XV.

XV.

It was, he considered, a fortuitous development that the Guild Master had tasked him with this of all possible quests. After all, it had been in the back of his mind for a long while, and the sooner it was resolved, the less he had to worry about.

Jakob, Heskel, and Stelji walked behind their four temporary group members. The Silver-ranked Paladin and Flame Sorcerer, whose names he had immediately forgotten, as well as the Bronze-ranked Huntsman and Earth Sorceress. Of the four, only the Huntsman and Paladin seemed even remotely worthy of being remade, as the two magic-wielders were the bottom-of-the-barrel as far talent went, and their ranks reflected their experience more than their acumen and skill, with the Flame-wielder being into his late fifties and thus having literally nothing but experience to rely on. It seemed all those ranked Gold and above had either perished in Market West already or were travelling beyond the lands of Helmsgarten to chase fame and fortune.

What help shall they be, if they alone provided nothing to the subjugation of Mercilla already?

Fodder.

Little wonder the Guild Master was so desperate. He saw talent in us, and either feared it and thus sent us to our doom or prayed we could restore dignity to his institution

Bone plates shifted below her flesh-stitched cloak as Stelji moved in front of Jakob and Heskel, instinctively knowing they were about to reach the Market West cordon and its many Royal Guardsmen on watch.

Is she capable of detecting the electricity within people? he wondered out loud.

Your strongest one yet, Heskel replied.

For you to say so makes me proud.

After being let through the checkpoint guarded by two dozen guardsmen and crossing the only bridge leading in-and-out of the infested district, their party adopted a cautious formation, with Heskel, Stelji, and the Paladin in front, the two Sorcerers in the centre, and Jakob and the Huntsman in the rear.

Look at this place, the Huntsman mused in morbid fascination as he took-in the transformed district, where streets of stone and mud had become gelatinous flesh-like structures providing winding passages through warped and stretched buildings full of maws and writhing hands that grasped for them when they got close.

Keep it down, Kabel, the Paladin ordered, assuming the control of their group, as though it was natural that he would be leader. Of them all, he wore the most expensive-and-protective gear, being covered head-to-toe in full-plate and wielding a shield with some fancy coat-of-arms on its face, as well as a hand-and-a-half longsword with golden embellish along its central fuller and a flawless edge with not a single chip, scrape, nor dent.

Fucking nobles, the Hunter muttered under his breath.

They walked in cautious silence for a while, the gelatinous ground at times shifting to tough bone or flexible criss-crossed walkways of something akin to tendons or muscle-fibres.

Do you think there will be minor demons too? the Sorceress asked, clearly out of her depth.

Instead of silencing her, the Paladin replied boldly, If so, I will protect you.

Demons of Gluttony are solitary, Jakob enlightened them. They eat everything in their surroundings, even servants and

Dont speak unless spoken to, Novitiate! the Paladin admonished him. Know your pla

With a powerful woosh, Heskels fist shattered the Braggarts jaw and caved-in the side of his helmet. Despite his fanciful armour, the Silver-ranker fell to the ground like a sack of flour, its protection clearly less important than its ostentation.

The Earth Sorceress shrieked, and the Flame Sorcerer shouted, Traitors! How dare you!

Silence! Jakob ordered, his tone immediately halting whatever incantation the Flame-weaver was prepared to utter. You are worthless. You were sent to die here! Do you not see it? Follow my lead or perish where you stand!Visit no(v)eLb(i)n.com for the best novel reading experience

The Huntsman stood frozen, then said, He really killed him with one punch

Jakob was about to correct him, when he looked down and noticed that, yes, the Paladin was in-fact dead.

Heskel. You used too much force.

Glass bones, the Wight argued back in Novarocian.

A dark laugh emerged from the Hunter at the reply. Clearly he was not as nave as the two other party members. Im in, he then answered.

Hmph, as if Ill listen to some boy, the Flame Sorcerer said.

Heskel was moments from bashing-in his head too, when the Hunter said, Ichien. If you dont come along, Ill kill you myself.

Guys, stop! the Sorceress pleaded. We can still be a team, okay? Lets do as he says.

With a reluctant sigh, Ichien nodded. Alright, lead the way.

Were facing a Gluttony Demon within its territory.

And? the old man asked.

That means we wait for it to come to us, and prepare the field to our advantage.

Huh, so its not at all like hunting beasts, Kabel mused. I was lied to.

Demons consider themselves predators not prey.

