Part 1
- RAPHAEL BLUESCALE’S POV -
The tingling sensation of foreign mana, evil and corrupted, forcing its way through my fingers, up to my arms and around my body was new to me, almost exciting in a sense. As I stood with my eyes closed for time indefinite, I felt my own mana and this corrupted mana fight in a whirlwind of natural forces. I was merely a spectator, a witness, of the grandiose sovereignty the element known as mana held on the world.
It had been a while since I last meditated yet the sensation was nowhere similar to what I had previously felt at the academy or back home. Back on the surface, I would simply meditate to speed up the process of acquiring mana. It was also a nice sensation having mana circulate through my channels unrestricted. But down in the ruined city, it was different. It took me a full day to realize the scale of the battle and another one to harness it’s benefits. Down there, all over the huge cave, corrupted mana was pushing and swallowing the rest of the mana, trying to expand his domain over the cave. In the meantime, mana was doing the same on its corrupted counterpart. It was a sight to behold. Or more like a sensation to behold. Taking advantage of that constant pushing and pulling of mana currents I made the risky move to bring part of the battle into myself.
I was far from where the “main” battlefield was but the ripples of that colossal struggle were still audible from my little room. I did not plan this. I planned on simply gathering mana and storing it inside me as much as possible but after seeing that immense battle, an idea began creeping into my head. By focusing on gathering the same quantity of mana and corrupted mana into my channels, I physically brought the battle into my mana circuit. It was just an idea at first, curiosity at best, but when I noticed that the action of pushing and pulling performed by the two manas was actually widening my channels, the idea solidly cemented. I forced my own mana out of my circuit, which in the long run generated a thunderstorm over the mansion, only to be replaced by the two battling manas. My circuits swelled as small battles were fought fiercely all over my body. The pain was unbearable. I felt my body crumble and my blood boil as the channels pushed on my flesh to make space for themselves. I risked collapsing more than once as the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. To add fire to the already burning pain, the mark on my skin began burning rhythmically together with the push-pull movements inside me.
The mark. Something I feared deeply as soon as I noticed its presence. It happened after the events of the tournament when I was subjected to Oneiro’s heart. Somehow, the mark of a giant snake-like creature appeared on my skin, burning like hot fire every once in a while. I tried to get it checked, multiple times actually, but all I was told was: “It’s just a scar, while strange it is harmless” or “Boy, have you drank so much that you’ve forgotten having this tattoed on you?”. It was frustrating but it seemed true that, other than burning, the mark - or scar- was harmless. It was only when I started this strange meditation that I felt it radiating magic by itself, absorbing mana while simultaneously expelling it into the atmosphere. I feared the mark but it helped in containing the unruly fury swelling within my circuits.
“-phael!...Raphael, are you listening?” Said almost as a shout Robert’s tired voice.
“Sorry, I was lost in thought. What did you say?” I asked, shaking my head as I tried to regain lucidity while walking through the corridors towards Robert’s office.
“I asked you how you’re feeling. The thunders, that huge pressure, that…strange, glowing thing on your skin. Is everything alright?” His tone sounded worried, trembling with uncertainty probably for the success of the mission. I did not envy his position. Having to shoulder hundreds of lives was not something I would feel jealous of.
“Don’t worry, I’m ok. Rather I’m better than ok, I’m feeling great! As for your other questions. I didn’t plan for the thunders but I needed to expel mana so I had no other choice. There should be no undead in the vicinity so hopefully I didn’t instigate them. The pressure was just because I was letting mana run rampant while the “glowing thing” is just a mark on my skin. Nothing dangerous so don’t worry about it”
“I…didn’t understand a single thing you said but it doesn’t matter. Just tell me you are ready for the attack” The bearded man said almost exasperatedly.
“Don’t worry, old man, I’ll be ready when the time comes but first…can I have a shower and a change of clothes-” I said pointing at myself with an expression of evident disgust “- I stink and I’m half naked. It’s not very comfortable”
For the first time, Robert seemed to notice my smell and condition. His eyes widened in surprise for a moment before the old adventurer cracked into a loud laugh that attracted just as much attention as I was, if not more.
“Sorry princess, I didn’t realize you’d feel so conscious of your figure. Worried suitors will come in flocks?” He managed to chirp briefly before falling back into a stream of laughter.
