Trial

Akamori and his squad of mage allies stood tensely as they stared down a group of Seraphin willing to die for their false goddess of light. The Icon forged into being with heavy magic and crystals. The squad of spell soldiers threatened the Icon. The defenders were the last line. Both parties knew this.

The still water broke, and both groups attacked. Morwen ordered a defensive posture. Sala took point as usual, letting out a battle roar that naturally drew the Seraphin’s attention. Akamori and Yasiin picked off targets while Amara ran clean up at close quarters. Morwen called shots and Sirsir laughed gleefully while he unleashed hell with his heavy spell machine gun and conjured heavy spell cannon.

Vast swaths of Seraphin fell before the squad as the group of mages chewed through their AP to down the large mob. When his own AP reached a fourth of his total, Akamori stowed his spell rifle and drew Thanaton’s eager hilt. Finally! The weapon purred telepathically to him.

He channeled his air magic down the blade, and the familiar glow and sheen of magic shimmered into view. The blade hummed as he twirled it eagerly. Sparks flew the moment a volunteer Seraphin offered itself up to Akamori’s discount autopsy class. Lessons were very concise, leaving a dismembered Seraphin at the squad’s feet.

Sala’s hands were like stone jack hammers. Raining blows into all Seraphin unwise enough, but unable to ignore the Primal’s war cry. Sala tore the helmet clean off of one and used it as an improvised weapon until it was smashed into the shape of an opposing head and discarded like trash. Cuts and bruises on his body faded and healed as he continually bathed himself in his healing aura.

Morwen directed the flow of combat where necessary. The biggest threat the squad faced was being overwhelmed. Everyone did their best to ensure that wasn’t the case by not wasting time on any single target. If a target was too stubborn to die quickly, they handed it off to a new member. This process of rapid transfer meant the Seraphin struggled to keep pace with the mages. Unable to adapt precision or overwhelm the squad with brute force, the Seraph’s final course of action was to grind themselves to death against the stone of the Mages.

When the final seraphin fell, the squad sighed in relief and everyone downed a mana potion, recovering their aether pool back. Akamori pouted, about having to do so without his armor, instead drinking a potion he’d produced from an enchanted satchel to protect its contents from crushing damage to prevent breakages. His only sole consolation was the fact they flavored the potion like grapes. He tossed the empty bottle aside; it shattered on the stone tiling on the floor of the branch like bridge.

System Info: You have cleared the Highspire Tree of all corrupted Seraphin except for Seraphina. She’s waiting for you just ahead. Good luck, don’t die.

Akamori gave the massive doorway, barring them from the Icon a nod. “Amara, is our guest behind the doorway?”

“Yeah. Watch yourself in there, ok?”

“Shit ain’t right.” Sirsir said.

System Info: Trial: Face the Icon of Light. Seraphina has been summoned and has corrupted most of the Seraphin Wild Tribe. The Adventurer’s Guild needs the Icon put down before it threatens the city.

Accept challenge? Yes/No

Akamori mentally accepted. He didn’t face them when he responded. Uncertain if it was shame or fear that held his gaze from meeting theirs. “I know. All I can guarantee is I’ll be free of any corruptive effects the Icon might have. I can’t vouch for the rest of you and dragging you all in there would just warp you like it did the Seraphin. Let me fix this.”

“Alright. We’ll trust you to it.” Morwen said, stealing the initiative of protest from anyone else. If she backed him, no one else could derail him. Morwen understood the value of what they’d done more than most. This was her home, after all. If the Seraphin were raising and nurturing an Icon in Eryn’s backyard, it would bode ill for the Federation later. They couldn’t afford distractions the further the conflict dragged out. Akamori was right to address this now while they could.

“Go on Lieutenant. We’ll be waiting.”

There was another reason she’d opted against protest. Her foresight was being blocked. Meaning events proceeding were being altered by a divine hand and the only player she knew of so far was the fate weaver who couldn’t be named after they left her domain. Morwen had a hunch, but wanted to play this situation out before revealing her hand first.

Akamori stepped forward with Thanaton draped across his shoulders casually. Icons are rare. To taste the blood of one is thrilling. Long has it been since I’d put one down.

He paused at the entrance to Seraphina and looked down the length of the sword. “You’ve fought Icons in the past?”

Many times. Many lesser cultures raise Icons to serve in place of true gods. But because an Icon is hollow and lacks a soul, it exists only to serve itself. They are magical blights that have to be put down.

“All Icons are bad, huh?”

Icons exist without true souls. They are manifestations of will. Selfish and hungry for worship. Consider them magical cancers. They are malignant and do nothing but swell and grow. Consuming worshipers from true gods and robbing the aether and worship for themselves. You are doing this world a service by challenging this Icon.

“Hmm. Alright. Let’s get to work then.”

He strode forward into the blinding sunlight that spilled down through the breaks in the canopy like waterfalls of light. His boots echoed through the canopy. The sound felt off, given how open the area was. He suspected some kind of auditory amplification magic. This might be where the Seraphin’s leaders gathered. Perhaps for the final time.

