Melinda Part 1...

  Chapter 8: The Storm.

  Melinda Paramore didn't like wearing Runic Silver. It was heavy, uncomfortable, and almost felt like it was pushing down on you, suffocating and stentorious. It was almost like wearing a large, metal box that fit you too tightly, like a metallic hug that wouldn't let you go. Despite that, its protection was incomparable, the best armor money could buy or favors could get. So when Melinda began to scratch the little bit of old, hardened blood out of the small crevices of her armor, she was getting more agitated at how long she had to wear this sack of metal, not how much blood she had to flick away.

  Despite the different color of human blood, you always knew how to tell it was blood, and not paint or a similar colored liquid. Human blood was more of a liquid than most other things, it was thin and almost watery to a fault and it left small stains of that light color left within on flesh and bone. It also shimmered and shined when it had light casted upon it. Not like the ocean's waves at midday, but like there was something even deeper beneath it. As if every drop of blood had a hundreds of feet of depth within, and the light only showed you a fraction of what was down below.

  Blood also typically fell off of Runic Silver easily, leaving very little stains on the armor itself. Often though when fights were worse, it would leave small marks and chinks in the plate itself that the liquid would get stuck in; that would be very annoying to get out. It could get particularly annoying when you were sitting inside of a wooden carriage as it rocked from side to side with others sitting too close to you.

  "You never seem to put on that helmet of yours, do you, princess?" The voice was gruff, loud, and annoying, which meant it could only be attributed to one man: Kogon. His almost volcanic voice boomed throughout the small wooden carriage of soldiers. They all sat on the small planks of wood that jutted out from the wall to act as seats, and their legs almost touched from the closeness. It was lit only by a single lantern, which gave the room a soft orange glow contrasting with the opalescent shine of her armor.

  There were only eleven soldiers in the small carriage, six on Melinda's side and five on Kogon's. There would be another soldier on his side as well, but that last spot was being taken up by his large Maul he carried with him. He had already had his helmet off, hanging between his legs, as he took out a small comb of metal, imbedded with a topaz at its top like a brooch, as he pushed it into his black beard and then his black hair that was cut fairly short.

  "Suppose I can't be complaining, get to see the princess's face in full--"

  "Stop talking to me." Melinda kept at picking the blood out of her armor pieces. Kogon simply snickered as he flicked the comb back into a small leather compartment that he kept at his side. He grabbed his helmet as he held it in his hands and leaned back into the wooden wall that encased them in.

  "So grumpy, did Daddy make you sit out here with the rest of us because he thought you were too useful to let just sit on the sidelines with him?" Melinda heard the others snicker, the ones at least that cared enough to pay attention. She sighed before sitting up from her leaned-down position as she took the small metallic tool, a small, thin, wrench-like strip of metal that had bits of the flaked blood on it, and set it down before looking towards Kogon.

  "You just get a kick out of this, don't you?" She rubbed her fingers together in annoyance.

  "Nooo, I would never get a kick out of seeing the princess herself in armor like some doll playing pretend. Never." Some of the others laughed; it was now just hearty laughter over the small chuckles and chirps of the others. Her fists clenched in anger before she adjusted the right glove on her hand and kept to the little room she had at the side.

  "You'd make a good life somewhere other than here, princess. Though I guess it's important for you to learn what the world is really like, huh?" She had said nothing before her eye beat into Kogon's as he was still holding the helmet.

  "Relax...all you royalty act the same. Let's just get this done, and we will only have to see each other when your papa doesn't have anywhere useful to send you." Melinda felt that surge of anger push out into the forefront of her head as she used the little room she had in the carriage to stand up.

  She pointed her pointer and middle fingers towards him as it was only a few inches from his face. Everything felt too real in that moment; she had barely felt it when she had gotten up, her Embody sear around her back as it had begun channeling her power.

  Lightning was never as simple as her tutors or even Araes had said it was; it was never easy to channel pure power into your fingertips or towards the edge of a blade, but it was easier than other things. That was the thing she never understood about training Engrave powers; they were never simple answers to any question; it was typically something deep or philosophical, something you'd find deep within.

  She found it easier to take that feeling, annoyance and anger that bubbled and brewed within, and shunt it forward. That was the foundation of her power, and whether or not others shared similar methods, she didn't care. It fueled her everyday life, and it pushed forward this familiar strength that guided her.

  Streaks, small and shining blue, sparked through the two fingers as Kogon stared her down. There was a look in his eyes, the kind of look that startled her. Nothing. Nothing sat between the spaces of his eyes where the color and hue would keep that emotion sealed within. It was almost as if he was looking at nothing at all.

