Tale of Eldramir

For Ezekiel, the loud noise and flash of light were both a boon and a curse. It meant that his chance to take action against the Cult of Light was here. But at the same time, he knew that he couldn’t take action while his expedition was evacuating. Luckily, he would always be able to return to the Ruins if given the chance. So, for now, he retreated with his expedition.

However, it seemed like his angry glare caught Scarlet’s attention.

“No.” She said, picking Ezekiel up once again, this time like a stray cat as he hung from the back of his coat. “We need to leave. Now.”

The rest had already made their way to the tunnels, and Scarlet carried Ezekiel through just as quickly. The gateway closed behind them a mere few moments afterwards. Stuck in total darkness, there were a few seconds of silence before the few Radiant Mages inside lit up what they could on such low reserves of mana.

“Alright, Ezekiel, where to next?” Scarlet asked, dragging Ezekiel to the front of the group further in the tunnel. They both ignored Ginny’s frustrated look of annoyance as they moved past her. “You got in, you get us out.”

Dropped onto his feet, Ezekiel halfheartedly glared at her before marching forward, the avatar of the Forest next to him.

“The tunnel will lead us to the inside of the Caldera. Not too far from a temporary camp that the Cult tried to set up. But I don’t think we should stay there. It’d be best if we continued moving as far inland as we can.” Ezekiel said as he marched forward. “Even though they’ll eventually figure out that you’ve all escaped, it should still take them some time to figure out which way everybody went. So long as they don’t send any scouts from the top of the bluffs.”

“Not bad. Any word from the other expeditions?” Scarlet asked, not totally disagreeing with Ezekiel’s plan. “If we can regroup with even one expedition, our numbers should be able to overpower theirs.”

“At the moment, no. I could only focus on getting here and hopefully getting you all out. Even then, we’re just lucky that the Cult decided to make haste regarding getting in.” Ezekiel said. “If they’d still been at their camp, then I’d have needed to figure out how to get you out from over the water.”

Scarlet grimaced at that. Their investigation had exposed several hidden passageways that existed to keep clean, if salty, water flowing in and out of the Ruins. They had discovered that the Death Worms had made these passages their homes, after the defensive enchantments had bokeh over time.

This made the idea of going through the water exit less than pleasant, as there was no doubt in her mind that there were even more Death Worms that they’d need to fight if that had occurred. If Ezekiel was even able to get to the entrance, given the underwater passages were, at least according to their guesses, the Worm’s primary means of getting in and out of the Ruins.

“I would not have allowed that to happen.” The avatar of the Forest stated.

Ezekiel, Shine, and Scarlet all looked shocked. Ezekiel and Shine because they didn’t think the Avatar was against anything they were doing that wasn’t utterly suicidal. Scarlet, because she didn't think the Avatar cared either way.

“Why’s that?” Ezekiel asked.

“That area is the primary path that the Death Worms use to exit the Ruins.” The avatar explained, confirming Scarlet’s hypothesis. Kari, who had caught up and was listening in, flinched at the information. Then she continued to follow along, acting somewhat like a bodyguard as she kept her focus spread out.

“... In that case, we really lucked out.” Ezekiel said. “Well, there’s always the third focal point. I think it’s on the opposite side of the bluffs than where our expedition made camp?”

The avatar nodded in confirmation. Though Ezekiel was fairly certain he was right, given the location of the gateway for this focal point and the Death Worm’s nest outside the Ruins.

The rest of the walk was much quieter as they reached the gateway. There was a certain amount of apprehension as they prepared to open the gateway. While unlikely, there was still a possibility that the Cult might have agents on the other side that might run off to alert the Legendary Cultists.

However, as the gateway opened, and the avatar and Kari stepped out first, the two used their senses to ensure that there weren’t any unwanted watchers. Giving a nod to those inside the tunnel, the rest quickly, but quietly moved out as fast as they could.

What followed was a slow trek through the woods as the expedition made their way into the forest. Moving further and further inland, the still battle-ready Adepts and Legendaries took guard up positions. The avatar assured them it was unnecessary, as they would not be harmed due to the contracts it had made with the other Spirits. But regardless of the reassurances, it was difficult for the men and women who had been struggling for their lives for weeks, to simply relax and take a stroll.

Regardless of their stress, however, each and every one of them was happy to finally be out. Away from the Cult, that no longer had any idea of where they were, numerous Adepts and Apprentices began to cry as they finally felt a sense of relief from their constant burden.

