As the group rushed to the Omnipath, Darius questioned the integrity of the meaning of “Mortal problems” as a Darkai attack is hardly the elements of Ordinary Mortals.
“So far, I don’t sense any monstrosity of Darkai spawns whatsoever so it’s still manageable. Darkai are known for their one-off attacks so, they would send in the Vanguard units first because it comprises of normal human soldiers who have just joined the Darkai. They only press on the attack if and only if whatever they are attacking is of extreme value. You should know; they sent nearly half a dozen squads just to get to you.” Duke said as the group passed the Halls of Serenity, Gunther went the other way towards the Omnipath to set the portal ready.

They turned to a passage Darius has never been on before; it led to a much smaller room compared to all the others he has seen so far. It had about a dozen armor sets and weapons which could only mean this is the armory.
“Darius, strap this on. Don’t worry, this armor is special. It’ll fit anything. Since you don’t have any actual armor of your own, you’ll just have to make do with this.” Duke said as he gestured for Darius to put on a simple chest plate. As Darius put the armor on, the metal automatically stretched and thinned until it touched his skin, it was tight but it was quite flexible so moving around wasn’t a problem.
“Really? The guy seems like he can take a hit.” Raizo laughed and Zeeq giggled along.
Darius put on the rest of the armor such as the armguard, the shin guard, and caps for the elbows and knees. He saw the others doing the same save for Duke who only sized up the weapons lined up against the wall.
“Duke, aren’t you gonna put any armor on, too?” Darius asked.
“Did you forget I got my gear? Here,” Duke said as he took a shining silver dagger and passed it to Darius, “it’s quite powerful and you can use it the same way you used the sword I gave you last time. The difference is, it won’t disappear if you lose it so try to hold on to it this time.” Darius took the dagger and examined it; it looked quite hypnotizing as the blade itself had a humming tone to it. It felt light as he swung it in his hand and as he passed his energy through the blade, it extended until it took shape of a sword, and this impressed Darius without a doubt further.
I guess this is what Psyonic weapons look like… all small and harmless-looking but can grow to become bigger and dangerous. Darius thought. If a small dagger can do at least this, imagine what the other, much larger ones can do?
“Alright, guys, time to move,” Duke said. The others nodded in agreement except Raizo.
“Wait a minute, why does the noob get the Novice Blade? What’s the point of being Psyon if he doesn’t use his Catalyst?” Raizo said.
“Because he doesn’t know his Catalyst’s name yet. Now, shut up, and let’s get going. We have threat down there, people!” Duke commanded and the others followed suit. As they quickly made through the Omnipath, at the end therein lays the entrance to the Pantheon in which Darius hasn’t stepped in since the first time he came here. Gunther stood at the center while he focused on the Light Runes in a circle in front of him
“Alright lads, you know the drill. Darius, it’s very simple. Just stand in the center here and just think about the place you wish to go. It doesn’t need to be photographic, just simply the intent. As you are all Fleshborne, you’re going to have to work together as a team for now since you are still vulnerable to mortal fatality. (“Fleshborne?” Darius asked. Igniz replied, “Newly chosen. We are not pure Psyons until after a long while.”) Await my departure first as I need to speak to the Queen so that you may all proceed without sparing quarter.” Gunther said as he waved his hand and the circle disappeared.
“Got it, Gunther, we’ll wait for your signal to move. We’ll wait near the mountain tops and act only if the situation is dire. Make it quick, old man.” Duke said. Gunther nodded and closed his eyes. There was a flash of blinding light and Gunther was gone a second later.
“Wait, does this mean that Gunther will have to travel from Iceria’s wasteland just to get to Altaria? Do we have to do the same thing, too?” Darius asked. The idea of doing such frantic travel would be quite troublesome and he doubts all of them could travel like how Duke and Raizo could.
