Tale of Eldramir

The mood was heavy as the convoy traveled through the bizarre landscape of the Desolate Lands’ inner regions. Humanity hadn’t been this far into the regions controlled by the Cruor in centuries. Not since before the Age of Despair, when the Cruor were not yet a scourge upon the world.

With that in mind, the difference in landscapes, between the outer regions, where humanity’s Guilds regularly did expeditions, and the inner regions where they were right now, showed a star difference between the more recently converted biomes and the older, more adapted biomes.

Glowing fungus, and multicolored molds spread out as far as the Hunters and Spirits could see. Twisted tree-like shapes that were made of strange pulsing growths and dangling tendrils of fleshy tubes were all around their surroundings.

Spotted house sized mushrooms that were tough as stone, but somewhat spongy, acted like boulders that created trails and hills that barred their paths.

Small Umbral Beasts that were surprisingly benign could be seen here and there. No violent reactions as they hunted for any scrap of mana they could find.

Instead, small, seemingly herbivorous, Umbrals gnawed on bushy moss that released clouds of spores as the Hunters walked through them.

If it wasn’t for the anti-fungal equipment that the Hunters were wearing, and several Artifacts that the Spirits had equipped, it was almost certain that they would all have been affected by the sheer amount of spores and dust that was filling the area.

Through, the [Nothingness] that Ezekiel passively infused into his [Domain] kept things relatively safe. It wasn’t enough to do anything to a being with a [Will] of its own, but for freely spreading spores with no [Will] it was more than enough.

‘It’s like I’ve stepped onto yet another new planet.’ A sense of paranoia filled Ezekiel as the group continued their journey. ‘I never thought that Ichor could do anything other than destroy and mutate the world. Perverting it and twisting it from its natural form.’

Memories of the different bits and pieces of knowledge he had acquired filled his mind. Everything he knew about the Cruor was once again being brought into question.

‘This has worrying connotations regarding what exactly the world would be like if humanity lost. Worse yet, as well as would happen if the Spirits weren’t here.’

The unrecognizable fungi and other lifeforms continued to set off Ezekiel’s danger sense in small bursts. Yet it was impossible to figure out what the danger was for most of them.

Things like small centipedes and arachnids failed to set him off, yet puffy mouse-like things nearly made him recoil in an instinctive need to get away.

An assortment of different Umbral Beasts of all Broods had created an alien ecosystem humanity simply couldn’t survive in, let alone thrive. Not without a minimum power of the Legendary Tier.

If it wasn’t for the [Domain] keeping himself and his fellow Hunters hidden, Ezekiel was certain that there would’ve been casualties by now. Something that he could tell the other Hunters were aware of, since they were almost all taking steps to ease their worries.

“I wonder how close we are to the Rotten Matriarch’s primary den?” one Hunter asked his companion while seated on one of the specially crafted vehicles. “Do you suppose she lives in a giant mushroom? Perhaps her throne is deep in a hole covered in glowing mold?”

The Hunter’s voice wavered as they spoke. Ezekiel could tell that they were talking mostly to keep themself calm. Though their questions were creating mixed reactions in the rest of those that could hear them.

“Please, stop talking about the Broodlord that could take our lives at any minute. I don’t want to think about that.” Another Hunter’s voice cracked as he held his head in his hands as he tried to meditate.

These conversations were wearing him down as well, since he was taking action to ensure that the others were keeping calm. Mostly by diverting the sound of the talking Hunter, and several others, to keep them quiet and separated from the rest of the group.

‘It won’t keep things calm much longer,’ Shine said after the first few hours of travel. ‘These Hunters are too wary, which is fair, since we’re officially in an unknown enemy territory.’

‘I know, but we can’t afford to let them fall apart. If they do something to disrupt the [Shroud], we may very well get swarmed by whatever Rot might be nearby.’ Ezekiel looked to the ‘ground’ that they were traversing at that moment. ‘Something I would rather avoid, since we are currently standing on top of a massive, city sized fungus that could easily be turned into weapons to use against us.’

His imagination ran wild as he walked over the tough but spongy surface. He had noticed right away, same with several Cavern and Life Mages, but he had explicitly ordered them all to refrain from informing anyone else.

