Kal slammed his fist one last time on the man’s head. The man was strong but had apparently been lacking in endurance. Kal pulled his fist away and saw the bruised mess he had created. His anger called for him to kill the man for his threat against Dalen but Kal could sense that he had given up.
Warning: Time until death of Core-Bound Follower [Dalen Kreet] 11 seconds
Warning: Time until death of Core-Bound Follower [Dalen Kreet] 10 seconds
Kal growled and stood. He had plenty of time to save Dalen but not enough to make the mind mage pay. He turned to glare across the room where he noticed the others for the first time. Each of them cowered away from him.
Leo and Melisia looked the least affected but they still stared at him in shock and fear. Three others he didn’t recognize.
[Jaliete Valore | Mind Mage 107 | Human]
[Volan Krass | Healer of the Golden Shores 121 | Human]
[Elendria Farstep | Warden of the Ways 126 | Elf]
“Weak…” His voice sounded strange, like a combination of his own mixed with Dalen’s and something else.
“Kalum!?” Melisia yelled, “How is this possible?”
Warning: Time until death of Core-Bound Follower [Dalen Kreet] 9 seconds
“I don’t know… A mind mage tried to control him…”
Warning: Time until death of Core-Bound Follower [Dalen Kreet] 8 seconds
A scream reached Kal’s ears and his gaze fell into the passage adjoining the chamber. A pale-faced blonde woman practically leaped through a doorway as two guards charged toward him.
[James Kelitra | Fighter 62 | Human] [Thrall of Alanasu]
[Henrick Slan | Fighter 65 | Human] [Thrall of Alanasu]
Warning: Time until death of Core-Bound Follower [Dalen Kreet] 6 seconds
Kal’s anger burned anew as he read the tags of the two fighters. His soul raged but not at the controlled men despite the deeper anger against the weak. No, his rage was focused on the woman.
[Alansu Menbray | Mind Mage 99 | Human]
All thought of conversation vanished and his vision darkened as his mana sight and killing sight flickered across the spectrum. Until he saw it. Threads of pink-purple mana hung in the air clinging to the fighters and leading back to the mind mage. Kal’s face twisted in disgust as he stepped forward, his vision solely focused on the fleeing woman.
He felt blood spurt from his mouth and his vision became cloudy-
Warning: Time until death of Core-Bound Follower [Dalen Kreet] 5 seconds
He moved, his strength propelling him through the guards blocking the passage to stop just feet behind the frantic woman. The guards slammed against the walls of the passage, the armor crumpling and blood seeping through the now jagged plates.
She screamed as he approached despite not actually seeing him coming, his presence was enough. Before she got fully clear of the passage Kal tore her from the ground by her hair dragging her back into the passage just over a dozen more people arrived.
Warning: Time until death of Core-Bound Follower [Dalen Kreet] 4 seconds
Agony lanced through Kal’s, NO! What was he thinking it was Dalen’s chest. Blood poured from his eyes onto the ground and all over Alansu.
The rage dulled somewhat as his will broke through the red haze. Dalen would need a healer the instant whatever was happening to them ended. Kal tried to activate Wrathful Regeneration.
[ERROR]: Incompatible resource for healing!
“Fuck! What have I done!”
Dalen needed a healer now. Kal scanned through the gathering people and with every identification his anger threatened to overwhelm him again.
[Lanly Finn | Fighter 63 | Human] [Thrall of Alanasu]
[Balke Salan | Rogue 43 | Human] [Thrall of Alanasu]
[Opana Lendanl | Fighter 71 | Human] [Thrall of Alanasu]
[Urio Trell | Hunter 47 | Human] [Thrall of Alanasu]
[Poal Whren | Fighter 48 | Human] [Thrall of Alanasu]
[Sigrad Duna | Cleanser 54 | Human] [Thrall of Alanasu]
…
..
.
Growling Kal glared at the mind mage as he ripped a small belt knife from her waist subconsciously, “Volan Krass! Heal Dalen! Now!”
The old woman, Elendria and Volan appeared next to him before he finished speaking. They spoke but their words didn’t reach him, ”Heal him when I am done!”
Kal fought against the anger burning through him and tried to leave. His will clashed against something and failed. A terrible pain raked through his mind and- soul? He tried again and once again as both his mind and soul quaked in agony as their individual wills clashed.
Then Kal noticed the knife in his hand. It shone with the pearlescent light of his will but marbled with the fiery crimson of his wrath. How it had happened he didn’t know but as he looked upon he understood.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
He hadn’t done what he had come here for. He had gotten distracted by pointless things. He was here as the resonance of Dalen’s wrath with his own and Jak was not the only target of his wrath.
Warning: Time until death of Core-Bound Follower [Dalen Kreet] 3 seconds
Kal’s gaze fell upon the threads of mind mana, their pink-purple light winding through the air into Alansu’s terrified eyes and mouth, dozens of them. But somehow he knew that killing her wasn’t his purpose here, at the furthest edge of his mind he could hear Dalen’s rage-filled words, “We are trapped… But they are worse!”
Kal gazed into Alansu’s eyes, the burning light from his Eyes of the Slayer clearly visible within them, and brought the will-infused blade across threads of mind mana.
----------------------------------------
Melisia and Leo ran down the passage after the spectre and arrived just in time to be blinded by a searing white light. A blood-chilling scream stunned them further as the light faded and their vision cleared.
Melisia expected to see the spectre tearing Alansu apart but instead, it was gone. In its place stood a blood-soaked Dalen, covered in dozens of burns and strange black markings. He only stood for an instant before he collapsed to the floor. Volan caught him before he hit the ground and a bright golden light instantly surged over Dalen’s flesh.
