After meeting with the Exalt, Ezekiel received several notes and a bag of coins that allowed him to replace his old equipment. He was only able to get the bare basics of Hunter’s gear. It was so simple that he knew for a fact that he could’ve made better enchantments if given a couple of days.
But, given the fact that he had been requested to head out as soon as possible, he figured taking that time would be a bad idea. The fact that there were still people in the city that probably wanted him dead was also a contributing factor. So, after getting his gear and resting for another night, he left to meet up with the team he had been assigned to.
Ultimately, Ezekiel wasn’t able to see his parents again before he had to leave on his mission. Per the Exalt’s orders, he was teamed up with a squad led by a Legendary Hunter. Fortunately, the team was one that he was somewhat familiar with. Unfortunately, it was a team that was also missing several people from when he had last seen them.
In front of Ezekiel stood Garrad, Filia, Philip, and Herend. The team that had originally watched over him eight years ago when he’d gone to the Senera Ruins. At this point, they had long since elevated to Tier three and become Adepts. He was dispirited to see that neither Nathanus nor Tracy were there.
Given the situation, the only reason the team from eight years ago would’ve split up was a falling out, retirement, or death. None of which were usually good things. Rarely did a Hunter Retire unless they were forced to, after all. Though he still had some hope. For now.
There was also another team that was there. This additional group of five was from a different Guild, however, so it wasn’t a group of people he was familiar with. The leader was Legendary Life Hunter, while there were also Adept Tempest, Lightning, Radiant, and Obscure Hunters. Adding in Ezekiel’s element, the two teams added up to all the elements. Something that Ezekiel felt was a test of some sort. Possibly made by the Exalt to see the synergy of a Void Mage with other elements.
“You’re here. Good.” Garrad said as he saw Ezekiel approaching. He had been ordered to watch over and ensure that any issues that sprung up due to Ezekiel’s presence were dealt with. It seemed like Exalt Harras was expecting more problems to pop up, and wanted to get them cleared up before any major pushes into enemy territory were made.
“Yeah. Hello everyone. Some of you know me personally, but for those that don’t, I’m Ezekiel, the only Void Hunter in the world. It’s nice to meet you.” Ezekiel’s words caused the team he wasn’t familiar with to grow interested in him as they turned to examine him. Garrad stepped forward and introduced Ezekiel to his teammates.
“You’re familiar with my team, of course. You met them eight years ago. Tracy, due to her element, was moved to the backline due to our need for healers in non-combative roles.” Ezekiel felt relieved to hear that, but Garrad’s next words cleared that away. “Nathanus, unfortunately, passed away in one of the previous attacks a few months ago during a patrol.”
“I see.” Ezekiel couldn’t help but feel upset at that. He wasn’t too close to Nathanus, but the team as a whole had helped him greatly. This gave him all the more reason to give his all for these missions. Hearing Garrad’s words, the rest of his team each gained a determined and hateful look on their faces. Clearly, they all wanted a piece of the Cruor as well.
“This is Nonette. One of the few purely combat oriented Life Hunters, hence why she was not relegated to a backline healing role. Her team is composed of Tory, Yara, Jill, and Mac.” Garrad said as he gestured to the Legendary Life Hunter. Tory, the Tempest Hunter. Yara was the Lightning Hunter. Jill, the Radiant Hunter, and Mac, the Obscure Hunter.
One thing that Ezekiel noticed while being introduced to the second team, was that Jill and Mac were startlingly similar. Other than their Spirits, the two had a number of facial features that displayed the familial resemblance between them.
“Do you think they might be twins as well?” Shine asked, in reference to Ezekiel’s own sisters.
“Possibly, but that’s not important right now.” Ezekiel replied internally before speaking aloud. “Greetings. I hope these missions go well for us.”
There was silence for a moment before Tory, the Tempest Hunter, decided to speak up.
