Creatures turn and swarm upon the travelers.
A sense of impending doom creeps upon them. Broken in time and spirit, they must find where this path leads… or die trying.
"Will the heavens answer us once more?!" Deigus pleads.
"This cryptic nightmare must end! My sanity NEEDS this to end!!" Deigus unsheathes multiple Urunaga blades acquired from the lost.
"Oh virtuous beings,(his voice trembling from desperation and despair) lend me the will to fight on in spite of myself!"
He begins to kneel as the horde rushes onward."Find in me the courage to complete this feat of bravery and—-suicide." The sheer horror of dying by being ripped apart entertain his unreassuring reality. His body shakes as he widens his stance. Looking for an opening, Deigus digs his heels to launch a counterattack. He's a bit on edge but readies himself accordingly. He can see a small hazy opening where beasts are sprawling about. He closes his eyes and senses his surroundings. The steady heartbeat of frightened creatures…the warm, ominous energy that flows freely from the fallen…the foreboding clouds that creep into the frame only to dissipate with each battle. He can feel the marsh-like lands beneath him as he sinks into his stance. He stiffens for a moment but slowly gains clarity and focus. His purpose is clear now: survival. If nothing else, he must. His people needed him to.
With imminent death looming, they find themselves against an unseen enemy. The mist draws nearer as they move towards the open plains. The path, barely visible, rises and falls with each step. The grounds grow ever flooded with the stench of death and bile. It starts to disorient the warriors as they hack away at so many…
"Ok." Staggering a bit from the endless encounter. "We MUST keep up the fight! Stay with me!" He tries to find the distorted image that eludes him still. Fighting blindly, the warriors place their backs to one another. "I -I can't see a damn thing… this has to stop!" The brigade continues its offensive and Kerelia is near her limit. "This had to STOPPPPPPP!!!!" An echo rings true about the crowd, the monstrous beasts press on as Kerelia's eyes blaze a brilliant blue. As her body encapsulates a bright hue of energy, she can feel the auric field expand around her. Her crest responds and begins absorbing energy from the vast field and buffs her stats significantly.
Her strengths build with each burst as her crest is now seen on her right shoulder blazing brightly. A bomb cloud slowly gathers overhead and increases in size. Precipitation and thunder begin to rise and fall as it orchestrates into a massive downpour. The energy cracks and pops in the air as her body slowly shakes.
"Tredot! I need you to watch over me, ok? I don't know how long I'll be disengaged. If the armor holds, perhaps a few moments. When I leave, find that path immediately!"
"Understood. I will do my best! W-wait! Leave where, exactly?!"
Kerelia turns her attention to the open plains.
As she begins to direct her assa-.
"ArGHHH—!!!"
"Oomph!" Kerelia bellows as she takes a shot to her torso.
The horror has caught up to them! Steeped in dark energy and pure madness, the creatures appear one after another. Their screams disorient Deigus as Kerelia tries to regain her focus. It seems Tredot may need to rise to the challenge to come. Perhaps running while the others fight isn't the best strategy, but it may have to do for now. As Deigus and Kerelia fight, the eerie sounds of blood-curdling screams seek an audience. They are reminders of what is to come if they cannot arise victorious. So, reluctantly, he steps up to face the gnashing sounds of various beings. Their silhouettes dance to and fro across the fields. The evil that struck Kerelia disappears and reappears behind him. "KRunCh!" A loud gnawing sound accompanied by breaking bones rises and falls before them. The battlefield shakes violently with a thunderous jolt. They look around as the ground seems to open up a bit.
"NOW!!" Kerelia commands.
Simultaneously, Tredot raises his arms and strike the land with a singular blow.
A strange purple hue grows and encompasses Kerelia and Deigus. Thunder has joined the fray as a mass of energy forms large plumes of plasma lightning.
Deigus arcs his shoulders back as those mighty swords spin around him.
"Ok…ok…" he says shaking mightily.
The fear of death enters his mind as he steadies himself for the next wave. Heavily breathing, he stares through the billowing mist that slowly engulfs them.
"Hhhhs shhhhh shhhh hnmmkf…" He begins to swallow as he can feel the ground tremble with each footfall. He tries, desperately, to gather himself. So, he lowers his head and takes a deep breath…
His mind clears as he focuses on the incoming footsteps. Steady, he thinks, stay steady. He tightens his grip on his swords and taps into the power of his glowing crest. An echoing chime rises from the crest as he hones in.
