TS5: Chapter 27 (Patreon)

For a single, solitary second, the world was devoid of all light. Then, like a sun igniting, the false deity began to blaze once more.

"What was that?"

Hearing Thorn's voice, Velin spun around. Thorn was standing behind her, his expression equal parts innocent and confused.

"When did you get here?" Mina asked, suspicion lingering in her gaze as she stared at Thorn.

"A moment ago, right before the lights went out," Thorn said. "It looks like something absorbed all the ambient light."

Hearing a shout, he glanced over and saw Kitsek sprawled out on the ground, his head planted in the cracked stone. With a gasp, Kitsek wrenched himself free and the Prime Ascendant staggered to his feet, his hand rubbing the red mark on his cheek that looked suspiciously like a paw print.

"It looks like you guys have been having an eventful time," Thorn said, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Master, I'm glad you're back," Akira said, jumping up onto Thorn's shoulder. "That guy was insulting Lady Velin, and that other ugly one was too."

"Well, thank you all for sticking up for her," Thorn said with a smile. "Everything okay? Are you okay?"

The last question was addressed to Velin, who nodded her head as she took his hand.

"I'm fine. I feel very well protected," she said.

Above them, dozens of god hunters were flying around frantically, searching for the cause of the disturbance, and Thorn could sense all of the guardians had arrived in the area and were looking around.

"What just happened?" Tolariah asked.

"I'm not sure," Muras replied, shaking his head, "but I'm sure the guardians will take care of it. Now that Prime Ascendant Thorn is here, we should get on with our own business."

"Wait," Kitsek snarled, spitting a bit of blood from his mouth. "Someone struck me."

Staring at the mark on his face, a dozen pairs of eyes turned towards Akira, who blinked innocently at them, causing Corvo and Mina to both turn their heads to hide their smiles. Stepping forward and pointing at Thorn, Kitsek looked angry enough to burst a blood vessel.

"Your pet attacked me."

"Akira did? Are you sure? Did anyone see it?" Thorn asked, glancing at Akira and then back at Kitsek. "I'm not sure what just happened, but do you really think that she could have crossed that distance, smacked you, and then returned that fast? I mean, it was only dark for like, what, less than a second? And besides, are you saying that a cute little furball like her was able to get past your defenses? That seems unlikely, considering how strong you are."

Choking on the words in his throat, Kitsek could only glare at Thorn. On the one hand, it was obvious to everyone that Akira had, in fact, slapped him, using the cover of the strange darkness to hide her attack. At the same time, Thorn's words contained a trap. If he stuck with his claim that it was Akira who had attacked him, he would also be admitting to being weaker than Thorn's pet, which would tarnish his reputation. The silence stretched as he searched for the right words to say, and finally, Muras spoke up.

"Enough of this," he said. "We should be focusing on preparing for our trip to the endless battlefield. There is no need to bicker among ourselves."

"That's fair," Thorn said, "but I do want to make one thing clear."

Taking a step forward, he faced the four other Prime Ascendants, looking down at them, each in turn.

"I am not part of whatever power struggles the rest of you and your families are involved in, so do me a favor and leave me out of them. Furthermore, and this goes for the two of you specifically, if I hear you being disrespectful to my wife, getting slapped by my pet will be the absolute least of your worries."

Joresh and Kitsek's faces both grew ugly, and each of them took a step towards Thorn, their hands on their weapons. Seeing the tension between them, Muras sighed and rubbed his head.

"Just let them fight it out," Tolariah suggested. "It's clear they won't stop until they establish the hierarchy."

"I'm afraid we don't have time for that at the moment." Hearing Guardian Artaith's voice, everyone turned, and Tolariah bowed.

"Grandmother," she said. "Please excuse my ill-timed suggestion."

"It's okay, Tolariah. You didn't know. There will be time, once you have arrived in the Endless Battlefield, but because we can't determine precisely when the gate is going to open, we'll be moving you from here to the closest fortress we have. Come, gather your retainers, and let's be on our way."

With a click of his tongue, Joresh released his grip on his sword and made a cutting motion across his neck as he glared at Thorn.

