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Chapter 22: Jago

Green leaves looked blue in the pale moonlight as the three former pirates pushed away the branches that exteneded from various trees. They had been trying to navigate their way through the forest for hours, though it seemed like an eternity. Lonewolf was beginning to get quite annoyed of Majik constantly asking "Are we there yet?!".

"I have an idea!" Chimed Majik as they walked along an open path. "Shut up Majik." Stated Lonewolf, already knowing Majik well enough to completely ignore his stupid ideas. "No, seriously!" Lonewolf waved a hand at him without looking back, "I don't want to hear it." Majik whined loudly, "Aww come ooonn!" Aerial remained silent as usual.

Just then, Lonewolf smelled water in the air. He stopped and sniffed at the air, "...smell that?" He asked. Majik took a big whiff of the night air and heaved out a loud sigh, "No." He said. Aerial perked his nose up as he sniffed the air, "Water." He stated. Lonewolf nodded, "Yes..." He sniffed at the air some more, "Seems to be coming from..." He pointed northeast, "That way." The three men jogged down the dirt path towards a group of trees that were all growing next to each other. As they made their way past the thick tree trunks, all three of the men stopped to stare in awe.

They stepped into a large forest clearing, revealing a wide, sparkling blue lake that shimmered in the full moon's light. The lake was not very vast and may have been only a couple of hundred feet wide. However, it seemed like the full moon's light casted a white beam upon the lake, almost as if the lake itself was feeding off the moonlight.

"This has to be it." Stated Lonewolf with a mischievous smirk crossing his lip. Aerial nodded in agreement. Majik leaped in the air with glee, "Woohoo!" He took off his shirt and dove into the water. Splashing around in it as he guffawed in laughter, "I'm RIIICH!!" Lonewolf figured that now was a good time to let Majik know the truth...

"Um...Majik..?" Majik looked up at Lone with a wide smile, "Yeees?" Lonewolf hesitated a bit then continued, "Um...what I told you back at the guild..about the holy water being valuable..." Majik's smile began to fade, "It was a lie to get you to come with us...the holy water isn't valuable money-wise. However, it is valuable to the guild to protect us against a demon attack." Majik was already gritting his teeth in rage. He leaped out of the lake as he picked up his greatsword, "Grrr! I'll kill you!"

"Now don't go and do a thing like that..." An unfamiliar voice spoke from within the shadows of a nearby tree. "Please...allow us that pleasure." A man, clad in black, spikey armor stepped out from under a tree. As he did this, at least another dozen or so men with the same type of armor followed. The man who spoke took off his helmet, revealing his pale skin and short white hair with long bangs that had black tips at the end of its strands. His red eyes seemed to glow in the darkness of the night.

"Who are you?!" Demanded Lonewolf as he unsheathed his rapier. Majik was already facing the stranger with his greatsword drawn. Aerial nervously pulled out his dagger. "I'll tell you that after you have answered my question first." said the white haired man. Lonewolf's eyebrows furrowed, this stranger was obviously a demon from the Kenise clan due to the similar hair, skin and eye color they all share. So that would mean he may be a soldier of Kratos' army which definately made this stranger a potential enemy. "Forget it demon. I'm not answering your questions." He said as he made a mental note of the strange insignia on the stranger's tasset. It was the silhouette of a horned head on top of red cloth which was embroidered with gold around the edges.

The stranger shook his head, "Tsk tsk tsk...such a pity. Very well then. Have it your way." He turned to face his armor clad men, "Send Prince Kaze a message." He stated. As he said this, all of his men tripled in size as they transformed into their demon forms, though their armor expanded with their bodies as if it was meant to do that. The white-haired stranger turned back around to regard Lonewolf with a cocky smile, "I give you one last chance. Give me your name, or I will unleash my men upon you and your two friends."

A name? That's all this guy wanted? Lonewolf's shoulders slumped as he saw that he had no choice in the matter. Live or die. That is what this stranger was practically asking him. He made his decision:

"...Lonewolf." He said, defeated.

The stranger cocked an eyebrow, "Lonewolf huh? Very well, that was all I needed. Goodbye Mr. Lonewolf." The man nodded at his men, who in turn advanced towards Lonewolf and his friends. "W..wait! I thought you said you wouldn't unleash your men on us if I gave you my name!" The stranger shrugged, "I lied." He said simply with a cocky grin.

"DAMN YOU!!!" Majik suddenly shot a fireball at the stranger, who negated the attack with a blue barrier spell. Majik then leaped into the air with his greatsword over his head as he came down on the stranger. "Majik! No!!" Lonewolf tried to cry out, but it was too late. Majik gets blown away by a simple wave of the stranger's hand. He flew up in the air past Lonewolf and Aerial and landed hard on his back in the mud. He didn't get up.

"Majik!" Lonewolf cried out, but Majik's body didn't move at all. Angered by this, Lonewolf turned to regard the stranger and his demonic men and fired a large purple energy blast in their direction. The blast enveloped their bodies, but when the smoke cleared, they were all stilll standing completely unscathed. Lonewolf was stunned by the sheer power of these men.

"Get them." Stated the stranger, still smiling. Three demons went for Lonewolf as three more went for Aerial. The two dragoons attempted to counter, but to no avail. The demons were just too powerful for them. They held Aerial and Lonewolf in headlocks as they disarmed them completely. The stranger stepped forward as he studied both, Lonewolf and Aerial.

After a few moments, he pointed at Aerial. "Him." He stated. The demon who held Aerial in a headlock tightened its grip around his neck. Aerial's eyes shifted quickly to Lonewolf. His eyes were wide with fear as he and Lone both knew what the demon was about to do. Lonewolf kicked and writhed wildly as he tried to get out of the demon's grip, but to no avail. Knowing that he couldn't do anything else, he finally let out a defiant plead, "NO!"

"Snap."

Lonewolf watched helplessly as the demon snapped his good friend's neck as if it were a piece of celery. Aerial fell limp in the demon's arms. "NO!!!" Lonewolf cried again as tears enveloped his eyes. The demon let go of Aerial, letting his limp body fall to the wet mud with a moist, yet audible "thud". Aerial's eyes were rolled all the way back as the color in his skin began to fade. "YOU SONNOVA b***h!!!" Lonewolf cried out with a hoarse sounding voice. Tears streamed down his cheeks as his eyes grew wild with rage.

The stranger looked over at Lonewolf, the cocky grin still visible on his lips. "You'll get your turn soon enough." He stated playfully. He nodded at the demon who was holding Lonewolf. The demon tightened it's grip around Lonewolf's neck, though this time, they didn't snap his neck.

The stranger unsheathed his seven-foot katana and studdied it for a moment. Admiring the saw-like teeth along the long, thin blade. He then held the tip of his blade by Lonewolf's forehead. "The death of your friend was merely a message to Prince Kaze. This however, will be a warning for you. A slow and painful death to anyone who aids Kaze Kenise, the traitor." The stranger said this as he slowly began to carve a diagonal gash in Lonewolf's forehead, beginning above Lonewolf's right brow and ending in the middle of his left cheek.

Lonewolf writhed and cried out in agony as the stranger took his time carving this large scar on Lonewolf's face. Blood spilled all over the entire right side of his face as it began to create a large puddle of blood in the mud beneath him.

Just then, an aubidle splash could be heard coming from the lake followed by an unfamiliar voice, "Begone demons!" A hooded man stood knee-deep in the holy lake. He was clad in a long white robe that had baggy-oversized sleeves. He wore a closed, baby blue cloth vest over the robe as well as a white leather belt with various pouches around his waist. He stood defiantly in front of the demonic stranger as he held his golden staff out in front of him, standing it up in the water with both his hands.

The stranger scoffed at the sight of this nobody. "And how do you propose you will be doing that?" He asked with a cocky smile. Just then, as if to answer the stranger's question, a small wave began to develope in the water a few feet away from behind the hooded man. The wave slowly grew larger and larger as it neared the man standing in the water.

One of the large demons looked over at its commander, "Sir Jago, what shall we do?" It asked frantically as it kept its eyes on the oncoming wave of holy water coming their way. Jago cursed under his breath, "Tch...retreat!" The demon holding Lonewolf dropped its hostage to the ground as it followed Jago and the other demons away from the lake. They all disappeared from the forest clearing.

The large wave died down suddenly before hitting the shore as the hooded man stepped out of the water and walked over to the bloody mess known as Lonewolf. The man pulled his hood back behind his head, revealing a youthful face with dark green eyes and black short hair that was all combed over to the right side of his head. He stared at Lonewolf who was lying in the mud on his stomache and slowly flipped him up onto his back. The man examined Lonewolf's wound and held his golden staff above Lone's face.

A faint light glimmered off of the man's staff, causing the bleeding to stop from Lonewolf's new scar. "That should do it." Said the man to himself. Lonewolf was barely able to hold on to his own consciousness, "Home...dra...dragoons..." Lonewolf feebly lifted up his hand to point west, "g...guil..d...." He passed out.

The man nodded and picked up Lonewolf's body. He held Lonewolf over his right shoulder as he grabbed his golden staff with his left hand, lifting it to the air. A faint light flashed from the staff once again, only this time Majik and Aerial's bodies magically lifted up into the air. The man proceeded through the forest in the general direction Lonewolf pointed at before he passed out with the two other bodies magically floating behind him.

Chapter 24: The Wandering Traveler

A soft knock could be heard coming from the guild's front door. No one could hear the soft noise as everyone was in their dormitories except one. Violet scurried over to the collosal door. She pondered to herself how she would reach the door knob. First she stretched out her tiny hand as far as she could, but got nowhere. She then attempted jumping up and down, still nowehere near the knob. She then realized that the door was already unlocked.

