The rebels had fully retreated from the cult bases in the area. A large camp was set up for the Hunters from Tarquessa to relax as they had a small celebration over the destruction of the cultists.
Ezekiel and Riley weren’t fully involved in the festivities. Instead, they focused on their mission, and tried to figure out what the likelihood of it being completed was. The sheer number of cultists that would’ve died at the last base was enormous, but there was a possibility that Riley would need to contribute some more, since she was basically left out.
“We probably cleared enough of the cult’s number to at least retain our group’s access to the haven. So maybe we should report back?” Riley was seated next to Ezekiel on a fallen log.
The two were sipping on some hot tea. The storm had somewhat cleared up as the hours passed. But only in that it was moving to the northeast.
Ezekiel couldn’t be certain, but it felt like it was moving towards the Feathered Peaks. If he was right, then he hoped that it was a good sign. The feeling in his gut told him things were going to get worse before they got better though.
“Are you okay? There’s no lasting damage from the Lightning, is there?”
Ezekiel just shrugged at Riley’s question. He had only regained full mobility after being paralyzed for nearly an hour. But fortunately, once it had left his system, he recovered fast, and there weren’t any noticeable side-effects that he could feel.
“I’ve just got a bad feeling. That’s all.” Ezekiel tried to relax and keep Riley calm by not sounding too concerned, but Riley was fully aware of his premonitions.
“Does Shine feel the same?” she asked.
“Yes.” Shine vocalized their response before Ezekiel could say anything else. “I think we need to get out of here. As much as I like this group, our continued presence in this area is not making me feel safe. But thoughts and plans to head to the haven do. We should leave. Now!”
“... If Shine insists on this, and you aren’t immediately denying it, then why don’t we just leave? That would be the smart plan, right?”
Riley looked confused and worried. Ezekiel understood her and Shine’s feelings but was still conflicted. He didn’t feel good about leaving the rebels alone.
However, he still felt that his primary concern was Riley and Shine. So, he would give the rebels a warning before leaving. Given that he was fully recovered at this point, there was no reason not to leave.
“Is your stuff ready?” Ezekiel glanced at Riley’s pouch. She nodded her head. “Then let’s go. I’m going to give Talon a warning, but we’ll leave right now.”
Standing up from the fallen tree they had been sitting on, they made their way over to Talon, who they saw was sitting with the Lightning Hunter from before. Ezekiel ignored her presence after giving her a nod. She waved back, but otherwise stayed silent.
Riley stood behind Ezekiel and just listened to him talk. But she also waved to the two rebel Legendaries.
“Talon... We’re heading out. Our goals have been fulfilled, and we think it would be best if we returned to our group.” Ezekiel paused, wondering how he should word this next part. “... A word of advice, if I may?”
Talon nodded and gestured for Ezekiel to proceed. His tone must’ve been grimmer than he intended, because Talon leaned in, focusing his attention on Ezekiel in full. Beside him, the Lightning Hunter tilted her head in confusion.
“You need to leave. You need to get your people out of here as soon as you can and hide.” Ezekiel’s words drew a raised eyebrow from Talon, but he did not refute Ezekiel’s words. “The Void gives me warnings, at times. Usually when my life is in danger. I’ve been feeling bad omens since before we attacked the last base. I thought it was just the bad circumstances, but the feeling hasn’t disappeared. I think that something is coming. That there was a miscalculation regarding the cult and their forces.”
Talon finally frowned at Ezekiel but didn’t dismiss him out of hand.
“Is this like when you headed to Rime last year? You were concerned about that place too.” Next to Talon, the Lightning rebel recoiled in shock. As if she couldn’t believe that Talon was humoring this.
“It’s not as bad, yet, but the feeling only fades a bit when I plan on leaving. So, we are. I hope that you will too, but I know that my words are probably not enough.”
“No. It’s not.” Talon looked frustrated, but simply sighed and hunched over his knees. “Go. I’ll try to talk to my people. Maybe get a few scouts to check on things. But it won’t be a problem if you leave. Anyone who tries to accuse you of anything will have to talk to me. You did give us warning, after all.”
Ezekiel nodded in thanks. “If it helps, ask your friends what the cult is likely to do if they find out how their last base was wiped out. Will they retreat, or nip this threat in the bud with full force, before it can grow?”
Talon grimaced at the thought and fell into a state of contemplation.
Turning away from the rebel Legendaries, Ezekiel waved at Riley to follow after him. She looked confused for a moment. He was leading them out the wrong side of the camp, after all.
