As the three walked through the fairly dense forest, the powerful weight of the storm continued to rain down on them. The wind howled through the trees, and the occasional thunder and lightning strike sounds echoed in the distance. The three spoke briefly between the gusts, their voices barely being heard due to the storm's fury.
Zephyr: "Can you feel it? The Essenz… this is unlike anything we've heard of or even seen up until now."
Lya nodded in response, her eyes scanning their surroundings.
Lya: "Yeah, it's intense."
Aron, who had been walking slightly ahead, kept quiet until he stopped suddenly. His eyes widened as he stared into the misty clearing ahead.
Aron: "What in the world is that?" He then pointed towards it.
In the distance, barely even visible, was a pair of glowing eyes and a large figure. Slowly, the figure emerged, revealing itself to be a giant wolf. The wolf came closer to them and studied them with a chilling calm.
The group froze. Lya, out of instinct, stepped back, but Aron, despite the danger, stepped forward and reached his hand out with a calm and collected expression on his face.
Aron: "Easy there, big guy."
To Zephyr and Lya's bewilderment, the massive wolf didn't snarl or lunge toward Aron. Instead, it seemed relaxed, lowering its massive head slightly, eyes still fixated on Aron.
Aron approached it slowly, his hand brushing against its fur. The wolf let out a growl of contentment, much to Lya and Zephyr's surprise. Aron exhaled, relieved his hand didn't get bitten off, and kept rubbing the wolf's side.
Zephyr blinked in disbelief, his mouth wide open.
Zephyr: "Did that… Did that seriously just happen??"
Lya, equally shocked, exchanged a look with Zephyr.
Lya: "But how? How is that even possible?"
Without any warning, the giant wolf flung Aron onto its back. Aron, surprised by the action, let out a scream.
Aron: "Woaaahhhhh!"
Aron, now on the wolf's back, let out a breathless laugh.
Aron: "Looks like I got a ride now." He then patted the wolf's neck.
Aron: "Hmm, I think I'll name you Fenrir."
The wolf's mouth then parted, and a deep, rumbling voice emerged from it.
Fenrir: "I like that name."
For a moment, all three of them were frozen, their eyes wide, unable to process what had just happened. Then, with synchronized timing, they all fell to the ground in a comedic fashion, their faces blank and bodies as stiff as wooden planks.
Aron, who was struggling to keep his balance, stood back up and stared at the wolf. He then looked back at his friends, who had begun to stand back up, and then back at the wolf.
Aron: "Did… Did that wolf just… talk?"
Fenrir let out a soft growl.
Fenrir: "Indeed, I am capable of speaking the human tongue."
Zephyr, still collecting himself, looked up at the wolf.
Zephyr: "But how? How can you speak?"
Fenrir's expression grew serious.
Fenrir: "The surges. The Essenz surges have mutated my very genome and others like me. It's surreal. It's changing the very nature of the land and beings here. I don't like it. It isn't natural."
Lya raised an eyebrow.
Lya: "Mutated? You mean these Essenz surges are actually mutating you guys?"
Fenrir nodded and stood there, quiet.
The group then exchanged uneasy glances. Before they could speak up again, five cloaked individuals sprang from the shadows, surrounding them.
One of the cloaked individuals, a tall figure with a creepy smile, walked forward.
Cloaked Man: "We are the Essenz Corruptors, and you shouldn't have come here, children, for the ritual is nearing completion and it is already too late for you."
The man then signaled for the corruptors to engage, and one of them lunged toward Lya at incredible speeds. But Lya was faster. She immediately shouted to the others while simultaneously dodging an attack.
Lya: "Take your stances, guys! This is gonna be bad!"
With no hesitation, Aron and Zephyr took their stances and stood ready to fight the group, as the other corruptors lunged toward them. Fenrir, on the other hand, growled, his teeth exposed as he got ready for the fight.
(Lya's POV)
The corruptor lunged at Lya with a deadly swipe, the vines from his body twisting through the air like snakes. Lya quickly dodged to the side, her heart beating intensely. With a quick twist of her body, she delivered a powerful kick to the corruptor's side. He fell back, gritting his teeth in agony.
Corruptor: "YOU THINK YOU CAN BEAT ME? THINK AGAIN, LITTLE GIRL!"
Lya narrowed her eyes, her posture remaining firm.
Lya: "Don't underestimate me."
Suddenly, the corruptor raised his arm, creating thick, twisting vines to hit Lya. He yelled, veins bulging from his head.
Corruptor: "PLANT CORE: VINEWHIP!"
The vines boomed through the air, barely grazing Lya's face and leaving a shallow cut. Blood dripped down her cheek, and her eyes filled with anger.
Lya: "I'll make you regret that, you asshole."
Lya: "WINDCORE: WINDBREAKER!"
A massive surge of compressed air blasted from her hands, rapidly moving toward the corruptor. The blast collided with him, blasting his right arm clean off. He fell back, eyes wide in surprise.
The corruptor's body swelled, and his right arm was quickly replaced with a mass of vines. He extended his new arm toward Lya's neck, attempting to grab her.
