A Komainu's Roar

The walk back from the train station was one of somber feelings for Samarra. It was a good feeling to know that she had the support of the Toveri Alliance on her side, and that they would help her rescue all those who have been kidnapped by the dark guild Shattered Dusk. But she couldn't shake the sadness that came from her sister being one of the ones who was kidnapped after the dark mages destroyed her guild hall. Why wasn't I strong enough? Quick enough? Smart enough to protect my sister? Why did I let her out of my sight...I should have listened to her and let her fight alongside me...Well tomorrow I will not fail again! Samarra thought to herself as she made her way through town. The earth smelled of wet pavement from the earlier drizzle, and her petrichor brought a small smile to her face, despite her heavy heart. The citizens of Onibus Town who happened to be out that evening gave her looks of compassion, but all Samarra could feel was the sense of pity for what had happened to her guild. As she reached the outskirts of town and headed towards the neighboring forest, where her guild sat, she could see the broken ruins that Shattered Dusk made of her once great guild hall. The tori that marked the entrance of the guild property were broken in half. The Komainu statues set to guard the guild door were smashed to rubble. And the outside of the building was damaged beyond belief...remanence of the battle that took place yesterday could be seen in the large holes that covered the buildings face, in the broken glass and wood that laid on the deck, and in the drops of blood that speckled the floor. Samarra stepped inside and saw some of her members trying to pick up the pieces of the bar that was splintering to dust. She gives them a warm smile and makes her way to the  staircase to descend into the lowest level of her guild. She makes her way through the guild's library, thankful that most of the books it houses were not destroyed, for the upper level of the guild was where most of the battle took place. Finally stepping her way down to sub-level three, she sees that it has been turned into a makeshift infirmary, since the actual one was destroyed in the battle. was busy wrapping up and tending to many of the mages, and even the family members that has been present during the attack. When she appeared at the bottom of the staircase, many of Koma Inu's members looked towards her hopefully. "So how was the alliance meeting Lady Inari?" Arthur, one of the S class mages, asks his master. "There was some arrogant clashes, but they agreed to help us rescue those who were kidnapped." Samarra says with a small smile. An audible sigh could be heard from the collective group. Nova, the other S class Mage, who leaning against the wall, visibly relaxed; knowing that her mom will be back to safety soon. "Now what happens? When are we going to go get them back? I'm ready to deal some pain to those Shattered Dusk scum." Aiden says with a fire in his voice, although there was white bandages peeking out from the edge of his clothes. "Now I know that you all are aching to fight again and show those Shattered Dusk mages that they can't keep you down; but we must be smart. A full scale attack on the dark guilds experimentation site would draw too much attention. And with their leverage of  people they've kidnapped, we wouldn't want them to kill them upon our arrival." Samarra says. "The alliance has devised plan to have a small team from each guild infiltrate the compound, to be as inconspicuous as possible, and rescue as many people as we can." After explaining the plan, muttering can be heard among members, all curious about who will be going as representatives of their broken down guild. Samarra's brow furrows with concern, afraid of disappointing the members who she didn't pick to be part of the team. "Well who is it going to be then?" NikNiklas says, his hand still clasped in Mandi's ever since Samarra left after the battle. "Now I know that you all are very strong and capable of beating many worthy foes. But I feel that with such a difficult opponent, one who's numbers we are still unaware of, we will need a team who has a great deal of experience working together. One who will be able to time their attacks expertly to take down enemies quickly. And a team who knows how their teammates think, to avoid unnecessary clashes. That is why I have picked The Stealth Guard to join me in the ambush we are executing tomorrow morning." Samarra says, a stoic look on her face; while internally she cringes for fear of offending her guild mates that she didn't choose. She looks out at the members of the stealth guard and see that Nova, Zero, and Scorpius all have a smile on their face, but a fierce, determined energy about them. "That's a great choice Lady Inari, I'm sure all of us would agree with who you picked." Umi says reassuringly. "And all of us here will take care of cleaning up the guild while you guys are gone. Right everyone?" Umi shouts to those in the makeshift infirmary, and cheers can be heard. An energy had been revived in the guild, and the darkness seeping through the guilds base level has not seeped into the hearts of its members. The three members of The Stealth Guard make their way to stand in front of their master. "Ok, so what's the plan? When do we leave?" Zero says with a smile on his face. "Well we leave first thing tomorrow morning, so you all better get some rest. I will tell you the plan on our way to the battlefield." Samarra says. With a nod of their heads, the team breaks for the night, anxious for the fate that awaits them tomorrow. -- Waiting atop the ridge overlooking the valley of the compound were the forces of the Toveri Alliance. Each guild has it's four-man team waiting patiently for Samarra Inari's signal to converge on the location and rescue the test subjects being used for a dark guild's experiments on creating Second Generation Dragon Slayers. Samarra was busy talking with the Ambush Unit through the communication lacrima around her neck. The Ambush Unit was there to serve as a distraction for the forces guarding the experimentation compound, so that the Alliance Units could sneak into the compound unnoticed. "Alright, Ambush Unit begin your assult. Warrior Angel Unit, converge on the compound and take out the generator powering the compounds outdoor security. All other Units stand by." Samarra says over the lacrima. After a few moments, lights could be seen flickering off and on, followed by a puff of smoke from what looked to be security measures at the compounds entrance. "Samarra to Tristan . I don't what you did but the defense system is down, the power flickered when it did but its still running do you know what happened." Samarra said through the lacrima, with a quizzical look on her face. She got a quick reply from the Warrior Angel guild's leader, then sent a message to all the Alliance Units. "All Unit's converge on the compound. Proceed with caution, the map from our sources was inaccurate, so the location's layout is a mystery. Do your best to rescue as many people as you can, only use extreme force if necessary." Samarra commands. With that all guild forces rush on the large experimentation site.