Chapter 16

Let There Be Light

The ground still trembled as Janus took in the sight. It was chaos. Delver’s were battling all over. Flashes of light and cries of alarm cascaded through the ruined guild. Janus looked around, the others were just as stunned as he was. The only exception was Harry, who was nowhere to be seen.

He used his illusion magic and ran away! He’s stranded us here!

Janus was about to ask Fao what they should do when he caught a familiar figure below. It was Devon, fighting off several monsters.

Just as Janus started moving, he heard Fao behind him.

“Wait, Janus, come with us. We need to get the fuck outta here!”

Janus turned towards Fao. Every fiber of his body told him to leave with them, that there was strength in numbers. But he couldn’t just leave Devon behind. The redheaded swordsman had never really been a friend, but he had stood between Janus and death more than once now.

“I need to help my classmate!” Janus shouted over the sounds of battle.

Fao looked uncertain. T he others had already started making their way out towards the rest of the Backwash.

“Shit. You better catch up to us!” Fao said and turned, sprinting to the others.

The delvers had been scattered all over the place, and Devon was left facing three of the monsters on his own. Janus began rushing towards him, dodging past monsters and delvers alike. Something latched on to his leg, biting down. Janus cried out and tried to shake the creature off, but it’s teeth sank even deeper.

Turning around, he saw that it was some sort of wolf. Janus constructed a replica arrow point array above it and mana arrows rained down. They pierced through the creature and it released Janus’ leg.

[You have defeated an enemy: Winter Wolf]

[Your Spell Weaving skill has gained 1 level]

His leg was on fire, but Janus persevered. The other monsters were distracted by others as he finally got to Devon.

The redheaded swordsman had already defeated two of the beasts attacking him, but that seemed to only attract more.

Janus was still recovering mana from his escapade with the Jacks, but he started to use [Pow. Enhancement] on Devon.

Devon turned and saw Janus there and was momentarily distracted. The lion he was fighting clawed at his chest, but Devon’s armor deflected the attack.

Janus fell to his knees, his leg not holding up his weight. Devon crept back, closer to Janus.

“What is going on?” Said Janus through clenched teeth.

“I do not know.” Replied Devon as his sword cleaved the lion he was fighting in two. “Dario left a few minutes ago. Something is happening in Crow Station.”

Crow Station? Is my dad safe?

They didn’t have much time to talk before they were under attack once more. Janus identified their new assailants.

[Winter Wolf - Level 30]

[Lowland Lion - Level 28]

[Talon Sparrow - Level 25]

The lion and wolf set themselves upon Devon, while the sparrow circled ahead. Without warning, the sparrow suddenly dove towards Janus. He threw his head back and narrowly avoided the wicked talons.

In response to the sparrow’s attack, Janus tried to pump as much mana as he could into the over sized bird, but it didn’t react at all. Instead, it simply circled around, preparing for another dive bomb.

Janus reached behind him, unclasping the loops on the back of his robe. He brandished his quarter staff and tried to swat at the bird as it dove towards him.

To Janus’ surprise, he connected solidly with the bird, knocking it out of the air.

[New skill obtained: Staff Fighter]

Cost: None

Cooldown: Always Active

Description: You are more comfortable with staves. Fighting with a staff feels natural.

Bonus Stats: 1 Dex per level

He heard a grunt from Devon as the swordsman continued to repel the lion and wolf. Janus used [Pow. Enhancement] again and Devon made good use of it, dispatching the lion with his next slash.

Janus ignored the notification of the lions death and conjured a replica arrow point above the sparrow. It was struggling to set itself upright after hitting the ground. Mana arrows began appearing above it. They fell violently, impaling the bird.

[You have gained a level]

Another one down.

“What about Pella, have you seen her?” Janus asked. He hadn’t seen Pella since she had stormed off.

“I have not seen her since the dungeon.” Devon replied, stabbing his sword through the wolf’s chest.

Janus knew that meant Pella hadn’t shown up to the Delver’s Guild for some time. Devon was there nearly every day sparring with other delvers or experimenting with his skills.

“We should move.” Janus said. “Into the Backwash.”

Devon nodded and surveyed their surroundings. He selected a route and started walking. Janus struggled to keep up with his mangled foot, but he managed.

They had to take a strange route to avoid the massive crack in the earth. They had been separated from the main thoroughfare. Thankfully, they escaped from the melee at the guild mostly unmolested. A few beasts had tried their luck, but Devon fended them off with the help of Janus.

Janus wasn’t familiar with this part of the Backwash, but most of the buildings here were still standing. It provided them with cover.

“Did Dario say anything before leaving?” Janus asked.

“He told me to begin alerting the guild about an immediate threat. After that, and with little explanation, he left. I did not have much time to warn anybody before the violence began.”

“What should we do from here?”

Devon pointed up at a small tower of stone nearby. “We should get to the top of that tower. It will serve as a vantage point.”

