Chapter Forty-Two: Er''litahn and L''lorien


    “RUN!” The cry comes from all sides as humans decide the monsters are too many to fight. The monsters, though, are quicker. They overwhelm us and begin to hammer us, their swords and pikes stabbing, slicing..


    Soon enough, I feel constricted. There are five monsters standing between me and my friends. I can’t even see them anymore.


    A pike stabs into my shoulder, not cutting deep, but still wounding. I scream in pain and stab at the L’lorian, and it screeches, falling to the ground in its death throes. The other four advance on me as one, and I’m unable to defend myself as well as I could.


    From the noises around me, I can safely assume my friends are in the same predicament. I can see gushes of fire from where the forest was, but I’m still not sure why they left it. Were they scared by something? Or did they just think they’d find more meat here?


    Either way, they’re here right now. An Er’litahn bites into my sword, trying to wrench it from my grasp, but I hold on, and the force of the pull puts me on the ground. Thankfully, I’ve held onto my sword and the Er’litahn tumbles back in its momentum. I’m up in time to face the barrage of attacks from the other two Er’litahn, who hiss at me as they fight, not expertly, but strongly enough.


    “ZADE!” I hear Aster’s voice arise from my left. “Where are you?” A plume of fire erupts from where her voice is, but I focus on my fight.


    “I’m in here, Aster,” I respond. “Are you okay?”


    I see another plume of fire, and this time I hear the screeches of the beasts too.


    “I’m fine,” She responds. “Don’t worry, we’re coming to save you.”


    We?


    I feel a glimmer of hope at what she said, even if I didn’t understand it, so I maintain my ground. If they’ll save me, I don’t need to be on the defensive.


    The wound on my shoulder is bleeding. Clearly, it needs to be taken care of, but I don’t know how I’ll be able to fix it. I don’t know if there are any more mages in the field. I don’t think I’ll die though. The pike didn’t go deep enough.


    Another Er’litahn screeches as I kill it, but three more beasts take its place. I’m losing this battle, but I haven’t lost.


    Just hold on, Zade. Help is coming.


    It’s been a couple minutes since I last heard Aster’s voice, and it’s the only thing making me keep fighting as ferociously as I can.


    Because there’s hope this fight ends my way.


    I duck under a sword, and parry another one, having to sidestep a third as soon as I do it. A bite forces me to duck, while another sword makes me move towards the right, where two Lorien are waiting. They roar and bite at me, but I manage to slice one, ending its terrible life.


    The others move the circle closer, and I can barely move.


    A plume of fire from the left takes out three beasts. I breathe a sigh of relief as two more are taken down a second later with more fire.


    I’m glad for the help, but I do wonder who’s doing this. It can’t be Aster, right?


    More fire erupting, more beasts gone.


    And that’s when the fire reminds me of something I’ve been forgetting. I should’ve been using it, but I was in the midst of the heat, blood, gore, and adrenaline, so I forgot to use it.


    My skill.


    Calling upon it, I stretch my hand out to a L’lorien. A column of fire crashes upward from the earth and immediately chars the L’lorien to a crisp.


    My fire is stronger than the other person’s, but I don’t think I can use it too much.


    I don’t need to worry about it, though, as I’m able to take down the last Er’litahn fighting me, the others preferring to run and find easier prey.


    I finally notice who saved me, and I smile.


    “You’re back,” I tell High Mage Aegon.


    “I created an illusion and scared them out of the forest,” the High Mage explains. “If I hadn’t, we wouldn’t have been able to find all of them. We’d be suffering from their terror for decades.”


    “Makes sense,” I say. “I didn’t really want to fight them in the forest.”


    “It’s hard,” High Mage Aegon admitted. “Have you heard anything from other mages?”


    “We had to fight a Cultist,” I tell him. “His name was Gárcia. He tried to kill me because I didn’t worship Dautha.”


    “I was hoping this would not happen,” the mage responds. “I thought they would stay more passive.”


    “I think they are. This one just chose not to.”


    “It’s cool and all that you’re having a conversation without me,” Xavier tells them, desperately fighting an Er’litahn, “But I can’t do this on my own, you know.”


    His inexperience with any sort of weapon is showing. While he does have his fireball, even that is inexperienced. I know he can’t take on more than one at once, and currently, he’s fighting two.