  "Go ahead princess, you can tell Araes how his favorite fighter got burnt to a crisp by the failure he calls a daughter." That set something strong within her, a sense of dread that kept that boiling rage from coming out in full force. Her storm was waning. His voice was confident, strong, and reeked with an almost edge that made her want to strike him down with the force of all of Creation itself.

  "Stop trying to poke in my life, "Vanguard Squad Captain.". You can just keep your distance like the rest of them." Her venomous words kept the others at bay, but seemed ineffective towards Kogon as he simply smirked.

  "As if you could even strike me down." She felt something hard press against the side of her hip. She hadn't noticed how fast Kogon had grabbed his maul and kept the hammered side at her hip, holding it up in a powerful stance that would have shattered her side completely. If she was quick enough, she could kill him before that, take the blow, and...no. It was not worth picking a fight, a fight that wouldn't end well.

  The storm didn't want to end; she had been burning the Blot inside her system, and now it yearned to be free from its cage. Her heart and chest thundered as she felt that rising tension in her stomach. The storm didn't want to stop; it wanted to rain down its arched spears of strength down on enemies...on the man that took everything from her. What could you do if the fiber of your being commanded you to act?

  Melinda pushed her hand down, as if something had come alive in her arm, as she sat back down in her spot and pushed the gauntlet back on her hand, feeling the uncomfortable metal squeeze once more. Kogon simply lowered the hammer before he placed his helmet back on; perhaps he felt lonely without it.

  "Let's keep the bloodshed to a minimum, eh? We can't have this one go south right before we get to the caravan beforehand." Kogon had simply said with metal echoing his voice. The carriage rumbled as some of the other soldiers were caught off guard before they almost fell on the ground. They were getting close.

  There was a knock on the front part of the wall, where there was a small slit in the wall about eye level. Kogon had motioned for a soldier to his left to check the knock. The female soldier who wore her hair in a intricate braid went to check the front as she pulled back a small slit that opened up to see someone's eyes. Then a small letter had come out into the slit as she grabbed it and handed it to Kogon. He had opened it quickly, and for only a few seconds he glanced across the paper.

  It only took another second as he raised a large smile as he adjusted his helmet on his head and raised his fist.

  "We topple today, Vanguard!" Despite the fewer soldiers, the resounding sound of the war cry from everyone was loud; it almost shook the carriage itself.

  "And this was supposed to be a stealth mission." Melinda said out loud, not that anyone truly heard her as she simply sat back on the wooden plank. They had a job to due: destroy what was left, make it quick. Leave none alive. She looked to the ones who were cheering, amping themselves up and keeping their spirits high.

  They were going to go kill people...what was so exciting about that? Melinda kept her hands close together. It was important she kept her wits about her; letting herself go too soon meant that she was letting it win.

  There is a saying in Fala'Mor. "We often hear the whispers of the storm before it devastates." She had heard those words many times, but she never understood what the point of mentioning those whispers was. Until they came.

  They felt like a thousand tiny voices scraping and sharpening their words against her skin. Her eyes were closed; she was back in that tiny space in her mind where only the storm brewed within. An Engrave holds their power within their Embody, but for Melinda, it was here, in the space of darkness and loneliness that had kept her power so drawn within.

  She opened her eyes; she was there again within this space. It was dark, like light was completely sucked away, and she was left nowhere and everywhere at the same time. She had stood up in her space as she could already feel it creeping up on her. She looked back to see it moving closer to her.

  It was human, but in shape only. Its face was an empty space of thunder and lightning, like the endless expanse of the sky itself; its body wore clothes of deep blues, and it flowed behind it like the wind. When it walked, its footsteps boomed like thunder but quick as lightning. It was unnatural, but carried itself like it should be natural. Its hair moved like the waves, long, ebbing, and flowing behind it. This was her creation. This was her Storm.

  "Leave; it's not time yet." Melinda said calmly but firmly. The Storm only flittered around her; it was a similar size to her, yet smaller? She didn't understand, but when she looked at it, it was just as big as she was, but when she looked away, it felt smaller, docile. So she tried to look away, but her body felt so much pushback from looking away.

  "Why do you look away from me, Mel?" Its voice was soft and sweet, that subtle intoxicating sound that made her feel relaxed and calm. Her head was tilting towards the figure, trying to look back towards the sound; she forced her body to keep it in check.

  "Because you aren't me." Maybe that was wrong. Perhaps in some twisted sort of light, this was just as much a part of her as her hair and her skin were. Then why did it show up when she didn't want it?

  "We need each other." It spoke; those candied words almost made her look back.

  "I don't need anyone."

  "That's right, because I'm here." Melinda felt that cold presence like rain that soaked her body to the core. She looked towards the figure, as blank as it looked, as endless as it seemed. It always seemed to be there, in the moment. She stepped up to this Storm, as she embraced it.

