by J. Cee
“Sounds like a good idea.” He glanced at the unmoving figure of the spirit guardian. “I think.”
Chapter 10
They headed further south into the Wild on a dirt path, with Aeri in the lead. The forest grew thicker and the trail grew sparser until it was little more than a less dense patch of grass. They didn’t have a map, but Aeri seemed confident in their direction. They jogged at an easy pace for their Onceborn bodies, speaking as they traveled.
“You’re the one that called me a crazy cultist,” Aeri said. “I didn’t think you wanted to hear everything. Or believed it.”
“I never called you a crazy cultist,” Ceph said.
“You implied it.”
“That was before I had my insides pulled out and my hands chopped off.”
“Ceph…” Aeri sounded worried.
Ceph smiled to himself. He could be ruthless, too. After all, Aeri was his teacher.
“I’m okay,” Ceph said. “No more excuses and delays. Tell me what’s going on.”
“Alright,” Aeri said, still sounding half-worried. “Where should I start?”
“The dragon, bloody guts and all. You never explained that.”
Aeri nodded.
“I told you that the Creator sent me here, but that the Tetramorph would meet any threats by forging an equal response. The worse thing would have been for the Creator to send himself, or someone like himself. A godlike being with perfect knowledge. The Tetramorph’s response would bring worldwide devastation.”
Ceph frowned as Aeri continued. It unnerved him how Aeri could casually talk about destroying the whole world.
“Instead, the Creator sent mortals. The early ones birthed by human mothers all died at the hands of the Tetramorph’s servants. Then came the Beastspawn. This creatures of power, like the dragon, lent the protection of their strength, birthing adults after years of gestation.
“Still, most of us died. While I’m not the first Beastspawn, I am likely the first to survive this long and likely the first to become Onceborn.”
“What about your visions?” Ceph asked.
“My visions guide me, but they’re not perfect. I see possibilities. Anything the Creator reveals to me, the Tetramorph also learns. It would be too dangerous to tell me more.”
“Can you see your own thread? Like you see mine? What are you supposed to do? What happens?”
“I know the barest hints. I have to breach the Firewall, find the Book of Life, and rewrite the fate of the Everborn.”
Ceph caught the hesitation in Aeri’s reply. He sensed that she was still holding something back, but he decided not to push while he was making progress. There was no need to overextend his attack.
“The Firewall? What’s beyond it?”
The wall of flame ringed the center where Xero’s four waterways intersected, a continual reminder of the Everborn. Ceph could see it, even now, in the distance. There were whispers about what was behind it, but Ceph had heard only rumors and superstition.
“Any Everborn could tell you that. It’s where the Everborn live when they aren’t here. The Sanctum. It’s also where the Tetramorph lives, guarding the Book of Life,” Aeri replied.
“But I’ve heard that nothing can pass through the Firewall, not even the Everborn,” Ceph said.
“It’s true. The bodies of the Everborn will burn, like anyone else’s, when touching the Firewall. When the Everborn return to the Sanctum, they shed their bodies of blood and spirit. Nothing physical can pass it, with one exception.”
“Which is?”
“A Trinity of souls, bound in one purpose, can breach the Firewall. The first soul of the Trinity must have the essence of the divine.”
Aeri tapped her chest to signal that was her.
“The second, Xero.”
Aeri tapped Ceph’s chest.
“And the third, the Everborn.”
Ceph had some inkling now why Aeri had needed him. Why would three people from such different backgrounds agree to assault the Firewall? They would have to be, well, crazy.
“What Everborn would help us overthrow the Everborn?” Ceph asked. “Isn’t that weird?”
“I don’t know. Finding him or her is one of my next steps,” Aeri said.
“What about the artifacts?”
“Artifacts are rare equipment with unique and powerful effects. They’re hard to find or earn. Three artifacts will be the key to defeating the Tetramorph. Since I don’t know where to find them, the stranger and Pit Tournament are my only clues.”
“Who is that stranger? I don’t understand all the business with the spirit guardian and testing, either.”
