... The famished with gifts...
It is good that people cannot harm other people and not scathe themselves. Because killing another person takes such a toll on their consciousness and always will, people do not become accustom to killing. So how is it that people can still kill over and over again and still have the will to do it over again? Its because it deprives them of something they no longer have. When one can no longer understand what killing feels like, there is nothing that stop them from their goals, or resolve issues with blood.
"Take a look at the Gaia falls beyond us." Saturos peered at the land that was beyond them. On top of the hill they could see the draft easily. The ground appeared solid with snow, but as it continued outward the snow became thinner and it looked as if the ground was turning grey. The edges formed a crack pattern and the land began to fall apart. The cracks on the ground were large and unstable. Occasionally once a day, a piece of land chipped off and fell into wherever Gaia falls lead. The cold grey ground made it feel like the earth was withering away like old dust, gently being blown away. Saturos once stared at the edge of the falls and saw nothing but blackness. The ground was shaky but not weak. The dark was lucid and the objects that fell into it seemed to have just disappeared as if it fell from the sky. The object became smaller and smaller until you couldn't see it anymore. It made it feel like staring off of a cliff. Here near the falls, he felt no heat, no cold, it was as if matter itself fell into the falls. Saturos sometimes became light headed when he was stood at the edge long enough. But when he stared into the black bottom, he found a sense of tranquility. It made him feel small and that the end of the world was slowly closing in like a predator cornering its prey. It was like staring into the sky but in the ground. Infinite space but without the stars, just complete blackness. Saturos took a final glance at the dark filling of the ground as if it was a great and endless sea and said, "This shall be our last time we will ever see such a brilliant yet throat tensing view. For once we invade sol sanctum, we will finally end the calamity that threatens man's very existence. Prepare yourselves, for the road to redemption will be treacherous and painful, but we will finally save our people! Our land! Man honor the dead for the dead shall be given the eternal sleep they shall desire, but as long as we breath air and our backs are forced into the wall like mere dogs, we will fight until we cannot fight no more! As long as you breath, fight for your comrades, for your people! For we need your strength more than ever! It will not matter if we have to fight towns, countries, or nature herself! When our people will need us, we will fight! Together we are impenetrable! As long as we live, we will never stop fighting for our country, for our people!" Saturos men were only nine people, but after the speech, they sounded like an army of millions prepared to raid a country. They raised their weapons in the air as Saturos revealed his long gleaming blade and pierced it into the sky. They cheered because they know they might die tomorrow but wanted to celebrate their lives. They cheered because they know their mission defied the impossible but they were willing to die trying. They grew louder and louder as they left their town. But before it ended, common folk from town who heard their yells came and and cheered along with them. They were children, then they were the workers, the people who were not warriors. All of Prox came and cheered. Together they broke the sound of the storm with their voice and could have broken ice with their yells. As they left, the town shouted, "God speed heroes of Prox!"
It was midnight when they arrived at the village that protected sol sanctum. Only Saturos entered first to excavate mount Aleph and try to find a passage that could lead his team into the mountain. From what he has heard, Vale was once a mining state. Saturos came in the village gates that were almost closed. Saturos asked for refugee at the inn for he was a lone traveler. Lacking no complexion, they let him in. After staying in his room, he went to go explore the mountain. The village was a very quaint place and was green all to the core. The grass he walked on was pure and the air clean. It was quiet with the exception with child play. Saturos continued to sol sanctum when a guard stopped him from continuing. "I'm sorry, it's just a magnificent mountain, is it dangerous there?" Saturos asked casually. "No, but it is a sacred place that is forbidden except for the high elders." Saturos nodded agreeing and walked away. Saturos turned around and saw the guard minding his post. Saturos walked out of eyes sight and stepped around the side of the wall. The guard stood near the edge of the small waterfall and Saturos had a plan. He unsheathed his tiger bane, a prized sword of Prox that was sharp as the wind but as firm as steel. It was prized in Prox because it reflected the psynergy of the user and harvested the specific element of mars. Saturos unsheathed the three foot blade making a glimmering metal to metal sounds then with careful aim, he stabbed it into the wall. It made clicking sounds as the ground began to fall apart. Cracks appeared and the ground began to tremble. The guard felt the ground flinch and before he could react, Saturos pulled out his sword from the wall and a layer of the ground fell apart. The guard slipped into the waterfall and fell down into the bottom river. Saturos continued upward without the guard stopping him and he finally reached sol sanctum.