"Oh! Come in!" She shouted at the door. The door's knob twisted and the door slowly began to creak inward, Violet had to get out of the way as the massive door swung toward her. Once she was in a safe distance, she looked up to see who was standing at the door. Her tiny robotic eyes widened at what she saw before her.

There stood a hooded man, clad in white robes with a closed baby blue cloth vest, holding an unconcious Lonewolf. Just behind him, Violet could see the floating unconscious bodies of Majik and Aerial. "Master!" She called out as she scurried over to the giant stranger's foot. She began thumping her tiny fists on the stranger's brown boot, "What did you do to master Lonewolf?!" She cried out angrily.

The hooded stranger stood looking down at the strange little robotic girl. He silently wondered what she was, "A fairy, maybe..?" No, that couldn't be it, she had no wings. He shrugged to himself and walked over to the nearest couch within the lounge, completely ignoring Violet's shouts of anger. He figured he came to the right place since that little 6-inch person thing knew who the unconscious man was. He used his magic to bring in the unconcious bodies of Lonewolf's friends and set them down in two other couches. He walked over to the fireplace and began making a fire.

"Can't you hear me?! I demand to know what you have done to this one's master! Is he...dead..?" Violet slowly turned to look at her masters unmoving body and silently hoped that that wasn't the case. The stranger took off his hood as he finally made a fire, illuminating the dark room. "No." He said in response as he stood up. "He's just unconcious. The one who's dead is that guy over there." He pointed at Aerial's now pale body. Violet looked at Aerial, "Oh no no no no noo...this is not good! This is not good at all!" She began to climb up the couch Lonewolf was laying on and got up onto his chest. She suddenly fell onto her bottom as she was taken aback by what she saw.

A very large scar lay diagonally across her master's face, beginning from just above his right eyebrow and ending in the middle of his left cheek. The scar wasn't bleeding, but it was still a pinkish color as the outer skin was teared off from it. "Master!" She rushed to Lonewolf's aid and began to examine his scar. "This one believes this scar was created by a sharp blade of some kind..." She looked over at the stranger again, taking note that all he had on him was a golden staff.

"Yeah, I didn't do it." Stated the stranger, noticing the 6-inch girl examining him. He took a seat near the fire, "Are you the only one here?" He asked suddenly. Violet shook her head, "No..the dragoons..." She perked her head up slightly, "Oh! I must alert them of this atrocity! Excuse me!" She bowed respectfully to the stranger, her lockes of violet hair fell over her shoulders, then scurried off of Lonewolf and the couch and headed up stairs, climbing one step at a time.

After a few moments, an audible squeaky voice could be heard coming from throughout the entire building:

"Attention all dragoons! Majik Mason, Aerial Funichelo and Master Lonewolf are all hurt! Please report to the guild's lounge immediately!"


* * * * *


After a few minutes, all of the dragoons rushed to the lounge. They surrounded Lonewolf and the bodies of his friends, forming a large circle around the couches and the fireplace. There must've been a good 30-40 people in the room at the time. Some sitting on the stairs, some standing by the bar, they were all over the place. Violet was already standing atop the lounge's coffee table as she looked at all the men and women.

Hajimate stepped forward out from the group as he yawned audibly, "What's goin on, Violet?" He asked the little robot, then noticed Lonewolf and the others sprawled across the couches. "Woah...what happened here?" If Violet could cry, she'd have tears streaming down her cheeks right about now, "Master Lonewolf, Majik and Aerial were all attacked in the forest to the east. This man here saved them and brought them here." Hajimate's eyebrows furrowed, "Attacked? By whom?"

"You're kind." Stated the stranger. Hajimate's upper lip curled, "Hmph. I didn't catch your name." He said derisively. The stranger nodded and smiled, his green eyes flashing from the light coming from the fireplace. "My name is Angelus Domini." Hajimate's eyebrow lifted at the mention of the man's name. "Angelus Domini, huh? Doesn't that mean 'Angel Lord' in latin? You sure don't look the part." He said, studying the man. "Heh, well my parents had a creative mind. You're right though, I'm no angel. Just a regular, everyday vagabond." Hajimate snorted, "Whatever.."

"Who attacked them?" Kaze suddenly stepped out from the crowd of dragoons and stood beside his cousin. Angelus looked up at Kaze, "Some demons clad in black armor. I caught the leader's name just before they fled from my attack; Jago." Hajimate and Kaze both looked at each other, then back at the man. "I take it you know him." They both nodded slowly.

Just then Lonewolf's eyes fluttered open. "Ugh.." He tried to sit up, but the pain in his head forced him back to lying down. "Master!" Violet hopped off the coffee table and onto the couch. She climbed onto her master's chest and smiled at him as he smiled back, "Hi, Violet." He said with a hoarse voice. He noticed all the dragoons standing around him. "What's going on..?" He asked, then winced at the sudden pain coming from his scar. He reached up and felt the gash, a sudden rush of memories filled his mind, "Aerial!" He called out.

"He's dead." Stated Angelus informingly. Lonewolf felt his heart sink at that fact. His friend was killed in cold blood right before his very eyes. He felt his right fist clentch tightly. "Who..?" He asked suddenly, looking over at the man in white robes. "His name is Angelus. He brought you here along with Majik and Aerial." Stated Hajimate in response, already knowing what Lonewolf was about to ask.

Lonewolf fell silent, taking a moment to make a mental note of the man's name. "That man who attacked us..." He began, "...he was a demon. He was wearing a red and gold tasset that had the picture of a black head with horns on it." Kaze nodded, "The royal insignia. You were attacked by the demon general, Jago." Lonewolf looked away, "Jago..." He took a moment to remember the name of the man who killed his friend. "Do you remember what he told you?" Asked Kaze.

Lonewolf nodded, "Yeah...how could I forget?" He said cynically, "He killed Aerial as a message to you and gave me this scar as a message to me." Kaze nodded, "A message of war...or that's how Jago puts it at least." Lonewolf looked up at Kaze, "What?" Kaze looked down at Lonewolf, then looked away as he began walking toward the fireplace, "That is how my father declares war against others. He makes his soldiers kill someone from the opposite side. Usually it's someone weak, like a woman or a child, or in this case the friend of the leader. It seems my father has found out where I've been hiding and now wishes to go to war with us."

Lonewolf grabbed Violet from his chest and placed her atop the coffee table as he sat up, ignoring the pain in his head, "What the hell are you talking about?! You came to me!" Kaze looked away, "Apparently my father thinks you're protecting me with your guild." Hajimate suddenly lurched forward, "I knew it!!" He grabbed onto Kaze's neck and began choking him as he forced him to his knees. "You ******** traitor! You lead him to us!"

"Stop it Haj!" Lonewolf suddenly called out. He shot a small fireball in Hajimate's direction, exploding on his chest and causing him to step back a few steps. As he was knocked back, a few of the rookie dragoons grabbed onto his arms and held him fast. Kaze grabbed onto his own neck as he gasped for air.

"The attack on the guild was only a matter of time." Stated Lone. "I just didn't expect it to be this soon..." He said sadly. Hajimate spat in Kaze's direction, "You can blame that on daddy's-little-demon over there!" Kaze lowered his head in shame. Lonewolf looked over at Kaze, "Did you know you were being followed?" He asked. Kaze shook his head slowly.

"Bull s**t!" Cried out Hajimate, still being held down by the dragoons. Lonewolf looked over at Hajimate, then back at Kaze, "Whatever the case, we can't just sit around here pointing fingers at each other. Kratos has declared war against Lonewolf's Dragoons. It won't be long before thousands of pure-blooded demons stand at our doorstep. So we need to stop fighting amongst ourselves and come up with some kind of plan to beat them!"

Hajimate lifted an eyebrow, "Oh yeah? And how the hell do you propose we'll be able to defeat an entire army with this small handful of warriors? Face it, Lone. We're dead." Lonewolf lowered his head. After all, Hajimate did have a good point. They only had maybe thirty to forty men at the most, Kratos had an entire army of powerful demons. There was no way they would be able to recruit enough members before Kratos advanced his army.

"I can help." Suddenly, a familiar female voice chimed in from within the large group of dragoons. Everyone stepped aside, revealing Pana Sule who stood in the middle of all of them. Everyone was silent, somewhat surprised at the blue haired girl's proposal. "How..?" Lonewolf asked, finally breaking the silence within the room. Pana stepped forward slowly towards the couch Lonewolf was sitting on.

"My real name is Pana Sulia." She said as she looked over at Hajimate. Both, Hajimate and Kaze's eyes widened in surprise at the mention of Pana's last name. Lonewolf nodded, understanding what she was telling him, "So...you're from the Sulia clan of demons that Hajimate had mentioned before." Pana nodded at Lonewolf. "Not only that..." added Hajimate, "But she bears the clan name, meaning she's..." Pana finished his sentence, "The princess of the Sulia clan." Everyone stared in wonder.

Lonewolf smiled to himself. So, the mysterious blue haired girl finally reveals her true identity. "Wait." He began, "I thought the Sulia clan derived only on peace." Pana nodded, "Yes, we are in fact a peaceful clan. However, after learning of what has been going on within the Kenise clan, I can tell my parents of it and they might consider helping us stop Kratos." She said hopefully. Lonewolf looked over at Hajimate, then at Kaze. They both nodded at him. He looked back at Pana, "I suppose we have no other choice. Try to get a hold of your parents as soon as possible and see if they can ally with us to fight against Kratos' army." Pana nodded and ran back to her dorm room to prepare for the trip. "Tomorrow, we will split up and try to recruit as many people as we can find to aid us in this war." The dragoons nodded in agreement as they began conversing amongst themselves.

"If I may..." Angelus' voice chimed in. "I believe I need a room to stay in."


