The group stood in uncomfortable silence, confused and unnerved by the black Parkahund form the Moon Spirit had assumed. "Why is he a dog?" Lola asked.

"Sometimes we like to take material forms that are more inconspicuous," Amah replied. "Tsu, what’s the matter?"

"You must pack up your camp at once," Tsu instructed. "Mikaboh passed by south from here not long ago, and his plans are already in motion. You cannot afford to waste time."

Doug, within earshot of the conversation, began directing everyone to begin packing things into the caravan. "Get everything ready! We need to get moving!" he demanded.

Jakea, Betty, and Uzhu rushed into the rear car, each of them carrying a stack of flatware, food, and table linens. Wesley and Carter followed carrying a dining table they’d been eating from, only to get it stuck in the rear car’s doorway. "Marion, you need to tilt it toward you!" Carter insisted.

Lola turned her attention back toward Tsu. "What was the ’new information’ you were talking about?"

The black Parkahund stared at her with a cold and unemotional expression. "Investigation by Sarhu of the underground revealed the Tectonic Seal is still intact," he began. "We deduced that Mikaboh found some way to escape it and the ward did not need to be strengthened: meaning that Amah is not responsible for his escape. The Grand Spirits have moved to amend her punishment."

Lola’s ears perked up. "So you’re here to return her to her Spirit form?"

"No," Tsu responded. "It is true she is not responsible for Mikaboh’s release. This does not mitigate the fact that she violated the laws of nature by restoring a dead being to life. The Order cannot overlook this fact, and for that reason she shall remain flesh and blood."

Amah’s face fell.

"The Grand Spirits, however, devised a more productive revision to her punishment," he continued. "She shall remain bound to the material realm, fighting alongside the Worldly Sages as a fellow champion to quell the threat Mikaboh and his forces pose."

"But I have no power in this form!" Amah argued. "How could they expect me to fight alongside powerful magic users?"

"Well, we’re not all that powerful yet," Lola chimed in.

"I will bequeath to you a royal treasure of our family, long thought lost," Tsu replied.

The black Parkahund turned his head. His stoic expression turned uncomfortable as he began hacking and retching loudly. The tip of an old sword slowly extended out of his mouth as he continued gagging and wheezing. Lola and Venice winced at the display. After a few more moments of disgusting noises, he spit up a long, iron sword onto the grass. It was a long, wide blade that directly joined its grip and completely lacked a guard. Worn, likely ancient iron made up its entire construction.

"The Grass-Cutter Sword?" Amah pondered out loud. "You could have chosen a better way to present it to me."

"This was quicker," Tsu defended. "A group of priests recovered it a few months ago and recently presented it to us. The Grand Spirits imbued it with the amendment to your punishment. The moment you take hold of it, it will return most of your magic."

"And what about tall, pale, and creepy?" Lola asked.

"He has fused countless Bogba’el into the workings of a machine from An Domhan; some type of vehicle," Tsu began. "And his forces are riding it on what appears to be a straight path aiming for Prithvi."

"Do you have any idea what he’s planning?" Venice inquired.

Tsu shook his head. "No, but I’d wager it’s in the world’s best interest to not let him reach Prithvi before we find out. So, I suggest you get going. I will do my best to lead you to him."

The black Parkahund quickly dissolved into a ball of bright, blue light and took off toward the horizon. Sputtering machinery clattered in the background as the auto-caravan started moving. "You guys had better get inside before I leave you behind!" Doug called from the front car.

A brief vision of a Bogba’el flashed before Lola’s eyes again. She shook her head, temporarily dismissing the memory. "I’m going ahead," she announced. "You guys can catch up."

"Lola, don’t be daft!" Venice protested.

She took off in a rush, the scenery around her flying by at incredible speed as the ground beneath her feet caught fire yet again. "Lola, wait!" the carpenter called after her.

He and Ruark ran after the auto-caravan, attempting to catch up with it as Amah stood still, her eyes drifting to the ancient sword on the grass. Taking a deep breath, she reached down and took hold of the handle. White-hot energy erupted from the weapon, coursing up her arm and into her body. As she rose, the sword in her hands, blazes of golden mana circled the air around her.

