Thokath hummed when he cleaned his chess pieces and was inspecting them for any chipped parts. It’s early morning butlers and maids are yet to come in and start on breakfast. That's fine though Thokath enjoys the stillness that settles over the house like a sleeping mouse.

However, he found his peace interrupted when he heard two firm knocks on the front doors. Thokath’s brows were knitted together. The maids and butlers never knocked. Thokath stood up from his place and walked toward the door. He opened it and his eyes narrowed at who was standing before him, Azriel.

Azriel’s tail flicked back and forth,

“hello lord Thokath, I do hope your day is going well.”

Thokath huffed and stood out of the way allowing Azriel to enter,

“I assume you're here about Lexy?”

Azriel nodded,

“Yes, I am. How is she?”

Thokath gave a soft smile,

“She's doing fine. No incidents yet with the apostles.”

Azriel nodded,

“Good, you do know what's at stake here, yes?”

Thokath shook his head,

“I have a few theories as to why Tethys herself would have an interest in her. But I think I'd like to know what you have to say.”

Azriel nodded,

“That child is the guardian and more. I can't tell you why but there is one more thing. If she dies it will result in Orien’s freedom. So if I deem you fail in the role of guardianship I will take her in my custody.”

Thokath narrowed his mouth into a fine line,

“That’s why those cultists want to kill her. But while you're here tell me.”

Thokath leaned forward and his expression was cold,

“Are they why she has those scars?”

Azriel sighed,

“I'm not allowed to tell you that.”

Before Thokath could say another word the cat was gone.

*****

Lexy woke up to barking and sighed,

“I’m up.”

She said when she put on a soft blue hoodie, black shirt, and black pants. She equipped her utility belt and headed out of her room.

Varikin stood up and followed Lexy downstairs and then to the dining room.

Lexy, as usual, sat next to Carin as she ate breakfast with the others. She quickly finished “alright and I am off.”

Thokath nodded,

“See you later.”

Lexy smiled,

“yup, Later.”

Lexy and Varikin left the mansion and entered the forest. She put a hand on Varkin and thought of the rebellion's base door. She opened her eyes and saw the door was set on top of an open plateau. Lexy began her way to the training area only to be stopped by Alcore.

He sighed,

“oh there you are, I was looking for you. We have a new mission for you that’s tomorrow.”

Lexy’s brows furrowed,

“Wait for tomorrow? And what do you mean by we?”

Alcore smirked,

“you and all available wonder wolf pairs. Will be working with all other squads for this mission.”

Lexy turned to Varikin and shared a confused glance with him and then turned back to Alcore,

“What does this mission entail?”

Alcore smirked,

“I knew you would ask that. I’ll tell you here since everyone else has already been briefed. The king will be attending his favorite opera with some high-ranking nobles. We will be making a surprise visit there. Not to kill the king but as a final warning.”

Lexy smirked,

“This sounds fun and ironic.”

Alcore noded,

“Yes and for this to work I need one final element and I was wondering if you had an idea on keeping people in the theater without using blockades. Blockades take time to build. Time we would not have.”

Lexy hummed,

“Do you have any metal cord?”

Alcore nodded,

“Yes, but it's kind of thin.”

Lexy smirked,

“All the better means less will notice. Ok next question, do you have someone with lightning magic?”

Alcore raised a brow,

“yes?”

Lexy put her hands together a mischievous glint in her eyes,

“Perfect, alright what you can do is you take this medal cord and wrap it around the doorknobs and handles. All used to open an entrance or exit. Then you have your lightning magic user have electricity flow through the cord.”

Alcore smiled and nodded,

“Got it, thank you.”

Lexy returned the smile,

“You are welcome, sir.”

Alcore watched Lexy leave with Varikin,

“dang, I forgot to ask what a nitwit is.”

Lexy smiled and resumed heading to the training arena Varikin’s expression knitted into one of thinking,

“Hey, Lexy, how do you know all these war tactics?”

She smiled,

“history books and to me a lot of this stuff is just based on everyday items and other stuff.”

Varikin nodded,

“got it so what exercise do you think the dearest captain will have us go through today.”

Lexy shrugged,

“with any luck, he will be busy overseeing this mission stuff.”

With that, the duo entered the training area and unlike previous instances, it looked like the normal training room she saw the first time she entered the room. In the room with them are Valour, Resper, Reba, Espa, Menarie, Zoric, Talo, Milo, Jackson, and Saylis. All the wonder wolves in the room are in their standard wolf form except Varikin.

Jackson turned to Lexy,

“oh good you’re here today we will be seeing just how well everyone has done with their wonder wolves. I’m going to have Varikin show me the largest form he can reach but first I’m going to do this with the others.”