Meanwhile, well within the depths of the Trigat Ruins, Gwen was throwing a tantrum as she ranted and raved about how the Church of Ten and their Guilds were nowhere to be found. A far-flung difference from the, comparatively, noble lady she’d been when she first came to the Archipelago. Behind her, Meryn and Francis watched dispassionately, though Meryn clenched his fists hard enough to draw blood, while Francis was grinding his teeth in frustration.

At the same time, Kameira was kicking over rocks and rummaging through the camp. Her eyes were dull, and her hair was disheveled. She had mostly kept her appearance clean and tidy over the years. But it seemed like, after the last few days, she had allowed herself to deteriorate. Likely because she hadn’t had anything to drink since a little bit before the earthquake. So, she was forced to face the reality of her situation. On her shoulder, her Spirit stared at her in sorrow at what she had become.

Kameira was ignored, however, as Meryn and Francis looked out over the city to take in the image of the new area they needed to explore and investigate. They hoped that the expedition was merely hiding out in the Ruins, rather than having fully escaped.

“Do we have any idea where they may have run off to?” Meryn asked as he looked around the abandoned base camp. “I’d almost suggest just leveling the whole Ruins. But given the condition that it’s currently in, it’s likely the reinforcement enchantments are still in operation.”

“Unfortunately, it seems like they all decided to pack up and leave. We can’t find traces of a specific direction. It seems like they’ve been going in and out for quite some time now.” Francis said. “The tracks we did manage to find can’t give us a time as to how old they are. Although, it does seem like the largest group of tracks leads that way.”

Francis pointed in the direction of the caldera side of the massive cavern. It wasn’t a straight shot to the gateway, but the expedition had, for the most part, stayed together on their final trip. This had been done to ensure that no one would get caught off guard by the Death Worms.

“Any lead is a lead at this point. So, we’ll follow those tracks first.” Meryn instructed. “But be careful. I have no doubt that those damn worms are nesting in these Ruins. We need to ensure that we don’t feed them any more than they already have.”

Francis nodded in agreement before heading over to Gwen. Grabbing her attention, she looked very enthusiastic about going after a possible lead. The duo set off at a relatively fast pace as they followed the mess of tracks. As this was happening, Meryn turned to Kameira, who had taken a seat on the ground and was leaning against one of the walls that was still standing.

“I don’t suppose you’re going to be doing anything useful at this point?” Meryn asked in a derisive tone. “Given your speed, it would be of great help if you were to scout out the Ruins.”

Kameira just covered her face with her arm, wincing in pain as the lack of self-care and withdrawal was beginning to affect her. Even the little magic that was capable of supporting her reducing the effects was becoming useless.

Meryn could only sigh in frustration. He had been getting more and more enraged recently regarding Kameira’s behavior. He could still recall the past where they at least had a working relationship. But now it seemed like Kameira was getting worse and worse, and doing less and less for their cause.

“What the hell is wrong with you?! Even if you aren’t a true Follower, I would’ve at least thought that you’d want your revenge.” Meryn asked. He wasn’t truly curious, but he hoped this line of questioning would light a spark that he could fan into a rage filled flame he could point at the Anathema.

For a few seconds Kameira didn’t say anything. But then her shoulders started to shake, and Meryn wondered if he’d somehow made her cry. But then a weak chuckle escaped Kameira’s mouth. Then, quiet laughter, and after a few seconds it evolved into a loud and hysterical mix of rage, laughter, and hopelessness. Before it finally died off and Kameira spoke up.

“You know, as much as I don’t show it, I loved my Guild, and my Guild mates.” Kameira said. “But now they’re gone. All of them. So, I really have to wonder if this suffering was worth it. If I had to lose everything I cared about in the process.”

Meryn looked somewhat confused and surprised at Kameira’s answer. This sentimentality was not what he was expecting. He figured that she’d be spiteful and sarcastic as she usually was.

“What are you talking about?” He asked. “There may only be a little less than half, but there are still plenty of Reaching Spire members still with us.”

“Ah, but they’re not Reaching Spires anymore. They no longer seek to ascend to the top, and break past the sky!” Kameira threw herself to her feet in anger. She was nearly screaming at this point, and the other Followers were now looking at them. “They’re not my Guild mates! They’re nothing more than your Cultists!”

Silence was all that there was as Kameira finished screaming at Meryn. Though some looks of shame and frustration were directed towards Kameira. Mostly from her own Guild mates who had embraced the Followers of Radiance. Though, Meryn was also getting angry.