    “Let’s get this over with,” High Mage Aegon tells me, and we charge into the fray.


    — — —


    The city was warned quickly enough. Soon, it was panicking. That was the bad part. L’lorien were already swarming the sky, and some were carrying Er’litahn, dropping them on the streets of Magefell. Here, they were much more dangerous, because Yue never knew whatAlleyway she’d find them in.


    Many villagers had locked their houses, hoping that it would shelter them. The others all came to fight, many to die.


    Zenyth was evacuating, too, but not to leave the city. No, they were here to aid in the fight. Most of them, anyway. There were still plenty of Cultists who refused to do anything about the threat, instead saying that it was their fault they were in this mess.


    Yue hated them.


    Yue had dropped the Royals off at Zenyth. Mages had been filing out of there, but she’d been able to find a particular mage to help her and set them somewhere safe. King Aeson had vehemently disagreed with that decision, telling them he could be of use and he wanted to fight, but Yue was insistent.


    She didn’t want to have his blood on her hands.


    King Umi and Queen Ingrid had gone more willingly, and King Umi and Aeson had personally thanked her. Queen Ingrid, though, was another story.


    “You almost died and were saved by one of us,” She spat. “Do better next time.”


    Yue didn’t want to say how much that had crushed her. She was supposed to be the greatest warrior in the greatest elite team! If they had to be saved, then they weren’t the greatest!


    She’d had to remind herself that they were stronger together. She’d also killed more beasts than anyone else. She hadn’t been counting, but she’d at least killed a hundred at this point, and she was proud of that. The more beasts she killed, the less people died. That was her motivation and a right good one for her.


    It was enough for her to keep going.


    Th’ul’s High Mage friend had been helpful to them so far. He was obviously skilled with magic, and she and him, together with Th’ul and Alyx, had joined with a group of one hundred men—part of the Magefell Army—to fight the beasts.


    The Magefell Army was the umbrella for every type of soldier in Magefell. Each country had its own army with its own subdivisions. The Magefell Army had three.


    The first was the Soldiers. They were mostly good fighters who did not need to be soldiers as a full.time job. Instead, their days were spent like any commoner’s days, but they were always ready to pick up a sword, get on a horse, and fight. They were also mostly kept secret, so assassins from other countries wouldn’t readily recognize them when they saw them. Most of the men and women in the Magefell Army were Soldiers.


    The second subdivision was the Guards. These were more common, and everyone knew who they were. They wore a silver uniform with a shining tower—Zenyth—on the breast. They were the ones who guarded Magefell on a day-to-day basis, and they would also fight for Magefell if need be. They were in general more skilled than the soldiers, but even the soldiers were more skilled than an average fighter. Maybe twenty percent of the Magefell Army was dedicated to Guards.


    The third was the Warriors. Yue was a part of them, they were mostly known as the Vanguard. They were mostly young people, and the most skilled in the world. They fought for Magefell in general only if it was an emergency. They were supposed to be quicker, smarter, better. Of course, in a battle, the strongest wouldn’t always win. And they had won the tournament. Most of the Vanguard had defeated the best from any country. That was very good. The Vanguard made up not even one percent of the Magefell army, but they didn’t need to. Those two hundred fighting together could take down any small army.


    But the two hundred weren’t together. They were spread out, all throughout Magefell, and so, they couldn’t coordinate like they normally would.


    The battle, as far as battles went, was going well. They were winning. For every five beasts killed, there were only one or two casualties. Then again, there were thousands of these creatures. That meant there would be at least a thousand casualties still.


    She was fighting with a hundred more. So far, only three of theirs had fallen, and they had killed at least a couple dozen monsters. They were taking the alleyways carefully, knowing that the monsters could be anywhere. They were heading towards the market, where they assumed the Er’litahn and L’lorien would converge.


    There was also a group outside the gates, trying to stop Magefell from getting overwhelmed by these animals.


    One of the hundred turned the alleyway slowly, holding his sword expertly.


    He was immediately tackled by a L’lorien. There was a sharp crunch, a yell, then silence.


    The beast was quickly taken care of, but they had still lost one more.


    Yue saw a few villagers fighting Er’litahn. They didn’t have the advantage, but they were putting up a good fight. Three of those in her group went to help them out and they were quickly free.


