rp: side story Side Story: A Quest for Kraerhil

[Akira]

Following Deadrin's lead, I calmly mounted on Lucky's back and tilted her reins slightly, causing her to follow Deagrin and his master out of the cave. We were once again making our way towards our destination, but I couldn't help but to notice that Deadrin seemed to be somewhat agitated or anxious. That was really unlike of him and was worried about my friend, at the same time though, I felt like I shouldn't really ask. He is a man of many secrets after all, which is something I really respected, since I also have my fare share of secrets to keep as well. I simply assumed that his current state was due to the fact that we were getting really close to our objective. I knew that the correct reason would probably be different, but it was better to leave it at that. Unless Deadrin actively decides to talk about it, of course.

Now long after our departure however, we had to deal with a unexpected obstacle: a giant boulder that was blocking our path. Both Deadrin and I came to a stop after visualizing the enormous rock. Deadrin then asked me if there was anyway I could take care of the problem. Not only was that a perfect opportunity to test just how much stronger I was after the transformation, but I also figured I could at least try show some positive attitude for once, in a attempt to make my friend's uneasiness go away or at least get reduced. "Alright, hold mah beer!" I said in a playful tone while chuckling a little bit. "I got this..." I got down from Lucky's back a placed myself in front of our obstacle, taking a few moments to analyze my options. "Well, it would be much easier to simply use a Wrathful Blast to blow this thing to smithereens, but... " I sighed a little bit and summoned the Evil One to my right hand "Since we are trying to avoid contact with the angels, I should try to keep the use of my demonic powers to a minimum. Which means I'll just have to chop it down" I took a deep breath and assumed my battle pose, my right hand was holding my sword's handle and the other was on the sheath, both my eyes and my mind were focused on my target. It was time for another special technique "Quick-draw style..." With insanely fast moves, I drew my sword and slashed the boulder while also spinning 180 degrees. While most people would think that sliced my target only once, a very skilled and well trained eye would be able to see that in the short time it took me to spin I was actually able to cut the rock countless times, creating a devastating delayed attack. Once my spin had come to a stop, I was holding the serrated blade half way inside it's sheath and slowly sliding it in. "...Slash Flash..." When the sword was finally completely inside the sheath, the boulder was intantly obliterated, leaving on it's place nothing but dust and a few fragments that were way to small to bother us. 

I then calmly dissipated the Evil One once again and mounted Lucky once again "Well... let's continue, shall we?" my voice tone had a little bit of pride in it, showing off like that wasn't the sort of thing I would usually do, but I simply couldn't resist at that moment. Plus, Deadrin had already seen the worst of me, so I felt confortable enough around him to do that sort of thing.

 

[Neptune]

Daedrin blinked a little when Izanagi said to hold his beer. It took him a few moments before he realised that it was a saying was to become popular hundreds of years from now. Where his friend had heard it, or why he had used it was anyone’s guess. But it caused an amused glint to enter his blood red eyes as the corner of his mouth twitched into a small smile. He then watched as Izanagi dismounted from Lucky and moved over to the boulder before he summoned his sword. He watched carefully as Izanagi seemed to concentrated for several moments before slicing through the rock quicker than the human eye could see. However his eyes weren’t human, and he was able to watch the blade easily slide through the rock like paper multiple times, carving it up into small sections before it seemed to dissolve the moment Izanagi sheathed his weapon. He did a very thorough job, as there was nothing left than dust and a couple of pebble sized pieces. 

When Izanagi returned, Daedrin looked at his companion and said, “Well, that is one way to take care of it. Nice job.” He then nudged Daegrin forwards again, continuing along the ridge. After a few hours of riding, the two came out into a small plateau that ran flat before them. It was sparsely populated with grass and stunted trees that weaved in the wind. The temperatures by now had plummeted for them, and the wind seemed to dance around the craggy rocks, tugging at their clothes and causing the hair of the horse to whip back and forth. Before them rose an even larger mountain that looked unclimbable. Luckily for them, their goal was at the base of it rather than the top.

They paused for lunch before they continued on, weaving through grass. They saw a few birds flying among the peaks, and Daedrin spotted what appeared to be a griffin in the distance, but to his relief they encountered no creatures that would hinder their progress. Even so, it was still late in the evening when they finally reached the base of the mountain. The sun had already dipped down behind the mountain peaks, plunging them into twilight. But now even the meagre light was retreating, forcing them to set up camp. As they were setting up the fire, Daedrin said, “The mine is somewhere around here. But there’s too little light now; we’ll look for it in the morning.” He snapped one of the last twigs before he lit the fire causing it to emit a fiery glow as the world around them became dark. He didn’t bother getting his bedroll out yet, and instead sat down by the fire with a sigh as he said in a tone that suggested he wouldn’t take a no for an answer, “I’ll be taking first watch tonight.” He looked out into the darkness, before he looked up at the inky sky as the stars were winking into existence. 

[Akira]

After the boulder that was blocking our path was no longer a problem, we kept on making our way towards the mine. As we made progress we could feel the temperature going down steadly, it didn't seem to bother Deadrin or the horses very much, though. As for me, I simply allowed a slightly bigger fraction of my demonic energy to flow through my body. Since said energy manifests itself as the Wrathful Flame, it was more than enough to keep me confortably heated while also being too little energy to attract the angels.

After a while, we made a quick pause so we could have lunch before getting back on track. I was actually suprised by just how many creatures lived on that area. There were small animals, such as rabbits, birds and squirrels. And there were also big and possibly dangerous creatures such as griffins, thankfully none of them seemed to care or mind about us passing through. A few hours later we had finally arrived at the mine, but Deadrin said it was far too dark to go into the mine right now. I could use my Wrathful Flames to light up the cave's insides, but it would risk attracting the angels, so I simply agreed with him and helped to set up the camp. Deadrin then said that he would take the first watch. His voice tone caugh my attention. He wasn't really being aggressive or anything, but it was still a bit unsettling to hear. Especially coming from him. Still, I decided it would be best to simply go along with it. I nodded slightly and began to make my way to my bedroll, stopping midway only to say "Know that if there is something bothering you, I am all ears" once that was said, I walked to my bedroll, got myself confortable in it and driffted to sleep.

[Neptune]

Daedrin looked up when Izanagi spoke, letting him know that if there was something bothering him, he was willing to listen. He watched with dark red eyes as the man settled himself to sleep in his own bed. He felt a little bad at keeping the trouble a secret from Izanagi, but he couldn’t risk talking about it. Not where it could hear him. The moment it was aware that they knew about it, it would attack and eliminate them so that they didn’t spread the word further. It was the way that they loved to operate in secret, out of the thoughts and minds of those that they were stalking. He stood back up and moved a little way away from the camp, staring off into the pitch blackness of the night. Daedrin opened his mind up, lightly touching the minds of the creatures around them as he looked out for any signs of trouble. He even brushed lightly against Izanagi’s mind, but not enough for him to be aware. It was to confirm that he was deeply asleep. When he was sure that his friend was, he moved away from the camp and the watchful eyes of the Harvester. 

He slipped behind a rock, pressing one hand against the cool surface, feeling the coolness through the material of his glove. He reached up and took hold of the golden chain around his throat before tugging on it to pull it out from underneath his clothes. It pulled out a pendant, that was primarily gold in colour. However there was the design of a tribal dragon made of what appeared to be black gold. It was curled up around what looked like a star, made from a purple gold. He gripped the pendant in his hand and closed his eyes as he muttered, “My Lord, He of Life and Soul. Please hear my pleas, for I am in need of your help.” 

He fell silent for several moments before he opened his eyes again to find someone standing in front of him. The figure was tall, far taller than he was. At least eight and a half feet tall. They were wearing a heavy deep purple cloak with a hood pulled up to hide their face. The hood was far down enough that the same symbol on Daedrin’s necklace was visible on the hood. A deep voice emerged from the hood, the sound like silk, “What is it, son?”

Daedrin pressed his hand to his chest above his heart before be bowed deeply. When he straightened, he said, “Father. I need your help. We have a Cloaked Harvester following us, and I fear that it will cause trouble for us.” 

The figure was silent for a moment before saying, “I will see to it. Return to your camp.” Daedrin bowed his head and obediently turned and returned to the campfire. The sensation that he was being watched returned, which confirmed to him that it was Izanagi that the hidden enemy was interested in. When he got close enough, he turned and sat back down, crossing his legs as he waited patiently, his body tensed. Several long minutes passed with nothing happening. The screech of an owl pierced the silence before falling silent once again.