“We have suffered in these islands for three years! Had we simply laid low, kept quiet about your damn Radiance, then maybe we could’ve kept some ties to the islands with actual trade routes.” Kameira was now beginning to rant. “Instead, we get branded as the worst outlaws ever. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t care about a single life we took over the years. I only care about the lives I’ve lost! That were lost in vain! Because guess what!? We finally got a chance to strike at that snot nosed brat, and he slipped through our grasp. Yet again!”

A crowd was beginning to form around Meryn and Kameira. At this point, Kameira’s Spirit was frantically trying to get Kameira to be quiet. It had moved from her shoulder to perch on a lower wall a little bit behind her. But the withdrawal and the pent-up rage and frustration had finally reached a breaking point. She had started this, and she was going to finish it.

Meryn had a dark look on his face as he slowly walked toward Kameira. His Spirit was nowhere to be seen, having walked off when Kameira started her rant.

“So, I really have to wonder, how reliable is your Radiance, when he’s clearly just sent us here to die! After all, that little Void Mage seems to have escaped you every single time you’ve tried to get him. Considering his luck and skill, I have to wonder if he really is Anathema! He certainly seems more blessed than any of us!” Kameira stopped her rant, but was now huffing and puffing as she stood, surrounded on all sides by the Followers of Radiance. She looked to the top of the cavern and covered her face in frustration. “I can’t even get a damn drink so as to not suffer from your useless--hurk!”

Kameira was cut off as she suffered a hard-light sword piercing her stomach, angled up to go through the back of her chest. She coughed, weakly, as she looked down. Blood bubbled up through her lips as she looked at the hand holding a blade through her body. The golden light illuminated her face as her clothing was stained with blood.

Behind her, her Spirit had grown to nearly its maximum size, but had failed to make an attack of its own or move to defend its bonded partner. Instead, it was currently run through by the large golden Bull that had snuck up behind it. A Lance of Light had pierced it through as it was distracted by its bonded partner.

The two Lightning attributed beings attempted to flee, but the respective light weapons piercing through them were getting in the way. They could only uselessly flail about as they slowly died. Something about the light weapons that had pierced them through was disrupting their mana. It was as if the Light was reflecting their thoughts and preventing them from controlling their mana like usual.

“You know... I have never once liked you.” Meryn said with a low growl in his voice. “Ever since we got sent here, I have continued to look for a chance to get rid of you. But you were useful, so I let you off by pointing you at things I needed to have destroyed.”

Meryn twisted the blade, eliciting a pained grunt as Kameira weakly clawed at the blade in her chest. The violet light of her mana was fizzling out.

“I had almost thought that you could see the light, and that after we finished this mission, you could join us properly. I see that those hopes were worthless, though I mostly expected it, what with your behavior as of late.” Meryn continued. “I can only blame myself, however, for not doing this earlier. But you finally crossed the line, questioning our lord as you have. Worse yet, you praised the Anathema. That cannot be allowed to continue, so you cannot be allowed to live any longer.”

With a flick of a finger, the blade through Kameira, and the lance through her Spirit, became jagged and misshapen, before they were both violently pulled free. Blood rained down on the ground as Kameira fell forward, half her insides now outside. Her eyes were dull and dim as she hit the ground. Behind her, violet motes of mana faded into the atmosphere.

Meryn dispelled his weapon as his Spirit did the same, walking forward to stand next to its bonded Mage. He then looked around at the assembled Hunters and Mages. The few faces that showed sorrow and guilt were of particular interest to him as he looked at his fellow Followers.

“I know that some of you were friends with this woman. So, I will ask you; who do you Follow?!” Meryn called out to the gathered people and Spirits.

“THE LIGHT AND ITS RADIANCE!!!” Came the roaring reply as they all fell to a knee, bowing toward Meryn as their leader. Not a single one of them was actually against what had happened. Though for some, it was fear of what would happen to them that held them back.

“Good! You two!” Meryn said, pointing to two Hunters that had not been Reaching Spires members. “Clean this up. Toss the body or burn it. I don’t really care.”

With those orders given, Meryn marched back into the camp. Thoughts of the woman he now considered a traitor were now thrown from his mind. The nagging sense of guilt was ruthlessly crushed as he left the area. He had worked with the woman, mostly in frustration, for years. Yet the mission for his Lord came first and foremost. Kameira also hadn’t been doing them any favors over the last few years.

