Theft of Decks 4, CH 24

What then, I ask myself, should be our approach to constructing a Wellspring? If we manage to obtain all five decks and are able to create a Wellspring from scratch, with benefits that haven’t been seen on Ordei for hundreds of years. What should we do? What should we do?

“What’s the largest intrusion that’s happened while you’ve been here, Em?” Liam asked.

They were mid-march on the next day, and were starting to run out of ‘safe’ conversation topics. They’d asked Emilia about everything they could come up with, from the topic of education in the blissful lands over the best way to walk the Steps to the topic of personal belongings. That last one had been mildly confusing, as the answer was, apparently, that anything you personally owned was yours, right up until it wasn’t anymore.

“The largest? Let’s see.” Emilia tapped her lips. “Well, I don’t know if it was the largest, but I actually watched this one from the distance. It was insane. We had three gaborns enter the Prism at the same time.” She nodded emphatically. “It must have been during mating season, and the female entered, followed by two males chasing her. I don’t mind admitting that I nearly wet myself when I saw them!” She beamed at them. “That day truly taught me how the Savior provides for us all. The wild beasts, of course, spotted the hopefuls retreating on the far side of the Prism, and found them to be excellent morsels. The huge beasts threatened to run amok over the lands unchallenged. Yet, at the time, one of the pillars was visiting the border – and she stepped in to save them. In the end, she laid down her life for her fellow Liberators, but she managed to hurt them enough that the troops incoming were able to kill the surviving beasts within the day.” She breathed deeply with a small smile on her lips. “Truly, that day was when my belief grew from a tiny sprout to a flower in bloom. What are the odds?”

The others didn’t comment. Chase cleared his throat, trying not to display the discomfort he experienced. “It does sound like a miracle,” he lied. “There was one thing I was curious about. There are only… four Pillars of Liberty?”

“Three.” Emilia smiled. “One gave his life for the Savior last winter.”

“Three. Okay, thanks. What I’m a bit curious about is that, well, from what we were told, once you hit the fifth Tier, your natural aging slows down by a lot. So, how come we don’t have any more pillars?”

“Ah.” She nodded softly to herself. “That is a very insightful question, Chase. Part of the answer, of course lies in the sacrifice inherent in following the Savior. Each of us, and the higher Tiers especially, sacrifices a large part of their Ænima to the greater good. Every time we increase our Tier, we improve our connection, to the Savior, and to Liberty itself. We Hearts of Liberty dedicate thirty percent of all Ænima to Liberty. I do not know how much pillars give away, but it is not negligible.”

Chase bowed, mostly to hide the shock and disgust he felt. “That is very magma – what’s the word, Sera?”

“Magnanimous.” Sera said.

“That’s the one. Very good of them.”

“It truly is. I am envious of their ability to give.” Emilia sighed. “I can only hope to aspire to their greatness eventually. I am fortunate enough that I have been allowed to join you in battle this time and do my part. Another sign that the Savior smiles upon you – that He does not feel the need for me to watch out for transgressions on your part.”

Chase felt his smile growing increasingly uncomfortable. “Yes. It will be an honor, risking our lives at your side!”

That night, they came to two horrific conclusions. One, that there was no such thing as peaceful retirement for higher-Tier Liberators. If that were the case, there should be a growing number of elderly pillars. Two, that something else was happening in Liberty society. No matter the increased cost in Ænima, a people acclimatized to constant fighting should, by all rights, produce a Tier six. And, according to Emilia, this had never happened.

The sun peeked over the horizon. In the background, Emilia was visible as a vague outline, half-prostrated before the Guardian above their shelter.

“I’m never going to get used to this.” Kith murmured, as he looked at the three large packs that had appeared during the night. “We don’t need to prepare for our trip. We just… leave, and this all shows up in the morning, like we’d prayed for it. And tomorrow it’ll be gone like it was never here in the first place.”

“I am totally getting used to this.” Liam said, rummaging through one of the packs. “Ooh. They’ve packed cinna berries in here. Who’s hungry? Kith? I seem to recall you loving cinna berries?”

“We’re not talking about that story!”

“If you’re just stuffing yourself, share it around,” Cilia yawned. “Otherwise, let’s see what’s there. According to Emilia, we should hit the beasts around noon today.”