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A brilliant light shone down at the center of the combat area, and Seraphina descended. She was 6 meters tall, with each step the area gently quakes. Clad in white robes, and gold armor, Seraphina wore a helmet that focused her long, curly amber locks down her back. Seraphina fluttered ten holy wings, and a glowing series of rings spun behind her back. Her liquid gold eyes flashed at Akamori and she focused on him like a hawk watching a rodent.

A cruel smile flashed across her lips as she studied his aura and grimaced immediately. The look of having tasted something foul crossing her face. Mouth twisting into a scowl, she leaned close and pointed a slender finger at him.

“You reek of void magic. I had thought you might be a delicious morsel to bring to my converted, but I may just crush your aura and soul then devour your friends aether.”

“It has been a minute since I’ve been able to snag a good shower. As for my friends? You won’t be bothering them.”

Seraphina chuckled, amused, leaning back. “Oh? And why is that?”

“Because I’m taking your head to the guildhall.”

“Just little old you?”

“I’ve got some friends,” Akamori said with a smirk.

“Then come and show me. Amuse me before I feast myself on your aether.”

Akamori pointed Thanaton’s blade tip at Seraphina and assumed a ready stance, his body unconsciously channeling Bahumet’s stance. He wanted to start low and work his way up. He’d need to build charges in both his gauges before he could start dumping heavy damage on Seraphina, anyway.

She began by unleashing a potent blast of raw light on his position that he swiftly danced aside from. His feet pumped rapidly to close the distance between them as he closed in and she thrust out a hand and a thick, hazy white light flooded the area like cotton on his soul.

System Info: Sereaphina has cast Aetheric Corruption on you. You have resisted Aetheric Corruption from Seraphina. You are immune to this effect.

An ethereal voice that sounded familiar but not sang in his ear. “Champion. My blessing has shielded you from the Icon’s power. Now do what you have to for the safety of the realm.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Akamori said with a nod as the bright white pattern of wards faded from view before him. Ok, sometimes magic was cool. He surged back into motion, resuming his attack. Seraphina brought a slender rapier to bear on him as he advanced, summoning air magic down his spell blade.

Thanaton shimmered and sang, ready to attack as the blade arced up quickly, unleashing a wind slash. The nanometer thin blade of air magic shattered against Seraphina’s golden armor into motes of wispy white aether. The Icon responded by lunging with her rapier and launching into a flurry of stabbing thrusts that forced Akamori into evasive maneuvers. He turned into a blue and gold trimmed blur as Seraphina repeatedly tried to run him through with the point of her blade or cut him with the edge of her elegant rapier.

It unsettled him how easily he could keep up with her speed. She was moving fast enough. He felt like a few months ago she’d have skewered him instantly. There was a resonating confirmation from Thanaton. That’s because a few months ago you were still a category three mortal. Now you’ve begun your ascent into godhood. There is still much farther to go, but you are beyond simple labels that apply to mortals now.

Distracted by Thanaton’s musing, Seraphina struck Akamori with a sweeping upward slash that sent him hurtling beyond the canopy and into the open blue sky. Rushing wind whipped at his ears as his blue and gold trim gi rippled wildly. His upward momentum was beginning to slow out when massive orbs of burning light rushed up at him. Like Sirsir’s light fire combination spell.

Burning Sin orbs! Destroy them! Quickly! Thanaton warned.

His sword arm went into motion of its own accord. He cleaved the first four, and they flamed out before one finally connected and another, followed by more. They all piled on and formed a massive orb around him. His nerves ignited with agony under the influence of the Burning Sin Orbs.

Thanaton raged silently, but there was an undercurrent of fear in that rage. Akamori couldn’t understand it and didn’t have time to. A primal need to escape boiled within him. Cold and hard, like the void magic that seethed within him.

He brought his sword above his head and then tore the blade down as hard as he could, channeling all of his magic into the blade. The massive Burning Sin Orb collapsed, popping like a soap bubble as the cutting line of magic continued to flow down. It sank into the trees, cleanly carving through the long branch that held the chamber Seraphina had knocked him above in the sky.

The Icon hopped back and held her rapier aloft and wreathed in flame, avoiding his massive wind slash, and watched as Akamori fell. Landing gracefully on the end of the branch he’d severed, he stood calmly, eying her down as the branch fell in slow motion. The motion at such speeds that normal time was relativistic. She is afraid , Thanaton purred.

“Then let’s turn it up.”

Akamori’s aura exploded into action as the spell soldier surged forward. His blade whipped about in a flurry of precise slashes. The hurricane of wind slash spells drained his remaining AP. As more segments of the branch began their gravity driven descent, Akamori corkscrewed in the air, popped the cork on a mana potion and used his water magic to direct the potion out of the bottle and into his mouth in a tube of fluid that moved like a water snake. He felt his AP replenish.

The depth of his AP was considerable this far in, but he knew a protracted battle of spells would not work out in his favor. He needed to use his void reaper abilities, which didn’t depend on AP for use. Good. Test. Adapt. Destroy. Thanaton coached .

Serephina regrouped and charged. Light exploded behind her as ten wings surged, propelling her forward at him.

“Here. We. Go.” Akamori whispered as the Icon charged.

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