Rolling my eyes, I resumed walking towards his office while Robert kept pestering me while clearly enjoying himself for the first time in a while. I wanted to reply with some witty comebacks but my still strained mind prevented me from coming up with anything remotely intelligent. Plus, I liked how the atmosphere felt more relaxed with his laughter filling the dreary hallways full of sad and scared survivors.
Part 2
It was well into the night when I first stepped out of the mansion’s gates. I could tell by the intense yawning of those surrounding me. It was a sad scene, truly. Men, women and kids alike, all gathered in rows and tidily led out of the mansion with nothing on them if not for their few belongings. So few that they could all fit in small bags on their backs. I felt a cold grasp on my heart.
[Were mother, father and Julie in this same position as well?] I asked myself, knowing it would do nothing other than fuel the burning fear I had tucked in a corner of my heart.
I sat and waited. Waited for all of the fearful, brave and sad faces to come out of the gates, searching for the few familiar ones among the crowd. Namisatto was there, surrounded by a group of kids led by a burly woman with arms like tree logs. Our eyes met and we both nodded, each of us shifting our sight soon after. In his eyes I could see much. Sadness and fear lingered in their corners but most of all, his eyes were filled with regret. Regret for not being strong enough to fight together with the rest of us, regret for needing to be protected. Soon after, Lauter and Ros’ faces joined the sea of people, this time though, they were standing at the side of the rows, creating a defensive screen together with the other able-bodied. I was happy to see them both full of energy, though the signs of the harshness of this place were still lingering like a curse. We had already said our farewells, me and Lucas both. We told them the plan and, while at first they refused to let us do it and tried to have us join them, they seemed to understand our motives after a lengthy explanation. They even promised to help Robert look for our family outside, if fate willed it.
Finally, the line of people came to an end with Lucas yawning and stretching his arms as if he had just woken up. The messy hair and drool on the corner of his mouth proved me right.
“Have you finally decided to join me?-” I said in an ironically scolding tone “- You didn’t even come to check on me when I finished meditating. Heartless bastard!”
“Oh come oooon!-” Whined my still sleepy brother as he stretched his wrists in preparation for the battle “- I knew you’d succeed in…whatever you were trying to do. Plus I had better things to do anyway”
“I imagine sleeping is one of them, no?”
“Hey, gotta be neat and fresh before a big event like this, right? And talking about being neat, those clothes you’re wearing-” The brown-haired man whistled provocatively as he looked me up and down “-You look stunning! Are you going to a parade or something?”
I rolled my eyes at his provocation and all I received back was a loud sneer. Though I did ask for some new clothes, Robert had gone overboard with my request. I was wearing a pair of dark-brown pants made of cloth, soft on the skin yet durable, together with the same boots I wore before the chasm opened. Tucked inside the trousers was a black shirt with sleeves so long that I had to fold them twice for them to reach my wrists. The shirt was missing it’s last two buttons, hence I was left with my chest bare for everyone to see. A reinforced leather chestplate dyed in misty grey together with flexible iron armguards that covered the whole length of my arms and a pair of thick leather gloves completed the look. The chestplate had two long strips of reddish cloth long enough to make me look like I wasn’t able to wear a scarf. I was also given a sword, roughly the length of my arm, that hanged on the side of my hip in an unadorned sheath. All in all, I looked like a badly done imitation of my previous world’s idea of an adventurer. I sighed thinking of the paragon and made my way towards the front of the line with Lucas still sneering at my side.
At the very head of the line, donning his almost full iron armor, was Robert. His face a grimace of mental fatigue. As soon as he saw us coming, a glint of hope shimmered in his tired eyes and the man signaled us to approach him with a small shrug of his hand.
“Feeling good?” He asked letting the corner of his mouth raise in a small smirk upon seeing Lucas’ sleepy form.
“Fresh out of bed and ready for some action!” Sprang up Lucas, jumping on the balls of his feet. Robert’s eyes fixed on mine with an expectant look.
“I’m fine. My mana’s all full and the armor’s fitting, so no problem” I replied, surprising myself how detached I actually sounded even though it wasn’t my intention.
“Don’t think about it too much, Robert. This is just Raph’s way to say he’s excited to crunch some undead’s bones!” Replied Lucas, giddy like a schoolgirl.
“Seems like you got your hands full, Lucas-” Said Robert with a loud chuckle at which Lucas responded with an all-knowing shrug of his shoulders “- Anyway, you know the plan, right?”
“We’re just waiting your word, Robert. Tell us when everything’s ready” I said, now copying my brother in his stretching.