Janus didn’t see any reason to argue. His only worry is that the tower wouldn’t have any stairs. He wasn’t sure if he could make it up a ladder. Janus could not help but let out a painful grunt as they started moving again.

“You are wounded? One moment.” Devon said.

He reached into a flap on his waist and pulled out a small metal flask. It was nearly identical to the one Dario carried.

“Dario left this with me after the fight with the [Uktena].” He said, uncapping the flask. “The wound is on your leg?”

“Yeah.” Janus said and lifted the hem of his robe. Below, his lower left pant leg was soaked in blood.

It hadn’t seemed that bad until now…

“Sit down.” Said Devon.

Janus complied, slowly sliding down a nearby wall until he was seated. Devon carefully unfurled the pant leg.

Janus hissed in pain. In response, Devon pulled out a knife and cut the bloody pant leg open. Moments later the searing pain in Janus’ leg receded into a dull ache. He could feel his flesh knitting together.

It differed from the times he had been healed by a proper healer. There was still pain, and Janus struggled to stand. His foot felt awkward to stand on.

“The pain and stiffness will fade over time.” Devon stated. “We must keep moving. The tower is not far.”

Janus nodded ,and the pair started off again. He couldn’t figure out what exact purpose the tower ahead of them was supposed to serve. It was likely the product of an overzealous earth manipulator.

He was pleased to see a set of stairs carefully carved into the side of the tower; they spiraled upwards toward the top. It was still a struggle to climb on his lame foot. He wouldn’t have been able to make it to the top before Devon had healed him.

The sight from the summit was not reassuring. They had a vantage over a large part of the Backwash and could even see where Crow Station officially started in the distance. There were beasts running around throughout the Backwash, attacking anyone they could find.

In the distance, a red flare appeared, followed by an enormous pillar of fire. Blinking away the after image, Janus barely spotted two individuals floating in the air.

“That must be where Dario is. We should back him up.” Said Devon.

“Are you insane? Whatever Dario is dealing with, it’s out of our league.” Janus said incredulously.

Devon didn’t have a chance to reply before the earth shook again. Janus could see another ravine tearing itself through the Backwash and realized at the last moment that it was heading straight for them.

He barely had time to shield his head with his arms before the tower came apart. He felt himself falling, his hands scrabbling for any hand holds, but finding nothing. A quick shout escaped him before everything went black.

-

Everything hurt. Janus shifted his weight around, feeing the rubble around him move in response. Jagged rocks dug into his sides and each movement brought fresh agony.

He opened his eyes momentarily and the dust nearly blinded him again. Coughing, he tried to shove the stones above him. With a herculean effort, Janus managed to break an arm free from the rubble. The extra leverage allowed him to raise his torso and slowly free himself from the debris.

His eyes were still stinging from the dust as he desperately searched for Devon. There was no sign of the redheaded swordsman.

How long was I laying there?

The station was eerily silent. The prior sounds of battle and pandemonium had completely halted. Janus strained his ears.

There was a sound. Like rats scurrying. He tried to stand, but couldn’t balance on the shifting stones. He fell to his back with a thud, groaning in pain. That was when he saw it. The roof of the massive cavern housing Crow Station was crawling with beasts. Most were heading towards the center where a massive hole had been burrowed through the stone.

The shaft was easily 50 meters across. He could see where the beasts were clawing their way upwards, presumably to the surface.

For the first time in Janus’ life, he witnessed sunlight.

It was so bright, unlike any lighting rune he had ever seen. The spectacle would have left him paralyzed if it weren’t for the figure floating not too far away. They were looking towards the shaft and, thankfully, hadn’t noticed Janus.

Where is Dario? Is this the person who did all of this?

Janus identified the figure.

[Beast Master - Level 220]

The sheer magnitude of the level floored Janus. He hadn’t heard of anyone higher than level 200, even in the Bear Guard. The stations kept that information as secret as possible, using powerful identity obscuring enchantments to prevent idle snooping from citizens.

The destruction this individual caused was only now starting to render in Janus’ mind.

Dad! He should still be working on the rail line!

The realization hit Janus like a bag of bricks. He forced his body to move as quietly as he could. He needed to hide until the [Beast Master] left. He shuffled slowly out of the rubble of the tower and nearly nose dived straight into the ravine that had originally knocked it down.

He stifled a shout of alarm, and pushed backwards from the ledge. The rubble of a nearby house was high enough to hide behind. He crawled to the building, worried that he wouldn’t be able to stay on his feet.

Finally, within the shade of the destroyed building, Janus let out a small sigh of relief. He began patting himself down, hoping that he was just banged up and bruised from the fall. Nothing appeared to be broken.

I need to get to the rail station.

Janus leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes for a moment. He hadn’t even realized when he started to doze off. The shock of the day had thoroughly exhausted him.

I need to get to the rail station… Janus thought, one last time before falling asleep