Explaining to his mother what he had done and why he had gone after the Legendaries that had fled was something that took a bit of time. Usually this wouldn’t be a problem, since they could just have Evelyn travel through shadows to return. But they swiftly realized that the box that held whatever weapon Ezekiel had learned of was enchanted in some way that kept it from being able to enter into any spatially altered items or spells.
Thus, Ezekiel was forced to carry it, as it was also enchanted in a manner that dispersed shadows. Meaning that his mother’s Spirit Armor expended mana simply by holding it.
“I’m not sure about the danger you’re worried about, but I agree that this thing needs to be checked out. Especially if it’s this troublesome for Obscure Mages.” Evelyn said as she flew back to the base with Ezekiel. “We’ll need to bring it back to the Feathered Peaks to have it checked out.”
“No. We can’t afford to bring it to the Feathered Peaks. For all we know, whatever’s inside it could explode in our faces the moment it opens up. If this thing is as dangerous as the other weapons that the cult has employed, then we might end up destroying the mountain.” Ezekiel was vehemently against bringing the box to his allies’ home. The Legendary birds and the Feathered Peaks tribe had already done too much for them to be put at that much risk.
Evelyn didn’t seem like she could agree with such an arrangement. As it would mean checking out the weapon without the support of a faction that could help them if things went wrong.
It would mean putting Ezekiel in danger, and she didn’t want that. Not when he had just come back to them. Hale and hearty once more.
But regardless of his mother’s concerns, Ezekiel felt that this was something that he needed to do. Besides, he had a way of testing things without putting himself in direct danger. Not that his mother knew about that.
“For now, let’s just get back to the base. We need to finish clearing out and destroying it before we head out. We’re already cutting it close, and I don’t want to be here when the other Guilds and the cult arrive.” Evelyn declared as she and Ezekiel neared the base.
As they touched down, Riley was the first to meet them and ask what had happened, but Ezekiel waved her off, saying that he had discovered something very bad, but they needed to finish up here first.
The forces from the Feathered Peaks were on top of things, however, and there were no delays when it came time to leave. Though there was an alert from one of the Apprentice Hunters, who had been on scouting duty.
Their avian Spirit had gone in the direction of the other cult bases and was scouting from high in the sky. Due to their bond, the Hunter was able to see the Hunters from the cult and their allied Guilds flying towards them. Still far enough out that they could retreat in time, but they had to leave.
Pulling back from the ruined base, the land had been torn up and basically destroyed for all possible future use, the forces from the Feathered Peaks moved as fast as they could, while retaining a relatively stealthy cover. Quickly clearing the area before the enemy Legendaries could arrive.
As such, no one was there to hear the cries of anger and outrage when the cult had arrived, only to see that weeks of work had been ruined, and one of their forward bases had been wiped out with no traces remaining.
It would take time, that they didn’t have, to rebuild in this area. Plus, with the conflicts going on at all fronts, doing so just wasn’t feasible at this point.
Of course, that was only if the weapon that the cult had provided wasn’t deployed sooner, rather than later.
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It was only a day later, when the Feathered Peaks’ forces were well away from all the battle lines, that Ezekiel decided he needed to find out whatever was inside the box he had retrieved from the cult.
Much to his dismay, he had an audience.
“I still don’t think you all should be here right now. If this thing is booby-trapped, then there’s no way I’ll be able to get all of us out of the blast radius.”
Ezekiel’s words made the other Legendaries shift uncomfortably. Then two from the Feathered Peaks even more so than Riley and Evelyn. Their relative weakness acted as a mark against them in this situation. But they were the primary connection the group currently had to the tribe, so their presence was permitted without too much complaint.
“Just... don’t try to get too close to it.” Ezekiel held out Shine, who had once again let out a piece of themself into a rock, and the sudden ‘Jump’ sent the box and the stone vessel quite a ways away. “... Not far enough...”
Several ‘Jumps’ later, the box and the vessel were nearly ten kilometers away, and only now was Ezekiel feeling less danger from his intentions.
