Phelain Starr
The aspiring warrior felt like he was walking on air. Warmth rated pleasantly from his chest. It was burning strong with the pride he felt at being picked to lead the third division. Even his armor felt weightless enough that Phelain felt he could really bust a move. He wouldn’t, of course. There were too many people around. Too many whose respect he desperately wanted to keep. My fat ass may be long gone, but there still isn’t a chance in hell I would risk that, he thought to himself
When Porsha returned with word of what was ahead, Phelain forced the smile away for something more serious. The cheer played hard to return to his expression while he listened. To all appearances, the issue was being treated in the proper manner. Which he was, just that a part of him was still gleeful at his growth. It’s one thing to feel like you have grown, but entirely a different thing for someone to acknowledge it, reflected Phelain.
His attention narrowed when their scout revealed that there were five of the enhanced Pure Ratsins ahead. Waiting in an alive just ahead. Experience had taught them that passing them by wasn't an option. Aggression levels were just too high now, and it was also just a plain terrible risk to leave monsters on your rear. Phelain knew there wasn’t any other option than to remove them. Looking over those under his charge, the aspiring warrior felt mildly worried. His faith in himself and them was strong, but the fear of failure was hard to escape. A lingering weight on the shoulders that was hard to displace for long.
Phelain’s main team would act as the core of the group, Hector as his tanking companion, Allen the fire acolyte, and the holy couple, Kai and Vivian. They were augmented by the addition of six others when counting the scout Porsha. Amiyah and Analia added to their ranged power. Having Leon along tripled their defensive potential. To bolster the frontline was Dawson Wu armed with a shield/spear combination and an over-excited double ax-wielder named Axton Price.
Everyone was signaled to gather around him. Through whispers, he relayed the scouting report while wary looks marked the openings in the rock. For a while now, any fight in the tunnel garnered the attention of the Ratsin variants that waited in the walls. It wouldn’t be just an easy matter to clear out the alcove. They would have to be ready for sudden additions in the enemy numbers. The fact that the newcomers were as likely to charge their fellows than them was a small comfort. A plan was necessary for the smoothness of the engagement.
“We’ll keep it simple,” smiled Phelain as he looked each person in the eye. “Hector and I will draw their attention. We’ll get our nicks in, but I’m looking at our acolytes to put the hurt on. Kai and Amiyah please take care of crowd control. You know what to do Vivian and Leon, keep us up and moving. I want Porsha, Dawson, and Axton watching our rear for the first sign of trouble. Do what you can to delay. Remember we want to finish this quickly before the mutated ones make a move. Otherwise, we’ll need to shift about and that’s never fun in the middle of a fight. Everyone good on their role?”
“Hey buddy, I’m not sure about mine,” griped Axton. “Not really playing to my strengths, you feel me?” The man shook his axes to emphasize the point. “I ain’t so good at the “patience stuff.” Let me at ‘em. Lean on the whole kill ‘em fast thing, eh?”
The aspiring warrior looked at the ax-wielder, considering. His face was blank to conceal the frustration, but Phelain forced himself to review the request. Axton was indeed an aggressive fighter, which is why he had first wanted to hold the warrior back. Reckless was the term that came into mind. Yet, he’s good, admitted Phelain to himself. Against Ratsins he is completely competent. His only downside is that Axton won’t guard his own back. All attack, surprisingly relentless and devastating attack, but no defense. I should take advantage of that… I’ll put an extra word in with Leon. That’s what teams are for. Dawson can tank for the rearguard.
Accepting the point, Phelain said, “Alright, you got it. I want you on the right in tandem with Kai on the left. I’m going to shift you Amiyah. Adding your eyes to Porsha.” At this, everyone nodded and Axtron grinned widely. While they moved up, the aspiring warrior asked Leon to support Axton’s wild attack. He moved up after to get the first look at the alcove.
It was like those indentions in the tunnels that came before. The path continued upwards while from the bend an open space bulged out. The dimness of the cave failed before the brilliance of the phosphorescent fungi garden. Moss and mushrooms were woven together. Thickly and damp. The five Ratsins were scattered across the area as they devoured in haste. Phelain noted their positions and was pleased. There was no way to pull one at a time, but they were distant enough to stall precious seconds before hitting their group. It would make their work easier. Holding a long line wouldn’t be necessary. The aspiring warrior signaled the acolytes to start them off.
