Zaira and Kitcho's Misadventure

[5:45:55 PM] Ballyogan: It wasn't much better than the sewers here in the slums, but at least it was more varied than corridors and fetid water. He never did get his favorite monster to come and play from its swirling den, so he grew bored and stayed in the slums since stealing the artifacts. Turns out only one of the keys they acquired was the real artifact, but two other teams managed to get the right ones.

He hadn't found any other aeniama that had been up there before him and the others and he was very intrigued by this, especially since their sudden arrival sparked near panic among the humans. It since settled down after a sufficient time of laying low and Kitcho spent a lot of time sitting in the shadows, watching, trying to understand...well, anything. They were so strange, how did they balance on two legs and without tails? Why did they tolerate these one-tailed creatures with no magic yet hate aeniama who could actually be useful to them?

Today found him on the tallest building in the slums, which wasn't saying much, but it gave him a little cover from below so he could observe safely. This building was faulty, it had been leaking for who knows how long, so the nearby area was flooded, with some of the building having crumbled into the stagnant water. The water would probably lead to the sewers if it had the chance, but he had no intention of helping in that regard. The water was yet another deterrent to his location if he was to be found. That being said, it wasn't a very good lookout position as many humans kept away from the building anyway- it was probably the safest area in the slums, at least from what he could find, and more entertaining than anywhere in the sewers.

[6:07:24 PM] Zaira Wolfe: Zaira was out in the sewers, lost in thought. the orange cream sicle colored vixen was pawing at her freshly won white bead, pondering what to do with it. Her closest friend, Kitcho, hadn't been too happy with her when she'd used her first one, and the two hadn't spoken since.

A sense of longing tugged at her heart as she thought about the purple spirit, and she wondered how he was doing. She'd heard that his team was another of the successful teams, and that he'd also won a white bead as a reward too.

Sitting back as her large black ears came forward, she drew a deep breath. She stilled herself as she used her affinity to search the air currents for a scent that she knew all too well, Kitcho's. Her blue markings glowed in the dim light as she used her affinity to draw scents towards her. This might have taken a long time were she still a single tailed spirit, but now she had three, long bushy tails that could nearly conceal her entire body.

There it is, Kitcho's scent. Judging by the other scents that came in along with his he was out in the slums, and not too far away. Getting to her black paws she gently tucked her white bead into her scarf before setting out after the scent. Padding lightly she crept along, careful to remain out of sight of the humans that would surely be milling about. The last thing she needed was to cause another ruckus.

Though the wound had healed already, she still remembered how it stung getting sliced by the hunter beast that the soldier had commanded. She certainly didn't want to tangle with that creature again. Before long she came to a derelict little shack, nearly completely rotted out by water damage. Carefully she climbed her way up to the top where her friend's scent was coming from.

"Kitcho?" she asked softly, so as not to startle him. She stayed where she was, with her head just sticking up above the roof line, her gigantic ears to the sides of her head with unease. She had no idea how the hot tempered Aeniama would react to her presence after all this time. "Can we talk?"

[6:20:31 PM] Ballyogan: He couldn't say why he wasn't surprised by the arrival of another spirit. He didn't see her approach nor was he exactly listening for any sounds. He heard a sound on the roof and instantly stiffened, chastizing himself for his lack of attentiveness, but relaxed once he heard her voice. He wasn't exactly afraid of the hunters. His group had managed to trap a crazy dog and narrowly avoided a hunter earlier but  if he had to fight, he'd deal with it like any other problem- lead it to an enclosed space, set a spike trap. He was almost afraid of his own power at this point, if this was his strength with two tails, how far would it leap when he used his two white beads? Even now he could feel the trace amounts of metal in the concrete building were enough to cause some damage.

He was partially happy it was Zaira, remembering their good times with only one tail, but Giza had destroyed many good memories...well, not Giza directly, but in the time after he was gone bad things just started happening. Many friends, many strong friends, just...disappeared and Kitcho feared the worst. It even affected Zaira, it made her want to grow stronger, but that drive made her a danger to herself and others and his relationship with the orange vixen became strained. The more he wanted to protect her, the more rebellious she became. Now she was here and wanted to talk.

He didn't turn to look at her, he knew she had three tails. Used the first white bead to get stronger, and he wondered how that affected her. "I don't want trouble, if that's what you mean." It was a lie, he LOVED trouble, but not among friends. He wondered how she'd take that. Kitcho clearly wasn't a talker, unless it was explaining a plan, so it wasn't uncommon for his curt phrases to be taken the wrong way. He just didn't...know how to put things any other way.