“Aren’t you that kid that blew up the Senera Ruins?” He asked. The rest of his team turned to look at Ezekiel with wary eyes. At the same time, Nonette covered her face in embarrassment and exasperation, while Garrad glared at Tory, and nearly released his mana pressure.
Ezekiel waved him down, however, and turned to address Tory himself.
“By the covenant of Spirits, I declare that I did not blow up the Ruins of Senera. All I did was open the sealed areas beneath the Temple of the Void.” Ezekiel explained. “From there, I found out that the Temple was infected with the Rot, and as a precaution it was already set to explode. If I hadn’t gotten out and alerted the Expedition when I did, every Hunter there would’ve died.”
The tone and oath that Ezekiel used left no room for arguments. Tory also found himself the recipient of Ezekiel’s furious gaze. It was unnerving enough that he ended up being the first to look away.
“Ultimately, it was the Empire’s Inquisition that screwed me over. Because I’m special, and I refused to be enslaved by them. Or are you telling me that you would be willing to suffer from false charges and become a slave to some up jumped noble that’s never even been in a fight?”
Ezekiel didn’t receive a reply this time and it seemed like, after his initial introduction and their initial scrutiny of him was completed, they had lost interest in him and his presence. Though, to be specific, it was more like the new team didn’t want to cause more of a conflict with him.
He guessed that the rest of them just didn’t care about the new guy, or they had things they wanted to ask but were told not to. Tory likely just didn’t care or was just too stupid to be able to read the room. Nonette and Garrad, noticing the awkward silence that was spreading, tried to move things along.
“Well, now that introductions are out of the way, let’s be off. We’ve got three areas we need to clear by the end of the week. So, let’s get moving.” Nonette said before walking away. They had met just outside the walls near one of the intact gates.
Garrad had prepared a wagon beforehand, so the two teams loaded up and were quickly off as Brucey pulled them along. At the speed they were going, it wasn’t long before they were well out of visual distance from the city.
Turning to his direct teammates, Ezekiel tried to start a conversation, as it would be at least a few minutes before they got to their destination. As he and his team caught up with one another, Ezekiel couldn’t help but feel himself grow more comfortable as he re-familiarized himself with his team.
He failed to really connect with the other team but hoped that things would change as they fought together. They were all there for the same thing after all. It wasn’t like the Cruor were going to kill themselves.
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The sound of steel cracking as magically reinforced bone clashed against it in a battle of strength echoed through a clearing. The surrounding area had been torn up, and there were holes nearby where Cruor had previously been resting and lying in wait.
Ezekiel’s team had run into this group within an hour of their departure from the city. As part of their mission, not only were they to patrol the surrounding areas, but they were also ordered to eliminate any and all Cruor they found. This included the Umbral beasts in the surrounding areas as well.
Fortunately, while the team was not the largest, it was filled with experts who were all veteran Hunters. Each of them had long since reached the middle Steps of Tier three. Except Ezekiel, but that was fine, as he still managed to prove himself as an expert combatant and Hunter.
His proficiency with swordplay was particularly noticeable. To the point where both Garrad and Nonette had complimented him on it, and even Jill and Mac had started to look at him more respectfully. Something that Filia had tried teasing him about. Before returning her attention to the fight.
The current group of Cruor and Umbral Beasts outnumbered their team by nearly three to one. But they didn’t have any Legendaries, so Garrad and Nonette were able to make up the difference fairly easily. Though that didn’t mean that the Adepts were having a good time.
Ezekiel found himself facing off against a two Fanged Cruor. One of which was at the Adept level, while the other was only Tier two. That didn’t make things too easy, however, as there were several more that were causing difficulties from afar or interfering with other battles. As it just so happened, it was Tory whose blade was being chipped away due to the bone armor of the Cruor he was facing.
For Ezekiel, his greatest difficulty was the fact that he just wasn’t fast enough to land a hit on the Cruor he was fighting. He was ducking and weaving as best he could, but it was obvious that these Cruor weren’t dregs or disposables. But given most of such Cruor had been wiped out in the retreat by Exalt Harras, it wasn’t too surprising.