Lexy nodded and got in the line with the others. Varikin hopped off her shoulder and went to his normal-sized wolf form.

First was Valour and Resper. Lexy watched in awe when Resper turned into a wolverine the size of a semi-truck.

Jackson nodded and jotted some notes onto a piece of parchment that’s on only what Lexy could assume to be a clipboard.

Next up Reba and Espa yet again Lexy could only watch in wonder when Espa turned into a Tiger the size of a semi-truck.

Third Menarie and Zoric. Lexy looked with panicked eyes as Zoric turned into a gorilla the size of a semi-truck.

Talo smirked when she and Milo were called,

“watch this loser.”

Lexy raised a brow,

“says the one who has a broken arm.”

Talo glares and passes without another word. Lexy watches with curiosity as Milo turns into a giant black leopard.

Jackson jotted down some notes,

“good you have improved now Lexy, Varikin you’re up.”

Lexy sighed and Talo snickered when she passed the girl,

“good luck beating that with your poor excuse for a mutt.”

Lexy was about to glare and retort, but she decided to hold her tongue. She and Varikin walk up to the cleared area.

Jackson turned to them,

“Remember the largest form.”

Lexy nodded and focused her energy on helping Varikin transform. The wolf could feel her anger from Talo’s comment and took the energy to transform into his Nevermore form.

Everyone looked in awe when Varikin was consumed in light and grew and grew.

Jackson's eyes widened and turned to Saylis,

“make the room larger.”

The snake nodded and the room enlarged to accompany the size of a ten-story building.

Talo looked up in terror at Varikin and back to Lexy who was glaring at her. She feels frozen with absolute fear while the others look in awe at Varikin who has now finished growing.

The beast looked to Talo and both Lexy and Varikin said in unison,

“How's that for a mutt?”

Jackson looked with wide eyes, whistled, and turned to see Lexy he said under his breath,

“Damn, what are you kid?” He looks up to Varikin “alright you can change back now.”

Varikin noded and changed back to his smaller wolf form. Lexy sighed,

“ok, I felt that and saw it.”

Jackson wrote down some more notes,

“Alright with that in place let's do some combat practice. Leo!”

Leo came through the doors a few other scientists trailed behind with large inventions that had four legs and what Lexy could only guess were lenses.

Leo glared at Jackson,

“I don’t know if this is a good idea. I know Alcore said it was fine since these are the ones that we can change the functions but really? Your squad against these are you mad? Sure the lower models were built for training but these are meant for the field. You know kill”

Jackson smirked,

“Just prepare for your robots to need repairs.”

He then looked to Lexy and Varikin,

“Also how are those splitter arrows coming?”

Leo followed Jackson’s gaze,

“oh is that why you wanted more of them. Well if you remember the splitters, we had been at the experimental stage, so we don’t have a solid blueprint yet. Unlike you, I have a thing called patience.”

He said with sarcasm

Jackson shrugged “tell me have you ever heard of someone single-handedly taking out a battalion?”

Leo shook his head,

“not counting Alcore, no.”

Jackson turned to his squad,

“alright most of you know the drill however for those who don’t I’ll explain. It's simple to blow these things to the high sky’s or his preference” he said while he pointed to Leo “just disable them.”

Lexy nodded,

“got it.”

Jackson smirked and then nodded to Leo.

Leo and the other scientists walk up to the ten machines, pull a cord, and then tap a few buttons. When the machines come to life steam and sparks come from them when they begin to move toward the group.

Lexy pulled her fathers’ blade from its sheath,

“Varikin go into your ferret form and see if you can find a loose part on these things.”

Varikin nods and goes into his ferret form and begins looking for an opening while dodging the stomping legs of the machines.

One of the machines stopped ten feet before Lexy and it hopped into the air while changing the tips of its legs into blades.

Lexy tuck and rolled. Barely dodging the near-fatal attack. But then she saw it on the underbelly of the machines was exposed gears.

Lexy hopped to her feet and saw Espa in her tiger form pin down one of the machines while Reba came in and shut the machine down by flipping a switch underneath a panel.

Lexy turned back to the machine that was charging back at her with its blades whirring. She slid under the robot while cutting one of its legs off.

The machine quickly leaped into the air and fired a few small darts at the girl.

Leo smiled,

“Well, at least that works.”

While the other scientist writes down some notes.

The machine fighting Lexy along with the other six hopped into the air and the machines within a blink began burrowing under the ground.

Lexy looked to Leo and back to the hole,

“Are they supposed to do that?”

Leo looked with panic,

“uh, I thought that function was disabled?”

Jackson slapped his head and pinched his brow,

“and THIS is exactly why Alcore hasn’t approved these for the battlefield yet.”