There was a suddenly flare of energy, powerful and potent off to the right of where their camp was. Daedrin turned his head in its direction but he couldn’t see anything. But those watchful eyes seemed to leave him, causing his muscles to relax and his stomach unclench. However he jumped a little as there was a flare of purple light, with a loud wooshing sound before there was a loud scream that pierced the night. He jumped to his feet, his mind reaching out, ‘My Lord?’ He asked.

‘It is dealt with.’ The deep voice said, before Daedrin felt his presence vanish. He remained standing where he was for a moment before he turned and looked at Izanagi, sure that the scream had woken him up. 

Edited March 20, 2019 by Neptune

[Akira]

After I had layed down on my bedroll and got myself confortable, it didn't take me very long for me to fall asleep. My mind calmly drifted away from the physical world, reaching hights that would make even the astonishing mountains near us envious. My dreams were the only thing that could at times bring me the wonderful sensation of absolute inner peace. Which was something I always tried to enjoy the as much as I possibly could, even though I knew it wasn't real and that I would eventually wake up and most likely forget about everything that I had seen during my dream. Still, trying to control them or predict what was going to happen once it had began was impossible, even for me. In my dream I found myself floating over a grassy field, very similar to where we were some time ago when we found the soulless woman. I could see two figures down bellow. One was a muscly looking monster with pitch black skin and spikes all over it's body. And the other was similar to a wodden mannequin. The monster was absolutely dominating the fight, it didn't matter what the mannequim did, it seemed to have no effect on the monster. After a few brief moments the monster defeated it's opponent by splitting it in two. The creature then looked at me floating in the sky and said "Tempus-Tarda" in a deep and clearly demonic voice. It then fired some sort of projectile in my direction which exploded right in front of me. 

I jolted out of my bedroll when I heard the sound of the scream. I quickly ran up to Deadrin with the Evil One in hand, already feeling mentaly relieved to know that he was alive at the very least. "Deadrin, what the fuck is going on? Are you alright?" the desperation in my voice was crystal clear and, needless to say, I had way more questions than that going through my head, but those were the most important ones at the moment.

[Neptune]

Daedrin didn’t tear his eyes from the direction that the scream came from, but he was still able to reach out and grip Izanagi’s arm in a swift reassurance, “I’m fine, Izanagi.” He assured him before allowing his hand to fall to his side again, “I apologise for not saying anything beforehand, but I couldn’t.” Finally, he took his eyes off of the distance and fixed them on Izanagi’s face, “Your actions attracted far worse attention than the angels. We have no real name for their species, but we call them ‘Cloaked Harvesters’. They are creatures that hide from sight, and hide from ears and minds. They watch, and observe. And if you get their interests… then they will harvest you for whatever they can. You see, they use organic components from living people in their technology. We’re nothing more than parts to them, like a nail or piece of wood. It started following us while we were in the cave. It must have been closeby when you lost control and turned into the Wrathful Blazerker. I could feel it watching us, like eyes in the back of my head. But I couldn’t say anything because it was watching us closely. If I had said anything, it would have killed us both. And despite all of your power, my friend, you would have stood no chance against it.”

He looked out into the night again, which had fallen silent once again, “So… I called for someone who could take care of it. So it’s gone now.” He said, reaching up and gripping his necklace before he tucked it back into his clothes. He hoped that he didn’t have to do that again, as the summoning should only be used in the most dire of situations. It was also something that he didn’t particularly want to explain to Izanagi, but he knew that if the man asked questions, he would likely try and explain as best as he could without revealing too much. He wasn’t even sure if Izanagi would even believe him. After all, most of peoples God’s were invisible, and never took part in worldly affairs. And Izanagi didn’t strike him as a particularly religious man, and Daedrin had never asked on his opinions on Gods. Odium had seemed pretty scornful where they were concerned, but that was to be expected. After all, in most Holy texts, demons were considered evil and thus were hunted down. So it was understandable that Odium would not only be scornful, but wary. 

[Akira]

I paid close attention to Deadrin's explanation on what the hell had just happened. He told me that we were being watched by a depicable creature known as Cloaked Harvester, that was likely attracted to us after I had transformed into the Wrathful Blazerker. The very thought of that creature using living people as nothing more than tools to fuel their technology was making me sick. Horrifying monsters like that were one of the reasons why I wanted to become stronger in the first place, so I could take them down. Deadrin may not know, but he actually wounded my warrior's pride a bit when he said that I stood no chance against the Harvester. It would be alright if he had said that my chances were very slim or something along those lines. But telling me that I had no chance whatsoever? that sure had an impact on me. I let that slip though, for the part that cought my attention the most was when Deadrin said that he had... called someone? My mind was once again taken by the amount of questions forming within it, such as 'who?' and 'how?'. I ultimately decided to ask once my friend was done talking, but I would understand if he decided to keep it to himself, I already knew he was a man of many secrets and I respected him enough to don't pry into things that would make him unconfortable. "A... Cloaked Harvester...? Well, that sure explains why you were acting to weird recently..." I said in a calm yet somewhat perplex tone "I am curious, though... if you don't mind me asking, who did you call? if that thing was too powerful for me to handle, then whoever helped you must surely be powerful too."

[Neptune]

Daedrin glanced at Izanagi through the corner of his eyes before he turned his gaze back out into the dark night, “I don’t think you would quite understand. Not out of lack of ability to, but out of lack of willingness. You don’t seem to be someone to take stock on Gods.” He said, before turning his head and looking at Izanagi, “Besides, I called someone who would take care of it because they have a quality that both you and I lack. They can see this foe. You cannot. How can you fight something that you cannot see, sense or even interact with? It was not a case of you not being powerful enough to take care of it. In fact, I am sure you are. But you lack the capability to be able to destroy it. These creatures have been hiding from far more powerful beings than yourself, even Angels, Demons, Kings and Gods.” 

His reluctance to tell Izanagi about the fact that he had called an actual God to take care of it, stemmed from the fact that it would lead to many questions that Daedrin couldn’t answer. Especially since his religion was not something that was common in these days. It had been mostly wiped out by the virtue that the Eldyrannth were now dead. How could he explain that he worshipped Eldyrannth Gods, without revealing a few things about him? Like that his mother was none other than the current Crown Princess, Talivana? These were things that Izanagi didn’t need to know. Not until Daedrin trusted him enough. He already knew that the man could keep a secret, though. That was the first requirement on the list. He already had a sense that Izanagi was a good man, despite what most people might think. But then Daedrin saw past the label of ‘demon’ and preferred to actually see the man for who he was, principles and all.

[Akira]

I felt a little bit better when Deadrin said that the only reason why I wouldn't be able to take down the Harvester was because I wasn't able to see it or sense it any way. Which was a unfortunate truth now that I thought about it. Even with my Soul Eye activated I had no idea that the creature was following us. I was actually very worrying to know that said creature was capable of somehow hiding it's very soul. That said, something else got my attention: Gods. My friend was right to assume that wasn't very found of them. As a demon, I was always pictured by them as a mindless monster who would kill anyone in it's path without thinking twice, which made me both angry and sad. "Heh... well, you got me there" I said in a slightly sarcastic tone "I have never met any God in person, obviously, but I despise every single one I know. They take great part in some of the worst moments of my life. One of the reasons why I have to hide my real self so much it's because they lead their followers to believe that me and every single demon out there are nothing but blood thirsty killers. Even if it wasn't by their direct hands and actions, I almost died countless times because of them and their followers." Having to think and talk about that subject made me a bit sad, those were some memories I didn't like very much.

