Tale of Eldramir

The world shook as the three [Blessed] monsters of the Cult launched themselves at the two, mana engorged, Cruor. The abominations had the features of a jackal, buffalo, and an alligator, individually. It was a match up that should’ve seen the Cruor dead in seconds. Three pseudo-Mythical beings were fighting them after all. Only a true Mythical being could stand a chance against them.

However, it seemed that the consumption of the maze’s mana had granted the Cruor an increase in power. At the cost of their bodies being pushed to their absolute limits. But it was clearly enough for them to hold their own. If he didn’t know that it was a hard limit imposed by the Broods, he almost would’ve thought that the two had become Broodlords.

Even now, Ezekiel could see Ichor as it sprayed freely from their wounds as the Radiant abominations tore into them. Only to get tossed away repeatedly. It was like a pack of wolves trying to fight a couple of bears.

The impact of every attack sent shockwaves through the area, and Ezekiel’s hold on his [Shroud] grew weaker as he made his way away from the battle. But even after he got around the corner, he still felt the force of the battle happening nearby.

‘I think we’ll need to stay out of that for as long as possible. This maze might be restricting most of the magic that’s being used inside it, but that’s still too big a fight for us to take part in.’ Shine urged Ezekiel to get further away before they were caught up in the fight. ‘You’d be lucky to escape one of those things. Let alone actually fight one. We should go. Now!’

A part of Ezekiel knew that Shine was right, but another part also knew that staying here was the only way they’d be able to regain their mana within a short enough time frame. They couldn’t absorb any mana from the environment, so their only choice was to take it from the ichor of the two Cruor around the corner.

Even now, he could feel his [Shroud] using up the last of his mana. He had a half an hour left at best before he’d have to drop it for good. So, he needed to take a risk.

‘Be ready to get us out of here if they see us,’ Ezekiel said as he pulled a couple of water containers from his Void Pouch. ‘We’re only gonna have one shot at this, then we need to leave.’

Shine didn’t argue. ‘Make it fast. We don’t know how far we’ll get before they notice something happening, and I’m pretty sure that both sides will consider you a priority target if you get caught.’

Mentally agreeing, Ezekiel dashed out from his cover. The battle had moved away from the section he had hidden in, and there were ample amounts of Ichor spilled on the ground. But mixed into it was a large amount of Radiant mana as well.

He hesitated for a moment. Uncertain as to whether this would make the Ichor easier or harder to absorb. But he didn’t have a choice. It was now or never.

So, using his [Telekinesis] Ezekiel gathered as much of the spilled Ichor into the containers as he possibly could. Fortunately, these containers were also larger on the inside, but could only hold liquids. This meant he could gather up almost all the Ichor that was nearby.

The viscous fluid was practically thrumming with power, as the combined might of multiple pseudo-Mythical beings filled every drop with energy.

‘That’s enough! We need to go!’ Shine mentally screamed at Ezekiel, who snapped out of the daze he had fallen into while gathering the ichor.

He had stumbled toward the battle, and the fact that the Ichor was moving had caught the attention of one of the Cult’s [Blessed]. To the point where it was staring at Ezekiel’s position for a moment. Utterly still as it tried to comprehend the fact that the Ichor was seemingly disappearing into thin air while it and the others were fighting.

Ezekiel could see its muscles tensing as it reared back, clearly getting ready to leap at Ezekiel’s position. For a moment, he thought about [Jumping] out of the way as the world seemed to slow down.

The pseudo-Mythic’s lips pulled back into a snarl, and its jackal-like face glinted with golden light as it snarled.

Only to let out a yelp of pain as one of the Cruor swung the alligator-like abomination by the tail, using it like a hammer to hit the jackal one.

To the side, the other Cruor had bound the buffalo beast with her hair and was sinking her fangs into it with vigor. Ripping and tearing into it as it struggled to fight back. Its mana was being drained too fast for it to regain its bearings.

Ezekiel watched in morbid fascination as the tides turned, and the three Radiant monstrosities were slowly demolished and consumed. The Ichor that had flowed from the Cruor slowed to a trickle as their wounds closed. The mana they were consuming was rapidly healing their injuries.

