Text Afterworld

[KHLegendIII 709]

This chapter was fun to read.

Edited February 17, 2017 by KHLegendIII

[The Transcendent Key 12,109]

To KHLegendIII, thank you, I'm glad you found it fun!

 

Good evening everyone, I hope that you’re all doing okay! So then, let’s get down to business! In just one more chapter, I’ll have officially posted the first ten chapters of this story! It’s crazy to think we’re already this far ahead, eh?  Well then, let’s see how the journey continues, shall we? Read on, my loyal followers!

 

Chapter Nine: A Town In Crisis

 

                After three days passed, Zaria and friends traversed throughout the land, investigating any surges of Shadow Blights and scouring the land for more abysses! For the past three days, they noticed that no new abysses had formed, which served as relief! Grim, who was now accompanying them, had made a good recovery so far, and with the help of some herbs and potions that Tatsumaki carried with her, he was able to walk on his on, and he insisted that he could defend himself now. And so, the group arrived at what seemed to be a bridge!  A few people were passing to and from the bridge, some of them in wagons, some of them in their hover-like vehicles, and others simply stood on the bridge, taking in the view of the water that ran below! They walked along the bridge, and they noticed that it overlooked a grand river that stretched downward onto a deep valley below! It was quite a drop if one were to fall, by any chance!  They continued their walk, and they noticed a few guards standing at certain points in the bridge. Most likely to ensure that the people who pass by aren’t met by harm in the form of Shadow Blights or bandits!

 

                “This situation is very troublesome. No abysses worries me…” Laren said aloud.  Zaria looked at him questionably and then crossed her arms.

 

                “Alright, I’ll bite.  Why is it a bad thing?” she asked.  Tatsumaki came in and walked ahead of Zaria.

 

                “Most probably because its fishy. With the Shadow Blights spreading about, it shouldn’t simply stop, just like that.” she answered. Zaria tilted her head, a bit confused.

 

                “Maybe it just means that there’s no more abysses to worry about?” Zaria asked.

 

                “While that could be the case, we can’t cross out that something is fishy. For the past three days, we haven’t come upon a single abyss, and the Shadow Blights have appeared in fewer numbers. I’d like to believe that they’re being driven off, but my mind drifts to another possibility…” Grim interjected, weighing in his thoughts on the matter.

 

                “Well, I think you guys are just being paranoid. I say that we’re finally getting a small break, which is good! I say that when we come to the next town, we go and take ourselves a nice, relaxing break from the action, you know what I’m saying?” she suggested.  Laren looked sternly.

 

                “It’s wise to be cautious at all times.  With the way the world is now, we can’t be too careful…” he offered.

 

                “Well, if you say so…” Zaria replied.

 

                For the remainder of the walk, everyone remained silent, and upon crossing the bridge, they followed a small path that led towards a small meadow!  Nearing the end of the small meadow, there was a signpost which had some writing on it!  Grim walked towards it and read what the signpost had to say!

 

                “Morrowgale. It seems that’s the town that lies beyond this meadow.” he said.

 

                “Great, then we should get some supplies and rest for a bit, and then keep moving forward!” Tatsumaki said, to which Laren nodded in agreement.

 

                “Yes. And we have to go about our business quickly.  We can’t afford to lose any time.” he said.

 

(Start Song Here)

                And so, the four of them walked past the meadow, and then they headed towards the entrance leading into Morrowgale!  When they entered, they saw that the town was bustling!  Many people were walking around and about, shopping for groceries, clothing and other items, while other people were socializing in a nearby park. Escorts offering passage to different locales awaited incoming passengers, and stray dogs followed people around, hoping they’d get themselves a bite to eat! The quartet looked around and saw that everything seemed to be normal!

 

                “Let’s stick closely.  With a crowd like this, one can get lost easily. Stay close.” Laren advised, as he took the lead.  The others followed, and they walked from the entrance towards the town square, then taking a right to come upon an inn!  When they entered, they saw a few people sitting at the bar, drinking away their troubles, or looking to start trouble with any who would disturb them! There were all manner of people inside. From shady looking ones to downright terrifying looking, there were all kinds of people taking refuge in this inn. Laren paid no mind, and Tatsumaki seemed to do the same.  Grim simply crossed his arms and closed his eyes, while Zaria felt the eyes of the customers piercing them like daggers! She felt slightly uncomfortable!

 

                “Geez, bad vibes can really be felt here…” she thought to herself.  She then looked to the front of the bar, where the barkeep, who also sported himself a fancy getup, seemed to be the innkeeper!

 

                “Ah, yes, welcome to Gale’s Bounty Inn! How can I help you?” the innkeeper asked, sporting a polite face, unlike the other people around them!

 

                “We’d like a room with four beds to spend the night.” Laren said, as he took some okane and gave it to the innkeeper.  “Will this suffice?” he asked.  The innkeeper counted the okane and then gave a satisfied smile.

 

                “Of course, right this way, sir!” he gestured, and so, the four of them went up the stairs, the key to the room being given to Tatsumaki.  As they made their way up the stairs, they noticed someone standing in the hallway that housed the rooms where the guests were staying.  This person had dark leather clothing, with many straps and buckles adorning said clothing.  The person kept their face concealed with bandages, except for the person’s eyes and hair.  It was long and silver, and the person’s eyes were silver colored. The person took notice of Zaria and the others, but paid them no mind, and remained put.  After inspecting the mysterious stranger, Zaria saw that the person was a man. A very intimidating one, at that!  She made it a point not to look at him too long, and the others simply passed him by until they reached their room. As Tatsumaki opened the door, they all went inside, with Zaria the last one to come in. She wanted to look back, for she felt the stranger eyeing her, but she didn’t dare to, and  instead went into the room.

 

                After getting themselves comfortable and preparing their beds, they sat on a set of chairs that overlooked a small, round table.

 

                “So then, we rest tonight, and early in the morning tomorrow, we’ll get supplies and leave.” Laren instructed.

 

                “Sounds reasonable enough. After all this sleeping out under the starts, it’ll be nice sleeping on a soft bed and with a roof to cover our heads!” Tatsumaki expressed, already feeling quite comfy in her seat!

 

                “Guys, was it just me…or did you all notice that something’s a bit…off?” Zaria asked.

 

                “I felt it too…many of the people in this inn were keeping a close eye on us, especially the bandaged stranger in the hallway…I didn’t like the looks they were giving us.  We should sleep cautiously tonight…” Grim whispered, making sure no one outside would listen.

 

                “Oh, good, so you felt it too.  I thought I was going crazy…” Zaria replied.  Laren stood up and looked out the window, noticing that it was getting darker.

 

                “Saphira…surely you feel this unease as I do?” he asked to himself.  After a short while, everyone got into bed, and shortly after, they fell asleep.

(End Song Here)

---

 

                Late that night, on the rooftops of the buildings of Morrowgale, the bandaged stranger stood, like a gargoyle watching over the cover of night!  He had something in his hands that he was fiddling with.  A small necklace, with a silver star on it. He jingled it ever so slightly, and he kept himself crouched, watching over the darkened streets.  The night breeze gently waved his hair, and he was as stoic as the darkness that loomed over all.

 

                Minutes passed, and then, the mysterious stranger started to jump from rooftop to rooftop, scouring Morrowgale, keeping his eyes alert at all times!  He then stopped when he reached the rooftop of a cathedral. A very useful vantage point, he thought.  He darted towards the top of the cathedral’s tallest tour, scaling the wall as if it was nothing!  When reaching the top, he stood just on top of the tallest tower, where he overlooked the entire town!  The pale light of the moon shone on his face, and it made his silver eyes radiate in a way that for anyone happening to look at his direction, they’d probably think they’re looking at a demon!  The man was just about to head out, when suddenly, he felt something wrap around his left foot!  Before he could analyze the situation, he was quickly and forcefully pulled down, then suddenly being caught and slammed against the wall of the tower!  The man was being choked, and when he saw by what it was, he noticed that it was a sort of vine!  It constricted itself tightly on the man’s neck, making it difficult for him to breathe!  Only then, he noticed a pair of pale, white eyes staring at him!  This was no vine!  It was a serpent, but made of vines!?  The man grunted and struggled to set himself free, but then he saw someone walking from the shadows!

 

(Start Song Here)

                “I don’t very much like the way you’ve been going around this town this evening, my good sir…” Grim said, revealing himself to the man!  “I saw you earlier tonight, and you didn’t look at all friendly…you have a very strong air about you.  A very lethal air…and I don’t like people who can kill me in my sleep…” he said, nodding to the serpent, as it clenched on the man further, making him gasp!

 

                “Now, you’re going to tell me who are you. If you refuse to comply, I’ll have no choice but to kill you here and now. I can’t have you killing innocents, or coming after me and my newly found comrades!” Grim threatened, as he summoned forth a wooden bow and a quiver full of arrows! He pulled on an arrow and placed it on the bow, ready to fire!  “Answer me, stranger!” he demanded!  But the man remained silent!

 

                “Don’t believe me, eh? Well, I’ll just have to give you proof of concept.” Grim said, as he fired the arrow right at the man’s leg, causing him to grunt in pain!  “Now, tell me who you are, or you will die right here, right now!” Grim demanded once more!  A few short seconds passed, and the stranger managed to let loose his right arm, then summoning a small dagger, with which he cut off the serpent’s head, causing its hold on him to fade away, therefore freeing him!  His first order of business was removing the arrow that had impaled him, and that was something he managed rather quickly!  He pulled it out forcefully, and while he grunted in pain and blood flowed from his now open wound, he shook off the pain and then quickly lunged towards Grim, who found himself blocking fast and relentless attacks from the assailant!

 

                “So, it’s death that you seek, eh?  Then I’ll give it to you!” Grim said, accepting the stranger’s challenge!

 

                The two of them pulled back, and they stared each other down.  The stranger kept on his silent streak, which angered Grim greatly!  After a few seconds, Grim started firing off arrows relentlessly, while the stranger followed the arrows with his eyes and ensured to dodge every one of them!  He slid on the tiles of the cathedral roof and swooped in, managing to scrape Grim’s shoulder ever so slightly!  Grim winced, but he quickly regained himself, making his bow disappear!  He then summoned forth two vine swords with deadly thorns, and he ran towards the stranger, clashing against him over and over! The stranger deftly dodged and weaved his way through the attacks, with the adeptness of an acrobat! Their constant back and forth formed streaks of silver that radiated through the night! The stranger then leapt back and took out from a small pouch three ninja stars, and then he flung them at Grim! The old man managed to block all three of the ninja stars, but this was merely a diversion!  For when Grim regained his focus on the stranger, he had all but disappeared!  Only seconds after did he realize that the stranger had teleported behind him!  Grim placed his two swords in front, in a defensive stance, and he managed to block a fatal blow on the stranger’s part!  His dagger was literally inches away from piercing his left eye!

 

                “You are quite the skilled and tactical fighter…which means that you are most likely an assassin! If only you were more discreet in your disguise, I wouldn’t have to be fighting you right now! I know not what your business is, if it’s with myself and my comrades or with someone else entirely…but you picked the wrong night to be here! You will answer to me!” Grim expressed!  The stranger simply glared at him, and then, he flung three sharp knives, which Grim blocked and deflected back at him with his swords! They whistled through the stranger, but one of them managed to make a scrape on his cheek, cutting off a bit of the bandage concealing his face!  The man quickly checked to see if he had a serious wound, but when he noticed it was only slight bleeding, he kept on fighting! He wasn’t about to give up now!

 

                And so, the two warriors continued their clash, and they were quite evenly matched! Grim was intrigued by the man’s skill, while the man was impressed that an old man such as Grim could keep up with his attacks!  Eventually, the two reached a stalemate, their strength colliding against one another!

 

                “Still you refuse to answer!?” Grim exclaimed!  The stranger remained in silence, and then, he surprised Grim with a gut punch that made him fall down on the tiles, making him slip and roll until he was hanging onto the ledge, quite a fall awaiting him below!  His swords now lost to him, Grim was in a precarious spot!  The stranger simply slid down the tiles and looked at the old man, and then he drew his dagger!  He prepared to strike, when all of a sudden, a streak of light dashed straight towards the stranger, sending him flying, crashing on the tower wall!  Grim noticed that it was Laren, and he quickly went towards him, saving him from a very nasty fall!

 

                “Are you alright?” Laren asked, checking Grim for any wounds.

 

                “I am now.  Thank you for the assist!” Grim replied.  They both looked toward the stranger, and it seemed that now, he was hesitant to approach!  Apparently, the thought of a two on one fight was not exactly something he expected, much less to be in a fight at this hour at all.  Instead, he took this opportunity and shot forth a blinding beam of light!  The light made Grim and Laren avert their eyes, and once the light died down, they saw that the stranger had already disappeared into the shadows of the night!

(End Song Here)

 

                “Damn, he got away!” Grim exclaimed, clenching his fists!

 

                “At least now we know what we’re dealing with here. I suspect he’s been following us for a while?” Laren asked.  Grim nodded.

 

                “I can only assume so, but I couldn’t get any information out of him.  He refused to talk…he preferred to let actions speak for him…” the old man said, rubbing on his wound. It wasn’t too much, so he would be fine.

 

                “I think he won’t show his face for the rest of the night.  Not when he knows that we’re on the lookout for him.  Come, let’s rest up. The morning soon approaches.” Laren said.

 

                “Yes.  Let’s be on our way.” Grim said, as the two of them made their way back to the inn quietly and discreetly.

---

 

                As the morning came, Zaria and Tatsumaki awoke, only to find that Laren and Grim were not in the room.  They might have woken up earlier, they assumed, so they didn’t think too much on it.  Tatsumaki got herself out of bed, and she overlooked her things and made the bed, while Zaria assured to get herself a few more minutes of shut eye!  After a few minutes, they heard a commotion outside! As the minutes passed, the commotion got louder, which annoyed Zaria, making her wake up fully!

 

                “Geez, what’s with these people? Don’t they have anything better to do?” Zaria exclaimed as she got out of bed and rubbed her head, yawning.

 

                “You’re right…it does seem odd.  I mean, there wasn’t any sort of commotion yesterday, so I wonder what’s causing all the ruckus?” Tatsumaki wondered.  The two of them went outside, and they noticed that the bar was empty.  It seemed even the innkeeper wasn’t inside!  They headed out of the inn, and they found Laren and Grim to the right, looking at the crowds protest.  They walked towards them and stood by them.

 

                “So, what’s all this about?” Tatsumaki asked.

 

                “It happened shortly after the sun rose.  People have been rioting, all of them heading towards the town square.  Apparently, they’re displeased at the way they’re being treated.  The air was thick and heavy yesterday, and I can only imagine it has to do with this.  It seems Morrowgale isn’t exactly in its best condition as of now…” Laren explained, as he remained with his stern face, eyeing out the crowd, seeing how determined the people were to have their voices heard!

 

                “Well, we might as well get down to the square and see what happens, right?” Zaria asked.

 

                “No…we have to go and get our supplies and leave.  We have no business here…” Laren replied. Zaria looked at him with a cross face, and she shook her head.

 

                “Well, I’m going down, and I’m going to see what’s up!” Zaria said, making her way down with the crowd!

 

                “No, Zaria, wait!” Laren exclaimed, trying to reach her, but everyone was getting in the way!

 

                “Well, we might as well go down with her.” Tatsumaki suggested, as she brushed lightly past Laren, and Grim shrugged.

 

                “Well, we’re here, so we might as well take a look at things before we head off!” Grim said. Laren rubbed his eyes and sighed.

 

                “Seriously…” he thought to himself, and so, they followed the crowd down until they reached the town square!

 

                Once there, they went towards a small bench, and they saw the townspeople huddle up in protest!  At the center of the town square, there was a small platform, and from that platform, a person with a not so honest look on her face stepped up.  She seemed annoyed by all the rabble, and she looked like she had other things to tend to. She was a woman reaching her elder ears, and she had sharp purple eyes and short gray hair, and an expensive wool dress adorning her aging body! A young man, who seemed to be her butler, fumbled nervously beside her, and he stood by her as she stood on the platform to address the people!

 

                “What do you have to say for yourself, you useless wretch!?” one of the townspeople shouted.

 

                “Yeah, take responsibility and do your job!” another protested, and at that, the elderly woman snarled and raised her hand with authority!

 

                “Silence!!!” she shouted, her raspy voice sending chills down Zaria’s spine!  Everyone else remained silent, and Grim had his eyebrow raised.

 

                “Well, it seems that this old lady has some degree of authority to make everyone shut up like this…” Grim whispered.  Laren only shook his head in dismay.

 

                “People of Morrowgale, I assure you, I am doing everything in my power in ensuring that we can be able to get to the bottom of the disappearance of our families!  Rest assured, rest safely knowing that my guardsmen and I are doing our best to find your families and bring them back to you!” she shouted, her voice ringing through the crowds!

 

                “Liar! You’re doing nothing, and the guardsmen are laying on their asses! You aren’t doing a single thing to help us!” a woman exclaimed in protest!  The old lady shot her a threatening glare, and she shook her head.

 

                “You are all such misguided children.  Amongst the chaos we are facing, with the emergence of Shadow Blights and the grim happenings of the world, your minds are all clouded by fear!  And that same fear is what is leading you all to your unjustified anger towards me! You clearly do not see that I am truly trying to attempt to rescue your families!” the old woman said, waving her hand!

 

                “She doesn’t seem all that honest…she looks like scum to me…” Zaria whispered.

 

                “Heh, I know what you mean. It looks like she’s the type of leader that doesn’t really care about her people.  Very sad…” Tatsumaki replied. Then she saw Laren heading towards a nearby townsperson, and he touched his shoulder.

 

                “Excuse me, but what exactly is happening around here?” Laren asked the man.

 

                “Huh? Oh, you don’t look like you’re from here…well, the thing is, for the past couple of weeks, our families have gone missing! Husbands, wives, children…they’ve all mysteriously vanished! We’ve tried looking for them, but we haven’t been able to find them! So we turned to our governess, to see if she, along with her guardsmen, could help us find our missing loved ones! While she claims that they’re doing everything in their power, I know that she’s lying! She’s not the most trustworthy person…it’s not easy…” the man said, with a clearly stressed out expression coming over his face.  Laren rubbed his chin and thought deeply upon the man’s words.  All the while, the old lady continued to ramble on, trying to calm down an angered crowd!

 

                “This governess. What’s her name?” he asked.

 

                “Tremaine Aria.” the man answered.  Laren nodded.

 

                “Right.” he said, and then he turned towards Zaria and the others, and he signaled them to walk with him towards the platform where Tremaine was speaking!  Tremaine noticed them coming over to her, and she seemed a bit surprised, but she didn’t lose her composure!

 

                “And what do you want?” she asked, expectant to hear a reply!  Laren then turned to face the crowd, as they all laid eyes on him, Zaria, Tatsumaki and Grim!  There was a momentary silence looming about them!

 

                “People of Morrowgale…I’ve been made aware of your situation…all of you are in dire straits, and you want action to be taken, correct?” Laren asked aloud.  Everyone roared in agreement!  Tremaine was baffled!  Just who was this man, and why was he talking like if he ran the town?

 

                “Then, if your governess will do nothing, then my friends and I will go in search of your families, and we’ll get to the bottom of this situation at once!” Laren proclaimed!  A short silence followed, and then one of the citizens, clearly hesitant, with arms crossed, glared at the dragoon!

 

                “And why should we trust your word? We trusted that old lady, and she hasn’t delivered on her word, so what makes you think yours is any different?” the citizen asked.

 

                “Because my word is my bond…I will not fail.  Zaria, Tatsumaki, Grim, come, let’s take our leave…we’re going to find these people at once!” he ordered, and the others followed him without question!  “Where do we head off to?” he asked, as he glanced over his shoulder at the townspeople.

 

                “The outskirts of the city…that’s where we had started to look…” one of them answered.  Laren then turned and kept walking.

 

                “I’ll deliver you the answers to your prayers…your families will be brought back to you!” Laren said, as he and the others took off towards the exit on the far side of town to head towards the outskirts!  The townspeople were left dazzled, and Tremaine was a sick mess!

 

                “Just who does that mongrel think he is, thinking he can take authority away from me just like that!?” she exclaimed, clenching her fists and gritting her teeth most unpleasantly! Her butler simply fumbled a bit and stuttered before speaking.

 

                “T-they seem to be people of action…I think they’ll do what you haven’t been able to, mistress…” he said, giving his thoughts on the matter, which only earned him a fierce scowl from Tremaine!

 

                “Hmph, people of action…we’ll see about that…” she thought to herself, and then, she took advantage of everyone being distracted by the newcomers, that she left them and headed towards the safety of her abode!

 

                Nearing the exit, Zaria looked at Laren with an amused expression on her face!  She hadn’t expected him to take charge like this all of a sudden, going so far as to get to the bottom of other people’s problems!  She walked alongside him, and she saw how determined he looked, as he marched forward like a man with fire in his eyes!

 

                “Whoa, that was something back there! I thought we were getting supplies and leaving! What changed your mind?” Zaria asked, curious to know the dragoon’s motives!  He stopped for a moment, which, in turn, made the others stop.  He hesitated to answer for a moment, but then he turned to Zaria, and he gave a deep sigh.

 

                “These people…you can see the worry in their faces…they’re all concerned for the loved ones that haven’t returned to them. And the fact that their leader seems to be nothing more than a leech that lives off of her people’s lives, I decided that we should take matters into our own hands and bring these people back their families…to show how a true leader takes charge of responsibilities…” Laren said, with the most sincere honesty he could muster!  Zaria simply smirked.

 

                “Heh, you know, you’re actually a softy despite the tough act you put up! That’s nice!” Zaria teased!  Laren growled and glared at her.

 

                “I am not a softy…” he replied.  Then he heard Tatsumaki giggling behind him, and he simply rolled his eyes and remained silent.  Grim shook his head and smiled.

 

                “What a marvelous batch of people I came across, no doubt!” he thought to himself, as they went towards the outskirts, thus, doing what Laren said they’d do, and get to work on finding the families of Morrowgale’s populace!

-----------------------------------------------

 

Laren has taken on the responsibility of finding the families of Morrowgale’s people!  Will he be able to deliver upon his words?  What troubles will our heroes come across? What awaits them?  Be sure to stick around for Chapter Ten: “A Difficult Search!”

 

Well everyone, that was the chapter!  I hope that you all enjoyed it!  Sorry if it was a little shorter compared to my other chapters, but I felt there was nothing more to add to tonight’s chapter, so I left it the way it’s being posted!  Anyways, what do you all think of this small party of Laren, Zaria, Tatsumaki and Grim? Do you think they’re a good team? Do you think they’ll be able to find Morrowgale’s missing people? Well, stay tuned for the next chapter and find out! Until then, let me know what you thought about tonight’s chapter!  Until next time, stay tuned for the next one!

[KHLegendIII 709]

This was interesting to read.

[Sarrin 100]

definitely interesting cant wait for ch 10!

[Keyblade101 526]

This story is really interesting so far. Can't wait for the next chapter.  :smile:

 

P.S. Sorry I haven't been commenting lately, I've been a bit swamped with school. I seriously can't wait for Spring Break in a couple weeks.

[The Transcendent Key 12,109]

To KHLegendIII, thanks, I'm glad you thought so!

 

To Sarrin, trust me, Chapter 10 will be awesome!

 

To Keyblade101, thanks, I'm glad you're liking the story! And it's alright, no need to apologize! It's understandable! I appreciate you always following my stories!

 

Good evening everyone, I hope that you’re all doing okay!  So then, here’s another chapter for you all, I hope you enjoy! This story is turning out better than I thought it would, and I can’t wait for you all to see what I have in store! With my experience writing The Keyblade War Trilogy, plus my non-KH stories I’ve written over the years, I think it’s helped me become better as a writer, as I think I’ve improved upon my writing skills quite a bit!  I think this story will end up being amazing!  But anyways, I’m talking too much, aren’t I?  Anyways, here’s the chapter for you all to enjoy!

 

Chapter Ten: A Difficult Search

 

                It had been quite some time since Zaria and the others went towards the outskirts of Morrowgale.  They had been searching around for any sign of people, but there were none.  Laren had made it a point to follow the lay of the land, and he saw that there was evidence that the citizens of Morrowgale had come far out in search of their loved ones.  Towards a small clearing, he saw a sign, and it had nothing on it, save for a small cross, and under it, something was written! “Show mercy upon our loved ones.”  No doubt that this was meant as a prayer for all those who were lost.  This sparked something in Laren, something that Zaria noticed immediately!  She saw that he was genuinely angry! That’s not to say that she hadn’t seen him serious before, but now in particular, he seemed to be full of rage!

 

                “To think that the governess has these people fooled…they’re waiting on nothing…she won’t help bring back the families of all those people…we must be the ones to do it for them…otherwise, they’ll suffer and never know where their loved ones are…” Laren said aloud.  Tatsumaki had a sad expression on her face, and Zaria could notice that this delved a bit more into personal matters than she would have thought.  She was about to say something, when Grim stepped forward.

 

(Start Song Here)

                “Everyone, be alert.  I see something up ahead.  I’ll go check it out. Follow me…” he said, as he then walked slowly, ensuring that his footsteps wouldn’t provide any sound that would give them away! Zaria and the others followed suit, and they left the small clearing and then entered what seemed to be an abandoned village!  No doubt that this was once part of Morrowgale, but it seems that it had been abandoned for  quite the number of years now!  They all rushed towards one of the abandoned houses and took cover behind it.  Grim signaled the others to remain quiet, and he slowly peeked his head sideways, and then, to the far side, towards where there seemed to be a water fountain, he saw something, or rather, someone! A group of people, actually!

 

                “Those aren’t Shadow Blights…” Grim whispered.  “Be on your guard…” he mentioned, as the others made ready, in the case that they’d be spotted!

 

                Grim put his hand on the ground, and then he closed his eyes and let his pulse flow through him, as he then fed the energy of his pulse into the ground!  “Roots of the earth, be my ears, allow me to be one with the land…” he uttered.  Within seconds, his energy spread throughout the vast network of roots that lay underground, and as he did so, he heard an innumerable amount of noises!  He was a veteran at using the arts of the Everbloom Knights, and he ignored all other background noise, zeroing in on the group of people!  When he locked down his focus on them, he could be able to hear what they were talking about!

 

                “What’s he doing?” Zaria asked as she peeked over, but Tatsumaki covered her mouth quickly, to which Zaria exclaimed internally!

 

                “Are the preparations made yet?” one of the strangers asked.

 

                “Heh, it’s all being set as we speak.  The cavern’s pretty steep, but it’ll do. We’ve got all of them trapped down there, and they’ll make for perfect sacrifices…”another of the strangers answered.

 

                “Well, then we should be on our way.  We don’t have time to wait around for the boss to show up!” another suggested!

 

                “No! We were told to wait here, so that’s what we’ll do!” one of them said.  Grim looked at the others and shook his head.

 

                “It seems that these people…they may be part of a cult of sorts…they were talking about preparing a sacrifice…and the ones to be put to slaughter are most likely the people we’re looking for…” he whispered, disgusted at what he heard!

 

                “Those bastards…” Laren growled.

(End Song Here)

 

(Start Song Here)

                “Huh?  What?  Wait a moment, guys, we’ve been found!” one of the strangers said, who was behind Zaria and the others! With no way to be able to silence this stranger, they had no choice but to expose themselves and put up a fight!  Tatsumaki darted towards the stranger that spotted them and delivered an uppercut on him, making him fly upwards, and then she flung herself like a spear and delivered a powerful thrust with a wind dagger, making the stranger lose his breath and fall to the ground, dead!  And so, she and the others made their way into the open, and they came upon quite a few of these people!  They were all covered in dark blue clothing, the type of clothing that was suited to physical use!  Their faces were concealed by what seemed to be demonic or animalistic faces!  They all bore curved swords or longbows and axes, and some of them had brass knuckles with sharp points at the end of them!  The way they all took stance seemed strange and unnatural, as if their bodies were trying to disfigure themselves!

 

                “What in the world are we up against!?” Tatsumaki exclaimed, summoning forth her Gale Sword!

 

                “I have a feeling we don’t want to find out…” Laren said.

 

                “Let’s even things up a notch!” Grim said, as he clasped his hands together and put them on the ground, forming cracks as roots came out and then darted out as long vines that wrapped around the enemy!  He then closed his eyes and raised his right hand!  “Eluzia, come and lend us your strength!” he uttered! Within seconds, his faithful wolf formed from the roots underground, and it gave out a mighty growl!  It took stance along with the others, and Zaria looked at the wolf with great surprise!

 

                “Whoa, that’s so unreal!” she said as she stared in awe!

 

                “No time to admire the craftsmanship, we have a battle on our hands!” Laren said.

 

                “Right, let’s do this!” Zaria replied, and with that, they all formed a circle, so as they would not be separated or pinned down!  The mysterious enemies managed to free themselves of the vines they had been wrapped in, and now, they had started to charge towards them!

 

                The battle quickly ensued, and Zaria and company noticed that these people were unnaturally strong and agile!  Their attacks comprised of jumping in, delivering fast strikes and thrust, and then leaping back and taking a ranged approach!  They were fast enough to dodge and block, so they were difficult to land a hit on!  Some of them tried to catch them off guard, but their defense was air tight! Eluzia pounced like a rabid wolf on one of the enemy strangers, and he chewed off the person’s limbs!  As Eluzia leapt back to take on another foe, Grim noticed that the foe was not dead!  It had stood up, armless and all, still coming to pick a fight!

 

                “What in the world…?” Grim asked, baffled!  He swung his hand forward and materialized poison thorns from his hand, and then he shot them at the armless foe, trying to put a stop to its movements for good, but it did nothing!  Grim and Eluzia then went back, and then Grim put his hands on the ground, making multiple grand roots rise through cracks in the ground to provide a sort of barrier so that the enemy wouldn’t pass!

 

                “What is it? What’s the matter?  Why put a barrier around us?” Laren asked, as he swung his lance through an opening in the barrier and caused a strong gale of wind to blow away the foes that were trying to get in!