 "Well... whatever. I guess I'll go ba-" Before I could have finished my sentance however, I was hit by a angelic arrow on my right shoulder. The arrow was clearly angelic because of the enchantment that emitted a soft white glow. Most people would shout at the pain caused by the projectile, but I found myself simply all out of fucks to give about it. So much so that I simply sighed in a clearly annoyed tone before muttering "Goddammit..." I then turned towards the direction form which the arrow came and saw a single angel in the air holding a bow in his hand. The angel also had a blue orb that was about the same size of an apple floating beside him. "Couldn't you guys have waited a few more hours? I am sleepy as hell right now" I said to the celestial being in a grumpy tone "That was the warning shot. If yo-" "A warning shot is supposed to miss the target you fucking asshole!" I interrupted him with angry words and ripped the arrow out of my arm before throwing it to the ground. The angel simply ignored and continued "If you come with me peacefully, I promisse to grant you a painless end" "Yeah, sorry to dissapoint you, but that is not going to happen" The angel then simply took the orb on his free hand and said "Come to me, brothers and sisters" as if on cue, dozens of angels emerged from the woods behind the one holding the blue orb and positioned themselves in a combat formation. There seemed to be about 40 of them in total. Some had spears on their hands, while others had bows. "You might want to reconsider, demon" I simply grinned chuckled in a rather ominous way before speaking again "Oi, Deadrin. You might want to get some cover" I gave my friend a few seconds to get himself a safer distance while I spoke to Odium *Hey Odium, do you want to take care of these guys?* *You know I am always up for some angelic killing* *I thought as much, but I want you to keep one of them alive* *What? but why?* *Just thrust me ok? I have a plan.* *Humpf. Fine, what about the others?* *You can have your way with them* I could almost feel Odium grinning and getting excited *Very well, then say my mantra* 

Just like last time, a sudden burst of hot air came out of me and a ring of Wrathful Flames formed around my feet, but this time the heat was clearly more intense. I then began to say the mantra, causing my body to be covered by the flames. The angels could only watch in awe as they finally realized just who they had messed with. It was at this moment that they knew... they fucked up.

"The gates of hell shall soon open and it's power be unleashed. My enemies will know that their lifes are now finished!"

"Death awaits those who ignited the fires of rage. My fury shall only end when there is no more blood to be tasted by my blade!"

"With my power I shall break the fools who try to block my path. For I am Odium, the demon who embodies wrath!"

The flames soon dispersed revealling once again my possessed form. The black energy was spread all over the right side of my body. The chaotic orange lines were the as well, but this time Odium was irradiating a stronger aura, making clear that he also got stronger since the last time. The demon cracked his fingers which a ominous smile on his face and summoned the Evil One to his hand "Alright little angels who is ready to lose a few wings?" The celestial beings were shaking in their boots and starting to consider running away, but the corageus angel who had the orb with him decided to step forth and do something about it "My brothers and sister in arms, today we face a fearsome foe. He is powerful, but we have the strenght in numbers! With our will and celestial powers combined are sure to-" *BOOOM* unfortunately, the corageus one was interrupted by a ball of Wrathful Flames fired by Odium. The explosion was more than enough to obliterate it's victim along with the relic "You talk too much" Odium said before charging at the angels, laughing like a mad man as he does it.

Without options, the angels tried to fight him, but it was useless. Despite the clear numerical advantage, every single attack thrown against Odium was either dodged, parried or deflected. The same couldn't be said for the demon. His attacks were tearing the angels apart. The lucky ones died in a single strike, while the others... well... they felt pain in places that they simply thought to be impossible. Soon, there were only 10 of the 40 attackers left alive.The angelic dead bodies glowed and turned into a white dust before dispersing in the air. The remaining ones tried to fly away, but.... "Hell's Chain: Lockdown!" Odium created countless portals in the air, shooting chains everywhere and entangling the angels in them. He then pulled one of the angels out of the chains and threw him on the ground before placing both of the angel's forearms above each other and impalling with the Evil One. The angelic being screamed in pain and agony as the blade pinned him to the ground. Odium simply chuckled at the sound that his victim was making "Consider yourself in luck you angelic piece of shit. Izanagi has plans for you" The angel finally stopped screaming as the pain reached a more tolerable level "W-what about the other survivors?" he asked with dread in his voice. Odium simply chuckled once again in a ominous way "Survivors?" the demon then manifested another small pair of portals just above his hand with a single and small piece of chains in between said portals. Odium grabbed the small chain segment before speaking again "You are the only one" He then gave the chain a strong and firm pull. Due to the chains' magical propeties, that motion caused the chains in which the other angels were to retract with enough strenght to tear their bodies apart. Leaving nothing but the dismantled bodies on the ground, which soon turned into white dust and dispersed just like the others. The survivor watched in horror as his brothers and sisters were mercilessly killed in front of him.

Satisfied, Odium dispersed the chains and gave me back the control. The black energy quickly dissipated from my body. I took a quick look around just in time to see some of the angel's remains dissipating and that Odium had in fact kept his end of the deal. "Huh... that is about what I was expecting. Now then..." I crouched beside the angel who was still pinned to the ground with the Evil One on his arms "Tell me, who is commanding this little... searching operation around this area?" I asked in a calm yet manecing tone "C-c-commander Maximus" "Very well, then here is what is going to happen: I'll let you go so you can tell yur commander to stop bothering me. Otherwise, I'll shove my sword so far deep into that holy ass of him that whoever maneges to pull it out will become the next King Arthur. Undertood?" "Y-y-yes!" "Good" I snapped my fingers and dissipated the Evil One, setting the angel free. He then immediatly took off and went back to his base. I then coverd my mouth a let out a soft yawn "I hate this assholes so fucking much..." I said in a grumpy tone "So... it's still your watch or do you want to switch?" I said to Deadrin in my usual calm tone.

[Neptune]

Daedrin listened to Izanagi speak about how some God’s had treated him. He wasn’t entirely surprised by the story. After all, in most religions, it was always heaven versus hell. The apparent good, versus the apparent evil. Izanagi being viewed as the apparent evil. Daedrin knew that if Izanagi had actually met his own God’s, he would not be so bitter. His God’s knew that the universe was not so black and white. Ones labelled as ‘demons’ were always more complicated. They tended to take people as who they were, an attitude very rare in these times. He was drawn from his thoughts when Izanagi spoke again, stating that he would go back but before he could finish, they were interrupted when an arrow suddenly pierced Izanagi’s right shoulder. Daedrin reacted in a flash, his sword coming out quicker than the human eye could see as he planted his feet slightly wide as he held the sword up, ready to strike at whatever it was. His blood red eyes looked up to see an angel in midair, causing him to frown. It seemed that his concern that they would return for Izanagi was valid. 

He frowned when the angel claimed that it had been a warning shot, and he was about to protest however Izanagi beat him to it, causing Daedrin to snort in amusement. However his amusement didn’t last for long when more of the fuckers decided to come out of the woodwork to surrounding them with spears and bows. His frown deepened even further when Izanagi told him to step back. He didn’t particularly want to, especially not when he knew that he was fully capable of being able to fight himself. But then he could forgive Izanagi, for what he didn’t know. He he allowed himself to step back, but he refused to hide behind a rock like a coward, instead standing at the ready to jump in if Izanagi needed him to. 

He watched as Izanagi transformed into his possessed form, and hoped that he wouldn’t let things get any further than that. After all, he no longer had the Null stone just in case he went absolutely berserk. He remained where he was, watching the fight unfold starting with the downfall of the leader. The one that rallied the troops and boosted morale. After that, it was like watching leaves being blown away in the wind. They were no match for his friend. But when they tried to flee, Izanagi caught them with his Hell Chains, locking them in place before pulling one free and pinning them to the ground with his sword. He flinched a little when he slaughtered the other captives, leaving only the one alive. He then noticed a slight shift in Izanagi’s tone, and realised that before it had been Odium in control. He had almost forgotten that aspect. 

He watched the man interrogate the angel, before demanding the angel tell their commander to stop bothering him. At his next comment, Daedrin had to stifle his snickering to prevent himself from laughing. It was even funnier when thought of in a sexual manner, especially since angels like these saw sodamy as evil and filthy. It also reminded him of something one of his father’s had said to another, meant in a sexual fashion. It amused him to hear something so similar be said by someone so completely different. He then watched the angel flee, leaving the two of them alone once again. He tilted his head a little, shifting the sword so that the tip rested on the ground while his hand were resting on the pommel, “Go back to bed, Izanagi. It is still my watch, and I am not tired. You, however, are.” He told him. 

[Akira]

I was honestly glad when Deadrin told me to go to bed. I was, as a metter of fact, very tired. After all, I barely had time to sleep before the Harvester was killed and woke me up. Not to mention that I... well, Odium had just killed a small army of angels, which isn't exactly something we had never done before and we certainly have left to do it again if necessary, but still... being tired sucks. Regardless, I was slightly surprised by the fact that Deadrin was able to tell how bad I wanted to get some sleep. "Damn, is it that obvious?" I said chuckling playfully and rubbing the back of my head a bit. "Well, in that case I'll go back to bed." I then turned towards my bed roll once again and took a few steps towards it, however, I decided to stop so I could speak one last thing before going back to my dreams "Oi Deadrin, just so you know, I have no doubt that you could have handled the situation with the angels. The reason why I asked you to step back is because there are very few things that Odium likes to do more than killing angels. So in order to keep him satisfied, I asked you to back off and allowed him to do the killing. Sorry for leaving you out of the action." I then went back to my bedroll, made myself confortable in it and went back to sleep, hoping that I would actually be able to rest this time.

