James reached the next section of the city by watching Luna's swaying tail as she led the way. The fluff needed to be cleaned, but that would have to wait as he scanned the new area for threats.

Having moved from kelp to coral, and from there he now found himself amidst a normal section of the city once again. From first appearances, he thought that maybe the rest of the city was normal, at least until he reached the other side of the city where the coral started again.

Spreading out his soul, he found a distinct lack of souls around the area. Apart from a few dragons wandering around, killing the last few enemies. It was hard to determine just how big the dragons were, but all of their souls had a distinct flavor to them, and there were far more than he had left when he parted with Mother.

"How many did she gather?" he murmured.

Luna glanced over her shoulder at him. "Did you say something?"

Shaking his head, he stepped up to her side. "It appears as though there's nothing left for us to fight."

Sighing, she gestured to the destruction behind them. "I can't imagine why!"

Sheepishly looking away, he whistled an innocent tune.

It was only a few moments into her glaring at him and him avoiding her gaze that Grace arrived. The skunk was humming happily as she juggled an orb of poison.

"Put that away!" Luna barked.

Freezing with wide eyes, Grace nodded and dismissed her poison. As if a heavy burden had been lifted, she slumped and rubbed her head. "That always wears me out."

"You mean the psychotic thrill of killing your enemies with poison?" James questioned.

Glaring at him, Grace snapped her tail behind her. "I'll show you psychotic!"

Holding up his hands, he started walking. "You'll be able to play again soon. We have the entire city to clear out still and you have to reach level six before we head for the nest."

Grumbling, she blamed his destruction on the fact she hadn't reached level six already. As if he could have predicted that he would kill everything in a three-mile radius.

It wasn't further than a mile before the rest of the ladies joined them, all glaring at him and making him wither like a flower without water in the midst of summer. All of his energy was draining away as he tried to defend himself.

"Stop making excuses!" Amber growled.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a second tail flickering behind Zenaria and smiled. It seemed to be made from Soul Energy, but it still looked fluffy.

Shadow Paw was sniffing her and checking out the tail, much to the surprise of the kitsune. The panther even went as far as licking the new fur and scrunching up his nose before walking away.

Linda was the only one that didn't seem angry that he killed everything. In fact, she seemed pleasantly happy as she wandered through the streets with them. It was odd not seeing her wanting to kill everything.

Doing his best to ignore the women all talking with each other about how they were going to ban him from fighting, they finally reached the center of the city and the many buildings that the dragons had claimed.

Finding Mother was simple as she came to them, having stepped out of the rubble of a small shop. It wasn't until he looked closer that he noticed the rubble had been smashed down and covered in cloth to make a nest.

"Can you stay out at night?" he questioned.

Mother gave him a toothy smile. "We are dragons, James. A little heat does nothing to us."

Getting used to the mental conversation again, he walked up to the large dragon and rested his hand out her snout. "Have you been well?"

"As well as can be. You seem to want to ask something different though."

"Yes, why are there so many more dragons?"

Chuckling in his mind, Mother stood up and panned her gaze over the area. Coming from the buildings were a myriad of dragons of all ages. From those recently born, to those closer to Mother's size, they all made themselves known. He could even feel those that were hunting return to gather around him.

He started to count, but Mother quickly interrupted him. "There are two hundred and eight dragons. And it appears as though there are a few dozen animals with you as well."

"How are we feeding them all?" He was slightly nervous as he raised the question.

Lifting her leg, she gestured to the city. "We are hunting when needed. Plus, you have gathered quite the selection of foes in your storage and rings."

"I'll let you figure it out. How are we supposed to keep the corpses fresh if we clear the city?"

"We have our ways, James Matson. Do not worry about feeding us."

Before he could ask any more questions, something large and heavy slammed into him, taking him to the ground while laughter filled the air.

"James!"

Groaning, he met Everest's gaze as she nuzzled his chest. The over eager dragon didn't give him much time to acquaint himself with the situation.

"Play! Play!"

Amber rushed over and started rubbing the dragon's head. "Let's go, Everest!"

"Kitty mate!"

Laughing, Amber shook her head. "Still not his mate. Now behave."

