Statera *Chosen At Birth*

Chapter Forty-One

Daniel and Bestienna breathed heavily as they took cover in a small convenient shop, the sun was still down and outside the sounds of screams and clashing metal could be hard. With a small huff, Daniel looked at the black watch that rested on his wrist.

"What time is it?" Justice asked while running into the store shouting as arrows and white figures shot passed the window.

"It's four fifty why do you need to know?" Daniel asked. Even though they warned that it would happen in the morning he didn't expect the attack to happen so early. Everyone got barely enough to sleep to get them through, "This better be over soon." Daniel grumbled to himself as Alise looked over the counter.

"Justice look out!" She yelled before a black orb with purple smoke inside of it shot through the window. With a wall of water, Alise blocked the orb from hitting Justice and then rushed it at the vampire. It tumbled backward over a small freezer then out of the store onto the sidewalk outside.

"Oh shit." Justice' face paled and his eyes grew wide as a gigantic white orc peered through the hole in the glass and roared loudly. Being unable to fit through the window it shattered the glass doors swinging a Warhammer that knocked down the first two aisles of food.

"Hold on!" Daniel yelled jumping over the counter where the register sat. Able to sneak behind it Daniel encased its head in an orb of water making it flail like a fish out of water. It tried to free itself but was unsuccessful in its panicked state. With a crunch of shattered glass from the door, Daniel turned around to see the vampire walking over to him. Trying to do the same, the orb around the orcs head weakened until Daniel returned both of his hands to control the orb, "Shit." He thought to himself before his eyes widened as a longsword made its way down towards his forehead.

At the last second Justice appeared out of nowhere and parried the sword with one of his own. The blade hovered inches over his face and slowly crept closer as he struggled under the other vampire's strength. With a yell, Justice kicked the Vampire in his stomach and sliced its head cleanly from his body. Moments later the orc fell with a loud thump onto the tiled floor.

"Where the hell were you two?" Justice asked as Bestienna and Alise emerged from the untouched racks.

"Um excuse me I saved your life thank you very much," Alise yelled before they all looked outside after a scream sounded from the street outside.

"Get off!" Sydney yelled with a forest green goblin on her back that snarled and screeched like a feral cat. Right before its claws can hit her skin, she bent over sending the short creature forward onto the pavement. It angrily hissed from the puddle it landed in and stared her down. With claws and teeth ready, it charged straight at her and then fell backward as an arrow went through its skull.

"I fucking hate goblins." Sydney sneered in disgust infusing the crossbow back into her aura. Walking out into the street Daniel watched as a skeleton corned a woman against a brick wall of an apartment building.

Daniel quickly made a wide circle of water with his arms and sent it at the skeleton, who sliced it away with its sword. It angrily looked at Daniel in what he guessed was a scowl after the skeleton watched the woman run away in terror. Running full speed towards Daniel, the thin creature swiped away another pulsing burst of water. After the skeleton swiped at him with the sword, Daniel ducked out of the way and rolled behind it. Using the puddle of water, Daniel sent a forceful shot of water at it, but a vampire appeared out of nowhere and used two swords crossed together to stop the water from hitting it. Frustrated, Daniel watched as the two of them nod at each other in agreement.

Quickly Daniel morphed into a miniature dragon and charged the vampire ducking under two swords. He turned and hit the vampire with his tail and dodged the skeleton's katana with a fluid motion of his serpentine-like neck. Daniel morphed back into a human with a trident in his hand. Attempting to hit the skeleton's spine, his missed and instead, the skeleton stuck the sword between the forks and brought the trident into the air exposing Daniel's stomach. Hearing wet footsteps on the pavement, Daniel wiped the trident into a stream of water and blocked the Vampire's swords just in time. With the tips close to his eyes, Daniel lifted up shaking the vampire away from him and then smacked it in the face with the butt of the trident and then drove the spikes through the vampire's chest.