“I’m starting to regret this,” Ezekiel muttered. The other Legendaries clearly heard him, but it was Riley that spoke up.
“What’s wrong?”
“My danger-sense didn’t stop going off until the box was over ten kilometers away.” The entire party turned pale, as that would mean that the radius of destruction was far beyond anything they had imagined or experienced before now.
Even beyond the devastation wrought by cannons the cult had recently created.
“Alright. I’m opening the box, in three... two... one!”
Ezekiel’s vision was split in two as Shine shared their double vision with him. In one eye, he saw the box opening in front of him with telekinesis, only to be blinded by a bright light. In the other eye, he saw a pillar of gold reach into the sky, nearly blinding the others that stood next to him.
“Shields!”
Wind, ice, and shadow constructs wrapped around the group in an instant. And a shockwave rolled over them all. Riley, who hadn’t braced since she couldn’t throw up an effective shield, was nearly thrown to the ground, but she reached out to grab hold of Ezekiel, who had reflexively steadied himself and sent his own mana to reinforce the shields.
A second later, a crack appeared in the shields covering them, but it seemed like the blast had passed. As there was little else that happened.
With the dispersal of the shields, however, the Legendaries were able to see just what had happened to the landscape.
Where the box had been, there was a crater that was several hundred meters wide and filled with glass, beyond which the surrounding area was filled with bent and flattened trees. The shockwave had been more than enough to level the area.
“... They merged them...” The four other Legendaries looked at Ezekiel in confusion.
“The cannons... rather than use multiple projectiles, they’ve found a way to fuse the destructive force of an entire barrage into a single explosion.” Ezekiel fell silent as another thought crossed his mind.
The next second, he disappeared with a ‘Jump’ leaving the others to fly to the center alongside him. He was bent down, running his hands alongside the glasses area at the bottom of the crater.
“Those bastards!” Ezekiel exclaimed after a moment of examination. “Those hypocritical bastards!”
Once more the Feathered Peaks Legendaries were shocked at Ezekiel’s outburst. Still unused to his more vulgar language and behavior. While Riley and Evelyn just grew more worried.
“What’s wrong? What did the cult do this time?” Evelyn asked.
“Void Mages...” Ezekiel muttered as he looked to the ground.
“What?”
“The cult used Void Mages to create barriers to contain different mana types, which they then released in a chaotic explosion.” Ezekiel explained. The others just looked on in shock.
“How do you know this?” Narrik asked.
Ezekiel looked at the man for a moment. Silent as he internally debated what he should say.
Finally, after sighing in frustration, Ezekiel replied.
“Because I can sense the residual effects of Void mana enhancement.” Ezekiel glared at the epicenter of the explosion once more. “I can also recognize my own work, because this weapon is an altered version of an Artifact that I created for the Church of Ten over five years ago.”
Memories of his Ten Spark Signal Flare, an Artifact meant to confuse and stun Spirits by creating a chaotic storm of mana flew through Ezekiel’s mind. These weapons were not the same, having lacked the perfect mix of all ten elemental manas. But this imbalance allowed the destructive force of certain elements to directly express their effects at an enhanced level.
“We need to get back to the mountain as soon as possible. I don’t know about the other conflicts happening elsewhere, but the Feathered Peaks are in danger.” Turning back to his fellow Legendaries, Ezekiel urged them to get moving. “Just one of these things is enough to tear a hole in the boundary protecting the mountain. I don’t want to see what will happen if they have even more.”
The five Legendaries took to the sky, flying at their top speed back to their temporary base, before moving on to the secret tunnels that would lead them back to the Feathered Peaks.
“I don’t suppose you know how to disable these weapons, since you apparently contributed to their creation?” Rena’s tone was mild, but Ezekiel could feel her frustration and accusation.
“It wasn’t originally a destructive weapon. Just something meant to disorientate Wild Spirits on expeditions to avoid fights when unnecessary,” Ezekiel said. “But... I might have a plan regarding what we can do to stop the cult.”
