After the initial panic, followed by confused calm, there was finally a flurry of preparation and planning as the Legendaries of the Feathered Peaks discussed just how they were going to strike the cult’s bases. Since, with Ezekiel there, they now had a Legendary Hunter that could get past their defenses.
Given that he could now don his Spirit Armor, Ezekiel was also in a much more powerful position when it came to combat with other Legendaries. The fact that he had somehow jumped three whole Steps during his recovery meant that he would have an even greater advantage.
So long as the number of combatants wasn’t a horribly uneven mismatch.
As Ezekiel looked over the maps where the closest cult bases were, he couldn’t help but smile at the thought of fighting the cult.
He had been forced to swallow his anger at the situation and watch as his lover and mother had both headed out to fight while he remained behind. Once upon a time, he wouldn’t have had as many issues with such a thing. He wouldn’t have liked it, but he would’ve been able to accept it.
Having been at the cusp of Legendary for so long, and having actually reached it, only to fall back to Tier three, had worn on him this last year. To the point where he had been starting to despise his position in the back line. Merely supporting others with inventions and Artifacts. All while the one their enemies wanted more than anything was him, first and foremost.
“Ezekiel?” Riley’s voice cut through Ezekiel’s thoughts and brought him back to the present. Images of him finally getting even with the Cult of Light faded from his mind.
“Are you alright?” Riley held her hand out and placed it on Ezekiel’s shoulder. “You’ve been looking...”
Riley trailed off, as if uncertain about what she wanted to say. But Ezekiel thought he knew what she meant.
“I look like I’m excited, don’t I?” The room was empty at this point. A decision had been made regarding where they would attack. So, it was just a matter of waiting for the day to end before they set out in the morning. Last-minute preparations were being made, and everything would be ready soon.
“It’s kind of scary, if I’m being honest.” Riley was quiet as she described Ezekiel’s face.
A strange new part of Ezekiel wanted to lash out at Riley.
Was it wrong that he was finally able to take his revenge?
After years of being hunted and forced to flee his home because of the Cult of Light’s decree, why wouldn’t he be happy to finally take a swing at them. One where he wasn’t fearing for his life at every second due to his weakness.
As far as Ezekiel was concerned, his excitement was fully warranted. It was deserved, even. Just as much as the soon to be deaths of the cultists in his sight.
Ezekiel bit the inside of his cheek. It would do no good to get angry at Riley, or his mother. Though the constant worry they had for him was starting to get bothersome. He wasn’t the weakling cripple that needed their protection anymore.
He wasn’t the weakling he was when his father was taken away.
“Ezekiel!” Riley was much louder this time, and Ezekiel more visibly snapped out of his musings.
“Sorry! I’m... focused on what we’ll be doing tomorrow. Making the cult pay for everything they’ve done is something I’ve wanted for years now.” Ezekiel couldn’t keep the rage and pain out of his voice as it nearly cracked from how emotional he was getting. “I need to make them pay. Before, it was personal since they were targeting me specifically. But now, they’ve taken things too far with how they’ve attacked the people I care about.”
At his side, Ezekiel felt Shine vibrate at the verbal mention of the cult’s more recent crimes.
“I... truly can’t wait to finally fight them. To make them pay for everything.”
Riley looked worried, but Ezekiel didn’t let the guilt that began gnawing on him distract him. He had finally gained the power to reach his goal. Nothing could be allowed to distract him. Not anymore.
Taking one last look at the map, Ezekiel let out a deep and rumbling sigh. He needed to sleep. Tomorrow was going to require a great deal of his focus.
“Let’s just go. I think we’re done here now.” Ezekiel moved to leave the room but noticed that Riley wasn’t following him. “Are you coming?”
“Oh!... Yeah... I’m coming...” Riley moved to catch up but took the time to roll up the maps and store them inside her Void Pouch.
Reaching the door where Ezekiel was waiting with a stone-faced expression, Riley linked her arm around his, and the two headed off.
‘I think she’s worried about you.’ Shine’s voice flowed through Ezekiel’s mind. ‘I think I am too, but I also think the cult needs to pay. Just don’t let yourself get hurt. We can’t get them if we’re dead, after all.’