Yet, Ezekiel could see the cost at the same time. Their movements grew more frenzied, and their bodies further warped. Not once breaking through to Tier five but growing more and more bloated as the quantity of energy inside them grew.

Their swollen forms began to mutate, taking on features that resembled the creatures that they were eating. Horns grew, not just on their heads, but on their arms and legs. As did fangs and scales. New eyes appeared indifferent places, and the things could no longer be considered a part of the Blood Brood of Cruor.

Taking the chance for what it was, Ezekiel finished filling the containers he had with the rest of the Ichor. Filled to the brim as they were, he knew that he’d have enough energy within them to top himself up properly once he got away.

So, without any further delays, he turned around and fled as fast as he could. Only taking the time to keep track of this location as best he could. Just so he could avoid it in the future.

Though, the beacon that was the hole in the maze never left his mind as he fled, so he needn’t have worried.

Now he just had to find someplace that might be somewhat safe. At least relative to what he had just witnessed.

----------

Striding through the brightly lit halls of light, the Kindled Ancestor was flanked by two of the Cult’s monsters and an assortment of Followers of Radiance. The Cultists grumbled as they trailed behind but didn’t speak a word out of turn as they hunted down the enemies that were within the maze.

Something caught one of the [Blessed] creature’s attention. They both stopped and began sniffing the air with focus as they closed their eyes to take in whatever scent it was that they had caught.

Their lips peeled back into a horrifying snarl as their eyes began to glow. Grunts and growls of threat and warning echoed from their jaws.

“Go,” the Kindled Ancestor’s command was followed without hesitation, and the two abominations dashed forward, turning at an unseen corner, and attacking with viscous ferocity.

A pair of horrified screams filled the air as they tore into the unseen victims.

Catching up and turning the corner, the Ancestor frowned when he saw that it was a member of the Kindled family, and member of one of the vassal clans that were beneath his own.

“Disappointing. I was hoping that it would be another one of those Imperial wretches.” He scoffed and continued forward. The [Blessed] beings finished their meal quickly and continued to stand guard alongside the Ancestor.

“It’s a shame that things have come to this. But at least these beasts won’t be around for much longer.” His quiet mutterings were only barely heard by the Cultists that were behind him.

“... Should the [Blessed] members of our order not be focused on destroying the Lightning Exalt? If he survives the fall of the maze, then it will not be good for our remaining members.” One of the Cultists raised a point that the others had refused to address.

The Kindled Ancestor didn’t reply. Instead, he simply waved a hand in dismissal.

“That is not your concern. You are merely here to help me in ensuring that my family is brought back under heel, and that the Empire knows its place.” His casual disregard for the Follower’s concerts made a few of them clench their fists and grit their teeth. “It is already bad enough that we cannot find those worthless rats! I still find it pathetic that your maze sent them into a separate sealed space.”

“You were informed of the limitations of this Mythic Formation when it was given to you! While it could affect the entirety of the castle, any areas not directly enchanted would be put into a space of their own! The Runic engravings were necessary for ensuring that all areas were brought to the same space! It is not our fault that your family failed to find the hidden areas of the Flurent and Shroud families!”

The Cultist who spoke looked to be about middle-aged, and she wore a pair of glasses while carrying a heavy book that glowed with magic. She had no Spirit, so she couldn’t have been a Hunter, but she was still Legendary.

She was one of the few Cultists that had followed the guide of the Church of Ten when it came to breaking through to the Legendary Tier as a Mage, not a Hunter. This had actually brought her great merit amongst her peers, and she had found herself becoming one of their lead enchanters, heading the group that had aided the Kindled family in altering the formations on the Twin Peaks Fortress.

“A little girl should know not to speak to her superiors unless she is told to.” The Kindled Ancestor raised a hand, as if to strike the Cultist who had spoken, but two growls from the creatures beside him stopped his act of violence before it could begin.

Eyeing his two hunting dogs, the Ancestor sighed and lowered his hand.