With a flash, she recalled the energy to her and reshaped her clothing. Her long robe became a shorter, bright white hakama lined with crimson and gold etchings. She raised the blade behind her hairline and without hesitation sliced her long hair down to the length of her shoulders. With a snap of her fingers, she conjured a red ribbon that tied her remaining hair into a tight bun above her head.

Filled to the brim with power, she took off in the same direction as the Buhund, flying through the air. Within a matter of seconds, she managed to catch up to the dog and match her speed. "You should listen to your human!" the Sun Spirit scolded.

Lola looked beside her, almost tripping at the sight of Amah. "How did you—"

Amah laughed. "I have a better half of the magic that I possessed as the High Spirit of the Sun. Did you think I wouldn’t be able to catch up with you?"

A boisterous whistle echoed from behind them as the auto-caravan caught up to them, struggling to match their speed as they continued chasing after Tsu. Venice was leaning out the open door of the rear car. "You haven’t eaten since breakfast!" he called after Lola. "You’re going to burn yourself out!"

He tightened his grip around what appeared to be a pastry and threw it to the Buhund. Instinctively, she clamped her jaws around it and chewed it up, detecting a sweet and familiar flavor. "Red bean bread?" she asked with a full mouth.

"Jakea said you liked it!" the carpenter called back. "Which is why I hope you’re going to be okay with eating about ten more of them!"

Still running at full speed, Lola swallowed. "I really love my human."

Amah burst out laughing as Venice tossed her roll after roll of red bean bread.

#

With the auto-caravan following behind her and Amah alongside her, she continued running after the ball of light. The moon hung brightly in the sky by the time they found any sign of Mikaboh’s machine.

Sinister and noisy, the vehicle let off an eerie yellow glow as it galloped along. It released a cry that sounded like a cross between the whistle of a train and an ethereal scream. "That thing is horrifying," Lola proclaimed.

"He always seemed to favor disturbing over practical," Amah sighed.

The auto-caravan pulled up beside them, Doug sticking his head out of the driver car’s window. "It appears that the engine is sealed behind that passenger car they have attached," he called out to them. "You’ll need to enter there first to confront him."

"You’re not coming with us?" Lola asked.

The elder Sage shook his head. "Hey, someone’s got to drive this thing!"

There was a boom as the door between the driver’s car and the center car flew open. "Get yer rear over there with the others and let someone else take the wheel," Betty’s voice commanded.

Lola could see her walk up to Doug and push him out of the way through the window. She causally cracked her knuckles before taking hold of the auto-caravan’s controls. Doug opened his mouth to protest. "What do you—"

"Is yer head so far up yer behind that you forgot other Regional Sages strive to be skilled engineers as well, cher?" Betty inquired. "You’re the one with combat skills, so get over there with the others while I drive this ridiculous thing."

Doug hesitated for a split second before turning and running out of the driver’s car.

An otherworldly screech drew Lola’s attention away from the auto-caravan, as a wave of Bogwraiths erupted out of the evil spirit’s vehicle. The sight of countless yellow eyes peeking out from under their rags sparked the memory of her mother’s death. In an instant, she found herself cowering behind a shrubbery, once again a puppy that was powerless to stop the monster.

"Lola!" Amah’s voice called to her.

The Sun Spirit’s voice drew her back to the present. She was still running, still facing down a swarm of Bogwraiths, even in spite of the horrifying memory in the forefront of her mind. "Remember what Ruark said," Amah reminded her.

The Buhund inhaled deeply. "Just breathe," she uttered to herself. "It’s just a memory, a thought. I’m not there; I’m here."

"You’re not going to be here or there if you let those things get you," a voice sounded inside of her mind.

Amah looked at her, puzzled. "Where is that voice coming from?"

"You can hear it, too?" Lola inquired.

"Enough banter!" the voice interrupted. "Draw me and let us dispatch these monstrosities!"

It finally occurred to her where the voice was coming from. "It’s the Chakram," Lola announced. "The Chakram talks! Why does it talk?"

Amah positioned the Grass-Cutter Sword defensively in front of herself. "We can figure that out later," she remarked.

The Buhund reached her head back and unlatched the Chakram from her harness. It blazed with a bright violet light as she took hold of it. "Can you spiral through the air with your speed?" the weapon asked her.

