Crystalline Chaos

by Gabriela Voelske

  “I can provide you with some information,” he remarked, causing Lauri to perk up; her push to get the group to come this way had paid off in the end.

  “That would be very much appreciated, Sir.” Judging by his expression it was not a title he was referred by often, but he appeared amused enough for her not to be concerned that she was angering him.

  “We have been receiving a worrying number of reports about missing persons, as well as a sudden occurrence of reports detailing mysterious creatures,” he said grimly; Lauri drew the same conclusion as him, the two things were not coincidental and both only started occurring after the storm first appeared.

  “But no physical proof?”

  “No, unless anything has appeared in the last day,” the demon conceded, fetching a small obsidian pendant from a tattered pouch hung from his rags. “Take this, show it to anyone who enquires about your presence in the West.” He offered the pendant to her; demons often used such items to allow others safe passage, the carved pendant would be recognised by any who came across it. Lauri readily accepted it, such an item would make their journey a whole lot easier.

  “May we rest here for a little while?” she asked; although they had not been walking long since their last break, the distance from Springhollow to Linlake was a fair trek, only made worse by the open expanse between the end of the forest and the edge of the swampland. He agreed and the group settled down, still slightly wary about their new added company.

  * * *

  Less than an hour had passed before Lauri announced they were heading off again after she had received advice on the quickest way to continue onto the Isthmus from their current location. She thanked them for their hospitality before setting off with the group, receiving waves from a few of the demons that had remained in the area. The next few hours went without incident, as the heat of the day was only just starting to come into full effect, but they were not far from their destination. They had left Aelburn early with the intention of crossing this open expanse before the sun became too overbearing, so far they were doing well on time.

  A wide, shimmering body of water lit up the view on the left and a settlement became notable to their right; Coldcliff, a small and reclusive village. She had not expected to get any information of use from them so they would skip the place, instead heading for Linlake at the northern edge of the swampland, just below the water body that was visible.

  Soon afterwards, they reached the edge of the swamp. The grass was now turning to a less appealing brown and stubbly plant as they went. The ground did not appear too wet but she knew that the swamp often hid its bogs; getting sucked too deep into one could prove fatal. She hoped that sooner rather than later their presence would become known, the demons that lived within Linlake knew this area of the swamp well and could direct them to avoid unsavoury areas.

  Step by step they paved their way through the thick mess of reeds; a uniform squelching sound arising as they moved, much to the appeal of some of the travelling party. Willow trees hung their branches despondently in a pond that became evident in front of them. The emergence of the trees indicated to Lauri that Linlake must be close now, as the demon settlement was known to be built within a patch of these trees. She was uncomfortable with the fact that they had not come across any demons at all; was the situation in the West really that bad?

  However, she was wrong. They were being watched unbeknown to them; a demon sat at a distance. He was utilising magic to keep him unseen by the group as they approached Linlake, his expression one of discontent as he assessed them. The storm had brought more traffic to the region than he appreciated; the West held many secrets that could be exposed by the unwelcomed guests, secrets including him. His appearance was too notable for someone to simply not recognise him; upward curving horns were a feature of his southern heritage, along with his long, pointed ears. Another memorable feature was the demon’s overly sharp body; a pointed chin, chiselled face and angular joints gave him a rather threatening physique, which was added to by his fiery red eyes. Knowledge of his continued existence would not bode well for him if it happened to reach the ears of Sebastian; he had too much to lose now to risk himself with that. He continued to watch, carefully following behind.

  Chapter 3: Tensions in the West

  Lauri and her followers arrived at another collection of wood and stone huts that were suspended above the boggy ground below, but the area was still silent. The place almost looked abandoned.

  “Is anyone there?” she called into the silence, the words clinging to the musty air. No response came, the group started to become wary; was an ambushed plan for them or was there simply no one present? She decided the best course of action was to try the huts one by one, hoping to get a response.

  After being greeted by nothing a few times, one such knock brought what sounded like a curse from behind the door. A shuffling sound could be heard before loud footsteps brought the occupant to the door. The door opened and the demon pushed out of the room, forcing Lauri to take several steps back as he slammed the door behind him. It was obvious he did not approve of what was stood before him, nor did they approve of him. He stood well over twice their height and equally as stocky. Thick, rough hide covered his body, so much so that the rangers were unsure if their blades would even be able to pierce through. They watched as he tensed his hands, his knuckles cracking as he did so; the humans did not need much demonstration to know that he was capable of snapping them like twigs. Multiple horns added a distinct sharpness to his already threatening facial features, his cold blue eyes locked down on them, his mouth upturned in a snarl.

  Lauri knew she had to do something to diffuse the situation; those behind her were just about ready to flee for the mountains. “I have this,” she hesitantly said, presenting the obsidian pendant for him to see. The demon looked at it and relaxed his hands, but his position remained very guarded. He was hiding something, but she did not know what.

