Ezekiel and his party continued onwards towards Zime. According to Talon, they were barely a few minutes out from the city. As such, he had informed Ezekiel to prepare himself as best he could. He also pointed out the best business for transportation.
There was apparently a small mining company that offered rides in their empty wagons most of the way through the mountains. Where the people could temporarily stay at one of the waystations, or the mine itself. Then they could spend a few days on foot either crossing the mountains directly, or travel to a different mountain, where they could get transportation from one of the Empire’s mining operations that did a similar side-business.
Of course, there were also the regular transportation businesses, but those ones usually had a long waiting list, and they needed to spend less than a day in the city. In fact, if they could leave within an hour that would be best. A sentiment that Ezekiel agreed with, as he and Shine had started getting a familiar bad feeling roughly an hour ago. One that he couldn’t get rid of, ignore, or avoid, since he was stuck on a bird headed towards Zime.
It was something Ezekiel mused over as he considered his options. He knew that he couldn’t avoid it at this point, so he needed to figure out how to deal with whatever was coming. Getting out as soon as possible was definitely for the best. He just wasn’t sure how he would do it.
Unfortunately, he was startled out of his thought process by Talon’s Spirit taking a sharp turn to the side. For a moment, Ezekiel wanted to ask what the problem was, but then he realized that there was smoke coming from the distance. In the direction they were headed in no less.
“It seems like this commission just got a little bit more troublesome.” Talon said, his voice echoing in everyone’s ears this time. “Stella, our contract says that we must keep them safe until we get to Zime. But the standing contract with the Church and other Tarquessa factions requires that we stop any Cult activity should we see it and be able to do so. How are you for mana?”
Ezekiel could hear the tension in Talon’s voice, and he couldn’t help but be concerned. If this was the Cult, then all the better, as it meant that the two Legendaries would need to think twice before just abandoning them. But, at the same time, since they had a standing contract, that meant that there was a priority that couldn’t be ignored. If the two Legendaries decided to do so, they could potentially divert towards the trouble, and in doing so, abandon Ezekiel and the rest.
However, Stella shook her head, it seemed like she was worse off than Talon, and didn’t think she would be of much use in a fight against the Cult. Thus, she could continue to fulfill Ezekiel’s contract. Much to his and his party’s relief.
“In that case, we’ll be dropping you off in the city and then setting off right away. We won’t be of much use in the city if we’re as drained as we are. So, you’ll be on your own as soon as we land. Be ready for whatever might be waiting for you.” Talon stated as they picked up the pace even further. Stella moved to just behind Talon, allowing her to ride his Spirit’s slipstream to keep up with the much faster Spirit. A steep dive found them headed directly towards the city, but still a distance from the entrance.
The party of six Mages and two Spirits was unceremoniously dumped onto the ground. It seemed like Talon and Stella wanted to get out of there as fast as possible. Given the current situation, Ezekiel couldn’t say that he blamed them. Especially since they were undoubtedly too low on mana to fight against a fellow Legendary. At least one-on-one, and in direct combat.
The fact that they weren’t stopped by anyone as they had approached the city from the sky meant that things were not going well right now. Flames danced all around the rooftops as Legendaries did battle in the distance. It seemed like there was a break in the agreement between the Cult and the Church regarding the use of Legendaries in battle.
A massive plume of Flames burst upwards from the ground as several bodies fell from the sky. It seemed like whoever was fighting was amongst the more powerful Legendaries. That, or there were multiple ones working together. Ezekiel couldn’t tell from this distance. But the damage to the city was spreading, and the heat was beginning to rise, even as far from the battle as the group was.
“Remember what I said, kid. I’ve gotten you as close as I can. Closer, actually, since if the guards were out and about, they’d have stopped us and made us go on foot about half a dozen kilometers back.” Talon stated. Stella had already turned around and left. The current conditions indicated that her contract was fulfilled.
“If you manage to get into the mountains, flash this badge with any of the tribes you see. It’ll get you past a majority of them without any trouble. Good luck!” With those final words, Talon tossed a badge to Ezekiel, just as another explosion went off in the distance. Ezekiel caught it as Talon leapt onto his Spirit. They took to the sky immediately, and Talon was quickly in the distance, nearly too far to see.
