The small troupe appeared at the edge of the safe zone, near the mana rift. Trillia did her best to remain calm. A wall of mana erupting from the ravine pushed her back with the sheer force of it. Despite the blinding brightness of the mana, she could make out the muscled form of the Psionic Behemoth. It lept from the ravine itself, unphased by even the direct blast. Trillia wondered why it made the bridge in the first place.
The thing meandered toward them. Sniffing the air and stopping a few times as if making sure there was nothing else lurking in the area. Whether for its own safety or theirs, Trillia didn't dare to guess.
It was about fifteen feet away when it sat on its haunches. Its eyes turned lazily to Tormash, who spoke.
"I'll be acting as a telepathic bridge. I informed it of the effects its last conversation had on you. The behemoth has assured me it can easily do such a feat and that doing so will be far easier on all of us."
Trillia nodded. Sitting right on the edge of the line, the wall of mana that had been serving as a rather dramatic backdrop vanished in an instant as the surge of mana stopped. Trillia closed her eyes, it took a few minutes, but she eventually felt the tendril of mental energy touch the edge of her psyche.
The creature apologized for invading her dreams. It didn't realize she would nearly die from the contact. It was used to dealing with significantly hardier beings. It also seemed to show some gratitude that she had shown up and was willing to uphold her end of the bargain.
Trillia wore a smile on her face. This was far more pleasant than the dream had been. The first thing she did was greet it. The second thing was mentally motion towards each person in the troupe and put emphasis on their name and her connection to each. She then motioned towards it. A round-a-bout way of asking for its name. Trillia hoped the creature had one. So she could stop referring to it as creature.
The response was a long time in coming. They sat there in silence for at least five minutes. Finally, the creature responded. Not in the way, Trillia was expecting, however. It was a single, simple, spoken word in her mind.
Persona
Trillia's eyes opened, and she stared at the creatu- no. She stared into Persona's eyes. Her confusion was evident. Persona turned its head towards the rift, then back to her. Images, intent, and feelings flooded through her. Suddenly, she was overcome with understanding. Persona was the mana rift. At least, it was what the mana rift chose as its avatar.
Silence once more filled the air and their minds. Trillia spoke verbally now to Tormash.
"I don't know what to ask, brother."
Tormash rubbed his chin, staring at Persona as well.
"If we speak to each other, can you understand it? If so, can you respond to our minds as we communicate verbally to each other?"
Persona nodded. A feeling of inefficiency and wasted energy flooded them. It didn't seem to hold a high regard for verbal communication. But it could at least understand them. Tormash looked to Trillia, then back to Persona.
"If you are the mana rift itself. Can you stop the massive amount of bleed-off that's happening? You are poisoning the area around it. We are unable to cross to get to safety."
An anger so fierce and primal washed over them that the entire troupe scrambled away from the edge. Even Tormash was breathing heavily with a hand on his weapon. Images of a huge beast flooded their minds. The thing was several hundred feet tall and across. Its movements were not that of a lumbering giant, however, but fast and precise. It swung a tentacle-like appendage and ripped a city to shreds. A mere second passed before tens of thousands lay dead.
Tens of thousands of [Megapedes] fell from the creature's back. Wounds on it's tentacle like appendages bled more of the monsters. Four other such creatures flashed through their minds, each with it's own terrifying look, each with it's own type of creature that it bled. Everyone present was trembling in fear. Persona stared hard at them.
The intent that followed chilled their blood. Persona was protecting the realm itself. The attack on Alirast during the cataclysm had been quite accurate. The troupe now knew the creatures they had been shown were [Primordials]. The attacks had injured and weakened the seal on two of the [Primordials]. An outside force stopped further attacks from being that accurate. The mana rifts were expelling the excess mana the stirring titanic creatures were shedding as they woke. It was slowing the process of them waking up, but Alirast was on a clock.
Trillia managed to squeak out another question.
"Will we all die?"
Persona took its time with a reply. Measuring the information it gave. Finally, a concept appeared before them. It made it obvious. Mortals would die, and the realm would be at peace again. No warring, no fighting. At peace and ready to rest. Trillia didn't understand. Why would the gods make creatures like this? Why would there be five of the damn things?! Tormash spoke softly.
"The great beast wars... Mother and King Cordaos fought against those things. With the help of the others."
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Understanding flooded them. Recognition. Trillia realized, at this point, that Ba'Shoon was acting as a bridge to Amelia. The creature was speaking with all of them. Trillia questioned the recognition.
A long period of 'silence' hung there while Persona thought. It refused to answer. It instead motioned to Trillia. Images flooded through the mind of her casting magic of various forms. So that was it. It was done explaining things to the children before it. It wanted the information it had been promised. Trillia stood, taking a deep breath.
Her hands outstretched as she concentrated.
"[Restorative Chant]!"
Her target was Persona. The creature stared intently at her as if it could see the mana flowing from her fingertips. Could see the raw mana circulating in her body. Trillia thought that was exactly what it was doing. She used the skill a few more times. An intense pressure in her mind dropped her to her knees. Tormash struggled to move as well. Blood began to trickle from his nose.
You've been bestowed the skill [Ignite] temporarily.
You've been bestowed the skill [Freeze] temporarily.
