VOID PIRATES SIEGE FROZENPEAK.

I see two terrible creatures slaughtering the citizens of the city. One is a winged creature, circling overhead, above even the mountaintops. And the other is a beast with multiple terrible limbs, grounded, yet no less dangerous than the first. It, however, is clashing with the Elementalists of the city, held back briefly by their collective strength. Meanwhile, the winged creature is given free rein, killing noncombatants with ease.

So, I intercept the winged creature. I gather my Qi as I clash with it, taking it down from the sky. I land a palmed strike on the underbelly of its slithering body. Its wings flap vigorously as we both fall from the sky. It lets out a loud hiss, turning its serpent-like head towards me, revealing a pair of venomous fangs in its mouth.

I push myself off the winged creature, dodging its snapping jaw. I flip to the back of its head as my Aspect forms around me into a disked blade. I spin, slicing into its back with the glowing white light, and it lets out a high-pitched shriek. I watch its skin tear open— before receding back into itself like a parted ocean, rapidly closing in on itself.

It turns around and spits out a globule of purple liquid at me. I raise a hand, conjuring a wall of wood. The liquid splashes on the surface of the wooden wall, eating straight through it, some sort of highly corrosive acid that sizzles softly. My Aspect once again becomes a pair of wings as I fly back, leading this serpent-like creature after me.

It foolishly takes the bait, and I bring it to the outskirts of the city, far from any of its screaming citizens. The creature lunges at me, its mouth wide open. Then I grin. I spread my arms wide as the image of a phoenix appears behind me.

Its iridescent colors shine, visible even to me from my back. The serpent-like creature pauses. Its slit-like pupils narrows, and the understanding of my power settles in. It turns tails to run, but it is too late. I unleash my powerful attack at it, burning it even as it tries to regenerate.

I hear an excruciating screech. It writhes in pain as its flesh regrows, and the fire continues to eat away at it. Then with a deep breath, I create another image of a phoenix. This time, the serpent cannot even react. It just lies there as the second phoenix comes down on it.

The blast would have blown apart a large portion of Frozenpeak, but I am not there. This is why I led the creature out.

I wait a moment for the dust to settle, confirming that it is dead. Then I fly back to the city, where the multi-legged beast is still in a rampage. I spot a familiar figure engaging it, trying to hold it back.

Bluerage.

He is a powerful Elementalist and Bladewielder who hails from the Frosty Mountains. He delivered the message of the Icecaller’s death to the Keepers of the Grove, and aided Thornthistle during the final siege by Galgom’s forces.

His magic coalesces around him, a powerful aura being exuded, one which can even harm me. It crashes at the beast, knocking it back. A crater is formed where the explosion went off, and I fly over to see the remains of the beast.

However, instead of a giant corpse, I see a smoking beast, standing up, beating one of its many legs on the ground, kicking up dust. It roars, and I grasp at my ears.

What is this? An attack through sound alone? It feels like my ears are being ripped out from my head, but there is no physical damage. It directly strikes at my mind, and the others around it.

Bluerage drops to a knee, clasping his head. “Argh…”

The beast charges once more, ready to trample over him. But I raise my hand.

“Aura Pull.”

It is like some invisible string coils around Bluerage and yanks him out of the way of the beast just in time. It is a new Feat. One I recently received from the Elocunive. I have not tested it yet, but I had inferred its abilities by its name, and by the skills the first void pirate I fought had. Fortunately for Bluerage, I am right.

I grab him as he flies to me, and the beast snaps its gaze up to face me. It opens its mouth to let out another ear-piercing screech, but I unleash a Ray of Esh onto it. It stumbles back as I descend, placing Bluerage down.

“Take your people and flee.” I step past him. He is injured, covered in cuts and bruises. But he grasps his head, the worst pain coming from within.

“No—” he grunts. “I will deal with this beast.” I am just about to call him out for his foolish pride, when he continues. “You will deal with the other.”

I pause. “I have already slain the flying serpent.”