With a questioning look, Robert addressed Goblin who promptly began running around the long line of people only to come back a little after a minute later, sweat covering his neck. He looked directly at Robert and, between a huff and a wheeze, he stuck his thumb up and nodded violently. Robert took a deep breath before delivering his next words.
“Everything’s ready… We are now in your hands, Bluescale brothers”
The pace was slow. Annoyingly so, but there was nothing I could do, nor say in that matter. Hundreds of people, who previously led lives devoid of any fight or action, were now forced on a non-stop march in a ruined city polluted with undead. It was no wonder that some, especially the elderly and younglings, struggled to even keep up with those around them. Nonetheless, everyone kept walking. The prospect of getting left behind in that hell wasn’t all that alluring after all. I was at the very front of the line, even more so than Robert, together with Lucas, not as leaders but as vanguards. Our job was simply to kill all the undead until we reached “point Zero”. A name we came up with to call an abstract point of the map at about twenty minutes walk from the dome. There, we would split from the main group.
Still, the march was long and surely not void of action. Groups of a dozen of undead would attack us with high frequency. Which only heightened as we delved towards the center of the nameless city. Undead weren’t notorious for their intellect so the most they would do was scream and rush towards the first breathing thing they found. Most of the enemies were fell by me and my brother, though some were still able to elude us and make a run for the bulk of the group. Needless to say not even one was able to pass, however a few of Robert’s warriors received cuts and wounds. Nothing that would hinder the progress at least.
After more than four hours of marching, breaks, stops and deadends included, “point Zero” was finally within our sights and with it, the towering dome with the stone snake atop it.
“It’s always able to take away your breath, eh?” Robert approached us while we were busy cleaning our armor and swords from the blood and other liquids of the undead who still had those. We were hidden on top of a two stories building connected to another similar building by a wall of debris. From the rock I was sitting on, the statue of the snake seemed to especially dwarf me in an uncomfortable way.
“It surely does-” Chriped Lucas while busy checking his iron chestplate for stains and usury on the leather strings “- Though it somehow scares the hell out of me…You know, I always get the feeling that if I stare too much at it, it will shed it’s stone skin and come crashing down in search of prey. Like the bedtime stories, the scary kind”
“I don’t know what kind of stories your mother used to read you and I don’t wanna know!” Replied Robert with a half-chocked chuckle and a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. I found myself thinking that laughing was his way of pushing away fear.
“Worried about what’s coming, Robert?” I tried to probe in hopes I could satisfy my curiosity.
“Honestly…yes-” His smile slowly sinking back into his business-like expression “- I have faith in the plan, and in you two of course. What I’m worried about is the people. Some are already starting to whine and quarrel, wishing to go back to the mansion. Those idiots! As if waiting for a saint to save as all is a viable option!” Scoffed the man as he clenched his fist to the point his knuckles turned white.
“This is just a suggestion-” I said, interrupting Robert’s hushed monologue of curses “- but I think you should adopt a more…tyrannical way of leading? I mean, you’ve been kind and all, offering to take breaks, slowing the pace and yet they still whine. I’d say just force them with the threat of being left behind. I bet they’ll be shutting up with it”
“Raph-” Chimed in Lucas with a questioning look on his face and a deadpan expression “- Remind me to never put you as the head of a group, ok?”
After a moment of dumbfound silence and probing looks between the three of us, laughter, louder and more genuine than I would’ve imagined myself doing, exploded in that secluded corner we took for ourselves. For quite a while, our little trio attracted the worried and annoyed looks of those around us while Lucas was struggling to keep himself sat and Robert not to wheeze. It was…refreshing. All the facade of seriousness and cold act seemed to melt away, reminding me of how I behaved just weeks ago when everything was easier at the academy.
“Hey listen-” Robert said, barely stopping wheezing as he coughed a couple of times to refill his lungs with oxygen “- I have a bottle of wine I found sealed in the basement of the mansion. What do you say? Care for a drink before the big battle?”
His eyes were gleaming with hopefulness and warmth as he rummaged through his rucksack. The bottle he pulled out was of a reddish-green with a blue wax seal over the cork. Unsurprisingly, my brother almost jumped with joy at that sight. It was with a heart a little heavier than before that I met Robert's expectant eyes and shook my head.
“Why not? Is there something wrong with the bottle?-” Robert asked, delusion seeping its way into his tone “- I know how important your role in this mission is, but just a drink shouldn’t affect you, no?”