[Neptune]

When Izanagi asked if it was that obvious that he was tired, Daedrin just wordlessly nodded before he smiled a little when his friend said that he would go back to bed. He then turned his red eyes back out into the darkness, however Izanagi’s voice brought his attention back and he quietly listened to him. He just nodded back a little before he looked back out into the darkness. He understood of course, angels were Odium’s natural enemy. Bringing down one's enemies like that was indeed a satisfying thing. And for the demon, a little more personal as well whereas Daedrin’s motivations were more in helping his friend defend himself. So he wasn’t upset. No doubt if Daedrin encountered something so personal, Izasnagi would stay out of it as well. 

After a few moments, Daedrin picked up his sword again and slid it back home in his sheath. He then sat down, crossing his legs beneath him. Despite his relaxed seeming posture, he was ready to jump at a moment’s notice. Although he sincerely hoped that nothing else would disturb them this night. They had already had enough drama. It could surely wait until morning. Besides, he imagined that the chaos created by the Angels and Odium had scared off anything that might cause trouble. So he decided that he was going to take watch for the rest of the night. Unlike humans, Daedrin could remain awake for several days before feeling a real need to sleep. He had not been lying when he said that he wasn’t tired. Far from it, he was quite alert as if he had only just woken up. He turned his eyes up towards the sky, deciding to stargaze instead, while unconsciously keeping an ‘ear’ out on the world around him.

So he remained as a silent statue, standing vigil over his friend. He didn’t stir until the sky began to lighten and the stars began to gradually fade out of existence. Daedrin stood up, frowning at he had been so engrossed in watching the stars he hadn’t noticed that his arse had gone completely dead from sitting on the cold, hard ground for so long. He groaned a little, stretching himself before he moved around the camp a little before he moved over to Daegrin’s pack where he pulled out some porridge meal before returning to the firepit and stirring it back to life with a flick of his wrist, risking using his gauntlets to quickly light the fire. He quickly set it off to cook, before putting the lid on the pot while it simmered. He then moved over to Izanagi and knelt beside him, shaking him a little “Izanagi, it’s time to wake up. Breakfast is cooking.” He said.

[Akira]

I slept like a rock during that night. In fact I didn't even dream, or at very least I quickly forgot about it. The most probable cause was the intense stress and tiredness from a few hours ago. That said, I was still abit surprised when I woke up. The reason? Deadrin telling me that breakfast was already being cooked, which could only mean that he stayed away the entire night while I was asleep. I slowly sat up in my bedroll and rubbed my still closed eyes a little bit as my mind, which was working way slower than usual since I had literally just woke up, processed what my friend had just told me. "Eh? breakfast? is it morning already?" I asked in a some what lazy tone before opening my eyes and having a look around the area. It was impossible to not notice that sun was already up in the sky once again, bringing it's light to our land once more. "Deadrin why didn't you wake me up?" I asked in calm and soft tone. I didn't Deadrin to think that I was mad or scolding him. "Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate you for a few extra hours of sleep, but at the same time I don't want you to feel tired. Especially when we are about to go inside the cave. We don't know what could be in there." Even with so many thoughts passing though my head, I was able to detect the delicious smell of the porridge in the air, which I immediatly assumed to be the breakfast Deadrin had just told me. Still, I was worried for my friend. Rest was absulutelly essential for a warrior like me and him. If got himself injured due to tiredness I would fell really guilty. 

[Neptune]

Daedrin blinked slowly at his companion as he tilted his head slightly at his questions. He raised one shoulder in a slight shrug before moving back to the fire and picking up the lid of the cooking pot, stirring the porridge as he said, “There is no need to be worried about me, Izanagi. I can easily go days without sleeping before I feel the real urge to. I regularly do that in my profession, as some metals cannot be left overnight and must be tended throughout the hours. Due to how tired you were, I decided it would be best to let you sleep through the night. You were in much more need of the sleep than I was.” He pulled the spoon from the porridge, tapping it against the side of the pot before replacing the lid to keep the heat in. He then stood up and moved over to their bags where he pulled out their bowls and spoons before he returned to the fire and served them up breakfast, handing Izanagi’s to him.

Once he had food, Daedrin sat back down, once again crossing his legs before he said, “You’re right in that the mine is in a cave. Quite deep within it. It will be getting a little warm, no doubt. But the ore for Kraerhil is quite elusive. We will need to take climbing gear in with us because there are a few parts where we will need to climb down.” While he could easily climb up and down himself, he wasn’t sure how good Izanagi was at climbing so it was best to be prepared. He ate a spoonful of his food before saying, “The ore itself is almost indistinguishable from the rock around it. You’ll have to be looking carefully for a slight metallic shine to it. It will almost seem to glitter when you hold a torch close to it. It would be a good idea to stick together, just in case we get lost. But hopefully the worst we will encounter are sleeping bats.”

Once he had finished his piece, he finished up his breakfast and began to clear away the camp. Once it was cleared up, he saddled Daegrin again before pulling himself up onto the Aelda. He then turned and lead Izanagi along a rocky path. Even though they had been close to the mine the previous day, it had still taken them an hour to reach the cave entrance which looked quite unremarkable but it was large enough to take the horses inside but not while ridden. Daedrin dismounted and pulled out a torch before lighting it with his flint and steel. He turned and looked at Izanagi, “We will take the horses in with us a little. It wouldn’t be safe to keep them out here. Something like a griffin, or even a dragon might decide that they would make a nice lunch.” With that, he turned and lead them into the cave with Daegrin’s metal-shod hooves clicking all around them. 

The cave quickly became dark, with only the light of the torches to guide them. The cave went straight for about ten metres before it turned, coming into an opening where the room was wider and the ceiling higher, “We can leave them here.” He said back over his shoulder to his companion before leading Daegrin over to the side and looping his rein around an outcropping of stone. He then moved to the bags where he pulled out rope, and numerous metal spikes and a grapple hook. He then turned to Izanagi and asked, “Ready to go cave exploring?” He then grinned slightly, as he was going to enjoy this personally. He had always enjoyed exploring caves when he was a young boy, even if he got lost. 

[Akira]

At first, I had some mixed feelings when Deadrin told me that I shouldn't worry about him sice was already used to going for long periods of time without any sleep. I didn't really buy the part where he said that his job as a blacksmith sometimes required him don't sleep for days. It didn't really make much sense for me, but then again, I don't understand jack shit about blacksmiting, so I shrugged it off. I would still keep an eye on him, though. Despite how much I wasn't really buying Deadrin's story, I already knew he was a man of many secrets. What he was telling was probably true to some extent and it was relaxing and reliefing to know that he was doing fine. Plus, I really was tired last night, so I couldn't really complain.

Our breakfast soon got ready, and while we were eating it, Deadrin took the opportunity to tell me a little about the cave we were about to go inside. I paid close attention to the details. The fact that the mineral we were looking for was so elusove was a bit worrying. My Soul Eye would allow me to see the soul of any living being within a certain reach, but it would be useless on that refard. I wasn't very worried about the clibing part, I had already explored a few caves in the past (insert lenny face here) and learned how to use my chains to help me do so. Same goes for my Wrathfull Flames, they could be usd as a torch. When my friend said that hopefully we would only had to deal with the bats inside the cave, I couldn't help but to sniker a bit "With our recent luck? I highly doubt that" I replied in a playful tone. I finished my breakfast not long after Deadrin and, as friend said to do so, we rode with our horses to the mine.

Upon reaching the place, Deadrin said we should leave the horses inside, since doing otherwise would mean risk having them becoming some creature's lunch. I simply nodded and replied with a calm "Got it". We then dismounted and Deadrin grabbed some equipment from Deagrin's bags and asked me if I was ready. "Heh yeah, I got my equipment right here" I said with a sligh smile while lifting my left hand and lighting it with a bit of Wrathfull Flames, just enough to create a considerable amount of light. "I can use my Hell Chains as climbing equipament. Taking too many things with us down there could be trouble some". I said in my usual calm tone.

