Boats were admittedly a new experience. The rocking was similar to flying through turbulence, but my feet were grounded.

As much as I wanted to be out on the deck, the generals had ordered me to remain below deck. I had no idea how long we had been here, silently sitting in our organized teams as the boat bobbed along.

However, I knew when we were close to the island. Despite my inability to see it, I sensed the concentration of black magic leaking from the island. It made my hair rise on end. I managed to refrain from extending my claws onto the metal floor and saving everyone's ears from the horrid sound.

Saki cast a concerned glance in my direction but didn't break the silence. She subtly scooted a bit closer to me. Admittedly, her presence made me feel a bit better. However, she knew what my tensing meant. We're close.

Suddenly, the lights on the wall turned green.

"GO! GO! GO!" The generals yelled as they each opened a wide door and ran onto the deck. Saki jumped onto my back and hooked herself to the custom harness the military provided.

Once they reached the side of the deck, the Stellans jumped into the air, spreading the magical wings formed by the magical cloth of their capes.

I followed behind, flying with my team the last remaining feet between the ship and the shore.

Typically, only high-class or high-rank Stellans could afford the kind of cloth that granted wings. However, the military had passed out the items to the main strike forces. The rest had to row siege boats.

The beach was silent and unassuming as it neared, the waves crashing on the sun-warmed sand and the palms waving in the wind. Everything looked pristine, much different than the marred landscape I remembered. However, the lingering dark magic over the island made my skin prickle. I felt Saki tighten her grip on the harness, but I couldn't do anything to soothe her.

Admittedly, I had never seen the island from above, and I couldn't find landmarks I remembered. Despite the unexpected differences, I remained certain this was the correct place.

When the trees offered no openings, Courage and Helios landed on the beach, followed by myself and the rest of the squad. Once I safely landed, Saki slid off of my back and looked at the trees with wide eyes.

"Let's move out!" The head general motioned to follow as she stormed towards the tree. She folded her dark feathered wings beneath her cape as she strode across the warm sand.

Other squadrons landed around us and bolted toward the trees with weapons and magic at the ready for monsters lurking within the trees.

I grit my teeth, forcing aside the hesitation within my mind as I jogged through to the trees. I lead the team through the underbrush bordering the beach.

My senses tingled as we entered the forested interior, but I immediately noticed the marred landscape. There is an illusion over the island. I didn't want to voice it, but suspected it was a one-way barrier. I knew I couldn't pass, and I suspected none of the Stellans would be able to either.

Though there were some new scratches on the trees and rocks, I managed to notice a few older marks I recognized as mine, despite other monsters' attempts to cover them up.

"I know where we are," I stated as I gained my bearings. "The nearest entrance to the complex is this way." I lead the way, ears alert. The forest was devoid of monsters, but I suspected it was only a matter of time before they swarmed the surface in full force.

Soon, we reached a dirtied metal door on the side of a small hill. Annoyingly, the doors remained sealed shut.

"Beast, help open these doors." Courage stormed forward and shoved a wooden wedge into the gap between the twometal doors.

With a huff, I approached and grabbed the door. My muscles strained as I pulled and a guttural growl escaped my throat. The gap slowly widened with an angry CREEEEEAAAK, then flew open so fast the head general and I went sprawling.

"BZZZZT INTRUDERS BZZZT! ATTACK!!! BZZZZT! The U.F.O.'s buzzing filled my ears as I stood to my feet.

Several of the metallic monsters swarmed out of the gap, their alarms blaring I sensed a mass of monsters racing towards the door and quickly summoned my armor. "Illus! Umbra!

Now!" | barked. "And all of you, get out of the way of the door!" I grabbed Courage by her collar and dragged her away from the doorframe as Illus and Umbra threw small spheres of gift magic at each member of the squadron. Thankfully, we could faintly see each other under the invisibility magic and hear everyone. I hoped the combination of stealth skills would be enough.

A swarm of monsters burst from the entrance as we hid to the sides of the doors. I glanced up at the U.F.O.s, which seemed confused by our sudden disappearance for now. I knew they could sense magic, but with so many monsters in one space, perhaps they were a bit confused. I hoped Umbra and Illus's magic worked well enough to fool them.

Helios summoned a blade from his magic, then jumped up and sliced one of the floating sentries in half as the stream of monsters petered out. The two halves of the metallic creature sparked and buzzed quietly in a mix of electricity and dark magic.

Quartz quickly used a spell to dispatch the second U.F.O. with a simple blade spell, the damaged sentry unit spiraling and hitting the ground.

Courage raised her blade and attempted to slice through a U.F.O. near us with a loud CLANG! The head general gritted her teeth as she clung to her vibrating weapon, the edge blunted from the attempt.

The metallic being spun in the air, sporadically buzzing, but the noise of the attack attracted the attention of the remaining sentry and some of the monsters.