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Finding himself on the receiving end of several bewildered and doubtful looks, Ezekiel just smiled.
The thoughts of just how badly the cult was about to suffer brought him a twisted sense of joy.
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After returning to the Feathered Peaks, the group did not stay long. Having returned, simply to report on the situation, and convey Ezekiel's plan.
Said plan was quite simple, and basically just consisted of setting off the weapons within the cult’s bases, so as to ensure that the cult couldn’t use them against the Fjorya’s forces.
Given that there were no other feasible options at the moment, the plan was approved, and Ezekiel was given some equipment to increase his survivability. A necessary precaution, since he was the only one that could really go through with this plan safely.
Much to his family and Riley’s displeasure.
Looking over the supportive armor, Ezekiel was happy to see that the enchantments on it were simple, but sturdy, ensuring that they would be able to take at least one good hit from a Legendary, so long as they didn’t burn more than a full Step of mana in one attack.
“I can feel you staring at me.” Ezekiel continued to look over his armor, before finally taking the steps to put it on. The additional enchantment to make it fit ensured that the process was an easy one. “I know you’re not happy about this, but how else was this going to go? No one else can actually sneak past the cult’s defenses like I can.”
Riley had been silently watching Ezekiel. Having no other duties at the moment, she had apparently decided that Ezekiel needed to be looked after. He assumed it was because she thought that he was likely to do something stupid otherwise.
‘She’s not wrong, if those are really her thoughts.’ Shine silently teased Ezekiel as he turned to face Riley directly.
He decided to ignore the sassy voice in his head for the moment and address the issue that his girlfriend apparently had with him.
Moving forward, he wrapped his arms around Riley, resting his head on top of hers.
“... I’m acting differently, aren’t I.” They both knew the question was rhetorical.
“If you already know this, then why don’t you stop it already?” Riley didn’t understand how Ezekiel could be so self-aware, but also so stupid at the same time.
“Because I’m angry, and tired, and the old me wasn’t getting anything done.” Ezekiel replied. “Not fast enough to matter at least.”
Riley remained silent. As much as she hated it, Ezekiel’s words weren’t entirely wrong. The fact of the matter was that acting in a passive manner, or simply responding to the cult’s actions, wasn’t enough to actually take them down.
So long as the cult existed, Ezekiel could never truly rest. Not unless he could reach the peaks of Legendary, or higher. Anything less would mean he remained a target. Worse yet, even if he gained that strength, the cult would still go after the ones he cared about.
“After this is over, we’ll take a break. I promise.” Ezekiel wasn’t lying when he said this, even though a part of him felt guilty as he did.
“What about your dad?”
Ezekiel closed his eyes and tensed up but didn’t reply for a few seconds.
“The Kindled family will die, just as the cult will... But I know my dad wouldn’t want me to destroy myself in the process.” Ezekiel pulled back to look Riley in the eyes. He knew that she could see the rage that he was holding back. Her flames being so similar in nature to the emotions he was feeling right now. “I will also need to learn more about them, and plan things out before moving forward. Some downtime will be a great opportunity to do so.”
Riley sighed, and Ezekiel knew that the situation between them was going to be one of worrying about each other for some time yet. But it seemed to him like she accepted things for now.
“I’ll be back soon. Please stay safe.” Ezekiel smiled when Riley nodded at him.
Kissing the top of her head, Ezekiel gave Riley one more hug, before making his way out of the tent. Given their current location, he hoped to take out one of the cult bases before the end of the day.
It would be tight, and he would have to hurry, but he knew he could do it.
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Beyond the torch light emanating from the sconces along the walls there was little to no light being used as Ezekiel infiltrated the cult’s second closest base. This was the location that the cultists and Guild members from the base that Ezekiel and the other had hit earlier had fled to.
‘Is it just me, or are things really quiet?’ Shine observed as they and Ezekiel moved through the cult’s base. Their Shroud was holding up well, and Ezekiel still had a few minutes before he lost hold of his breath. ‘I mean, we noticed the Guild Leaders that fled from before, but other than those two, who look worse for wear, it seems like the cult hasn’t done anything to support this base more than usual.’
