Here I am again! Some quick update that was, huh? I had already finished this chap in German even before I submitted the sixth, so it was just a matter of translating.
This time, there will be a hint to the actual plot of this fic. Since it is reaching the critical stage now, I would really appreciate if you review. And even though I like to be praised, I also want you to point out if you disliked something. After all, criticism is just as, if not more important than anything else.
Disclaimer: I don't own Monster Hunter. I also don't own LordVoldios' characters and their histories and pasts.
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Chapter Seven: Realm of fire
Once again they marched through the icy, moonlit desert. Dunes towered to both sides; not particularly high or steep, but it sufficed to block their view. The journey turned out to be quite uneventful so far. Aside from a few Apceros, they never met a living being for some time.
Ezakiel looked wearily at the horizon. Sand. Sand as far as the eye can see. For two days already we're seeing nothing but sand. Without the sun and the stars we would be lost for sure by now. He knew that they had almost reached the cave where they fought the Genpreys.
In the meantimef, Dalmin, Zeshen and Reena had other things to worry about.
"Why do you want to have it so badly?" Reena asked Dalmin agitatedly. "You just threw me on a monster. Had it not been for me, it would've trampled Zeshen and then all of you."
"But you could only prevent that because I threw you." Even though Ezakiel didn't look back he knew that his friend was lifting a finger and smiling triumphantly.
Just as well could he picture Zeshen shaking her head in annoyance, and indeed she spoke up before Reena could blow up. "But I have tripped it and Ezakiel finished it off. In theory, it belongs to us all." He could hear Dalmin fighting for words and sighed. This was going on for several minutes now, and not for the first time.
After their victory over the white Monoblos, Dalmin had decided to keep the horn. Everyone agreed with this, even him. But at that moment he had no idea what this would entail. Ever since they set off, Reena and Dalmin had been fighting over it. Ezakiel tried to stay out of their argument so far. He didn't really care whose room that cursed thing would decorate in the end as long as this bickering came to an end. Right now, the source of his problem was dangling from Dalmins shoulder, held by a wide leather strap.
"Why don't you just buy it from me?" Dalmin asked mischievously.
"Why should I?" Reena yelled. "After all, I was with you as well, and besides, it doesn't belong to you in the first place!"
"But I pulled it out of the rock!"
"And I had almost been skewered by it!"
"Same goes for me!"
"Oh, calm down already", Zeshen interjected, but to no avail.
Ezakiel had enough and whirled around. "Enough! Both of you!" They instantly became silent. Dalmin and Reena looked at him with a mix of anger and embarrassment while Zeshens gaze was thankful. He continued with his arms crossed. "First, the only one who truly owned this horn was the late Monoblos. Second, stop trying to surpass each other with what you've done. Our plan only succeeded because we all played our role. And third, this thing is actually property of the Guild anyway. I just pretend I didn't see it. But if I hear just one more word regarding it, I will personally break it apart."
The anger had left the eyes of the two. They looked to the ground in shame. "Now, apoligize."
He turned on the heel and went on. He was glad that something like this only happened very rarely. Dalmin may have been a hot-head, but deep down he was a decent man. But he and Reena were a strange combination. On one hand, they trusted each other completely; after all, it had been Dalmin who suggested inviting her into their team. But on the other hand, they were able to quarrel on a daily basis as if it came naturally to them.
A dark figure appeared at his side. He had a hard time to avoid flinching. Even on this sand Zeshen could move almost soundlessly.
"You did a pretty good job with that", she praised. "I'm sure that you could handle children just as well, if you ever were to have some."
He laughed mirthlessly. "I don't think that that will be the case anytime soon." Every trace of his smile disappeared from his face. "We all know that the life of a hunter is not an easy one for children." Her silence was enough of an answer. "Maybe I'll think about it someday, but it's still far too early for that."
"I see. Yes, I guess you're right."
"What about you?" he asked.
"I think I'll do the same thing." That topic seemed to be as unpleasant to her as it was to him, so he dropped it for the time being.
He was just looking at the horizon again when she suddenly grabbed his shoulder. He turned around and saw that she had closed her eyes and stood motionlessly. Her other hand was extended towards Dalmin and Reena, gesturing them to stand still as well.
His tranquillity disappeared in an instant. Subconsciously, he could feel his senses sharpening as his well-honed instincts awakened. He could hear steps that weren't being caused by humans, saw the rests of dust clouds thrown in the air, but above all he could sense the malice and the greed that hung in the air like a stench. He couldn't point out where these feelings came from, but not because he couldn't locate them.