A shushing gesture was all Ezekiel gave her as they began running through the forest. Neither one looked back as they ran. Even as Talon got up to track down his fellow Legendaries. The Lightning Hunter followed after him. Only sparing a single glance in the direction Ezekiel and Riley had run off in.
Neither one knew just how thankful they would be for this warning well after midnight. But by then, Ezekiel and Riley would already have doubled backed to the north and be facing brand new problems of their own.
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As the rebels dragged their feet packing up their camp, several dirty looks were thrown at Talon as he insisted that they hurry up. The most loathing ones originated from his fellow Legendaries.
“I still don’t see why you’re taking that brats word so easily. Nor do I get why you let him go if you thought it was true.” The Flame Hunter glared at Talon. “If he thought that such horrible trouble was coming for us, then he should’ve been forced to stay and fight.”
Talon glared back at the other rebel leader. As did the Life and Lightning Hunters.
“We do not condone slavery, nor do we threaten others into fighting for us. Especially when they’ve already helped us so much.” Talon nearly grinds his teeth together in anger. “If you are truly so against this, then you are free to stay. But I have seen that man’s premonitions come true in the past. Even if I didn’t know what it was at the time. The fact that he was willing to warn us when were are even when it comes to debts is already a sign that he is an honorable person.”
The Flame rebel winced at the accusation of slavery, while the Cavern and Obscure leaders turned away. Their glares were now gone from their faces.
“Will we even have time at this point? If Ezekiel’s words were true, then they could have some sort of weapon headed for us right now.” The Obscure Hunter carefully looked toward the direction of the road between Chime and Trimble.
The rebels were significantly closer to it than they were to the center of the Wilderness. Any cult forces would be able to use the road to great effect when it came to chasing them down.
“It shouldn’t be too bad. So long as we can get moving within the next few minutes, I’m sure we’ll be free from any...” Talon trailed off as he felt the wind change.
It was subtle, since there were still remnants of clouds covering them from the storm as it moved north. But it was like there was a ripple in the distance. A wall of force that was incredibly weak. Not unlike the shockwave from a large explosive.
“Defend!” Talon’s yell cut through the packing rebels.
He immediately donned his Spirit armor, as did the other Legendaries, though they did so a beat slower. It was enough, however, for not even a couple of seconds later, Talon felt it.
Dozens of steel objects the size of a full-grown man’s head were flying through the air.
Usually, a Tempest Mage wouldn’t be able to sense things in the air as easily as a Cavern Mage could sense movement on or in the earth. But the sheer forces of these objects as they cut flew through the sky caused the air to scream.
The Legendaries took to the sky. Out of the way of the objects. The few dozen meters above the ground before the projectiles impacted on the ground.
The following explosion of light, sound, force, and fire almost threw them all back to the ground as they were immediately disorientated. But as vision returned first to all of them, what they saw as a result of this sudden attack nearly made them all sick.
While their leaders were merely stunned, the rest of the lower Tier rebels were dead. The clearing they had camped in was now nothing more than torn up dirt and debris. Toppled trees and fading mores of light were mixed in with the blood and viscera of broken bodies.
A plume of ash and smoke rose from the ground and made the Legendaries eye’s water. Though Talon wasn’t sure if it was just due to the dust, or also due to the deaths of the people that he had spent months fighting alongside.
“Scatter!” Talon screamed when he got his hearing back. The others snapped out of their shock. Each one took off in a different direction. Except the south, and the direction the projectiles originated from. Heading in either of those directions was nothing less than a death sentence at this point.
He knew that it was possible that this would not be the end of the assault. If the cult’s Legendaries got hold of them while they were at the mercy of these strange new weapons, then they wouldn’t even have a chance to fight back.
Estimating his direction as he regained most of his senses, Talon fled in the only direction he truly thought he would receive help in. The Feathered Peaks.
He didn’t enjoy the thought of his allies and friends getting caught up in this any more than they already were. But at the same time, they also needed to be warned about this new threat.
Flying as high into the sky as he could, Talon only hoped that his allies also managed to get away without issue. It seemed like, given his speed, it seemed like he wasn’t the primary object of the cult’s inevitable chase. Something he was thankful for.
But as he flew away, Talon couldn’t help but think about Ezekiel and Riley. He knew that they had taken precautions and had escaped well before the rebels had. They still stood no chance if the cult managed to catch up to them.
