Maryann held Mabel's dead body and cried loudly.
"Mabel! Mabel!!
Please don't leave, pleaseee!!!
We were going to rise in the ranks together! We were going to become stronger together!!!
Please! Don't do this to me!!!".
She kept shaking Mabel's lifeless body all to no avail.
Life had completely left the body.
The impact of the strike was seen across her chest.
The attack must have affected her vitals.
Maryann cried more and more loudly.
Mr. Arasaki walked to David's dead body and knelt with one knee beside him staring at the boy's face.
A tear rolled down both his cheeks.
Emelda who was also crying came over to where David was.
Mr. Arasaki stared at him a little while and then proceeded to lift him up in a hug, carrying him on his shoulder.
He started walking away and Emelda followed him.
The captain helped Maryann lift Mabel's body.
Maryann was still crying loudly, trying to hold onto the body as it was being carried.
She was heartbroken.
Lethar went to help his fellow Verdugo who were brutally struck down during the winged figure's last attack.
Had they not been in their upgraded state, they too would have been long gone, but they were only unconscious.
However, because of the physical deterioration of their current health, their body had turned normal by now, and all their advanced features were gone.
Lethar lifted them on his shoulders in a similar manner to Mr. Arasaki lifting his son.
Medics were called upon to attend to everyone's injuries, and soon the mountain was deserted.
**************
News spread across the whole of the Monkogon temple about the invasion incident.
The council deployed more Sohei at every nook and cranny of Monkogon temple for tighter security.
Almost all the guards that went out to battle had to be replaced because almost all had been killed.
Checks and balances were done on the temple.
The council wanted an account of the number that died and what was destroyed.
A whole community was affected and many guards lost their lives.
Mr. Arasaki's son David, and Mabel also were lost.
When Mrs. Edga heard what happened she had a stroke and was hospitalized.
The apartment Mr. Arasaki wanted to pack into was located at the destroyed community so Mr. Edga invited him to stay with them.
Some parts of the council tower were affected.
The guards were ordered to check all inmates at the base of the tower to ensure that none escaped.
Every prisoner was accounted for until Usher's cell was visited.
There came a shocking revelation.
The ceiling had crumbled to the floor.
Blood was all over the ground.
Three of Emelda's most advanced arrows were discovered to have struck the cell at lintel level.
The blood could be trailed towards the edge of the prison whose wall had broken.
Beyond the broken prison wall, all that could be seen was the view of the wall of the mountain close by.
In between was empty space that ran down to the depths of oblivion, clouded by thick fog.
The blood trailed all the way and stopped at the edge of the prison as if whoever was bleeding fell off the edge into the deep.
By this, it was concluded that Usher Corke had been killed in the heat of the battle that went on during the attack on the temple. Therefore his case was dismissed.
The people of the North began rebuilding the destroyed community again.
It was a long hard process, but they pulled through.
Relatives of the deceased had to show up to claim and bury the dead which were one heck of a pile.
The council gathered together for a meeting in the chamber.
When they were all present, Ezra Surge, the head began to speak.
"My fellow council lords, the recent incident that took place in Monkogon is proof that the time of peace has lasted too long and has finally come to an end.
Up until now, for a long time we have been envisioning the emergence of an era of peace and as such, have been staying out of the trouble of the mages.
Unfortunately, it seems that we can't continue this way any more.
From this point on, we will begin a new mode of operation.
We keep moving forward until every last one of our enemies have been obliterated from the surface of this world, not leaving even the slightest trace of their existence". He concluded.
Kargo Ryhs, a council lord to the right began to speak.
"That sounds like the right course of action to take.
However, what about our plan to remain at the epicenter of the concentration of chi on the earth until our race evolves into a greater realms of natural power and capacity before making a move against our enemies?".
Another council lord, Mark Rhedd replied.
"Firstly, from what we've discovered lately, the mages are no longer our only enemies. There seem to have appeared another enemy of the monks which we should be wary of.
Secondly, we can't be able to wait anymore for the initial plan of remaining at the center of chi concentration before taking action since it has become clear that the enemy is well prepared for battle already.
In one single invasion operation, they destroyed a whole community as well as lots of guards and other civilians". He said.
Yet another councilor, Dan Diyogo contributed.
"Can we presume that the enemy is somehow aware of our plans to destroy them after we have ascended to higher levels of natural abilities?
Could it be possible that somehow, they are aware of our plans and want to strike first before we get the chance to carry them out?. He asked.
"There's some validity to that postulation.
The enemy could be trying to act first and that just goes to confirm the fact that we must take action immediately, there's a chance it could lead to the fourth mage war but we'll take it.
However, they shouldn't be aware about our plan since it has been revealed only to a privileged few.
If they have gotten to know, that can only mean one thing". Ezra Surge answered.
"Do we have a traitor among the monks?
One of them asked.
" There's a great chance" Ezra said.
"We must deploy undercover agents from our most trusted warriors to begin to snoop around every corner of the city, gathering any suspicious information they can find. A council lord Ryu Miller said.
"I have a man In mind whom I want to recommend for the under over missions, Arasaki Rahn.
He was one of the few asides the guards who fought bravely during the last invasion.
He even lost his son in the battle, yet continued until the very end. He seems to have the solidarity we require in order to find an execute any traitor amongst us. Rhys said.
Ezra Surge finally spoke.
"Well said councillors.
Let this Arasaki be assigned a small team of fellow trustworthy Sohei who will aid him as soon as he recovers from the loss of his son.
Let message be sent to every last Sohei in the North, South, East and West of Monkogon temple.
Let all...
Prepare for war!