At first nce, she resembled an air elemental. Her skin was pale to the point of being nearly white. Her finely feathered wings held the light like the sun glistening on fresh snow. Her hair was spiked and short; upswept ears came to a point a few inches longer than ears should be. Ducky nearly mistook them for horns. Everything about her reflected the element of ice except for her eyes. The right eye was an empty socket, while the left glowed like a crimson ruby. She wore a gold robe that left her white shoulders and midriff exposed; her feet were adorned with the same color sandals.


    "I am cia." Her voice was soft and sweet, with a strong element of influence woven into the words. "Are you a wild witch?"


    Ducky shook her head slightly while trying to decide how to proceed. This was not Khione, one of her minions perhaps or maybe even a weak rival. Her strength was nowhere near the Winter Goddess; she was confident that if Nix and Morti were present, the three of them could handle her. "I have been carefully groomed by my master."


    "How did you find us?"


    Ducky sensed an underlying concern in the sentence. Ice''Enguard had been located near one of Khione''s Ice seeds. It stood to reason that this person was part of the Ice Queen''s forces. "I''ve been looking for this ce since Ice''Endguarde fell."


    "How do you know about Endguarde?" The question was spoken softly, barely a whisper. "You belong to the Ice Goddess?"


    Ducky shrugged and removed an object from her inventory. "Shall we speak to her together?"


    "What is that?" cia leaned forward on her throne, her red eye staring at the object held in front of her. She could sense power emanating from it; she also noticed that her visitor had it wrapped carefully.


    Duck exposed therge ball of mud so that she could see it better. "It''s my eye..."


    cia stood suddenly, one hand subconsciously moving toward her empty socket. "Put it away! PUT IT AWAY!" Her voice rose to a shout that echoed off the distant walls.


    Ducky put the object back into her inventory, her lips curved into a smile. "It''s sealed with Earth Magic. There is no danger unless I choose to activate it."


    cia raised a hand; a momentter, an ice spear appeared in her grasp. "What kind of creature could seal one of Khione''s eyes?"


    Ducky decided on the path she needed to take. "A dragon, of course. Who else could stand against her?"


    *****************


    Pelos cursed the Adder team and slightly changed his flight path; he constantly watched the darkening sky. The Bone Drake, or whatever it was, had already decimated their flying corp. He watched the twopanies march steadily toward the front. Bensic was going to be out for blood if Cyra was really dead; it was the only reason he decided to take the offensive. He adjusted the bandage wrapped around his head while promising himself to kill the Adder team leader in the most painful way possible.


    *Don''t go around the Reeds; the ground on either side is too rocky.*


    Pelos studied the terrain, the surrounding area was nds, with no standing water between them and the ocean.


    *Once we''re thru this area, deploy the forward scouts.*


    ***************


    Nix zipped out of the Graveyard, heading due west toward the ocean until he reached the beach. Quickly he stowed the broom and slipped off [Thine Enemy].


    [Summons: Fey]


    Nix noticed something different about the Bone Drakon. "Did you get bigger?"


    "Yes, not only that, but my bones are getting harder and stronger. Mortimus says that this is part of the Hardening." Fey held out a foreleg for him to step on. "We going to see Bensic?"


    "In a bit, first we''re going to take care of an idiot that''s been bothering us." Nix seated himselffortably and held on tight when Fey shot into the air. "Take us up high, but stay close to shore." He opened his hud and checked the location of his Booming Bobs.


    "Large group of fighters, one mile ahead." Fey banked toward the water and climbed higher. "There''s also a flyer tagging along behind them."


    Nix would have grinned had he the lips for it. Instead, he encouraged Fey to move even higher. He keyed up the Bobs and waited until the group was pushing through the shoulder-high reeds. "Detonate."


    An instantter, a hundred small explosions tore through the marching group. They responded by surging in a southeast direction. Pelos banked away from the explosions while the screams of his men echoed in his ears.


    *RUN OUT OF THERE!*


    He moved above them, trying to assess the damage when the night sky lit up again. The entire front section of his forces disappeared in mes. In a panic, he banked toward the west, suddenly feeling like he was in danger.