Corruptor: "YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!"
Lya's eyes narrowed, and she raised her hands. The wind circled around her, forming a barrier that stopped the vines from reaching her.
Lya: "WIND CORE: AIR BARRIER!"
Lya: "You're not the only one who can come up with something on the spot."
With no hesitation, she raised her arm once more, and the wind wrapped around her hand.
Lya: "WIND CORE: WIND ARC!"
With swift movement, the wind blasted forward, creating a crescent-shaped slash. The arc slashed through the corruptor's vines and cut his head off.
Lya: "Alta."
(Zephyr's POV)
Zephyr stood ready, his eyes focused on the two corruptors in front of him. The head corruptor, a massive figure covered in sharp metal plates, grinned, while his partner, a smaller figure covered in mud, stared at Zephyr with spite.
Head Corruptor: "You're nothing. You will die at the hands of Barron the Ironclad."
Zephyr: "Oh yeah? Taste this bolt of lightning, then."
He fired a bolt of lightning from his fingertips directly at Barron. But his partner jumped into action and quickly made a hardened mud wall to block the strike.
Corruptor: "Too slow, spark boy!"
Zephyr scoffed, his frustration reaching its limit. Barron raised his arm above his head, forming a gigantic metal spike.
Barron: "EAT STEEL, FOOL!"
Barron then hurled the spike toward Zephyr at roaring speeds, racing through the air. But Zephyr managed to narrowly dodge it. However, before he could regain his composure, he got hit in the chest with a mud ball, sending him skidding back.
Zephyr: "Dammit, what am I doing? How am I losing?"
While Zephyr was lost in thought, Barron and his partner closed in on him. The partner drew a sword and swung it at Zephyr's head. However, Zephyr snapped back to reality, and his quick reflexes allowed him to dodge just in time.
Zephyr: "Gotta do better than that, You're slow."
He tried to frustrate them.
Zephyr's hands radiated with electricity, and then he clapped his hands, creating a shockwave of electricity that sent both Barron and his partner flying back.
Zephyr: "LIGHTNING CORE: THUNDERCLAP!"
Both Barron and his partner got up, dazed.
Barron: "You truly think you can best me, boy? I am metal! I am indestructible!"
Zephyr, grinning with confidence, stepped forward, his body radiating with electricity.
Zephyr: "LIGHTNING CORE: THUNDERFLASH!"
Zephyr's body turned into a yellow flash of lightning, instantly appearing behind Barron's partner. Then he controlled the lightning toward his palm and slammed it onto his back.
Zephyr: "LIGHTNING CORE: VOLTAGE OVERLOAD!"
As soon as Zephyr's palm made contact with the corruptor's back, his body spasmed as a current of a thousand amps surged through his body, frying his insides and turning him into a crisp.
Zephyr then looked at Barron, who was in shock due to what had happened to his partner.
Barron's eyes filled with anger, and he roared in frustration.
Barron: "METAL CORE: IRONBODY!"
Barron's body transformed into iron. As the transformation was complete, he started walking slowly toward Zephyr.
Barron: "You're finished."
Zephyr's eyes went wide in shock.
Zephyr (thinking): "I screwed up."
Barron then slammed his fists into the ground, creating a trail of large spikes heading toward Zephyr at an alarming pace. However, Zephyr couldn't dodge in time, and one of the spikes grazed his shoulder.
Zephyr landed on his feet, with his shoulder bleeding.
Zephyr: "That hurt, asshole."
Barron smiled and replied, "Good, it was supposed to hurt."
Before Zephyr could unleash an attack, Barron created a massive metal spike and hurled it toward Zephyr, grazing his side.
Zephyr gasped, stumbling, blood spilling from the wound.
Barron: "YOU'RE MINE!"
Barron then ran toward Zephyr and transmuted his arm into a blade. He swung it at Zephyr, but Zephyr flashed away onto a nearby rock.
Zephyr then created a whip made from lightning, wrapping it around Barron's body.
Zephyr: "LIGHTNING CORE: CHAINSTRIKE!"
Barron gritted his teeth, using every ounce of his strength to tear through the whip, managing to set himself free. Then he lunged toward Zephyr.
Zephyr, in a moment of desperation, quickly formed a charged bolt from his palm.
Zephyr: "LIGHTNING CORE: HEARTSTRIKE!"
He fired a lightning bolt directly at Barron's chest just before he was about to strike. The current surged through Barron's body, frying his heart. His body fell to the ground lifeless.
Zephyr sighed in relief.
Zephyr (thinking): "Two down."
(Aron's POV)
Aron and Fenrir stood back-to-back. Despite having just met, they felt a strong bond between each other. Stood in front of them were two corruptors.
Corruptor 1: "You seriously think you can defeat us with that oversized wolf by your side?" He laughed.
Aron smirked, replying to him, "You won't get the chance to find out."
The corruptor flicked his fingers, sending dozens of razor-sharp threads his way, trying to bind Aron. However, Fenrir lunged forward, snapping the threads midair with a swift bite. He then turned toward the corruptor and bit down on him.
