When he awoke, he was once more confronted with a world of red.

He was lying on a bed of cold cobblestone tiles. Once he pried his upper half off the ground, he heard a desperate gasp like someone had just remembered to breath.

The Alf in polished armor next to him fell on her knees. Her face ghastly pale.

“Justiva, what happened?”

“Sir Irvan, you’re awake!” She scrambled to stand on her feet. “You, Chancellor Elius and the Faker encountered the Acolyte. You unfortunately fell unconscious and were evacuated from the battle.”

“I’m the only one who got knocked out?” Irvan muttered in disbelief. He slammed his fist against the ground.

He remembered glimpses from the events before he was knocked out, hearing the Acolyte dismissed him as the true Oracle as it threw him into several buildings. He was seething in both anger and embarrassment.

He immediately reached for his belt of flintlock pistols, reloading them before scooping up his weapons.

“Sir Irvan, wait! I must inform you of the Acolyte’s strength!”

“I don’t care! I’m stronger than it. I’ll kill the piece of shit and be the one to help the dragonkins claim Stusis. It’s because I’m the real one. I’m the Oracle who will save the world, not that sinner!”

He stormed out to find the army of Dragonkins in severe conditions. Their numbers dwindled to double digits. Injured ones were included among them and left the army a mere sixty capable soldiers to continue the war.

“Sir Irvan, Kaz’Bruk has brought with him only his elite soldiers. These are what’s left. We are losing this battle. The Scalemen now outnumber us ten to one.”

“Where’s Alc’Bruk?”

“The Dragonborn had since been fighting the Goliath from the beginning of the battle. We do not know the results yet.”

“We haven’t lost.” Irvan grounded his teeth. “We can still get the Crimson Dragon’s support if our side defeats the Acolyte. Then, once the Crimson Dragon lends its power to us, saving the other countries will be a piece of cake!”

Irvan only sang of his success from Easul since then rather than showing from there on.

One known fact was Irvan had not contributed in this war as much as his companions. He was useful to drive the Tower’s spawns. Unlike the Faker who threw himself into the thicket of every fight, Irvan let the Dragonkins and his companions fight battles for him.

Justiva feared the worst. Had Elius chosen the wrong person to follow?

She forfeited the idea to stop Irvan as he raced into battle. She chose a safe location to recast [Astral Body] once it was ready and quickly caught up to him.

“Where are you going? This way.”

Her golden figure made her easy to spot as she [Phantom Step] past fields of debris.

The entire city was nearly leveled. The closer they neared towards the center, the more powerful tremors were. At one point, an earthquake shuffled the ground. They then witnessed a curtain of falling boulders, debris and trash rising towards them like a tsunami.

“Sir Irvan, get behind me! [Golden Bulwark]!”

Justiva braced for impact. The weight of the entire district flew at her. Using her named shield, the [Golden Bulwark] and its imbued skill, a screen of solid light took the brunt of the disaster.

Once the storm had passed, she unburrowed herself and proceeded to guide Irvan to the heart of the battle.

“That thing’s a monster…!” Irvan said in horror. “There wasn’t anything when I challenged the Tower in Easul.”

Meanwhile Justiva was silent. She half expected Irvan’s appropriate response to the Acolyte’s overwhelming strength.

Skipping through the field of rubble, light suddenly flashed before them. Having to experienced it numerous times, it was Salith’s [Castling]. The ability granted to her by the Hero’s Crest allowed her to swap places with anyone by following certain conditions.

“I’ll have her use [Castling] to get me close.”

“History will repeat itself if you do.” Justiva objected. “It was able to penetrate my defenses and end my [Astral Body] in one blow.”

Irvan clicked his tongue. His mood turned sour at his plan rejected.

“I suggest we regroup with Chancellor Elius. He must have devised a plan.”

“Fine…”

From this distance, they saw small silhouettes shuffling into view. Tower creatures burrowed beneath the rubble crawled through the cracks, standing in their path.

The sword Irvan held was enveloped in silver light as he charged at his foes. His movements were fast, sharp and powerful. There was no lag before he shifted to his next predetermined position to take down his next foe.