“I’m not sure. Something’s not right. She doesn’t appear in my visions. It’s like everything she touches disappears. If her claims are true, though, we have to win the Pit Tournament in four days. She’ll help us if we win and kill us if we don’t.”
Ceph had heard of the Gladiator Pits. They were a notorious district at the border of the First and Second Zones devoted to fighting. It was one of the few places where mortals sought to mingle with the Everborn, some as spectators, most as gamblers. It had its own laws and its own dangers, untouched by the city guards.
“The Pits. That means the Gladiator Pits, right? Will we be safe there? Isn’t the Word looking for us?” Ceph asked.
“The Word has no sway in the Pits. Pit law grants immunity to anyone who wants to fight, and the Pit Champion enforces the law,” Aeri said. “Come to think of it, the Pits aren’t a bad place to gain ranks, once we prepare a little more.”
“After we get our weapons,” Ceph said.
“Yes,” Aeri said. “You’re right about the spirit guardians acting strange, though. After the next challenge, we’ll head straight to the Pits. We can gain ranks in the free matches before the tournament starts. Tournaments are usually grouped by every hundred ranks, so we’ll want to get as close to rank one hundred as possible without going over.”
Aeri tapped on her left forearm as she continued jogging down the forest path. “Don’t forget to assign the power points from the challenge.”
Ceph checked his status. “Two points! I didn’t even notice. I almost forgot. I’ve been trying to figure out how this Rejuvenate ring works. I know it costs five spirit and boosts my regeneration by ten times.”
“I’m impressed. And?”
“And?”
“Perfect knowledge leads to perfect calculations. This one is less obvious. While using Rejuvenate, your blood regenerates even when running.”
“Oh, that’s useful to know.”
“What about the duration and cooldown?”
“I was in the middle of figuring that out when the goat came jumping after me.”
“Stag, not goat. Hold on.”
The pair stopped running. Ceph waited as Aeri held her own ring, identical to Ceph’s, in her palm, while gazing at her left inner forearm. A new set of blue sigils appeared on her arm.
“Ten seconds of ten-fold increased regeneration. Harmony penalties usually affect the duration, so in this case, it’s one to ten seconds for you. The cooldown is thirty seconds, so fifteen for me.”
“How’d you do that?” Ceph asked, peering over at the scripts on Aeri’s sigils. “I had to blast myself with Soulstrikes to figure things out.”
Aeri chuckled. “I wish I could have seen that. I’m using the Lore skill.”
Lore. Ceph saw new blue sigils on his own left forearm.
Ring of rejuvenation. Grants the skill Rejuvenate.
“Don’t bother,” Aeri said as she watched Ceph try to mimic her. “The details from Lore depend on your harmony.”
“No way. Really?”
Aeri patted Ceph’s cheek mid-stride. “Yes. You’ll have to stick with your way, my lucky masochist.”
Chapter 11
Ceph and Aeri continued through the forest until they came upon a small dirt path. They followed the dirt path to the mouth of a cave at the side of a small hill. Flowers grew
at the mouth of the cave. Ceph heard a bird chirping in the distance. It was an idyllic scene.
“We’ve been running for hours. This better be it,” Ceph said.
Aeri shrugged. “Skills for faster transport exist, but most Everborn opt for combat equipment over convenience. But yes, this is the cave where you can earn a weapon.”
“Is there a spirit guardian inside? Maybe we should go together this time.”
“Agreed.”
The two stepped into the open entrance. Ceph found himself within an enormous spherical cavern. The cavern was too large to have fit underneath the hill when viewed from the outside. Ceph assumed it was some trick of the resident spirit guardian.
“Excuse me, only one at a time,” a bright voice called out.
“What, where?” Ceph looked around, bewildered. No one was there. He didn’t see any large beasts like the stag, either.
“Please form an orderly queue at the cave’s entrance, single file, to wait your turn,” the voice said.
“Maybe I should go back out,” Ceph said as he stepped towards the entrance.
“It’s you two. Nevermind.” The disembodied voice echoed throughout the cavern.