[6:29:54 PM] Zaira Wolfe: The orange spirit was a little wounded at Kitcho's remark. He had a way of being rather curt, but rather than lashing back at him her ears simply drooped and slicked back as she looked the other way. "I...Well I didn't come looking for trouble." she replied as a hint of misery entered her tone, "I just wanted to come and see how you were doing. I heard you gained another white bead."

She shuffled a little on her paws, her unease beginning to make her antsy. *Why can't things just go back to the way they used to be?* she thought bitterly a moment. Unsure of Kitcho's current mood she didn't want to approach him, just in case he was in no mood for company. "Are you doing well at least?" her tone was filled with genuine concern as she spoked, though her voice was hushed, "It's been so long, and I've been missing my friends. So many have gone missing, and I'm worried about you."

[6:38:39 PM] Ballyogan: Kitcho raised an eyebrow, pleased that this wasn't one of those weird meetings like in the sewers, but unwilling to drop his guard just yet. He wasn't afraid of Zaira, he was afraid FOR Zaira, and if something happened to his closest living friend, he didn't know how he'd react. He kept this barrier up as an attempt to soften the blow.

"I miss them, too" He said softly. "I'm coping, dealing with things as they come, it's all we can really do right now." He swished his tails before slamming them down point-first into the roof. "But I'm not...good. I'm not...happy, and I don't expect I will be for a long time." He decided to put himself out there. If he couldn't be himself with Zaira, who could he be himself with? If it backfired on him, he'd lock himself away for good, he didn't want to always be burned every time he tried to care.

[6:49:42 PM] Zaira Wolfe: Taken aback by Kitcho's openess, Zaira could only tilt her head to one side. It had been a long time since he'd been so sincere with her, and she was finally able to climb up and join him on the roof top, even with him slamming his tails into the roof. She padded up to him, barely making a sound on the roof, before she sat down beside him. It was strange that she was now a bit larger than he was, but she shrugged it off as a result of her having more tails that he did. Surely he'd be larger than her if he had the same number of tails that she did.

"What's bothering you?" she asked, worried for her friend, "I've never seen anything bother you like this." Gently she wrapped her tails around him in a comforting gesture, wanting to put him at ease. Her own problems went forgotten as she wondered about how she could help her friend.

[7:02:06 PM] Ballyogan: He ignored her statements for a moment to say "I'd heard you'd grown, but never guessed by that much. It suits you." Closeness with another creature generally made him uncomfortable, though he could never tell why. It probably had to do with his first encounter with another aeniama. Still, he was glad Zaira was here and not being...contrary.

"Look at me Zaira, look at my tails. What am I here for? I control metal and all I can do is kill and destroy. Humans hate us, and all I can do is make it worse by fighting, but that's the horrible part. We all NEED to fight to survive. Running won't cut it. The more we fight, the worse it gets, but we have to change the way things are so the humans can see we're not evil. It just becomes an infinite loop with no end in sight."

He'd been thinking about this for a long time, and the more he thought about it the more depressed he became, but he couldn't ignore it. "And don't say I can protect others, because I can't. Not forever. It's kind of funny though, I'm upset about all this fighting but I want to do nothing except fight. I WANT to kill things, it's exhilerating, it makes me feel alive. That's WRONG. I know it is, but I can't help it. I'm a weapon, as evidenced by my tails, and it's all I ever will be."

[7:15:59 PM] Zaira Wolfe: Zaira blushed a little under her fur at Kitcho's compliment. She hadn't been expecting that, and it took her completely off guard. The new size and new markings had only served to make her feel more awkward than she had before, especially since she was the only three tailed fox around, with the disappearance of the other three tailed foxes. But she remained silent and listened intently as Kitcho spoke.

It suddenly became very clear to Zaira why Kitcho was the way he was. This had obviously been festering for a very long time, probably even back when they each had only a single tail. Yet something rang true in Kitcho's words, and it resonated with something that Zaira herself felt. However, she believed that they were there for so much more than just destruction. The vixen gave a smile and a sigh, as she pondered for what felt like an eternity.

"The only way to break the cycle of violence is to not participate." she replied softly, "They may still lash out at us, but if we do not retaliate, then perhaps they will stop seeing us as a threat, if given time. We should only ever fight to protect, when there is no other recourse." She stopped to think some more, as this was a very complex topic. There was much to be considered, and she hoped that she could think of something to help soothe her friend's wounded spirit.

"What if we tried helping these people? They're miserable, and unhappy. We shouldn't be stealing things from them, we should be finding ways to help them. Even if it puts us in danger." she thought aloud, "Look at them, Kitcho. What do you see in them?"

