My team and I walk forward, hands wrapped tight around our weapons of choice. The atmosphere is tense as we follow Margret’s directions through the slums and towards the city, looming ominously in the distance. Audrey and the other sentinel mentors had fallen to the back, taking on a rear-guard role, leaving us to be the vanguard of the group.
Heart thundering in my chest, I pay close attention to my surroundings, ears straining to pick out any noise on the eerily silent street. A strange dissonance hangs over me. After coming from the streets outside that had been so full of life and people, this place seems so desolate. It’s as if all of the life had been sucked out of the city, leaving it empty and dead. The only sounds are the falling rain and my heart thundering in my chest.
Our group holds a tight formation that Baylee had helped guide us into. Haruto takes the lead, being the most heavily armored, with Claire and Akari beside him. As ranged fighters, Baylee and I stay at the back of the pack closest to the soldiers that flank us. Celeste flies up above us, having promised to let me know if she saw anything coming. The other familiars also range out around our group to act as scouts.
Because the lives of our familiars are linked directly to ours, they can’t die unless we do. If their bodies are destroyed, it will cost nothing more than some mana to reform them, which makes them the perfect scouts. Particularly Celeste, whose wings give her a distinct advantage when scouting out our path. I’d been told that the other familiars have different advantages, but I’m not sure what they are.
“Something is weird about this,” Baylee whispers to me as we continue our slow walk. “We should have been attacked by now. From what I’ve read, this place should be practically swarming with low-rank volcora.”
I shiver, “Audrey said that they sometimes attack in ambush. I keep thinking something is going to jump out of a building or alley.”
“Just keep your bow ready,” Baylee instructs, clutching her own pink wand in a white-knuckled grip.
We continue moving, looking in every direction for the source of an attack we don’t know will come. I squeeze the grip of my new bow, and I desperately wish I’d had time to practice with it properly before I got here; yet, even its presence helps settle my frantic nerves. Every time Celeste reports that she hasn’t seen anything is like a knife in the heart. It’s almost as if I can feel something watching me, a mind so alien that I can’t even begin to understand it. The feeling is almost unbearable, knowing that something is watching you but being unable to find out who or what.
[I see movement heading your direction!] Celeste’s voice suddenly exclaims into my mind. [Two… no three, volcora are incoming from the east! They look like wolf variants!]
I take a steadying breath, trying to force down the fear that threatens to rise. “Celeste sees three incoming volcora. Moving towards us from the east,” I tell the others, my voice quivering.
I had never seen a volcora before, other than the ones floating above the city, of course, but they are still too far away to see clearly. I know, however, that volcora can take on many different forms. Celeste had said that these were wolf variants, but I’m still not quite sure what to expect.
“Everyone move so the formation is facing east, then hold steady and prepare to fight,” Baylee orders tensely.
We quickly shift around as I begin to hear movement. Raising my bow in that direction, I prepare to quickly draw and fire. My fingers tremble on the string, feeling like icy hands were gripping my heart. I can’t do this! I’m a high school girl, not a fighter!
Seconds tick by in the dead air as the sounds of movement go from just faint noises to what sounds like claws scrabbling across the wet concrete. I have to reaffirm my resolve over and over in that time. I am safe; Audrey and the other mentors are here to help us if things get out of hand. They won’t let anyone die, and I have magic bandages and medicine to help anyone who gets hurt. Everything will be fine.
I blink to clear the rainwater that had run into my eyes. Strands of my hair that had escaped their tail and are now soaked and sticking to my face. I want to brush them away, but I refuse to move my eyes away from the dark alleyway I know the volcora will emerge from. My fingers brush along the bow string as I prepare to fire, the familiar sensation a comforting balm.
When dark shapes surge out of the alleyway, I only have a split second to evaluate the situation. The three volcora look like oversized wolves but with chitinous armor along their forms like that of a bug. Razer sharp teeth and claws glint in the faint light as they move, and they make a strange high-pitch growling noise reminiscent of the whine of an electric motor. The noise is somehow the most disturbing part of these chimeric creatures. I shiver; while most of the wolves’ bodies are at least analogous to other creatures on Earth, that growl is just unnatural.
The three volcora all look about the same, with the one in the middle of the pack being slightly bigger than the others. The moment I see the three volcora, letters seem to flash into existence above each of them before vanishing just as quickly. All of the volcora display the letter E, with the smaller two having their E be yellowish-green and the larger having its E a pure yellow.