Taking a deep breath at the reminder, Ezekiel smiled when he saw Riley look at him questioningly. It seemed to reassure her somewhat, but he could see the doubt in her eyes. Neither of their smiles seemed real.
‘If we don’t take out the cult, more people that we care about will be taken from us,’ Ezekiel told Shine. ‘But I’ll keep your words in mind. It won’t do me any good to be the one who forces my loved ones away.’
With that said, Ezekiel tried to focus on the here and now. But the thoughts of fighting the cult continued to plague his mind. Even a good meal, and an even better night’s sleep weren’t enough to keep his restlessness from showing in the morning.
Anticipation for the confrontation that would take place in just a few hours filled his mind. The lack of any premonitions had him feeling incredibly confident that things would go well for him.
Geared up and ready to go, Ezekiel and the Feathered Peaks’ Hunters set out. Prepared to take the fight to the cult in a direct confrontation for the first time.
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The time it had taken to travel to the area with the Cult base they were planning on hitting was short. Of the three bases that had become prime targets, they had chosen the one that was the furthest from the other two by a significant enough margin to give them the largest window of time to make their attack.
Standing at the top of a tree while Shrouded, Ezekiel looked at the base in the distance. If he was careful, he would make it there within the next half hour or so. A necessary precaution if they wanted to properly coordinate their attacks.
Ezekiel would be going in first, followed by the rest the moment the defensive formations were taken down. However, Ezekiel noticed a slight problem as he got closer.
‘Those are watchtowers, aren’t they?’ The question was only somewhat rhetorical.
‘I think so. Whatever they are, they’re definitely enchanted.’ Shine’s reply did not lighten Ezekiel’s spirits.
‘Taking out this base just became significantly more difficult.’ Ezekiel counted three towers from his current position. They appeared to be hastily made, with the wood still freshly grown around the stone foundation. ‘If they’re equally spread out, as a defensive formation requires, then that means that there’s at least two more that we can see from here.’
‘Should we report back?’ Shine tried to think of a way to get past this that wouldn’t get them killed, but that didn’t seem possible right now. ‘Perhaps we can revisit the plan and go after one of the other bases?’
‘It’s likely the other bases also have watchtowers... I think the only change our plan needs is how fast we work.’ A plan began forming in Ezekiel’s mind. ‘We’ll need to go to the main base first, then jump to the watchtowers closest to the Feathered Peaks’ Hunters. That way their path will be clear before they get there.’
‘Won’t that mean that they’ll be able to get word out that much faster?’ Shine could understand why they couldn’t take out the watchtowers first, as that would just alert the central base, but word was going to get out almost immediately no matter what.
‘Yes. But if we assassinate their Legendaries before taking down the formations, then that will mean that we can make the battle a bit easier for us when the cult’s reinforcements arrive.’ Ezekiel calculated the possible means by which he and Shine would be able to take out the cult’s Legendaries at this base.
The initial reports implied that there were only three of them right now. Though there was a chance that there were more. Unfortunately, taking out the Legendaries was the best chance he had at taking out this base.
Which was fine with him. He wanted to make the cult hurt anyways, and there was no part of the plan that required taking the cult members alive.
‘If you say so. But if we miss even one, that could change things for the worse.’ Shine had no problems with the fact that they were going to kill cultists. It was the risk of facing multiple Legendaries that worried them.
Ezekiel looked to the sky one last time. There were no clouds right now, but that would change come nightfall, when the attack was intended to start.
‘... Shall we try that new trick you were talking about on our way to meet our allies?’
Ezekiel was referring to the brief conversation he had had with Shine after they both had woken from their coma. Apparently, Shine had discovered something new after Ezekiel properly reached Legendary and had donned his Spirit Armor for the first time.
‘That might be a good idea. But if we get caught, then that will be the end of everything.’ Shine voiced their concerns.
‘I think it’s worth the risk. They won’t be able to sense Void mana if we use it in this manner anyways.’ Ezekiel leapt to the ground, landing without a sound, and picked up a rock.
