“Why is it here?” Paul shouted

  “This is not the time for that!” Mark replied

  The creature the size of buildings looks down upon its prey. Making them tremble at the sight of the behemoth

  “Here goes nothing!” Rose said as she raised her weapon and fired

  PING!

  “Fuck! The shot ricocheted off”

  The creature turns its head and looks at its attacker, screeching with power. It moves its massive legs, sweeping the area.

  “Dodge everyone!!” Mark grabbed Paul and Furi and yank them to the nearby wall.

  “AUGH” Rose’s scream cut through the ruins as she is hit with the creature’s swing.

  The sound of bones breaking is heard, she flew backwards. Ashes flew everywhere as her body hits a burnt tree. Unconscious.

  “What do we do, Mark” Paul said, trembling after seeing his companion not moving.

  “Paul, you try to cut its legs; I’ll try to cut off its head” “Roger” “Furi! take this map and run towards the coast, contact Caprico, we need reinforcements now!” Mark said, handing Furi a map

  “I, I…” Furi muttered “Quickly! Go! NOW”

  Paul leaps out from the wall, followed by Mark. Paul’s sword begins to excrete water magic, even more than before

  “HUAHHHHH” As he swings his bde to the creature’s leg

  Cling!

  His sword snapped in half as the other half flies into the distance, A bad cut

  “Crap!” he curses before the creature’s legs, unharmed, now smashes into his face, sending him into the distance

  “RARRR!!” Mark falls from the sky, ready to split the creature’s head. Unexpectedly, it looks up and catches his axe with its mandibles.

  “Shit” Mark attempts to free his weapon but the creature will not let him. A magic circle fred on the creature’s horn, Mark let go and barely dodges, the lightning bolt split the grey clouds above. As he falls to the ground and loses his bance.

  Dust is kicked up in the air, Mark cough, his leg bled. The creature is now in front of him, it’s gaze enough to make any army tremble in fear let alone a single man.

  Furi still hesitant to run, watches as her new companions get beaten, breathing heavily, her legs trembled, her mind race “What can I do” Rose’s word still stuck to her. A “click” inside her mind, she has never seen these things before, lightning bolt flying everywhere, and water oozing from a sword? She trembles at the thought of what it could be. But that click is screaming at her You know how.

  A footstep “What who is that, reinforcement shouldn’t come that quickly” Mark thought, He gnce to his right

  It indeed wasn’t reinforcements

  It was her

  “What are you doing!” He shouted, “Why didn’t you run away like I told you!” his voice is filled with panic, she didn’t answer. Her eyes lit up, glowing like the fmes

  “Sorry” Magic circles start appearing behind her, the creature turns its attention to her fireworks. And is hit with multiple fireballs, A magic circle fred on the creature’s horn. A zap of lightning bolt is shot out in response

  Furi’s eye widens, manifests a magic circle in her hand. From it, a beam of fire appears and hits the bolt of lightning with a resounding explosion throwing up dust even more.

  Mark observes that the creature is distracted. Dashes to his axe unseen by the creature

  “Take this you fuck!” He hit the creature in the chin, wounding the creature

  With a bone piercing and its blood running from its wound, followed by its face peppered with fireballs,

  From the shadows, Paul appears with blood running from his head and his half-broken sword. “AGHHHHHHHHHH” He dashes in and ssh at the creature’s leg, this time his sword went into its leg, but it did not go through.

  The creature with a resounding screech backed off and retreated with Paul’s sword stuck in its leg.

  As the dust settled, Mark asked “Paul! Are you okay?” “A little dizzy but I’m fine” Paul answered “You should ask Rose that instead” as he points to her body, still unconscious at the tree. Mark ran towards her to check her out

  Paul stumbles past Furi, breathing heavily, each step is torturous.

  “You got a lot to tell us” As he picked up his broken bde“Let’s go back” Mark said, hauling Rose above his shoulder

  “Sounds like a good idea” Paul replied

  Down the road

  It was a awkward silence walks, no one spoke anything just weird looks. Until the silence was broken

  “So, miss.” Paul said, “Care to expin yourself? About whom you are exactly?”

  “I’m Furi” “Okay, anything else you want to say?” “That who I am”

  Paul is taken aback by this response.

  “Are you an officer from Ophiuchusnd?” “What’s that?”

  “Hey, don’t py dumb on me” “I’m not?”

  “Then expin why there was a random person in the middle of the Tabor range, who can also use scorch magic greatly” Paul asked more aggressively.

  “I don’t know?” “Hey, are you fucking with me, miss?”

  “I’m sorry?” “Augh, whatever the interrogators will deal with you when we’re back at Caprico”

  Mark breathes a sign of relief, He wouldn’t want things to escate right now, as they were, frankly, injured and in enemy territory

  “There’s our steed” Mark said, raising his arm and points to the small sailboat.

  After setting Rose on a seat, the boat start sailing.

  The awkward silence continues, the ocean winds brush against Furi’s hair, the mood is lightened. The silence is not forever, however

  “What is Caprico like?” Furi asked

  “Do you want to know the whole story or what” Mark answer, looking at the sail

  “I guess so”

  “Caprico was once the city of Grinda of the Hypatia Kingdom, when I was a kid I visited here once, A seaside city, full of cultures and brimming with people, it was beautiful” Mark said with a bitter smile

  “I wanted to come here again. Then the scourge happened. I didn’t think of my second trip to this pce would be like this.”

  “I’m sorry” Furi said looking at the setting sun at the horizon

  “Don’t be” Mark replied “What happened, happened”

  “It’s now a shell of its former self” Rose who had just woken up chimed in

  “Rose, you’re awake! How are you feeling? You still smell of ash” Paul said, sweat and blood dripping from his face

  “I don’t know, A few ribs probably, A trip to Julia’s pce should help” Rose replied a little bit annoyed at the st comment “That’s good to hear”

  “We’re here guys, get ready to board. We’re home”

  Mark shouted from the front

  Furi turns her head from the sun and gaze at the “home”

  She is taking aback from the sight she saw

  A massive wall, with them so tall it looks like, they pierce the sky. With holes in the wall, armed with cannons and scars from old battles. The wall stretches on what looks like forever.

  The boat sails into a gate in the wall. The beautiful sun is now a dim light from a ntern. The waves died down, metal scraped against the boat, screeching. This was something new, not in a million years can she dream of this. If she even has one to remember that is. There are many other boats. Lining one after another for as long as the eye could see.

  The boat stops and a metal bridge is lowered. Throughout the metallic cng and wave sloshing around of this pce. A voice can be heard shouting.

  “Welcome to Caprico!”