Each swing, step and angle of his attack was calculated milliseconds as he defeated and looked to his next target.

He flicked his blade of the blackened ash staining his glowing silver blade and tossed a glance at Justiva to check on her status. Just as he was about to give the order to continue, he heard a deep rumbling.

“Sir Irvan. What’s wrong?”

Irvan silently stepped off course, following the song of curse only the Enuis could hear. Its melody was unlike any spell he heard as they were whisked in front of him.

It had a melodramatic note, luring him as sirens did to sailors.

The song led him to half standing building. The collapsed wall made it seem unstable to waltz through its entrance, but Irvan did not care. He was curious and slipped through a narrow gap.

At the center of the enclosure, he discovered a wicked axe half buried. Its shaft was as slim as a sword’s width. It was overpowering to look at it. The equipment overflowed with more magic than anything he saw in Easul, the supposed land of advanced magic research.

His hand unconsciously floated towards the axe. A crooked smile formed as his fingers wrapped over its handle. Immediately after freeing it, a surge of magic welled up in him.

His sore body, his scars healed. He felt invigorated as though he could slay an army in his way. Maybe even an Elder Dragon itself.

As a bonus, the axe morphed to a shape to his liking. It remained an axe, but its brutally sharp head stretched and slimmed into a machete like weapon.

“That’s the Acolyte’s weapon!” Justiva gasped.

“What a lucky find. Looks like the favors are on my side.”

It was as light as his other swords. Its sharpness was identical, but he could feel power by gently waving it.

“It’s a good weapon. With this, I can take the Acolyte down and even that Sinner.”

----------------------------------------

Acolytes were followers for the Hero from an ancient era.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Although stories of their quest were known worldwide, the contents passed down through generations were simplified and degraded far from the truth. The hardships and how they overcame them were erased from history, only leaving one simple sentence to describe their worth for the world they protected.

“Thus, they banded together to defeat the Shadow Lord and saved the world.”

Their identities, their personalities, their heroics vanished through time. It may be this reason they have returned to haunt the world and make everyone remember them.

The Shaman, the Acolyte of Fury, looked down at its bent arm and studied the silver light cleansing the miasma hindering its regeneration. It strained its muscles, forcing its bones to realign which triggered an enhanced reaction of the miasma covering its body to mend its broken limb.

“You want more? Come get some!” Salith roared as she set the bottom of her shield onto the ground.

The Rozzalian charged forward with [Howling Charge]. Her shield scraped the road, creating an illusion of a terrible beast howling as she bashed into the Shaman to send it flying.

Salith chased after it. Her mace swung up high and landed a crushing blow onto its other arm. She would put her weight behind her shield as the Shaman launched a flurry of kicks. Salith was from a race of Giants, the strongest of the eight races, but was surprised by the sheer brute strength her enemy possessed.

Every impact was nearly enough to break her posture. Salith pushed with every ounce of strength she had to avoid the possibility.

“Attack together!” Kihet shouted.

He led the attack. Lily supported him with a hail of empowered arrows while Haku flanked from the opposite side.

“Hey, I’m over here!” Salith’s blunt instrument landed into the Shaman’s shoulder, preventing any sudden counterattacks.

Kihet and Haku slashed at wherever they thought it was its weak point. While they passed each other, Kihet did not neglect his suspicion and noticed a poisoned edge swiping towards him. He angled his swordbreaker, trapping one of Haku’s daggers in its combs. With a twist and a warding kick, he snatched the weapon from Haku’s.

Kihet knew he was safe from further retaliation. Lily was watching and after all, if Haku dared to violate the temporary truce so was she.

She launched arrows when the Ogre wasn’t watching. Her arrows buzzed around Haku as he acrobatically bent his body to the extreme to avoid them. One managed to leave a tiny cut on his earlobe as the rest were redirected to strike the Shaman.

Kihet twirled the poison laced dagger and flicked it into the Shaman’s back. “It doesn’t look like White Star has any effect on the Acolyte. Were you trying to use it on me?”

“It was an accident. It won’t happen again.” Haku apologized and dodged Lily’s glare. “If I am no longer needed, I will find Elius.”