  “You come about the storm,” he growled, sending chills down the spines of those behind her. He did not sound pleased about it as she had expected, quite the opposite in fact. “Words do little to describe it, you’d be best to go and see it first hand,” the demon added before she had time to speak. It sounded like an excuse to be rid of them, but there was some truth to his statement.

  “Why is there no one else around?” Lauri slipped the question in, but she was surprised at the lack of concern on his face.

  “We don’t have the luxury of sitting on our asses all day, unlike you humans.” She bit her lip, something was definitely off. An object caught the demon’s eye and he peeked behind them, but by the time Lauri had turned around nothing out of the ordinary was visible. What he had seen was the demon that had been following them revealing his presence for a second, before hiding himself from sight.

  Lauri sighed, this was evidently not getting anywhere. She instructed the group to return back from where they had entered from. Hopefully they’d have more luck with Valmeadow or Esterbrook. Either way, they would need to top up their water rations. They walked off, not bothering to even give the demon a farewell. He did not care however, he just wanted them to leave.

  Once they had gone from sight he groaned, opening the door and letting himself back in and the camouflaged demon entering behind him, revealing himself once again. “You can come out now,” the larger demon said to the apparently empty room before him. Before long a third demon emerged from underneath the covered bed; this time a female. She was rather short for a demon, with notably oversized wings for her body. Her eyes were unusual for her kind, possessing a lavender hue, opposed to the dark tones that demons usually had. Upward curving horns poked out above her flowing black hair, with her long ears sitting just below. Swiftly she stood up and patted herself down; the underneath of the bed had been unusually dusty.

  “What did they want?” the female enquired, from her position it was not easy to make out what was being said.

  ”Information,” the tallest
demon spoke bluntly, it was enough to satisfy her, however; those who wanted information in the West were never well received.

  “Thank you for this, Crono,” the demon that had remained quiet until now spoke up, addressing the larger demon; he had done well to keep the group away from seeing the girl. Crono waved off the appreciation, it was not something he did for a reward. He did not wish to see her hurt as much as anyone else.

  “What are you going to do now, Amnur?” he asked the other male demon, who came over indecisive. He paced for a moment, heading in the general direction of the girl.

  “I need to protect my daughter,” Amnur replied, “but I do not know where is safe anymore.” The girl looked at her dejected father, offering him a smile to try and comfort his worry, but with fleeting success. “I’m sorry Sakura, I just feel like I’m failing you sometimes. I mean, you’re always having to hide because of me,” he sighed. He just wanted the best for her like any father would, everything was always against him managing that, however. Upon hearing this she walked over and hugged him, coming up short to her taller father as usual in a vain attempt to cheer him up. Amnur reminded himself he needed to stop considering her as just a girl; at twenty-two she was nearly an adult in her full right, even if her height always indicated otherwise.

  Crono smiled at the sight below him. He had always been fond of the two of them, regardless of the rocky start he had with Amnur when he first turned up twenty-five years ago. “It would probably be best to remain here,” Crono reasoned, “at least here we can protect you.” It sounded solid to Amnur, anyone would be ill-advised to attempt to attack Linlake. The terrain was to their advantage, those unfamiliar with the environment could quickly find themselves in a watery grave.

  * * *

  Luck was not onside for Lauri today, both Valmeadow and Esterbrook had been cagey with their answers; at least they had been allowed to refill their water skins at Esterbrook. The final destination was the human town of Wintergate, though she already knew in advance the town had been abandoned after the storm emerged. It had started right on their doorstep, after all. If there was anyone still remaining, they might be more willing to shed light on the information they received back in Springhollow.

  The dispirited group marched on, each sharing their own opinion as to the varied responses they’ve been receiving. Mountains started to appear on the horizon; the town of Wintergate was settled at their foot, guarding the only major route into the Commons. It had always been considered the first defence between the Commons and Aelburn, for them to abandon it so easily was a worrying fact indeed.

  Impressive, hefty, curving walls attached firmly high in the cliff welcomed their approach and the gate was already winched open. Lauri just assumed it was left that way when the humans left, as it was only intended to be operated from the inside. The mages with them were becoming increasingly agitated, however, which attracted her attention, causing her to throw them a quizzical look.

  “I would be prepared, the aetherial mana up ahead feels incredibly perverted,” one spoke up; Lauri did not understand what he had said fully, but she certainly grasped his anxiety.

  “Draw your weapons,” she instructed, placing her hands on the hilts of her own scimitars. They carefully pressed on, reaching the opened gate. Unease spread through the group; even the rangers could pick up there was something wrong from their position. A clean snap was evident on the suspended gate, the area surrounding the damage almost looked as if it had been melted. Further damage was evident around the town as they passed the gate; thick gouges ran through the stone walls of the buildings, burnt patches of ground lay scattered around and some houses had been completely gutted by ravenous flames. Wintergate had not been abandoned. It had been decimated. The assailant was a mystery, though. Evidently it knew how to conjure fire but the gouges in the house brought the main worry; what creature was so powerful to manage to cut through stone so cleanly?