Grunting, with a mouth full of berries, Liam started extracting items from the packs, laying out weapons and armor on the ground before them. He choked, then guffawed as he extracted a truncheon, well-oiled and maintained. “Hey! These are our favorite weapons. How’d they know?”

Emilia’s voice crossed the open area. “The Keeper system is powerful, fueled by the power of the Savior. You should have learned not to question His gifts by now.”

“Yeah, but…” Liam waved with his hands in several different directions, as if that were explanation enough. “Color me impressed, is all I’m saying.” Their own weapons still lay safely back at Reen’s, untouched from where they’d left it the first time they entered the palace. He peaked up in a huge grin. “Hey, Cil. You’ve even got your droplets back!”

Kith leapt forward, rushing to inspect the edges of the hand axes they’d put in there. Once he was done checking them over, he asked. “Hey, Emilia. Whoever you can send the thanks to, please do so. Working with the kind of weapons that we’re used to will make for a huge difference. Now, do you have any information what exactly we’re up against? It’d be good to plan ahead for this stuff.”

“I have learned more.” Emilia said. “Not that this is going to help us a lot, I am afraid. We have six different species incoming. Some of them are capable of ranged attacks, one species can rush ahead in a targeted burst, and this frog-like creation has a blinding burst from their eyes. I’m sure that there will be other surprises once we engage them in battle, but those are the ones the hopefuls and other stout fighters have discovered so far.”

“Hrm. Numbers? You said a few hundred, right? What can they do?”

She nodded. “A few specimens, injured, or weaker than the average, have fallen behind, allowing hopefuls to sweep in and take them on. Maybe a hundred and eighty Guardians remain. The shock frogs are the most numerous. About eighty of those. Then we have a dozen winged, owl-like creatures, only bigger. Two dozen thunder rats. Smaller beasts, that can launch a targeted ranged attack that ruins your hearing and messes with your balance, Three huge, armored snakes, powers unknown. Ten stick stalkers. Man-height bipeds, but with explosive bursts of speed. Finally, we have an entire herd of beautiful, white horses. Soil soarers. More than fifty of them. Very limited control over soil.”

Chase grimaced. “That does sound like a mess, all right. Could you… I mean, if you intend to fight, could you explain which cards you have?”

“Oh. Those are easy. I believe, above all, in the Savior, and in the virtue of simplicity. My cards increase Strength and Toughness.” She strode over to the backpacks, rummaged inside one of them, and stood back up, smiling, as she held up a massive, two-handed axe that looked like it could chop wood and necks alike with few issues. “I have found, that with enough Strength, enough staying power, my trusty axe and the Savior at my side, few things can stand up to me.”

They finished eating and started the day’s march. Within the first hour, they started noticing birds on the horizon. As they moved ahead, the sounds of carrion crows mixed with the sounds of beasts, and the setting before them became increasingly clear.

They braved one final incline, a small grass-covered hill leading up to grant them a full overview of what they were facing. There, they were faced with reality. Hearing that they were up against a few hundred Guardians was one thing. They’d prepared for that. Watching the monsters roam across the gorgeous grasslands, leaving flattened grass and churned-up soil behind them in a stretch hundreds of feet wide was something else. Even the swarm they’d faced inside the canyons of the Carved Plains in the Furyborn lands had not been as intimidating as this. Watching the beasts striding along as one overpowering collective, out for blood, was scary as hell.

Also, they were not prepared to see the soldiers.

They’d met hopefuls a few times, so far. When they traveled the roads on their way to Salvation, they’d come across them, marching proudly across the stretch, strong and prepared, led by a few strong, capable members of the mass or hands.

These were not the same.

The few dozen Liberators stumbling ahead of the growling, whinnying, screeching mass of empowered beasts might have been calm and collected at some point. Yet, following what had to be days of stumbling ahead of their pursuers, they were reduced to animalistic beings, mindless flight being the only resort left to them.

One of the runners turned around for a moment and stopped, before fleeing once more. Behind him first one, then another of the huge frogs stumbled and fell. The Guardians both got back up and continued their chase, only a bit slower.

That seemed to be the only thing that kept them alive. A few of the higher-Tiered soldiers occasionally used their cards to slow or attack the Guardians, allowing the hopefuls and those of the mass among them a chance to catch their breath, to steal ahead a few feet.

Ugly, broken human bodies studded here and there along the landscape behind the stampede showed that their race had not been without cost.

