Ori

‘’Sage Killer,’’

‘’The Sage Killer,’’

I need to pee, I push saliva down my dry throat whipping my hand dry on the bearage fur seals of the armour kilt so as to grip the spear tighter. I flex my left hand testing the elastic of the shield-hold, its a comfortable grip.

‘’Sage Killer,’’ they whisper as our entourage walks past the ranks of terrified faces.

Their cursed whispers filled with many emotions the worst of which is the hope which utterly terrifies me. How can these people expect another miracle from me? How can they put their trust in me?

‘’Cheer up lads, we have the sage killer with us,’’ Umzokwe says with a sour bite.

‘’Be ready for anything!’’

The First Sword commands personally leading our Unit as we settle in arrow formation behind the barricade of conjured earth. Career soldiers are formed behind us with the militia behind them and everyone else behind the militia behind sequences of earth-stone barricades.

Every soldier not part of the reserve is formed up behind us in squads at the sequence of earth-stone barricades hastily erected. A ragtag group of scribes rushes across the walls splattering paint of enchantments of some sort hopefully that will make a difference.

Everyone is terrified but no one has yet to run, there is nowhere to run really. I try and fail to get control of my nervousness.

The soldiers are hard men, all veterans of multiple struggles against the Celestian dog soldiers and yet they stare at the oncoming creatures like their testicles are being scraped across sharp shards. The Sages have killed our entire country without a single casualty before I managed to down two, however that happened. The Sages have thought us hopelessness and fear, but I find it's the hope placed in me that terriffies me more than anything.

I swallow again to wet my throat, I don’t bother looking at the militia behind them and the rest of the dusty lot I know is now pissing its pants behind the militia.

‘’5km out boys and girls then we send those dog to the hell bitch mother that birthed them!’’

Previously looking like blots in the distance they eat the distance surprisingly quickly, already 5kms away?

I dry my hand on the crimson fur; I’m comfortable yet uncomfortable in the new armour.

‘’Shooters ready!’’

So soon?!

I see them rise over the hill running with purple tongues lapping across their twisted visages of necrotic flesh in mad glee. The scent of them reaches me next burning a sour stench down my throat, my head whips back as the stench attack causes my eyes to water. The helmet enchantment activates and I can breathe easy again.

[BGRRRR]

Dark spotted flesh crashes into the first barricade out front without even trying to evade the spiked stonewall the geo-casters put up to slow them.

[FTGCHHHH.]

Black blood, flesh and dust showers across the plain as a second line of them crashes into the barricade with madly suicidal glee.

[BGRGGGGG.]

The first barricade wall shatters in wet dust with the mad ravenous creatures appearing behind the cloud of dusty gore at outrageous speed.

[KRRRRR BAAM!]

The trap spell burns across the line of them in sizzling flashes of colour before exploding their front attacking rank like overcharged jelly spells.

They die to magic!

My heart pumps in psyched elation as that realisation dawns on me.

HAA HAHAHAA, a made laugh roars from the floating mage platform.

‘’Rejoice this day Kushites,’’ Councillor Aganju shouts transforming into fiery sand. ‘’Rejoice for these abominations can be killed!’’

‘’Loose!’’

The call comes, the air splitters in flashes of power bolts as shooters unleash their charged projectiles stabbing into the still charging creatures. The dry scent of ozone filters through the helmet as renewed vigour flooding me at the sight of scattered bodies falling from the attack.

‘’Loose!’’

Attacks rain down inflicting startling damage to the mad abominations the sight a salve to my worries.

The people don’t have to rely on just me anymore!

HAAAARRRR, our ranks roar with shields coming up as the snivelling mutts crash into our barricade with spells and bolts still raining on their numbers from above.

I watch as a limb appears above the barricade getting looped off in a single swipe by one of the defenders. Yes! I’m not the only one that can kill these things!

[HAARRR!]

With relieved elation I throw myself into the fray, contributing like everyone else instead of standing alone. Hope poisons my heart as black blood stains the terrain where we face them, we can do this, we can survive.

*

Sachihiro

The bowl is a twisted ruin of stone-glass that reflects the molten scape in a collage of fiery splendour. A young man sits in the middle of arid stillness not far from the severed head of a serpent 20x larger than he, his head stays bowed in stillness as I carefully make my way closer. My fire boots smoke from the heat released by the ground, the armour doing a poor job of keeping me cool despite the enchantments.