Shine reflexively threw a Void Pane up that deflected a blow from behind that Ezekiel was too slow to react to. This battle was wearing on the both of them. It was obvious that the Cruor was in the upper ends of Tier three, but he hadn’t expected to be having such difficulties. It wasn’t like he hadn’t killed Tier three Cruor before, after all.
“I don’t think our usual tricks are going to be worth it. Maybe we should swap out?” Shine suggested after blocking another attack. Ezekiel barely managed to get his sword across the flank of the Cruor as it got out of range. The little Tier two Cruor was riding the first like a backpack. Taking shots whenever the Adept one got close.
If not for the fact that this mission was going to last a week, and they weren’t sure how long they’d have between each battle, Ezekiel might’ve done something more drastic by now. But he needed to reserve as much mana as possible for now.
“I’d like to, but literally everyone is fighting right now.” Ezekiel replied. Given the necessity of retaining as much mana as possible, no one was throwing around spells right now. Something that some were dealing with better than others. “Screw it. Let’s try Tory. He’s in a bad match up.”
“Tory! Switch with me!” Ezekiel called out before turning his back on the Cruor he was fighting. Tory, somewhat startled by the sudden call out, glanced in Ezekiel’s direction. Barely taking a moment before he broke off from the Bone Cruor he was fighting.
The hulking behemoth of flesh and bone lumbered toward him but was too slow to catch up. Ezekiel grit his teeth as he felt claws dig into his side. Fortunately, the defensive enchantments held up, and Shine was able to deflect most of the impact with another Void Pane. He still nearly fell from the impact, and there was a constant stinging sensation as he ran forward.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew past him, and there was a pained shriek, followed by a splattering of liquid as Tory and his Spirit managed to sever one of the Fanged Cruor’s legs. It happened so fast that Ezekiel was barely able to catch it. But rather than focus on another person’s battle, he focused on the elephant sized Cruor in front of him.
The Cruor was built somewhat like a gorilla, but with distinctly more human features. It was also covered with massive bone plating that Ezekiel could tell were several inches thick. Ezekiel could tell perfectly well that there was no way that he’d be piercing the bone plates themselves. His Void Cutter might let him, if he repeated it over and over again in the same spots, but that was far too mana intensive for it to be worth it at the moment.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Luckily for him, he didn’t need to. The Cruor’s eyes weren’t properly defended. This was a trick that was often used against these types of Cruor. But you had to be very accurate, or else you missed, or hit the ridges that surrounded their eyes. The Cruor might also just close their eyes temporarily to defend themselves until an opening was made.
Ezekiel’s attack was invisible, however, so it wasn’t like the Cruor could avoid it, or defend against it. So, aiming Shine directly at the Cruor’s face, Ezekiel thrusted forward, channeling their mana, just enough, to pierce directly into their eye. This was done twice, almost immediately in succession.
The Cruor screamed in pain as it tripped and fell to the ground, grabbing at its face as it cried bloody Ichor. Its flailing nearly prevented Ezekiel from getting close to it, but he did. Dodging away from the wild attacks and landing on its back. Focusing just enough mana into himself and Shine, he stabbed downward, cracking the bone plating beneath the skull, and going a couple inches deep into its spine.
The Cruor cried in pain once more but wasn’t able to do anything before Ezekiel slammed his weight down once more. This time, Shine’s blade went nearly a foot deeper into the Cruor’s flesh, right between the vertebrae, and severing the Cruor’s neck internally.
The Cruor’s massive figure fell forward. Collapsing to the ground with a loud crash. Ezekiel did not allow himself to relax, however, and quickly examined the rest of the clearing for the other fights. It seemed like Tory had managed to finish his fight with the Fanged Cruor easily enough. If the shredded body covered in lacerations and bleeding gashes were anything to go by.