[7:22:42 PM | Edited 7:29:35 PM] Ballyogan: Kitcho snorted, as if it was that simple. "I know what you're getting at. “They're like us, struggling to survive. Yes, I noticed it too. Yet they'll kill any other creature to survive and not feel any guilt about it. If we don't retaliate, we'll die, and nothing good will ever come from that. Maybe the only way to gaurantee survival is to do what Giza did. Fight for them, because their base instinct is violence...just like mine.” He instantly regretted what he just said, he didn't want anyone to think he was sympathizing with that monster.

His blood boiled just thinking about meeting Giza again. Fear, anger and a touch of anticipation. He wanted to beat Giza more than anything, more than getting his ninth tail. He would right the wrongs of that psychopath if it was the last thing he did, and he'd do it alone so no other fox would be risked in the battle. He knew he couldn't do it with only two tails. He had two white beads if he needed, but he wouldn't use them until he met something stronger than he was. He wanted to fight on his own power for as long as he could, see how far he could go. He hadn't even used his red or blue beads yet.

He unclenched his muscles, not realizing they'd all locked up and let out a large breath, slowing his heartbeat. He would avenge all the foxes Giza killed, but it wasn't worth getting worked up about it now.

[7:44:07 PM] Zaira Wolfe: Zaira let out another sigh. It seemed that the purple spirit would be difficult to convince. What concerned her more though was that he sounded like he was considering joining with Giza. If it wasn't for the fact that she felt him go tense after falling silent, she would have thought he was serious, but she could tell he was remembering all the damage Giza had done.

"They may have no regret killing other creatures, but what if we showed them another way?" she ventured, "No creature likes taking the hard way. What if we could show them that it would be easier if we worked together? Things are always easier when we band together."

She shrugged, realizing just how futile this was. She could sit there contemplating hypotheticals, but it would never change the situation any. "I wish Ainu was around more." she sighed, "Maybe he would know what to do. I just think we're going about all this the wrong way. There just has to be another way." Giving a grunt of frustration she laid down and tucked her paws under her chest like a cat, as she gazed out at the slums unfolding around her. Again another dark and dismal place. Were all the levels like this?

"All I know is this way isn't working." she said miserably, "If it doesn't work why keep doing it? It's self defeating."

Dimen: He knew she was right, they were both right but where she saw hope he saw practicality. If they were to change the minds of the humans, it be over years- no, generations. The longer it took, the less likely they were to see the next day. She was thinking it couldn't hurt to try, and he knew very well it could but...maybe if they did it quietly. He stood, shaking off Zaira's tails from his back. "Fine, we'll try it. Any ideas? I'm not exactly good at 'playing nice.'"

Zaira: The ginger spirit stood as Kitcho rose. It suddenly occurred to her that she hadn't thought that far ahead yet. "Actually I don't know." she replied "We need to find out what it is they really need, and maybe we could try finding a way to provide it?" She thought a long while, then sighed in defeat. "Truth is I'm not very good at this either. All I know is we can't help unless we know what they need help with. If that makes any sense." She turned and gazed at her friend, hoping that he understood what she was getting at.

Dimen: "I've got some ideas." He offered, looking down over the edge of the building at the stagnant water. It wasn't too deep for a human, but Kitcho would be wading up to his neck in it. Not a place he'd like to stay for long. "Start slow. They didn't seem to know we were around but they saw us when we stole the artifacts. Now they'll see some changes." He propped himself up on the edge, hoping he could feel the metal from all the way up here but unfortunately he could not. He sighed and put his front paws over the edge, slowly crawling down until his tails also touched the edge. The purple spirit lowered himself down, his scythe-shaped tails making grooves in the wall as he drew on the minerals in the bricks to make metal and then part it. It looked like his tails were slowly cutting the wall as he controlled his descent. At the bottom he hopped off and directly into the water. It wasn't cold, but it wasn't warm either. He searched around for the metal that marked a drainage pipe that lead to the sewers. It had to be around here somewhere...

Zaira: Zaira's head tipped to one side as she watched Kitcho climb his way down and into the water. Searching for a way down, she found a ledge and hopped to it as she listened to him speak. From this ledge she felt she could jump into the water safely. Before she did she made a quick check of their surroundings to avoid alerting other creatures to their presence. Once she was sure she was in the clear jumped in after Kitcho with a decently sized splash. "Sorry about that." she apologized sheepishly, "I can't scale the side of walls like you can. What are we looking for?" She gave her best disarming smile as she moved out of his way.