* * * * *


The following morning, the dragoons held a funeral for Aerial. Burying him in the courtyard amongst the beautiful garden. Everyone surrounded the grave respectfully. The wind changed slightly as it blew the morning dew away from the leaves of the mini-jacaranda trees. Some cried, some kept their sobs to themselves. Lonewolf stepped forward, holding Aerial's dagger in his right hand. He just stood looking down at the dirt where they buried him. He never realized how close of a friend Aerial was, until his demise. He then suddenly stabbed the earth with Aerial's dagger. Sticking it right above Aerial's grave.

Lonewolf silently vowed to avenge the death of his former best friend.

Chapter 26: New Faces & New Problems

As Lonewolf entered Cliffside Village once again, he noticed something a bit different about the atmosphere. No one was giving him strange looks or shying away from him anymore as they had done when he had first visited the small village. Instead, he was greeted with smiles and the occasional wink from the younger women. Yolanda must have put in a good word for me around here, he thought to himself as he couldn't suppress a confident smile of his own.

He arrived at Bogey's doorstep and as he was about to knock, the door flung open. An excited, short-stature, older, balding man was holding the door open and had the widest smile on his face. "Lonewolf! You've arrived! Come in! Come in!" He hurriedly grabbed onto Lonewolf's wrist and tugged him indoors as he shut the door behind the surprised Lonewolf. "Bogey...you seem to be as eccentric as ever today. So what is this new 'breakthrough' you want to show me?" Bogey smiled even wider, revealing his yellow, crooked teeth. However, his smile faded once he got a good look at Lonewolf's face and the large scar that lay across it. "By the Gods, boy! What happened to your face??" Lonewolf rubbed at the, now pink, scar that started above his right brow and slid diagonally down all the way to his cheek. "Oh this...I'll tell you what happened later. Now where is this new invention of yours?" Bogey seemed to forget about Lonewolf's scar entirely after the mention of his new invention. He smiled once again, "There she is!" Boldly, he pointed a stubby finger at a yellow and white striped cat that was laying down on his coffee table. Lonewolf lifted an eyebrow, ".............soooo...you got a pet cat..? THAT'S what you were so excited to show me?"

Bogey seemed completely baffled by Lonewolf's deduction, "What?? No no no, you fool! This 'cat' is my new creation! Behold! Neko-Meww #1!" Lonewolf glanced at the lazy cat once again for a few moments...then back at Bogey, "...I don't get it." Bogey patted Lonewolf on his right thigh, obviously pitying his meager intelligence, then winked at Lone, "Watch." The little man turned to regard Neko, "Neko-Meww.." The cat's ears perked up as it stood on all fours and stretched it's legs. It turned to regard the others, but it's gaze quickly shifted to Lonewolf, it tilted it's head in curiosity as it "meowed" slightly. "...Neko, please transform." The cat nodded and suddenly began to slowly change shape. It's paws and hind legs began to take form to that of a human being's appendages, the fur on its face began to slowly sink back into it's skin as it grew larger and larger. Eventually this 'cat' began to take the shape of a very curvaceous young woman.

When the transformation was complete, Lonewolf couldn't help but blush slightly at what was before him. There, standing just a few feet away, was a beautiful young woman. She had dull blonde hair, almost beige in color, eyes that were as yellow as her fur had once been, with cat-like pupils, and baby soft skin that covered most of her body. She wore a long-sleeve, rather tight fitting shirt that was white with light green sleeves, and a blue mini skirt that hiked up quite far up her legs. However, there were a few notable differences that separated this young voluptuous woman from a regular human being...for one, she still had cat ears jutting out from each side of the top of her head, she even still had rather large cat paws and feet as well as a cat tail.

"Ta-da!" The feline woman struck a pose as her transformation was complete...however she was still standing atop Bogey's rather small coffee table and an audible cracking sound could be heard shortly thereafter. Suddenly, the table completely collapsed and Neko-Meww #1 fell backwards, off the table and on her butt. "Ow-wow-wow-wowow!!" She cried as she arched her back to rub her bottom where it hurt. Again, revealing her curvaceous structure and causing Lonewolf to blush slightly once again. "What are you looking at, Master?" Violet asked quizzically as she tilted her head, still standing atop Lone's right shoulder, "And why is Master's face turning a different color? Is Master sick?" Lonewolf cleared his throat as he regained his composure. "Ahem...er...no, Violet. I'm fine." Violet didn't seem convinced, but she held her artificial tongue as to not pry. "Oki..." She said under her breath.

Bogey smiled widely at Lonewolf, "She's a beaut, ain't she?" Lonewolf forced his eyes away from the strangely attractive cat-woman as he turned to regard Bogey, "Who...or what, is it?" He asked, genuinely curious now. Bogey pointed a stubby finger at Violet on Lone's shoulder, "I borrowed the same concept from my P.A.L. invention, except this time I made her much larger, the size of a normal human being as you can see. However, I also borrowed the whole transformation concept of a druid. I had been working on her at the same time I was working on your P.A.L...what was her name? Violet? heh, not a bad name I suppose. I would've given her a different name like..." Lonewolf seemed confused, "A druid..?" he interrupted. Bogey nodded his head, his flabby cheeks jiggling from the movement. "Yes, a druid. Nature-folk who live in the Forest of Divinity. They're known for their love of nature and most of all, their ability to transform into various animals. I made Neko-Meww #1 with the same morphing capabilities, however she can only turn into a cat...as you can see, though, her human form needs a little more 'tweaking'." Lonewolf crossed his arms as he rubbed his chin with his right hand, "Hmmm..."

Just then, Lonewolf was suddenly tackled by Bogey's new invention, knocking him flat on his back as well as flinging Violet off his shoulder in the process. "Are you my new master??" Chimed Neko as she stood on all fours just above Lonewolf and examining his face at an alarmingly close radius. Lonewolf felt his face blush again. "Um..?!" Bogey cut in, "Now now Neko, is this how I taught you to treat guests?" Neko was sniffing Lonewolf's hair as Bogey asked this. She turned to regard Bogey and shook her head slowly, "Nuuu....but..." She looked back at Lonewolf, "This man makes me feel funny inside.....warm..." Lonewolf couldn't help it as his eyes widened...his brow began to sweat a little. Bogey tried to stifle his laughter, he looked at Lonewolf. "I think she likes you, boy..." Lonewolf seemed alarmed by this, "i..is that even possible??" Bogey grew a slight reddish color as he scratched the back of his head, "Well...this one is....more 'real' then my previous invention...heh."

Lonewolf glared at Bogey as he shook his head slowly. ".....you sad, sad, perverted old man." Bogey grew a brighter red. "Nevermind that now! I wish you to take her to your guild, Lone. Unlike Violet, Neko is far more capable of helping around the guild, keeping it clean, gardening, etc. Though her human transformation isn't quite complete, having razor sharp claws may prove useful in the long run. Yes, I think she would make a nice new addition to your guild." He nodded to himself as he got lost in his muse. "Er...sure, Doc. Whatever. Now can you please get her off of me..?" Asked Lonewolf, obviously growing a bit more anxious then he previously was. Neko was sniffing Lonewolf's neck this time...a moment later a very exasperated Violet crawled atop Lonewolf's head and slapped Neko lightly on her cheek. "No touchy!" She pointed accusatingly. Neko seemed shocked by the physical violence she had received from this mini-girl. Her eyes widened a bit as they began to water. "W...why did you hit me..?" Violet held her little pointing finger firmly in the air in Neko's direction, "Neko-Meww #1 is invading Master Lonewolf's personal space and causing Master Lonewolf to grow strange skin tones due to blood rushing through his cheeks and ears, quickened heart rate, perspirating uncontrollably and causing him to emit fluctuating waves of hormonal activity as well as body heat. No touchy! Please refrain from Master Lonewolf's personal space a good 3 feet or so, so that Master Lonewolf's body can return to it's original, stable state."

Seeming a bit embarrassed, it was Neko's turn to turn a bright red. She nodded at Violet and crawled backwards, off of Lonewolf and letting him sit up. "I'm sorry..." She said shyly. Lonewolf, regaining his composure finally, smiled warmly at Neko-Meww. "It's quite alright Neko, my name is Lonewolf." He extended his right hand. Neko paused a few moments as she just stared at Lonewolf's hand, then back at Lone. Suddenly, she smiled widely and squealed as she pounced on Lonewolf again, this time hugging him with alarming tightness and squishing poor Violet in between in the process. "N..no..touch...y..." her shrill little voice can be heard from between the two. "Master Lonewolf!!" cried Neko-Meww as she squeezed tighter. "Ugh..." Lonewolf was trying his best to breathe. "That's enough Neko. Let him go." Said Bogey as he clapped his hands and began trying to wrench Neko's arms from around Lonewolf's neck. She finally let go and blushed slightly, "heehee...sorry...I'm just a little excited to have a new Master." She smiled shyly. "Understandable....I suppose." Said Lonewolf as he rubbed at his neck. "You ok, Violet?" Lonewolf picked Violet up off the ground. Her deep purple hair was a complete mess as she began pointing her little finger around the room randomly in a disorientated manner as she said: "no...touchy..." over and over.

Lonewolf lifted an eyebrow and handed Violet over to Bogey, "I think something might have broke in her...wanna check it out..?" Bogey smiled and took Violet in his hands, "Of course. Now go ahead and sit and make yourself at home. As you can see, I've made a bigger couch for my 'larger' guests, so you don't have to sit on the ground anymore." Bogey nodded in the direction of a newly made wooden couch that had cotton-filled pillows padding the seating area of it as well as the back support. Lonewolf sat down on the couch, and fidgeted slightly...it was a bit uncomfortable, but better then sitting on the floor so he didn't complain. Just as Lone sat down, Neko scurried over to Lonewolf and sat on his lap as she wrapped her paws around his head and placed her head atop his in a cuddling fashion. She began to purr slightly, "Masterrrr...." She said softly as she rubbed her bosom along the side of Lonewolf's head. Lonewolf seemed submissive at this point as he thought to himself silently...

