“They are stones of true power beyond imagination. Miracles manifested in the physical form.” – From the Book of the New World Order.
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I gather energy and sharpen my hearing. It was eerily quiet. I’ve been traveling the middle most path for about a minute now and I’m sure of it. Something will come momentarily. There! From my left and behind me, just outside the range of my peripheral. Fur brushes against bark. Multiples. I count five medium forms entering my shadow range. Shouting, “Time for a meal Wrath!” My hips rotate, and I dash forward. Two heartbeats and I’m upon them. Arm snapping upward and left Wrath slices a crescent into the hide of the first beast. I drag my arm in an arc biting into the second beasts surprised face.
“Tch!” The hyena looking beast managed to pull back and only lost an eye for my troubles. I stab my sword down and silence the pained yipping coming from below, never taking my eyes off the snarling quad of hyenas in front of me. They spread out trying to surround me, like I’d let them do that! Dashing forward once again I charge the already injured hyena. It lowers itself and pounces with gleaming fangs open to meet me. Meanwhile two of its companions jump from either side.
Ducking low my right arm draws up and guts the injured beast and I throw my body hard right my feet sliding against the ground until I’ve come to a stop. This allows me to dodge the other two by a small margin while simultaneously not dirtying my clothes with the stench of death. Not wanting to give them time to regroup I close and clash with the closest hyena. I parry a swiping paw and proceed to separate the paw from the foreleg! The beast crashes to the ground and I slit its throat. Two more to go.
The one in plain view opens its maw letting loose a mighty roar that you would not expect from the size of it. At the same time the last hyena that had been hiding in the shadows cast from the twilight leapt from behind me. A brief presence tries to hold my thoughts weakly for a second, but I am immune to such a pitiful attempt. I crouch ever so slightly and push up strongly shouldering the beast from under and launching it forward into it’s rushing mate! They collide with a loud smack and fall to the ground stunned. I swipe forward and behead both with a single powerful swing!
“Hoof! Now that’s what I’m talking about. Nothing better than a good workout.” Wrath seems to sing in agreement absorbing any blood that stains him. I lean against a tree and breathe for just a moment letting my own blood calm. The fight only lasted but a minute and a brief respite is all I need.
Like this I continue to travel the path turning twice more and fighting two similar groups along the way. In the distance I spot the oaken doors signaling the end of the path. I duck behind the nearest tree and prepare myself. This is the fifth floor. Every five floors there will always be a guardian. Grabbing the lowest branch, I start to climb.
When I reach near the top I softly chant, “I peer into the shadows, and darkness watches me back. Night’s Gaze.” Smoke of wispy mist fills my eyes as the life force turned black mixes with the silver of my eye granting me enhanced vision into the shadows. “Ah, there you are.” Set into the black material of the spike is an alcove devoid of light. This alcove sits to the side of the oaken doors a few meters and holds within a hyena easily twice the size of the previous ones I’ve fought. Flanking this monstrosity are two particularly viscous looking minions. I blink and interrupt my previous spell returning my vision to normal.
“I’d best even the odds. Ready yourself Wrath”
I close my eyes and reach deep within myself to grab a larger portion of life force than normal. Opening them, I target my eyes slightly above and behind the giant. “I live among the shadows and the darkness claims me as its own. No light shall ever bar my path, for every light has a shadow of its own. Transposition!” A sense of vertigo engulfs me, and I briefly cease to exist only to reappear above my targets. As I fall I swing down hard cleaving a minion’s head from its shoulders. Weakness assaults me and I almost stumble, but quickly correct my new footing.
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The other two are quick to act and spin while snarling. Flowing into my next action without stopping I whip Wrath up leaving a light furrow in the ground. Wrath travels true and splits the head of the second minion that so kindly turned to him vertically. Dancing back the giant snaps the area I just was in. The snap resounds all around off the walls of the alcove. Grinning manically, “Come get me big guy!”