I silenced a growl as I grit my teeth, then slashed the dented sentry with magic extensions of my claws.

Though I failed to cut all the way through, the multiple deep slashes incapacitated the metallic object.

"We need to go in, now," I glanced down the hall as the last of the monsters passed through the door. Annoyingly, it started to close.

Courage seemed angrier than usual as she glared at me, then stormed through the closing door. I held the door open the best I could as the others went past me. However, when I passed through the door, my large form barely squeezed through the decreasing gap.

The dimly lit metal hallway was no more inviting than the hoard of monsters that now swarmed the marred forest outside. It was short and soon branched.

"Here." Helios passed Courage a blade of magic with a huff before he formed another in his hand. He glanced at me with a steely glare.

"Give me a second, I need some time to remember. I haven't been here in years and there are fewer landmarks." I raised my nose slightly, trying to let my senses guide me. The entire building was full of dark magic residue and muddled my senses. After a pause, I quickly turned right. "This way."

"How far away is it?" Shinestar asked as she kept pace.

I waited to answer until I recognized our location a bit more. "Not too far, but we need to go deeper." I turned down the first left. "There's a staircase at the end of the hall, a door to his chambers is in there."

However, I quickly stopped as a concerningly familiar monster blocked our path. "I sssssensssssse you." Nageneral's serpentine form coiled in the hall, her form ready to strike. "Ssssssoooooo, reveal yoursssssselvesssss."

"It can't see us," Quartz stated in a hushed voice. He brandished his axe and infused it with his durability-increasing gift.

"She knows we're here, this is not a monster to diminish," I stated. "Second in command, Nageneral." I felt Saki tense next to me. Part of me wanted to turn and run, but I knew we had to fight. I was at least thankful that Umbra's gift let us speak without others hearing.

"If you won't, I'II MAKE YOU!" The snake monster screeched in fury and barred her long fangs as she surged towards us. Her lunge split the group like a boat slicing through ocean waves

1 quickly retaliated, lunging onto the massive monster. I bit as hard as I could, but her hard, scaled hide repelled my attempt. Though I tried, I couldn't drain any of her magic.

"THERE!" Nageneral grabbed my neck with a clawed hand, her hooded neck flaring with glowing red patterns. She hissed furiously and squeezed, but my armor thankfully protected me from choking. "I know who you are now, failure."

"Hoshi!" Saki cried out as I squirmed, trying to claw my way out of the snake monster's grasp before she crushed my armor with sheer strength. The young Stellan threw a spell into Nageneral's eyes, causing the creature to furiously hiss and recoil as she dropped me.

"YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT!" the snake beast roared and slashed wildly in Saki's direction, her sharp claws thankfully missing. Infuriated, she wildly threw a dark spell. Thankfully, Saki avoided the monster's attack.

Courage slashed with the magic sword, managing to gash Nageneral's arm with the mana blade.

Helios followed up, slashing at the monster's hard scales before jumping out of range of her retaliation.

Illus stabbed Nagageneral's side with a magic-infused dagger but had to leave the weapon impaled as he narrowly dodged a retaliating swipe.

Umbra, using magic to stick to the wall near the ceiling, launched a barrage of magic pellets at the serpentine monster.They pelted her scales like glittery rain, pocketing Nageneral's shiny scales with burning blemishes.

"HOW MANY OF YOU ARE THERE!" Master's right hand thrashed in fury, trying to locate her foes

"REVEAL YOURSSSSSELVESSS YOU COWARDSSSSSS!"

"Shinestar!" Quartz held up his axe, already infused with the officer's durability magic.

Shinestar quickly infused her strength-increasing magic into Quartz, then himself as Quartz infused his gift into the sergeant's mace. Together, they charged, dodging Nageneral's angry attacks. Their weapons slammed into the snake woman, causing her to angrily hiss as she staggered.

"ENOUGH!" Nageneral released a wave of black magic in all directions.

I spread my wings to protect my Stellans companions and absorbed as much as possible. However, when the pulse of dark magic hit me, the invisibility magic faded. Though I protected Saki, Helios, and Courage, the others were visible.

"There you are!" Nageneral hissed and slashed her claws.

I narrowly dodged, growling at my serpentine opponent. I hoped Saki was still safe, I lost the ability to see her and the others I protected when the dark magic destroyed my invisibility. I growled and blasted Nageneral in the face with a bolt of golden magic. She recoiled in fury but was annoyingly unscathed.

"You traitorous failure!" the monster screamed and blasted anger-fuel spells at me.

I narrowly dodged the acid projectile, the floor sizzling where I had stood just seconds before. "You are losing your touch," I mocked. My plan thankfully worked, the serpentine creature's full attention clinging to my golden hide and away from my Stella companions. I stepped to my left, growling, and crouched like I was readying an attack.

