- Minutes Ago: Edge of the Valley of Melodies -

Bahlicc had never been so humiliated in his life. Agony raced through the delicate membranes and bones of his wings. His chest was on fire from where the monster had kicked him. Worse still was the throbbing pain coming from a leg that was no longer there. He had always been outwardly respectful, careful to never offend those who must not be offended. Even toward his underlings, who may someday surpass him, he had shown respect and never fostered grudges.

How could I have known that… monster was an existence beyond comprehension? He moved and spoke slower than me. I could feel the difference in strength between us. It wasn’t nearly so vast as the moment he became serious. How did his power increase so suddenly? It should have been an even fight at the worst. He was playing with me the entire time! He really did kill that tier seven himself. Unbelievable.

A sudden roar shattered the air and snapped Bahlicc from his errant thoughts. In the distance, through the line of toppled trees his own body had made while falling, he saw the monster heading back into the center of the valley. The young man, who was so beautiful it made Bahlicc want to spit, was being carried forward by a wall of blue flames large enough to envelop an entire sectroost. The sounds coming from that explosive force were responsible for the tremendous roar that shook him to his bones.

Bahlicc’s aura pulled him from the soft soil he was embedded in. He extended his wings, feeling bones snap and puncture through delicate skin. His aura pulled everything back into place while his mana washed through him, hard at work healing the worst of his injuries. Wind churned around the tip of his finger so fast it turned blistering hot. He used the heat to cauterize the stub of his missing leg, gritting his teeth with a deep frown as lances of pain shot through him.

A tier five lackey of the Storm Claw dove to land beside Bahlicc, worry clear on his face as he took in his leader’s disheveled and injured appearance. “Master Bahlicc! Are you al-Ahck!” The soldier squawked as Bahlicc grabbed him by the face and slammed his head into the dirt.

So many plans ruined in a single moment. All that effort dropped to shatter. But where there is change, the adaptable will triumph.

“On your claws, worm, and keep your fucking mouth shut!” The soldier sprang to his feet, saluting with two hands crossing his chest. An instant later, the tier seven corpse slammed into the man. The incredible weight of it shattered his body and sent him crashing back into the dirt.

Bahlicc looked down at the broken soldier who tried to howl but the corpse was too heavy, crushing his lungs. He shook his head sadly, the sudden appearance of the corpse all the more proof that it was time to do what needed to be done. The others arrived, crowding in to watch the dying soldier slowly choke on his own blood. Bahlicc grunted with effort as he lifted the incredibly heavy thing with his aura. He pulled his fallen spear to himself and without a second thought, plunged it through his dying comrade’s neck.

Shocked inhalations resounded around him, punctuated by the distant roar of the monster’s power. Bahlicc ran his eyes across his fellow soldiers, some of them meeting his gaze with knowing looks, others instantly breaking contact to stare at the ground in subservience.

This is it, there’s no going back after today.

“It is time, brothers and sisters. Rah’farakk! Kor’farakk!” Upon hearing the code phrase from a long-dead, conquered sect, stunned silence rippled outward. It lasted only a second before his trusted brothers set upon the soldiers, who fought back valiantly with flashing steel and cutting wind.

Within moments, only a dozen men were left standing, the rest lay dead. Bahlicc’s most trusted and loyal friend turned to him with a steely gaze, “Are we truly prepared for this, brother?”

“Of course not!” Bahlicc snapped. “The winds have shifted and the Storm Claw are doomed. Most of our plans must be abandoned, but that is a small price to pay for the opportunity to turn to the winning side early. Burn the bodies. The… monster uses fire, turns out he didn’t let many of us escape his domain. Unfortunately, we were captured by one of Dokkuun’s patrols and imprisoned. Luckily, he chose to spare us because of this marvelous trophy we happened to find. Understood?” Bahlicc’s last word was soaked with threatening meaning and his loyalists nodded fervently, instantly setting to work on burning the Storm Claw lackeys.

Bahlicc spat on the corpse of the first soldier he’d killed, his eyes inevitably drawn back to the valley and the slowly-dissipating cloud of black smoke.