Slowly breathing in and out begins to soothe his mind. The crest grows in size and begins to flicker. His mouth is dry as his eyes begin to glow with rage. From his mouth flows the words of a true warrior. For he is the one known as WarDog Crisis…
His torso rises and falls with each breath as his armor glows. He can hear the beasts about him entering his range. His fists tighten. His eyes dim for a moment. His lifeforce is now in sync with his breathing. Then, without a wasted motion, he strikes! Several beasts emerge and are met with death-wielding blows. His armor heats up as it emits massive beams of energy that lay low many more beasts. Another deep breath. Steady. Breathe. Steady. He excels as he strikes again. With each burst of energy are the faces of horrendous creatures that make their way to the onslaught. Renewed with confidence, the three feel they have a fighting chance.
"NOTHING LIVES!!!" The three nod in agreement. "KILL THEM ALL!!!"
Deigus yells. His warcry frightens his friends who are used to the mild-mannered soldier being more of a pacifist.
A purple barrier grows as it claims the grounds of the fallen.
"Kerelia?! More?!" Tredot asks.
"Yes!! Much more! We need to get over this mist to see the path!"
The dimly-lit path is littered with the corpses of beasts that begin to pile up in certain areas.
"KEEP PUSHING!!!"
Deigus digs in and throws his blades that act as boomerang-scythes known as the Cleateese technique. A strong swishing sound can be heard tearing through the flesh of the foul creatures. They boomerang back to him as he repeats. This is a lost art form passed on for generations to Deigus' clan.
His campaign, however, awakens many more grotesque enemies.
"Kerelia?! Can you lift that sword on my right? I can't get to it!" Tredot asks.
Kerelia looks around and locates a large sword with a braided handle. It's encrusted with magic and adorned with dragon scales. As she goes to lift it, something has a hold of the bladed end.
Kerelia attempts to wrestle it away as the grip becomes more intense. Peering through the mist are eyes so blue they look like brightly-lit stones. Behind these eyes was a scavenger beast known as a redgul (rehjewl) or fallen soldier in the ancient tongue. This being was on the brink of extinction after the Great War of Yrghdol (Yurg'dohl). A war designed to weed out the weak and impose the might of the strong. Many would perish that day. Their only solace was believing that such a spectacle necessary. The significance of this moment was that this moment, something different happened. Something quite terrifying indeed…the barrier that kept the path safe was fading fast. If that creature could grab that sword, then…
A faint electric buzzing noise can be heard in the distance as the cascade of monsters fall to the never ending onslaught. Covered in the ooze of defeated beings, the trio start to deplete their crests. The flicker of magic can be seen from sectors away as they fight on.
"Uhh, Deigus? We may have a bigger problem."
Kerelia points to the weakening field around them.
"Oh no! Quickly! Push forward! Head to that path ahead!" Deigus instructs.
"What about your sword?"
"It is lost! Leave it!"
So they did.
"Tredot?! Can you aim the barrier over there?! We can use the path just ahead to try to get out of here!"
"Ok, but… then what shall we do?!"
Kerelia charges her next attack and aims in the middle of a swarm of oncoming fiends. Her crest flickers as she begins to slowly drain it.
"This!" Kerelia strikes as her attack explodes mercilessly amongst the crowd. Creatures are torn asunder as the bomb cloud descends upon them.
The ground swells and ebbs with the destructive force and lunges into the air several meters. The barrier deflects the blast and propels the three just above the mist. Again, a faint light flickers in the distance and disappears. Buoyed, the three begin to plan their next- "ArGrGgggggg!!!"
The being viciously attacks the purple sphere and eat away at its defensive integrity.
"Wh-ohhhhhh you GOTTA be kidding me?!" Kerelia exclaims.
"Quickly! Push this thing off!!"
The being seems to be reaching in from one dimension while cloaked in another. Half of its body can be seen a bit more clearly. It's darkened-scaly skin has a mucus membrane that allows it to adhere to the sphere as its jaw grows and smashes the sphere. Kerelia and the creature are eye-to-eye when she witnesses a large dark grin with menacing teeth emerge.
Kerelia pauses for a moment as she feels limp from the glare. Her crest pops and sparks as if to snap her out of it. A faint cry can be heard from it as she regains her senses.
"What was that?!" Kerelia asks. The others seem too clueless to answer.
"That THING did something when I look at it!"
Deigus looks around but sees nothing. The impact from the bite shakes the orb a bit but nothing too egregious.
The makeshift craft reaches it's apex and begins to float above the chaos. The melee ensues but the being is nowhere to be found.
The creatures ooze out from the fissures and continue their battles as if the three were never there.
Feeling a sense of relief, the three fixate on the path ahead.