[Neptune]

“No doubt.” Daedrin said with a slight smile, glad that Izanagi had a backup plan just in case, however he said, “But we will still take the climbing gear. Having more than one option is always a good idea in places like this.” He then turned and walked to the other end of the cave, guided only by the light of the torch. There was a narrow opening that forced him to have to turn sideways to squeeze through. Once inside, he glanced around at the worn looking cave walls before he started moving forwards using the light of the torch to watch where he was going. There were no stalagmites nor stalactites as the cave was extremely dry, suggesting that it had not been formed by water. Possibly by volcanic, or earth shifting actions. The cave sloped down slightly, their steps echoing around them as pressed deeper.

After five minutes of walking, that was when they came across their first lip. Daedrin paused and looked down, vaguely seeing the bottom. It was deep enough to require the climbing gear. He pulled out one of the metal spikes, closing his eyes as his irises turned black in colour. He knelt down and slammed the spoke into the cave floor, causing it a metallic thunk to sound around them as it slid into the rock. He manipulated it so that the metal slid directly into the rock and became anchored. He blinked, returned his eyes to their normal red colour before he tied the rope around the spike securely. He gave it a few tugs to make sure that it was before he nodded in satisfact, “There we go. Perfectly safe.” He murmured before he stood up and moved over to the lip, deciding it would be best to go first just in case Izanagi was nervous about climbing down. He moved the torch so that it was tucked on his back, out of the way but still allowing him to see.

He took a tight hold of the rope, glad that his gloves would prevent him from getting any sores. He allowed himself to slowly climb over the edge, keeping a tight hold of the rope as he slowly walked down, keeping his feet on the wall of the cave as he moved down hand over hand with the rope. When he reached the bottom, he stepped back and allowed Izanagi to follow him down however he felt like. Once his friend had joined him, he pulled out his torch and turned, walking forwards again. There was a moment where he had to duck in order to move forwards, but it opened again to a slightly taller cave and the two continued moving forwards. There was a dark opening to their right which they passed. Daedrin had glanced at it, probing into it but sensing no traces of metal, so he had decided to ignore it as they continued forwards.

[Akira]

I followed Deadrin through the deepts of the dark cave with my left hand lit in Wrathful Flames to serve me as a torch. There were a few really narrow passages that forced the both of us squeeze our way to get passed. It was more annoying than troublesome really. It was also a good thing that I didn't require any special equipment in there, since it made moving around the area much faster and easier for me. Deadrin didn't seem to be having any problems with it as well, which wasn't really surprising for me, since he said that he had explored caves in the past. There were a few cases in which we had encountered a few bats sleeping in the rocky ceeling of the cave. I took it as a good sign. If bat were living there, that means that is unlikely for us to find any dangerous predator inside, like a dragon or a basilisk.

We then reached a considerably sized lip. I watched as Deadrin took the iniciative and decended first. After he attached his hook to the ground he began to go down. I stayed near the rook just in case. If it had detached by accident, I would have held it. Thankfully that didn't happen. It was my turn to go down now. I created a small portal over my right hand and fired it at the ground with just enough force to make the tip pierce through the rocky ground. I gave chain a few pulls to ensure it was firm enough. I then began to climb down. Steadly increasing the size of the chain as I descended until I reached the ground. Once I was with my friend once again, I dispersed the chain and we continued. 

Just as we went pass the dark opening to our right I felt a weird vibration on the ground. I activated my Soul Eye just in case as we proceeded, if there was someone following us, I would see it. The vibration grew louder and the cave itself seemed to shake a bit. I began to look for anything that could be doing that, but before I could think straight about it, the roof began to fall. "Watch out!" I shouted and pushed Deadrin forwards so he wouldn't be chushed and then I dashed backwards to avoid the boulders falling from above. After a few seconds, the dust finally settled and I was able to see that Deadrin and I were now separated by the big pile of rocks. "Deadrin? can you hear me? are you alright?" I asked in a clearly worried tone.

[Neptune]

Daedrin paused when he felt the vibrations, automatically extending his senses to try and figure out what it was. He was sure that the cave was stable, and neither of them had been making much noise. He looked up when he heard the roof above them creaking, along with the protesting shriek of stone as it sheared away from the rest of the roof. Before Daedrin could even register what was going on, he found himself being pushed forwards and out of harms way. He found himself impacting the cave floor, causing him to instinctively go into a roll to prevent further damage. He lay there for a few moments, a little stunned. He shook his head, trying to get his bearings as the rocks continued to tumble and fall. When it had quite finished, Daedrin pushed himself up to his feet, coughing a little at the dust in the air. He waved a hand in front of his mouth, waving the dust away before he looked around.

In the commotion, he had lost his torch, leaving him in complete darkness. He couldn’t even see his fingers in front of his face. He let out a soft sight before turning his head in the direction where he could hear Izanagi’s voice. He moved towards it, pausing when he stumbled over a piece of rock. He cursed under his breath, before extending his telekinetic senses. He utilised a trick one of his blind sisters used to see, by using his telekinesis as a radar that would allow him to get a vague outline of his surroundings, allowing him to see even though he was completely blind.

“I can hear you, Izanagi. I’m fine, if a little dazed, and I lost my torch. If you hadn’t of pushed me, I would have been piled underneath all of that…” Daedrin called back, hoping that Izanagi could hear him as easily as he could hear his companion. He wasn’t sure how sensitive Izanagi’s hearing was. If the man couldn’t hear him, he would have to resort to telepathy, something he didn’t particularly want to do. He reached forwards, pressing his hands against the rocks and attempting to budge them, but they remained stubbornly in place, “Izanagi! I don’t think we’re going to be able to move these rocks, and I think it might cause further cave ins if you blasted it like you did that other rock. There should be an opening not far behind you. Try and take it. Hopefully it will join up with this cave.”

[Akira]

I couldn't help but to feel some level of relief when I heard Deadrin's voice coming from the other side of the big pile of rocks, sice that meant that he was alive at the very least. That said, his voice was muffled and, combined with the fact that I could still hear some vibrations coming from a few meters behind me, made it almost impossible for me to actually understand what my friend was saying. As far as I knew he could be partially stuck under the rocks or very wounded if not both. I wanted to make sure my friend was alright. "I can't understand what you are telling me. Hang on, I'll try to cut through a few of this rocks and open the way" It was a dumb idea to try and simply destroy more stuff inside the cave after what had just happened and under most circunstances I would be able to reach that conclusion by myself, but at that moment I wasn't thinking straight. The only thing going through my mind was to help Deadrin and ensure he was okay. I took a few steps back and manifested the Evil One on my rigt hand. I positioned myself in preparation to unleash an attack strong enough to destroy a few rocks. I was determined to open a way through them.

[Neptune]

Daedrin let out a colourful Eldyrannthian curse when he heard Izanagi say that he couldn’t understand what he was actually saying. He then paused when he heard his friend say that he could try and cut through the rock, “Wait! No!” He tried to call. He extended his telepathic senses through the rock, not touching Izanagi’s mind but able to read his position and general intentions. He grimaced when he felt the man backing up, clearly intending on doing what Daedrin didn’t want him to do. If he did try and break through, then it would only bring down more of the cave and almost certainly bury them both alive. He let out a few more curses, knowing that he was going to have to use his telepathy in order to communicate. 

He took a deep breath, stepping back as he narrowed his blood red eyes and as he concentrated. He was going to have to be extremely careful, as Izanagi was non-Eldyrannth. Eldyrannth telepathy had a tendency to be far too strong for other species to handle, especially with how old he was. His mind would feel like Mount Everest to someone like Izanagi. Vast, with a weight that pressed in all around him. If Daedrin allowed Izanagi to be drawn into his mind, he would lose himself. So Daedrin needed to narrow the band as much as possible, to avoid any kind of danger to his friend. He reached out with a sliver of thought, connecting himself to Izanagi and telling him firmly, ‘Izanagi! Stop! If you try and break through the rocks, you will bring down more of the cave. I’m not buried at the moment, but I will be if you try and blast your way through.’ He rubbed at his forehead, sweating a little from how much he was concentrating on being careful, ‘Listen. There is an opening a little behind you. Try going down there, and see if it connects to this cave further along.’ He instructed.

