James wiped the grit from his eyes as his tears flushed the rest of the dust away. Someone was screaming near his side as the rubble settled all around him. The noon sun was high in the sky, brightening the few wispy clouds that blew steadily to the north.

Strong hands grabbed him and pulled him out of a pile of rubble where healing energy was pushed into his body. Mender was patting his cheek, trying to get him to focus as James continued to watch the clouds.

She's gone. She's really gone…

He couldn't think. His soul felt empty without her presence being tied to him. She was the rock through every storm that he had weathered. Luna was the first one to find him and embrace him.

Now, she was gone.

"James!" Mender screamed.

Blinking a few times, James felt his Soul Senses refused to cling to six distinct spots that were moving toward them.

"Luna!" a woman screamed.

Dropping his head to the side he found Amber shaking Luna's ashy body. Her skin had already paled in death and her eyes were closed, unmoving as Amber patted her cheeks.

"No, no, no!" Amber panicked. Laying Luna down, James could feel the nekorian push soul energy into Luna's corpse, hoping to revive her.

The world turned blurry as James cried. Mender pulled him to a sitting position and slapped him hard enough to shock him. The loud crack stopped Amber in her tracks, and the other souls around him halted.

"We're under attack!" Mender snapped. "Get your ass up!"

James wiped his eyes dry and felt an unbridled rage take hold of his soul. Climbing to his feet, he walked over to Luna's body and picked her up. Cradling her cheek to his, he started to snarl. "I want them dead!"

Amber jumped up and morphed her legs into her feline form. Claws grew from her hands and feet as she scanned the streets. All around them, the others pulled out weapons and readied themselves as they felt the six vacant spots draw near.

"Looks like I only got one!" A voice shouted out from down the street. Laughter followed, joined by the woman's other members.

Adding Luna's corpse to his storage, he promised that he would bury her when he was done ripping these people apart. Turning his full attention to the attackers, he found a myriad of races he hadn't seen.

A woman led them; fur covering her arms and legs. A thick tiger's tail stretched out behind her as the white and black fur spread onto her cheeks, but mostly left her human looking.

She carried a massive spear with a four pronged tip and a tower shield that looked like it weighed nothing. Her armor was made from a material that was impossible to recognize. Blood red with hints of black and the symbol of a palm print on the chest.

"The Pact," he growled.

"Got it in one!" she laughed.

Slamming his soul into the six intruders, he was shocked when the attack broke apart, barely causing more than a small breeze. Everyone tensed, only for the woman to laugh again.

All five of the men were elves, but unlike any elf he had seen before. They were taller than any man and barely had any meat to their bones. Yet they wielded the same weapon and shield as the woman. Their armor covered their dark skin, only showing their hands and heads. A circlet of metal adorned their brows, giving off some sort of energy that James couldn't touch on.

"Take your picks," The woman ordered. "The Valiant is mine."

James summoned his golden sword, feeling the flickering flames in his palm and against his leg. His breath felt hot and seared the air as he focused every drop of attention onto the woman.

"Stay together!" Amber ordered. "Don't let them single us out!"

James stepped out of the group and felt the souls of his people press together to better defend themselves. Amber was in charge now.

The five men walked past him as some sort of energy coalesced in their bodies. They had no souls that he could detect, but a power that rivaled his coated their flesh, and circulated through their limbs, all coming from the center of their chests.

James didn't stop walking as the five men started the fight with his party. He didn't look back as he heard roars of anger and explosions that brought down another building. He only had eyes on the woman.

Stopping within striking distance, he regarded the furred woman with a vacant gaze. "You killed her."

"She was already dead. Just like you will be."

Lifting his sword, he tapped it against the woman's spear, pushing it aside while the flames weakened. It would be enough to stop her strikes, but he didn't know if he would be able to cut her.

"Come now, Valiant," the woman started. "The name's Venice. It's also the last name you're going to hear."

Meeting her gaze, he didn't respond. Instead, he activated Soul Retribution for the first time and prayed that it would help. "Shall we?"

Smirking, she nodded. Before he could lift his sword, she thrust. Her spear rippled with energy, turning red as a ball of wind built on the end.

James regarded it before stepping to the side. The spear nearly brushed his side, where the ball of air exploded, taking a chunk of the nearby building with it. Rubble rained down as the building began to collapse and James countered.

***

Amber ushered everyone down the street as their attackers unleashed a variety of attacks. Energy burst from the ground, sending spears of red energy at their legs and stomachs. Mender had a Consecration Field down, healing every injury as the men walked through it unharmed.

"We have to counter!" Amber growled.

Grace stepped forward and whipped her tail at the men, spreading a haze of poison. The misty white cloud was dispersed the moment it came into contact wit the first elf.

The five men didn't say anything as they lowered their spears and approached as one. With shields raised, they formed a wall that was impossible to get around.

"Jamie, Linda, take to the roofs!"

