Strength

The Faorian wolf-man leaned against the wall. The heat of his breath bounced off of the field of energy surrounding him and back against his furry face. His clawed fingers gripped the shaft of his halberd as his short, pointed furry ears flicked occasionally while listening for the sounds of the beast they were tracking. Next to him was the two he was responsible for; the newest recruit, the youngest of a noble family, and a Quetzal lizard-woman, the only non-Faorian in their group. The noble, Yoshitaka, held his family's sword ready while the woman, Misaki, peeked through the open window with her rifle. The cool, night air tensed with anticipation.

The soft slither slither of slimy tissue slid across the dirt road down the center of the village. A two headed snake slithered across the ground as its' heads darted from window to window, occasionally peering over the top of the buildings as its tongued the air with puffs of embers. Searching. Hunting.

The snake passed by where the three were hiding, their mercenary band now surrounding the snake from every building nearby.  The three held their breath, waiting.

A flare shot into the air, the ball of light exploded above the snake and temporarily blinding it. The group charged. Misaki swung into the window and took several shots. Bolts of lightning flew from her gun towards the snakes' right head. A few bolts missed but a few struck its' skull. A bolt went through an eye on its' right head. From the other side of the road, Yusuke fired from his rifle and several bolts pierced through both of the left heads' eyes.

As the rest of the warriors charged, closing in with various blades of swords, axes, and spears, the snakes' heads flailed in pain and fire blasted out of its' mouths. The fire collided with the energy shields around the group, deflecting off and lighting the village on fire. The group had approximately thirty seconds before their dust depleted and their shields turned off.

Makoto sliced at the snake's body; as the blade cut into its' flesh, he twisted the handle slightly causing the blade to emit intense sound waves that disoriented the snake. Others around me drove their swords, axes, and spears into the beast. Various explosions of sound and lightning erupted in an attempt to slow it down. Yet the beast persisted.

It swung its' heads towards the warriors, grabbing one and knocking several aside. Makoto slammed into the burning building, the air in his lungs forced out. The crash knocked down an already fire-weakened piece of lumber. The heavy wood collapsed onto Makoto's shoulder and dislodge his arm. His shield repelled the fire consuming the wood, the remaining embers dissipating in the air with nothing to feed upon.

As Makoto struggled to his feet, digging the butt of his halberd into the ground, he realized his shoulder was dislocated by the collision. With a forceful push, he popped his shoulder back into place and reached for the pistol strapped underneath his kimono and above his heart. He grabbed one of the hand-sized cartridges from that chest strap and, grunting through the pain, clumsily inserted it into the back of the barrel.

The snake had knocked everyone else out. Only one Faorian still stood, Captain Takato. He raised his axe in a defensive posture, waiting for a chance to strike. Misaki and Yosuke, out of dust themselves, immediately started rescuing their friends and pulling them into the burning buildings.

Takato muttered a few words to himself. A ball of lightning appeared and vanished. A small, fairy-like creature floated in its' place. With spikey blue hair, pointed, vibrant green clothes, and pale skin, it floated to Takato's bloody shoulder. The large wolf-man smiled, his sharp teeth snarling in joy. The white flowers around his eyes shone brightly.

Makoto, still leaning on his halberd, aimed his pistol at the snake. Click. A sharp, pointed blast of fire erupted from his pistol. The fire pierced into the eye Misaki destroyed and exploded inside of the snakes' head. While the snakes' otherworld flesh seemed resistant to the fire, it stunned the beast for a second. That second was all Takato needed.

The fairy transformed into a bolt of lightning and thrust itself into the snake before unleashing a torrent of lightning from inside of its' body. The snake collapsed onto the ground. Takato darted forward and swung his large shining axe down. With one swoop, he sliced the right head of the snake through. Without a missed beat, he carried that momentum forward, through the ground itself, and sliced upward through the left head of the snake.

Takato stood for a few moments, axe above his head, waiting for movement. Despite the drum of embers around us, the world felt silent. As Takato lowered his axe, he yelled out, "Victory!"

Cheers erupted from those of us still conscious. Takato thanked the lightning fairy before it vanished. Takato jumped into organizing the rescue operation, splitting us into first aid and firefighting. Misaki headed the medical treatment while Makoto helped retrieve the water-attuned dust they previously stored to put out the fire.

After saving as much of the village as they could, the group collapsed around their campsite outside the edge of town. The townspeople, who started to return, brought food and booze. Dancing, laughter, and relief washed over the still town as the flickers of the sun welcomed a new dawn over the horizon.

Captain Takato walked over to Makoto and slapped him on the back. "Good work tonight! That last shot hit it square in the eye!", the large man laughed at himself, "This is why you're my third-in-command. That fierce determination and will will save you one day."

Makoto's tail, with two vines wrapped around it from underneath his kimono and up his back, wagged energetically. "Thank you sir. Unfortunately, we were too late to stop the cult or even find clues about them..."

Takato's laughter bellowed with a deep warmth, "That may be, but we protected this village and its' people. That is enough! We will find those fiends one day. Until then, our job is to protect our islands. And tonight, our job is to relax!"

"You're right sir!" Makoto's tail wagged even faster.

Then, a Faorian man walked into the light of the party from the forest. He wore a high quality blue kimono, clearly hand stitched by a professional rather than by a machine, and bore a white tiger on the back. That tiger emblem was easily recognizable as the family crest of the local lord, Hidetatsu. The man spotted Takato and scurried over, taking numerous precise, mechanical steps so his feet never brushed past the fabric of his kimono and created a wavey flow.

"Sir Takato, I presume," the man said, "Lord Hidetatsu wants to invite you to meet with him."