Turning back to the collapsing city, Ezekiel looked to his group. He knew that they weren’t in a good condition right now, but if they were lucky, they might be able to get to the mining company that Talon had mentioned before. It’d be expensive, but undoubtedly safer than waiting around.
“C’mon! We need to hurry. I know a place where we can get some transport out of here. Cinder!” Ezekiel called out. The young woman turned to him in response. “Can you lead us to the Mora Mining Company?”
For a second, Cinder looked confused, but as she realized what Ezekiel was asking for, she nodded her head. Taking the lead from him as the party rushed towards the city. However, as they got closer, Ezekiel and Shine’s bad feeling got worse and worse. Until finally, the dread inside them burst out, alongside a wrathful scream that echoed across the city.
“ANATHEMA!!!”
Ezekiel nearly threw up as he and his party crossed the wide-open gates that weren’t being manned at the moment. In the distance, dozens of earth-shaking spells were thrown about. It was obvious that the fight was still ongoing. Worse yet, it was obvious to the group who the attacker was after.
They all decided to hurry just a little bit more as they made their way through the panicking city.
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Half an hour before Ezekiel and his party arrived, the Legendaries in Zime were alerted of an increase in the conflicts occurring in the city of Chime. It was apparent to the Church and Guilds that the Cult of Light was making a massive push to flip the current balance regarding who held control over the city.
Worse yet, it seemed that their numbers weren’t ending. The Legendaries of Zime were now under the assumption that the Cult was pulling in forces from other fronts in order to take over the gates to the Fjorya.
“We can’t just allow them to take over Chime without a fight. We need to send reinforcements to the Church and Guilds in Chime. Or else we won’t have a buffer to protect us.” One of the Scholars of Zime stated. Several members of the current meeting nodded in agreement. But it seemed like the Guild Leaders were less inclined to do so.
“If we send reinforcements, we end up opening ourselves to an attack when our own forces are depleted. It would be better to drive the Cult out of areas where they’ve removed their forces after the battle is finished.” Said one Guild Leader. “Besides, there’s no guarantee that their forces will even succeed. They haven’t taken Chime yet, and I think we need to trust the Guilds in Chime to take care of themselves.”
The room broke out into an argument regarding what the next steps for them should be, but it seemed like a decision wasn’t likely to be made any time soon. However, the Grand Scholar of the Zime Cathedral, an elderly Tempest mage, seemed contemplative as he went over the reports in front of him.
“Enough!” He called out, bringing silence to the room. “There’s another question here that needs to be answered. Why have they decided to push so hard at this point?”
The Grand Scholar looked around the room. Taking in the confused faces of his peers. Not a single one of them had thought of the reasons behind the Cult’s new actions. They hadn’t realized that the Cult was slowly winning in other areas of Tarquessa. So, why are they suddenly making such a huge push. They could simply continue to chip away at the Church’s supporters, and likely take the city within the next few months.
“Perhaps there’s something that has changed within their ranks?” One of the Scholars in the room said. “We know that they are united in their goals, but perhaps there’s been a change regarding how they go about achieving their goals.”
The other Scholars seemed to support this idea, but some of the Guild members seemed to disagree. They didn’t think that a change in leadership would be enough to make such a sudden shift in their actions. There had to be something more to it.
“What if they’re doing this as a distraction? We don’t know for certain what they intend to do with the city, after all.” A different Guild Leader said. “Maybe this is a distraction, and they’re actually planning to take out a different target.”
This proposal brought concern to all the occupants in the room. They knew full well that the only target that would make sense to attack if Chime was a distraction was Zime. Thus, they needed to prepare, as there could be an attack incoming at any moment.
However, the several Leaders and Scholars didn’t seem to agree. They were actually quite confident that this was not the case. The only way that the Cult could attack them after bringing all their forces to bear on Chime was if they were directly attacked by Legendaries. Something that directly opposed the agreements put in place by the Church and Cult when the war first broke out.
Even then, it was unlikely that the Cult would be able to bring enough Legendaries to fight off the entire city. Even if the number of Legendaries was lessened, so as to supervise the warfronts and watch over their Guilds, there were still nearly a dozen Legendaries in Zime. Far too many to make it an easy target.