  Splitting up, the group explored the rest of the town, keeping in constant communication with each other in case the culprit was still nearby. A foul smell pulled Lauri’s attention as she wandered down an alley, noticing brown splatters covering a nearby wall as she picked her way down. Her boot caught something, so the mage following her illuminated the area with his magic and looked down. They jerked back in shock; lying on the ground before them was a body. Heavy lacerations would have been the main cause of death, but what worried her was that the bone was scarred. Some weapon had been used with an unsettling amount of force.

  “He must have run down here trying to get away,” the mage reasoned, “being hit as he ran.” His analysis sounded firm, but that’s not what was still worrying her.

  “Whatever chased him was fast.” She pointed out the starting point of the wounds; they curved around the front of the body. The assailant would have needed to be faster than the victim to manage such a feat.

  “That’s odd, there are no flies either.” Lauri hadn’t really noticed that fact, but it was unusual. The bothersome insects would normally be all over the body. For them to be absent, there was something wrong with this situation, something unnatural.

  “Let’s rejoin with the others.” The mage did not disagree, being in such a small group made them vulnerable.

  After investing their regions of the town they regrouped and reported their findings. Multiple bodies had been reported, all sporting the same injuries and a similarly noted lack of flies around the corpses. Her next order would sound like madness after this development; she was even uncomfortable about it herself. “We must investigate the Commons ourselves,” she said plainly, trying to hide her own fears. The group, however, weren’t so quick to hide their resentment of the idea. “Three hours searching, then we head for home,” Lauri added quickly, calming the crowd. They had seen enough, but she knew that they had to at least try and find evidence of what attacked Wintergate, or whom.

  Tentatively, they exited the gate in the south of the town as Lauri took note of the time they left with a pocket watch. The sky became increasingly dark as they proceeded along; hardy grass stubs still remained alive here. It was evident the storm had not spread up to this direction yet. Expanses of black rolled out before their eyes and the stench of death was overwhelming but they had to push on, their minds screaming for them to leave. Bizarre lightning crackled in the clouds above, judging by the grim expressions of their companion mages, Lauri knew this not to be ordinary lightning, however; it was mana lashing through the skies. She checked the watch regularly, trying to reassure herself that it would not be long before they could leave this forsaken place. Despite the sun being blotted out by the suffocating cloud, the area was bathed in an eerie purple light of no obvious source. The glow was dim but it provided enough light to see their surroundings, though all it revealed was further blackness as far as the eye could see.

  Nothing could live in this burnt wasteland, not even the hardiest of fauna.

  Lauri suddenly stopped the group. The wary humans glanced around nervously, unsure what caused her to halt their advance. Low pitched hissing became audible, carried by the winds to their ears; the sound appeared to be coming from all angles, surrounding them. Watching their fear, the hissing turned to a chorus of rasping laughter, light footsteps emerging above the song. She ordered the group to form up; a circle protecting the mages with the rangers creating a ring of blades, ready to attack whatever comes near.

  The situation remained unchanged for an agonising period of time; their assailants still remaining hidden in the dim light. A sudden change in sound indicated that one of their attackers had broken rank somewhere to the north of them. They tensed, the mages preparing spells to batter their opponents with.

  With a blinding flash of speed, a strange quadruped creature emerged and threw itself at the waiting ranks of the rangers. Its target, however, did not seem to be the rangers; instead, it knocked them down with its thin, sharp legs and dived at the startled mage behind them. It reached for him with a pair of long, scyth
e-like appendages that anchored onto its bright orange underbelly. Pushing back up, the flattened rangers drove their blades into the underside of the creature but it did not flinch, dragging them with it as it continued after the mage. He frantically tried to repel it with blasts of wind, throwing them one after the other at the towering creature. It lurched back at the force of the oncoming wind but otherwise appeared unfazed; no wounds were visible on its vibrantly coloured body. Crimson crystals attached to the creature’s back flared, sending mana racing around its skin before it erupted into flames. Cackling, it charged after the terrified mage, leaving the wiser rangers behind on the floor.

  Before Lauri had time to react to the arrival of the first creature, several more emerged and similarly charged the protected mages, causing panic within the formation. The results of the mages’ desperate defence came out the same; the powerful spells just bounced off the creatures, leaving them unharmed. Shrieks filled the air as the floor became decorated with blood, the creatures’ horrid scythes tearing into the flesh of their unfortunate victims as they bore down on them. The now burning mage cried desperately as he rolled on the floor, trying to extinguish the engulfing flames. It was in vain, however; the one that had set him alight drove a leg straight through his heart as he flailed, stopping the rolling body still.

  The rangers became aware that their blades were proving useless on the unstoppable creatures, simply stabbing into thick skin without hitting anything vital.

  “Attack the crystals!” Lauri shouted as a last ditch effort but it was too late. Conjured darkness enveloped the group, cutting their visibility and only chance of surviving. The sphere of gloom muffled the screams of the dying, smothering everything in a chilling black smoke.