SORROW AND POWER
I could hear an echo of my name within the void calling for me. But Panuka's scream overtook it, loud and piercing. A bright light came over me, and Panuka stood ahead of me upon a clifftop. I know this place—the Azure Mountains. We were looking down at the speck of a city, Dagon City.
I tried to talk but couldn't, and as the imagery began to shift, I figured I was dreaming. I tried my best to end my slumber, but despite my struggle, the memory sped up, forcing me to relive my time in Dagon City and ending with the memory of Panuka being torn apart. I ran towards her, but as I approached, the distance between us grew. Smacked aside, a nightmarish creature was upon me, beating down on the backside of my head before opening its mouth of sharp teeth to end my suffering.
And I awoke into death itself, shivering and dizzy with a pulsating throbbing at the back of my head.
MANTIS
Thank the gods, Hilly!
He embraced me, nearly knocking me back out with such force. He pulled away, revealing crystallized tears lit by the light of a nearby dancing fire.
HILROY
Panuka...
I mumbled, blinking several times, attempting to see past Mantis but saw shelves, dressers, and a bed with a shriveled corpse—we were on the upper floor of a commoner's home. A white drab covered the shaft of the fireplace and flickered with light from the lower floor—
HILROY
Where's Panuka?
I moaned, the tears already coming out. I knew her death wasn't a dream, but by the gods, I hoped it was so.
HILROY
Where is she!?
I spat in a fit of tears.
Mantis looked away and shook his head. My lips trembled uncontrollably, my breathing hastened, and I couldn't hold it back any longer—I wailed into his warm embrace, feeling his body tremble as he attempted to hold his sorrows.
We mourned for my lost beloved, and my sadness gave way to anger and depression. I could not live on with this memory—this image of her death tarnished my sanity. I pushed away from him and headed down the stairs.
MANTIS
Where are you going?
HILROY
I can't...
Mantis followed me into the living quarters—mainly a kitchen and a dining area. The fireplace, doubling as what used to be a stove, burned away at clothing and scraps of furniture.
MANTIS
If you go out there, you'll die!
I stopped in front of the jangling door that was doing its best to bear the relentless blizzard.
HILROY
That's the whole point,
I choked out.
HILROY
I'm weak.
Remembering how I lost to Farengar.
HILROY
I make horrible decisions.
Remembering how I ordered us to stay in this cursed city rather than leave for the Fire Kingdom.
HILROY
And I couldn't even save my future wife.
I grabbed my skull and dropped to my knees—the image of her being torn apart tortured me.
HILROY
I can't go on Mantis!
He grabbed hold of me once more,
MANTIS
You have me, Hilroy!
I looked into his teary eyes and—yes, I did have Mantis. He had been by my side for as long as I could remember. I forced myself to remember—to focus on him.
MANTIS
And we'll get through this.
He squeezed me tightly.
MANTIS
You have to, please.
I nodded.
So I sat with him, in his embrace like the weak gent I was, cowering in the shelter of a dead family's home.
HILROY
I'm a sad excuse for a leader.
I mumbled.
HILROY
If we make it through this, take charge... take us home.
MANTIS
What? I can't—
A trembling explosion shook the entire house.
HILROY
What was that!?
Mantis embraced me tighter, and I looked up into his disconcerting eyes—another explosion pounded at my eardrums, followed by a sudden quake, rocking the floor beneath us.
MANTIS
They came back.
I tried to break free of his grip as the commotion outside distance itself.
HILROY
Who are they? And what are they doing?
Mantis shook his head as he responded,
MANTIS
Something we should, by all means, avoid. That is, if we can make it through this.
*****
My fight with Beka and so far with Cain had caused more destruction to the city than I could have ever imagined. Cain and I were nearly at a stalemate, for he and his Blasters had magical wards while I had my speed, familiars, and sols. My ghosts, unfortunately, had to retreat due to the amount of fire they were casting.
Cain and his Blasters had no form of Quickstep, but their ability to fly around was better than my control of the air, so I decided to stay grounded. Cain would fire off beams of condensed fire that rivaled a Blaster's Salvo with precise aim.
As we ran amok through the city, I dodged his blazing beams and used the homes and debris to my advantage.
Using hostages had no use as they would mercilessly shoot through them to get to me. But even the dead had their use, and as I fled, their blood merged with my armor.
As we fought, Cain had not once shut his mouth as he attempted to taunt me throughout our bout. I ignored him and decided to focus on his Blasters, but they, too, avoided me by taking to the air. They kept their distance, wary of my Shadow Phase and Willpower. Shattering their sense of safety, the soratakas pelted them with lightning while the kagawks tackled them at insane speeds to get through their mana shields.
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CAIN
Now I see why Dean was so fond of you!
He shouted, firing beams at me as I hid within a home.
CAIN
For a little insect, do you think you can beat me!?
I Leaped out of the way of his lasers that ripped through the snow and homes. A sorataka flew by, and I grabbed hold of its talons, and it lifted me onto the roof of another house. Cain spotted me as I sprinted across and escaped down the chimney. Beams ripped through the home, and I bolted, crashing through the walls.
I came face-to-face with a Blaster that had been knocked out of the air by a kagawk. Fear blighted his face as my Willpowered blood swords pierced through his skull completely. Finally, I thought to myself, One down, four more.
With the help of my sols, I was turning the tide. Cain knew I was, but he continued to gloat about me being a bastard and a cursed child. His rant soon piqued my interest, and I listened as I sped through the homes, avoiding his lasers of fire.