He noticed that Tory had gotten into another fight alongside Jill, who was also fighting a couple of Fanged Cruor. It was apparent that they were more suitable for fighting Fanged Cruor due to the speed matchup. Both seemed to have difficulties with fighting the Bone Cruor, due to the heavy defenses.
Such disadvantages would fade if they reached Legendary, but there was little they could do besides accept it for now. Certain Relics and Artifacts would allow them to overcome this, but they obviously weren’t available right now.
There was also the fact that not all Fanged Cruor specialized in speed. But only the fastest Fanged Cruor were able to escape from the massacre by Exalt Harras.
Of the various battles going on, it was clear that things were becoming easier as time went on. The battle itself was turning into a foregone conclusion. But it seemed like Garrad and Nonette were going to take a bit more time to finish their groups off. But given they were each taking on half a dozen Adept Cruor, that was more than fair.
“Let’s help Filia and Herend. They look like they could use a hand.” Shine said.
Ezekiel turned to look at the two and noticed that they were being driven back by a group of three Fanged Cruor that were taking the offensive, while two Bone Cruor were acting as mobile fortresses that they Fanged Cruor would duck behind for safety.
Nodding in agreement, Ezekiel hopped down from the back of the massive Bone Cruor. Dashing towards the Cruor that Filia and Herend were retreating from, Ezekiel quickly tagged the two Bone Cruor’s backs. Activating a Push-and-Pull, the two Cruor found themselves pulled together. Fortunately squishing one of the Fanged Cruor between them. Crushing it with the weight of the much larger Bone Cruor. The two Bone Cruor ended up flailing about as they were unable to get away from each other.
Filia and Herend quickly took advantage of the surprise, and the fact that it was now much harder for the two remaining Fanged Cruor to retreat back and forth. Herend, who had previously been throwing icicles at the Cruor, charged forward. Meeting one of the Fanged Cruor in a clash of steel and claw.
But as this occurred, his Spirit spat a frosty stream at the ground. Herend was immune to the freezing cold, but the Cruor found its feet frozen to the ground. The Cruor, unable to back off, pushed Herend away, nearly sending him flying, and probably breaking a few ribs from the force. It opened its mouth and roared, but a quick jab from Ezekiel sent a Void Cutter through the back of its skull.
On the other side, Filia and her Spirit were slowly infecting the fallen Bone Cruor with miasma that were eating them from the inside out. They still had to breathe, after all. So, the deadly necrotic gasses had free reign to destroy them without having to worry about anything else.
All the while, Ezekiel was holding off the other Fanged Cruor to keep it away from Filia as she and her Spirit did their work. Once again, Ezekiel found himself unable to make any major damage to the Cruor that was so much faster than him. But holding it off for the moment was easy enough.
He didn’t have to do this for long. As it seemed like the other battles were wrapping up. As Tory and Jill quickly dashed by, cutting the Cruor Ezekiel was fighting into pieces. They then moved quickly to another battle. Ezekiel decided to go help Herend, bringing them to a better spot to rest as he did his best not to disturb his injuries.
Watching over the battles, he saw that several of the Cruor were now trying to flee. But it was obvious that his teammates weren’t going to let that happen. To the point that they, as well as Garrad and Nonette, were willing to spend a bit more mana than necessary just to ensure the Cruor all died.
Filia, it seemed, had also finished up, as the massive Bone Cruor seemed to collapse inwards, slightly, due to the flesh inside them rotting away.
Seeing the battles coming to an end, Ezekiel finally let himself relax, just a little bit.
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The next several hours followed a similar state of affairs as they managed to run into a couple more groups of Cruor every couple of hours or so. They ended up fighting three more groups before looking for a suitable place to spend the night.
After making camp, with a small campfire contained by a formation that prevented the light and smoke from escaping, the teams finally sat down for a break before heading to bed. Each of them had a small bowl and some stew from a pot that Philip was attending.
Regardless of the severity of the situation, Ezekiel couldn’t help but feel nostalgic as he remembered going through something similar eight years ago. Even the harvesting of Umbral Beast carcasses. He found that his own abilities were once again incredibly useful for that particular job.