Chase murmured something under his breath. Then he stood up straight, raised his sword above his head. At the top of his lungs, he yelled. “Enough! Dinner’s served, you ugly, misbred freaks!”

For the sake of theatricality, that should have been enough. By all rights, Chase believed, the Guardian horde should veer toward them, granting the fleeing Liberators a much-needed reprieve. In practice, a few of the fliers swerved slightly toward the sound, before returning their attention to the prey before them. The rest of the blood-thirsty beasts did not waver.

He twirled the short sword for emphasis, then shrugged. “Eh. I tried. Kith? Do you mind?”

Kith slammed the heads of his hand axes together with a ringing sound. “Do I mind spreading chaos?” His ensuing laughter was not entirely sane and his voice rose into a hoarse shout. “You think to stand before me? You think yourselves stronger? Behold my power and weep. I am legion, for I am many!” Between the flashes on his body, shapes started emerging. The ground disgorged the twisted, bubbling shape of the Tainted Earth. Coils of Shadow sent dark vipers slithering in between the grass stalks. Above them all, Antithesis of Light soared, the dark crow-shaped form hovering in defiance of gravity as a dark light started building within its beak.

Liam turned to Emilia, shaking his shoulders, allowing the shield to settle properly on his arm. “He’s such a drama queen. I swear, half the reason he became a summoner was to show off.”

“I… won’t say it’s not working.” She half-whispered as she saw the numerous creatures emerging before Kith.

In the background, the Liberators were still running, managing to create some distance between the distracted Guardians and themselves.

Cillia snorted. “Listen!” she barked. “You know the drill. I break their momentum. Then we engage. No heroics. Liam’s the only one who takes them head on. And Emilia, please, stay with Kith to begin with.”

Offended, Emilia shook her head. “Hide behind with the summoner? You believe I am afraid to face the enemy? Death does not scare me.”

Chase smiled. “We don’t doubt your courage. What we need for you is to understand the way this is going to work. Because we are not going down there to fight. We are going down to kill.” He smiled at her, mirth not reaching his eyes. “Besides, if you believe sticking with Kith means being safe, you don’t know anything. He’s not your regular summoner.”

The first droplet sailed down among the leaders of the stampede. No heads turned. No Guardians responded to the missile. Then, darkness fell.

From one second to the other, a circle of darkness erupted into being, covering the leading group of soil soarers. On either side of them, similar circles emerged in short succession, swathing the entire breadth of the stampede in darkness. Screams and pain-filled whinnies emerged, as beasts fell to the ground within the shadows.

“All of you! Close your eyes! Breaking them up now!” Cilia shouted. She stood at the front of their group, hands moving lightning-quick as she extracted the next set of droplets from within the crossed belts on her midriff.

Liam settled himself at her side, feet grinding into the soil to get settled. In front of him, the Tainted Earth lowered itself, settling down below the level of the tall grass as it seemed to imitate Liam.

On Liam’s left side, Kith slammed his hand axes together again. He leapt from one foot to the other, murmuring under his breath as his eyes flittered back and forth, directing his summons with a wild-eyed grin.

Emilia was glued to Kith’s flank, shooting nervous glances at the over-eager summoner.

Chase was leaping up and down, windmilling his arms, loosening up, on Liam’s right side. His Nights of Criffhaven kicked into effect, granting him the first of fifteen eventual increases to Agility.

Meanwhile, Sera stood at the far back of their group, twin shields readied as her eyes flickered constantly between the patches of shadows, estimating, waiting, as she listened to the chaotic sounds within the darkness.

The first beasts emerged from the far side, blinking to take in the light.

Droplets of lights burst apart, blinding explosions erupting, right as the bubbles of darkness fell away. The sounds of animals screaming erased any chance at normal conversation.

“Sending in the vipers!” Kith screamed at the top of his lungs.

Chase barely heard it over the noise of impact, of bestial pain. He saw the large, owl-like creatures swarm their way, only to be met with a series of dark missiles shooting from the dark crow hovering above them. He bared his teeth in challenge, even as he felt his solidity increase beyond Emilia’s buff – a clear sign that the first beasts had died and Sera was using her Cry for Blood card.