 

                “These enemies we’re fighting!  Even if we take them down, they still rise up!  I can feel warmth from their bodies, so they aren’t dead, so this is something particularly disturbing!” Grim stated, making the others uneasy!  When they looked up, they noticed that the enemy was trying to make their way in through the roof of the barrier, chopping off at the roots relentlessly!

 

                “Looks like we’ll have to fight till we drop!” Tatsumaki said, as she then leapt up and pierced through the ceiling of the barrier, breaking it and then twirling around, forming a tornado that blew away the enemy and made them scatter!  Grim undid the barrier, and then he commanded Eluzia to fight on the defensive, and the others held off the enemy a bit apart, but still to the point that they could regroup at a moment’s notice!

 

                “You cannot stop us…we are the legion that never sleeps…that never fades…” one of the enemies said, as she slashed her sword at Zaria, who blocked the attack!  Zaria then kicked the woman and then slashed her sword across her chest and abdomen, forming a considerable gash that trickled much blood!  But even with this particularly huge wound, the woman kept coming at Zaria with no signs of stopping!

 

                “We cannot be stopped!!!!” the woman shouted, and she leapt at Zaria, attempting to overwhelm her, but Zaria flipped the woman over and then beheaded her with a clean swipe of her blade!

 

                “That should definitely stop her!” Zaria thought!  But when she saw the body of the decapitated woman rise, she found that this was definitely not the case!

 

                “Oh come on!!!” Zaria exclaimed!

 

                Laren was the one being overwhelmed the most.  Dozens of these crazed people were coming upon him, but he kept them all at bay with his precise skills with his lance, and he kicked through many of them and stabbed their chests multiple times, but they only kept rising and coming at him!

 

                “Just what are these things!?” he thought to himself, as he then struck his lance on the ground, summoning forth lighting!  When the lighting struck the ground, it electrocuted the enemy, paralyzing them and making their bodies twitch and jerk with a will not of their own!  This slowed them down, but it didn’t take them out!  Laren took advantage of this and then measured his distance for a moment! After mentally mapping out the enemies that lay before him, he slashed through one, then two, then three, then four, as he left a light blue shadow behind each attack that added additional damage, as the light blue shadows gave off a sort of electricity that was sure to knock them down!  When he struck at twelve, they all fell to the ground in a jolt, their bodies uncontrollably jerking and throbbing like possessed bodies!  But soon after, they rose up, and though they were considerably damaged by Laren’s attack, it still wasn’t enough to keep them pinned down!

 

                “Just what are these people!?” he exclaimed, as he jumped back a ways to make some distance between himself and the strange foes!  Before long, they were starting to get tuckered out, and the enemy was closing in!

 

                “These bastards won’t go down…they’re invincible!” Grim said, as they all closed back to back to each other.  They were now uncertain if victory could be attained in this battle at all!  “I’m going to try one more technique!” he said.

 

                He walked a bit ahead of everyone, and then, he formed his left hand into a fist and then struck it into the ground, causing a slight tremor that made the ground shake!  Then, the grounds started to crackle, and with his right hand, he summoned forth an emerald orb that seemed to house great power! He then placed it upon the ground, and the orb was absorbed!

 

                “Roots of the earth, lash out towards all opposition!” he commanded!  Within seconds, the charging enemy forces were impaled by increasingly sharp roots that pierced from under the ground upwards, going in all directions!  All enemies caught in the radius of the attack were impaled, and they were all hanging from the vines, the holes in their bodies caused by the vines widening as they slid down the vines!  But the eeriest thing of all is that they weren’t screaming!  They were just there, bleeding, their arms and legs moving about!

 

                “That just slows them, but it doesn’t stop them!” Tatsumaki said, after observing the strange behavior the foes exhibited!  “I’ll try something now that they’re pinned!” she said, and with that, she scaled up the vines, jumping from one to the other with great finesse, until she reached the very top of the thickest vine!  She then leapt up high, eyed out the enemies caught in Grim’s trap, and then, she raised her hands upwards, and with a swirling motion, she started to summon forth a giant tornado!  She swirled her hands faster and then widened her range until the tornado was just about the size of Grim’s death trap!  After completely forming her tornado, she flung it down with mighty force, and the winds were so strong, that they started to tear out the vines from the very earth itself, as they went flying upwards to the sky, the bodies of their foes flying up with them, jerking unnaturally and flying away everywhere!  She then landed in the ground and regrouped with the others!  They saw how the vines disappeared and the bodies fell everywhere, and for that moment, they took a small breather!

(End Song Here)

 

                “These people are not normal…if they’re even people at all…no one can survive the onslaught we delivered! And yet they resist our attacks like if they were nothing more than scrapes!  Something isn’t right here!” Laren said, angered.

 

                “That may be true, but at least now we’ve put some far off distance from them, which means that we can get to trying to find this cavern where the hostages are being held! With any luck, we can free them and take them back to Morrowgale before those creeps return!” Grim suggested.

 

                “Good idea, old man!  Come on, let’s get a move on before they decide to come on running after us!” Zaria said.  They all then proceeded to walk through the abandoned village, and after a while, they crossed through a wide path that bore some semblance of life.  Trees and small animals could be seen around and about, but there were also parts of the terrain where the earth looked chipped off and chunks were here and there.  Probably evidence of a battle that occurred long ago, or something related to the Calamity!  They kept going through, until eventually, they came upon a wide valley that steeped downwards! From this point, there was now an eerie white mist that didn’t provide any clear indication of what awaited below!

 

                “Everyone, we’ve got to approach this carefully…who knows what lies within that fog…” Tatsumaki warned, and everyone stayed close!

 

                “Eluzia, keep your wits about you, boy!” Grim said to his wolf friend, and the faithful companion nodded in understanding, and walked ahead of the others, to provide some sense of direction, given that he had a good sense of smell and incredible sight, despite the fog that was before them!  They all walked cautiously, and as they entered deeper into the fog, the air grew thick, and thus the weather was now humid, and the only sound they could hear was the sound of their own footsteps!  They walked aimlessly, looking around, only seeing the bleached whiteness of the fog pervading their sight!  Eluzia made sure to keep himself close by so the others wouldn’t get lost, and they slowly managed to make their way through the fog!

 

                “I don’t like this…it’s too quiet…” Tatsumaki uttered.  “And usually when there’s silence this eerie, it’s always a sign that something’s about to happen…” she said.

 

                “We have to keep calm minds, and the sooner we get out of this fog, the better. I’m sure we’ll pass by without having to confront those immortal creeps again!” Zaria encouraged.  They all stopped when they could see Laren and Grim just in front of them, for they had stopped as well!

 

                “Guys, what’s the matter? Did we find something?” Zaria asked.  She then saw Grim’s hand, gesturing for her to remain silent.  A few seconds later, she heard a growling noise near them!  Something was blocking their way!

 

                “This isn’t good…I feel a large presence just in front of us…” Laren thought.

 

                A few seconds passed, and then, the fog started to swirl rapidly, and it created gusts of wind that made the others fall on their backs, caught off guard!  The fog began to lift slightly, and at least now they could see better!  But what they saw before them was a creature that stood at least twenty feet tall!  It had the shape of a dragon, and it had gleaming red eyes!

 

(Start Song Here)

                “A Shadow Blight!  But it doesn’t look like any we’ve come across before!” Zaria said aloud.

 

                “That’s because this one can be able to conceal itself…and right now, we found it. This isn’t good!” Laren said.

 

                “What do we do?” Grim asked.  Laren thought upon this, and he considered the options available.  Either confront the creature and risk having the immortal foes come back to get them, or they could try to outrun the creature and happen upon the cavern entrance by mere luck!  With no time to truly weigh his options, he lunged into a sprint and began running!

 

                “We run! We don’t have the time to take on this Shadow Blight! Finding the hostages comes first!” Laren said, and with that, the others followed!

 

                Immediately as they ran away, the Shadow Blight roared, and as it hissed, steaming fog came out of its mouth, and it washed over them, making the environment difficult to walk through again!  But this time, they couldn’t stop!  They had to keep running!

 

                “Crap, we’re going to get lost!” Tatsumaki exclaimed!

 

                “Not on my watch!  Eluzia, do your thing!” he commanded to his friend, and the wolf then proceeded to swipe their arms with what seemed to be a sort of violet sigil that shone through the fog as clear as day!  “This way, we won’t lose sight of each other!  Don’t worry, this sigil can only be seen by us, so the enemy won’t be able to see us within this fog!” Grim reassured.  The others nodded, and so, they ran in stride, making sure to leave the Shadow Blight behind!  But the angered creature wasn’t about to turn tail and leave!

 

                As they ran, the mighty creature whipped its tail on the ground, making it tremble, causing fissures to open!  They avoided the fissures as best as they could, but they managed to trip a few times! The creature then proceeded to take large boulders with its claws and started flinging said boulders towards them!  The boulders were wide, and it was difficult to see them with the fog, but Eluzia’s timing ensured they’d be able to dodge, though they did come upon very close calls multiple times!  The creature then flapped its large wings, causing gusts of wind that made them fall over!  But they quickly got up and kept running!  The fog was becoming thicker by the second!

 

                “This isn’t good!  It’s gaining on us!” Zaria mentioned! Grim then leapt back behind everyone, and then he faced in the direction of the creature’s roaring, and then, he clapped his hands together and spread them on either side of himself!

 

                “Roots of the earth, shield us now!” he shouted, and with that, a giant wall made of thick roots from underground jetted out, and with this, he figured, they’d be able to buy themselves some time! They could hear the Shadow Blight roaring in frustration as it clashed against the wall, trying to break it!  The wall reached high, so even if the creature tried to fly over, it’d take a few minutes to get over the top!

 

                “Now’s our chance, hurry, let’s go!” Grim motioned, and everyone continued to run, not stopping for a moment! Then they noticed that the fog started to lift!

 

                “It looks like we’re getting out of the fog, finally!” Laren mentioned!

 

                “But it looks like we’re going deeper!  Brace yourselves, everyone!” Tatsumaki warned, as they came upon a very steep hill that was slippery because of tons upon tons of moss that covered it!

 

                “Time to improvise!” Zaria shouted, and so, she placed her right foot in front of herself and her left food back, as if she was on a surfboard, and then she propelled herself downward, sliding down the steep hill while avoiding small rocks and other obstacles that were in the way!  Tatsumaki used small, concentrated gusts of wind to carry her feet, as she zoomed down the hill, keeping an eye on Zaria, in case she tripped!  Laren darted down, almost as if he was coming down from a mighty Dragoon jump attack, and he zipped past Tatsumaki and Zaria!  Grim put his hands forth and summoned roots so that he could stand on them, as they swirled and rounded their way down the hill!  Eluzia simply submerged himself into the moss, appearing right at the bottom of the hill, being the first to have gotten down!  The others then followed suit, and when they realized they had come down, they saw that they had left the fog ridden terrain behind!  Now they were in what seemed to be a dead end!  Stone walls on either side went up as high as skyscrapers, and there was nowhere else to go!  They figured that this must be where the cavern is!

(End Song Here)

 

                “Well, there’s nowhere else to go!  I guess this is it!” Zaria mentioned.

 

                “Everyone, look around! The entrance to this cavern must be around here somewhere! We have to be quick, before we get any unwelcome company…” Laren said, and with that, they all scattered, making sure to find wherever the cavern’s entrance was supposed to be!

 

                Tatsumaki headed to the left, but all she saw was the stone wall that faced her.  There was nothing out of the ordinary, and there wasn’t anything out of place, so there was definitely nothing on her front!  Zaria inspected the area near the hill they had just scaled down!  Aside from the moss present, there really wasn’t anything else, except for a bit of grass and small bushes.  Laren took to the front, where he saw what seemed to be a faded out symbol.  He couldn’t make out what it was, but he assumed it must have been ancient to be in such an unidentifiable state!  Grim headed to the right along with Eluzia, and at first, they saw nothing but the stone wall facing them.  But then, Eluzia felt something, and he sniffed the ground!

 

                “Everyone, I think Eluzia’s onto something!” Grim said, and everyone then went towards the creature, as it continued to sniff, slowly walking towards a clump of rocks.  He stood on top of it, and then he began to scratch on the rocks, almost as if he was trying to get something out!

 

                “Good work boy, I’ll take it from here.” Grim said, as he petted Eluzia, the wolf wagging its tail in response.  Grim then summoned forth a thorn dagger, and he stabbed it into a small indentation in the clump of rocks, causing said rocks to lower and reveal a small lever!  “And we have our entrance!” he said, as he pulled on it!  A few seconds later, three lines formed at the center of their present location, and then, the three lines connected together to form a triangle!  When the triangle was formed, stone stairs slid out as well, leading downwards!

 

                “Well, this is it.  We have to head down there, quickly!” Laren said.  They all agreed, and one by one, they headed down the entrance to the cavern.  Zaria was the last one to head inside, and as she went in, she noticed that the entrance still remained open!

 

                “Well, if we need to get out, at least we have an exit…but if the enemy comes, we’ll be at a disadvantage too…so we have to hurry!” Zaria mentioned.

 

                “Indeed.  Come, let’s go!” Laren replied.

 

                When they made their way down the set of stairs, they saw that a long hallway stretched out before them.  Said hallway had torches lit, so it was a well lit hallway.  There seemed to be nothing on the sides of the hallway, no doors, no windows, only a singular path that stretched in front of them!

 

                “I don’t like the look of this…” Grim said.  “Something about this feels ominous…” he mentioned.

 

                “We’re already here.  We press on, and we make sure we’re prepared for the dangers that await here.  Let’s keep pressing forward.” Laren said, determined!  The others followed suit, and they remained alert at all times as they walked through the hallway. At the very least, they could take a breather, since now they didn’t have any enemies to worry about!

 

                “This is a pretty elaborate underground base.  I wonder who these people are, anyway!  Well, if we can even call them people…” Zaria wondered aloud.

 

                “I don’t know, but all I know is that from what we encountered, this has to be some unholy cult…and all that talk about sacrifices doesn’t exactly instill any positive vibes…” Tatsumaki replied, glancing over her shoulder.

 

                “Well, whatever this cult is, I certainly don’t know of it.  They’re pretty good at keeping themselves in the shadows, for I had never seen any of those people until now in this present situation. We have to be prepared for whatever we encounter here…I’m getting the feeling we are in for some unpleasant sights…” Grim said.  They then remained silent, as they kept walking through the hallway.  It seemed to stretch on forever, and there were no signs of a door just yet!

 

                “This hallway…” Laren trailed off, thinking about how strange and quiet it was. He was looking everywhere, seeing if there was anyone spying on them, seeing if there was some kind of trap, looking for anything that would try to do them harm!  After a bit more walking, they came upon a small set of stairs, and when they ascended, they came upon a small chamber that looked to be the size of a big living room, only that there was no furniture to be seen, only jade colored jars that were placed neatly on either side of the room, in a symmetrical manner!  At the end of the room, there was a long torch that held a curious looking flame! It was of a purple color, and it got everyone’s attention, but they didn’t go near it!  All was silent, until…

 

(Start Song Here)

                “Well, isn’t this interesting?” a female voice rang!  Everyone quickly jolted and summoned forth their weapons, and Eluzia growled while in a defensive stance!

 

                “Some insects have come into my den, eh? How very interesting…” the voice said, amused!

 

                “Who are you!? Show yourself!” Laren shouted!  Then, from the ceiling, a shadowy mass came down, with silver eyes glaring at them!  From silver, they turned to red, and the eyes bore a feeling of dread behind them!  Laren and the others felt reasonably uncomfortable!

 

                “I never thought anyone besides those of the cult could find their way here…but it seems you lot have managed…very impressive.” the shadowy mass said, that of a woman’s voice!

 

                “You mean those immortal creeps idolize you or something!?” Zaria asked.  The shadowy mass looked at her, and then she chuckled.

 

                “Heh, I guess you could say that.  But that’s no business of yours.  Now then, someone else would try to show you mercy.  But I’m not just anyone, so I’m going to opt to kill you!” she said!

 

                “This isn’t good!” Grim said, as the shadowy mass sank into the ground, turning the whole floor pitch black!  Everyone remained on guard, for they knew that they were closed in, and they couldn’t be able to make their way out! 

 

                All of a sudden, the shadowy mass began to jet out large, black spikes from every corner of the room, causing everyone to be dodging frantically, but unfortunately, they were caught in the shadowy mass’s deathtrap, and they found themselves with numerous wounds seeping into their skin!  She then caused the ceiling to go dark as well, and then, both the floor and the ceiling closed up, like if it was a giant dark creature, and they were going to be squashed!  Laren attempted to form a wind gash to dispel the darkness, and while it worked, they were slammed into the ground, as their foe created hammers out of darkness and slammed them to the ground, rendering them helpless!  Eluzia tried to claw at the ground, but the darkness simply consumed him!

 

                “No, Eluzia!” Grim shouted!  He quickly went to his companion’s aid, and he tried to get him out of the darkness, but he was being swallowed as well, his legs pinned to the ground, his arms getting yanked!  He groaned in pain, trying to struggle himself free!  Zaria and Tatsumaki were going to assist him, but dark tentacles came out of the wall and wrapped themselves around the arms, legs and waists of the two, pinning them to the wall and then constricting them, making them run short of breath!

 

                “N-no!  We’re disastrously outmatched…I-I can’t breathe…” Tatsumaki gasped, trying to catch some air, but failing!

 

                “Damn it…we’re screwed!” Zaria cursed, her vision starting to blur!  As her head hung low, she saw Laren, desperately trying to free them all, dispelling the darkness as much as he could with his powerful wind attacks, but even his might wasn’t enough, and he was then brutally bashed by dark spikes and pillars that crushed him, making him stay standing, paralyzed by the oozing darkness!

 

                “Heh, pathetic…and here I thought you’d all provide me with some entertainment…but it seems I was mistaken.  All of you are nothing but weak fools.  You disappoint me.” the shadow spoke, as she clenched her hold on everyone, making it harder for them to be able to breathe at all!  They felt their lives draining away from them!

 

                “No…we can’t die here…not when we promised…” Laren thought, his body growing heavy, his heart slowly failing him.  “No…”

 

                And just then, Laren found himself falling to the floor, his body landing with quite the thud!  The shock of the fall brought him back from the brink of unconsciousness, and then he quickly alerted himself, and when he looked around, he noticed that the others were freed as well! He then noticed that the darkness wasn’t suffocating them anymore!  He then looked towards the other end of the room, where the shadowy mass was, and someone was confronting her!

 

                “Wait, I know that man! He’s the one we fought on the rooftops at night!” Grim pointed out! Laren indeed recognized the man to be the very same one they encountered! The bandaged up stranger!  The stranger seemed to have put a sort of imprint on the section of the room where the shadowy mass was, and he formed a seal, which kept her in place!  He then leapt back, and he calmly glanced over his shoulder at the others.

 

                “Heh, so you’ve found me, eh? I thought I had shaken you off…but you’re a persistent bastard, I’ll give you that!” the shadowy mass said, amused!

 

                “Just who are you?” Grim asked, as the others remained on alert!

 

                “I am the shadow that haunts your every step…I am the shadows made manifest! I am Lucilda, and you fools will regret having encountered me!” the shadowy mass answered, trying to break through the seal the stranger had made!  Soon, a noise could be heard coming from the hallway! Zaria looked back, and she saw that the hallway was now being flooded by the foes they had encountered earlier!

 

                “Damn, the immortal creeps are closing in! We’re going to be seriously cooped up in here if we don’t get to the hostages and free them!” Zaria said.  Eluzia, who was sniffing the floor, walked towards the left wall, and when he placed his paw on the wall, it fazed out, revealing it to be nothing more than an illusion!

 

                “Everyone, Eluzia found another room!” Grim said.

 

                “Then let’s get going! The hostages are probably inside!  Quickly!” Laren urged, as they all went inside the newly discovered room! Grim was the last one remaining to enter, and he glanced at the stranger, and then walked towards him.

 

                “You fools…this is only the beginning…” Lucilda said, with joy apparent in her voice!

 

                “I’ll stay here, and I’ll help you fight! You’ll be outnumbered here!” Grim suggested.  But the stranger shook his head.

 

                “Don’t let overconfidence cloud your judgment. You may be skilled, but you can’t take on everyone at once!” Grim protested, but before he could say another word, the stranger placed his palm on Grim, instantly jolting him back, sending him through the room Eluzia had discovered!  Before Grim could stand up, the room was now sealed, and the stranger was left alone to fend off the hordes of foes awaiting!

(End Song Here)

 

                “That man’s crazy! He’s going to get himself killed!” Grim exclaimed!

 

                “Which only means that he wasn’t an enemy to begin with…we can’t let his goodwill go unappreciated.  Come, I think we’re close to finding the hostages!” Laren said, as they wall walked along a dark hallway.  They could hear some murmuring in the distance, which only meant that the people they were searching for were probably close by!

 

                “Guys, I think we’re getting close!” Tatsumaki mentioned.

 

                “Let’s hope so, because I don’t want to stay in here longer than I have to…” Zaria replied.

 

                As they kept walking, they eventually came upon a small opening, a small waiting room of sorts, and to their right, they saw a large door!  They approached it, and as Grim and Laren opened it, the door led to a large, expansive room…or, to be more precise, a dungeon!  There, all the people, the missing people of Morrowgale, were being held, behind bars!  They had fear and desperation in their eyes, and their skin looked battered and bruised, as if they had been subject to brutal beatings! They all looked fearfully at Zaria and company, and in turn, they looked on in horror, as they witnessed a very sad sight.  Laren saw how the children were trembling, their small, frail bodies shaking, some of them not even being able to stand!  They were all dressed in white gowns, and they all looked steeped in despair!  Laren stepped forward, and he looked at them all, and he raised his lance!

 

                “You don’t have to fear anymore! We’ve come to free you!” he said.  And just as he said those words, the floor suddenly trembled!  The trembling then stopped, and then it began again, this time more violently, until the floor started to lower itself!  When Laren noticed what was happening, he saw that the room led lower and lower underground, and now they were to the point that the cages where the hostages were being held were high above their heads! Down below where they were now, they saw lines upon lines of experimental tubes, and inside of them there were…people!  Everyone looked in shock! They were being experimented on!  At the far side of this chamber, someone stood up from their chair, and then they walked towards Zaria and company!  When the person came closer, they all definitely tensed up and prepared for battle!

 

                “It just had to be you, old hag!” Zaria said with a glare!

 

                “Heh, I knew you’d try to come here…and now, you’ll all regret getting into business that doesn’t concern you!” Tremaine said, as she smirked with sinister intent!

----------------------------------------------------

 

Our heroes are trapped, and it seems that Tremaine is working with Lucilda!  Will our heroes be prepared for what comes next? Will they be able to free the hostages and return them to Morrowgale? Find out in Chapter Eleven: “Standing For All!”

 

Alright then, that was the chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it! And good lord, we’re already in March! The 15^th Anniversary month of the Kingdom Hearts series! The hype is on! But yeah, I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter of my story! I certainly liked how it turned out, and I hope that I’m keeping you all entertained! Thank you for sticking with me, and make sure to comment on what you thought about tonight’s chapter! Until next time, stay tuned for the next one!

[KHLegendIII 709]

This was interesting to read.

[The Transcendent Key 12,109]

To KHLegendIII, thanks, I'm glad you thought so!

 

Good evening everyone, I hope that all of you are doing well! So then, my deepest apologies for a late update, but I’ve been busy these past couple of days, and I’ve been doing other things besides writing, so my apologies if I’ve made you all wait a bit! But here’s another chapter of my story, which I hope you’ll all enjoy!  Also, I recently started to play Bloodborne, and good God, it’s such a great game! Challenging, but so much fun! Anyways, without further ado, read on everyone!

 

Chapter Eleven: Standing For All

 

(Start Song Here)

                  Tremaine had a wide smirk on her face, and she seemed satisfied at the shocked faces that Zaria and the others bore as they saw her!  She walked towards them, her hands behind her back as she casually strolled towards them as if they were nothing more than passerby strangers!  She stopped just a few feet away from them, and she looked at them, and saw how tense they were! She could even see sweat trickle down Zaria’s forehead, and that made her smirk all the more!

 

                “Well, it looks like all of you found yourselves this far in…I didn’t expect you to sniff down on my business to this extent, but well, it looks like I…misjudged you!” Tremaine commented.

 

                “I always had a bad feeling about you, old hag! I knew you were trouble the moment I laid eyes on you!” Zaria remarked, her sword at the ready! She was met with a very sinister grin on Tremaine’s part, who seemed to be doing nothing more than enjoying herself!

 

                “All of those people…you deceived them! You are nothing more than a lying wretch!” Laren exclaimed, infuriated!

 

                “Heh, you should’ve seen how heroic and noble you were being in front of all those fools.  You definitely brought their hopes up, that you did! Heh, I don’t think I had ever seen their faces pucker up with hope that much! It was surprising, really! The fact that your words managed to calm them all down whilst mine always rile them up is something fascinating! But, well, those fools will have to remain with their promise unfulfilled, because I won’t let you interfere with the work being done here!” she proceeded to explain, as if her words were ironclad facts!

 

                “And what makes you think that we won’t stop you?” Grim asked.

 

                “Well, it’s simple, really. Revolutionary work is being done here, and it’s the type of work that takes many years of research and hard fought for results! And I think that now, Lucilda and I are on the verge of a breakthrough! You see, she’s helping me…” Tremaine answered.

 

                “You mean that woman who manipulates shadows!” Tatsumaki said.

 

                “Indeed! She has helped me in my research, and has helped me gather round the necessary bodies to round out my experiments! And dare I say, it’s all been going brilliantly according to plan!” Tremaine replied, quite pleased with herself!

 

                “What hellish kind of experiments are you conducting here, you old hag?” Zaria asked with hostility in her voice.  Tremaine then proceeded to walk towards one of the tubes containing a sleeping body!  She tapped on the glass of the tube, and the sleeping body twitched slightly, his veins sharply pulsing all over his body!

 

                “Well, you see, ever since the world fell to the Calamity and reformed itself, there has been no shortage of phenomena occurring, and out of all those phenomena, the one that I have found the most fascinating is the one concerning the populace gaining the powers with which to balance the world and its resources! The powers of the Scorched, Lifespring, Forgers and Skytracers! They are all intriguing powers that were bestowed upon the people by the Maker, or as some call, the Divine One! No one knows who this Divine One was, but this person, or deity, or whatever you decide to classify the subject in question, bestowed upon the Earth the power to forge this world into a better one. One where it could survive the harshness the Calamity left behind! Ever since the surge of these phenomenal beings, I’ve been intrigued by how their powers function, and that’s when I had decided, all those years ago, that I wanted to research just what exactly in the human genome caused this phenomenon to occur!” Tremaine explained as she tapped on the glass again, making the sleeping body move slightly to the right.

 

                “So you’re conducting experiments on all these innocent people, just to see if they gain the powers the Maker gave us?” Grim asked.  “To think you would use people like test subjects…it sickens me!” he said, appalled by Tremaine’s apparent joy at this whole situation!

 

                “But why shouldn’t I experiment on them? You know, for all the things that happened after the Calamity, it’s strange that not all the populace gained these powers! A good many of the population remained normal humans, and therefore possess no type of power whatsoever! Is it such a sin that I want to gift them with your extraordinary powers? Are you so upset of others having the power you so covet?” she asked with a devilish smile forming on her lips!

 

                “You don’t even understand how this all works! We have these powers, but they aren’t as simple as you think they are! They are complex things, and they come with consequences! For these powers, there is a cost!” Laren said, his eyes fixed upon Tremaine, anger broiling up inside him!

 

                “Ah yes, like the Scorched! They’re the most obvious example.  Yes, they have the power to use fire and lighten up the world, but at the cost of their own bodies! They’re bodies can’t bear the scorching flames that lie within them, and eventually, their bodies give out like old, burnt out, ashen logs. It’s quite pitiful! And without the Scorched, there is no light, and the Lifespring cannot retain the flora and fauna of the world.  Yes, right now, the effect may not seem immediate, but with time, the Lifespring’s power will fade. The only ones I’ve yet to find a weakness to are the Forgers and the Stormtracers…” Tremaine spoke, as she stroked her chin thoughtfully. She definitely had the mind of a scholar, but she was also quite demented, and she seemed to not care that everyone was glaring at her with quite the intensity!

 

                “What do you mean the Lifespring will fade?” Zaria asked.

 

                “Oh, you seriously don’t know of the situation befalling the world, child? Are you seriously that blind?” Tremaine burst out, laughing!

 

                “Enough!” Laren said, as he launched his lance towards Tremaine, but she only caught it with her hand, and then she held it, swinging it and then tapping the blade on the ground!

 

                “What a pretty trinket you have here!” she said.

 

                “Impossible!” Laren exclaimed! Tremaine smirked, and then, with a sudden burst of strength that no one saw coming, she shattered the test tube that she had been previously tapping on, and it broke, letting out a cerulean colored liquid that spread throughout the floor!  The sleeping body fell to the ground, wires and tubes yanking off of him as he fell face first to the floor!  The others kept themselves on guard, for what was coming was definitely not good! Tremaine than put Laren’s lance just beside the unconscious body, and she proceeded to walk away!

(End Song Here)

 

                “Well then, I’ll leave you to it! I’m sure my boy here will provide you with quite the fun time!” she said, as she laughed joyfully while walking away!

 

                “Why, you little…” Zaria said, as she started to run towards Tremaine…

 

(Start Song Here)

                “Look out!” Grim shouted, and he quickly summoned forth two long vines from cracks in the floor that barred Zaria, and when she noticed what had happened, she saw that the previously unconscious body had almost impaled her with Laren’s lance!  The man had fiery red eyes and a stone cold expression on his face, almost as if he were a machine!  He stood up a bit groggily, and he readied himself for battle, holding Laren’s lance with both hands!  He had short red hair, his bangs covering his eyes, and his body was scarred and bruised and naked!

 

                “This won’t be an easy fight…” Tatsumaki thought to herself, and just then and there, Tremaine’s experiment leapt up and landed at the center of where they were, and he struck Laren’s lance to the ground, causing a shockwave that knocked everyone down!  Eluzia tried pouncing on him, but the man simply swung his arm with great force, causing Eluzia to fly towards one end of the chamber, crashing into the wall! 