“I’m sure you are right. It’s just that…I don’t drink-” I said, slowing myself down as memories flashed in my head like a dark flood. The countless bottles dirtying my house, the disgusting stench of stale liquor soaked in the walls, the worried face of the bartender, the annoyed looks of the other clients… the note attached to the door. Sharp like a sword, a splitting headache pierced my head and reached far down to my heart, making me tighten in myself for only but a moment. Realizing it, I pushed away all thoughts and emptied my mind, leaving it a stale, black slate as I slowly learned to do years prior. The smile on my face didn’t quite reach my eyes “- Sorry to be a party-pooper but I don’t find alcohol alluring”
“*sigh* Don’t even try to argue with him, Robert-” Siad Lucas with a resigned expression as Robert was about to question me further “- I’ve tried, what? A hundred times? Maybe more? Not even once this asshole shared a drink with his big brother!-” Gesturing with his hand, Lucas dried an imaginary tear falling from his eye “- But don’t worry. I’ll gladly take his share!”
Taking heed of my brother’s words, Robert opened the wine bottle using a small dagger he hid on his thigh. Instantly, the velvety yet rich aroma coming from within the bottle spread in the proximity. I stayed sat as the two with me began eagerly drinking straight from the bottle. The conversation became lighter between the two, talking about hobbies, love life and of course, its next steps. I forced myself to join in the conversation, when I could, despite the growing feeling of disgust coming from the smell of the alcohol. Then finally, after a very long half-an-hour of drinking, Lucas stood up, pushed the half-empty bottle towards Robert and friendly patted his broad shoulder.
“It’s time for the two of us to go” His thumb pointing towards the dome from over his shoulder.
“I’ll wait for your signal to move the people. In the meantime, I’ll let them stay here a bit longer. Though I’ll have them be ready to move the instant we see the signal. Oh, and…may the Gods watch over your shoulders” Solemny said Robert, now standing up in a military-style pose.
“...May the Gods be with you too, old man” I replied, following my brother out of the camp and towards the colossal dome. Home of the greatest number of undead.
Part 3
The blue lights gave off an eerie air. Spectral even. Under the dome, those lights shone brighter, enough to break the cloak of darkness surrounding the towering structure. The closer we approached it, the brighter the lights were. With one hand grazing the specks of dust clinging to one of the huge pillars, Lucas looked back towards the camp then nodded to me, decisiveness burning in his eyes.
I closed my eyes, recalling the intoxicating feeling of mana rushing through my body like an opened dam. I let it all leak. All the mana that I always carefully controlled and kept in check leaked through my every pore, exuding that aura of simple, pure power. I could feel the air getting heavier as my head grew lighter. In the vicinity, growls and snarls followed by the sound of hollow bones hitting each other resounded as the undead rose from their watchful sleep. Their interest piqued by my mana. My left hand rose as Lucas carefully hid behind me. Then, with the deafening sound of earth shattering, my open palm bore into the ground while my “Tectonic wave” shout became lost in it.
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
From my position to, mostly, in front of me in a cone-shape and to my sides, the earth sunk and rose rhythmically, creating still waves of solid, black rock. The area covered by the spell was huge due to it being soaked in the strong natural mana present in the ruins. Buildings crashed and smoke rose wherever my eyes laid as the sound of undead awakening, or getting undone by my spell, added it’s strength to the already thundering earth.
“Sheees!-” Exclaimed Lucas in a whistle “- That’s a saint-tier spell for you! How do you feel?”
“Empty-” I replied bluntly “- This spell cost me a third of my mana”
“Stings, doesn’t it?-” Smirked my brother, flashing a cocky smile that showcased most of his pearl-white teeth “- A shame you don’t have my talent with the sword, eh?”
“Oh, shut it punk! Just get ready, it’s about time you do something productive!” My index finger pointing towards the incoming mass of undead breaking through the rubble and piling over each other to climb over the stone “waves”.
With a swift movement, almost too gracious for the foolish and easy-going attitude of my brother, Lucas unsheathed his sword. His waist fell slightly lower as he took half a step forward with one leg and turned 90° on the other. Both hands were tightly grabbing the hilt covered in lustrous reptilian-monster skin. His expression was eager, his eyes excited and his smile cocky as it could be. Curling that smile even further he said:
“Let’s get this party started, brother!” His voice carrying the same weight as the pressure exuding from his form.
“Still stuck with our master’s mantra?-” I asked tauntingly “-Fine, let’s turn these sad ruins into one hell of a party!”