  Every time she held onto this figure, that coldness that tempest anger that pierced through her body only seemed to ignite farther. She could feel those pushing memories boiling to the top of her thoughts. Eleaine, Araes, and the blood trickled down onto the cold stone floor. The embrace was warm, not like the cold air of the space, like something that of a parent. How long had it been since she felt that warm?

  "Why do you keep me here? Take me with you..." Melinda looked back at The Storm, its features almost contorting to the question. The darkness around its endless face almost changed to this lightness, like when Lutana would glow after a heavy rainfall.

  "I can't...I need you, but I can't let you go." Part of her hated this, a piece of something that kept it alive. It was her, but what part...she didn't want to say.

  "Then I shall be here...for you. Until you need me." It was kind, like what she believed her mother to be. She let go slowly as she closed her eyes once more, and The Storm brewed within.

  She opened her eyes as the other soldiers were grabbing weapons and rebalancing their armor for the fight to come. She looked to Kogon, who was already looking towards the wooden door that let them into the carriage.

  Then a sudden bang against the side of the door lifted the space between them, as some of the soldiers were pushed back to the back of the cart. Melinda held onto the small wooden seat planks as the carriage was slanted at a 45-degree angle. Melinda looked forward as the door opened slightly.

  The light of Noiratha, the moon of one of the twin sisters, lit the open door as they saw two heads peek into the door. Their heads were like reptiles, scaled and solid-colored with thick necks and defined muscles. Their eyes burned with fiery passion, as the light in the eyes flickered like a flame, instead of solid colors like a human's: Luong.

  The draconic creatures were large, strong, and had scale-like armor around their skin and face. Melinda noted the two as the other soldiers looked toward each other. Before the two Luongs could speak, their mouths opening for the words to speak, Melinda dashed upward.

  Those words sparked that intense power that lingered through her veins. She could feel that cold against her skin, and the wind of the night as she ran upward towards the door. The Luong spoke in a language she couldn't understand as the heavy-set footsteps of her armored body shook the carriage within as she made it to the top.

  With a large huff, she leaped forward into the air as the light of the moon, its sickly cursed luminescence, washed over her. She was on top of a trading caravan, adjacent to two others that were watching as she leaped out of the carriage itself.

  The plan was simple: destroy and take all the Blot, keep it from Kursoon...leave no witnesses. The two Luongs looked around, quick to note the armored warriors and the leaping warrior in front of them. With just a quick glance, Melinda could see the caravan of Luong that treaded over the Rainbow Road, the trading road that leads through most of the continent as its main trading road.

  They stared up at her; there must have been thirty of them at least, most carried weapons, a large, almost small militia of Luong as their reflexes kicked in and grabbed some of the weapons towards them.

  Melinda quickly landed on the wooden carriage, which, more equivalent to a large cart that carried various goods on board, was contained in small boxes or chests. The last of which was a trio of ornate boxes made mostly of Runic Silver sealed away with a diamond lock. Each cart carried ten Luong, each of whom towered over her.

  Their language was harsh and their voices scratchy; it reminded her of being yelled at as a child. The others from the closely knit carriages began to rush towards the central carriage being carried by four Riding Lizards.

  Melinda breathed in deep as she held out both hands. The Storm began to brew; first through her legs, jolts of pure power coursed through every single vein. It felt like the purest emotion anyone could feel, the strongest human emotion, allowing her to summon the will to fight.

  "I need you now."

  The Storm surged forward; she could feel the power emanate through the tips of her fingers. The Runic Steel gauntlets on her arms began to glow and crackle with thunderous energy; the sound of crackling metal filled the area with a sizzling sound, like the air itself was trying to concentrate the power around her.

  The other Luongs were stunned, trying to keep their distance before the power was unleashed. Only one of them spoke, complete Absolu as loud as they could. Only one word came out of their mouth before The Storm was unleashed.

  "ENGRAVE!"

  And The Storm came to life once more. A burst of lightning shot from her fingertips, bright blue arcs of energy that curved and crashed into each other trying to find their targets. The Gauntlets exploded with a resounding metallic screech that pierced the air, and bits of liquid metal and turquoise energy went everywhere around.

  The two Luong standing before her stared as the lightning struck deep into their armored skin, and she could almost see their flesh beneath the armored body melt and bubble underneath. Their screams were barely audible before they were launched back with the piercing power of The Storm.

  Their bodies launched into the other supplies as their bodies fell limp into the crates; bits of fabric and ingots of metal fell out of the carefully crafted crates. Their bodies smoked and smoldered as pieces of black ash fell from their bodies, and their eyes almost liquefied from the heat.

