"So what do you plan on doing now?" Darius asks.
"I'm not sure honestly. I know that we are going to need a Lot of help if we are going to put a stop to those beasts. And we need to do it quickly before they spread out too much." Cyrus replies.
"Hopefully we can contact someone who might be able to help us." Darius says. "We should head back to the city. We can tell the guild leaders what happened and see if we can gather enough soldiers to take care of this mess." He says.
"Sounds like a plan." Cyrus says nodding. "Lets speed up the pace then."
The group quickly picks up the pace as they make there way towards the city.
The group travelled through the night nonstop until reaching the gates of the city.
Upon returning to the capital the group quickly informs the guild masters of everything that has happened.
"Well, this is a mess." The guild master says after hearing the full story.
"Do you have anyone in mind who might be able to lend a hand?" Darius asks.
"Unfortunately, we don't. All of our resources are stretched thin as it is. There are several other problems that have cropped up all over. Plus, most of our troops have been deployed already." The guild master says.
"Then what is the plan? Do you have any idea how many beasts there are running rampant!?"
"I know that but there is nothing we can do at the moment. there has been an army of monsters marching towards the city and they have already devoured several villages and small towns in their wake. All of the troops have been sent to deal with that problem so our hands are tied. If we could send more people then maybe we could assist. But at the moment I'm afraid that there isn't anything we can do." The guild master replies.
"Then what are we supposed to do?" Darius asks.
"We can only hope that the army succeeds in dealing with the threat and can return to assist in the battle with those wolves" The guild master says.
"For now I think your team could use some time to relax your thoughts. You've all worked hard these past few days. As for me, I am going to go report to the Commander about this situation. I will let you know when I have more information." The guild master says leaving the group to themselves.
The group heads to the tavern to unwind.
"How long are we going to stay in this place?" Eryn asks.
"What do you mean?" Darius asks.
"I mean, How long are we going to be stuck here while things are happening elsewhere?" Eryn says.
"I wish we knew, but as it stands we are going to have to stay here for a while longer until we can figure out our next plan of action." Cyrus says.
"I don't really want to stay here anymore."Hannah says with a sigh.
"I don't blame you. I'm also getting a little tired of this mess. If only my team had arrived sooner, this could have all been avoided." Eryn says.
"I feel your pain. But we can't dwell on things we can't change right now. So instead we need to focus on getting ourselves back on track. Once we are ready we can move on from here." Darius says.
"It's starting to look like that is all we can do anyway." Eryn says.
"Don't give up yet. Even if we have to face this problem alone, we will still succeed. We're strong enough to overcome anything thrown at us. At the very least we need to keep tabs on the beasts whereabouts once day breaks. And if were lucky we fin be able to divide and conquer." Cyrus says.
"I guess that is true. There are too many of them to defeat them all at once, but if they were separated it might be doable." Eryn says.
The group then sits down around a table and begins to discuss tactics and plans to combat the beasts.
The sun begins to rise over the horizon illuminating the world.
The group rises and prepares to leave the tavern, taking the quickest route to Brina.
Upon reaching the town, the group begin to search for the remaining beasts.
"Remember that if you find one by itself, burn it in its entirety so that it can't heal the wounds it receives. Then retreat as quickly as possible." Cyrus says.
"Got it." Darius says.
"Good luck!" Eryn says before the group splits up.
Cyrus makes his way Through the town looking for the beasts before eventually finding a large group of them.
Watching them from a distance, he waits for his chance to strike.
When he finally gets the opportunity, he makes his way towards the nearest wolf, piercing its torso with his sword while covering its mouth.
He holds it still while spreading his shadow across the beast body to melt it until its nothing but a dark puddle.
Moving on, he begins to locate the other beasts.
Finding the second beast he strikes again, melting it and using the shadows to burn the remains.
Using this method he manages to destroy another three before losing track of where the rest are.
"Looks like I'm doing better than I thought. Lets keep the momentum up"Cyrus thinks to himself as he continues searching for more beasts.
Eventually he finds two more beasts and quickly dispatches both of them.
"If they are this easy to kill when there alone, then we should be able to take them out quickly. Granted we can find all of them before the day ends." Cyrus thinks to himself.
Continuing on, he manages to find three more and kills them as well.