“Come on, man, do you honestly think this thing only goes one way? That only works when you wanna get in the Pantheon but when you wanna get out of it, this thing can get us to anywhere.” Raizo said. Darius, as much as he wanted to appreciate the newly acquired knowledge, didn’t like that sort of response very much. It is no secret that Raizo doesn’t like their newest member but sometimes Darius wonders why the extent of hating Darius for no real reason.
“Gentlemen, do knock it off and focus. We have work to do.” Igniz said.
“Wait, if we’re just around the corner and we want to get there anyway, why don’t we just jump off of the Pantheon instead?” Darius suggested.
“That would be only a fun idea except that not all of us can fly or use the Airhike as you can,” Duke said as he gestured to Zeeq who was hiding behind Raizo out of embarrassment (“sorry.” Zeeq said), “And besides, if they see us coming, they will simply blow us out of the air.”
“But you said it yourself, Darkai can detect energy around them. So, if we teleport in, they would be able to immediately spot and ambush us. If we teleport behind their lines, we’d be cut off from the outside and even if reinforcements do come, we’re right below the Mountain Wall. Help wouldn’t come until probably the next day. If we come from the air quietly, we can hit them hard where they won’t see us coming.” Darius said. Everyone fell into a moment of silence to process that idea.
“As much as I hate to admit it, the noob has a pretty good point. How about it, Mr. Soldier? Shall we jump?” Raizo said. The others looked at each other; even Zeeq was looking towards the jumping idea with anticipation.
“Only if the rest wants agrees,” Duke replied.
“I concur,” Igniz said.
“ME TOO!” Zeeq cried and then shrunk himself right afterward.
“Alright then,” Duke said, “we jump. All we need to wait for now is Gunther’s green light.”
“How are we supposed to know when Gunther gives the go?” Darius asked.
“A holographic image of him will appear in the center,” Igniz said as he pointed at the middle of the room, “Much like the after-image that you have seen before, Darius. He shouldn’t take real long; give him a few more minutes or so.”
As the group waited around the circle, Zeeq played hopscotch with imaginary squares for steps and it occurred to Darius on a little trick Zeeq had done before.
“Zeeq, how did you do that trick last time? You know, being here and at the same time, being right next to me?” Darius asked.
“Oh, that’s easy. Watch,” Zeeq replied as he stopped skipping and clapped his hands together like a prayer, “Check it out!”
It’s as if Zeeq split in two, yellow sands poured out of his skin and quickly formed into an exact duplicate of him. And just like before, Darius could see two in body but only one in spirit.
“I call it the Twin! They’re pretty cool because it can do everything I do, watch this,” Zeeq said and flipped to stand on his two hands and the clone did the same with exact timing. It even spoke the same tone.
“And how is your Twin different compared to what Igniz could do?” Darius asked.
“After-image is merely an image,” Igniz explained, “you cannot touch it nor sense its presence unless you make it so. The Twin technique that Zeeq developed on the other hand…” The clone of Zeeq went and punched Darius in the shoulder (“Ow!”), “has a physical manifestation. It can interact but as a direct reflection of what the original user is doing. Which differentiates the Twin technique from the cloning Arte that acts independently.
“It’s pretty much like a puppet,” Raizo added, “If it were a normal cloning Arte, you could see the original doing one thing and the clone doing another but someone that I know doesn’t like the idea of clones because it gives him nightmares to look at himself in the mirror!” He then sneered to Zeeq who blushed and stood upright again as his Twin disappeared.
“Yeah... I don’t like clones. They’re like robots but with your face on them.” Zeeq said as he sat down next to Raizo and Duke shook his head slightly with disproval. More explosions and the shudder in the air could be felt. The nervousness of the young Psyons has turned to restlessness.
“Alright boys, saddle up,” Gunther said as his image suddenly appeared in the center which gave Zeeq the jumping spook and threw Darius off his seat, “the Queen has approved. It takes quite a while for Altaria’s Dragon Riders to arrive so you must contain any threat before they do. I will join you with the military shortly. The Queen expects you, boys, to report this to her personally!” and his image disappeared.