It would be better for all of them if that information was kept secret for now.

‘With that in mind, when do you think the diversions will be back? Once they arrive, we can probably afford to set up camp, right?’ Shine touched on one of Ezekiel’s primary concerns. That being the need to rest at some point. ‘Or do you intend on doing alternating shifts instead of taking breaks?’

‘... The latter. If this was the standard Desolate terrain that we’re more familiar with, I would've said we could afford to find an area to set down a concealing formation and get some rest, but with the current situation, I don’t think we can take the risk of stopping.’

It was an unfortunate situation, but given their current location, Ezekiel knew that continuing to move would be the best for everyone.

‘With the right spells, we can mitigate most of the fatigue that this will cause. Similarly, those that rest will be able to constantly recover their mana naturally. It’ll also mean that we can get through the Desolate Lands faster.’ It wasn’t a pleasant situation, but the pros outweigh the cons. For now, at least.

‘You don’t have to explain yourself to me. I don’t disagree with this decision.’ Shine sent a wave of comforting reassurance that eased some of Ezekiel’s worries.

A sudden flicker at the edge of his senses grabbed his attention. It wasn’t an Umbral Beast. Whatever it was, was too organized and ordered to be an unthinking animal.

“Silence!” his whispered word was harsh, and silently spread through the ears of every

Hunter within his [Domain]. “Enemies to the left of our intended traveling direction. Now speaking or otherwise unnecessary noises until we exit their scouting range. Keep calm and focus yourselves for possible conflict.”

Throughout the convoy, each and every Hunter, Mage, and Spirit tensed and looked toward the leftward direction, but those that were controlling the transports and carrying the resting Hunters didn’t divert or alter their course.

The most they did was flinch at the sudden voice that was giving them orders.

‘They’re getting closer.’ The Cruor that Ezekiel had sensed were now within Shine’s sensory range as well. ‘Do you think that there’s something they’re tracking within your domain right now?’

Their worries were an unfortunate possibility that was highly likely. The amount of spores and other fungal things that they had passed over and through were too great to count.

But Ezekiel was doubtful. ‘I don’t think so. Anything that could act as a beacon would be sending out a signal of some sort. Within my [Domain] not even our Com-Slates can send a signal without my notice.’

His eyes turned toward the ground once more. ‘It’s more likely that they’re sensing our weight on this damned mushroom.’

For a moment, he thought about lifting the entirety of the convoy with his magic, but their sudden disappearance from the mushroom might set off their pursuers even more.

At the same time, [Jumping] at this time would leave the outriders that were leaving false trails behind. They didn’t have any more amulets either, so no one else could leave a trail to throw their pursuers off.

‘Let me leave a trail.’ Shine’s suggestion made Ezekiel’s thoughts recoil. ‘Unlike the others, I don’t need an amulet to [Jump] back to you.’

He hated to admit it, but Shine’s idea had merit.

‘Go. I’ll try to get the group off this mushroom as fast as possible. I’ll also send a signal to the others to return sooner than originally intended.’

Taking to the air after floating from where they were handing off Ezekiel’s back, Shine began drifting from their position. The convoy came to a stop under Ezekiel’s power, while the ground retained indents from where all of them had been standing.

Without a word, Shine expanded their [Telekinesis] to create identical indents as Ezekiel flexed his mana to lift his followers into the air. The Void Spirit then flew off in another direction, continually creating small indents in the ground as they went.

Within seconds, the increased pace was noticed by the Cruor that were still just out of sight.

Although the rest of the convoy hadn’t noticed the Cruor, they had noticed what Ezekiel and Shine had done.

“Keep calm. We’re simply throwing the Cruor off our trail.” Ezekiel channeled some mana through the links he felt to the amulets in the distance. “We’ll be moving a little bit faster while they’re distracted.”

Within moments of his signal, the outriders reappeared within his [Domain] each one seemingly haggard and near exhaustion. It was apparent that they had run into their own difficulties but had managed to hold out so far.

Riley looked particularly worried and moved to his side in an instant. She smelled like burnt wood and freshly spilled Ichor but was otherwise unharmed. He gave her a reassuring squeeze when she sat down beside him.

