33 Conflict Rises

"The templar and you imposters will crumble beneath the foot of our Queen! Everything shall become hers!!" Hase screeched in deadly excitement, as it rushed Adam's way, like a savage animal.

As Hase was dashing at Adam, it was engulfed in a burst of trailing darkness. The spikes on Hase's arm came slamming at their opponent, allowing dark matter to come flying violently into the air. Before Adam could parry Hase's attack, the wolf fiend quickly dealt a swift blow with their clawed foot. As it connected with Adam's abdomen, it knocked him backward roughly into a nearby cactus. The pain was so harsh that Adam recoiled from the attack.

"Maaaan, you are SO pathetic! Nyaahahahaha!!!" The Lupis snickered, holding a paw to their lips, barely concealing the wide deceptive grin of the wolf.

Adam managed to pull himself from the cacti's thorns, as he sneered to Hase before rushing their way. He was finally ready to fight back. "I'm not going to let you manipulate me!" His massive claw was ready to strike, thrusting Hase's way.

Hase swiftly evaded the strike, anticipating the follow up attack from Adam's monstrous jaw. Neither strike met the target, and Hase only continued to cackle in amusement.

"You're hardly a challenge. Do you really think moves that slow are really going to hit ME? As I said before. Pathetic." Hase provoked. "Those powers are wasted on the weak. Maybe I should show you how it's DONE!"

Hase grinned, as they got to a brief distance. Holding up it's claw to the air, that part of their body suddenly began to shift and morph into an arm similar to the one Adam had.

"How can you-?" Adam was astonished, and somewhat terrified, by the sight of Hase's replication of his arm.

"Ooooooh, does that scare you, Green? It's just a little skill I call 'copy-cat'. Comes in turn with being a shapeshifter. Anything you can do, I can do BETTER!" Hase retorted, in mocking tone.

Post transformation, Hase rushed at Adam, slamming it's altered arm down like a hammer, but before it could connect, Adam jumped out of the way. This resulted in the powerful blow colliding with the sand at their feet.

Hase tilted over, as they grinned in amusement. "Someone's learning.~" They sing-songed, playfully, before getting serious in tone. "Time for some REAL fun!!"

Hase immediately casted out dark magic, forming fragmented shards. The shards were swept into the air, aiming directly at Adam. Shots fired, swarming Adam like a horde of wasps. Many shards struck into his bare flesh, causing odd colored blood to submerge from his wounds. He collapsed to his knee, trying to get himself back on his feet.

The wolf lowered it's head, their snout beside Adam's face. "Aww, darn... Did I break you too soon?" Hase imitated a whine, to continue to patronize their opponent. They couldn't help but smirk, overly amused by this whole ordeal. "Oooh-hoo-hoo-hoo!! Here I was, starting to have fun with you too, Green."

Adam stumbled back to his feet, struggling to keep his footing.

"I guess you just don't measure up to 'Blue', one bit at ALL. I'm just not having FUN anymore. Let's finish this, shall we?" Hase provoked, seeming unamused.

"Blue?" Adam was confused, but trying to keep his footing stable.

Before Hase even bothered to explain, the wolf was swinging Adam's way once again. The spikes of Hase's leg came in collision with Adam, shoving the fiend back. Adam's feet skidded back in the sand, but he didn't fall. His arms had blocked the blow, taking the blunt force of the spikes. The paws landed in the sand, as Hase leered to Adam with a grin.

"Ah, guess you do have some fight left in you after all. If you really wanna know who Blue is, you gotta try HARDER to keep things interesting for me!" Hase retorted, forming their arm back to normal, to extend the claws on their fingers.

Hase vertical slashed their knife-like nails, mimicking the motion of a sword. Adam however, weaved backwards, before following up with a punch of his massive claw. Hase was thrusted backwards, tumbling in the sand.

The wolf was stunned, holding their face. "That... That HURT!" Hase bared it's fangs.

Adam approached Hase, gripping to Hase's collar to force the wolf to it's feet. "I'm done being your punching bag." Adam snarled, with his monstrous mouth-scarf looming close to Hase's cheek. Drool dripped down from the scarf's fangs, with stammered breaths of anger being restrained.

