Guys, for one, great fucking work out here. The waves over.” Cassi said through labored breaths.

  “Yeah, that felt entirely too easy. I think we got the hang of this shit.” I replied triumphantly, earning a ‘hell yeah’ from Phoebe. Cassi’s unenthusiastic posture should’ve been a sign our victory wasn’t going to go unblemished.

  “I agree. Unfortunately, we’re going home.” Cassi said in a deadpan voice.

  “What? All of us? Why?!” I asked, frustrated at the idea of abandoning our conquest before it really got started.

  “No, no Phoebe and the Serpents will stay here with our forces and defend the Settlement until we return.” Cassi answered, beginning to sound annoyed herself.

  “Why? What’s the point of us going all the way back?” I asked. Cassi took a deep breath closing her eyes before she responded.

  “Korbin’s displeased with how we’ve been doing things, and wishes to personally meet your new friend.” Cassi answered, flicking her head at Hayden.

  “We’ve yet to lose a battle yet? What the hell could he be ‘displeased’ ab-“

  “I DON’T KNOW, TOM!” Cassi snapped at me, once again taking a deep inhale to recompose herself.

  “I…am sure it has something to do with the Harypja. Apparently the message bird informing him of our losses at that Pylon defense went unnoticed amongst his paperwork until recently. He’s…well, the sooner we leave the sooner we’re back out here.” Cassi said in a much calmer tone. Based on how stressed she’s looking after a textbook Pylon defense, he must’ve really laid in on her over their messages. Those flaming birds were damn cool, it was a shame they never brought any good news. I signaled the squad to follow as me and Cassi headed back into the settlement.

  “Cass…you okay?” I whispered, trying to keep any possible moment of weakness concealed from her soldiers. Cassi didn’t respond, staring straight ahead as we walked back.

  “…oh okay, I’ll actually go fuck myself instead, my bad.” I said in a feigned angry tone. Not even being an asshole got a rise out of her, furthering my concern for my friend's mental state. As we entered through the settlement gate, our soldiers applauded watching our squad file in. All of them looked completely fit, like they hadn’t lifted a muscle that entire defense. While a few exceptions made their way past our turrets and manned cannons, just a few more additions and our squad wouldn’t have been necessary. Cassi was the only one who really deserved the applause having set up our defenses, yet she was the only one upset out of the lot of us.

  “We’ll take the serpents back to the Ship, and return with reinforcements to finish helping the Jaia giants win their regional war. Consult with your snakes, and check back in when they’re ready for travel.” Cassi instructed the group of us before marching off to the Pylon building.

  “She seems pretty on edge.” Derrick said pacing beside me.

  “I can’t imagine going back right now was on her agenda for the conquest. Especially with three other Demigod factions left in our region” Phoebe added.

  “Is your leader a cruel one?” Hayden asked as we entered back into the settlement.

  “I don’t think so.” Phoebe said.

  “Depends who you ask.” I corrected, knowing my friend better. Hayden giggled at the differing answers.

  “In any case, the sooner we get back to Elysium, the sooner we resume our conquest. Steve, Becky, I can’t imagine you two are too tuckered for travel?” I asked, knowing Phoebe would speak for her serpent.

  “She says she’s all good.” Phoebe replied.

  “That was boring if I’m to be completely honest.” Steve added mentally.

  “Alright, I’ll go get Cassi from the Pylon building and we’ll head out immediately. That sound good to everyone?” I asked, surveying my squad. They all nodded in approval, prompting me to finally chase after Cassi.

  Jogging up the Pylon buildings staircase, the faintest whimpering echoed across the stone walls. Turning the corner to the Pylon room, Cassi was sitting beside the Pylon stone on the floor. I knocked on the wall, stirring her to her feet frantically.

  “Tom! I thought I told you to return when the serpents are ready to leave.” Cassi said through a nasally tone.

  “Yeah, your cannons did most of the heavy lifting out there, and they’re ready to go now.” I replied, scanning Cassi’s facial expressions thoroughly. Cassi smiled meekly at my response, before dropping her head down.

  “Right. Then there’s no reason to delay further.” Cassi said, sniffling and wiping her nose. Didn’t realize you could get sick anymore, definitely making a note to start washing my hands again. Cassi followed me back out of the Pylon building, where my specialist squad silently hopped on the back of both serpents, heading for the ship docked south of the Jaia settlement. Cassi rode with me on Steve while Phobe, Derrick and Hayden took Becky.

  Steve and Becky, having little care for the palpable social discomfort, decided to race back to the ship. Of course, Steve is a winged monster, making for a far more linear path in the skies than serpentining through the forest and bodies of water. Needless to say, Cassi and I found our way back to the ship far sooner. Cassi wordlessly prepared our massive vessel's crew for departure, using her hands to deliver orders. I was hoping to have a word with her afterwards, however she immediately beelined for her quarters as soon as Becky and the rest of our squad showed up.

  “How long have you guys been here?!” Phoebe hollered atop Becky, who had just slammed her body onto the deck.

  “I evolved twice and the tutorial ended. We thought we lost you centuries ago!” I said sarcastically, mimicking an elderly man’s voice.

  “Ha-ha, very funny. Where’s Cass?” Phoebe asked, climbing down from Becky’s scaly form.

  “She locked herself in her quarters soon as the crew was ready to depart.” I answered in a far less enthusiastic tone.

  “Korbin must’ve laid into her on those bird messages. I’ve never seen her this quiet.” Derrick added after leaping from Becky’s back.

  “If your General is in low spirits, is it not fair to assume we ought to provide her counsel?” Hayden asked.

  “That’s…probably best left for Tom. You’ve known her the longest, after all.” Phoebe replied, gesturing at me.

  “Uhh…maybe all of us should actually. I’m not great at um…that.” I said nervously. I’d never been one to give her any tactical advice, and I couldn’t see how I suddenly qualified to do so regarding Korbin now. Phoebe rolled her eyes at my response.

  “Men, alright. After you, Thomas.” Phoebe said, pushing my shoulder to spin me towards Cassi’s Quarters.

  “That’s not my name.” I quickly shot back, reaching for the door handle. As the door swung open, a loud snot filled sniff filled the room. Cassi spun her chair around facing the wall behind her.

  “Cass?” I asked, feeling Phoebe's hand pressing on the center of my back.

  “Please…come back later.” Cassi called, her voice cracking with each word.

  “I mean if that’s what you w-“ Phoebe shoved me through the door frame, causing me to trip over my feet and roll across the wooden floor. Phoebe and Derick tumbled behind me, causing Cassi to whip her head around. Looking up, my eyes damn near exploded out of my skull seeing something I genuinely questioned was even possible. I got up without a word, strolling beside cassi’s chair and bending down to a knee, regardless of her angry glare screaming ‘leave me alone’. That just wasn’t an option now, as much as I’d hoped at least.

  Cassi had been crying.