“She was just a dog. One that had slowly become more and more decrepit over time.” Meryn muttered to himself.

The sound of boots hitting the ground grabbed his attention. Turning to the side, he noticed Francis landing roughly on the ground. He was carrying Gwen, and both the Hunters and their Spirits were incredibly injured. It seemed that they had suffered from an attack, but the lingering aura of Death told Meryn that it wasn’t the expedition.

“We have a problem.” Francis said.

Meryn realized he was beginning to hat those words, as the few Life and Death Mages in their entourage rushed forward to begin treating their wounds.

Back with the remaining members of the Sanafalls expedition, Ezekiel had finished giving Scarlet, Kari, and Ginny the rundown regarding what he’d been through the past few weeks. Ginny looked like she didn’t believe him. He dispelled this thought process when he shrouded himself and held a knife to her neck without her knowledge.

The display was over the top, but it got the point across, and Ginny officially decided that it was too much effort to bother messing with him anymore. So, as she went off to oversee the temporary camp being set up, Ezekiel continued to discuss things with the two Legendaries.

In particular, he informed them about the issues with going back and facing the Death Worms. As well as the unfortunate likelihood of a Mythic Spirit going on a rampage before it exploded if they weren’t careful.

“Needless to say, we can’t go back there. The decision to hide in the Ruins was a risk since we didn’t expect them to be able to find us.” Scarlet said. “Obviously, that didn’t work out. Especially when the Death Worms got a taste for human blood.”

“Well, yeah, but you were outnumbered, and there were no places you could retreat to in the time it would take the Cult to reach you.” Ezekiel replied. “Even now, we’re in danger since there’s always the chance that the Cult will try to hunt us down. But at least this time around we’re inside the caldera. Back then, there was no way you could get the entire encampment over the Caldera, and under cover, before the Cult reached the base camp.”

Scarlet looked like she wanted to dispute Ezekiel’s words. But it was Kari that spoke up first.

“The kid is right. Yes, we suffered losses, but most of us are still alive. All of us would be dead if the Cult managed to get us first.” Kari said. “We also had no chance of surviving in the caldera had we retreated here at first. I’m certain you’ve noticed it; the lack of Wild Spirits.”

Now that Ezekiel thought about it, he realized that there was indeed a lack of Wild Spirits. Usually, traveling through the untamed wilderness like this with a group as large as theirs would draw countless Spirits to their location. It was why most scout teams were groups of five or six.

“It is obvious that the Forest Spirit has authority here, even weakened as it is. Else we would certainly be fighting for our lives this very instant.” Kari stated. “The decisions made up to this point were the best choices we had, given the situation we were in.”

Scarlet didn’t look like she agreed, but she didn’t look like she wanted to dispute it anymore either. Instead, she decided that it was time to figure out what to do next.

“I don’t suppose you have a plan as to what to do next?” Scarlet asked Ezekiel.

He was somewhat surprised, as he was fully aware that he really didn’t have any authority in this situation. He was only an apprentice, regardless of what titles he may have. Most of them were only to get him around certain red tapes anyways. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t willing to step up when asked.

“Well... if you think my thoughts in this situation are worth anything, I think it would be best if we started moving north.” Ezekiel said.

“Right now, you’re the only one who’s managed to succeed in a mission of any sort of importance. You also got us an ally of immense strength. Your opinions matter.” Scarlet said. “I’d like to hear your reasoning, however. Wouldn’t it be best if we headed towards the center of the island?”

“If I thought we could get there in any sort of decent time, maybe. But it will take us weeks to get to the center of the island at our current pace. For now, I think we need to regroup with the expeditions that should be making landfall soon. If not already.” Ezekiel told them.

“How do you know that there are more expeditions coming for us?” Kari asked.

“Because my scouting team was sent to the Tillsmont expedition. Since it was the closest to the Void Temple. Though not by much. Either way, given what I remember from the initial planning, there should be at least one more expedition between Tillsmont’s and ours.” Ezekiel explained. “That should give them enough Legendaries to match the Cult. Given their distance, and the estimated time it’d take to pull back their forces, they should’ve made landfall a day or two ago.”

“Although, with the Death Worms taking the beaches, and getting rowdier, it’s possible they had to land further up the coast to avoid them.” Ezekiel continued. “My bet’s on further up, since they’d have to land to know about the Worms, and there’d be no good reason to back track at that point. Especially since Fiana and George had at least a passing knowledge of the territory further up the coast.”