Lola’s mind momentarily shot back to her experience destroying a parasitic mandrake and how she’d corkscrewed through the air to burrow through it. "Yes!"

The Chakram chuckled. "Then let us treat these horrible creatures to a spiral cut."

Without further prompting, the Buhund leapt into the air in mid-stride and spiraled forward with a violet flash. The Bogwraiths cried out in agony as the weapon’s energy atomized away parts of their forms, leaving all of them barely straggling through the air.

Lola exited her spiral, landing back on the ground running at full speed. With the intention of retaliating against her, a single Bogwraith swooped down toward her. She turned, the Chakram still in her jaws, to find Amah had already intercepted the attack.

The Sun Spirit effortlessly knocked the monster away before closing in on it with a resounding slash of her sword. Without a sound, the Bogwraith’s form evaporated in a cloud of grey smoke, as a Bogba’el slithered away from where it once stood in fear.

"Strike them down!" The Sun Spirit commanded. "We and the others won’t stand a chance of getting to that machine if they’re not done away with."

"Didn’t they used to be humans?" Lola hesitated.

"They used to," Amah replied. "The Bogba’el that Mikaboh fused inside of them consumed their souls; there’s not a shred of who they used to be left within them. They can’t even be reincarnated anymore! Don’t hesitate now!"

Another injured Bogwraith swooped down, screeching hatefully toward the Buhund. Before it could reach her, it spasmed and cried out in pain. "Don’t touch my dog!" Venice’s voice called from the auto-caravan.

Lola turned her head to see him standing on the roof of the sleeper car, a crossbow in his hands and a furious glare on his face. "Spirits in the Salt," he began reciting. "Burn bright as day, aide my assault and drive this evil away!"

He fired a barrage of sea salt-coated arrows at the creatures, not a single one of them missing. The projectiles hissed as they lodged themselves in the Bogwraiths’ bodies. In several bursts of grey smoke, numerous Bogba’el fled back toward Mikaboh’s machine in a cacophony of screams. Only a single Bogwraith was left. It floated in the air after them, motionless aside from its effort to keep up with them. Destroy me, it begged.

Amah and Lola ran, speechless at the monster’s request. Destroy me and stop mother. Make her pay for doing this to her own child. Now … Destroy me.

A realization washed over the Buhund: this monster was formerly Reanja’s child, the Spoiled Earl. Her heart pounded as the creature swooped down in front of her and brought itself face-to-face with her. Destroy … Me.

Lola drew back before launching herself and the Chakram into another forward spiral. "I’m sorry!"

As she spun forward the weapon’s light engulfed the creature’s form, dissolving it down to nothing, but a simple Bogba’el that slithered away exactly as the others had.

Amah flew up beside her. "Are you all right?" the Sun Spirit asked.

"This will all end soon. Save your concerns for later," the Chakram spoke.

Lola sped up, Amah barely matching her speed. "How sharp is that blade?" the dog inquired.

Amah peered down at the weapon in her hands. "It’s one of the most powerful swords in existence," she answered. "It can’t harm Mikaboh, but it may be able to damage his machine."

"I can’t see an entrance to the passenger car," the Buhund explained. "I need you to make us one."

The Sun Spirit nodded and extended the grass-cutter sword in front of her. As she attempted to get close, the vehicle swayed back and forth to prevent her from closing in. Both of them groaned in frustration as it suddenly swung toward them in an attempt to crush them.

A long vine extended from behind them and attached to the vehicle, binding its side-to-side movement. Lola turned back to see Jakea standing atop the auto-caravan, the vine extending from a bracelet around her wrist. Venice, Aurora, and Rook stood beside her in bewilderment.

"You remember that branch in the glass case that Doug smuggled out of Luce Vera?" she inquired aloud. "It’s a little thing called the Kudzuthorn Flail; one of the most powerful wood elemental weapons in existence. And thanks to some persuasion, it now listens to me."

Doug climbed up onto the roof from behind her, scrambling to his feet. "Not a bad plan, but let’s work with something that doesn’t keep you bound here."