"You've been saved for a moment," he said, before turning and going to gather the rest of his group.

Once everyone was gathered, Guardian Artaith led them away from the temple, taking them to a dimensional gate that would lead down to the Endless Battlefield below. As they walked, Mina poked Thorn in the side.

"Hey, that thing earlier," she said in a low voice. "That was you, right?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Thorn said, shaking his head. "I really did show up before everything went dark."

"Okay, sure, but that doesn't mean it wasn't you," Mina said. "Weren't you getting a blessing or something?"

"Yes," Thorn replied.

"How did that go?" Velin asked.

"It went really well."

With a flick of Thorn's fingers, a beam of light appeared, swirling around his hand in a complex geometric pattern.

"My light affinity has reached 100%.”

“And your divinity has more than tripled," Velin replied, her voice so quiet that only Thorn could hear it.

"I mean, you can insist it wasn't you as much as you want," Corvo said as he walked beside Mina. "But that big ball of light is looking rather hollow. Almost, and mind you, I’m saying almost, as if someone had sucked the vitality right out of it."

Glancing back at the temple, Thorn saw a dozen god hunters channeling their divinity into the large false deity, and chuckled awkwardly.

"We can talk about it later," he said, turning to look at the back of the group where Vesna, Pel, and Ascendant Kessel were walking.

"I didn't get a chance to greet you properly," he said. "My apologies. I'm glad that all of you could join us."

"Ah, Thorn," Vesna said, hurrying forward. "Allow me to introduce to you Pel Sabra, and Borish Kessel."

"I'm Thorn. Pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," Pel said. "Your pet is adorable."

"She is pretty cute, isn't she?" Thorn said, reaching up to scratch Akira's furry stomach.

"Prime Ascendant, it is an honor to be part of your team," Borish said, looking slightly awkward.

"Our team is better for having two more strong Ascendants," Thorn replied. "I assume everyone else has met?"

Seeing everyone's nods, Thorn turned his attention back to Guardian Artaith, who had stopped next to a large dimensional gate.

"This will take you down to the fortress that is closest to the puzzle's location. When there, you will have approximately a week to get used to the situation and to organize yourselves. At some point after a few days, you will need to remain constantly vigilant as the puzzle may open any time. I need not warn you that you will be going up against a team of powerful god beasts. While each of you leads nine other retainers, the god beasts participate by themselves, without any helpers. But even though you will outnumber them ten to one, understand that you cannot let your guard down.”

“Only those under the tenth tier may enter the puzzle, but rest assured, any god-beast chosen to go into the puzzle is more than a match for any ten of you. Work together and do not be brought down by petty squabbles. Your mission is singular: to gain as much value from the puzzle as you possibly can. When you are at the fortress, Guardian Adini will explain the particularities of the puzzle itself and give you further instruction. He will arrive in two days. Before then, determine among yourselves the structure of your team. Again, it is imperative that as saints, you present a unified front to the god beasts. They are masters of picking apart weaknesses, and if you do not maintain your unity, the likelihood of you losing your lives in the puzzle rises exponentially. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Guardian," Muras said, bowing.

"Good, then off you go. I will pray for your success."

With Muras leading the way, and Tolariah trailing after him, the team began to enter the doorway, vanishing from the Temple of Man.

"Prime Ascendant Thorn, a moment of your time?"

Pausing, Thorn nodded and walked over to where Guardian Artaith stood.

"I know that you have not been with the Temple of Man very long," the Guardian said, "and that you have come for your own reasons. I would ask that you do not venture out on your own. Your master has already said that he will not pursue your death, and while you have nothing to fear from any of your companions, based on what I have heard about your adventures in the Renith Ruins, it is very likely that the god beasts will be aiming for your life specifically. I have asked Tolariah to coordinate with you, and hopefully to help you defend against any god-beast attacks."

"Thank you," Thorn said, bowing his head. "I appreciate your help, Guardian Artaith."

With a long-suffering sigh, the Guardian shook her head.

"Oh, I'm doing this for our own benefit, not yours," she said. "We both know that even though the Steward has said he won't get involved, if something does actually happen to you..." Her voice trailed off, and she waved Thorn toward the dimensional gate. "I've kept you long enough. Have a safe trip."