 

                “Eluzia, no!” Grim exclaimed, and then he turned his attention towards their foe!  “Why, you!!!” he shouted, shooting forth thorns from his palms like a machine gun!  The thorns definitely hit the mark, but the disturbing thing here was that the foe’s body was absorbing the thorns, and they seemed to have no effect on him whatsoever!

 

                “What in the world…?” he asked, as the man shot forth a stream of fire from his hand!  Grim was almost burnt to a crisp, but Tatsumaki blew away the fire with gusts of wind!  Everyone stood together, and Eluzia came back, limping slightly, but still able to put up a fight!

 

                “Guys, fighting this person’s going to be tougher than I thought!  In addition to battling him, we have to make sure we don’t break any other of the test tubes, or otherwise, we risk killing the people inside of said tubes!” Tatsumaki explained.  The others looked at each other with unrest. They knew what they had to do, but fighting in such a closed space with what seemed to be a capable foe definitely seemed like quite the difficult thing to do!

 

                “Then let’s get to it, before Lucilda decides to come for us!” Laren said, as he summoned forth large spikes from his arm braces, running towards their foe and then proceeding to slash him across the chest!  The spikes of his arm braces caused considerable gashes to form, but then they quickly regenerated, as if nothing had happened!  Laren looked in shock and then leapt back!

 

                “What is this!? He can’t be invincible!” Laren said.  Zaria then attempted to slash at the foe with her sword, but the foe blocked and dodged her attack, and then, when he had a chance to retaliate, he delivered forth a powerful flurry of attacks that left a powerful red aura behind them! They were aimed at everyone, and they were all just barely managing to dodge!  And then, in a sudden moment, the empowered foe let out a powerful red aura all over his body!  He then dashed towards Zaria and slammed her face to the floor repeatedly, and then, he went towards Eluzia and ripped the wolf in half, sending chunks of wood flying!

 

                “Damn it, no!!!!” Grim shouted, as he recklessly charged at the enemy with a sharp, poison thorn blade!  He stabbed it inside the man’s chest, but he simply grabbed Grim and flung him towards the ceiling, making him crash and then land on the floor with a sickening thud! He then punched the ground, causing pillars of stone to rise!  One of the pillars caught Tatsumaki by surprise, and she was pinned between two of them, unable to get out!

 

                “He has powers of all the clans…? But that’s impossible!” Tatsumaki thought, alarmed as she was trying to break free from the spot she was in!  The unstoppable foe was just about to strike her, when Laren came at blinding speed, tackling him with great force!  The two of them tumbled along the floor, and then Laren quickly regained himself, then pouncing on top of the enemy, delivering punch after punch after punch!  But with each punch that Laren delivered, the enemy remained unflinching and resilient to pain!

 

                “Just what the hell are you!?” Laren exclaimed, as he looked at the enemy with anxiety!  He then received a brutal punch in the gut that sent him flying all the way up to the ceiling, where the cages of the hostages were!  Laren’s eyes had gone wide, his irises having turned into small dots in response to the numbing and brutal blow!  He coughed up blood, and then he fell down! The fearsome foe caught him in midair and then slammed him with greater force to the floor, rendering Laren helpless!  Everyone was now down and out, and this mysterious experiment of Tremaine’s loomed over them all in victory!

(End Song Here)

 

---

 

                Elsewhere, Ilia was worriedly looking through some documents that had arrived recently to her office.  She was sorting through the papers, relating to commerce, welfare, political disputes, and the state of the world. She eyed them through, and she made sure to keep them close so that she wouldn’t fall behind on her responsibilities.  All the while, she had been desperately trying to find a way to bring Vincent back to his senses so that he wouldn’t have to go through all this! But his mind was made up, and he was already long gone, from what she had been told, so she had no other option than to keep trying to retain peace in Eternia Glade.  The people were getting anxious, and rumors were starting to spread around that were proving difficult to hide!  It came up to the point that she felt completely stressed, and she needed a breather!  Her first thought was to go to her garden, but then she quickly discarded that idea.  No, instead, she wanted to go outside!  And so, she stood up and left her quarters, and she went outside of her abode and into the forest which her people inhabited.

 

                It was a beautiful place, Eternia Garden. Everything harmoniously connected with nature, and the way the structures were built were in a way that complemented nature, and as such, there was no obstruction or pollution. A perfectly natural and calm place to reflect and to appreciate life.  She strolled along a path that led to a small park, where many white lilies were in bloom!  She knelt down to touch them, and they emitted a radiant glow just from her touch!  The small pond they were resting upon gently rippled as the lilies moved slightly.  She then looked up and saw cherry blossom trees, beautifully in bloom!  Many petals were falling along with the wind, some of them landing on the pond, while others journeyed forth in many directions! A few people that were passing by waved her hello, and she waved back!  At the far side of her grounds, she saw two Everbloom Knights posted at the gate leading to her household.  They stood firm and they were doing their duty.  She sighed and looked at the lilies and pondered about everything that was happening.

 

                “It seems that there’s no turning back to the way things were…” she thought to herself, and then she closed her eyes, letting her thoughts drift into a distant memory of the past.

 

                And in that memory, she saw herself as a child, no older than ten!  She remembered it like it was yesterday!  She was playing just outside of the grounds of her home!  Her parents always encouraged her to explore and to be one with nature, and that’s something she always found herself doing! That’s probably one of the reasons that the people loved her so much! She was always an open person to everyone, and she was always very brave!  As she had been running along, she noticed a small patch that led away from her home that was covered in darkness! She wondered why this was!  She walked in to investigate, and she saw that all plant life was dead in this area! It was a small area of the forest that was withering away!  She was alarmed by this, and she then looked at her tiny hands, and with determination inside her, she went towards the nearest dead bud and placed both hands forward, in an attempt to bring life to it!  For as long as she tried, all she could manage was a small circle of energy in her hands, but she wasn’t able to do anything with it!  She got discouraged as she saw that her hardest wasn’t enough!  Just then, she heard a noise coming from behind!

 

(Start Song Here)

                “Who’s there!?” she asked, alarmed!  Only that she noticed that the way she had entered had been blocked by giant dark vines!  Her eyes opened wide, and she realized that she was in trouble! “S-stay away from me, I’m warning you!” she shouted, trying to see if she could spook whatever was prowling around!  She heard a few branches snap, and when she darted her head to the left, she saw a monstrous creature of shadow, with black feathers and piercing red eyes glaring at her! It gave out a menacing caw, and Ilia panicked, and she shielded herself for the inevitable!  Only that, as seconds passed, she still felt herself alive!  When she lowered her arms slowly, she noticed that the creature was being driven back by a little boy with a fiery look in his eyes!  He had fire in his fists, and he was wailing at the creature vigorously!

 

                “Get away from here, you bad bird!” the boy shouted, as he lunged forward, managing to light the creature’s wings aflame! It cawed in pain as the flames consumed it, but still, it tried to do away with the little boy!

 

                “Watch out, it’ll kill you!” Ilia gasped, and she placed both hands to the ground, causing roots to rise from underground that wrapped around the creature, keeping it pinned in place!  The little boy noticed this and glanced at her momentarily, and then, he dove in for the finishing blow, as he set the creature ablaze, causing it to fade into nothingness! As the creature died, the dark vines blocking the way disappeared! The little boy panted, obviously tired by the battle, and he fell on his back, breathing in and out!

(End Song Here)

 

                “Are you okay!?” Ilia asked as she ran to his side and knelt by him! “T-thank you for saving me!” she said as she looked away. She was shy at her young age.  The little boy looked at her and let himself a chuckle.

 

                “Heh, I think that if anything, I should be the one thanking you! If you hadn’t pinned down that annoying bird brain, I probably would’ve been bird chow! So anyways, I think thanks are even for the two of us!” he said as he sat up! Ilia looked at him curiously and blushed slightly.

 

(Start Song Here)

                “Um, who are you?” she asked.  “I’m Ilia…Ilia Thornwood!” she introduced herself. The boy shrugged off some dirt from his shoulders and then he cleared his throat.

 

                “Nice to meet you Ilia, my name is Vincent Ryuuji! So, you’re a Lifespring, aren’t you?” he asked. She nodded.

 

                “Yes, and you must be a Scorched, correct?” she asked. He nodded, and then he rubbed his head and looked kind of down!

 

                “Huh, what’s wrong?” she asked. “Why do you look sad all of a sudden?”

 

                “Well…the reason this part of the forest is like this is because I burnt it out while fighting that creature…I’m really sorry about that! You see, my parents came here to visit the city, and I kinda snuck off when they weren’t looking.  I came to explore, and I stumbled upon that giant dark bird…and well, the rest is history…” he confessed, blushing in embarrassment.

 

                “Wow…so you did all this? Your power sure is destructive…” Ilia said as she took in the sight around her.

 

                “B-but I can also use it to restore things! My parents told me about it one time!” he said.

 

                “Oh, you mean by combining your powers with mine?” Ilia asked. “My parents told me about it too, but I had never tried it before!” she explained.

 

                “Well…we could give it a shot! That way, we can restore this part of the forest to the way it was! Consider it my way of making it up to you for causing this mess!” Vincent said. Ilia thought about it for a moment, and then she smiled.

 

                “Alright, let’s do it!” she agreed.  The two of them then walked towards the center of the burnt out part of the forest, and they sat down across from each other.

 

                “So, are you ready?” Vincent asked.

 

                “Mhm.” Ilia nodded in reply, and then, the two of them placed both arms forward. At first, nothing happened. But then, as a few seconds passed by, a small sphere of light started to form in between them!  They both opened their eyes in awe, as they felt the warm radiance the light brought forth!  Concentrating their energy, the light grew ever more, and it slowly began to expand, passing through them and reaching towards the lifeless part of the forest!  As the beautiful light passed by, the grass began to grow green again, and the trees that were withered away and burnt to ash were now being restored! It was truly something of great magnificence!  They were mesmerized by what they had done, when they heard footsteps! When they turned to see who it was, they saw that it was their parents, with worried expressions on their faces!

 

                “Children, what happened to you!? We felt an ill presence near our home, and the guards alerted us!” Ilia’s father said.  He was about to keep speaking, until he, his wife, and Vincent’s parents saw the beautiful light that had radiated as a result of Vincent and Ilia’s joint power!

 

                “What happened here?” Vincent’s mother asked.  Vincent and Ilia glanced at each other and smiled.

(End Song Here)

 

                Ilia then snapped herself back to reality, pulling herself out of that fond memory, and she gave out a deep and saddened sigh.

 

                “Things won’t ever be the same…not like back then…” she thought to herself, when suddenly, she heard footsteps!  She glanced over her shoulder and saw that it was the Oracle.

 

                “What news do you bring?” she asked.

 

                “Something that won’t make you feel any better.” was his reply.  Ilia winced slightly at the comment, but she composed herself, and then she went to the Oracle. Her thoughts of Vincent were heavy in her mind…

---

 

(Start Song Here)

                Back at the battle, Zaria and the others were helpless! Despite their best efforts to battle against the experiment Tremaine had unleashed upon them, they were battered and bruised to the point that they could barely stand!  Tremaine then allowed herself to come into view again, and she stood by the foe that had taken them all down!  She was pleased with his work!

 

                “Ah, now that’s the way to defeat those who oppose us! You are doing quite fine, Subject 13! Quite fine indeed!  Now then, I have something special planned for them…make sure you get them ready for their…special accommodations…” she said with a devilish smirk crossing her lips!  Laren overheard this, and in a last ditch effort, he attempted to kill Tremaine with his bare hands, but Subject 13 got in the way and grabbed him by the throat and then slammed him hard on the floor, knocking him unconscious!

 

                “N-no…” Zaria struggled, trying to get to her feet!

 

                “Oh, enough of this resistance! You should all sleep…” Tremaine said, as she sprayed a type of mist over Zaria and the others, causing them to get knocked out cold!

 

                When Zaria opened her eyes, she noticed that her vision was momentarily blurred!  All she could visualize was a cerulean blue fog that seemed to be smothering her!  Then, she suddenly felt as if every breath she was taking was a struggle!  As her vision cleared up, she began to realize the predicament she was in!  When her vision was completely restored, she saw that she was in chains, with tubes attached to her!  She also noticed that she was naked, and her face was being held by a sort of mask that allowed her to breath in what seemed to be…liquid? She then looked left and right, and noticed that she was in one of the experimental tubes from the lab!  She panicked, and then she saw that Tatsumaki, Grim and Laren were also bound and in tubes!  She then saw Tremaine come into view, and saw as she sat down on her desk and worked on what seemed to be a computer, with multiple screens dotting the walls, serving as statistical boards and heart monitors, among other things! 

 

                “Heh, don’t look at me like that, child.  You are merely a cog in a much bigger machine!  You and your friends are here to serve a purpose, and my job is to ensure that your purpose is fulfilled!” Tremaine said as she was typing into the computer, tracing one of her fingers over the screen, as if to not lose track of whatever it was that she was seeing!  Zaria clenched her fists, and she was about to say something!  Only that the mask was preventing her from speaking!

 

                “Ah, yes, of course, you probably have something to say to me!  Well then, let’s hear it!” Tremaine said, pressing a button on the computer that allowed Zaria’s mask to enable speech!

 

                “Whatever it is you think you’re doing, you are going to fail, and me and my friends will break free and liberate the hostages you have here! You’re going to lose this day!” Zaria said with defiance!

 

                “Ah, is that so?  Well, you are quite brave to think that you can stop me.  But you see, I’m going to use you as subjects, use all the knowledge I’ve gathered from previous experiments and expose you to numerous factors that will help me crack the code of your genetics! Of course, I know that you are just a normal human, unlike your friends, but still, there’s something about you that piques my interest, and I’ll see to it that all of you reach your fullest potential, like Subject 13!” she explained, glancing over at her proud creation!  Zaria looked over to the cold man, and she felt she had to say something!

 

                “You, I know that you aren’t just some mindless puppet, I know that you’re a person! There has to be something inside you, anything, that has to see this cruelty! You have to put a stop to this!” Zaria pleaded. Subject 13 remained silent, and then Zaria looked to the others, and noticed that they were still unconscious.  She was getting desperate, and she was starting to get the feeling that there was no way out of this one!

 

                “Damn it…damn it!!!” Zaria shouted, infuriated! Tremaine laughed and then muted Zaria again.

               

                “Well then, I’ve had enough of your words!  Time to get down to business…” she said.  Just as she was about to press another button, she felt something sting slightly!

 

                “Huh?  What was…?” she asked, as she looked down to her chest, and noticed that a whole hand has pierced through!  Her eyes opened wide, and her hands began to shake!  “W-what? What is this!?” she glanced back, and then she saw the bandaged man, with silver eyes, gazing into her eyes with killing intent!  Zaria didn’t even see him come in, and she saw that he was definitely torn up, but still standing! His clothes were all ripped and showed signs of tear, and his body was bleeding! But he had that air of composure about him that was…unnatural.

 

                “Y-you bastard…do you even know what you’re…” silence.  Tremaine never finished her sentence, for the mysterious man proceeded to stab her multiple times in the throat with his knife, stabbing to the point that she cleaved her head from her body, as it fell to the floor, a horrified expression plastered, her final expression as she died!  Blood splattered everywhere, and the bandaged man turned around to a surprised Subject 13, who hadn’t been able to react in the slightest!  The bandaged man took out a few small knives from his pocket, and he flung them towards the tubes Zaria and the others were in, making them crack, causing the liquid and tubes to let loose! They had been freed!  Zaria slipped and slid on the floor till he reached the feet of the bandaged man! He looked down at her and said nothing, and she looked at him with grateful eyes.

 

                “Thank you.” she said.  He then pulled something from his back.  It was her sword!  He placed it on the ground near her, and she picked it up.

 

                “Right.  Let’s take this thing down!” she said, but then the bandaged man stopped her and shook his head.

 

                “We aren’t going to fight? But we won’t be able to es—wait a moment.” she said, and then she looked up, and she saw the hostages, who were now freed, as they started flinging knives against Subject 13, catching him by surprise and wearing him down to the point that he fell to the ground and kept receiving knife after knife after knife, his body bleeding out!

 

                “They’re helping us!” Zaria said with relief!  The bandaged man then broke all the other tubes that contained the other hostages, and many of the ones from above came down to carry the unconscious bodies! Then, one of them pressed a button on the far side of the room, causing the platform to rise until it reached the cages again!  As soon as everyone was gathered up, they quickly left, and they had ensured to take Tatsumaki, Grim and Laren with them!  Zaria then noticed her clothes folded in a corner of the platform, and she quickly put them on, while Subject 13 was attempting to stand up from the volley of knives that was plastered to his back!

 

                “I’m guessing we’re leaving now!” Zaria shouted. The bandaged man nodded, and then she ran quickly outside, while he remained behind for a moment, apparently etching something into the ground! Zaria couldn’t tell what it was, so she kept running, but then stopped in order to wait for the man. She then noticed all the dead bodies of the people that had been standing in their way when they had entered the cavern! That, and the immortal cultists were nowhere to be seen!  After a few seconds, he came running, and the two of them ran, and just as they reached the exit, the cavern caved in to a massive explosion, and they were pushed outside by the sheer force of the flames!  They fell back, and they turned to see the cavern collapse within itself!  Everyone else was behind them, witnessing this happen! Zaria couldn’t believe what had just happened!  After the cavern collapsed, she turned to see everyone else, as they were now free!  Soon enough, Laren, Tatsumaki and Grim came into consciousness again, and they were given back the clothing they had on previously! They clothed themselves and Zaria went towards them, her face bearing immense relief!

(End Song Here)

 

                “Guys, all of you are okay! I’m so relieved!” she said as she closed her eyes and put both of her hands to her chest, thanking heaven for the sudden turn of events!  Then, one of the hostages went towards the group and bowed her head down in gratitude!

 

                “Thank you…thank you all so much! Thanks to you, we are all free! We thought we would never see the light of day again! We thought we would die down there in that hellhole, but you came and saved us! We owe you our lives!” the woman said, tears in her eyes!

 

                “We’re just glad that you are all safe, but we weren’t the ones who liberated you. We almost died trying to.” Tatsumaki said.

 

                “That’s right, we were bound and placed in those tubes, so we didn’t have a hand in anything.” Grim replied.

 

                “It was that man…the one with the bandaged face! He saved us at the last minute!” Zaria said, as she turned to thank the man, only to find that he was….gone!

 

                “Huh…? Where did he go?” Zaria asked.

 

                “Did anyone see a bandage faced man leave?” Laren asked.  Everyone else shook their heads, and this was a total mystery! This mysterious man had been with them just moments prior, only to disappear? It was a very strange occurrence indeed!

 

                “In either case, we thank you so much for saving our lives!” another of the freed hostages said. They all cheered for Zaria and the group, and they simply stood there, without any words to say!

 

                “Well then, the tricky part will be getting all of you home.  On the way here, we came upon a giant beast in the fog, so I don’t even know how we’ll manage going through there again!” Tatsumaki reminded the others, as this became a problem. With that beast in the way, it would prove quite difficult to ensure that everyone would return to Morrowgale unscathed!

 

                “I think that’s something we won’t have to worry about anymore.” Grim pointed out, as he pointed towards the far right side of the steep hill, and right where the moss was, the giant body of the beast was laying there, bled out and dead!

 

                “What…?  How did this happen?” Laren asked, confused by it all!

 

                “Could it have been him?” Zaria thought to herself, thinking about the bandaged man again.

 

                “Well, let’s call this a blessing and get all of you home before any more beasts decide to come prowling around here!” Grim said, as he then placed both of his hands on the ground, causing a slight tremor to occur! Afterwards, giant roots sprung from the earth, and they twisted and spiraled into each other until they formed a sturdy path for everyone to walk on, so they would be able to climb up the hill and get out of there as soon as possible!  Eventually, everyone crossed, and then they traveled through the fog once more!  Zaria and company made sure to split themselves up evenly so they could be able to watch over all the people that were with them! They wanted to make sure that no casualties would be suffered!

 

(Start Song Here)

                Eventually, they made their way out of the fog, and within a few more minutes, they made their way to Morrowgale!  As they arrived, a man, who had been apparently watching out for them, quickly ran inside town, and his voice could be heard loud and clear! “They’ve come back! They’ve done it!!!” the voice of the man rung out clearly!  Within moments, joyous cheer could be heard from the town, and then, a stampede of people made their way towards the town entrance, and as Zaria and the others finally came to the entrance, the once captive hostages were now freed people, and they ran to their families in joyful and tearful reunion!  They held each other close, embraced each other and blessed Zaria and company over and over again for bringing their loved ones back to them! Zaria and the others smiled, and she noticed that Laren in particular was smiling!  And it was a powerful smile!  She even saw a tear roll down his cheek!  She knew how much this mission meant to him, and seeing the people return to their families gave him tremendous peace, from what she could tell.

 

                “Thank you!  Thank you for bringing back our families!” one of the townspeople said.  “Please, how can we ever repay you?”

 

                “There is nothing you need to give us.  We just want to rest for the night and then be on our way.” Laren said.

 

                “Nonsense! After everything you did for us, the least we can do is hold a grand feast for you all! What say you, everyone!?” the man said to the other townspeople. They all roared back with approval, and then the man clasped his hands together!

 

                “Well then, it’s settled! Before you go to rest, you will be given a feast in honor of everything you’ve done for us!” the man said with utmost gratitude!

 

                “N-no, really, it’s not—“ Laren protested, but Tatsumaki elbowed him and smiled.

 

                “Aw, hey, it’s a feast, you can’t say no to that! Besides, after that hell we went through, I’m dying for a good meal!” Tatsumaki said.  Laren thought upon her words, and then he eventually nodded.

 

                “Alright then, a feast it will be.” he replied.

 

                “Excellent! We’ll begin preparations at once!” the man said, as he went along with other townspeople to prepare the feast, while everyone else went to their homes or took their loved ones to the hospital to check and see if they had sustained any fatal injuries!

 

                “Well, I’m going to the inn and shower. I can’t go to a feast smelling like I do now…” Laren said, as he left. 

 

                “I’ll second that one! See you guys soon!” Tatsumaki said, as she followed Laren and left.  Zaria looked at how alive the town had become.  This one act, this one action of bringing the townspeople their loved ones back, managed to bring them back to life! Seeing that they could be able to influence change this way brought her a sense of satisfaction!  She wished the bandaged man wouldn’t have left, for she wanted to sincerely thank him for everything!  If it hadn’t been for him, they would all be dead right now!  She then looked at Grim, who looked to be tired!

 

                “Grim…are you okay?” she asked, as she put her hand on his shoulder.  “Listen…I’m sorry about Eluzia.” she said, remembering how Subject 13 had ripped him apart!  Grim quickly chuckled and shook his head.

 

                “Oh, don’t worry about him.  He didn’t die.  Sure, he was ripped in half, but he just withered away.  As long as there’s wood, roots, he’ll never really die.  I’d summon him again now, but I’m going to let him rest. He did much for us, after all.” he said, as he sat down.

 

                “Oh, well that’s a relief then!” Zaria said, as she sat down beside him.  The two of them looked at the townspeople, as they rejoiced over reuniting with their almost lost loved ones!

 

                “You know…in that moment when they embraced each other, I could feel unity.  The type of unity that’s lacking right now in the rest of the world.  With the way things are, moments like these reassure me that there’s still light in this world. It’s a reassuring feeling.” Grim said, as he smiled and rubbed his head.

 

                “Yeah…I know what you mean.” Zaria said, as she looked up to the sky, and noticed that the sun was shining with great splendor! She smiled at the light, and the warmth she felt from it. It gave her reassurance!

(End Song Here)

---

 

                Meanwhile, at the destroyed cavern, everything was decimated! The entire cavern had collapsed into itself, and the lab where Tremaine had been conducting her experiments was utterly destroyed!  The cultists had been crushed under the rubble, and everything was silent…until a shadow seeped out from one of the boulders.  It was Lucilda, and her glaring eyes glanced left and right, and she saw the state everything was in right now.

 

                “Tsk…this isn’t good. Progress on the experiments has gone to a complete halt…and the old wretch is dead…but even so, I got to see what these people are capable of.  But that bandaged man will be a problem…a very big problem…I must report this to the Master…” she thought to herself, as she disappeared into the darkness, abandoning the destroyed cavern!

-------------------------------------------------------------

 

Morrowgale’s people rejoice, for they have been reunited with their families! Now, our heroes will get a feast and some much deserved rest before they continue on their way! A long journey still awaits them!  But how are Vincent and the others doing?  Have they progressed on their journey? Be prepared for Chapter Twelve: “Checkpoint!”

 

Alright, that was the chapter everyone! I hope that you all enjoyed it! As you can see, this chapter that marked the third chapter in which events took place regarding Morrowgale, concluded the mini arc revolving the people of said town!  My plan in this story is to obviously tell it coherently, and provide small, three part arcs throughout, kind of like in cartoons and anime series, where there are arcs focusing on specific things! For now, the first arc, Morrowgale, is finished! The arc of the main story is Afterworld in and of itself, so what you’ve been seeing from the beginning until the end of this story will be the overall arc of the narrative! I hope I made sense!   Anyways, thank you all very much for reading, and let me know what you thought about this chapter! Until next time, stay tuned for the next one!

[KHLegendIII 709]

This was an interesting chapter to read, so Illia and Vincent had a history together.

[Sarrin 100]

Gotta love a thinkening plot and some backstoty

[Keyblade101 526]

Great couple of chapters. Can't wait for more backstory. :smile:  Who is the bandage-faced man????

[The Transcendent Key 12,109]

To KHLegendIII, thanks, I'm glad you liked it! And yes, Vincent and Ilia have their fair share of history together, but more on that as the story progresses!

 

To Sarrin, indeed! I love to detail my stories and provide good insight into characters and situations and the like!

 

To Keyblade101, thanks, I'm glad you've liked them! Trust me, there's more backstory to come! And as for who that mysterious man is, well, hehe, stay tuned and you'll find out!

 

Good evening everyone, I hope that all of you are doing okay! So then, it’s been a while since we’ve seen how Vincent and his company are faring, eh? That’ll be rectified right now, as we take a look at what they’re doing! How will they be faring in their journey? Read on to find out!

 

Chapter Twelve: Checkpoint

 

                A few days have passed, and Vincent and his company have come quite a ways. They braved the vast expanse that used to hold water that divided the continents, and they passed through many abandoned cities and towns. They made sure to avoid conflict as much as possible, for they needed all of their strength to keep on traveling until they would reach the Northern Continent!  Now, they were currently on a rocky mountain that slowly steeped up.  They had been climbing the mountain for a while now, and when they came upon a flat expanse, they decided they’d take a rest.  And so, they set themselves down along with their provisions, and they ate themselves a quick meal! Seth, along with four others, scouted the area nearby, to make sure that there weren’t any hostile creatures roaming about.  The others were eating and resting up their legs, while Vincent stood almost near the edge of the expanse, with his arms crossed, looking towards the horizon. He was looking at a mountain that bore the shape of a crescent moon, as if it was engraved into the rock!  Anything other than that was shrouded by mist, which gave the mountain a sort of mystic allure. He was so focused on said mountain, that he didn’t notice Audrey elbow his stomach!  He winced slightly but then smiled when he saw that it was her.

 

                “Hey you, you’ve got your head in the clouds. You doing okay?” she asked.

 

                “Yes, I’m fine.  Just looking at that mountain, is all. I’d never seen anything like it…” he replied.

 

                “I remember hearing about it from a traveler that came into the bar one day. Said something about that mountain being holy ground, a place where the earthly and divine connected, so that wayward souls wouldn’t lose their way. The man who told the story sounded sure of what he was saying, and he hadn’t begun to drink yet, so I think he was onto something.” she explained, as she sat on the edge of the expanse, swinging her legs back and forth whimsically.

 

                “Is that so?  Well, I wouldn’t say it’s farfetched, considering the things we can do, and how the world is nowadays.” Vincent said, as he sat down beside her, deciding he was tired of standing.  They both sat together in silence.  Vincent appreciated these little moments. He remembered that back at the bar, there’d be moments like this too, where they would just sit together and do nothing at all, talk about nothing at all. The fact that they had each other’s company was enough.

 

(Start Song Here)

                “So, how do you think things will turn out once we reach the Northern Continent and obtain the power of the Maker?” Audrey asked, deciding to break the silence.  Vincent glanced at her and then looked to the mountain again, pondering the question, and how he should answer it.

 

                “I really don’t know, honestly.  I mean, I know what I have in mind. Our people will be free from this damn curse, and we can be able to live as normal people. But what happens after that, I’m sure we’ll figure it out, little by little.  I know…that the world requires us to be its light…but there has to be another way.  If the Maker gave us these powers, we can just as easily find a way to ensure that light can be manifested in another way that doesn’t involve us burning our bodies to ash, you know what I’m saying?” he said, as he looked at his hands.  “Every time I look at my hands, I think back on all of the lives we’ve lost.  All the loved ones we’ve had to say goodbye to.  Having to tell our younger kin that they won’t be able to live full lives…it’s daunting to think about. I want to believe that by obtaining the Maker’s power, we can undo this cruel fate. I know that it’s a hard and long journey, but we’ve come a long way, and I want to see this through to the end, no matter what!” he said, determination resonating in his voice!  Audrey smiled as he spoke, and then she laid on the ground, looking up at the misty sky.

 

                “And that’s why you’ve always been admired by everyone back home.  In addition to caring for all of us, you aren’t afraid of doing what’s right, even if it’s at the cost of anything or anyone.  You look out for us, and you show us that you want to change things. We’ve always looked up to you. I’m grateful that you’ve been in our lives, Vincent.” she said.  Vincent merely chuckled, and he gave out an amused sigh.

 

                “Well, I can’t take all the credit. I have some pretty amazing men and women at my service. All of you have been willing to put up with me, because I know I’m not easy, and I can have a flaring temper, I know, but I’m grateful you’ve all been patient with me. Heh, you are all truly something else!” he said with a smile.  He looked at Audrey, and the two of them remained holding each other’s gaze for a few seconds, before one of the soldiers came.

(End Song Here)

 

                “Excuse me Vincent, but there’s someone here who wants to see you!” the soldier announced.  Vincent raised an eyebrow.

