In the middle of the ocean, an island roughly half the size of Sanafalls was partially covered with a thick and toxic miasma. Misshapen creatures, and fungal abominations roared and shrieked in a gluttonous joy.
A tall volcanic mountain covered in storm clouds that were filled with lightning sat at the center of the landmass. Hundreds of Hunters and Mages were currently headed there, while fighting a defensive battle with their pursuers.
They were forced to cross hazardous terrain, all while avoiding a barrage of attacks from the long-range Rot and their fungal cannons. Explosions from toxic and otherwise deadly projectiles harried the defeated defenders of the island as they tried to survive.
“Fall back! Get to the peak!” This order was given by all the captains and leaders that remained.
Most had fallen, but those that had survived were doing their best to stem the tide of the horde that followed. It was difficult, as the Ichor mist that had spawned from the recently bloomed Spine was draining away their mana at a rapid pace.
“Once we return to the stronghold, we’ll be able to settle down for a siege! Move! Move as fast as you can!” Humans and Spirits alike fled with all their power. “So long as we can hold, we--”
Unfortunately, the Hunter who was trying to encourage his companions couldn’t finish. He and his group had just reached one of the larger rivers, and their forces were preparing to cross. Only for the jaws of a massive fish with jaws larger than a man’s torso to leap from the water and clamp down on the Hunter's head.
In his weakened state, the Hunter was unable to do anything to protect himself. He flailed with his weapon and managed to make a few shallow cuts before the Deep Cruor took off his head with a mighty ‘crunch’.
“It’s the Deep!” Several voices cried out at once, and the Hunters and Mages that were preparing transportation to cross the river for those that couldn’t fly immediately began mounting what defenses they could. “Call back the Glacier Mages! We need to prepare!”
The Hunters deployed Artifacts into the water that released sonic pulses that spread through the water and caused the gently flowing river to bubble.
It then turned white and frothy as the thrashing bodies of the Deep Cruor, that had suffered from the Artifacts deployed against them, leap from the water as one.
Hunters, Spirits, Mages and Scholars all entered battle once again. Yet it was a fruitless endeavor. The Spirits couldn’t muster enough mana for their spells, nor could the Mages.
Worse yet, the Rot were still chasing after them, as well as firing their chemical weapons.
It was a battle of physical might, and while a few Cruor fell to the combined blades of several Hunters and Mages teaming up against them, the superior physiques of the Cruor were too much, and the Deep were able to quickly overrun the humans and Spirits that had tried to fight.
The only survivors were those that could fly. Those who hadn’t stopped running while the others had fought. A smart plan, regardless of the many grimaces and tears that they shed as their friends and fellow fighters died screaming below.
Only after every Hunter and Spirit on the island was either dead, or safely secured within the protected fortifications higher up the mountain, did the sounds of battle and death finally die down. The defenses would last potentially forever, fed by the mana emitted by the volcanic activity deep underground. Though, the inevitable siege by the Cruor would give them a few months at most.
The relative lack of Life and Glacial Magic, to make food and drinkable water, meant that the survivor’s resources would last nearly as long.
----------
----------------------------------------
High above the island covered in miasma, several figures were gathered on the back of a massive dragon. Unseen by those below, due to the [Shroud] that surrounded them.
“Are you sure that we should step in here? Doing so would give away our position. We’ll lose the element of surprise necessary for clearing our actual destination.” Fiana, clad in her red Scholar robes, spoke quietly as she leaned over the edge of the dragon to peer below.
“I know, but it’s been nearly seven years since this war started. I think it’s time we fight more openly. The secrecy and subterfuge have lost us several islands, just in the past few months alone.” Space seemed to warp as the leader of the group, Ezekiel, held his hands above him. On his back, a massive claymore sized broadsword that was wider and tougher than normal glowed with eagerness while a sphere of darkness filled with glittering stars took shape. “Besides, you haven’t looked beyond the coastline.”
The two robed figures focused on the waters around the island. Looking for whatever it was that Ezekiel had noticed. It took them a moment, but a presence finally caught their eyes.
“Is that the Deep Broodlord?” the only other male figure, George, whispered in fear as he finally caught sight of a significantly more humanoid figure than the other Cruor that were present.
