Vath walked through the forest with his brother and friends on one of the most important days of his life, though he didn’t know that at the time.
They’d been sent on another hunting mission, and this one was surprisingly close to the sect. They were still being held back from the next stage of advancement, focusing on sparring and essence control, and it felt like they’d hit a wall there as well. Though that might be all in their heads from frustration, Vath wasn’t sure. All he could say for sure was that he didn’t feel like he was progressing hardly at all in the last three weeks, and it was aggravating on a level he couldn’t properly express.
His only respite was these hunting excursions, and this one was extra nice. It wasn’t far, so the monotony of traveling was minimal, and the Beasts they were hunting should be interesting fights without being too dangerous. They were Ice Beasts, which were rare this far south, and they focused on defense similarly to Dornah, which is why they were hunting them. They would take a while to kill, but they shouldn’t be a threat unless they got careless. Wald was even hunting something else nearby by complete coincidence, if they ended up needing help.
He’d stumbled upon a new mission as it had come up on the board, and it was something he’d apparently been looking for, for a while. They didn’t ask what it was, but he’d seemed excited, and had even walked with them for a bit before splitting off to pursue his own job a few hours ago.
So Vath looked up at the beautiful trees swaying in the wind, the sun peaking through, and sighed in contentment while his companions bantered and laughed in front of him. It was a nearly perfect day. He held that thought for but a moment before it was disturbed so completely he wondered for ages afterwards if he’d been cursed for the thought.
Kaser looked down at his storage ring at the same time as Vath did, frowns immediately shattering the joviality they’d had. A look was shared between them, and the two others couldn’t contain their confusion and concern any further.
“What’s wrong?” Emara asked quickly.
Vath summoned a tiny device from his ring, as Kaser did the same and answered, “Emergency talisman call. From Wald.”
The brothers had long been required to carry talismans that they could use to signal Wald and Lita if they needed, and it hadn’t taken long into the fours collaborative hunts before extras for Dornah and Emara had been provided. But those were one way. They ripped the talismans, and the receiving devices Lita and Wald carried at all times would alert them and provide a direction and distance unless such things were blocked in some manner. They’d even made sure that it worked for the brothers, and it did, as the tracking effect was on the talisman and not on them.
Then the brothers had discovered that Lita had the same system in place for Wald. She’d had it for years, which is where they’d gotten the idea for the younger disciples. It had been decided that it only needed to go one direction, because, frankly, there was no chance that the brothers would be able to help against anything that could threaten Wald, let alone Lita. And at the time they’d received them, that had been correct without a shadow of a doubt; they’d asked for the receivers anyway for their own peace of mind, but they’d never expected to have a use for them anytime soon.
But now they were signaling, they were only an hour away at top speed according to the distance the device stated, and they were significantly closer in power to their guardian. They certainly couldn’t beat him still, even four against one, without obvious luck. But they were strong enough that he was forced to go all out to win every time.
Was that enough to help him? Did it matter?
Vath was going regardless, and it took almost no discussion for it to be decided that they all would. Kaser was as desperate to help as he was, and Dornah stated that Wald had been good to them and it wouldn’t be right to run when there was a chance they could help. Emara looked much more uncertain, but she wasn’t willing to let the three go without her, especially Kaser.
So less than a minute after the first alarm, they were all running as fast as they could towards something that could very well mean their death.
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They were closing in on the spot they had been directed to, and the lack of any sign or noise was starting to fray their nerves. Any battle on the scale that would push Wald should be loud. The inner disciple was rather quiet when he fought, but his opponents rarely were unless he was winning handily enough that he could silence them. If he was capable of that, he wouldn’t have called for help, so why was it so quiet? Were they too late?
They rushed, their fear making them careless. They found Wald, crumpled to the ground next to a Beast that wasn’t breathing. There was not a single visible wound on him, but he didn’t move at all as they rushed to his side. He had strange cuffs on his wrists and ankles that weren’t connected to anything, but they shone with infusions. His eyes were wide with pain, and they widened further in fear when he caught sight of them. He almost couldn’t speak, but he summoned the strength to hiss one word at them, “Run!”
A cruel cackle sounded out before they could respond, and they turned to find that they were surrounded on all sides. Two dozen men and women melted out of the trees around them; they couldn’t believe they had missed them. They must have used some array to hide, there was no way that many would be missed even in their haste to reach Wald.