 

                “Who would come this far just to see me, let alone know where I am?” he asked.  The soldier shrugged and simply pointed to the direction he had come from.

 

                “Well sir, all the man said is that you would know who he was when I came to you.” the soldier responded.  At that, it hit Vincent.

 

                “Kalciru.” he thought, and then nodded at the soldier.  “Right.  Tell him to come here.” he said.

 

                “At once!” the soldier replied, as he went to look for Kalciru.

 

                “Who are we expecting?” Audrey asked as she stood up.

 

                “Someone I talked to these past couple of days…I think he’s someone we can trust.”  Vincent responded, but his face seemed to indicate something else. Audrey was sure his face was contradicting what he just said, but she wasn’t going to question him about it, and she instead remained silent.  A few seconds later, Kalciru came and bowed his head, and he seemed quite amused!

 

                “We meet again, Vincent! I haven’t seen you in a few days! I trust your journey is going well?” he asked.

 

                “Yes, we’ve been doing well for ourselves.  We haven’t lost anyone else, and we’ve avoided conflict as best as we can.  We’re currently resting here before we continue on our way.” Vincent explained with a stern face.  Kalciru put his hands behind his back, and he paced back and forth, listening to Vincent’s words.

 

                “Hmm, I see.  Well, rest is good, after all, so I commend you for thinking about your friends and letting them rest. It’s a trait of a good leader!  Anyways, I was traveling up this rocky pass, and when I saw that your company was stationed here, I decided to stop by and say hello!” he explained.

 

                “Hmph, highly doubtful that he just so happened to pass us by…” Vincent thought.  “Well, hello to you too. So where are you heading off to?” he asked.

 

                “Well, I’m going to see if I can be able to make my way towards the Shadow Shrine before the day is done. You could come with me if you so wish!” Kalciru suggested.

 

                “Well, you can move on ahead. We won’t be moving out of here for a few more hours. We’ll probably meet each other again, anyhow.” Vincent expressed.

 

                “Ah, that is true!  Well then, might I suggest that before you depart, you head towards that mountain over there?” Kalciru asked, pointing towards the crescent mountain behind them!

 

                “That mountain? But it’d take at least two hours to get to that mountain. Why would we go there?” Audrey asked, curious as to what Kalciru’s answer would be.

 

                “Well, it’s simple!  There’s a hidden power in Crescent Rock that might help aid you in your journey! I don’t remember all the details, but I know that it’s a power of holy origin, mixed in with a bit of earthly power as well. That mountain is holy ground, after all.” Kalciru answered.

 

                “Huh, so the story that guy in the tavern told me was true.” Audrey thought to herself.

 

                “Look, I appreciate what you’re doing here, but we aren’t going to take any detours.  We’re simply going to the Northern Continent and nothing more.” Vincent replied flatly.  Kalciru shrugged and gave off a smile.

 

                “Very well then. Well, I must be on my way, so I will be seeing you all some other time! Farewell!” Kalciru said as he bowed, and then took his leave.  Vincent trailed the man off until he disappeared from sight, and he couldn’t help but feel irritated! He didn’t know why he felt this way about this man, only that he just felt that something was off!

 

                “Hey, you okay?” Audrey asked, as she put her hand on his shoulder.  Vincent snapped out of himself and nodded.

 

                “Oh, don’t worry, I’m fine.  Anyways, let’s eat something before we set out.” he replied, as he sat down and looked through his bag and then took out a small container that held some piece of pork and rice.

 

                “Alright then.” Audrey said, as she too sat down, and she looked through her bag until she found a container with some potato salad and chicken. They sat together and ate in silence.

 

                A few hours passed, and Seth came back along with the others who had gone with him, and they reported that they hadn’t seen any hostile creatures in the surrounding environment, and that luckily, they’d have a safe journey through this uncharted land!  Vincent heard what he wanted to hear, and then, he signaled everyone else to prepare themselves to continue the journey ahead. As they left the campsite, they made their way through a small trench.  It was a very closed space, so everyone had to go in a straight line, because they couldn’t be able to pass otherwise!  They cautiously made their way through, until they saw came through to the other side of the mountain!

 

                “Well, let’s be off. Every second we waste is ill spent. Let’s keep pushing forward!” Vincent urged. The others nodded in agreement, and so they kept walking.

 

                As they descended the mountain, they found that the path leading downward stretched out and widened, so now there was more space as they went downhill. While going down, they noticed what seemed to be giant statues, or at least, what was left of them, scattered about! They looked like they could’ve been the size of skyscrapers! The statues seemed to represent people of importance, but who those people might’ve been didn’t matter, for it was all ancient history, which was better left forgotten. Vincent and the others proceeded to continue downward, and the more they descended, the more of these fallen statues they found around and about.  It didn’t feel right.  It almost felt…eerie.

 

                “Sir, I sense something strange about this…” one of the soldiers, a woman, said.

 

                “Duly noted…something seems off…” Vincent replied, as he signaled everyone to stop as he himself stepped forward a few steps away from everyone else.  He breathed in the air and closed his eyes, and then, he silenced everything else around him. He focused his hearing in the silence, to see if anything at all was off.  But even the silence bore no answer, and this was something that troubled him deeply.

 

                “Everyone…we need to walk with heavy caution here…I sense that we might be under watch…” Vincent said in a low voice to the others.  They all heard his command, and then, they all huddled in together, keeping each other close in the form of a circle, each person in the group looking at all sides, ensuring that they wouldn’t be blindsided!

 

                “What do you think it is?” Seth asked.

 

                “A creature? A person? Something else entirely?” Audrey asked.

 

                “I’m not sure…and I don’t think I’d like to find out…” Vincent answered, as they walked a bit faster, trying their best to get out of this eerie place in one piece!

 

                Eventually, they descended the mountain entirely, and now, a giant bridge stood before them!  This bridge looked like it was well built, and well supported, with steel beams rooted deeply into the ground.  No doubt this was before the Calamity, for the architecture did look like something from the world back then.  The bridge stretched out for a good distance, and littered across said bridge were ancient motor vehicles that were covered in vines, moss and rust!  They all made their way to the bridge, and Vincent took a look at one of these abandoned motor vehicles. It was barely recognizable as a vehicle at all. It was practically a huge scrap pile of rust!

 

                “Careful everyone. This rusty metal can lead to a nasty infection, so steer clear of these rust buckets, you hear?” Vincent called to his friends. They all nodded at the command, and they made sure not to tamper with the vehicles. 

 

                They kept walking a ways until suddenly, they felt the bridge start to rumble!  The giant metal bindings that kept the bridge secured were resonating with the rumbling, creating an echo that reverberated throughout the empty landscape!  When Seth decided to look to his left and down the bridge, he saw…the ocean! Or at least, a black mass is what he saw!

 

                “Wait…this is the ocean…but look at how its tainted…poisoned…devoid of light…it’s disturbing…” Seth remarked, a shiver going down his spine.

 

(Start Song Here)

                “Sir, I think I see—“ one of the soldiers was about to say, but she was quickly grabbed by the throat by a tentacle, and then said tentacle sprouted out spikes, one of them impaling the soldier through the skull, killing her instantly! When everyone realized what had just happened, it was too late! The dead body was violently flung into the air and then ripped apart by other tentacles, as they flung down into the dark sea below!

 

                “No!!! Damn it! Damn it all!  Everyone, defensive formation, we’ve got a beast on our hands!” Vincent shouted, as everyone got into defensive positions, their weapons at the ready and their flames ready for a fight!

 

                “Vincent, we’re treading on dangerous ground here, that thing is from that dark sea! Who knows what kind of hell it can bring!?” Seth exclaimed!  Before anyone else could say anything, eight tentacles sprung out from the sea rapidly, and they darted towards eight unsuspecting soldiers, dragging them across the ground! They screamed for their lives, and their friends tried to help them, but casting fire upon the tentacles only made the creature angrier, as its spikes came out longer, tearing through the bodies of the soldiers it had dragged along!  Vincent and the others were looking on in horror, as their numbers were reduced to just nine now!  They saw how the bodies of their friends were being ripped apart, limb from limb, and they couldn’t do anything to stop it!  The other soldiers desperately kept firing off flame spheres at the tentacles, but Audrey raised her hands, tears rolling down her eyes!

 

                “Please, just stop! That only makes it angrier!” she cried out!  The others stopped, and their faces were grim with despair! They had lost so many friends, all at once!

 

                “We have to get out of this bridge, or else we’re all going to die!” Seth shouted, as he and the others began to retreat!  Vincent, on the other hand, had his fists clenched! He was biting his lower lip, and his eyes were beginning to flare with an unholy light! Audrey saw him, and her eyes opened wide!

 

                “Oh hell no…no, no, no, not now!” she exclaimed, as she ran towards him! “Vincent, don’t, you have to—“

 

                “Go. Now.” he enunciated, glancing back at her, his eyes completely covered in orange flame! Audrey looked at him and bit her lip, and she looked down, but then heeded his command, and she fled with the others!  Seth noticed that Vincent wasn’t coming, and he looked at Audrey with a worried expression on his face!

 

                “Audrey…Vincent…is he…?” he asked.  She simply remained silent.

 

                “Let’s go.” was all she said, as she and the others left.

 

                The tentacles that were everywhere on the bridge were now elongating, as the creature was peeking its head from out of the water!  It had a horribly disfigured face, with gleaming red eyes and numerous mouths that were seeping off a gaseous poison! Vincent was infuriated! He felt his heart boiling inside him!  The creature let out a terrifying roar, and it summoned forth more of its tentacles, as they now were coming in, with all spikes out, darting towards Vincent!

 

                “I’VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS!!!” he shouted defiantly, as a blinding light suddenly emanated from his body, causing a powerful explosion that consumed the tentacles and everything in its vicinity! When the light died down, the motor vehicles had all but turned to ash, many parts of the bridge were broken, and the structure shook a bit from the damage sustained!  The tentacles all writhed and winced in pain, as the flames seared them! The creature roared in pain, and Vincent was now completely covered in flame! His entire body now bore itself as an orange flame, the only part of himself visible being his eyes, as the rest of his body was pure flames incarnate!  He outstretched his hand, and when he closed it into a fist, the flames already searing the tentacles erupted, forming tons upon tons of explosions that bombarded the tentacles, making them explode and showering the bridge in blood!  Some blood was about to land on Vincent, but his flamed body evaporated the liquid before it could even touch him!  The creature then gave out another roar, and this time, it bore itself upon the bridge, and its body looked like a mix between a spider and an octopus, horribly disfigured and horrendously huge!  The creature revealed its arachnid legs, and whiles its tentacles were now out of commission, there was still a whole lot of hell left to go through!

 

                Vincent then propelled himself from the ground, and then he landed on the creature’s face, immediately getting to work on punching at its mouths and eyes, burning them to a crisp, causing the creature to roar in pain! It shook its head violently, trying to shake Vincent off, but he would not move! He burnt off an entire chunk of the creature’s face, turning it into ash!

 

                As Vincent and the creature were battling, Seth, Audrey and the others had already put a bit of distance, but they could still see the battle ensuing!

 

                “I can’t believe he’s doing that…he himself warned us not to use our flames to that extent…he’s not thinking straight!” Seth said worriedly.  “Will he be able to contain himself?”

 

                “I…I don’t know.” Audrey answered hesitantly.  “Let’s just go…he made it clear he wants to go at this alone.” she said, though she didn’t sound so sure of herself. But Seth understood her feelings, so they pressed on without any more time to waste! But just as they were heading further away, Seth decided to glance back one more time, and that’s when he saw…

 

                “No!!!” Seth shouted, and everyone else looked behind in alarm!  What they could see was the creature flinging Vincent’s enflamed body to the sea below!  “We have to go help him!” he shouted, but Audrey held him back, her face grim with despair…

 

                “We can’t do anything now…that creature will only kill us if we try anything…so we have to keep journeying on…” she said.  Seth’s eyes widened, and he clenched his fists, anger swelling up inside him!

 

                “Are you kidding me!? He risked his life for us by staying behind with that monstrosity! And now that he’s probably in dire danger, we’re going to leave him behind!?” he exclaimed!

 

                “It’s not up to us!” Audrey shouted, her eyes flaring up, which silenced Seth, and the other soldiers looked at her silently.  “It’s not up to us…this was Vincent’s decision…we have to press onward, or else he’ll have died for nothing…let’s just go.” she said, defeated, and then she pressed on, and the others followed.  Seth looked towards the bridge and saw the creature returning to the sea. He clenched his fists and looked away, and followed the others…

(End Song Here)

 

                Vincent felt like his head had been brutally beat upon!  He felt his body floating slowly downwards, sinking towards the depths of darkness. He opened his eyes, and everything was a blur! Due to the shock of the creature’s attack, he hadn’t known what had happened, but he deduced that the creature had flung him into the sea. In his blurred vision, all he saw was pitch black, which means his flames had been extinguished! He was in the water, after all!  He tried to hold his breath as best as he could, but he found that air was leaving his body faster than he could think! He then felt like his body was weighing a ton!  He realized that this was it.  After all the struggle he had endured with his friends…this is what it came to.

 

                “This can’t be…how it ends…” he thought to himself, even his thoughts now blurring out, as he slowly closed his eyes.

 

                Upon opening his eyes again, he noticed that a sharp light had welcomed him! He was blinded by the light, and it took a while for his eyesight to adjust!  Once it did, though, he noticed that he was on land!  Was he dreaming, though? Was this some sort of dream after his death? Was this some sort of illusion? He slowly sat up, and he felt dizzy. He then saw water laying before him just a few feet away! From what he could tell, he had washed up here! He looked around, and then he clasped his hands together and rubbed them, and shortly after, flaming sparks formed, and he was able to warm up his body!  Feeling a bit better, he stood up, but coughed out a bit of water he had swallowed!  He saw that where he was, it was a small, sandy beach!  Beyond that lay a jungle, and in there, who knows what else awaited?

 

                “How did I end up here?” he asked himself.

 

(Start Song Here)

                “Well, it’s curious that you should ask!” a voice rang behind him, which caused  Vincent to jump up in alarm!  He darted back and formed roaring flames in his hands, but realized that it was Kalciru!

 

                “Huh? What are you doing here?” he asked, unsure of why he was here!

 

                “Oh? Is that any way to treat someone who saved your life?” Kalciru asked, feigning hurt feelings!  Vincent then withdrew his flames, and he looked at the water, and then looked at Kalciru.

 

                “You mean that you saved me from drowning…?” Vincent asked.

 

                “Indeed! I had already gone ahead of you all, and I had managed to sneak past that nasty beast, and I had proceeded to head further along my journey! But I heard some commotion, and when I went to investigate, I saw that you had been cast into the dark sea! I followed you into the water, and dragged you out unconscious! And may I say, you are quite heavier than you look! You weight as much as a Craftsman! But yes, you were averted a watery grave!” Kalciru explained, with a tone that seemed more like he was recounting an exciting tale rather than just talking normally.  Vincent could feel that the man wasn’t lying, and he then bowed his head in gratitude!

 

                “I thank you deeply for saving me.  I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t dragged me out of the water…thank you.” he expressed, bowing in gratitude!  Kalciru waved his hand dismissively and simply patted Vincent’s back!

 

                “Oh, no need to over gratify, friend! I just did the right thing, is all!  Anyways, before anything else, yes, your friends are safe! They were coming back for you, but that lady urged them to keep pushing onward so that they wouldn’t meet what would have been your same fate.” Kalciru said as he knelt and looked at a lovely sea shell!

 

                “Thank you, Audrey…you kept everyone safe.” Vincent thought.  He looked at Kalciru, and then he looked up, and he noticed that he just so happened to be under the foot of the crescent mountain!

 

                “Wait…I’m all the way here?” Vincent asked aloud. “You brought me here, didn’t you…?” he asked.

 

                “Well, it was a spur of the moment thing, but yes, I brought you here to Crescent Rock. Now that you’re alive and about again, I think that you may want to go see if you can obtain the power this mountain holds! After all, you will all have to cross that bridge, for beyond it continues your journey towards the Northern Continent! And with that giant beastie in the way, I do say it’ll be hard for you to manage getting across!” Kalciru explained, as he walked around the beach, looking at the palm trees as they swayed with the wind.

 

                “…And you say that what’s in this mountain will make me stronger?” Vincent asked, just to make sure.  Kalciru turned around playfully and pointed at Vincent’s face!

 

                “Indeed so, my friend! After all, Crescent Rock is holy ground, so with holy power, you could be able to make obstacles ahead of you disappear! Since you’re already here, it’s just as well that you should head towards the mountain and see if you can get yourself that power!” he mused, putting his hands behind his back and looking at the mountain.

 

                “Well…I am already here…I guess I’ve got no other choice then.  Besides, we need to cross that bridge!” Vincent decided!

 

                “Ah, splendid! Obviously, I’ll accompany you!” Kalciru said.  “Let’s be off, then!” he declared, and they began walking out of the beach and into the jungle!

 

                As they walked into the jungle, Vincent noticed that the weather got quite humid, and soon enough, mosquitoes and ticks started to fly around incessantly, and this caused Vincent to get quite irritated! While he didn’t mind the heat, he sure wished that these pests would leave him alone. He considered burning them to a crisp, but that would mean he’d accidentally set fire to the jungle, and he didn’t want to cause any unnecessary trouble!  He glanced over his shoulder and noticed Kalciru, walking behind him absentmindedly, looking around at nature. He seemed to be amused by the mosquitoes, ticks and everything in between!

 

                “You know, I can never figure you out. You strike me as odd…no offense.” Vincent spoke, being honest.  Kalciru broke into laughter and waved his hand in an amused gesture!

 

                “Ha, none taken, friend! I’m aware that my bright personality can often confuse people. But I don’t let it get to me.  After all, being someone who travels around the world, I adapt myself to everything and everyone, but I make it a point not to change my personality. Where would be the fun in not being myself, am I right?” Kalciru expressed, waving his hand in grand gestures!

 

                “I guess so. Gotta give you credit, you always seem to never stop smiling.” Vincent pointed out.

 

                “Well, in grim times, it’s best to keep a smile. At least, that’s what my father used to say to me!” Kalciru replied.  Vincent then looked forward, continuing to focus on the path again, going through thick leaves and bushes and a bit of mud here and there!

 

                “So, has anyone else tried to get this power from this mountain?” Vincent asked out of curiosity.

 

                “Oh yes, numerous people.  They’ve all braved the dangers and have tried to lay claim to the holy power this mountain bestows, but I haven’t heard of anyone who’s lived to obtain said power! Otherwise, I wouldn’t have brought you here!” Kalciru said, as he took a banana he saw hanging from a palm tree and peeled it before eating it!

 

                “And what makes you think that I’ll fare any differently?” Vincent asked as he walked along.

 

                “Well, I see that you’ve got an undeniable air about you! The need to prove yourself to the world, and well, after the whole situation in which you’ve told me you are in, well, you need the power to be able to make your wishes a reality! So think of it as a gift I’m bestowing upon you!” was Kalciru’s answer, as he talked while eating, therefore his voice sounding muffled!

 

                “Well, whatever this power is, if it’s going to help me free my people, then by all means, I’ll get it…” Vincent replied sternly.  At that, Kalciru clapped his hands in approval!

 

                “That’s it! That’s the spirit! With determination like that, I’m sure the mountain’s power will be yours! I can just feel it!” he said with quite the entertained expression!

 

                They kept walking along, until they came upon a long stairway that went downwards! It seemed as though it was leading to an underground passage!  As they descended the stairway, torches began to light up the darkness that was coming into view! In just moments, they were now heading down the dark stairway, as it slightly bent to the right, continuing to lead downwards! Vincent glanced back and noticed the light of the outside fading out from view! He also felt a powerful force emanating from deep inside this place. No doubt that it was the power Kalciru had been speaking about! He was now definitely curious as to what this power was!  Soon, they made their way  completely down the stairway, and they came upon what seemed to be a small waiting area!

 

                “Well, this seems like a very quiet place…” Vincent remarked, turning to face Kalciru, only to find that he was gone!  “Huh? Kalciru?” he asked, but heard no answer coming.  He thought this odd, but then again, Kalciru was an odd one, so Vincent could never be sure just what the man was capable of!

 

                “I swear, if he’s playing some kind of trick on me to delay me from getting to my friends…he’s got another thing coming…” he thought to himself.  Just as he heard his own thoughts, a pillar of flame formed at the center of the waiting area, and it spouted out golden colored flames that caressed each other in waves! It was a strange type of flame! Vincent reached to touch it, and felt that it wasn’t hot or cold! It had no temperature whatsoever! He found this very odd! He then saw two statues light up thanks to the flames, and they slowly moved themselves out of the way, revealing a giant door that slowly creaked open!  What lay beyond the door was another stairway! Only this time, this one went upward!  Vincent felt that he had to go through!

 

                “Well, I’m here…I might as well get this over with…” he thought, as he went through the door.

(End Song Here)

----------------------------------------------

 

Now that Vincent has entered Crescent Rock, will he be able to obtain the sacred power the mountain holds? What awaits him in this mysterious mountain? And where did Kalciru go? Stay tuned for Chapter Thirteen: “Trials Of The Mountain!”

 

Well then, that was the chapter, everyone! I hope that you all enjoyed it! So then, do you all think Vincent will obtain the power Crescent Rock holds? Or will he fail? Let me know what you think! And thank you very much for your continued support, you don’t know how much it means to me! It’s what allows me to keep on writing!  Anyways, thank you very much for reading, and let me know what you thought about tonight’s chapter! Well then, until next time, stay tuned for the next one!

[Sarrin 100]

Defining moments carry a certain weight, love it

[The Transcendent Key 12,109]

To Sarrin, indeed, moments like these entice the reader, ya know? I like providing moments like this.

 

Good evening everyone, I hope that all of you are doing okay! So then, last week, Vincent had entered Crescent Rock, in order to obtain the mysterious sacred power that this mountain holds! Will he succeed? Or will he find himself failing?  Read on if you want to find out! I bet the results will be interesting, no matter the outcome! Read on, everyone!

 

Chapter Thirteen: Trials Of The Mountain

 

(Start Song Here)

                As Vincent ascended the stairway cautiously, he looked to his left and then to his right.  He noticed that there was nothing on either side by solid rock walls!  That and the stairway before him was all that was in his path as of now.  But he didn’t let this get his guard down.  He knew that if this place was holy as Kalciru had claimed, then it would certainly be well protected.  Noticing that it got a slight bit dark, Vincent ignited his hands in flames, providing light around him!  He darted his eyes left and right, anxiously expecting some sort of trap to spring up from who knows where!  But no trap came, which made him all the more anxious!  When he glanced back, he noticed that he had come up quite a ways!  When he turned around and continued ascending the stairs, he saw, a few stairs above him, someone completely concealed in black!  Seeing this stranger, Vincent quickly readied himself for battle, but the cloaked person raised their hand in a halting motion, to which Vincent slightly winced at, expecting an attack to come from the person!

 

                “I am not the one whom you will fight here…” the person said, seeming to have a distorted voice that was difficult to make out, so it was hard to tell if this person was male or female…or if it was even a person at all!

 

                “So there is someone I have to fight, is there?” Vincent asked, keeping his fists aflame, ready to strike!

 

                “I am here to be your guide through this mountain…it has been quite some time since a soul wandered here to obtain the power of Crescent Rock.  You are either foolish, brave, or a combination of both…” the cloaked person mused.  “But in any case, I am here to provide you with what you must do. I am the Trial Master.” the person introduced, bowing slightly.

 

                “Trial Master? Interesting…” Vincent thought, now snuffing out the flames in his hands.

 

                “I will set before you a series of trials, and by doing these, I shall examine if you are worthy to obtain this mountain’s power!  It will be no easy task, but if you desire this power, it is what you must do…” the Trial Master clarified.  “Do you accept these terms?”

 

                “Well, I’m here, aren’t I? Let’s get this over with!” Vincent answered, accepting the challenge! The Trial Master bowed and then proceeded to disappear into the shadows, and then, the room became pitch black!  Vincent was caught off guard, and then, he felt the floor below him give way, as he felt the stairway whittling out of existence!  He then felt a strong gust of wind blast him from under him, and he felt like his body was flying around all over the place!  He couldn’t think straight, and he didn’t know what the heck was going on!

 

                “What the hell is this!?” he thought, trying to gather his thoughts!  On instinct, he decided to unleash a flare of flames from inside his body outwards, and when he did so, he stopped spinning, and he fell down to the floor with a thud!  He winced a bit from the pain, but quickly got back on his feet!  He then lit his hands in flames again, and then he saw that the stairway had disappeared!

 

                “What in blazes…?” he asked himself, but then, he heard a low rumbling noise, and then he felt the ground shake!  As he looked side to side, he noticed that the solid rock walls started to shift, and slowly but surely enough, they were starting to close in on him!

 

                “Huh, so this was a trap after all…okay then, I’ll play your game, Trial Master…” Vincent thought to himself, as he then unleashed two powerful streams of flame from his hands, attempting to melt the rock walls that were threatening to crush him!  But as much as he exhausted flames out of his hands, the rock walls showed no signs of melting down!  They only kept moving in, slowly closing up the seemingly inescapable chamber!  Vincent then stopped firing off streams of flame, and then he looked up, and noticed that only the ceiling awaited, and there was nothing there that would help with his current situation.  He then looked at where the stairway had been, and he didn’t see anything there that would help either!  He only saw a wall facing him!

 

                “Hmm…maybe I could try…” he thought to himself, as he enclosed his fist in flame, and then attempted to punch through the wall in front of him, seeing if he could make his own exit!  But, like the walls closing in on him, the one laying before him didn’t seem to have any dent!

 

                “Damn…this is getting annoying…” he thought to himself.  He then proceeded to try different things! He tried to kick through the wall with a flame kick, and then he created a flame hammer, attempting to break the rock walls closing in on him, but that didn’t work either!  He even let out a massive wave of flames that covered the entire chamber, but even that didn’t yield any results! He scaled up the wall and launched a giant fireball down to the ground, seeing if he could form a crater, but to no avail!  He then landed on the floor and gritted his teeth in frustration!

 

                “Damn it, why isn’t anything working!?” he thought to himself!  He paced back and forth, thinking if there was something else that he could do!  He thought of transforming his body completely in flames, but he knew that would drain too much of his energy, and if he was going to face more than one trial, he’d need his full strength! So he sat down and closed his eyes, crossing his arms, and then he proceeded to think.

 

                “What the hell will I do now…?” he thought.

(End Song Here)

 

(Start Song Here)

                After closing his eyes, he found himself reminiscing about a time long past! He was in Eternia Glade, visiting Ilia, as he had often done in his childhood! He enjoyed playing with her very much, and they always talked about a good many things! Their parents encouraged their friendship, so them seeing each other wasn’t much of a problem! On one of these visits to see Ilia, Vincent had decided to take a shortcut through the forest, and he had been cheerfully walking along, minding his own business, without a care in the world!

 

                Except that being so carefree cost him, for what he didn’t realize is that before him lay a hidden trap that was covered by leaves! A trap surely left for someone or something else, but regardless, a trap that he was about to fall into!  He stopped for a moment and looked at the trees as they were swaying in the wind, the numerous trees providing a refreshing and relaxing whooshing sound!

 

                “Wow…Ilia’s homeland sure is a peaceful place!” he said to himself, as he breathed in the air! “Ah, such refreshing air! These Lifespring guys have it good!” he said aloud!  He then nodded to himself and clapped his hands.  “Right, enough sightseeing! I gotta get to Ilia!” he thought.  And so, just as he started walking, he unwillingly stepped into the unseen trap, and he fell down a deep pit!

 

                “Yaaahhh!!!” he shouted in surprise, as he landed down the pit with a loud thud!  “Owwww…that hurt!” he exclaimed, as he got himself up and rubbed his head and back.  “What in the world is this?” he asked aloud, and then he realized that he was very well down from the surface!  There was no way that he could reach the top of the trap he had just stumbled upon!  He then looked at the floor and noticed it was all muddy!  He frowned and crossed his arms!

 

                “Well this is just great! Here I am, just perfectly minding my own business, and this stupid trap has to be in the way!  Damn it, this is a serious inconvenience!” he thought to himself. “How will I get up?” he asked, as he stroked his chin in thought.

 

                He proceeded to try numerous things, like scaling up the pit, but that didn’t end  well, for he just slipped and fell on his back!  He then tried to climb up by grabbing onto some slim ledges and rocks jutting out of the walls of the pit, but that proved to be ineffective as well, as he ended up falling more often than not!  He panted and wiped his forehead, which was now drenched in sweat!  He kicked the ground in frustration, and found even that to be a trial, as the mud was making his feet get all sloppy! He clenched his fists and then punched vigorously at the pit’s walls, out of anger and out of desperation!  After he tuckered himself out, he found that there was still no way he could get himself out!  His eyes started to get watery, and he sat on the muddy ground, scared and alone, as the hours passed…

 

                “T-this can’t be…I wanted to see Ilia…and now I’m in this stupid hole…I’m not gonna die here, right?” he thought to himself.  He sniffled as he gave in to his predicament, and all he could do was cry softly.  Until suddenly, he heard a familiar voice!

 

                “Oh dear, Vincent, is that you!?” the voice asked, Vincent knowing that it was Ilia’s!

 

                “Ilia, is that you?” he asked, standing up and wiping away his tears, looking upward! When he saw Ilia, with a worried expression on her face and her hands covering her mouth, he felt relieved!  She had found him!  She looked very worried, and she was starting to cry!

 

                “Vincent, you’re so far down! How did you even end up down there!?” she asked.

 

                “Well…I wasn’t watching where I was going…and I fell down this trap…” Vincent mumbled, embarrassed and not wanting to look directly up at Ilia’s eyes.

 

                “How long have you been in there!?” Ilia asked.

 

                “A few hours…” was Vincent’s reply.

 

                “I’m going to get you out of there in a jiffy!” Iliai declared, and she then closed her eyes and extended her hands, and soon enough, vines started to crawl downward toward Vincent, to serve as rope for him to climb out of the pit!  Vincent was immensely relieved for this, but he found that the vines were slowing down a bit, until they reached a full stop!

 

                “Hey Ilia, what’s wrong with the vines? They stopped!” Vincent shouted out to her. She gasped when she noticed this, and then she blushed and seemed embarrassed!