“Indeed.” The sphere above Ezekiel shifted, and the glittering lights cut out, with the entire thing turning translucent. “This will be enough to make him retreat. They have been doing their best to avoid me for the most part. For reasons I still haven’t been able to figure out.”
It had been a regular occurrence over the past few years, where Ezekiel would enter a battlefield, and a defensive fight would occur as the Cruor retreated.
“While you’re at it, I’ll try to clear out as much of the Miasma as I can. We should be able to at least open a safe path to the water. That way the survivors can get on the boats that were meant to pass through this area, before the warning was sent out.” Riley, who was sitting further up Celia’s back, pulled out her spear. “No prisoners this time. If the first few hundred didn’t know why the Broodlords want you alive, then the rest of them won’t either.”
Ezekiel couldn’t help but ruefully grin at the reminder of his previous attempts at obtaining information. They hadn’t worked, but they had certainly helped him figure out more ways of using his magic.
“Sounds like a plan to me. Let’s get started!” With that said, he tossed the [Shrouded] spell at the Broodlord sitting on the water below.
It took several seconds for the rapidly descending orb to make contact, but when it did, the compressed and twisted space that was contained within it exploded outward.
A kilometer wide crater appeared in the water, and the figure of the Deep Broodlord disappeared. Their form had been blown down into the water.
‘Ready Shine?’ Ezekiel asked his partner as he stepped off the now diving dragon Spirit. ‘This might be enough to push you past your previous limit.’
‘I certainly hope so. It’ll be nice to be able to match the Broodlords in direct combat power again. As opposed to the tricks and spells we’ve managed to figure out to keep things even.’ The Void Spirit snarked as they were removed
From their partner’s back. Enchanted Runic scriptures flowed up and down the massive blade. The massive size and increased amount of material meant that the blade was significantly tougher, and more able to act as a vessel through which Ezekiel could channel their Mythical power.
Shine’s soul still felt the strain, but that was to be expected, and was somewhat helpful to their growth. A development they had discovered, and begun looking into, several years past.
Now, after more than half a decade of war, going from battlefield to battlefield, island to island, the Void Spirit that had been sitting at the edge of Tier five for months. A small push being all they needed to breach that final hurdle.
‘It seems like he’s trying to flee even faster than the others did.’ Ezekiel observed as the Deep Broodlord had nearly reached the edge of his senses. The water parted beneath him as he finally hit it. The rapid rush of the ocean as it refilled the hole that he had made nearly deafened him, but not as much as what came moments later.
Behind him, the volcano at the center of the island seemed to begin billowing smoke, and the roar of a dragon filled his ears, even underwater, and as far away from his friends as was.
For now, he needed to ignore it, and trust in their abilities. He had his own fish to fry.
----------
----------------------------------------
Riley couldn’t help but sigh fondly as Ezekiel dove beneath the surface of the ocean. Massive plumes of water flew into the sky as he rapidly moved to catch up to the retreating Broodlord.
Such things had become a routine for them over the past few years. While they were still cautious, as one must always be when fighting the Cruor, or enemy Hunters, Spirits, and Mages, Ezekiel had been throwing himself into battle far more freely after he had realized that the Broodlords were not as serious about killing him as they used to be.
The fact that he had been able to cross blades with the Deep Broodlord several times, each one resulting in a tie, only proved this. Especially since every time had been when he was fighting alone. Though, the experiences had been more than enough to help him make progress.
“Are you sure you’ll be able to do this? We’re talking about an entire island.” Fiana’s question pulled Riley from her musings. She smiled and turned to her friends from Sanafalls.
Celia had stopped her dive when they were a few hundred meters above the ground. Just outside the reach of the closest Rot cannons.
“Ezekiel and Shine aren’t the only ones that have made significant progress with their magic. I’ve figured out a few different types of Flame that are incredibly helpful in this situation.” With that said, Riley held her arms out and let several streams of fire fill the air.
The heat rose higher and higher, as the lines of fire drew a formation in the sky. A trick that Ezekiel had helped her figure out some time ago. One that took some time to enact, but not so much that it wasn’t usable in battle.
Especially when she was safe in the sky when there were no Winged Cruor nearby.
Focusing on her flames, she shifted the color to something that wasn’t her usual orange-red, or blue-white. Instead, they were light-green, and her [Will] filled the Flames within the massive enchantment above her. Even as the miasma in the air began draining her of mana.