The elder Sage split his walking stick into two halves, holding each half in an opposite hand. Within two seconds, the pieces had both regrown into full-sized staffs. He threw one over his shoulder, then held the other one above his head with both his hands and began to swing it downward. As he brought the walking stick down, it rapidly grew into a fully-grown tree that extended the full gap between the auto-caravan and Mikaboh’s vehicle. It slammed into the opposing train with tremendous force, easily embedding itself into the metal.

"Come on now, let’s make our way across!" Doug demanded.

The vine connected to Jakea’s wrist retracted back toward her, taking the shape of a green bracelet as she dashed across the tree trunk.

Lola turned her glance back to Amah. "Now’s your chance!"

Taking a deep breath, the Sun Spirit raised her sword and made several quick slashes at the side of the car, cutting away a pentagonal opening in its side. She reached down and grabbed Lola by her harness in mid-run, lifting up the Buhund and flying both of them into the vehicle’s interior. Gently, she touched down and lowered the dog onto the floor.

The inside of the passenger car was blindingly grey, devoid of any color whatsoever. An Ardian pattern ran across the carpet, where Mikaboh sat atop a large, black armchair, otherwise unmoved by their arrival. Alessa, Brooks, be dears and kill these two for us, would you?

Two figures dove out from behind the chair, both of them familiar faces sporting a new pair of red eyes with black scleras. Alessa stood in her same outfit, equipped with a new set of translucent knives hanging around her waist.

Colonel Brooks was no longer dressed in the rags that he wore earlier when fleeing Ruark’s assault. He had been fitted with newer, more dynamic black armor that covered every part of his body except his head. A crystalline longsword was clenched tightly in his hands.

"You just had to pick them, didn’t you?" Lola groaned.

Colonel Brooks swung his sword down at her, only to be deflected by Amah. The Sun Spirit locked him in mid-swing before jerking forward and pushing him backward into the wall behind Mikaboh. "We’re here for you, Mikaboh, not your minions." Amah dictated.

Alessa disappeared with a flicker, reappearing behind the Sun Spirit with her daggers poised to eviscerate. Amah effortlessly blocked and disarmed her, as the woman scrambled to retrieve her daggers from across the car. "Enough of this!" Amah demanded.

Mikaboh continued sitting unconcerned as his grin grew wider. "Why won’t you fight us yourself?" Lola interrogated.

She felt the wind knocked out of her as an unseen force tightened itself around her waist and neck. Gasping for breath, she turned to see Amah had also been bound by countless translucent chains. "I told you I was the most competent one here," Reanja gloated.

We suppose you were, Mikaboh replied. Now finish what you started, dearie.

"Stop!" Venice’s voice boomed.

Lola weakly turned to see that Venice and the rest of the group had made their way through the entrance Amah had cut into the car’s side.

Ruark stepped forward. "What is it with you and strangling innocent animals, sister?" he questioned. "Father always said you’d grow out of it, and yet eight hundred years later here we are. Maybe you’re just the psychopath the rest of the tribe always said you were?"

Reanja’s jaw dropped momentarily before she furiously clenched her teeth. "You should be dead."

Her chains loosened, unknowingly freeing Lola and Amah as she charged toward Ruark. Her chains loudly clashed and clattered against his ethereal swords as he began attempting to draw her out of the car. Focus, little witch. This trivial matter seems to be distracting you from your duties, Mikaboh chided. Defend the Broodrail, not your petty honor.

Lola shot a sideways glance at Amah. "He seriously named this thing The Broodrail?"

The Sun Spirit rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"It would figure that you can’t do anything without a pawn to do it for you, wouldn’t it, you overdressed court jester?" the Chakram’s voice heckled.

His eyes widened. Who addresses us this way?

"You don’t remember me?" the weapon asked. "How flattering. Here’s a refresher: you had me killed and separated me from the person I loved the most. Now I’m going to erase you from existence."

Idle threats. Nothingness cannot be felled or destroyed, Mikaboh scoffed.

Lola dashed forward, slashing the Chakram at the evil spirit. The blade buzzed through the air with a bright, violet glow. Mikaboh ghosted through his arm chair, narrowly evading with a cut on the back of his hand. Grey smoke hissed out of the wound. Impossible. Impossible, he seethed. Nothing from this realm can harm emptiness. Where did you find it?