  Melinda felt the surge of power coursing through her veins, like an endless stream of water through a river. Her body felt stronger than before, keeping her vitality strong and this sensation of energy throughout her body. Blot did more than a few things to Engraves; it kept her strong and her energy endless.

  Shouts came from the same caravan as others were grabbing steel weapons and rushed towards her. A group of Luong to her left leaped with their powerful legs before landing quickly on the same one she was before running towards her in powerful strides. With a swat of her hand, the energy came flooding back as arcs of lightning trailed from her now-exposed forearms and struck two of them away in a blaze of light. Their bodies turned to ashes as their weapons fell to the ground. To her right, more of them were grabbing weapons that were attached to the side, for ease of access.

  Two of them pulled out crossbows, wicked in design; they were composed mostly of metal, and the arrows themselves were barbed with tiny jagged ends that looked to dig deep into flesh and bone. She had plenty of Blot to spare, her Embody surging against her lower back. She didn't know how much exactly she could expend, but it almost like another sense: A Reserve is what most people called it, the ability to sense how much you had, it was never exact but it was good enough.

  Crossbow bolts soared towards her, hitting her pauldrons and the middle center of her chest plate. It didn't as much as dent the Runic Silver protecting her as she had unleashed another bolt of lightning towards a Luong jumping across the gap of caravans. She was quickly becoming surrounded by Luong, much stronger than her.

  "I can just release everything now, I'll risk not having enough if they do survive.Runic Silver may be strong, but if I can't handle these guys in my strongest attack, it means nothing. I was too hasty," Melinda's rushed thoughts flowed in her mind. She needed to think quickly before--

  "Forward, rush!" Melinda heard behind as she noted the hooks embedded into the back of the caravan she was standing on, keeping the Riding lizards marching, almost running below the platform near the wheels and the carriage she came from connected. She saw Kogon, his opalescent armor gleaming in Noiratha's light, as he came out into a large swing from his maul. The other soldiers piled outwards, the last ten piling outward with weapons of ordinary steel.

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  Kogon had his helmet all the way on his he had kept his maul in one hand against his right shoulder. His breathing was steady, and she could tell that his right hand was itching to let loose the fury of Fala'Mor's strongest material. Melinda noted how the soldiers pulled out small wooden crossbows to retaliate against fire from both sides, but the bolts could do so much. Luong scales were no joke, and that strength they carried was greater than any man's, whether they had Runic Silver or not.

  "Finally, some real warriors." Kogon raised his left hand to the sky, high enough for everyone to see, as the other Luong were watching the large man's gesture. He flexed his hand into a fist before lowering it forcefully downward towards his chest. You didn't know that much about Luong culture to know that gesture only meant one thing: A formal challenge.

  Their screams roared through the night sky, thankfully falling mostly on deaf ears; most humans and even Half-Born didn't travel at night, which made the plan much more plausible to pull off.

  "Thank Creation itself." She didn't swear upon Creation often, but some things are best left in the fate of the being itself rather than her hands. Kogon had swiftly grabbed his Maul, and he ran towards the left, leaping over the gap between caravans, made harder due to their Riding Lizards still moving. He landed perfectly towards the other side with a loud thud, shaking the moving vehicle slightly as he swung his hammer in a large arch, pushing and knocking away any Luong in his way. A one-man army.

  Kogon is pushing through their small forces with relative ease, using his heavy armor stature to leverage their much stronger muscles and much taller bodies. Three of them forced together in a joined assault with steel swords and a single spear, but no regular metal could break through Runic Silver; it wouldn't happen. The weapons bounced and scarped the armor itself, but the damage was too minimal to stop his unshakable onslaught.

  "COME ON!" His voice rang out in a solid boom swiping his large hammer to the right towards a defenseless Luong of blue skin. The hammer impacted the lower chest with a loud crack of the scaled armor. Blood of scarlet red pooled from the wound, but not before Kogon hefted his strength with his legs and launched the Luong to the other caravan, where another soldier took his spear and jabbed it into the cracked armor piece.

  The light faded from its eyes; the fire that was kept inside them was gone as it was left in a dull, empty husk of inky black, darkening the entire eye and leaving it with nothing more. She had seen Luong die before, but every time she had, it was almost as if something in those long-dead eyes asked her to look within. There was nothing inside, at least she didn't feel there was anyway.

  The others looked toward Kogon, their weapons all stained with that common silver of regular steel.

  "Good to know they didn't bring Runic Steel." Melinda thought before noticing a large Luong staring down before her, near the end of the middle caravan, staring back at her. He climbed from the driver's spot in front, a small divot where the drivers would sit to control the beasts that would carry it. His skin was an inky black, the same as the night sky that pierced above them, its eyes a stained gold that burned like the others, but with fury she had never seen before. He wore chain mail, interlocking chains that protected his upper body and shoulders.