..I suppose I can get used to this...


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Elsewhere, on the opposite side of the island, Kamikalo, Juggalo Josh and Angelus come to a halt within the forest. "What's the hold up, Angels-r-us?" Asked Kami from the rear of the group. "We're here." He stated simply. Juggalo Josh raised an eyebrow as he saw nothing but trees and shrubbery that lied before them. "Where..?" Asked Kamikalo as she walked ahead of the group, looking left and right as she still held her near-empty sack of rations in a sack that slung over her right shoulder. "Just up ahead." Stated Angelus, again with no real emotion behind his words.

Kamikalo walked a few feet further, "I don't see anythi..." Suddenly, Kamikalo's right foot got strung up by an unseen rope on the ground, pulling her upward and knocking her on her back then lifting her high in the air at least 10 feet off the ground. She dropped the sack of rations on the ground as she was pulled skyward. Juggalo Josh didn't hesitate as he immediately readied his rifle, pointing its nose at the rope that held Kamikalo aloft. However just before he got off a shot, the barrel of his rifle got nearly sliced in half by what seemed to be some sort of metallic, hoop-blade. Baffled by the strange weapon, Josh dropped his useless gun to stare at the hoop-like blade that was lodged into his rifle's barrel. The blade surrounding the outer ring was made by steel, however the inner ring seemed to be decorated by a combination of leather and what looked like stained glass. The sort of glass you'd find on windows in a church. "What the..?" muttered Josh as he examined the weapon.

Suddenly, a black panther leaped down from a nearby tree, pouncing on Josh from the rear. "JOSH!!!" Cried Kamikalo as she helplessly watched her friend struggle for his life against the panther. Angelus just stood there, smiling at Kamikalo. "What the hell Angelus?! Get that damn animal off him!" Angelus shook his head, "No." He stated simply. "You two thought you could kidnap me and get away with it? Unknown to you two idiots, the druids are my friends. And if they were to ever see me in danger, they'd do whatever it takes to save me." He gestured at the panther who was now glowering at the helpless Juggalo Josh a mere two inches from his face. "One signal from me and you can say goodbye to Mr. J.J. here." He patted the top of the panther's head, making it purr audibly at his touch.

"You b*****d!" Kamikalo didn't know what to do...she COULD blow Angelus and the panther away where they stood with a single ki blast, but where would that leave poor Josh? No. There was nothing she could do right now. "....so what do you want from us then?" Asked Kamikalo, for once showing weakness. "Nothing." Stated Angelus simply. "What happens to you two from here on is out of my hands. You're both at the druids' mercy now. Frankly, I have nothing against you two. In fact, I even warned you two about coming here, but you didn't listen. Now it seems karma is going to have its way with you." Just then, a Jaguar appeared from a nearby shrub. It walked over to Kamikalo and looked up at her...slowly it began to change shape.

It's arms and legs took shape that of a human's appendages as it stood up straight like a man, its face changing along with it. Once the transformation was complete there stood a young boy, no older then 14 or so, staring at Kamikalo's upside down eyes. The boy had very pale sky-blue eyes, pale skin, and a mo-hawk hairstlye with hair just as blue as his eyes. He wore a crude outfit, made up of brown leather with some parts painted with some sort of neon green paint. Slung on each side of his hip were some sort of glove-blades. He sniffed Kamikalo's general direction even though she was held up much higher then where he was standing. "H..hey! Where's your manners, kid!" The boy didn't seem deterred by her words as he continued to examine her, circling her as he looked at her up and down. "A lot of meat on this one. Thank you, Angelus." The boy nodded at Angelus, who returned the gesture.

"This one looks pretty good too, Pepper..." Said the black panther. It began to change shape, revealing a young girl who looked around the same age as the boy. She had pale green pig-tailed hair, and pale green eyes. She wore rather revealing clothing, also made up of leather and was mostly painted with neon pink paint. "....but he smells funny.." She stated as she was now sitting atop Josh, her knees jabbed into Josh's gut as she put most of her weight on him. She held a very sharp, crude blade at his neck. Pepper nodded, "Okay, Paprika, let's take them home. I'm sure the elders will be pleased with these two. Our village hasn't had outsiders for supper in a long time." After the boy said this, they both nodded at each other and simultaneously head-butted Kamikalo and Josh, knocking them unconscious.

"Owie...I think I hit him too hard." Said Paprika as she rubbed her forehead. Pepper ignored his clumsy sister as he turned to regard Angelus once again, "So where will you go, Angel?" Angelus shrugged, "Well...since I'm out here again, I may as well stay with you all at your village again. Though, I dunno if I'll be staying for dinner..." Pepper smiled and nodded. "Wonderful!" He said as he put on one of his bladed gloves and began climbing the tree Kamikalo was strung onto. He climbed up to the top and sliced the rope, but before she dropped he caught the rope and gently lowered her to the floor as he made his way back down the tree. "Let us be off then." He stated as he slung the unconscious Kamikalo over his right shoulder and picked up her sack of rations with his left hand. Paprika did the same with Josh as she picked up her hoop-blade with Josh's rifle barrel still stuck on its blade. The three of them made their way northward, towards the druids' village.


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"Ahh! There we are! Good as new!" Bogey turned Violet back on as he held her in his palm. "Oiii....where am I..?" Violet still seemed a bit disoriented. "Glad to see you're doing better, Violet. We're in your creator's house, remember?" Said Lonewolf. Violet nodded weakly, "Yes, yes...this one remembers..." She tilted her little head up and saw Neko sitting beside Lonewolf. Violet's eyes widened suddenly as she backed up a step, "Eeek!" Neko seemed a little embarrassed by Violet's reaction. "It's ok, Violet. She won't crush you again. I'll make sure of that." Lonewolf glared at Neko a little, then looked back at Violet and held out his hand beside Bogey's. Violet hesitantly walked over to Lone's palm, "This one trusts Master Lonewolf." She stated a bit reluctantly. Lonewolf smiled warmly as he placed Violet in his right vest pocket. She crawled into the pocket then a moment later plucked her little head out from it.

"Now that that's over with..." began Lonewolf, "I need to ask you something, Doc." Bogey nodded and smiled as he sat in his miniature chair, opposite of the couch Lonewolf was sitting on. "Anything, Wolf." He stated happily. "About these druids..." Began Lonewolf. Bogey shook his head disgustedly, "Savages. The lot of them." Lonewolf lifted an eyebrow, "Is that so..?" Bogey nodded, "Though most of their diet lies in fruits and vegetables of the forest...they're known for their cannibalism as well." Lonewolf's upper lip curled at the thought of eating another human being. "But....what if I were to ask them to help us defeat Kratos' army..? Do you think they would fight in order to restore freedom to the island?" Bogey shrugged, "I don't really know....but one thing is certain. Good luck in receiving admittance to their village. They're an extremely territorial race, and any outsider wandering in their backyard is potential food in their eyes." Lonewolf seemed lost in thought, "Hmmm..." Bogey lifted an eyebrow at Lonewolf. "Now don't go getting any ideas, Lone. Remember what happened last time you wandered into the forest..?"

Lonewolf winced at that remark. He had told Bogey the whole story about his scar, Aerial and his confrontation with Jago as Bogey was working on Violet, and now it seems Bogey was using that knew-found knowledge to try and talk some sense in him. It worked, Lonewolf had to admit. Wandering through the forest alone wouldn't be a good idea and there's no need for anymore casualties. "Yeah, you're right." Agreed Lonewolf, nodding soberly as he rubbed his scar gently with his right fingertips. "I don't want Master to get hurt!" Chimed Neko as she squeezed at Lonewolf's torso. "Hey!" A little voice can be heard from Lonewolf's vest pocket. Apparently Neko was squeezing Violet as well again. "Oops...sorry, Violet.." Blushed Neko. "No touchy!" Returned Violet as she hid back in the vest pocket. "Well then, I suppose it's time for me to take my leave. Thank you Bogey for inventing this....um...Neko-Meww. I bid you farewell." Lonewolf stood up and bowed his head slightly as he made his way to the door. "Wait boy, I have something for Violet..." Lonewolf stopped and turned to regard Bogey. "What is it?" Bogey held out a tiny katana blade. "It's a weapon. Even though she may not be able to do much in a fight, I figured it would be nice to at least give her SOMETHING she can defend herself with. It's custom made to fit her perfectly." Lonewolf smiled and took the tiny katana. "Thank you, Bogey. I'll be sure to give it to her later." He stuffed it into his left vest pocket then nodded to Bogey as he turned to leave again. "Be careful, Lonewolf, and let me know if you have any problems with my Neko-Meww #1 invention." Lonewolf waved his hand behind him as he opened the door, "Will do, Doc." Though he had a feeling that Neko may be a problem on her own. He held his tongue as he began out the door.

Neko obediently walked behind Lonewolf as they made their way back to the guild.

Chapter 28: Seal the Deal


"Maybe outsiders aren't all THAT bad..." Thought Shadowkite as she soared through the dull blue, early morning sky. After all, Lonewolf did seem like a very kind-hearted person. It was his smile. Something about his smile caught Shadowkite off guard...although she couldn't think of any reason as to why. His smile seemed...warm...and gentle...yet intimidating in its own way, but...honest at the same time. Unlike other outsiders she has seen in the past.