Now, they truly had their attention. Like a wounded giant, the horde slowly veered and turned, bloodthirsty cries emerging as they located their new challengers. The equines raced first, with some of the ugly, boil-filled frogs leaping behind them, croaking loud

Chase cursed deep within at the need for secrecy. Usually, they could have faced the beasts with a dozen of different strategies. They could have waves of acidic water rushing down upon the incoming stampede, could have Kith and Chase racing among the diving owls on invisible platforms and living boots of air. Instead, they were reduced to Dark and Liberty cards. He snorted and spat. A disarming card. Fat lot of good that was going to do against hundreds of weaponless enemies.

No. They were reduced to the basics. Less than that, even, because they were forced to keep that damn Devotion to Liberty card active at all times. They’d asked. Several times. There were no excuses. Meaning, that Sera couldn’t even use her Blessing of the Night card, hobbling enemy Light effects and increasing their own buffs. And Chase didn’t have Sticky Fingers. This was going to be a long, costly grind.

Good thing that he really, truly needed to work off some frustrations. Besides, grind was what they did best.

The Coils of Shadow were loose among the blinded enemies now, adding to the chaos. Rushing in among the wild Guardians, the vipers bit, depositing their venomous payload and moving on to the next targets.

The leading owls swooped in. Dividing their attention between the Antithesis of Light summon and the six humanoids on the ground, they screeched in unmitigated bloodlust, showing hand-long claws that sparkled in the sun.

“’Ware the claws. There’s magic on them.” Liam shouted. Then he settled himself behind his shield and prepared for the first attack.

The owls were clearly ambush predators, not used to being caught out in the open. They dove in from above in dazzling displays, claws first for a single, bloody impact. It was feral, and scary. During the night, or against unprepared foes, their dives would be absolutely devastating.

Half of them died in the first attack.

Liam’s truncheon struck one, head-on, flinging it back like a broken doll. Simultaneously, his shield swung back and impacted the one that was trying to catch him from behind, leaving it downed and stunned.

Kith met one with both his axes. Then he rolled forward, letting another ambusher strike the ground hard. The squawk of the bird was surprised, as Emilia’s heavy axe punished its inattention, carving it nearly in two.

Chase danced to avoid the diving claws of yet another bird, slashing it across the wing and leaving it clumsy and wounded.

Meanwhile, Sera fended off first one, then two diving slashes with her shields, letting them flap away unsatisfied.

The problem for the owl became blindingly obvious right away. While they were nearly the size of regular humans, they had to weigh, at most, a third as much. They had no sort of impact, and, bereft of the downward momentum of a dive, or an ambush attack, they truly weren’t that dangerous.

They did threaten the Antithesis of Light. A trio of them circled the dark bird, taking turns to dive to the attack. Only, the summoned bird moved in unnaturally fast jolts and dodges, and kept up spewing a constant stream of piercing, dark missiles from its beak. Once, an owl nearly managed to slice into the summon, but bounced off a shield, hastily erected by Sera while Emilia was distracted.

It took less than a minute before the last owl fell from the skies, studded with dark spikes. Emilia rushed over to finish it.

“Prepare for the real attack.” Liam shouted.

In front of them, the cacophony increased. The charging horde had rearranged itself, the poor summoned vipers had mostly been stamped into the ground or eaten, and the Guardians were now changing their targets, rushing forward in a massive wave, aiming straight for their position.

It wasn’t pretty. A good deal of the leading soil soarers were limping or slowed, poisoned by the vipers, and the positioning of the monsters was off, with the thunder rats rushing ahead underfoot of the larger equines, and the three huge snakes rushing just behind the leading row. One soarer stumbled and was instantly caught up and ground down by the man-tall form of a snake. Beyond, the slower shapes of the stick stalkers and the frogs followed.

Cilia yelled. “Chase. Distract. Liam, Kith, Emilia. We hold, make them pay, then we pull back.”

Emilia looked like she was going to say something at the blanket of incoming Guardians, but clenched her grip on the axe instead.

Chase let off an ululating cry, then sprinted straight at the incoming beasts, every single point in Agility boosting his speed to the point where it felt like he was flying.

In response, everything within close range of him started veering toward him to trample him into the ground, to consume him utterly.

He kept yelling, now reduced to curses and meaningless noises. A few dozen feet before meeting their frontline, he veered sharply left, and activated his Circle of Darkness.

Chase would never stop being amazed by his Tier-four Dark card. To him, it barely registered. The light of the sun dimmed slightly, as if he was watching the world through a dirty window. Beyond that, though, his vision was absolutely clear and unimpeded. From without, however, it was a source of impenetrable darkness, absolute black with no vision possible, except for those of above thirty in Mental Power.

