Chapter 4
The Defiler
Light spilled into the hall, blinding all of those standing within. Terrill guessed it to be coming and braced himself, holding his arm so as to block the light. The Fiends exhibited the most shock, recoiling at the burning light exuding from the Lifeblood. Torry, too, was glowing, and in moments her hand slipped off the construct while she dropped to her knees. There was little guesswork involved to figure out what was going on. Floyd had experienced the same exact thing with the Lifeblood of Fire. Now, it seemed, it was Torry’s turn.
“What is…happening to her…?” Walter breathed, unable to contain his words of fascination. He took a step in her direction, but Floyd stopped him, shaking his head. They needed to let the process work itself out, even if that meant listening to Torry’s screams.
“She’s having memories put in her head. Memories of Dimidia,” the redhead said. “That’s what a Blessed is, after all. Though, I guess Terrill’s not as aware of it.”
“Of course, he isn’t!” Warren was finished with his recoil, a jet of water surging him forward to attack the prone Torry. He was faster than Terrill or Floyd had planned for. That wasn’t the case for Krysta.
With the wave of a hand, a honeycomb barrier inserted itself between the Fiend and Torry. Warren slammed into it, his water falling down as he hopped back. Currents of water formed in his hand as two sharp blades, rippling with their dark presence. Krysta stepped to where her barrier was, holding a hand out as light coalesced inside of it.
“No more,” she spoke, her voice low. Terrill’s hair stood on end at her chilling words, and he knew: this was a Krysta that was done playing around with the Fiends. She was the same as she had been during her fight with Atrum. “I will not let you Fiends destroy our Blessed anymore! Shard Storm!”
There was a snap from Krysta, and the daggers of light blinked into existence, surrounding Warren in a dome. The Fiend caught sight of them, and in their glow, Terrill saw Winifred’s eyes widen. Then they converged in a rapid stream upon where Warren stood. The Fiend preoccupied, Terrill took his chance with Floyd to run for Torry while Walter remained in a fugue at the events taking place before his eyes.
The explosion of light that descended on Warren nearly blew Terrill off his feet, and he fell into a slide through the water to get to Torry’s side. She was clasping her head, her mouth hung open as pants and gasps escaped from it. Floyd was quick to hold her up.
“Torry, why would you do something like that? You saw what it did to me!”
“Needed to…prove a…point… Ahh!” Torry’s body shot up, her eyes bulging out of her skull. Her nails dug into her scalp as the glow of the Lifeblood reached its zenith around her. “Memories…so many memories!”
“This is the same thing you experienced, then? Maybe it’s different for a soul compared to someone from Dimidia,” Terrill theorized. Not that it was his place to; he was nowhere near as well-versed in these kinds of studies.
“A world without magic, Floyd. Dimidia. It’s…”
“Yeah, I know, it’s real, but pull it together, Torry.” Floyd shook her as Krysta’s barrage ended, smoke proliferating the air. It smelled, too, a rotten kind of smell. Like charred flesh, but not quite human. Terrill was afraid Krysta had gone overboard, but he was more concerned with Torry. The Lifeblood began to dim. Torry clasped Floyd’s arm.
“It’s scary.” That one whisper made Terrill wonder just how much weight Torry gave to magic, to the point that imagining a world without it frightened her. Her next words only made it slightly clearer. “It’s why she…why she left.”
“Torry.” Floyd was understanding, but stern as he grabbed her, pulling the girl up to her feet. “You’re not a failure. Got it? You’re Torry Rainert, the best student the Academy has ever known. And right now, we need your head on straight.”
That much was proven true, the smoke fading to reveal an aqueous barrier surrounding Warren. He looked extremely displeased.
“Blessed Ones and souls? They think they can mock me?!” The barrier split in two, crashing into two waves at his side. They remained formed, rippling with the slightest breeze that even Winifred didn’t dare to produce. “You think you can defy fate simply by asking for it?! You?! Nothing but ghosts!”
“Krysta, I think you made him angry!” Floyd said. He made sure Torry was all right, and it was just in time. Warren’s blades sliced forward.