Angelus Domini had brought a good impression upon her people and even taught them (including herself) how to harness their spiritual energy and use it to manipulate nature however they saw fit. He called this "Mah-jeek". However although he helped her people, he was still a very rude man by nature. Shadowkite figured all outsiders were like this. Especially when Pepper brought that outsider girl to their village who was very rude and threatened to hurt her people. Then there was the strange man who rarely said a word and smelled very very ill. Shadowkite nearly gagged at the smell that was emanating from the man. She thought the man was near death when they brought him to their village, due to the smell, but he seemed perfectly fine. She nearly retched at the thought of her people feasting on someone who smelled so....so BAD.

Still....Shadowkite couldn't quite stand it anymore. The cannibalism, that is. Although it was very rare that her people feasted on outsiders...there was something about it that just seemed so...wrong. Though she knew there was no way she could ever convince the elders of her village to change their ways all by herself. If only she had more druids on HER side....

As she stated to Lonewolf, not every druid in her village were cannibals. In fact, about a good 30-40% of the population in her village ate only fruits and vegetables of the forest and never took part in the human feasts. Also, the number of non-cannibal druids have been increasing gradually over the years. Shadowkite hoped that one day the elders would agree to ban cannibalism completely and submit to the lush, refreshing sustenance that the forest itself provides, freeing her people from the barbaric nature that has tainted their reputation for years.

"Savages." Spat Shadowkite, recalling the degrading word that outsiders use to describe her people. Oh, how she hated that word. "Savage". Her hawk beak curved slightly in a hawk's version of a grimace. If only Shadowkite had some sort of...example...to show her people that not all outsiders are bad. Perhaps that would convince more druids to join her side, overlapping the 50% gap and beyond of the non-cannibals and proving to outsiders once and for all that the druids are far more then mere "Savages"....

However, her cousins are what worried her the most. If any druids fit the description of "Savages", it would be them. Always salivating over the thought of cannibalism...those two LIVED to eat outsiders. It truly is a shame, due to the fact that they are kin and yet have completely opposite ideals. If, God forbid, this ever turns out to break into an all-out war...Shadowkite was afraid that she'd have to go up against her own cousins. She hoped that things will never come to that. Diplomacy should always come first, in her eyes. Now all she needed was an outsider charismatic enough to.....

It finally hit her. She changed the course of her flight immediately and headed back south in the direction where she had confronted the outsider who called himself "Lonewolf".


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Lonewolf and the others had finally awoken. Though, Lonewolf himself didn't get much sleep due to the mysterious encounter with the young druid the night prior. He stretched widely as he gazed up at the early morning sky. He looked back at the others and smiled faintly. Neko was still curled into a little ball as she purred in her sleep. Atop her head lay Violet, who was also curled in the same fashion. Lonewolf couldn't help but wonder...if they are "robots", why do they need sleep?

So very human, those two. Thought Lonewolf.

Majik was sitting by the newly made campfire, roasting a dead squirrel on a stick. He caught the poor animal earlier that morning and was practically salivating as he mercilessly engulfed the small creature in flames. Lone understood now why Shadowkite was near tears when she thought he was going to kill that bear last night. It truly is tragic to kill a living creature of this beautiful world called Earth.

He looked to his right. Derek was sitting, as stoic as ever, with his back up against a nearby tree's trunk. Axe and shield, still held firmly in his hands. Ready for anything. He notices Derek's brow perk up as he quickly shifts his head to the sky. Lonewolf follows his gaze, and sees a familiar brown hawk swooping down toward their camp. Shadowkite has returned...but why?

Her hawk cries wake up Neko, as she lazily lifts her torso up from the ground, rolling poor little Violet off her head and flinging her to the ground. Violet angrily stands herself back up as she dusts shreds of grass and dirt from her little clothes. "Why did you fling this one in her sleep?!" She demanded, but Neko's eyes were fixed on their new guest. Violet follows her gaze to see the incoming hawk miraculously transform into a young girl. "Ooh! A druid! Also known as the 'Savages of the forest'!" Surely, Bogey was responsible for implementing that information into her system.

"I'm no 'savage'." Retorted Shadowkite as she booted the cooked squirrel upward from Majik's grasp. He was completely oblivious to the young druid's arrival as he was about to take a bite from his freshly cooked breakfast, however, once Shadowkite booted the luscious meal from his grasp, causing the cooked squirrel to shoot upward and bash Majik on the nose, he then took notice in their new, uninvited guest. "WHAT THE HELL?!?!" clumsily and impatiently, Majik began fumbling around for his great sword. However, once his hand found his sword's hilt, he heard the faint "creak" sound of a bow's string being pulled. He froze immediately, then slowly shifted his head to get a better view at the intruder. Then shifted his gaze over to Lonewolf who, to his surprise, was just standing there with his arms crossed and smiling at the girl. "Can someone please tell me...what the ******** going on here?"

"Good to see you again, too...Shadowkite." Lonewolf smiled warmly at her. Near tears, Shadowkite flicked a glance over at Lonewolf, then glared back at Majik as her arrow was still fixed on him. "I should KILL him for that!" Lonewolf sighed gently, "Don't worry about him. He has always been foolish and disrespectful. I can assure you, he will not harm another animal's soul in this forest again while I am present." Majik scoffed at that last statement, "Pfft! Like HELL I would! She owes me breakfast!" He pointed angrily at Shadowkite. At that point, both Shadowkite and Lonewolf turned to Majik and simultaneously stated: "Shut up." Majik seemed as though he were about to say something again, but caught himself and thought it best to keep his mouth shut for now.

"So Shadowkite..." Lonewolf continued, "May I ask as to why you have graced us with your lovely presence, yet again?" Shadowkite blushed slightly, Lonewolf was very charming, both in his words and the way he delivers them. "I...uh..." Lonewolf tilted his head slightly, "Yes..?" he encouraged. "I....I wish to help you find your friends...but on one condition!" Lonewolf nodded, "Name it." She lowered her bow and placed her arrow back into her quiver, "I want you to help show my people that not ALL outsiders are bad. If they all understood that..." Lonewolf nodded, understanding where she was getting, "...if they understood that, then they would feel guilty about eating humans and will ultimately end the cannibalism in your people." Shadowkite nodded firmly, "It is a DISGUSTING custom! However, even diplomacy might not be enough to change their minds. Some of my people....crave...human flesh. They will be very difficult to convince." Lonewolf nodded slowly, "I will try my best." Shadowkite looked up at Lone with teary eyes, "Thank you, Lonewolf. If any outsider can do it, I believe you can. There is an...aura about you. Not necessarily human, but...I believe I can trust you." Lonewolf lifted an eyebrow to that...but figured he shouldn't bother asking. "Very well then, we have reached an agreement. Lead the way, miss." Lonewolf bowed slightly and gestured courteously to Shadowkite to lead the way. Shadowkite, blushing again, nodded and began walking a few steps to the north.

The others followed suit, eventually leading them to a large side of a nearby mountain. "This is it." She stated. Majik looked around, "This is what..? A dead end?" He asked rather rudely, still in a bad mood about his spoiled breakfast. Violet, atop Lonewolf's shoulder studied the large rocky structure before them intently. "Master...the surface of this structure is very...uncommon. Rocks do not pile like this." She stated, a bit amused. Lonewolf just lifted an eyebrow as he studied the surface, he looked over at Derek who shrugged modestly in response.

"It is called 'Mah-Jeek'. It is the sacred power of our people. Watch..." After murmuring a few incantations in a strange, yet sensual tongue, the rocks and boulders began to shift on their own, revealing a wide cavern. "This way to my village." Said Shadowkite as she continued to lead the way. Everyone followed, save Majik, who held his growling stomach, "Man I'm hungry...." He whined, as he lazily dragged his feet to follow the others.

Chapter 30: The Battle Begins


Light pervaded the open grass field of Croatia as the sun began to rise into its full height amidst the sky. A dark figure atop a horse could be seen in the distance. His black spiky armor, a contradiction to the beauty the sun illuminated. The man held up a familiar banner, crimson red with the silhouette of a demonic head in the middle, with golden embroidery bordering the banner. Just then, several other black figures atop horses galloped forward, the man holding the banner leading them. Like locusts, they swarmed the entire grassland. Hundreds, no...thousands of them, all heading towards a single two story building located among the grasslands by its lonesome.

"Here they come." Standing beside the beautiful jacaranda tree located just in front of the guild, Lonewolf watched patiently as Kratos' army grew near in the distance. "This is going to be fun." Stated Kamikalo with her usual cheery tone as she cracked her knuckles. "I hope this plan of yours is going to work..." said Shadowkite, a bit hesitatingly. "It should buy us enough time until your fellow druids get here..." Said Lonewolf. His head sunk low a bit.

Hajimate....Kaze....Pana....where are you guys? We could sure use the extra numbers about now. He thought.

Lonewolf looked back at his own small army of sixty or so dragoons. Sadly, his dragoon members couldn't recruit that many volunteers. Most of them were mere farmers who only have little training with a musket, killing crows that try to eat their corn or wolves/foxes that try to eat their livestock. Normally they would be useless under these circumstances, but like Shadowkite, Lonewolf too had hoped that this strategy of his would prove effective...or at least buy them enough time for the druids to launch their surprise attack from the demon army's right flank.

Various crude, wooden, jagged barriers formed a wall a good distance from the guild, just under a large hill that lay ahead. The wooden barriers had spaces in between them, just barely large enough for the barrel of a musket. Lonewolf had learned this strategy from a historic battle that took place in the eastern lands during the late 1500's.

"The Battle at Nagashino." Lonewolf reminded himself of the legendary battle's title. Though Lonewolf didn't have a thousand muskets...nor was there a river separating the muskets from the horsemen...however, Lone hoped that the steep slope of the hill will prove a diversion enough to shower the demonic horsemen with gunfire. He also hoped that Kratos wouldn't send his entire army to engulf them...why send an army of thousands to simply wipe out a band of less then a hundred men? If Kratos were to send a smaller group of demons to attack them at first, that should buy them enough time for the druids to arrive with a special "present" for the demonic army's right flank.