Focusing his ‘Will’ on the rock, he felt Shine’s soul reach through his own, and the rock became infused with both their ‘Wills’, as well as a small, practically microscopic, portion of both their souls. All held together by Shine’s ‘Will’ as Ezekiel’s filled and contained the mana that would fuel the stone’s movements and cloaking Shroud.
There was a brief flinch as the two felt something similar to a hair being plucked. Had the portions they had infused into the rock been any bigger, it would’ve hurt too much to maintain their concentration.
Tossing the stone into the air, a spectral form appeared for the briefest of seconds. It looked exactly like the Spirit form that Shine appeared as when they manifested from their sword body.
As soon as it disappeared, however, Ezekiel felt his vision split. A second sight fed to him from Shine, as they focused on the view of what the stone was passing by.
‘Will the mana hold out?’ Ezekiel had worried about whether or not they’d be able to infuse the rock with enough mana to maintain the spells he had tied into it. But he had realized that his attempt to perform a Spirit Enchantment was much easier this time around. He hoped that it meant that things had gone well this time.
‘It should last for about half an hour. Enough time for us to scout out most of the base. But we won’t be able to figure out who the Legendaries are unless we go in person.’
‘That’s fine. I just want us to find a good ‘Jump’ point, so we won’t have to waste time when we get there.’
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Shine silently agreed, sending feelings of affirmation and understanding through their bond, but otherwise focusing on the task at hand.
As for Ezekiel, he found a good spot to bunker down and hide in. Waiting with anticipation as the last few hours before nightfall passed by.
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At the foot of the southmost watchtower, Ezekiel looked up and lamented the fact that he hadn’t prepared any timed explosives for this operation. He had realized that such a thing would’ve been incredibly useful and had promised himself to forever have at least a dozen on his person before performing future missions.
But for the moment, he had bigger concerns to worry about. Although, if he played his cards right, then his lack of explosives would be solved soon enough.
‘You’re sure that the cult has a new weapon?’ Usually, Ezekiel wouldn’t have any doubts about Shine’s report. Especially after they had taken such a risk in their scouting. But this was big. Bigger than he’d have liked it to be.
‘Yes. It was decided that the cult would send out new shipments of the weapon not long ago. There should be a shipment within a secured vault beneath the central building.’ Shine reassured their partner. ‘I don’t know the specifics exactly though. So, it might be hard to find.’
‘It’s fine. This makes me think we might actually have an advantage.’ Shine wordlessly conveyed confusion at Ezekiel’s words. ‘They’ll be cautious to ensure that their bombs don’t go off. We won’t need to be.’
Dashing away from the watchtower, Ezekiel quickly reached the outer defensive formation of the cult’s base. He seamlessly ‘Jumped’ past the formation, no one any the wiser regarding his infiltration.
Holding his breath, Ezekiel cut himself off from the physical world entirely with his Shroud. He’d have a few minutes thanks to his enhanced physique, but he still needed to hurry.
‘That one.’ Ezekiel mentally marked one of the Hunters that was covered head to toe in concealing clothes who was ordering around some Adept cultists. ‘That one, and that one...’
Two more Hunters that were standing side by side were also marked, a Tempest and Flame Hunter, along with a fourth and final one inside that was doing paperwork.
‘Four Legendaries. Damn. They must be here to oversee the explosives they mentioned.’ Ezekiel was no longer feeling as confident, and there was a small feeling of danger, but not enough to make him uncomfortable. ‘Let’s get the one inside first. Can you ‘Jump’ the bodies away once they’re dead? It’ll buy us enough time to get at least one more.’
‘I should be able to. But the others will get their Spirit Armor on before we can get them.’
‘That’s fine. We can deal with that.’
Mentally counting down, Ezekiel and Shine ‘Jumped’ behind the Legendary Hunter inside. It was a Cavern Hunter from a Guild, so their death would remove a great deal of the cult’s sensory abilities within the base.
