Allistair and Jack followed the Shadow Hound deeper into the cave.
"Are we close?", Jack asked. "I detect a magia signature not far.", Allistair replied
He looked back, "I hope the doctor is fine."
"Don't worry about him. Hauser's strength and combat skills are vice-captain level. Not to mention his healing skills which even the Water Cardinal admits are better than hers.", Jack reassured him again.
"But the opponent is a Fallen. Even I struggle a bit against one.", Allistair said. He noticed the slight concern on Jack's face.
"You're right Allistair. He will struggle a bit but will not lose. Doctor Hauser has a deadly gift."
*******
Hauser landed hard on the ground, dust billowing around him. He stood up and dusted his coat.
He felt a movement to his right. He jumped back as Callum appeared beside him with a dagger. The Fallen slashed at Hauser which he blocked with his sword.
{Lightning Code: Jagged Bolt}, Callum thrust his dagger, and a powerful bolt of lightning went at Hauser.
Hauser deflected the bolt with his sword but the force pushed him back. Before he could recover, Callum appeared behind him, "Goodbye doctor.", he brought his lightning-coated dagger to Hauser's neck.
An explosion of lightning rocked the ground. Callum quickly jumped back with a look of shock, "What is the meaning of this?", he demanded.
"Damn. You almost got me back there.", Hauser emerged from the dust and picked up his hat which was knocked off by the explosion.
"Did you know that dragons shed their scales and those scales are used to make a variety of products, the most common being armored clothing?"
Hauser smiled, "It was a good thing I had this scarf made from the scales of an Earth Wyvern. Your powers are impressive. But show me more.", He taunted Callum and charged.
Both of them clashed many times. Sword against dagger, lightning against water. Many creatures in the surrounding area turned their heads at the commotion. Some unfortunate ones were even blown away.
The ground cracked, dust billowed, and rocks shattered as the doctor and his assistant let loose.
Soon they found themselves in a forest of skeletal white trees. Hauser deflected Callum's dagger and kicked him into a tree. He used Tidal surge and blasted the Fallen along with some trees, creating a small clearing.
Callum coughed out water. His suit was in tatters and multiple cuts crisscrossed his body, bleeding black blood.
Hauser on the other hand was relatively fine, though his coat was tattered at the edges and a single scratch marred his cheek.
"This is not possible.", Callum clenched his teeth, "How can I be wounded by the likes of you? I have become much stronger than before!"
"Your attacks are indeed powerful but not fully precise. That creates small openings which I can utilize. Also, it doesn't matter how powerful you become if you couldn't use your powers in the right way.", Hauser replied.
"Shut up. I cannot accept this.", Callum threw away his dagger and ripped off his tattered shirt.
He took out a vial containing a dark purple liquid. He removed the top and drank its contents.
Suddenly Callum doubled over and his body shuddered. He grunted as his muscles became bigger, his skin became darker and his hands turned to claws. Black spikes came out of his back and elbows.
Callum opened his mouth and released a deafening roar. He looked at Hauser with eyes that glowed dark purple. Tendrils of black lightning sparked around him.
A powerful presence pushed down on Hauser. The doctor narrowed his eyes. "So that is what your power has made you. Looks like that strange liquid was black magia in liquid form."
Callum only growled in response. Hauser shook his head, "Look what you have become. You're not human anymore."
The Fallen roared and charged at him. Hauser took out his scalpels and threw them. His opponent swiftly dodged them with ease.
"Shit!", Hauser swore as the Fallen dealt a powerful punch to his chest. The doctor didn't have a chance to dodge.
He crashed through the trees and finally stopped at a rock in another clearing.
"That hurts. Feels like a broken rib.", Hauser had reinforced his body with magia before the blow but it still did damage.
{Water Code: Holy Water}, water with a pleasant blue glow surrounded him, healing his wounds.
He stood up and immediately jumped to the side. It was just in time as the Fallen barreled past him, pulverizing the rock.
Hauser took out his scalpels and threw them at the Fallen. Most of them were dodged and deflected off the tough skin.
The Fallen slashed at Hauser with his claws. He countered it with his sword and dodged another strike.
He felt the air getting charged and jumped just as a bolt of black lightning blasted a hole where he stood. He looked up and saw multiple bolts coming at him.
He narrowly dodged all of them, the last one singed his coat. The Fallen roared and ripped two trees from the ground and threw them at him.
"Okay. Now that is just showing off.", Hauser said as he dodged the trees that came at him like projectiles. He took out his last five scalpels, {Water Code: Flowing Strings}
Extremely thin strings of condensed water appeared around him and attached to the scalpels. Extremely strong and versatile, the perfect thing to use for stitches and traps.
He infused the scalpels with magia and threw them at the approaching Fallen who easily dodged it.
Hauser manipulated the strings and the scalpels changed direction and struck his enemy in the back.
The Fallen howled in pain as the blades penetrated his skin and went deeper into his flesh. With rage-filled eyes, he concentrated black lightning into his hand. The ground shook and black leaves fell from the trees.
"That is a really powerful Electro Ball.", Hauser remarked as he saw it become bigger.