“It’s a bit too late for that, boy.” the man in front said with a sinister looking smirk. At the same moment, walls made of black essence sprung up in a wide circle. “You’re not going anywhere.” he laughed.
The four youths formed their own defense around Wald’s prone body in response, Vath facing the one who spoke as he was already the closest to him. They heard a weak voice from below them, “You need to… find a way out of here.”
“We’re not going anywhere, Wald.” Kaser said, “You defended us-”
“It’s our turn.” Vath cut in with a growl, before turning to their attackers and asking, “Where are the rest?”.
“Rest?” the man looked confused, “What are you talking about, boy?”
“The rest of your men. You know, the stronger ones. None of you look strong enough to take down Wald, and there’s not a scratch on you.” Vath taunted, hoping the man would take the bait.
And he did. He looked quite angry for a moment, then he laughed, and answered. “You know, that’s rude. But I can’t be too mad, you’re right after all. All we had to do is wait till he was distracted with that Beast and apply what we were given. You would not believe how much a single dose of Silent Agony costs, but Boss Jr. wants you all alive, and he’s in charge, so.” he finished with a shrug.
He grinned evilly and continued, “He’s not gonna die, but he’s not gonna be helping anyone for a day or two even if he weren’t in suppression cuffs. But don’t get any ideas. We want you alive, but we’ve already been told that if you give us too much trouble, then dead is fine. So, why don’t all of you get on the ground and put your arms out for cuffs. It’ll make this easier for both of us.”
Vath scowled as he looked around. “So then, where is this Boss Jr.? Need someone to pay for this after we get through with you.”
The man just smirked patronizingly, and a moment later one last person walked out from the trees. They walked straight through the walls like they weren’t there, so either they only worked one way, or he had some kind of pass. The pompous boy in front of him had waited to show himself, like he required a grand and dramatic entrance for his revenge. It was the foreign elder’s boy, and his eyes looked manic with anger. “I’ve told you not to call me that, Kyran. It’s demeaning, and it gives away too much.” he said to the man in front as he walked up next to him.
He stared at Vath. “You trash dared to humiliate me in front of a crowd of witnesses. It’s time for you to learn your place, but you can still be useful, so you’ll be coming with us.” he declared, unabashedly arrogant.
Vath snorted, “Getting a little ahead of yourself there, aren’t you? You have to beat us first, and your track record on that isn’t great.”
The boy snarled, “You all take the other three; the mouthy one is mine.”
“You sure about that, Mucklan?” Kyran said with a side glance at his boss, which made Vath pause. Was that really his name? Had he never said it before? He shook it off; it didn’t matter what his name was. Mucklan was going to pay for this.
“Of the two of us, Kyran, which one is at the top of Spirit Reinforcement, and which is in the middle? Which one of us is in charge? I can handle him, but more than that, if I say he’s mine, then he’s MINE!” the boy started speaking at normal volume, and finished roaring at his subordinate.
Kyran just shrugged, “Whatever you say.”, and began moving with his compatriots toward the other three. Vath didn’t know what to do. Leaving them to fight against two dozen people on their own went against every fiber of his being, but he’d seen what the one in front of him could do, and at the end of stage four? He had no desire to see what kind of burns Mucklan’s techniques could cause on his companions. He had to deal with him first.
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But Spirit Reinforcement? How? The four of them had trained rabidly for ages, and this sad excuse for a person had passed them by a full stage? He refused to believe it. The fool must have rushed through the advancement. If that was true, his attributes would outclass Vath, but his skill and control might be sloppy. Vath would have to hope that was the case. He might win a battle of attrition, but he’d be left damaged when going to help the others.
The peace behind him was broken with a crack of lightning and a scream of pain; he was running out of time. “It’s time for you to pay for what you did, mutt.” the boy said, his face twisted in an ugly scowl as a bright sphere appeared between his hands. It looked like a sun and gave off waves of heat and pressure, though Mucklan seemed unaffected.
Vath was covered in a blue swirl of essence in a moment, and he considered whether to use his boost to end this fight quickly. He decided not to, however, as he stared at the tiny celestial body being born in front of him. An epiphany struck him at that moment, inspiration in its purest form.
He spoke, but it was if another was using his mouth, “You had a personal problem with me. You could’ve attacked me, but you didn’t. You came for my friends. My family. They’re not yours to hurt, tiny sun. They’re mine to protect, in Void’s endless embrace. And the Void is always hungry.” Images swirled in his head as he spoke; every experience, every battle. Void Beasts and their methods, the Voracious Gator and its vortex in the forefront.