Dimen: Kitcho shied away as she accidentally splashed him, but made no mention of it. Water never hurt anyone, he'd dry. Maybe he'd find himself a fire affinity to set a fire later in the safety of the sewers. He waded around a little longer, the metal seemingly calling his attention. "This" He said in response to her question. He felt the storm drain under his paw, clogged from years of filth buildup. How to clear it? Brute force was the first thing to come to his mind. Focusing his affinity he seemingly ripped the metal grate from the ground. In actuality he just pinched off the sides of the grate and lifted them, fastening small metal needles out of them and thrusting them into the drain until he met resistance. His eyes closed as he focused and using the tiny needles to break apart the trash and force itself deeper into the gunk. It didn't take long until the fruits of his labor were noticeable. It started as a slight sucking noise as it was freed just enough to let a trickle through. Emboldened, he doubled his efforts, but it wasn't long before the excessive use of his affinity left a dull headache behind his eyes and he stopped. Still, it was progress as the water continually drained into the sewers. Somefox, somewhere in the sewers might get a surprise shower

Zaira: The orange cream sickle colored Aeniama watched closely as Kitcho went to work on the grate in the murky water. It was mesmerizing seeing him work his affinity to pry at it, and clear the grim away. When he stopped she could tell that he'd begun to over exert himself. "It's okay, Kitcho." She chimed happily, "I can help from here." With that she started scrabbling at the gunk with her claws to help break it up, but there was one large piece of something that was tightly wedged between the bars. Not matter how hard she dug at it she couldn't scrape it free. "Keep watch." she said just before she sucked in a deep breath of air and plunged her head into the water. There before her nose was what appeared to be a discarded article of clothing, or perhaps a plush toy? It was hard to tell with the amount of damage that had been done to it in its time beneath the water and grime. She latched onto it with her teeth, and began pulling at it as hard as she could. It was really stuck in there.

Empi: Some water flows in a light ripple toward the shallows, washing over the young foxes, dislodging the item before bouncing off the shore of the pool, back to the deeper waters.

Dimen: Kitcho stiffened. That wave wasn't him, and scanning around there wasn't any other Aeniama in sight. The water was still draining, faster now that the blockage was cleared but it didn't sit well with him. He didn't survive this long by not listening to instinct, so he instantly grabbed Zaira's scarf and dragged her away from the presumed source as fast as his little legs could take them. She was annoyingly bigger than him now, but once they made it to shallower ground he let go and charged up onto dry ground, chest heaving and shoulders drooping.

Zaira: Zaira felt the water wash over her, as the object became dislodged. She dropped it right away, but before she could lift her head and say anything Kitcho had grabbed her scarf and was dragging her away. "Oh haha, Kitcho." she said as she played along, "You got your revenge for splashing you. I said I was sorry." she laughed a little, but quickly fell silent again when he stopped on dry ground and saw his face. He looked legitimately frightened, and so she whipped around searching for the source of his panic. "What is it Kitcho?" she asked quietly, "What did you see?"

Empi: The waves, wash again against the shore, splashing over the rubble violently before flowing back, a spurt of water bursting out like a geyser before falling back in a mist. An odd sound resonated through the water briefly, and for a while after the waves and the water seem to sit still. The calm is odd and just as quickly as it begins, a large beast bursts from the water, throwing its snakelike body onto the shore, supported by a multitude of clawed arms. A large jewel inset on its skull glowing faintly, as it hisses a gutteral reverberating sound.

Dimen: Kitcho was about to respond by saying "That" but before he got a chance a giant monster burst forth from the water, signaled only by a large plume of water seconds beforehand. He didn't have time to think about Zaira, he leaped backwards himself preparing his affinity but not seeing an effective way to use it, the beast was just too big. What little he could do with his metal would be meaningless. He couldn't back down though, couldn't look away. Zaira was still in danger. He scanned the area for her but couldn't see her. The purple spirit checked his surroundings quickly. He knew this area, scouted it out when stalking the humans for their artifacts. "HEY! I finally woke you you slimy git! You can't afford to look anywhere else, come and get me!" He made himself as big as possible to attract the beast's attention and give Zaira a chance to escape.

Zaira: Zaira's heart sank as the water swelled, receded, then spewed forth a great monster before her. Quickly regaining her wits she turned to run, but hesitated as she tried to locate her friend. There! She finally spotted him, just as his mouth opened, "No, Kitcho. Don't" she cried, but it was too late. The purple spirit was shouting to attract the monster's attention. Her paws felt like lead as she made her way towards her friend, desperate to get him out of there.

