There were hundreds of them. Winds raged due to the unceasing flapping of their wings, and the air moaned when it met with their sharp, feathery tips.
Bone-white talons glinted in the darkness, a dead giveaway of the monsters’ location. And yet what did it matter for a flock of that size? They were everywhere, circling their group in eerie silence. Beady purple eyes took the team in, malicious intentions flashing within them.
Xerion held his saber in a vice-like grip. They’d swoop in soon, and all he could do was hope for none of the Mature ones to find him as worthy prey.
Ether sat upon his shoulders, its misty fur bristled, and its maw warped into the most threatening of snarls possible for his tiny form. A constant growl echoed from its throat, the sound somehow putting the boy’s heart at ease. They were together, supporting each other, able to face the direst of challenges.
“Vaikus,” Nadia said, her voice barely a whisper yet also clear as day. “Level the fight, please. Duene… no playing today. Kill them to the last. And you, Philip. Take care of the boy.”
The giant saluted, the gesture’s meaning drilling into the minds of the team. He’d do what was needed, as always. In contrast to the man’s concise acknowledgment, the pink-clad woman merely grinned, her sword pulsing with brilliance and power. The weapon seemed as eager to be used as its mistress wished to use it.
“Aye aye, captain,” the last member answered in a lackadaisical tone, most of his attention placed on a floating stream of liquid rather than the death circling above.
Then the water magician gave a low whistle, his beloved blue element multiplying in response. One tentacle became eight, each slithering through the air like a serpent ready to pounce upon its next victim.
As if in answer to the completion of their preparations, the sky shattered. Close to a thousand bladed beaks descended, making that location look like the target of an artillery spell bombardment.
Vaikus rose to his full, considerable height, his shield of dull orange metal and a hundred golden enchantments blazing in his palms. In spite of the giant’s obvious readiness to battle, his figure projected serenity, the unwavering conviction that this event wouldn’t cause so much as a ripple in the calm pool of his life.
A sudden gale broke in the clearing, and it took a second for Xerion to understand that it appeared sorely because their defender sucked in a deep breath. And then, as if in slow motion, the shield wielder raised its tool and slammed it above himself, seeming to strike at the fabric of existence.
The sound of lightly exhaled air reached the boy’s ears, its gentle touch caressing his skin.
And then a physical wave of noise threw him backward, cracks appearing in the sky, drops of inky darkness falling as if the world itself was crying tears of pain. A low whine seemed to nibble at the surface of his soul, further causing him to think that the realm in which he lived, that it lived too, and it felt the wound the giant dug upon its flesh.
A thousand caws reverberated as a thousand Shadow Ravens fell. Monsters, the puppets of the Dark, previously so haughty as they looked upon the worms forever bound to the lows of the dirt, now found themselves in the same position as those they despised.
Xerion exhaled, his saber striking out and meeting void-tainted flesh. Those feathers may be sharp, but they offered little when it came to protection.
Rotting blood and decayed innards splashed onto his face and armor. A drop of that diseased liquid slid and touched his lip. It tasted of death and shit.
Ether’s tiny paws exploded with a might beyond its unassuming form. Claws of ethereal make slashed and tore at the shadowy creatures, ripping them to shreds with an approach so methodical, its maker watched in awe as the Spirit dismantled all who stood in its path.
The boy didn’t stay idle either. Golden lines of [Resolve Augmentation] etched into his being and shimmered beneath the layer of [Sentinel’s Embrace], while his sorrowful, twin-pupiled radiant eyes gazed at his enemies with disdain and wariness in equal measure.
His current appearance embodied the kingly persona he so often took within his realm, and despite the lack of the god-like powers that place bestowed upon him, he’d do his best to deliver his judgment to the wicked, as was fitting for a Sovereign.
Varsteel blade cut a line through the air, parting the mists so prevalent in the Void Lands. A beast met its end upon the weapon’s tip, its form sliding down the saber with a loud, wet squelch.
Xerion’s stomach roiled at the sounds and smells of battle. For a single instant, his concentration broke, and it was enough for a pair of talons to close in on his face.