Carefully I make my way down the bowl, the heat rising from the ground in an invisible shimmer that has my water-mana steaming away as soon as it's conjured as I try to keep cool.

The severed serpent’s head looks intimidating even in death. Teeth as long as I am tall, spikes across the ridges of its scaled face, sharp dark scales like plates of black tar obscure even with the dark-vision oculus on my face.

That’s Draug the Smouldering’s head I assume, dead dragon so who or what is the man?

The young man raises his bald head hitting me with a gaze that freezes the blood in my veins, he blinks dark lashes not giving anything away in his aura. A black stain writhes and twists as though alive across his face.

I swallow my doubts again moving forward towards what is very likely my doom. I’ve come too far to ever turn back though.

‘’Greetings stranger,’’ I say out loud and mentally in Universal upraising empty hands to the figure coolly observing me come towards it. I dare to get close, as close as it allows me even though my insticts are sceaming at me of danger. Close enough to get it within my awareness and stopping just as I observe it within said awareness.

‘’I come in peace,’’ I convey. Observing its mana with mana sense, its chakra with a 3rd Eye and crown open, its frequencies with vibration sense its movement with sharp eyes and its spirit with my own as it's within my spiritual sphere of influence.

‘’I come in peace,’’ I say getting nothing from the being at all from every-which-way I study it for clues to its nature, intent or power which tells me a lot actually. What to do?

‘’You killed Draug huh? That must have been hard, I hear dragons are supposed to be tough.’’

That was a stupid thing to say but I find that I’m nervous. I don’t remember the last time I was in the presence of someone this unreadable.

‘’You didn’t happen to find a big gate to another world here did you?’’

I scramble back getting into a defensive stance as the humanoid rises to stand naked before me. He looks no older than 16 years of age but looks are nothing to go by when judging such things, he might not even be human for that matter.

‘’My-- gate,’’ he says out loud stiffly.

‘’Your gate definitely your gate friend, to the victor goes the spoils my people like to say.’’

Whoever and whatever this being is I really don’t want to fight them if they can kill something as old as a world gate guardian. Especially one with titles like ‘Smoking Ruin of Belgash’ and ‘The Screaming Wails of Fired Frae’.

‘’But say... might I use your gate? It’ll just be a quick trip back to my homelands, I won’t bother you ever again.’’

I convey my friendliest aura as I smile hopefully. The heat eats through much of my boot enchanting so I start hopping left and right while coating my feet in a thick layer of constantly evaporating water.

I must look a sight with even sweat visible evaporating away.

How to convince this guy to let me use the gate, or failing that how do I get passed him?

‘’My name is Sachihiro, Sachihiro van Damage. What is your name friend?’’

Black eyes stare at me a while longer but no response is forthcoming, he turns his head to the side as if in thought. Invisible vortexes forming and dissipating as he flexes his fingers absently, I take another step back. I could have tried to avoid this figure all together but there is no way I spotted it and it didn’t spot me in turn {Regret}.

I’m being crushed. I can’t move. My neck is being wrung in a vice grip of death.

Spirit-Aura flares, Water-Shield bashed aside, Afterimage! All attempted within the split second I realise I’m under threat; all suppressed under that vice-like grip that has me unable to move.

Cold black eyes gaze into mine, outwardly passionless yet my spirit burns as the creature gazes at me seeing more than it should. Possessions start tumbling out of my storage items on their own accord to my dismay even things in my invisible spirit-bound ring fall at the monster's feet like offerings before an alter.

The whimper that escapes my throats sounds far off, detached from me and all I know of myself. I’d never whimper before anyone, death when it comes for me will find me standing on my own two feet.

I embrace the cold grip of death approaching, I see its maw open and step into it with wide eyes grasping its pale continence with a passion that boils forth from the bottom of outwardly still waters. There is no fear or worry in me as this overwhelmingly superior foe gazes down at me with a death stare; after all, there is honour in death.

Raw skin sloughs off in a crimson silver fluid that resolves into an axe in hand, shikai activating with a cold rage despite the creatures hold on me.

My arm explodes in deadly reflex chopping down with Honours blade sizzling between seams of air from the sharp frequency of the cutting edge.

THWAANG!

What the actual fuck?!

It takes a moment for my brain to compute what my senses are telling me just happened.