Silently, Ezekiel swung Shine in a downward slash, bisecting the Hunter and the dog Spirit that was resting on their lap. The two halves of the body fell apart, only for Shine to send them away, along with the fading body of the Spirit, before the pieces could hit the ground.
‘That’s one. Let’s get the second.’
‘Jumping’ outside Ezekiel and Shine came up from behind the two Legendary Hunters that were grouped together. A diagonal slash took out the Tempest Hunter that had a bird Spirit. While the other one, a Flame Hunter, suddenly screamed in shock, but found herself donning her Spirit armor with scorpion motifs.
On the other side of the base, the only cloaked Legendary was also donned in their Spirit Armor. A Dark purple set with cat motifs.
Having not seen any indicators previously, Ezekiel was somewhat shocked to see a Death Hunter working with the cult. But since they were a part of a Guild, it was likely only a semi-willing level of cooperation.
But Ezekiel didn’t stay for long. Instead, he ‘Jumped’ to the central focal point of the defensive formations. Destroying them one by one, before heading out to the watchtowers he had just passed by.
Cutting through the supports holding up the formations on two of the watchtowers, Ezekiel returned to the central base after just a few minutes.
A feeling of panic began to fill him as his danger sense started to grow stronger.
‘They didn’t chase us.’ Shine realized. ‘Why didn’t they come after us? We’re their biggest enemy!’
‘The only ones left are Guild members. So, they might not know about us.’ Ezekiel burst into the center base, where he saw the two Legendaries making their way out of a hidden corridor that had been torn open. Since, the Cavern Legendary who had made it had been killed.
In the hands of the Flame Hunter there was a box roughly the size of her torso.
Even sealed as it was, Ezekiel could sense an extreme level of danger coming from whatever was inside that box.
Outside, there was a commotion as the forces from the Feathered Peaks finally started to attack.
No words were spoken as the two Legendary Hunters blasted through the wall behind them. Fully intent on fleeing, even though they outnumbered Ezekiel. At least for now.
“Get back here!” Ezekiel roared before taking off after them. His Shroud now gone as he focused his mana on catching and fighting the two Legendaries that were getting away.
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Not far from the cult base, the forces from the Feathered Peaks had gathered and were making their way past one of the watchtowers. Their presence had been a shock, but when they had arrived to find that the ones that were blocking their path had been taken out, they all screamed in joy as they pushed forward.
“Quickly! We need to destroy this base before the reinforcements arrive!” Narrik yelled as he rushed forward, covered in his bright blue Spirit Armor, axes made of ice were swung in wide arcs that cut through most of the Mages in his way.
The Hunters of both the cult and the Guilds aiding them were able to avoid them by retreating, but it was clear that the surprise attack and lack of defensive formations had caught them on the back foot. The fact that their Legendaries weren’t supporting them was also a sign that things had gone wrong.
Pushing forward, Riley looked worried. There were no signs of battle coming from the central base, and as their group passed by one of the watchtowers, the small group falling quickly, the fleeing groups from the other watchtowers meant that word would spread to the cult’s reinforcements just as fast.
“Where are you, Ezekiel?” She muttered to herself as she flew ahead to the main base.
“Looking for your lover?” A teasing voice called out to Riley from behind.
It was Rena. Ever since she had become a Legendary, she seemed to have lightened up.
“I wouldn’t be too worried. He pulled off his part of the plan flawlessly, after all.” Rena let out a blast of wind that threw several Mages away, only to be finished off by Hunters a moment later. “I doubt he could get into that much trou--”
An explosion rang out from the central base. Followed a moment later by an even bigger explosion, with rocks and fire bursting out from the building. Two figures quickly flew out a second after.
“Get back here!” Ezekiel’s enraged roar tore through the air before his armor-clad figure immediately followed the two Legendaries.
His suicidal charge towards an uneven matchup shocked the Hunters and Mages from the Feathered Peak. Who had all seen Ezekiel as a mostly calm and cool-headed individual.
All three figures were quickly out of sight before any of them could react.
“Something’s wrong! Ezekiel wouldn’t have reacted like that unless he found something really bad.” Riley began to panic, and was about to fly after Ezekiel, but another voice held her back.
