Ignited, page 10
Just like it slurped the brown bear, it too was easily consumed.
“Haaaaa... It’s too bad it ate. I c-could have put it in the collection. he-HAHAHAhahahaHAHA!” A deep laugh bellowed from lips comprised of muscle and a transparent membrane.
Behind this colossal demon, hundreds of red glowing eyes dance, jump and strike at one another. Crimson fluids spray in all directions as hundreds of monsters devouring corpses and each other without care or distinction. Whatever was in front of them was food enough, as a pale purple miasma filled the air and their lungs.
Maniacal laughter resounded through the forest, as the city behind burned and crumbled like a bonfire.
Chapter 7:
The Hard Choices, and a Friendly Fight
Before the announcement, the five men who attended the meeting with the Wendigo, along with a freshly awake Bruce, who had come to terms with the new faces and races rather quickly since he got to talk to Sasha beforehand, Elita and Nadia all gather in the room where Dominic still slept.
“I’ll send the report along with the copies of the Realm map to the Commodore. Is there anything else that should be mentioned or sent?” The anxious elf inquired.
“Vandrick, if it’s possible, could one of us go with the report as a delegate? I think having someone with information about this Realm should be there to fill in any blanks.” Tyrel suggested, stepping forward.
“It’s not a bad idea. And I assume you want to go yourself? I recall you said you were a lawman before the joining and collapse of your society.”
“I hope it’s not seen as cowardice. I mean, I’d also like to bring what few kids are here and their parents with us just so they aren’t in any danger.”
A nod of approval swept through the room. With that course settled, Tyrel left with Elita who was to assign a squadron capable of protecting the lot. The path they took originally to reach the town of Wawa had already been secured and there were units located in key locations. So it’d just be an extra precaution during the night.
Continuing from that point, Jackson and Réal started talking amongst themselves about dismantling the nearby houses that were already in bad shape to reinforce the territory. Leaving them to their own devices for a bit, Vandrick pulled the three humans with powers aside.
“I’m sure I don’t have to tell you this, but there are more than just the demons that we have to deal with. People from every race that sided with them have added to their ranks, and in the same way, there are demons who have chosen to side with the alliance. The only reason we called the factions as we do is because of the leaders of each side. While the Demon Empire has the Demon Highlord and Great Demoness at the top of their hierarchy, our forces are led by a council of each race's kings and queens or equivalent.”
“Yeah, but you still haven’t told us what this whole war is about.” Bruce notes. “Why did any of this start?”
For a second, Vandrick hesitated to answer, but given the current circumstances and the fact that it’s already clear that the demons don’t care what happens to this group, there wasn’t really much choice for him or the humans. They had to stick together. “Alright. Listen closely.”
Vandrick went off on a lengthy tangent.
At first, the demons lived in peace with other races. Even the Holy race, a race from a Realm that is currently sealed off from the rest even to this day, accepted them with open arms. The Holy Realm being the first one to join the origin world, they were the ones who taught the first races how the awakening/igniting process worked and helped come up with the prevailing theory for why different worlds are coming together like they are. And as the one race with an actual Godly being, they held quite a standing.
That is, until the current Demon Highlord’s younger brother transcended to godhood and vanished. The Holy race god couldn’t find any reason for that to happened. Only assuring that they were alive somewhere. But the ruler of the demons didn’t approve of this. He believed that his brother was exiled by the Holy god who wanted all the faith and worship for himself. No matter how other leaders tried to calm him, it didn’t seem to matter. His brother was gone without a word because of some rule and yet that same rule didn’t affect the Holy race at all. Being polar opposites, it was easy to see where the divide was about to and eventually did start.
The Holy god chose to seal himself and his people in a barrier of light. The goal was to remove himself from the picture and quell the furious demon’s rage. However, this only acted as fuel. From the outside, the god given special treatment by the world decided that he was going to run away behind a curtain of fear to prevent his righteous punishment from coming to him.
The Highlord declared himself King, taking the position that once belonged to his brother, and lashed out against all who took the Holy race’s side or so much as wanted to remain neutral.
Nothing but the Highlord’s pure anger at the world could speak to him. Thus, that was all he could give. He wouldn’t turn down those who joined him out of fear or for personal gain, so long as he could claim the world for himself. After all, in his frantic and insane mind, if he ruled the world, he could change the rules and get his brother back, while subjecting the Holy race to the pain he felt, by removing their God.
“Unfortunately, with the barrier up around the Holy Realm, we can’t communicate with them. And the Holy races that were abroad and couldn’t make it in time, felt abandoned and either picked a side for themselves, or are in hiding.” He finishes.
“In a way I kind of get it.” Nadia puts her hand to her chin. “If I had a sibling who had to disappear and was told that there was nothing that could be done and to just accept it, I’d be furious too. Good thing I’m an only child though.”
“Yes, but emotion and power have blinded the Highlord and I don’t think it’s possible for anyone to calm him. Those who follow do so out of fear and self-interest.” Vandrick reiterates.