An attack that powerful would decimate the entire forest and everything in it, including him.
Hauser knows that he can't get close to the Fallen. He was out of scalpels and throwing his sword would be useless. There is only one thing to do and he hated it.
"My my. You really are going to make me do it.", Hauser sighed and took off his dark-tinted glasses, revealing poisonous green eyes.
He looked at the Fallen and his eyes glowed bright green.
Suddenly the Fallen froze, and the big Electro Ball dissipated into black tendrils of lightning. Hauser approached his old assistant who couldn't move a muscle or even make a noise.
It seemed like everything around them froze like the Fallen and an unnatural silence prevailed.
Hauser stood right in front of the Fallen, who looked at his green eyes with shock and fear. His whole body shuddered as he struggled in vain to make a sound.
Hauser put a hand on the Fallen's shoulder, "Goodbye Callum. You were a good assistant."
He infused his sword with magia and swiftly beheaded Callum. The last words the Fallen heard was, "Once you fall. You will never be the same."
Hauser collapsed on the ground and covered his eyes as blood trickled from them. He put on his glasses and sat up, "Damn. That's painful."
"So you used it?", he heard Jack's voice as he and Allistair came behind him.
"You have the Paralysis vision?", Allistair asked. Hauser nodded, "Indeed. I believe you already know what it is."
"Of course. It is one of the many visions gifted to certain people at birth, the most common being the magia vision.", Allistair replied.
"The Paralysis vision paralyzes the one who gazes into the user's eyes, robbing them of any movement and amplifying pain. A deadly vision to both the victim and the user. The user has to pay the price for inflicting pain on others.", Jack explained.
Allistair looked at Hauser wiping the blood off his face, "How does it feel like to use that power?"
Hauser looked at him, "Like red hot spikes being slowly twisted into my eyes."
Allistair winced, "Holy Arkenstein. That is horrible."
"Even though I've grown used to it. It still hurts like hell.", Hauser stood up, "So did you two close the Rupture?"
Jack nodded and tossed something to Hauser. He caught it and saw that it was a delicate flower with blood-red petals, "A Blood Lily. Thank you for finding it.", Hauser said.
"We also found another thing along with the Blood Lily. There was a tunnel near the Rupture that led to the top of the cliff and there we saw something disturbing where the cliff began."
"Disturbing?", Hauser asked, intrigued.
Allistair nodded, "I think you should see it. You have studied ancient organisms right?"
Hauser nodded, "Why yes. So it is the bones of an ancient creature.", he concluded and stood up but collapsed again. "How about after we take a small break?"
After a few minutes of rest, Hauser held Allistair's hand along with Jack. Allistair closed his eyes. They were then swallowed by the shadows of the trees and emerged at the top of the cliff.
Hauser felt woozy and used his cane to support himself. "I hate shadow traveling", he complained. "It is pretty efficient", Jack said.
"Efficient my ass. I threw up the first time I shadow traveled.", Hauser grumbled. Jack chuckled.
"Now what is it that you wanted to show me?", Hauser asked. Allistair and Jack turned serious and pointed behind him, "There.", Jack said.
Hauser turned around and his mouth went slack. A few feet behind him was the skull of a dragon-like beast half-buried in the ground.
The first thing that struck him was the size. The skull was very well the size of an Elder dragon's. But it looked different from any dragon he had ever seen.
The snout was much longer and tapered at the end. The massive teeth were jagged and some were fused to the bone.
A crown of twelve horns, six on each side, curved backward. Some were broken and chipped as if hit by a heavy object. It was a terrifying sight.
But Hauser's blood ran cold as he counted the number of eye sockets, This creature had six eyes. Only one monster wielded six eyes.
He suddenly remembered a prayer and chant written by ancient sages to keep away the malice of this monster. He once read about it in a book and had nightmares for days.
He stepped back in horror as he noticed something else. The skull was not half-buried in the ground. It was rising from it.
"What is it Hauser?", Jack asked, alarmed by the doctor's reaction.
Hauser closed his eyes and calmed himself down. He slowly opened them and looked at Jack and Allistair, "This is catastrophic.", he said in a grave tone.
"What do you mean?", Jack asked.
"Have you heard of the six-eyed devil?", Hauser asked.
Jack and Allistair's faces paled. "You mean the one whose bones must never be revealed?", Allistair asked. Hauser nodded gravely.
"This is really bad.", Jack said. He looked at Allistair and Hauser, "We must inform the Cardinals and the Council about this."
"But how did the skull reach here?", Allistair asked, inching away from it.
"It is said that the monster's bones were scattered and buried all across Ethereos. The skull would've been thrown over here and buried under a massive landslide.", Hauser answered.
"Let's leave. This is a grave emergency and the higher-ups have to know about this.", Jack said.
The other two nodded in agreement. "As much as I would love to look for more Blood Lilies. This requires priority.", Hauser said.
The three of them took out their teleport stones and vanished from the cliff with a pop.
A strong wind blew across the hellish landscape. The soil shifted as the skull of a near-forgotten evil slowly rose from the ground.