"Come on, let me go, and no harm will come to you, or your friends. No need to get NASTY." Hase tried to persuade him, showing some fear in their tone.

In the distance, a few giant sandworms were now visible, seeing that the red mist was beginning to disintegrate. This caught Hase's eye, as the wolf seemed hesitant for a change.

"Not gonna talk?... Heh... Your friend either survived... Heh heh... or Sclera got 'em... Come on... No need for violence, eh? Let me go. Without Sclera's red mist, the Stitchwinders will find us... You don't wanna know what happens if they DO. Nyahahaha..." Hase's voice was trembling, despite speaking in such a cruel manner.

Adam was preparing to open his jaw, but suddenly from seemingly no where, Adam was tackled away from Hase. He lost his grip, falling back in the sad. As he was knocked to the ground, his eye loomed over to see a six-legged beast-kin fiend, wearing a mask. It was peering down at him with a snarl. The tiger-sized fiend had him pinned him to the ground with it's clawed paws. The golden fur was bristled up from anger, and it's posture was like a feral animal.

The feline was growling angrily, as it's ears fixed backwards. "Just what do YOU think YOU'RE doing!?" He hissed, from behind the mask. His tone was like a young boy, with a definite condescending tone to it.

"Kerlancealo! I told you NOT to interfere! Get away from him!" Hase scolded, urgently getting to their feet.

Kerlancealo briefly glanced to Hase, upon hearing their voice calling out to him. "NO! I'm not gonna let this ASSHOLE hurt you again!!" The feline snapped back.

Adam noticed both of their behavior, and decided to take advantage of the situation. The massive jaw of his scarf launched at the cat like a snake, latching down on the back of his neck. Without any warning, Adam flung Kerlancealo clear across the sand, tumbling into the ground like a rag doll.

"KERLANCEALO!?" The panicked shout of Hase screeched out.

Stitchwinders were nearing, bursting out of the dunes like several crashing waves. Kerlancealo's heart sank, as he fearfully stared in horror at a sandworm creature that dove at him, in midair. Urgently he came to his senses, scrambling to avoid the worm's path that lead back into the desert sand. Dust rose into the air, with the worm burrowing back into the ground, as Kerlancealo barely avoided it.

Hase frantically got up, rushing for Kerlancealo, however Adam had other plans. Immediately as the wolf passed him, Adam grabbed Hase's head with his oversized claw. The massive eye bulged into the side Hase's face, and the claw held tight.

"AKK!?" Hase gasped, trying to get free from Adam's grasp. "Release me, you SAVAGE!!!" Hase demanded.

"I'm sorry. I just... can't do that." Adam stated, quietly. "You hold ill intentions... I can see that as clear as day. So again. I'm sorry about this." Adam closed his eyes, as he tightly clutched Hase's head.

"N-NO!! STAAWWWWWPPP!!!!!!" Hase screamed in agony, trying to pry the claw off of their face.

"H-Hase!?" Kerlancealo urgently looked over to them, in horror.

"ARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Hase continued to scream, as blood began to seep out if their eyes, ears and nose.

The pressure from the claw was so powerful, that Hase's head began to collapse inward, with the skull cracking in multiple locations of their head. The eye sockets shot out, as the innards of the brain bursted from the skull, emerging from several lacerations that were inflicted.

Kerlancealo was frozen, staring in horror as Hase's lifeless body fell into the sand. The fragments of brain matter and skull particles followed after, laying in a puddle of green blood that began to soak around the corpse.

Tears began to trail down the mask of the feline, dripping to the ground in sheer terror. Adam's eyes shifted to the yellow fiend, as if he was expecting Kerlancealo to strike back in rage. He was prepared to continue this battle, however Kerlancealo was unable to move. He was trembling, unable to break his gaze on the corpse of Hase.

"H-Ha... H-Hase...." His voice trembled, trying to shift back a rear paw in hopes Adam wouldn't notice. He was terrified, with his ears backwards in a frantic mess. His voice was shaking, as he finally shifted his line of sight to Adam...