Corruptor 1: "You…"
Before the corruptor could finish his sentence, Fenrir snapped him in half.
Aron grinned, the earth beneath him responding to his will. The other corruptor, fuming, took apart a chunk of the ground beneath him and sent it flying toward Aron. However, Aron seized control of the boulder midair and compressed it into a spear, then hurled it at the corruptor.
The corruptor, despite his humongous size, managed to dodge the spear.
Corruptor 2: "YOU WON'T beat me!"
The corruptor slammed his foot down, sending multiple boulders toward Aron. However, Aron clasped his hands and created a wall made of stone.
Aron: "EARTH CORE: STONEWALL!"
Aron then flung multiple chunks of the earth into the air and compressed them into spears.
Aron: "EARTH CORE: GROUNDSTORM!"
With a swift motion of his fingers, he sent the spears flying toward the corruptor.
The corruptor managed to dodge a few of the spears; however, it was not enough, and they pierced his flesh, pinning him to a nearby tree.
Aron: "Weak and pathetic."
The three then met back up with each other.
Aron looked at Lya and Zephyr.
Aron: "What the… how are you guys bleeding? That was like the easiest fight of my life."
Lya retorted, "Yeah, because you got the weak ones. Besides, mine was tougher."
Zephyr: "I had to fight two at the same time while Fenrir helped you."
Aron: "Yeah, yeah, alright, at least we won."
Zephyr grunted as he touched his side, then looked at them.
Zephyr: "No, it's far from over. The storm hasn't stopped, and the head corruptor mentioned something about us being too late to stop a ritual."
The winds howled violently through the forest, tearing at branches and sending chunks of bark flying through the air. The rain continued pouring heavily as the sound of thunder grew even heavier in the sky.
Aron: "so where do we go from here?
Lya: "yeah, this place is massive! How are we even supposed to find the ritual site?"
Zephyr thought for a moment, then spoke "wait do you guys remember that technique sir Lloyd taught us? The one where we emit our essenz in pulses to navigate over large areas."
Lya: "Yeah, you're right zeph! Great thinking!"
Zephyr then stood still and began focusing all his attention to emitting his essenz in pulses across the forest, and after a few minutes he finally spoke. "Okay I know where it is. Follow me you guys"
Fenrir's massive form treaded silently beside them, his eyes scanning the forest. The 3 humans trailed cautiously, each step wearier than the last.
Lya glanced at Zephyr, her hair plastered to her face, and her eyes sharp.
Lya: "Zeph… are we really ready for this? That ritual… it sounds worse than anything we've faced yet."
Zephyr gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, water streaming off of them. "Ready or not, we don't have a choice Lya, who knows what will happen if it actually succeeds."
Aron, who was quietly listening finally spoke up as he stomped through the mud. "Yeah, we have to stop it no matter what Lya, but damn… this storm is insane. I've never felt Essenz this dense before."
Suddenly, Fenrir stopped. His massive body tensed, tail bristling. The wolf's deep, rumbling growl cut through the storm, drawing the trio's attention.
Aron: "What is it, Fenrir?"
In an instant, Fenrir stepped in front of Zephyr and Lya. A low, guttural chant escaped his throat.
"Caltheris ondralum… syriveth koral, althirium velis…"
The words hung in the air, echoing strangely against the storm. Then suddenly, a bright flash of light engulfed Zephyr and Lya. They both felt a strange warm bloom from their chests. And suddenly the light vanished as quickly as it manifested.
Lya and Zephyr looked down at their bodies and realized their injuries had fully healed without a single trace. As if they never existed in the first place.
Zephyr: "What… what just happened?!"
Lya's voice trembled with disbelief, "Fenrir… did you… heal us?
Fenrir shook his head, his voice calm and heavy. "I didn't heal you. I simply rejected the idea that you were ever injured."
The trio stared at him in disbelief, their mouths agape, the rain dripping off their faces as awe filled their expressions.
Aron: "Never thought something like that was even possible… you're so freaking cool Fenrir!"
Zephyr: "that was pretty awesome… but we can't stay here and do nothing. We don't have much time left…" he pointed towards a dark reddish beam of light that had erupted from the ground a fair walks distance away. The beam warped the clouds and began pulling the tree's towards it.
Lya: "Is that..? that's got to be the ritual!"
Aron's jaw tightened. His fists clenched as the ground beneath his boots vibrated like crazy.
Aron: "Damn it… they actually went through with it. Those crazy bastards!" he roared in anger.
Zephyr: "we have to move now!" he shouted
The trio the sprinted through the forest as fast as they could, the wind was whipping at their faces and debris was flying everywhere. As they neared the ritual site the terrain became clearer. Once they had reached the site, they saw the ground around a jagged, black circle had risen and condensed into a massive floating ring, hovering a few meters above the ground releasing immense amounts of some sort of dark red Essenz. The Essenz swirled around it, and in the center, a portal began to form, pulsing and stretching, blackness leaking out like ink upon a sheet of paper.
Zephyr squinted his eyes in disbelief.
Zephyr: "That's it… That's the ritual. The corruptor… It's almost complete."