“At any rate, I’m sure everyone here would rather join the Alliance than them.” Niles walks over to the sleeping Dominic in the corner of the room. He’d been moved to the table Nadia was resting on after Bruce woke up. “Right now, we need to get ready since they seem to want our heads.”
“Speaking of, why did the Wendigo say that his master knows about you?”
Niles checked his friend to make sure he’s still breathing, which he was. “Probably because I killed one of his bigger spawn when I awakened.” He then went through the events which led to his awakening in as clear of detail as possible. Now knowing that monsters within the flash of light are vaporized, it was obvious that’s how he ended up killing the red spawn of Mr. Gluttony.
Vandrick paced back and forth with an “Oh...” and “Hmm...” deep in thought. He didn’t even notice Elita returning until she spoke up. “Captain! I’ve readied a squad of fifteen and counted the number of civilians needed to be taken away. A total of nineteen elderly and parental guardians, six children and Tyrel Hall.”
“Good. After our announcement, we will get everything ready, including a cart with one of those wood-burning stoves bolted down to it to keep them warm.”
“Yessir!” After her report, she relaxed and leaned beside the door with her arms crossed.
“Say, do either of you know what this thing is?” Niles asked, waving to Vandrick and Elita.
They sonter over to see what he’s pointing at on Dominic’s neck. A dark cyan spot that wasn’t there previously had grown covering a bit of his lower jaw.
“Hm... I’ll have one of our researchers take a look at it. It doesn’t appear to be causing him any ill effects though.” Vandrick assured Niles with a pat on the back.
“Thanks.”
By that point, Réal and Jackson finish their discussion about fortifying and reconstructing. The former walked out to give instructions to the team that Vandrick put under the humans as temporary laborers while they were assisting. Meanwhile, Réal rejoined the meeting.
“Is there any way we can make people awaken like these guys? Though I don’t doubt your team’s strength, I’m sure we’d all like to help defend ourselves.”
Vandrick simply shakes his head. “There are skills that can show the wielder how close someone is, but their use and acquisition have been discontinued for the better part of two centuries with the lack of first generation newcomers.”
“In that case, can you request as much information about awakening from the long lived races in the alliance?” Bruce jumped in. “Maybe someone around here can come up with one of those skills... Also, how does one get skills?” His last question piqued the interest of Nadia and Niles who went from standing near the unconscious man on the table, to intently listening on either side of the brigade Captain.
“Right. I want to get to the specifics of that during our training and preparations.” He coughs, trying not to look at the two at his sides. “The method is simple in theory, but complex in application. For now, we have to decide how we present this information to your people to not cause panic and dismay.”
Relenting to his sensible argument, the six people in the room discussed precisely that dilemma. It came to be that Réal, the one all the humans seem to have delegated leadership to in both title and duty, would be the one to explain their circumstances. After which, Vandrick would announce the decision to move the young, their caretakers and the elderly to the nearest base camp of the Alliance where the Commodore and another Captain would take them under their protection. Detailing the possibility that the Wendigo has a way to track them if they all run, Niles, Nadia and Bruce were to convince those who’d remain to accept fighting over running, as they were fairly strong themselves after awakening and unlocking those special powers.
After the announcements were made and the job of convincing those who seemed to doubt, which were very few, everyone set about their tasks. Those to leave would be heading out at first light. Those staying went about taking apart buildings nearby, even their very foundation, in order to build sturdier barricades and watch towers and widen the roads.
While that began, Vandrick lead the three ignited humans to the beach.
With a stick and the sand, he drew a rough approximation of the town, along with the lake and three distinct areas just outside of the town proper. “So, before the battle with the Wendigo, we will need to secure our surroundings. I believe this will also act as good combat training for you all. While I can remove the threats to the east, west and southwest myself, it would do little if you three didn’t learn something from it.”
They all nod in agreement.
“First, let me ask you, based on your skills, what would you say your role should be in battle?”
Niles thought hard about his set of skills, holding back his answer.
Nadia crossed her arms and looked to the sky. “Well, I think it’s obvious I’m a healer. My main skills are ‘Medical Diagnostician’ and ‘Surgeon’s Dexterity Rank: E’ which are both focused on finding the problems and physically mending them. But I don’t have any real fighting skills that would let me heal in the thick of it.
Bruce nodded at her and looked back to Vandrick. “I’m a tank, or a defender. My skill “Provoking Glare” forces enemies in my field of vision to focus their attention on me, while “Barrier Man Rank: D” gives better general pain and damage resistance.”
“Alright.” Vandrick grins. “Both are great roles. I’ll be sure to request armor and gear for your respective jobs in my letter to the Commodore. It’ll take time to arrive, but be sure to give our resident craftsman Brimley Argos, the dwarf you’ve seen running around with the thinning black hair, your measurements so that he can adjust whatever we get.”
“For training, I’d like the two of you to work with me in clearing the southwest Azure Moss Den. I’ll do most of the fighting there since my skills are a great match against it, so the two of you just concentrate on supporting each other.”
