Dong! Dong!
.
"So here's the plan- "
"There are three phases, I already handled the first. It will end when the Defiler is successfully lured in light."
.
Upon hearing the ominous bell ring, all miners and guards turned pale with fear, they all ran towards the ship.
The gaurds -usually poised- were the first to run away.
The young miners stampede over the elder miners who couldn't keep up.
.
"In second phase, upon hearing the bell,all ordinary people will try to seek shelter inside. Regardless of seniority or role." Krivos explained while pointing a the map, showing the different entrances to drill ship.
"Of course....."
.
When they finally reached the entrance to the drill ship, it was shut sealed from the inside.
.
"....the drill ship has as limited space. Theoretically, it should be able to hold all members of expedition in case of emergency."
"But, the higher ups inside will think otherwise, the drill ship is very expensive, the price to fix it will be astronomical. So, the workers outside will be used as the scapegoat to keep the threats busy with there worn out bodies. To them, the life outside is replaceable, the money lost isn't."
.
Bang! Bang!
"Open it! Quickly! Bang!" "Hahaha, they abandoned us, hahaha." "Get out of the way!"
Despair and hopelessness started to set in the hearts of the trapped.
Hehehe
A mocking laughter resounded from behind them.
.
"Unlike most Lightbearsers who will be momentarily confused and try to rush out randomly, you will have the advantage as you know which entrance to rush at."
"And while it is busy with tearing apart the workers, getting over saturated with light, intoxicated. You can use it's momentary drunken state to quickly finish it." Krivos went on.
"Do you want to comment on any part. Afterall this phase is dependent on you, its only right." He asked.
Rael nodded and awnsered,
"I refuse the sacrifice part."
.
Blaze!
A lantern fell and broke between the Defiler and the trapped, it's oil catching fire and blocking the way of the Defiler.
A knight in broken silver armour stepped through the fire as he slowly drawed his blade.
The bade matched his armour, looking as if it was kissed by moonlight.
Relief and hope dawned on the faces of the trapped.
.
Krivos face showed annoyance,
"Rael,This is not the time to play the knight in shining armour."
Rael shook his head,
"I am not. If it gets intoxicated then it will go beserk. I may be skilled but I am still in the first stage of Initiate, Berserk are too tedious and unstable due to their overcharged healing. It's also more efficient that i fight it when it's not full."
Sigh
"That's still....do what you want, the end goal remains the same." Krivos agreed reluctantly in the end.
.
Blink Blink
The eyes of the Defiler taking the form of humanoid looked at him with amusement.
Without wasting anymore time, Rael lunged at it.
Clank!
The sword instead of cutting through the arm that blocked, unexpectedly clanked like it meet another hard metal.
The Defiler is able to harden it's skin!
Immediately a arm shot passed Rael's head, he barely dodged.
Hehehe
It laughed, as it continued to send a barrage of attacks. Rael was left with no choice but to keep dodging, but alas - one of them hit him in the left shoulder.
The Armour around the sholder completely shattered like it was made of glass, the sharp Shards lodging in.
Rael did not screem but continued to maneuver around, he would not give the creature the satisfaction of a reaction.
Slip!
The creature slipped on the oil of the lantern Rael threw earlier. He did not let this opportunity be wasted.
Immediately he positioned himself and motioned his blade to cut his neck.
Unfortunately for Rael, the blade only went few centimetres deep before coming to halt.
A punch landed on his stomach, as he skedded back.
The creature regained balance and ripped the blade out of its neck, throwing it at back at him but not giggling anymore.
'So thats how it is.'
From the moment he clashed with the Defiler, Rael wonder it's limit of durability and how it works.
'All checks out.' Rael thought.
From that arrogance to that confidence in it's body's durability.
Without a doubt, the Defiler belongs to the sin of pride. More exactly, it belongs to the branch of pride - hubris. Absolute pride in its defence, believes no one can penetrate.
'That explains it arrogance.'
When an gloom ascends or a Defiler is born, it aligns itself to one of the 7 sins. Just like how an Acolyte aligns to one of the 7 solar virtues.
No wonder it's skin is nearly impenetrable.
But how long can it maintain it though. When he lightly cut the neck, the inside suddenly harden more than the exterior. Meaning it is active ability, not passive. It is draining it's reservoir of light to keep it impenetrable.