"HEY!" Called a voice, getting his attention.

Adam turned around, to spot Ashewyn coming in for a landing. The redheaded Amygdala landed in the sand, with a concerned gaze. Kerlancealo panicked, urgently fleeing away from the two of them into the vast desert. Ashe took notice of this, as well as the nearby rampaging Stitchwinders of the desert.

"Adam. What's going on?!" Ashe asked, hostility in his tone.

"I... I don't understand. Why are you angry?" Adam seemed startled.

"Nye was at risk, because you and Jackyn didn't stick together. What happened!?" Ashe snapped.

"We... We got separated... It wasn't intentional...Some red mist appeared... D-Did... Did something go wrong?" Adam was somewhat cowering, unsure what else to say to this angry Amygdala; whom he barely even had a chance to properly meet.

"Mist?... Dammit. Okay, first things first. We gotta get back to Knothole, and clear things up. It's too dangerous here. I'll explain things on the way. Come on." Ashewyn held his head briefly, before leading Adam back on the trail to Knothole.

Whilst Adam was lead back to their secret hideaway, Kerlancealo was dashing back to Wynorex as fast as he could run. Tears streamed from the eyes of his mask, as she descended underground, and through the tunnels before reaching the front gates. The feline was clearly distraught by the loss of Hase, urgently getting passed Inkers, who watched the entrance.

Up on the top level, Koron was sitting upon her throne. On one side of her was Titania, and the other was Finch, and a horse-sized beast resting behind him. Koron had her legs crossed, with a very commanding presence. Before her was many of her followers, that referred to themselves as the 'Cult of Ghestro'. Many of her followers were muttering, various concerns amongst themselves.

"Ehem." Koron cleared her throat, to gain their attention. With a soft groan of displeasure, Koron waved her hand up in the air, with the palm facing her. "Tyr. Would would mind repeating that once more? Clearly there is panic uprising amongst the others." She quirked a brow, clearly annoyed.

Tyr was standing among the other cult members, with his arms crossed. "I'm just saying. It's not my problem that 'Madam' Coffin Nail, got her ass killed by her prey. I did as you ordered, but her target, as well as Inferna's, decided to to interfere on my turf." Tyr scoffed, shooting an irritated glare at the torch haired witch.

"Well, pardon me! I didn't invite that other Terra to get in my way either!" Inferna retorted. "If Sherry hadn't shown up, I would have been dragon food, you cur!" Inferna's hair lit up with much stronger flames, bursting into the air.

"I don't mean to intrude on this, but Sclera didn't complete her task either." A wingless Terra with his eyes completely covered by his bangs, spoke up.

"Sclera had her reasons for not killing the Angel of Death. Maybe... Titania or Jehxal wanted to have a piece too. Ehehehhe... Oorrr... does it really matter, Nobou? Eheheh! She ate part of him. He won't be a threat ever again... Ehehehehe...." Sclera grinned, completely amused, while staring at the Terra, named Nobou.

"She's got a fair point there." Jehxal chuckled, menacingly.

Nobou walked over beside Tyr, peering at him for a moment. Tyr glanced to him, before rolling his eyes. "Sclera's completely insane. Can't trust her to do anything the way you ask. Those other two, they get special privileges." Tyr groaned, boredly glancing over at Titania and her brother, before his eyes changed to Leviathan. "Besides. They're not the only ones who failed."

"Oh? Am I being blamed now too?" Leviathan smiled, in a teasing manner as she cupped her breast. "Sounds like someone really needs to loosen up." She licked her lips.

"What? From you? Please." Tyr rudely replied.

"Any other concerns?" Koron seemed annoyed, as if trying to hold back anger.

Titania placed a palm to Koron's hand, getting the Queen to look at her. "Lest we not forget that Shane vanished for a time as well."

"This is true." Koron shot a sharp gaze over to Shane, who hand his hands pocketed.

"What, gonna rope me in on this now too? Nobody told me I had to stick around twenty-four-seven." Shane scoffed, trying to avoid conflict. He knew he was guilty, but needed to keep this quiet.