They all turn to Niles who was still contemplating his role. When he picked up on the fact that he’s up next, he sighed and shook his head. “I’ll be clear. My main skill is “Wild Step Rank: A”. It lets me move extremely fast when surrounded by nature. Combat is mainly using that with my “Improvised Fighter Rank: D” to get the upper hand. Guerrilla warfare at its finest.”
Taken aback, the regal birdman’s jaw drops. “And here I thought their skills were grand.” He had been keeping his cool pretty well. According to Vandrick, Bruce and Nadia both had high quality specialization skills that experts normally have. Even with low ranks, they could get them to top rank officials in the Allied Forces quite quickly.
But Niles, his skills were unique in that only hermits and mercenaries of high repute have been known to have them. It normally took a lifetime to achieve just F rank in either skill. To have Ranks A and D was either a gift from the creator itself, or a testament to Niles’ life experience.
“Wild Step” is a skill that recluse hermits employ to stay hidden from wanderers and travelers while trying to sustain themselves. And “Improvised Fighter” is something only the most hardened sellswords earn after many life and death struggles where they literally have to improvise weapons and strategies to survive.
Vandrick’s shock soon transitions away and with a grin, he asks “Let’s spar.”
“What? Like, right now?”
“Yeah. It’s not everyday you get the chance to challenge someone with two rare skills. Plus, it’ll give us a chance to see what you can do seeing as you don’t have as specified of a role as these two.”
Niles looks around with an “I don’t know...” kind of expression. Unfortunately, the idea seemed to have struck a chord with the birdman Captain who now was too excited to change his mind. Therefore, Niles reluctantly accepted. They moved to the woods to the north via Mine Road and found a small section of trees where his Wild Step could be triggered.
The two stood about five yards from one another. Niles equipped his dulled and chipped bowie knife, and Vandrick pulled out a thin rapier that was held in his belt.
Out of everything that Vandrick wanted from the exchange, he hoped to see the extent of what two skills, that had never interacted to his knowledge, could do, as well as how far he himself would be pushed by such a mysterious combination.
Niles on the other hand just wanted to know how strong Vandrick was. He’s seen the entire centuria do amazing things over the last week. The tree trunks that took several men to just pull across the ground, were lifted and carried by one or two beastmen, and brought to the school from the camp in a day to build the platform over the crater. It was clear they have an advantage, but for some reason, Niles felt like there was something more to their shows of strength.
Bruce and Nadia waited by the road, ready to give the starting signal. Tensions filled the air. More so with the lack of wind within the space.
The muscled half-giant of a man raises his arm with a “Ready?” At the peak of his reach, “Set?” And just before he slashed through the air by bringing down his arm, Niles vanished from his position.
With a sudden gust brought on by his quick movements, Niles rushed Vandrick. Aiming his blade at his wrist. At a speed normally reserved for vehicles and unique animals, the slight gleam from the sunlight hitting the metal streaked through the trees. The only problem was, Vandrick was prepared for an early start.
A quick parry and side step completely removed himself from any danger. He immediately took up a fencing stance. Knees bent, keeping his body at an angle to reduce his size and holding the rapier in a relaxed grip.
Each swing from Niles came in like a bullet, yet Vandrick continued to intercept and evade, mainly with the guard surrounding his hand. He used minimal movements to pivot and tilt the battle in his favor. Of course, the amount of control he displayed was not just for self-defense, but also to play with his opponent’s psyche.
A Veteran of countless battles, the birdman Captain liked to focus on manipulating his enemies into becoming more and more predictable. Every missed or failed attack caused Niles to become frustrated, narrowing his tunnel vision and closing his mind to tactics all together. A clear showing of their difference in experience.
Niles was already breathing heavily after a couple minutes when Vandrick shouted, “I guess we can stop here, then.”
That statement really set Niles off. He didn’t want to hurt Vandrick after all the help he’d given him and the rest of the survivors. But at the same time, he didn’t want to feel so pathetic after obtaining such an unbelievable gift once his soul was ignited. Given the conflicting feelings, a skill he thought was constant seemed to kick in like a dam in front of a raging river of emotion. ‘Survival Mentality’. A flash went across his vision, making him hide behind a tree before he tripped from his slightly reduced perception thanks to the distraction.
The window that popped up stated that “Survival Mentality has been triggered by intense confusion and panic. Skill has calmed the owner's mind and will start to have an effect going forward.” Basically admitting that the system had not thought to activate it until now. Even when he was face to face with imminent death by the direwolves and goblin army, it wasn’t put into action. The only reason Niles could think of why that was the case, was that those times, he had only one option and didn’t need to worry about much else. Here however, he had a hard time deciding whether to fight Vandrick for real or not. Adding the fact he was easily provoked led him into a messy state of mind that even the system itself had to stop him.
When he stopped running, Niles started to see how Vandrick knew where he was. Despite one of his skills removes the sound of his steps, he couldn’t hide the wind his speed created. Since wind had stopped entirely, the gusts he generated gave the well trained and experienced Captain a hint and edge in the one v. one.