“One more thing.”

Kihet knew Haku spouted empty promises. As soon as a second chance presented itself, Kihet was sure Haku wouldn’t hesitate to backstab him. He knew the temporary alliance was only there until Irvan recovered.

“Next time, I’ll bury you eight feet under.”

Haku’s body broke out in cold sweat. The Ogre had to quickly flee from Kihet’s soul piercing gaze before fear kicked in.

Kihet then lunged at the Acolyte to relieve pressure off Salith. He thrust with his firelance, shifting his stance to aim one of its barrels and ignited it.

Shrapnel and black fumes exploded in the Shaman’s face.

Despite his enemy protected by a veil of miasma, it instinctively brought its hands to shield its face.

An arrow pierced through the plume of smoke and struck its neck. Kihet dropped [Tree Feller], substituting a sword with his blunt firelance for a heavy bash. The enemy blocked it with its arm, but Salith batted her mace at its chin preventing it to punch Kihet. She knocked the Shaman flying through the air.

“Kihet, I’m going to set you up for my ability.” Salith casted a faint magic circle from her Hero’s crest onto Kihet’s shoulder.

“Is this how you can change places?”

“That mark lasts for ten minutes and lets me swap with those I marked during the duration. I’d have to recast it onto you after it fades away.”

“Alright. Let’s try it out.”

“You don’t get motion sickness by any chance, do you?”

“Not that I know of.” Kihet answered. “By the way, are you being controlled?”

“I still have the slave seal on me. Don’t get too comfortable. Elius and the others can still activate it.”

“Thanks for the heads up.”

“Good. Let’s get started!” Salith stabbed the bottom of her towershield into the ground, executing [Howling Charge].

She built up a film of earth as she ran at the Acolyte, showering her opponent with a pile of dirt at the end of her charge. While the Shaman recoiled, Salith thrust her blunt weapon in its stomach.

“Get ready!”

Kihet suddenly found his scenery changed. He anchored his [Chain] into the Shaman, dropping [Waxing Moon, Sparking Steel]. After landing a flurry of blows, he pushed the Acolyte with [Repulsion].

“Switch!”

His view changed. As he saw Salith take his place and clubbed the Shaman. He noticed his [Chain] still attached to it. He pulled himself back into the fray, stabbing at the enemy’s back as it tried escaping from Salith’s oppressive offense.

“This is a ridiculously useful ability you have.”

“It lets me catch up to fights. But I see you got more tricks you’ve been using.”

“Long story.”

Salith was holding strong. Since her arrival, the battle had turned to their favor. With a strong Fighter keeping the Shaman’s attention, the enemy wasn’t as terrifying as it first was.

They were able to contain it but could not land a decisive blow.

“Sei, Pik, Dupil, Holk, Exlas, Ruh, Jeltz!”

A fireball rolled through the path and engulfed the Shaman. If Kihet had committed to attack, it would’ve taken the damage.

“What are you doing?”

“My apologies. I did not want this, but Irvan must be the one to defeat the Acolyte.” Elius calmly adjusted his glasses. “Salith, I hereby command you to hinder the Fake and his companion’s progress to slay the Acolyte. I forbid you to warn your actions against them as well.”

“Augh!”

Magical glyphs around Salith’s neck glowed. She tried to fight it, but her body was punished by violet lightning shocking her.

“Elius! Stop that!”

“It isn’t me who you should look at.”

Kihet raised his firelance, intercepting a blow from Salith. He was batted into the air where he saw Haku with another poisonous dagger flying at him.

“Lidian, help Salith stall for time. I will take down the Archer.” With a wave of his scepter, five floating swords formed from thin air and loosened at Lily. “Irvan will be arriving soon.”

“I was wondering when you’d turn back on your word.”

Silver flames immediately disintegrated the flock of magical swords. Elius discovered a [Chain] latched onto the floor in front of him and saw Kihet flying down at him.

“Lily. You can kill him.” Kihet said.

“Haku, what are you doing?!”

“The Archer is targeting me!” Haku answered as he parried a flurry of arrows at him.

Not even after landing and ducking for cover was he safe. Lily’s arrows snapped around corners, phased through barriers and could be manipulated to fly in any direction.

