Luna motioned for Mender to take the middle of the street. His Consecration would have the greatest effect if he could hit multiple entrances. Amber and Jamie entered the nearby offices to check on the spiders, while Linda climbed a fire escape to the roof. Bronson and his brothers fell in next to Mender, their clubs ready. It wasn't lost on her that Bronson had a Soul Weapon in the style of a spiked club.

Turning her attention to the grocery store, Luna shivered. The soul inside the store was strong. Nearly stronger than the giant Forsaken. It might even be stronger and only suppressing its soul. It was too hard to tell.

James was on his own as the baby dragons hurried away from him. But once he was past the entrance, her senses were cut off, unable to pierce the city further. She could still sniff him out if needed, but the area was rich with the scent of death, drowning all else out.

Ready when you are, James.

***

James paused for only a moment as the voice passed through his thoughts. "Depends."

"Depends on what?" the dragon asked.

"How much of a danger you are to my people. The wastelands are filled with mutated monsters, and they deserve to be put down."

A rumbling laugh filled his mind. "You are not wrong, James Matson, but you are not right either."

"How do you know my name?"

The shifting of a large body was preceded by the dragon herself using her tail to part the aisles. She was massive, easily a few stories long from snout to tail. "I know your name because of what you are. Your very name is engraved on your soul."

"Why aren't others?" he asked out loud.

The dragon lowered her head to the ground so she could match his height. "What do you know about your past, James?"

"Not enough," he admitted. "Everything is growing foggy and I believe my parents weren't my real parents."

"No, they were not."

To his surprise, the baby dragons started to circle around him, sniffing at his hands and legs. Their souls were very fragile for their young forms. They had a long way to go before they were at the same level as the mother before him.

"They like you," she said. "It's because of what you are."

"What am I?"

"You need to find that answer yourself, James. I don't know why or how you came into the care of your false parents, but I would like to know. Maybe you were brought here to save both worlds. Maybe you can give me and my young hope."

"Why would a dragon need to rely on me? Besides, didn't you kill whole cities on this planet?"

Chuckling, she shook her head. "What do you know about the war, James?"

"Very little," he admitted. "I'm searching for more answers."

"Good. The pursuit of knowledge will serve you well. But I will tell you that dragons did not destroy your cities. But we did take up residence in them once they were gone."

"But this isn't one of those cities," he stated. "Why are you here?"

"Trapped. Just like you are."

"I can leave if I want." Turning back to the entrance, his heart sank. "But they cannot, can they?"

"No, they cannot. The master of this city will not let them go. Their souls are too weak, just like mine and my young."

Turning his attention back to the dragon, he closed his eyes and sighed. "What's going on in this city?"

"If you wish to escape with your loved ones, then you will need to venture to the center. I would join you, but I fear for my young."

Nodding, he opened his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. "None of this makes sense. I'm not human, am I?"

A very toothy smile formed on the dragon's lips. "You are one of the few that can lead the dragons and the other Forsaken as you call us. Maybe even the last. Those in your care will grow stronger. Very strong. Just like the humans are drawn to cultivate with you. They are growing faster, aren't they?"

"They are." Thinking of Luna, he knew that she had grown to level seven far faster than he did. Even the others were growing rapidly. "Most of them are demi-humans though. Forsaken as well, so it makes sense that they grow faster." He paused for a moment before adding, "are you going to tell me more?"

"No," she said softly. "I want out of this cage, James. Why should I give you answers now, just for you to leave and forget about me?"

James opened his mouth to argue, but realized he was in the wrong. He truly could just leave and not help her, but something in his heart was telling him that he should save her and her young.

"What about the other Forsaken in this city?" he questioned.

"Kill them. They have tried to kill me many times already, and I would like your aid in defending my home. Temporary as this place is."

Running a hand through his hair again, he nodded. "Fine. But I want my answers. I want to know why a family friend would try and kill me, and what I am. That is my price."

"You will have them, and you will have a place for refuge after this is done, James Matson. I even have a way to Africa."

Eyes wide, James stared at her for several long seconds. When she closed her eyes and rested, he knew the conversation was done. With that, he glanced at all of the baby dragons around him. They were the size of human adults and were various colors. None of them matched the white of the mother.

"I have to get past, little ones." Rubbing a few snouts, he gently pushed them aside. There were two dozen of the little creatures, and all of them wanted to follow him out of the building. Thankfully, the mother growled and they ran back over to her.

"I help?" a small voice asked.

Before James could single out the young one that talked, another growl filled the air. Sharing a look with the mother, James nodded. "I'm going to clear the nearby area. I'll make sure this building is safe."

"Thank you, James Matson."

Without further to do, he left the store and found Luna staring at him with wide eyes. Even Mender and the Elson brothers were perplexed when he returned.

"Change of plans," he announced. "The dragons live. Kill everything in the area. And I do mean everything."

Luna nodded right away. "Souls ready! Amber, Jamie! Wake the horde!"

Two souls pulsed in the nearby buildings and hundreds of souls responded. It was only seconds later that Jamie and Amber raced out of the buildings, with spiders on their trail.