Colonel Brooks charged back toward her, only to be intercepted by Wesley and Carter blocking him with their swords. "Nope. Leave the dog alone," Wesley commanded.

Alessa regained her composure and attempted to sneak up on Lola from behind, but Venice and Jakea stepped between her and the dog. "Sorry, low-life, you’re not going near her," the carpenter scolded.

Mikaboh clenched his wounded hand tightly, grinding his fangs. Bogwraiths, Reanja, Brooks, and Alessa … All of you destroy these interlopers. We demand it!

The back door of the car blew open and numerous Bogwraiths poured in, filling the air with screeches that drowned out any other sound. As the creatures began to descend upon them, a mass rolling rock plowed into the swarm and pinned them to the wall. While the pile of dazed Bogwraiths attempted to regain their sense, the large stone fell to the ground and unraveled into the form of stout, overweight Parkahund. "Rousers," Sam remarked.

Aurora struck a single cord on her guitar, sending a chill through the air, before beginning to strum an energetic and boisterous melody. Lola felt the energy of the girl’s music flowing into her as she began to sing.

You’ve been knocked down
Facedown on the ground
So, dust yourself off
Now’s not the time to stand down 

So, steel your heart
And still your mind
You can’t fall apart
With everything we’ve got on the line 

A newfound strength coursed through the Buhund as the Chakram in her jaws glowed even brighter. She dashed again toward Mikaboh, swinging the weapon wildly at him. Kill the bard, you fools! She’s strengthening their attacks! the evil spirit commanded.

It occurred to Lola that Mikaboh was barely dodging every slash she made at him. The glint of fear in his eyes told her that he was aware of what the weapon she held in her jaws could do. "You’re not even going to fight back?" she taunted.

Your blood may run cold
At the thought of what we’re facing
But you can’t fold
Even though your heart won’t stop racing

 Amah raised her sword. "Everyone get down!" the Sun Spirit announced.

Lola fell to the floor as Amah swung the blade with such force that it sliced the roof clean off the passenger car. Overwhelming wind resistance poured down upon them as the roof and the tree they’d used as a bridge to the car went flying into the distance behind them. The moonlight above was the only thing left illuminating their fight.

Mikaboh snarled. Idiots, heed our command. Kill. The. Bard.

Brooks broke away from Wesley and Carter, charging at Aurora in a blur. Everyone turned, watching in horror as the Colonel sped toward the young musician with his sword aiming right at her heart. "Aurora!" Lola called out.

Sam bolted up, putting himself between Aurora and the weapon with his back facing the blade. A small portion of his back turned to stone before it struck. The force of the blow rocketed him into the musician, both of them sliding across the floor as he landed. "Sam, you dullard!" Doug roared.

Using his staff, the elder Sage swept Colonel’s leg, knocking him to the ground. The staff’s wood extended into a mass of wood and tendrils that restrained Brooks. "Aurora, are you both all right?"

The musician looked up, cradling the old dog in her arms. "Sam can’t move," she sobbed. "I think his spine is broken!"

"You altruistic fool," Doug fumed. "I can’t heal an injury that serious."

Ruark turned his attention away from his fight with Reanja. "He looks so much like that wretched dog of yours," the witch taunted. "Such a similar expression when the life is draining out of their eyes."

The Spellsword roared in anger at her remark as he broke away from their fight and raced over to the injured Parkahund. He fell to his knees, hurriedly reciting a spell under his breath while he extended his flesh and blood hand to the dog’s back, a trickle of green energy flowing into the injury. "This should help."

Sam barked weakly. "Take it easy, now," Doug chided him.

Reanja’s chains slithered toward them only to be deflected by Wesley’s sword. "Did you guys forget we’re in the middle of a battle?" he asked.

Good. Now you should be all the easier for us to do away with, Mikaboh chuckled.

Lola turned back to him and dove at him with another slash of the Genesis Chakram. The evil spirit let out a low yelp as grey smoke hissed out of a new wound in his arm. "Not before we do away with you," Lola and the Chakram snarled in unison.    

Next Chapter: (Book 2) Chapter 13 - The Power to Sunder Nothingness