Experience had taught them to be careful with wide-scale magical attacks. Heavy damage to the food source of the Pure Ratsins will cause a violent reaction from the monsters. Instead, spells with more contained effects were picked. A lance of flame roared to life from Allen’s chant and Analia whispered forth a chilling surge of liquid darkness.
Each picked off a target that would increase the gap between contacts when the rat things charged. The fire bored through the chest of the second closest Ratsin. A failed scream became a wheeze as the monster fell. The torso had a charred hole running through it. Still, the creature wasn’t dead yet, but the beast was out of the fight for the moment. The liquid darkness impacted the fourth Ratsin as it looked up. The bespelled blackness drove the monster back a few feet. A curdled whine rising from it. Analia closed her fist and the Ratsin was encased in a sphere of darkness. When the untouched three charged, the sphere evaporated. A decrepit creature was revealed, it gibbered hollowly. Phelain felt a touch of pity as the monster seemed to collapse under its own weight. The sound of bones cracking echoed in the alcove.
The first Ratsin ran out on its hindlegs and reared back a fist. As the meaty mace swung down, Phelain and Hector shifted forward. Their shields blazed as a field rose. The fist smashed and pushed them back. Boots grinding against stone. Cracks formed all across the barrier. Once they had their feet planted again, they dropped it and allowed the Ratsin to stubble forward. Their blades thrust forward, twin wounds in ribs and gut. The rat thing flinched back and roared at them. Shields up for the counter, Phelain glanced at his team.
The next Ratsin tripped over a barrier from Leon and a laughing Axton dove on it with both axes burying in deep. The downed monster swiped with a claw as the ax-wielder danced away, but didn’t see the swing of the tail. Leon did and a barrier blocked the blow. Unfazed, the warrior charged back in a fury of blows. Allen was preparing his next spell for the scorched Ratsin that was crawling away and Analia was breathing heavily as they rested. Kai was off like a rocket to bullrush the last standing Ratsin. Their rearguard watched their surroundings carefully
An impact boomed in the distance as the aspiring warrior refocused. His team was on target. Hector’s shield took the expected blow, angling it to slide past. When the other arm came, Phelain was ready to render it ineffective as well. The Ratsin roared and reached out to rip the shields away. They stepped away from each other to dodge. In the next moment, both swords came down on the offending arms. One dug into the wrist and the other took a couple of fingers. Black blood with a blue sheen splatters the air as the monster brought its arms back protectively.
It shrieked in pain as they repositioned. A blue haze grew as the creature howled. The blue light radiated from the jagged spines across the body. When the light faded, the wounds were healed, but the blue veins in the protrusions were dimmer. The Ratsin drew in the blue energy and roared a blast of power. It blinked in confusion. Neither had been in the path of the attack. Hector and Phelain had already moved to the side. Striking in concert. Their blades blazed with white light edged with gold. Horizon slashes just below the ribs almost touched as white flames scoured the edges of the wound. Horrible howls stung their ears as blood gushed from the fatal wounds. While it was distracted, the duo finished the crippled rat thing.
With that Ratsin down, Phelain wasted no time checking his team again. The rearguard was unchanged and, surprisingly, Axton was currently doing alright hacking away at his target. The Ratsin was still very much in the fight, but it had grown tired of the barriers blocking its responses. A clawed fist shattered the stone floor. The ax-wielder stumbled out of the offensive range. Using the window, the monster grabbed a piece of stone and flung it at Leon. Before anyone could react, the stone struck the barrier acolyte.
Leon fell to his knees and hugged his broken arm. The stone had crumbled on impact in a violent display of a natural scattershot. Several wounds were bleeding freely and others only leaked slowly around the puncturing stones. Vivian quickly jumped in to play her role. Another stone came hurling from the Ratsin. The healer didn’t see it and Phelain’s heart slammed into his throat. Time slowed as the huge rock passed by him too far away. It was big enough to kill them both
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Mana rushed into his shield and the aspiring warrior tried to use a barrier technique he was unsure of. He had tried it in training, but never in battle. Today he needed it to work. “No ones dying today,” growled Phelain. The construct that he normally imagined had to be twisted. A new configuration to form the shield extension. Instead of appearing before him, the aspiring warrior compelled himself to see it sliding to the side. The barrier of light flashed into existence and shifted in front of Viviane. The rock exploded upon the field, both shattering. The healer and her patient were left unharmed.