With my sword firmly in one hand and the other’s fingers moving as if snakes ready to bite on their victim’s neck, I spotted the first deformed face of a zombie appearing through the dropping cloud of dust. Then another in front of us.
Ten more followed behind.
Growls on the left while snarls and howls resounded vigorously on our right.
As planned we were surrounded.
“Should we do it now?” Asked Lucas. The eagerness and excitement practically flowing through his voice.
“...Not now…” I replied without interrupting for a second the eye contact I had with the armored skeleton closer to my right.
The horde kept approaching as their numbers grew to the extent that I couldn’t possibly count with the naked eye. Skeletons carrying nothing but chunks of rock, swords and axes. Zombies with putrified flesh dropping off their bodies with every step. Skeletons two to three meters high donning bulky and heavy armors that dangled like bells every time they moved. I couldn’t help but feel excited too at the prospect of letting out all the pent-up stress and strength.
Then finally, the first enemy was at two swords' length from my blade. An unconscious smile crept up on my face as the order left my lips.
“Now Lucas! Go!” I shouted with a scream filled with all the emotions poking through my mind and body, begging me to be let free.
Without a single second delay, like a well-oiled machine, Lucas’ feet moved as I turned to face what previously was my left and he immediately appeared behind me, back against back. With a swift slash of his sword, the first undead’s head fell to the ground with a “thud” deafened by the sound of his brethren's crazed march. I followed suit and parried a hatchet falling towards my right shoulder and striking back with a stab through it’s opened mouth at my attacker. Two more undead, a zombie and an armed skeleton appeared in front of my brother who was ready for them with a foot already raised and ready to step in. Each of his swings flowed into the other. A first swing and the zombie was down, a second and the skeleton lost the weaponed arm. The third did a clean job of finishing this bout off.
“Raph! I’m ready!” Shouted my brother as I watched in satisfaction the unusual stance he took, unbalancing his whole body towards the front while keeping the upper side of his torso straight, if not slightly bent backward.
[Look at this asshole ordering me around!] I thought with the equivalent of a mental chuckle.
This was something we had planned. I fend off the enemy closer to me and backstepped until my free hand could almost touch Lucas’ tailbone. Injecting mana into my palm I recalled, together with the appropriate words, the spell I was trying to modify.
“Gale palm!” I shouted before feeling my mana being drained again and high pressure forming in the small space between me and my brother’s butt.
With the common “Gale palm” being dampened down into a sudden burst of wind capable of granting instant speed without inflicting damage, my brother flew forward several meters right into the crowd of famished undead. His sword clad in a dim, red glow, clear signal of him using heat magic to render his strikes even more deadly. I followed rapidly behind my now running brother, boosting my body with my own enhancing spell, as he slashed and cleaved through the growing number of amassed enemies.
Lucas continued to fell the opponents in front of him, carving a path for us to run through, while I focused on getting rid of those undead closer to our sides, mostly by slashing at their legs. Up to that point, everything was going according to plan. While the number of undead against us was huge, it wasn’t something life-threatening…what was to come, though, was a whole other story. My thoughts momentarily dwindled back to the makeshift camp, sure that everyone’s nerves must’ve been poking out of their skin after hearing all the noise coming from the dome. Then, Lucas’ voice snapped me out of it.
“Raph! A big one’s coming!” He shouted extracting his blade from the dangling neck of a female zombie.
Further along the mass of undead, ten meters from us more or less, one of the towering skeletons swung his colossal battleax, plowing through his brethren as he made way towards us. The clanging of metal against metal outvolumed most of the noise coming from the horde. A set of horns protruded from the skeleton’s forehead, right over four empty eye sockets. The armor was broken down in many places, rust and dirt clinging to it like leaves on a tree, yet it still held it’s past beauty. With intricate designs and unknown runes carved on the metal, I could only wonder to what kind of famed man an armor such as that would belong. With mana gathered in my free hand once again, I pushed forth, standing as close as possible to Lucas.
“Duck!-” I shouted as the surge of mana reached its peak. Hearing my words clearly in his ears, Lucas dropped into a split-like pose as I unleashed the spell I had prepared “- Wind scythe!”