Pushing Everest off himself, he rubbed the child's head. "I have to talk with your mother a bit longer. Why don't you go off with Amber."

"Fine…" she whined.

Amber rolled her eyes. "Come on, Everest. I bet you can't catch me." Jumping back before Everest could bite her arm, she raced off. The dragon didn't hesitate as she gave chase and soon a pack of children were chasing the nekorian while they all laughed.

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Rubbing his head, James turned back to Mother. "Why did you gather so many dragons?"

"For your army," she said bluntly. "You will need us for the future fights."

"What future fights?" he nearly shouted.

Luna took his hand. "You know there will be more fights, James. Don't pretend this isn't something good."

Closing his eyes for a moment, he held up a finger. Luna started to say something else, but he shushed her as he processed everything. It wasn't until Zenaria brushed her two tails against his back that he opened his eyes.

"I'll protect you," the kitsune whispered.

A soft smile graced his lips before he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Do we know when this fight will happen?"

"No," Mother admitted. "But I know Amber told you something bad is going to happen."

"She did."

"The future is hazy now. I cannot predict what will happen going forward. But I know you will need us, and we need you to grow stronger. My children have flourished from your small presence, and the others have gathered for the same benefits."

Panning his gaze over the gathered dragons, James could tell they all looked hopeful. "You want me to form bonds with them all, just like I did my animal companions."

"I do."

Luna nodded. "Consider it done."

"James is good at bonding," Grace snickered.

Linda barked a laugh. "Bonding all night long."

Palming his face, James groaned. "Not that kind of bonding!"

Laughter filled the air again as the dragons shook with humor. Even Mother was giggling as she lowered her head back to the ground. The twenty foot long dragon looked like she had filled out further and new muscle had added definition to her legs and back. Even her wings looked like they had more power.

"Stop staring," Mother chided. "I'm already taken."

Linda laughed loudly again. "Rejected!"

"Oh my God…" James didn't know what else to say as he shook his head. "I've had enough of this. Everyone needs to go level up."

Zenaria whispered, "are you going to blow up again?"

The ladies laughed together as his face fell. "Am I ever going to live that down?"

"No," Grace stated. "But I'll get out of your hair for a while. I'm going to reach level six before long, and I want a new skill."

"Just wait until you reach level seven," Luna said. "That's when it becomes much harder to level up. You need thousands to reach level eight."

"Or a really strong soul," James added.

Zenaria brushed her tails against him one more time before walking away. "Ready, Linda?"

"You're on, Buttercup!" Linda growled before laughing. Resting her arm around the kitsune's shoulders, she added, "if you kill more than me, James will clean your tails tonight."

"Don't I get a choice?" he asked.

"Nope!"

Luna giggled before squeezing his hand. "Don't forget you have mine, Grace's, and Amber's tails too."

"And many dragons that will want baths," Mother added.

Knowing that everyone was picking on him, he started to smile. It was refreshing to have so much fun after being on the road for weeks. Even if he did miss Mender and Jamie. He hoped they were doing well.

***

Jamie dropped into the warehouse, using the window overshadowed by the many crates. The sounds of her feet hitting the ground was muffled by the supple leather of her boots, and only a slight amount of dust was disturbed.

Nearly there. Just a few minutes longer and I might have my answers.

Staying crouched, she moved as swiftly as she could through the maze of crates. Whispered conversations were being held all around her and the steady thump of flesh striking flesh filled the air.

Inching up to the corner that overlooked the main floor, she peered around the edge. She was ready at a moment's notice to summon her Soul Bow, but knew she likely wouldn't need it.

Without Mender being with her, she might as well have been invisible. Although, she learned that one of the men that was present could see her and that disturbed her more than anything.

Once her eyes adjusted to the low light, she found a group of ten men standing around a chair. In that chair was her target. Her father.

After all of these years, I finally found you.

She didn't dare attack just yet. The flames from her bow would encase her father as well, and she didn't dare risk it. Instead, she withdrew a homemade bomb. Pulling the tab, she rolled it across the ground, startling the group into jumping back.

"What the—"

The explosion cut off the man as a cloud of thick yellow smoke filled the air. With her mask wrapped around her, Jamie raced in as the bodies of her foes hit the ground. Drawing her knife, she cut the bindings on the chair and hoisted her unconscious father onto her shoulder before fleeing.