I blink, trying to take in what I’m seeing. Are the letters the rank of the volcora? What does the color mean in that case? I suppose it could-
I’m forced to abandon my train of thought as the volcora streak towards us. My hands mechanically grasp my bowstring, and despite the strangeness of this new bow, years of practice take over. I draw back the bowstring, feeling odd about the fact that there is no arrow nocked. However, as soon as I start to draw back, a crackling arrow manifests itself out of blue lightning, already nocked and ready to fire.
I take a moment to judge the speed of the volcora before firing — I’ve practiced on moving targets, but nothing like this! My heart pounds so hard in my chest that it’s the only thing I can hear. Taking a deep breath, I adjust my aim, then, just like Mr. Yamamoto had taught me, I exhale and fire.
My arrow streaks forward, flying higher and faster than I’d intended and missing Claire by sheer luck as she had started sprinting at the charging volcora immediately after they had appeared. Through pure luck and some skill, the arrow finds its final destination in the back leg of one of the smaller volcora, which seems to barely punch in through the chitinous exterior. It does, however, elicit a high-pitched yelp of pain from the creature.
Things happen so fast that I can barely comprehend them. The volcora that had been hit by my arrow collapses with jerking, uncontrolled movements, clearly the effect of the bow’s inscriptions. It appears to be recovering quickly, though. Claire and the other two volcora clash together nearly at the same moment. The smaller of the two volcora runs right past Claire, its alien black eyes locked on Baylee and me. The larger of the two slams into Claire, knocking her to the ground even as her red sword skitters harmlessly off its armor plates. The red lightning that had been running along the edge of Claire’s blade dissipates as it’s knocked away from her.
As Claire gets hit, I briefly see a flash of red light, making me guess her assault state’s shield had blocked the attack. Still, that can’t have been good for it, as she won’t have much of a shield to work with.
Haruto interposes himself between the final volcora wolf and the rest of the team, Akari holding steady at his flank. The final volcora slams into his large form shoulder first, knocking him back a few steps. Haruto doesn’t falter, though; his green assault state barrier briefly flashes to protect him from the damage. Oddly, it seems to have stretched out further than I’d seen before, and I wonder if he is manipulating it directly. Strange; could that be his dominion art?
As soon as the volcora is stopped, Akari darts forward, slashing her blade down at the wolf that had just rammed Haruto. Unlike Claire’s attack, her blade seems to have done some damage, but Akari only cut into the armor rather than the flesh.
As my mind whirls, trying to figure out my next move, Baylee steps forward, leveling her now glowing wand at the massive volcora wolf baring down on Claire’s prone form. A near-blinding blast of pink light flashes from Baylee’s wand, hitting the large volcora with enough force to knock it off of Claire. Yet, it doesn’t seem to have done much damage to the creature as it turns its eyes on Baylee and snarls. At least it isn’t attacking Claire anymore.
I hear shouting from the soldiers behind me, but I can’t clearly make out their words as my heart thunders in my chest. Something about friendly fire? I’ll bet they can’t fire on the volcora without risking hitting us. It’s like Audrey had said: they would be a great asset right now if we hadn’t gotten in their way! Oh Claire, why did you run in alone?!
My eyes widen as I see Claire slowly starting to prop herself up; her armored outfit looks scratched and battered, parts of it hanging off at odd angles. Something I’d learned from Celeste was that the state of a sentinel’s outfit mimicked the state of their shield. Thus, I can tell that Claire’s shield is likely on its last legs. I’m not sure if she has a pin like mine, but if she doesn’t, then the volcora will start being able to actually hurt her soon.
Time to change things. Rather than drawing back my bow again, I thrust my hand forward. Mist pours from my open palm, flowing along the ground towards Claire. I’m careful to keep the mist low to the ground so as to not obstruct my teammate's sightlines. However, with Claire still down, I hope to obscure her from sight so the large volcora won’t focus on her again.
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In the midst of the action, my mist flows across the ground until it washes over Claire like a wave, cloaking her in white fog flickering with blue mana.
The volcora had not been inactive while I’d been spreading my mists. The large volcora had turned away from Claire, its eyes now locked on where Baylee and I stand. An icy spike of fear stabs into my heart at the sight of the massive beast, especially as it begins to bound towards us.
It appears that Claire wasn’t to be left alone either. The volcora that I had initially shot with an arrow had recovered from the brief paralysis and is now moving quickly to catch up to the fight and pounce on the still-downed Claire. She had begun to sit up but is still clearly the vulnerable target while separated from the team.