With a gasping breath, Phelain steadied himself. The recoil for a new Mana use was always high and he didn’t have a firm grasp on this one yet. His eyes needed to be blinked back to clarity. Kai, having seen the close call, abandoned the Ratsin and flashed to Vivian’s side. They got there in time to slap aside the next rock with feline ease.
The aspiring warrior surveyed and saw where effort was needed next. The flame acolyte was left alone to finish the two down Ratsins, it wouldn’t be long. Analia looked ready to go so she was directed with Hector towards the loose Ratsin loping closer. The rearguard was still calm. It was Axton that Phelain decided needed his help. The ax-wielder engaged again to end the stone-throwing, but was taking wounds to do it. Not that he seems to mind them, frowned Phelain. I can’t let that go on though. Laughing or not, no one on my team is dying. Not today.
When Phelain joined the fighter, Axton gave him a bizarrely joyous grin. The warrior moved themselves to a flanking position while the aspiring warrior drew their attention. Strategic, even as they moved in a spray of blood. Sword and axes fell into a rhythm. Dipping in for an attack and then out before claws cut the air. A shield to block, or lackadaisical shifting to miss the brunt of the attack. Both human and monster blood was spilling. The fact of one of those infuriated Phelain. He pushed harder, but his teammate slipped.
Either woozy from blood loss or distracted by battle lust, Axton lost his footing. The azure eyes of the Ratsin flashed at the moment of weakness. The aspiring warrior threw himself into the path of the raking claws. His shield was held desperately to take the blow. Sparks birthed from the steel as he was slammed down on top of the ax-wielder. His teammate was likely knocked silly, but alive.
The Ratsin looked down at the stacked pile with a strangled frustration. Its jaws slavered as their fangs lashed out bestially. Phelain called on Mana to his shield, but two red glowing axes swung down into the rat thing. Axton had wiggled free enough to attack. There was a burst of savage red light and the axes were planted deeply. The monster rose drunkenly. Wandered a few steps before falling and going still. The skull had been caved in on both sides.
“That was a hoot,” declared Axton as he pushed Phelain off. The ax-wielder whistled to himself as he went to collect his weapons. As they wrenched them free of the skull, they softly said, “Let me ax you a question. That was the only pun I could think of at the moment… Next time I need something better for an awesome move like that.” Once the axes were free, they gave Phelain a toothy grin. Bleeding several places still.
“Get to Vivian,” said Phelain, exasperated. He didn’t see the cocky salute, there was a team to survey. Allen was finished. Both Ratsins were powdering now. The only Ratsin still standing was the one covered by Hector and Analia. Their fight was going well and his eyes were just about to pass them by. Then he saw it. A strange shifting in the glowing fauna. A sixth Ratsin, bigger than the rest, rose from some unknown depression like a shark surfacing for prey. Its eyes were locked on the distracted acolyte.
“No, not today,” decreed Phelain. Mana surged into his sword and, in instinct, not thought, threw the sword. It burned white through the air towards the rising Ratsin. Clenching his jaw, the aspiring warrior called out, “Give me a push, Kai!” He knew it would hurt, but it needed to happen. Now. Kai was too far away to make it and he couldn’t get there in time otherwise. Together, they could see someone there.
As commanded, a battering ram slammed into his back and Phelain flew. He raised his shield for the impact. Desperately hoping it wouldn’t go as poorly as the thoughts pouring through him suggested. The shining sword pierced the blade in time before the Ratsin could attack. The painful hollow alerted Hector and Analia of its presence. On the monster’s part, it turned around with a snarl. Just in time to take a flying person, shield first, in the face. They both flew backward past a dodging Hector and into the other remaining Ratsin.
To his horror, Phelain landed in a limb scrambled pile of monsters. He frantically tried to escape the unpleasant position. Once free, the aspiring warrior had just turned around to the Ratsins when there was an azure explosion. The blast tossed him backward. His feet got tangled and forced himself to sit down as he skidded across the stone. The sixth Ratsin stood, large and furious. Azure eyes seeking. The smaller one had been smeared across the stone wall. This was the last one.
