Clarissa Evans

“Boom! Headshot!” she declared smugly with her usual enthusiasm. A streak of green light passed through the head of a hidden rock lizard. The beast became clearly visible as its limbs went limp. Tumbling slowly off the cliff like a rag doll. Her excellent cheer despite such a mundane walk was because of their surrounding environment. Green leaves and the sound of water filled Clarissa with a sense of calm euphoria. This was her world. Her kind of terrain.

Well close enough to it, there was an artificialness to the area that bugged the prime archer. Between the unnatural tree shapes and the perfection of the river cliffs, it felt like a display. As if they were walking through a zoo exhibit or an amusement park’s magic forest. Clarissa almost expected a water raft ride to pass them by in the river. Still, there was some pleasure in seeing this. She drew in energy just breathing in the smell. It energized that wild part of her. Especially after a month in the dank tunnels of the Ratsins.

It was a good thing the walk itself was empowering as everything else about their stroll was quite dull. A steady route down a relatively flat path and a scattering of monsters. The party easily dispatched those if Clarissa didn’t snipe them before their arrival. Damian and Anastasia kept more busy collecting cores than bringing on the hurt. They all learned that the river was a real threat to core collecting. Corpses had to be pulled out before the current could submerge them. The rough waters made visibility impossible not too far from the surface.

She felt more than a little envious of Molly’s group. Malachi had chosen them to walk parallel to them atop the cliff. Not only was that party closer to the trees, but Clarissa suspected the view was much better. There was little to see other than sheer rock and the river. Not much variety for the eyes. Of course, there seemed to be very few monsters to shoot at up top as well. So possibly just as boring in a similar way.

Clarissa was brainstorming antics to entertain herself when the parties came around a bend and the end of the world came into sight. It was mesmerizing to see the ground just end at a single point. A defined edge where even water just dropped. They were still too far to see more than the far wall of the floor, but already there was the suggestion of a deep emptiness ahead. The silly little games she liked to play disappeared in the anticipation of something awesome and new. Even monster-infested, she had no doubts that this would be a wondrous sight.

Her attention heightened, the distance elongated and each step took a thousand. A greater roar surged around the stone corner until the river seemed almost silent. The lip of the world grew closer. A hint of the empty expanse became the impression of a great fall. Her steps became lost in the noise of the water’s roar until Clarissa felt she was flowing forward on the current.

Wonder, excitement, and fear swirled together into a thrilling mixture as the edge became only a few steps away. The path didn’t end at the lip, but wrapped around to her left. Curving as it thinned to nothing. Only a glance there before staring again at the crispness of the drop. Clarissa smiled in anticipation of the full view. Not a grin, but a small personal smile of awe.

One step after the other and then everything was there.

She was looking at a waterfall that rivaled any on Earth. It rumbled at her from three great throats. Rivers broke over a curved cliff that followed the rough outline of an oval. The floor’s border wall finished the closed shape on the other side. Below was a dark lake half concealed by mist from the falls. Where the cliff met the lake was completely hidden. Large white birds flocked and squabbled along the cliff wall. Making homes in the rock or diving into the lake below.

The sight of the falls took all her attention. Standing an inch or two from the edge to see more, feel more. She wanted to look directly down the cliff top and see/feel the fall that would come from one more step. Her eyes drank in the wonder of the extraordinary. Clarissa hummed with vibrant contentment and was lost in selfless self-reflection.

In time Clarissa noticed that there was an island down there lost in the fog that rolled out of the mist. A heavily forested strip of land that ran along the border wall. Between the fog and the distance, it was hard to tell, but there seemed to be some sort of structure down there. Either surprisingly shaped boulders or standing stones. Her musings on the nature of the stone were interrupted. She had forgotten entirely about the others.

Julia called out from behind, “Hey Clarissa, do you mind stepping away from the edge? You’re kinda freaking me out!”

Blinking in surprise, the prime archer looked over her shoulder at the rest of the party. Most seemed pretty absorbed by the view too, but they were all at least three big steps from the edge. Her dear friend Julia was basically leaning against the plateau wall behind them. Her stance told of a wretched need to be safely away from the edge of the waterfall.

With a devilish grin, Clarissa replied, “I ain't a scaredy cat, Ju Ju! Just takin’ a good look at this purty sight.”

“I can see perfectly fine from here!” spat Julia a little high-pitched. “There’s no reason to be that close to the edge! What if it crumbles?!”

“Worrywart! I’ve seen you tackle Lovecraftian rats! How are you so scared of a landscape feature?”

Julia growled, “I don’t want to fall!”

Eyes sparkling, Clarissa leaned over the edge. “Y’know, I think we could survive that! With Mana and all. Especially you!”

“O’god, what’s wrong with you?”

“Nothin’! Just enjoying the sights.” The prime archer engaged her Form and twirled along the cliff's edge. She couldn’t help taunting Julia. There was little chance of actually falling. Through her efforts, Hunter Form, as Clarissa thought of it, not only aided in her archery, but made every movement more precise. It allowed her with absolute confidence to dance on a knife’s edge. When her little number finished with a flourish, Julia wasn't the only one who was pale. Everyone appeared goggling as if she were insane.