The waves crashed forth, growing higher with every inch they gained. Terrill whipped his sword out, eyes zeroing in on the man controlling the waves, leaving those to his comrades. Floyd was quick to take action, his body steaming as he zipped for the waves. Walter proved to be right at his side, recovering from the events, his spear snapped out. Floyd leapt into the air and Walter swung, planting the boy’s feet on his spear before swinging. A light wind current helped Floyd to sail forward, and the redhead began to spin, flames surrounding his figure as he became like a drill that drove through the wave. They collapsed.
“Fang of Earth! Rise!” Terrill didn’t skip a beat in running forward, and when one of his feet tapped the ground, a line of short spikes followed. Warren slashed down, breaking the attack before it reached him.
“Learn a new trick, boy!” The sword wavered in his hand, becoming a whip that snapped at Terrill’s neck. Krysta intervened, elbowing Terrill back just enough for her to create a shield that deflected the blow. Terrill used that to his advantage, apologizing as he pushed down on Krysta’s head to vault over and slide down her shield. His sword sang as it came for Warren’s head. Floyd was on the other side, his burning daggers descending. Warren blocked both strikes and water spat about the once-more darkened hall. The swords thrummed with dark energy, causing Terrill’s eyes to widen.
“Back off, Floyd!” There was no hesitation in both swinging their legs to land a kick upon Warren, separating themselves from the Fiend. The swords slashed downwards, leaving a trail of shadows in their wake. “If any of those shadowy attacks hit us, we’re done for.”
“Then we’ll stop it with light!” Krysta had rushed in during the gap of their attack, her rapier of light formed and thrusting forth. Warren’s swords came together as a singular one to block the blow, but Krysta didn’t remain standing. She danced around him, their swords clashing with every movement, the light flecking the air at each and every strike. Warren was pushed back by a singular step, prompting Terrill and Floyd to run for him. “I understand now, that you’re surrounding the Lifebloods with his darkness, the same kind that runs inside you! Controls you, even if that shouldn’t be possible! Piercing Gleam!”
Terrill and Floyd acted in concert, casting their own spells to converge on Warren at the same time as the laser of light made its impact. Warren’s sword once more split apart, becoming a pair of whips that he spun about. Their black surface nearly sliced Terrill’s cheek and he was forced to duck under as his spire and Floyd’s fireball were knocked harmlessly into one of the pillars, raining marble upon the pool. Behind Terrill, he noticed Winifred still standing there, looking locked in place as the debris tangled in her hair. He shook his head and his eyes snapped back to Warren, whose whip retracted. Warren brought his sword down to Krysta. She blocked.
“Yes, our will is tied to his will,” Warren hissed, his voice sounding more demonic in the deep shadows of that place. “Yet we still have a will that is all our own!”
“And your will is telling you…to cause a war?! To destroy the very country you serve?!” Terrill shouted. He created a plinth of stone beneath his feet, launching himself into the air. Warren was forced to break away from Krysta to deflect the strike, leaving him open for a zooming Floyd to slice across his leg with fire. The Fiend gasped, snapping his lower appendage out to strike Floyd in the face. When Warren recovered, the enmity on his face was palpable.
“I live only to see Invaria brought to its knees. That is, indeed, my will.” His sword plunged down, creating a black wave that crested before Terrill had a chance to move. He sucked in his breath and then felt the dark waters collide with his body, flinging him across the room. Floyd, too, was pushed back. Krysta, meanwhile, was rescued by Walter’s positioning, the man planting his spear to prevent them flying. “If the world must drown, as well, then so be it. I will ally myself with whatever it takes to see Invaria crumble.”
“What good…gack…” Floyd was coughing out the water, but seemed otherwise okay, no shadows surrounding him as he stood, his legs shaking. “What good would that do? Why would you want to see the country your ancestors served-”
“Hoh ha ha! HA!” Warren’s unfortunate laughter made Terrill grimace, hating what might be hiding behind the man’s veiled intentions. “You still believe that the case? It would explain why you’re so naïve as to think you can stop a war on your own when you will all die right here!”
“Krysta, Bar-” Warren didn’t let Terrill issue his order. His whip struck the floor of the sanctuary and the waters began to bubble, rising beneath their feet. Terrill rolled to the side, avoiding the high pressure, only to need to roll again before a second geyser could impale his chest.