"The demonic army has slowed to a halt, sir Lonewolf." Derek Wood, the young dragoon knight and fairly new acquaintance of Majik made his way towards Lonewolf and the others to alert Lone of the demon army's actions. He had been scouting from a better vantage point atop the steep hill in the distance. "They seem to be setting up camp."

Lonewolf breathed a sigh of relief at that. "So...they won't be running us over with their entire army after all. That's good news, thank you Derek. Continue scouting and inform me if anything changes." Derek saluted Lonewolf, "Yes sir, will do sir." Lonewolf sighed heavily. He told Derek not to call him "sir", yet the young dragoon continued to do so. It couldn't be helped he guessed. Derek made his way back up the hill as Lonewolf turned to regard "Juggalo" Josh Jackson.

"Ready the riflemen and get into positions. Standby for further instructions after doing so." Josh took a swig of his whiskey, then imitated a drunken version of Derek's salute, "Raw-jer, mister Lawnwulf...hic!" Lone's eyebrows furrowed as he nodded at Josh's bottle of whiskey, "Easy with that. I need you sober for this fight." Josh seemed rather confused by what Lonewolf said, "....I am sober." He stated as he nearly lost his balance. Lonewolf rolled his eyes, "Whatever. Just get the others into position." Josh nodded and staggered over towards the thirty or so men and began hollering orders at them to ready their rifles and to get into position. As the dragoon riflemen scurried about to carry out the orders, Josh took another swig of his whiskey bottle, followed by a large, audible belch.

Standing at a few meters behind the wooden barriers and riflemen, Lonewolf, along with Kamikalo, Shadowkite, and a strangely quiet Majik, all stood in front of the other half of his army. After the riflemen have done their job at picking apart the demons that Kratos will send from afar, Lonewolf's squad of infantry will run in to meet them in melee combat.

The riflemen stood in formations of three, spread out behind the barriers in about 11-12 groups. Another idea taken from the great Oda Nobunaga from the history books. The first rifleman will fire off a shot, then begin reloading. While the first rifleman reloads, the other two accompanying him will fire and begin reloading. After the third shot, the first rifleman should be ready for another shot. Thereby creating a non-stop volley of musket fire. Though Juggalo Josh needed no such formation, considering the extraordinary speed he has when it comes to reloading his rifle. It was quite astounding at how fast he can reload a musket, again, proving his remarkable marksmanship. Josh stood alone behind the wooden barrier in the middle of the riflemen, his rifle held lazily atop his right shoulder as he continued to take swig after swig of his whiskey.

Vengeance will be mine. Thought Majik, as he continuously sharpened his great sword with a whetstone. Win or lose, Majik was aiming to kill one demon before it was all over: Jago. His death was all that mattered to him at this point. He tossed aside the used up whetstone and immediately pulled out another from his pocket as he resumed sharpening his already dangerously sharp sword.

Lonewolf slowly began rubbing his silver locket with his thumb, silently praying for Stephanie and Aerial to watch over him and protect him in the battle that was to come. He opened his eyes and looked forward with a resolute look in his eyes. ".....lets get this over with."


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"How many?" Asked Kratos. He was clad in dark burgundy and black tight fitting royal armor with a flowing burgundy cape and the royal crown atop his head. He was sitting atop a small throne that was carried by four demon peasants from all four corners, and holding a large red rod scythe that seemed to be made of red dragon scales and a dragon claw, sharpened to resemble a sickle blade, at his side. He was regarding a young demon scout when he asked his question. His scraggly white threads of neck-length hair whipping about as he turned his head to regard the scout.

"Far less then a hundred men, sir. They were standing behind crude wooden barriers. Apparently awaiting an attack. There was no sign of prince Hajimate or prince Kaze, but Lonewolf is standing amongst them." Answered the young scout. Kratos couldn't help but guffaw with laughter at that point. After a fit of laughing, he finally turned to regard Jago, who was standing at attention the entire time. "Jago. Take no more then 100 men and wipe them out. Let us be done with this nuisance as quickly as possible." he yawned after that last sentence, "We will deal with the renegade princes when they show themselves."

Jago nodded, a small hint of a smile could be seen on his lips. He was obviously ecstatic to have the chance to face Lonewolf in battle. Though a bit disappointed that Hajimate nor Kaze don't seem to be taking place in this minor scuffle, he will still have the pleasure of fighting Lonewolf in the meantime.

After making the necessary arrangements, Jago led the small portion of demonic soldiers towards the guild in the distance. All of them atop their horses and wielding various sharp weapons. Swords, spears, scythes, etc. They galloped in the formation of an arrowhead with Jago at its tip. "At last.....here I come Lonewolf!" Jago grinned, flashing his fanged smile. He looked like a hungry beast about to feast on its helpless prey.


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"They are coming!" Derek slid down the steep slope and headed over to Lonewolf's infantry group as he unhinged his shield from his back and grabbed the axe hanging on his side. Without hesitation, Lonewolf rallied his troups, "Prepare for battle!!!" The dragoons hollered in unison, pumping up their adrenaline in the process. "It's about time." Stated Kamikalo impatiently as she hopped up and down in a martial arts stance.

"Um...." a familiar voice causes Lonewolf to turn around in surprise. There stood Neko-Meww....holding a rolling pin as if it were a sword and a basket as if it were a shield. "I want to help you, master." Lonewolf abruptly shook his head, "No Neko. Go back inside with Violet and wait there." Just then Violet popped up from atop Neko's head, holding up the small katana that Bogey had made for her. Apparently she had gotten access to it while they were preparing for battle. "This one wishes to help master Lonewolf as well!" She stated triumphantly as she held her katana above her head.

Despite the cute display, Lonewolf shook his head firmly, "No, Violet. I don't want any harm to befall..." Just then, a loud battle horn could be heard not far from their position. "s**t...they're close." He turned to regard Neko and Violet with somewhat saddened and concerned eyes, "Just....be careful please. I want you two to run away if things go wrong." He readied his shield spell on his lips as he turned to regard the wooden barriers and the riflemen. He nodded at Josh, who nodded back slowly, for once, showing how serious he is about the general situation. He turned to look through the space between the barrier. "Ready your rifles men." He stated calmly, but firmly. The riflemen loaded their muskets. "Aim." The riflemen positioned their rifles between the space provided by the barriers. Just then a shower of black horses with black armored riders poured down the steep slope. The horses slowing a bit due to the dramatic shift in the ground.

"Fire."

Chapter 32: Reinforcements


The dragoons watched in horror as their enemies grew three times their size, bony spikes jutting out from the holes their armor provides as their armor expanded in size with them. Derek attempted engaging one of them and was immediately swatted aside as if he were a mere bug.

"Finish them off!" Shouted Jago, still sitting proudly atop the nearby hill. Obeying their general's orders, the demons began their rampage....

However, just before they managed to engage the dragoons in their new, overwhelming forms, various vines began shooting up from the ground, instantly wrapping the demons in them. They tried in vain to swat/pull the vines off of them, but to no avail. The vines held fast, incapacitating what was left of Jago's small army.

"What?!" Growled Jago, completely astounded by what was happening and for once showing a sense of worry, shattering his once proud and arrogant demeanor. Just then, various wild grizzly bears began appearing seemingly out from the grass and began mauling on the incapacitated demons. "Druids..?!" Spat Jago as he looked on in disgust. "But...how..?"

"They think I'm a friend of their God." Stated Lonewolf calmly as he slowly began to approach Jago atop the hill. A familiar mischievous, almost sardonic grin crossed his lips. "It seems you've underestimated me more then you had previously thought. This little skirmish was merely a diversion for the druids to step in....and do this." He pointed at the sky behind Jago.

Jago slowly hesitated at first, not wanting to turn his head away from his worthy enemy, but finally turned to look in horror. "They....No..! NO!!!"


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Kratos sat atop his throne in a very bored fashion. He began to fidget, "What the hell is taking so long?! Why hasn't Jago wiped them out yet?!" He roared. "Sir!" The same scout from before approached his lord, panting heavily, "The...the druids, sir!" Kratos got impatient, "Out with it already! What of the druids?!" The soldier pointed with a shaky finger at the sky to the east. Kratos turned to regard what the soldier was pointing at, his eyes growing wide at what he saw.

Thousands of various large birds caked the sky, blotting out the sun completely as they flew above the entirety of Kratos' army. Though something didn't seem quite right...the birds seemed to be carrying something in their talons. Kratos could see a small glare of light that seemed to fall from one of the winged creatures....as it fell, it grew larger and larger. By the time he had figured out what it was, the holy water splashed atop one of his men. The demon soldier screamed in agony as his flesh burst into flames, and burnt to ashes in mere seconds.

"HOLY WATER!!!" Cried out a random soldier. The demons began to run in panic, vainly trying to dodge the holy rain. The demons holding up Kratos' throne immediately dropped what they were holding and began running away. "Oof!" Kratos fell onto the ground hard, "Cowards!!! You will be beheaded for this!!" He roared. The demon peasants didn't seem to listen, they kept running, but were instantly put to a halt as a splash from holy water burst them into flames.

Fearing the pelt of holy water from the sky himself, Kratos pulled up one side of his throne as he crawled underneath, sheltering himself from the deadly rain. He cursed under his breath as he watched helplessly as his brain washed army's numbers grew thinner and thinner due to the holy onslaught.


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Up in the sky, the winged druids held buckets of holy water in their talons as they soared over the demonic armor and poured their buckets in the process, toppling most of Kratos' army in one fell swoop. However, their "ammo" was quite limited and they only had enough for one devastating swoop. "ATTAAACK!!!!" Cried the gray hawk who seemed to be leading the rest of the birds. The birds swooped down in unison as they flew in to meet their enemies face to face.


