The ruins were quite the sight. They were made up of many archaic constructions crawling up the hills and summits and everything in between. There were elaborate dwellings carved out of the mountains capturing unknown darkness inside of numerous sets of openings, entrances and other abstract clefts.

Tall and intimidating monuments assumed many forms about the landscape, failing to maintain symmetry after years of eventual collapse. Even the ones that stood strong seemed ready to buckle under the unrelenting grip of thick sprawling vines snaking out of the mass overgrowth.

Streets had been leveled due to battle or maybe some natural disaster, leaving mounds of rubble and half standing anomalies.

Great statues were put to rest, suffering broken limbs or severed heads lying half buried on one cheek, gazing aimlessly at whatever, whenever.

Some statues were severed cleanly at the torso, undeniably victim to a heedless blade. The stumps were often clean and flawless, indicating that someone had been slashing around here not too long ago.

There was a dense fog shrouding the valley that had been here since she arrived, blotting the morning sun over desaturated ruins.

Naomi stood on a dilapidated marble staircase, feeling right at home amid the foreboding atmosphere.

She had a hunter’s eye, watching for movement and listening for noise. Not even Anilyx could be heard in the distance.

She stepped over a slumbering tree branch and continued on with her sword racing over the grass.

She wandered several yards over and under broken monuments and debris, startling a band of sparrows and a few rodents on the way.

After a mile or so there was still no sign of the raven.

The fog had grown denser, making things appear smoky at a distance.

She climbed high places and searched with her eyes. There was plenty to see but not much of what she was looking for.

She looked to the mountains and tried to imagine the bird would be there. She pictured the large raven scuffling through one of the narrow passages.

If that were to happen, she figured there’d be a lot of shed feathers left over but she couldn’t find any so far.

It made her wonder if the bird was still here to begin with.

It’d better be… she thought sourly.

She hiked farther out into the valley for another mile and soon the land presented fields of dry grass and old rusty swords planted hereabout like tombstones.

But standing swords were usually a telltale sign that trouble lay ahead.

A cold draft of air swept over the field. The fog drifted slowly.

Naomi made out a huge murky pool of darkness on the surface but she couldn’t tell what it was at first.

She moved closer.

After several paces, she found herself at the edge of an enormous circular chasm.

It was a straight and endless drop into eternal darkness.

The walls were run with passageways leading into mazes of abandoned rooms.

A network of robust bridges hovered above the shadows, meeting at a central tower several stories long.

Naomi paced along the edge, fascinated by the sheer size of this cavelike depth.

“Yoo hoo?” She sang into the abyss, hoping to summon that which slumbered below. A slight echo bounced back but that was all.

She sighed impatiently, fitting her hands on her waist for a minute or two.

If the raven wasn’t down here, it wasn’t anywhere in this area.

The girl reached for a grenade on her belt, pulled it off and snatched the pin loose.

She clamped the explosive in her fist, glancing the print running along the shell.

HG26

Naomi straightened her elbow and released the grenade, watching it shrink to the size of a pebble.

She heard a faint clatter as it landed on a bridge and then a rewarding bang rip through cemented stone.

The flash was brilliant and unforgettable but not as lasting as the ghoulish branches of smoke floating through the cold air.

Shattered chunks of brick rained on the bottomless hollow and the suspended structure shuddered violently.

The blast’s echo reverberated heavily.

Naomi waited.

The smoke gradually cleared but the rousing smell of gunpowder just started to kick in.

The darkness suddenly moved. It was faint. Barely visible but she knew she saw something.

Her lips formed a faint smile.

A surge of hot orange bled out of a narrow fissure, setting the chasm ablaze.

Naomi knew what was happening when she saw the darkness evaporate and the walls turn bright gold.

She darted backwards just as she felt a scorching glow on her skin.

A massive fireball smacked the ledge and exploded, hurling tons of shrapnel sky high.

The blast radius traveled and sent Naomi further back.

She fell and tumbled several yards but quickly spun to her feet. A tremendous rumble filled the earth and a huge phantom shot out of the cavern. The beast soared and revealed a full wingspan, neon red eyes and a forest of feathers black as night.

