Adeline watched the whole carnage from the safety of the skies. To her, the unbelievable turn of events, along with the major destruction of the town she had called home for the past three years, stunned her. She would not be able to do anything if she was still on the ground, watching how the kind people of Aldimar either panicking or dying from the monster that was summoned by Pale Wraiths.

  She considered joining in on the fight. Thomas was still down there, trying to help. Being an adventurer, he knew the risks. She could fight, too, being a trained soldier who trained with her wyvern as part of a whole. She was going to ask the wyvern to swoop down and help, just before her wyvern let out a desperate noise.

  Swift managed to evade an airborne attack due to his swift movements, almost throwing Adeline off her saddle. She did not need to ask her wyvern to explain his actions; a quick glance forward was enough to tell her what was going on.

  “They’re in the air, too, now?!” she exclaimed in disbelief.

  Nightmarish creatures that looked like furless monkeys and a human crossed with a bird's skull flew around her like vultures circling their prey. Their wings were leathery, like a dragon’s or a wyvern’s, but their form was nothing like a dragon’s. They were smaller and faster than Swift, and their disregard for their safety meant that they would not think twice in trying to drop Swift from the skies.

  Their aggressive attacks were dodged by Swift’s agility in the air, something wyverns excelled over dragons. It saved them from being injured, and a trained wyvern rider could handle the strain of flying with an agile wyvern, one that flew like acrobats of the sky.

  But Adeline was not simply going to bark commands to her wyvern. She had a role in their partnership, too.

  She kept her legs properly secured as she removed her grip on the saddle to reach for her crossbow, securely strapped to the side. It was a special weapon that both a dragon rider and wyvern rider were equipped with. The crossbow could be handled with one hand if one’s proficient enough, but being airborne and riding a wyvern with unilateral movement, it would take a super human to be able to shoot accurately with one hand.

  But even among crossbow users, Adeline’s accuracy was spot-on. The modifications she gave her crossbow, specifically the hair trigger and the weight balancer, supported her already skilled marksmanship. Then there was the quick reload mechanism where she only needed to pull a wooden lever to rearm her crossbow. It was what Rodvar called 'Hild's Crossbow', named after the blacksmith who invented it. She could shoot and rearm her crossbow quickly, enabling her to shoot down three flying creatures with ease.

  It had always been her pride as a wyvern rider to be able to fight with her wyvern without relying too much on her steed’s agility. Dragon riders and wyvern riders used magick extensively, while those with low potential opted to rely on their dragon’s fire in an airborne battle. She, however, was an archer, a rather unusual skill for a warrior of the sky.

  It served her well in spars. This time, in an airborne battle, she could exhibit her skills to the fullest, both to show the dragon riders that she was no mere messenger, and to contribute to the defense of the town as she was assigned for.

  “Camarth can wait,” she said, while reloading her crossbow after shooting one of the flying monkey demons. “Let’s go, Swift. Show these winged beasts we mean business.”

  He roared in response. Both engaged their enemies, turning the sky into a battlefield of its own.

  Sanatasi came upon a massacre.

  A group of pale wraiths and gray-skinned, red-eyed elven people were strewn all across the battlefield, victims of violent deaths. Something killed them, probably a summoned beast, or perhaps magick spells that could turn someone inside out.

  And in the middle of the carnage, a lone vulpine person stood, contemplating. Sanatasi recognized her immediately.

  "Hey! Shana!" he called, prompting the fox person to turn towards him. "You okay?"

  "What does it look like?" she said with a scoff. "Of course, I'm fine."

  The Dromedian looked at her work. "I bet you're the one shooting around those pink-colored spells I saw in the constabulary. What they hell did you summon?"

  "Chaos," she said. "And something I hoped I never use again, especially with allies around."

  "Allies, huh? I'm glad you see me as one," said the Dromedian. "Tell me what's wrong. What are these monstrous pale thing you just killed?"

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  "They're called Pale Wraiths. Corrupted people who paid for the consequences of using black magick with reckless abandon. As for the gray-skinned elves, they're deep elves."

  "Same kind as the lady who ambushed us in Carlesi?"

  "The very same." Shana shook her head. "We need to get to Henrietta before her cohorts do. She's their target."

  "Not you?"

  "Perhaps. But she's helpless. I'm fit to fight anyone thrown at me. Anyone with enough common sense would know who to attack first."

  "Then our paths are aligned. I need to protect Thomas."

  Shana smirked. "Your loyalty is admirable, Sanatasi."

  "That's what friends are for, right?"

  Shana nodded and started running towards the barn, with the Dromedian following closely behind. The diminished population of the town meant that they did not find anyone in need of help on their way to the shed. Shana would not care, but Sanatasi would, even if he would not be appreciated for how he looked. That wasn't the issue, though. The more immediate issue was the relentless attacks from the deep elves and the Pale Wraiths along with their summoned creatures. They attacked a Pale Wraith, with Sanatasi breaking the monster's neck with his powerful kick, while Shana turned the corpse into her puppet that she used against the surprised elves, who were distracted by the Pale Wraith before Sanatasi kicked them away.