"Death didn't do anything wrong. So don't blame him for our misfortunes, master." Sclera looked to Koron. Just as she promised, Sclera would not tell on Shane since he had obeyed her instruction.

"Very well." Koron exhaled, rolling her eyes. "So, clearly you're all worried that some imposter and her little followers are going to overthrow ME? The first of her bloodline and true Heir to the throne, The Manipulator of Monsters, The shadow in the Dark, Invoker of Fear and Breaker of Sorrow, The Slayer of Blades, Mistress of the Dead, The Black Winged Angel, The Remanent of blood, Corrupter of Life, The Angel of Darkness, Instrument of Rebirth, The One and only True Queen of Fiends, and master of the Four Horsemen? You must be joking." Koron stated firmly, as she rose to her feet.

"My, my. Surely they jest. Oh, whatever shall we do then, my Queen?" Finch spoke up, standing on the opposite side of the throne, opposite to Titania.

Suddenly, the door of the throne room busted open. Everyone's attention turned, to notice Kerlancealo enter, in heavy breaths. His ears were fixed downward, as he nervously stared to all the watchful eyes of the cult. They shifted slightly, as he zeroed in on Koron.

"K-K-Koron! M-Mistress Koron!" Kerlancealo gasped, making his way through the crowed, and ceasing movement at her feet. His head rested at her feet, as he squinted his shuttering eyes. His whole body was quivering, as he awaited her command.

"Kerlancealo. What has compelled you to come unannounced? Can't you see that we're in the middle of a conflict?" Koron inquired, already irritated by the squabbling of prior.

"Y-yes, my Queen!" He stammered, timidly lifting his head. "My apologizes... it's just..."

"Just what?" Titania peered over, unamused by the feline. "Do you think the opinion of some lower class fiend really matters?"

Koron held up a hand, as she gently glanced to Titania from her peripheral. "Now now, Titania. Let's allow the Beast-kin speak. One would be unwise to interrupt his Queen, if it was not of dire importance."

"For his case, I hope you're right." Titania looked to the feline, almost as if accusing him of wasting Koron's time.

Kerlancealo's ears slanted backwards, with a soft growl. "Hase.... Hase is dead. That mutant... H-He..." His voice was trembling.

Koron sat back onto her throne, before crossing her legs, as resting her chin to the top of her hand. "I can't say I expected this result. Everyone else returned from their trial safely, except Hase and that old hag. Hmmm..." Koron thought briefly.

"Y-You gotta do something, Koron. I-" Kerlancealo began, before getting caught off.

"Oy-oy! You know the rules, Rider! Don't be talking to the master that way." Another male fiend spoke up, as he appeared from the crowd. He was a teal colored one, almost like a zombie with a massive claw arm. His long green hair was held in a intricate braid, that left his elf-like ears exposed. "Now, what's this 'bout Hase?" He hovered over the feline, with an intimidating gaze.

"Looks as if Kerlancealo wasn't the only one tardy, my Queen." Finch peered over to Koron.

Shane was amongst the others, but seemed relieved to have some of the heat off his back. His eyes were carefully watching this fiend, like he didn't trust him.

"I can see that, my little bird." Koron seemed amused, her eyes shifting to peer over at the fiend. "Just where have 'you' been, Pythagoras?" Koron teased, in a very stern manner.

"Lookin' for trouble if ya really wanna know. I'm back, so what does it matter?" Pythagoras shrugged. "You outta keep that bill shut, Finch. Just cause you fixed me up, don't mean I'm gonna play nice with you." He said, in a tone that made Finch slink back uneasily.

"Pyth. You know the rules of the Cult." Titania scolded, as she crossed her arms.

"Pfft, you wenches are seriously no fun. It's fuckin' boring in here. Just tell me what's goin' on with Hase, before you piss me off." Pythagoras scoffed, losing his patience.

"Kerlancealo just explained that one of that Imposter's followers eliminated 'em. Obviously if you were 'ere on time, you wouldn't need it repeated." The lady fiend, named Darkness spoke up, in a snobby tone.

"Tryin' to start something, bitch!?" Pythagoras retorted back, with hostility.