It wasn’t draining her fast enough, and after a few minutes, she was ready.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
“Keep us safe, Celia!” Riley called out to her Spirit, who covered her back with a dome of protective fire that kept Riley’s magic well away from the humans mounted there. A brightly glowing necklace also shone from where it was tightly strung around her neck.
A moment later, Riley pulled an Artifact with familiar Void Magic infused into it via Rune’s and [Will] crafting and threw it up into the center of the formation she had made in the air. The Artifact sent out a pulse of mana, activating the enchantment that had been formed around it.
The result was a wave of fire that was a strange aquamarine color, having shifted from the green as it mixed with Riley’s usual blue. This wave didn’t stop and seemed to feed on the miasma in the air, using it as fuel while the flames rapidly spread.
“This is a new spell that Ezekiel helped me figure out.” Fiana and George looked on in open mouthed shock as Riley’s spell spread everywhere there was miasma.
Even the rivers and streams that flowed over the island boiled from the heat of the flame. Alongside the flesh of the weaker Cruor.
The Legendary ones were only injured and were healing slowly due to the cauterized nature of their wounds. But the massive horde that had been there before was nowhere to be seen.
“Everything burns, but different things burn differently. They burn at different temperatures, but this can be changed by introducing catalysts that can affect the burning point of a given substance.” Riley explained the nature of her spell to her companions as they finished descending to the front of the now miasma free stronghold. The protective barrier around it had kept the inhabitants safe from Riley’s spell.
“Given that magic can circumvent material limitation via one’s [Will], we figured out how to alter the nature of my Flames to target the miasma of the Cruor. Though, it’s ultimately indiscriminate. It also only works within the first few hours of a Spine’s blooming. After that, the nature of the Ichor mist can no longer be affected by my [Will].” The trio of humans looked over the now scorched island.
Flora and fauna alike had been burned by the spell, and there was nothing on the island that remained beyond the protected fortresses and Legendary Cruor that were now fleeing from the island.
“Another problem is that it takes up more than half my mana to use. Meaning that casting it from within the miasma will leave me utterly drained afterwards. Same with Celia, since she has to power the protective barrier that keeps me safe, since it’s not just my flames, but the flames created by burning the Miasma, that are created and burning everything.” With those final words, Celia shrank down as Riley fell on her rear. That had been her most powerful spell, and it was mostly nothing more than the creation of a cascading effect under very specific circumstances.
As the stronghold gates opened, and a team of Hunters headed out, Fiana and George picked up the Exhausted Riley, and hurriedly moved to enter the protected fortress.
Each of them, along with the local Hunters, were silent as they stared at Riley’s exhausted form.
Even as the gates were closed, and the group was safe from any lingering Cruor, no one said a word, as the nascent Mythical Hunter rested in their midst.
----------
----------------------------------------
Fighting the Cruor underwater was always difficult. At least, it was until the development of Artifacts that assisted in doing so. Such as breathing apparatuses, and formations that could convert liquid to gas and purify it. Creating breathable air from the ocean itself.
One such Artifact was shoved up Ezekiel’s nose and mouth, only to be hidden and protected beneath his Spirit Armor’s helmet. This meant that he could, for the most part, fight underwater without having to worry about something like breathing.
Though, the fact that he could go without breathing for nearly an hour, so long as he had mana to survive off of, meant that the Artifact was more of a safety net, than a requirement.
“Get back here!” Ezekiel yelled with a slightly muffled voice from the Artifact in his throat. A series of constructs took the shape of a chain that wrapped around the Deep Broodlord’s body. It was covered in hooks that held tight, but it only managed to keep the Broodlord still long enough for Ezekiel to catch up.
Water rippled and flashed as submerged explosions went off one after another. Each one was preempted by a swing of Shine’s blade by Ezekiel. But the watery environment and slimy scales of the Deep Broodlord meant that they couldn’t dig in and do any significant damage.
“Foolish Hunter! Why fight me when you could simply let me go? Are you saying that you want to die?” The Broodlord turned to face Ezekiel, swiping at him with tentacles and webbed claws.
The entire fight was much more of a melee endeavor, as Ezekiel couldn’t safely [Jump] underwater without far more preparations than when he was in the air. Worse yet, he had to constantly cover himself in mana to remove the resistance of the water on his body. A disadvantage that the Broodlord didn’t have, due to his body being specifically designed to avoid such annoyances.