 

                “I-it looks like that’s as far as my vines can go…I’m so sorry! I’m still mastering control of the vines, so right now, that’s as far as they can go!” she explained, but she did try to extend their reach, but she was only getting tired!

 

                “It’s still pretty high up…” Vincent thought to himself.  He clenched his fists and looked down to the ground.  He saw how hard Ilia was trying to help him, while he was there, being helpless and letting himself down!  He could feel the flames manifesting on his fists, and the flames caressed the ground below him, sparking on and off!  Ilia, while attempting to make the vines reach further down, noticed Vincent’s flames, and noticed they were almost sounding propulsive like!  That’s when it hit her!

 

                “Vincent, I have an idea! Your flames! Use them to get out!” she shouted!’

               

                “I already tried that, and it didn’t work! What makes you think it’ll work now?” Vincent asked, frustrated!

 

                “Use them to propel yourself to reach my vines, so that way, I can pull you up!” Ilia explained. “You can do it, I believe in you!” she encouraged, offering a wonderful smile that Vincent just couldn’t stop looking at!  He then felt a surge of confidence and bravery come over him, and then he nodded to himself and clenched his fists tight!

 

                “Alright…I-I’ll try!” Vincent said.  He then closed his eyes, and planted his feet on the muddy ground!  He focused his energy, and he could feel the flames spurring up from inside him! It went to the point that the flames violently enveloped his hands, and then, on instinct, he pointed his fists down, causing a small explosion that caused him to propel himself upward!  He flung himself upwards and managed to reach one of Ilia’s vines! As soon as he did, Ilia quickly got to work on pulling him out, and within seconds, Vincent was finally out of the pit! Ilia lay on the ground, tuckered out by all the energy that she had spent trying to rescue him!  He knelt beside her and felt guilty for having to put her through so much.

 

                “I’m so sorry, Ilia…you’re weak now because of me…I’m sorry.” he said to himself, tears forming in his eyes!  Ilia simply smiled and sat up.

 

                “Oh, there’s no need to cry! You’re my friend after all, and I couldn’t just let you stay down there!  It was the right thing to do!” she said.  “A-and besides…I really like you, so it’s not like I could leave you abandoned even if I wanted to!” she stuttered as she blushed, then quickly pouted, trying to hide her blushing face!  Vincent’s face blushed as well, and the two of them looked away from each other.  He was grateful for Ilia’s help, and he truly was happy she had come to his rescue!  He then stood up and offered his hand to her!

 

                “Well, now that we’re out of that mess, let’s go to your house and play!” he smiled encouragingly, prompting Ilia to do the same! She grabbed his hand, and they both headed towards her house, talking to each other all the way there!

(End Song Here)

 

                Vincent then opened his eyes and allowed himself a smile, as he regained himself in the present.

 

                “Those were the days, huh…?” he thought to himself. Now, he knew what he had to do!

 

                He closed his eyes, and he let his body calm down, and his heart pulsed normally.  He breathed in the air, and then breathed out, letting his energy course through his whole body!  He then formed his hands into fists, and he started to channel his flames towards his fists, enveloping them, making them ablaze within seconds!  He then kept charging his energy, feeling the flames inside him billow like a fiery inferno!  When he felt the walls getting closer, almost like the pit from all those years ago, he opened his eyes, and he thrust his fists downward, causing a huge explosion to propel him upwards towards the ceiling! Flames engulfed his body as he smashed through the ceiling, making it out of that death chamber!  When he reached for a ledge and then proceeded to let himself up, he saw that he was in another part of the mountain now! Obviously, a level higher!  He snuffed out his flames, and he saw the walls close in on each other completely! Had he been there a minute longer, and he would’ve been squashed!

 

                “Well, there goes that.” he said to himself.  Suddenly, the chamber he was now in seemed to house a large gate, and there was not much else to look at, for the surrounding area seemed plain, with nothing too remarkable.  He looked left and right, and saw that there was nothing else but the gate.  He figured he would walk toward it, and that’s when the Trial Master being appeared before him!  Vincent crossed his arms, and he bore his stern expression.

 

                “Impressive.  You managed to make it out of that trap.  But, that was only a meager test, an easy one, to say the least.  But still, others who have come here have given in to despair and desperation, so to see you act so calmly and execute your actions that allowed you to escape this trap was an impressive feat.  Therefore, you have completed your first trial.” the Trial Master said, bowing to acknowledge Vincent’s success of his first trial!

 

                “Okay, that’s one down to go…I’m sure that your second trial has something to do with this gate, am I right?” Vincent asked, wanting to get to the point quickly.

 

                “Well, you are one who’s quick and eager to get on with business…I see you are determined to get through these trials.  Very well, this is your second trial.  Open the gate.” the Trial Master said.  Vincent raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

 

                “Just open it?” he asked.  The Trial Master only nodded.  Vincent knew that there had to be something more to this!  And so cautiously, he went towards the gate.  He looked at it, and noticed that it was a silver color, and it bore some strange markings, of the likes he’d never seen before!  When he placed his hands on the gate, he heard a loud, screeching shriek bellow into the chamber, which made his head hurt an insane amount!  He put his hands on his head and he fell to the ground, wincing in pain!

 

(Start Song Here)

                “Damn it!!!!” he thought. “I knew this wasn’t going to be easy…stupid gate!” he exclaimed to himself, as he saw the Trial Master disappear again!  As Vincent stood up, he saw a gigantic spider come down from high up on the ceiling!  It was grotesquely big, its eight long legs having considerable reach, and its body being the size of at least a truck!  And what didn’t help was that the spider spewed out a pouch from its rear end, which bore eggs that were hatching the spider’s children!  Soon enough, the entire chamber was filled to the brim with spiders!

 

                “Ugh…I really don’t like spiders…” Vincent thought, so he decided to make quick work of this and he unleashed a powerful fiery wave!  Normally, that would be that, but he saw that the spiders were unaffected by the flames!  They just kept crawling towards him!

 

                “Oh, seriously? Seriously!? These spiders are fireproof!?” he exclaimed! He immediately began to curse ever having listened to Kalciru. He shouldn’t have come here! And speaking of Kalciru, where had he gone off to, Vincent wondered.

 

                But he would have to cast his thoughts aside, for now, bigger problems lay before him! He dodged a potently fatal strike from the giant spider, as it lunged at him to get in for the kill! Vincent wasn’t about to let himself turn into spider chow, so he made sure to keep a close eye on the spider’s movements! He also had to keep watch for the smaller ones, for even though they were significantly smaller, they were faster than their mother!

 

                As many of the small ones tried to entangle Vincent in a thick web, he burned through said webs and then tried to incinerate the spiders again, but noticed that it kept doing nothing!  He then scaled the walls of the chamber and made sure not to end up being entangled in any webs!  The giant spider was scaling the wall as well, thrusting its two front legs vigorously, trying to take a stab at Vincent!  He dodged each thrust, and then he flung fireballs at the giant spider’s eyes, trying to see if he could at least blind it! But he noticed that it kept ineffective, so he decided to go for a new approach!

 

                “Oh, this is going to be pretty…” he thought to himself, as he looked up at the ceiling high above and noticed large rock stalagmites that looked to be sharper than any blade! If fire wasn’t going to affect these spiders, perhaps dangerously sharp rocks would!  He decided to give it a try, and so he put both his hands together and fired off a significantly large fireball, and he propelled it upwards, as it crashed at the ceiling, causing the chamber to rumble slightly! The spiders were not fazed by this, as their hunger made them ignore all else as they desperately tried to catch Vincent!

 

                “Well, this is a tight situation…” Vincent thought, as he then looked around and saw that the spiders increasingly drew ever closer, threatening to engulf and consume him!  “Oh, I’m not going to let myself get outdone by these pests!” he thought, and so, he scaled up the walls of the chamber, grabbing onto small indentations in the wall and rocks and ledges, until he found himself perched upon a small plot of rock that jutted out from the chamber wall! He saw all the spiders slowly crawling up towards him, and then, he looked up at the ceiling and noticed that the stalagmites were closer! He noticed one big one in particular, and he decided that would be the one he’d use to attack the spiders!

 

                “Well, let’s give this a shot, then!” he thought, as he then propelled himself upwards towards the giant stalagmite, and then he grabbed onto it!  He struggled to keep his grip on it for a bit, but that was quickly remedied, as he used the flames in his hands to burn handholds into the stalagmite so he could grab on tightly!  As he got a better grip, he hoisted himself on the stalagmite, while making sure to avoid being impaled by the sharp end he was carefully climbing over!  Then, once hoisted in a way that he was holding on to it, having formed footholds with his flames as well, he started to heat up the stalagmite, slowly making it glow a bright orange!  Sizzling noises could be heard, and smoke was coming out of the rock!  The spiders were shooting out webs in an attempt to yank Vincent down, but he had managed to make a protective barrier of flames that melted off the webs every time they tried to reach him!  He then continued to focus his flames on the stalagmite, making it get scorched to the point that it was crackling from the ceiling, just about to plummet down to the ground!

               

                “Well, here goes nothing!” Vincent thought, as he then shot a fireball at the top of the stalagmite, causing it to set loose from the ceiling, as it plummeted down with force and mighty flame! The spiders were simply drooling, thinking that their morsel was coming to them!  But what they didn’t realize was that he climbed on top of the stalagmite and then delivered an extra push that made the stalagmite fall down like a missile!  Upon impact, the sheer force of the heated rock caused the giant spider to be completely skewered!  Blood and slime started to fly off everywhere, as the giant mother spider wailed in pain and fell down to the ground with a sickening thud!  The stalagmite, having broken into many shards, spread throughout the other spiders, killing most of them instantly!  The other remaining spiders, upon seeing their kindred slain, opted to flee into the caves, thinking it better to leave Vincent alone!  And so, as they crawled into the darkness, Vincent landed on the ground, his breath heavy and his body slightly aching!

(End Song Here)

 

                “Huh…well that’s some workout I’ve gone through…one hell of a trial…” he thought to himself. He then walked towards the gate again, and this time, it slowly creaked open, revealing yet another set of stairs!  As the gates opened wide, Vincent could feel a cool air coming down from above. He then saw the Trial Master, looking at him from above!  The Trial Master urged him to come upward, and Vincent did so, taking the stairway and heading towards the mysterious being!  After ascending a few steps, he stopped when he was just a few feet apart from the Trial Master!

 

                “So, it seems that you have completed your second trial. You used your survival skills and raw fighting instinct to keep yourself on your toes, therefore ensuring that the spiders would never get you. You were perceptive, and you used the environment to your advantage…impressive.” the Trial Master reviewed.

 

                “Yeah, I beat your second trial. Now let’s get on to the next one!” Vincent said, ready for the challenge!

 

                “Yes, of course…” the Trial Master replied.  “But before that, I must say, you remind me of a certain someone…”

 

                “Yeah? How so?” Vincent asked, wanting to get this chat over with.

 

                “Like you, there was one person, long ago, quite some time, actually, whom also tried to obtain this mountain’s sacred power. This person was strong, like you, and defeated my trials…but there was something inside this person that did not convince me. Therefore, I did not grant this person the power of this mountain. I wonder if you will also fail and be deemed unworthy?” the Trial Master wondered.

 

                “Well, I’m not like this person you’re mentioning, and I’m definitely not like all the others who’ve come before me. I have driven determination and purpose in seeking this power, and since I’m already here, I won’t let another second go to waste! So on with your trial, stranger!” Vincent said, now irritated!  The Trial Master simply remained there, looking at Vincent for a while.

 

                “Very well.  Proceed upwards, and you will face your third and final trial…” was all the Trial Master said, disappearing into the shadows…

 

                “Right.  Let’s get this over with…” Vincent said to himself, and then, he ascended the stairway leading upwards, and as he kept going up, he saw that the light coming down from above was starting to blind him!

 

                “Huh…? What the hell is this?” he asked himself, as he found his vision being engulfed by the light, until it came to the point that he couldn’t see at all!

 

                Then, he was suddenly able to open his eyes, and when he did, he noticed that this time, everything around him was pitch black!  He wondered if this was just some kind of hidden mechanism that prevented him from seeing the chamber he was in, but he then got the feeling that this wasn’t the case!  Suddenly, a tiny orb of light flowed through the darkness, and Vincent’s eyes followed the trail that the light left.  He instinctively felt like he had to go get the light, and when he went towards it, he reached out his hand and grabbed it!  Once he did, the entire pitch darkness that was surrounding him was now instead replaced with pure white!

 

                “Huh? What kind of a trial is this?” he thought to himself.  Then, he felt as if someone was watching him from behind.  He slowly turned around, and when he took a glance, he was shocked by what he saw!

 

                “What kind of mind game is this!?” he exclaimed, as he saw that he was staring down at his own self!  Except that this version of himself seemed dark, twisted, and monstrous! This creeping doppelganger had his same appearance, only that his eyes were completely red, his mouth was twisted into a devilish smile, and his hands looked like claws! He looked like a demon, and he was emanating darkness from his body! He seemed very frighteningly like a Shadow Blight!

 

                “What the hell is this…?” Vincent thought, as he felt himself taking a step back. Then he heard a voice, but he couldn’t comprehend what it was saying, because it seemed to be in a language that he couldn’t comprehend!  He then deduced that this voice was coming from his twisted reflection!  Vincent glared at him, and he set his arms ablaze!

 

                “I don’t know what this is supposed to be, but I’m going to take you down!” Vincent said, as he prepared for battle, while the doppelganger creepily began to walk towards him!

--------------------------------------

 

What sort of devilry is this? Is this what Vincent’s final trial is comprised of? Facing some kind of demonic version of himself? Will he be able to triumph over this obstacle, or will he fail? Will the mountain’s power finally come to be that of Vincent’s? Find out in Chapter Fourteen: “The Demons We Face!”

 

Well everyone, that was the chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it! I realize it’s a bit shorter compared to my other chapters, but don’t worry, the next chapter is gonna be filled with quite the action packed battle! And well, I was already satisfied with the content of this chapter, which is also another reason why I didn’t prolong it! Sorry if I took a bit to post it, I’ve been very busy these days! But anyways, thank you for your support, and as always, please let me know what you thought about tonight’s chapter! And until next time, stay tuned for the next one!

[KHLegendIII 709]

This was quite an interesting chapter to read.

[The Transcendent Key 12,109]

To KHLegendIII, thanks man, glad you thought so!

 

Hello there everyone, and good evening! I hope that all of you have been doing okay! My deepest and sincerest apologies for such a long wait for this chapter! I’ve been so busy these past couple of days, and I haven’t been able to get to writing, so that’s why the chapter has taken so long! But fear not, for now, I will be posting it, so I hope you’ll all enjoy, and thanks for waiting!

 

Chapter Fourteen: The Demons We Face

 

                Vincent stared down his doppelganger, unsure of what to do next. The very sight of his twisted reflection had caught him off guard, but he knew that he couldn’t lose focus, for this was a trial he had to face! He couldn’t back down now, not after going through the trouble of ascending this mountain! And so, Vincent and his doppelganger both sidestepped from each other, both of them waiting for who was to make the first move! Vincent thought of lunging in first, but he assumed that his foe was ready, and even if he took to the defensive, he knew it wouldn’t be easy blocking his attacks! They both remained staring at each other for a bit, until Vincent decided he’d make the first move!

 

(Start Song Here)

                As he lunged in to deliver a flamed punch, the doppelganger dodged, leaving a shadowy trail behind that faded as he moved! It tried to counterattack by sending forth a shadowy wave, but Vincent was able to duck in time to avoid the blast!  He could feel the raw power of darkness emanating from that blast, and he knew that it wasn’t something he wanted to be hit with!

 

                “Right, let’s see what you’ve got!” Vincent challenged, as he launched forth multiple fire balls! He flung them with quick and active precision, firing them off one after the other! But the doppelganger dodged each one, and any one that was close to hitting it, it caught with its hand and simply absorbed it into its body, amplifying its powers! At that point, Vincent stopped, and then he opted for delivered a powerful low sweep kick to sweep his foe off its feet!

 

                He heard some incomprehensible words coming from the doppelganger, but he couldn’t make out what those words were! All Vincent was aware of in that split second was how the doppelganger had seemingly sunk into the ground and then risen back up right in front of him! Its red eyes were gazing into Vincent’s, and it grabbed him by the collar of his jacket, piercing its claws into Vincent’s skin! He winced in pain, feeling the cold sharpness of his foe’s claws digging into him!

 

                “Damn it, let go of me!” Vincent exclaimed, as he placed both of his hands on the doppelganger’s and then scorched them, making it let go of him!  Vincent then propelled himself backward to create some much needed distance, though he knew that wouldn’t do him good!

 

                “Just what the hell kind of trial is this!?” Vincent exclaimed out loud!  Just as he did so, he could feel his heart getting heavier, and a burning sensation overtaking him!  He gasped for breath and knelt on the vast whiteness, trying to breathe! He then saw the white give way to what seemed to be a charred ground! When he looked up, he saw that he was on a hill that had been scorched, and below, he saw trees and grass burning in the distance, along with a dark red sky!

 

                “What…?” he asked himself.  He didn’t know what to make of this, and then, he saw his doppelganger down below, walking among the flames, heading towards him with an eerie calm!

 

                “Well, this is something else!” a voice suddenly rang! Vincent knew this voice!

 

                “Kalciru! Where are you!?” Vincent quickly asked, looking around to see if there was any sign of him!

 

                “Well, it seems you’ve made it far into the mountain, it seems! Very impressive! I knew you had it in you!” Kalciru congratulated!

 

                “What the hell kind of insanity is this? Are you even here…?” Vincent asked, starting to think that he was hallucinating!

 

                “Yes, and no. It’s hard to explain, but in hindsight, let’s just say that I’m your guide in this trial. It seems you’re having a bit of trouble with it!” Kalciru deduced. Vincent scoffed.

 

                “Yeah, no shit there…what the hell is this, though?” Vincent asked, looking at the doppelganger that was inching ever closer!

               

                “Well, if I had to guess, I’d say that’s you whom you’re fighting against. Your darker half. The part of you that you keep to yourself, in other words.” Kalciru answered. At that, Vincent raised his eyebrow.

 

                “What do you mean…?” he asked, a bit uncertain!

 

                “Oh come now…you really don’t know?” Kalciru asked. Vincent remained silent, and then the doppelganger suddenly appeared in front of him, just like that, and then started to deliver a series of fatal attacks, swooping its claws and bearing its dark energy on Vincent, who was blocking and counterattacking as best as he could! Kalciru continued to speak as the two fought!

 

                “Well, it all boils down to one’s personal state of being. You see, everyone has a dark side. All of us have that instinctual primal side, one that takes joy in killing, one that revels in violence. There’s many people in life that never unlock that side of theirs, but there are some who are consumed by this feral urge of violence.” Kalciru went on to explain, and after a brief pause, continued. “You see, you want to free your people from the curse of being a Scorched, but, unconsciously, you want to kill the people who’ve wronged your kind. You want to make them feel the pain all Scorched have felt. You repress the fiery flames of destruction that dwell inside you, you keep it compressed, you channel it, but never unleash it to its fullest potential, all because you want to hold back from killing…”

 

                Vincent listened to Kalciru’s words and remained silent. He and the doppelganger exchanged brutal blows! Vincent’s face was bruised, while the doppelganger was bleeding through its nose and left eye! It was smirking all the while though, never letting that creeping expression from his face turn any different! Vincent then ducked and delivered flame uppercut with great force, sending his foe upward. Once upward, Vincent propelled himself like a rocket and then clasped both fists together, forming a fiery sphere with which he struck his foe, plummeting it down below! Vincent then propelled himself down below and unleashed a mighty inferno that blazed brightly like the morning sun!

 

                “You’re wrong…I’m not like that…I just want freedom for my people. I don’t want any lives taken!” Vincent replied, his eyes flaring with unwavering determination as he continued to fight!

 

                “Well, if that were the case, then that shadowy version of you wouldn’t be fighting you now! You see, that dark, twisted version of yourself is trying to take control of you! It’s your urge for violence, trying to overtake you and consume you…you’re putting up an admirable fight, but it’s only a matter of time before your feral other wins…” Kalciru mentioned.  Vincent’s eyes flared up, and then he unleashed a wave of flames that incinerated everything in his vicinity!

 

                “That’s not true!!!!” Vincent exclaimed! He breathed heavily and then realized that the scenery was fading away to something else. It was…Eternia Glade! Vincent looked around and noticed that his shadowy other was nowhere to be seen!

(End Song Here)

 

                “Damn it…I’m getting sick of this!” Vincent though, with fists clenched! He heard the bushes rustle, and he immediately turned around, ready to launch a fireball, when he saw…Ilia! But the sight Vincent witnessed was a horrifying one! Ilia’s face was completely burnt, her left eye seemingly gone, and her body charred and her clothes ripped and burnt! She was walking with a frail weakness, and the surrounding forest was being consumed by flames! Screams could be heard everywhere, and Ilia fell to her knees at the sight of Vincent. Her face bore a horrified expression!

 

(Start Song Here)

                “Ilia…” Vincent reached out, but then he thought different. “No, this is just an illusion…I can’t get carried away…” he thought.  He then looked up to the blood red sky, and he closed his eyes.

 

                “Kalciru, are you still there? …Kalciru? Kalciru!!!” he shouted, but no response. He looked down when he felt something tug at his jacket. When he looked down, he saw Ilia, tugging at his jacket, and she wept.  Vincent knew this was an illusion, but it felt so real that it hurt him!

 

                “Why would you do this, Vincent? After everything we’ve been through…you’re going to burn the world away…” she said, her voice harsh and hollow.

 

                “No…I’m not going to cause this destruction! That’s now what I’m after, you know that!” Vincent exclaimed, giving in to the illusion. He was trying to remind himself that this wasn’t real, but her voice, her face, everything was too real for him to ignore!

 

                “How could you, Vincent…how could you…?” Ilia asked, then screaming in pain as she touched her burnt out face! “It hurts! It hurts too much!”

 

                Vincent felt lightheaded, and his body felt numb for a moment. He didn’t want this! He couldn’t want this! This was all just a hallucination to mess with his head! He knew this wasn’t real! His eyes started to dart left and right in panic, as he saw the forest of Eternia Glade burning to ashes, its people burning along with it, their extended hands reaching towards Vincent!

 

                “No…Ilia, this isn’t me! It isn’t me!” Vincent said in desperation, as he fell to his knees, face to face with her, holding her shoulders!  There was a momentary silence where their eyes locked, and then, Ilia suddenly gave a choked gasp! Vincent reacted in shock, and when he looked down, he saw that bestial claws had run through her chest! She looked down at the clawed hand and looked behind her, and saw the doppelganger, with its devilish smirk, behind her!

 

                “Vincent…” she started to say, but was cut short, as the doppelganger ripped her head from her body and then blew it to pieces with its dark flames, the blood splattering over a horrified Vincent’s face! He fell on his back, and the doppelganger loomed over him, its red eyes gazing at him unnervingly.

 

                “This isn’t me…this isn’t me…this isn’t me!” Vincent replied, starting to lose his grip, his eyes widening and his body trembling! “This isn’t me…” he kept murmuring to himself, and then the doppelganger grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up, digging its claws into his neck, making his eyes dim and get covered completely in darkness!

 

                “No…” Vincent thought, as his mind went blank…

 

                Only silence followed, and for a while, there was nothing else! But soon enough, Vincent started to regain his thoughts. He wasn’t able to open his eyes, and his whole body felt numb! It felt as though he was sinking down into uncharted depths…

 

                “Am I dead…?” he thought to himself. He tried opening his eyes again, but to no avail, for only darkness lay there for him. He could feel his life being drained away, and for a moment, he thought that he was going to die!  But then…

 

                “Vincent…you’ve got to hang on!” he heard.

 

                “Huh…Seth?” Vincent asked, recognizing the voice!

 

                “You’ve fought for us, and we’ll fight for you. We’ll always lay our lives for you…we’re here to ensure you carry on.” Audrey spoke.

 

                “Audrey…” Vincent thought, and then, little by little, he opened his eyes, and he could see mirages of his friends, his most cherished loved ones, and all of his people. He could see them, enveloped in light, with bright smiles! They were all reaching their hands out to him, to pull him out from the abyss! He could feel the warmth of their light, and he could feel it swelling up the flames inside of him! Surely enough, his flames began to light him up on the inside even more! Before long, he burst his energy outside of his body, snapping himself out of the doppelganger’s hold, sending it back with a forceful heat wave! The doppelganger hissed in alarm, and then it sharpened its claws, now taking to the defensive!  Vincent’s eyes were completely covered in orange flames, and he engulfed his arms in flames as well!  He then ran towards the doppelganger and started to deliver a devastating array of powerful attacks, including uppercuts, low kicks, savage punches, and a wide array of flame attacks, making the doppelganger remain on the defensive!

(End Song Here)

 

(Start Song Here)

                “I’m not going to let these illusions consume me! I won’t bring destruction, I’ll free my people, and anyone who gets in my way will see just who I am!” Vincent shouted defiantly, increasing the ferocity and speed of his attacks, until he was able to forcefully push back the doppelganger with a fiery punch that exploded upon impact, making the doppelganger fly away in reaction to the attack! It tumbled and rolled until it crashed on a boulder! Vincent then propelled himself towards his foe, and just as he was about to deal a brutal blow, the doppelganger vanished, and the scenery changed as well! Now, it was the Barren Plains!  The ground was sizzling hot and crackling due to the volcanic heat of Mt. Terios! Steam was erupting from the ground like water from a geyser, and Vincent and his doppelganger stood across the field, staring down one another!

 

                “So, you are the worst part of me, eh?” Vincent thought. He clenched his fists and felt frustrated in himself, to think that he had this monstrosity inside him, and he didn’t even know it!  Or maybe…maybe he always knew, but always suppressed this side of him. But he knew for sure that he didn’t want anyone to die, and he wasn’t going to go about accomplishing his goals at the cost of another person’s life! He looked at the doppelganger, who was hissing and baring its sharp teeth menacingly!

 

                “Hear me now, beast! I’m going to kick your ass, and when I come out the winner of this battle, I’ll push you out, you hear me!?” Vincent challenged, his legs also aflame! The doppelganger then proceeded to say something incomprehensible, and then sharpened its claws, giving out a sickening shriek!

 

                “Enough of this! This ends now!” Vincent shouted, as he then closed his eyes and concentrated his energy, the flames inside him about to erupt! The doppelganger did the same, channeling the darkness within it and accumulating it up in its body! The two of them were emanating powerful auras from each other’s, and the area around them began to distort, as both of their powers were too great! In a matter of seconds, Vincent’s eyes blazed open, and his whole body transformed into his fully flamed form, while the doppelganger cloaked itself completely in darkness and took the form of a demon with a black mass of a body and devilish red eyes gazing towards Vincent!  The two of them propelled themselves towards each other, and they punched each other, their fists colliding at just the same time, emitting a powerful shockwave that resonated throughout the field, making the ground give way to volcanic flame!

 

                “I repel you!!!” Vincent shouted, as he pushed his fist harder, forcing the doppelganger to be pushed back! But it wasn’t just about to give up that easily, and in a last ditch attempt, it unleashed multiple orbs of darkness that attempted to bombard Vincent! But the minute one of the orbs got close, it immediately vaporized into nothingness, as Vincent’s flames were too powerful! The doppelganger then began to shriek in panic, but by the time it had tried to get some distance away, it was too late! Vincent’s overwhelming flames wrapped around the doppelganger, consuming it in almighty heat! The doppelganger withered and winced, shouting out in pain, desperately trying to free itself from the flames!  But the flames consumed it completely, reducing it to ash!  And just like that, the doppelganger was finished!

(End Song Here)

 

                Vincent gave out a heavy sigh, and he reverted back to normal, sitting on the ground, seeing as how the surrounding environment was turning back to normal! It now looked like the chamber he had arrived to in Mt. Crescent! His body felt heavy, and he lay himself on the floor, breathing in and out, looking at the ceiling. He felt sweat all over his body, and he chuckled to himself.

 

                “Heh, quite the workout…” he said to himself. He then saw the Trial Master appear a short distance away, and then, he sat up.

 

                “Well, I passed this trial too. Is that all? Or do I have to put myself through insane trauma again?” Vincent asked sarcastically. The Trial Master simply bowed its head, acknowledging Vincent’s power.

 

                “Your power and your will is insurmountably impressive. You have successfully passed the trials that I have laid out before you, and you even did the most hardest of tasks. You faced yourself. And for a moment, you were about to give in to yourself, but you pushed forward, despite the odds. Truly, an impressive display of will and heart…there are no more trials.” the Trial Master announced, then stepping aside, stretching its arm upward, as a gate rose from the ground!

 

                “So…I get to harness the power of this mountain?” Vincent asked.

 

                “Indeed. You may pass.” the Trial Master answered.

 

                Vincent hesitated for a moment, but this time, he felt as though he had indeed finished all his trials, so he decided to step forward, and upon opening the gate, a final stairway lay before him. It was much shorter this time, and beyond the stairway, he could see what seemed to be the outside!

 

                “Well…here goes nothing…” Vincent thought, as he ascended the stairs.

 

                When he came outside, the gate behind him disappeared! He figured that he wouldn’t be going back in that way. He then looked around and noticed that he was at the summit of Mt. Crescent, and he was just below the crescent shape of the mountain! He then saw a small, plain expanse before him, and at the center, he saw a floating white orb. He stopped when he was close enough, for he felt the immense power of the orb resonating from even a short distance off! He looked at it and wondered what sort of power it held!

 

                “If you are wondering what it is this power is, it is something that awakens from inside of you. It will heed your call whenever you need it. Take it…” the Trial Master’s voice echoed. Vincent thought for a moment, but then decided not to hesitate anymore. He needed to get back to his friends! And so, he proceeded to walk forward, and then he outstretched his hand, covering it in flame! Once ablaze, the flames began to absorb the white orb, until it seeped its way into his body! Once it did, he could feel an immense energy build up inside of him! It took him by surprise, and his body even shook a little!

 

                “W-what power…” Vincent thought. He then felt the power subside, but he knew that it was now inside him. He had earned this!