Pythagoras got right up in Darkness' face, but Vex got between them, pushing him back. "Back off, Pyth! Don't be starting shit now!" He growled, protecting the female fiend.

Retina and some of the others just watched, keeping back from what was expected to become a brawl between Pythagoras and Vex.

"This is going to get out of hand." A male Naga crossed his arms, boredly.

"You're telling me." A spider-like fiend agreed with a slight sigh.

Levi licked her lips, "Ohh I don't know about that. Things like this get me ALL hot and bothered. Mmm!"

The two glanced to her, blushing with startled faces.

"Everyone is getting all huffy, and poor little Lance lost his lover. Don't any of you have any compassion?" The oni named Dharma pouted, as she crouched down to the feline, pulling him into her arms. "Take refuge in my bosun, okay?" She said, holding the sobbing Kerlancealo.

"T-Thank you...Dharma..." Kerlancealo tried to hold back his tears.

Leviathan placed a hand to her hip, as she looked to her friend and Kerlancealo with a saddened expression. Everyone else began to settle down, all glancing to Dharma.

Pythagoras and Vex both backed off, with a groan. The fight had been broken up, but there was still a heavy tension in the room.

Pythagoras closed his eyes, as he crossed his arms the most he was able to, with another sound of irritation. "Mistress Koron. Whoever this fuck is who killed Hase. This asshole is MINE. That clear with you softies?" He looked around the room, with a scowl. "If anyone is strong enough to take out one of ours, then I want to make him bleed."

"Very well Pythagoras. You have my permission to end his life." Koron's lips curled, very intrigued by the developments.

The scene cut to black, as it transitioned back to Knothole, where Jackyn was resting on a bed. He was laying on his side, but his eye lids began to twitch. He sat up abruptly, as they shot open. He recalled Sclera and then Shane almost immediately. Jackyn was breathing heavy, feeling his chest before glancing down to notice his severed leg. His brows furrowed, as he held his face with a soft groan. "..."

The bed shifted slightly, quickly getting Jackyn's attention. He only just then realized that Nye has fallen asleep next to him. She was still lost in her dreams it seemed, but he was really relieved to see her. Jackyn leaned back against the bed to look at Nye, it was pretty clear that she had been worried about him. He gently ran his knuckles against her cheek, as he leaned in to kiss her forehead.

Hazily, Nye's eyes peered open. She stared for a moment at Jackyn, before realizing he was awake. Her expression shifted from confused to happy, as she quickly wrapped her arms around him in an embrace. "Jack. You're awake. I was so worried about you..."

Jackyn hugged her back, resting his chin on the top of her head. "I'm sorry Nye... I really messed up back there. Now I'm paying for it." He muttered, glancing to his stub of a leg.

Nye shifted him back slightly, so she could look at his face. "What's important is that you're alive. We'll think of something so you can walk again. Alright?"

Jack averted his eyes, with a slight grimace upon sitting up. As he did this, Nye placed her hand to his cheek, as she sat up as well. His eyes shifted back to her face, seeing Nye's concerned gaze. Jackyn took Nye's hand, before pulling her another embrace, followed by a kiss. As the kiss broke, the embrace continued, while Jackyn rested his face against hers, and his mouth next to her ear.

"I'm scared I won't be able to protect you like this..." He quietly admitted, with an uneasy tone.

"Then... Perhaps it's my turn to protect you. You know I love you." Nye whispered back into his ear.

"I know..." Jackyn leaned against her more, smiling faintly.

There was a sudden knock at the door, which caused Nye to glance over.

"Hey Spooky? It's Solitaire. Ashe just got back in with Adam a bit ago. He's working with Zyron to make something for your bloke's leg." Solitaire called from the other side of the door.

Nye glanced to Jackyn for a moment, before getting to her feet and approaching the door. She opened it, peering out to the pink haired Morphious. "I'll come have a look then." Nye replied, calmly.

"Oh? He's awake. Great." Solitaire seemed surprised, upon noticing Jackyn.

"He just woke up." Nye admitted, before she glanced back over to Jack with a soft smile. "Just rest for now Jack, I'll be back shortly."

"Not like I'm going anywhere..." Jackyn mumbled.