After killing another five, Cyrus eventually finds a small pack of six.
He moves in to watch them from above, waiting until the perfect moment to strike.
After a while the moment appears and he makes his move.
grabbing the beast that had separated from the group and begins to melt it down until another beast spots him.
The beast lets out a roar as the surrounding ones converge on his location.
In response, Cyrus brings his shadow down on the pack pushing them to the ground momentarily.
He then leaps over them and lands on top of one of the beasts.
Using his shadow he begins to melt the creature starting from the head.
The other beasts attack him with a fury trying to cut him down.
Before they manage to do so, he lifts himself up using the beast shoulder while he uses his legs to kick the other beasts away.
Pushing them away, he turns his attention to the closest beast, dodging its claws, and quickly lashes out slicing open the beast chest before shoving his shadow into the wound to melt it.
"That is one down. Two more to go!" Cyrus says as he jumps back to safety.
Quickly moving to the next beast, he does the same thing to it and kills it before turning to the last.
It charges at him with its claws out and tries to claw him.
Cyrus uses the shadow to shield his body while striking the beast in the face.
He then proceeds to melt the beast and finish off the last member.
"Six down! I think I did pretty good considering I were outnumbered." Cyrus thinks to himself.
He Continues removing beast after beast until he is unable to locate any more.
Figuring that he might have cleared out the town He makes his way out into the surrounding woods.
As he travels through the forest he notices several footprints leading deeper into the woods.
"There must be more of those creatures out here." Cyrus thinks to himself.
Following the trail, he soon reaches a clearing filled with numerous beasts.
Several of them were the same as the ones he had been dispatching so far but some of them were different. they looked similar to the others, but they had noticeably larger bodies and wings, something he hadn't seen before.
The larger ones seemed to be able to control the smaller beast to a certain extent because they would occasionally attack each other.
"Hmm..." Cyrus thinks to himself.
"This could be a problem."
Suddenly one of the larger beasts catches sight of him and starts to charge.
"This looks like trouble." Cyrus thinks to himself.
Cyrus doesn't wait for the beast to reach him before he activates his shadow magic and uses it to jump over the charging beast.
Landing safely on the other side, he prepares to fight.
The beast quickly redirects itself using its wings and charges at him with its claws out.
Cyrus quickly forms his shadow around his fist and strikes the beast in the head, smashing its skull and crushing its brain.
Drawing his blade Cyrus is ready to continue the fight but is instead met with a new discovery as the beasts body laid lifeless on the ground.
"What the hell?" Cyrus thinks to himself "It looks like whatever kept these guys alive didn't transfer over to these variants. I guess this makes things a bit easier."
Looking around the area, he notices that there were dozens of these beasts flying towards him drawn in by the noise.
The beasts began their assault on Cyrus, coming at him from every angle.
"Alright, let's get this over with." Cyrus thinks to himself as he makes his way towards the nearest beast.
Grabbing the beast by the neck, Cyrus pulls it close before proceeding to smash its head against another one of the beasts.
He then punches it in the stomach using his shadow, sending it tumbling to the ground.
Without wasting any time he breaks the next one's leg while simultaneously slamming his knee into its chest, breaking its rib cage.
The creature falls to the ground while he moves onto the next one.
"This shouldn't take too long." Cyrus thinks to himself.
While continuing his work on the beasts, he notices several more moving towards him.
"This is starting to become bothersome." he thinks to himself.
The beasts begin to swarm him and try to overwhelm him.
Seeing them gathered around so closely Cyrus loads his rod with his energy causing the blade to rapidly increase in size before swinging it through the horde.
Cyrus slices through dozens of the beasts until he is left alone with just a few remaining.
One of them lunges at him but is met with a swift kick before being crushed underfoot.
He then quickly slashes the remaining three in half before turning and fleeing the scene.
"Well that was something. I never expected to fight so many of these beasts." Cyrus says to himself as he looks around the battlefield.
Moving through the woods, He decides to meet up with his team while making sure to kill any beast that he comes across along the way.
He Makes his way to the meeting place previously discussed to find Darius and Hannah already there.
"Hey, how'd it go?" Hannah asks as she looks at his face.
"Not bad. I managed Knock out quite a large number of them. Even found some newer variants that can control the smaller ones." Cyrus says.
