A sharp sting spreads from his eyes, burning aggressively. His face also shared the sa pain, but it was too late to shield himself from the furious flash.
In the next second, the flash disappeared, fading out. Emlen almost stumbled in place as his vision was forcibly restored. He held a hand to his forehead, panting while his vision swam. Nausea gutted through him in the next second. And he knew better than to hold everything in and suffer; he retched. Bile burst out from his mouth as he bent over, clutching his chest.
The sa sounds echoed around him. It seems he wasn't the only one affected by the light.
"Ugh..." Grey eyes waveringly lifted. It took him a second to process what he was seeing.
Emlen stiffened.
Before his eyes, the arcan relic had disappeared and in its place was an entirely deford crystal glowing in unusual pulses. Bright white crystal spikes ford a rounded shape like a familiar thorny fruit. It floated in the air where the arcan charm had exploded in light, shimring in a halo of bluish-white.
It was captivatingly beautiful, emanating a powerful energy that buzzed within the air. Its influence expresses a desire to submit. If one didn't possess a strong will, they would subconsciously kneel in a split second.
"Is that..."
Emlen snapped out of his trance the mont he heard one of his n speak. His heartbeat quickened in realization. A sense of elation filled his chest, exploding like fireworks.
"We found it..." The words left his mouth before he could even think.
It was no longer so naless myth but a truthful tale that would be passed down for generations. The Chrysolite has been found...
Emlen and the n exchanged looks of relief. They were significantly exhausted from the search and comrades were sacrificed in the journey. Finally... they can return...
One of them could not help but show a wide grin to Emlen. This was the man who helped from underneath the rubble.
Until the smile instantly vanished from his face. His eyes widened in horror. "Behind you!"
A sharp sense of caution sliced through Emlen's elation. He instinctively ducked and felt a swift slice above his head. A few hair strands were cut.
His heart now pounded with shock. A malevolent energy surrounded the entire chamber in less than a second. Emlen rolled away, settling a distance from where he previously stood. His eyes lifted in fury.
"Shahhh...."
A tall, grotesque humanoid being with a crescent-shaped head crouched on the jagged ground. Its mouth was sewn outward, stretching disturbingly across his face as though it was ripped and nded like a worn rag. Teeth as large as lance blades. Its skin was a greyish hue with thick black veins pulsing underneath.
The demon had a slightly skinny body, bones showing as though it had been starved for months, protruding through its thin flesh. The horns on his head were sharp, following a line down its spine.
Emlen swallowed, seeing its eyeless countenance. Similar to most malibreeds roaming Corhan... a hybrid? No, its energy was clearly that of a demon...
It seed like they had finally caught up with them. Emlen gritted his teeth. The Chrysolite's energy had given away their location.
From the hole they had broken through, several more malibreeds crawled inside the chamber, sniffing the air, salivating with the heavenly scent of living flesh.
The group raised their guards, drawing their weapons. Four calm, seasoned warriors instantly turned into battle-hardened killers, bursting with hostility. Gazes, burned with hunger, as ferocious as hunting wolves.
The arcan aura from their relics seed to have little effect on these malibreeds as well.
"Master Pathfinder..." The three n stepped forward, facing their prowling enemies.
Emlen nodded silently. He must secure the relic at all costs. Adrenaline-fueled readiness coursed through his veins. His heart hamred like a war drum.
Shahhh!
The malibreeds lunged. Hiss-like roars echo throughout the chambers. Bloodshed began.
In the sa instance, Emlen dashed towards the Chrysolite. An ice pillar burst from the ground beneath his feet, launching him into the air. The burst of maeruthan energy spreads, but he doesn't give a care.
Wind hissed in his ears. Emlen stretched out a hand to grab the crystal only to see one of the grotesque creatures had climbed the wall, jumping towards him. Shit!
In the next mont, sothing sliced through the air, shooting the malibreed, sending it crashing into the nearest wall with a bang! Emlen wasted no ti and swiped the crystal from its stagnant levitation before landing heavily on the ground.
His fingers shook uncontrollably, gathering the crystal's round, thorny body into his cloak-
Whoosh!
Emlen's eyes widened as he slid back, pushing off on his ankles, as a sharp claw slamd on the ground where he had knelt. The ground broke, and spiderweb-like cracks spread. Dust gathered briefly in the air.
'Little human...' A distorted, fractured voice spoke through Emlen's mind. The sa hybrid malibreed, but much larger than most, stood before Emlen. Its towering figure lood over the pathfinder's body.
'Hand over... the stone...'
Dread coiled in Emlen's gut, but his hands refused to loosen around the precious crystal. With a silent glare, he pocketed the artifact deeper within his clothes.
"You'll just have to pry it from my corpse." Emlen hissed.
A spine-chilling cackle sounded. 'Pity... your dearest brother... shall mourn you to death...'
With that, the pri malibreed crawler lunged at him like a crazed, ferocious predator. It slashed, chased, and its maw crunched into the air as Emlen dodged. The pathfinder could barely catch his breath as he was forced to withdraw, protecting the crystal with him.