Nye closed the door, as she followed Solitaire downstairs.

"Beating himself up, eh?" Solitaire glance to Nye.

"You can say that." Nye shrugged, trying to smile.

The girls headed down to the bottom level, and approached a table near a makeshift forge near the kitchen; where Ashewyn seemed to be metalworking, using his fire with scraps of metal. Zyron was assisting him, but didn't seem too thrilled. As they approached, Miles slipped passed them upstairs. His eyes were fixed on Nye and Solitaire, but his shady expression made it seem like he was up to something.

"How's Adam doing?" Nye inquired, as examined the steel work from a safe distance.

"He's resting, guess he exhausted himself against that cult member. We all talked things over while you and Jackyn have been resting. Don't worry about anything, we got figured out." Ashewyn reassured her.

"Well, that's good to hear. So what's this you're forging?" Nye replied, somewhat relived.

"Zyron's idea. Care explaining?" Ashewyn glanced to the canine.

Zyron shrugged, as he peered up to Nye. "It's called a prosthetic limb. I read about things like this in some old books, while trying to find some spell to regrow body parts. It's the best we can manage, unfortunately."

"How very clever. I appreciate the effort you both are putting into helping Jackyn get back on his feet." Nye smiled, genuinely happy to hear some good news.

The sound of footsteps were heard, as Pneuma approached Nye. "You're Nyghtmare, I presume?" She inquired.

Solitaire and Zyron seemed a bit tense of the older woman, but Nye turned around to face her. "Aye? Who might you be?" Nye seemed perplexed by this. "Are you the one Runfaust wanted me to meet?"

"In fact I am. My name is Pneuma." Pneuma replied.

In that instant Nye recalled a moment from her childhood, the vary same one she recalled upon meeting Skyletra some time prior. The face of the woman who stopped the senseless bullying... was Pneuma.

"We've met before... Haven't we?" Nye seemed taken back, unsure how to go about this.

"Your face... it does seem familiar in a way. Whether that be the case or not, that's not why I wanted to speak with you, Nyghtmare." Pneuma seemed a bit surprised about this as well, however she avoided the conversation from becoming side tracked.

There was a sudden thud upstairs that broke the moment, getting Nye's attention. "Can we can resume this later?" Nye spoke urgently, as she made her way upstairs.

Pneuma seemed surprised as Nye rushed off in such a hurry, but she didn't follow the younger Amygdala. Nye reached the top of the staircase, and immediately noticed Miles darting out of Jackyn's room. Without warning, Nye shoved him against the wall, her forearm holding tightly against his neck.

Miles gasped in surprised from his pinned state, but immediately Nye noticed a splatter of blood that went across his eyes, almost like warpaint. "What did You do? Answer me!" Nye snapped, growing angry.

"I didn't do ANYTHING!" Miles retorted, clenching his fangs.

"Ya'know, I seriously doubt that." Nye growled.

"Nye." Ashewyn called, from on the stairwell. He approached, holding out the prosthetic leg. "Here. Go get Jackyn fixed up. I'll deal with this troublemaker." He said, placing a hand to Miles' shoulder, firmly.

Nye took a breath to calm her anger, as she removed her grip on Miles, and took the leg. "I appreciate it, Ashe." She replied, before hurrying to see if Jackyn was alright.

Nye reached the room, and immediately spotted Jackyn on the floor. He was trying to get himself to his feet, but struggling horribly. Nye rushed to him, setting the leg down, before placing her hand to his shoulders.

"Are you alright? What happened?" Nye inquired, in slight panic.

"I'm fine." Jackyn sighed in an irritated manner. "That cat just pissed me off. Knocked him back with some blood magic was all." He admitted.

Nye seemed worried, noticing his hand was bleeding. "Jack... You shouldn't be using magic when you're in this state. You're still recovering." She took it into her hands, taking out some cloth to wrap it up.

"I... I know... I'm sorry. He just wouldn't shut up with his snide remarks." Jackyn replied, furrowing his brows.