Sprays of water, shot under sufficient pressure to dig into steel, split the Mature Raven into four even parts. The bird continued on its flight to kill the boy, but the impact with his forehead dissolved the threads that barely kept its shadowy flesh together.
The young Practitioner looked himself over, seeing the guts that covered him from top to toe. Then his gaze moved to his savior.
Philip winked at him, five of his watery tentacles flailing around and transforming the void creatures into minced meat. Of the remaining three, two hovered near the target of his protection, while the final one traveled to the man’s head and made a gesture as if tipping an imaginary hat.
Xerion puked, wiped at his mouth with his sleeve, and went back to killing. Exuberant yips accompanied him till the last of that flying filth was dealt with.
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
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Xerion almost cried tears of joy after they exited from yet another forest. As bad as the encounter with the flock of ravens was, what hid within the depths of the woods dwarfed it a hundredfold.
Sickly green liquid still occasionally dripped down his lip, despite the numerous healing potions he imbibed. His team looked upon him with pity and compassion in equal measure, for they could all imagine what an experience it must’ve been when that thing crawled into his throat.
He shook his head, as if hoping to chase away the memory. Ether licked at his face, and he smiled at the Spirit. Its presence seemed to soothe his soul and aching stomach both, and so he gave it all the scritches it deserved. It chuffed at him in contentment.
“We’re here,” Nadia said, gesturing ahead with her palm and breaking his line of thought.
Pale blue eyes gazed upon their surroundings, noticing… not much. The same ground, constantly changing its consistency from solid to tar-like, those disgusting, clinging mists, and a whole lot of other filth associated with the void – but no mines.
“What do you mean?” Xerion asked. “It’s the same here as everywhere else.”
“Oh?” The boy’s mentor took him in and frowned, then one of her eyebrows quirked upwards. “Ah, yes. I forgot how limited your sight is. We’re about two leagues out from our destination. You shall see it shortly.”
The young Practitioner started to nod, then hesitated. “No more monsters, right? I’m… I’m tired. Couldn’t get a wink of sleep throughout the night.”
Xerion’s teacher blushed so fiercely, he noticed it despite everything in this land doing its best to obstruct his view. It was quite something to witness such red creep onto the woman’s earthy skin.
“Why yes, I can imagine that must’ve been quite the harrowing experience indeed. Worry not; you’ll get used to the sounds produced by the Dark in no time, and you’ll get plenty of shuteye then.”
“It wasn’t the darkness that kept me awak—”
“To answer your question,” she cut him off, the tone of her voice suggesting he shouldn’t so much as think about returning to the previous topic. “No, there’s none. Our path is free of beasts.”
“Oh, thank the Empyrean!” he cried, some of the tension leaving his body. “Five packs since the morning. That can’t be normal.”
“It isn’t,” Nadia said. “Not at all.”
Before an hour passed, Xerion saw the endpoint of their journey. The mountain loomed, hundreds upon hundreds of paces tall and made of jagged onyx rocks. The shadow it cast seemed to whisper of untold horrors taking place beneath its surface, in the depths of this colossus.
A single pinprick of light also crept into the young Practitioner’s sight, and the appearance of it in this horrid land shook him more than most on this mission. It was just so unexpected, to see a trace of normalcy so far away from home.
The team approached it, and as they neared, so did that spot of gold grow. A barrier of solid brilliance, albeit with its color muffled to not attract undue attention, protected the entrance leading deep into the confines of this massive rock formation.
Nadia raised a single fist, causing all to stop at once. “Vaikus, take point. Duene, you’ll guard the rear. You boys are with me. Let’s go.”
They entered. As if in prior agreement, every member of Team Hylkiö sighed in relief after escaping the void’s embrace.
The shaft looked at once less and more impressive than Xerion imagined. He walked over to one of its walls and lightly brushed his fingers against its surface. A slight warmth emanated from this gray rock, and he wondered what it was, for the bulk of the mountain was made of onyx stone. Did it hold some magical properties, or was it here simply to ensure the mine didn’t collapse?