 

                “Now go…go and fulfill your destiny…” the Trial Master uttered. Vincent clenched his fists in determination, and then, he ran towards the edge of the mountain, and when he leapt off, he propelled himself with his flames, launching himself high up into the air! Now, he was to find his friends!

 

---

 

(Start Song Here)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKyfF3h1sVY

                “Hmm, most impressive. The boy really does have potential. He definitely has the fire, no pun intended.” Beriel remarked, his hands behind his back, as he saw Vincent vanishing from sight!

 

                “So, we were right on the money. He was worthy of the power after all. This is a good development. The Master will be pleased.” Ellene said, stroking her chin in thought.

 

                “Ah, well, at least that alleviates the bad news we got recently.” Beriel mentioned.

 

                “Oh? You mean what happened with Lucilda and her partner?” Ellene asked. “Yes, that group managed to trump out Tremaine and put a stop to the experiments at work there. An inconvenience, yes, but I’m sure Lucilda will think of something. Tremaine was just a pawn, after all.” Ellene expressed.

 

                “I think that we should engage this group as soon as possible. They might prove to be quite the foil in our plans…” Beriel expressed, a frown forming on his face.

 

                “True…I’m sure the Master already has something to say on the matter, so we’ll be soon to act.” Ellene reassured.

 

                “Well, for the time being, we should head back. We still have much work to do.” Beriel said, as he turned to leave.

 

                “Indeed, let’s be off…” Ellene said, as the two left the area near Mt. Crescent. They got on hover vehicles and sped off towards parts unknown!

(End Song Here)

---

 

                Meanwhile, Seth, Audrey and the others were silently marching on, pushing forward as best as they could. Seth still felt that it wasn’t right having left Vincent behind, and Audrey knew that it wasn’t the right thing to do, but it’s what Vincent would have wanted them to do. All they could do was try their best to keep on for him.

 

                “So, how are we going to get around to getting to the Northern Continent? We can’t cross the bridge because of the giant beast…” one of the soldiers commented, melancholic and grim.

 

                “I don’t know how we’re going to go about this, but hopefully, we’ll find another way. We have to…we can’t have come all the way over here for nothing!” Seth expressed, trying to ease everyone’s minds!

 

                “Seth is right. We have to persevere and find another way towards the Northern Continent that doesn’t involve confronting that monster.” Audrey said, stopping for a moment and taking a second to look up at the sky. “Whatever we come up with, we have to act soon…time is of the essence!”

 

                “Then I think you’ll be happy to know that your leader is coming back to you, safe and sound!” a voice suddenly rang, making everyone quickly engulf their hands in flames, ready to attack!

 

                “Who’s that!?” one of the soldiers asked.

 

                “Wait, I remember that voice…it’s that man that came to see us earlier…Kalciru, was it?” Audrey remembered. Then she heard hands clapping, and when everyone looked to their right, they saw Kalciru, walking towards them with a joyous smile on his face!

 

                “Rejoice, friends! For your leader whom you had thought you’d lost comes back to you, and with mighty new power!” Kalciru expressed joyously!

 

                “What…? What do you mean? He’s not anywhere to be seen…” Seth expressed, suspicious about Kalciru’s behavior. Kalciru caught on to this and then he made an expression indicating he understood the skepticism.

 

                “Ah, right! You all saw him plummet into the depths of the dark sea, but, what you didn’t know is that he survived! I saved him! I dragged him to Mt. Crescent, so he could be able to unlock the mountain’s sacred power and use it to aid in your quest!” Kalciru explained, while the others murmured to themselves.

 

                “He really went up to Mt. Crescent?” Audrey asked, with a tinge of hope in her voice. She wanted to believe that what Kalciru was saying was true!

 

                “Well, why don’t you ask him for yourself?” Kalciru notioned, as he glanced back, and when everyone looked where he was looking, they saw Vincent, coming down upon them from up in the sky, landing just a few feet away from them!  They were all shocked, Seth and Audrey in particular, and they were speechless! Vincent brushed himself off, and he looked at everyone and smiled.

 

                “Everyone. I’m back.” he said. Seth quickly ran towards him and embraced him, as if he had found a long lost brother!

 

                “Vincent, you’re really here! I thought that you were dead! We thought that monster had killed you!” Seth expressed.

 

                “Well, I was almost dead meat, but Kalciru here saved me…and thanks to him, I braved the trials of Mt. Crescent, and I got a new power…I don’t know exactly what it is yet, but I can feel it inside my body. It’s a swelling sensation, a power that I think we’ll find out what it does soon enough. I’m here, everyone. I’ve come back to you all!” Vincent said, as he raised his fist in triumph! The others cheered, and Audrey was in tears! She slowly walked towards Vincent, and then she punched his face, which caught everyone else off guard!

 

                “Oh ho, the lady has quite the punch in her, eh?” Kalciru remarked, while the others remained in awkward silence.  Vincent winced and rubbed his cheek.

 

                “Yeah, I guess I deserved that…” Vincent said.  Audrey bit her lower lip and she grabbed him by the collar of his jacket!

 

                “You guess!? You moron, we thought you were dead!  We thought we’d lost you!” she exclaimed, tears running down her face! “That I’d lost you…” she then whispered. Vincent then held her hands gently, and he looked into her eyes with reassurance. She looked at him, her eyes misty from the tears, and then she snapped back to herself and pulled away.

 

                “You jerk…next time, don’t be so reckless!” she said, crossing her arms!  Vincent laughed.

 

                “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.” he said.

 

                “Ah, excellent! Not only have you obtained new power, but you’ve also managed to stage quite the reunion between yourself and your friends, eh? That’s quite the emotional punch right there! Now then, since we’ve all got this out of the way, I think now we can cross the bridge!” Kalciru suggested. The others looked at him with protesting expressions!

 

                “What are you, insane!? That’s what almost killed all of us!” Seth pointed out.

 

                “Why would we go back? It’s suicide!” a soldier mentioned.

 

                “Not exactly…” Vincent replied, getting everyone’s attention!

 

                “We’ll fight this beast…but we’ll go about it differently…I’ve got a plan!” he said, and then everyone gathered around to listen, while Kalciru remained out of the group, as he sat on the ground, with a cheerful expression on his face!

 

                “Ah, how the wheels of fate turn! What exciting lives this planet holds!” he said to himself, obviously enjoying every moment of this!

------------------------------------------------------

 

And so, with Vincent having obtained the power of Mt. Crescent, he has reunited with his friends, and now, they’ll set off to tackle the creature on the bridge once more! But what of Zaria and the others? How are they doing? We’ll find out together in Chapter Fifteen: “Towards The Craftsmen!”

 

Well everyone, that’s it! I hope that you all enjoyed the chapter! My apologies for taking a while to post it, but life’s been keeping me busy, and well, there were a few days when I was off the laptop, so apologies for making you all wait! Thank you for your patience and support, and let me know what you thought about tonight’s chapter! Until next time, stay tuned for the next one!

[Sarrin 100]

Great work looking forward to more

[The Transcendent Key 12,109]

To Sarrin, thank you! And if it's more you're looking for, then here's more for ya!

 

Good evening everyone, I hope that all of you are doing well! So then, here’s another chapter of my story for you all to enjoy! I’m so sorry that it’s taken so long to post! Anyways, we’re just five chapters away from reaching twenty, and the story is rolling along nicely! Here’s hoping it continues to enthrall you all! I’ve got big things in store, just you wait! Anyways, here’s the latest chapter, enjoy!

 

Chapter Fifteen: Towards The Craftsmen

 

                Two days passed, and Zaria and company had gotten a good rest and gotten supplies for the journey ahead. They enjoyed the feast that the people of Morrowgale had prepared for them, and as they left, the people thanked them over and over for their bravery, and for bringing back their families to them! Seeing them like this made Zaria feel something inside. She felt a warmth, seeing these people happy, and it brought her great relief knowing that in their own small way, they had been able to help! But she still wondered where the bandaged man had gone off to. If it hadn’t been for him, Zaria and company would probably be dead! But that was something she would have to put in the back of her mind, for the mysterious man disappeared, and there was no guarantee she’d see him again.

 

(Start Song Here)

                As they left Morrowgale, they took to the main road, and it seemed to be busy at this time of day, noon, to be precise. The sun was high up in the sky, and there were many people going back and forth either on foot or on hover vehicles. The road was pretty packed, but Zaria and the others went their way just fine.

 

                “So, where off to next?” Zaria asked, looking at Laren, who was to her right.

 

                “We go towards the city of the Craftsmen, Stoneberg. At the inn, I heard rumor of an abyss appearing near the area, and that’s something I thought that we should check.” was Laren’s reply, as he was observing what apparently looked like a piece of paper.  Zaria walked over to him and peeked at the paper, wondering what it was.

 

                “What do you have there?” she asked. Laren glanced at her and then quickly folded the paper, and then he cleared his throat.

 

                “Nothing in particular…you shouldn’t sneak in when a person is reading something. That’s an invasion of privacy…” he scolded, making Zaria pout.

 

                “Boo, you’re no fun…” she mumbled. Grim allowed himself a chuckle.

 

                “So, Stoneberg, eh? I’ve only been there a couple of times, but I’ve never actually been inside the city proper. The most I’ve been are the mines where the Craftsmen work, or in one of their meeting places. It’ll be interesting to see how their home looks like on the inside!” the enthusiastic Lifespring commented.

 

                “Well, it’ll be a first for me, too. I mean, I’ve seen one or two of the Craftsmen, but I’ve never actually seen any of them up close! Is it true that they’re made entirely out of rock?” Zaria asked.

 

                “Yep, that is correct!” Tatsumaki answered.

 

                “Hmm, I see. You know, I find it odd that out of all the clans, the Craftsmen are the only ones that look completely different from the rest! I mean, we are all humans, and they’re rock! Were they always like that, or did the Calamity bring them into being? I’ve always been curious about that.” Zaria wondered aloud.

 

                “Well, you see, the thing is that the Craftsmen were indeed humans, but for some reason, when the Calamity struck, these particular people turned into stone. It’s a very strange phenomenon, and it’s something that even the most advanced scientists haven’t found out about yet. They’re still wrapping up their heads around the concept of it all.” Zaria explained, seeming like quite the history buff!

 

                “Oh wow, you sure seem to be all scientific yourself!” Zaria expressed.

 

                “Heh, well, not really. While I’m not into the sciences, I am a person that seeks out knowledge! I know a little bit of everything here and there. After all, men do appreciate someone with smarts, you know what I’m saying?” Tatsumaki said, clearly bragging!

 

                “Smarts, you say? Are you sure about that?” Laren teased, which came as a surprise to the others!

 

                “Wait, did you just make a joke!? Did you just seriously made a joke!?” Zaria scoffed, then proceeding to snicker!  Grim found himself chuckling a bit, and Tatsumaki was a bit speechless, and she found herself blushing!

 

                “W-what’s that supposed to mean, Laren!?” she exclaimed in a huff! Laren simply smirked and looked on ahead.

 

                “Nothing in particular…” was his answer, as he began to laugh, and the others did as well!

 

                “Hmph, not funny!” Tatsumaki pouted, as she then punched Laren’s shoulder.

 

                “Sorry about that. I mean, what you say is true, but Laren’s reaction kind of threw us off.” Grim apologized on behalf of the others.

 

                “Don’t worry Tatsumaki, we know what you mean. Smarts can get you pretty far, so you make a good point!” Zaria said. Tatsumaki then stopped pouting, but she punched Laren’s shoulder again. She then whispered something to his ear, and then she giggled softly, to which Zaria and Grim gave each other momentary glances and then laughed silently.

 

                As the day kept going by, they eventually reached the end of the main road, and now, they came upon a river that was flowing healthily! By following the shore, they could see that the city of Stoneberg lay ahead, quite a distance off! They could see a giant wall enveloping the land around, almost as if they built it so that others wouldn’t trespass!  Grim walked to the water and then placed his hands on it, and he appreciated the cold feel it had to it.

 

                “Ah, the water’s great! The Craftsmen have pristine water wellsprings, and it’s some of the purest water in the world! Truly good stuff!” Grim expressed.

(End Song Here)

 

                “Yes, it is indeed.” Laren said. Then, they heard a scream a short distance off. They all quickly rushed in alarm, heading towards the source of the scream! When they pinpointed the source, they saw a Craftsmen woman with her child, and they were being forced into the water by some shady looking individuals! They had black armor that resembled ninja gear, and they were closing in, like wolves on their prey!

 

(Start Song Here)

                “Someone, please help!” the woman shouted in desperation, as her child cried nonstop!

 

                “Stop her squealing, and kill the runt…” one of the men said!  They were just about to close in, when Tatsumaki came and applied a forceful gust of wind that pushed them all back!

 

                “We got you covered, run back to Stoneberg!” she said.

 

                “I-I will. Thank you so much!” the woman gratefully bowed, and then she, along with her child, ran towards Stoneberg, while Zaria and the others remained there to ensure the enemy wouldn’t follow!

 

                “Now then, it seems we have some trash to take care of…those who lay a hand on women and children are scum…” Laren said, preparing his lance! The ninja warriors quickly dashed in to attack, precise and fast in their movements!  They charged on the group, dealing quick and effective attacks that were proving a bit difficult to block and dodge! Luckily, Zaria and the others were holding their own!

 

                “Who are these creeps!? Are they related to the ones we fought back in that crazy hag’s lab?” Zaria thought aloud, dodging a forward thrust and then sidestepping to deliver a brutal slash that beheaded the ninja attacking her!

 

                “I’m not sure, but I prefer to fight now, ask questions later!” Grim answered, running forth and then extending his hands forward, summoning vine whips! Once summoned, he lashed them back and forth at the surrounding ninjas, tying up some of their arms and legs, resulting in him flailing them about! He threw a few of them into the water, where they were having difficulty swimming! That was because Grim had tapped into the riverbed’s essence, and he had activated roots that lay deep underground that were pulling at the helpless ninjas!

 

                “They’re close by to Stoneberg, which means that more may be nearby! We must dispatch them as quickly as possible!” Laren urged, as he leapt up and delivered a powerful gust shockwave that swirled into a tornado, pulling in nearby ninja and tossing them about! He took every one at every turn, batting them down to the ground and then killing them on the spot!

 

                “Roger that!” Tatsumaki said, as she put her hands together in the form a circle, and with that, she formed a circle of wind that was sucking in the ninjas towards her! When they were close enough, she enveloped them in a wind bubble, and then suffocated them! The four of them stood their ground, and they remained close to give each other support! For now, they had been able to contend with the ninjas, but more were coming!

 

                “Next wave!” Grim shouted, as he then struck his hand on the ground, causing it to crack upon and unleash a wide array of sharp thorns from underground! The thorns pierced through a great many of the enemy, and then, Grim shot forth poison thorns from his hands that landed on the enemy’s necks, affecting them instantly!

 

                Zaria used the thorns that had come up from underground as cover, as the ninjas were now going on the defensive, opting for long range combat! This was definitely an inconvenience, since they were a bit of a distance away, and getting to them wasn’t going to be easy!  Luckily, things would turn around!

 

                “I got you!” Tatsumaki shouted, as she sent forth enormous wind slashes that forced the ninjas to brace themselves! Zaria took this opportunity and decided to ride on one of the wind slashes, and as she did, she zipped past the enemy and delivered a fatal strike that killed many in one shot!

 

                “Out of the way!” Laren shouted, and when the others made way, Laren summoned forth a blue aura from his body, and then he channeled it through his lance, causing it to grow to an incomprehensible size! He then thrust it forward, sending a massive electrical current that fried through the enemy, causing them to fall on the ground, lifeless!

 

                “There!” Zaria shouted, confident in their skills! But an instant after, she saw a knife zip just past her! She just barely managed to dodge it, and when she saw where it was coming from, she saw another ninja, but this time, this one seemed stronger than the rest! He was holding a small chest, and then he took a key and unlocked it, then placed it on the ground!

 

                “Huh, what is that?” Grim asked, taking notice of the peculiar chest! It was a plain black color with gold outlines!

 

                “I don’t think we want to know…” Tatsumaki thought, and true enough, the chest opened, and darkness seeped from it, coming out of the chest like slithering snakes! Eventually, the massive dark mass coalesced together, and it formed a giant tiger Shadow Blight!

 

                “And…I think we just got in way over our heads!” Grim said, as he tried to form a wall out of thick roots, but the Shadow Blight slashed through them with ease! It pounced towards them and delivered a powerful strike with its left paw, making them all tumble and bruise! As they were getting back up on their feet, the Shadow Blight came upon them anew, and with its claws almost delivered a fatal blow to Laren, if not for a wind barrier he formed at just the last second! Tatsumaki attempted to strike the creature from behind, but it whipped her back with its tail, sending her falling forcefully down! Grim turned his vines into a crossbow, and then, he started to shoot sharp, poisonous thorns at the Shadow Blight! While they landed on the target, they didn’t seem to affect it! The poison ooze was dripping down, but the Shadow Blight pressed on!

 

                “This thing is going to be tough to take down!” Grim shouted!

 

                “We’ll get on it, I’m sure!” Zaria shouted as she tried to scale up the creature and strike at its head! Just as she was about to, the creature got out of the way, and she ended up striking the ground!

 

                “Damn!” Zaria said aloud!

 

                “Everyone, look out!” Laren shouted, as the Shadow Blight then gave out a terrifying roar! It then dashed forward with great ferocity, delivering a fatal series of swipes that managed to hit their mark, greatly injuring Tatsumaki and Zaria, then sending them tumbling to the ground!

 

                “No!!!” Grim shouted, as he then put his hand on the ground, causing tree roots to come out from the ground and form a protective barrier for Zaria and Tatsumaki!

 

                “This thing is too strong!” Laren shouted, and then, they saw the ninjas at the distance preparing flame arrows!

 

                “Damn, we’re heavily disadvantaged here!” Grim said, as the odds were certainly not looking good for them! They were then pushed back a forceful whip from the Shadow Blight’s tail, making them tumble towards the water! They were getting weak, and the flame arrows were heading towards them! Laren had made a wind barrier, but it wasn’t going to hold off long against another barrage, especially with the creature about to pounce on them again!

 

                “This isn’t good!!!” Grim shouted, as they were just about to be brutalized by the Shadow Blight, when all of a sudden, a hand went through its face! The creature’s body weakened, and its red eyes went dark, as it fell on the ground and slowly began to dissipate! Atop the disappearing shards of dark energy, a Craftsmen stood! Grim recognized who it was!

(End Song Here)

 

                “That’s Eros!” Grim said in relief.  Then, he saw that the enemy was being besieged by more Craftsmen, who had come and delivered a surprise ambush, taking them down instantly with their heavy weaponry and powers over the stone surrounding them!

 

                “That was too close…” Laren thought, as the two of them ran towards Tatsumaki and Zaria. Grim dissipated the protective barriers, and they tended to the two women. They had some nasty scratches, but nothing too life threatening. But it was still not a good sight!

 

                “Thank goodness you two are alive.” Grim said with great relief. He then looked at Eros and nodded at him. “Thank you.”

 

                “Well, it’s I who should be thanking you. You saved one of my people, and that favor doesn’t go unnoticed. So you’ve come all this way, eh?” Eros asked, as he knelt beside them, looking at the wounded Tatsumaki and Zaria! He inspected their wounds, and he rubbed his stony chin. He then snapped his fingers, and one of his soldiers came quickly to him.

 

                “Yes, Lord Eros?” the soldier asked.

 

                “Take these two women to the purifying chambers. A few hours should be enough to take care of those wounds.” he ordered, and the soldier heeded the order at once and then carried both women on his shoulders as he started to take his leave. Eros then looked at Laren and Grim, and beckoned them with his hand. “You two, follow me.” he said, and so they followed him.

 

                They walked with him, passing where they had just fought, and now heading towards a large stone bridge that laid over the river, leading towards Stoneberg itself! The bridge was wide, and therefore it allowed for comfortable crossing of people and cargo! A few soldiers went ahead of Eros, while a few others remained far behind, keeping an eye out for enemies! Laren and Grim stuck closely to Eros, and they saw as Stoneberg looked bigger the closer they got!

 

                “So…how are things? How’s the situation with the other clan heads?” Laren asked, getting to the point. Eros raised his hand and glanced back.

 

                “We’ll talk about that soon enough…” was his only reply, and Laren decided to drop the matter until they reached the place they were heading towards.

 

                Once upon the gate that led inside the city, Eros signaled the gate guards, and they nodded at his signal, pulling on giant levers from within! Once the levers were pulled, the sound of heavy chains rattled from top to bottom! It seemed that this gate, in addition to being locked, was chained quite tightly! Quite a defense against invading forces! Grim was impressed by it all, and the architecture it sported! The gate was of old fashioned stone, and yet it had silver jewel pieces lining on the outer edges and on the line that split the gate in two ways! When the gate finally opened, Eros went inside, as did the others!

 

                Upon entering, Laren and Grim noticed that nothing was quite well here. The streets looked like a mess, and there seemed to be broken chunks of debris everywhere! There was a long line of people waiting for supplies that were being handed out to them by soldiers, and more of these soldiers could be seen around and about, either guarding the perimeter or trying to fortify defenses. There were blacksmith shops, jewelry shops, armor forgeries, and all manner of shop that sold trinkets and valuables that the Craftsmen made themselves! After all, this particular clan was responsible for most things that were built in today’s world! All manner of construction and utilities were developed by them, which made them a most resourceful people. And the fact that their city rested upon one of the richest and purest rivers on the planet made their case quite clear! They had quite an influence over the world!

 

                Eros seemed to reflect that influence, and he definitely looked cocky, but at the same time, there was an air of seriousness about him. He was a proud man, but he also cared for his people, even if he did express himself rashly most times. But for all the pride that Eros shows, it seemed as though his city was worse for wear. Laren was definitely curious about how things turned out this way, but again, he decided to leave any questions and discussions to the appropriate time and place! Grim looked on and saw many Craftsmen debating what to do, while the children were looking onward at their parents. Instead of playing, they seemed attentive, almost as if hanging to the words their parents would speak!

 

                “Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. This place is a mess. Well, things aren’t exactly in the sweet spot, you know what I’m saying? Tensions are running high with the other clans. It’s a mess, most definitely…” Eros said suddenly, almost as if reading Laren’s thoughts!

 

(Start Song Here)

                “So it’s gotten that bad?” he asked, as they stopped in what seemed to be a small plaza! There was no one else around in this part of the city, so Eros deemed it the spot where they would talk. They sat on benches that lay across from one another, surrounding a fountain of water!

 

                “To put it bluntly, it’s all gone to hell. People have gone mad with fear, and the worse thing is that they all know what’s happening…what’s coming. The other clan heads and I tried to make things work and tried keeping all of this insanity a secret, but it wasn’t able to be kept under wraps for long. Right now, there are many things that are troubling me…” Eros said, rubbing his head, his eyes tired and dim.

 

                “This is bad…if the general populace knows, it’ll be that much harder to reassure them that we can be able to solve this situation…” Grim said, crossing his arms, thinking about his friends in Eternia Glade.

 

                “Hmph, and what would be solved, pray tell? Vincent’s gone rogue, and he’s gone off to try to free his people from being Scorched, and with this imbalance, we other clans have had to pick up the pieces! Ilia’s a mess, and it looks like things in Eternia Glade aren’t faring too well, and I don’t know what the hell Saphira is planning. All I know is that ever since she got back to the clouds, she’s kept her head up there…and I’ve got my hands busy here, being laid under siege by enemies, thieves and Shadow Blights! I’ve tried asking the other clans for help, but they’ve been useless. I can see why Vincent was all pissy about it, honestly…but anyways, how goes things on your end?” Eros asked, after having let off some steam!

 

                “Well, so far, my company and I have come upon many abysses, and the scourge of Shadow Blights only continues to grow. World’s Edge is growing in power, and I fear the darkness emanating from there will become far too great and powerful for us to contend with. With every passing second I can feel the darkness coming from there seeping its way into the world…” Laren answered, distressed and rubbing his eyes.  “And as for our other mission, I think we are making progress.” he then said. At that, Grim raised an eyebrow.

 

                “What other mission?” the old man asked. There was a momentary silence before anything was spoken, and then Laren stood up and walked towards a balcony that was just to his left. He looked outward towards the mountains that lay before him, as the sun was starting to set.

 

                “My lady Saphira requested me to go about the world, recruiting people of extraordinary skill and willpower, in order to build a small force with which we can fight back against the darkness. We are meant to be a line of defense against the impending doom we face. From the Stormtracers, there is myself and Tatsumaki. From the Lifespring, we have Grim accompanying us. We have need of a Craftsmen and a Scorched to round out our group.” Laren explained. Eros rubbed his chin in thought, and then his eyes seemed to flash for a moment, as if he recalled something!

 

                “What about the other girl that is with you?” he asked.

 

                “Zaria?” Laren asked. “Yes, she’s also with us. She’s a mercenary I hired whom has extraordinary skill with a blade, and with combat in general. She’s the only one of us to be a normal human. She has no powers like we do.” he answered.

 

                “Ah, I see. I find it fascinating that there are still normal people like her left in this world. I mean, it’s not like they are uncommon, but still, it’s a curious sight to see, nonetheless.” Eros remarked. “But why such a small force if you are to form a ‘line of defense’ as you so say?”

 

                “That even I do not know. My lady only told me so much…” Laren admitted.

 

                “So, that’s our true purpose for this journey, eh? Do Tatsumaki and Zaria know about this?” Grim asked, his eyes closed in thought.

 

                “Tatsumaki knows, but Zaria is the only one who doesn’t know. As far as she’s concerned, she only thinks we are investigating the abysses appearing in the world, and nothing more…I don’t think she’s ready to know about this whole situation just yet…” Laren said. Eros scoffed at the statement, which made Laren look at him.

 

                “What? Was it something I said?” he asked. Eros rolled his eyes and laid his back on the bench, looking upwards at the sky.

 

                “Laren, you should tell the girl the real purpose for your journey. Otherwise, if you withhold this information from her, she’ll likely distrust you and try to get out of being your hired sword. Trust me when I say it’s better to say things than to keep them shut. Just look at how horribly the council and I handled this situation! Saphira, Ilia and I weren’t able to hide the predicament we are in from the public, and now, as a result, they have many questions, and they probably doubt us. We have to face that backlash. Don’t go through the same thing with Zaria. It’ll only lead to unnecessary headaches…” the Craftsmen leader explained, in a logical sense, his voice firm yet thoughtful.

 

                “Eros is right, Laren. Heck, I only found out about this now, and I’m in a bit of a loop over it, so the least you should do is tell Zaria. It’ll be easier on all of us if she knows what’s going on as well.” Grim suggested. Laren remained quiet for a bit, pondering upon the words Grim and Eros had just spoken. They did make sense! It was better to tell Zaria what was going on than to keep things hidden from her! And besides, she had turned out to be a great asset, and a great friend, so the least he could do was tell her!

 

                “Alright. When she and Tatsumaki awaken, I’ll tell her.” was finally Laren’s response.

(End Song Here)

 

                “Good. After all, if you are all traveling together, then there should be full trust between you.” Eros concluded.  And so, after this conversation, the three of them left towards the main central point of Stoneberg, which was a fortress that was built within the city itself! It was very convenient!  As they passed by, they saw many Craftsmen soldiers marching here and about, some of them forging weapons, and some of them going through training drills! Overall, the atmosphere was a busy one!

 

                “So, are you all prepared in the event that Shadow Blights strike repeatedly?” Grim asked. Eros smirked at the question, and then he turned around.

 

                “I’d say that we’re at least two steps ahead. My friend here would agree, right Grall?” Eros asked, as he pointed behind towards a massive Craftsman whom was walking down a slightly steep hill. This individual was particularly large, even more so than Eros himself! In fact, Eros looked like a dwarf next to this colossal person coming down towards them!

 

                “Who is that?” Laren asked, intrigued at the sight of the fearsome looking warrior!

 

                “Him? He is Grall Ironsmite. He’s one of my strongest men, quite a force to be reckoned with. Although he isn’t much for talking…I’ve never actually gotten a word out of him!” Eros answered, to which Laren and Grim looked at the intimidating presence that Grall bore before them as he came to a full stop! His face was concealed by a stylized helmet that resembled the shape of a skull! As if his fearsome presence wasn’t already intimidating enough, the helmet added to the scary factor by a lot! He also had heavy armor on him!

 

                “So Grall, how are things looking on the wall?” Eros asked. Grall shook his head, as if in dismay.

 

                “Hmm, still problems, eh?” Eros deduced. Laren and Grim looked at each other and then they stepped forward.

 

                “What seems to be the problem?” Laren asked.

 

                “Oh, it’s nothing you need to worry about. Anyways, head over to your friends. They should be all healed up right about now! The purifying chambers work wonders!” Eros suggested, to which Laren and Grim decided not to protest against. As Eros went with Grall upwards towards the wall, Laren and Grim walked through a pathway that was slightly narrow, and then they came upon a sign that pointed to different locales within the city!

 

                “Ah, this is where we should go. The purifying chambers! Let’s get to it then!” Grim said, as he pointed south, which is where they needed to go!  Laren walked behind him, and he seemed to be troubled.

 

                “I wonder how Zaria will react once she knows of the true purpose behind our journey…? She’s a wild one, so there’s no telling how she’ll react…” he thought to himself, already jumping to conclusions!

 

                “Hey, it’ll be alright.” Grim said, snapping Laren out of his thoughts.

 

                “Huh, what?” he asked, caught off guard.

 

                “About Zaria. Don’t worry yourself so much. I’m sure she’ll understand…with what’s going on, I don’t think she’ll have anything negative to say. Perhaps the only thing she’ll really complain about is why you took so long to tell her this in the first place, you know?” Grim reassured.  Laren sighed softly and nodded.

 

                “Yes, you are right. There’s no use in overworrying myself.” he replied.

 

                As they walked southwards, they noticed that many of the buildings that Stoneberg housed were warehouses, armories, forgeries, and training facilities! But there were also large residential areas that housed comfortable houses, in which the Craftsmen lived in! Overall, the city was quite diverse with its architecture! There was even a part of the city that held what apparently seemed to be ancient artifacts found after the Calamity had befallen the world. At this particular site, Laren and Grim stopped for a moment to admire what was in display. These artifacts were placed out of the way enough so that people wouldn’t trip over them, but they were just the perfect distance where anyone could stop to see them. They held no special tags or identification; they were merely organized in aisles!