"Thank you, Guardian," Thorn said.

After rejoining the rest of his group, Thorn led them through the gate, appearing in a large mountain range, in a forest set high on one of the mountains. Almost immediately, Thorn felt an intense pressure washing over him, and taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, getting used to the feeling.

"Whoa," Mina said. "That's kind of intense."

"It's the pressure of the world," Thorn replied. "Anyone who steps into this world is going to feel it."

Lifting her hand, Mina created a swirl of snowflakes that flew in a circle around her.

"It seems to be suppressing my mana output," she said. "Casting spells is going to be harder here."

"The suppression also exists for physical strength." Hearing Tolariah's voice, Thorn looked over and smiled.

"It feels like a wet blanket," he said, "just sort of muting everything."

"It's a safety measure, from what I understand," Tolariah said, nodding, "to keep the world from being destroyed once people start throwing powers around.”

“I guess that makes sense, as those in the tenth tier are allowed to fight here."

"Exactly. We're on the low end of the power scale, here in the Endless Battlefield."

"Welcome to Frozen Rock Fortress," a voice boomed over the courtyard, as a large figure appeared on the wall above them. "I am the commander, Yol Barton. I have assigned you rooms and a training hall, as has been requested. Please refrain from leaving the fort, as I can no longer ensure your protection once you do. When Guardian Adini arrives, he will inform you as to what you are supposed to do. I invite you to enjoy your stay."

With those words, the commander turned and vanished, leaving everyone looking at each other. A gentle cough drew their attention to a young man in an officer's uniform, who invited them to follow after him. The accommodations were austere, but the training room that they were given to use was exceptional.

Thorn's mental sense could easily encompass the entirety of the fort, and everywhere he looked, he saw soldiers going about their business with the sort of clean precision one would expect from a military fort. There were no slackers that he could see, and half an hour after they arrived, he saw why. It started with a faint rumble in the distance, causing him to turn his attention to the north, where a gap through a number of mountains led straight to the fort. After half a minute, he saw thousands of massive beasts of all shapes hurling themselves towards the fortress. The alarm sounded, and soldiers rushed to the walls to defend against the attack. No one looked particularly worried, and over the next two hours, the fighting was fierce. When Thorn asked one of the officers leading them about it, the officer, and if they could help, the officer shook his head.

"There's no need, sir," he said. "These attacks happen every day. They're routine at this point. In fact, if any of the soldiers get hurt, they'll face discipline for negligence. They're that common."

The soldiers that Thorn observed operated with ruthless efficiency, and it was clear that they had encountered this situation so many times that the appropriate action was carved in their bones. Long spears were used to keep the beasts from reaching the top of the fortress wall, and arrows and magic spells were used to eliminate them. A few hours after they attacked, the fight was over, and the soldiers split up, half going about their former business, while the other half climbed down to deal with the corpses. Once all of the teams were settled in, the Prime Ascendants gathered in the training hall. Joresh and Kitsek were both wearing their armor and carrying their weapons unsheathed. As soon as Thorn appeared, they immediately glared at him, as if he was their greatest enemy.

Neither Muras or Tolariah looked like they were coming for a fight, but Thorn still didn't underestimate them. It was clear to him that Tolariah and Muras had both reached a realm in their strength that Joresh and Kitsek had not, but he didn't pay it too much mind, as he wasn't actually aiming to become the group leader. Once everyone was gathered, Muras spoke first.

"As Guardian Artaith said, it is important that we have a leader, though we will be outnumbering the god beasts significantly. At our tier, it is hard to fight them one-on-one, with any significant chance of success. Furthermore, while each of us can hold our own against the average god beast, as proved by our Prime Ascendant status, we can't be the only one. The god beasts who will be coming to fight for the treasure of the puzzle are old monsters. They have likely suppressed themselves for a significant period of time instead of breaking through to the tenth tier, much like we have.”

Pausing, Muras’ gaze took on a far away look, as if he was reminiscing about an old memory. Shaking himself free from the memory after a moment he sighed.

“And if they are as strong as I suspect, we are in for a deadly fight.”