    An Er’litahn fell on Yue. Falling, she shrieked and stabbed at her head, trying desperately to hit it. A satisfying quelch followed by a screech confirmed that she’d hit it. It fell to the ground, and Yue shuddered.


    “Watch out for falling beasts!” She called out. “The L’lorien are carrying them.”


    “That was scary,” Th’ul said. “They’re on the rooftops, too.”


    “Damn,” Yue looked up, confirming what he’d said. “You think we’re all gonna make it?”


    “We have to, don’t we?” Th’ul said. “You still have to find the murderers and I still have unfinished business with High Mage Eldor.”


    “I don’t know if I’ll find the murderers. We were already totally lost in the search, and now they could die here. They could be impossible to find.”


    “Look at it this way,” Th’ul voiced. “If they die, they served justice. If they don’t, they’ll live their entire life frightened of you.”


    Yue smiled. “I guess so.”


    — — —


    Another Er’litahn explodes in fire. I’ve figured out the limitation in my skill. I can only use it a certain amount of times before it needs a break and doesn’t work.


    Five times with a three minute break.


    That’s not a lot, but according to High Mage Aegon, the better I get as a mage, the better with the skill I’ll be. So I just need practice.


    I’m tired of hearing that phrase by now.


    I haven’t seen any more Cultists since Gárcia, which is a good thing, but the bad news is that with how little fighters are still here, the monsters are starting to really overwhelm us. I wish we could lead them somewhere but that’s impossible. We shouldn’t lead them to the forest where we’ll lose sight of them, and we shouldn’t lead them to Magefell. There are already enough beasts there.


    “Where are Poli and Artemis?” I ask High Mage Aegon.


    “Oh, fighting somewhere,” He responds. “They’re still alive, if you’re wondering.”


    “And Sia?”


    “Dropped her off at Zenyth, but she didn’t seem to want to stay. Said she wanted to help you.”


    Stolen story; please report.


    I smile. “I feel bad for her. She’s just inexperienced. And she probably feels alone too.”


    “I don’t envy her position, though,” High Mage Aegon responds. “She isn’t fighting like we are.”


    “Good point,” I sweat as I kill another beast. At this point, I can ignore my exhaustion, filling it with adrenaline.


    The monsters are all still mostly evacuating, all flying towards Magefell. It’s their main target, but as long as we can isolate many of them here, then we can wipe thousands out to save Magefell a little trouble.


    But even though we’re killing them more than they are us, we are still losing. With the advantage of numbers they have, eventually, they will overrun us and we will either have to flee or die.


    I know which option I want to take.


    The earth rumbles again, and I’m thrown to the ground. L’lorien take the opportunity to fall on those on the ground. The only person I can see who stood his ground is High Mage Aegon.


    “Mages,” He growls. “Some are working against us.”


    I wince but send a pillar of fire erupting, destroying a Er’litahn close to where Aster is. She nods in thankfulness and keeps up her assault on the monsters.


    High Mage Aegon motivates me. He seems to be a pool of infinite power, his eyes shining bright, radiating with glory. He sends lightning down on the enemy''s ranks, destroying them. He throws fire, draws the earth out from under them, and telepathically breaks their neck in two. The monsters don’t have any shield against magic, and therefore all sorts of spells affect them. Occasionally, I throw fireballs at them or my dagger.


    My mana is running a little low. I have to be careful with how much magic I use.


    The earth rips out from under me and I go flying but a wave of air stops me before I hit the ground.


    “You need to make your shield stronger,” High Mage Aegon tells me. “Don’t let them affect you.”


    I nod and while I do so, I take the moment to analyze the cores around the field that once held the arena. There seem to be about three hundred beasts left around here, and only one hundred men. There are dozens of wounded and plenty die every minute. I see hundreds, maybe thousands, of anti-cores. Human anti-cores.


    It’s a sobering thought, especially knowing I could join them at any minute.


    But all we can do is keep fighting. That’s all that can happen.


    — — —


    They’ve reached the market. And it’s chaotic. Stalls ripped in shreds, Men trying to protect their wares and their lives while L’lorien rain hell from above and Er’litahn attack them from below.