The raven of Thamus.

A horrific shriek filled the valley and rang Naomi’s ears until she thought she’d go deaf.

Barreling winds swept away the dense fog shrouding the landscape until her visual of the beast was crystal clear.

Then it salivated flames and sent forth another humongous fireball.

Naomi bucked. The earth came loose again, a hellish geyser of blazing orange and decimated rocks. Thereafter, a volley of explosions bombarded the landscape attempting to swallow her into infinite decay.

She felt the tremors ripple under her feet threatening to sprawl her off balance. She felt the scorching heat, the blackened dirt and rock chastising her as she vaulted and somersaulted through the air with graceful abandon.

Her speed was incredible.

She cut left and right, diving behind monuments for cover until they were destroyed in a single breath.

But she couldn’t keep running forever.

Her thighs were burning and although she still had ways to go before exhaustion, she didn’t want to waste energy.

She gunned over clobbered ruins and glanced up as another inferno whistled over her head and landed right in her line of direction, lifting her straight into the air.

Before the beast could blow her out of the sky, she chucked another grenade into its mouth.

“Chew with your mouth closed, jackass!”

She shouted.

The raven’s jaw was blown out of proportion, vomiting heaps of smoke and fire as it went soaring into the ground.

Naomi landed with solid form, impervious to the blistering heat roaring all around her.

Just as the bird began to gather itself up, she reached above it with her fingers splayed, summoned a globe of water from the evaporating mist and slammed it down on its head.

The raven was washed to the floor, smothered in clouds of steam.

Rows of fires were extinguished as the glistening water drowned the soil like a rolling tide and Naomi walked across the torn strip of earth that the raven left after its fall.

It was probably dazed at best, because it had already begun to pull itself from the ground. Pellets of water ran down its black vanes, merging to form trickles and streams.

The bird gave an excruciating croak and shook the pain and smoke from its powerful plumage. Naomi could hear the shivering of each feather.

She reared her sword and dashed forward to greet the menace with sharpened steel.

The blade struck the wing at full impact but did no more than split a feather or two. But she didn’t cease.

She challenged the mighty bird with decisive blows, shearing the black barbs at their roots.

The bird seemed to withdraw further into itself as Naomi tore into its defense.

When the barrage showed no signs of slowing down, the raven exploded in fury, swatting Naomi backwards as its wings unfurled to full width. The skies rang with another terrible screech.

Naomi’s feet traced the ground in resistance to the steel wind.

The raven suddenly sprang at her with his talons bared and she countered the hard guttural appendages with explosive action.

The blade left no more than a mark on the bone but she caught the creature’s scaly flesh somehow.

The beast swooped around and dashed her again, bowling her to the ground.

Her sword was knocked loose of her grasp and the bird stapled her to the ground with its vicious talons.

The girl was fortunate enough to angle her body in away so that it didn’t become impaled but she was unable squirm free the raven’s tightening grip.

She began to feel the pressure toil on her rib cage and started beating and shoving in protest.

The raven soon lifted off with a massive cry and flew over the baked terrain back into the great chasm.

Where is this punk taking me?

Naomi gasped, fiercely pushing against the bird’s stubborn, clammy skin.

It perched onto the broken pillar standing centre of the crevasse with its wings suspended horizontally.

Red eyes gleamed from an innate surge of spiritual energy and Naomi felt the stinging presence reverberate between the cave walls.

As she lay there being pressed into the solid stone, she tried to tug at her second sword but it was much harder to release when it was also clamped down between the rock and her spine.

Is it trying to kill me by crushing me?

She panted. Pain seared through her but she remained as calm as possible.

Closing her eyes, she concentrated her strength into her arm and jerked her other sword loose. Well, almost. Somehow the tip of it got stuck in the holster.

The bird seemed to take notice.

It quickly flexed its wings and concentrated all of its weight downward until the great tower collapsed underneath them.

Shattered rock popped out of formation like a spray of fireworks as they plunged straight down the middle and hit the bottom floor.