“Hold still and let me cut you!” Ezekiel yelled into the water. The soundwaves effortlessly traveled through the much thicker medium. They were also [Reinforced] by his mana, causing teh [Force] from each word to be filled with a power that pummeled into the Broodlord’s body.
The male aquatic figure was blasted from all sides from the redirection of Ezekiel’s magic. They were also boiled for brief moments as reached out with his [Domain] to create several [Cavitation Bubbles] that rapidly heated the environment around the Broodlord.
Such a technique was something that he had perfected over the years of fighting the Deep. To the point that he could even perform a properly refined version in the air. Both versions were helpful against the Deep and Winged Broods, respectively.
“You court death with your impudence!” the Broodlord yelled as he twisted his body in ways that let him avoid Ezekiel’s attacks. “Why do you fight so desperately! You should be glad that we have left you alone for as long as we have. Clearly, that was a mistake on our part.”
“Oh? You seem to finally be willing to speak to me about whatever it is you want from me. So, what is it, exactly, that you need me stronger for?” Ezekiel continued his attack as he spoke.
The Deep Broodlord was more powerful than Derrick had been years ago, but the environment meant that Ezekiel could use several more tricks that had harsher effects. Even with the disadvantage of being the Deep Lord’s ideal environment. As well as significantly more experience since then.
The fact that he had also managed to reach another Step higher meant that the gap wasn’t that different either. Though, Ezekiel knew he would have to retreat soon. His danger sense was finally giving him warnings.
‘I think you’ve successfully made him angry, or at least cautious, at your admittance to know that the Broods want something from you,’ Shine said as they threw up a barrier of [Void Panes] to ensure that they had some cover. ‘I’m starting to think that the others were right back when they mentioned you were growing reckless.’
Ezekiel couldn’t help but wince at the reminder of the conversation he had had with his friends a few days ago. While he had continued to be vigilant in his efforts against the Cruor, he had also been throwing himself into far more battles.
‘... We’ll meditate and do some self-reflecting after this battle. The island will have been purged, so it will be relatively safe, and we are ahead of schedule anyways.’ He then went silent as he focused on the task at hand. ‘For now, I want to see if this old bastard will finally say something he shouldn’t before one of us finally runs away, again.’
It wouldn’t have been the first time he had pissed off a Broodlord enough that he had been forced to run away. Though, in such situations, much like now, there were smaller consequences in doing so. He only did such things when the civilians and weaker Hunters were out of the way, after all.
“I’ll kill you!” the Deep Lord’s voice began to warble, and the water shook as he began to bulge from a partial transformation. “You already know too much! It is too great a risk to leave you be!”
Ezekiel’s previous words had sparked a hint of madness in the Broodlord’s eyes, and he could tell that the enemy Mythic was no longer concerned with simply fleeing, nor did the thought of leaving Ezekiel alive seem to linger in his mind.
Which was good, in a way. It meant that he and Shine would be forced to fight for their lives, and the pressure they now felt from the fight would be real. This in turn, would force their souls to experience a jump in growth that their other methods would be much slower to provide.
A myriad of tentacles with serrated hooks and teeth whipped toward him. They were unobstructed by the water resistance, and Ezekiel had to [Shift] himself to the side, by creating openings in the water that literally pulled him in different directions like a vacuum.
“Perish,” the Broodlord’s voice carried through the water, and Ezekiel found himself launched backward at a rapid pace as a blast of water nearly collapsed his chest.
The Broodlord’s mouth was open, and it was clear that he had sucked in water only to expel it as forcefully as possible.
‘Let’s twist it!’ Ezekiel exclaimed when they finally came to a stop. Their previous offensive had turned into a frantic defensive as the Broodlord lashed out with a series of attacks that seemed to shift the water itself, both to hinder Ezekiel, and give haste to himself.
‘I thought that spell was still a work in progress?’ Shine didn’t sound too certain about what Ezekiel was suggesting.
‘In this situation, it’s not like it’s going to hurt us if it fails.’ Several blows had made it past his defenses, and motes of mana disappeared into the world as chips from his Spirit Armor faded away.