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"They...stopped..?" Kratos peeked out from underneath his throne holder to glance up at the sky. He could see the birds swooping down towards them. He smiled malevolently as he pushed aside his crude shelter, picked up his scythe and shouted aloud: "They have run out of holy water! Look!! They are beginning to charge forward from the sky! Stand your ground demons and face them!! Avenge your fallen allies!!!"

The panicked demons seemed to snap back into attention as their lord's voice boomed in their ears. They unsheathed their weapons and immediately transformed into their demonic forms as they awaited the druid's from the sky. However, as their attention was drawn to the heavens, none of the demons noticed the numerous lizards crawling about amongst the grass.

Before the birds reached their destination, leafy, thorny vines began shooting out from the earth and began wrapping themselves around the demonic army, boots...then legs...then torsos. As the birds reached the ground, they morphed into various beasts of the forest. Lions, tigers, bears...oh my, indeed. The gray hawk morphed into a majestic gray wolf and leaped at an incapacitated demon as he gnawed ferociously at the helpless demon's throat. "Take this time to feast upon humanoid beings, for it will be the last time we feed upon them!" Shouted Rastus, the wolf. The druids happily took their elder's advice as they ripped the blackened flesh off the demons one by one. Their lizard friends, joining them in their feast as they also transformed into various beasts of the forest.

Kratos watched on in horror as a majority of his demonic army was being eaten alive. "Retreat!!!" He shouted as he hopped atop a black steed and rode off towards the south with the remainder of his army, no more then a couple thousand or so men.


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"It's over, Jago. You lost." Stated Lonewolf as the dragoons began finishing off what remained of Jago's small, incapacitated platoon with ease. Jago just watched as the main bulk of Kratos' army got slaughtered by the druids' surprise attack. He saw Kratos give the order to retreat as his men fell back to the south. Jago despised the thought of defeat, however retreat was, after all, the better part of valor. He began to ride away from the dragoons. "Until next time, sir Lonewolf!" Cried Jago as he rode off towards Kratos and the remainder of the demonic army.

Just before he was able to ride away, a large great sword swooped horizontally across the legs of Jago's black horse, slicing them off in one fell swoop, causing Jago to topple off his legless steed. Majik stood at the ready as he approached Jago. "You're not going anywhere....murderer!" His blue eyes burning with rage.

Jago stood to his feet and drew his 7' saw-like katana as he stood at the ready. Lonewolf and Majik slowly approached him with their weapons drawn. A small, familiar wet bead of sweat slowly trickled down from Jago's brow...


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Curse this Lonewolf and his petty little guild! Thought Kratos. Who would have ever thought that he would gain the druids as allies? But that's ok, Kratos figured that he would just retreat for now so he could regroup his forces and eventually gain a preemptive strike against Lonewolf and his minuscule army. Yes. He thought, We will have our vengeance. He smiled malevolently.

However, his smile faded as he saw what was heading towards his army. "N...no! Impossible!!!" He cried in outrage. Prince Kaze Kenise rode alongside Pana Sule...leading a VERY large army of half bred demons behind them. I....it's over... thought Kratos in despair. He halted his retreat, along with his men. His eyes darted about as he tried to figure out where he went wrong. He had sorely underestimated his own son, along with Lonewolf....and now, he feared, his reign of terror will be coming to an abrupt end. "NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" He roared as his voice had undergone a deep, guttural tone. His body twitched then transformed three times its normal size. "KILL THEM ALL!!! OBLITERATE THE HALF BREED TRAITORS!!!" He commanded, through razor sharp teeth. Without hesitation, the brain washed demonic army charged forward as they all transformed amidst their charge.

The battle for peace had just begun.

Chapter 34: A Death in the Family


As Lonewolf and the others celebrated their victory, the battle towards the south of the plains still raged on as the Sulia Clan clashed with the remaining forces of the Kenise clan. However, behind the Kenise clans' ranks a duel between father and son took place as the two royal demons clashed great sword and scythe relentlessly with each other.

"Give it up, BOY! Give me back my ring!" Shouted Kratos as he reached out his left claw, morphing it into a long, black tentacle. The monstrous appendage wrapped itself around the young prince's throat as it squeezed tightly, preventing Kaze from breathing. Kratos lifted his son above the ground and into the air as he choked the life out of him. Kaze writhed from within his father's grasp, dropping his crimson red great sword to the floor as he reflexively held the tentacle with both of his demonic hands.

Using his fang-like nails on his claws, Kaze dug into his father's arm. As blood spilled from the cuts, Kratos roared in pain as the tentacle released itself from Kaze's neck. Before the prince fell to the floor, he flapped his wings, pushing himself back a bit as he motioned upward from his torso again, with his right open hand. In response to his gesture two stone hands emerged from the ground, grasping onto Kratos' ankles, and preventing him from moving. "This trick won't work on me, child!" Growled Kratos as he chopped at one of the stone hands with his scythe, shattering it to pieces instantly.

Before he went for the other stone hand, Kaze swooped down to pick up his great sword off the grass, then upward as he went for a horizontal slash aimed for his father's throat. Seeing the attack at the last moment, Kratos refrained from attacking the stone hand that grasped his left ankle and ducked the attack. As Kaze changed his course in the sky to swoop in for another attack, Kratos shattered the second stone hand, then turned to swing his scythe vertically at Kaze's horizontal slash. He catches his son's blade and pulls downward, pulling sword, as well as demon down from the sky and causing Kaze to crash land hard on the ground.

"Give me back my ring!!!" Shouted Kratos as he swung his scythe overhead and brought it down, aiming for Kaze's back. Kaze managed to roll to the side before the scythe connected, but gets his right wing caught in his father's scythe. Kratos smiled devilishly as he dragged his scythe's blade towards himself, ripping a long, vertical gash into Kaze's right wing. Kaze roared in pain, then immediately followed up with an electrical blast from his right hand, aimed directly at Kratos' hand that was wielding the scythe.

Crying out in pain from the stunning electrical current that flowed through his hand and forearm, Kratos let go of his scythe, giving Kaze the opportunity to pounce on his father. The two demons rolled on the grass as they clawed and bit each other until both of them were bloodied and littered with cuts and gashes.

They finally stopped rolling as Kaze sat on his father's chest and began punching some sense into his father. Unable to counter the relentless assault by his son due to Kaze's knees pinning down his arms, Kratos simply took blow after blow from the young prince. "Okay okay okay!!!" Cried out Kratos. "I give up!!! Mercy! MERCY!!!!"

Kaze hesitated...was he hearing right? His father calling out for mercy? He looked into his father's demonic red eyes closely. His father looked like a lost child and were those..? Tears. Tears flowed down his blackened cheeks. Out of the hundreds of years that he had known his father, Kaze had never seen him cry. Had he finally knocked some sense into his father? "Do you give up?!" Demanded Kaze. Kratos nodded, obviously tired and out of breath from the ceaseless bashing of his skull. "Y..yes. I give up, son." Kaze glowered at his father, knowing well how much of a master of trickery he was, "You're lying." He growled.

Kratos shook his head, "No....you're right...I've lost. It's over...I....I'm sorry...son. Please...forgive me." More tears flowed from his red eyes as he said this. Kaze had never seen his father like this...he truly looked like a broken demon. Kaze's compassion for his father gave him the ability to believe him. He slowly stood up and took a few steps back, allowing his father to stand at his feet.

The two demons just looked into each others' eyes. Kaze finally smiled and placed his hand on his father's shoulder. Kratos did the same as he squeezed gently and shook his son's shoulder a bit. "Thank you, son." He said with genuine compassion in his voice. "I knew you would come to your senses, father. Hajimate and Kain should be nearing the plains soon. I will honor my word in trying to convince uncle to not execute you." Kaze nodded as he said this. Kratos returned the nod, "You have your mother's forgiveness, son..." He said, as he still held onto Kaze's shoulder. Kaze smiled at that thought. It had been so long since his father had ever mentioned his mother.........which was strange...

Before Kaze could react, Kratos' free hand morphed into what resembled a crude blade as he impaled his own son through the gut. Kaze couldn't believe what had just happened. He just looked up at his father in complete disbelief as he slowly reverted back to his human form. The bladed hand now protruding out from the base of his back. "....that is what made her so WEAK!" Continued Kratos with an icy tone to his voice. No longer looking at his son with compassion, he now looked upon his son as if he were a bug that he had just squashed with his boot. He looked at him in disgust as he twisted the blade.

Kaze's eyes widened in complete disbelief and pain. His father was...lying? How could he not see that? The tears....he saw his father cry....were those real tears? Or did he just "pretend" to cry? He failed in stopping his father...he felt his life draining from his body as his eyes rolled back up into his head. "F...father..." He gargled as his body finally fell limp. "Pitiful fool." Stated Kratos coldly as he pushed Kaze off his bladed hand, pushing against his limp face and letting the lifeless body fall to the ground. "Now where is that ring..?" Kratos knelt down and began sifting through his son's torn pants.

"YOU MURDERER!!!!" A familiar voice could be heard from behind Kratos. He knew that voice...it couldn't be..?


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Hajimate, Hezrou and their father Kain all arrived into the clearing, only to gaze upon two battles in the distance. Druids fighting pure blooded demons to the right and half breeds in battle with another portion of the pure blooded demonic army. "See?" Hajimate turned to his brother, "Told you they'd still be alive." Hezrou just smiled wryly, "Yeah yeah...get on with it already." Hajimate grinned at his brother as he pulled out the ring of Indoctrination from one of his belt pouches, slipped it onto his right ring finger and held the ring up in the sky as he began the incantation to reverse the spell which he had learned from one of the many books he had sifted through during his travels with his cousin and Pana.