Phelain without hesitation moved to knock his sword against the shield to draw attention to start the last fight. His blood went cold. There was no sword in his hand and the sound of the moment drew the attention of the malevolent Ratsin. It grinned gruesomely. That was until the darkness pooled at their feet. The Ratsin screamed hideously as something like steam rose from the deep shadow. It was sinking as he watched.
Fire came next. There was no need to preserve the mushrooms and moss now. Allen brought out the big guns. The rat thing disappeared into a tower of rolling flames. When the monster was released, it was in no shape to stand up to Phelain, Hector, and Axton finishing it off. With the alcove cleared out, they joined the rearguard.
“Thanks for the save guys,” grinned Phelain. He felt at ease having his sword back in hand. It was a little sooty, but still good.
“Ayuh,” muttered Allen and Analia nodded.
Vivian rolled her eyes and said, “As if you aren’t jumping to our rescue all the time. Nice that someone paid you back.” Everyone laughed and nodded at the statement. Phelain flushed, but didn’t have anything to say to that. It was overwhelming to be appreciated
“Uh, right, thanks and welcome?” offered Phelain. That sent them laughing again, so the aspiring warrior decided to focus on other things. “Any sign of tunnel rats?” Both women shook their heads. “Odd that. Oh well, lucky us. Alright, we’ll have Porsha scout ahead while we secure the loot. Collect cores and look for any Mana crystals. Damian is going crazy for them.”
He walked up the tunnel a little to see what was ahead. It just kept bending upwards. No end in sight to his eyes. Phelain turned back to his teammates that were preparing for the next part. There was no complaining about a break. There was still work to do before resting and they would get to it quickly. Proud and proud of them, the aspiring warrior smiled. I’m keeping this going, thought Phelain. Just gotta keep doing what I am doing now. Whatever it is. Still smiling, he moved to rejoin them.
There wasn’t any one thing that alerted him to the danger. The tingle down his spine, a shifting of rocks, seeing horror bleeding through the faces of his people, and a thousand more things. All of them brought him to the conclusion that something was behind him. Inspiring a true moment of intuition. Yet, not enough to change anything. It came too fast.
First, there was pressure at his back, pushing, but the metal of his armor gave way. Then there was the intense sharp pain. Five stabbing wounds from something that speared through his guts to dent his chest plate. Peaks of metal, where the talons were unable to pierce all the way through. Phelain held his sword and shield in a death grip. Ten beacons of raging pain. A ghostly thought wondered why he didn’t feel more pain inside. Asking if perhaps, the insides were less connected than he thought. It was a dreamy thought that faded as soon as it came.
New agony came when the hand lifted and curled a little as he was brought close to the mouth. To face it. Dead eyes stared at him. Looked through him with a small prick of red light. The Ratsin was pale as the grave and dry as the desert. It did not breathe. No animate shifting of any kind. Just undying stillness as it studied what had been caught on its claws.
Wrath bloomed in Phelain’s heart. Silent tears streamed down his cheeks as the caught warrior lifted his sword to strike at the Ratsin. In his head he screamed, HOW DARE YOU?! How dare you take this day away from me?! For this… FOR THIS... I WILL SMITE YOU! White searing light flared from the sword as it began to descend. Moving like a whip, the dead rat thing’s other arm ripped off his sword arm. The light of the sword died and the limb was tossed off into the dim tunnel.
Hopeless, thought Phelain and the word echoed his mind. He turned to look at his team. They were paralyzed with terror. Unmoving as they watched his death rushing to meet him. They need to live. I’m done for… His mouth opened to yell for them to run, but only blood passed his lips. Gurgling on his own life’s blood, the warrior tried to unfreeze them and send them away. No sound would escape him.
The shield, he thought. It was hanging there limply in his stony grip. Breathing was getting harder, but he tried anyway as Phelain fought to get the shield in position. Swinging for momentum as time quickly ran out, he tossed the shield. It fell short of his teammates, but one lucky bounce saw it land in the arms of Allen. His vision was failing, but he saw the acolyte look at the scarred shield with wonderment. When they looked back up, their screaming saw the group flee. Phelain smiled, Good.
His attention turned back to the Ratsin that was still carefully watching him. The head cocked to the side towards his team. Horror rose to fill the place in his heart that was left empty when the anger died. Though there wasn’t anything else he could do for them, but hope. The dead thing turned back to him. The last thing Phelain saw was the ragged fangs closing down on him.
Everything went dark. Peaceful. Then, there was light.