“I have pursued you to frozen wastes to ensure you cannot stop a thing, dear children,” Warren said, his voice taunting them with every blast of his geysers. Floyd was unable to avoid one, flung up towards the ceiling with a horrendous noise. Walter had let go of Krysta, both fleeing unto themselves, and the Fiend cared little even for his comrade, who just barely managed to make herself move enough to blow the water away with her wind.
“Warren, are you trying to kill me?”
“And why should I not? If you’re in the way, you’re in the way. Your role in this farce is over, Winifred.” This appeared to anger the other Fiend, a cyclone forming in her hand. “Now, now, don’t be rash. I’ve made it quite clear what a tool everything is to me in order to exact revenge upon Invaria, that loathsome country that threw me away to a callous fate, all to avoid its own. Yet here I stand, the harbinger of their destruction. The Shadow will consume them, force them to drown in their own regret. I will ally myself and use whatever is necessary, be they a King, a Fiend, a Lifeblood or a lowly knight who has delusions of peace. That is the truth that lies at the heart of all the Fiends!”
“Warren, shut up!” Winifred compressed the wind between her palms and fired it in single shot, just as she had to kill Blaise. Warren wasn’t so fooled, and with a single wall of water, he’d broken the strike. “Are you just going to ramble on and give the game away?”
“There is nothing that can stop this. You’d best depart, Winifred.”
“If there’s nothing, then how about you tell us what comes next, and where your precious knight is!” Walter had leapt up at Warren’s latest taunts, his wind streaming behind him in visible gusts. His spear was laced with those same winds as he set to impale the Fiend from above. Winifred wasn’t having that. She fired her own wind, forcing Walter to counter as the two airstreams met, spinning against each other until they were canceled out. Their collision sent ripples across the water, and provided Warren the opportunity for his last move.
“The next stage? It will be where both Valorda and Invaria fall on the plains of Gladius. Or what will be left of it. We shall make sure of it. But none of you will live to regret it. Lock.”
Warren’s simple command was followed by a far more horrifying display of water. Terrill had never doubted that this man was a Fiend before, but now, as the water in the pool at their feet was siphoned around them, Terrill couldn’t help the nervous grin on his face. Even Torry, with all her magical prowess had never shown this level of control, or even Winifred. It made Terrill question everything, and before the water could enclose around him, his sword unable to cut through it, Terrill let out a gasp. “Just how old are you things…?”
Warren wouldn’t answer, and soon Terrill found the water suffocating around him, the same done to Floyd, Walter and Krysta, choking the life out of them. With little time, Terrill stabbed his sword into the aqueous surface, but made not a single dent. Floyd was beating against his own globe, and while it stretched, it refused to break. They were certainly going to die, here in this frozen wasteland, far from where they needed to be.
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Terrill felt his eyes slipping away, drooping to a state of eternal closure when he saw a flash. He opened them just enough to see an arrow arcing through the air, electricity thrumming along it before it struck Warren in the shoulder. Then it exploded and the water was wrenched apart, dropping all four to the ground, hacking and coughing as they expelled the liquid from their lungs. Winifred turned, raising her hand in expectation of the new threat, but unable to fire at the splashes of every following footstep.
“Integration…” Torry’s voice was almost a growl, her shoulder-length hair matted with water, but her blue eyes shining with clarity and purpose. “That’s what that was. A whole life’s worth of memory, flooding inward. A joining of the soul and the body by a string, not unlike yours. It proves how much more about magic we need to learn.”
Warren hissed at the pain in his shoulder, drawing his hand away to reveal a burn that was not healing, unlike all the other blows. His lip twitched, snarling at the girl that had dared to interrupt him. “I should have been more aware…”
“You’re damn right, you should have. I’ll take her out.”
“No. I’ve no need of you, Winifred. It wouldn’t do to for you to be harmed here when you’re still needed on the battlefield, like our precious knight is for his role. Stay put.”
In anger, Winifred turned her gale upon Warren, though she was so steady, Terrill believed she had wanted to do this the whole time. The elder Fiend’s words, those about having a will of their own, regardless of Atrum’s, cemented all the more and made Terrill face the truth: she really had come there on her own. Whatever reason it was for, it was rendered irrelevant by Warren trapping the woman in water and tossing her all the way across to the other side of the room, booting her from the battle. Soon as he had, he turned his attention to Torry, the tip of his sword angled straight at her and a single command given.