    “We shouldn’t stick together anymore,” High Mage Roshan told Yue. “We’ll only be taking up unneeded space. Pair up in groups of four or five. Be careful. Protect Zenyth at all costs.”


    “I’ll be with you,” Th’ul tells her.


    “Same here,” Alyx says.


    They began to protect the stalls, doing everything they could to protect the humans. At that point, attacking wasn’t the best option. The monsters had the upper hand. They needed to eliminate it.


    The sky was dark with the amount of monsters crowding it. Every minute, another Er’litahn would drop to the ground and immediately wreak havoc.


    More and more, soldiers joined the fray. Every soldier could fight at least two beasts at a time, because clearly they were supposed to win the battle. Still, yue wondered if the Cult had gone farther than even they’d wanted to go.


    There was more killing than a show of glory should have.


    And the proof Yue saw of that was the amount of mages fighting for their side. Sure, they could all be non-cultists, but she doubted it.


    The magic was magnificent. It lit up the sky, drowning out the cries of the creatures in the explosions. Some of the mages were careless, and humans were lost to the magic too, but most hit true, especially in the air where the L’lorien were.


    Yue decapitated an Er’litahn and struck a L’lorien. It rose in the air, and barreled down at her. She chopped with her sword, severing it in half. The two sides fell to the ground next to her.


    Looking to the side, she found Th’ul desperately taking on two Er’litahn at a time. She threw her sword, sticking it in the back while the other one screamed as a Fireball struck it.


    Yue looked at his face. It was dirty streaked with blood and she pointed it out to him.


    “You’re talking about me?” He laughed. “Have you seen your face? Neither have I! All I can see is blood, dirt, and some sort of pulpy mixture that I don’t want to know about.”


    “Good point.”


    Her sword stabbed an Er’litahn’s belly, and she moved away as soon as it fell, turning to another one. It stabbed at her but she moved, splitting it from ear to ear, a grim smile. The next two L’lorien’s came at her at the same time, and she jumped over one as it ran over her.


    She landed on its back, and it reared up and squealed, aware of the danger she posed. Then it flew up.


    At this point, Yue couldn’t stab it anymore. She’d hit the ground too hard, possibly even die. All she could do was hold on.


    She grabbed onto the L’lorien’s neck as it carried her away, her only thought of survival. The L’lorien bucked and thrashed, doing everything to throw her off, but she stayed on, closing her eyes in fear.


    A claw in her back made her straighten up. Another L’lorien was attacking her, its claws swiping at her, and its jaws open in hunger. She reached with her sword, keeping one hand on the neck of the other.


    Her first swing missed, and she lost balance. Breath heavy, she grabbed the L’lorien again just as she fell off.


    She was hanging on by just one hand now. The other beast attacked again, and this time, she connected. It fell out of the sky, crashing into the cobblestone, killing it instantly. The splattering of gore told her she really did not want to fall.


    Neena seemed to be the only one who had noticed her until now.She was focused on her fight, but his frustration was showing. Whatever she wanted to help her with, it wouldn’t work. One of the beasts attacked her more fiercely, and she was forced to fight, letting Yue out of her sight.


    She tried to call out to a mage, hoping anyone would listen.


    The L’lorien rolled in the air.


    She screeched as she was thrown around, but this was the momentum she needed. She flew in the air for a second, and landed once again on its back, relatively safe compared to where she had just been.


    Two more L’lorien came to attack her. Inwardly, she groaned, but on the outside she looked ready, assured in herself. When the first L’lorien came for her, she hit it with the butt of her sword. It became disoriented and flew back a few feet, giving the next one an opening at her. It chomped on where her head had just been, but where her sword now was, cutting it from the inside of its mouth through its brain and out its head.


    The first L’lorien recovered, and roared at her, its rage mighty but it didn’t want to get too close. Apparently, it was wary now, seeing the danger she posed. The L’lorien she was riding—she’d taken to calling it Fluffy—bucked again and she swayed for a bit, but she was getting used to it.


    “Come at me, you bastard!” She roared. The L’lorien growled and flew at her, straight and fast. She slashed with her sword, and it dodged, clawing at her arm. She winced as it scraped, and she almost dropped her sword, grabbing it by the pointy end with a desperate grab. Unfortunately, the pointy end was exactly that—pointy—and so she felt a slash of pain and blood welling from her palm. She threw the sword in the air, caught it and thrust. The unprepared L’lorien screamed as the blade stabbed into its back, and soon it was falling to the ground, smashing a man down on the pavement. She winced, but she couldn’t have done anything else.