It was because they came from everywhere.
"What's up?" Reena asked.
"Genprey", Zeshen said, and Ezakiel added: "They're surrounding us."
Reena looked at them in astonishment. "How do you know?"
"Instinct", they answered in unison.
They all drew their weapons, including Dalmin. "Defensive circle! Dalmin, the two of us take the dunes!" Ezakiel turned to one of the natural walls, Dalmin to the other. It was the best thing to do, for if the monsters tried to leap at them, only the two men would have enough strength to intercept them in midair. Without further ado they took the formation they used in the cave.
One second later, everything became quiet. But he was too experienced to be fooled by this. Tension hung in the air like something palpable. "Get ready", he whispered. They tightened their grips on their weapons and the calm made way for the storm.
Cries clanged through the desert as numerous Genpreys rushed down the dunes. Some of them indeed hurled themselves at the hunters, but they were prepared for that.
Ezakiel let his sword circle above his head for a split-second before cleaving it down fiercely, cutting the first monster in half. More of them ran towards him, but due to the loose Sand some of them slipped. One particularly unlucky specimen stumbled and slid towards him on its belly. He deftly flicked his sword around and thrust it in the beast's skull. Then he tore it out again, still holding it reversed, and decapitated another fiend with a wild slash, further enhancing the force of the attack by spinning around in a half circle. Before he came to a halt, he let go off his sword, only to grab it the right way again an instant later, completed his rotation and struck down another enemy, not giving it a chance to attack.
Dalmin raised his shield as the first Genprey assaulted him. It could just as well have jumped against a brick wall, for it bounced off it and fell to the ground. The giant wasted no time, stepped forward, rammed the lower edge of his shield down on the throat of the monster and effortlessly crushed its windpipe. Before he stepped back again, he thrust up with his gunlance and impaled another one in midair.
Meanwhile, Zeshen and Reena took care of those who eluded their friends. Zeshen jumped right into their mass, dealing strikes in rapid succession, diving beneath their claws and jaws and even swiping the legs from beneath them with a sweeping kick when she had to, whereas Reena always took on one or two of them, all the while staying to the flank of one of them. That way she could attack one enemy and still keep another in check. Whenever she was forced into open combat anyway, she evaded everything with short jumps, rolls and pirouettes, a variation of the fencing style Liam taught her.
There weren't nearly as many monsters as there had been in the cave, so after only about a minute the last one died by Ezakiels merciless sword. After scanning the area with eyes and ears, he relaxed a little. One eventless minute later, he sheathed his sword again, and the others followed suit.
Zeshen and Reena stepped to his side and looked around, while Dalmin tried to wipe clean his weapon on a dead Genprey. Since it was made of stone instead of steel, the blood was a lot harder to get off, but he also had no intention of leaving it there, due to the risk of attracting even more predators.
They were standing in the middle of a ring of carcasses, severed limbs and blood, which looked black due to the pale moonlight. It was no pleasant sight, but it had been necessary. However, even though none of the monsters had survived, something was still bugging Ezakiel, but he couldn't put a finger on it. They surrounded us and attacked us co-ordinately. Their strategy was far too good to have been spontaneous.
Gendrome! Realization suddenly hit him, but too late. He whirled around, trying to warn Dalmin, but could only watch as a large shadow leapt out of the darkness onto the back of the unsuspecting hunter. Caught off guard, he went down. The Gendrome jumped off him, thus standing between him and the others, who already charged forward. It turned around to finish the fallen one, assaulted him with a fierce bite – and froze.
One moment later it was shoved to the side and rolled on its back. The snow-white horn of the Monoblos protruded from its chest and seemed to glow from within itself in the moonlight. Dalmin got back up on his feet, still dazed, but apparently unharmed.
"Whew, that was a close one", he simply said, causing the others to heave a sigh of relief.
"How did you do that?" Reena asked baffled.
He grinned roguishly and scratched the back of his head. "Well, when it jumped on my back, it must have somehow loosened the horn, so I grabbed and used it."
Ezakiel held back an appropriate comment and walked towards the dead pack-leader. As he had already suspected, its face showed some signs of having been burned. "No wonder it went after you, Dalmin", he called back over his shoulder. "This was something personal." Dalmin kneeled beside him and examined the monster. "That must've been the rest of the pack from the cave." He rose again, placed a foot on the destroyed chest of the beast and pulled out the horn. It made a disgusting sound when it came free.