MASTER The sound of shifting bone-plates accompanied her unsettling voice. Seeing Stelji go to the fore of their group, they all started backing away slightly.

Watch this.

Jakob held his breath as he followed the trajectory of the sparking arrow, and, then, with a loud snap, it broke mid-air just above where the rolling mound passed under, showering a huge curtain of flames all down its huge body.

Fascinating, Jakob remarked. He had never seen something like it before.

Ha ha ha, Kabel mock-laughed in proud glee. Then his expression soured.

A loud wail made the ground tremble, and the many arms of the rolling Demon halted its momentum and turned it towards their position.

Oh shit

The Hunter took off running, the abomination now fixated on him. Jakob stayed put though, watching as it veered away from a collision-course with him. A sickening crunch came when it rolled over the mad Sorcerer and absorbed him into its mass, visibly growing as a result.

Moments later, Heskel found him.

Any ideas on how to defeat it?

The Wight nodded. Stone Plague.

That seems unwise.

Yes.

Jakob considered it seriously for a moment despite his warranted apprehension. Can we contain it if we sever the bridge?

Heskel grunted affirmative.

Run to the bridge and destroy it. I will begin the Hymn. When you see it spread towards you, prepare to counteract the spell.

His Lifeward put a heavy hand on Jakobs shoulder, then locked eyes with him.

Ill be fine, he told him, though he was not entirely sure it was the truth. Only time would tell. Part of him was secretly thrilled to attempt the spell however.

As Heskel ran off, he summoned Stelji to his side. She had not recovered her flesh-stitched cloak, as it had been swallowed by the Flesh-Hulks passing, but it hardly seemed to matter right then. He would craft another for her later.

Find the Hunter and bring him outside the district. Once you are across the river, make your way to the Guild District. Make sure nothing happens to his head. I need that part of him intact. He wanted to harness Kabels unique ability to quickly calculate trajectories, not to mention tap his mind for more information about the fire arrow he had used.

MASTER she obeyed and sped off, her agility surpassing even that of Heskel. She would find the Hunter in no time and he knew Mercilla would not leave the district, given her obvious attachment to it and his knowledge of Gluttony Demons general behavioural traits.

Now then he said to himself, walking towards the centre of the district, making sure to avoid the areas where flailing arms and chomping maws marked the ground, as well as giving the living houses a wide berth.

Take from the living their lifeblood and form, Jakob began to chant.

He was still chanting when he reached the approximate centre of Market West. Already halfway through the Stone Plague Hymn, the skies above had begun to swirl, the previous thunderstorms washed away by the attention given to the realm by a Great One Above.

Septen, formless and forlorn, gift this land with thy blessed touch.

What once was living will be made eternal. What once was fleeting will be set in stone.

Heed me, Septen! Through me unleash thy gift!

Petrify the wheel of time and lock this moment in eternity!

Jakobs body froze in place, his feet nailed to the ground upon which he stood. He craned his head back and threw wide his mouth, so that the twisting tendril of unholy energy might use him as its beacon to spread its gift. Just before he lost consciousness to Septens overwhelming presence, he distinctly heard the roaring wail of Mercilla as she rolled towards him.

That was close, Kabel commented, after Stelji had grabbed him with a strange three-clawed hand of blood and tossed him across the river that separated Market West from the Residential District.

He looked back at the district across the water, seeing the enormous fleshy monstrosity roll back towards where the rest of his team were. Then he noticed the clouds above, as they darkened and swirled like a whirlpool, before a giant finger-like spear of grey smoke descended into the districts centre.

When it impacted the ground, nothing happened, but he still stared at it for a few moments longer, strangely mesmerised by the sight. Today had been quite a strange day, and he had only been in Helmsgarten for under a week! He found it hard to imagine that any of the following days could even come close to matching the sheer excitement, mystery, and existential dread of teaming up with the famous Summoner, Jakob, or, as the Guilders called him, Skin Robe.

All the hairs on his body suddenly rose, and he instinctively looked towards his erstwhile saviour. Though her bone-white face had no eyes, he could feel her staring directly at him.

How do you even see?

MASTER she replied unhelpfully, then, from her bizarre over-long-and-bulbous arms crawled tendrils of blood that coalesced into a whip-like tentacle.

Erm, what are those for?

When the bloody appendage grabbed him around the neck and started dragging him across the street, he realised that perhaps there was such a thing as too much excitement and thrill.