"Those sound like they could be big problems if they ever got loose. We'll have to make sure to handle those as well." Darius says.
"Luckily, those ones go down much easier than the smaller ones. They don't look like they carry any regenerative capabilities. Though they are still dangerous. So, how about you guys? Any news?" Cyrus asks.
"We've been busy as well. I'm at least sure that we've completely cleared out the town and maybe even the surrounding forests. Hannah and I haven't seen anymore beast for a while now." Darius says.
"So, we have eliminated the threat then?" Cyrus says.
"At least for now. Although there could be more somewhere further out.." Hannah says.
"we can deal with that later tonight. If there are more, they should be visible once night falls." Cyrus says.
"Sounds like a plan. Let's wait here for Eryn and discuss our next move." Darius says.
Cyrus nods in agreement before the group sits down to wait for Eryn's return.
Eryn arrives at the meeting spot shortly after sunset.
She looks exhausted and is covered in blood.
"You're alright?" Darius says with concern.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Things just got a bit messy" She says.
"How many did you kill today?" Cyrus asks.
"More than I ever wanted to see, but not as many as I thought we would. Turns out a lot of the beasts were too weak to really pose a threat. I managed to kill almost fifty, Including some winged ones." Eryn says.
"That's good. It means the town should be safe. And thanks to you, there won't be any more monsters to worry about." Cyrus says. "Although I think we should hang around here at least until its dark out. Just to make sure we haven't missed any. Plus, it will give us enough time to eat and rest."
"Right, sounds good. So what do you have to prepare?" Eryn says.
Darius steps up before taking out a large pot and a knife from behind a nearby boulder. "How about I make us some stew?"
"Sounds great." Cyrus says.
"I'm going to go check on my traps." Eryn says before leaving.
"Shouldn't she be resting?" Darius asks.
"She seems fine. now how about you get cooking. I haven't had a bite to eat since we left the city. It'll do me some good." Hannah says.
"Sure, no problem. I'll go ahead and start chopping up some vegetables."
After a while Eryn returns with a large basket full of dead small animals.
"Will it be fine if we add these" She asks.
"Of course, I was just thinking we needed some meat." Darius says running over to grab the basket.
"Thanks." Eryn says with a smile.
"Anyway, let's get started. We need to keep this fire hot and I want to make sure I cover the entire pot while I cook. So, I'll need you to help me out here." Darius says.
He places the basket near the fire and begins to cut the carcass apart while using it to fill the pot.
Soon the pot begins to boil and the smell of food fills the air.
"Here, get your first taste of this masterpiece." Darius says handing her a wooden spoon.
Eryn smiles and takes a bite.
"Oh wow! This is delicious!" She says.
Darius gives an appreciative nod before saying "I knew you would like it. I've been practicing for years. Now you can say you've had the best stew in all of Valia!"
"Wow! You're right. This is amazing!" Hannah says with a wide grin.
"I know, right? I'm glad you two like it!" Darius replies with a wide grin.
"Looks like it was worth the wait." Cyrus adds.
"Now let's eat!" Darius says.
They all sit down around the fire and enjoy the meal While conversing with each other.
"So, where did you learn to make stew like this?" Eryn asks.
"My mother taught me when I was younger. I decided to stick with it and improve upon her recipe." Darius says.
"Your mom must be a very talented woman. I love the way it tastes." Eryn says.
"She's always made the best meals. After she passed away, I swore I'd keep making sure that I didn't lose that skill." Darius says.
"That's really sweet. Your mom must have been a wonderful person." Eryn says.
"Yes, she truly was." Darius says with a sad smile. "She raised me by herself after my father died. She worked hard to make sure that I could do everything that I wanted, without having to rely on anyone else."
"I'm sorry to hear that. But I'm glad that she left you with a legacy of strength and power." Eryn says.
"Thank you. She always said that I could make anything happen as long as I put my mind to it." Darius says.
"How old were you when she passed If I may ask?" Eryn asks.
"I was fourteen," Darius says.
"That is such a shame. You couldn't have had a better role model." Eryn says.
"I agree. She was the strongest woman I've ever known." Darius replies. "Speaking of which, tell me. What made you decide to come here with us. Don't you have your own team to take care of?".