The swarm of Guardians continued regardless. Yet, where Chase encroached the path of the leading beasts, they stumbled and slowed down slightly, inviting collisions with the ones right behind them.

Closer, he cut, moving back toward his friends, yet still at an angle. Energy roiled within him along with a burgeoning joy as he found that he was able to keep up the pace of a damn charging stallion.

Closer. His short sword snipped out, catching a panting stallion across the muzzle. It reared in shock, letting a trailing mare run straight into it, knocking it to the ground. He barked a laugh and struck again, letting his foot shoot out to hit a thunder rat right under its ugly chin.

The momentum of the smaller beast exploded upward, and a burst of force emerged from it, missing Chase, but leaving him reeling as if he were slightly drunk.

He nearly slipped, caught himself, and raced away, putting a bit of extra distance between him and the edge of the pursuit.

A bit before he reached Kith and Emilia’s position, he let the card wink out, leaving him visible once more. He sprinted on, racing past Kith with a wild grin, before he ran back to cover Liam’s right side again.

The wave of beasts hit them.

For a moment, it looked like suicide. A whinnying, screeching, croaking onslaught of beasts out for their blood, all aiming for Liam at the front.

Yet, their line was already broken and uneven after Chase’s run – and then they hit the Tainted Earth, which grasped at legs, tails and bodies, draining Toughness from enemies, even as it slowed them down, sometimes even stopping a thunder rat dead in its tracks.

In an impressive display of sudden organization, the lead three soil soarers whinnied, and a burst of energy erupted from their hooves, tearing up grass in straight lines toward Liam.

Liam hunkered behind his shield, a layer of shadows blossoming before him. He took the impact… and didn’t budge. In fact, the magic dissipated as it struck the shadows, feeding his Ravenous Shadows card and converting it into Strength for the tall fighter.

Seconds later, the foremost beasts hit him directly, and they pressed on, trying to push right through him. On all sides, Guardians spread out, threatening the same for all the others.

They were instantly at a risk of being overwhelmed. Even if it had been broken several times, the momentum of the incoming stampede was near-impossible to face.

Impossible or not, Liam faced it. Feet solidly planted, shield grasped tight, truncheon firmly fixed in his grip, he did not give an inch. A hoof struck his shield with a booming impact, and he grunted, truncheon ripping out to force the soarer’s head sideways. Draining Ward activated, increasing the efficiency of Liam’s armor, even as it drained the enemy’s Agility.

Beyond, a massive snake head rose into the air, before slamming down at him.

Liam leapt back, avoiding the head, truncheon shooting out to strike a thunder rat that ran across the soarer’s flank to leap at him.

Another magical attack was devoured by Ravenous Shadows, adding to Liam’s Strength.

“Lights!” Cilia’s shrill voice sounded above the din.

A moment later, they watched through squinted eyes, as another droplet of Light exploded at the forefront of the Guardians.

“Disengage. Now!” Cilia shouted.

They fell back, fighting to add some distance between them and the pursuit. It wasn’t pretty, or perfect. Emilia was hit dead-on by a burst from one of the thunder rats, leaving her reeling and bleeding. A second later, though, Sera’s healing pulse from Cry for Blood struck her, and Kith was able to defend her, striking out left and right to fend off two steeds trying to finish her.

For a few minutes, they simply ran. Behind them, the Guardians stretched out according to their natural speed again, leaving the soil soarers in front.

“Cooldown’s over. I’m ready again!” Chase yelled. He grinned, and the others sounded off with their readiness, one after the other. “Now!” He shouted, before turning on his heels and activating Circle of Darkness again.

They repeated their actions from last time. Chase cut across the line, sowing discord and disarray in their ranks, before they set themselves to face the enemies, allowing Liam to leech enemies of their Agility and absorb magical attacks for Strength. This time, however, the initial clash was different, as the foremost steeds were more wavering and unprecise in their attacks.

Where the first clash had only lasted for about twenty seconds, the second one took almost a minute, allowing the beasts beyond the frontmost rank to start circling around in an attempt to surround them. They managed to escape the closing jaws of the trap, however, and race ahead of the Guardians, leaving a couple of them behind on the ground, dead, or badly hurt.

Kith howled with laughter. “It’s working! It’s working!”

Emilia, sending confused glances over her shoulder as she ran, yelled. “What’s working? Are they drunk?”