CAIN
I knew you would come! Why would I come after you? Why put in the effort!? I have been watching you since you were a fledging bug! Your love for revenge, your hate for those who wronged you—all of it!
A beam of his made it through a stone home and fragmented off my Willpowered shoulder. I ignored the pain and kept moving.
CAIN
And this village! This pathetic town!?
He bellowed out a peal of laughter that boomed over the sound of the blizzard—he was amplifying his voice.
CAIN
Dangle a piece of paper with a reward, and the roaches come crawling! They sent idiots after you, and you refused to let it go!
I nearly lost my head as I slid under a beam of fire and crashed through the window of a wealthy home.
CAIN
If you only you were an obedient little insect! Then maybe Noble Dah Challa would have listened to Dean!
I bolted out of the home at the sudden alarm of my Danger Sense. Cain let loose an orb of Fyre, incinerating the home completely. Back on the roads, I combined Earth and Petty Leap to catapult into the air toward the back of another Blaster who was distracted by soratakas. I grabbed onto him by gutting my claws into his enchanted leather armor. He flailed as my added weight pulled us down and attempted to point his Slavo back at me. I reached around and grabbed his face with my Willpowered claws. My claws dug into the soft spot under his chin and into his neck, and I pulled with all my might. I grimaced in disgust at the sound of his neck ripping open moments before Cain fired a beam of fire through his comrade in order to get to me. I leaped off in pain moments before I hit the ground. I fled down the street, grabbing my side as Cain's attack nearly ripped a hole in my stomach.
CAIN
Maybe if you were an obedient bug, your friends would still be alive!
He shouted, cutting my path off with thick walls of flame.
His control over his flames was so astonishing that I could not put them out or control them. Despite the storm still raging on, his lingering flames were unfazed.
All around me, his walls of flames boxed me in. I took to the air but sudden pain burned at my chest. I crashed back to the ground and rolled to my feet. I had conjured Willpower at the last moment, but my chest and blood armor smoked with heat.
Cain and his remaining three Blasters floated above me, looking down at me like a trapped rat.
CAIN
Maybe your loving Father would still be alive.
He knew? What does he know about my relationship with Cleric Valentine?
CAIN
He died because of you.
ABIMELECH
Do not heed words, young one.
But I ignored Abi and shouted,
PAIN
He died because he was born in a fucking shite of a kingdom!
Cain burst into laughter,
CAIN
He talks! And what a mouth!
Danger Sense and Reflex flared as another scorching pain singed the side of my head, nearly knocking me down. I glared up at Cain—he was doing something I could not see.
CAIN
You see, little bug, even though I despise saying this, you and I are the same.
He articulated with a taunting grin.
CAIN
In a particular category. You, me... Locness.
I swung at him, firing off a blade of blood, but in my anger, my cursed arm was singed off by an invisible attack, and I missed. As my severed arm fell to the ground, I realized—can he create invisible beams of fire?
CAIN
I think the little insect finally realized.
And six dense spheres of flames appeared behind Cain. One of them fired off a curving laser of fire. As I dodged, my back was seared by an invisible one.
ABIMELECH
Calm your anger. Use your Mana Sense.
He coached, and I obeyed. I was becoming angry at the mention of Locness.
CAIN
Do you know why I can create invisible flames, Ire?
He fired off another one, and I dodged. His face twitched at my feat and I avoided another one. I raised my Willpowered blood sword to deflect a third one. Annoyance painted his face as my cursed arm lifted itself and began to heal before his eyes.
PAIN
Do you know why my blood armor has not evaporated, Cain?
Miniature webs of blood had crawled up from my severed arm and armor and began to pump themselves into the severed site.
CAIN
Kill him!
He shouted, and all four fired off, but several layers of stone clapped around me, protecting me from their onslaught. They stopped their onslaught at the sound of rumbling echoing around them, and I pulled away the layers of stone.
PAIN
You can hear it now, right?
I asked smugly.
PAIN
I assume you do not know what to do when fighting against a Symbologist.
The ground throughout the city shook, and in his rage, Cain fired a laser at me, but to his surprise, the golden limb of a black arachnid was sacrificed to knock it aside. Hanging off my back, my black arachnid sol glowed in a dense aura of Willpower.
CAIN
But you are not a Symbologist!
He shouted and fired off another laser that was, again, knocked aside by the black arachnid at the cost of a limb.
CAIN
You are a god damned insect!
PAIN
You are right! I am not!
Finally, a dozen massive stone hands broke free from the ground. On the back of each hand stood a white arachnid. Glowing beneath the arachnids were gray, symbolic hieroglyphs.
PAIN
But they are!
And the white arachnids flew at them, commanding the fingers of their stone hands to fire off pellets of stone at the Blasters. But since they were using Symbology, it barely did damage to their wards, but the force and size of the pellets were enough to distract them.
As I held my stare with Cain, I released the hold on my blood swords, allowing them to merge into my armor. I dumped my entire Inventory around me—piles of dead canadeer, deer, and lagardientes. With a simple thought, I ripped out the blood from their corpses and then expanded my blood armor into a full-body suit. The suit fed me and my black arachnid sol with blood, healing our wounds quicker than usual.
Cain could only watch in anger as the limbs of my arachnid slowly grew back. I flexed my armored claws and commanded the ground beneath me to rise, resembling a house-sized stone hand. Cain's forehead bulged with veins as he watched me float above him.
PAIN
What is with that look, Cain,
I touted.
PAIN
You should be happy to meet your new master.