Everywhere around him and the rest of his party floated tiny radiance specks, each of them illuminating and purifying this place, removing the vile influence of the Dark. What were they exactly? He thought to ask, but matters of more pressing import came up.
The boy took a couple of steps forward and crouched, staring at what used to be a person. A man most likely. Or maybe not; it was hard to tell, as the corpse seemed to be missing its lower half, face, and parts of its chest. A single cut ran along the length of its stomach, tiny punctures present all over the pulled-out entrails.
Xerion sniffed, catching the recognizable scent of decomposition. He— no, it should’ve died no more than a day ago, a day and a half tops. That’d correspond with when the distress signal was received by the Pillars.
He continued to stare, both of his pupils not focused on anything. A hand landed on his shoulder. He ignored it. It started to shake him, but he couldn’t be bothered to tell it to stop. It didn’t matter, none of it did. He was Expendable, they all were, a bunch of trash being thrown at a problem everyone else knew better than to touch. And they would die here, beneath some nameless pile of rocks.
Someone said something. Probably his teacher, she was quite a chatty one. Definitely not the pink one, no— although, he wouldn’t be surprised if she sent an insult or two his way. She could be so cold sometimes. He was cold now too, the chill rushing through his body and seeping even into his heart.
Why did he come here? He didn’t want to die. He wanted to be home, and safe, and with his dad, and to hug him. Instead, he ended up alone in a place so repugnant, devils wouldn’t wish to step upon this land.
A sadful whine reached his ears, an obsidian button-like nose poking at his neck and begging for his attention.
Ah. Ether. Yes, he wasn’t alone. He had his Spirit, the wolf, the best friend he could ask for. Its fur was so soft, so warm. He hugged it, keeping the ball of fluff close to his chest. It felt nice. Safe.
“Xerion,” Nadia repeated, crouching in front of him. She put his face between her palms. They were warm, too. “I didn’t think such a sight would greet us, and for that, I am sorry. But I need you to be brave. Find your Courage.”
The boy breathed, his eyes focused on his canine companion. Yes, he had to, had to… do something. Shake himself out of this stunned state. But how?
An idea struck him, and for the lack of a better one, he went with it.
The golden lines of [Resolve Augmentation] ripped their way into existence. He gazed at that magma-like essence as it burrowed into his flesh, creating temporary channels for more power, and sending an avalanche of pure agony into his brain.
Xerion sucked in air through gritted teeth, the pain clearing his mind in an instant. Empyrean help him, why did it have to hurt so much.
No, this is a good thing, he reminded himself. If I feel pain then I’m alive. Yes. I’m alive. And I’ll continue to stay that way.
The young Practitioner rose and looked at his team. “Sorry, everyone. I embarrassed myself.”
Duene walked over to him and punched him lightly in the chest. “Nah, Xer, you’re good. I puked the first time I saw a corpse.”
“Really?” he asked, his voice filled with disbelief.
“Yup,” she nodded seriously. “Vomited all over it. Nasty stuff.”
“She’s quite right, you know,” Nadia chimed in. “To see such a thing, to be so directly faced with our mortality… it’s hard to remain unaffected. Your reaction wasn’t out of the norm.”
An armored hand, present on his shoulder since he crouched and started freaking out, squeezed it again. Vaikus smiled at him, a sad and tiny thing, telling him the man understood his feelings better than most might imagine. He was scared, too. And so he wore his armor and his shield, to keep the reaper at bay.
“Philip,” Nadia prodded. “Wouldn’t you like to say something, hmmm?”
The blue-clad lad was currently in the middle of juggling five balls of water, trying desperately to avoid his tentacle, which seemed bent on making him fail. It swiped through the air, aiming at yet missing the spheres each time.
The voice of his team leader broke the man’s concentration, however, causing all his creations to end up bursting on his head. Now drenched, he looked himself over, somehow satisfied despite his current state, before moving his gaze to his party members.
“Did you say something?”
“No, Philip. Nothing at all.”