Before the monster ends you, I hope you and your entire sect choke on your own blood, Raahak.

image [https://i.imgur.com/LlXURdW.png]

Chokkra stepped out of the woods after the last of the Storm Claw expedition flew away. He watched the bodies of their betrayed allies smoldering in the sunslight, a grin stretching his lips. “The Storm Claw are so fucked,” He chortled, barely restraining a bout of cackling.

Already they claw at one another's necks. Big brother Jiran has no idea the turmoil he’s unleashed upon us. How I yearn to see it all unfold. But that’s not the task he gave me. Scout and report, do not engage. I’m sure he’ll be interested in hearing about this. Now I just have to find him, he’s way too fast for his own good.

Chokkra flexed his wings, the movement sending a blissful tingle racing down his spine. He would always remember the moment Jiran had crushed his wings. The agony and shame of it had brought him to the edge of despair. Only for him to heal them as quickly as they had been taken away. Until the day Stormer embraced him, he would never again take them for granted.

A powerful jump and two quick flaps brought him high into the sky. He turned toward the valley, the smile he hadn’t been able to wipe off his face all morning was as wide as ever. Each beat of his wings brought him closer to the harbinger of change, and anticipation raced through him thinking about what mission Jiran might give him next.

Knife of Melodies

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Knife awoke to a splitting headache so fierce that she swore her cracks must be widening. With one open eye, she peered left and right, hoping to find some explanation for what had happened. A groan beside her triggered memories to come flooding back, releasing another wave of pain through her head.

We’re scouting the walls with the hunters, under the Great Spirit’s command. The Great Spirit… I still can’t believe he’s really come. And he’s so much more than I ever imagined.

She stood on shaky feet, cringing but pushing through the discomfort of moving limbs that very much did not want to move. She blinked rapidly as her balance slowly returned. Around her, a dozen of her sisters and several buds were slowly coming to their senses.

This is… a harmony? That has to be it, but how could it have been powerful enough to—the matrons! Matron Frigoniaparuala, we will mourn your loss this night.

“Tomaralareene,” One of her sisters of conflict moaned while climbing to her feet.

Knife cut her hand through the air, a scowl on her features, her song curt, “My name is Knife,” The life-energy swirling within her compulsively demanded she finish her sentence, “Now stand tall my sister, amidst this strife.” Knife clicked her tongue, annoyed she hadn't managed to stop herself from rhyming even one time yet.

How does the Great Spirit do it? His life-energy flows into my chest, and the compulsion stops. I never even noticed it before his arrival, now I can’t stop thinking about it. Only in my thoughts am I free from the need. Such a deplorable weakness.

She shook her head, sending another spike of pain racing through her layers. Now wasn’t the time for such thoughts. She had been given a mission and with a harmony strong enough to render her unconscious, it was impossible to know how many of her people were in danger at that very moment.

Knife’s song was commanding, “The matrons joined in harmony, their deaths a shame to see. Our task has become far more vital, so do not dawdle,” Her voice was met with a wave of whimpering as each clutched their heads. Knife growled, her song changing to promise violence for any who moved too slow, “On your feet! There will be no retreat. Spread out, we must continue to scout.” They obeyed slowly, the youngest of the buds having the most difficulty.

A spike of panic rippled through her layers and she felt matching fear blossoming across her shoulders.

If the buds are suffering this much, did any of the saplings survive? Surely the Great Spirit would not allow such a thing, how dare I doubt him.

She clenched her eyes shut, refusing to believe the Great Spirit would allow the little ones to come to harm. One of her sisters pointed toward the distant wall of the valley, “What are those scratches? There are no beast claws I know that matches.” Knife traced the direction of her sister’s finger, seeing four long gouges that ran from the lip of the valley wall to the floor.

She raced ahead, quickly leaving the safety of her ancestors' shade as she sprinted across the open skies to the Wall of Lost Souls. She found the caved-in soil at the base of the gouges, proof a heavy beast had landed after coming down the cliff. Her brow wrinkled, stretching the cracks in her skin as she tracked the strange, straight and elongated prints to the north. The others soon caught up to her, following behind as she moved as quickly as possible to find the beast.