“You sure about that?” Scarlet asked. “I don’t want to be sending our people wandering off to nowhere. If they aren’t on the way, then it’d be best to head to the next nearest expedition. The one between us and Tillsmont.”

“Well, no, I’m not sure, but I can’t imagine that Fiana and George would allow the team, or the other expeditions, to do nothing. Especially since they wouldn’t be able to get to the Temple of the Void.” Ezekiel said.

“Why is that?” Scarlet asked.

“Well, it’s where the Forest Spirit’s core seems to be. Its primary body, as it were.” Ezekiel explained. “I mean, I’ve been told that, after the Cult is dealt with, I need to go back, but I don’t know if that counts for all of you as well.”

Scarlet and Kari looked somewhat dismayed at that. Though they could understand the reasoning. They wouldn’t want to let unknown people with a knife poke around near their heart either.

“If that’s the case, then I have to ask, can the Spirit ferry you at high speed again?” Scarlet asked.

“Maybe. It’d need to spend a day or so recharging, since its avatars don’t naturally generate mana for their given Step and Tier.” Ezekiel said. “Why do you ask?”

“I want you to go up the coast and scout it out. Me and Kari will stay here, to protect the camp if things go south. Especially since the avatar won’t be here as a deterrent for Wild Spirits. When you get back, then, and only then, will we follow your suggestion.” Scarlet reached into her Void Pouch to give him a spyglass. “This should help. I know you never got one since you’d really never need one.”

Ezekiel took the spyglass carefully in his hands. Looking at the side, he saw a name engraved onto it, though it was old, and faded away to the point he couldn’t read it. It was obviously a mundane spyglass, with no enchantments or anything else to help it stand the test of time. Ezekiel couldn’t help but wonder who Scarlet kept this as a memento of. He couldn’t think of another reason that a person of her power and status would keep such a mundane tool, and not have a better, more enchanted one.

“I’ll be careful with this.” Ezekiel said. Scarlet just smiled and looked at him thankfully.

“Alright then. Go ask your avatar friend if you can catch a ride tomorrow. We should have at least a day before the Cult manages to find traces of us. So long as they’re investigating the Ruins.” Scarlet said. Kari nodded in agreement as the two Legendaries got up and walked over to inspect the temporary camp. Scarlet, in particular, went over to the make-shift medical tents to check on Carrian.

Getting up and brushing his pants off, Ezekiel made his way over to the avatar.

“Do we plan on going through with our plan as well?” Shine asked.

“We have a perfect opportunity to do it. This way, we don’t need to sneak off and make them worried.” Ezekiel said. “It even seems like Kari will be staying here. So, we won’t have to worry about then stopping us.”

“I still feel bad about this. You’re right, but it feels bad.” Shine said.

“We know where the entrances to the Ruins are. They don’t, and we can also change the enchantments. So long as we get to the Spiral Paths Formation’s control center.” Ezekiel said. His plan to trap the Cult in the Ruins still ran through his mind. “If we’re lucky, I might even be able to rig it to collapse while they’re still inside.”

Shine was silent, though they agreed with the plan, as they hated the Cult of Light just as much as Ezekiel. But that didn’t stop the twist in both their souls at the thought of killing so many people.

Ezekiel finally approached the avatar, noticing that it was standing utterly still. He realized that he could faintly feel the presence of Life mana. Far more than the standard ambient amount that he recalled for this area. Knocking on the wood of a nearby tree, he let the avatar become aware of his presence, but didn’t do anything to disturb its mana gathering.

A few seconds later, the avatar opened the glowing green orbs that acted as its eyes and turned to Ezekiel.

“I don’t suppose you were aware of our conversation?” Ezekiel asked. He knew that the avatar’s senses were sharp. Especially within its personal domain like this.

“Yes.” It replied.

“Good. Can you take me there? If so, when can we leave?” Ezekiel asked.

“Tomorrow morning. I will have finished gathering the mana to fill my reserves by that point. Though I will be defenseless throughout the night.” The avatar stated. “Your companions will also be without my protection. They will be beset by the other Spirits within a few hours.”

“That won’t be a problem. I’ll see you in the morning.” Ezekiel said.

He then went over to another part of the camp, informing Kari and Scarlet of what was going to happen. Then, finding his own area to set up his bedroll and blanket, he curled up with Shine in his hands. Sleep was slow to come, but as he drifted off, he couldn’t help but pray that things went to plan tomorrow. His restless slumber was filled with possibilities of what was to come.