 

                “Ah, ancient artifacts from the Old World, eh? What a sight indeed!” Grim thought aloud. He then pointed towards a huge chunk of rock that bore a golden color. In fact, it looked like a giant golden brick! “Hmm, those bricks…they seem familiar, somehow…”

 

                “I read about those before in the archives back home. Those are large bricks that were used in the construction of buildings called pyramids. Apparently, these pyramids were the pinnacle of kings of old, named pharaohs. But apparently, these pyramids were built on the backs of slaves. Quite an abhorrent way of getting things done…” Laren explained, unknowingly sounding like a scholar!

 

                “Ah, you know your stuff!” Grim smiled, and then he looked at what seemed to be an old piece of machinery. “Hmm, I know I’ve seen one of these before! I believe these were some sort of mechanized floating beings that were sent beyond the sky, to explore the vastness of the universe beyond our planet! Some were exploratory, and I think some orbited the planet back in the day. To think that things like this existed back before the Calamity took place, eh?” Grim said, intrigued by the design of this particular piece of machinery. It seemed like a small robot, but it was broken down and probably useless! Laren was looking at one particular artifact that stood out from the rest, and it was placed far in the back, resting the large artifact upon the stone wall!

 

                “Which one is that?” Grim asked, noticing the artifact that Laren was looking at.

 

                “That one, if I recall correctly, is a giant torch that belonged to a statue that symbolized freedom. The statue was that of a maiden who stood among the ocean, holding the torch high to symbolize the flame of freedom and justice for all. This belonged in one of the chief cities that were decimated by the Calamity. It’s impressive to see so many things from other parts of the world end up here. Truly speaks to how these Craftsmen live.” Laren said, voicing his thoughts.

 

                “Indeed. They are constantly keeping themselves at the ready for what lays ahead, but it looks like they also like to look back at the past. They’ve got something that helps them keep pushing forward, and that’s good.” Grim said. The two of them agreed, and they got so immersed in this wide collection of artifacts, that they completely forgot about Tatsumaki and Zaria!

 

                “Wait, what are we standing around here for!?” Laren exclaimed!

 

                “The girls!” Grim replied immediately after!

 

                “Oh, don’t worry you guys. We’ve been watching you two discussing ancient history for a while now. It’s quite entertaining watching you two talk like that. Makes you look like educated scholars!” Tatsumaki said with a smile, her wounds completely gone! Zaria was the same!

 

                “Your wounds, they’re completely gone!” Grim said, impressed!

 

                “Yep! That purifying chamber where they put us to rest was definitely refreshing! Truly outstanding stuff! I feel good as new!” Zaria said, stretching out her limbs!

 

                “Well, it’s a good thing you ran into us. We were on our way to find you, and well, Zaria…there’s something you should know…” Laren said, his voice stern. Zaria felt like she was about to get scolded.

 

                “Yeah, okay, let’s see what you have to say…” she pouted. Tatsumaki sensed what Laren was about to speak about, and she headed towards him and looked into his eyes.

 

                “Are you sure?” was the question that was exchanged without the need for words. Laren nodded, and Tatsumaki did no more than just stand by his side. Grim simply sat on a nearby bench, and Zaria sat on the ground.

 

                “Okay…guys, what’s with the silence all of a sudden? It’s kind of unsettling…” Zaria said, voicing her discomfort.

 

                “Zaria…I hired you so that you could help us investigate the abysses that have been appearing around the world, so that you would lend us your strength with whatever obstacles would come our way…” Laren began, crossing his arms.

 

                “Um, yeah…? I already know what my job is…” Zaria said.

 

                “Let me finish.” Laren pointed out.  “You see, the truth is, we’ve been journeying across the land, in order to find capable warriors from each clan, so that we may prepare for the darkness that’s inevitably coming. The Wraith, a mysterious being, sent a message, signaling that the balance had been broken, and that darkness will consume the world. Ever since then, everything’s been chaos, and there’s been restlessness everywhere. For the longest time, the leaders of the clans tried to keep things under wraps so the public wouldn’t know…but they eventually found out, and now, the world is brimming with tension. In addition to the Shadow Blights and the threat of World’s Edge, the clans don’t seem to be doing too well with one another, and I fear that conflict may spark that’ll only make things worse.” Laren explained, and then paused for a moment. Zaria was listening attentively, her eyes fixed on him.

               

                “Lady Saphira appointed Tatsumaki and I to this task, so that we can assemble a small force with which we can combat the darkness threatening our very way of life. There’s already two Stormtracers in Tatsumaki and I, and we have Grim from the Lifespring. We are also searching for a Scorched and a Craftsmen to join our ranks, and we also have you. I believe that together, we can help change things for the better…and that is the true purpose for why you are with us. To search for these allies…” Laren finished. There was a momentary silence in the air, and there seemed to be tension brimming, but Zaria then stood up and she crossed her arms, closing her eyes as she went deep in thought.

 

                “Wow…this is pretty big. Honestly, I’m not one to get myself in world changing situations. I prefer to stick to myself and not care much for what happens to others…but well, I know things have been tough lately but I didn’t know it was to this extreme…” she started.  “But well, I’m a mercenary, and you hired me for a job, and be it what it may be, I’m here to fulfill my duty. I’m loyal to my employers! Besides, there’s things you don’t know about me, and I’m not to particularly share, so yeah, I guess we’re searching for people! I don’t see how it changes our partnership!” she concluded, casually and without fuss. This caught Laren off guard, and he didn’t notice that his jaw was wide open! Tatsumaki and Grim were smiling and holding a laugh, and Laren shook his head and felt a bit confused.

 

                “Wait, so, you aren’t mad? You aren’t mad that I kept this from you?” he asked. Zaria shook her head.

 

                “Should I be? I mean, you are my employer! What you decide to divulge to me is your own business, so there’s no hard feelings!” she answered.

 

                “Just…like that?” Laren said. “This was an unexpected reaction.” he mentioned, rubbing his forehead, and then Zaria poked his cheek.

 

                “Laren, you really need to learn to loosen up a bit! Sometimes you are way too serious!” Zaria teased, to which Laren protested! Tatsumaki and Grim burst into laughter, as did Zaria! In the end, Laren gave in and couldn’t help but laugh as well!  But this moment of laughter was cut short, as they heard an explosion in the distance! They all darted their heads towards the source of the explosion, and immediately, they knew something was wrong!

 

                “That can’t be a good sign…” Grim thought.

 

                They all ran through the city, and they noticed that the Craftsmen Soldiers were mobilizing, ready to fight! They were heading towards the wall! They followed the soldiers until they came to the wall, and noticed that a wide gap was open, where enemies could easily get into the city! And beyond the wall, they saw an innumerable amount of Shadow Blights in the distance, their piercing red eyes glaring towards them!

 

                “Mother of all that is holy…” Grim whispered.

 

                “So many Shadow Blights…” Laren said.  Eros noticed them there, and he looked at them with a stern face.

 

                “Looks like you’ll be helping us fend off the beasties! Prepare for battle!” he shouted, as everyone took to their stations and prepared for the onslaught!

 

                It was to be a great battle!

--------------------------------------------

 

With Shadow Blights coming upon them, will Zaria and company be able to help the Craftsmen hold off such an immense force of foes? Or will Stoneberg be overrun? A grand battle awaits our heroes, one which will surely be filled with great hardship! Be prepared for Chapter Sixteen: “The Battle For Stoneberg!”

 

Well everyone, that was the chapter! I hope you all found it enjoyable and exciting! My deepest apologies for the super long delay! You see, for all these days, I was without internet signal, and the technician who was supposed to have come fix it hadn’t done so yet, but now, he’s fixed it, and hence, I’m back in action! So yes, I’m very sorry for the long delay, but I hope I was able to make it up to you all with this latest chapter! Thank you all for your immense support, and I hope you continue reading my story! As always, let me know what you thought about tonight’s chapter! Until next time, stay tuned for the next one!

[KHLegendIII 709]

This was a nice chapter, I can't wait to see what happens to Stoneberg in the next one.

[The Transcendent Key 12,109]

To KHLegendIII, I'm glad you liked it! Oh, and trust me, you'll love what happens next!

 

Good evening everyone, I hope that all of you are doing okay! So then, here’s another chapter of my story! Again, apologies for the severe delay my story has had these past couple of days! But now that my internet is fixed, things are setting themselves right again! So then, without further ado, let’s see how our heroes fare battling for Stoneberg!

 

Chapter Sixteen: The Battle For Stoneberg

 

(Start Song Here)

                The innumerable amount of Shadow Blights was intimidating, and the fact that they kept coming like an endless wave didn’t help matters! Zaria was still shocked at the sheer number of these creatures, but Eros and his men had already prepared for battle! They were all heavily clad, with great weapons at hand! They had long greatswords, giant axes, powerful and potent looking crossbows, long and stout lances, and a vast array of other weapons! That, and upon some of the towers that scattered throughout Stoneberg, there were cannons that had long shafts and wide range! Soldiers were already mounted on them, ready to attack! Just outside the wall, there was a fortified line packed with soldiers, and also, they seemed to be mounted on what seemed to be mechs! They were about as tall as trees, but they bore heavy weaponry and looked quite durable!

 

                “Listen up, everyone! It’s time for us to take on another wave of these foul beasts! Remember that we must keep them from passing through our wall! The wall’s defense is our top priority! If they get through, they’ll seep into the city and start to ravage our people! We mustn’t let this come to pass! We must show our bravery here, let’s show these fell beasts what we are capable of!” Eros cried out, with courage and determination resounding in his voice! He definitely had the ability to inspire, for his soldiers were rallying behind him! Grall was beside him, with arms crossed, looking towards the horizon. Eros then looked at Zaria and company, and he nodded toward them.

 

                “Well, I’ve made it clear, so make sure that you and your group do your best to keep those Shadow Blights from making their way into the city!” Eros repeated. Laren affirmed his command, and then he surveyed the area they were about to do battle in. He noticed that the weak point, being the wall, was indeed a point of priority,  but he also saw that just behind the wall, there was already a fortified line being assembled, in the case the enemy breaches inside! A smart move, he thought. And so, he looked at the others and then they all assembled together in a circle.

 

                “So, how do we go about this? Do we stick together, or do we split up?” Zaria asked.

 

                “I think we should stick together. We’ll be able to defend the wall efficiently, and all other parts of Stoneberg are pretty heavily fortified. So we should really stay here!” Grim suggested.

 

                “Yes…that is what we’ll do. We’ll stay here and make our stand! Everyone ready?” Laren asked, looking at his friend.

 

                “Ready when you are, chief!” Tatsumaki commented, endearingly!

 

                “We are ready!” Laren said, directing his comment at Eros. The Craftsmen Prince nodded to them, and then he raised his hand upward!

 

                “And so it begins now…everyone, rain down hell!” he commanded!

 

                And with the mention of those words, the cannons in the towers shot forth enormous missiles that beamed with light! The further the missiles went, the brighter the light glowed! Then, it went to the point of exploding and dispersing into many more missiles, and they scattered about the horizon, bringing stampeding Shadow Blights to their deaths! But the savage creatures kept pushing on, passing over the disintegrating ashes of their fallen comrades! Explosions dotted the battlefield, as the missiles kept landing upon the horde of shadowy foes, also causing the ground to shake violently! Eros had his arms crossed, and he was looking out to the battlefield, closely inspecting the enemy approaching!

 

                “Second wave!” Eros shouted, and then, the soldiers mounted upon their mechs fired off giant blue spheres that shot through like lighting towards the coming horde, and the spheres dispersed into violent cracks of lightning, electrocuting countless foes on impact! Many more Shadow Blights kept dying, and for now, they were not yet close to the wall! The defense was working well!

 

                “Third wave!” Eros shouted, and this time, the ground began to shake violently! Zaria was wondering why this was, and then, she heard a whirring noise behind her! She turned around, and she saw a nearby building shifting its form, expanding into a tower! At the very top, the structure folded itself in a way that a giant cannon emerged from it, and it nestled itself into a position in which it could fire at the enemy!

 

                “Unleash the Groundshaker!” Eros commanded, and with that, Grall turned and went towards the tower! He leapt toward it, and then he scaled upwards until reaching the cannon! He then aimed it straight at the center of the horde of Shadow Blights! Then, with a mighty punch from his fist, he pushed down on the cannon, causing a hidden switch to activate, which caused the cannon to charge up with immense energy! After a few seconds, It fired off a large beam! Upon reaching the enemy, the beam pierced the ground, forming a great line in which a giant explosion took place, bringing forth a strong gust of wind to their direction! The explosion was such that it temporarily blinded everyone! After the light died down, Eros and the others looked to the battlefield, and they noticed that a great number of Shadow Blights had perished, but more kept spawning in their place! They kept blazing forward, and they were getting closer to the wall!

 

                “Well, that didn’t work…” Tatsumaki thought.

 

                “Men, prepare for combat! The beasties are coming to play!” Eros said with a smirk! Apparently, he was looking forward to this!

 

                Eventually, the Shadow Blights came upon the ground near the wall! Right now, they were trying to break through the fortified line of soldiers and mechs that were standing in their way!

 

                “Push back! Push back for our Prince!” a soldier shouted, as they pushed back the creatures with their massive shields! The mechs started to deliver deadly punches and kicks, and they picked up large boulders from the ground and started to throw them at their foes, driving them back, if only barely!

 

                “Time for us to head down there! Let’s go!” Zaria shouted, as she was the first to scale down the wall and head directly towards the sea of foes! She landed down on top of a Shadow Blight, managing to pierce her sword through its skull! It shrieked in pain and then withered away!

 

                Laren was the second to land, causing a gust shockwave to form that sent numerous foes flying! He then charged up his lance with lightning energy, and then he flung it, piercing it through the sea of foes, tearing a hole into the army of infernal creatures!

 

                Tatsumaki came down shortly after, and she clasped her hands together and then thrust them forward, creating swirling tornados that dispersed everywhere, disorienting the enemy and pulling them into the powerful gusts!

 

                Grim was the last to come down, but he came down with extra force! He landed with a punch to the ground, causing it to crack slightly! From the cracks, trees started to emerge, at first small, but then growing stout and strong! The trees had rough branches and tough bark, making it difficult for the Shadow Blights to break through! Then, he extended his right hand forward, and then he transformed his right arm into a spiked whip! He then turned his left arm into a sharp bladed branch with poison ooze seeping out of it!

 

                “And charge!” a soldier shouted, as they advanced forward, pushing the enemy back!

 

                A three headed Shadow Blight with long necks roared and hissed, trying to claw its way through the wall! But the soldiers stopped it, and they diverted its attention, while one of the mechs used a built in blade to slice off all three heads in one stroke! The technique worked, and the shadowy creature fell! Then, another Shadow Blight came, this time, this one seemed like an elephant! Its red eyes gleamed menacingly, and its tusks were dangerously sharp and bloodied!  It bellowed loudly and then trudged forward! The soldiers tried stopping it, but they found themselves impaled by the tusks, and they winced in pain and screamed as their lives were being drained from their bodies!

 

                “Hey, big guy! Over here!” Grim shouted, as he lashed out his whip at the creature, immediately driving its attention towards him! It bellowed loudly and then trudged forward, attempting to run Grim over! But he quickly got out of the way, and then he slashed at its legs with his poison blade! Then, Laren jumped on its trunk, holding onto it as he then propelled himself and cut off the creature’s tusks, making it roar in pain! Tatsumaki then shot forth sharp wind gales that blinded the creature, and then Zaria thrust forward, piercing her sword through the creature’s heart! It bellowed out in pain and slowly faded away…

 

                “Well, that’s one way of taking care of that!” Zaria said aloud.

 

                “And we’ll take care of more!” Tatsumaki reassured!

 

                Eros watched how they were fighting, and he was impressed by their teamwork! Seeing them work together, people from different clans…it reminded Eros of the union that he and the other clan leaders were supposed to uphold. He clenched his fists tightly, and he knew that things were irreparable now. The damage that was done had been done, and now, all that could be done was deal with the broken pieces. He was taken out of his thoughts when he saw Shadow Blights trying to scale the wall! He took a heavy hammer and slammed it against the creatures, making them fall and vanish into nothingness!

 

                “Grall, eyes on the wall!” he shouted, as Grall approached, peeking over the wall and seeing the sheer number of foes attempting to scale it!

 

                Grall immediately slammed his hands on the wall, causing it to shake with great force! This, in turn, made the creatures shake, and they were unable to keep their hold on the wall, and they fell off, one by one, plummeting towards death!

 

                “Fourth wave!” Eros shouted, as he saw the increasing enemy forces moving in! The cannons and mechs fired off another round of explosives, and this time, they joined together in a chained combination, and so, the blue spheres and the missiles morphed together into orbs of light that, upon impact on the enemy, served as fatal bombs that sent shards of sharp stone flying to all directions! Definitely an impressive display of power!

               

                “The darkness won’t consume the world. Not while we stand and fight…” Eros thought.

 

                Further away from Stoneberg, amidst the sea of Shadow Blights that was pushing through, Beriel, Ellene and Lucilda stood, carefully observing, ever vigilant. The beasts passed them by as if they were nothing more than dust in the wind. Beriel looked at the ferocity the creatures displayed as they mindlessly kept pushing forward. He stroked his chin in thought.

 

                “Something on your mind?” Ellene asked. Beriel looked at her and smiled.

 

                “Oh, I just think that it’s amazing how a creature’s will can be bent to darkness the way these poor saps have. Who knew that darkness corrupting them would turn them into such feral, savage beasts? Quite an interesting thing to see, no doubt.” he explained.

 

                “All is as it should be. The world was on borrowed time anyway. Finally, we’ll soon see this world come to its definitive end…” Lucilda spoke, quite wishful with her words.

 

                “Have we gotten any word from the Master?” Ellene asked, turning her gaze towards Lucilda.

 

                “Last I spoke to him, he told me that he was in Eternia Glade. He was keeping an eye on things there. I’m sure he’ll come soon. Or at the very least, if he doesn’t come, then we’ll know he’s just keeping watch on things on his end.” Lucilda responded. A Shadow Blight passed through her body, as her shadowy mass dispersed and then reassembled together. Beriel chuckled.

 

                “The mysteries, beauties and wonders of this world always leave me amazed. Heh, so then, should we move in towards Stoneberg and take care of the wretch that stand defending it?” he asked, readying himself. He seemed eager to do combat!

               

                “No, we should stay put. Let the beasts do the killing for us. We can’t reveal ourselves just yet…the Master has plans, and let’s not forget our other member…” Ellene advised.

 

                “Hmm…well, I suppose you are right.” Beriel agreed, though he sounded disappointed.

 

                “We’ll get our chance to fight soon enough. For now, our role is to observe. Things are already in motion, so it’s only a matter of time before we step in.” Ellene encouraged. To that, Beriel seemed to lighten up, and he crossed his arms and shook his head.

 

                “Well, I’m not one to question the Master’s orders, but I would have wanted to get into the heat of battle…” Beriel said aloud.

 

                “Patience, old man…your lust for blood will soon be quenched…” Lucilda hissed, again showing her distaste for him. He only responded with a sly smile and a chuckle, which only proved to irritate Lucilda even more!

(End Song Here)

 

---

 

                Meanwhile, Vincent and the others made their way towards the bridge again, where they had encountered the creature from the sea! They were very cautious this time, and they made sure not to be reckless! Being very few in number now, they knew they had to keep close watch on their surroundings! Seth and Audrey were particularly alert, eyeing everything around them, trying to see if there was anything remotely out of place! Kalciru walked behind them, casually and with what seemed to be no care in the world! Audrey noticed his carefree attitude, and she raised an eyebrow.

 

                “Aren’t you…scared? That creature we’re about to face again…it took the lives of many of our friends. You don’t seem fazed by what a creature like that can do…” she said, looking at the man, who just beamed his smiling face at her! It seemed to unnerve her a bit, though she didn’t show it.

 

                “My dear girl, I’ve seen and faced much more horrendous creatures than the one that resides over this bridge. Yes, this one is a bother, but now that Vincent has the power of Mt. Crescent with him, all should fall into place now.” he explained, with his bubbly calm. He then looked at her curiously. “What, do you mean to tell me that you have no confidence that your leader will pull through?” he asked in shocked alarm, feigning distress! Audrey quickly waved her arms and opened her eyes wide!

 

                “N-no, it’s not that at all! I’m just worried, that’s all! Even with the mightiest powers one can obtain, that doesn’t mean we should stop fearing things that are beyond us. I have no doubt that Vincent will pull through, but I’m also cautious…” she answered, now getting more serious.

 

                “Everyone, down! Now!” Seth said in a whisper, and everyone caught what he said, and they hid among the surrounding rubble and old, rusted cars. Vincent was the only one who remained visible, and he was doing so on purpose!

 

                “Come on, you damn beast…come on and face me…” Vincent thought, as he could feel the fires within him boil! Eventually, tentacles started to rise from the dark water, and they were writhing and surveying the area. Apparently, the creature was also being cautious, but Vincent did nothing. He didn’t prepare an attack, he didn’t do anything else. He only remained standing there, while the others looked on in silence.

 

                “Well…you seem to have quite a strong fire burning within you, my friend…” Kalciru thought, as he smiled, for he could feel the immense power Vincent had within. A power he kept suppressing, a power he knew could be fatally devastating! “Let’s see what you do with that fire…” he thought, as he watched on in silence.

 

                The creature’s tentacles continued to slowly slither around, until it came to a point that long spikes emanated from the tentacles, and the creature started to climb upward! Once it peaked its head and saw Vincent, it immediately gave out a shriek! The creature was aiming to kill Vincent once and for all!

 

                “What’s he waiting for…? He’s gonna get himself killed!” Seth whispered to Audrey. She only waved her hand dismissively at him, and demanded that he pay attention.

 

                “Just watch…” she replied.

 

                “The creature is steadily approaching…” one of the soldiers mentioned, pointing towards the creature, as it was making its way across the bridge! Vincent stood his ground, and he remained firm and unflinching!

 

                “That’s it..come a bit closer…” Vincent thought, as the creature kept making its way towards him! Now, this time, the creature let its guard down, and it attempted to grab Vincent with all of its tentacles! At that moment, Vincent instinctively dodged, and then he ignited his hand!

 

                “Now!” he shouted, and with that, everyone shot concentrated bursts of flame that scorched the tentacles and fried them to a crisp, making the creature wail in pain! It tried to get away, but then Vincent formed a blade of flame, and then used it to cut all of the creature’s tentacles, turning them into ash, and leaving the creature defenseless!  He landed on the ground and looked at the creature, for it seemed to have something more to show!

 

                “Come on beast, let’s see what you’ve got!” Vincent challenged, the flames in his eyes growing ever more vibrant!

 

                The creature then started to spout out something from its mouth. Apparently, it seemed to be some kind of purple ooze! Poison, most likely! In a desperate attempt to defend itself, it splurged the poison out like a geyser, but it came to no avail, as Vincent and the others summoned forth a wall of flames that turned the drops of poison into steam, making them vanish! Then, Vincent felt a powerful surge of energy within him, and he knew that this power was different. This was the power of Mt. Crescent!

 

                “Hmm, so you’re responding to my body, aren’t you?” he asked within himself. “Well, let’s see what you’ve got…” he thought.

 

                He outstretched his palm, and from it, black vein marks stretched out and formed a black hole! From it, a bright, silver flame came out, and it crackled with great ferocity! The silver flames took on the form of a giant phoenix, and then, the flames blanketed the creature, making it desperately flail around, trying to get towards the water! But Vincent made sure that the creature could not escape! When he closed his hand into a fist, the phoenix tightened its grip on the creature, grinding it into ash! And then, just like that, the phoenix dissipated, and the silver flames returned to Vincent, seeping into him! He felt the raw power, and he was baffled by it!

 

                “W-what amazing power!” Vincent thought to himself, as he looked at his hand, quite surprised! Everyone else came out and gathered around Vincent, their faces bearing relief and happiness!

 

                “Yes, the creature is gone! And we’re all alive!” Seth said, as he hugged his dear friend! Audrey had her arms behind her back, and she looked down.

 

                “I’m very relieved that we didn’t lose anyone this time…the creature is finally gone…” she said, as if a great worry had left her thoughts!

 

                “Lord Vincent, now we can pass beyond the bridge!” one of the soldiers replied! Vincent nodded in agreement and looked towards the bridge, as it was now clear from the creature’s presence!

 

                “That’s right. Now we can be able to cross over and continue our journey to the Northern Continent!” Vincent said. “This day is ours!” he shouted, and everyone rallied to him with a victory cry! Kalciru was a bit further away from everyone else, and he had his hands behind his back, and he seemed very pleased!

 

                “Ah, quite splendidly performed! It seems Vincent can handle the holy power after all. Quite impressive!” he thought to himself. “Now let’s see where his journey takes him and his friends…”

---

 

(Keep Playing First Song)

                Back at Stoneberg, the defense of the city was still holding, but the Shadow Blights were continuing their attack with every increasing ferocity! The fortified line before the wall was starting to break and Zaria and the others were starting to get overwhelmed by the surrounding foes!

 

                “We have to fall back! We have to take them down inside!” Tatsumaki shouted, as she and Laren retreated! Grim and Zaria followed, and the other soldiers retreated as well, while the mechs remained outside! But it wasn’t long until the Shadow Blights tore through them, and now they were inside, having passed through the wall! But no sooner than they had entered, they were greeted with a hail of crossbow fire from all sides, taking down and destroying a great number of the creatures in an instant! The fortified line inside the wall was now better reinforced, and more soldiers had gathered together! They ran towards the wall and used themselves as a barrier, holding down the Shadow Blights so that none more could enter! Tatsumaki summoned forth wind daggers and started to fling them at the creature’s heads, taking them down! Grim clasped his hands together and then he thrust them forward! Immediately after, giant vines sprung from the earth, and they zigzagged over the open part of the wall, sealing it shut, as if it were a barrier!

 

                “That should buy some time, Eros!” Grim shouted, looking at the Craftsmen leader!

 

                “Smart thinking on your part, Lifespring!” Eros shouted, as he then signaled the men behind them! “Now!” he shouted.

 

                The soldiers behind them then threw what seemed to be small rocks! But when these rocks bumped on the creature’s heads, they expanded and then transformed into chains that extended and bound an innumerable amount of Shadow Blights, binding them together forcefully! The creatures struggled to break free, but when they overexerted themselves, the chains blew up, sending a great multitude of Shadow Blights flying all over the place!

 

                “Well, that should send them packing!” Zaria shouted, but no sooner than she said those words, a giant Shadow Blight emerged, and then it started to tear through the barrier Grim had made!

 

                “And I spoke too soon…” she thought.

 

                “Everyone, hold the line! Our people depend on us!” one of the soldiers shouted, and the others rallied, as they all gathered towards the deteriorating barrier! When the creature finally broke through, it swung its left arm with fierce force, killing many soldiers instantly, and leaving others fatally injured! It gave out a chilling roar, and then it looked at all the other soldiers coming at it! While the smaller Shadow Blights poured in, the giant one started to get to work on widening the gap on the wall, breaking it more than it already was!

 

                “Oh no, the wall!” Tatsumaki exclaimed! Eros saw that chaos that was unfolding, and he gritted his teeth, noticeably worried!

 

                “Damn it…this is proving worse than I thought…” he said to himself. He then looked at Grall and signaled him with his hand.  Grall immediately caught the signal, and then he rushed towards the wall, heading towards the giant Shadow Blight! Once he was close enough, he planted his feet firmly on the ground and then propelled himself up, delivering a powerful uppercut that made the giant creature swoop back and fall to the ground! Numerous other Shadow Blights were heading towards Grall, but as they jumped up on him, they seemed to have no effect on him! He just shrugged them off and took a cluster of them and crushed them into nothing more than rubble! He remained standing at the very center of the gap of the wall, taking down numerous foes on his own!

 

                “Men, forward, we must help Grall!” one of the soldiers cried, and the others followed, shouting out their battle cry! Zaria and the others quickly followed, and they all clustered together at the gap of the wall, holding down the enemy as much as they could! Eros was analyzing the situation, and he looked onward to the horizon and noticed that more Shadow Blights came, but he also noticed that they were dwindling!  He then signaled forth to the towers and more artillery men, and he swung his hand forward!

 

                “Fire!” he shouted, and so, a barrage of explosive missiles was fired, bombarding the outside of the wall, sending numerous Shadow Blights to their deaths! But then, he noticed that there were some of the foes that were launching dark orbs towards Stoneberg!

 

                “So, they have long range fighting in their ranks…that’s a problem…” Eros thought. He then concentrated his inner energy, and when he punched the ground, a barrier formed  that raised itself quite high, to ensure that the orbs wouldn’t make it through! The barrier managed to cover the gap in the wall quite a bit, but the creatures were still pouring in!

 

                “What do we do now!? It won’t be long until that giant Shadow Blight gets up again!” Tatsumaki shouted, as she flung wind daggers towards two of the creatures, hitting them right on the head!

 

                “This is getting out of hand! It won’t be long until we give way! There’s too many of them!” Zaria exclaimed as she flipped over a Shadow Blight that tried eating her, and she sliced its head off!

 

                “Ride out the storm! We must ride out the storm!” Laren shouted, as he delivered a blindingly fast multi thrust of his lance towards a group of Shadow Blights attempting to pass into Stoneberg unnoticed!

 

                “Those damn hellspawn will have to stop spawning at some point. We have to endure the endless waves as long as we’re able!” Grim shouted, as he extended his hands and summoned forth vine whips, using them to cover a wide radius and decimate numerous foes! All the while, Grall had crushed a great many foes, continuing to impressively deal even more damage! He had his eye on the fallen giant foe, making sure to make it his target after getting rid of one of the annoying pests that was distracting him!

 

                As the raging battle ensued, Eros began to notice something! He saw through a small dent in the barrier he had made that certain parts of the field only contained black puddles. These, he deduced, were probably remains of the Shadow Blights, but then he quickly discarded it, as Shadow Blights vaporize into nothingness when they die! He thought of this as strange, and then he kept observing! He then saw that that puddles started to shift…and they were moving to the right! He then ran towards the gap in the wall, and he noticed that there were more black puddles! In fact, there was one massive giant one that was taking form!  When the giant mass started to raise itself, Eros realized what was happening!