"Okslava, shuk-demalzga, grift tok bunolva, shimarr chfrizt tohk!" After saying the required incantations, the ring let out a bright green light that shot up into the sky, then rained upon the thousands of pure blooded demons in combat. The druids and half breeds ceased their attack as they witnessed the dazzling display of magic. The pure blooded demons reverted back into their human forms as they began looking around aimlessly as though they had just awoken from a very long nightmare.

Kain patted his son on the back, as both demons smiled widely. Just then, Hajimate noticed two familiar monstrous figures in the distance. One had impaled the other with what looked like his hand. Immediately recognizing who the impaled figure was, Hajimate couldn't help but cry out in agony, "NOO!!!!!" He rode towards the figures without saying anything, leaving his dumbfounded father and brother behind. Kain squinted his eyes, trying to see what his son was rushing towards. His eyes widened, "Kaze...no..."


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"YOU MURDERER!!!!" Cried out Hajimate as he galloped at full speed towards his evil uncle. Still in demonic form, Kratos turned and regarded Hajimate with disbelief as he saw what he wore on his right ring finger. "I...Impossible!!! How could you have known that spe...!"

Before he could finish his sentence, Hajimate leaped off his galloping horse, pulled out his magical sword handle and placed it upon Kratos' neck. He quickly pulled back, magically pulling out Kratos' insides and organs, forming a blade out of that substance. Kratos' red eyes rolled back as he felt his vital organs being ripped from his body, he fell to his knees as Hajimate withdrew a large, bleeding blade of stomach, liver, heart, muscle, bone, pretty much everything that can normally be found within a humanoid's body. As he pulled out the disgusting blade, he sliced Kratos' head off his already dead body.

Kratos' body slumped down to the floor. The war was finally over....but...

Hajimate fell to his knees by Kaze's limp body. As the Sulia clan and druids cheered in unison at their victory, the demon prince silently wept by his cousin's side.

Chapter 36: A New Island and New Friends


Dear Journal,

It has been 3 years since our battle with Kratos' army. The guild has been prospering since we've gained our new allies. New buildings, farms, and even blacksmiths have been built around the main guild building over the years. Lonewolf's Dragoons has grown quite notorious as well, as people seem to regard this guild now as a guild of the heroes who saved Croatia from the evil that inhabited it. My dream had finally come true and now my name has been written in the history books. Despite the way Stephanie broke up with me, I really think she would've been proud of me...

Anyway, a number of guild members have joined our ranks since the historic battle, replenishing our small forces and helping us build an army of our own. With the extra buildings, we've been able to accommodate these new comers quite well. Building our member count well into the hundreds. Amongst our new soldiers, a few of them are somewhat noteworthy:

Beatrice Drago - A beautiful, long, black, wavy haired, Romanian woman at the age of 21 and standing at the height of 5'5'', with breathtaking turquoise eyes. She uses a halberd as her weapon of choice, due to her many travels as a lone sea pirate, which is indicated by her crude leather armor of choice, frilly blouses, etc. She's a master fisher..woman, a loyal mercenary, and an excellent warrior. Some of the dragoon members have nicknamed her "Berserk Dragoon" according to her tempermental nature during the heat of battle. She has a bad habit of "accidentally" injuring some our members in sparring matches. Despite those faults, she can be quite the formidable fighter and is worth mentioning.

Clowde Brice - Age 20 and standing at the height of 5'7'', he's a smart young man, loyal, has high morals, and an adventurous personality. If it wasn't for his head always being "up in the clouds", he would actually have the potential to be one of the best. He has blond, straight, short hair that splits in the middle as his bangs fall beside his green eyes. He always wears his sky-blue torso and shoulder armor with golden embroidery along the chest area, dark blue baggy slacks, brown leather knee high boots, brown leather straps around his biceps and numerous golden bangles that fall over his forearms. His weapon of choice is a 4' samurai katana, which he wields with expertise. He is a traveling swordsman who wished to stay with the guild for awhile. Though something tells me he really likes it here and might possibly stay amongst the dragoons' ranks.

Alexander Michel - A 24 year old Italian young man who stands at about 5'5'' in height. This guy is built like a wall of bricks, with bulging muscles, black, bowl-cut hair, with wild, thick stubble, facial hair that covers his entire chin, cheeks, neck, and moustache area. A very jovial fellow, this one...actually reminds me a lot of Kamikalo sometimes, though he's a bit on the arrogant side as well. He's a free spirited vagabond who wears regular, peasant clothing. Light brown shirt, beige slacks, dark brown leather boots, etc. His weapon of choice is....none other then his fists. I have no idea how he does it, but he can cause light explosions with his fists upon impact....almost like dynamite. It's quite an interesting trick...though I think gunpowder is involved. Alex and Kamikalo love sparring with each other as well. Both being martial arts experts, it seems like the two are definitely a "match made in heaven". Kami seems genuinely interested in this fellow....if you know what I mean.

Also, Shadowkite is now an official member of the guild. The young girl, now 17, has matured into quite the fighter. Though she hasn't admitted it, I can tell that the kid looks up to me. Always looking at me with those childlike, pale purple eyes...it's quite flattering, I must admit.

Majik is back to his old, tresure-hunting self. When Aerial died, it was the first time the kid had experienced the true pain of loss. He eventually moved on with his life and now he ventures into the forest with his new friend, Derek, every now and then, as the two of them search for valuable artifacts.

Hajimate is still a loyal member of the guild and has even took the liberty in training some of our dragoon members in the art of wizardry, though I can tell that something is bothering him. Perhaps it's all the peace and harmony in the land...he seems very bored. It wouldn't be long before he eventually leaves the guild and goes traveling around the world, I fear.

Angelus Domini has gotten quite comfortable with the guild over the years. He goes back and forth from the druid village to this guild every now and then and has even become quite the farmer. He never was much of the fighting type, which was why he didn't take part in the battle against Kratos' army. It's a shame too...he's quite skilled with that staff of his. I've sparred with him a few times myself, and he's actually not bad. I've tried to get him to train more, but he'd rather just tend to the crops around the guild, so whatever I guess. To each their own.

Pana Sule(as she prefers to be called) and I have grown somewhat close over the years, much to Neko-Meww's dismay. She is a good friend, and the two of us enjoy our time together. Though I'm not ready for another relationship I don't think. So I'm just happy to be her friend...sadly however, I think she wants to be more then friends, but I'm afraid I can't give that to her just yet.

Though peace has been restored to the land, I can't help, but feel as though something...BIG..is going to happen. I can't quite explain it. My nightmares of Mortamus have gotten worse and worse over the years. I have no idea why I keep dreaming of him...the Mortamus in my dream is always clad in the same golden armor, and is....extremely insane. I've dreamed of massacre after massacre, Mortamus killing innocent people, taking over various towns and villages. I do not know why these images keep haunting my dreams every night. Perhaps the attack on Brigadine, Stephanie's break up and the battle against Kratos' army is all just getting to me. After Stephanie died, I've been thinking about her a lot...just the other day I was sifting through my belongings and stumbled upon an old photo of Stephanie and I when we were together.

I have no idea where that photo came from...I was certain that the only photo I had of her was within this silver locket I always carry with me. Even during my travels under Cpt. Vega's crew, I don't remember ever having that photo amongst my belongings....where did it come from? I gave myself a headache trying to figure this out, so whatever. I framed it at first and placed it on the desk in my office...but looking at the photo on a daily basis was far too painful...so I got rid of the frame and just placed the photo in one of my desk's drawers. I still can't get over the fact that she committed suicide...perhaps she really did care about me, and after she broke up with me she regretted it. That is highly likely...and I can't help but feel as though it were my fault that she killed herself. I didn't try hard enough to get back with her...I should have never left Brigadine.

I live with this regret every day now...that's probably where all these disturbing dreams are coming from...I don't know.

As for myself, I still have no idea where that sudden burst of power came from when I fought Jago. It's beginning to bother me...I've been doing a lot of research with the help of the ever-loyal Violet, but we've found nothing. I've even had Violet take a small portion of my blood and tell me what condition my body was and there were no anomalies whatsoever. I don't know...maybe it was just a burst of inner strength or something. Locke used to tell me how sometimes I would just hit twice as hard out of nowhere whenever we sparred together.

Locke...I miss my old teacher/father. I wonder how he's been doing after all these years..?

Anyway, other then that, I've been doing okay. This leadership business is beginning to get kind of tough, to be honest. I'm considering an outfit change....perhaps something a little more...formal. Though I have no idea what I should wear, so until I figure that out, I suppose I'll continue wearing my usual casual-wear clothes for now. I've grown quite fond of this outfit, to be honest. A white frilly shirt with a black leather, open vest, my navy blue slacks and knee-high black leather boots and black fingerless gloves and of course, the silver locket with a picture of Stephanie, which I never remove from my neck...even when I bathe. Yes...these clothes and I have been through so much...it will be hard to depart with them when the time comes.

Our blacksmiths, with the help of Bogey Baglebottom, have also fashioned a new type of metal for the dragoons to use. We are not sure what to call it yet, though it is far stronger and more durable then the average steel blade. With this new metal, we have upgraded the dragoons' signature silver armor and created new, stronger weapons for the dragoons to use. I, myself, have even obtained a brand new rapier that wouldn't break as easily as it did during my fight with Jago. So that was definitely an improvement. We have also been manufacturing some heavy artillery to use, such as cannons. I know that we are at peace with the various kingdoms and clans of Croatia, however that doesn't mean that we wouldn't be attacked from outside sources. So we have been preparing ourselves regardless, just in case something like that does happen.

Hmm, I suppose I should end this journal entry now and get back to my usual rounds. Farewell for now, journal.

~Lonewolf