Zeus stood aloft his carriage. Gold intertwined within the stained wood. It had been built to his specifications by the Mayor. Each part crafted from Thorn Wood. A display of his absolute wealth and power.

  The wind whipped at his clothes. His chest was laid bare with a single white cloth flowing around his torso. He was built and thick with muscle. Yet, when inspected closely you could find the staples, and stitches that pierced his body into one whole. The cloth matched with the peeled down toga clung to his hip.

  Grasped within his right hand was an intricate staff. Topped with three skulls, one of which Nate guessed was from a greater Oni. A zig zagging pattern ran down its length. Central places along the spine were numerous smaller heads. If they were from other species or that of baby Oni Nate could not tell.

  Hercules covered in but a single loin cloth roared as he let the reigns drop free from his body. Heavily it smashed into the concrete cracking and sending bits of rubble flying into the air. The heavy body took an all too unusually agile step forward, trembling the ground. The two were not alone.

  The Mayor's repaired body was back into a standard suit. A crazed look on his face, the effects of what Zeus had done poisoning him even further. Only one sign of his previously damaged body was a matted patch of blood soaked hair.

  Last amongst their number made the stomachs of all save for one in the room turn over in disgust. Corpses were glued, mashed, and sewn together. Hanging loose and limp upon one another. No, arms adorned the beast.

  Twelve legs protruded from a lower body made from three torsos. From the mid-point in the body it split into two sides. Each side held its own torso that was then sewn across the center back together. At the top was a single head, eye lids peeled wide open. Mouth forced open, and nose cut from his face. In spite of the mutilation Jeb’s face was still recognizable. On the upper body four legs were attached at each end instead of feet were the heads of the corpses that had been used. Unlike Jeb these skulls were picked clean into bare bone.

  “What in the fucking hell is that?” Karah jumped to her feet.

  “That is our enemy.” Wayne responded languidly.

  “Sir, no.”

  Armand was the last to reenter the room. Seeing his old comrade in such a state brought him to his knees. This was worse then what he’d seen in the field. What monster takes the parts of their enemy and makes them into such an abomination. Wayne watched the man for a moment.

  “He can see them without the sight? These are no normal spirits.”

  “I think you're right. But we have another problem.” Dr.White responded.

  Of those in the room it was only Wayne and Nate who looked over. The others were still locked tight on the intruders. Dr.Mei was never a combatant and her spirit house reflected such a thing. Even now she trembled slightly, backing up into her husband's embrace.

  “It still hasn’t been long since Nate formed his spirit house. When you did that you used the ambient spirit energy and loose spirits within the hospital to boost his power.”

  “Does that mean what I think it does?” Wayne asked.

  “Unfortuntly it does.” Dr.White responded.

  “Do I really have to ask?” Nate spoke irritably.

  Dr. White and Wayne felt other eyes in the room turn to them. Finally, able to move off of the impending doom looming just outside. Dr.White shifted uncomfortably, after all this was his territory and thus his shortcoming.

  “Pseado-Mancers have extremely limited slots for spirits. To maintain our contracts and dominion of a physical place we let unaffiliated spirits within our walls. I use that to power my magic and summons.”

  “And we reduced that supply to nearly zero. Meaning you can’t do anything to help us?” Nate questioned.

  “Not entirely, I can guarantee that they can’t come inside. As long as I focus on shifting the space he won’t be able to enter. Nor will his attacks reach us. I just won’t be able to help fight him.”

  “Then it will be up to us?” Nate asked.

  He looked up to his teacher with a flame inside his eyes. Rage filled his veins with anger mixed with the air in each breath he took. Wayne looked down at him and the two children curled up next to him just starting to wake up. These were the people his student was to protect. He could understand his anger but now was the time for him to be an adult.

  “No, It will be up to me. I told you that you would need a week and strong spirits to be useful. We had that time before but not now.”

  “I can do it. My new contracts will be able to bridge the gap.”

  “You don’t even know how to properly use your Wolf Fang ability. Are you planning to learn during the fight again? We both saw what happened to you when you did that.”

  “Now you care if I learn while in action. Wasn’t that your whole way of teaching me? Fighting the spirit in the house, the Poppet fight. What are they worth if I am to just give up when he’s right there?” Nate’s voice was rising.

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  “It was the best way if we had more time but we don’t. You should protect those around you not go die for some silly vengeance."

  “Silly, Silly! He killed my father. My family fell apart because of that man. This isn’t vengeance, this is justice.”

  Nate stood normally tried not to emphasize his size but now he rose up drawing into his full stature. He looked down, locking eyes with his teacher. Lips curling in anger and nostril flaring. Wayne did not waver, no man could make him fear after spending all this time with the Grandmaster.

  “You will stay here. That is an order, from your teacher.”

  “And if I don’t listen?”

  “Nat. What’s going on?”

  Teddy’s sleep filled voice cut into the air. Nate stopped face shifting as he slowly calmed his expression before looking at his little brother. Softly he smiled at the last of his kin. Teddy looked at him, his own expression turning from sleepy to serious.