[Akira]

I was about to begin slashing my way through the pile of rocks when I suddenly heard Deadrin's voice inside my head, causing me to come to a complete stop. Needless to say, I was confused as hell at that moment. Not only did Deadrin's voice simply pop in my mind and began to talk to me, but I also began to feel a very weird sensation. Somenthing that I had only experienced during a few and very selective moments of my life, I felt as if my mind was heavy. As if there there was some sort of mysterious force being applied to it. The only times in my life in which I had felt that sensation was when I was dealing with psychic beings. That only happened once or twice before, but there was no mistaking on that feeling, even though they were much much weaker than the one I was feeling at that moment. At first I didn't trust that voice very much since, for all I knew, it could very well be someone trying to mess with me and lead me to abbandon my friend during a very possible hour of need. However, not only was the voice tone exactly like Deadrin's, but also the way of speaking. The firm and ellaborated words. It was simply too much like him. I felt a brief sensation of relief when the voice that I now believed to Deadrin's said that he was okay. Without many options, I decided to do as 'Deadrin' intructed me to.

"Deadrin, I'll go through the opening we saw a few meters back ok?" With that said, I did as I said I would and turned back, heading for the passage. *Are you sure this is a good idea?* Asked Odium *We can't be sure if that voice was really Deadrin or not* *I know, but in any case that voice was right. If I had destroyed those rocks I would have simply caused more to fall down over our heads. Right now, finding an alternative route is our only option* I quickly reached the opening and went though it. There wasn't much to be looked at. It was just like the rest of the cave so far and there were also no signs of the mineral we were looking for. Without any other options, I simply kept on making my way through it. Eventually I reached a very curious area. It was like a very big chamber that seemed to be about 15 meters both in hight and width instead of a tight tunnel like it had been so far. I assumed that area got like that because it had been mined until it reached that point. I continued to walk though it as normal. What I didn't notice, at least at first, were the eyes at the roof of the cave. They were very fixed on me, as predator analysing it's prey. One of the creatures that was stalking me decided to take the iniciative and jump at me, aiming at my back.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwY84Fg4NsM (Skip to the 0:40 mark)

<==To be continued...==

 

[Neptune]

Daedrin let out a sigh of relief when he managed to persuade Izanagi not to bring down the entire cave on both of their heads. That would have been an extremely messy way to go. He felt Izanagi move away from the rocks, and move down the other opening. Only then, did Daedrin pull back his mind. He then turned and looked down the cave before him, using his telekinesis to act as a radar for him, getting a feel of what lay around him. He moved forwards, hoping to be able to find a cave that would lead to the side passage. He knew it might have been best to remain where he was, and wait for Izanagi to come to him but he wasn’t the type of person to sit and wait for rescue. He wasn’t a damsel in distress, after all, waiting for a man to come and save him. It rankled with his pride. So he wasn’t just going to stand there and impatiently wait.

He moved down the cave, pausing when he found himself at some kind of junction, with three paths leading away. Telekinetically, he felt down all three of them. The middle one went nowhere, while the left one went downwards, deeper into the earth. The one on the right moved slightly up before going down again. After a few moments of consideration, he turned right and moved through the passage, following it before he came to a stop. Up ahead, he could see light filtering around the corner of the cave, which meant that there was someone already here. It could have been Izanagi, but the light was different than the light he had been using to see in the cave. 

Cautiously, he moved closer towards the bend, making as little sound as possible. He came to a stop just before the bend, reaching out with his mind to try and get a sense of those ahead. There were four of them. Three of the minds felt strange, almost animalistic. One of them however, was a sorcerer. Daedrin immediately pulled back, but it was too late. The man had already sensed his probing. Deciding to just confront whomever it was waiting for him, he stepped around the door and narrowed his eyes at what looked to be a torch. He moved closer to the four figures until he was standing in the mouth of the cave that lead into a larger chamber. His suspicions were right in that one of them was a sorcerer. In fact, it was one of Torak’s worshippers with a purple rim around his hood. 

The other three were almost unrecognisable, and it took Daedrin a few moments to realise that they might have been human at one time. But they had been changed and moulded until they more resembled animals than humans. One of them looked almost like a werewolf, standing on two feet, with bulging muscles and sparse, matted fur. It was foaming at the mouth, with long gleaming teeth. The next one along, looked like a mix between a human and a grizzly bear. It was even larger than the wolf, with shaggy brown fur and long arms with sharp claws. The third one looked almost like a troll, but the fur was too thin, and the posture was completely wrong. They were hunched over, almost bending down as its arms dragged along the ground.

Daedrin looked up at the cultist with narrowed eyes, “Greetings.” He said in a polite tone of voice, watching the man carefully. 

The cultist glowered at him, his grip tightening on the torch that he was carrying, “Daedrin.” He said, his tone cold and harsh.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Daedrin asked, sounding casual as his hand rested itself on the pommel of his sword. 

The cultist snorted before sneering at him, “I think you know why, heretic.” The man glanced at the three figures around him before looking at Daedrin, “Heh. It also seems that we’re not the only ones with a price in your head. These fools used to be bandits, more after your skills than hunting you for your crimes. They want your skills as a weaponsmith, to make them top grade weapons for use in their exploits.” His sneer deepened, “So desperate they were for it that they agreed to be changed by us. Fools. And now we’re going to use them to bring you down and finally slaughter you. To sacrifice your life to give Torak his back.”

Daedrin resisted the urge to sigh before he shook his head, “You do realise that I’m not going to let you do that, right?” He asked. The cultist laughed before saying, “You will. Because if you don’t, your friend will die.”

Daedrin blinked at the man before he let out a groan, “Oh, really? You’re being stupid enough to go after him?” He asked, causing the cultist to pause in confusion. Before the man could even ask what Daedrin had meant, the red eyed man continued, “You can try going after him, but I can promise you that you won’t get far.” 

[Akira]

At the very last second before my aggressor could touch me, my instincts led me to roll to the side, avoiding the attack. I then immediatly activated my Soul Eye and dispersed the Wrathful Flames in my left hand, since my Soul Eye would allow me to see in the dark. It didn't give me a perfect night vision, but it was enough. My enemie then began to fire some projectiles made of what seemed to be a white silk. *A spider...?* I thought to myself as I dodged the projectiles. I then manifested The Evil One on my right hand and prepared myself for the next attack. To my surprised however, what happened next was... "Stop!" a mysterious voice commanded from the darkness. The creatures seemed to stop attacking me and I quickly turned my attention to the owner of the voice. It was a woman with long red hair and an average body build. She was wearing very short and provocative clothes. "Idiots, I said to wait for my signal before attacking." She scolded the creatures while creating a few small balls of fire and her and making them float in the cave's chamber we currently found ourselfs into, lighting up the area and revealing the other creatures behind her. They were all humaniod, but considerably bigger than a average person and with a few differences. One had a very thin and small body covered in what seemed to be metalic spikes. Other had the lower half of his body replaced with the one of a scorpion, stinger included, and his hands were also replaced by scorpion's claws. A third one had his entire body transformed in grey rocks. The last one was a woman whose lower hald had been replaced with the one of a spider and the tip of her spider legs were sharp as spears. Her long black hair was covering her breasts and she had eight red eyes instead of two normal human eyes. "Who the hell are all of you?" I asked in a cold voice tone.

"You can call me Igna and me and my companions are here to capture you." "Wow... how suble..." I responded in a sarcastic way "I wouldn't do anything stupid in your situation, as you can see, we have transcended our puny humanity and tranformed into powerful monsters. That said, I do have a different proposition for you..." she said in a seductive tone and began to slowly approach me "You see, this doesn't need to be unpleasant. I was thinking that maybe I could... persuade you to come with us without a fight" She was clearly confident in her seductive skills, she approached me even move and slowly traced one of her fingers in my right cheek. I honestly feeling desgusted by her false acting, but I also took it as an opportunity to get some information from her "Oh, really? And why exactly are you so interested in me?" I asked, pretending to be interested in her proposal "Well, I can tell that there is more to you than meets the eye. Plus, your friend's skills as a blacksmith are no short than legendary, from what I've heard as least. With weapons made by him, we could do anything we wanted to. Maybe even take over the kingdom. What do you think dear?" She asked before she seductively placed her hand on my cheeck, waiting for my response. I stood in silence for a few moments, Igna thought I was considering her proposal, but I was simply processing all the info she just gave me. *So they are after Deadrin huh? Then it seems I'll have to break this guys* I dispersed the The Evil One and placed my right hand over Igna's to give her the impression I was about to say yes. She giggled a bit, thinking herself to be victorious. Unfortunately for her however, I wasn't planning on accepting in the first place. To her surprise, I suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled it towards me firmly before conecting a powerfull kick to her gut that sent her flying until she colided with the wall. The impact was strong enough to leave a small hole in the area. "Yeah, sorry to dissapoint you, but I am not the kind of guy who back stabbs his friends" I quickly manifested The Evil One in my right hand once again and got ready for the battle. Out of the blue, I knew that I would have to be careful. Simply firing my chains without thinking could lead to the tips hitting the walls or roof, causing more boulders to fall on my head and possibly cause another collapse. The same goes for most attacks using the Wrathful Flame, since it has a very high destructive potential. "Aaaagh! YOU BASTARD!" Igna shouted at me with clear pain and anger taking over her. "Screw the mission! Just Kill him!" 