  "You know, anyone's going to think you're a necromancer by doing this!" exclaimed the Dromedian upon seeing what she did. "I don't know how the law goes here, but I bet they outlawed necromancy!"

  "As they outlawed charm spells, so I'm an outlaw either way!" replied Shana.

  They continued their banter until they reached the town square. They immediately stopped to assess the developing situation.

  The area was horribly changed, with bodies of constables and guards strewn all over an area full of thorns and an unnatural amount of bones, apparently summoned by someone or something. The tree in the square was twisted beyond normal, and nearby, a Pale Wraith was holding onto a grimoire, in the process, or rather, finishing, a spell preparation. He was noticeably different from the other Pale Wraiths. His face was featureless save for a wide mouth too big to be normal. His eyes were featureless black, and he possessed no ear lobes. He wore a robe one would only associate to a dark mage, as it was decorated with bones to complement his lanky physique over a tattered cloak.

  "A lich," said Shana with a growl. "This is worse than I thought."

  The lich heard her. He turned towards Shana and Sanatasi, intimidating them with his presence alone.

  "Ah. A faerie, far from her home," said the lich. His voice came out cold and whispery. He seemed to notice something. "Hmm? I sense discord within you."

  Shana did not reply. The lich found the conclusion almost immediately.

  "Chaos magick. I see," he said. "A perfect weapon for a faerie. The truest form of your parlor tricks."

  "And you, lich," she retorted. "What does 'he' promise you in return of destroying this mostly-abandoned town? With your powers, you could've attacked the capital."

  "It has been taken care of," said the lich. "I have a mission, one that I have finished successfully. Only one mission remains. To end the Vesparte bloodline, once and for all."

  "I won't let you do that, you monster!" said Sanatasi, entering a stance.

  "Sanatasi, wait!" said Shana. "He's out of your league!"

  Too late. Sanatasi was already charging his body with energy and was began his attack. The lich did not do anything but stood as the Dromedian attempted to attack him with his talon-like claws. The attack connected, but instead of the intended result, nothing happened. Instead, Sanatasi's claw started to freeze, causing immense pain that caused him to cry out. Shana went to his side and held out her hand, which was quickly illuminated with pink-colored aura.

  "You wouldn't dare cast that magick so close to yourself," said the lich. "You know how unpredictable your magick is."

  "Oh yes," said Shana. "But chaos magick is not the only magick I know."

  The lich felt his body weakening, as if his energy was being sapped out of his body. Shana took this opportunity to push the lich away with a telekinetic spell as she tended to Sanatasi, helping him up while warming his frozen talon with a simple fire spell.

  "That lich was once a powerful dark mage, judging by what remained of his robe and this spell he cast," said Shana, looking around the horribly altered area. "Clawing on him is not going to do, even if you coat your talons with magick."

  "Yeah, I know now," said Sanatasi, wincing from the pain. "What should we do?"

  Shana considered her options while the lich was recovering. Running away was the right thing to do, but they wouldn't survive the lich's attack. She was also worried with the area and the spell that lich casted earlier. His other mission, the end of the Vesparte bloodline, seemed close to be realized.

  This made the sionnach consider something she had never done before.

  "I'll handle the lich," said the fox faerie, reluctance apparent in his voice. "Get to Thomas."

  "You are not seriously thinking of fighting that monster alone, right?"

  "Better me than you. In this situation, your body can't be the weapon you can depend on." Shana then smiled. "I am not planning to die today, especially from a lich."

  Sanatasi couldn't be more worried than ever. He only knew Shana for a short time, but in such a short time, he came to trust and care for her like she was already an ally he could depend on. From the moment he came into the prison cell, then to the moment where she risked her own freedom to give a chance for him and Thomas to reconcile, he knew she was better than she initially showed herself to be.

  Thus, losing her would hurt him as much as him losing the trust of his human friend.

  Shana's gaze, though, told him that her promise was not hollow. She wanted him to believe her. Sanatasi would only be on her way if he stayed. So, with reluctance strong within him, he nodded to the sionnach, and immediately ran out of the town square towards the shed.

  The lich, who had every opportunity to attack them while they were conversing, simply watched how a Dromedian and a sionnach trusted one another. He was intrigued by this unusual show.

  "What an sight to behold. A shame it must come to an end," taunted the lich.

  "Perhaps," replied Shana. "But if death is my fate for the next minute, I'd gladly accept my role in your own demise."

  The lich laughed, mocking her determination. "I would like to see you try, faerie!"

  Shana had no plan, but that's just what she needed.

  After all, chaos does not need plan.