“Let’s move on! It is bad enough that we are also suppressed in this place.” Stalking forward, the Ancestor focused on finding more prey to eliminate. “Keep up, or fall behind, I no longer care.”

A quick burst of mana and he began flying ahead with the two [Blessed] monsters beside him.

Only to stop as the sound of a bell being rung filled the air.

The woman who had nearly been slapped for speaking out held up her book. The Runes upon it flashed at a rapid and regular interval. Emitting a shrill sound that had everyone covering their ears.

“What is that!?” The Ancestor retreated to the group. “What is happening now?”

Flipping open the book, the Legendary Cultist read through the pages at a speed that others would find baffling. It was like she was reading multiple pages per second. Finally, she came to a stop on a page that had an intricately drawn list of names written on it.

Three of the names were a darkened black color, while all the rest shone brightly in gold.

“Three of our [Blessed] ones have perished. All within a few seconds of one another.” The woman looked up from her book, her face was twisted in confusion with wide eyes and panic painting her features. “They were not among the ones that were used to fight Harras. Those ones are still alive.”

The Kindled Ancestor bit his lip in fury but took no other action. He had just been reminded that there was nothing he could do against these people.

“Where did it happen?”

The woman took a moment to look through her book again.

“Near the area that was meant to be the... guest chambers...” She trailed off as she read something that clearly confused her. “There’s a section missing.”

The other Cultists looked startled, with a couple moving forward to take a look for themselves, only to rear back in shock at what they saw.

“What does that mean?” the Ancestor asked.

“... It means that part of the maze has been broken,” she quietly replied. “That can only be done by one of two things... The Anathema, who would’ve had to have reached Tier five, or a suitably powerful Cruor that was feasting on the mana in the formation. But only a specific Brood of Cruor could do such a thing. Worse yet, it would make things very bad for us if this continued.”

“How bad?” The Ancestor covered his eyes with a sigh, knowing that this wouldn’t be good.

“If they consume too much of the formation, then the entire thing will collapse with us inside it.” The Cultist flipped through her book once again, looking for more information. “Before you ask, no, we can’t drop the maze before that happens. The contracts we’re all under mean that doing so before the Anathema is confirmed dead will mean that we all die as well.”

“Then we only have one choice, we shall head to the guest chamber area, gathering as many of your Cult’s abominations as possible, to overwhelm whatever these things are with greater power and greater numbers. Do what you can to call them close to us so that we don’t have to waste time tracking them down. We can hunt the vermin in the fortress after we ensure that it won’t come crashing down on us.” The Ancestor quickly took control of the situation, giving order to the woman who held the book.

Whilst rude, the Cultists couldn’t deny that the Kindled Ancestor knew had to give proper commands to get things done. The group immediately increased their pace as the one with the book began writing in it with a glowing golden feather.

All throughout the maze, howls, growls, snarls, and other bestial roars created a cacophony of noise that shook all who heard it. Including a hidden Void Hunter who was desperately trying to find his sister and allies.

----------

A sea of blue flames filled the space around Riley and her group. She had been trying for hours to burn away at the walls around her. But the bright light of the formation keeping her group contained wasn’t wavering in the slightest.

“Ancients damn it all!” she screamed as the swung her spear at the wall.

The sheer amount of fire that filled the confined space would’ve turned her group to ashes if not for the fact that her [Will] was focusing entirely on the walls. As it was, other than a bit of sweat her fires weren’t having their usual destructive effects on anything at the moment.

“Captain! You can’t keep this up much longer. You need to rest!” One of the Hunters called out to her from where the rest were studying the walls.

Two Scholars were with them, and while they had only learned the Flurent formations recently, their background meant that they had at least some idea of what was going on.

They might not have managed to crack the formation and get out yet, but it was only thanks to them that the group had managed to find each other as quickly as they had.

With a great deal of reluctance, Riley stopped her futile assault against the formation. She leaned against her spear as she gasped for breath. Her mana was low, and her soul was feeling strained. Her [Understandings] had been pushed to the limit, and the backlash from the [Will] infused in the walls had caused her to feel a constant pressure for a while now.