  "A Luong with armor?" She had spoken in her head. That was downright odd. Most Luong were proud creatures, not wanting to use their own creations to protect themselves, not like weapons; those were sacred tools. Most were bare-chested, using their natural scales as protection; some say it's because of their religion, others say it's pride. Melinda knew it was downright stupidity.

  "Tell me....Child of Creation...your name." The Luong spoke; its voice was deep, and the words were definitely Absolu, but almost broken. Like they were practiced, but it didn't know what they meant. Melinda looked incredulously, almost hesitantly as the violence around her was still going on. She had to kill it; there was no way around that, but maybe it knew that too...

  "Melinda...Melinda Paramore." Some of the other soldiers seemed to look at her with caution and worry, as if they didn't understand why she had given her name to the creature. The Luong laughed, or at least she believed it to be a laugh, as it had taken out a one-handed battle-axe from the same divot it had come out of. It was gilded in gold and small gems, but it was no more impressive than the steel the others were carrying.

  "Melinda... will remember that. Koyranth, will strike you down here and now!" The Luong, most likely named Koyranth, raised the begemmed weapon as it held it with both hands forward, like one would with a sword. Melinda didn't hesitate before channeling The Storm within and arching the lightning towards it. Koyranth had simply crouched down into a wild charge, parts of its body being struck by the lighting cracks that spilt off into smaller and smaller pieces, but it remained unphased before it struck in a vertical upward swing.

  Her battle instincts kicked in to keep the sharp weapon outside of the range of her neck. She took a step away, closer towards the door going towards their carriage. Her back landed on the guardrail that kept her from falling out. It stood up before her, its large frame taking up most of her vision from her spot holding the rail. It was at least two feet taller than her, an astounding seven, almost eight feet in height as its muscles bulged around its armored scales.

  "Need to keep away!" Her mind collected every thought before it brought down the axe in a wild diagonal swing towards her neck. She forced The Storm into a part of her leg as she felt the sparks of her power brimming in the spaces of her muscle fibers. She went for an outward kick, trying to threaten to make the space away from her or risk an injury it wouldn't be able to get up from. It took a strong leap back, giving Melinda space as the forward kick sparked lightning around her like an explosion. Some of the crates around were burnt or destroyed by the strands of lightning, but the Luong simply took the safer option.

  It bucked forward towards her once more as Melinda snapped her fingers and willed The Storm to her command. She outstretched her hand as a ball of blue energy found space within her palm. She had simply flung the ball away from her as it floated beside her, only about a foot away. She swung her left forearm outward as the lightning contorted around her arm like a whip, but its arch was too wild to control and mainly blasted in a circle around her. The Luong kept its distance before the swipe of lightning as it went for a wide swing towards her, even as the lightning struck against its scales.

  The axe was too fast; it embedded deep into the side of her armor. She felt the strength of the reverberations from the ax. Even the strength of Luong couldn't break through the armor. However, it simply didn't keep up with the strike. With a surge of power, the Luong carried the force from the swing forward as the axe, already deeply embedded into the armor, pushed her with the force of a hurricane.

  It screamed out as Melinda was launched to the right. She quickly closed her fist before the force, the ball of energy condensing and sparking into a splitting chain of lightning, striking down the Luong warrior. She could barely see the impact of her attack as she was launched to the carriage next to her. Her head slamming into the wood but her armor taking the brunt force of the attack. She stumbled back only for a few on the ground as the rail guard had kept its integrity and caught her before she would fall right off onto the ground.

  Her vision stuttered, only for a moment, as she looked out into the plainscape of the Midlands. It was a large open section of rolling hills and amber grass that reminded her of honey. The light of Noiratha, the large remnant of the forgotten years, stared down at her, taunting her. Its surface shined a brilliant white and bathed the area in a soft glow. For a Concept said to have cursed humanity with its sister, there was a beauty to it.

  "Melinda..." The Storm called out once more; it spoke those same sweetening words that called her name, enticing and wanting. The other soldiers around her were battling and fighting their own; there was a lot more Luong than they had anticipated. She saw a man get his helmet blown off of his face as a blade of intricate design pierced through his leg with a vertical swing, trying to split him down the middle.

  She reached into the space in her mind, looking to see how much Blot she held within. She felt it was trickling, but it still brewed fiercely.

  "I can still afford to go all out, however..." There were people around, soldiers of the family. How much could she go before it strikes out on others? Lightning was powerful and fast and came out with the thunder that would come after, but it was unstable and sporadic. Melinda had heard of the few that could wield lightning like a musician played an instrument, but all of those weren't daggers like she was; they were not made to create and devastate.