“Stay here! We need to keep you, Narrik, and Rena close to keep the others protected if another Legendary comes. I’ll go after my suddenly stupid son.” Evelyn’s voice seemed to seep out from all directions, echoing from the shadows themselves. Her figure was hidden within so as to keep herself as a trump card. Ezekiel’s mad dash had forced her to reveal herself early.
Begrudgingly agreeing with Evelyn’s words, Riley focused on the task at hand. Taking out more fleeing cultists and Guild members with a wave of blue flames.
A part of her worried that Ezekiel was letting the anger he was letting out get the better of him.
Seeing the looks of frustration on Rena and Narrik’s faces, she really hoped that he had a good reason for this change in the plan. If they took too long, then there was no way that they would get out of there before the Cult’s reinforcements arrived.
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It took only a few seconds before Ezekiel caught up to the fleeing Legendaries. Flying past them in an instant and forming a barrier that was unseen to all but him.
‘Crunch’
The Flame Hunter, who was in the front, barreled into the barrier at her full speed. Shattering the barrier in the process, but also breaking several bones from the impact.
She dropped the box with the cult’s new weapon inside it, falling to the ground a hundred or so meters below. The Death Hunter behind her tried to dive for it, but Ezekiel and Shine ‘Jumped’ toward it and sent the box away before anyone could get their hands on it.
The Death Hunter, realizing that he was about to confront Ezekiel directly, pulled out a spiked whip that he swung in an attempt to strike Ezekiel down. He dodged the attack, only to be forced to backtrack in order to escape a wave of miasma that twisted as an extension of the whip.
Making some distance between them, Ezekiel stared at the Death Hunter in front of him. His mind flashed back for a moment, recalling the first time he’d truly fought at Death Mage. The pirate from the Archipelago.
‘Area of effect where all things decay, and a strike that will inflict a poisonous effect that will eat away at the body and soul.’ Ezekiel mentally mused as he went over what he knew about Death magic users. ‘That weapon will be difficult to deal with as well.’
‘Wouldn’t it be venomous? Also, I don’t think we can ‘Jump’ anymore. Not unless we make it count. Our mana is getting low. I think we’re already at far less than this guy.’
Ezekiel agreed with Shine’s observation. The two of them had started this fight with less mana than their opponents, but their extensive use of Void Jump had brought their reserves low.
‘Should we just let this guy go? We can retrieve the box and finish off the base if we hurry.’
Shine’s suggestion made a great deal of sense. But It wasn’t what Ezekiel wanted to do. He wanted to fight. To kill the people that were helping the cult that had caused him so many problems.
It was becoming an obsession that he just couldn’t let go of.
‘Let’s at least try to kill these two.’ Ezekiel glanced at the ground where the Flame Hunter had recovered. ‘We even have a somewhat easier target that we can deal with first.’
Ignoring the Death Hunter that he was facing off with, Ezekiel dove for the ground with his mana swirling around him. Still under his control and focused it all into Shine’s blade.
“Lina! Move!” The Death Hunter yelled.
Trusting her fellow Guild Leader, the Flame Hunter moved out of the way without even thinking about it. Releasing a burst of Flame that Ezekiel swerved around. His armor got singed when he couldn’t dodge it entirely. But Shine just grunted in his mind and they both moved on.
‘Behind!’ Shine warned Ezekiel.
Spinning in the air, Ezekiel landed on the ground, his back towards the retreating Flame Hunter. Bringing his sword up in front of him, he swung to the side while leaning back. The whip that was aimed at him wrapped around the blade, coming to a stop, but releasing a line of miasma that nearly hit Ezekiel in the face.
Feeling the whip go slack, Ezekiel pulled himself forward, intent on striking back against the Death Hunter before he could follow up.
Only to receive a punch to the face that was covered in purple mist. A throbbing sensation seeped through his head as the effects of the Death aspect mana tried to penetrate his Spirit Armor.
Ezekiel snapped a leg upward, getting the Death Hunter between the legs, causing the man to grunt in pain. A follow up punch sent the man flying several feet, before his whip pulled him in close again. It was still wrapped around Ezekiel’s sword.