Hurriedly, I draw back my bow string again, eyes flicking between the volcora charging me and the volcora about to pounce on Claire. The words of Prof and Audrey flash through my mind. I know what they would tell me to do. They would want me to paralyze the large volcora wolf, perhaps retreat to a safe distance. That had never been me. My role is to heal and protect my team. I will not leave Claire to be mauled by those horrid black claws.
Exhaling, I release my arrow and it strikes true, slamming straight into the center mass of the wolf and downing it right before it reaches Claire. I’d adjusted my aim to account for the decreased drop and speed of the shot, allowing for much more accuracy on my second attempt. Sadly, I don’t have time to see anything else as the largest of the wolves bears down on us.
Baylee releases another blast of pink light at the large wolf, but it jumps to the side to avoid the attack before continuing its charge. Haruto still has his hands full with the smaller wolf that had reached us first, though that wolf looks to be on its last legs. Akari, who had been helping him, disengages, leaping to the side to put herself between the wolf and me.
My eyes go wide as, for the second time, the large wolf tackles one of my teammates. Akari isn’t nearly as large as Claire and simply doesn’t have the mass to be standing in front of something that big. A vibrant, violet shield appears to protect her, but it doesn’t seem to do much as she is crushed under the weight of the wolf.
“Akari!” I scream, drawing and firing my bow as fast as I can. My hurried shot only glances off the side of the wolf, but luckily, it still seems to apply at least a bit of the paralyzing effect.
I hear Akari screaming as the wolf slashes down at her with its clawed paws over and over, like a dog digging a hole in a garden. It’s all I can see as I draw and fire again and again. I have to save Akari! She cannot die here!
Beside me, Baylee also opens up on the volcora, her blasts eventually knocking the now thoroughly paralyzed wolf off of our teammate. I keep drawing and firing over and over, even as Haruto and, eventually, Claire join in on battering the large volcora.
It’s only when a message box from my soul gem appears in my vision that I stop my relentless assault.
Through training, your soul gem has undergone a minor refinement. You have advanced from Rank E-1 to Rank E-2.
First Advancement Notice:
Minor refinements to your soul gem have the following effects.
* Slight increase to Domain attunement.
* Slight increase to Astral Path attunement.
* Slight increase to ability potency.
* Slight increase to assault state physical enhancements.
* Slight increase to the durability of assault state's comprehensive barrier.
* Slight increase to familiar's maximum size.
Warning: All subsequent refinements will be more difficult to achieve than previous refinements. The path is long, and this is but the first step.
They’re dead… we’d done it. I blink, staring at the final dead volcora wolf; my mind slowly begins to switch gears once more. I read over the notice my soul gem had produced before dismissing it. That had been horrifying, but the job isn’t done yet. Akari and Claire still need me.
My eyes snap to Akari, who, to my surprise, is already starting to sit up. That does not mean that she is okay, though. It appears that her shield had actually held up better than I’d expected, but it had ended up breaking in the end. The razor-sharp claws of the largest volcora had a few seconds to rip into bare flesh before the paralyzation set in, leaving Akari covered in bloody gashes that had torn right through her light armor. Now, her left arm and her torso drip with blood from the wounds.
Next, I allow my gaze to flick to Claire, but she seems fine to my initial glance. I don’t think her assault state’s shield had ever fully broken; it had only been damaged. That assessment done; I run to Akari’s side, opening my bag of medical supplies as Baylee calls out orders.
“Stay sharp and form a parameter around Serena and Akari,” Baylee snaps, her eyes locking on Claire with an annoyed expression. “Some volcora can scent blood, and we can’t get caught off guard. Serena, do what you can.”
Following Baylee’s orders, my teammates and the soldiers move to form a parameter around us as I kneel beside my friend. Quickly, I dig through my bag, looking through the cheap medical items Audrey had me purchase from the medical shop. There are a few pills, an injector, and a number of rolls of bandages.
My eyes linger on the injector for a long moment before I discount it. That is for major wounds, and while Akari’s gashes look deep, I need to hold onto it in case someone gets hurt even worse. This had happened not long after entering the incursion, and I have to imagine that there is still worse to come. Some resources will need to be held in reserve. For now, I think some bandages and one of the pills will work best.
Akari, sitting up, watches me produce a small white pill and a roll of bandages. Mentally, I curse my lack of proper medical training as I hand the pill to Akari. If my interest had been biology instead of archery, this would be much easier.
Akari looks at the little pill in her hand, a small smile on her face as I explain while I work. “That will help numb the pain, boost your energy, and encourage faster healing,” I say, starting to unroll some bandages. “It will work together with these bandages to help you heal faster.”
Akari turns her gaze to meet mine, that small smile still in place. “You’re in your element now, huh?”
