The sudden burst of someone running into the house he was in, followed by it being a friend threw Leoric off guard. Based on the quick run down he was given it sounded like a coup was being planned, using this Invasion as cover.

Leoric now knew that someone was behind all the needless deaths of innocents happening.

Whether Shinsou was going to ask for his help or not, those who started it would be brought to justice.

“Before we can find a quiet place, I have to finish up a distraction. I am about to create a massive fire tornado here in the middle of town to draw whatever demonic forces are left directly to us. I had planned on fighting for a while to give the townsfolk and the militia time to get away. With both of us here, I am sure we can give them enough time before we need to leave ourselves. Before we get overrun - or, well - before I get overrun anyway. I have yet to sleep and I have pushed myself beyond my limits already just to get here as quickly as I could.”

The strain of all this was showing, he doubted he would have the energy to stand, let alone run if things went sideways but Leoric being who he is pushed that thought deep down and focused with all his strength on his preparations.

He stood up as his back injury flared up for a second, reminding him of a past discussion with Kylie's adoptive mother and his now girlfriend Felicity.


—---------------

“You killed those people” Leoric said, flinching in pain as he was being dragged off the harpoon he had landed on. Thankfully it was laying down so only the barb had managed to get stuck in his back, somehow avoiding all his vital organs. It still hurt like a bitch and made it hard for him to stand, but he was alive.

“What was I supposed to do?" a familiar fiery red head said brusquely, getting a better grip of the harpoon before continuing "They were attacking us and you told me to take care of the cannons!” Leoric braced himself against the mast of the ship as the cold frigid air kissed the newly exposed wound.

“You say you saved us, but you left them in the middle of the freezing cold ocean with no land in sight!" Controlling his growing irritation, he added "Those men were just doing a job. I told you to disable the guns - not destroy them! and I certainly didn't say sink them!”

“Oh and I am sooo sure you had a better plan then Mister perfect?” Felicity scoffed sarcastically as she started turning to walk away.

“Nobody is perfect, we just try our best. And yes, I did have a plan... Disable their rudder and set them in a spin! It would give us several days of a head start for us to get away. Meanwhile, they are alive and able to repair their ship or signal for help." This time he was unable to hide it, the irritation came through in his words. "How would you feel if someone sunk our ship and killed all of us, just because we were a trade vessel?" He let that sink in before refining his composure. "Everyone has their reasons for doing what they do, it is not our place to judge them for it.” The wounded brawler known as Leoric slid down the mast and sat on the ground as his legs grew weak, no longer able to support him.

Without missing a beat, Felicity turned on her heels with a fire in her eyes that could have matched her hair “And what if they attack another ship and kill everyone aboard? Or what if they are slave traders? Or what if-”

“What if they are doing this line of work so they can feed their families at home?" Leoric interrupted before she could carry on her rant "What if their child is sick and is going to die if they don't do the only job they can to pay for the medicine or food that they need? Are you going to pick up the slack and take care of their family for them after you MURDER them?” Again, he let the possible consequences sink in "We can not presume to know their past or future. Stop trying to play Hero and actually think like a decent person for once!”

Felicity huffed, crossing her arms as she stormed off back below deck while one of the crew members of their ship ran over with some basic first aid equipment.

“Leoric, are you saying you will never kill anyone?” the crew member asked with something between admiration and curiosity.

“I never said that. There are some extreme cases where murder is the only solution, BUT" he continued holding his index finger up as if trying to emphasize his point "until we know the full circumstances - what they have done in the past and what they are planning to do in the present - We can’t make that call.” Leoric sighed as he laid down, rolling onto his stomach, allowing them to work on his back.

“You know, you don’t give off the feeling or look of a good guy, but you sure do think like one.”

Leoric chuckled at the crew member's words. It wasn't the first time someone had said that and it would likely not be the last.

“Heh, I just refuse to take any more needless life after I destroyed a family by doing what I thought was correct at the time. I didn’t know the circumstances around their situation and killed the father of a 3 year old boy and the husband of a woman who ended up becoming one of my best friends. Having to explain to them both that her husband and his father was never going to come home..." Leoric paused, searching for the words to describe how that felt, it was not easy "That was heartbreaking and I could never do that again.“
---------------------------------


Leoric snapped back to reality and went outside through the door that was now barely hanging on by its hinges after Shinsou barged through. The Militiamen had done a good job piling a bunch of broken carts and pieces of flammable material in the center of what he could only presume used to be a bustling market square at some point. He nodded to them and they tossed a few torches into the pile to start the process of slowly setting it all on fire.

“Shinsou Vaan Fucking Osiris, this is going to get a little hot. I would recommend standing back and making sure these men get to the escape route. I will stay here and kill any demons that arrive.” Leoric knew he had a plan, and that his plan would work. There wasn’t any room for failure, so either it worked, or... Well, he would make it work, there was no alternative. The only foreseeable problem was as the militia fell back from the market, they could be cut off by incoming demons. If Shinsou kept an eye on them, they would be fine.

He knew all of this, but there was something nagging at him. Something pulled him to the Temple. For some reason, he wanted to stay and kill every last one that showed up. He knew he was exhausted and the proper plan would be to kill a few, run, hide and repeat. After killing that first demon in town, all he wanted to do was go on a warpath - make the demons fear him more than death itself!

He shook his head to clear his thoughts and started to move his arms in a wide-arcing circular motion. The wind began to pick up, circling the market square. The faster the wind blew, the more intense the blaze in the center became as it fed the flames with perfect synchronicity. It wasn’t long before it was a raging inferno and the wind was beginning to move uncomfortably fast; the sand, dirt, and rocks that were picked up were blasting the side of the brave man's face. After a few moments, the ash and embers were being picked up and started to mix with the debris in the wind, making it harder and harder to see the center of the market. If it wasn't for the light from the fire, there would be no visibility at all.

Leoric sank to a knee as his exhaustion hit him hard. His body couldn't take much more, but he knew he had to push through with all he had. If he couldn't do this, who else would? With a great big grunt from sheer effort, he stood up once more. He carried on with the wide circular arc movements he made with his arms, controlling the wind and - when he felt like he was going to collapse - widening his stance a bit more, he cried out.

“Maximum Effort!”

Fwoosh!

The entire obfuscated tornado he had been creating erupted into flame in its entirety, so much so that it looked like it was setting the clouds themselves on fire. He couldn't help but let out a chuckle, but it wasn’t his normal chuckle or his usual hysterical laugh of success. It was something deeper, something more maniacal. Seeing the sheer destructive force of this thing felt good to witness. He stumbled a few feet back before drawing the sword at his hip, trying his best to be alert to his surroundings. The fire tornado wouldn’t last much longer, now that he wasn't moving the wind himself. It would, however, last long enough to be a beacon for every demon in town.

He hoped Shinsou was as good in battle as the rumors said, they were going to need all the help they could get.