“Gods! no , no, no, no,no, No!” Alansu screamed.
All around her, over a dozen fighters stood each of them shaking violently. Then suddenly as one, they fell bonelessly to the ground without a sound besides the crash of armor weapons clattering on the floor.
“No! It can’t be possible!” Alansu screamed again.
Elder Jaliete walked calmly from the passage and looked around at the chaos, Quiet! To think you would try and control His prophet!” She spat! The tone of her voice belying her calm expression, “Volan, is he alive?”
The old man nodded gravely, “Barely… His injuries are strange, none of them are from Jak. What just happened?”
Elder Jaliete frowned, “I don’t know…”
Melisia ran over to Dalen’s side. The wounds were healing painfully slowly and even as some parts healed other portions of his skin darkened. Even though she doubted her Lesser Heal skill would do much she activated it anyway.
Volan nodded lightly in thanks, “And Alansu? What’s wrong with her?”
“They're gone! Their all goooooone!” Alansu wailed.
Jaliete waved her hand and Alansu shuddered and fell to the ground unconscious. Jaliete’s face darkened, “Her thralls have been released, the skill holding them to her was severed.”
“What! Gods…” Volan croaked as he stared at the fallen woman,” Why didn’t he kill her?”
Jaliete turned to Melisia and Leo.
Melisia shook her head, “I don’t know. I believed he was going to as well though I believe he could have, easily.”
“Agreed,” Leo grunted from the side, “He wasn’t as strong as on The Fractured Path but the way he moved was different.”
“What do you mean? I didn’t see his battle on the path,” Jaliete asked and both Elendria and Volan listened carefully.
Leo shrugged, “I trained for him a time in Hurius’s camp. Back then he was defensive and inefficient. On The Fractured Path, most of the defensiveness was gone but here… Here it was gone. I don’t know how much I can trust my Mentor’s Sight when it was Dalen’s body in truth…He moved with more than just the power of his body-”
Leo stopped as several guards from the other side of the large chamber got closer and a large grunt drew their attention back to the hallway.
Elder Jak stood leaning against the wall, his face a bruised and bloody mess but Melisia was taken aback by the expression on the man’s face even as he spat a wad of congealed blood onto the ground.
He was grinning.
Jak let out a thunderous belly laugh, choking slightly on his own blood, “What a man! Tell me he lives Volan. I must speak with him!”
Jak hadn’t been an elder during Melisia’s time within the order and after seeing his immediate aggression against Dalen she had expected him to attack again not this. The Knight Breaker continued chuckling as he slowly walked over to them, his eyes locked on Dalen.
Leo stepped in front of him, blocking his path, “That’s far enough…”
Jack turned his gaze to Leo and laughed again, “Oh! You misunderstand me,” His gaze moved onto one of the men who had just arrived, “Mal! The Bearer finds Alansu unworthy! Bind her until she has come to her senses.”
Looking between the rest of them, ”Make it known, despite my previous disregard for the prophecy The Bearer is strong. He is our path forward! Until this summit is complete my followers at to obey the word of Elder Jaliete and Dalen Kreet’s as if it was my own!”
Melisia gaped at the man and Leo’s expression wasn’t much better. Jaliete on the other hand shook her head and smiled slightly her eyes on Dalen.
Suddenly things started to move quickly. Jaliete, Jak, and Volan started shouting commands. Dalen was carefully taken away with several more healers deeper into The Vault. What Melisia expected to be days of meetings and debate was completely put aside as whispers began to spread through the remaining followers. “He would sunder the ties that bind…”
----------------------------------------
Alansu screamed in agony. How was it possible? She was alone. Cut off. Sundered.
Her mind burned as if branded. She could barely see, barely think. The world whirled around her as she was dragged through the passages of The Vault deep into its heart. Burning gold and crimson eyes remained seared into her mind’s eye and she wept.
Warning: Thrall Keeper’s Whisper [Epic] Sundered! Time until recovered: 1:24:07
Warning: Thrall Keeper’s Whisper [Epic] is used during the recovery period additional damage may occur.
Warning: Soothing Breath [Rare] Sundered! Time until recovered: 3:12:38
Warning: Soothing Breath [Rare] is used during the recovery period additional damage may occur.
Hours passed as she writhed in agony and fear until finally, a soothing sensation ran through her. Alansu took a long slow breath and sat up to find herself in a dark almost pitch-black cell. She had been in the cells of the vault only a handful of times but she recognized it immediately. The black stone of the traitor surrounded her but she could barely summon the will to care.
She spat angrily to the side as she tested the bonds around her wrists and saw the dreaded notification.
Warning: Your mana has been sealed.
Cuffs of Binding [Rare]
“You’re a fool Alansu! You failed before you even started!” she seethed.
To think that pathetic man could resist her. If it had worked she would stand as queen among the followers of the order. No, she was nothing.
From the darkness, a pale white light glowed from the wall in front of her and she looked up to see the creature she was expecting.
[Conjured Spirit 101 | Summoned Entity]
A pale humanoid form emerged from the wall, its face twisted and malformed by the hand of its creator. The room seemed colder with the thing present.
“I see you have failed… Our lord will not be pleased… But at least you still have some use.”
Alansu hung her head low, “It is not my fault. Something resisted me!”
The spirit surged toward her close enough that she felt the cold air radiating from it, “We of course suspected this… Your failure is not the preferred outcome but it is workable. The other followers are moving into place as we speak and will arrive in time for the summoning.”
“Am I to rot then?” Alansu hissed.
“No… Your ability is still required. A cleansing must occur…”