“Captain! I think we’ve figured something out!” one of the Scholars called out from where he was examining a few of the faintly glowing golden lines on the wall.

“What did you find?” Riley asked while she made her way over.

“Unfortunately, it’s not good news.” The Scholar winced as he shook his hand. “From what I can tell, we and the Shroud family team are in separate spaces from the main fortress. That’s why we haven’t found anyone besides our group, even though we were separated. It’s also why the space we’re in is so small that we were able to map it out fairly quickly.”

Riley frowned, and she quickly blinked the tears of frustration and fear from her eyes. The Scholar had all but confirmed that she wasn’t going to be able to get to Ezekiel. He had been in the center of the fortress when this maze had popped up.

“Is there any good news?”

The other Scholar pulled his hand away from the wall as well. “We might be able to get out of our section of the formation. But we’re not sure what the risk will be if we do.”

The news was somewhat uplifting, but Riley didn’t show any signs of relief. She just waved for the Scholar to continue.

“This space was created by the hidden area that had the backdoor focus points for the defensive formation. Which means that, though scattered, the back door is still there. All we have to do is find it, and activate it, and it should destabilize the formation. The only problem is that it could destroy the space we’re trapped in as well. I’d say it’s the same for the Shroud family’s enclosed space, but they know more about [Domains] so they might have a work around that I’m not aware of.”

Riley closed her eyes and sighed. It wasn’t a risk she was willing to take at this point in time.

“Continue studying the formation. I want an idea of how likely that scenario is before we even try to attempt it.” Several of the others looked relieved to hear her words.

Many had been worried that she’d take any and all the risks available if it meant getting out of here.

“Yes, captain.” The Scholars touched the glowing lines once more. They flinched every now and then as they had to fight against the [Wills] that were infused in it, but they continued to fight on.

“Everyone else, rest and meditate. Don’t absorb the mana, obviously, but try to accelerate your own recovery. We need to be ready for a fight when the formation falls. Regardless of how it does.” Her words left no chance of the walls not falling.

Whether it be by the actions of those outside, or the actions of those within, the maze would not keep them trapped in here.

And may the Ancients help whoever stood in her way if she didn't find Ezekiel waiting for her when they got out.

----------

Ezekiel came to a stop with a gasp and slumped against the wall. Sliding to the floor, he continued to breathe heavily while sprawled out along the floor. He covered his eyes with his arm to block out the light that surrounded him.

‘Do you think that we’re far enough away?’

Shine didn’t reply, and Ezekiel paused, his focus extending across his bond with his Spirit.

‘Shine?’

The next second, the walls were filled with a cacophony of roars that shook Ezekiel to the bone.

Without even thinking about it, he covered himself in a [Shroud] just as a [Blessed] abomination ran around an invisible corner. It leapt over him without even knowing it and ran down the halls from which he had just come from.

‘I think that whoever made this maze knows about the Cruor. We need to hurry up and find Ellen and the others, or things are going to get bad.’ Shine sounded worried and uncertain. ‘I think that the hole that the Cruor are making might have consequences to the maze that we didn’t think of before.’

Ezekiel thought about it for a second and realized that Shine was right. Even now he could still tell where the hole was in the maze. It was like a black spot on a white canvas, and it was spreading.

‘What do you think the odds of the whole thing collapsing on us are if it gets too big?’

‘Way too high for me to not be worried. You need to get your mana back, and we need to stop playing around. I’ll keep up a [Barrier Shroud] while you absorb the Ichor. Don’t hold back. We need to get moving.’ Shine threw up several [Void Panes] to form a room around them and Ezekiel, while Ezekiel pulled out his containers filled with Ichor.

The soft golden iridescent glow worried him, since he knew that the mana in this Ichor was heavily Radiant in nature, and he wasn’t sure what the effects would be if he tried to absorb it. But he didn’t have a choice right now. He needed the mana.

With a sigh, he placed his hand over the opening of the container, flipping it over a second after and began to absorb the mana within it.