Dalmin eyed it critically. "I think I'll give it to your mother. She has a fable for bloodstained trophies, after all."
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After yet another two days they finally reached the village of Pokke. They entered it from the south, passing the mountainwheat-fields. Mountainwheat was a particularly robust variety of the common wheat, the only kind of grain that could sustain the harsh cold of this region.
To their surprise they saw Mira, furiously slashing away at it with a scythe. They waved at her, but only earned a venomous glare, so they walked on.
Reena couldn't help but look for an explanation. "Maybe even the Popos complained about her."
They laughed heartily, further rejoicing due to the fact that they were finally home again. Even though the cold of the mountains was all the worse after the heat of the desert, they had missed it.
Shortly after that, they entered the Guild Hall. Liva was busy with attending another group of hunters. Ezakiel knew them. They were still young, seventeen at the most, and obviously not yet members of the Guild. They roamed the mountains, looking for wild Popos, mountain herbs and useful ores. Whenever they found a monster, they reported it.
Since the Guild couldn't possibly take care of every rooky who wished to become a hunter, it transferred them to the village elders. The elder of Pokke was named Pekeya, a tiny woman with glasses, who founded the village more than sixty years ago, together with the somewhat odd Treshi, after they found a large machalite ore-deposit. Machalite ore could be used to forge excellent weapons.
While he was waiting, Ezakiel looked to the other side of the Hall. As expected, Treshi sat close to the wall, smoking his pipe and seeming to be content with just watching the usual hustle and bustle. The hunter couldn't remember ever having seen him anywhere else, except on the funeral of his father and his companions, who could somehow be recovered from the mountains.
Quickly he abandoned these memories and returned his attention on Liva, when the other hunters curtly bowed and left. She waved them over and greeted them with a smile. "Greetings, hunters. It's good to see you again. How was the hunt?"
Dalmin pulled out the blood-stained Monoblos-horn while Ezakiel reported. "We slew the Monoblos before it could cause any more damage and also wiped out a pack of Genpreys."
"This blood comes from the Gendrome", Dalmin boasted and pointed the horn at her nose. She stared at it nervously, not daring to move a muscle. Ezakiel took it away from him in annoyance and put it on the desk.
Obviously relieved, Liva continued. "Um, good job. I'll see what reward you deserve for the Genprey." Something came to her mind. "Oh, I almost forgot. The Guild finally agreed on the reward for the red Khezu." She pulled three bags out from under her desk. "That would be 3500 Zeni per head. Here you go." The three thanked her and took the bags. "I'm also supposed to tell you that the Administrator wants to see you as soon as you return."
Ezakiel made a face, but kept quiet. Instead he nodded at her in parting and went to his mother's office, the others following close behind.
Erris was relaxing at the moment. Her chair was pushed back a bit so that she could rest her feet on the table. She held a large cup of bone in her hands, which was filled with steaming tea. When she saw them, she beamed and waved them over. "Ah, you're finally back. I desperately waited for you."
Ezakiel stepped closer and, on her cue, sat down in the only other chair. Dalmin crossed his arms and rested them on its backrest, Zeshen stood to his side and Reena sat down on the edge of the table.
Erris drank another sip of tea before she spoke. "Now tell me already, how did it go? I want to hear everything!"
Ezakiel reported briefly what had happened, but left out the part with Seid and his companion, not wanting his mother to worry. She frowned when he told her about the Genpreys and the problems they had with the white Monoblos. As expected, she cracked up laughing when they told her the strategy they used to finish it off.
"You threw her?" she asked Dalmin incredulously, while she bent forward to place the cup on the table, not willing to stain her uniform with tea.
Dalmin grinned and scratched his chin. "Hey, at least it worked."
She was still chuckling. "Right, there was no way it could have foreseen something as crazy as that." Ezakiel and Reena decided not to discuss this.
After telling her about the second skirmish with the Preys and how Dalmin had disposed of the Gendrome, he finished his report.
"Could you show me the horn?" she asked.
Dalmin took it out and handed it to her. She looked at it appraisingly, then smiled. "You're right, there's still blood sticking to it."
"You can keep it if you want", he said generously.
"No, keep it yourself. You marked it as your trophy now, after all."
Dalmin grinned brightly and winked at Reena, who rolled her eyes.
"How was it in Fort Eden? What do you think about it?"
Before Ezakiel could stop her, Reena started. "It was quite interesting. We didn't only meet Ashvelts Vindel and Merquel, but Seid as well."