The brief respite was enough for Ezekiel to direct his mana, infused with his Understanding of ‘Nothingness’ to disperse the Death mana in his face before any debilitating damage could be done.
Something the Death Hunter noticed right away.
“Who are you!?” The man screamed at Ezekiel.
Just as he was about to reply, Ezekiel felt his back heat up as Shine screamed another warning at him. So, instead he pulled the Death Hunter closer, tanking the wave of Death magic that was released, and dropped his sword before grabbing the other Legendary in a grapple, then twisting around.
The Death Hunter screamed as his back was covered in searing flames. Ezekiel also felt his arms get burned in the process, but it wasn’t as bad as his opponent’s injuries.
The fire immediately cut out when the other Legendary realized what they had done to their partner. But Ezekiel didn’t let go of his grapple. Instead, he tightened his grip even more. Ignoring the dark purple mist that was eating away at his armor.
His mana ran through his body at an accelerated pace as he reinforced his strength to the absolute limit. The Death Hunter in his arms began to scream as his bones creaked under the pressure.
It was only a couple seconds later that his screams cut off with a snap, as Ezekiel broke the man’s spine. A weak grunt of pain was all he let out as Ezekiel dropped the man onto the ground. His legs were now useless.
A scream of rage filled the air as the Flame Hunter charged at him. Her one unbroken arm had an ax made of fire held within it. She swung it horizontally at Ezekiel, who leapt backwards to evade, and rolled beneath the stream of fire that followed up past the swing.
‘Don’t counter! We need to retreat!’ Shine exclaimed as Ezekiel was about to charge back and return with another strike. ‘We’re nearly out of mana! I can barely hold our armor together.’
Ezekiel paused, before taking a moment to feel out his mana.
Shine was right. Taking the Death Hunters magic had drained most of his mana. There was only enough to maintain his Spirit armor at this point. Going for another exchange of blows would leave him on the back foot. He’d be open for the Death and Flame Mages’ attacks.
Considering the fact that he could sense that they both had more mana than him, this would mean he’d be dead within seconds.
‘Dammit!’ Ezekiel cursed. ‘We were so close.’
Leaping back again, Ezekiel dodged a barrage of flaming arrows. The constructs hastily formed by the somewhat recovered Flame Hunter. Her focus had returned during the time Ezekiel had taken to reflect.
Worse yet, floating next to her was the Death Hunter. Whose legs were hanging limply, but who was channeling his magic for another attack.
“We’ll finish this later I guess.” Ezekiel muttered, before immediately flying away at his top speed. The effort needed to fly away being small enough to not disperse his Spirit Armor.
The Flame Hunter nearly followed after him. Letting out a scream and commanding him to get back and fight. But the Death Hunter held her back, saying that it might be a trick to lead them into an ambush.
Ezekiel ignored this, as he swiftly left hearing range, and only passively noticed that the two had fled the area. Flying away at their top speed and nursing their injuries all the while.
Detouring a little bit on his way back to the base, Ezekiel took a moment to pick up the reinforced box that was lying in a small crater in the dirt. It had clearly dropped a fair distance when Shine ‘Jumped’ it out of the area when the Flame Hunter was forced to let go of it after crashing into Ezekiel’s barrier.
Once more, Ezekiel felt a sense of foreboding danger as he approached the box.
Kneeling down, Ezekiel picked it up before looking it over in his hands.
“I hope that this thing was worth the change in plans...” Ezekiel whispered to himself as he turned back to the direction of the base.
“I hope so too.” A less than happy voice called out from behind him. “Given that you nearly got yourself killed chasing after two Legendaries that were both more powerful than you. Ignoring the fact that they would be retreating toward reinforcements, that would’ve easily swarmed and overwhelmed you.”
Spinning around again, Ezekiel nearly entered a defensive stance, with Shine held out in front of him. But stopped midway, before calmly turning and sheathing his sword once more.
Standing in front of him was his mother. Who looked less than pleased by her son’s action.
It seemed like he’d have some explaining to do once they got back.