Haku unleashed his curse, shaping the miasma pouring from his arm into a hand to shield himself. He quickly discovered Lily’s shooting stars riddled it with holes using bolts of silver light.

His only choice was to get close and prevent her from launching more projectiles.

It was as he charged through the sharp winds of winter. A shiver crawled down his spine. His gaze had met the icy look on Lily’s face as she loosened arrow after arrow.

“I had thought the Royal Family had only the son the late prince left behind. I’d never thought there was another.”

Haku hurled his threads forward, hoping to restrain her bow. He saw a flame running down the fuse of a cylindrical object dropped at his face and exploded. His ears rang, his vision blurred.

He held his head in confusion but as he did, an impact followed by a high voltage impact struck him. His muscles contracted as electricity coursed through his body, his limbs spasmed.

The attack came from Lily’s gauntlet crafted from Dracalefic Fly’s lightning property antennas. Its pronged knuckles punctured Haku’s leather vest, delivering a lethal shock to stun him.

“This is for my brother!” Lily shouted as she drew her blade and prepared to thrust forward.

And as though once wasn’t his end, a golden pillar of light crashed down from the skies. A familiar shield wielded by the Alven Crusader deflected Lily’s stab.

“Oh no!”

“Chancellor Elius, I have brought Irvan!”

“Good! Keep the Archer occupied! Irvan, while we hold off the Fake, defeat the Acolyte!” Elius commanded.

“You don’t have to tell me what to do.” A swordsman flew jumped into the fray. He held his trusty blade high and lunged at the Shaman as his other weapons trailed closely behind. “Because I am the real Oracle! This victory will be brought by me!”

As his strike was about to connect, a [Chain] coiled around the blade.

Kihet pounced onto Irvan and clashed weapons.

“I really can’t believe you’re still acting like you were from a decade ago. You really like to play Hero, don’t you?” Kihet asked.

“Get out of my way, Sinner!”

It was a brawl.

On one end, Salith and Lidian contained the Shaman. On another front, Justiva protected Haku from Lily. Kihet put pressure onto Irvan to stop him from defeating the Acolyte.

“Fake, get away from Irvan!” Elius raised his scepter, invoking a spell. “Furl, -.”

A javelin knocked the catalyst out of his hands. Hovering above the brawl, Aten’s compound eyes took in everything. The insectoid drew spears and a macuahuitl, diving at supersonic speed at Justiva. He bashed his weapon at the Alven Crusader, giving Lily time to catch her breath.

“Aten!” Lily gasped. A big smile formed on her face.

[Assist Kihet. I block these two.]

“En! I’ll leave them to you. If you can, leave the Ogre alive for me. I’ve got personal business to settle with him.”

Aten nodded, raising his weapons at Justiva and Haku.

Justiva used [Phantom Step] to close the gap between her and Lily. As her form manifested with her lance preparing to thrust, she was instead forced to raise her shield at the incoming insectoid.

Aten was as tall as a child, but his attacks were heavy and movements too quick for sturdy defenders like Justiva. The Alven Crusader recoiled from the impact as Aten executed [Thorn Prison].

The Dragonfly threaded javelins at several joints at a quick pace. Justiva suddenly found her arms and a shoulder locked by spears. A macuahuitl struck her head; its embedded sharp stones ran over her face and threw her on her back.

She was fortunate her body was substituted with [Astral Body]. Her head would’ve gone flying.

“Ugh!”

Aten vanished after one opponent was incapacitated. He reappeared beside Elius with a spear at the ready.

Elius was fortunate to have dodged the fatal blow thanks to his magical swords, parrying Aten’s thrust. He saw the macuahuitl and blocked it with his scepter. Elius was swept on his back.

A blackened misty hand stretched out and blocked the attack. Its fingers curled into a ball, but Aten managed to slip away from being caught.

“Damn you Vivirian! You always ruin our plans!” Haku roared.

Aten uttered a choice of words, turning Haku’s face as red as a tomato. “Cry more, larva.”

He stared down his two opponents, determined to not let any of them interfere with Kihet’s battle.