Erris lifted her eyebrows at that. "Really? Is he still the hunk I remember?"
"Yup, he is. And he was topless, too."
Erris pouted. "Why in the world did I have to miss that?"
Reena really seemed to go at it. "And it was not only him. There was this other guy with him. He didn't look half bad either."
All alarms started to ring in Ezakiels head. His mother looked at her in wonder. "What other guy?"
She couldn't answer, for Ezakiel answered in her stead. "Dante."
Erris was shocked. All swooning over Seid was forgotten. Relief and dismay struggled for domination on her face. He could understand her well.
Reena was quite surprised. "You know him? Why didn't you say anything?"
He sighed. "He was originally from this village. But things happened, so he left."
His mother continued. "His mother died giving birth to him, and his father was an exceptional hunter. He taught his son all he knew, and it turned out that his potential was even greater than his fathers." She paused to gather herself. "One day, about sixteen years ago, the two of them were hunting in the mountains together. According to Dante, a blizzard separated them and drove him into a cave."
Out of the corner of his eyes, Ezakiel could see that Reena was starting to feel uneasy, catching the solemn tension that had grasped everyone else. He himself knew, what was coming, even had experienced part of this story himself, but he still felt anxious.
"In this cave he found a monster, completely covered in ice. It was larger than anything he had ever seen, with pitch-black spikes and huge tusks. We knew it only from the legends. The Black God. The calamity. Akantor."
Reena inhaled sharply and paled. It seemed as if she wanted to say something, but her voice failed her. Her hands started shaking.
"A beautiful eastern sword stuck in one of its claws, with some kind of seal wrapped around the hilt. Dante pulled it out and took it back to the village, only to learn that his father hadn't returned yet. The village elder was terrified upon seeing the weapon."
"Why?" Reena asked with a trembling voice.
Erris sighed agonized. "Because in olden times it was used to seal away Akantor into the ice for all eternity – and Dante had broken that seal."
Ezakiel wouldn't have imagined that it was possible for Reena to pale even further, but she did. She had to press her hands flat on the tabletop, for they were shaking furiously now.
Erris continued. "Soon after that, we heard a roar that seemed to come from hell itself, so horrible it was. Dante ran back to the mountains, looking for his father, but found only his hand. Akantor escaped and Dante swore revenge. He left the village shortly after that, taking only the sword and the seal with him. We never saw him again." She concluded the story with another sigh.
Reena was completely appalled. "Because of him… Akantor…" She desperately shook her head. "All the dead… were his fault?"
Erris lowered her head. "We never blamed him. Never. He couldn't have known, and how should he? But of course he didn't want to hear about that. 'I killed my father!' he said. What should we have done? What should anyone have done? We couldn't do anything." She sounded bitter. "I can understand what you feel now, but please, don't hate him. I lost my husband and Ezakiel his father. Hatred and revenge lead to nothing but sadness and suffering."
An uneasy silence filled the room. Ezakiel, Dalmin, Zeshen and Erris thought back to the day sixteen years ago, when the roar of Akantor changed their lives. Reena thought about Mordecai, whom she knew so little but missed so much.
"I'm sorry", Erris eventually said. "This is not how your homecoming should've been. Akantor is dead, Dante's revenge carried out and our loved ones can rest in peace. We should allow the past the same."
Ezakiel nodded and rose. "Maybe we can talk some other time. We wanted to chose our next quest anyway."
"Do that. I still have work to do, too, so see you later." Ezakiel knew that she was lying, but he respected her wish to be alone. Even after all this time, the wound in her soul hadn't stopped bleeding as well.
They left her office and went to the bulletin-board. He hadn't even glanced at it when Reena put a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and looked at her.
She seemed to be fighting with herself and looked to the ground. Eventually, she took a deep breath and lifted her gaze again. "Ezakiel… I want to see it."
He knew what she was talking about, but wanted to hear it from her. "What do you want to see?"
"…The volcanic belt. I want to see… where it happened."
He nodded. "Should we accept a scouting mission?"
"No, that's not necessary. You have… we have something to do."
He looked deep into her eyes. She seemed to be resolved to face the ghosts of her past, just as he did long ago. "Very well. But we choose something easy."
She smiled at him. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it."
In the meantime, Zeshen had examined the bulletin-board and taken off one of the papers. "What about this one?" She gave it to Ezakiel.
He read it and considered. "Basarios, huh? Well, why not?"
"Isn't that a baby-Gravios?" Reena asked.
