The Zu shrieked and flapped closer, the flare of her magics having caught its beady eye. A mouth full of sharp teeth gnashed, and claws the size of children curled in anticipation. It was so fixated on the mage that it never heard the whirl in the air behind it, or the robed priest who crashed down onto one wing from what seemed like an impossible height. It collapsed to the path, and Ethan rolled away, his makeshift lance crumbling after his initial strike. "Amal! Are you okay!?" He rushed to her side, sliding to pick up his weapon as he went.<br/><br/>As far as armament went, the device was unique. One end was a bladed tip, a spearpoint that extended a third of the length down the shaft. The rest was smooth, decorated with painted symbols and bands, and terminated in a spherical red orb. Few people knew how to use the weapon. Fewer still knew how to use it well. "Sorry for rushing ahead. My goodwill got the better of my common sense." It had only been a third of the way along that he recalled the stories of Sinspawn following wherever Sin itself went. He had turned around in time to find her cornered by the Zu. He was just glad that the sinners of ancient Machina past had favored spear-like antennae as much as they had.<br/><br/>Ethan flourished the weapon and held it in both hands, one at the base of the blade and the other just below the sphere. "Back when I patrolled Mushroom Rock Road they always called on me to deal with the Garuda that appeared. They called me the Rock Road Dragoon. Let's see if I've still got it." He charged forward and spun the weapon in his hands, focusing his energy into the shaft and down into the sphere. He knees bent and he brought the crystal against the dirt. He leapt and soared, flying ten, twenty, thirty feet into the air above the Zu. It craned its head to shriek at him, flapping its unbroken wing in agitation, the dark smoke flowing more thickly from its dark body, but despite all the grandstanding there wasn't much it could do. He came down spear-first, impaling the creature's head with a swift and deadly blow, and the giant bird shuddered as it collapsed to earth.<br/><br/>He stepped back as it dissolved into a mass of pyreflies, the colorful spirits dispersing swiftly to the winds. He gripped his weapon more tightly and looked back at the black mage, his jaw set. "Can you keep on going? There's going to be more the closer we get to the village. I could use the help." Ethan held his hand out to her to help her back to her feet.