Interlude - A Decision

Interlude - A Decision

A Decision

Three days away from the Hasturs city, and they still hadnt encountered anything living. Theyve gone through several territories, Maleatus used one of his perk cooldowns to transport them as far as he could see, and he could do it once a day, sending them days ahead at times. They had crossed a lot of distance, and according to Anashi they had reached the Empires southern border. Still, they saw nothing but barren land. Withered oasis territories, others where even the stone seemed to have been drained of color. No monsters, Dome or otherwise. And that scared Selia.

They had set out of the Hasturs city immediately after they looted their chests. None of them had been able to get in touch with people that they had Far-link Orbs for. Selias connected to the one that was in Sigmunds possession, and no matter how many times she tried to contact him, there was never any answer. She wished she had one that connected to Eratemus, but the man changed vessels so often that one couldnt really contact him reliably. Anashis orb was the same, no answer from the Empire.

Something was wrong, and it made all of them nervous and terrified in equal measure. They had set a fast pace back, a running march. Though some of them could move faster, they had all decided to stick together, they didnt know what to expect. They had won, the Dome Leader was dead, and yet Things were not what they expected.

They were sitting on the ground in a small area hidden by tall rocks, resting for the first time since they started the journey back toward the Empire. Selia looked at the demasi woman, the sole survivor of the Empires teamor at least the sole survivor who was still on their side.

The woman had her eyes closed, was obviously focusing on something. Selia could see Anashi struggle, her body tense with effort, and then she sighed.

Anything? Selia asked.

Anashi opened her eyes and shook her head. No, it is still I cant explain it. My other powers work, even ones that draw from the Ethereal, I just cant open a portal into it. It is as if something is blocking me from entering.

Selia grimaced. At first, they had assumed that her inability to enter the Ethereal Realm was because of Hastur, or his city. Now, it seemed like there was something else at play, no matter how powerful the Dome Leader was, there was no way that it could shut down the Ethereal Realm this far away and have it persist after death.

She couldnt imagine what could have the power to block the entrance to the Ethereal from everyone in the Real Realm. So far, their best theory was that it was a Framework restriction, and that they were just not informed about it.

A crack made her turn her head. She saw Zacharia, sitting in a corner with a small rock in his hand. He was squeezing it in his fist, cracking and pulverizing it, turning it to dust. He he had changed the most out of them. All of them had gotten the titles, gotten stronger with their new items. But he Even before the rewards, he had changed. His stats were so high naturally that he had crossed the threshold for most of the territories they were passing through. The territory with the Dome had been high tiered enough that they didnt notice, but two days ago, they reached a territory where it became clear. His steps had cracked the stone he walked on, the air was thrown away in gusts from a barest movement of his body. It was clear immediately that his stats were just naturally higher than the tier of the territory they were in, using them fully just damaged everything. Not all territories were of the same tier, not all Essence that made up the landscape was the same. And thankfully it wasnt something that he had to deal with in every territory they traveled through, only a few so far.

Selia herself had to deal with it, though not to this extent. There were few territories in the Zenshuen Sect that were low tiered enough that she had to move carefully. At least Zach had managed to keep himself back a bit, not utilize his stats at their maximum all the time.

His power was surprising.

Three days, that was how long they had been in the Dome Leaders mind prison. None of them remembered it, but Zach said that he did. That he had lived for thousands of years inside of the prison, all alone. And he had gained strength there that boggled the mind.

Selia couldnt imagine it. But he was different, that was for sure, even she who hadnt known him well could tell. She glanced at the woman sitting next to him and wondered how she must feel. Watching her partner testing out his strength on the rock.

Not even he had been able to enter the Ethereal. He could still open a way to other Essence planes, just not the Ethereal.

It worried Selia, it was another thing that they didnt know. And with the everything else, it just it added more. They were all still feeling the aftereffects of whatever it was that Hastur did to them, often she would feel her mind spinning, though she couldnt find a cause. And all of them were tired from the fight, their wounds mightve been healed outwardly, but something remained.

You are correct. A will is keeping us at bay, Zach spoke, almost as if he was speaking to himself.

Anashi and the rest of them blinked. What?

The screams outside stopped, and then the only sound was his heart beating in his chest, pounding in his ears. Then, a footstep, something heavy approached and entered the building. He froze, looking through the rubble. He heard the wooden floor creaking, a shadow moving, then it moved in his direction, getting closer and closer.

Hiro stopped breathing, put his hands over his chest as if that would somehow make his heartbeat less loud. The monster walked over, and he caught a glimpse of it. A four-legged thing with thick black skin, tendrils growing out of its neck and an unhinged jaw that was filled with black bile that was dripping on the floor, each drip as loud as a hammer strike to Hiros ears.

It looked around, and then turned its eyes to the place where he was hiding. It got closer, and then it reached over the beam and looked down straight at him. The bile dripped and fell on Hiros hand, soaking in his white fur, and he realized that it wasnt bile at all, but blood.

It growled low in its throat and then

A low tone intruded, almost like a string being pulled, followed by a gust of wind that whistled. Together they were like a song. The monster disappeared before Hiros eyes, and he blinked. For a few moments he remained frozen, and then, he slowly peeked out of his hiding place. The monster was dead, cut into pieces on the ground and a man was standing above it.

A human, with one hand extending into a blade, the air around him was twisting, making him look almost as if he was glowing.

The man met Hiros eyes, and he felt

A roar interrupted the moment, monsters outside the house. The man glanced to the entrance as another monster charged in. Hiro watched as monsters died.

Naha reached the town first by slipping through the shadows. The others werent far behind, but she couldnt wait for them. Zach had run off without a word, and she was terrified that he would get himself killed.

As soon as she arrived, she saw the carnage, the dead monsters were everywhere, broken buildings and cracked ground. She walked, searching, using her True Link to track him. She found Zach in front of a small wooden building, standing next to a white furred ravzor, a young one. He had one hand on his shoulder as the boy looked at the dead monsters and others, ravzors and humans.

I was not fast enough, she heard Zach say. For that I am sorry.

The boy didnt say anything, his eyes just looked at the dead with a blank look in his eyes. Naha saw the General, a monster that Maleatus said was the size of a house. It was missing everything but its head, and she saw the signs of Zachs time related power, Unleash Arsenal.

Zach, she said as she approached. The ravzor boy didnt react, but Zach turned his head to look at her.

Carnage and death, he shook his head. Then he looked at the dead. Innocent lives lost, all that they knew and could be lost forever. All because they didnt have anyone to help them, to protect them.

She stopped next to him, and looked in his eyes.

She had been so worried that she had lost him, that Zach that she knew didnt exist anymore. But this it was something that her Zach wouldve wanted to do, what he would say. He wanted to protect people, but before he lacked the power to do it. He had forgotten, but in at the core he was still the same. He didnt hesitate to move and try to reach these people, to help them. The only thing that had changed was that he now had the power to really change things.

She took his hand and squeezed it. He looked at her, and for a moment she was afraid that he was going to pull away, but then he returned the gesture.

The others arrived behind them, but she ignored them. She shouldnt have doubted, shouldnt have let fear make her question and worry. Zach needed her now, and she had to be what he had been for her when they met. Guide him and teach him all that he had to know.

Perhaps now they would be able to achieve what they had dreamed about for so long.