"That's right", Dalmin answered. "Pretty weak compared to the big ones if you ask me."
Ezakiel laughed a little. "Most experienced hunters who already faced a Gravios make fun of them. But it's still a formidable opponent."
"What do I have to know agout it?" she asked.
Ezakiel thought for a few seconds. "Basarios' are about twenty feet long and ten feet high. They have a rocky skin, but it's not as hard as that of a Gravios. They also have wings, but they can't fly, and their tails are too short to be useful in combat." He smirked. "They use it anyway. Further, they can spray venomous gases, so we'll have to drink an antidote before we fight it. Especially dangerous is its breath of fire. It can either launch a small ball of magma that detonates upon contact or a concentrated beam that can easily burn the flesh off your bones."
Reena seemed a lot less relaxed. "I thought it wasn't as hard."
"There's no need to worry", he assured her. "Both the fire and the gas put quite a strain on it. Also, its firebeam hardly ever works in the first place, since it has little to no experience with using it. Only Gravios' really can rely on that. Most of the time it will try to trample us, just like the Monoblos. But that one was a lot better at that. Basarios' are also quite slow. To sum it up, as long as you don't feed yourself to it, you should be fine."
"What a relief", she sighed. "When should we get going?"
Ezakiel tried to keep up his calm face, but apparently it didn't work. "The day after tomorrow, huh?" she asked mischievously.
"We'll rest today, prepare tomorrow and set off the next morning."
"Yeah, right", she said with a grin.
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They met at the market the next morning. Dalmin and Zeshen were looking for the antidote while Ezakiel and Reena stocked up on supplies.
They had just gotten everything they needed when Reena spoke up. "Say, what was your father like?" When Ezakiel looked at her in astonishment, she quickly added: "I mean, Zeshen told me about what he did for her and her father. I knew he was a good hunter, but… well, I just want to know a little more about him."
"I see", he simply said. "My father was the best hunter this village had ever seen, and also a great person. He was altruistic and always ready to help, but also a little chaotic. You know, it was actually him who was supposed to become Administrator, but everyone – including him – knew that he had no talent for administrative work at all. That's why my mother was chosen. She was almost as gifted as him, but also quite neat." He had to smile at that. "They hunted together for years, along with two friends of my father, Wenh and Borel, and gradually fell in love. I was born soon after that. Two years later Goras and Esmerelle came to Pokke, and Dalmin and I started to spend a lot of time together. No one doubted that I would become a hunter as well some day, so my father started to teach me how to fight when I was barely six. I in return trained Dalmin and later Zeshen."
Reena nodded. "Right, she told me about that."
He remained silent for a few seconds. "When I was ten, Dante broke the seal of the Black God. My fathers group was sent out to stop the beast before it could attack inhabited areas, when it became clear what it was. My mother wanted to come along, but he insisted that she stood here. Maybe he knew what he was up to." He interrupted himself to find the words. "We found their corpses in the snow the next day. Akantor was gone. They were buried on the same evening. At my father's grave, I vowed to avenge him, but you knew what became of that."
Reena didn't seem to know what to say. "You don't have to worry about it", he soothed her. "As I said, it's long since past."
"We have to look ahead, right?" she asked.
He nodded. "You know, my mother knows a saying she always recites when speaking at funerals. 'Remember the dead, but fight for the living'. This is what we have to do now.
Her gaze went into an invisible distance. "Your mother really is a strong woman. You're strong, too. My father broke at his loss, but you fight on, gaining strength out of it. And this saying!" She sighed. "I wish, my father would've heard it back then. Maybe he wouldn't be as miserable as he is now."
"Is it really that bad?" he asked.
"Mhm. He's either sitting in his office or watching other hunters train. He stays in shape, too, but, since that day, never hunted again. Sometimes it is as if he's only living half a life. I know he longs for it, but he's simply too afraid."
Now it was him who was at a loss for words to ease her pain. She continued a few seconds later. "We should drop this subject. We have remembered the dead now, so we should prepare to fight for the living."
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They set off the next morning. It took about four days to reach the edge of the volcanic belt. Dondruma was just a day worth of marching away from there. It was impressive that the largest city of the continent could thrive as well while being so close to the most dangerous region.
The landscape they crossed now was grey and lifeless. It also would have seemed cold, had it not been for the heat that was caused by the closeness to active volcanoes.
Very soon they reached higher regions, which were littered with caves. From there they could also see the sea. The volcanic belt was located on a large peninsula which it covered entirely. Thus it was commonly assumed that this peninsula was actually created by the volcanic activities.