“You heard the man, let’s rock!” Duke shouted out and everyone stood on their feet. As they ran back through the Omnipath, Darius could feel his power coursing through his veins with excitement. Finally, a retaliated strike against the Darkai…
“Hey, Duke, are you gonna be alright? I mean, you might be fighting your old friends down there.” Darius asked.
“Didn’t I tell you? All my friends are dead. And even if there are any of my old friends down there, they would love nothing more than to kill me. Might as well return the favor.” Duke replied casually. Darius felt a little bit of guilt asking that but at the same time, he couldn’t help but feel a little grateful that Duke would do this. Against all odds, Duke did save his life and bring him up here but as to why Duke decided to go against his old friends, Darius has yet to pluck up the courage to ask.
They arrived at the edge of the Halls of Serenity. Down below lay the Mountain Wall, the longest and tallest range of mountains on the planet. And at the very bottom of the seemingly topless slope brewed explosions, wildfires, and screaming souls could be felt even up here. Darius gulped hard after looking at the world below and he could tell even the others felt a little uneasy: their first team battle.
“Gentlemen, if I may,” Igniz called out, “this is our first official and unified battle as a single unit. In my country, such as this deserves a title to itself.”
“What, you mean you wanna name our first battle day? I think we can think up of that after we win it” Raizo replied.
“I think what Igniz means is a group name?” Duke said.
“Precisely, Duke. Would you not agree?”
“Come on, guys, a group name now of all times, seriously? That is so Wonderer stench.” Raizo said with an annoyed expression.
“How about the Titans?” Zeeq said with glee in his voice.
“Titans? I don’t know... It sounds a bit… big… for a group of teenagers, don’t you think?” Darius said.
“Whatever! Think of it on the way down. Zeeq, get on my back like a piggyback.” Raizo snapped, to which, Zeeq immediately obeyed. (Darius couldn’t help but think they look like a cute pair of little and older brothers)
“Right then,” Duke said, “Igniz, on my signal, you use your ice particles to give us cover and Darius, don’t use your Airhike until I tell you,” Duke ordered. The others immediately focused all their attention on the below.
“Let’s rock…” Darius said and slowly, all five dived. Zeeq was screaming his lungs out (“BEST JUMP EVER!”) while Duke and Igniz were right behind. They passed the Dungeon level and as he plummeted down, Darius could see some sort of crystallized haze and thought he was going to ram into some sort of invisible wall. He closed his eyes and waited for impact but all he felt was a gush of hard wind and a faint pop of a sonic boom. Shortly after, three more pops could be heard.
The wind rushed through them as they descended towards the surface. Zeeq seems to have the time of life while the others are dead focused on their goal. It reminded Darius of the stories that he used to hear from his bedtime tales of how the Psyons would rain down from the heavens and smite all evil; he guessed this is how the old Psyons used to do, jumping straight from the Pantheon into action.
“Igniz, now!” Duke yelled. Igniz nodded and stretched both arms forward, his hands began to alight with brilliant blue aura-like crystals, he clapped once and what Darius saw would etch into his eyes forever.
Igniz was surrounded by water and glowing ice as he continued his shot downwards. Darius looked around and the same appeared for not only himself but Duke and Raizo as well.
“Alright, guys, we break here! Remember, the first wave will use nothing but rifles so watch your flank.” Duke shouted.
“Wait, what!? I thought we were gonna stick together and beat those guys?” Darius retorted.
“Don’t worry, we’ll split up now and sweep the mountain from top to bottom. We’ll meet at the foot of the mountain. Igniz, break us up!” Duke said. Igniz nodded and he waved his arms in opposite directions. Darius could feel himself moving towards a different direction of the air currents the same as the others. Zeeq detached himself from Raizo and began flailing as he fell, Darius could see where Igniz sent him to land and it was right on top of the nearest hilltop; right on top of the Darkai artillery.
The iced water shield disappeared and Darius is dropping solo. He could feel the air thickening as he descended faster and faster to the ground. He stretched forth both his hands and clenched into fists; fire erupted and now a completely new shield of flames surrounded him. The Darkai below spotted this falling fireball and he was right, they didn’t expect anything from above as Darius yelled as loud as he could and crashed straight into the mountain, leaving behind a pillar of fire and a shockwave that sent anything nearby flying.