For the most part, due to sheer exhaustion, the group was silent as they ate their dinner. But it seemed like Tory was still too much of a loudmouth to keep silent.
“So... I know we haven’t brought it up yet. But about the kid...” Tory said.
“Oh, for the Ancient’s sake, Tory, what now? The kid proved his worth today. Leave him alone.” Nonette said. “He doesn’t deserve the shit he’s been getting from the empire. So, can you just leave it when it comes to the rumors that you’ve heard about him? It’s obvious that they’re all fake.”
“But, boss, you can’t mean that! They wouldn’t be spread as much as they are if they were all fake!” Tory said. “I mean, I know the rumors about him being a baby eating Cruor in disguise can’t be true, or else the Guilds and Church would’ve killed him by now, but some of the rumors aren’t that bad!”
“What rumors are you talking about?” Ezekiel asked before Nonette could reprimand Tory once again. Hearing Ezekiel’s question, Tory perked up, and even the rest of the teams looked on in curiosity.
“There’s a bunch, like, how the Empire offered you nobility, but you refused because you wanted to be the emperor. Or how you hated the nobles and tried to wipe out the Reaching Spires, even before they proved to be traitors.” Tory started babbling, and the more Ezekiel heard, the more incredulous he became. “There’s also rumors that you mouthed off to the Inquisition, and that’s why they went after you. Some people even said that the reason you came back was to start a rebellion to overthrow the emperor.”
“Not a single one of those is true. I want nothing to do with the nobility, or the emperor. I’d much rather go back to the Archipelago the moment my contract is up before staying here.” Ezekiel said. “The only reason I came here at all was because my family is from here, and since I had the power to fight, I decided that I would.”
Ezekiel looked Tory in the eyes as he spoke. He had been mildly curious before, but now he was just getting frustrated. Everything that Tory had mentioned had reminded him of the few reasons he had been happy to leave when he was exiled. Even if those reasons were overshadowed by his sorrow at causing his family trouble.
“My family’s been through enough problems thanks to other people’s hatred of me, just because of my elemental affinity. I didn’t want them to possibly die in a war with the Cruor before I could see them again.” Ezekiel said. “But as soon as we’re done here, it’s already been decided that we’ll be heading back to the Archipelago.”
“Does that mean the other rumors are actually true then?” Tory asked, trying to change the direction of the topic. “You managed to become a prince of the Archipelago, and have an entire chain of islands under your control?”
“Wha- no! I was a Church of Ten affiliate researcher! I helped create the Com-Slates, and I helped develop several other artifacts to help out with Church and Guild Expeditions to Ruins in the Archipelago.” Ezekiel explained. “Okay, tell me, did the rumors you hear come from nobles or their servants?”
Tory just looked nervous as he slowly nodded his head.
“A few of them were civilians, but mostly they worked for businesses owned by nobles.” He said.
“Then assume they aren’t true. As far as I’m concerned, the only nobles that wouldn’t lie about me and my family are the Alkena’s.” Ezekiel said.
“Okay, that’s enough. No more talk about this. We’re on a mission, and we need to focus.” Jill cut in before even Nonette could speak up.
“Just one more, please.” Tory said. “I just want to know, are the rumors that the Cult of Light came here to kill you, rather than help us fight, true? And that’s why the Exalt kicked you out of the city.”
“Tory-!”
“Yes.”
Nonette cut herself off as Ezekiel responded. Everyone looked at him in shock and horror. The news about the Cult of Light coming to the battle had been spread a while ago, but none of them had heard it directly. Except Garrad, who had been debriefed directly by the Exalt regarding the situation.
“The Cult already tried to kill me twice since I arrived. To the point where some of their members fought against the Hunters that were protecting the city.” Ezekiel explained. “Later, when the Exalt sparred with me, one of their agents, who was a healer, tried to steal my Spirit from me.”
Here, Ezekiel tightened his grip on Shine, who he had laid out across his lap.