    Fluffy growled at her and beat its wings, trying to reach her.


    “Stop, Fluffy,” She told him. “We both want to make it out alive here. Don’t test me.” The L’lorien snarled but stopped moving. “Now, let me down.”


    The L’lorien didn’t obey her; it knew what would happen if it did. Yue examined the rooftops, trying to find a roof not too far down, one she could jump onto. They were too high,


    Fluffy dived.


    Yue squealed as the wind beat against her face, making her eyes water and her vision blurry. All she knew was that they were flying towards the ground at a high speed. At this rate they would crash and she would…


    Fluffy pulled up, and Yue held on tight, crushing Fluffy’s neck with her hug. The beast began to have trouble breathing as Yue held on tight, her butt in the air, her hug the only thing keeping her from falling. With one final push, Fluffy put itself upright in the air again, and Yue sighed in relief.


    I want to get off as much as you do, but I won’t die for it.


    Other L’lorien were starting to notice, and there were plenty glaring at her, assessing the risks of fighting her. Thankfully, humans were starting to notice too. Many were pointing at the sky, but most were too fixated on fighting. Yue didn’t see any mages looking at her.


    She began to feel desperation in her heart: There was no way she’d be able to get off safely. Both her and Fluffy were too stubborn and knew that if one had their way the other would be killed.


    Neither trusted the other, and there was no way around it. Plus, Fluffy was a massive monster.


    If only there was a way to get them both alive on the ground.


    Yue spied the top of Zenyth. They were somewhat close-by. If she could find a way on top of it, there would definitely be a way for her to get down. There would be the added pressure of Fluffy trying to kill her, but it should be worth the risk.


    She had to steer it there.


    Pointing at it didn’t work. Not only did she not want it to know where she was trying to go, the only time she tried to pet it, it tried to rip her hand off.


    So she pulled on its neck, to the left, in the direction where Zenyth was. Fluffy, oblivious to her manipulation, growled in pain, but flew in the direction she’d led him in. He did manage to fling himself onto his back, though, which only caused Yue to hold on for dear life again.


    A couple of rolls later, and Yue was once again holding on by one hand.


    Four fingers,


    Three.


    A spear passed through where Fluffy’s head had just been, but it turned, and Yue, finally, was able to hang on.


    Had the person who threw the sphere tried to save her?


    A spear rose towards her and she ducked. Dread then relief washed over her.


    No, the person was not trying to save her, but at least she was still alive.


    Then Fluffy began to fall.


    Yue gasped as she looked at the pike sticking out of its head. Fluffy was dying, unable to fly, its movements erratic, heading for the ground.


    Yue gulped and steadied herself as Fluffy fell. She felt sorry for it; she was beginning to like the animal. Her survival now, though, was way more important than its—she was the only one alive anyways. With a heave, she tried to raise the L’lorien’s head, trying to guide it off the rooftops, but the animal was dead.


    The other L’lorien’s dived after her, and she swung her sword in front of them, trying to place some distance between them and her. The ground meanwhile was getting closer.


    A L’lorien bit at her, and she killed it. The others roared and backed away, clearly waiting for her to die before they went after her.


    She hugged Fluffy, and closed her eyes. Hopefully, its dead body would cushion her. She would be happy if she escaped alive.


    A thump as Fluffy’s body hit the ground.


    Pain.


    Then nothing.


    — — —


    We’re finally finishing. There are only a few beasts left, and they are all scattered, aware that their demise is coming.


    “We did it,” I tell my friends. “Should we head to Magefell?”


    “I need to rest first,” Xavier says as he runs from Er’litahn, shooting Fireballs at it. The Er’litahn jumps on him and scrapes at him, but the shield High Mage Aegon puts on him stops it. My fireball hits it in the face and it backs off, falling to a dagger from Aster.


    “No, Magefell is in too much danger,” the High Mage tells us. “We don’t have time to rest. We need to help those in the city. That is our main priority now.”


    I wipe the sweat from my brow and look around the grisly scene.