    *Everyone move west! Toward the ocean!*


    Pelos spotted arge area of ck rocks, far back from the edge of the woods. Without pausing, he directed his men to take cover.


    Fey watched from nearly a mile overhead; she was hoping for some action but understood that Nix wanted to soften them up. "How many explosions?"


    "Let''s descend..." Nix climbed to his feet, perching at the base of Fey''s bone neck. "The first area was about a hundred bobs. This second was nearly double that."


    [Your kill count has surpassed five hundred]


    You have remembered a forgotten element [Air].


    [Your kill count has surpassed six hundred]


    You may now summon an additionalpanion [Soup].


    Fey descended in a tight spiral; she knew from Nix''s positioning that he was getting ready to jump. "Remember... You don''t have wings. Are the explosions done?"


    Nix pushed emerald me into his hilt and aimed Fey in the general direction of Pelos. "I want you to scorch him a bit, just enough to make him panic."


    Pelos hovered about ten meters above his men, had the Bone Faction mined the area? There is no way they had the time to do something like that. His purple eyes glowed in the darkness... He should have stayed in the graveyard. A movement near the beach caught his eye. Why are those rocks moving? He had no time to pursue the thought as he was suddenly enveloped in silver mes. Out of instinct, he jammed the eleration sleeve all the way forward and escaped with only minor burns. An instantter, the rock sanctuary disappeared as hundreds of small explosions detonated at the same time. The Precinct Commander was caught in the sh of heat and, in an effort to escape, crashed his mount into the surf.


    Nix leaped from Fey''s back, rolling to soften the impact before climbing to his feet. "Hey, Pisshead." Nix used the name Semmi gave him as he advanced forward. All of Pelos''s hair had been singed off, his exposed skin was covered in burns, and his tattered robes were smoldering.


    A half dozen emerald strands shot out and wrapped around Pelos''s body. He mmed the witch onto the ground once, twice, and then a third time before tossing him into the surf. Pelosy face down for a moment before rolling out of the water with a deafening shriek. He fled from Nix, only toe face to face with Fey.


    Nix stowed his hilt and raised one arm over his head. [Air Command: Air''Voi] Nix has opened a temporary doorway; all avable allies will answer the call.


    A wind tunnel extended horizontally over the beach, ten meters, then twenty. It continued to grow for several seconds before finally opening. The light from the scattered fires strobed as arch winds burst through by the hundreds; three of those forms moved into the air around Nix.


    /Air Command: Shadai: Archers! FIRE! Wipe out everything! Protect the Commander!


    Fey pinned Pelos to the sand with her sharp talons. The three of them watching in awe as the normally reserved Arch Winds decimated the rest of the 2nd and 3rd Company. Within minutes, only Pelos remained alive.


    /Air Command: Shadai: We must go back, Commander.


    Nix nodded and waited while the Arch Winds reentered the air tunnel until only Tor, Cal, Shadai remained.


    /Air Command: Nix: That was a lot more than I was expecting.


    /Air Command: Shadai: We can only answer this type of summons one time. Without your arch wind bracers, our hands are tied.


    /Air Command: Tor: We continue to train in preparation for the final battle.


    /Air Command: Cal: We must leave!


    Nix feltme waving but did so anyway.


    [Your kill count has surpassed one thousand]


    [You have remembered the ways of the Gemini]


    [You have been promoted]


    Nix [Gemini Lord]


    Race: Undead Lich [Elite Special]


    Dual ss: Spellsword/Elemental Mage


    Rank:19


    Kills:1844


    Nix picked up Pelos''s staff but otherwise ignored him. He climbed back onto Fey''s back and took a seat. "Well... I didn''t see thating."


    Fey took to the air, not bothering to climb any higher than the trees as she rocketed towards the Undead barricades while gripping their prisoner tightly in one enormous w.


    When they arrived back in the Xander Burrough a few minutester, Jun Li was standing next to the kneeling Bensic. He hadn''t spoken since it first started and his eyes had remained closed the entire time.


    Wind, Shae, and Morti nked Jun Li; as he approached, Nix could see that both Darsi and Ronnie were targeting Bensic from the nearest Sniper Nest.