 

                “Everyone, fall back!!!” Eros shouted. The others, in alarm, looked to him, and they were puzzled for a moment!

 

                “But they’ll get into the city!” Grim shouted! But Grall saw what Eros had feared! The giant puddles morphed together, and the giant Shadow Blight that was laying in the ground was also being sucked into this giant mass! The numerous smaller creatures were also  being sucked in, and that’s when they all realized that the Shadow Blights were merging together to form a much bigger, significantly more threatening form!

 

                “My lord…” Zaria whispered to herself.

 

                When the giant black mass finally finished taking its form, it revealed itself to be the form of a giant minotaur, with long, sharp, curved horns and menacing, glaring red eyes! Its body was beyond muscular, and veins were twitching and moving with every breath it took! It gave out a harrowing cry, and everyone stood speechless for a moment!

 

                “Fall back!!!” Eros commanded again, and everyone started to retreat into the city!  Grall was the only one who remained, for he intended to try to stop the creature from getting inside!

 

                The minotaur bellowed defiantly, and then it began to run towards the wall, attempting to break it with one stomp! As soon as its hoof was about to crush the wall, Grall caught the hoof and stood firm, despite the overwhelming size of the foe!

 

                “Grall, are you mad!? You’ll get yourself killed!” Eros exclaimed, but Grall would not listen! Eros clenched his fists and then leapt down to join Grall, and he also held on tightly to the minotaur’s hoof!

 

                “I won’t let you face this alone!” Eros said, encouraging his friend! Grall only nodded, and then the minotaur started pushing its foot down further! They both strained themselves, and despite their strength, they felt as though they were going to give way!

 

                “Not so fast!” Grim shouted, as he summoned forth giant roots with thorns to also aid in holding back the creature!

 

                “We’re here!” Tatsumaki said, as she and Laren both summoned forth a unified wind gust that was pushing the creature back!  Zaria, along with the soldiers, came and lent their strength as well!

 

                “All of you…” Eros said, a bit overwhelmed by what was happening!

 

                “Now!!!!” Grim shouted, as they all pushed forward, making the minotaur wobble and then fall down, its back crushing against the ground, causing a great tremor to take place!

 

                “That should at least slow it down! Eros, we must fortify defenses for the entire city at once!” Laren suggested. Eros nodded.

 

                “Right. We have to rally the men and prepare! We must—“ Eros was saying, but was cut short, as there was a violent tremor that made everyone fall to the ground! They were all shaking groggily and they were confused as to what was happening! Then they noticed searing darkness burning the wall down, vaporizing it out of existence! The minotaur got back up and then, with every step it took, it left a trail of oozing, acidic darkness that was burning everything down!

 

                “Damn it, this isn’t good!” Eros said through gritted teeth! Everyone was at a loss for what to do!

 

                “How are we going to stop this thing now!?” Zaria exclaimed! Everyone was clueless, and then they saw the minotaur opening its mouth, delivering a chilling bellow! The soldiers got to their feet and rallied together, and they stood firm, ready to die for their people! But even with this bravery, they were still deathly afraid of dying! But just when all hope was seeming to fade from them, something unexpected happened! A giant hole tore through the minotaur’s abdomen, and the creature itself looked down at its newfound wound in alarm, wondering what had caused it! Everyone else was clueless as well, but Zaira noticed something, no, someone, on the ground below the minotaur!

 

                “Wait a moment, isn’t that…?” she thought, as she squinted her eyes to get a better look! She immediately smiled when she saw who it was! “It’s him! The bandaged guy!” she pointed, as everyone looked towards the mysterious man, as he stood behind the creature, and the creature took notice of him! It was about to stomp him with its giant hoof, but he held it with one hand effortlessly, and then he crushed the hoof, making it shatter, causing bleeding darkness to seep out! The minotaur wailed in pain!

 

                “Just who is that man!?” Laren looked on in wonder.

 

                “A friend! Well, hopefully!” Zaria thought.

(End Song Here)

----------------------------------------------------

 

And so, the mysterious bandaged man has come at the last moment to save everyone from the terror of the giant minotaur! Will this unexpected arrival turn the tide of battle? Will Stoneberg be saved? Find out in Chapter Seventeen: “A New Face Joins The Party!”

 

Well everyone, that was the chapter! I hope you all found it entertaining! How have you liked the battle of Stoneberg so far? Has it been good? Have my action sequences been set up alright? And are character interactions good enough? I ask because I wanna know what you all think of my writing style! X3 Yeah, I know, I just wonder what readers think of how I write, ya know? But anyways, thank you all very much for your patience and support, and as always, let me know what you thought about tonight’s chapter! Until next time, stay tuned for the next one!

[KHLegendIII 709]

This is starting to get interesting.

[Keyblade101 526]

THE BANDAGED MAN!!!!!!!!!! WHO ARE YOU?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

 

This is such a great story so far and I LOVE your music choices! Keep going!  :smile:  :smile:  :smile:

[Sarrin 100]

So many questions, I must have these answers! looking forward to more

[The Transcendent Key 12,109]

To KHLegendIII, indeed!

 

To Keyblade101, thanks man, I appreciate the feedback! Hehe, and regarding the music choices, thanks! I always tend to choose music that fits the most in the current situation, ya know? And as for the bandaged man...well, you'll see. X3

 

To Sarrin, aha, you quoted Xehanort! Badass, man! Haha, and well, you want more? Then here's more for ya!

 

Good evening everyone, I hope that all of you are doing okay! So then, here’s another chapter for you all to enjoy! Things are quite intense, as you can see! Can the bandaged man be able to turn the tide of battle? I’m sure you are all eager to find out, so let’s get to the chapter at hand, shall we?

 

Chapter Seventeen: A New Face Joins The Party

 

(Start Song Here)

                Even with the giant hole in its stomach, the minotaur still stood, as it tried to get rid of the bandaged man, who was just below it! The creature bellowed menacingly, and then it flung a giant, clenched fist at the man, but he dodged the attack and leapt on top of the creature’s hand, then scaling up the arm, first slowly, but then increasing his speed as he got higher! The creature then tried to squash the man with its other hand, but the man simply leapt out of the way and landed on the creature’s other arm, scaling it up even faster! From a cloak he had on him, he drew out a large, thin blade, and he readied it for what seemed to be a strike at the head! The creature took notice of this and then moved its head in the hope of dodging the attack, but the bandaged man was counting on this all along! He never leapt up, and he then dashed towards the creature’s shoulder slicing its left arm out first, and then scaling down towards the right to carve out the right arm! With two simple swipes, the arms were sliced off, and a vaporizing darkness emanated from the empty sockets, as the creature roared in pain! The bandaged man then stabbed his blade on the creature’s chest and stood on the sword, looking at the creature as it writhed in pain!

 

                “What’s he doing!?” Tatsumaki wondered, excited at the stranger’s appearance!

 

                “He’s…looking at the creature? He’s just standing on his sword, which is impaled on the creature’s chest!” one of the soldiers explained, though he was unsure why the bandaged man had stopped his attack.

 

                “Probably admiring his handiwork. He did slice off the creature’s arms! That was an impressive display!” another soldier commented.

 

                “Everyone, look!” Zaria shouted, catching everyone’s attention! She pointed towards the current battle, and they saw that the bandaged man took action and then started to carve out a giant X on the creature’s chest, and all the infernal thing could do was bellow in pain! It’s arms removed, it couldn’t do anything to defend itself! The bandaged man was getting annoyed at the creature’s cries of pain, and this time, he ensured to cut out its head in one fell swoop! Once he did, the body of the creature started to fall to the ground! But before it could crash, it vaporized into nothingness! And just like that, the creature was defeated, and no more Shadow Blights appeared!

(End Song Here)

 

                Eros and his men were dumbstruck, as were Zaria and company! Just a moment ago, they had been fighting for their lives, being overwhelmed by so many Shadow Blights, and yet this mysterious man was able to take down a unified form of these same creatures without any effort! Their shock was soon replaced with relief and rejoice!

 

                “Men, the day is ours!” Eros shouted, and everyone cheered, a victorious battle cry ringing out!

 

                “It’s unbelievable…to think that we were saved just in time. Truly impressive!” Laren said, impressed by the stranger’s skills! Zaria looked to the horizon and saw the man just standing there, looking at where the creature had stood! She wondered about him, just how she had wondered about him when he saved them back in Tremaine’s lab. She wondered if he would go off and disappear again! She was soon shaken out of her thoughts by Grim, who had placed his hand on her shoulder.

 

                “Come on Zaria, let’s help Eros and the others assess the overall damage to the city.” he said. Zaria nodded.

 

                “Right.” she replied, and then she glanced over to the stranger again. She was surprised that he was still there! She hoped, deep in her heart, that he wouldn’t disappear! After another quick glance, she left with the others.

 

                A few hours passed, and after scouring the city, the damage had been assessed. The Shadow Blights didn’t make it into the city, and all of the citizens were safe and sound! The heavy damage was in the wall, and some of the towers had also suffered damage from the colossal minotaur’s rampage! One of Eros’s soldiers made his way towards Eros, and he bore a grim face.

 

                “Sir…we’ve done the body count…” he said. Eros did not look his way.

 

                “How many…?” he asked. There was a short silence before the soldier responded.

 

                “Over three hundred…” the soldier replied. Eros sighed deeply and he remained silent, looking to the horizon, on the now barren battlefield. He glanced over his shoulder at the soldier, and he gave a short nod.

 

                “Is that all there is to report?” he asked. The soldier nodded in confirmation. “At ease then, soldier. Go home to your family. You’ve earned it…” Eros said, now in a soft voice. The soldier said nothing and simply bowed in gratitude, and then turned to leave. Zaria saw Eros alone, and she decided to keep him company. She climbed up to where he was, which was in a small part of the wall that hadn’t been decimated. She sat beside him, and they both looked at the sun, which was beginning to set.

(Start Song Here)

                “War is never a good thing, Zaria.” Eros suddenly said, breaking the silence. Zaria looked at him and she could see the sorrow on his face. Even though he was cocky and proud, he also bore a gentle side to him, and it was a side that he seldom showed to anyone. He looked troubled and tormented.

 

                “Yeah…it’s all a screwed up mess…” was her reply.

 

                “My father once told me that things in this world are out of balance, and that it’s up to us, the people who inherit it, to set things right. Those were words that I took to heart, and I swore to him that I’d do my best to help change things, and help change how the world works. I swore to him I’d do my best to protect everyone and everything I could.” Eros said, as he stroked his chin and closed his eyes, remembering that conversation he had with his father. “Ever since my father died, I’ve been the one taking care of things in his stead. I’m the Prince, but I haven’t accepted the title of king yet. I think that I don’t deserve it. Not yet, at least…” he said.

 

                “Well, from what it looks to me, you are a capable leader. You care about your people, and you are fearless in battle. I think you have kingly qualities. You just have to believe that you can deliver on your end!” Zaria advised, trying to cheer him up. He chuckled a bit and shook his head.

 

                “If only it were that simple, child. But know that nothing in this life is ever easy. For if everything was served in the palm of our hand, there wouldn’t be much need to strive for anything, now would there?” he stated, making Zaria rethink what she said.

 

                “Hmm…” she thought. “I guess you’re right about that.”

 

                “Being a leader isn’t what it’s all cut out to be. There’s heavy responsibility involved, and if you aren’t ready to step up and take charge, everything will eat you whole. The situations, the doubt, the strain. I’ve done my best to lead my people, but I know that there’s many things that I have to learn still. I have to get stronger…so that I can ensure my people’s survival. Just look at today, for instance! If it hadn’t been for that stranger, we would’ve probably been eaten alive by those goddamn savages…” he said, clenching his fists. “I need to become stronger…especially with what’s to come…”

 

                “And you will be stronger! You just have to hang in there! And as long as your people support you, you’ll be okay. You won’t have to face things alone!” Zaria encouraged. Eros smiled and put his hand on her shoulder.

 

                “Right you are, my friend. Right you are.” he said.  “Well then, I’m going to see to things over in the city. I’ve already posted guards, so if there’s any sign of trouble, help will come quickly. I’ll see you, Zaria.” Eros said, as he bowed and took his leave. Zaria nodded and watched him descend the wall as he walked towards the city. She thought about his words, and she thought about how things had transpired. It had all been so fast…

(End Song Here)

 

                Then, she turned around, and she noticed that the stranger was still in the exact same spot he had been a few hours ago. This intrigued her, for she was surprised that he still hadn’t left! She decided to investigate and she scaled down the wall, and then she went outside of the city, and towards the field, until she reached the man. She stood a few feet away from him, expecting him to turn around, but he didn’t!

 

                “Um…hey. It’s me again. I don’t know if you remember me, but you saved me and my friends last time around…and well, I wanted to thank you again.” she said, but received no response. She felt a bit intimidated, but she decided to speak again. But just when she was about to, the man turned around. His eyes seemed dim, almost grim, even! Zaria looked into his eyes, and noticed that he seemed to be in some sort of trance. She walked up to him, slowly though, for she was still intimidated by him. She kept walking until she was inches away from his face. She saw the bandages concealing him stained with dry blood and black marks here and there. The man said nothing, he only stood there.

 

                “What’s your name?” Zaria asked, hoping that the man would answer.

 

                But the man simply turned around and started to walk away. He didn’t say a word!

 

                “Wait, don’t go! Won’t you consider at least coming over to Stoneberg, so you can get some food and rest? You took down that giant Shadow Blight, and well, you saved us! You should at least rest!” Zaria said, to which the man stopped. He glanced over his shoulder and looked at her. He stared at her for a bit before turning around and walking towards her. He then passed her and headed towards Stoneberg!

 

                “Well, at least he’ll rest, so that’s good…” Zaria thought, as she followed him into the city.

 

                It wasn’t long until she caught up with him, and she found that he was just walking straight, without so much as looking to his sides. He seemed very quiet. Then again, he was always quiet, at least from what Zaria had experienced in the times they’d been together! She saw that the Craftsmen were art work rebuilding sections of the city, and many were bringing materials towards the wall so it could be rebuilt. The injured were being carried over to the infirmary, and the dead were being brought so that they could be given a proper burial. Eventually, Zaria and the stranger came upon an inn, and once they entered it, Zaria found Grim sitting on one of the tables. He was helping himself to a drink. He turned and noticed them entering, and he waved towards them! He noticed that the stranger was with Zaria, and he thought of that as surprising!

 

                “Hey Grim, enjoying yourself a little victory drink?” Zaria asked as she sat beside him. He simply raised his mug and looked at it.

 

                “Eh, just a little drink to energize me up before heading out to help the others.” he replied, but then he turned his attention towards the stranger, who was just standing there, and Grim got a little antsy.

 

                “Zaria, I know that he helped us and all, but I still don’t fully trust him…after all, I did fight him in Morrowgale…” Grim said, as Zaria noticed his disdain. “And even though he also helped us back in the caves, I still don’t fully take kindly to him…”

 

                “Look, I’m sure you two had your fight and all, but that’s in the past now! The important thing here is that he helped us not once, but twice, and if it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t have gotten out of the old hag’s labs, and Morrowgale would’ve been left in chaos! Not to mention that right now, we’d be six feet under because of the Shadow Blights. So I think that all that help warrants trust, don’t you think?” Zaria expressed, trying to tide things over, though the stranger didn’t even say a word. He didn’t seem to particularly care for Grim’s troubled thoughts. Grim looked like he was struggling with Zaria’s words, but he sighed and eventually loosened up.

 

                “Well, I guess you have a point. And well, if you trust him, then that’s enough for me.” Grim said, and then he turned to the stranger and motioned at him with his hand. “Pull up a chair, mister….”

 

                “Yeah…I don’t think he talks…I haven’t been able to get a word out of him, so either he’s not a man of words, or he doesn’t speak at all…” Zaria said with a nervous chuckle.

 

                The stranger stood there for a few moments, and then, he slowly pulled up a chair, and he then sat on it. He reached into his pocket, and he took out what seemed to be a dagger in a leather sheathe. He drew the dagger out and placed it on the table. On it, there were engraved some words! Zaria peeked over to the dagger and looked at it curiously.

 

                “Bane…is that your name?” she asked, reading the name on the blade. The stranger only took the dagger and put it back in its sheathe, and then he put it back in his pocket.

 

                “I…guess that’s as close to finding out his name as we’ll get. So Bane it is, then!” Grim said. “Thank you for your help.”

 

                Bane only nodded slightly, and he placed his hands together and remained silent. The silence was quite unnerving, as it made Grim and Zaria be at a loss for any words to say.

 

                Luckily, soon after, Laren and the others came into the inn, and they came over to Grim and Zaria.

 

                “Ah, there you two are!” Laren said, and then he took notice of Bane. “Ah, this is the one who helped us in the battle, eh?” he asked, eyeing him closely.

 

                “Yeah, that’s him. His name is Bane, but he doesn’t really talk much…” Zaria said on his behalf. Laren observed Bane, and the he outstretched his hand towards him.

 

                “Well, when we met, it was under hostile conditions, but this time, I can shake your hand now. You were of great help to us, and I thank you for saving our lives. We owe you a great deal.” Laren expressed, his hand ready for a handshake. Bane looked at Laren’s hand for a bit before outstretching his own, and then he shook Laren’s hand, stood up, and then he walked towards the innkeeper and gave him okane. Soon after, he went upstairs, most probably to rest.

 

                “Well, you weren’t kidding when you said that he doesn’t talk much…he’s kinda creepy, if you ask me…” Tatsumaki said, a little intimidated by Bane’s presence.

 

                “Yeah, I know that he seems that way, but I don’t know…I feel like he’s a guy I know that we can trust. He’s okay in my book.” Zaria said thoughtfully. “Anyways, what’s up?” she asked, as Laren and Tatsumaki pulled up some chairs and sat with Grim and Zaria.

 

                “Well, for now, everything has calmed down here in Stoneberg, and Tatsumaki and I spoke with Eros, and he said that all focus will now be brought into repairing the wall. He contacted some relatives that’ll come by in the morning to help with repairs, and he said that he’s going to remain here, ensuring the safety of his people. He asked me to relay a message to Lady Saphira. He won’t be attending the next gathering.” Laren explained.

 

                “Yeah…I can’t say that I blame him. With this whole crisis, none of our people came to help, or the Lifespring, for that matter, and that troubles me deeply. Our leaders are in a state of unrest, and now they aren’t even lending each other support…it’s worse than we thought…” Tatsuamki stated, her face grim.

 

                “Heh, divided we fall, eh? I guess that’s to be expected. All the great tragedies of the world have happened due to rifts between civilizations and their unwillingness to do nothing. It’s scary, to be honest…” Grim said melancholically, as he kept drinking.

 

                “Scary it is…” Zaria added.  “So then, I take it we’re leaving tomorrow then?” she asked. Laren stood up and sighed, a bit tired, from the looks of it.

 

                “Yes. We’ll be leaving in the morning. Our time is running short, and we still need two more members for our group. We have to make haste before the situation worsens. We’ll rest up now and continue our journey in the morning.” he answered.

 

                “Yeah, we should definitely hit the hay! I’m tuckered out!” Tatsumaki yawned. “Our rooms are already reserved, so we’re going up ahead. Remember, come up whenever you’re ready to sleep, okay?”

 

                “Sure thing. Thanks, guys!” Zaria said. She remained with Grim for a while longer, and then she started to feel sleep catching up to her. She stood up and yawned and patted Grim’s back.

 

                “Well old man, I’m gonna call it a night. See you in the morning.” she said. Grim raised his mug.

 

                “Aye. Good night.” he replied, as he took another sip.

 

                When the morning came, everyone ensure to eat a good breakfast, for it’d be a while before they came upon another place to rest again, and they decided that they would try to keep going forth, taking less breaks, considering the time and the situation at hand. After eating their fill, they all headed outside, and already they could see that many of Eros’s soldiers were hard at work rebuilding the wall, and a good chunk was already well on its way to being repaired! Many more Craftsmen were coming in through the main gate, and for the most part, at least there was a semblance of normalcy that had returned. They all headed to Eros to bid him farewell, and the Craftsmen leader noticed them and bowed his head.

 

                “I take it that you are leaving now, then?” Eros asked. The others nodded.

 

                “Yes, we must be on our way. We can’t delay.” Laren answered.

 

                “Well, I wish you safe travel, and thank you again so much for your help. I thank you all for having risked your lives for our people. Such kindness will not go unnoticed here, and all of you will always be welcome in Stoneberg. Never forget that.” Eros said, as he crossed his arms. The others smiled and appreciated his words, and they bowed in gratitude.

 

                “Thank you for your hospitality. We appreciate your kindness, Lord Eros.” Tatsumaki said. Eros scoffed and waved his hand dismissively.

 

                “Look, don’t flatter me with the whole “Lord” thing. I’m not one for fancy titles. Eros will do just fine.” he said with a smirk.

 

                “Heh, well alright then Eros.” Tatsuamki beamed, with a bright smile on her face!

 

                “Oh, that’s right! I almost forgot! Grall, come here!” Eros shouted to Grall, who was a bit further away. He came by and stopped by Eros’s side. “Do you have it?” he asked. Grall nodded and then reached out for his back, and then, he took out what seemed to be armor sets!

 

                “These are for you! My forgers had these made especially for you. They are of great and durable material! They are strong, yet light, and I’m sure this armor will serve you all well for your journey. I hope you put it to good use.” Eros explained. The others again bowed in gratitude, accepting the gift Eros gave them.

 

                “We’ll be sure to make excellent use of this armor. Thank you very much, Eros.” Laren said. Each of them was given a unique armor set, and they were all neatly placed in bags for them to store whenever they wanted to take off their armor.

 

                “Well then, we’re off. Farewell, Eros!” Laren said, as they all walked towards the main gate to leave Stoneberg. Eros waved them goodbye, and he kept watching them as they faded from view.

 

                “A lot rides on their shoulders, Grall. I just hope that this burden won’t bring them down.” Eros said, with a slightly worried tone. Grall shook his head, for he seemed reassured that Laren and his friends would be okay.

 

                “Well, let’s hope they keep heart and stay strong. Anyways, let’s get back to work!” Eros said, as he and Grall went to work with the other soldiers to repair the wall.

 

(Start Song Here)

                As Zaria and the others left the city, they went down a path that Eros had recommended them. It was a path seldom used by anyone, and not even enemies knew of its existence. It was an old road that led downwards towards the southern country. They walked down a slightly steep hill that lay beside Stoneberg, and once they were down, they were witness to a vast woodland that seemed to be peaceful and undisturbed. Hopefully, the path would prove to be one without any danger.

 

                It had already been a while since they had set off, and already, the sun was high in the sky, and the heat was definitely doubling down on the travelers, making them sweat quite a bit! They kept following the path, and they noticed that the trees around them were still, and there wasn’t much wind to blow through the trees to give them fresh air. The climate now was horridly humid.

 

                “Ahh, this sucks! The sun’s burning me to the point of exhaustion!” Zaria complained, as she sweat buckets!

 

                “Just try to think cool thoughts! That ought to get us through. Otherwise, we’ll turn into ash…” Grim said, trying to keep himself cool by fanning himself with a big leaf he had materialized with his hands. He made more for the others so they could cool themselves.

 

                “Sorry guys, I could use my wind gusts to cool us, but I’d give you all hot air instead…thanks for the leaf, Grim.” Tatsumaki said as she fanned herself.

 

                “Don’t worry everyone. Once we’re out of this path, we should be in the clear. If I’m not mistaken, this path leads towards a country that is part of Eternia Glade. We just have to endure the heat for a while.” Laren expressed as he fanned himself as well.

 

                “Well, at any rate, it’s half past noon, so when the sun sets, it should get a lot cooler, so there’s that for relief!” Zaria said, as they pressed on.

 

                A little while later, they arrived at what seemed to be ruins. Of what they could be, they couldn’t guess, for they were covered in moss and vines, and the slow passing of time didn’t help matters. Judging by the layout of how the ruins looked, it could have been some kind of outpost. It overlooked a small valley, and…

 

                “Look, I think that’s water down there!” Tatsumaki darted, as she was desperate to cool herself!

 

                “Really!? Oh God, please let it be water!” Zaria exclaimed as she darted behind Tatsumaki!

 

                “Wait, you two!” Laren shouted, and then he sighed, as they were already halfway down towards the small watering hole!

 

                “Heh, can’t blame em.” Grim chuckled. Laren smiled.

 

                “No, I can’t.” he agreed. They followed after the girls into the watering hole, and then they got there, they decided to freshen up as well. The water was thankfully cool and refreshing, and it revived their spirits greatly!

 

                “Ah, there’s nothing better than cold water to bring me back to life!” Zaria expressed calmly, as she wet her face and enjoyed the water’s crisp coolness.

 

                “Indeed, without water, we’d all be nothing but dried corpses!” Grim said, as he cupped his hands together and  put them in the water, and then he drank and refreshed himself. They were all enjoying a small break, when all of a sudden, they heard some footsteps coming from just where they were! They all looked upwards towards the path they were treading, and they prepared themselves for a fight! But then they saw that it was Bane!

 

                “Wait, Bane? Is that really you?” Zaria asked, still not believing what she was seeing!

 

                “Apparently it is…” Grim said, as he stared at Bane, who remained standing quite a distance from them. This time, he had a brown, tattered cloak that covered his body, but he had his hood down, so his hair was waving softly to the flow of the wind. His eyes were tense and filled with mystery, as usual, and he just stood there, watching them.

 

                “I wonder what he wants…”  Tatsumaki thought. And just as if Bane had read her thoughts, he slowly made his way down, walking towards them. They all remained silent as he came down, and when he finally reached them, he sat down right where the watering hole was, and he let his feet get in the water. Granted, he had boots on, so his feet weren’t actually wet, but he put his feet on the water all the same. He seemed…relaxed.

 

                “Have you been following us all this time?” Laren asked. Bane nodded in confirmation.

 

                “Where are you headed?” Zaria asked. Bane slowly lifted his hand and then pointed towards the path they were on.

 

                “Ah, so you’re also going our same way, eh?” Tatsumaki wondered. Bane then put his hand in his cloak and rummaged through it, apparently searching for something. He then took out what seemed to be small boxes. He gave one to each of them, and they wondered what it was that these boxes contained!

 

                “I wonder what’s in these?” Grim asked. Zaria went ahead and opened her box, and she immediately smiled when she found what was inside!

 

                “Yes! It’s food! A full dinner right here! Thank you, Bane!” Zaria bowed appreciatively, as she took a bite and savored it. She loved the taste of mashed potatoes with nice, tasty gravy! The fries that accompanied them were also good!

 

                Everyone else opened their boxes and found that each of them contained an individual dinner tailored to each of them! Grim had some pasta with meatballs and salad on the side, while Tatsumaki had some pork chops, potato salad and rice! Laren had some noodle soup, rice and curry! They were all surprised by this, and with their stomachs rumbling, they decided to dig in!

 

                “Thank you for your kindness, Bane.” Laren said, as he ate his fill. The others thanked him as well, and he only nodded in approval, apparently pleased that everyone was enjoying the food! At least, Zaria guessed he was pleased!  After they ate, they all sat down beside Bane and let their feet rest on the water.

 

                “So you came all this way just to give us food? You’re really an outstanding guy, for a guy that doesn’t talk much!” Tatsumaki teased. Bane waved his hand dismissively, probably feeling a bit embarrassed, or perhaps flattered. She couldn’t really tell, given his face was completely covered, except for his eyes.  “So…why so much secrecy? What do you have to hide behind those bandages?” she asked. Bane seemed to have brushed off the question, for he didn’t seem to answer in any way that she’d understand. Zaria elbowed her and shook her head.

 

                After a while, but not too long, all of them stood up and they made ready to continue their journey. They started to climb along the path, and they saw that Bane was following them.

 

                “So, are we to assume you’ll be joining us?” Grim asked. Bane nodded, and he drew forth his sword, and then he stabbed it on the ground and went on one knee. He bowed his head, and he put his fist to his chest, as if making a vow! He seemed to be very devout in his vow, even though no words were spoken.

 

                “Well, you have proven to be a person who’s helped us time and again, so even though we had our past transgressions, you are more than welcome!” Laren said, officially welcoming Bane to the party! Zaria smiled and clapped her hands enthusiastically, and Tatsumaki nodded in approval, while Laren and Grim looked at Bane, almost as if inspecting him!

 

                “Well, he sure does seem sincere enough…” Grim thought. Bane then stood up, withdrew his sword, and then signaled that he was ready to keep going.

 

                “Well, that’s it then! Off we go!” Zaria said, as they continued on the path they had been treading!

 

                All the while, as the party had kept walking, unknown to them, they were being followed! In fact, this had been happening for quite some time! Ever since the battle of Stoneberg! Ellene and Lucilda were concealed in a grove of trees, silently observing the party as they disappeared from view!

 

                “These pests are starting to be more trouble than they’re worth…they may be an obstacle that might prove irritable…” Lucilda growled.

 

                “Yes, I agree. Well, the Master gave us our orders. Let’s set those towns aflame…” Ellene said. Lucilda smirked, her devilish eyes beaming with excitement!

 

                “It’s all coming together perfectly!” she purred, as they both disappeared to who knows where!

(End Song Here)

-----------------------------------------------

 

And so, Bane has joined the party! Now Zaria and friends have one more ally among them, and now, they continue trudging along, hoping to find what they’re searching for! Will they find the people they need? And what else will come at them? And how are things faring on other fronts? Stay tuned for Chapter Eighteen: “A Deteriorating World.”

 

Well everyone, that was the chapter! And so, one more member has been added to the party! Do you all like the inclusion of Bane? And do you like his character and how he’s written? You see, I’ve never attempted to write a character that doesn’t speak much, so this is totally new ground for me! Let me know if I’m doing well so far! And well, as always, thank you very much for your patience and support! Let me know what you thought about tonight’s chapter, and until next time, stay tuned for the next one!

[KHLegendIII 709]

This is starting to heat up more, Bane is interesting so far.