  The Luong simply coughed up the same scarlet red blood that the other one had, and it took a long stride before easily crossing the distance between the two as it landed towards her. She quickly adjusted herself upwards as the other Luong were suddenly watching the fight.

  Melinda took the initiative, blasting away a streak of blue lightning towards him as he simply tanked the attack. He gritted his jaw as his teeth were visible from his mouth being jutted out away from his head. The lightning singed the armor around his chest as he ran towards her and anchored his axe back into the cut already made from the previous attack. His blood pooling from his chest, his will burned streaks of a bright gold in his eyes.

  This time however, it was aiming for a small section of the covered plate in the middle, it still covered the body but there was a small section where the greaves and the chest plate would connect. It wasn't aiming to hurt her at all...

  "It's aiming to dismantle the plate!" She thought in her head as she forced her left and right hands free towards its chest to unleash a fierce bolt of lightning. The lightning gathered into her right hand, crackling and chaining itself together into her fingertips. Her left hand was flattened as stagnant, poised energy forced itself across her hand. That energy began to channel and course back through before--

  There was a shout and a loud crash to the ground as Melinda looked over to see two soldiers get killed within moments. Their bodies fell as their skin began to grey, and their blood mixed together. Those two Luong ran over to support the one over Melinda, both of them dashing with great strides over.

  "Creation's End!" She pulled her right hand to the right as she let loose the chained lightning and blasted the two running towards her. The lightning arcs struck in full, like a spider's web almost all of the connected to a tapestry of heat and light. Their bodies fell as she lifted up her left hand to force her power onto the Black Luong. Before her arm could lift to strike it down, it raised its right leg and slammed down against her arm as the light from her hand flashed away in a puff and she could feel the sting of pain from her arm.

  His leather-skinned boots slammed into her arm, as if an anvil had slammed into her arm and forearm. She felt the pain rattle in her bones, her arm was going numb and she couldn't feel the power channel within, the pain was too great. She gritted her teeth in pain as she saw the Luong push the axe deeper into the armor. She could see the muscles strain from the force as she felt the pressure of the armor lift off her chest.

  The entire chest plate was hefted off as she was left in a basic Paramore family uniform, the same the soldiers would wear under their own armor. The Runic Silver plate landed away as some of the other Luong looked in victory. Melinda looked over to the other soldiers, struggling to fight off and defend themselves against the stronger opponents. She couldn't see Kogon fighting away, but the grunts and screams of a heavily armored man as well as the clashing of steel made it clear to her.

  "Melinda... I am here." The Storm called to her.

  "No... I can't." It wanted her to release it all, let them become one. She couldn't let it; she wouldn't...

  "Please, Melinda. We have to survive. You need me."

  She was back in that place again; how long had it been since she felt this way? This uncontainable rage is building to the absolute, trying to contain itself. She needed more than ever, but the last time...last time. She couldn't let herself loose again, not again.

  "What does it matter? I am too dangerous...I'm..."

  "You're just perfect the way you are, Melinda. Remember what you must do."

  Those words, the words that were too sweet, took her back to a time when she was stronger, when she didn't understand the way the world was.

  The Storm was right; he must pay for what he did. She needed this more than anything, and for that, she would do anything. She had to let it go, regardless of what would happen. She would save herself, she would save her. She needed him to die.

  "I need you more than anything."

  And then, there was nothing....

  ***

  Kogon was already tired before this, so pitting him against seven or eight of the Luong was already too much for him to start his night. The plan was simple enough: sabotage as a random carriage, hiding in sight line of the trail, and then grab the Luong trade cart that was carrying the Blot to Kursoon. Kill those on board and take it. Easy as much as he felt it was, but after he had slammed Molten into the third Luong head, he was starting to feel the strain of the plan.

  "ANYMORE?!" His voice resonated through the night sky as the other four Luong were starting to edge closer to him. He took a breath letting his adrenaline settle before feeling the beating of heart in tune to the battle. The visor blocked a lot of the action around, but the screams and the general tempo of the battle meant they were fighting for their lives.

  Two Luong went for a forward lunge towards his visor, his only real weakness around him, so he quickly moved forward, intercepting their sword into his armor. The scraping of metal and the surprised shouts of the Luong surged his strength forward as he pushed the two forward and swung in a horizontal arch. The two went flying as their armored bodies cracked under the weight of the swing, as they went flying off the side of the carriage.

  "I can't worry about whether they are alive right now; get as many Luong dead and get the Blot out." Despite everything, he had a mission, and it would be much worse if he had lost the Blot or if they were to get it to Kursoon. That fueled part of his swings, trying to keep his men alive and the princess out of trouble.