(Alright, the fight is about to begin. Since I am still experimenting with adding songs to my bigger posts, I thought I could do it again. Here you  go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQ4GQSyMNEM Obviously, hearing the song is optional. Let me know if you liked it. Enjoy!)

The other monsters didn't think twich before jumping at me. My priority was to take down the scorpion monster first since his poisonous stinger was the biggest threat at the moment. The spider creature quickly climbed the walls and reached the ceiling. From there, she kept trying to hit me with silk shots. The rock person somehow sank on the solid cavernous floor as if it was made of water, and the scorpion man and the spikey creature simply rushed at me. With my superhuman speed I didn't have much trouble dodging and blocking the spike and claw attacks. My main focus was to keep my distance from the poisonous scorpion sting. Igna didn't stay out of the action for long, though. The balls of fire that were floating in the air where one by one flying in my direction and trying to hit me. Having to deal with so many different attacks at the same time made hard for me focus on coming up with a plan. For now at least, I would have to keep my defenses up and strike when I get an opportunity to do so. However, after a few moments the spider girl was finally able to hit me with one of her shots. The sticky silk got my left foot and stuck it to the ground. Noticing the opportunity, the scorpion man stretched his tail in an attempt to sting me. I dodged his attack by a hair and maneged to cut off half of his tail with my sword, causing him groan loudly in pain and agony as he took a few steps away. Giving me some breathing room. It wouldn't last long, though. Both the spiky creature and the rock one chaged at me at the same time, but from different directions. While the hedgehog jumped to attack from above, the rock man emerged from one of the cave's walls as if it was liquid and launched himself at me with incredible speed. That gave me an idea. Since my movements were still a bit restrained, I wouldn't be able to dodge both. I dispersed my weapon's sheath so I could use both hands on my sword, basically increasing my strike force by two and also increasing my control over how much strengh I would use on my strikes so I could avoid damaging the cave with my attacks. With a single and frm swing from my blade I slashed the hedgohog vertically in half, needless to say, spilling almost all of his blood over me and killing him instantly. The rock monster on the other hand, maneged to punch me in the back, causing me to groan in pain. His strike was powerful enough to get me unstuck from the spider's silk and send me flying for a few about a meter. I rolled on the ground a few times before I maneged to stop myself and get up. "Ok, I'll admit... that one was a bit painful." 

The stone creature once again dove into the ground, clearly preparing himself to attack again. Once again I got myself some breathing room. My back was hurting a bit due to the attack I had just recieved, but I would have to worry about that later. The scorpion man was once again charging at me, after all, he still had his claws. The spider lady was also shooting her silk at me again. Now that I had less enemies to worry about I could easily dodge and block my enemie's attacks while also conter attacking. I maneged to make a few clean cuts on the scorpion monster's body, causing him to stumble a bit, which gave me an openning to puch him in the face and push him back a few meters. I then grabbed the severed scorpion sting that was still on the ground and threw it at the spider lady. Due to how big she was and how fast the projectile was moving I got a clean hit right in her abdomen. The poison quickly took effect and caused her to lose her strenght, however, on the last second before se fell from the roof she positioned herself right above me so she could fall over me with the tips of her sharp spider legs pointing down. She was clearly planning on killing me with her legs. The other ones, asside from Igna, were charging at me again. The scorpion from the right and the rock monster from the left. It was then that I remembered my dream from before the incident with the Cloaked Harvester. I wasn't sure if it really was related with the rune I acquired at the mansion, but that was as good time as any to test it. I allowed some energy to flow through my right hand, causing a slight grey shine to emanate from it "Tempus-Tarda!" I said with a firm voice while looking at the spider lady falling down. A glowy aura immediately surrounded her and reached a state of almost complete stasis in the air, she was stopped when she was about two meters from the ground. With that done, I quickly focused on my other enemies. 

 I dashed towards the rock monster while also avoiding the scorpion's attack. I dodged the puch that the boulder creature tryed to throw at me and grabbed his face with my right hand. Igna decided to take a more active role in the fight and fired a big fire ball at me. Noticing that, I threw the boulder man at her. He collided with the fire projectile and destroyed it, but it didn't seem to make much effect on him. Igna jumped to the side and maneged to avoid getting hit by the living projectile I threw at her, causing said projectile to hit the wall. However, upon making contact with the hard surface, he immediatly submerged himself in the walls again. I jumped back a few times to get some more distance between me and the others. Thanks to my Soul Eye I was able to track the soul moving within the ground. Once I noticed he was about to emerge again to attack me, I dashed backwards just in the right time to avoid him. I waited until he was completely out and punched him in the stomach with enough strenght to impale him with my right arm, causing to scream loudly in agony. "Predictable" I said in a dissapointing tone as I lifted him up just above my head and placed my free hand on the hole in his body before pulling my arms in opposite directions and ripping the creature in two. Killing him and cousing even more blood to fall on my clothes, but I couldn't think about that now. 

I was now focused on the scorpion. Igna was too horrified by what she just saw to fight me at the moment. The scorpion was too irracional to do so. Now that I had way less enemies to deal with, I could take on a more offensive approach. I manifested The Evil One's sheath once again and grabbed it with my left hand. I charged at the sorpion and, as he tried to counter-attack me with one of his claws, I used one of my special techniques to strike him "Quick-Draw Style: Slash Flash!" in what seemed to be a single swing from my shord for everyone else but me, I dismembered both of the scorpion man's arms. He screamed loudly in pain and agony, but to my surprise, he was actually able fight through the pain and seemingly calm himself a bit. He still had the look of a warrior in his eyes and seemed determined to keep going. I couldn't believe on what I was seeing "Are you seriously planning on keep fighting me? I mean... I like your determination, but you can't possibly fight anymore. You've been completely..." I then picked up both of his severed arms from the ground "..dis-armed" I said in playful tone while shaking his arms around. My enemy didn't give up however, and rushed at me one last time while shouting at the top of his lungs. I simply sighed in response and charged at him as well. I used one of the sharp scorpion claws I was holding and pierced his skull with it, quickly finishing off the creature. I then turned towards Igna, who was cowering in fear near one of the cave's walls "N-no, s-stay back!" the fear in her voice was clear as I dissipated The Evil One, since it wasn't necessary anymore, and began to slowly but surely approach her. She dispersed the small fire balls there were lighting the chamber we were in and concentrated them in a single and powerful fire barrage, which she simply kept on using against me despite how clearly useless it was.I didn't even bother to get out of the way of her attack, since it wasn't hurting me in the slightest. I eventually reached her and grabbed her by the neck with my right hand, causing her to give into her fear completely and cease her attack. "W-w-what the hell are you?!" she asked in despair "...a true monster" I replied in a cold tone before breaking her neck with my hand and tosing her dead body to the side.

"Well, that was fun" I said to myself in a ironic tone before taking a few deep breaths to calm my mind. Eventually, my mind got calm enough again to allow Odium to talk to me *Hey, mind telling me when did you learn that 'Tempus-Tarda' thing?* *Hm? oh, I heard that in a crazy dream I had recently and thought it was worth giving it a shot* It was then that I remembered that the spider lady was still in stasis, she hadn't moved an inch ever since I used my new-found power on her. I then looked at her and began to think on what to do next *So, how are you going to deal with her?* Odium asked *Hmmm... well, I could simply stab her skull with my sword, but I think I could add some... je ne sais quoi, you know?* I replied with a devilish smile on my face, causing Odium to chuckle in response *Well then, surprise me kid* I summoned The Evil One again and jumped towards the floating spider lady. With a few precise swings I chopped off all of her long and sharp spider legs. The severed limbs didn't fall however, there wasn't even blood coming out of them. I then proceeded to position the sharp tips of the legs upwards and right under the spider lady's abdomen. I backed of and began to focus some energy through my right hand again, giving me a slight tingle sensation in my right hand and causing the glow to fade, both from me and from the spider lady, who fell to the ground and got impaled by all of her eight legs, spreading blood everywhere. She screamed loudly due to the insane amout of pain, in fact, it reached such a hight level that she eventually passed out even before dying. I simply watched it all happening until I was sure she was dead. *So, what do you think?* *Heh, ok I'll admit, you got some good talent for modern art*.