The fall was a little drastic as Darius was shaking from the shock of the fall. He slowly stood up and with his Psyonic sights, could see the soldiers trying to regain their balance and load their weapons. Darius had only one chance to finish them off and he took it at first glance: with fire emblazing his body, he flashed to the nearest soldier, punching him off the cliff and tripped his partner with a low kick; he flashed to the next soldier and punched rapidly from the rib, the elbow, an uppercut to the chin and a final punch to the chest sending the soldier flying and crashed into the closest thing he could find; he flashed again to the next soldier and punched the forearm and freed the rifle from his grasp and before the soldier could recover, Darius fired two shots to the leg and chest.
A violet light bullet missed his head by an inch and Darius could see four soldiers shooting barrages at him. He could see it all: when they pulled the trigger, how many shots are being fired from each rifle, and how powerful is each shot. Darius dodged most of them easily and deflected the others by using the Novice Blade Duke gave him earlier. It extended and Darius swung it casually to deflect or block each bullet fired. he flashed to the center of their line and grappled one soldier with one hand and kicked the second soldier with his left foot; he tossed the dangled soldier to crash into the one behind him and used his telekinesis to pick up the remaining soldier and crushed him into the mountain.
“It seems unlike you, Darius.” A deep, echoed voice said from behind. Darius quickly turned around to see who spoke and froze instantly to find a rather tall man shrouded in a red cloak and wrappings. His whole face is wrapped in red cloth like a mummy revealing only his mouth and eyes, his blood-red cloak seems to float about despite there being no wind and the cloak’s edges are ripped or worn from wear. His eyes had glaring red pupils and this man’s presence (if he is a man) is hollow and null. Just like Zeeq, Darius can see this man but at the same time knows he is not standing there but far more surreal compared to Zeeq.
“Who are you?” Darius asked as he steadied himself.
“You may call me Rubeus. You seem quite sure of yourself to take on a squad of random men singlehandedly, Darius. One would normally assume you would learn a thing or two in that palace.” Rubeus said.
“We didn’t have a real plan so we improvised… and how do you know my name?” Darius asked.
“Irrelevant. Do young Fleshborne like you always like to get into the heart of mess of things or is it your adamant resolve in search of a better fight?” Rubeus said as he walked over the edge and looked down below.
“Who knows… what are you?” Darius asked as he approached slowly from behind. This Rubeus or whatever he does has a certain familiarity to him but Darius doesn't have the slightest clue about this man.
“As young Duke mentioned before, you would recognize a Psyon when you see one, would you not?” he replied. Darius was taken aback to think that this man is a Psyon but at this point, should he be so surprised?
“You’re a Psyon? Sorry, but you don’t feel anything like one.” Darius said.
“Not surprising. after all, you are Fleshborne so you won’t be able to sense anything higher than yourself. For now, you can simply assume I am above your pay grade.” Rubeus said.
“Um… Okay, but why are you here?” Darius asked as he stood next to the man.
“I came here to provide a simple warning. If you have yet to realize, this assault is undoubtedly a trap. But do you know why?” Rubeus said, turning to the boy.
“Well, isn’t that a shocker,” Darius replied, “let me guess, trying to bait us out and kill us?”
“A little off the track. They wish to capture one particular fish in their nets.” Rubeus said.
“How do you even know all this and why should I trust you? I’ve been facing random strangers out of the blue for the past couple of weeks, I think I deserve a direct answer for once.” He said.
“If I was an enemy, I would have killed you on-sight… But instead of questioning me, you should take a look at what your enemy is after.” Rubeus said as he gestured to two very large cannons firing down below.
Darius, very cautiously, took a peek over the edge of the cliff. Every artillery and available firepower was aimed at a single spot within the Mountain Wall itself. It is as if they are trying to uncover something.
“Are they… digging?”