In that moment, he promised himself to provide whatever aid he could once he reported to the Feathered Peaks. While they weren’t from the same kingdoms, he wasn’t the kind of man that would simply allow those that had helped him suffer and die.
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
He just hoped that he wouldn’t be too late.
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Farther to the north, well away from the rebel campsite, Ezekiel ran as fast as he could. They had previously headed into the only direction that had felt relatively safe when leaving the camp. But it hadn’t taken too long for him and Riley to divert their course toward the haven, or at least the general direction.
He hadn’t even bothered with a Shroud this time. Instead, he had Shine focus on making sure that their path was clear. Just so he could move a little bit faster.
Just a little while ago, he nearly fell over as his entire body shivered from an intense chill that caused him to lock up mid-stride.
It had only lasted for a moment, but never before had Ezekiel felt so much like someone was treading over his grave. Something had changed, and he wasn’t sure what it was.
“We need to move faster!” Ezekiel had stated. The sheer urgency in his voice as he glanced around the area in a near panic made Riley stumble. Until this moment, Ezekiel had let Riley move on her own. Celia having grown to the size of an appropriate mount.
Not anymore. He allowed Celia to shrink down and had Riley tuck the Flame Spirit into her coat before picking her up and running.
Ezekiel focused his mana as he moved. His speed enhanced to a blinding pace. It was made even faster as Shine provided their own aid. Ensuring that nothing was in the way to disturb their pace.
Tree branches were deflected by barriers. Their wind resistance was diverted into forward momentum. Large cliffs and other rises in the land were overcome by anti-gravity leaps. Snow and ice were traversed with a bit of difficulty but dealt with easily enough after a few attempts.
They moved like the doors to hell were chasing after them. Something Ezekiel was almost certain was the case.
A massive explosion rang out behind them, and night turned into day for a brief moment. The sky lit up and the clouds flashed with light from behind.
It was only because Ezekiel wasn’t facing toward it that allowed him to not be too stunned by the flash. Riley also avoided it by not looking back, but as the light faded, she risked a glance backwards.
Rising above one of the hills in the distance was a cloud of dust and debris. The result of an explosion. One larger and more widespread than any she had ever seen in her life.
“By the Ancients...” Riley’s voice was a haggard whisper as she stared in disbelief. “What in the world could’ve done that?”
For Riley, even from this distance, she could tell that it was coming from the camp that they had just vacated. The were high enough, even on this mountain, to not block things out. Even with the bad weather. All remaining concerns she had about Ezekiel’s premonitions disappeared.
For his part, Ezekiel just focused on getting away. He knew that they weren’t out of danger just yet. It was fully possible that there was a Spirit and their Hunter following them in the clouds above.
They couldn’t stop. Not even for a moment. The only way that they would be safe was if they had some sort of support. A Legendary Hunter could easily catch up to them if they tried hard enough. Ezekiel didn’t even want to attempt to fight them off at this point.
What made things worse was the storm that had formed around the mountains when they were at the base. It had mostly faded, with the weather pattern that had formed moving towards the center of the massive mountain range. The same direction that they were headed in.
All around them, the storm grew more and more horrid as they headed towards the center of the gathering force. Rain had begun to fall and turned to snow not too far from the camp, which had only suffered a little bit of rainfall before it let up as the storm moved away.
The higher elevation hadn’t helped with that, with the weather getting colder, but as they made their way further and further into the wilderness, it seemed that the world itself was trying to cause them difficulties.
‘Where are the Spirits?’ Shine’s voice cut through Ezekiel’s thoughts, ‘Even in weather like this, there would be Spirits moving around just within my range. They would avoid us, but they were still there.’
‘... We are being chased. There’s another Legendary nearby.’ Ezekiel’s grim realization was made true as he and Shine both felt something shot at them from behind.
A horizontal slash of something filled with mana. Something that they needed to avoid.
The world slowed down from Ezekiel’s point of view. He saw Riley’s eyes widen, and her face light up as brightness filled the area behind them.
In that moment, Ezekiel knew he could jump, as that would leave him open in the air for another attack. He also knew that ‘Jumping’ using Shine’s magic was also a risk, as it would leave his identity exposed to the cult. Which would mean that his relative safety with Tollren would disappear.
But at that moment, he knew he didn’t have a choice.
‘What was that!?’ Shine suddenly exclaimed as their attention was temporarily diverted elsewhere. Ezekiel wanted to ask what they were talking about but knew that there was no time.