  *Wham**Crack*

  The exterior of the hospital shook and shimmered like the surface of a lake. Dr. White immediately took a seat and closed his eyes focusing his attention on defence. Outside Zues tapped his staff once more on the carriage. Above his head energy formed and crackled before shooting out.

  *BOOM**Crack*

  Another arch of lightning smashed into the shimmering hospital before stopping. Reaching out a hand Zeus took a megaphone from the Mayor. He cleared his throat loudly for a second.

  “Ahem, I am lord of the Skies and gods, Zeus. I do not Demand but command you to hand over the corpse vault. I know of your inner workings now hand it over else I shall kill every single person who attempts to enter or exit this building.”

  Dr. White grounds his teeth at what the man said. Being a Mancer meant he valued human life and that man knew it. Would he truly be willing to let him kill every innocent person that came near the hospital? Wayne was aware of this as well.

  “I’ll stop him, don't worry. Keep him out for the time being. I’ll start shortly. Nate, come with me into the hall.”

  Nate looked down at his brother and he was watching him closely. Now that he was awake, he had a responsibility. He couldn’t show him his anger, or the killing intent within his body. That wasn’t good for his brother; he needed to only see the good. How to really act as a person.

  In the hall the teacher and student were now alone. His face shifting back into anger. His smoldering hate only grew stronger alongside his guilt of needing to protect Teddy. Wayne thought he might reprimand him or give another order. Then he relented, that wasn’t the way to handle him. Old memories that were once happy surfaced. His friend had been a similarly stubborn person.

  “I need to fight him.” Nate spoke with an edge.

  “You want to kill him. Which I am not against but you aren’t ready. I don’t know if I can beat him. My golems are at the mansion and out of range. I could leave to get them but he’d find a way to crack this place open. Look I understand your anger but think of your brother. What will happen if you die? Will you take away his last family member?”

  Nate struggled against the logic. His teacher was right. He didn’t even know the extent of the new spells that his spirits possessed. Would he really be any help? Would leaving behind Teddy be the right choice? A spirit slowly appeared behind him.

  “Son, let it go. Just this once. It’s more important to take care of your family.”

  Blain Cotten stood in the hall, his ghostly hand resting upon his shoulder. Wayne nodded appreciatively at the spirit. It wasn’t truly the first time they had met. When he’d probed Nate’s soul they had made a brief contact.

  “I.l..I will stay. I must take care of my family. You're right.”

  Nate’s energy flickered and then cooled. His anger receded into his body instead of running hot. It was cold. Not gone but tempered. Held in by the smallest amount of willpower and logic.

  “Listen, I will take care of it. You're my student, I always thought I’d go the rest of my life without one. I’m glad that it's you.”

  “Thank you, Master.”

  Wayne smiled kindly hearing him call him master. The boy wasn’t aware of the meaning but he placed his hand on his other shoulder. The other rummaged around his suit pocket before pulling loose an object from within. He rubbed it with his thumb for a second before turning it over and placing it in Nate’s hand.

  It was a long black angular wooden wand. The end was shaped into a pentagon, a single magic circle delicately etched within. Different runes ran up each side. Nate inspected it with curious eyes.

  “A master should give his student a gift for forming their first Spirit house. I am sorry it took me so long. This was something a friend of mine had made. The sides will augment the main spell. It’s a whirlwind blade. One of the most basic attack spells.”

  “Master, if this was your friend’s don’t you want to keep it?”

  “No, take it. It’s the first time I’m really filling my role as your master. Now watch me kill this exhibitionist.”

  “HAha, fine. Don’t lose.”

  “Doctor, I'm heading out!”

  The cane which he’d lent to Nate before formed within his hand. He walked over to the window where the adversaries awaited a response. The window slid wide open as he jumped out. Particles of light formed under his feet.

  Below Wayne’s an oversized metal propeller spun furiously. It scraped against the wall as it lowered his body to the ground. Once touching down it stopped letting him step onto the ground. Drifting back over his head it spun faster and faster before even the accumulated snow shot off away from his body.

  “Have you made a decision? Let I, your god, wash over you with my blessed power.” Zeus asked.

  “You are no god of mine. Type-12 Forester, Type-59 Miner awaken.”

  Wayne bent over and tap the ground with his hand. Large magic circles formed around the cars within the parking lot. With metallic scraping and crushing sounds the cars on either side of the parking lot slammed into each other. In only a heart beat half of the cars had been gathered into two large robots.

  Forester Type-12. A large square chassis with thick metal limbs. It was mirrored by the Miner Type-59. The major differences were in their heads and the equipment strapped to their backs and wielded within the hand. They wielded an axe and a giant pickaxe respectively.

  “You dare defy a god? So be it.”

  Lightning struck out toward Wayne. As it approached the area of wind from the turbine it smashed into an invisible barrier. Wayne smirked at his opponent as his face became serious. The god cracked his neck with a slowly growing grimace.

  “Kill him my demi-gods.”