Things had seemingly gone back to normal. Kiren, Vane and Lyra had hunted different beasts and traded in their crystals for better provisions. Now, they had a working cooler that used ice magic to cool drinks, they had a burner powered on mana crystals and they even got beds and a bigger tent.
It was the night of the second day since Thane Skaros had attacked and Kiren was starting to get nervous. "What's wrong?" Lyra asked.
Kiren shook his head, "It's nothing, I just feel like something is wrong."
"What do you mean?"
"It's been two days and Ajax hasn't come for us yet." Kiren placed his hand on his chin thoughtfully.
"Who's Ajax?" Vane asked, sitting up from his bed.
"Oh" Kiren smiled sheepishly, "I forgot you didn't know, it's a title given to Skaros as second in command to Agaius Vulpin. Like, what you humans would call a General."
Vane sighed, "Come to think of it, we don't know much about the Nine Warheads. Care to enlighten us?"
Kiren sat on the floor with his legs crossed, "The first is Orion Kin, he's physically the weakest out of the nine of us but he's a master at projecting his Ki-"
"Like you did against Ajax" Vane noted.
"Learnt it from Orion. He's one of the most dangerous of us and Agaius Vulpin's third in command.
Next is Kai Arcturus, he'll kill you before you even know he's there. He's a master of stealth, his senses are unrivaled and with his bow he never misses a target."
"So he's an assassin?" Lyra asked.
Kiren nodded, "Third is Asha Aetheria."
"What's his skillset?" Vane asked.
"Her" Kiren corrected.
"One of the Nine Warheads is a female?" Vane asked.
"Yes. In speed she is surpassed only by Agaius Vulpin, and her claws can cut through practically anything."
"Even Ajax's armour?" Vane mused.
"Not many things in existence can break Ajax armour," Kiren shook his head.
"Oh. What about Vane's lightning?" Lyra pipped.
Kiren shrugged "I dunno, luck maybe?"
Vane looked at the palm of his hand, "I think it was the fact that I channeled the storm using pure mana. It amplified my magic way more than I might ever be capable of."
Kiren was silent for a moment, then he continued. "Next is Dimitrios Valois, he's the oldest out of all of us and specialised in healing and support. He has the ability to manipulate his or another persons Ki anyway he likes which helps him to heal werewolves from the brink of death if need be. He's not a fighter but if he makes contact with werewolves, he can control our Ki to explode or kill us."
Vane sighed, "Great, we are fighting an army with superhuman regeneration AND a second life card up their sleeves."
Kiren looked at him but didn't respond, "The next are Noel, Himson and Louis Vanguard. They are triplets and serve as the packs trackers. They are said to be able to detect one scent among thousands. They posed no threat to us in the sense of power, but if Agaius Vulpin decides to come for us himself, he will know where to find us."
"The eight is one you're already familiar with, Ajax. And the ninth is me."
"So what's your ability? Every member of the Nine seem to have one" Vane asked.
Kiren blushed, scratching the back of his head "I don't have one."
Vane's head dropped, "We are all dead."
Lyra shoved him, "Don't be so pessimistic. We can get stronger."
Vane looked outside their tent, "If Agaius Vulpin decides to come for Kiren now, there's nothing I can do."
He stood up, his back to the others "Let me make one thing clear, this isn't my fight. I sympathise with you, I do. But I will not lay down my life for a war that has nothing to do with me."
Kiren stood sharply "You think this has nothing to do with you? He's going town by town conquering everything in his path. No one is safe, he will kill anyone strong enough to oppose him and he'll make the weak his slaves and drive the humans to the brink of extinction. How isn't this your fight? You have the power to do something about it and you want to leave?"
Vane turned, his eyes holding so much sadness. "I don't want my power... I hate it. I just want to be ordinary."
And with that, Vane walked out, his footsteps fading as his retreating figure was swallowed by the night.