"What happened to you was unfortunate, but if you're suggesting it was intentional then you're wrong. Our people died that day, we would never knowingly send our own to their deaths," Nymira replied, her voice calm though a clear strain was in it, like she was biting back anger. She couldn't be underestimating the threat when she wasn't even certain what the threat was. No one was explaining what they were fighting today only that it was a trail of sorts for her, Ethan and Asta to complete. Being made to undergo some battle to earn the trust of Taliya and her people was annoying enough and now Kensen was lecturing her as though she were as naive as Ethan. But she would bite her tongue and not snap at Kensen as she might like for there was a time and a place, and right now their focus was on whatever awaited them in the woods. Letting her breath pass in a shallow sigh Nymira withdrew her blades and held them loosely in her hands, nodding silently at Kensen. Fine, she'd let him play the instructor and she'd do as they were asked, but she'd not be spoken down to like that.

"If something so dangerous is this close to Mutebo why wait until now? That's what I'm not getting," Ethan voiced as he took his own weapon from its sheath. The only blade he was ever accustomed to was his stolen machina sword and thus an actual blade proved to be awkward for him. It wasn't a large weapon though the weight of solid metal threw him off, making the simple act of even swinging it more trouble than he'd bargained for. Yet they had insisted everyone be armed and without his own weapon of choice he'd had to borrow one. 

"The big ones tend to make others appear, they seem to give off some kind of signal that calls smaller beasts to the area. We haven't killed it because we've been dealing with the little bastards that have shown up instead," Gage explained, peeling back his open jacket and revealing a holster on his chest. Unclipping the holster he pulled free a harpoon gun of sorts, though one which was far more advanced than the typical sort a fisherman might wield. Clearly stolen much like Ethan's blade was and of a higher caliber weapon than what most had, it was curious as to just what the tool did. "We've culled the Vazra and other lot that've appeared, now we're going to kill off the source. If we kill this thing the rest ought to run off."

So that was it then, the beasts were emboldened by the presence of a larger creature. At least now they had the knowledge that they were dealing with a much bigger animal than those they had encountered already, which also helped to explain why Kensen had become bothered when she'd questioned the size of their party. Four Magi all told and each of them armed and ready to fight, or perhaps three, given Ethan's typical reluctance to do battle. Still they had a fairly capable group which only further sparked Nymira's curiosity: just what were they going to fight?

Under Gage's lead the group forged on deeper into the forest as Kensen remained above in the trees, their scout in the sky. Where there had been an abundance of wildlife earlier there was now nothing to speak of, not the song of birds nor the rustling of small creatures skittering through the leaves. An eerie silence had befallen the forest and the whistling of wind through the limbs of trees only added to the atmosphere. Moving along still the air itself seemed to become notably different as well, heavier and almost humid, as though a storm might be passing through. Despite a clear sky above fog then began to roll into the area, slowly at first until their field of vision became rather poor, seeing only two dozen meters in any direction from where they stood. Silently Gage raised a hand to signal everyone to stop, turning to the group and putting a finger to his lips. They had found their prey and it had found them in turn, a standoff would ensue until either they or it made a move. With a gesture to Kensen then he signaled for his compatriot to ready himself before undoing the safety on his weapon. 

The deathly silence carried on for several moments, the fog neither growing thicker nor fading. As they stood among the trees Ethan became increasingly aware that another presence was here with them and Nymira seemed to acknowledge this as well as she held her daggers at the ready. With the hair on the back of his neck standing on end he looked around for any sign of what was coming but the fog made it impossible to see too far out. Swallowing back nerves he debated on trying to use magic to displace it and give them their sight back, though with such limited energy after yesterday he didn't want to use what he had on such a thing. Unless Kensen or Gage told him to he'd keep his magic under lock and key until the fighting started. At this point he almost wanted whatever it was to come out and attack, the tension was only making it worse. 

Where was it? And why was it taking so long to strike? It was clear that the beast knew they were here so why was it biding its time? Clicking his tongue in annoyance Gage slowly turned on his feet and tried to peer through the fog for any movements, his jaw tightening when he saw fog part and leaves rustle just a few meters off to his right. It seemed to be circling them perhaps trying to find the best angle to strike. Smart bastard, it knew charging in on them recklessly was only going to get it killed.