The entrance disappeared in an instant, replaced by a rocky wall. They were trapped. Ceph regretted that he had missed his chance to leave.
“Uh, Aeri?”
“Show yourself, spirit. We’ve come for the weapons challenge, nothing else,” Aeri said.
A small voice squeaked. It was less intimidating this time. “Down here, if you will.”
Ceph looked at his feet. “Oh.”
A small brown mouse stood on its haunches, twitching a pink nose at him. Inspect. The mouse had a bright red aura. It had to be the spirit guardian.
“You two have that odor. Like she said you would,” the mouse squeaked.
Aeri bent to one knee to peer at the mouse. “Who said that?”
Ceph could have sworn that the mouse dismissed Aeri’s question with a wave of a front paw.
“The task at hand, please,” the mouse said, scratching itself with a hind leg. “Shall we begin your test? Please select a weapon.”
A series of floating blades, maces, clubs, and other weapons appeared in an arc in the air before them.
“Can we test the weapons?” Aeri asked.
“No grabby hands, please,” the mouse squeaked. “This isn’t a rowdy peasant market. Here, we expect a certain level of… breeding. The first one you touch is yours. If you survive.”
“Why does he say that like he expects us not to survive,” Ceph whispered.
Aeri ignored Ceph and stood up to look over the weapons. She stared intently at a dagger with a polished obsidian blade set in a dark metal handle. After several seconds, she nodded and grasped the dagger by a handle. A black leather case appeared at her waist.
Ceph began reaching for a sword with a monstrous blade that was wider and taller than him. Aeri slapped his hand away.
“Ow, what was that for?” Ceph asked, rubbing his hand on his leg.
“Stick with a traditional weapon. A good blade like that one.” Aeri pointed at a simple arming sword.
“But that one’s huge!” Ceph grinned, still eyeing the massive sword. He was sure that he could swing the oversized blade easily with his Onceborn strength.
“It’s clumsy. It has a long cooldown. Trust me. Take that one.”
“But that one’s boring. You got an awesome black dagger. Can I at least take that one?” Ceph pointed at a long single-edged blade made from a pure white metal.
“The katana? Fine.”
Ceph seized his new weapon, and a sheath materialized on his waist. He tried a few experimental swings.
“Good!” The mouse clapped its two front paws and the weapons disappeared. It’s squeaking voice took on a dull monotone. “All weapon skills are currently inactive unless you survive your test.”
“Hold on,” Aeri said. “Is this a test or a challenge?”
“Why not both?” the mouse replied cheerfully.
“What’s that about skills?” Ceph asked.
“Sometimes a sword is just a sword. Enough questions. On to the rules of the test. I mean challenge.” The mouse winked at Aeri, which Ceph found disturbing.
“For the next thirty minutes, you will demonstrate your combat prowess against the mighty Rodent Clan,” the mouse continued. “Deal with them in any way that you please. However, do note the following. Each time you kill another creature that is the same species as your last target, you extend your kill chain by one. Touch a different species from the last with your weapon, and your kill chain starts back at one. Reach a kill chain of five, and all creatures present of that species will be wiped out. Survive the next thirty minutes to win!”
“What about—” Ceph began, but the mouse disappeared with one last word.
“Begin.”
Ceph swirled the katana in his hand. “This can’t be too bad, right?”
“Focus, Ceph.” Aeri held her dagger ready in her right hand.
A hole appeared in the ground. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, a mass of small furry creatures erupted from the opening in the ground. Ceph gaped at the living carpet that swept towards them.
Soulstrike. Ceph sent a blast of violet energy into the creatures from his left arm. An explosion cut a bloody swath out of the teeming mass. Soulstrike. He sent another.
“Pace yourself!” Aeri chided. “You’ll run out of spirit that way. We need to last thirty minutes.”
Ceph waved his sword while eyeing the approaching rodents. “How are we supposed to tell them apart? Is that a chipmunk there? A hamster? This is ridiculous.”