“I hope that that is not the case, but we need to prepare, just in case something does happen to affect our city. For now, Chime cannot be supported any more than it already has.” The Grand Scholar stated. “We will send our usual shipment of supplies, but additional forces are not--”
The Grand Scholar cut himself off as he turned his attention to the ceiling. Several other Tempest mages did the same, words of warning on their lips. But it was too late. The roof came crashing down just as the Scholars and Hunters brought up their defensive spells. They did nothing and were broken as soon as they were brought up.
An explosion of fire and molten rock burst through the room. Most of the occupants, even the Legendaries, died in an instant. Unprepared for the assault, and unable to fuse with their Spirits. The lack of Spirit armor meant their defenses weren’t enough to survive the attack from a fully prepared, peak Step Legendary Flame Hunter.
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The only one to survive was one of the Guild Leaders that had been covered by her Spirit. But the floating motes light that faded away indicated that her Spirit was now utterly deceased. The Guild Leader herself was also in bad condition, with half her face melted, and most of her bones broken.
“A shame.” Marco said as he stepped through the rubble of the now destroyed building. “I had hoped to get more of you in this attack, but it seems like killing half the Legendaries in the city will have to do for an opening attack.”
Marco was wearing red and gold armor with a coiling winged serpent engraved on the chest. The armor was also scaled along the arms and legs, and two wings sprouted from Marco’s back. His face was encased in a sharp and jagged serpent maw.
“...The... agree...ment...” The dying Guild Leader barely managed to whisper.
Marco marched over to her, pulling out an elixir and downing it. Glowing red lines ran up and down his armored form, and it seemed like his mana grew stronger, refilling his reserves. Lifting up a scaled leg, he stomped down on the Guild Leader’s chest. Unable to even scream, the Guild Leader just choked on her own blood as she whimpered in pain.
“The Cult is lost. I have long since renounced their pathetic attempts to control this war. Once I am done here, they shall be next on my list, when I conquer Zime and Chime, in my name alone.” Marco said with a sadistic grin. The floor then shattered under his foot, and he finished the Guild Leader off.
Turning to the side, Marco could sense the approaching powers of the remaining Legendaries within the city. He moved to intercept them, creating a massive plume of fire as he demolished several Adepts that were caught in his fiery wake. There were less than half a dozen Legendaries left in the city right now. But he had taken out all of his saved artifacts, potions, elixirs, and other supplemental supplies.
A part of him winced in pain at the cost of these supplies. But he was already dead, as far as the Cult was concerned. But he knew that it would all be worth it. To destroy the Anathema was all that mattered to him now. The Light within him sang with glee as he marched through the city. Even as his soul screamed in agony as the elixirs and artifacts burned it away to empower him ever further.
A part of him wished that he had created a Light of Enlightenment for this. But given he was already pushing the limits of what the Speaker had allowed, he knew that he wouldn’t be given permission to absorb the Light of any of the Legendary Followers of Radiance. Even if he was one of the Lights of Radiance. If he had been able to use a Light of Enlightenment, the city would’ve already been nothing but a melted ruin by now.
The might that he could bring out was much greater than the might that Meryn and many others would’ve been able to bear. As he was already at the peak of Legendary and would’ve reached much further into the Mythic level had he forced himself to ascend.
“DIE!” A scream from one of Zime’s Legendaries broke Marco out of his musings. A grin split his face at the thought of fighting these nuisances and destroying the Anathema. These defenders would make a good appetizer for when he killed his true target.
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Ezekiel and his party rushed through the broken panic filled streets of Zime. It had been decades since such a thing had happened in Tarquessa, and while Ezekiel had seen the aftermath of a Legendary attack on a city, this was the first time he’d actually taken part in one.
He couldn’t help but wonder how the Cult had gotten past the standard city defenses. But he assumed that there must’ve been either a hidden spy, or someone was bought out. The loyalty of a person could be bought, if the price and circumstances were right, after all.
“This way, we just need to get to the edge of the northeast wall. The Mora Mining Company is located just beside the gates.” Cinder yelled as they continued to run.