"No, I'm afraid I don't, at least not anymore. They didn't make it out of the town last night and none of them came back during the day." Eryn says.
"I see. I'm sorry to hear that." Darius says.
"Thank you for offering me a place in your group. If there is any way I can help, please let me know. I can always fight." Eryn says.
"Don't worry about it, we're already in pretty dire straits ourselves. We can use all the help we can get. So, if you don't mind joining us we'd be happy to have you around more often. You seem like you would be a valuable member to have." Cyrus says.
"Of course. I'll have to leave you guys soon though. I still need to take care of my duties as a royal But it would be nice to travel with you three when I have the chance. Hopefully, that will be sooner rather than later." Eryn says.
"We would all love that." Darius says with a smile.
"Well, I guess we should probably get some rest. I hope to see you again tomorrow. Goodnight everyone." Eryn says before getting up and heading off towards her tent
Letting everyone else head to bed Cyrus stays up for a bit to watch for anymore of the beasts. Making his way to the top of a nearby tree, he looks over the area below to see if there are any more enemies lurking around.
Nothing seems to be out of the ordinary. There were no beast spotted for quite some time until he notices something shining in the distance.
Making his way through the trees to it's location, he spots a small glowing orb floating through the forest.
Carefully watching it, he notices that it seems to be slowly changing color.
"Well, this is certainly odd." he thinks to himself.
The light finally stops shifting and starts to turn white. As it does Cyrus notices that something is moving inside of it.
Watching it carefully he sees a figure emerge from the orb.
It looks similar to the monsters that he has fought before, but something was off. Something was different about it.
As emerges from the orb, Cyrus notices that it still looks human despite the wolf like features it possesses. Its skin is covered in fur, just like the other beasts, but its eyes are glowing with a bright green color.
Its body is long and thin and its legs are longer than normal. It also has two arms and a tail. It is about twice the size of a normal human.
Suddenly, the creature reaches into the orb and pulls out another one.
"What the-". Cyrus says before dropping to the ground.
Noticing the sound, the creature turns in his direction and makes a motion with its hand.
A bolt of electricity shoots out of its finger and hits the tree where he had been standing.
Sparks shoot everywhere and a loud thud echoes through the forest as the tree breaks apart.
"Shit!" Cyrus shouts out
The creature lowers its body and launches itself towards him with the second one following shortly after.
Cyrus quickly jumps out of the way but he doesn't make it far as his leg is caught by the creature slamming him onto the ground.
Looking up, he sees the second creature holding the orb above its head while pointing it at him.
The orb pulses and a green light surrounds it.
Before he can react, it drops and crashes into the ground on top of him.
"Damn!" Cyrus shouts.
A wave of pain shoots through his body as he feels the sharp point of the orb stabbing into his back.
He tries to push the creature off of him but he can barely move as he is enveloped completely inside of the orb.
All he can feel is pressure around him as his vision goes dark and he feels himself losing consciousness.
Cyrus wakes up with a throbbing headache. His eyes open wide only able to lift his head slightly.
He hears a soft humming noise coming from beside him. Looking over, he notices Andrew sitting beside him.
"Andrew?!" Cyrus says trying to stand up.
But just as he moves, a ray of light strikes him in the chest sending him back down to the ground.
"Stay still young pact bearer. It seems this world does not wish to let you leave so easily." Andrew says.
"how are you here!?" Cyrus asks. "I haven't seen you since our meeting months ago"
"You have not seen me because I Have been hidden within your mind. My power was passed on to you and as such my physical body ceased to exist." Andrew explained.
"Then how are you here now?" Cyrus asks.
"You may be mistaken. I did not come to you. You have come to me. You are being held within your mind by whatever that invader is." Andrew sighs while pointing to the orb above them. I Believe that it is trying to conquer your mind, but is unable to as I have already linked myself to you.
"How long have I been like this?" He asks.
"I believe it has been about six hours or more." Andrew responds. "In that time the orbs influence has bean steadily increasing towards your islands. We must find a way to stop it before it corrupts everything"
"Islands? What do you mean?" Cyrus asks.
"The islands within your body are the cores to your power. Everyone has at least one element that they are born to. Each element would manifest as an island with their bod in which the person could draw power from. That orb is trying to forcibly overwrite your islands but it seems to be having a hard time breaking through mine since its a bit special compared to a standard element.