“Then, after I woke up, they tried to frame me by providing me with a uniform with the Exalt’s personal coat of arms on it. With the implication that I had been offered a place in his household.” Ezekiel continued. “Which would’ve gotten me killed for falsely claiming status and patronage from a noble.”
The teams fell silent as they looked at Ezekiel with wide eyes. But none of them tried to dispute his words. Except for Tory, who seemed to be in disbelief at Ezekiel’s words.
“But... that’s not... how-”
“You want to be a noble, don’t you?” Ezekiel suddenly said. “That’s why you know so many rumors from them. You hang out with them, you listen to them, and you follow them, because you want to be one of them.”
Ezekiel’s accusation found Tory becoming the center of attention. The man tried to deny it, but everybody there could tell that he was lying. Jill and Mac actually looked disgusted that someone from their own Guild would act in such a way. While Nonette and Yara looked disappointed.
The team from the Wandering Titans obviously supported Ezekiel.
“I think that’s enough for now. Tory!” Garrad suddenly said. “Know that I’m watching you. If it turns out you’re also a spy, for the nobles or the Cult, I’ll kill you.”
Nonette said nothing as her Guildmate was threatened. She hadn’t wanted to take Tory with her on this mission, since he was a known loudmouth, but given the lack of free hands, she hadn’t had a choice. If it wasn’t for the fact that she had personally investigated all the Hunters she had chosen, by order of the Exalt, she might’ve believed that Tory really was a spy. But for now, she would wait and see.
The rest of the meal was silent, but it was clear, as Tory was forced into first watch with Garrad, that the dynamics of the teams had changed. Ezekiel could only hope that things didn’t take a turn for the worse part way through the mission. They still had a week before they returned to the city, after all.
That was more than enough time for things to get far worse than they already were.
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Back in Harkem, Exalt Harras was observing the interrogation of the Legendary Cult members that had been a part of the attack several days ago. None of them were in good condition. Their Spirits had been killed, and they had all suffered from the various ‘techniques’ used to extract information from them. One had already died due to the effects.
“Lord Exalt.” A Hunter suddenly said, having entered the room the Exalt was watching from. “I’m sorry to disturb you, but there’s some news that you need to hear.”
“What is it?” Exalt Harras asked as he turned around. “News regarding the last couple of Cultists that should’ve been here with them?”
Exalt Harras pointed at the Cultist behind him being interrogated.
“Unfortunately, not. It seems that a team of Inquisitors has arrived. Not only that, but a team of Hunters has, officially, been granted leave by those same Inquisitors to go and help with the escorting of supplies from one of the western towns. The team was large and had several Legendaries in it.” The Hunter said with a glare of frustration. “They demand your presence, to discuss the prisoners. Immediately.”
Exalt Harras sighed as well. He knew full well that the Cultists would’ve certainly escaped by now. Most likely hidden as part of the escort team. He wouldn’t be surprised to hear that a couple of the Legendaries had been recalled for some reason or another.
“I see.” Hearing that news, he raised a hand, pointing his fingers at the Cultists and spies that they had found so far.
A sudden flash appeared, and each of them died. Their brains boiled from the intense energy that Exalt Harras sent directly towards them. The Hunter that had brought the news just looked on in disinterest. He was loyal to Exalt Harras, first and foremost. Which was the only reason the Exalt had allowed him access to this place so easily.
“Let’s go tell them the unfortunate news. It seems like all our leads are currently dead ends. It’s a shame, but we won’t be able to hand anyone over.” Exalt Harras said.
“A shame, sir.” The Hunter said.
“Indeed. Now let’s go see what the headless chickens want. Better to get them out of here before they can mess anything up any more than they already have.” Exalt Harras said.
Striding out of the room, several Mages wearing Exalt Harras’ coat of arms flooded in. They immediately moved to clean up the mess, leaving no traces behind as they finished up. Leaving the room spotless and leaving no clues for anyone to find out what had been happening here.