I was unconscious for more than half the day, when I awoke the sun had already set beyond the horizon. The unpolluted air of the dead zone allowed the stars to shine with their true radiance. The sight was breathtakingly beautiful, even if it originated from such a dangerous place. That is the strange thing about life, even in a place as harrowing as this, beauty could still be found. Often times it only made it more enticing, the rose would not be as beautiful if it was eternal. The mere fact that its beauty is temporary is what makes it so much more special. The Greeks use to believe that the gods envied mortals due to their fleeting lives, allowing them to appreciate art and the magnificence of the world itself. Taking in a deep breath I corrected myself to sit upright. Taking out a small notepad and a pen I began to write another proverb. 'While the dandelion dreams, the lotus blooms in search of enlightenment.'
It was a strange habit to pick up, but also quite familiar. It was different than writing music, but intimately similar. While one conveys a story through rhythm, the other conveys meaning through interpretation. It was a simple habit, yet it worked well to keep my mind at ease. Ever since my last date with Verity, I knew that I could no longer remain the same. For too long had I lost myself to the darkness of my own soul. Now, now I was focused on trying to be better, if not for myself than for her. Anubis sat at the cave entrance ever vigilant keeping watch over my sleeping squad mates. Odin sat perched on a tree just outside cleaning his white plumage. Their presence gave comfort to my souls, a very necessary thing when you thought of our coming mission. Our unit was different from other units of the Exterminatus because we were not a part of the culling teams. Our job was just as if not more important, we had to close the rifts closest to the border.
This was all done in an attempt to limit the amount of beasts that would attack us when the horde arrived. After all there is nothing more daunting than a horde that only increases as the battle continues. Obviously we could not close all the rifts in the area, instead we focused only on the ones that were close to an incursion. Our current target was a rift known as the red sea, it was an especially tricky rift due to the aquatic monsters found within. They were a species of merfolk that had an aptitude to blood magic making them a terror on the battlefield. The scorching winds deviated us slightly from our course but not by much. When the sun rose the following morning everyone was already up and ready to embark. It took an hour of travel to reach the large D-rank rift, the orange rift stood eerily at the edge of a dry river. Taking one last glance at my squad I walked inside, nausea was the first thing that greeted me inside. The higher the rank of the rift you entered in comparison to your own rank the greater the vertigo you felt when entering. Through sheer force of will I managed not to puke my guts out.
The humid air made it slightly harder to breathe, the squelch of my boots on the muddy soil as I took in my environment. We found ourselves within a damp cave filled with blood soaked soil, and hanging vines. The sound of running water came from somewhere to our west. Without even needing to command him, Odin took off to begin scouting the winding tunnel system. Johan took his position in the front of the group shield held at the ready. This would be the third rift we had taken down as a party so everyone already knew their place in the machine of our squad. Johan did not speak much but when he did it was always impossibly deep. People always looked to me as a stoic but in comparison to this behemoth I was but a sproutling compared to a redwood. Ah, I was losing track of what's important. I gave the signal that everything was clear.
With slow and careful steps we moved deeper into the rift. Through Odin's eyes, I caught sight of our first enemies barely five minutes away. Raising my hand while pointing in the direction of the merfolk my team nodded in response getting ready for battle. A high-pitched screech assaulted our ears as we turned a corner. There stood three towering creatures born from some sick mans worst nightmares. The merfolk stood at seven feet tall, with blood red scales. Large gaping mouths filled with many rows of daggerlike teeth, their scales were a polluted reddish brown color. They stood on webbed feet that looked almost goat like. They were a creepy sight to behold but nonetheless we got ready for the battle.
Drawing Black Dawn from its sheath, I engulfed it in the black, blue and silver flame of my wrath. Tongues of fire caressed the air as more mana was poured into my gift. Johan was the first to respond, activating his bulwark ability he charged into the fray. His long sword collided with the side of the first merfolk while his shield blocked a blow from the second. Simon was only a few steps behind him as his spear took advantage of their distraction taking of the hand of the first beast. Just as I was about to move forward a wave of red blood pushed them back as the merfolk began using their magic. I jumped over the wave with the grace of an acrobat. Sword positioned in a downward slash using my soul magic to guide my bodies fall. Blade met flesh and bone as I severed its arm from its shoulder causing blood to spray from the wound like a fountain.
Too late did I realize my mistake as the blood on my clothes turned to needles stabbing into my skin. Jumping back, I let my fire consume the blood on my body stopping the attack. "Kekekekeke," a demented laugh escaped from the merfolks lips as it picked up its severed arm and reattached it in a single motion. My entire squad was on edge as we watched this happen. We knew the only way to kill these monsters was to destroy their core. But knowing something and seeing it first hand were two very different things. Vivienne was the first to snap out of her reverie, the air around her began to shift as fire mana gathered in her palms. A ball of pure fire shot out of her hands scorching the first merfolk to cinders. The attack did not kill it but it gave Simon a chance to pierce its heart with his spear. Breaking its core killed the creature instantly. These creatures were not overly strong but they relied on swarming their enemies. We were lucky that only three of them were currently present, well, only two were left now I guess. The remaining merfolk roared in protest as Johan and I moved forward again. The bloody ground underneath our feet shifted causing my instincts to scream at me. Not one to ignore my instincts I jumped forward just in time, as spikes of blood rose from where I just stood. Cold sweat marred my back, if I had jumped only a second later I would have been impaled. Suddenly the creatures in front of me felt far more dangerous.
The very environment was against us, as the merfolk began focusing more on casting while keeping their distance. The twelve meters separating us felt dauntingly far as we dodged various blood projectiles just to get close. Anubis was the first to arrive, he weaved through their attacks. His body engulfed in a pure black fire radiating rot and decay, he lashed out at the closest merfolk. Jumping from the cave wall for a further boost his claws separated both of the creatures hands. Fire began consuming the wounds, causing it to begin rotting on the spot.
The rot slowed down the regeneration just enough for me to arrive and deliver the killing blow. Johan was already in motion his shield blocking another attack as his sword ripped through flesh finishing of the final merfolk. We all stood taking in deep breaths, my mana was dangerously low. Odin and Anubis did not have mana of their own so they borrowed from my reserve. They were both an advantage as well as another factor to keep in account when fighting. Blood leaked from the many cut wounds on my body, my head feeling dizzy at the blood loss.
Augustus was already by my side, his hands covered in glowing water as he began to heal me. "That was far too close for comfort." Johan's deep voice thundered through the cave in between breaths of air. His face showed just how troubled he truly was.
"Yeah, they were far stronger than the reports claimed. Something isn't right here." Simon was leaning slightly on his spear as he spoke.
(Authors note:
I am going to be taking a break for the December holidays. Thank you all for reading The Lord of The Unseen and I hope to see you all next year.
Yours Truly: Sanguine)