With a nod to the rest of the Hunters, Ezekiel [Jumped] the convoy as far as he could. The drain on his mana was minimal, but still meant that he would need Shine to take over sooner that they had originally intended.

For now, however, they still needed to get off the mushroom. So, with that in mind, their pace increased, even as Ezekiel allowed his attention to stretch to where his Spirit was.

----------

Separate from the convoy, Shine was flying while stomping on the ground with their [Telekinesis]. The movements made vibrations like a stampede. One that was moving at a slightly faster pace than the group had been moving at before.

‘They seem to be very intent on catching up to me. I wonder if they’re even aware of what they’re chasing?’ Shine mused to themself as they proceeded to lead the Cruor that were after him on a merry goose chase.

A silent sense of worry and concern passed through their bond with Ezekiel. Their partner’s concerns were touching but filled Shine with worry.

Even when the Cruor finally caught up, they just sent a sense of confidence and ease back through their bond.

‘Let’s see what these bastards are looking for.’ Shine had already been hidden beneath a [Shroud] of their own. But now that the Cruor were within sight, they decided to stop using their [Telekinesis]

The Cruor were, surprisingly, not just Rot and Winged ones. They were a mix of several Broods, including Fang, Bone, and Blood. Though it was obvious that the Rot Cruor was their leader. The weight of the Ichor they had flowing through them indicated that they were at the peak of tier four. For the others, the pressure they let off was closer to the middle and lower end of Legendary.

“It seems that our prey has disappeared... More proof that the Lords’ commands were correct. The Herald is indeed in our territory.” The Rot’s voice gurgled as they spoke.

It leaned toward the ground, placing a hand on the mushroom that they were on, tendrils extended from its hand and sank into the surface. It glowed for a moment, with pulsing lights traveling back and forth between it and the ground.

The other Cruor took up defensive positions while their leader was preoccupied, but other than a few of the small Umbral Beasts, there was little to nothing present for them to worry about.

‘Are they on the lookout for us? They don't think that we would stick around to fight them, do they? Not when they should know how Ezekiel can just [Jump] us out of their range. Why waste time fighting when that isn’t our purpose?’

The Cruor were obviously unaware of Shine’s questions, and continued to wait as their leader inspected the land. They remained connected to the surface for a few more seconds before pulling away.

“It seems like there are no remnants left behind by the group that passed by here. Nor can I determine which direction they were headed in.” The Rot stood up and turned to its group. “We shall head to the nearest encampment. From there, we shall send word to the Lords to obtain new orders. We know not what the Herald is looking for, but so long as he and his followers remain in the Illuminated Fungal Forest, we should be able to track them down eventually.”

“Do we know that their target is here? Could they not be going to a different area entirely?” It was the Winged Cruor who spoke up. “Perhaps we should send word to the borders of the forest, so that they might prepare to intercept the Herald before they can get out of our range?”

The Bone Cruor snorted in disdain at the Winged Cruor’s doubts and worries. “Listen to our leader. It’s not our place to question him. Especially not when it comes to hunting down and killing those bastards from the human lands.”

The Rot just shook its head. “There is no point in that. The Broodlords have insight into the Herald’s actions that we do not. Sending word and putting our forces into action without knowing how best to move would be a waste of resources.”

The Fang and Bone Cruor nodded in agreement, while the Blood Cruor seemed to not care.

“As you say, leader. I believe that the fourth Decaying Nest is the closest encampment to our current position. It is in a different direction than this trail is leading, however.” The Winger Cruor looked around for signs that Shine couldn’t spot. “That way. It shouldn’t take more than a few hours to arrive if we move at top speed.”

Shine’s metaphorical heart sank when the Winged Cruor pointed in the direction that Ezekiel and the rest had headed off in. They quickly sent a message through their bond with Ezekiel.

Yet they did not [Jump] back to where Ezekiel and the others had moved to. Instead, they sent a pulse of killing intent through their bond alongside their message.

‘... Make it quick and get back to us the moment you leave a trail for them to follow.’