The mountain was large and grand. The building lacked complexity and was large and simple. as he came closer he noticed small details he missed from afar. The sanctum drove upward as if it was a tornado with sections that stuck out and pulled back in and made a big gap between the sections. From the bottom it looked like a cone, but in reality, it was a straight structure. It seemed to have touched the sky. When he looked up to it, it appeared like it pierced the sky. Saturos didn't go straight to the door and instead head toward the side of the sanctum. As he went toward the edge of the sanctum, he noticed a thin bush that stood out. Saturos pulled it from the ground and revealed a small hole under the bush. He saw a glimmer light and knew exactly what it was. Saturos climbed into it. Vale use to be a popular mining are because of the rare materials, but stopped after people would become sick after entering the mine which was at times fatal. They were unable to protect themselves and gave up when they decide that the mine was dangerous and the risk was not worth the dangers. But Saturos knew why. The mine was completely flooded with purple stone, psynergy rocks. They generate outrageous amount of psynergy when struck. It is dangerous to simple humans because of they are incompatible with alchemy and when their body tries to reject it, it accidentally starts to damage itself to rid psynergy. Saturos began to make his way in the one way mine shaft. It was dark and the mysterious psynergy rock was his only light that help guide him. After a long time of walking he reached a light that was barely a crack up above. Saturos climbed the rigid rock and felt the soft ground which broke apart when he pushed it and revealed another hole. Saturos climbed out and was in a forest. He wasn't to sure where at first, but then saw a campfire a mile away where his men were. He went to call his men over and to go through the hole. All ten of them started to go through the mine shafts, each one of them taking a good long look at the stones. "Intel was right about it being an old mine underneath the sanctum. Morons tried to mine the psynergy rocks and died trying. This will lead directly near the sanctum." After another long walk, Saturos reached a hole of light. He climbed into it first to check the area and it was clear. They snuck into the front of the sanctum which had a lock gate. "There is only one gate because there is only one way in, and one way out. This sanctum housed the most difficult and witty traps you will ever see. Stay sharp." Saturos used his blade aiming carefully, and sliced right between the crack of the two doors destroying the rusty lock between it. They began to excavate the area. They stayed spread apart but made sure no one was left behind. They reached several puzzles which were bypassed easily. They were simple mazes and Saturos was amazed how easy they were. He felt like he overestimated the place. The hidden passages were just status that blocked the path. You could tell if a statue could move by the smooth bottom that it had. Finally he reached the room that was the final room that they looked for. The room where the sol shall set and the Luna will settle. Saturos remembered this verse because it should reveal the secret room they were looking for. When they reached the two room and it was sol they saw first and Luna was in the other room. Its suppose to be the other way around, Saturos thought and figured that this too will be a puzzle of some sort. They continued into the hallway that evolved into a staircase and to the very top of the sanctum. The team began to examined the areas and found the identical room but with statues surrounding it and with water surrounding the platform of sol and Luna from a moat. Near the back, there were no walls except pillars that exposed the outside. Saturos went toward the statue that surrounded Luna and when pushed it, it moved. It began to shed light onto the platform, it turned the moon into an edge that looked like a sun. But when he let go, the statue fell back to where it was. "Erasmus, Krueger, Wilton, push the statues at the same time." They reached into position and started to push the statue toward the platform. At once the Luna changed into the sol, but the sol in the other side of the room remained sol. Suddenly Saturos notices something happen to the statue he had pushed. It trembled it bit. Then it exploded. Saturos flew backward and landed into the water moat surrounding the other platforms. His skin was torched which surprised him because he should be immune to the fire. It calmed down a bit and Saturos swam back up. His men who pushed the statue were scorched by the explosion. Wilton stumbled around enveloped completely in fire and tripped between the gaps of the pillar and fell off the building. Krueger collapse on a corner and the fire danced on his body turning him into charcoal. Only Erasmus managed to fall into the water before the fire did any significant damage. But his skin was burnt to a crisp and he couldn't walk. His men quickly began to act to save the remaining people but the trap had already begun. The sanctum trembled violently and Saturos could not keep his footing. Suddenly the top sanctum began to tilt forward. Saturos slipped and began to slide on the floor and to the pillars that lead to his death. Saturos managed to grasp on what was left on the statue and two of his men who didn't grab onto anything fell on top of the cylinder pillars. But the pillars fooled them and started to crumble and broke apart leading the two to their fall. Then the sanctum slowly began to shift back normally and Saturos went to the trench where Erasmus laid unconscious and picked him up. He ordered his people to fall back, but Menardi who was near the edge pointed up to the sky. A storm was brewing. The clouds became a dark grey and it amassed over the sanctum. "Run now!" Saturos yelled. His remaining men started to run for the exit while the storm grew and then lighting began to strike the sanctum. The thunder that crashed ripped apart the mountain and the sanctum tearing it into pieces. Saturos and his team ran trying to escape the calamity.