Empi: The hunter didnt seem to take heed of the purple aeniamas shouts, instead taking both the spirits in its sights and examining them briefly, resonating the odd reverberating sound as its jewel glowed, before turning and lunging at them both. It's massive body toppling any old buildings into rubble like dominoes, moving quite quickly in comparison to the foxes, rubble bouncing off its skin and into the waters as it rushed foward.

Dimen: It was large, he could see the conciousness behind its eyes but it didn't seem too bright. It charged forward trying to crash into both of them. For him, he was expecting it and was able to dodge out of the way easily enough. The debris was harder to predict, but as it fell he quickly ducked behind one particularly large cracked piece of building. If it lost sight of them or thought it already killed them so much the better. If it could go on a rampage in human areas and show how horrible hunters were...assuming this thing WAS a hunter. Anything that wasn't a rat, human or spirit was a hunter in his mind. Better yet, if this thing rampaged and the Aeniama stopped it? The rubble settled, he made his way back towards more solid buildings. He had a plan to take advantage of its size and stupidity and love of destruction.

Zaira: Zaira narrowly dodged the monster's hulking form, and was horrified at the destruction it wrought. There was no way either of them could stand a chance against this thing and she knew it. She followed Kitcho behind the cracked building, and was about to force him to keep going when he suddenly changed directions. Again ice gripped her as she caught a look at him as he passed by. He had that look in his eye, and she knew all too well he planned to face this thing. "Kitcho,we don't stand a chance. Let's get out of here!" she pleaded, but he was already taking his position among the sturdier buildings.

Empi: The leviathan crashes through the buildings, the crystal glowing as it stops and seems to smell the air, opening its large maw and a large gust emitting from it's silent roars. It waits for a moment, it's tail whipping to the side and toppling another building.

Dimen: This monster was all muscle and no brains, and it couldn't even seem to sense them at all. Seemed it didn't have a keen sense of smell being under the water all this time, so as long as he stayed out of sight he could lay a perfect trap. He heard Zaira say they should just flee. "Anything can be taken down with planning. You go, I don't need your help." He crept along, trying to judge the monster's path and where it might be heading next and finding the closest building out of the danger zone

Zaira: Zaira was quickly losing her patience with her friend. He was being every bit as foolish as he’d blamed her of being. However, something was off with this creature and she wondered if he’d noticed. One thing Kitcho should have figured out by now was that she’d never leave a friend behind, especially not in a situation like this. She carefully made her way to the purple Aeniama’s side. “I’m not leaving anybody behind.” She said softly as she eyed the beast, “Something’s strange. It’s hesitating. Why not strike us now?”

Empi: The creature looks about the ruins, stepping over some toppled buildings, the crystal glowing frequently as it sniffs the air, peering under buildings and opening its maw, gusts of air blowing out dust and garbage as it roars silently into them. It sends out another reverberating sound, the crystal glowing once more before the beast turns toward the location of the foxes and lunging forward.

Dimen: Kitcho was almost to his destination, the stealthy approach going a long way to help him recover a little energy, the adrenaline going even further. He felt alive, just like when they were leading Giza away. Something was wrong though, he noticed it on instinct more than anything else, but the creature turned to look directly at them. How? It was looking nowhere near them! Kitcho didn't move though. He didn't have the full time to set up his plan like he intended, but he was close enough he felt he could improvise. It lunged for him, at the base of a fair-sized concrete building. Right before it struck he rolled to the side so its reckless charge would send it crashing into the building as he dashed towards the front leg, scythe-tails outstretched, hoping the creature would fall just right to let him launch his attack.

Zaira: This monster greatly unnerved the three tailed spirit. She was certainly right there was something odd about it. Suddenly the beast charged right for them. There was little time to react as its gigantic form drew nearer. She swiftly leapt out of the way, becoming separated from Kitcho. Once safely out of harm’s way she looked about and swiftly found the foolish fox running straight towards the creature. Without hesitation she ran towards him as fast as her paws would carry her. She could hear the blood rushing through her ears as her heart raced wildly.

Empi: The beast's momentum keeps it moving forward, it roars in pain for a moment, the gem on it's forehead flashing red as it slams into the large building. The concrete building falling and breaking over its large form, trapping its head in the rubble.

Dimen: It worked better than he expected, the beast was stunned, now was the time to attack. As he ran he drew the minerals from the ground and wrapped them around his paws like little boots and jumped for the beast's leg, jabbing the metal of the boots into the creature's flesh while releasing them from his paws as he used them as footholds to reach the creature's back and run up it's neck to the base of it's head stuck in the rubble. Placing his front paws on the concrete he drew as much metal from it as he could before the beast started to move, preparing himself to hang on with all his might.