It was difficult to find an opening with how fast the monster was. And with the little ones joining the battle, he felt his energy draining quickly. The n, although fighting back ruthlessly, were no doubt already exhausted. If this tarries for too long, they will lose.
Bang!
A long tail smashed into Emlen's back while he was busy evading the pri malibreed's attack. Pain flared from his recovering injuries. Blood bursts at the seams.
The blow left Emlen rolling off and brutally crashing into the obsidian walls. He groaned, spitting out blood.
"Lord Emlen!" One of the n called but was instantly overwheld by the onslaughts of the malibreeds surrounding him.
Groaning, Emlen forced himself up, backing away as the pri malibreed grinned at the sorry figure he cut.
This isn't good. There were too many of them. At this rate, they'll be dead before they can get out.
Their only exit was overwheld with malibreeds, and even if they could find another way out, they were too busy fighting to assess the entire chamber. Fear gripped Emlen's body even as he left blood and flesh spilling the ground, the more he fought.
He felt his body failing him...
Are they going to die? A blood-curdling scream filled the chamber. One of the n wasn't too quick and failed to dodge in ti. His arm got trapped in the jaws of a crawler and was ripped off, bone and all. His steps wavered as he retreated near the other warriors...
Emlen paled.
Were they going to die?
They mustn't... No...
A mont within the chaotic mix of deafening roars and noises. A soft voice spoke. A soft touch cradled his cheeks. It was a vague vision taking over his mind.
'Brother hurry... I need you...'
Emlen took a breath. A sudden rush filled his veins. Sothing hot and powerful surged in his soul. A pure, potent energy so familiar, strengthening his heart. The mont he opened his eyes, one would face a pair of glowing silver irises. A certain power bursting from within.
The temperature significantly dropped, and every living thing within the chamber stilled.
Emlen's hands moved. His cloak parted, revealing the crystal, glowing brightly, blinding anyone who would set their eyes on it. Oppressive aura crushed every bit of spirit within the malibreeds.
The pri malibreed faltered. It's expression grew curious yet intimidated. Divine energy aid to scorch their skin.
Words echoed. Without realizing it, the Pathfinder lord found himself chanting. The arcan relic's enchantnt resounded throughout the chamber, perhaps echoing even further. This ti, the malibreeds cowered. A strange enchantnt filled with unusual formations, brimming with mana, instantly tested their ferocity.
Undoubtedly, they failed and drew back.
Noticing the malibreed's sudden fear, the n took up the courage and joined the chant. With tired limbs and bleeding wounds, they kept their weapons drawn. The sacred words ant to strengthen their charms, created solely by the Lynari himself, unconsciously transford into so sort of comfort, soothing their hearts.
The arcan charms that they had kept hidden and protected glowed through their armor. The runes lit up in rays. Despite the uncertainty, they spoke louder as though singing a war cry. At every word, the malibreeds stepped back.
What is this power growing inside them? What is this feeling of safety?
Before they could scour for answers, the renowned brother of the Lynari, Lord Emlen, paused as the final word was spoken. A mocking grin filled his face as he stared straight at the pri malibreed growling in hostility.
"You shall not succeed."
A voice that didn't belong to its owner spoke. It sounded younger yet vibrated with so much power they sent every single being in a trembling ss.
Pissed, the pri malibreed released a ferocious roar and lunged towards Emlen.
In the next second, a thunderous pressure filled the cavern. Even the n could not withstand the aura and fell to the ground, kneeling. It felt as though sothing was trying to pull their insides out.
Deafening monstrous cries filled their ears. They watched in horror as every malibreed stiffened, trying to flee as their energy was being sucked violently in the swirling vortex the Chrysolite produced. The once pulsing grey flesh was drained of color, shrinking as though every drop of blood was drawn.
One after another, they fell lifelessly. Until only the pri crawler stood, dying. It managed one grim smile before it crashed to the ground.
Silence filled the chambers.
One would think it was all over.
"My Lord! You must let go!" One of the n yelled with all their might, trying to get up.
A line of red fell from Emlen's nose, dripping from his chin. Even with all the energy the Chrysolite had devoured, it remained hungry... hungry enough to absorb Emlen's essence. But he couldn't move...
Lost in the influencing haze the relic had trapped him in to eat his soul away silently.
Just as his vision was about to fail, everything stopped.
Suddenly, the energy vanished. His hand was empty, and his body turned significantly light. He couldn't even feel himself falling. The last of his living essence slipped...
Before everything returned to the void, he saw familiar blue eyes and platinum hair. The countenance of a fierce female maeruthan. A familiar strong aura.
Ghana gritted her teeth.
"Don't close your eyes! You promised him your return! Don't you dare-"
Unfortunately, Emlen was too tired to resist.
.....
"Moulin?"
The silver-eyed youth flinched, snapping out from his trance. Moulin slowly turned to glance at Ordan from his usual seating in the library.
Ordan furrowed his brows. The youth's abrupt silence was too unusual.
"Are you alright?"
Moulin blinked. Confusion was evident in his beauteous countenance.
'I don't know...'
Sothing inside him had shattered all too suddenly.
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