The wave of creatures crashed into them, with Ceph frantically swinging his sword.
“Forget the sword, Ceph! Just kill them!”
Aeri swept her feet in large arcs to send the creatures flying away, stomping on stragglers. She seized a ball of gray fur that had climbed up her torso, clenching her fist to the sound of cracking bone.
Ceph winced as tiny bites peppered his lower body. He brushed the creatures off him with violent swipes of his arms, kicking others away. Each individual bite did less than a point of damage, but his blood pool still trickled lower. One hundred fifty-five. One hundred fifty-four. One hundred fifty-three. He couldn’t possibly last thirty minutes at this rate.
What about Aeri? She had even less blood than him. Her skin glowed yellow as she shielded herself from the weak rodent attacks. Ceph and Aeri’s attacks were too slow, though. The mass of rodents threatened to overrun them.
“This isn’t working,” Ceph said as he shook more rodents off his body.
Aeri bit a gray ball of fur that had crawled into her mouth, spitting it out before replying. “We need breathing room. Alternating Soulstrikes. Me first.”
Aeri sent a Soulstrike at the lines of creatures emerging from the hole in the ground. Ceph sent his attack after hers, and the two alternated five Soulstrikes before Aeri called a stop.
“The kill chains have to be the key,” Aeri said. She sent a clump of rats sailing into the air. It looked like their tails were tied together. Ceph fought the urge to vomit at the sight.
“I know. That’s what I was trying.” Ceph swung his sword and cut three different small creatures down in one stroke. “The trouble is that there are too many of them. I can’t hit only one at a time.”
“See, I told you not to take that oversized blade,” Aeri said, shaking her head. She stabbed a bushy-tailed squirrel with her obsidian dagger. She caught another squirrel in her left hand and cut its neck, then skewered a third on the point of her dagger.
“Slow them down,” Aeri ordered.
Ceph sent a Soulstrike into the creatures approaching Aeri, granting a measure of reprieve. Aeri used the opening to kill two more squirrels in quick succession. There was a flash of light, and about a tenth of the rodents attacking them vanished. The squirrel corpses at her feet disappeared too.
“You did it!”
Ceph tried to jab a beaver with the point of his sword but ended up hitting another mouse as well. “Wait, beavers are rodents?”
“Yes, beavers are rodents. Good idea. They’re large and easy to target,” Aeri replied. She began killing beavers.
Several seconds later, there was a second flash, and all the beavers in the cavern disappeared. More crawled out of the hole in the ground, though, and Ceph’s blood pool was still dropping. Corpus. One hundred eighteen blood and thirty spirit remained. It had only been a few minutes, and he had already lost a quarter of his blood and spirit pools.
“It’s not enough. There’s too many of them. I can’t get a kill chain with my sword, either,” Ceph said.
“Swap weapons and get behind me,” Aeri said. She tossed him the dagger, and he passed her his katana.
Ceph took up a position behind Aeri, uncertain of what to expect. “So, what am I doing here?”
“Hamsters on your left, and…” Aeri paused for a moment, surveying the rodents, “gerbils on your right.”
“What?” Ceph asked in confusion, stomping on several creatures that tried to latch onto his leg.
Aeri cut through the mass of rodents in front of her with the long weapon, but every time she encountered a hamster, she flung it with the flat of her blade over her left shoulder. She did the same with gerbils over her right shoulder.
Soon, there was a small pile of stunned light brown creatures on their backs to Ceph’s left, and a similar pile of grayish-brown creatures on his right. Aeri was sorting the rodents for him. He knew what he had to do.
Ceph bent low and traced a path of death over the hamsters with his dagger in one fluid motion. Ignoring the resulting flash of light, he cut immediately through the gerbils as well.
“I got the hamsters and gerbils,” Ceph called out. “How do you know which is which?” he asked, but Aeri had seen the flash of the successful kill chains and was already throwing more small creatures over her shoulders.
“Rats left, porcupines right,” Aeri cried out as she tossed the corresponding creatures behind her. “Careful with the porcupines. They do extra damage.”