They re-entered the forest a kilometer to the north, the last of the tracks deeper than those before. Knife immediately looked up, seeing the telltale sign of a broken branch. A flicker of movement caused her gaze to lock onto the eyes of the camouflaged beast that stared back at her. Its skin looked exactly like the bark of the tree it had been attached to, allowing it to nearly-perfectly blend in. The moment she spotted it, the beast unfurled from its perch, dropped to the ground, and roared.

image [https://i.imgur.com/313HUr6.jpg]

Knife launched herself forward, thankful that the Great Spirit had the foresight to return her blade. She connected with the song inside her, humming it to life as she flashed forward to meet the creature's claws. Her sisters were right beside her, their own humming brought additions to the song that added to each of their strength and speed. Before they could reach the beast, several arrows blasted over their shoulders and slammed into it.

Hardened wood cracked and split as the missiles lodged themselves into the beast. It showed no signs of caring as it swiped a massive claw at Knife. She threw herself to the forest floor. Moss, and small plants pressed against her body as the incredibly quick and deadly limb sailed over her head. Her unkempt hair was the last thing to fall. Some of it caught on the beast's paw and was summarily ripped from her scalp.

A giggle of excitement filtered through her hum as her body came to life in a way it only did when she fought. She leaped to her feet, a hungry smile spread across her face. She leaped, landing on the beast's shoulder and sinking her knife into its tough flesh. It pulled its extended arm back, jerking its elbow behind it in an effort to knock her off. Five spears stabbed into its exposed chest, eliciting a furious growl. Her sisters leaped away long before its follow-up swipe could reach them.

The beast howled its rage, its entire body shaking as it crouched. Five new arrows sprouted inside its mouth, turning its howl into a strangled cry of pain. Knife’s hand gripped one of its spiny protrusions for support as she sunk her blade into it again and again. There was a manic gleam in her eyes as the camouflage bark beneath her began reverting to leathery skin. The spears came in again, followed by another round of arrows before the creature shook a final time and crashed to the ground.

She leaped from her perch, casting her gaze across her sisters with pride. Only one of them had taken a glancing blow and sported a gash through her bark layers. Red sap leaked from the wound, coating the woman’s hand. Knife shivered and licked her lips at the sight of the perfectly straight line across the otherwise jagged bark of her stomach. Knife was almost jealous of how many suitors her sister would have from the beautiful crack. She pulled her eyes away to examine the unfamiliar beast, the smell of its innards already thickening the air.

A moment later, she was back on full alert, casting her gaze in every direction as she sang above the humming of her sisters, “Its paws are too small, this was not the one who came down the wall!”

Her fears were answered as she saw a most disturbing sight through a gap in the trees. A massive tumor on the side of a transcended opened up like a corrupted flower. A wet squelching sound was accompanied by an incredibly similar beast pulling itself free and falling to the ground. It stood up and shook the goop off its leathery skin. The creature cast its gaze about, quickly spotting her. When it did, its eyes lit up with an inner glow. It stepped to the side, breaking eye contact, but not before she saw its skin turn to bark, blending it in with the surroundings.

Before Knife had a chance to curse, the trees before them came to life with movement as a dozen more of the beasts revealed themselves. Instincts screamed at her to run, she turned, ready to issue the command to retreat, only to find a dozen more sets of glowing eyes behind them.

They sacrificed one of their own to lure us in?!

In that suspended moment of realization, she remembered the Great Spirit’s strict warning not to engage any beasts they were unfamiliar with. In her pain and worry while recovering from the harmony, she had completely forgotten. Her eyes darted left and right, noting the position of each of her sisters.

I’ll get them out of here, no matter the cost.

Knife crouched, her fingers tightening around the hilt of her most trusted ally. Her focus drew in to a single point, connecting with the song that existed inside them all. The power blossomed within her, and she became whole, more—her true self that only emerged in the heat of battle. Her life flashed before her eyes: Endless days of training and sparring, slaying more beasts and Forkara than she knew how to count, turning down every suiter to dedicate each moment toward a single purpose: Taking one slow and steady step after another toward perfection.

Now, it was time to put all her efforts to the test. She would either return to him victorious with her knife held high, or not at all.