A quick mental command to Shine saw them ‘Jump’ over a kilometer away as Shine burned a large portion of their mana.
The increase in distance didn’t matter thought, as a flash of light later saw their enemy in front of them. Surprisingly enough, they weren’t wearing the clothing of the Cult of Light.
‘Who are you?’ Shine seemed distracted as Ezekiel focused on the person floating above them.
A familiar figure in cobra motif Spirit armor stood there in the sky. The symbol of a candle shining light was emblazoned on his cloak.
“Norton...”
Fear laced Ezekiel’s voice as his uncle raised a blade. In his arms, Riley tensed as Celia poked her head out from her coat.
“You and your family have caused us far too many problems. That ends now.”
Ezekiel braced himself. His mind began running at a ridiculous speed as he tried to think of a way to get out of this. He knew that Shine’s mana wasn’t enough to get them far enough to matter. There weren’t any Spirits in the area that he thought would be willing to help them. None that they could sense.
Even if there were supposed to be a few overseeing them and their progress.
From what Ezekiel knew of his current state, there was nothing he could do.
Shine tried to say something to him. It seemed like they had an idea, but Ezekiel wasn’t listening. His thoughts were too jumbled to make out anything beyond what he was seeing.
Norton swung his blade. Light flashed.
The ground shifted.
Shine ‘Jumped’.
Nothing remained.
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There was silence and darkness as Ezekiel found his hearing and vision gone. For a moment, he thought that he had died once more, and his soul was traveling to another world yet again.
‘It worked!’ Shine’s exhausted excitement rang through Ezekiel’s mind.
He then felt the weight in his arms once more as his focus returned to him. The world sped up again, and Ezekiel became fully aware of his surroundings.
“Riley? Shine?” Ezekiel was momentarily confused and wanted to make sure that he wasn’t going insane after facing another near-death experience.
“I’m here... Where are we?” Riley asked, “Weren’t we about to die at the hands of a high-Step Legendary?”
Thinking back, Ezekiel realized that Norton did feel much stronger than before. But that was an issue he would process and deal with later.
“I think Shine would be the best one to answer those questions. I was somewhat out of it thanks to a spell I used to try and think of a way out of that bad situation. It didn’t work, and I missed what they were trying to tell me.” Ezekiel pulled Shine from their sheath after putting Riley down.
‘Hmph!’
The two Hunters whirled around as they heard something from behind them.
Ezekiel, who had just adjusted his eyes to the darkness, was surprised to see a mound-like shape standing in the middle of a tunnel.
Riley created a small flame that floated in front of her, giving her and Ezekiel better light to see the figure.
It was Charus! The little tortoise Spirit wasn’t so little anymore, as the top of his shell was now as tall as Ezekiel, but the overall shape and appearance of the Spirit was the exact same. Even down to the expression of disinterest and frustration as he curled his lip in disdain.
“I’ll explain, since you apparently didn’t hear me earlier, but we need to move. We don’t know if the cult has a Cavern Mage coming for us, and the amount of earth and stone between us and the surface isn’t enough to block them out forever.” Shine vocalized their words so Riley could hear. “Put me back in my sheath and start running. Charus will lead.”
Charus huffed with impatience as he turned around, sparing a brief moment to look back before trotting off. The earth began to move behind Ezekiel and Riley.
Ezekiel did as Shine instructed, and they began moving at a much faster pace. It was somewhat slower than the speed Ezekiel was running at when they were above ground, but given that Charus was both leading them, and ensuring that there were no tracks to give away their position, this made sense.
“So, what you missed in your hyper focus was the fact that I was screaming at you that I had gotten a message from Charus.” Shine began their explanation as Ezekiel ran. “I had been hearing a muffled voice since a few seconds before that first jump, but wasn’t sure who it was, or where it was coming from until just after Norton appeared.”
“Hmph!” Charus grunted in annoyance as they all ran.
“I know. Sorry.” Shine seemed sheepish. Riley and Ezekiel were just confused. “He was apparently calling out to me for a while before that. But given the distance, and the amount of ground that was in the way, he was really quiet.”
The ground shook as Charus expressed his frustration more obviously.
“That wasn’t an insult! I’m just not used to hearing a Spirit’s voice channeled through stone like that.” Shine tried to defend themself from whatever reprimand Charus had said to them. “Apparently, given the storm, it was decided that an aerial observer wasn’t a good idea. So, Charus was sent out earlier this morning to check on our progress.”