The two ladies did just that, clambering up the sides of an office before firing arrows down onto the men from above. The soul weapons detonated upon impact, spreading fire across the ground, but was unable to harm the men.

Amber was about to order a further retreat when an standard bolt struck one of the men in the neck, ripping through his flesh and knocking him back.

Glancing at Linda, Amber found the elf holding her old crossbow and was reloading it. Even Jamie had pulled out her old bow and was about to fire.

By her side, Grace summoned her claws and hissed at the men. Amber dismissed her Soul Claws and opted for her normal razor-sharp weapons. Mender had his staff and kept his Consecration Field active while readying himself.

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"Kill them!" Amber snarled.

Grace was the first to rush forward, leaping high over the heads of their attackers to take their backs. Only one of the men shifted, spinning to stab her as she landed. The barbed spear punctured her side, ripping out a chunk of flesh as the skunk screamed.

Mender's energy healed the wound rapidly, but it was the scream that started the fight in earnest. Two of them jumped clear to the top of the building the girls were on and activated some sort of skill that launched Jamie and Linda into the distance.

Amber was forced to focus on her own foe as one of the elves stabbed at her with a glowing red tip. Pushing it aside with her claws, she deflected the blow and watched as it touched the ground. Nothing happened for a moment until the ground seemed to bubble and then explode in a geyser of lava.

Gulping, she dragged her claws across the throat of the man, or at least that's what she tried. A barrier of red energy deflected her attack and sent a burst of energy into her body that launched her through the wall of the nearby building. Just before the wall fell on her, she watched the last elf knock Mender out of his field and into the air.

***

James used the barest of moves to deflect the spear over and over. Each strike exploded energy around him, leveling the city block. His arms ached and screamed at him to stop, but he knew he couldn't take one of those attacks and live.

Each time Venice connected, a wound opened on her arms that bled freely. He thought he was making a difference until she started laughing.

"You are lasting far longer than I expected!"

The next moment, the wounds healed and the blood was pulled back into her body. Stepping back, she regarded him for a moment before slamming her shield forward, well away from him, making him frown.

When he felt the energy release from the shield, he quickly crossed his arms over his face as the force of a boulder slammed into him, sending him reeling back. A second later, he felt her approach and twisted, throwing himself to the side just in time to feel her spear scrape his ribs.

Hitting the ground, he rolled and held the wound that seemed to bleed far more than it should have. The blood was also flowing toward the woman, where she drank it in, savoring every drop.

"Come now, Valiant. I thought you were a master of the soul. Are you going to do anything other than dance around?"

Snarling, James cut through his flesh, removing the wound and her magic at the same time. His Regeneration kicked in, stopping the bleeding and healing him as he charged.

Slapping her spear to the side, he dropped low and swept his foot through hers, taking out her ankle. The move was so quick that she barely had time to process before she was falling.

Grabbing her wrist as she fell, he twisted and slammed his other hand into her elbow, bending the joint the wrong way and making her drop her spear. A moment later, she hit the ground and rolled out of his grasp.

"Not bad!" she taunted. Holding up her arm, it snapped back into place before her spear flew back into her grip.

The move didn't spread the fear that she was hoping. Instead, James stood and resummoned his sword. Checking the city, he found his party fighting in separate sections, but still alive. He also felt his other allies swooping in as fast as they could.

Smirking, James lowered his weapon.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

"Waiting."

"Waiting for—"

She didn't get to finish her sentence as Strong Beak slammed into her with hundreds of pounds of muscle. The vulture raked his talons across her body, shredding her armor and tossing her to the side.

Taking the moment to scan the city, James watched nearly two dozen other vultures swoop down on his party, helping them with their fights. With them handled, he lifted his sword and approached the bleeding woman.

"I promise you won't survive this." His voice was devoid of any emotion as he used the end of his sword to tilt up her chin. Snapping a kick, he broke her jaw and loosened several teeth, making her spit up blood. "I'm going to enjoy killing you slowly."

Instead of recoiling in fear, she started to laugh. Slamming her palm on the ground, he barely had a second to react and leap back when hundreds of spears exploded from the road. He watched as Strong Beak was impaled and picked up, his black blood spurting over the nearby storefront.

"One pest down," she remarked as she got to her feet. "Did you really think a Forsaken would be able to help you? I've been fighting their kind for hundreds of years, child."

Waving her hand over her chest, she healed all of the damage to her armor and face, leaving the blood behind. Even her teeth regrew as she gave him a beaming smile.

"Now, I believe we were fighting. Just the two of us."

James lifted his sword, using the flat of the blade to deflect her spear as it came up from the ground and pushed himself back. Stabbing the spear into the ground again, she made him dance over the pavement and avoid cars as she shredded everything around them.

"All you need to do is stay still," she stated. "I promise to only make you beg a little."