A crescent of solid wind, two meters from peak to peak, flashed out of my hand glowing dimly in greenish light, cutting through the horde, leaving only a trail of gore for us to step over. In mere seconds, the crescent reached the armored skeleton who instinctively, but futilely, tried to parry it with the wide of his weapon. I was surprised for a second when the weapon actually managed to intercept and slow down the spell, before it snapped the weapon cleanly and the armored skeleton with it. With a loud thump, the enemy fell on his back, his two halves several centimeters apart. With a jump worthy of a hare, Lucas sprang onto his feet and began running anew, taking advantage of the path created by my spell, as I trailed behind him.
This sequence repeated itself a couple of times before we could make a full circle around the dome, at which point, the sheer number of undead coming after us or being swallowed by the horde, was immense. From the corner of my eye, I spotted one of the biggest roads in the city, the one running through half of the map. That was our cue.
“Lucas!-” I shouted over the noise “- To your left. We have to take the road! We’ve gathered enough of them!”
Turning his sight to his left, Lucas took a few seconds to recognize the signs of the said road through the piles of undead clawing at each other for a chance to come closer. With a powerful nod, he signaled me his understanding and instantaneously changed the course of his path, using an armless undead as a spetting stone to jump into a group of five blocking the entrance to the road. Making quick work of them before I could even arrive, Lucas began sprinting through the street, purposely avoiding groups of undead and taunting me to catch up. It was only after a five minutes run that he finally slowed down. At first, I wondered why but I soon noticed that the reason was that he had reached what seemed to be the ruins of a tower. That’s where things were going to turn difficult. I rose my hand and cast a flare that exploded in countless motes of yellow and red. Lucas smiled as he leisurely walked towards me, sword twirling in his hands and a smile slashing through the lower half of his face. I turned to face the direction he was facing and could do nothing but also crack a smile at the sight.
From our higher position on the slight slope of the road, a sea of running undead spread through the city. On the street, over the buildings, under piles of rocks, in the rivers. Everything was rapidly getting covered by the cloud of dust and debris rose by those monsters. My knuckles whitened as I gripped my sword more tightly.
“We are going all out, right?” Lucas asked, barely able to hide the mixture of excitement and fear swelling up inside him, causing his arms and legs to slightly tremble.
“Well, if you want to join them-” I said pointing to the horde fifty meters away from us “- you should, I don’t know, jump in. I’m not going to stop you so, be my guest!” A laugh broke out on my brother’s lips as he patted my shoulders like a proud dad.
“You know, Raph, I like you better when you’re like this!”
We moved in unison, copying each other’s moves and matching our speed, as we slowly walked towards the horde at first, then jog and finally full sprinted into a hopeless fight. My body was enhanced by my boost magic while Lucas simply burst tiny amounts of mana from his body with each step. A technique taught by our sword master, useful for those who possess the ability to manipulate mana but lack the talent or the will to do so.
The world seemed to lose meaning as our swords clashed against the first barrier of flesh and bones. Nothing mattered anymore to the point it felt disgusting acknowledging that emptiness. That worthlessness. There was only me, my brother, our blades and the countless enemies they felled. The sounds mixed with one another as the smell of flesh charred by my spells and blood spilled by my brother’s ruthless swings filled the air with their adrenaline-inducing scents. I felt my heart beating, almost deafening inside my ears. My mana begged me to be unleashed with each spell cast, pleading to be used. To be of use to me. It was an addicting feeling. The power behind every swing, every spell, carried a mute savagery I thought didn’t belong to me. And soon, my body became accustomed to the rush of adrenaline and the mist inside my mind dwindle and cleared out ever so slightly.
Time seemed to pass, how much of it I couldn’t tell. But one thing I was sure of: pain. Pain, tiredness and mild nausea. I noticed that the ruined tower was far from us, almost out of sight and the road was littered with the remains of our fury. My breath was ragged and my vision blurry at times, although my hearing worked just fine, if not even better than usual.
Panic took hold of me as I heard a scream, human clearly, coming from further up the road. My legs worked faster than my brain and I found myself running in that direction, knowing full well that voice was my brother’s yet still hoping it was someone else’s scream.
Undead blocked my way as if they sensed my intentions. A few finely placed swings with my now tipless blade were enough to stop their potential pursuit. A wall of dust stood tall in front of me depriving me of half the sight of the city, dome included. Swallowing my own blood mixed with saliva through an open wound on my lower lip, I jumped through the cloud and entered a world of thick, brownish mist. Colors lost their tone and depth while shouts and growls muffled and mixed together in a strange battle-born choreography.
