Interlude - Clash of the Titans

Interlude - Clash of the Titans

Clash of the Titans

Ereclaw ran through the deep familiar forest. He was afraid, and his emotion reflected on the Ethereal Realm, the world changed, and he was back in his home, the Twilight Woods. Or at least a place that resembled it. The Ethereal Realm changed on a whim or was influenced by spirits. The fact that this had happened only confirmed his theory that he was something akin to a spirit now. Though he did not have the time to experiment and try to control the effect. He was being hunted, and the only reason he hadnt been caught yet was because of this effect that he was having on the environment. He was running through his home, the forest that he knew intimately. The yeti was persistent and terrifying, and based on his insults fully intent on catching him.

Ereclaw had feared that the yeti would be able to catch him easily, he seemed so much more powerful than him, but something was strange about him. He wasnt able to influence the Ethereal the same way that Ereclaw could, he was at its mercy, yet he was able to somehow brute force his way through it. It seemed that either shades were unable to influence the Ethereal Realm, or at least just this shade couldnt.

He hadnt seen any type of power use from the yeti either, he only used the devices that were cluttering his being. Other shades had access to the powers they had in life, so Ereclaw assumed that whatever the yeti was doing with the items and flashing symbols was its power, though he had never seen anything like it. On his own, the yeti was fast, and while he couldnt quite see through Ereclaws stealth, he could track him somehow. The item that he had crafted seemed to work based on proximity, as a few times the yeti had managed to get close enough to be able exactly where Ereclaw was, and other times he seemed to only know the general area.

There was no chance of Ereclaw staying and fighting, even though he had considered it. Any such ideas disappeared once he saw yeti fight. A couple of days ago Ereclaw encountered a powerful spirit, he drew the yeti to it, hoping that it would stop or at least slow down the yeti. It didnt go according to plan. The yeti demolished the spirit in a few seconds, Ereclaw had observed from a distance, his eyes allowing him to see from safety. The yeti dismantled and rearranged components, creating a contraption that looked like an empty tube that fired something that made the space itself twist and groan.

Ereclaw didnt stay to see what happened after that attack hit the spirit, he immediately ran, and the yeti remained on his track. Nothing that he did seemed to be able to shake him, though Ereclaw had figured out how the yeti was tracking him. Not that it was doing him any good now. At first, the yeti had been tracking the Essence of the Void that leaked through when Ereclaw used his stealth. Once that occurred to Ereclaw he stopped using stealth and just ran. He nearly lost the yeti then, but he figured out what Ereclaw had done and got back on his trail. Ereclaw assumed that he was tracking him through other types of Essence that Ereclaw possessed and that he couldnt so easily remove, like that of the Hunt.

That stunt with the spirit had made the yeti angry. He had used something that sent a wave of fire ahead of him, straight at Ereclaw. The only reason Ereclaw survived was because he realized that he was about to die, because he felt fear and in what he believed to be his last moments, he thought of home. And then the world changed, and he was in the Twilight Woods.

For a moment he had thought that perhaps he had died and somehow managed to reach the afterlife. But he knew that his immortality didnt work that way. Then he considered that all that he had lived the last few years was a dream, that he was still just a wolf leading a pack. One look at his body shattered that fantasy and made him realize what had happened. The Ethereal had changed, it had either twisted itself into another shape, or transported him to an area that was the mirror of the Twilight Forest in the Ethereal. He wasnt certain which one was true; he didnt know enough about the Ethereal to make a guess. But in the end, it didnt matter, the Ethereal was a place filled with mysteries and he wasnt going to divine its secrets no matter how much he tried.

For a day he believed that he had escaped the yeti, there was no sign of his pursuer. And then it all changed. The ground shook and the trees groaned as the yeti arrived in the forest in a pillar of space rending light. Ereclaw had resigned himself to running again, he had already looked in the face of his death and had faced his fear. He was afraid still, but it wasnt as strong, his hope had been restored and so he ran.New novel chapters are published at novelhall.com

Hoping that the Ethereal would grant him another reprieve, or perhaps even a real way out. He stayed one step ahead because he knew the forest, but whatever had changed the world around him also made the Twilight Woods strange. They were it almost felt like the wood was what he needed it to be, what he remembered instead of what it really had been. Trees were in wrong spots, places where they would help him and hinder his hunter. Ereclaw didnt complain, it kept him alive.