Thankfully, my plan worked. Nageneral lunged toward me with claws tipped with dark magic. I blocked with a barrier, though the powerful monster's attack sprouted a web of cracks upon impact. "Weakling," Nageneral hissed as she struck my magic wall with her other claws.

My shield shattered in a flurry of sparkles and I narrowly dodged the monster's follow-up attack. Most of the time, my light magic armor and shields made monsters recoil and burn from contact. Nageneral, however, seemed almost unfazed by my defenses. She must have enough dark magic in her that what my barriers counter isn't enough to hurt her. I mentally growled.

Quartz, despite the lack of invisibility, charged forward with his axe raised and re-infused with his star gift. His swipe deeply gashed the naga's side, and immediately gathered the serpent's attention.

Nageneral swiftly retaliated, her dagger-like claws slicing across Quartz's face, causing the officer to blindly stagger.

"Hey! Slime string!" I taunted as I lunged onto the monster's back, biting into one of her wounds. Thanks to the slice in her scales, I could drain Nageneral's dark magic and replenish my own. For a few moments, she slashed wildly at invisible targets and left me alone. However, I only stole a fraction of her energy before she eventually furiously grabbed me, crushing my armor in her gasp as she threw me at Shinestar and Quartz.

Her sharp talons left wounds that bled, and Quartz and Shinestar's weapons poked me through my weakened armor. "Are you ok?" I kept my eyes on the opposing monster as I stood, infuriated. I quickly repaired my armor, the damage from Nageneral disappearing in a swirl of sparkling gold.

The comrades I squashed slowly recovered, sitting up while I guarded their positions.

"I'm fine," Quartz sat up, and I sensed his durability gift infused into himself.

Shinestar, however, winced as she moved, a deep gash in her side between her armor. "I've been better," she admitted, wincing as she held her red-stained side. "I landed on my mace, but it's not the worst damage I've received." She gritted her teeth as she withheld a pained groan.

"I'm not good with healing magic," I apologized as I blocked a wild blast of magic with a barrier spell.

Umbra distracted the naga monster with a small barrage of magic bolts while Illus lunged with a magic-enhanced lance. The weapon pierced Nageneral's side and the being of dark magic angrily screeched.

She blasted Illus in the face with a glob of black poison, then barely missed Umbra as he dodged another blob of sticky purple goop.

I glanced back at Shinestar, then fortified the barrier between them and Nageneral. "Stay behind this, it should hold." Without waiting for an answer, I surged towards the monster, hoping the still-invisible Saki or generals were not in my direct path.

I lunged at Nageneral, claws outstretched and teeth bared. Thankfully, my target was distracted by an invisible enemy. I tacked the serpent with my full weight, sinking my teeth and claws into the static-leaking wounds opened by my comrades. She toppled from the impact, her long-form writhing as she attempted to force me off. I clung to the snake's scaled hide as she continued to thrash, rapidly draining as much dark magic as I could.

Suddenly, Nageneral collapsed, a slice clean through her form. When she hit the ground, she exploded in a plume of dark mist. The explosion of static-like dark magic flew in all directions, canceling out the invisibility magic on Saki and the generals. I quickly absorbed as much as possible, but some of the delicious dark energy fizzled out in the air.

Admittedly, I felt more powerful than ever. I could not remember the last time I had this much dark energy. I can do anything I want with this much power! I barely restrained a laugh as I grinned to myself.

"Hoshi?" Saki's voice trembled slightly as she gently pressed some magic into my side.

I hissed in pain and jumped back, caught off guard. I caught my growl and called my angered glare as soon as I saw Saki's petrified face. "Thanks," I stated for an unknown reason as I refocused on the task at hand. As Saki calmed down, I glanced over at the rest of my team.

Helios stood where Nageneral's head once lay, his magic blade held in a white-knuckled grasp. He panted as if that was the only outlet for his anger.

I looked around for Saki, then relaxed when I noted she was ok.

"Let's get moving before more monsters come." Courage stated as she stomped towards the door Nageneral had been guarding.

"Sir, we have injured." Quartz spoke as he continued to wrap Shinestar's wounds in gauze.

Umbra kneeled next to where Illus laid collapsed on the ground. "I know a few healing spells, but I'll need some time."

Saki frowned and approached Shinestar. She gently pressed a healing spell into his side, but I suspected her wound was greater than Saki could heal.

I hesitated and looked back the hallway from where we came. I sensed a mass of dark energy coming, though I couldn't tell if it was one monster or multiple. "More are coming," I growled furiously with my gaze focused around the dark bend down the metallic hall.

"We don't have time to stay here." Courage growled.

"Set up a beacon," Quartz stood and stepped down the hallway. "Umbra heals, I fight, you end this." His magic righteously flared.

Courage made a face as if she was disgusted by the order, but when she opened her mouth, Helios spoke. "Courage, there's no time for this, let's move!"

"When we win, most of the small monsters should disappear," I promised with a nod towards Umbra and Quartz, then took the lead down the hall.