The expression on what remained of the undead faces seemed as lost as I was, baffled as they aimlessly searched for something in that confusing, detached world. I slayed and slayed, keeping myself sane only with the feverish thought of my brother’s scream still echoing in my ears. Then, my back hit something. Something solid like a wall but not quite one.
[A hill?] I thought, searching through my still sluggish mind for hints of a hill in the middle of the city.
Instinctively, I began climbing it, sinking what remained of my sword into every enemy I found climbing beside me. Pain was rapidly spreading through my whole body as a comfortable cold battled against the heat generated from all the fighting. The taste of blood still vividly lingering inside my mouth. It took a while for my head to finally pop out of the cloud of dust and the sight…it left my mouth gaping.
The hill I was climbing on wasn’t a hill but rather a mountain of corpses and bones amassed onto each other and at its very top, Lucas was battling every contender who dared to step foot on his high domain. His chest was bare and what remained of his shirt was left hanging from a shoulder. No signs of his iron chestplate. A long cut ran through his back, painting his toned muscles in a deep crimson. His left thigh had cuts all over it, though they seemed superficial, blood still soaked most of his trousers, tainting them in a darker shade. His eyes were sluggish, proof of the tiredness pressing on his body. One, in particular, was almost closed as a bulging, dark swelling pressed his eyelids close together. His sword was fine, unlike mine, covered in fresh blood and scabs but intact. What I noticed were the makeshift bandages he had tied his hand to the hilt with.
[He must’ve hurt his hand] I thought, still stuck in my position, impressed by the sight of my battle-worn brother.
Pushing myself further, I was able to place a hand on the top of the hill. Instantly, as if territorial instincts kicked in, Lucas turned around with a face tainted with rage and our eyes met. For a moment, I saw the life I lived here flash before my eyes as the conviction that, this time, death would come in the shape of my brother. Then, his gaze softened and an eased smirk appeared on his lips.
“Finally decided to show yourself?” He tauntingly asked as he grabbed my hand and pulled me on top of the hill of corpses.
“I see you still have enough energy to joke around, uh?-” I replied wittily “- For a second there I thought you’d kill me”
“How knows? Might as well do in the future!” He said, laughing crazily at his own jokes.
“Care to tell me…what the hell happened…here?” I spoke in between stabs.
“Really? YOU are asking me that?-” He shouted surprised. Seeing my lack of reaction and confusion on my face, he continued “- Jeez, you went full ballistic and began running like a madman straight INTO the heart of the enemies. I followed you at a safe distance when you began throwing spells everywhere without a single care in the world until you used that…What did you say? Quetzza? Qutzetella? Qumetzal?”
“Did I seriously use THAT?” I shouted. A mixture of surprise, frustration and realization came together to flood my already fuzzy mind as that mess and my tiredness finally made sense.
“Yes, yes. That strange spell, whatever that was… Anyway calm down, Raph. You should really check your body. I’m in awful conditions, but chief, you are even worse!”
I took heed of his words and, for the first time, set my eyes downwards, to the state of my body. My legs had cuts from the knee up while a series of claw marks opened three symmetrical wounds on my left side, barely over my waist. My right arm was full of bruises and shallow cuts while my left was almost limp. A sharp bone had pierced my left shoulder from side to side, ending up stuck between my own bones. The realization of my state gave plenty room for worry to settle in my heart while the tiredness took the chance to strike a blow to my stamina, almost making me fall to my knees.
“Mhhh, maybe I shouldn’t have said that!” Laughed my brother, grabbing my wrist and pulling me back up before my knees could kiss the ground beneath me.
“Do you *huff*-” I managed to say after catching my breath and collecting my thoughts “- have any idea how to get out of this mess?”
“Are you seriously asking me that?-” Asked my brother forcing himself to suppress a laugh while two other undead tried to climb up on his side but managed to only meet his blade “- I mean…ME? I’m good with swords, training and women, but plans? Not really my thing! I was hoping you had something in mind. So, come on brother, surprise me!”
[Fuck you, Lucas! I’ll remember this!] I thought frowning.
Instantly, I began looking around, searching for something. A way out possibly, a chance maybe, hope eventually. But all I could see was dust, debris and hundreds of angry chunks of bones growling with their bony heads towards the hill.
Then, I noticed it. Our chance.
On the second floor of the dome, a window had broken down. I didn’t know how or when, but I was soo glad it did. Hence, I cranked the gears in my head further, searching for the one way to save our skins. My eyes brightened as I came to a conclusion, as dangerous as it was.