“Blinded!” Chase grinned. He ran backward lightly, taking in the pursuit with a self-satisfied smirk. “Liam’s card. Every time they hit one of us, their eyesight gets worse. For all of them! Do we want another repeat?”

“Nah. Look at them stumbling. We’re ready to put the hurt on ‘em. Let’s circle around, so we can meet back up with my Tainted Earth. He’s way too slow to keep up!”

They did just that, loping ahead in a long swing to meet up with the Tainted Earth, placing it optimally to slow down their attackers. Then they repeated their strategy.

Distraction. Defense and damage. Debuff and disengage. Sera had loved the alliteration for their plan, and was at the core of the execution. Wherever something went wrong, a parry failed or a magical attack made it through, there she was to send a well-timed heal their way, or, when Emilia was distracted, present a shield to fend them off entirely.

And for every time they clashed with the enemies, the Guardians grew more confused, their eyesight more damaged, at the same time as their imprecise attacks helped feed Liam’s burgeoning powers.

Their next defensive holdout lasted for a full two minutes and cost the soarers, with nearly two dozen dead or wounded enough that they couldn’t keep up pursuit. When they were forced to split, from the overwhelming pressure of the incoming Guardians, the effect of Tribune of Retribution: Blindness was punishing enough that a few of the frogs - apparently not blessed with the sharpest of eyesight in the first place – started moving in the wrong direction.

Emilia, thrilled with the discovery that they were actually holding their own, shouted. “Don’t mind the stragglers. The hopefuls will catch them afterward.”

Their pure defense turned into punishing strikes, as they were able to abuse the wavering eyesight. That did bring along with it a few close calls, as they learned that not all of the chasing Guardians relied entirely on sight to follow. The enormous snakes were constantly on their trail, relying on smell, and the thunder rats turned out to have excellent senses, to where the card barely worked on them. The stick stalkers were already blind, it turned out.

Even so, the desperate defense slowly turned into a massive grind, a rinse and repeat with devastating effects on the Guardians.

There were some close calls along the way. Before the Tainted Earth finally managed to hold the weaker beasts down, a group of thunder rats managed to swarm and nearly overwhelm Kith with their disorienting attacks, and only a succession of swift heals and shields from Sera let him cut his way out.

As the stick stalkers, stick-thin humanoids that looked to be made up of claws, mold-covered bones and childrens’ nightmares, overtook both the snakes and soil soarers, they attacked as one, showing a scary level of coordination and teamwork. Ignoring everybody else, they focused on Chase exclusively, for some reason, going in for the kill. Unfortunately for them, at this point, his Nights of Criffhaven was already maxed out, on top of his already prodigious attribute increases from Sera’s Cry for Blood, Emilia’s two cards, even that damn Devotion to Liberty card. He was not just in touch with his body. He was in charge, so much in control that he flung himself through the air, dodging attacks as effortlessly as if he wore Kith’s damn tornado boots!

The stick stalkers weren’t powerless. They had an ability that let them fling themselves forward at increased speeds for at least fifty feet. Yet, the ability came at the cost of maneuverability, and once he learned to recognize the triggers, Chase evaded them with ease. Meanwhile, Liam and the others punished the rail-thin Guardians for their lack of attention.

That clash took less than two minutes. A tense two minutes, but when they pulled back, the last of the monstrous humanoids to survive had a broken leg.

The frogs were harder work. Not only was their skin tough as hardened leather, a number of large boils on their skin, when struck, erupted into corrosive bursts of a sticky, acid-like substance. Yet, they were also affected hard by Tribune of Retribution, leaving them struggling to see and react to attacks. Kith and Emilia proved to be extraordinarily adept at dispatching them, while the played distraction. In the end, less than a dozen remained, hopping off in different directions.

They slowly loped around, talking as they jogged. Emilia was breathing hard, but the others ran like they could do this forever.

“How do we do this?” Kith asked. “The blindness might wear off soon.” He shot a glance back at the three huge beasts following them. “Not that it makes a huge difference with those things.”

“I say we face them head on.” Liam beamed. “I feel strong!”

“Liam. We talked about this. No grandstanding when it’s unnecessary.” Cilia scolded.

“You never let me do anything fun!”

“How are we on droplets?” Sera asked.

“All out. There will be no aid for this.” Cilia sighed, leaping over a grassy knoll.