“You cannot dig through earth if other elements are what stops you,” Rubeus replied. It took a moment for Darius to realize that the Darkai are trying to get through the Mountain Wall to get to the other side.
“But why would they want to go to the Forgiven Lands? There’s nothing out there.” Darius said.
“According to whom?”
Darius was taken aback but he quickly remembered why they are here. No matter what, the Darkai must be stopped, or else they would bring more harm to the people.
“Thanks for the tip... But I still don’t get why you’re helping me. What about my friends, they’ll need help, too, you know.” Darius said
“Currently, their location is not as strategic as yours. Remember, be swift and don’t stop moving.” Rubeus said and his red cloak swirled around him, his form was sucked into a vortex at his left eye and he instantly vanished from sight.
“You make sound so easy, old man,” Darius said as he stared at the point where the stranger disappeared.
“Alright, then. Clear the cannons and draw their attention. Shouldn’t be too hard--” Darius said to himself but stopped when he looked over the edge to see the hundreds of rifles aimed and ready at his position.
“Oh, sh--” a rain of light bullets missed his face but fazed him in the arms and shoulder. The shots weren’t enough to hurt him but they left a pretty hot mark that forced Darius to take cover behind some rocks. He could hear a low humming sound and then -- BOOM -- a mortar exploded just a foot from him that left bells ringing in his right ear.
“Ok, that was genius,” He spat once the dust settles, “standing there like a rock and not realizing they’re moving in on me.” He stood up to peek over the side just enough to see at least a dozen soldiers climbing up the side of the cliff. Their boots seemed retrofitted with Darkmatter technology that enables their easy ascent up the slope but Darius had to duck again to dodge the rapid-fire of laser bullets. Another humming sound was incoming and an explosion just a foot right in front of him, sending dirt and shrapnel flying everywhere. The soldiers have reached his location.
“Come on, come on, come on!” Darius yelled and jumped from his cover over the edge. He grabbed a rifle on the ground with his free hand and the Novice Blade in the other; he shot three rounds to the ground that splattered dirt and temporarily blinded the soldiers.
His sword ignited aflame, his battle cries deafened his ears as he pounced on anything that was moving. At times, he couldn’t see anything but dust and all he could see would be masked men and women in black… and their bodies hitting the dirt, dead or knocked out.
Darius turned around in time to see a canon lighted with dark violet light at the nozzle and before he knew it, the low humming noise was heard and the Mountain Wall behind him exploded; sending Darius flying further downhill.
He landed hard on a boulder as he screamed out his agony but these Darkai were relentless as they now switched from guns to swords. At least ten of them were coming and Darius kicked himself off the boulder and clashed with their blades. These soldiers were no novice fighters as they were skilled in deflecting and dodging his blows and it’s getting more difficult with more of them coming.
Darius hacked and slashed as much as he could but they were mostly blocked or deflected and even if he landed a blow, it wasn’t deadly and left a very little effect. Come on, he thought, if old man Rayleigh could see you know, he’d cane you for not swinging right. If you can beat Duke, you can beat them. As if his memories suddenly returned to him all at once, he remembered what the old man taught him. Darius stopped attacking and stood in a stance as he was taught when it came to defense. The soldiers looked on and surrounded him, their dark blades poised to strike to kill.
Darius closed his eyes and remembered that with sight, his martial prowess will only be focused on what was in front of him. Slowly, the soldiers circled him with their black blades aimed and ready. With one battle cry, they attacked one by one.
Blow after blow, slash after slash; Darius dodged and blocked every strike; he even deflected two or three strikes to ensure they would attack their own. He could feel more soldiers approaching but they stopped several feet from him and he could hear their rifles whirring as they prepared to fire. Darius opened his eyes and as the fires shot, he used his hands to wave the air once and a ring of fire circled him and absorbed all the bullets. He kept up the circle for several seconds but staying here would be wasting time. He jumped and kicked the air with a sidewinder kick; the flames that protected him now spread in a fiery shockwave that incinerated all that stood nearby.