Isaac awoke dazed. His mother was shaking him awake. "Isaac! Please wake up!" His mother pleaded. Isaac sat up rubbing his eye while his mother paniced getting him ready. "Mother? What's going on?" Isaac asked when she strapped on his cape on him. "Mount aleph is falling apart. We have to get out of here and take cover in the town plaza. Lets hurry." Isaac stood up and started to run downstairs following Dora. When they reached downstairs, Isaac saw a giant boulder where the living room used to be. I can't believe I slept through that Isaac thought. There were boards everywhere and the rain was pouring into the house. Dora opened the door and called over Isaac who was trying to comprehend what was happening. When they reached outside, They were shifted off their steps with the heavy rain and wind. Dora grabbed Isaac's hand to keep him from shifting off course. As they were heading down to the plaza, they noticed a man walking towards them. It was Kyle. "Dora! Are you okay? Where's Isaac?" Dora pulled Isaac a bit closer and nodded to show they were fine. "Okay, evacuate to the plaza and stay at the inn. I'll be back."
"Wait, your not coming with us?"
"I have to help evacuate the other villagers, just take care of Isaac and get to the plaza." Dora glanced at Isaac who was fourteen and was tall for his age. "Isaac can reach the plaza himself. Let me help you." Kyle wanted to refuse, but he knew that the villagers are in great danger and most of the guardians had gone off to try to hold off the massive boulders that could pulverize houses. They were few on people holding off the most threatening boulders and few people evacuating the towns folk. "Okay. Stay close to me. Isaac, you'll be able to take care of yourself, right?" Isaac reassured him with a nod. "Okay, take cover in the inn. We'll be back, when we are finished. Don't do anything foolish." Kyle and Dora went ahead and vanished in the dark rain. Isaac began to walk down toward the plaza with the heavy rain wearing him down and the wind weighing him down. It was midnight and with the rain, he could barely see in front of him. Isaac put on his hood of his cape to keep the cold weather from his face which was freezing up. He tightened the tunic around him so it would try to keep him somewhat warm. He kept his eye on the ground where he could see until he reached the stairs. He saw a giant boulder had demolished the stairs and it was a small cliff now without the stairs and Isaac knew he wouldn't be able to jump it uninjured. So he went backwards toward his house. He walked fast but cautiously. Every now and then, the wind intensified and blew louder than a whistle. Isaac had trouble taking steps whenever this happened. So he moved fast to not be caught in the rain as often. As he moved forward be saw small boulders all about that dug miniature craters where it hit. Some hit houses that broke them apart. Isaac kept walking and heard someone who was making grunting sounds. He followed the direction and found Garet who was trying to pull a chest with him. Isaac went to call him out and Garet said, "Isaac? I'm trying to save my stuff!"
"Garet, there's a storm causing boulders to fall off the mountain! We have to go!" Garet glanced at the several boulders around him and at Isaac who was stood behind him. "Could I at least like bury my things?" Before Isaac could say anything, a boulder crashed into the house next to them. "Whoa! That was pretty close... Lets get out of here!" Garet chuckled. They walked close to the wall to hide from the wind and some of the rain. They walked close to each other and made sure they could still see each other. The rain grew even more heavier and instead of the wind blowing harder, a lighting bolt struck the mountains and made a terrifying loud sound that made them deaf for a bit. The sound matched the size of the lighting bolt that was thick and looked like a tree branch flashing down. Isaac could hear the mountain falling apart and when the flash occurred, he saw completely in front of him and saw the guardians near the hillside trying to halt a gigantic boulder that looked as if it could take out two houses at one. Isaac could hear them yelling, "Focus! We have to keep this at hold as long as possible for the villagers to reach safety. Don't mind the other boulders for now, just keep this one at bind for now!"
"Its huge! This could destroy the town alone!"
"We won't be able to stop it, just hold it as long as you can!"