Brick clattered down the seemingly infinite pit, producing thousands of rippling echoes.

The great raven stood proud, regaining its balance atop the swaying, fractured tower.

It craned its neck, feathers frisking against each other as it went to pick at the limp human morsel who did not show any sign of consciousness.

Naomi’s eyes flitted open and she gazed at the night black wraith almost harmlessly. Its beak parted, exposing rows of razor sharp ridges ready to tear her into shreds of raw meat.

The girl reached for her braid and traced her fingers along the tight rope of hair until she grasped the small knife tied at the end of it.

She yanked it loose and the black ribbon that held it fluttered in the chill wind.

The shapely piece of steel flashed through the gaps of her fist and hyper materialized into the form of a ravishing silver gauntlet that consumed her bare arm.

Naomi reached up at the surprised creature and shot a concentrated beam of energy through the diamond embedded in the palm of her hand.

The beam smacked the feathered beast in the skull and it rocked back with an unflattering croak.

Naomi tore herself free of the monster’s grasp and ripped her sword from beneath a chunk of stone.

The surface of the tower was suddenly smashed to pieces as the raven began pecking violently at the evasive girl.

She darted whichever direction was necessary but the crumbling platform was too small to be fighting a giant bird.

Her sword aided in deflecting the monstrous scythe.

It retracted and plunged again but this time Naomi bashed it aside with her armored fist.

The beak went over the edge, farther than the bird intended and Naomi fired another blast into its breast.

The impact knocked the bird off the platform and it hit the wall of the cave.

Naomi felt the lower half of the tower crack like a coconut and subsequently a few bridges collapsed as well.

She had to move. The bird’s plumage lit on fire as it screeched in absolute fury and started flying around like a deranged rooster.

Naomi sprinted across a falling bridge and jumped with all the strength in her muscles.

Her fingers caught onto the ridges of an opening in the wall and she climbed inside before the bird sent a roaring fireball through the intricate chambers.

Naomi smirked, charging through the subterranean gloom while the beast flew around bombarding every level on pure impulse.

Clouds of hot golden flame flooded the depths of the underground labyrinth, casting long distinct shadows of the eroded congregation of pillars.

Smoke filled the spacious confines until it spilled out of the windows in neat little rows, turning the entire cavern into one big chimney that could be seen miles out.

Sift Drazko saw the humongous black cloud for himself. The whole team did.

“What on earth?” He mused through a pair of binoculars.

Lowering them from his eyes, he maintained his pensive expression and gave them to Ryx.

Ryx tried to take a look for himself but Igaza smacked them down.

“What the hell, man?!” Ryx cried.

“You can see the smoke clearly from where we stand.” Igaza snapped.

“Then why did Sift look, huh??”

“Enough.” Sift replied, “Let’s hurry and get over there before we miss all the action.”

The team rushed through the remainder of the forest until it brought them to the valley of ruins. It was as marvelous to them as it was when Naomi beheld it.

A sharp sensation passed through them, letting them know the fight wasn’t over yet. Tremors reverberated through the earth as they jogged over the dilapidated expanse.

“That shorty must be pretty damn strong.”

Ryx panted.

In that same heartbeat, the bird came flying out of the ground, surrounded in an aura of silky red flame. The men stopped in their tracks, thinking that the creature had attained some sort of godly status, that is until it sprawled into the ground with a loud crash.

The black heap lay there burning in that mysterious fire that the squad found hard to look at because of the strange glitch effect it had on the eyes.

Was it that same energy on the cliff?

Had the girl used it to kill the bird?

These were questions everyone had but didn’t bother asking.

Sift gestured to keep moving but at a slower pace.

Out of the emptiness, they suddenly caught wind of a presence that caused them to halt again.

Stepping from behind a squared column was an elderly man in robes and rings on his fingers.

His smile was quite friendly but his eyes held something deep. Deeper than any of them could comprehend.

Blackout broke into a cold sweat. What in the world??

“Who the heck are you?” Sift demanded.

The old man grinned harder. “Oh. I’m just a wanderer.”