He landed hard as he looked around to see the chaotic scene. He could hear voices. There was pain and agony but no sorrow or anger. It was like his nightmares all over again only this time, he was the Varian and all of these fallen soldiers were Aunt Joe's.
This isn’t how it was supposed to be, he thought, this is not what Psyons do. What justice is there to this? He shook his head and forego no other choice. He went to the edge and looked below and could see hundreds more firing shot after shot, mortar after mortar to the center of the Mountain Wall. Despite all the rubble and dust, Darius could see they are making deep progress and that their goals are nearly accomplished.
With his Psyonic sight, he could see streams of energy coursing through the Mountain Wall and smaller streams flowing to a small spot adjutant to where the Darkai are firing.
“It’s a hidden door,” he said to himself, “guys if you can hear me, the Darkai are trying to dig through the Mountain Wall. I think there is a hidden door here.” He called out to the others but there was no response.
Darius turned around just in time to see a second cannon to his left about to fire towards him, he then punched the air, and a pulse of fire appeared right as the cannon fired and the projectile exploded in midair. Looking at his fists with perplexity, he now understood how he can fire his blazing bullets.
The cannon whirred again in a low humming tune but Darius was quicker, “Sole Pulse!” he bellowed and the cannon exploded completely after an orb of fire erupted in the center of the nozzle. The explosion went on until the shrapnel flew and crashed into the other soldiers below, finally catching their attention. And now the worst Darius expected happened: all eyes, rifles, and cannons were aimed directly at him.
A foreign cry was shouted and as if all at once, hundreds of shots fired, rockets and mortars soared towards him, and cannon fire shrouded his sight as Darius placed his arms in a defensive stance.
“Ah, hell...”
***
Two soldiers fell spinning as Duke slashed them both with twin blades. His side was cleared as dozens of soldiers clad in black armor now lay waste around him with their blades shattered and their rifles burnt in violet flames. No more reinforcements on this spot although he knows there will be plenty more to cover this whole mountain.
“Igniz, this is Duke,” Duke said in his mind as he looked around, “Darius tried to tell us something but it wasn’t clear. Did you pick it up?”
“Indeed, I did,” Igniz replied, “I could not make sense of it, either. But for pure entertainment, try and look to your far right.” Duke turned to look to the south and after a shuddering blast, gigantic spikes of ice erupted near the mine entrance, and bodies were either frozen in them or flying from the shockwave.
“Tch, showoff,” Duke said with a smile but then he noticed a rather large flame shield on the wall of the mountain just several feet above the river lines taking an enormous rifle and cannon fire from a hundred and eighty degrees in front of him.
“Looks like our recruit is taking a bad hit. Wanna help him out?” Duke said as he dispersed his weapons.
“I see him. I will disable the upper levels while you take out the cannons. That is where all the main artillery is coming from.” Igniz replied.
“There’s no need for the upper levels, just diffuse the cannons. We’ll need those later for the second wave.” Duke said.
“Then who will clear the lower levels? The main battalion is right below him.” Igniz said.
“Don’t worry, can’t you see that? Zeeq has that handled.” Duke replied as he crossed his arms with a grin.
***
“WHOO-HOO!” Zeeq cheered as he slid in between the rocks as if he’s ice-skating. He waved his arms in attack positions and punched the air. With each strike, the earth around him erupted with spikes and earthen walls popping in and out of the mountain, knocking soldiers everywhere off the trails and down to the flat grounds. They laid fire to the slippery Psyon but their shots either missed or were blocked by the constant flying of boulders and molded earth as Zeeq danced by spinning on his arms and legs.
Just a few levels above him, Raizo blasted lighting after lightning bolts. Some of them were long whips that cut right through the rocks and boulders as they hacked down his enemies while he aimed towards those further away with large bolts that exploded in spheres that wiped out entire squads at once. The accuracy of his lightning could not be matched as no Darkai soldier was safe.