Cyrus frowns.
"That sounds bad. Can't you do anything to help me?" Cyrus asks.
"Although it is my island. I am unable to forcibly remove this invader by myself. The easiest way would be to simply destroy the islands connected to the invader. This would easily allow me to over power it, but would also block you away from following any paths aside from my own. I believe I can give you another option though." Andrew says.
He then looks up and points his hand towards the orb.
You could always allow the orb to assimilate itself onto you. If you do this the orb will no longer be able to actively attack your subconscious. And with me here I could easily keep the invader from spreading its influence. the only downside is that you will have to sacrifice your elemental island to the beast.
"I don't know if I want to do that." Cyrus says.
"If you do not choose to do this, then I am afraid that nothing else can be done. Please think on it carefully. Once you make your decision, I will guide you through a meditation that will allow you to alter your islands. However, you must act fast before we lose all control over this situation." Andrew says.
"Alright fine, I'll try it. Just tell me how to do it" Cyrus asks.
Andrew takes a deep breath and closes his eyes placing his hand on Cyrus's head.
After a moment he opens his eyes and places his hand on Cyrus's forehead.
"Here we go" he says.
The orb begins to glow brighter as it slowly makes its way towards the island in Cyrus's mind.
Suddenly, the orb comes to a halt and begins to swirl around in circles.
"What is going on? Why isn't it taking over?" Cyrus asks.
"Just give it a moment" Andrew says.
The orb continues to circle around and around until it suddenly dives down into the island
"Good. now I will lock it in. "
Cyrus can feel the Island begin to expand and grow while he feels a strong sense of energy flowing through him.
After a few moments, the sensation begins to subside.
"There you go. Now you will not be attacked by the orb for now." Andrew says.
"Thanks. I owe you one." Cyrus says.
"No, you do not. I am only doing what is natural. Soon you shall wake up. Try not to end up in a situation like this again."
Cyrus wakes up with a throbbing headache.
He looks around in panic and immediately remembers where he is.
He is laying in a grassy meadow
Looking up, Cyrus can see the blue sky above him.
He stands up and stretches his arms and legs out and notices how much lighter he feels.
The pain in his head has almost completely gone away.
"I must be feeling better already." He whispers to himself.
He decides to head back towards the team to tell them what he saw last night.
Running through the forest, He notices that his legs are stronger and his speed is increased.
Once he reaches the camp site he finds everyone awake and busy preparing to pack everything up.
"Hey everybody! How are you all doing?" Cyrus asks.
Upon hearing him everyone stops to stare for a bit before Hannah speaks up.
"Have you seen yourself lately?" she says.
"What are you talking about? I look exactly the same. Not like I'm some sort of monster or anything." Cyrus says.
"Are you sure man. I didn't notice your tail the last I saw ya," Darius exclaims.
"Yeah, or the ears," Eryn adds.
"Or the horns!"Hannah says.
"Oh please. Let me check the mirror." Cyrus says.
He walks over to Hannah who hands him a small mirror.
He takes it and looks into it.
"Wow, I look like a totally different person."
He looks a little closer and notices that his eyes are sharper and glowing yellow.
"Wait, what's that?" he says.
He looks down at his tail as it moves rapidly.
"Is that mine?!"
"Looks like it, but I've never heard of anyone growing a tail overnight." Darius states.
"What happened to you?" Eryn asks.
"I think I got possessed by some creature. Or something like that." He explains.
Cyrus goes over what happened to himself last night excluding Andrew.
Everyone is surprised to hear about his new appearance.
"So you're saying that you actually got possessed by something?" Darius asks.
"Pretty much yeah." Cyrus answers.
"Are you alright?" Eryn asks.
"I feel fine. No weird tingling sensations or anything." Cyrus says. "In fact I think I feel even better than before."
After hearing this, everyone relaxes a bit.
"Well, I guess we should get packed up and ready to move out. We can figure out what to do about your new features later," Darius says.
Cyrus nods in agreement as they continue to pack up their things.
They finish packing up and take some time to eat breakfast before heading out.
"It looks like there are no more attacks so we should be able to move out without any issues." Cyrus says.
"I hope so. I want to get out of this village soon I'm starting to get depressed just looking at."