You've been bestowed the skill [Grow] temporarily.
You've been bestowed the skill [Shear] temporarily.
Information flooded her mind. She remained kneeling, trying desperately to catch her breath. The intent slammed into her mind again for her to cast. Trillia was reminded of the very real chasm between Persona and the four of them. They wouldn't even be able to get close enough to attempt to hurt it. It could simply crush them all with its mind. Trillia pushed an intent of her own back at it, gritting her teeth as she stood. Why did it want to see her mana? Why did it care?
"Divinity"
It spoke. It verbally said the word, and Trillia wished dearly that it hadn't. The sound it made seemed like madness, given form. A thousand images flowed through her mind, threatening to overwhelm her. Glancing at the others Ba'Shoon and Amelia were unconscious nearby. Tormash sat with a troubled look on his face, his fists clenched as he tried to maintain the bridge.
Trillia aimed at Persona. Letting the system take over as she used each of the skills. She cycled through each of them twice, despite that her mana stayed at a hundred percent. It didn't dip even once. More intent and concepts washed over her. Showing her how to bend her mana better, how to convert the mana, and the intent of her mana to warp a skill. She was trying to ignite Persona to hurt it. Ignite the air instead to suffocate it. She was trying to freeze its hide, freeze its tongue and eyes, something small and easier to drop the temperature of.
It lasted for another three hours. Finally, Trillia fell over with a heavy thud as her body and mind gave out.
-=- A Few Hours Later -=-
Trillia's eyes fluttered open. She lay on a rolled-out fur blanket. Amelia and Ba'Shoon lay next to her. Tormash sat nearby, and Persona stared at them intently. Waiting and watching.
Trillia struggled to get her arms under her. Not wanting to disappoint the tribe or the monster before her that could easily wipe them out.
"Sorry. I don't know what happened."
The mental bridge was immediately connected once more. Tormash looked positively exhausted.
"Why did you form a bridge to cross the ravine? We saw you leap out of it. We know it doesn't harm you."
Images flashed through her mind of a small pack of wolves fleeing a serpent. The bridge allowed them safe passage.
"Why doesn't mana sickness kill them like it does us?"
Silence followed.
It dragged on for an uncomfortably long time.
Finally, confusion passed through the mental bridge. Images began flashing through her mind. She recognized them. These were the same images it had shown her when she was asleep. Confusion appeared on her face. They all thought it was trying to help create a potion for them to ward off mana sickness. That was evidently not its intention.
"We are trying to make something for the mana sickness with what you showed us. I don't understand."
The feeling of annoyance flooded her. It showed each image again, this time more slowly. Trillia's anger and confusion were evident.
"I DON'T UNDERSTAND!"
She screamed aloud at it. Tormash coughed up blood as anger flooded through the connection. Trillia ran to his side.
"You're killing him! Stop!"
Persona let out a low growl.
You're in the presence of an Avatar of Alirast. You are stunned.
You are to weak to break this effect.
Your Health will drain at a rate of 5% per second until you are dead.
Your Mana will drain at a rate of 5% per second until you are depleted.
Your Stamina will drain at a rate of 5% per second until you are exhausted.
Your Mind is being shattered.
Trillia couldn't even scream. She curled up in a ball. Every fiber of her being was in agony. She prayed for death, an end to all of it. She didn't want to keep suffering. She just wanted to run and play. Images of her parents began flashing through her mind, of her father chasing her mother around a table as they laughed. Images of her brothers playing tag and giving her piggyback rides.
Images of learning from Amelia, Lurog, and Cordaos. Finally, the terror of her first real battle flooded through her. Why, oh why, did that have to be her last memory? Finally, she stopped fighting it. Too weak to continue to do so. Dozens of gentle hums at the edge of her vision told her that the system was trying to tell her things. She just didn't care. Her entire life this past year had been nothing but constant struggles and fears. She was a child. She wanted to be a child. At least she would die one.
Her eyes fluttered open as her resources rapidly fell toward zero. She saw Persona sniffing each of the others. It turned its face to her. Its maw opened rows of razor-sharp, glowing teeth greeted her. As if its teeth were sharpened mana. It grabbed her leg, fangs slicing into flesh. She couldn't even muster a scream. It began to drag her tiny body toward the rift, and her mana began to refill rapidly. That didn't matter, though. Soon her health would be zero, and she'd finally get to rest.
Trillia's life flashed through her mind once more. Her tribe knew that there was something after death. After all, their Chieftain had met gods before. They knew this life wasn't the last step on their journey. Trillia only hoped that in her few short years of life, she had somehow earned a spot in that next step. Maybe there she wouldn't feel so cursed. She was vaguely aware of the ravine closing in. She was shocked she wasn't dead yet, that her health hadn't hit zero. Then she realized why. [Orc Tenacity] had kicked in. Apparently, it was a strong enough racial skill that she didn't just die at zero. Like Persona wanted.
Trillia glanced back toward her friends and her brother. No tears came. A small smile formed on her lips. Hopefully, they would be spared. Hopefully, her death would buy them enough time to escape. Trillia hoped that her mother took it well. Suddenly her arms and legs weren't on solid ground anymore. Turning her head, she saw the ravine. With another nudge from Persona and her body felt weightless as she fell into the dark depths below.