Who would have thought the most peaceful place in Parvpora would soon become the site of a bloody battlefield? When the people were told what they were facing up against, the House of Flowers came out of the shadows for the first time in centuries. This was no time to be held back by age-old traditions and formalities; the entire world's safety was at stake. With Lady Calinaga now as Madame, the change was not as surprising as one thought. Younger generations had learned the world was no longer the same, and that if they were to survive–they must in turn adapt with it. Seo-hyang had received the summons along with hundreds of other women under the House of Flowers' guidance. The assassins stood side-by-side with soldiers gathered here to wage war against an unknown, ready to fight tooth and nail or die trying. Garbed in black robes that had been set aside for years, the Flower Serpent rushed into the fray armed with spells and weapon in hand. These beasts were ravenous, yet they still shared many weaknesses that most creatures possessed, namely one–blood. A flash of light was the only warning the void monsters had before a thin ribbon of flexible steel carved through their bodies. 

An intricate network of lacerations appeared on their flesh, and when their blood began to ooze she cast a forbidden art. At once crimson threads linked them, both binding and intensifying their wounds. With the amount of blood available and her level of focus she was able to extend the effects to half a minute before the monsters broke free, but not without repercussions. Exhaustion already started to creep in but she was fully surrounded. Even if she hadn't done so by choice, this was the main drawback of this particular spell: either put others at risk by implementing its use near allies or isolate herself in exchange for using it in full force. She had opted for the latter, as the more able-bodied people they had the more energy they could conserve for dire emergencies. With the flick of her wrist, her slender blade whirled around her like a whip. Chompers and other beasts who had gotten too close were soon missing limbs once the dust settled. But she was far from done. No, for each one felled she found herself facing five more.

Their numbers were countless, like an incoming tide that had yet to break against the sand. The only respite she had came from the souls being absorbed by her soul-devouring ring which supplemented her continued use of blood arts. When the swarms of enemies started to overwhelm her, she clasped her hands together to call the spirits of the underworld. In reply, arms of vengeful dead lashed out around her at everything, leaving her the sole exception to their wrath. Drawing from her soul-devouring ring's reserves she replenished her magic and quickly eased her weariness, then soon returned to carving a bloody swathe through the invaders. There was hardly a moment to breathe; there was so much going on all around that Seo-hyang had no choice but to look in every which way for incoming danger.

Lewis darted through the battlefield with the speed and agility of a true assassin. While he had yet to officially take the title, he felt as though he more than well deserved it at this point. With the training he had received, plus his natural skill with a blade and bow, he knew that his talent would not go to waste in the crisis at hand.

The teen darted in between two of the Twisted beings that struck out at him. With a flash of the blade, they were cut down with ease, and he moved on to the next. He lunged forward to dodge a strike, spinning in the air and launching a dagger, sailing through the air. The rope attached was pulled taught upon connection, and a blast of lighting arced down the rope and into the foul creature. With a flick of the wrist, the blade dislodged itself and sailed back him through the air.

“Next?” he said aloud, his cold eyes scanning the once beautiful lakeside. Once this is done…I should bring Akira and Xeik here. He smiled. Yes. That sounded like a wonderful plan. He would just have to clean the place up first. With that thought, he pushed himself back into the fray, slashing and weaving through the combatants. Like flowing water, the assassin dealt with each and every enemy with precision and grace.

Barely an effor- His blade connected with a rather foul smelling beast, but at once there was an explosion of gas and toxins, throwing Lewis back and into a crowd of human soldiers. The assassin groaned, trying to right himself as the poison took its effect rather quickly. His armor was little match for the acid that quickly started to eat it away, and he could feel his flesh burning. Immediately, he summoned the water from the lake, dousing himself quickly, trying his best to dilute the toxins that he was covered in.

For the most part, it worked. He wouldn’t die, but already he was worn down. The entirely of his left arm was horribly scarred, the flesh burning and pulsating. His armor was barely functional, and he only had a few throwing knives left, plus his rope dart.

That could have gone better…. He looked around for someone, anyone. The group of soldiers he had crashed into had moved on already. “I can’t fight like this..not alone.”

She couldn't keep fighting out in the open. As an assassin, the elements of surprise and concealment were better than any armor or shield. The longer she stayed without cover the easier it would be to lose track of her surroundings. She needed to fall back and reassess. In an instant she shifted, her form dropping to the ground before two blind stalkers crashed into each other, mouths gaping. A pitch-black serpent with thin golden bands slithered through the battlefield, never stopping for a moment. This was her true form, and the form in which she was most vulnerable. However the enemies were more interested in taking down larger prey, and simple animals for the moment could escape their attention. During her retreat Seo-hyang's senses detected the scent of damaged flesh, as well as lingering fumes which were quickly dissipating. Her vision was limited, so despite the risk she urged herself to check. Although she began her life as an assassin, the same knowledge she gained assisted her to become an apothecary. One could hurt as well heal, even with the same medicines.