Exactly where I want them, she thought with a smirk. Holding Julia’s eye, Clarissa dramatically stepped away from the edge to join the others in “safety.” Giving a horrible show of acting like she had just escaped from a harrowing experience. The shieldmaiden gave a powerful glare for her trouble. Once again, the desired effect. The prime archer’s laughter bubbled free as everyone rolled their eyes.

Clarissa took a place next to Julia and enjoyed the silent treatment while taking a look around from this angle. Focused on the awesome display of the waterfall, she hadn’t noticed the path curved around the corner before ending at a worn stairwell that led up to the top of the plateau.

Huh, guess that’s how you're supposed to make it up there, she thought. That collapsed part of the cliff must have been a lucky break. Though once we get Russel up here, we can make our own stairs.

“You suck,” said Julia to break the silence.

“I’m a delight,” countered Clarissa without shame.

“Sometimes,” conceded Julia. “So, did you see anything interesting that I might have missed from here?”

“Well, no safe way down,” she teased. “Yet, jumping or climbing may be the only way.”

“Count me out on that expedition.”

“Haha, I bet it's elsewhere, but for reals, there’s an island down there I can’t see from here. Looks like it has ruins on it. Likely important.”

“Sigh, if Malachi jumps… I might have to.”

Clarissa gasped and clutched her chest. “Wait, are you saying if I jumped, you wouldn’t, but if he did… you, you would?! Come on girl, clams before jams!”

“Absolutely, also I don’t think that’s a saying.”

“It could be a saying, if other people start saying it, But! That’s not important!” Giving her best puppy dog eyes, “You wouldn’t jump after me, Julia? That breaks my heart…”

“I…”

Malachi broke in, “No one is jumping off the cliff! I think we’re all a lot smarter than that. Or at least some of us are smart enough to figure out a better way.”

“But imagine how fun it would be to dive off into that lake!” argued Clarissa with a grin.

Their leader shook his head and replied, “Be my guest, but I suspect we’ll figure something better out. At a minimum, we’ve got Damien.”

“I do not wish to jump off the cliff,” pointed out the obsidian acolyte.

“Good, 'cause I wasn’t asking you to,” said Malachi looking bewildered. “I’m just saying I think you could come up with a safer way to get down than to fling oneself off the cliff.”

“O! Certainly! A few things come to mind, but they need testing first.”

Harken added his own thoughts, “Magic is wonderful, but I think it would be smart to check the Screens for rope and climbing gear. Having something manual on hand would be valuable.”

“Maybe it’s smart and maybe it ain’t,” frowned Clarissa. “But, personally, I do not like the idea of climbing up and down that cliff by hand. That sounds exhausting.”

Julia gave her an incredulous look, “This from the girl who wants to leap off the cliff.”

“Yeah, a leap,” defended the redhead. “One action and done. Not like a bajillion!”

“And how exactly did you plan to get up in “one action?”

“Plan? Ya’ll would think of something.”

“What is wrong with you?” admonished the shieldmaiden, but ruined that when she began to laugh. “You’re such an idiot sometimes.”

“Idiot? I’m a genius. Why stress harder than you have to? That’s why I keep you, people, around.”

With a lazy wave of her hand, Julia gestured to the cliff’s edge. “Well? Go ahead and jump. We might as well get started on thinking up a solution.”

“No one is jumping off the cliff!” ordered Malachi very clearly and sternly. “Julia, stop telling her to jump, and Clarissa, you’re done. Good game, you’re done. We are not going down there today as there is plenty to explore up here. There is probably a pathway to get down there we’ll find anyways. I have no desire to fight anything big on this outing.”

“Something big?” questioned Harken.

“I mean look at it!” explained Malachi. “One hundred percent chance there’s a giant monster down there that will rise from the depths and we’ll have to duke it out.”

“O’ yeah, that’s totally true,” agreed Clarissa with a rapid nod.

Damien gave it a considering look, “That is definitely boss arena material.”

“I’ll fight anything as long as I don’t have to jump off a cliff,” muttered Julia.

“Alright! Point made!” agreed Harken after taking a new look. “I join the cult of obvious boss rooms”

“Uh um, can we um not talk about uh giant monsters if we’re uh not going to um fight them today?” begged the blonde acolyte.

Malachi grinned at the priestly man. “It’s interesting that this floor is all one space. That makes me a little nervous because it seems so easy.”

“Technically the Ratsin Tunnels were one space,” argued Damien. “Stretched out with different areas, but all one space. This is not much difference.”

“Feels different,” remarked the sword acolyte, but not arguing back.

“I imagine the difference has something to do with what Xavier Ceaitle mentioned,” continued Damien.

“O’ yeah?” Malachi said as tensions grew in the air. Even Julia looked away from the obsidian acolyte as if unwilling to hear him. Clarissa herself was a little uncomfortable being reminded of the ghostly speech and the responsibility thrust upon them.