I then dispersed my sword one last time and kept on exploring the cave looking for Deadrin. I didn't bother much with the mineral now that I knew that there was someone going after my friend. This time however, I wasn't using my Wrathful Flame as torch, instead I was using my Soul Eye, not only because it allowed me to see considerably better in the dark, but also because it allowed me to see the souls of any living creature nearby, even through the wall if it was close enough. If Deadrin's soul was nearby, I would see it. After a few more minutes exploring the cave I was finally able to catch a glimpse of Deadrin's soul, I didn't think twice before rushing towards it. When I reached the area I felt relief upon seeing that my friend was okay. "Deadrin! I finally found-" I began to speak with a relieved tone before noticing the blood and dead bodies on the ground "So you were attacked too huh?"

 

Edited May 25, 2019 by Akira

[Neptune]

The cultist continued to glare at Daedrin after his little declaration. The man then hissed softly, “Then he will have to die if he doesn’t cooperate.”

Daedrin shook his head a little, as this man clearly didn’t understand. He then shrugged one of his shoulders, “I did try to warn you. But your accomplices won’t get far with him.” He said, glancing at the three animalistic figures before looking back at the cultist, “I will give you one warning. Leave, and take all of your little friends with you, or die. I advise you take the former option.”

The cultist glared hatefully at him before summoning a ball of fire and throwing it at Daedrin who swept his sword from its sheath with a speed far superior to humans. The sword sliced through the ball of fire, causing the blade to glitter as the fire dispersed. The three figures jumped forwards, snarling at him but he poured energy into the blade as he swung it back causing a pulse of energy to erupt from it. It struck them before sending them back into the cave walls with a loud crashing sound, causing the cave to shake around them. The cultist looked a little perturbed by that, frowning over at Daedrin who raised his sword slightly with a cocked eyebrow, “Are you sure you don’t want to take my offer of mercy?” He asked in a mocking tone.

“Fuck you.” The cultist snarled before raising his hand and causing a wave of darkness to shoot out towards Daedrin but he darted to the side. The wolf-man jumped at him with a loud growl, his front claws raised and ready to strike. Daedrin stepped back, gripping the hilt of his sword with both hands before raising it into the air before bringing it down. The result was a howl of anguish as the blade cut through the arm of the wolf-man as easy as a hot knife through butter. The stump of the arm dropped down onto the cave floor as the wolf-man collapsed on the cave floor, blood pouring from his arm. Daedrin kicked him away before he was forced to lean back as the bear-man took a swipe with his powerful claws. He really didn’t want to get caught by them.

The cultist laughed and said, “You might as well give up, heretic.” Daedrin ignored the man as he stepped back only to sense movement behind him. He turned just in time to grunt in pain as the powerful fist of the troll-man slammed into his shoulder and slammed him against the cave wall. He kept a tight grip on his sword as he then ducked to avoid the punch from the bear man. He rolled across the floor, ignoring the sharp stones that dug into his back. He jumped to his feet before moving back to give himself more run to maneuver. 

The troll turned and charged towards him with a roar. Daedrin then noticed a faint glowing around him, as his movements started to become faster, which meant that the cultist was casting spells in order to increase their attack efficiency. He darted to the side to avoid the charging troll before he turned to try and move closer to the cultist but found his way blocked by the bear-man. He raised his sword to strike at the creature but it reached out and grabbed onto the sword with a strong grip. Daedrin tugged, trying to pull his sword back from the creature but the grip was too strong.

He then let out a growl of pain as teeth clamped down on his left thigh, the sharp teeth sinking deep into his flesh. He looked down and saw that it was the wolf-man, his eyes flickering with madness as he tightened the grip of his jaw. A few moments longer and he would snap Daedrin’s leg off. Reacting on instincts, Daedrin snarled down at the creature angrily before he began to shift form, turning into a dragon. He kept himself relatively small, but he was still larger than any of the beasts. The diamond hard scales caused the wolf-man to let go of him in fear of his teeth snapping in two. Before the creature could move off, Daedrin let out a roar of his own before swinging his head around and down, clamping his own teeth around the wolf-man. The creature let out frightened yelps as Daedrin’s own sharp teeth sank into his flesh. The dragon shook his head from side to side before there was an audible snapping sound as the wolf-mans spine snapped.

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU!?” The cultist screamed, stepping back with his eyes wide. Daedrin didn’t respond to him as he dropped the lifeless wolf-man to the floor. He stood up, his tail snapping out and striking the troll man. With a sickening crunch, the troll-man collided with the cave wall, causing a bloody smear to follow him as he dropped down to the floor. He slumped to the side where he remained unmoving.

The bear-man roared and reached out to smack against the hard scales of Daedrin’s chest but due to how hard the scales were, they glanced off of them harmlessly. He turned his head back around to eye the creature with irritation. His upper lip curled up as he snarled. There was a small plume of smoke that escaped his nostrils, curling slightly as it reached up to the cave ceiling. He then struck out with one of his feet, pinning the bear-man to the floor. He tightened his grip, causing the bear-man to howl in pain as he was slowly squeezed. He continued tightening his grip, causing snapping and cracking sounds to emit from the creature before there was a sudden gush of blood from the creatures mouth. Its struggles eased up, and it merely twitched in his grip before finally lying silent. Daedrin then raised his head to glare down at the figure of the cultist, snarling at him. The light from the torch that the man was holding reflected off of Daedrin’s scales, filling the cavern with flecks of blood red light. 

The cultist was trembling violently, his face pale and his eyes wide at what he had just witnessed. Then the man did something very stupid. He attempted to probe at Daedrin’s mind, to try and break through his defences for some answers and to take control of him. Daedrin didn’t bother defending himself. Instead he struck back, easily overwhelming the other man's mind. His telepathic probe went deep as he allowed the full weight of his mind to fall upon the man. The man's entire life was exposed to Daedrin, allowing him to see every moment of his existence from the moment he was born to this very moment. The cultist twitched, his eyes going wide as he broke out in a heavy sweat. His eyes almost bulged from his eye sockets as blood began to pour from his nose. He then twitched before collapsing to the floor, dead. 

Daedrin gave a satisfied snort before he shifted back into his tarunoid form. He looked around at the bodies and grimaced before he limped over to where his sword lay. He picked it up before limping slightly away from the corpses and sitting himself down with his back against the wall. He put his sword down next to him, ready for him to grab should anymore of the fuckers turn up. He then turned his attention back to his leg and frowned as he reached out and touched one of the teeth marks which was bleeding profusely. He needed medical attention. He shifted, shrugging off his bag before opening it up and pulling out some bandages.

Just before he was to wrap his thigh, he looked up when he heard rushing footsteps. A gentle probe told him that it was Izanagi, and he sighed a little in relief as his friend rushed into the cavern. He nodded slightly to Izanagi’s question, “Yes, I was.” He nodding at the cultist as he began to wrap the bandage around his leg tightly to help stem the flow of blood, “It’s one of Torak’s cultists. He was the one responsible for the modifications to the others. They used to be bandits. It seems that they were after me for my skills as a blacksmith. The cultist, Sarnak, had other ideas. He used them to try and catch me, so they can sacrifice me. They’re under the erroneous belief that by killing me, they can bring their God back.” He said. 

[Akira]

As Deadrin began to speak, I finally realized that there was also blood coming from his leg. He clearly had been wounded during his fight against whatever creatures attacked him. I couldn't really tell what said creatures were due to disfigured and bloody the corpses, or at least what was left of them, were. I felt a slight relief however, when I noticed that Deadrin, being the smart and well-prepared bastard that he was, had already taken a few actions about that problem. He had already made a basic-level curative and placed it on the wound. I then heard what Deadrin told me about culprints behind the attack. His info matched almost perfectly with what Igna had told me before our battle. The only part that I didn't know what about the cultist "I see... so those fuckers are still going after us despite the fact that we destroyed their little mantion while taking down dozens of them in the process huh?" I sighed and shook my head in annoyance while calmly approaching Deadrin and offering him my hand to help him up "And to top it all of they think that killing you will bring their God back? Talk about stupid" I honestly also wanted to say something like 'See? I told you Gods only bring trouble!', but I decided to simply focus on helping Deadrin and getting the mineral we were looking for as soon as possible so we could get the hell out from that cave.