‘They probably can’t afford to. There are just too many battle lines that they need to cover.’ Ezekiel and Shine made their way to the lowest floor of the main building. From their previous experience, they knew that this was likely the only place where the hidden tunnel would be. ‘For now, we need to worry about getting the weapons, and either setting them off, or retreating as soon as possible.’
Pulling a fist back, Ezekiel punched a hole into the ground, and released a shockwave of force at the same time. A shockwave passed through the entire building, and the stone supports collapsed, bringing the building down on top of Ezekiel in just a few seconds.
Forming a barrier around himself, he didn’t have to worry about being crushed, but he knew that it would only be a few seconds before the Cavern Hunter they had stationed here attacked him.
At which point Ezekiel would have no choice but to run, because fighting a Cavern Mage while underground was basically suicide.
Fortunately, Ezekiel saw another reinforced box just a few feet away from him. Just beneath where he was standing.
‘Should we set it off?’ Ezekiel knew what he wanted to do but felt that Shine should also have a chance to share their opinion.
‘Of course.’ Shine’s reply made Ezekiel smile.
This time around, the sense of danger was almost nonexistent, so Ezekiel assumed that meant that the weapons were not armed at this point. So, carefully opening the box, he saw that there were actually three spherical weapons inside.
‘Huh, I guess we’ll be able to make the cult die faster than I expected.’ Shrouded once more, Ezekiel took out one of the explosives just as the rocks around him started shaking.
Pushing the button on the weapon, Ezekiel dropped it just as a hole opened in the ground next to him. But he didn’t remain to see what was about to happen. Instead, he and Shine ‘Jumped’ away before the weapon even hit the ground.
Materializing a couple kilometers away, Ezekiel and Shine surrounded themselves in several layers of Void Panes. Just in time for a shockwave to send them flying like a pinball through the forest.
It took a while for Ezekiel to recover, but when he did, he saw a slightly smaller crater than the one from before. The use of only one weapon had yielded a much smaller explosion. But from what he could tell, the whole of the base had still been destroyed.
Seeing the destruction, and the charred remains of the cult and Guild members’ bodies, Ezekiel felt a minor sense of guilt. But the fact that this was what the cult had wanted to do to him and his allies killed all thoughts of remorse.
‘... Let’s move on. We’ll try to get more of the explosives to use in the other conflicts moving forward.’ Ezekiel turned, ready to move on to the third base he needed to hit.
The tables were turning, and the cult would be cleared from the Fjorya sooner or later.
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Over the next few days, the cult forces and Guilds of Tarquessa suffered immensely as Ezekiel used his unique magic to break into different bases and camps. Stealing the weapons provided by the cult and setting off enough of them to leave destruction in his wake.
The maps would need to be redrawn, as the number of overturned areas filled with ripped up and destroyed terrain were numerous.
The only cultists spared were those that were lodging in the villages and towns that existed along the official roads that crossed the Fjorya. It was unfortunate, but it was simply impossible for him to take out the cult forces that were hiding within these areas.
The innocents present were enough of a deterrent to keep Ezekiel away. He wasn’t so lost in his quest that he would forsake the morals and beliefs that his parents instilled in him.
‘We should return to the mountain. The guardian birds will be back soon. Most of the cult has also been cleared out from this area. We need to figure out how to redirect the different forces fighting in the Fjorya.’ Shine spoke up one morning after Ezekiel finished packing up his concealed tent.
Pausing for a moment, Ezekiel thought about it for a second. Hidden in a tree were three separate boxes, each one with three explosives in them.
After experimenting with them, Ezekiel had figured out how to set a timer on them, so it would be possible to have the guardian birds drop them on other locations. Which would help in clearing up the battle fronts in different areas.
He’d also figured out how to make them and was shocked to discover the sheer cost that each explosive required. The cult must’ve been clearing out any and every treasury they had access to in order to make these bombs.