Pressurized water shot out to impale the girl, but in spite of her mumbled discoveries, Torry’s recovery from having been Blessed made her sharp as a tack. She held her hand forward and managed to catch the blow, freezing it before it could skewer her palm.
“Is that what it is?” Torry asked, though she seemed stuck between asking herself and asking Warren. “The Lifebloods integrate Dimidia and Adversa together via their souls, but then, if the Fiends are different, then they…”
“Surge!” Warren’s command was panicked. From where he stood, snapping snakes of liquid emerged from the pool, climbing high to the air. Torry put her gaze to them as they descended to devour her. Krysta had made good time, tackling Torry and rolling her out of the way before throwing a shield up.
“Counterattack now! Think later!” she shouted, her eyes wide and her hand covering Torry’s mouth. Torry looked confused at her adamancy, but shook it away with Warren on the prowl. Her bow pinned beneath her, Torry angled her fingers and snapped them in Warren’s direction, a jet of flame racing along the floor. Steam rose from where it cut, and the Fiend added to it.
“Scald.” Steaming geysers of water emerged, obscuring the room in fog. Terrill’s eyes found Walter and Floyd in that mess and the three nodded, racing for the general. He was waiting, his black whip slung out. They blocked the strike, and it gained him the space he needed for his next spell. “Flood.”
The water rose up again, this time heading backwards, towards the boys, as Warren bore down upon the girls that were coming to stand. His whip snapped out, broken by a quick shield from Krysta. Terrill ran back to join Floyd, the two preparing to weather the blow with combined magic. Walter joined them, his eyes never leaving Warren’s back as the wave sunk them into greater darkness.
“Frost Trail!” Torry’s cry gave Terrill the hope he needed. The whizzing of an arrow could be heard before it embedded itself in Warren’s wave. The attack was frozen over instantly, and another cricking of ice told Terrill that the girl had likewise attempted to freeze the Fiend in place. That was enough for him, and he bumped his forearm with Floyd’s.
“Break down!”
“Burn up!”
The two clasped hands, kicking in opposite directions at the frozen wave that had surrounded them. Floyd’s was lit on fire, while Terrill called on the stone underneath for enough power to break through the wave. The ice chunks flew out, battering Warren’s back and forcing him to take his eyes off the girls for a second. Walter was already on his way, his spear a lance of death for the Fiend that had played with him.
“Devour!”
“Cancel!” It was the same kind of spell that Walter had used against Winifred, dispelling her wind. This time, it disturbed the wavering waters of Warren’s sword and whip, bending it out of shape. What was more, the wind locked Warren in place, preventing him from moving. Finishing their breakdown of the waves, Terrill and Floyd jumped over to join their hunter companion. “We have you! Now where is this battlefield? Show me your Phantom Knight!”
“Now’s not the time for your personal crusade, Walter!” Terrill screamed. He wrenched his sword upwards, a row of stones, each successively higher than the next raising upwards. Floyd took advantage of it, leaping up each as the steam concealed his body. He leapt up high and came screaming down.
“Prominence Acceleration!” The fires burned hotter than before, a pure white blaze that exploded on contact. Walter was thrown backwards, grimacing from his lack of information, but cushioned by the wall Terrill formed. Floyd jumped back through the air, only to curse when he saw the water wall had been erected once again. “He’s crafty.”
“That doesn’t begin to cover it…” Terrill blew outwards, his eyes searching for a way to make this battle easier. There were only three ways to escape all of this: behind them, through Warren, or dead. There was no doubt the Fiend preferred the latter, but Terrill wasn’t about to let that happen. He looked over to the girls, each readying themselves when Warren’s shield dropped.
“I thought I could play with you all in Invaria, you were so prone to manipulation,” the general said. He reached up, removing his glasses at last, his eyes glowing a deep red. Terrill tensed; Atrum’s soul was connecting, taking control. Behind Krysta and Torry, the Lifeblood dimmed in its radiance, causing the Guardian to quirk an eyebrow. Was it true? “But now I see what an issue that is. You have quite the astute practitioner of lore amongst you. I will not allow you to prevent the Shadow from forming. We will rip this world’s fate off its hinges!”