“I can probably do it.” Kith smiled, tapping his heart.

“Not necessary.” Chase grinned, forestalling the protests from the others. “I saved the best for last. I am going to need some bait, though. Oh, and a bigger weapon.”

Both Liam and Kith split into huge grins.

Seconds later, they turned around. Liam and Kith stood, side by side, waiting for the large reptiles to catch up. Chase loped straight at them, rolling his shoulders, as he tried to get used to the weight and awkwardness of wielding Emilia’s large axe one-handed.

“They really are ugly beasts, aren’t they?” Chase heard Kith say, before his entire attention fixed on the incoming Guardians. He had to agree, though. They were exactly like the ordinary snakes you’d see in the wilderness in the Furyborn lands – piddling things, with negligible poison – only, these were stubby specimens, and so tall compared to their length that they almost resembled caterpillars. Their scales looked thick and extremely sturdy, and, along their length were bright dots, looking almost like they’d been infused with fist-sized crystals. So far, they’d managed to avoid getting bitten or trampled by the beasts, which was a good thing, considering that their teeth were the length of his forearm. The fact that, regardless of buffs, blindness and everything, the snakes were able to keep up as well as they did was a testament to their prodigious strength. A fact which Chase was counting on.

He activated Circle of Darkness, one final time, racing past the beasts. They all started to turn his way, but as Liam and Kith started shouting and banging their weapons on Liam’s shield, two of them veered off, leaving Chase with just a single snake. A single snake nearly as tall as he was, that likely weighed in at around fifteen times what he did. Also, one which, right this moment, wasn’t able to see him.

Chase took a deep breath. Then he activated his single remaining Dark Card, Free of Perdition and focused on stealing the Strength of his enemy.

Within a second, he felt the effect. An inhuman surge of power struck him, making him feel invincible, filled to bursting with raw Strength a. He grasped the two-handed axe, feeling the handle creak in his hands. Chase bared his teeth at the huge viper, tongue hissing in his direction. A few seconds later, he estimated that the secondary effect of the card should’ve taken effect, and surged around its stubby length.

The large axe burrowed itself nearly a full foot inside the central body of the beast. The sensation was like trying to row through the Waves. Not entirely liquid, but close.

The secondary effect of the card saved Chase’s life. Where the primary effect was guaranteed to work, granting him the same level of the chosen attribute as his target, the secondary one only stepped into effect if his Mental Power beat that of the target. And apparently, the snakes did not have Mental Power as their main stats.

A second after the axe struck, the gem-like studs alongside its length flashed – and erupted into foot-long, sharp shards of glinting bone, jagged, but pointy, and long enough to impale a man fully through the chest. The snake rocked, aiming to roll over him… and rocked back, lacking the monstrous Strength needed to complete the maneuver.

Chase gasped, taking a second to realize just how close he’d come to being flattened and pierced through by the damn thing. Then he shouted at the others to back off, and got to work dismantling the weakened snake.

The rest was merely a matter of time and effort. Once they knew about the ability of the snakes, they were able to tease the spike out and disengage, before closing with them once again. And for as long as Chase’s buff was effective, his every strike carved deep grooves into the hard scales of the beasts.

Soon, they simply pulled back, watching as the slow movements of the last, fatally injured, Guardian slowed and, eventually, stilled entirely.

Emilia stood there for a moment, blinking, shell-shocked. Then she sank onto the ground. “I can’t believe it. The Savior has truly provided by bringing you in. I believe even a pillar, with a full guard of soldiers, would have had trouble with these.”

Kith smiled, a weak, but not unkind smile. “We’re not done yet. Almost, but not entirely.”

Two minutes later, they’d circled back to where more than a dozen of the thunder rats were still trapped by the Tainted Earth.

After a short exchange, Sera and Cilia grabbed a hand axe each and got to the grim task of finishing off the rats.

Kith, leaning on Emilia’s shoulder – which, surprisingly, she didn’t object to – said. “That’s how it works. Crafters and healers shouldn’t be front and center – but we all lose out if they don’t walk the Steps. So, we adjust. Unlike Chase, who just hogs all the Ænima to himself.”

Chase, sitting in the grass, watched as Cilia butchered the final rat. Then he raised his middle finger at Kith, even as he let himself slump back into the embrace of the soft grass, groaning. Those damn buffs. The rush was insane, but the comedown was the worst!