----------

He found himself inside his soul once more. His astral self floated inside a Void of stars, not unlike the normal case for him when he was messing with his soul.

Across from his was a figure, twisted and bloated, with golden lines running up and down its body. It had five faces, two multi-eyed women, a jackal, an alligator, and a buffalo. They were fighting each other, and the two women were winning.

But upon noticing Ezekiel, they turned as one, their fighting ceased, and the screamed.

“No,” Ezekiel’s voice cut through the space like an ax. It physically stopped the abomination in front of him from moving forward. “I have no time to deal with this. Die.”

The weight of a world fell onto his enemies, and there were crushed flat as Ezekiel’s Tier five [Will] pressed upon them.

They struggled under his might, and futilely tried to reach out to him. To kill or to beg, Ezekiel didn’t know. All he knew was that he didn’t have time for this.

With a wave of his hand, several flickering glass-like panes appeared before him.

“If you will not submit on your own, I will make you.” He flicked his wrist, and like spinning daggers, the [Void Panes] flew forward, and cut up the [Wills] that were failing to fight against him.

They faded into motes of light, mostly golden in color, and Ezekiel knew that that wasn’t the end of things. He needed to figure out how to turn the mana into something he could use. If it was just Ichor, then he’d be fine, but Radiant mana wasn’t compatible with him.

Enforcing his [Will] on the mana, he separated that which he could use and absorbed it directly, while keeping the Radiant mana tied down, not allowing it to run rampant within him.

“... I will make you...” he muttered as he looked at the mana that was still filling up.

Since his physical body was still holding onto the Ichor within the container, he was still absorbing it for as long as he wished. The process was now much easier since the [Will] inside it was crushed and erased. Now, he had all the time in the world to figure out what to do.

Ideas ran through his head like a stampede as he looked at the mana in front of him. Mana that he couldn’t use.

“But why not? Why can’t I use it? I can use Ichor, which is made from all types of other mana after digesting it, so what’s to stop me from using this?”

He was now glaring at the mana in front of him. It was as if it was the last piece of a puzzle he had yet to solve. Yet he couldn’t figure out how to put it where it belonged.

“... Make you... I make things... I make new techniques. I made the first Void Meditation method. I made the first true Void Spirit... If there’s no path to find, then I will make one.” Ezekiel slowly fell into a state of enlightenment as he continued to examine the Radiant mana that he so desperately wanted to absorb. “I’m not just a [Pathfinder]... I’m a [Trailblazer!]”

With those final words, something clicked within his soul. Like a key turning within a lock.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then the world was bathed in a sea of starry night.

----------

Something shifted in the air. Even though no one could see it, everyone could feel it. A change in the atmosphere, experienced even in the separately confined spaces within the maze of light.

Outside the Twin Peaks Fortress, Endaria didn’t know what had happened, but a chill ran down her spine as she fought ever more desperately to kill Wolken. The Tempest Exalt in turn felt a rush of exhilaration as he unconsciously began to smile, even as he was further pressured by his opponent.

For the Kindled Ancestor and his current followers, it was like they had stepped out of a warm sunny day into the shade cast by a cloud, high in the sky and far out of reach. But as they, and their growing entourage of [Blessed] monsters approached their destination, they were forced to focus on the task at hand as the engorged and bloated Cruor they were hunting turned their attention toward them, and the battle was on.

Far from these battles, and far from Ezekiel, another event was happening. A young woman who had been guarded by several [Blessed] monsters found herself alone for the first time in almost a year. The beasts that were meant to protect her were gone now, but she stayed where she was, lost to the world as glowing bands of gold wrapped around her and the little owl she held in her arms.

Stepping around an unseen corner, Howlend and Meli Kindled stepped out, alongside several other Kindled family members. Each one with a special wristband that had allowed them to meet up properly. Howlend had a grin on his face that seemed to stretch just a bit too wide. Meli narrowed her eyes as she glanced around the room, watchful for any other enemies.

They had all felt the shift in the air but had mostly ignored it in favor of approaching their newest bargaining chip.

Utterly unaware of the fact that they had already lost.