Given that it was now midnight, that meant that this storm had been brewing for over a day by now. But Ezekiel only noticed its effects when they had set out before hitting the final base.
Riley seemed interested in what was going on with the Spirits, but Ezekiel was only listening for a moment. The information regarding the storm caught his attention for only a few seconds.
His thoughts didn’t linger on that topic for long, however, since he had more important things to worry about.
“We miscalculated. The cult hasn’t just been working on their manpower. They’ve also been working on making Relics and Artifacts to make themselves stronger.” Riley looked at Ezekiel in confusion, but Shine fell silent in understanding.
Charus paused for a moment. He looked back at Ezekiel in curiosity.
“I never thought about it that much more after we checked the improved Com-Slates,” Ezekiel became lost in thought as he spoke, “But what else might they have learned and discovered from the Church of Light’s archives? That knowledge, and the results of countless years of study, would’ve been more than enough for the cult to create new weapons to supplement their Hunters. Mana cannons alone would change the face of any sort of war the cult tried to wage.”
Charus grunted in confusion. Shine silently explained what had happened. They also provided context to the explosion that was felt earlier. Which Charus had noticed even here. Over a kilometer underground.
The tortoise did not look pleased.
“... Charus is asking that you get on his back. He says that there is no time to waste, and that he will be moving us faster towards the haven.” Shine told Ezekiel.
“Understood,” he replied. The two Hunters got on Charus’ back, and the Spirit seemed to sink into the ground.
Suddenly, the tunnel that had been forming in front of them, and closing behind them, shrank to become a bubble around them. If not for the striations in the layers of rock built up over time, Ezekiel wouldn’t have even realized that they were moving.
Charus was so steady that there was no shifting at all as he and Riley sat on the Spirit’s back.
Instead of them moving through the earth, it was as if the earth was moving around them.
Ezekiel allowed himself to fall into a state of mediation. He was curious to see what was happening to the world.
Much to his shock, he noticed that there was a massive amount of Cavern mana that was flowing into and out of Charus. All the while the earth moved around him in conjunction with the mana that left his body. It was almost as if the tortoise was casting a never-ending spell.
“...Amazing...” Ezekiel couldn’t help but mutter after he opened his eyes. Thoughts ran through his mind as new ideas regarding the flow of mana and the way it could be used filled him up.
Riley just looked on in awe, but when she saw Ezekiel enter his trance she smiled. That look was one she was familiar with, and she knew that Ezekiel would undoubtedly become stronger again soon.
The ride came to an end all too soon for Ezekiel. Who wanted to further examine the flow of mana as Charus used it to move. But as they shot out of the ground in a sudden explosion of dirt and gravel, he and Riley were unceremoniously dropped into a stream.
Charus’ gravelly voice could be heard chuckling as Ezekiel and Riley trudged out of the water. Amused looks settled on the faces of the other Spirits that were close enough to watch.
“You two are back soon. I suppose something interesting happened.” Callrond’s voice cut through the air as Ezekiel and Riley used their own means to dry off.
Looking at the Radiant Spirit as he floated down to address them, the two Hunters grimaced at the thought of passing on the bad news to the Legendaries of the Spirit Haven.
Depending on how things went, it was possible that a war would soon spark between the Fjorya and the cult in Tarquessa.
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Norton looked down at the small area of glassed wilderness that he had just made.
His chest rose and fell as he took deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself down.
Behind him, two of his fellow Kindled Hounds remained still. Their own Spirit armor indicated that they were also Legendaries. Though their submissive behavior proved they were weaker than the man in front of them.
“You were slow,” Norton said. “Though I suppose you needed to wait to see if the cult’s new toys were working properly, as well as to clean up the remains.”
“Yes, lord!” the other two Legendaries replied.
“Did you capture any of their leaders?”
Norton’s subordinates shook their heads slowly. They shivered in fear at what the man’s response would be.
“Disappointing.”
Norton’s breathing finally stabilized as he calmed down enough to not strike out immediately.
“We will report back to the cult. They need to know about this new development. It seems like the aid they have provided so far will not be enough for either of our goals to be achieved. Go.”
The two weaker Legendaries nodded and bowed before setting off.
Norton remained behind to continue looking at the ground. His fists clenched and shook.
“The light shall remove all darkness and reveal the truth to all. In the ashes of the world, a new hope will be kindled.”
With those final words, Norton turned around and flew to the south. While he was angry at the results of today’s failure, he knew there would be more opportunities to succeed.
The thought of his targets escaping him never even crossed his mind.