“Rai, on top!” Zeeq called out and Raizo turned to look above him. He could see, on the other side of the Wall was the glimmer of golden light. Continuous Explosions and shrapnel flew over the mountain top.
“Ah, geez, to think that idiot could at least think before attacking a friggin’ battalion,” Raizo said as he quickly turned around and punched an on-coming soldier wielding a black blade with an electric punch that sent him flying off the path.
“Zeeq, come on, get through the wall! I think I heard that idiot calling out to us just now.” Raizo called out.
“You got it!” Zeeq cried and he thrust his arms upward which were quickly followed by a pillar of earth that levitated Zeeq to the same level of Raizo like an elevator. He then spun around once and twisted his hands together; a dome of hardened earth surrounded the two of them and it rolled to the mountain wall. The earthen sphere crashed and while the outside looked as if the mess left no survivors inside, a tunnel was burrowed deep in the mountain itself and just as quickly as the tunnel was dug, Raizo and Zeeq burst through the mountain wall with a highly spirited roar.
The flying rocks and shrapnel forced the firing soldiers below to shield themselves for cover to avoid the dropping death. Some got lucky while the others were forcibly dropped off of the mountainside. Zeeq went on his slippery spree as he laughed while knocking off Darkai soldiers with sudden thrusts of earthen spikes while Raizo summoned lightning from the sky and dropped down on random columns on the mountain path. Meanwhile, above him, a dancing shield of golden fire thinned.
***
Darius held his arms up but with each blast from rifles, mortars, and cannons; he could feel his shield getting thinner and thinner and his arms heavier by the second until it started to burn him. He screamed his agony but the thundering sound of cannon fire and shrapnel flying around him deafened his screams; only his throat knew what he was doing. That Rubeus character advised him to keep moving but too late does Darius understand what that meant.
Then, out of a sudden, the blasts stopped and his arms became lighter. He dispersed the shield after regaining proper foothold but fell to his knees right after. He breathed hard and felt like the air had all but evaporated. He could hear grunts and screams of soldiers being fought below but Darius couldn’t focus on what was happening. He slowly stood up and saw hundreds of Darkai soldiers lying dead all across the mountainside, the cannons that previously shot endlessly at him were now frozen and silenced, a few levels below Darius could see pillars and large earthen spikes that doesn’t seem natural and currents of white electricity surging through the air.
“Die!” shouted a voice from behind. Darius turned to see but his reaction was too slow, a wounded soldier with his uniform half-burnt charged straight toward him with a diamond black blade thrust forward. Darius raised his left arm to defend but to his sudden surprise, Duke appeared out of nowhere and slashed once: the soldier dropped his blade and rolled over the ground lifeless.
“Are you alright, Darius?” Duke said as he pulled Darius to his feet.
“Why… are we killing them?” Darius said breathlessly, “we’re... Psyons. We’re supposed to... Save life... Not take them...”
“Trust me when I tell you, Darius, these rodents chose to wear this uniform for a reason,” Duke said, “They have no remorse nor regret in killing whatever form of life. You may show them mercy now but they will not spare you any. I know you disapprove but if we don’t kill them now, they will kill thousands if given the chance. Believe me,” Duke said as he hauled Darius’s right arm over his shoulder, “I’ve seen it with my own eyes countless times.
“But I thought Psyons... Could fight without killing?” Darius said slowly.
“Yeah... I wished that was true, too...” Duke said.
The two made their way down the path where Igniz, Raizo, and Zeeq were waiting with a single, living soldier trapped in an iced casing.
“Well, not exactly the rendezvous point but effective nonetheless,” Igniz said as he helped Darius sit down on a rock nearby.
“You’re right but we improvised. And why do we have a prisoner?” Duke said as he stood next to Raizo. Zeeq seemed to interrogate the captured prisoner although, to him, it looks like he’s teasing him.
“So,” Zeeq said with a sassy tone, “why are you attacking this part of the Mountain Wall? It doesn’t have anything of value to anyone because the mines are caved in.”