Zaira: She skidded to a halt as the beast fell head first into the building, becoming trapped in the rubble. Kitcho was still determined to fight the creature, but something kept nagging at the back of her mind. Why hadn’t it struck right away when it obviously knew where they were. There had to be something else going on, but Kitcho seemed to be too blinded to see it. Even so she would not abandon her friend, not matter how foolish he might be. She followed him, using the same metal spikes as pawholds as she made her way up next to him. She didn’t bother wasting her breath telling him they should leave, but instead stayed there with him. She prepared herself for a rough ride on this monster, while keeping alert to their surroundings. Something was horribly wrong. This was far too easy.

Empi: Loud reverberations echo through the rubble, the creatures muscles tensing as it throws its large head out of the rubble, the gem on it's forehead glowing intensly as it throws it's body toward the water, practically slithering over the ruins of it's charge.

Dimen: Kitcho was barely able to hold on as it tensed it's neck muscles, that was what he was waiting for. He slammed his scythe tails into the creature's skin to prevent him from flying off, rolling his eyes as he noticed Zaira was right behind him. She wasn't helping any, her wind was useful against rats and maybe smaller hunters but not here. As the beast moved he used his scythes as an anchor to climb higher on its head. He saw the creature moving for the water so he had to act quickly, he was not letting it get away so easily. He turned around so his face was facing some glowing gem and his tails near its eyes. He'd been crafting the metal he drew from the rubble around his tails, making them as big as he could, lifted his rump, and slammed it down, swinging his blades as deep into the Leviathan's eyes as he could and launching himself down the creature's face, hoping the pain and weight would change the beast's direction. If not, he was just going to drop down and let it go its own way. He was not going to fight it in the water.

Empi: The creature roars audibly, the gem on it's head glowing an intense red as it throws its head back to toss the off. Its whole body still moving toward the water as it continues to charge, thrashing it's body and toppling nearby buildings.

Zaira: Zaira crouched down low and bit down on one of the small spines beside her. She watched Kitcho make his move towards the creature’s face. What she saw next, she couldn’t deny, impressed her. The purple spirit lifted his now oversized tails, slamming them into its eye. But the creature was rapidly moving towards the water, and Zaira didn’t want to take the chance that it continued on its path. She released her death grip on its spine and leapt up to where Kitcho was. Without bothering to ask or say anything she grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, and pulled him down off its head so that she would be the first to hit the ground. Before they hit she used a sharp gust of wind to soften the impact. It still hurt some, but enough shock was absorbed that she could get back to her paws again.

Empi: The beast continues on it's path, diving into the water, loud echoing sounds causing the water to ripple and large waves wash onto the beach. A red light being the only thing visible from the depths.

Dimen: Kitcho was already making plans to disconnect the excess metal from his tails and drop off the beast, despite it being a considerable height. He didn't think the monster would be quick to turn around so he could get back to the sewers and nurse his wounds, but a distinct pain on the scruff of his neck startled him as he was yanked downwards by the orange three-tailed spirit. As they tumbled, his only thought was how not to impale her on his own tails by accident, but didn't have time to enact a plan. The wind affinity used a gust to cushion their fall to mitigate any damage. He still landed on her, and he'd thank her for her help, but right now it was more pressing to get up and see what the hunter would do. He doubted it would fall for the same trick twice. Still, thanks to Zaira he still had the extra metal on his tails...

Empi: The beast continues on it's path, diving into the water, loud echoing sounds causing the water to ripple and large waves wash onto the beach. A red light being the only thing visible from the depths.

Dimen: Kitcho looked on, not satisfied with the conclusion of the fight, but satisfied with the damage he did to something so large. He doubted he'd be comfortable near the water again, but now he had a long-term plan: to drain as much water as he could and reveal the beast so it had nowhere to hide. Right now, however, he doubted they were in any shape for a second round. "Let's put some distance between us and it. Quietly, I'm sure that drew a lot of attention."

Zaira: She’d hit the ground harder than she’d expected, and the added force of Kitcho landing on top of her didn’t help. At least he came out unscathed, and his oversized tails missed her. As she got to her paws a sharp pain shot through her right shoulder. The impact with the ground had caused some serious damage in her shoulder. However, now wasn’t the time to be standing still. “I can completely agree with that.” Zaira said, hoping Kitcho wouldn’t notice her trying to keep a straight face through the pain as she forced herself to walk normally.

Empi: The red glows brighter as it moves rapidly toward the shore, the leviathan bursting from the water once more, red streams from its two main eyes, as it opens its sub eyes and snaps up the larger orange fox. Its mass slamming into a few more buildings and ruins before its momentum ceases and it sounds another echoing roar.