***

Amber fled the building, dozens of jaws snapping shut behind her. It had been a long time since she had run on all fours, using the claws in her hands and feet to gain purchase. But desperate times called for desperate measures.

Reaching the open street, she nearly stopped when she saw James casually standing near the grocery store.

What the hell is he doing? Shouldn't he be fighting a dragon right now?

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Rushing to his side, she slid to a stop as a field of fire engulfed the street. With a glance at Mender, she noticed he was deeply concentrating as dozens of spiders raced into the flames. She could see the souls flowing into him, growing his own soul as she missed out. Before the spiders could die, she latched onto the ones she could.

Without glancing at James, she asked, "shouldn't you be fighting?"

"It's a long story," he answered. "The dragon and I had a conversation. I've agreed to protect her nest for the time being."

Eyes wide, she switched her Siphon as her targets died. "That thing could talk?"

"Yup."

A hand grasped her shoulder, making her jump.

"Get in there and show me what those claws can do. You aren't going to win the most kills at the rate you are going."

Growling, she turned and snarled at him. "I'll show you!" Frustration washed over her as she raced into the fight. The flames of the Consecration field eased the fatigue from her muscles. She kept her feet transformed into her more feline style that allowed he to run on all fours. With her claws digging in, she reached the first group of spiders and lashed out.

Claws tore through chitin and flesh with ease as they glowed white with flickering flames. Even her feet glowed as she kicked and spun, tearing open bodies and absorbing their souls.

Her Siphon pulled on everything nearby as she danced between clawed legs that tried to tear her apart. Jaws bit down a sliver away from her face and arms. She was amongst the horde as she slashed and counted on Mender to keep her going.

Seconds turned to minutes as the bodies started to pile up around her. Anger flowed through her soul, only tempered by James as he soothed everyone. He didn't Siphon anything, and he only kept guard on the store as even Luna joined the fight.

After five minutes, Amber leapt onto the wall of the nearby building and hung. Over two hundred spiders were already dead and even more were coming. Linda had run out of bolts a long time ago and was busy Siphoning those she could. Bronson and his brothers had a massive pile of bodies around them as Mender started disintegrating the bodies by pushing more energy into his skill.

Are we going to be able to kill all of them? Will James need to step in?

Throwing out her hand, she started Siphoning more monsters as they flowed over the corpses of their brethren. They were only as large as a wolf, but their clawed legs and razor sharp hairs had cut her numerous times already.

Dropping from the wall, she kicked off the ground, tearing up the pavement as she reached another group. Soul energy was flowing into her steadily, and she felt her soul nearly reach the next level. She only needed to fight for a bit longer and she would grow in strength.

Slashing her claws through the face of a spider, she spun and kicked, dragging her back claws through three more. Flipping backwards, she cleared the space as all four of them fell dead.

Switching her Siphon to more targets, she rushed in, nearly reaching the edge of the Consecration circle. She didn't dare leave it, as having Mender heal her didn't take from her reserves.

Another five minutes passed and another two hundred bodies were littered across the ground. The original number had been burned away and Amber finally had a moment to check on Jamie.

The woman was standing atop a building, her face scrunched up in pain as tears ran down her face. Flaming arrows rained down on the approaching monsters, coating them in liquid fire that flowed Soul Energy to the human.

I'd rather deal with anger than pain. I don't know how she does it.

Luna was in her regular wolf form, tearing apart spiders as if they were paper. Her Siphon wiped out dozens at once, and Amber finally realized why they weren't overrun. The Fenrir was keeping them alive.

All the while, James sat back, his arm crossed as he watched. Amber could feel his eyes judging her and she nearly shivered. She knew she had much to prove if she wanted to stay with him. She needed to be by his side. She was going to do anything to secure her place with him.

Siphoning a few more monsters, she felt her soul explode with power as she reached the next level. With a gasp, she read over her newest skill.

***

James watched Amber's soul explode with energy. The rippling effect, distorted the air around her as the flame burning deep inside her core grew nearly twice as bright. She was still rather small compared to him, but she was reaching true power.

Before he could enjoy the moment, four large fiery cats appeared around her. Each one was five feet tall, with rippling muscles. Together, they roared into the air before charging the monsters. Attacks passed through their bodies, shredding a bit of their energy that was quickly replaced by their own attacks.

Amber looked exhausted after casting the skill, but met his eyes with determination. Smirking, she shook out her body and dropped to all fours again, something he was trying to adjust to seeing. He didn't even know she could change her legs to allow that.

Soul Energy flowed into Amber at an increased rate as her Soul Cats decimated the monsters. Nearly all of their attacks shared energy with her, growing her that much faster. She was now a deadly force as she could either sneak through enemies, or fight them on the frontline with ease.

Spreading out his senses as much as he could, he felt the buildings in the nearby blocks emptying of spiders. But it was the large soul that had him worried. A flame that burned twice as bright as the others was starting to stir in the basement of an office. It was nearly time for James to step in.

Matching his thoughts, the battle paused as one of the towering buildings shook and started cracking. Chunks of stone broke off, collapsing to the ground to crush some of the many spiders. Luna jumped back to his side, her eyes narrow as Amber raced over to join them.