But this was a run that he was never going to win. As he ran through a small grove, the ground shook and he missed his step. He tumbled and rolled as something behind him crackled in a way that made his ears hurt.

Ah, I finally managed it.

Ereclaw raised his head and saw the yeti standing across from him at the entrance to the grove. He held a black and green cube in his hand, sections of it twisting and clicking into place.

This is much harder without contracts you know, the yeti said as he took a step forward. It is such a shame that they decided to do away with embodiments of Aspects. The Aspects are so thin now, aimless, they dont have that substance that they used to before. It makes it harder for me to create things that can influence them, you know, without having a contract with an Aspect to base the blueprints on.

Ereclaw didnt know what the yeti was talking about, and he didnt particularly care. But if he was going to talk instead of attacking, that bought him time. He looked around, looking for any way out. The yeti seemed lost in his own thoughts, he looked down at the cube in his hand and he pulled out several other item parts from his belt, or rather they floated up. With a gesture symbols flashed, and the items broke apart.

He pushed up away from the cliff, stood up and then turned around. The moment he turned he froze, again. His spirits fell, for a moment he thought that he had managed to get away. Now it seemed like he had just traded the yeti for something else.

A being stood in front of him, with green scales and towering presence. It rose high above him, its foot almost taller than Ereclaw standing up. Ereclaw had never seen this type of monster before, but he knew what it wasa dragon. Something about it didnt quite feel right. It didnt feel like a monster, nor did it feel like a spirit. It didnt have the eyes of a shade, which meant that it wasnt one of those either. Ereclaw could usually tell what the beings he encountered were. His senses were sharp enough that he could tell the difference. Whatever this being was, it was not something that he had ever encountered before, but it did feel familiar.

Ereclaw reached through his screens and removed the filters on it that he usually always kept on, in order to prevent something distracting him at a wrong moment. Then he looked above the beings head, hoping to see something, and he did.

The Explorers Soul ???

It had a name like a monster, but it wasnt. Ereclaw was certain about that. It was a soul? At least its name said so.

The dragon leaned down, and its slitted eyes narrowed on him. What do we have here? A visitor? Here? It asked, then its nostrils flared as it took in a deep breath. Ah, a hunters soul, and you are familiar. Do we know each other hunter?

Before Ereclaw could answer the ground shook, and the same sound that he heard before echoed around them. Ereclaw turned just in time to see the yeti come through a crack in the space. He floated in the air away from the cliff, wings made out of metal on his back with symbols glowing covering them.

What did I say about running, little pest? The yeti said, then raised a hand and pointed a rod with a glowing horn tied to its tip at him. Ereclaw felt the power of the weapon and despaired once more, but then before the weapon could fire a great weight filled the air and it shattered in the yetis hand.

The shade looked at it and frowned, then he raised his eyes and looked at the dragon behind Ereclaw as if noticing him just then. The yeti was clearly insane, no sane person couldve missed the massive being standing behind Ereclaw.

That was inconvenient, the yeti said.

What are you? The dragon asked. Those things on your body, they scream, you took things that didnt belong to you, bound them to your will.

Of course, I did, all things are mine to play with, the yeti said, and several items floated from places on his body, turning in the direction of the dragon.

Well have none of that, the dragon spoke and then Ereclaw felt the weight again, only this time he recognized it as raw willpower, the power of a skill. It felt as if an entire mountain was focused on the yeti, even Ereclaw who wasnt the focus could barely stand from the power of it. A sphere flashed around the yeti, glowing and pulsing with power. The yetis eyes widened, and he raised his hands gesturing and drawing symbols in the air. He didnt get to finish whatever it was that he was trying to do before the sphere cracked and the yeti was smashed out of the sky and sent tumbling down the side of the mountain.

The dragon leaned down again and looked Ereclaw in the eyes. That thing is dangerous and powerful. Far too powerful. I took it by surprise, otherwise Tell me, little hunter, who are you? And who is that thing that seeks you? Why have you come to my mountain?

Ereclaw opened his mouth to respond but found that he didnt even know how to begin. He didnt even know who or what this being was, if he could trust it or if it was about to kill him. It had given him a reprieve from the yeti, and the Ethereal Realm had brought him here, perhaps for a reason. Finally, he decided that he should start at the beginning.