“I’m not telling you anything, Psyon scum!” the soldier coughed. He had his helmet on but his armor was damaged and the icicle disabled him from moving even an inch. Zeeq smiled sinisterly as he slapped the soldier on the left cheek.
“Ow! If you call this torture, it’s pathetic! My master hits harder than you!” the soldier spat with a little blood dripping from the side of his mouth but again, he was slapped from the right cheek.
“You shouldn’t be so rude to people whose keeping you alive, you know? It’s not polite at all. Now, tell me why you’re here.” Zeeq said with a smile.
“Believe me when we tell you, having this little guy to ask you the questions is pretty much your worst nightmare. Because he doesn’t know how to stop having fun.” Raizo said with a snicker and went to sit next to Darius (“How you doing?” he said. Darius merely responded with a weak nod.).
“Now, come on, if you start talking, I promise to stop slapping you,” Zeeq said with a feverish smile.
“I would rather die!” the soldier snapped and with such glee, Zeeq slapped him again. It’s been nearly ten or twenty minutes since the soldier was captured and he’s an extremely hard egg to crack. His arms and legs turned blue due to the ice and half of it already seemed to have caught frostbite, his face was swollen and purple from all the slaps that Zeeq gave him and Darius has had enough. Even if this soldier would talk, there were plenty of other ways to get information besides this one soldier.
“They were trying to dig through the Mountain Wall. They wanted to get to the other side but there is some sort of magical barrier here.” Darius said as he stood upright. His healing abilities seemed to take effect as he regained his fighting strength, “I tried to tell you guys but I guess you couldn’t hear me properly. Igniz, let him loose. Zeeq, back off.”
“As you wish,” Igniz said and snapped his fingers once. The icicle that trapped the soldier dispersed into the air like water drops and Zeeq sat down on a nearby rock with his hand supporting his head in boredom.
“Well, that was easy… and boring.” Zeeq was exasperated.
“Get out of here, Darkai. And tell your boss we’re right here if they want to fight.” Darius said and without another word, the soldier slowly crawled away from them.
“You’re being too soft, Darius. He’s only gonna come back to kill us again.” Duke said with his arms crossed.
“Here, here. You shouldn’t have let him go, Dar. It leaves a bad taste in their mouth.” Raizo said as he chuckled at the pathetic sight but the sight of what happened next surprised all of them.
A fluid-like shadow appeared from right beneath the soldier, a large black blade pierced him through his chest and the shadow disappeared.
“What the hell?” Darius shouted but a female voice replied to him.
“He’s done his job. It’s only fitting he would be disposed of once he’s useless.” her presence wasn’t even felt until after she landed in between Raizo and Igniz, right in front of Duke.
“Hi, baby. You’re as cute as always,” she said and kissed him deeply. Nobody could move, all of them were stuck on the spot and Darius could see a shadow at his feet with twirls of it binding his legs. This girl was incredibly powerful as she binds easily trapped all of them together, she wore a complete set of armor covering her body except for her stomach region, a black cloak covered her back with her almond-brown hair tied into a single ponytail.
“Shadow bind!” Igniz said but dark vines of shining fluid erupted from the shadows at their feet and restricted all of their movements. They were trapped.
“Mm... Sweet as always, baby.” the brown-haired girl said as she released her kiss.
“Lithia... What the hell... What are you doing here...?” Duke said as he struggled to free himself but it was no good. He knew Lithia is a master huntress, Shadow Artes like these is almost impossible even for him to escape.
“Isn’t it obvious, my love? I’m here to take you home,” Lithia said and pierced Duke with a black dagger to his heart.
“DUKE!” Darius screamed but he couldn’t move and he couldn’t budge his head to turn around to see the enemy’s face. All he could feel is Duke’s life force is suddenly being drained.
“Don’t worry, baby,” Lithia said as she reached up and kissed Duke on the forehead, “I won’t kill you. I have orders. Your friends on the other hand…” she said and with thunderous stomps, two captains wearing similar garbs landed right in front of him. Hooded, heavily armored, and with a powerful aura: the Dakrie have arrived.