‘’My gate,’’ the thing says in my mind having caught my shikai released zanpakuto's blade in hand casually. A feat I thought impossible an instance ago. The grip tightens further crushing my windpipe tongue, eyes bulging against the pressure.

Again I can’t move, the simmering cold of my rage burnt away by the black fire now ravaging inside me. A thing, an indistinguishable thing impossibly large swims through my mind’s eye deep within my psyche. My innards shuddering at the invasion.

I come back to wakeful awareness as the thing unlatches claws from between the bones at the back of my neck, the pain of it is excruciating but my body is my own again.

Half the skin on my torso is gone with the rage leaving me shuddering in shock, gritting my teeth I silently feel the open wound in all its gorry glory.

Dazed, I slump on the ground twitching as I reach for one of the vials scattered at the feet of the thing. I fumble it before managing to get it open and down my throat in a haze of panic, but the monster completely disregards me having eyes only for what’s inside the now open chest intended as a gift to Draug.

As soon as I feel a semblance of strength in my wobbly legs I’m up and retreating fast, Honour left at the things feet as I realise I don’t have enough spirit-energy to summon it back. I’ve never moved as quickly in my life, flashing side to side moving behind obstructions avoiding the monsters line of sight.

My flight is instict driven, masterfully cowardly in a tail between legs if you want to keep it knowing.

Taking the time to look back I see no pursuit but I don’t stop, moving quickly shrouding myself in a layer of water mana to hopefully obscure my scent. A creature like that can probably track me using my mana signature, I change strategy. Stepping on areas with the densest stone and propelling myself forward I get a rhythm going, leaving no visible trace of my passage.

I pant out a few breaths resting within a dark crevice, the shock of having my Rage quenched overshadowed by the dismay of losing everything I own. Again.

I calm, observing myself in the shikai state now that I have a mind to. I’m stronger and more resilient on top of the base physique of my new tier of Awakening, but nothing else seems to have changed from last time. Well except that Honour came away with a large amount of my skin.

I touch tender flesh, careful not to scrap the still healing flesh against rocks.

That thing was strong.

Lightly I touch the back of my bruised neck. The puncture wounds on the back of my neck are closing slowly, the flesh tender and inflamed in a handprint that ends with four wounds where the claws punched into my spine.

What was that thing anyway?

Having calmed myself I need to think of my next move. I can’t face that thing so a direct attack is out, it caught a Rage amplified swing of my released zanpakuto so an attack of any kind is out.

Shit, I didn’t think that was even possible!

It did something to me also, got inside my head and spirit somehow. I don’t think I’ve ever been so helpless in my life, I shake my head in wry humour.

Every time I gain power I come across an opponent that completely obliterates my new found confidence and sense of accomplishment. I grin at my ill fate, at least it always shows me the next panicle to reach. I’m not sure what the fuck that thing is but its in my way, another obstacle in a long line of obstacles that I need to overcome.

Should I go back to the Library? The idea doesn’t appeal to me for many reasons, I really don’t want to get deeper in that organisation’s debt for one. Do I have any other choice though, it is their idea that I’m even here nearly getting myself killed to begin with, if anything they owe me.

Still...

That thing has everything I own, including the blood crystals connected to my children’s life force, including that atomic birth crystal Master Zaraya fleeced from the Conclave for me and those uhu ingots blessed by Paulos. No, at the very least I have to steal my stuff back before going to the Library with my tail tucked between my legs.

A shiver goes through me, I move quickly to a different hiding spot. I have never felt this naked out in the wild. I calm my nerves with deep breathes as I take in the rhythm of my surroundings, this place is quite solid.

I take a breath, if I run now without facing that creature again I will always be afraid of it, beneath it. I was attacked first, death avenging myself such a great foe would be a great death, I keep Honour in killing this thing and would gain greater honour in death if I must. My aura sharpens, I resonate with my weapon a part of myself at the creatures feet.

I calm myself, think. Remember who I am, I am being, I am god-being. Remember the mission, get home safe.

*Exhale.

A victory no matter how small will go a long way in proving my continued usefulness to that organisation, I can’t forget that Castro Black with all that power and resources behind him is now a member of the Library. At the very least I delivered the chest and the mirrors to the guy that has the Gate so half the Library's mission has been accomplished, sort of. I just need to establish a better rapport with the new gate owner.

Pulling my hood over my head I steel my nerve with a bout of spirit-aura, stealthily I head back towards that monster in human skin.

My heart beats in excitement stacado, why am I feeling excited?