Zaira: It was sudden. A new, more excruciating pain shot up her right foreleg as the jaws of the creature closed on it. Zaira let out a blood curdling screech as the shock of it sank in. A moment of panic gripped her as she realized she was in the monster’s gigantic mouth, but she quickly pushed it aside. She had to find a way out. Want to eat me do you? she thought to herself as she gathered up every bit of energy she could muster, “Choke on this!” the ginger spirit  shouted as she launched a blast of air down the beast’s throat.

Empi: The beasts coughs some, sending spit and bile at the orange aeniama in its mouth. Shaking its head back and forth to throw her around its mouth, clamping its teeth down in hopes to perhaps kill her. The gem on its forehead still continuing to flash rapidly.

Dimen: It was like a rush of wind, the beast was swift and silent, he barely had time to react. He turned around and Zaira was already in the beasts mouth, being shaken like a toy. He froze, he didn't know what to do, there was no time to try to scale the beast not to mention he could get stomped without the proper distraction and he had no range, no way to attack, except...A split second idea came to him, he'd never done this before and hoped he never had to again. Kitcho loosened the metal around his tails, the most amount of metal he could get a hold of on such short notice and flung his rear towards the beast- his tails aiming upwards as he totally released the metal casings and letting them fly towards the beast's now-open lower eye. He didn't think it had enough power, but if it even came close to one of the fleshy eyes it should be enough of a shock to force it to drop his friend.

Zaira: The force of the cough pushed Zaira towards the open mouth, but she dug her claws into the creature’s tongue as the jaws snapped shut once again. The beast shook its head, sending her rattling about and bouncing off hard teeth. Covered in slime she found it difficult to get a grip, and the creature’s thrashing was sending her dangerously close to its throat. Desperation set in and she sank her fangs into its tongue near the throat to keep from being swallowed. She kept a death grip in the hopes that biting this far back would cause the monster to gag, even though her strength was swiftly fading.

Empi: The beast roared, rage and pain consuming it, thrashing more and more as the gem flashed. Upon being bitten by the female aeniama, it flicks its tounge to the roof of its mouth, unable to shake the fox off, and opening its mouth occasionnally to cough out bile. It's body slumps to the ground as it focuses on its attempts to devour the fox, not noticing the metal flying toward it, or it's uneffective speed, harmlessly bouncing against it's jaw as the leviathan thrashes its head about.

Dimen: His plan failed, Kitcho mentally cursed to himself. He wasn't used to be so useless, so helpless! He refused to give up, he'd seen many friends vanish or die and he would not let another go before him. Zaira was one of the only few who were as old as he was. Even if he didn't have a plan, he'd fight to the death. He noticed one of his metal tail casings had fallen nearby. He charged, rushing first, making up something as he went. He psychically grabbed the sheath as he launched himself at the creature's bottom eye again, it was the only weak spot he knew of. The eye was as big as his head, and he opened his jaw as wide as he could to try to pierce it. In the meantime he flung the metal into the beast's mouth and elongated it into a poll, trying to jam it upright to prop the monster's mouth open, letting Zaira escape

Empi: Kitcho's attempts seemed to not really harm it more than make it instinctively close its eye, the fox merely latchning on the the thick skin of its eyelid. The beast roars again, stoping its movements for a second to open the eye, as the gem glows continuously, its reddish, ringed pupil taking in the foxes features as he wedges the metal between a tooth.

Zaira: The blood loss was beginning to get to her as she dangled, waiting for the right time to try and escape. Her strength was almost gone, but a small gap in the beast’s teeth, where a metal bar was lodged, gave her hope and adrenaline flooded through her once more. She released her death grip on its tongue and squeezed herself between the teeth as swiftly as she could. She tumbled to the ground below. She got to her paws and turned to find Kitcho clinging to the monster’s eyelid. “Kitcho move!” she barked as she prepared to run to the lift, which was in sprinting distance now.

Dimen: As soon as Zaira was free that's all he needed to hear and he leapt off, pausing first to toss some dirt into the monster's eye with his hind legs before darting away. Zaira was hurt and not running as fast as she normal, so Kitcho kept her pace determined not to leave her behind. "Zig zag! Lose the line of sight!" He called as he tried to nudge her around a corner. It may be a little big longer for them, but if it confused the leviathan, it'd be worth it. They were in danger as it was

Empi: The leviathan didn’t have any issues keeping track of the foxes, as long as the gem continued glowing on its skull. It lifted its massive body, rearing back some before charging after the small foxes. It's massive size closing the gap between them and it's maw. Smashing buildings out of the way with its mass and lashing its tail and it trampled everything in its wake.