There was a snarl, and a ball of fire and weight came at him. And it didn’t matter. Vath moved and circulated his essence according to instincts he didn’t possess, and the form around his head stretched. It became the head of a wolf, shimmering in blue, and its maw opened as he lunged forward toward the incoming sun. His new jaws slammed shut around the orb, and the apparition above his head made a swallowing motion at the same moment. The globe deformed, and essence streamed down its throat, dissipating as it went.
The strongest technique this miscreant had, and it was gone in an instant. Mucklan looked beyond shocked. Incredulousness mixed with fear as Vath stood tall once again. “How?” was all that he could get out.
Vath bared his teeth and replied, “Endless stars have lived and died in the Void, little scion, and the Void is still there.” Then he rushed his opponent. The sounds of battle were still erupting behind him. He didn’t have time to waste.
It took only a moment to determine he was half right in his hope earlier. His enemy had certainly rushed through the last several stages. He had more raw attributes than Vath without a question, but he didn’t know how to use them, resulting in punishing blows landing that should have been easily blocked or avoided. Unfortunately, he hadn’t rushed through the early stages, and he’d been training in martial skill at least since he was young. He didn’t know what to do with his current strength, he wasn’t used to it, but he was far from useless in a fight. He took hits, but nothing decisive could get through. The only saving grace was that no more spheres were coming, no techniques of any kind, really, other than a shield of his own glowing yellow and orange. Either all of the rest of them took too long to charge like his sun, or he was too rattled to use them. That was enough to draw it out, though. The shield wobbled every time it was struck by fist, foot, or beam, but it hadn’t broken yet.
The seconds stretched into a long minute as the battle behind him continued to rage. It was taking too long; so Vath took a risk on something he wasn’t sure would work. One particularly brutal strike knocked an arm out of position, accepting a blow from the other kept it occupied though it hurt, and then Vath lunged at his neck. He opened his lupine mouth, and inhaled as he reached the edge of the barrier. It bent inwards, and then, blessedly, it broke, just at that one spot. Before it could reform, blue teeth snapped shut, and Vath ripped his throat out. Disbelieving eyes stared back at him, and then the body crumpled.
And then Vath turned around to find he was too late. Emara was on the ground in the fetal position, with Kaser face down at her feet, both already cuffed. Dornah was roaring as assailants hung from every limb and his neck, dragging him to the ground and cuffing him as well before Vath could react. Those cuffs suppressed your attributes back down to before you’d even begun to cultivate, and prevented the cycling of essence. Techniques were impossible, and the wave of weakness often knocked people unconscious. Dornah was made of sterner stuff than that, but the fight still went out of him in an instant as he lay on the ground panting.
He couldn’t be more proud of them all though. The ground was littered with corpses and groaning wounded. Two dozen had rushed them, and there were only nine still standing to glare at him. Even several of those standing had little wounds, cuts and burns; several even had bands of ice restricting their movements that they were trying to remove. Going for cuffs instead of kills had certainly been a factor in that, but it was still amazing they’d taken so many with them.
Kyran looked at the body behind Vath, and then back to his face. “That was a mistake, little wolf. He was the one who wanted you alive.” he gestured at the sprawled people around them, “After this, I don’t. But don’t worry. You’ll be dead before we kill the other three. I’m angry, but I’m not heartless.”
Vath didn’t respond, and stood waiting for their charge. They obliged. Nine running towards one. If this wasn’t time for his boosting technique, he didn’t know what was, so he circulated his essence, and Hollow Moments rushed through him. It would only last for minutes, but for that time, he’d be able to match even Kyran half a stage above him. He hoped it was enough.
Just before they reached him, they launched techniques at him, but he’d been waiting for this. His mouth opened once more, and down they went. Their eyes widened in surprise; they’d clearly been too distracted to see him use this on their boss. Before they could recover, Vath formed and launched over a dozen beams at anyone except for Kyran. He doubted he’d be able to take him out like that, the man was untouched. But the others were unknowns and he’d targeted the wounded ones first, hoping to thin the herd.
It worked better than he’d expected, though less than he’d wished. Three of the most wounded on the edge went down instantly, and a fourth was wounded enough to hang back, though he was still standing. The least wounded of them was a man running right next to Kyran, and he dodged without even looking at the same time as Kyran reached up to slap away one he couldn’t avoid, though none of the others reacted until they heard the screams. Two of them had domains. That was bad. He’d hoped that all of them would be as lacking as Mucklan, but apparently not all of these men had rushed through their advancement like he had.