Leo glared,

“and THIS is why I said they weren't meant for training!” The other scientists begin to worry and talk amongst themselves.

Lexy and all the other squad members begin to feel the ground rumble. Lexy quickly understood what was about to happen leaped from her spot just in time to dodge the robot attacking from the ground.

While the others exploit this to turn them off leaving three left.

Varikin hopped off the machine still in his ferret form and Lexy realized he was on it when it burrowed into the ground.

Her eyes widen “are you ok?” she says while picking up her companion.

The ferret nodded,

“yea ill be fine but it would be really convenient if you put that to use.”,

He said pointing to her fathers’ blade.

Lexy dodged another attack from one of the mechanical beasts.

“What do you mean? I have been using it.”

Varikin shook his head,

“You know well what I'm talking about! The magic, Lexy use your magic!”

Lexy nodded and focused her magic on the blade while she dodged a few more attacks. Dark purple tendrils of magic began to seep from the rune on the blade and unlike before. This time the tendrils wrap around the blade and it grows in length by a few inches.

Lexy looked in awe at the blade,

“Thank you, dad.”

Lexy took a swing in the air directed at her opponent and she smirked when the blade launched a slash of dark purple magic at the machine.

The magic latched onto the machine and spread over it until it was covered in a layer of magic and then everyone heard the sound of metal being twisted and broken. The structure collapsed on itself. With a loud pop and hiss, this left a black scorch mark on the ground.

Leo, Varikin, Jackson, and everyone but Lexy look in horror or awe.

Leo glanced at Jackson fear in his eyes,

“Is THAT what happened to those soldiers when they got stuck with the split arrows!”

Jackson nodded his face reflected the same fear as Leo,

“Yeah, that’s exactly what happened.”

Leo looked back to Lexy. She looked in confusion at the horrified faces,

“What's wrong? What did I do?”

Talo sneered,

“I told you, you didn’t belong here.”

While the other three smile and whisper something to their wonder wolves.

Resper was the first to come up to Lexy who was still in his Wolverine form with Valour behind,

“That was freaky but cool. Cool but freaky.”

While Espa, Reba, Menarie, and Zoric just stare with curiosity.

Jackson sighed,

“Alright, I think that’s enough for today. Now I want all of you to go to bed early. We leave before dawn. Lexy, have you been briefed on tomorrow?”

Lexy nodded and put away her father’s knife,

“Yes sir.”

The dragon-blooded huffed while smoke came out of his nose “good now go to bed. All of you.”

The group nodded,

“yes sir!” they all said together.

Varikin hopped onto Lexy’s shoulder in his ferret form and the two left the training room.

Leo sighed,

“Damn, we're really doing this. I'd almost say it’s a dream.”

Jackson nodded,

“as much as I would love to say otherwise but I’m going to have to agree.”

Leo hummed,

“Do you want me to do a magic-type test for her? For how destructive it is, I'm surprised you’re not worried about her getting out of control.”

Jackson sighed and merely nodded,

“do it a day after the mission.”

Leo noted this down,

“ Got it well, we all need a good rest tonight with tomorrow and all.” Leo and his companions then grab their machines and leave.

Leo was the last to leave and is stopped by Lexy,

“Hi Leo, I have a quick question.”

The man hummed,

“mm ok shoot.”

Lexy smiled,

“Do you have a bag big enough for my uniform and my mech to fit in? This way I can be ready by the time I get her.”

Leo smiled,

“yea the standard-sized ones should do. There are a few spares in the lab. I'll have Cody show you.”

Lexy smiled and nodded.

*****

The blood king studied the poster advertisement for an opera tomorrow in his hands and settled it down on a table. He stood before his twenty-three generals. They look at him with concern, one of them stands up, Fenic,

“So you’re saying sir that you are going to use yourself as bait and you do not want us to engage only to have our men watch?”

The blood king noded,

“Yes, that is exactly what I want them to do. General, do I need to reexplain to you. Or should we discuss that little rebel that only became that because of you?” He said dangerously

Fenic’s eyes widened with fear,

“no! no, my king you need not re-explain. I-I was merely making sure.”

The blood king tilted his head and gave a cruelly kind smile,

“Are you sure? Because if you have any problems by all means speak. I’m sure we would love to hear any extra opinions. If you don’t feel able to talk comorbidly here I’m sure I could arrange a dinner”

His eyes glowed an eerie red at certain words

The general fiercely shook his head,

“no I- I’m fine.”

The king nodded,

“Good now, any more interruptions?”

Everyone shook their heads no,

“good because once our men have found where the little mousses hideout is. We strike.”

They all nodded,

“yes sir!”