“Yes. And I thank you for that. But the giant worm will slaughter the survivors if it is left unchecked.” He readies himself, Lifeblood gathering around him.

“The giant worm?” I furrow my brows, and I finally understand what is happening.

The ground burst opens. An undulating creature explodes from the earth. It has no eyes, only a gaping maw filled with rows and rows of teeth. It rises up, taller than any building in Frozenpeak. The multi-legged beast looks small compared to this monstrosity.

I take a step back, narrowing my eyes. There is a third one. There are not just two of them here— there is a third creature invading Frozenpeak. That means that there are more than just two void pirates per ship.

Bluerage takes a step forward, steeling himself for battle. But I grab him and pull him back.

“You shall flee,” I say as my wings flutter out.

He blinks. “But—”

“And get ready.” I whisper something else to him before I push him back, darting up into the air.

Both the multi-legged beast and the giant worm are drawn to me as I zip between them. The former creature lets out its terrible scream, but I meditate through the pain. The giant worm is less subtle in its attacks. It tries to devour me, and I teleport away.

I do not know where Void Walk brings me. It simply moves me out of the way. It takes me a single moment to regain my senses, realizing that I am now above even the giant worm.

I smirk, watching Bluerage dash across the city, ferrying the other Elementalists and survivors out of the city. When they are far enough, I clap my hands together, creating a wall of ice around these two creatures. They glance at me, slightly perplexed.

Then they come for me. The beast with whatever strange attack it does, and the worm with its long body, reaching for me. I unleash the five elements down at them, causing a tempest of fire, water, earth, metal, and wood.

They are durable. They do not just fall so easily to my attacks. I continue assailing them, easily avoiding most of their own strikes. At a few points, they come close to harming me. But my illusions keep them at bay.

Not once do they draw blood. These two are not as fast as Galgom, but they are far more durable than him. I use this knowledge wisely, activating another one of my Feats.

I raise a hand to the air as I soar back up to the sky, grinning.

“Lifeblood’s Call.”

The creatures blink as suddenly the world around them was flooded with an ethereal red liquid. I shout as Bluerage and the other Elementalists stand atop a nearby mountain peak.

“Now!”

They all begin casting their magic at the same time. The creatures try to escape, but they realize they are suddenly trapped. The wall of ice girdling them is reinforced by stone and wood and metal, all the while enchanted by the Essences.

The Elementalists’ magic rains down on the creatures, a complete storm of death and destruction which wipes out the entire city in a single blast. I cover my eyes, waiting for the dust and smoke to clear. Then I stare down at their corpses.

Both creatures are dead, defeated by the combined efforts of myself and the people of the city.

***

I stand amongst the survivors of Frozenpeak, speaking to Bluerage. The man is seated by a fire, greedily eating a bowl of hot soup. A temporary camp has been set up to accommodate the survivors of Frozenpeak. I explained the situation to him— what I learned from Galgom about the void pirates— before I asked my own questions.

“And when did they show up?”

“Not long before you did,” he says. “We saw the hole in the sky. We saw the falling star. And we remembered the day Galgom came. The same hole. The same falling objects. So, we prepared ourselves.”

“That is why you were able to hold out as long as you did.” I nod, glad that the entire population was not annihilated before I arrived. “What will you do now?” I ask, raising a brow.

“I’m not sure.” He shakes his head. “We’ll have to relocate. Whether that means we’ll build a new city here in the Frosty Mountains, or head to Thornthistle where it’s safe…” he trails off.

“If you do, I will have to let them know to prepare for your arrival.” I spread my wings, ready to fly off.

Bluerage raises a brow. “Are you returning to Thornthistle now?”

“I am.” I nod, pursing my lips. “So far, every one of the ships have brought only two void pirates. But yours has brought three. Perhaps we have underestimated their numbers. I need to report this to Kalmat.”

“Pishitim bleed on me— if there are that many more…” He places a hand on my shoulder. “May the Elocunive guide you.”

“Thank you.” With that, I take off, heading back to Thornthistle.