Crimson blood with a hint of an opalescent sheen began to fill the water, which turned murky, and Ezekiel couldn’t help but grimace at the fact that he hadn’t managed to land a single significant blow against the Broodlord.
He knew it was a bad matchup, with the Deep Broodlord being more slippery than Derrick in numerous ways, but he’d hoped that he’d have improved at least a little bit.
‘Jaws!’ Shine called out a warning, and Ezekiel held out one arm to the side, an opal construct taking form as a shark that had hidden like a cephalopod tried to clamp down on him.
The small sword construct was just large enough to fit into the Legendary Umbral Beasts mouth. But that wasn’t all, nearly a hundred more similarly powerful beasts had swarmed around him. Their camouflage meant that they were unseen before this.
A similar means of somehow blending into the water itself by altering their body composition meant that they were also impossible to sense with most magical means of perception. Only when they were about to attack, when their bodies returned to their mostly solid state, did these particular Umbrals, and similar Cruor, register on a Mage or Spirit's senses.
Their only weakness was their relative lack of defensive capabilities, making them easy to kill, so long as you could get a hit in. These beasts were among the weakest when it came to physique.
‘Good catch! It looks like you’ve made another improvement.’ Ezekiel praised his Spirit for the early warning.
Usually, this would be far too late to do anything about, but given Ezekiel and Shine’s developing skills with premonitions, this was not a last-minute reflexive action. Not entirely, at least.
Sparing a glance behind him, Ezekiel saw that the figure of the Broodlord had disappeared. He could briefly sense the Deep Lord’s location as he fled at his fastest possible speed, able to move through water without resistance as he could. Given that Ezekiel wasn’t actively chasing him, the Deep Lord would be out of his range within a few seconds.
That, or the Broodlord would consume one of these Umbral Beasts and take in their ability to become invisible to all magical senses. He might then return and finish the job.
But Ezekiel knew he couldn’t be certain of either of these possibilities. At least not without investigating for himself first.
‘Cover me. I need to check things out.’ Ezekiel then relaxed as he fell into a trance.
Shine left his hand and began flickering about through the water in a dome around him. Unlike Ezekiel, whose body was made of flesh and blood, and would suffer complications if they suddenly [Jumped] and had water fill their body in inconvenient places, Shine had no such problems.
Flashes of light filled the water, but Ezekiel was unseeing, to all of it, even though his eyes were open. Instead, visions of events to come flashed through his eyes.
----------
----------------------------------------
A quarter of the sharks lay dead, their bodies decomposing at a rapid pace. Ichor filled the water but was washed away with the currents. Diluted and harmless.
Shadows seemed to flicker in the form of the Deep Broodlord, but never manifested, even as Shine returned to their place at Ezekiel’s side. With a swing of his arm, the rest of the Umbral Beasts were killed, though at a cost of most of his remaining mana.
More shadows, but none became real. The possibilities of the future where the Broodlord returned to attack him didn’t manifest. The probability of him coming back was too low.
Ezekiel waited, for a few moments, before turning to the island in the distance. His battle had ended, so it was time to return, and see what could be done on the island with the survivors.
----------
----------------------------------------
Narrowing his eyes, Ezekiel’s attention returned to the present.
Looking around him, he saw that a quarter of the sharks lay dead, their bodies decomposing at a rapid pace. Ichor filled the water but was washed away with the currents. Diluted and harmless.
“That always feels weird,” he muttered as a heavy sense of Deja-Vu overcame him.
A moment later Shine [Jumped] into his hand, and the rest of his vision played out without issue.
As the Umbral Beasts floated in the water, dead and slowly descending into the depths as they fell apart, Ezekiel took a moment to observe his surroundings. His defenses were raised, and he held himself at the ready for longer than his vision had predicted.
A precaution he had gotten used to performing, just in case.
“Let’s return. Hopefully, this was enough to push you past your previous limit. But we’ll have to wait and see.”
Shine did not reply to Ezekiel, having fallen into a state of meditation once they had gotten confirmation from Ezekiel that things were safe, for the most part.
Turning from the direction he had felt the Broodlord flee in, he headed back to the island he had left his friends at. He figured that Riley kept things simple and used the Artifact he and the Church had created for clearing freshly made miasma.
Though, if she didn’t then it would just mean another chance for him to vent and try out more of the new spells he’d developed over the past seven years.