Ezekiel was having little trouble keeping up as he enhanced his speed with mana. But he still nearly stumbled a time or two, as he was carrying Riley on his back. Something that was made even harder since there were panicking people getting in his way. There hadn’t been many when they’d first entered the city, but as time went on, and they got further in, more and more people were making their way out, and it made things much more crowded.
The explosions in the distance were no longer quite as distant either. So, it was getting more and more frantic as people realized that the battle was headed in this direction. If they couldn’t get out of the area soon, it was likely that they would get caught up in whatever fight was currently going on.
A sense of guilt welled up inside of Ezekiel as he knew that this was, at least in part, because he was in the city. If he hadn't been there, the Cult would’ve had no reason to break their agreement like this, and Zime would’ve been able to continue on as a backline supply city. At least for a few more months, before the Cult’s forces pushed this far in.
CRASH!!!
Suddenly, a large boulder blocked their path. The entire street was filled by the enormous rock. There wouldn’t be able to get past it unless they took to the air. Which wasn’t a good idea, since the various Hunters that were able to, had already taken to the skies. Going up would just make them targets.
“Over here! Quickly!” Cinder screamed. The party followed her to a side street that was basically a back alley. It led them towards another area that allowed them to redirect their course. Their detour took them several blocks away from their destination. But it was better than standing still, or worse, backtracking completely.
“How much further away are we?” George called out.
“A few more minutes at this speed. We’ve got another district to get through before we get to where we need to be.” Cinder replied.
Ezekiel didn’t like that. Their group was too big and grabbed too much attention. Especially with him there. If the Legendary that was attacking was able to sense him like Meryn had, then his companions were directly in the way of whoever was after him.
The sound of shattering glass echoed through the city as spears of ice were thrown about. Their structures partially melted as they failed to pierce the defensive coating of flames around the invader. Water harmlessly fell from the sky as the sole Glacier Legendary of Zime was blown away from the battle. Ezekiel could just make out the sound of collapsing buildings coming from the direction she had landed.
“Should we stay here?” Ezekiel mentally called out to Shine. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t want them to be caught up in whatever this is.”
Ezekiel didn’t want to stick with his group at this point. He felt like there was no point in letting them die with him if he was attacked. But he knew that Fiana and George had come for him, to make sure he was safe. So, he wasn’t certain whether or not they would even allow him to leave on his own.
He also knew that Shine hadn’t approved of his decisions as of late. So he wanted to make amends with his bonded Spirit. Ezekiel would make sure that Shine was okay with whatever he had planned next. Not that he currently had a plan, as this had completely subverted his expectations.
“... We get to the Company together, and then we see where to go next.” Shine said. “There’s no point in leaving when they’ll just chase after us.”
Ezekiel had to admit that that was a much smarter plan than his. If they left now, and his friends just followed after him, then it was unlikely, if not totally certain, that they would follow after him. But if they were already on their way out of the city, then he could Jump back into Zime while they were well away. It would take them too long to catch up at that point, and things would hopefully be dealt with.
The earth trembled as the party made its way around a corner. Nearly throwing Ezekiel off his feet. It seemed like the battle was beginning to get closer to them. But Ezekiel couldn’t tell if it was because this was one of the relatively undamaged parts of the city, or if the Cultist could sense him.
Having decided on a better plan, Ezekiel and Shine continued to run, being careful not to jostle Riley and Celia too much as they made their way through another district. They weren’t too far away at this point, and Ezekiel could see a building with several large smokestacks that belonged to a refinery. The Mora Mining Company was just a few dozen blocks away.
As they quickly closed the distance, they realized that there were a number of carriages and wagons lining the areas around the company’s headquarters. Most of them had been filled with supplies and goods, rather than remaining mostly empty. But it seemed like there were more than a few carts and wagons that had space for a few people to ride in them.
CRACK-A-THOOM
Lightning burst overhead as wind howled in the distance. A tornado caught alight as two Legendaries tried to make a pincer attack on the Flame Hunter from the Cult. It failed, as the attacker’s mana didn’t seem to be running out. But it did push him back to another sector in the city.