"Hey, did you see those kids? I think I just saw the captain and the mayor's son!" another flash of lightning came crashing down and Isaac and Garet saw a man staring at the two. They also saw the the size of the boulder and was amazed that they were able to keep it at bay. It was as large as a meteor. "Kids run! Take cover in the plaza now!" Isaac and Garet started to run after seeing the boulder. They started to go down the stairs that was thankfully kissing the cliff so they managed to hide from the wind in as they walked as well. When they finally reached the bottom, another flash of lightning crashed the mountains and they saw a group of people near a portside of a building in the flash. Isaac and Garet rushed over to the house and saw it was Jenna's family and Isaac's parents. When they peered into the river where their vision was, they saw a boy clinging on to a piece of wood. Dora saw the boys coming from the other side of the house and called out to them. "Isaac! Garet! What are you doing here?!" Isaac yelled that the stairs were destroyed and they had to take a detour. "Who is that on the piece of wood?" Isaac asked. "Its Felix."
"Oh dear... Is he okay?" Dora glanced at Felix who was still hanging on the piece of wood. The wind was strong and the rain made the current vicious making the odds against Felix. Dora went back into the house along with Jenna and came outside and meet up with the two boys. "There's nothing we can do right now, so we need to find more help. I'll go to the north to see if there are any guardians left that have longer rope or anything. You two and Jenna go to the plaza and see if there is any help there. If there isn't... Just stay there." before Jenna had the chance to object, Dora left for the north. "Come on. We're almost at the plaza. Felix need our help." Isaac said. The three of them started to head east where the plaza was.
The plaza was a much safer area compared to the west because it wasn't close to the direction of the mountain and was located where the hill wasn't at so it had a lower chance of a boulder rolling down. The inn was also a safer area because of the guardians that were protecting it from incoming boulders. They rounded everyone at the inn so they would only have one place they will need to defend. Isaac, Garet and Jenna reached the inn and there was the guardian in the front of the door. "Get in here." he said. Isaac told him about the situation Felix was in and asked for help. "Little Felix fell into the river?" The guardian went into the inn and came back with ropes and other supplies. "Okay, you three stay where you are, I'll go help the others."
"You'll need our help to get to where they are!" Jenna said. The guardian thought about it and decided it would be better to have them guide him to it. "All right, take me to him then." The three went to take the guardian to Felix.
The four guardians had focused to keep the giant boulder in place, but their psynergy slowly wore down. They were exhausting their selves and each time the lightning would strike or the wind will blow harder, they will tremble a little. "I'm almost tapped out! We have to let go!" One the guardians said. The other three agreed. They were using energy that was not there anymore. They slowly stepped out of the way of the boulder and as they did, the boulder started to move forward again. They release their concentration and jumped out of the way of the boulder. The boulder began to storm down the hill with great momentum and weight. It crashed into the ground making sounds as loud as the thunder and shook the ground each time it hit. "Huff... Huff... I hope the people are safe..."
Isaac, Garet, and Jenna reached the bridge when they saw Dora waiting for them. "There you are! Did you find help?" The guardian stepped in position where he could be seen. "Good! Come down here and help Felix!" the four of them ran down the stairs toward the house when suddenly, the crash of thunder without lightning numbed their ears. The floor beneath them was shaking violently. It felt like an earthquake. But it wasn't. The massive boulder they saw before was crashing into the ground and shattering the floor and bouncing back up. It demolished houses that was in its way, and then it reached the waterfall. It got caught between the river and the current carried the waterfall down. Isaac stared at the boulder that came down with the waterfall. Kyle and Jenna's parents turned around. The boulder looked like the moon coming down. Kyle completely froze. He felt like his heart stopped. There was nothing he could do. A man who always finds a way out could not think because there was nothing to do. The giant boulder crashed down where they were at and they simply disappeared. A big splash of water poured over them and the ground shook violently that made Isaac sick. Isaac who blacked out when the water slammed him into the wall was recuperating from what happened. Isaac stared at where Kyle once was. The house and the port was completely destroy and only left behind scattered wood from the impact everywhere. Isaac looked into the river and saw that Felix was no longer there. The boulder must have carried him away as well. The rain was hard and didn't let up nor did the wind. Nothing went though Isaac's mind except to look for help. They were cold and some of them were injured. Isaac mustered what strength he had and went to the battered bridge which was surprisingly intact still, and headed for the plaza. Garet who stared at the sight of death was paralyzed with shock at first but when he saw Isaac leave he realized what has happen and what needed to be done. Isaac... Where are you going? Its times like these where men have to stick together! Garet had his sense back together and ran to the plaza where Isaac is.