  He didn't hate Melinda; there was no reason to, but it didn't mean that he had to enjoy her presence. Something was up with her; he just didn't know what.

  Kogon wasted no time as he shoulder-charged another one who was running at him with a long spear, using its curved blade to carve through into his helmet. Kogon raised Molten towards the shaft of the blade as he used his strength to keep the blade from going any farther towards his head. The cuts and breaks in the armor could be fixed, but if parts of the armor were torn off or broken, they couldn't be repaired.

  He kept the blade as far as he could, but the Luong's overwhelming strength kept him at bay. The other one with tinted purple skin snatched a pocket knife out of the small leather sheath on its belt and grabbed it in its left hand, spinning the knife in its hand for a vertical crosscut into its visor. It came from the left in a wild jump, as Kogon used the leverage of the force from the long spear to control it. He moved in closer and let the strength overpower him, just for a brief moment.

  In that moment of loose time, Kogon retracted the hammer towards him as he kicked the wild attacker loose and let the shaft loose in his hand as he pushed his left foot forward into an upper swing to the spearman. With a satisfying crack across the head, he saw the armored scales crack and break from the force of the swing as he fell to the ground, stunned and most likely dead.

  The loose attacker shouted something in a language Kogon didn't care to recognize as it ran closer, attacking wildly. There was no grace nor technique built into the attacks, it was pure emotion, you didn't have to speak the language to know that. Kogon simply walked out of the way before heaving the hammer back into his face with a loud crack. It fell to the ground as its breath became shallow; he would die soon.

  Kogon looked around on the carriage as he walked across one of the bodies of his soldiers. With a sigh, he looked towards the other two caravans as he watched the others fight. He heard a grunt across as he saw arched lightning wipe out another two Luong. Melinda was underneath another Luong with black skin as he held up a gilded axe.

  Only then, when he paid attention to the fight before him, did he see that a piece of Runic Silver was resting nearby. Only then did Kogon lurch forward into a powerful jump as he landed across the middle caravan, where he pushed and charged through other soldiers.

  "Will I be too late?! Melinda, you better not..." Kogon watched as he saw something spark within her. There was a flash of bright light before Kogon saw that Luong was flung backwards towards the leftmost caravan. Kogon looked back to see his armor completely singed off; he still lived, but the blood leaked from every part of his skin. He looked towards him before falling onto the wood.

  Kogon looked back to see the other remaining Luong walk away from this force. Melinda stood up, her body glowing, and streaks of lightning trailed across her skin. Her eyes were an ocean blue as she stared back at Kogon. Kogon's body tensed up; whether it was fear or awe, he didn't really know, but he knew that this wasn't good.

  "What in the Final Paradise are you, princess?" Kogon's question was answered as three of the Luong nearby were blasted away by arched lightning that flew from her body. Their armor and skin completely ashen as Melinda leaped into the air, the lightning trailing from every part of her body like a part of her. She flew high into the air as she looked towards the Luong, who were still controlling the caravan of each. Her right hand went forward as three streaks of white lightning outstretched and struck down those three in an instant.

  Without the Luong, the Riding Lizards were being controlled and immediately began to buck and swipe their tails in the air as they broke free from the constraints holding them to the carts. This caused the carts to keep their momentum as a small change in elevation caused one to tumble, as another went and the final one all went down.

  The bodies of both the living and the dead went flying out into the amber fields as Kogon launched forward and used the armor to keep himself fine as he rolled across the ground. He thrust his hammer into the ground as his momentum stopped. He watched as Luong and soldiers alike were staring up at the light from the sky.

  Melinda was descending slowly, as the lighting around her feet was scattering across the floor like it was trying to slow her fall. She landed on the floor, and as nobody could move, she let out a vicious scream loud enough to wake up the dead in the Final Paradise as she let loose.

  Lightning scattered from her body in waves, like the crashing of the tides. Nobody even vacantly near her was safe. The Luong tried to push towards her, but she didn't look at them as the lightning near her body began to charge and shock them quicker than her hand raised to strike another one down.

  The Luong that were already injured had already begun to try and run away, but there was no saving them. The lighting from the others that fell to it, spread and destroyed their only chance. Melinda wasn't even looking at the rest of them; she wasn't looking at anything anymore.

  Was she even there?

  Kogon noticed something behind her; the glowing highlighted blow was waning and flashing in and out of power.

  "Her Embody is faltering." Kogon wasn't an Engraved, but he knew that once that would stop glowing, her powers would be gone. He walked away slowly as he noticed some of his own men, still alive and struggling to escape got zapped and obliterated. He watched as she spared not even a glance to some of them; the remaining four soldiers walked back with him as they watched every single Luong leave was obliterated from the land, fading into ash or just char on the ground.

