Hello, dry heat. We meet again as you sear my face straight into my skull. While it wasn't as bad as the first time that I traversed this hellscape, the scale of 'bad' in this current situation was more like dunking my face straight in a glowing oven than bracing for a rather dry midday desert. And even then, I think that analogy paled in comparison to the amount of pain I was currently experiencing. Every pore in my body felt like it was shriveling up to the heat as I took one step at a time into this orange-laden landscape, my eyes stinging with every second I spent trying to completely open them to see where I was going. Well, at least the people following behind me weren't going through the same experience. I can take satisfaction with that. "S-sis..." I heard Livia pant behind me. "C-c-" I slowly raised my right ha

I can't believe I'm doing this... *clang.. clang...* The fighting outside seemed to intensify as I carefully peeked through the door. Making my way outside through the small crack I made, I kept to the shadows as I clutched at the Firebrand. There was no need to alert whoever these were of my presence, after all. *CLANG CLANG* More sounds of metal clashing against metal echoed through the air. Adjusting my position against a nearby pillar, I took a peek towards the source of all the commotion; the seemingly empty square now currently thundering with the clash of the proverbial titans. My eyes widened in both surprise and relief. *CLANG! BOOM!* The earth exploded around the area as I watched a flock of what I could only assume to be Ad

Okay. Focus... A well-placed slash here... a downward sweep there... The battlefield was always gonna be a symphony of skills, and I guess it was just the natural order of things in terms of fighting and battle prowess. *CLANG! CLANG! CRASH!* Hearing the sound of Livia's sword clashing with her opponents, it was still a wonder to see just how monstrous she was despite fighting well above her weight class in terms of power. She wasn't the small child that she was years ago, but her speed never seemed to take a hit as her tall frame bobbed and weaved expertly throughout the battlefield. *SLASH! SLASH!* Delivering my own attacks towards more unwitting opponents, my eyes and ears were wide open for any sort of change in the wind or atmosphere. While we were wholly decimating our adversaries right now, the chances of a Prime

In the brief time that she spent in this cruel world, Ruby had never born witness to such a catastrophic battle. The only thing that would even come close to such a spectacle was probably the explosion that destroyed their Furnace in the first place. And even then it paled in comparison to the wondrous cacophony of elements that wove itself into each second of the bloody affair. Her eyes drank in each and every specific detail that she managed to witness. From the way Livia moved with her blades, to the way the mysterious Num controlled her water to defend their position, Ruby made sure to memorize the way their bodies reacted to the sight of danger; blood flying everywhere with each body that fell to the wayside. It was... eye-opening, to say the least. "Ruby, help me carry her back in." Heeding her partner's call, the orange-haired woman snapped

Karma is such a fickle concept from what I can gather. The mere fact that every action has an equal and opposite reaction might work for tangible effects such as physics, but the mere concept that all of your deeds can add up and affect your life depending on whether said deeds were done with good or bad intentions was something that I could only see as random hocus pocus that belonged right next to horoscope readings and zodiac sign bullshit. Not that I'm discounting entire religions that believe in it, but karmic retribution was something that goody-two-shoes people believe to justify the potential suffering they get for being selfless pricks. I mean, why else would some people spend their entire life's savings to helping someone with no strings attached? Humanity is inherently greedy in nature, and the urge to hoard power and resources will always be the norm for the old society. I, myself, still had selfish desires despite everyb