“Well, yes,” replied Damien, head cocked in confusion at the responses, but happy to explain. “In reference to the Ratsins being found, he said that there had been a facility here that predates The Pit. Perhaps the environmental change is reflective of that? We’re in the retrofitted facility where before was a facsimile of how the Ratsins had existed before being discovered. Do you not remember what the wizard said?”

Sourly, Harken answered for them, “How could anyone forget?”

“True, it was so informative!” smiled Damien.

The tension in Clarissa resonated with the building pressure in those around her. That which no one wanted to speak about devouring the good cheer of everyone, but Damien. She could feel the breaking of morale as everyone reflected on the horror of being the new seed of humanity. By instinct, the prime archer moved to change the subject when a bird’s screech scorched the air. Everyone covered their ears as large white forms fell upon them.

In a flurry of wings, three monstrous sea birds began harassing them from the air. Humanish hands with talons raked at their heads and tried to grip their shoulders. On some level, Clarissa was glad of this distraction even as she yelped as a detached feather sliced across her cheek. Blood began pooling from a surprisingly deep cut. Then she was mad and there wasn’t any gladness left.

She jerked herself out of the crowd, her bow rising immediately. An arrow of pure green Mana formed before being launched in the next moment. The instilled intent caused the projectile to shatter into a thousand needles that peppered one of the birds. A shrill cry escaped the feathered fiend as it disappeared under the lip of the cliff's edge.

With the new breathing room, Julia’s sword peeked from behind her shield and took a bird’s foot in a twirling maneuver. Malachi followed up with a charge of lightning that fried the bird so that it just dropped on them dead. A pillar of violet glass shot up and speared the last bird by Damien’s command. The obsidian acolyte was careful to dump the impaled monster to the side of the path. Everyone pulled themselves together when more birds screamed and a rain of feathers fell down on them like arrows.

The shieldmaiden and their acolytes provided a barrier after the first volley. High above a small flock of five birds could be seen circling. Harken scrambled to cast healing and buffs in the lull. Wounds closed, leaving the blood to stain unmarred flesh. Anastasia listened carefully as her fellow caster suggested a strategy.

Malachi stepped towards the edge and turned his back on it. Hollering through his cupped hands, he called out, “Molly! Are all of you still up there?”

There was the sound of shuffled gravel and the cool-eyed woman peeked over her edge down at them. “Yes. We had a little company of our own or would have helped out. The forest creatures guard their trees very jealously.” She added with a frown, “Rueben tried to climb one.”

Pointing upwards, Malachi said “Well, you get another chance to help us. They don’t look done with us yet.” High above the circle of birds was growing faster as if to gather more speed.

“Hmm, agreed,” replied Molly. “Adrienne, I want you to…” the rest was lost on the wind as the acolyte of curses disappeared to get her team ready.

Clarissa watched the enemy above, counting the seconds for a full rotation, and then calculated the rate of acceleration. Nodding when the numbers added up. For this, she pulled out one of her physical arrows. It began to glow faintly on the string as Mana was imbued. The prime archer raised the bow to the target, pulled back the string, made a final adjustment, and fired.

A streak of green silently rose into the air and passed through the head of one of the birds. It faltered a beat or two on the winds before plummeting. Red blood visible on white feathers. This set off the rest of the flock as their circle turned into a sharp spiral dive.

Clarissa shifted back to pure Mana arrows that shattered. She filled the air around the descending birds with green needles. Damien and his semi-apprentice had the same idea. The obsidian acolyte would fire off a spray of arcane glass and Anastasia would copy the spell. The effort caused the blond acolyte to reel back every time, but she recovered enough to copy again every other casting. Quickly adding to the small projectiles hurling towards the monstrous birds. Some pieces deflected off the feathers, enough to begin turning the lead creatures into porcupine impressionists.

Something red and sparking launched from the plateau above them. It arced towards the birds and then exploded into angry fireworks. Sky flowers blooming, burning and beautiful. More followed after in a series of denotations that threw the monsters out of their momentum or forced them to duck out of the way. Very effectively breaking their speed.

Two survived the aerial onslaught and were undeterred. They curved around to finish the attack run. A purple haze flowed out to them. The cloud enveloped them, soaking in, but neither flinched or slowed. For a few more meters. One screeched as it flew over them to slam straight into the cliff wall between the two teams. Its neck-breaking was quite audible to all. The other went into a berserker rage. White feathers flung everywhere as the bird wrestled with the air. Clarissa felt it was a bit of mercy kill when she fired a shot through the brain.

Damien had grabbed several of the corpses before they could fall out of their reach and piled them up. Everyone took a breather as the monsters dusted. From the sounds above the other party was following suit. The prime archer kept an eye on the sky, but eyed the new cores with curiosity. They appeared to be yellowish in color. She wondered if they differed much from the Ratsin cores.

Molly’s face suddenly appeared above and said, “It has been an hour. Time to return.”