    All I see is death. The look of destruction, of gore, of sadness. The smell of insides, of decay, of magic, and fire. The sounds of screams, maniacal laughs, and crying. The feel of the blood on my face and the gore around the ground. The taste of dirt in the air, of the remains of the monsters I’ve killed. It’s something I’m unused to, and it’s all I can do to stop from crying in shame, pain, and sadness.


    This isn’t my proudest day. I have no remorse for killing the monsters, and I know I needed to do it, but I still feel guilty for not saving all those on the ground.


    Plus, I should’ve stopped the mages before they blew the arena. I knew they would do it. I had the time to do something.


    But the day isn’t over yet. There is still plenty of time to save those still alive. They are more important.


    “Let’s go,” I say, cleaning my sword.


    “Why are you wiping it?” Aster asks. “You’ll just dirty it again.”


    “Semblance of cleverness,” I tell her. “If my sword is clean, so is my soul. If it looks like I didn’t fight, then I was the one smart enough to escape without resorting to misery.”


    “But you’ve still obviously been fighting.” She points at my face.


    I sigh. She’s right. I’ve obviously taken part in this.


    “Well, let’s get going.”


    “AW, WHERE ARE YOU GOING?”


    I frown. I know that voice, but I can’t pin it…


    The voice in the Arena. The one that brought destruction on us all.


    “Who are you?” I ask.


    “NO ONE IMPORTANT. I’M JUST A VESSEL FOR DAUTHA AND HIS MESSAGE. AND I HAVE A MESSAGE FOR YOU AND ALL OF MAGEFELL!”


    “What is your message?” High Mage Aegon asks angrily. “Whatever it is, we don’t want to hear it. Go away.”


    “OH, BUT THE PARTY JUST STARTED. WELCOME TO WAVE 2. THIS ONE IS WORST, BUT DON’T WORRY, IT IS THE LAST ONE!”


    “Second wave?” Skai asks. “What does he mean by that?”


    “Can’t be good,” Poli responds.


    The earth rumbles familiarly again, and I know immediately what it means.


    “YOU BASTARD!” I yell. “WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS? THOUSANDS OF INNOCENTS ARE DYING!”


    “MAYBE THAT WILL TEACH YOU WHO’S IN CHARGE,” The voice responds. “DON’T TEST ME, ZADE. I KNOW WHO YOU ARE. I COULD KILL YOU ON THE SPOT.”


    I begin to talk back, but High Mage Aegon grabs my shoulder.


    “It’s not worth it,” He whispers. “Just ignore him.”


    “AH, A SENSIBLE ONE. WE COULD USE YOU WITH US. WELL, I MUST LEAVE. HAVE FUN WITH THIS WAVE.” For the second time today, creatures erupt from the field where the Arena had once stood. And the creatures, they’re all Er’litahn and L’lorian, but at the same time, they’re not.


    These Er’litahn are wider, more muscled, taller and greener. They look fierce and from a glance, it’s obvious that they’re also smarter. To my horror, they’re also using stronger weapons, longer ones just for them. Some even carry shields. It’s a chilling sight, until I notice some of them riding L’lorian.


    That is so much worse.


    The L’lorian are also much stronger and larger. Their teeth look like they''ve been filed to points, and they growl at us as they rise in the air.


    “SEE THE ER’LITAHNUS AND THE L’LORIANNES. I HOPE YOU HAVE AS MUCH FUN WITH THEM AS YOU HAD WITH THE OTHERS.”


    Then the voice is gone, and I feel a presence leave the field.


    The monsters charge, and then I groan. They’re fast. In human fast, yes, but also faster than the previous monsters that were already faster.


    An unlucky human close to the field is taken apart by a L’lorianne. The L’lorianne chomps on his head and swallows the whole thing, ripping off his legs and arms in the process. It then eats the rest of his body, just leaving the limbs, which it grabs in its mouth and throws at us.


    One arm lands next to me, limp, bloody, clothing still hanging from it.


    Then I feel real fear.


    And I run.


    My friends are right behind me. We run, faster than I thought we could, faster than I thought anyone could.


    But we’re not as fast as the Er’litahnus and the L’loriannes. They overtake us quickly and surround us.


    “Well, it was nice to meet you all,” Xavier says with a grim smile. “Let’s end on a good note, shall we?”