So to kill it, he needs to drain it till it can't continuosly keep the entire body hardened, then catch it of gaurd.
'tch, right when I am on time constraints. Where is the light bearer that was supposed to come.'
Rael was annoyed that the Defiler just so happened to be the kind that is tedious to kill quickly. Now he has to get the light bearers help to wear it down.
If there is any positive in this scenario, it would be the fact that he choose not to sacrifice the trapped. He didn't want to imagine how more tedious it would have gotten.
"Look who it is, an Oathless getting beaten black and blue. Maybe I should thank the goddess for letting me view this sight." A mocking voice came from behind.
Seeing who it was made Rael's face behind the helmet crunch up in annoyance.
.
"What if I couldn't kill it before an Light bearer arrives." Rael asked krivos, covering all possibilities.
"I believe you are stronger than most of those light bearers who are participating, if one arrives before you kill, 12 out of 13 - you will land the last hit, everything will proceed little less smoother but still pausable." Krivos had full confidence in Rael's ability.
Krivos's face darkened ,as he added -
"But if the 1 out of 13 possibility comes true, then....well, maybe it wasn't meant to be."
.
There stood Mael, the Acolyte of the City, laughing at Rael's misery.
Looking at Rael's silent glare, he made a helpless face and walked towards Rael and the Defiler.
"Now now, no need to glare. Here, catch!" mael said with an easygoing smile, he threw a solarite Lantern towards Rael.
Rael caught it and looked at the Acolyte with confusion, even the helmet couldn't hide it.
Looking at the confused look, Mael chuckled and explained his reason -
"You aren't going to do much harm with a normal light, nor do I think you will stay still. So take it and help me by weakening it under the lantern's light."
Rael nodded, surprisingly the character of the supervising Acolyte is decent, even if he is bit discriminatory by the seems of it.
Mael turned his attention towards the Defiler, his smile deepening.
"And you, what's ya giggling and shitting about. Did your mom drop you as a child, atleast giggle when it's a proper joke. But there is no joke! That's not scary, that's a mentel patient."
The smiles on the Defiler's humanoid body stayed the same but the eyes that now solely stared at mael told otherwise.
Swish!
In an instant, mael was standing infront of the Defiler. The sword in his hand ablaze by his light.
Unlike with Rael, the sword almost cut through the arms.
The Defiler lunged back, making distance. The hunter had became the prey.
But alas, mael was faster.
"Hello there!" He exclaimed enthusiastically. While throwing a punch in its eye.
Clank!
It hardened again, this time more harder.
Clank! Clank! Clank!
It healed from heavy damages again and again. It's skin adapting to the blazing sword.
Tiny scratches appeared on its shadowy body, the sword didn't cut anymore but it left marks.
If this continues, it might need to 'escape'.
Just as the thought passed thought the Defilers mind, Mael snorted -
"You been quite focused on me, did you forget..."
A Solarite lantern suddenly appeared in its peripheral vision, the intense light making its form waver for a moment.
"...that there was another one."
A moonlit blade cut through its neck, beheading it in one fell swoop.
Rael had attacked him,when the Defiler was caught of gaurd. In a sense, krivos's strategy came to use.
The Defiler was Defied.
The body of the Defiler without its head was temperoryly immobilized.
Mael took this opportunity to cut into it's chest, where the shadow heart should be.
But when he opened the chest, he froze and gulped in horror.
There was no shadow heart.
Hahahahaha
Laughing erupted, not from the fallen bodies but from all around them.
Blink Blink Blink Blink
Countless Eyes watched them from all directions.
Few bloomed on there armour and the ground. Their skin opened up, opening eyes.
HAHAH-AHAH-HA
Laughing got louder and broken. It laughed like it was a comedic show.
The bright flames of mael's sword dimmed downed, suppressed.
More humanoid 'Defilers' began to appear, like there previous efforts was for naught.
"Hahaha, you got to be shitting me." Mael mumbled in an bitter realisation.
Rael couldn't agree more.
The power to command and create, the suppression they feel, the abract horrifying surrounding.
They had unknowingly at one point or another, entered an Trial set by an Darkness incarnate.
A Trial by an Throne Rank.