Grabbing the next spear, he felt the energy in the weapon rip into his flesh while he laughed. Wounds were opening all over her body as he remained contact, sharing the damage with him.

Dismissing her attack, she healed herself again. "No matter. I only need one good strike on you to finish this."

James was about to respond when he felt souls wink out across the city. With a glance over his shoulder, he watched one of his vultures explode into a mess of feathers before crashing to the ground.

"Looks like your Forsaken have failed you." Smirking, she walked closer. "It's really too bad that they followed you here. Those disciples of yours would have died old and gray in their beds. Now, they will give their blood back to the earth and feed our powers."

Roaring in rage, James slashed with everything he had, forcing her to block.

***

Grace jumped back as a vulture swooped in and took the spear aimed at her heart. An explosion of wind ripped apart the bird, splatter gore over her body. She knew it was over for her. She was never a melee fighter to begin with and the man before her was well trained.

"Do you get something out of killing me?" she asked.

To her surprise, the elf stopped. "I do."

"More power?"

"More power," he confirmed.

Smiling to herself, she started to laugh. She could feel Luna's lingering Soul Skill mingling with her body still. She knew exactly what would happen when she died, and the bastard elf wouldn't get anything from her.

Snarling with all the rage she could muster, Grace slammed down a ball of poison, blanketing the air in a thick fog. She knew it would only last a moment, but that's all she needed.

Coming up behind the elf, she grabbed his throat and dug in her claws. Flesh was rent and blood flowed over her fingers before everything grew cold. A gasp escaped her as pain started to spread through her stomach and chest.

Looking down, she found dozens of holes punched through her and that her soul was damaged. Her skills were out of her reach and she knew she wouldn't regenerate.

A weak laugh escaped her as she lunged forward and bit down on the artery in his throat and ripped it out. Digging her claws into his flesh, she found where his spine and was broke it just as another attack blasted her off.

She felt tears well up in her eyes as the elf collapsed across from her. She could tell he was dead for good, but the darkness was already encroaching on her vision. There was only one thing left to do.

***

James felt a sheering pain rip through his soul before the world seemed to stop. The atmosphere grew white and cloudy as someone stepped up to his side. Looking over, he found the ghostly visage of Grace crying.

"I took one down," she said proudly.

"Grace…"

"Don't you dare cry for me, James!" Wiping her eyes, she slammed a ghostly fist into his chest. "Kill them. Kill them all and rip apart their bodies. And when this is all done, open a tavern for me. When we meet up again, I want to know you found peace and had beautiful children. Name one of them after me, will you?"

"Of course," he whispered as her body started to fade.

"My energy is yours now, James. Kill this bitch and make her feel a thousand deaths."

James nodded as the last of her soul entered him.

Soul Absorbed: Soul Strength: 11.80 (+0.05)

The world returned to normal and the battle resumed as he watched the woman get blasted away by the surge of Soul Energy.

"What did you do?" she demanded.

Wiping his eyes, he glowered at her. Raising his sword, he charged, swinging with everything he had, just before he made contact, he split his body, summoning his Soul Puppet.

The gold puppet took a fraction of a second to draw his blade and slam it down on the woman's spear, knocking it out of the way.

James took the opening, slashing across her face, only for the Soul Weapon to disperse. But that didn't stop his fist from connecting with her nose and flattening it to her face.

The power of the strike launched her through the wall opposite him, crumbling the building. His Soul Puppet grabbed his shoulder as he was about to walk forward. Together, they leapt back, clearing the street as the entire section exploded with enough force to fling him over the two story shop.

His Soul Puppet caught him and lowered him back to the ground as the woman jumped after her. Crashing down into the street, she wiped the blood from her face while growling.

"You fucker!" she snarled.

"Your nose looks a little off," James taunted. "It matches your personality now."

Slamming her shield into the ground, he watched as a ripple of energy tore up the asphalt and bubbled like lava as it approached him. His Soul Puppet grabbed his arm and threw him to the next street over before dismissing itself and merging back with his body.

How many fucking skills does she have?

Summoning his sword, he felt an impeccable sense of dread caress the back of his neck. Dropping to the ground, he lay flat as a blade of energy cut through the cars and buildings all around him. In the space of a breath, the world crumbled, bringing ruin to entire city block before she landed by his feet.

"Damn, you dodged." Grabbing his collar, she lifted him up and slammed him into the ground. "Why can't you sit still and let me kill you?"

Spitting in her face, he used Soul Pulse and blasted himself out of her grip. The attack dispersed against her, but he was already free.

Picking up her spear, she lowered it to his chest. "This is getting tiresome."

Snarling he stepped behind a pile of rubble and pulsed as hard as he could, directing everything at her. The rubble was picked up and turned into his weapons that threw her back and down the next street. He could hear bones breaking, or maybe it was the building she crashed into that he heard. It might even have been her shield that lay broken in half by his feet. It was hard to tell.

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