In a clattering fury, the skeleton lazily swung its sword at Daniel but missed as Daniel moved to the side and watched as it stumbled. In a fluid motion, Daniel bashed the skeleton into a pile of bones with a direct hit to the ribcage and spine using the trident as a bat, "Sydney!" Daniel yelled as a jungle elephant charged at her. Attempting to slow it down she used a stream of violent wind aimed at its head, but the beast kept going. Without success, she ducked as the elephant swung its tusks at her. Shooting an arrow at its head with a crossbow, she missed when the beast quickly turned around and used its tusks as a shield. Trying to keep up with the elephant avoiding the trunk, Sydney let out a small screech as a vampire jumped from its back lunging at her. With a blast of water, Daniel knocked it out of the air into a car. Seeing Bestienna race to help, the elephant trumpeted angrily before swinging its tusks at her. Bestienna raised a wall of wood from beneath the asphalt to avoid contact.

With a low terrifying grumble, the elephant struggled to free its tusk from the wall. Bestienna didn't expect the beat to free itself as quickly as it did and was caught off guard and was sent flying into a car. Surprised by the vampire, Bestienna screamed as a longsword barely missed her head. While watching the elephant's movements, she threw emerald tipped kunai at the vampire you jumped and rolled out of the way getting closer. Before she could grab her daggers from her belt the vampire elbowed her in the face and swung as she tumbled to the ground. With a small rounded wooden wall, she avoided getting stabbed. Daniel kicked the vampire before it could get its sword free from the wall and then helped Bestienna crawl from underneath her shield. Close to getting up the vampire collapsed again as a kunai hit its head and chest.

Again the elephant began to charge but stopped when the ground vibrated as Bestienna placed her hands on the ground. Quickly vines pushed through the asphalt and grabbed the elephant's leg tripping it. Terrified and panicked, the elephant trumpeted calling for help. As the vine wrapped around the elephant, Daniel looked away before he heard a loud crack and the trumpeting stopped.

With a zombie slowly lumbering towards her, Sydney used her crossbow and shot it through the skull. Turning around she watched as a ten-foot-tall forest green orc charge at Daniel. From where she was she shot an arrow between Daniel and Bestienna hitting the beast in the shoulder. Both of them turned around and stumbled away as the giant creature struck the ground with its Warhammer. Sydney charged at it using a blast of air to keep it from moving forward, agitated the orc smacked her to the side into a light pole. Helpless as it rose the Warhammer over its shoulder to swing, Sydney closed her eyes and waited but a jet of water went through her and hit the orc in the chest. It sputtered angrily and swung the Warhammer carelessly as the water splashed around. When it turned around, it started to swing the Warhammer but instead face planted into the sidewalk after Sydney shot it in the back of the head. Breathing heavily, Sydney sat on the ground leaning against the light pole.

"Are you ok?" Bestienna asked while rushing to Sydney,

"What's with all the orc?" Justice asked poking at the facedown orc with his sword.

"Jake's attacking the city! What the hell did you expect?!" Bestienna hollered as she examined Sydney.

"Not for them to be this big. Unless Jake has been feeding these things fertilizer." Justice joked.

"Daniel, do you mind?" Sydney interrupted, "I'm soaking wet and cold." She complained.

"Oh sorry," Daniel said and with a simple hand movement every drop of water left Sydney's shirt and body and slowly floated towards Daniel in a steady stream. When it got close to him it faded into a blue light that rested around his body filling his aura slightly.

"We need to get to the beach," Daniel said after Sydney got up and they turned right onto a four-lane road. As they walked the ground shook and a bright light flashed over the nearby shops and apartment building.

"They're blowing up the whole damn city!" Sydney said as they ran down the street as debris from the buildings rained onto the street. Crossing the intersection they all stopped and looked at the road full of men in black uniforms.

"Oh great this again," Daniel complained.

"What do you expect in a war?" Alise yelled and then a giant spider appeared from behind them snapping its jaws hungrily.

Justice cringed as all eight eyes glowed as the light from the street lights hit the eyes, "This is not what I was expecting though." He started looking behind him as a handful of men walked towards them, "Let's get to it." He finished and then the group split up.