Hearing Ezekiel’s reply to their silent intentions, Shine felt a sense of glee fill them as they shot forward at the Rot Cruor. Still [Shrouded] they were completely hidden from the Cruors’ senses.

In an instant, their blade cut through the Rot’s hardened outer shell. Bisecting them in one go.

Of course, this dropped their [Shroud] but that didn’t matter. Shine intended to fight them no matter what.

“Enemy attack!” The Winged Cruor screamed before taking to the sky.

Only for gravity to increase and pull him back down. The others were forced to take a knee, even as Shine flew forward to take off the Winged Cruor’s head.

In the moment they took to recover, Shine was already halfway through the Winged Cruor’s neck. Their blade gleamed with opalescent light as they [Reinforced] their cutting power to pass through almost seamlessly.

“Bastard of the Void! Where are you!?”

The Blood Cruor let out a shrill scream as her hair turned into tendrils that dripped with Ichor. Everything the iridescent scarlet liquid touched burned away as if touched by acid.

“It’s just a Hunter! Even if it’s a Void user, it can’t be the Herald! He would’ve killed us without us even knowing it!”

The Bone Cruor launched several spikes that knocked Shine out of the air but failed to do any damage to their reinforced steel vessel. Then the Blood Cruor’s hair wrapped around them. A moment later, the Bone Cruor was raising a massive ax that had grown out of its arm to chop down on Shine.

“Wretched lesser Spirit of the Void! How dare you come into our territory!” The voice of the Bone Cruor was deep and guttural as he roared in anger.

While this was happening, the Fang Cruor dashed away. They managed to cover several hundred feet at a rapid pace. This was not enough, and Shine simply [Jumped] out of their confinement, directly into the path of the running Cruor.

“No!” the Fanged Cruor cried.

Out of reflex, the Fang Cruor tried to dodge out of the way, but Shine released a [Void Slash] that cut deep into the Legendary Cruor’s flesh. Not enough to pass through, but enough to make him stumble and fall to the ground. Leaving an opening for Shine to stab them through the chest.

A pulse of [Nothingness] channeled from Ezekiel, eliminated the Cruor’s healing, and his Ichor fell inert as his healing factor failed to keep him alive long enough to recover.

Seeing this, the Bone and Blood Cruor also tried to run. Yet Shine wouldn’t let them get away.

“Damned Spirit! You and yours will get your due soon! The Lords will not let you get away!” The Bone Cruor continued to curse Shine as they fled. Their pace was much slower than the Fang and Blood Cruor. Which is why Shine left it for now.

“Stupid sword! Is your master too weak to attack me, themself?” Corded whips of hair flail about as the Blood Cruor ran. Shine easily evaded her attacks, and with a boost from Ezekiel, they made quick work of their opponent.

Several holes filled with [Nothingness] pierced through the Cruor’s body. Her form crumbled and fell into a boneless heap. A moment later, Shine disappeared from the area.

Reappearing far away, above the Bone Cruor’s position, they descend with the force of well over ten times regular gravity pushing down on them.

With an earth-shattering crash, they crushed the Bone Cruor beneath them. The force was so great that the Cruor’s entire body was filled with crack from where it had been broken.

“You... you will pay for this... The Lords... will make you... pay...”

With those final words, Shine stabbed through the cracks that they had made in the Cruor’s armor. They then focused on gathering up the Ichor that had been spilt, before it could all be absorbed into the fungus and other life forms that were in the area.

‘This will be useful for my breakthrough.’ Shine [Jumped] to where the other Cruor had died, taking the body with them, and a large sphere of Ichor took form. ‘It’s a shame that most of it was already absorbed.’

Had they done this earlier, the amount that they obtained would be nearly double what they had gathered so far. But, to do so during battle would mean that their concentration would be split.

They were already feeling strained from the Mythical mana that Ezekiel had channeled through them. Had that not happened, their spells would’ve been much weaker, and the battle would’ve taken much longer. Too long to stop any of them from escaping and passing on word to others that their group had passed through her.

‘I should get back now. I don’t think there’s anything else I need to be concerned with now.’ With one final look, Shine used their magic one more time, further reinforced by Ezekiel’s mana.

A rift opened beneath the pile of corpses Shine had made. In moments, the already dissolving bodies were torn to shreds, and no traces of their existence remained.