"She's here... Keep light on your feet..." The words had no sooner left his mouth when a low whistling sound began to fill the air similar to the sound of air escaping a burst balloon. What began as a soft noise soon grew louder and the trees before them began to shake, gradually at first until the trunks themselves were twisted back and forth, limbs snapping and flying free from their homes. Over the howling wind now assaulting their ears Gage had barely managed to shout "Get down!" before a gale tore through the area. Smaller trees were torn from the ground and thrown aside, larger trees were partially uprooted and bark stripped away, limbs torn and violently whipped around, snapping and smashing into other trees behind them. The gale was brief but violent and as the air settled trees continued to shake and collapse, the air raining leaves and sticks upon the group and the ground itself stripped bare as a visible scar dug into the soft earth.

At the mouth of the scar was the [url=http://halycon450.deviantart.com/art/Amatsumagatsuchi-the-Storm-Dragon-512513648]beast[/url] itself, silently hovering above the ground, its wings slowly beating to suspend itself. The air around the creature appeared to be in some kind of turmoil as the fins upon its back fluttered back and forth, like a small vortex surrounded the beast itself. Eyeing the group with two blood red eyes sat beneath a black brow it slowly lifted itself up, spreading its wings to its side and lifting its head, emitting a piercing howl before lowering itself and darting straight for the group. Gage was immediate in his reaction and fired a harpoon at it only to watch as it turned to smoke before their eyes, the harpoon lodging into a tree trunk and missing entirely. Dropping to the ground to avoid being tackled by the beast as it became physical once more he rolled onto his back and kicked out his legs, managing to knock it further along and off balance.

Just what was this beast? Never before had Nymira seen a creature that could turn to smoke like that or one that could tear apart trees with only its voice. Now she understood why Kensen and Gage had been sent along, and why Kensen had seemed so uptight about their task. This thing whatever it was posed a massive threat and she didn't dare to think what might happen if one of them were struck by its howl. Trying to follow up on Gage's failed attack she dashed forward, leaping up over the beast as it soared past and spinning her body in an attempt to slice the fins upon its back. Only she found her blades did not find flesh but air instead as it assumed an intangible form once more, avoiding her entirely and continuing on its path, aiming at Kensen now.

[hr]

Cecil's damage was not terribly extensive which was fortunate. However his entire system had shut down as means of preventing further damage and it would not reboot until all the ruined components had been replaced. After placing his frame in a hold and connecting his memory banks to a computer for storage they could begin to work on the body itself. Limbs were partially melted by some highly acidic liquid, his joints had suffered damage as well and his gauntlets were partially destroyed. It was a curious design and unlike anything any of the engineers present had ever seen before, a combat Machina clearly though one of higher caliber than they were used to. In order to be certain they didn't make any mistakes they had called in a favor, an expert who would be far better suited in helping their case. He wouldn't arrive until the next day however and so instead they had spent the first evening cleaning up what they could, removing damaged components and salvaging what they could for the repairs later. Their help wasn't slated to arrive until later that afternoon, so until then their hands were largely tied.

For all the good his inventions did there was still no place for them in Adelon yet. Norman enjoyed the luxury of traveling faster than any steed might on his motorized vehicle and yet arriving at Mutebo presented him with a big problem; horses were able to travel the streets of most larger settlements, they had been designed for such yet nothing could give his vehicle room. The noise it emitted made it an issue as well and so he'd been made to store it at the stables alongside the horses of other travelers instead. He'd worry about it possibly being stolen if he thought anyone might be capable of even piloting it, though just in case he took the ignition key along with him. It was odd to be back in Mutebo after almost a year away and stranger still he'd been called in to help with a Machina. The engineers here were defectors of some rather prominent companies and should have plenty of expertise for routine maintenance, more than enough to do their job without him being there. He had an inkling that there must be something unique about this particular Machina though he didn't know what, the message he'd received had been rather vague. 

When he had arrived at the shop where he'd been asked to provide help and spotted a familiar young lady outside banging on the door he knew immediately why he'd been asked to help. What had the kids gotten themselves into this time he wondered, shaking his head and smiling as he approached the building. Wyth was the first to notice him and he addressed the moorcat with a wave, winking at Amuné when she too noticed his arrival.

"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes Amuné, though I guess I know what I'm doing here now," Norman said as he glanced at the door, hands on his hips as he arched an eyebrow, "Cecil's in there isn't he? What's happened now? I got a call to come help repair a Machina and I'm assuming that'd be our friend, am I wrong?"