They stopped in front of the largest cave. "Let's drink our Cool Drinks", Ezakiel ordered. He took a small, white bottle out of his pocket and drank its content. "Do you all have your cloths?" he asked. All of them took out folded, red cloths, put them before their mouths and noses and knotted them behind their necks. He had insisted on bringing those along, for there were placed inside the cave-system where streams of lava flowed freely. Aside from the obvious danger these caused, poisonous vapours came out of the molten rock. These cloths, however, protected them thoroughly.
Ezakiel then addressed Reena. "Since you've never been here before, I have to warn you. It's a lot hotter in there than it was in the desert. The Cool Drinks make the heat bearable, but it will still be bad. You need to save your strength."
"I got it", came the confident reply.
He nodded approvingly. "Good, then let's go." With that they entered the cave.
After a few steps they reached a large room. There were several exits, but all except one were flooded with lava. The walls were of black volcanic rock, but due to the light of the molten rock they glowed in an eerie red. The sudden heat hit them like a hammerblow, and they felt as if they had to fight a physical resistance for the first few steps. He could see both astonishment and fear in Reenas eyes as she looked at the deadly liquid.
"We have to watch out around these seas", he told her. "Basarios' and Gravios' can survive easily in there. Our prey could hide there and ambush us."
She looked even more discouraged than before, but it couldn't be helped. It's better for her to find it out this way than experiencing it herself cluelessly. In fact a lot of hunters had died like this without having the opportunity to fight back.
They continued onward. Slowly they got accustomed to the brutal heat. Even though it was still extreme, they could at least block it out good enough to keep up a good pace. Luckily they knew very well how to find the monster, even though Ezakiel wasn't looking forward to it. He held a map of the underground in his hands all the time. It has been drawn by several hunters during just as several quests. Without it they would already have been lost.
However, he wasn't looking for the Basarios, at least not with the map. Even if they knew the exact location the monster was at when it had last been sighted, it would long since be gone. Instead he was looking for a large chamber that was located almost exactly in the middle of the system. From there it was a rather short way to almost any place of the underground. That is why it was called the "central chamber" by most hunters.
Eventually they reached it. Ezakiel handed the map to Dalmin, went into the centre of the room and knelt down. He could hear Reena asking what he was doing, but blocked out her voice as well as the replies. Slowly, almost hesitantly, he took out a small, orange bottle and opened it. It was a psychoserum, an invention of the Guilds alchemists, as horrible as it was useful. He pulled down his cloth, closed his eyes and drank.
An unbelievably disgusting sensation spread in his mind and seemed to tear it to all directions at once. Only barely could he resist the force and concentrate on a single word, enhancing it with all the associations he could think of.
Basarios.
The feeling subsided until only one, strong pull remained. He stood up, waved to his friends while seeing the world in trance, and then ran.
The others knew this would happen and followed him close behind. He rushed through corridors and chambers, jumped over fissures and boulders – only perceiving the pull. With his last bit of concentration he made sure that he didn't lose his friends while intoxicated.
About quarter an hour later they reached a large, almost empty room. The only object inside it was the Basarios. It still hadn't noticed them and just stood there, as was common for these monsters. They only got active while hunting or fighting.
Ezakiel broke off his concentration and sank to his knees, breathing heavily. Dalmin came over immediately and helped him get back on his feet, while Zeshen observed their prey. Reena looked at him, worried.
"Well done, my friend", Dalmin said and put a hand on his shoulder. "Everything went all right." With that he wanted to say that he was able to keep track of their movement on the map, so they weren't lost.
Ezakiel needed another minute to regain his breath. He took his water hose from his belt and drank a little. "It's okay, I'm fine. We can start." His body still didn't fully obey him, but he knew from experience that it was just a matter of seconds from this point. "Let's drink the antidote." They uncorked small, violet bottles and emptied them. Even though they could not sense a change, they knew that the monster's poison could no longer harm them. "Even with the antidote, you must still watch out for the poison-clouds", Ezakiel warned. "They can't harm us, but it's hard to breathe in there, so be careful." Shortly after that, the effect of the serum vanished entirely.
It wasn't looked at with mixed feelings for nothing. This drug connected the mind of those who drank it with those of the monsters. By a concentrated effort of will it was possible to select a specific monster, mostly the prey. The pull one felt led them to this very being. However, this intoxication took a great toll on ones body and mind. Fortunately, one could end the trance on ones own accord. No one knew, how long it could last, and no one cared to find out, for the last one who tried died from exhaustion.