‘You might be right... I’m kind of tired too. I’d rather not go through what we did on Morncrest.’ Stretching, Ezekiel realized that he hadn’t had a proper sleep in a few days. He’d already gone above and beyond the required number of bases he needed to hit.
By this point, the Feathered Peaks were essentially out of danger. So, it wouldn’t be out of the question for him to find out how he could help the other forces in the Fjorya fight off the cult.
Grabbing the three boxes from the tree, Ezekiel began making his way to the closest checkpoint to return to the Feathered Peaks tribe.
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It was the dead of night when Ezekiel returned to the Feathered Peaks tribe, and there was an eerie silence as he made his way to the central meeting chamber. The place where the guardian birds would hold council with the tribe’s elders.
He didn’t run into anyone on his way to the chamber, which he was thankful for, but the looks he saw on several Hunters he saw patrolling from a distance made him think that some bad news had arrived while he was gone.
Seeing his mother and Riley waiting outside the meeting chamber, he approached with caution.
“Hey... Is everything okay?” He quietly asked when he finally got their attention.
They both shook their heads. Neither looked like they were in a good mood. Even with the news that must’ve spread about his own efforts.
“We just got word from the central tribes. Nearly four tribes have been wiped out. Evidence acquired by the guardian birds scouting has shown that it was likely the same explosives that we discovered were the cause.” Evelyn explained. “Fortunately, word got to the western tribes, and they took a number of risks to ensure that the explosives couldn’t make it into their own villages.”
Ezekiel clenched his fist in anger. Just when he thought that things were turning around for them, they seemed to get worse once more.
“Luckily, it seems like word has gotten to the Empire and the Church of Ten regarding the new weapon. Additional sanctions have been put into place, and the cult is now, officially, limited to operating purely within the territory of Tarquessa. With the Church of Ten outlawing all Cult of Light members within their own territories.” Evelyn provided some good news, but it seemed like these sanctions weren’t enough, else the conflict in Tarquessa would be over by now. “Unfortunately, the Fjorya tribes aren't a united world faction, nor do they have any Church of Ten presence within the territory.”
“I see... the fact that we’ve been using the cult’s own weapon against them is also something they probably aren’t happy about.” Ezekiel looked back at the three boxes he had brought with him. “So, where are we when it comes to the war?”
Neither Riley nor Evelyn answered, instead, they just looked at the doors to the central chambers.
For a second, Ezekiel, lost in his own thoughts, imagined himself bringing the explosives he had left and setting them off inside the headquarters for the Cult of Light in Tarquessa.
But the sheer number of innocent citizens that would die was too much for him to consider it for long.
‘Let’s just wait for Invera and the rest. They probably have a plan.’ Shine’s voice helped Ezekiel center himself, and he took some calming breaths before taking a seat on the stacked boxes. ‘Either way, I don't think we’ll be in the Fjorya for much longer.’
Given the sheer amount of conflicts taking place around the mountains, their presence would be of great aid, but they had things they needed to do. Things outside the territory of the Fjorya.
‘I think you might be right. But we still need to figure out where we’ll go from here first. To the Archipelago, or to the Morathi Alliance.’ Ezekiel’s tone became much darker as he thought of going straight to the Alliance.
Before Shine could reply, the doors opened up, and Ezekiel saw a number of beings within. Nearly a dozen Legendary Hunters had gathered, alongside all the Feathered Peaks elders, and elders from other tribes.
Above them all, perched upon pillars that overlooked the entire room, were Invera, Spina, Callrond, Feynari, and Morty.
Seeing Ezekiel had returned, a few faces seemed happy with his presence, while others were judging, and there was an unknown glint in other’s eyes that made him feel uncomfortable.
“You are here. Good. Now, we can plan for the end of this conflict.”
Invera’s voice was hard, and harsh. There was a sense of finality and certainty as she spoke of the end of the conflicts with the cult.
Even as a chill ran down Ezekiel’s spine, he couldn’t help but grin at the Mythical bird’s words.