Still, five and a half was much better odds than nine. He breathed in deeply, and then launched himself at them. He sent out strikes unceasingly; punches, kicks, elbows, knees, and beams from every conceivable angle assaulted them. The man who’d hung back fell in seconds to a beam to the back of the head, and wound racked up on the remaining five. Even Kyran took blows, though he was still much better off than his remaining subordinates. None of them were pushovers. They were clearly the elites of this group, while the rest had been fodder, and yet, he was fighting them five on one, and hurting them.
But it wasn’t enough. For every wound he left on them, he received at least one himself, and that wasn’t sustainable. His dodges were as perfect as he could make them. His Void Form was a strong barrier. And the new shape overlaying his head allowed him to bite and scratch from unexpected angles, while simultaneously protecting him from most techniques. But it was still five on one. Every time he moved to block a blow or capitalize on one of his own, he left himself open to another. They weren’t all strong enough to break his barrier in one hit, but there was more than one person hitting him. Things got through, and the damage and pain built up.
He refused to go down. Beams came faster and faster; bruises, burns, and lacerations were ignored. He cut down one of them after a full minute of fighting, and it took three more to end a second. But the last three were clearly the strongest and most experienced.
It was almost a shock when his essence simply ran out, even before his boosting technique had. He’d reformed his barrier so many times, used so many beams, that he was just empty.
He collapsed to his knees as the blue essence of his form simply dissipated into the air.
Kyran held up a hand to stop them from killing him immediately, and he spoke through heavy breaths, “I fully planned to just kill you outright, but to think that you’d hold us off until your reserves ran completely dry. You’re honestly a marvel, kid, and in any other situation I’d respect the hell out of you for what you just managed, but I was already gonna kill you for what you four did to my men. Then you killed Tirak and Brunt, so I’ve changed my mind on making you watch the others die.”
He stepped behind Vath, one hand on his shoulder, the other gripping his hair to hold his head upright. “Start with the guardian.” he ordered harshly. Wald was dragged by his arms in front of Vath and left on his knees, two of those remaining holding him still, as the third stepped up behind him, staring Vath in the eyes with hatred burning in his own as he conjured a technique in his hand.
Vath hadn’t been cuffed, and he’d been cycling furiously, but his essence was still so close to empty. He had enough for one beam at most. There was no way out of this, but he’d be damned before he let them kill Wald right in front of him while he had a scrap of opportunity to stop them.
The hand came down, and a flash of blue went through it, disrupting the technique on the way to burn the side of the man’s cheek. He’d been aiming for the eye, but the man had jerked when his hand had been hit. He screamed in pain and rage as he stumbled backwards, and Vath was hit viciously in the side of the head.
He fell to his side, utterly spent, and felt a cuff restrict him a moment later. “Don’t know when to quit, do you, boy?” he heard snarled above him, “For that, we’re gonna make it hurt first.”
Vath watched, helpless, as the man’s other hand rose above Wald, aiming for his arm instead of his head this time. They were going to torture him, and it was his fault. The hand came down again, and the man was stopped again.
But this time he wasn’t attacked by one of the four. This time, the man simply disappeared. Vath blinked. Where had he gone? Why would he do such a thing? Then he noticed that all three of the remaining enemies weren’t looking at him or Wald. They were staring off to the side in horror at the incarnation of cold rage that Lita had become. She’d come for them again.
“How? How are you here? How did you know?” Kyran asked in a cold sweat.
A sneer crossed her face as she disdainfully responded, “You think your paltry arrays can block the void? It didn’t work last time either, but I guess none of them escaped to tell you that.”
Kyran was horrified, but he rallied quickly, an arm pointing at Vath. “This one is near death, Elder. Touch us and he dies.” he said quickly.
Her face reached new levels of anger, but her reply was almost quiet. “Why would I need to touch you?” she asked, and then there was a scream. Kyran was looking down at his arm with pain etched on his face. Or, rather, where his arm used to be, as it was now missing. He had only a moment to turn to Lita and open his mouth to beg for mercy before his head followed suit.
The last two broke. They ran, screaming in terror, but they didn’t make it far.
“You don’t get to run.” was almost incanted into the clearing before a ripple in the air caught the two, and the screaming vanished with them.
“Help them.” was all Vath managed to say before the blackness closed in, his consciousness fading.