"I don't know what's gotten into him." Nye groaned, before taking Jackyn's arm over her shoulder, and helped him back to a sitting position on the bed. "Let's get you fixed up, shall we?" Nye reached for the prosthetic leg, bringing it over to Jackyn.

Nye knelt down, and maneuvered the prosthetic limb to the stub of leg Jackyn had left. She fumbled with it for a moment, until she figured out how it would connect. Shifting the belts around, Nye adjusted it Jack's leg and hooked it in place.

"I think that should do it." Nye said, getting back to her feet.

"Then let's test it out, so I can give that fur-ball a piece of my mind." Jackyn replied, shifting to stand up.

Immediately he stumbled, not yet used to the new leg. Luckily Nye caught him, as he fell forward. They both blushed briefly as their noses nearly touched.

Nye smiled, through a grimace. "Careful. I don't know if you're ready to be walking around so soon. You need to get used to the new leg." Nye teased him. "Just leave Miles to me."

"Yeah-Yeah... I get it... I just don't want to be some burden for you." Jackyn shrugged, as Nye helped him sit back down.

"I know, but right now I think you should focus on recovering. You should take your time getting used to this change. At least your hair is growing back, there's something positive about this." Nye tried to make him feel better.

Jackyn shifted his hand to his hair, running his fingers through it. "I guess you're right. I'm surprised you remembered how much I hate it when it's short."

"Why would I forget about that? It was blatantly obvious how much you were bothered by it." Nye stiffed a laugh. "You're a lot easier to read now, than when we first met."

Jackyn smiled, seeing Nye more at ease. He took her hand in his, looking to her with adoring eyes. Nye smiled back at him, but her thought quickly drew back to Miles behavior.

"I don't like how Miles has been treating you. It makes me so angry. I'm gonna go have a word with him real quick, I won't be long." Nye admitted, giving Jackyn a quick peck before turning for the door.

"He told me... That I should have died out there. That I don't deserve you." Jackyn spoke up, in a somber tone.

"..." Nye seemed annoyed hearing this. "Don't listen to him. He's nothing but a selfish fool." She finally spoke up, before departing the room and headed down the stairs.

She noticed Miles and Ashewyn weren't downstairs with the others, and she hadn't passed them upstairs either. She looked around, before her eyes focused on Zyron and Solitaire. "Where is Miles?" She asked, holding back the anger in her tone.

"Looks like he pissed you off big time. That fucker is outside, throwing a little hissy fit." Zyron replied, leaning to his hand. "Ashe went after him out there though."

"Keep an eye on Jack for me. I'll be back shortly." Nye said, as she turned for the entrance, and proceeded outside.

Getting outside she could hear the two arguing in the distance. "Just what the hell were you thinking?!""Get out of my face! I didn't do anything!""That's bullshit!!"

Nye decided to follow the sounds of their voices, heading deeper into the marsh. She reached a hill that overlooked a lower level into a swamp area where Miles and Ashewyn were trying to push each other away in the water.

"Oy!!" She shouted, getting both of their attention. However, right before she jumped down to their level, a hand covered her mouth. "?!" Nye muffled a gasp, as she was caught by surprise.

"Well, well lookie who I found." Growled a familiar voice. Nye's eyes finally shifted enough to notice the Terra from the island she first found Adam, none other than Gaigas.

"Nye!!" Miles called out in panic.

"Let go of her!" Ashewyn formed his wings to soar at Gaigas.

"Tzz." The dragon scoffed, using his powerful tail to bash right into Ashewyn, sending him splashing back into the swamp. "Aoba has been dying to meet you, 'Queen of Fiends'." Gaigas chuckled, as he flew into the air, taking Nye with him.

"N-NYEEE!!!" Miles fumbled in the mud, unable to do anything as she was swept away into the distant sky. "Crap! Ashe! We gotta do something!" Miles gasped, trying to make his way over to where Ashewyn crashed in the murky water. "That dragon took Nye!!!" He called, as he managed to pull Ashewyn out of the mud.

Ashewyn gasped for air, shoving Miles away from him, with a glare. "This is YOUR fault Miles... Dammit... We need to get the others. That Terra... He's really strong." His eyes danced around frantically, as the scene panned to darkness.