“Here it comes,” Walter grunted, sensing the attack before the rest of them. Some shuffling in the corner indicated that Winifred was standing up, but she was lost in the darkness and the tunnel vision the five of them gained.
“Storm.” Terrill watched as Warren’s hands turned to water, funneling themselves into the ground and the water there. It bubbled up, spinning and whirling around until twisters of water had formed. Terrill planted his feet, but even then, felt like he was being sucked into the nexus of the storm that the Fiend had created. Worse yet, they were black in color, necessitating that distance be kept.
Floyd and Walter were on it, proving to be the vanguard they needed against Warren’s deadliest attack yet.
“Combo time, old man!” Floyd jumped up to indicate what he wanted and Walter received the message by the third hop. He used his spear as a support, the weapon bending before Floyd was flung into the air. He spun, careful to keep clear of the black twister, though it proved harder the longer that Terrill watched. Soon as he was clear, Walter closed his eyes, calling his winds to the tip of his spear in an orb that began to conflict with the twisters. “We only get one shot at this. Once it’s off, you three make your move! We take out General Warren and we’re one step closer to stopping the war! Wildfire Spread!”
Floyd spoke sense, and Terrill grinned despite the dire circumstances. The redhead was pulled towards one of the black twisters, his body starting to ignite as he was drawn in, the flame spreading down to his daggers and flowing freely outward. Walter sent his compressed wind flying, just before Floyd made contact with the twister, and the two elements ignited. From within the swirling cyclones, Warren’s scowl deepened, his eyes wide.
The attack exploded, ripping through the space. Pillars cracked, and a heat wave began to push Terrill away from the twisters that he could feel tugging on his clothes. It was burning, but nothing compared to the Tarkinder Volcano. Those flames spread on the wind, each trailing embers like a javelin that cut apart Warren’s attack with impunity. Floyd grinned, falling back to be caught by Walter. That was their cue to move.
“Torry, let’s get you some air! Krysta, keep her-”
“On it!” The two girls shouted before he could get any further words out. He had to shake his head, stamping at the water, past the burning, smoking twisters that had been rendered inoperable by Floyd’s attack. His sword screamed through the air with glee as he it struck for the furious Warren. He didn’t even create his own blade to block, instead catching Terrill’s sword with his hand and a glower that threatened to melt faces. In his other hand, black water swirled into existence.
He held no words, and Terrill offered none in return. He merely flicked his eyes to the side, and where Torry ran, he created stone steps that rose upwards once again. She jumped up them, flying into the air with her bow drawn and crackling with electricity. Warren looked up, only for a shard of light from Krysta’s rapier to rip through his side, the sound of a snap echoing. He stumbled, and Terrill pulled back, jumping up to grab hold of one of his stones.
“See? Souls are strong stuff, too!” Not bothering with a spell name, Torry fired, the lightning crashing upon Warren’s head. All it took was one spark and the lightning shower that resulted fried the very air they were in. Terrill kept his grip tight, not daring to touch the ground while electricity surged through it, and found Floyd and Walter had done the same. Krysta supported herself by a shield, protecting Torry as she fell with the same. The lightning illuminated the sanctuary, drawing note to that of the Lifeblood and its light breaking through the shadows by just a bit, until it finally ceased, nothing but sparks along the water at their feet. Those, too, soon faded to nothingness, and they were once more reduced to darkness.
Only their breathing could be heard.
Terrill dropped down, glancing through the smoke and dim light for whether Warren was still standing. He had to know if they had defeated the Fiend.
When it did fade, they found the general standing there, his breathing ragged, burn marks across his face. Terrill expected him to glare and hurl venomous words at them, insulting them for what they had done to stop him.
He did none of those things.
Warren smiled.
“An underestimation? Yes, perhaps,” the general said. His knuckles cracked, his bones sounding inhuman as he reached up to his face and peeled away a layer of skin. Floyd retched at the sight. Walter pushed him back. “But it is you who underestimate us, dear Heroes.”
“Is that some kind of…snake skin…?” Torry asked. The bravado she’d found in her adrenaline and “integration” was falling away, and her voice trembled. Indeed, her observation seemed to be correct, as Warren’s face was restored, his tongue slithering out and his pupils turning to slits.