Another minute later he stepped at Zeshens side and assessed their opponent. The wyvern had hardly moved at all since he saw it a few minutes earlier. Lethargically, it simply stood there. He knew that it could go on like this for many hours, so he quietly drew his sword. The others prepared for the battle as well.
"We surround it from all sides. Dalmin, you take the front, Reena its rear, Zeshen and I attack from the sides. The only truly vulnerable spot is its belly." He looked at each of them. "Are you ready?" All three of them nodded. "Good, then let's get started."
He turned towards the beast and raised his weapon. Dalmin already rushed ahead to gain the attention of the monster. Ezakiel had to stifle a laugh when he listened to his friend.
"Come on, you fat ass, eat me already! Yeah, that means you!" He danced to the side and shot it in its face. "Get a move on, you lazy bum!" His opponent growled at him and tried to bite him. Laughing maniacally, he jumped back and attacked it again.
Now Ezakiel charged forward as well. Dalmin saw it and avoided another bite by jumping aside, thus luring the monster to face away from the others. "Zeshen, you go left", Ezakiel called and ran to its right flank.
They were up against a rather small specimen, so its belly was about at Ezakiels chest-level. Since he couldn't do overhead attacks – the wing was in the way – he tried a hard thrust. The blade cut only a few inches into the tough shell, but with a little patience he could make a nice hole into it.
Zeshen had more success. Due to her being smaller and having the shorter weapons, she was almost unrestricted. She slashed away at the monster's belly, chipping off small fragments. After about a minute she could see the first drops of blood already.
Meanwhile, Reena shot one arrow after another, aiming mostly for the base of its tail, since it was easiest to hit. Her attacks didn't cause much damage, but they confused the Basarios.
It could hardly retaliate at all. At first, it hardly seemed to notice their attacks at all, since it was so focused on Dalmin, but then it realized that it was surrounded. It tried to flail around with its tail and even hit Ezakiel, but the blow was too weak to knock him down. After that it started to forcefully beat its wings. This caused some hefty gusts, driving Ezakiel and Zeshen back and thus buying the monster some time.
However, it hadn't thought about Dalmin. He charged his weapon and aimed at the monster's head. The wyvern-fire was released on point-blank range, engulfing the head in fire, and even though its shell was nearly immune to fire, the sheer force of the attack shook the beast. It reared up, roared in pain and fear and thus bared its belly.
Ezakiel had waited for this. He quickly jumped in front of it and stroke out, cleaving his sword down with a shout. The sharpened steel cut clean through the shell and the soft flesh beneath. Blood poured out of the deep wound, staining the ground. He jumped back and ran to the monster's side again.
The Basarios seemed to have enough, though. It spread its wings, roared and charged ahead. Dalmin could avoid it just in time. The wyvern headed for the other exit of the cave, all the while emitting a purple mist.
"That thing's hightailin' it outta here!" Dalmin yelled. "After it."
They ran towards the exit and the gas. "That's the poison!" Ezakiel called. "Hold your breath!" They did as they were told and broke through the cloud a few seconds later.
Even though it was tranquil by nature, the monster was faster than any human once it was running all out, but the injury hindered it. Both parties were about as fast, thus it depended on who had the better stamina, and Ezakiel considered all advantages on their side due to the wound. They just had to run it down before they could finish it off.
The race soon neared its end when they came back to the surface. They came out on a vast, natural plaza. It seemed to be almost perfectly round and was very even. The diameter was about a mile, maybe a little more.
The Basarios rushed towards the other end of the plaza, where they could clearly make out a large sea of lava. If their prey made it in there, they would have days of search again. It seemed to know that, too, for it gave it its all and got even faster. Ezakiel could see the monster reaching the lava, giant jaws breaking out of it and lifting the wyvern up as if it had no weight.
They watched in bewilderment, as a gigantic, black nightmare of spikes, claws, fangs and muscles crept out of the molten rock and smashed the Basarios on the ground almost nonchalantly. It was bigger than any Gravios they had ever seen, had sinister, red eyes and two huge tusks, each of them longer than Dalmin was tall. The horrible maw started to shred and devour the wyvern.
"What the hell is that?" Reena called shocked.
"I don't know!" Ezakiel answered. He too was terrified of the ease with which this beast had just killed a Basarios, but he also knew that they were standing here like food on a luxury plate. He looked around and saw another cave, very wide but low enough to lose it in there, only a few hundred meters away from them. "Come!" he bellowed and sprinted towards it.