The only evidence of Shine’s presence that existed were the scars of battle that were still present in the area. A few more marks were created, to indicate forces that were moving in a specific direction.

After things were finished, they focused entirely on Ezekiel’s current position.

A silent [Jump] later, and they were gone.

----------

Once Shine returned, alerts were distributed throughout the convoy, and the direction was changed once more. This time, they diverted to a significantly rockier terrain, where it appeared that there were little to no ground mushrooms spanning multiple kilometers wide.

However, doing this would mean that they would no longer have the light provided by the bioluminescent fungi.

“Should we set out once more? Create more trails to throw them off?” One of the Hunters that had been focused on the return of the previous outriders had asked this after they had gotten a fair distance from the previous area.

Ezekiel shook his head. “No. That would defeat the purpose of having Shine set up a false lead at the previous battlefield. I also need to conserve my mana. At least until I manage to fully recharge.”

The mana that he had managed to absorb from the Ichor that Shine had brought back was helpful, but ultimately not enough for him to fully regain his reserves. It did mean that they could go for a few more hours before Shine would need to take over long enough for him to recover.

The fact that no one else would need to go off to create false trails for the foreseeable future was an immediate relief for the assembled Hunters.

Each one was willing to do as Ezekiel ordered, they wouldn’t be here otherwise, but that faith didn’t mean that the thought of risking their lives doing so was a pleasant one.

For now, they were just a few kilometers away from the shadowed area, where the mushrooms seemed to not exist. Yet, as they got closer, it seemed like something either moved into the area, or their presence was now known, because Ezekiel’s danger sense was now blaring at him.

“Hold up!” his voice filled his [Domain] and the entirety of his group stopped moving.

Expanding his senses forward, he tried to get a feel for what was wrong with the direction they were headed in. Yet it merely registered as regular rocks and earth. No fungus, no growths, no anything, and that’s when Ezekiel realized that there was something wrong.

“There’s nothing alive in there...” They were only a hundred meters or so away from the edge of the fungal forest. It was disturbingly quiet to the front, but the sound of the forest was distinctly present behind them.

“We’re heading back to the original path.” The Hunters looked dismayed, since there was no indication that the paths they were on were dangerous, but they didn’t have Ezekiel’s premonitions to help guide them.

“... We need a reason. If we’re taking the more dangerous route through the forest, we need a reason, or the others won’t be as cooperative.” Riley leaned in, to whisper into his ear. She wasn’t disputing his commands, but she could see the looks on the Hunters’ faces.

Sighing in dismay, Ezekiel reached out with his telekinesis and picked up several lesser creatures. The Tier one and below Umbral Beasts thrashed about in his grasp but failed to break free.

“I don’t know what will happen, so prepare yourself with whatever protective means you have.”

The Hunters tensed and fell into defensive positions. After they were ready, Ezekiel launched the beasts in his grasp into the darkened area just ahead.

For a moment, nothing seemed to happen as the beasts struggled on the ground. Then the Hunters and Mages collectively realized that the Beasts’ struggles hadn’t stopped, even several seconds after landing.

Minutes passed, and the struggles didn’t stop.

It wasn’t until the crunch of bone and tearing of flesh as growths appeared alongside twisted flesh. Something was changing the bodies of the Umbral Beasts. Something that was present, but utterly impossible to sense, within the area where the fungal forest didn’t grow.

Then, much to the horrified eyes of the Hunters who watched, the bodies of the Umbral beasts fell apart. They decayed at a rapid pace, and not even the parts that usually remained after death stuck around for long.

Instead, everything became shriveled and dried up, only to turn into dust that was blown away in the wind. The bits that blew into the fungal forest caused whatever it touched to die and fall apart.

“... We turn back and take a risk that comes with walking over the giant mushrooms.”

This time around, no one dared to look at Ezekiel with even a hint of reluctance.

‘We need to get out of here. As soon as possible.’ Shine said with a quiver in their voice.

Ezekiel just stayed silent. Even as the level of danger seemed to drop, something nagged him at the back of his mind.

He could just tell that this wouldn’t be the last time he came to this area.