“Lucas-” I asked, kicking down a zombie who was about to reach the top “- how long can you keep fighting?”
“Don’t know!-” He replied exasperatedly “- Everything hurts, I’m tired, I’m thirsty and everything. Fucking. Hurts!”
“Good enough-” I said, grinning with one of Lucas’ signature cocky smiles over my shoulder for him to see “- See that hole in the dome? We are going there!”
“What?! I asked you to think of a plan, not of a funny way to kill us!”
“Are you the smart one here? No! Then shut up and listen to me before whining like a little bitch!-” I silenced him before going any further with his pointless whining “- I don’t have much mana, and my body can’t handle any boost right now…It’s clear we can’t hack and slash our way out of this so listen. I’ll heal your wounds as much as I can but you have to carry me all the way under that hole in the wall of the dome. I’ll get us inside but I can’t guarantee the landing. Can you do it?”
“...I thought you weren’t one for gambles” He replied with a hint of resignation tainting his previously firm tone.
“Trust me, I hate it as much as you do, but I don’t see any other way out of this!” I barked back, exasperation filling my words.
“...-” Lucas paused. His breath slow and his expression almost sad as he diverted his gaze from me “- Do you…Do you think we brought them enough time?”
“...It’s out of our hands now. We have our own goal, remember?” My tone soft, almost apologetic as I placed one hand gently on my brother’s shoulder and answered.
“Fuck…-” Barked Lucas as he fiercely bit his lower lips while his eyes darted around the ruins “- Heal me fast. We are gonna make a run for it…Oh, and brother-” He continued as I started to cast my healing on his most worrisome wounds “- Don’t you dare miss the shot. I swear I’ll kill you myself if you do!”
“Meh, I’ll just drop you if I see we can’t make it” I replied with a matter-of-factly expression before both of us broke into a crazed laugh and a choir of coughs.
With the healing done, and enough mana to barely cast the spell needed for us to reach the hole in the wall. I climbed onto my brother's back, my wounds still bleeding under the makeshift bandages spilling on his sweated back. With a single jump, Lucas was down on the ground carved in high stone waves by my magic. Some of them, destroyed by one of the spells I had spent entire nights creating from scratch, had left piles of debris where the road previously stood and Lucas took advantage of those. Spriting from one heap to the other and using them to jump over both waves of stone and groups of undead, Lucas flaunted all of his speed, flexibility and dexterity. A hint of jealousy rose from my stomach as his form reminded me of mine while I was at my peak of athleticism.
Very few undead met my brother’s blade since he focused solely on bringing us to the colossal dome, but some still fell in their pursuit of breathing beings. With each heartbeat, the dome came closer and the towering statue of the snake didn’t fail to fill me with dread as it’s lifeless eyes seemed to look down on me. It was only when we were a few tens of meters away from the walls that I cleared my mind of everything else and focuses solely on the specifics of the spell. The quantity of mana, the width, the strength, duration…everything needed to be precise to the centimeter if we wanted to have even the slimmest of chances at survival.
“Raph! Get ready!” Shouted Lucas as he jumped from a pile of debris to the dome’s wall and slashed down, boosted by the impact, at the group of undead right below us.
That was my cue.
I released all the mana burning inside my palms and forced into the furthest corner of my mind the crushing feeling of emptiness and nausea caused by the lack of mana in my body. The spell I chanted came out of my mouth sounding more like a plead than a command, yet it still held all the hope and will to live I was feeling burning inside my veins.
“Updraft!” I shouted, releasing a sudden current of wind in a small circle around me and my brother.
Suddenly, we were pushed in the air tens of meters high. Higher and higher we kept going until only a small speck of mana was left circuiting inside me. High enough to see the crystal clear glass of the ceiling of the dome, we began our fall. Neither of us could help but scream as the spiteful hand of gravity pushed our backs towards a gruesome death.
“It’s in your hands, Lucas!” I shouted in his ear, trying to outvolume the wind.
Following the plan I had told him as I was healing him, he followed my lead and shifted his weight to his right, towards the wall, until part of my back was scraping on it causing skin and blood to sizzle. In mere instants, the hole was below us and luckily, we were on the right trajectory, just a little further away than planned. With a potent outburst of mana through his left leg, Lucas pushed us into the hole, just barely making it inside before the sharp glass could skewer us like tasty meat.
Joy and relief warmed our faces as we watched the glass ceiling standing on top of us, but it didn’t last long. We were still falling.