Saturos placed Erasmus down near the shade of a tree where it shield him very little from the hard rain. Saturos had the chance to examine his wounds up close and found his hands took the most damage where it was trickled with blood leaking on the rough areas which took the worst burns. His arms were bad, but not as bad as his hands and his body was alright due to the fact he was a fire adept and the fire didn't do an incredible amount of damage on him. Saturos went to the ledge of the cliff. It was just Saturos, Menardi, and Erasmus left out of the ten people. Two who died from the initial explosion, another two who died in the fall, and another three did not make it when the lightning began to strike. The hallways caved in and they did not make it. They were either scorched with direct strikes or buried under rubble. How did this happen? All my men... How can I return home now? Menardi stepped to the edge as well with Saturos. "We will have to try again another time. We managed to get out of this mess alive, we can't give up yet. We were close, next time we will succeed."
"To think the sanctum could unleash a storm this powerful though. Now our men are dead. It will be hard to do this with just me and you. But you are right. Next time, we will succeed. We know what we are up against and we will be more prepared." as they were speaking, they heard a voice of a young boy cry out toward them. They were confused, and when they stepped over the ledge, that saw a young boy standing still near the Cliffside. The boy noticed them and had a certain fear in his eye. "You... You were eavesdropping on us weren't you?" The boy staggered back shaking his head. A boy with red hair whispered in his ear and Saturos and Menardi immediately became suspicious of them. "Those brats might ruin everything. What should we do?" Menardi asked. "They must forget. Don't over do it." Saturos jumped down to the closest child who was the blond boy and tackled him onto the floor. The boy was taken by surprise and Saturos began to swing his fist on him. Menardi reacted to the red head boy and picked him up by the collar and slammed him into the wall where rocks almost crumbled. He staggered onto the ground unconscious. When Saturos could tell the boy was almost out after five punches, he stood back up and wiped the blood off his fist. Saturos climbed back onto the edge and picked Erasmus back up and started to exit the town with Menardi, leaving Isaac and Garet unconscious. They went through the front gate that was empty and headed back to the camp site they were. Saturos placed Erasmus in the tent. Erasmus was conscious as he set them down. "Is anyone else alive?" he asked. Saturos didn't look at him in the eye when he said, "Just Menardi."
"Saturos... Don't be so hard-"
"Stop, just stop. My men, their families, relied on me to perhaps take them home alive. Now they are all dead with only me alive. How do you think the towns people will be? Do you really think I can just say I was lucky?" Erasmus didn't say anything, there was nothing to say. Captains always take the burden of their men. Their mistakes, their succession, their death. Saturos came out of the tent, exhausted from running and frustrated from his failure. He stood outside the rain letting the water soak him. Saturos didn't care anymore, he wasn't even too sure if he could light the beacons on his own, but would have too. In the rain, he heard a faint yell in the distance. He went to the direction and saw Menardi staring at bodies floating along the river. She followed the direction of the river, as the current took the bodies with them. Saturos began to follow the bodies as well. "Should we help them?" Menardi asked. "My friend, shouldn't that be an instinct to help the needy?"
"Yes, but I'm a bit disgusted by these Vale people right now." Saturos snickered. Saturos walked into the shallow river and picked up the bodies and Menardi did the same. They were three adults and a young boy. They took them to cover under the trees. The two of them stared at the unconscious people. Saturos checked their pulse and breathing which were fine. "Do we just leave them here? Let the towns people find them? Let the jackals at em?" Menardi asked. Saturos stared at the young boy. "Menardi, do you know what an assimilator is for an adept?"
"An assimilator? Adepts that can harvest their own and adjacent element with no filtration nor limitation. Assimilators can accept psynergy of the purest form and even amplify their own element. Assimilators can find psynergy that normal adepts can't absorb. At least that's what I've heard." Saturos kneeled down to the child. He rolled him him to the side and saw something suspicious under him. Beneath the dirt that surrounded the people, laid pure grass that just recently grow. It was short but was a pure green compare to the brown. "Look, if the storm was psynergy, he absorbed it subconsciously. Venus, the ability of nature from creation to distortion. Isn't that outstanding? You know how adepts can only harvest and produce psynergy of their own type? Adepts can only harvest a few through mind skills which only grows stronger with practice. But assimilators have the ability to produce massive amounts of psynergy they are align with and to top it off, they have no sort of filtration when it comes to harvesting their own or natural psynergy. They use psynergy to the most purest form and can harvest it limitlessly with ease. They basically have no issue and absorb psynergy with amazing proficiency. But that's not even the best part. They can even absorb psynergy of other elementals. This boy here managed to use Jupiter psynergy, a prime weakness to Venus and create life. They are extremely powerful and they have really no limitation." Saturos went back to the tent and took some rope with him. "Tie them up, we'll bring all of them back to Prox. I think we just found the solution to infiltrating the Venus lighthouse. This boy, we will need him."