Zaira: The vixen heard the creature moving and turned her head to see it headed straight for them. She zigged and zagged like Kitcho said, but it quickly closed the gap anyway. Its hot breath was nearly strong enough to knock them over. Suddenly she veered sharply towards Kitcho, ramming her body into  his, forcing him away from their pursuer’s jaws.

Empi: It didn’t take long for the leviathan to reach her, slamming it's massive head down onto the orange fox, barely missing Kitcho. Scooping her up in its teeth and throwing its head into the air to swallow the weakened fox.

Dimen: Kitcho heard the sound behind him, looking back every now and then, realizing it wasn't working. Why? Why? They were so close to the elevator, but they weren't going to make it. Kitcho had no ideas left, no plans just...run. It was running away, they'd won...why had it come back, what happened? Kitcho closed his eyes for a split second, ready to turn and face the end so Zaira could get away, but in that split second Zaira shoved him to the side. He snapped his eyes open just in time to see Zaira snatched up again with finality, watching helplessly, knowing he was next.

Zaira: A tired smile spread across the orange spirit’s maw as she saw Kitcho was safely out of the way. “Run!” she called a moment before the creature’s massive head slammed into her. I’m sorry Kitcho. was her final thought as her broken body was scooped up by gargantuan jaws, and the life fled from the now empty shell.

Empi: The instant her life seperated, the beast found its face barraged with hot blue white flames, gashes slicing across its long serpentine body. A large flaming fox perched on the ruins of a tower far above. Its tails fanned and burning. The gem on its head glowing heavily and violently as the leviathan looked up to see it's assailant, however only to find the fox gone from the tower as more flames engulfed it's body. The creature roared, the gem on its forehead cracking as the flaming fox lashed it's tails at it, scrambling with its heavy body to reach the safety of the watery depths of the slums. Ainu's voice echoed in the area, "You shall sacrifice your life for stealing that of the young one," Leaping onto the leviathan, slamming the beast into the ground, even though the elder paled in comparision to the creatures mass. A claw like bead materializing in front of the elder as he summoned his spirit flames to shatter and kill the leviathan. The beast fell limp, its head crashing to the earth, sending tremors, as it began to burn into nothing. The elder perched just above it's smoldering form, the claw bead vanishing. He turns to look about for Kitcho, vanishing into thin air before reappearing beside him, his tails returning to normal as he moves them back together. 'Young one.." He simple says, no emotion in his voice as he looks down at the aeniama.

Dimen: It was like a God had descended, bright light everywhere shone from a nearby tower, or the closest thing to a tower the slums could have as the full might of Ainu descended upon the Leviathan. The blue-white flames engulfing and incinerating the beast in mere moments, turning to ash and then to dust. The nine-tails' radiance died down to a manageable level as he teleported in front of Kitcho who just looked on dumbstruck. He was so stunned at everything, the entire fight until now repeating in his head a hundred times in a few instants. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, too stunned to even speak before uttering two words, just as emotionless as Ainu- "You're late." Too late, moments too late. Kitcho was alive thanks to Ainu but...it didn't feel like it. He watched one of his last friends die and he still couldn't comprehend why.

Empi: The elder looks at the young aeniama, "As much as I desire to protect, to have our kind live and thrive in peace,...I cannot be everywhere..I only can sense when your lives leave this world, and I feel the pain you suffer and what all the fallen have suffered, but this is not the end. Not for her." The elder raises a paw, a small glowing spirit hovering under his protective guard, "Her soul has yet to depart into the sea of kros." He waves a tail, energy seeming to flow off his fur and around the soul. "She will not die here, I was not too late, not too late to save her soul. But you must understand your abilities, young ones.. the hunters, they are led by a creature know as Garuda. Some may lack thought, but once he begins to control them, they become far more agile, intelligent, more deadly. You should flee if you ever encounter them." With that he waves his tails about him, his body glowing a faint blue as his soul becomes visible, a claw bead once again materializing before him, spiraling down and about the young foxes seperated soul. "She will need protection, a new totem.." A thread-like line stretches out from his visible soul, splitting its connection from him, leaving a black spot in the aura before wrapping around Zairas severed soul, as it does so, her form begins to reappear. "This is all I can do for her." The claw like bead shimmers faintly before vanishing, and the image of ainu flickering out like a doused flame.

Zaira: The ginger spirit was vaguely aware of two familiar presences as warmth flooded through her body. She tried to muster the energy to awaken as the sensation of motion made her wonder what was going on and where she was. Her efforts were in vain. The feeling of safety and exhaustion eased her into a deeper state of sleep.