When she found the source of the scent she had been tracking, she reassumed human form close to the injured boy. One glance and she saw that the damage was severe. "Don't be alarmed, allow me to assist you. This will only take one moment." Taking her urumi, she pressed the edge against her thumb until it drew blood. Dripping a few drops onto the young man's injured arm, she used the shed blood to write some sort of magic seal. Whispering words in a foreign tongue, the blood seal began to shimmer and his damaged flesh began to regenerate. The scarring and pain disappeared, new layers of skin now protecting the area that was once raw and exposed. The cut on her finger had already healed as well. "This is all I can offer. Take care, and stay safe." Seo-hyang smiled gently before withdrawing and shrinking back into her serpentine form once again. 

The open terrain of Jasumin provided advantages and disadvantages to both sides. There was little cover, but there was less to hide behind too. The lake formed a boundary which most fighters were unable to cross, something that didn't hold true for the monstrous void creatures. But what added to the chaos was the unpredictable nature of some Twisted–or the unpredictable nature of the Infecters' corrupting qualities. Bloaters which were known to not be mobile would suddenly manifest in the middle of crowds when an unwary individual succumbed to the bite of an Infecter. Chompers would pick off those distracted by Stalkers when their backs were turned, then pretend to be injured civilians to lure their next targets. But the most insidious variation was one that showed no external signs–the Corrupted. One moment they were aiding their comrades, then the next they appeared to be struck by madness and turned their weapons on a friend. Void creatures seemed to be targeting their numbers where the Corrupted were, taking advantage of the breach in defending forces.

These were the individuals the Flower Serpent chose to target. The Corrupted possessed a subtle change in their vibrations that Seo-hyang had observed during combat. Every living being emitted sounds, scents, and changes in temperature that only beasts could detect. And what serpents lacked in sight and limbs, they compensated in other senses. There was a man who was standing around in a daze, muttering incomprehensible things. Before he could become a greater threat, a large ethereal tendril coiled around his entire body before breaking his neck. His soul escaped his broken body, then was pulled towards her, rapidly devoured by her ring. True to her methods, he experienced little to no pain. Death was the one small kindness she could give to these tormented souls forced into becoming puppets for an unspeakable evil.

To someone as Lewis, trust was a hard thing to find. However, when in dire need, and in the situation that Revaliir itself was in, he wasn’t one to turn down aid of any kind. Even when it came from a serpent of questionable intent.

His vision had been swimming, but the pain was less excruciating than it had been, now a dull aching. The assassin wondered if he would ever regain full use of the arm from the overall damage that the Plaguer had dealt out. But, to his surprise, there was someone on the field of battle near him, who noticed his wound.

Lewis could not figure out how, or why it happened, but out of the grass, a snake appeared, seeming to look over to him with interest. At first, Lewis wondered if he was hallucinating. But no, the serpent changed into a human, and looked over the butchered arm in full earnest. The woman spoke words of intent, and went to work fast.

Great. More blood magic, Lewis thought as the woman worked her skillset. Despite his dislike of the magic, he welcomed its healing properties, and immediately the pain in his arm ebbed away. It took a moment for his brain to register the nerves, and at once he felt the wind on his skin. Before he had a chance to properly thank the woman, she slithered away, once more taking the form of a snake, and disappeared into the brush.

Still, with his arm renewed, Lewis felt as though he could resume the fight. He tested his grip strength on the hilt of his rope dart, and smirked. Back in action. Almost immediately he dove back into the battle, this time taking care to steer clear of the Plaguers, lest he end up in a similar situation. He bounced off of a rather large Chomper, goading it to bite into one of its fellow Void beasts. Taking advantage of the momentary crossfire, he threw his rope dart, sending a shockwave through it, blasting both of the Void beasts in a single move.

Lewis spun on his heel, ripping the rope dart from the deceased Void beasts, and arced it wide around, sending electricity down the rope as it wrapped around another one of the twisted. He pulled hard, yanking the beast towards him, drawing his dagger and stabbed it directly where the head of a human would be. It struggled against the rope for a moment before succumbing. Lewis released his death grip on it, and turned to see where the tide of battle was going.

They were winning. But there was something about it all that felt off. Why do I have this sense of dread? Danwe had taught him to heed his feelings. But in the case, what could he even do about it? Was this really the end of the world?