Slipping out the front door, she closed it and sped off down the alleyway. She only needed to reach her safe house and then she would be home free.

Minutes passed as she painstakingly avoided the cultivator guards and the crowded streets. It felt like she was inching along, but after crossing nearly two miles, she reached home.

Opening the hatch that led to the basement, she hurried down the steps and to the waiting table that Mender had set up.

"Did you get him?" her brother asked.

Jamie laid down her father and pulled her mask off. "Yeah.

"His face is awfully swollen," Mender stated. Resting his hands on their father, he started to heal him.

Flesh healed over and swelling faded before Jamie felt her heart sink. Mender nearly stopped when they realized that the man wasn't their father.

"Dammit!" Jamie cursed.

Mender woke the man up and held him down by pressing on his chest. Snapping his fingers in the man's face, he asked, "Where is Richard Riclan?"

Jamie watched the man's expression switch from confusion over his situation, to confusion over the question. His brows furrowed and unfurrowed as he processed everything.

"Where am I?"

Mender snapped his fingers again. "Answer the question or I'll turn my sister loose on you."

Dressed in all black with her mask hanging from her neck, she snarled.

"Richard?" the man mumbled. "I haven't heard that name in years. What do you want with him?"

"He's our father," Mender said, his tone softening.

Clarity dawned on the man's face. "Brandon? Jamie? Are you two really here?"

"How do you know us?" Jamie asked.

"Richard talked about you two every day! The man carried around a picture of you two as babies. You two were his pride an joy that helped him through his mission."

Jamie felt her eyes tear up and she noticed Mender was much the same. Both of them were on the verge of crying.

"Where is he?" Mender asked again.

For the first time, the man slumped and shook his head. Grabbing the necklace from around his neck, he pulled it off and handed it over. The pendant was a small vial with a gray powder. "I had him cremated."

Jamie felt her legs give out as she hit the floor. Mender shakily took the necklace and put it on.

"Is this all that's left of him?" her brother asked.

"Yeah…"

"No," Jamie pleaded. "How can that…"

Mender rested his hand on her shoulder. "What was he working on?"

The man sat up and rubbed his eyes. "He was working on improving the lives of the demi-humans. He wanted them to be treated the same as the humans and advocated for them every day. Providing meals and food. Fixing buildings and working alongside them and setting up trade deals."

"How…how did he die?" Jamie whispered.

"In his sleep with his arms wrapped around his wife. His new wife."

Closing her eyes, Jamie sobbed and shook as she clutched her hands into fists. Mender kneeled and held her as tight as he could while crying as well.

"He had a message for you two," the man stated.

"A message?" Mender asked.

"Everyday, he would tell me the same thing. 'Tell my son and daughter that they have a greater purpose in life than following me around. Their future is greater than what I'll ever achieve, if only they would open their eyes.'"

Jamie stopped crying. "What does that mean?"

"Don't know," the man admitted. "But he seemed positive that you two would know and understand."

Mender rubbed her shoulder before standing. "So, that's it. All of these years of searching and he's gone."

"I'm sorry, kids. I truly am." Shaking his head, the man slumped further. "I wish I had better news for you…"

"It's okay," Mender said softly. Pulling Jamie to her feet, he added, "we have a long journey ahead of us. Our master is already a few weeks into the his journey."

Jamie forced herself to smile. "I want to feel his arms around me again."

"And you will." Mender took a deep breath and wiped his eyes. "Let's go. We have no reason to stay here any longer."

Jamie wiped her face clean using her mask before nodding.

"It's almost night," the man stated. "Shouldn't you sleep for the night?"

"We want to see the stars," Jamie said. "It's the first thing our master helped us do."

"How does one have that power."

Smirking, Jamie didn't answer. Mender did however. "Our master doesn't know it yet, but he's destined for things greater than dealing with us mortals. He'll bend the world to his tune."

"I'll follow him to the end," Jamie said softly. "I only hope to stay by his side till my final days."

Turning, Jamie walked away. They had left plenty of food behind for the man, but their journey was going to be long, and they needed to cover as much ground as they could before resting.

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