The lack of follow up attacks could only mean one thing. The Legendaries of Zime were running out of mana. But the wall of flames that shot into the sky proved that the Cultist that was attacking had not. If things went on much longer, it was likely that Zime would not be able to recover. Especially as the attacks seemed to be getting a bit too close to the reservoir, and the connected oasis.
“That one! We can try to get a ride in that group!” Cinder called out. Ezekiel was somewhat surprised that there weren’t more people around that were trying to get a ride. But as he looked around, he realized that this was a factory district, or as close to one as this world seemed to get. So, much of the area was filled with larger buildings for workers and such.
The group was forced to stop as the Adept guards for the Mora Mining Company brought their weapons to bear. This was another reason as to why there weren’t any other people trying to get a ride.
“Halt! On your way! The Mora Mining Company is not accepting--” The head guard found himself cut off as Fiana screamed at him.
“A thousand gold to get our group out of the city, as soon as possible! I can see your wagons, and most of them are still empty!” Fiana stated as she pulled out a large sack of gold coins. George looked appalled at the amount of money that Fiana was just throwing around. But there wasn’t any time to negotiate.
The guards looked conflicted for a moment but seemed to steel himself to reject them. But just before he replied, a voice called out from the lead wagon.
“Take the money and let them on the rear wagon. Let’s get the hell out of here!” The voice called out. The guard looked shaken for a moment but knew better than to dispute what was likely his boss.
“Give me the money and go to that wagon there.” The guard said. He pointed at one of the wagons. It was still in good condition, but it was obviously not one of their priority transports, as all the others had Spirits pulling them, while this one just had mundane beasts of burden.
“Here! When do we leave?” Fiana said as they ran for the wagon.
“Right now! All transports, set off!” The guard yelled as he caught the sack. But Ezekiel’s group had already leapt onto the wagon.
Cinder had taken the reins and had put them into as fast a pace as she could. All the while, the rest of the caravan from the Mora Company had already set off at a much faster pace. They likely wouldn’t catch up, but they were still traveling faster than all, but Ezekiel could, if they were on foot. So, the situation was better than anything else would’ve been anyways. Especially once they realized that there weren’t any other transport vehicles in sight.
“How many flares do you still have?” Shine suddenly asked Ezekiel. “I think we’re going to need them.”
A large explosion cut off Ezekiel’s question as they passed through the city gates. A nearby building had just collapsed, and another charred corpse fell from the sky. Floating in the air, close enough to make out his features, was Marco. A man that Ezekiel had never met before, but the moment that he turned his eyes towards Ezekiel’s party, a feeling of dread and death settled over the Void Mage. Ezekiel knew that this was it. This man was here for him, and if he stayed where he was, he was going to die.
“Go on without us!” Ezekiel called out, dropping Riley and Celia onto Fianna’s lap. George and Marc had to hold Fiana back as Ezekiel leapt from the cart. She screamed at him not to go, but there was nothing she could do. Ezekiel was already back within the city walls, having run as fast as he could.
An idea formed in his mind, even though he barely had a chance to think. One that Shine didn’t like, but agreed was their only chance. This wasn’t like before, when they had a choice in their actions. It was just like with Meryn, where they had an unstoppable force coming after them.
A stupid, unknown plan was better than nothing at this point. Pulling all ten of his remaining Ten Spark Flares, and hanging them all from his fingers, he ordered Shine to get ready.
“Do you really think that it will work?” Shine asked. “We don’t have any theories for this.”
“So long as we Jump in time, I’m certain that something will happen.” Ezekiel replied. Though even he sounded uncertain. This wasn’t something he had a plan for.
Inside his heart, Ezekiel couldn’t help but feel regret. But he knew that there was only one, totally random, hope for survival. Though he knew he’d be worse off than he ever had been, even if he did survive.
For now, all he did was look up into the sky, directly at the man that had devastated this city. Glaring hatefully at the Legendary figure, he saw the man ready a spell that would ultimately destroy him if given the chance.
“COWARD!!!” Ezekiel screamed, causing Marco to pause in shock. “KILL ME WITH YOUR OWN TWO HANDS!!! IF YOU DARE!!!”
For a moment, there was silence. Then, descending from the sky, death came for Ezekiel. But he would not welcome it again. No matter what he had to do.