I smile back weakly, happy she is feeling well enough to make jokes. I’m still shaken by the fight myself. It had been so close, far too close. “I suppose I am. Now, I’m going to need you to lift your arms up so I can bandage those gashes on your stomach.”
With only mild grumbling from Akari, I manage to wrap my new friend’s arm and torso up with enough bandages that I’m sure the healing treatment on them will do its work. She might look like a partial mummy by the end of it, but that’s only to be expected.
I’m startled when, as I finish wrapping Akari’s wounds, the dark cloth of her outfit seems to move over the bandages as it self-repairs. Strange, I wonder what other magical properties our outfits have that I don’t know about. I’ll bet Celeste probably knows, but I like at least some things staying magical and mysterious.
Once Akari had been fully bandaged and is up and moving around, Audrey moves towards our little group. Clenching my fists, I turn towards the larger woman. That little stunt with my training had been one thing, but this was just too far. Akari had been pinned for a long time, and she had no way of knowing that she had only been lightly injured!
As Audrey moves towards us, I march over and glare at her, “Why didn’t you help Akari?! She could have been killed!” I demand angrily. The only thing better than healing is making sure that no healing is ever required. Audrey had failed to help Akari when she needed it.
Audrey shrugs, looking down at me, “We didn’t feel the need to intervene. She took only minor wounds, and you successfully defeated the volcora. You also got to get some experience as a field medic, which will increase the likelihood of you receiving new abilities related to healing.”
“Minor wounds?! She could bleed out from a cut like that in her arm! If it had hit an artery, I’m not sure there would have been anything I could do!” I yell, anger and hurt driving me. I’d trusted Audrey; she was Stardust Angel, the sentinel I’d looked up to since I was a little girl. She should have done something, and she just stood by while Akari was hurt! In a mere second, Akari’s life force could have been snuffed out by that massive volcora.
Audrey’s face hardens, anger crossing her features. “Backup, rookie,” she says, her voice quiet but deadly calm.
Eyes widening in fear, I step back. Looking up at Audrey, I now find myself looking straight into the face of a stranger. Audrey’s eyes look eerie, almost empty. It’s as if she’s barely holding herself back from attacking me, her whole body vibrating with rage. This… this is different than before. The difference between angry and murderous. What’s happening?!
“You think this is bad?” Audrey growls, stepping back into my personal space. “You have no idea what’s coming. You need to be prepared for at least this much. Sentinels get hurt, and sentinels die. That’s just how things are. Sure, I’d have stepped in if it looked like that little wolf would finish her off, but it didn’t. If I help you with every little encounter, then you wouldn’t get any experience, and we would just be wasting our time here,” Audrey lectures, her voice cold and harsh. Her eyes seem to gleam with anger, with hatred. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was two seconds away from pulling her weapon on me.
Tears threaten as I look up at her, unable to understand the switch that had flipped. We’d argued before, sure, but that hadn’t been anything like this! My eyes widen further as I see something dark worming its way into Audrey’s pink bonfire of lifeforce.
Fear runs down my back like a bucket of icy water. The second I see that dark force affecting Audrey, I know. She isn’t acting like this on purpose. Something is happening. Audrey had acted blunt and easily annoyed, yes, but this is different. She had never been openly hostile like this. Something is wrong.
Looking around, my fear turns to ice-cold terror as I see the other mentors. The same dark energy slowly creeps into their life forces. Infecting them. Even as I watch, I see fists clench and faces twist angrily.
“A-Audrey,” I stammer, backing away, “this isn’t you. Something is making you act like this.”
Audrey’s face had twisted into a snarl. “What the fuck are you talking about!? What do you know?! Nothing is…” she grits her teeth, for a second seeming normal even as the other mentors around us start drawing their weapons, fury blazing in their vibrant eyes.
“Serena, what do you see?! What’s happening?!” Baylee demands, running over and looking at the mentors who seem about ready to dive into a free-for-all.
“Something is affecting their life forces!” I call, unable to explain further as my team and the soldiers back away from the former leaders of our expedition.
[Serena!] Celeste calls into my mind, swooping down from above to alight on my shoulder. [Something is very wrong! Dozens of volcora are closing in, no… hundreds!]
All of the mentors seem to be holding onto themselves by only a thread. Audrey grits her teeth, her eyes closed with focus. For a brief moment, I see her life force push back against the dark power infecting her. Audrey opens her eyes, and for just a second, she seems lucid. Then, the dark power rushes into her in a surge, and her irises light up with a pink, incandescent fury.
“Run,” she whispers before raising her bow and pulling back an arrow.