“Be glad. It’s been fifteen years since I had to take this form to mop up that trash of a knight! I doubt you will last as he did.” Warren’s body was bending and Terrill felt bile rise in his throat. “Did you think we took the moniker of Fiends because it sounded a lofty title? That we wished to believe ourselves as something other than human?!”
“Warren! Are you planning to bring this whole place down?!” Winifred’s shout was interrupted by a pulsing aura coming from Warren’s body. The Lifeblood’s light receded all the further, and Terrill felt a curdling scream rise in his throat but never emerge. Winifred was the only one left standing against this unholy abomination that was rising from Warren’s body. “What will you do if you destroy the Lifeblood now?”
“Destroy it? I will destroy all of Invaria! Should the Lifeblood fall now or when we plan it to is irrelevant, as all will end up the same!” Water exploded around Warren, and all Terrill could see was the man’s silhouette. It bent and grew, losing a human form. A long tail slithered out, and Terrill’s gaze widened. He could remember it now, the giant form of a creature beneath the boat when they arrived on Ardoris. “The waters of this world will fail, and all humanity shall fall into screeching regret, lamenting their fates as we once did! Then the Shadow will rise and rip this world’s foundations apart! It begins in Sheeris!”
The room shuddered, forcing Terrill to look away from the horrible transformation. That blast had come from outside. Winifred stepped out of the shadows. “There’s no further need for it. The Valordan army is here.”
“Then you’d best assist them. Leave these wretched souls…” The water broke apart in a tide that swept all five of them under. Terrill clutched at his chest, resisting the vomit at the sight. Where Warren the General had stood was now Warren the Fiend, an abomination of scales and slithering. He had become a giant snake, with the only recognizable part remaining being that of his top half, distorted to fit the body that now belonged to him. In his hands were two long blades of water, and a devilish grin sat upon his face. “To me! Tsunami!”
“Take cov-” Walter’s much needed warning was incomplete. The water cascaded in the room, sweeping the hunter and Floyd up in its tide. Terrill barely managed to flail through the water, taking cover behind a pillar as the flood broke around him, chipping away at his hiding spot.
“You think you can hide, boy?!” Terrill turned, and Warren’s tail smashed through the pillar, breaking it apart. It slammed into Terrill’s stomach, forcing him to gag as he was thrown into a wall. It cracked from the force, and Terrill slid down while he felt the sanctuary shake once more. “I commend you for making it this far, but your role in our war is at an end. As is this Lifeblood!”
Terrill pushed at the ground, hearing the snake’s tail slither through the water. Warren focused on Torry and Krysta, both slumped against the ground from the earlier attack. Krysta tried to pull herself up, but found it difficult. Only her mouth could find the effort to do anything. “I won’t…won’t let you…hurt them…”
“Foolish girl. Your fate is long decided. This is how it was meant to be!” Warren’s swords became ever deadlier whips, jagged in nature as he snapped them around the room. One caught Torry on the arm, tossing her away from the Lifeblood, while Warren’s continued rotations broke the various pillars in the room before both came at Krysta with full force, their blue blurs preparing to bisect the prone girl.
“Krysta!” Terrill shouted, finding he wasn’t alone, but unable to cross the gap to help her, or even reach the slithering Warren in the first place. She, too, lacked the strength to form a barrier in time and closed her eyes.
The Lifeblood pulsed.
The tide exploded where Krysta was, sending the spray of the surf around the room. Terrill weathered it, coming back onto his feet as he watched the point of impact, desperately hoping that Krysta was okay. His breath was short and shallow, and he stumbled forward, wishing to claw out and reach her, sick with worry.
Then, a scream followed.
It wasn’t Krysta’s.
“Ahhhhh! Burns! The light!” Terrill’s eyes widened to the point he was afraid they’d stretch his face. There was no alternative reaction to seeing Warren recoil, though, his swords dispersing into droplets as he writhed and thrashed, a burn upon his snaky skin and a wisp of darkness disappearing from it.
Terrill sought Krysta, wondering if she had managed to mount a counterattack, but as the mist and light receded that was far from the case. Someone new had arrived, holding Krysta in hand with his staff outstretched.
“I’ll not allow you to sully the Lifeblood further, Warren. You will not break it.”
Alexander had joined the fray.