  "Sir...What is she?" Kogon lifted up his helmet as Melinda stopped in front of them a good thirty feet away and crouched down onto the ground. Her lightning came in bursts, as explosions around them rocketed away. The amber grass turned black and grey as she looked towards the sky and screamed out in pure rage. There was a sudden flash as her body, just for a moment, unleashed a concentrated blast of pure energy. Her body illuminated in the large glow like the spindles of blue in a bonfire. Kogon could only watch as he was stunned by the power she emitted.

  Melinda Paramore, daughter of Araes Paramore, first daughter to House Paramore, looked like the first living god.

  The energy died down, as she was left crouching down in the barren wasteland twenty feet in front of her. There was no life nearby; all the grass was burned away, and the remaining bits of flesh and assorted goods in the carts were all gone. The illumine glow of her skin died down as the remaining tidbit of her uniform was gone, but the Runic Silver still stood. It was still just as strong as it was, even when being struck with lightning.

  Kogon watched and waited as her body fell onto the ground and her raven hair blew in the wind of the night. He simply walked closer, turning her over slightly to tell if she was still breathing. She was, it was slower than normal, at least what he assumed was normal, but she was breathing.

  "The rest of you find the Blot; we still have a job to do." The other soldiers took a second before they nodded or grunted with approval and walked towards the wreckage carefully, walking and running past Melinda. Kogon, not wanting to waste any more time, took it upon himself to look through the wreckage of burnt wood and metal to find the target.

  The smell was repulsive and carried a disgusting odor that wafted through the night wind. Kogon was used to death, but this way...this was something new to even him.

  "To think that the princess could keep so much power to herself..." He said it out loud, as if she would wake up and answer. He would get an answer, at least one he could give to the corpses of those who had fallen tonight. He had little respect for people like Araes, at least the person he was now, but soldiers were a different breed of stupid.

  He respected bravery, at least the kind of bravery that was considered stupid. There was a good ness in that which came from soldiers, no matter what or where they came from. Even the Luong, with their gifted strength and defense, he didn't like them, but he respected them. Their warrior culture and their weapons of beautiful design, he would have had Molten if he didn't. He hoisted the Maul to his shoulder as he brushed past the dead bodies and singed material clearly unusable now.

  It took but a moment to find through the singed logs and charred corpses three distinct boxes of opalescent shine. Each box, more a treasure chest, was designed with intricate runes of the Luong people, each with a shining cyan glow. He didn't know what they meant; most humans couldn't translate runes, but he understood that the same cyan of Kursoon most likely meant that this was the trade deal.

  "No wonder they had so many there. I showed have predicted that, even after the other ones they would be beefing up their security. Five dead, two at least to the Luong, his strongest men of The Vanguard, three to Melinda. Thinking about that made him angry, the grip on his maul tighter and tighter, but his muscles strained to the pain.

  "It's pointless; as long as her daddy lives, it won't matter anyway. Sometimes I wonder if that bastard cares." Kogon thought no more about it as he motioned to the chests.

  "Gather the chests quickly, we are going to have to make the rest of the trek back with what we have left." Kogon removed one of his gauntlets and placed two fingers into his mouth for a quick whistle. He heard the rushing sound of his twin Riding Lizards: Liss and Kiss. Both of them were a light turquoise color; Kiss had small swirls of pink around her tail, and Liss had solid lines of blue around her underbelly. Relief set in, as his two loyal lizards were alive after pushing them there the whole time.

  "Good girls, Dragon hawks for the both of you once we get back." He turned towards the remaining soldiers as three of them carried the hefty chests and one stood on guard.

  "Three to each lizard, and be careful not to drop those chests until we rest!" Kogon looked towards the remaining soldier, a small man with a long spear named Cloriaus.

  "Cloriaus...grab the princess and secure her with some remaining fabrics." Cloriaus looked towards Kogon with a look of confusion and anger hidden within.

  "But sir, she had killed the rest of our squad! Why should we--"

  "That is an order, soldier! Leaving her would mean more to clean up before we get back! Besides..."

  Kogon looked towards the knocked out Melinda that was lying on the floor. He rolled his eyes before he walked towards Kiss.

  "Maybe if we're lucky, her father might do our job for us."

  Cloriaus said nothing more as he hoisted up her body from the floor, no care of gentleness to be seen. He jumped onto Liss as the other soldiers hopped onto the respective lizard. Kogon grabbed on to Kiss as he grabbed her reins, and she began to walk the trip to the Paramore House.

  At least to Kogon, he considered it a job well done.