"Where are you going?" Reena asked but followed him.
"Away!" he called. "We could never take that on!"
They pumped their legs as fast as they could, but now the behemoth had noticed them, too. It came after them with huge steps and let out a deafening roar – a roar he recognized!
They were almost there, but the distance between them decreased with every passing second. It would have caught up with them in a matter of seconds.
Suddenly, Reena seemed to stumble. He looked over his shoulder in horror, but noticed that she had indeed drawn one of the arrows fastened to her calves. She inserted the arrow, whirled around and aimed. Has she gone insane? It will crush her! The others were appalled as well.
"Cover your eyes!" she called, shot and immediately held her arm in front of her face. Thinking quickly, they did the same. A second later an extremely bright light exploded, only to fade away the next instance. The monster cried out in anguish.
Now Ezakiel understood. It was a flash arrow. Similar to flash bombs they created a glaring light to blind monsters. Even this one didn't seem to be resistant to it. She had bought them precious time.
They ran onward, knowing that they stood no chance against this behemoth. But now the time sufficed. Soon they entered the cave and hastened around a turn in the corridor. The floor was even, so they had no problems running all out. Several steps later they finally came to a halt. The monster roared again, but this time they could hear anger and disappointment. Then they heard its footsteps, finally growing distant.
They sunk to the ground, utterly exhausted. They were safe.
"Thanks, Reena", Ezakiel gasped. "You just saved our lives."
She was far too agitated to appreciate his praise. "What the hell was that?" she repeated.
Ezakiel, Dalmin and Zeshen looked at each other, none of them saying a word. They didn't have to. They knew it all. After a nod from his friends, Ezakiel sighed. "That was Akantor!"
Had he slapped her in the face, she wouldn't have been more shocked. She stared at him with her mouth open, completely unable to grasp a clear thought. "This is impossible", she whispered eventually. "You must be mistaken."
"We know that roar", Zeshen said darkly. "It was Akantor, there's no doubt about that."
"But that was sixteen years ago. Maybe you just don't remember it right", she objected desperately.
Dalmin only shook his head. "You don't forget something like that. Not in a lifetime."
She lowered her head. "But my grandfather slew it. It never showed up again."
"No one knew for sure", Zeshen answered. "There has been no corpse, neither Mordecais nor Akantors. There never was any proof."
"So he died in vain", Reena stated sadly.
"I don't think so", Ezakiel interjected, making her look at him. "He wouldn't have backed down without a fight. Maybe he had injured Akantor enough for it to retreat and lick its wounds."
"For fifteen years?" she asked in doubt.
He raised his hands helplessly. "How am I supposed to know? There must be a reason for it not showing up for so long a time. That's all I can say."
After that they were silent for a while. Dalmin spoke up first. "What should we do now? We can't go back, that's for sure." He looked at the map. "Great! Just great! Neither the plaza nor this tunnel are on the map. We have no idea where we are, for crying out loud!"
Ezakiel thought about it for a while. What can we do? We have Akantor in our backs and who knows what lies in front of us. But at least there is a small chance that we'll find an exit ahead. We don't really have a choice. "I suggest we rest up for a bit, then explore the cave. We can't take on the Black God, anyway." Then he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. Not to sleep, that would be madness in their situation. He just needed to calm down a bit.
Zeshens voice, however, made him snap out of it. "Ezakiel, take a look at this." He looked at her questioningly. "Take a look at the ground." What could be wrong with the ground? He asked himself and looked down. Then he was startled. It was paved! "That… that's a street!"
Dalmin and Reena saw it as well, now. "A street?" the giant asked cluelessly. "Where did that come from?"
"More importantly", Reena said. "Where does it lead to?"
"There's only one way to find out", Ezakiel decided. "Let's go!" While they followed the strange road, he put his right hand on the hilt of his sword, prepared to draw it at any time. The tunnel grew brighter the further they advanced. Soon they neared the last turn, ready for everything that could possibly await them behind it.
Except for what they actually saw.
In front of them was a huge city!
Originally, I wanted to combine this chapter and the next, but it wouldn't have turned out well. So I decided to make this chap a little shorter, so I could update it sooner.
The next one will be a gigantic plot bomb. Everything will be explained there. In fact, it will be the most important chap of this fic. Thus, I will need quite some time to make it turn out well, so please be patient with me. You won't regret it.
Anyway, please read&review.