My ponytail sways back and forth as we both dance and attempt to trade blows. A few strands come loose and swing irritatingly in my vision. I blow up and I dodge down from a paw only to have to hitch my breathe and throw myself backwards to dodge the giant clamping his teeth down on me. I may be faster, but this guy is stronger. He paws the ground impatiently and growls menacingly. Deciding enough was enough probably, the hyena howls loudly and the effect magnifies bouncing off the walls! This briefly disorients me and a paw slams into me throwing me against one of said walls. “Ouch!”
“That hurt!” Looking up, I see wide open teeth inches from my face. I tear my head back and to the side, his teeth just barely grazing my neck creating four decent welt stripes. The worst part however, is I am now flying back and forth in the air by the hem of my trench coat. *Riiiiip* Being sent flying once again, I truly grow maddened this time. “Son of a B*! That was a precious gift!” Before I hit the wall yet again, I hurriedly mumble out, “I walk with the shadows, hasten my feet. Shadow Steps!” Ink filled mist once again takes hold of my feet and trail behind.
Arriving at the creature’s side I bury Wrath into his side all the way to the bone hilt. A loud yip sounds out and Wrath is torn from my hands. Next thing I know I’m knocked flat on my butt as the truly enraged beast towers over me. I laugh and slide under the beast. Finally, this imbecile let down his guard after he thought he’d discarded my weapon! I grab the hilt sticking out of his side with both hands and tug mightily as I slide. With a swoosh Wrath tears a long rip through the beast’s insides. Blood gushes out. All it takes is a moment for death to take you.
Letting go of Wrath, I scramble from beneath the hyena as I do not want to be crushed. With a poof of dust, he falls over making quite the thud. The adrenaline starts fading as I look around the surroundings making sure it’s clear. My right foot itches and my left shoulder twinges painfully. Might have lightly sprained it. I take care to only roll the right one to work some tension out and walk back to the giant’s corpse. Putting a foot against the side of the corpse, I use my right arm to yank Wrath out. “Good work bud. Couldn’t have done it without you.”
Wrath flashes happily. I really meant it when I said I couldn’t. When in contact with blood Wrath can slowly absorb the life force out of living things. A guardian has substantially more life force than a normal creature of the Spike. It would take me far to long to drain enough life force to kill the beast by myself before I ran out of energy myself. “Return Wrath.” Wrath shines and dissipates. My glove becomes heavier, filled with ethereal weight.
“To the victor, goes the spoils.” I plunge my left hand into the beast’s insides, taking care not to further injure my shoulder. Groping around, I find what I am looking for and pull out the heart. With a squelch it comes free. It is abnormally larger than a normal person would suspect for even the giants size. I take a tiny knife and cloth sack from my small brown leather waist pouch. The cloth jingles a bit as I set it aside and make an insertion on the heart. My hand digs for a minute before pulling out a pebble sized yellow stone. Nodding happily, I deposit it in the sack and return my items to the pouch.
“Oof.” Yawning, “Tired.” I walk out from the bloody alcove exhausted from the days happenings and make my way to the oak doors. I follow the normal process and enter the slightly warmer stone room. This one is different from the others as it is a checkpoint. Set into the stone directly across the entrance is an archway like the Spike’s entrance. To my right is the stone stairs that lead to the next level. My left reveals a straw bundle and water basin that bubbles with spring water. Presented still somewhat non-grandly in the middle of the room is the offering bowl which holds a droplet of life force half the size of my pinky finger top digit.
Touching it sends a much bigger jolt of a sharpness imbued with a feeling of taste that sticks in your mouth under your tongue. Old world cherry cough syrup is what I think its like, but everyone has different opinions. Either way it refills what I’ve used and a bit more over the past day. I’m beat. I crouch next to the basin and take long drinks to slate my thirst. Plopping back and down onto the straw I throw my right arm over my face. “Night.” A flash of red answers and I let unconsciousness whisk me away to the land of dreams.