"What's going on?" Amber asked.

Luna chuffed, not able to answer.

"The momma spider is awake," James said. Cracking his knuckles, he summoned his sword as the building collapsed the rest of the way. A long leg crashed into the ground before a monster four stories tall rose from the rubble.

"That's the momma?" Amber asked, her voice soft.

"Yup." James started walking forward. Luna kept pace with him as Amber tried to join them. When she was about to step out of the Consecration circle, she froze as the power of the monster's soul struck her.

"Finish the minions," James ordered.

Nodding, Amber dropped back onto all fours and raced back into the fight. Turning his attention to Luna, he said, "I need you to keep an eye on the store. Don't let the dragons get attacked. I'll explain more tonight."

Nodding, she raced back to take up guard.

With his sword summoned, James brandished it towards the towering monster. Tapping into another skill, he summoned his Soul Puppet. A staggering amount of energy left him, but he quickly replenished it by Siphoning dozens of spiders all around him. In fact, the battle came to a stop as everything died.

"Jerk!" Jamie yelled.

James's puppet shared a smile with him before they both blurred forward. James took the left side of the monster as two legs descended towards him. Each one was several feet thick and when they struck, the ground ruptured and the nearby buildings shook.

Slicing his blade through the first leg, he cut off a large chunk before Siphoning the monster and using Soul Strike. Part of its main body exploded, sending ichor and chitin over the street. A scream of pain filled the air before his puppet copied his attack, slashing through the second leg and Soul Striking as well.

Blood poured from the monster as it staggered. Balancing on its six remaining legs, it dove down to eat James. The Forsaken was massive and could easily swallow him in one bite.

James watched as the teeth grew closer before jumping. The face of the monster slammed into the ground, tearing up a large section of the street.

Grabbing one of the towering steel hairs on the head of the spider, he stabbed his sword down, breaking chitin and bursting part of its soul. His puppet landed next to him and copied his attack, and together, they started dragging their blades through its body.

With their off hands, they cast Soul Strike over and over, blowing portions of the spider apart before its soul was all but spent. A leg weakly tried to knock them off, but James simply cut through it before using one last Soul Strike to finish the momma spider off.

Jumping free from the collapsing body, James walked back toward the grocery store. His entire party was watching him with wide eyes as his puppet tugged on his sleeve.

Feeling that it wanted to start killing more monsters, he nodded and let it run off. Soon, a soul pressed out and started Siphoning dozens of spiders as his puppet ran to the few buildings that were still trying to empty.

Luna transformed back into her human form and shook her head. "So, that's what your new skill is like."

Smiling, he dismissed his sword and noticed Amber's cat run into a building to start clearing it out without her.

"Didn't see it last time?" he asked Luna.

"Was a little busy trying to kill an elder at the time. Didn't even notice you used it."

Chuckling, he stopped by her side. Bo stepped over a second later and smiled. "I guess I wasn't needed."

"Not this time," James said. "But we have bigger problems other than the spiders. None of us can leave the city currently."

"Why not?" Luna asked. "Can't we just walk out?"

Shaking his head, James looked toward the store. "Do you think a dragon would be stuck here if she could simply leave?"

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Luna took a moment to think. "What do we need to do?"

Turning to the center of the city, he nodded. "I need to head in there. But I want to use this city to train my people. The presence of giant Forsaken is troubling, so we will clear the blocks one at a time to grow stronger."

Sighing, Luna rested her hand on his arm. "If that is what you think is best, dear husband."

The battle died off a few minutes later and Amber joined their side. Luna didn't hesitate to say something. "Did I see a bunch of fiery cats running around?"

Amber beamed. "Liked that, did you? James isn't the only one with a summon."

Rolling his eyes, James dismissed his puppet as it tried to wander further into the city. A moment later, Amber did the same and they all turned home.

"We all need to talk," James said before they joined the others.

Amber and Luna turned to him with frowns.

"The dragon knew who I was by name," James explained. "She knows what I am."

"What do you mean?" Amber asked.

Even Bo leaned in, waiting for the answer.

Slowing their pace, he lowered his voice. "She said that I'm something that the normal Forsaken will follow. Even the dragons will follow me and they will all grow stronger in my presence."

"Like the vultures," Luna whispered. "And the panther."

"Yes." Nodding, he glanced back at the store. "She asked us to help protect her babies until we can all leave this place. She'll tell me more once she is out."

"Should we move camp?" Amber questioned.

"No," he said right away. "But she does have a way to Africa."

Luna's eyes widened. "I'll move in with her right now!"

Chuckling, he took her hand. "No, Love. But I will be visiting her again as we make progress. For now, we'll fill in the others and make a plan."

"So…about my tail?" Amber murmured.

Luna groaned. "Find you own husband!"

"I have," Amber teased. "Just be happy I'm sharing him with you."

Before they could argue, James picked up his pace and left them behind. He had to think about what he was going to tell everyone. Not only did he need to explain the dragon, but he had to explain that they were stuck for now. What more was this city going to throw at them?

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