TS5: Chapter 30 (Patreon)

"Guardian Adini will be here soon," he said, "and will be briefing us on everything we need to know. I don't anticipate that everyone will work together perfectly, but I will say that you are expected to help one another when able. No matter what bickering or quarrels exist in our group, it is imperative that we stand unified when facing external threats. Beating the god beasts will be hard enough all together and impossible on our own."

"Fine, we get it," Joresh said. "You don't need to preach to us."

"Yeah, you've already said this a dozen times, Muras. We understand," Kitsek added. Looking between the two, Muras's eyes narrowed for a moment, but eventually he nodded. "Fine, then see that you follow my directions. Otherwise, when we get back, we'll have a conversation, one that you won't find very pleasant."

Though they clearly didn't appreciate the threat, neither Kitsek nor Joresh was confident enough to say anything, and instead simply returned to their own groups. Looking after them, Tolariah sighed and shook her head.

"It would have been better if Ascendant Tora had come," she said.

"Are you speaking of Tora Beser?" Thorn asked.

Tolariah nodded.

"Yes.”

“Why isn't he here?" Thorn asked.

"Because he was impatient," Muras replied. "He advanced to the tenth tier before us. Though he hides it well, he is no longer eligible to enter Urmag’Tal's puzzle. It is a shame, as he would have been a great help."

"I don't like him much," Tolariah admitted. "But the Beser clan knows how to cooperate with others. These two are just fools."

"I'm sorry to hear you feel that way, Miss Artaith." Unseen by anyone, Guardian Adini had appeared at some point and stood among them. To Thorn's surprise, Tolariah didn't seem concerned at all and simply bowed towards the Guardian, who laughed and waved his hand.

"I might have even taken offense," the Guardian said, "if you weren't so accurate in your assessment. Come, we have no time. The puzzle beckons."

"This seems highly unusual," Muras said. "Is something happening with the puzzle?"

"Yes," Guardian Adini said, nodding. "For some reason, the puzzle is opening much faster than in previous years. According to our records, it should take at least a week for the puzzle to open completely, but now it seems to be accelerating rapidly all the time. Our best guess is that we have less than an hour. We cannot allow the god beasts unrestrained access, or they may take more than their share of slots. Gather your things and follow me."

The entrance to Urmag’Tal's Puzzle sat in a small valley between two tall mountains. When Guardian Adini and the others arrived, a small group of god-beasts was already standing on the other mountain, watching them.

"Thorn, is that the bear god beast?” Velin asked, pointing toward the god beasts.

“Yeah, that looks like Ursa the Tyrant," Thorn said, his eyes narrowing as he stared across the distance at the massive man on the other mountain.

Seeing the god beasts begin to move down towards the stone doorway at the bottom of the slope, Master Adini gritted his teeth and gestured for everyone to follow him.

"Keep your guard up," he said. "You never know what those savages are going to do."

Making their way down the mountain, Thorn examined the others who were with Ursa. Three of the god-beasts looked completely identical and moved with a strange hunched posture, their hands held awkwardly in front of their bodies. Their movements were jerky, almost as if they didn't quite understand how to walk. The fourth god-beast was a sharp-nosed woman who gave off the impression of a hawk.

However, the one who really caught Thorn's attention was a sallow-faced man who was nothing but skin and bones. His sunken-in cheeks and the deep hollows around his eyes gave him a nearly skeletal appearance, and his gaze carried a sense of greed that set Thorn's teeth on edge. As he walked down the mountains, he would occasionally pluck leaves from the trees and bushes he passed by, sticking them in his mouth and chewing them up. Most concerning of all was that even Ursa's body language seemed cautious around this man, and having experienced one of Ursa's punches, Thorn thought it best to be wary of anyone who could frighten the bear god beast.

The two forces met in front of the door, stopping a good distance apart, as if they had agreed upon it beforehand.

"Guardian Adini," Ursa said, his voice booming. "I'm surprised they let you out of the temple these days. I thought you were too scared to leave."

"I see they put you on babysitting duty, Ursa," Guardian Adini said, his voice disdainful. "Let me guess. You caused trouble again?"

"I wouldn't really call it trouble," Ursa said with a savage grin. "I just smacked around a few of your young ones."

Seeing him pointing at Thorn, Guardian Adini's eyes narrowed but he didn't pursue it.

"How will we arrange entrance to the puzzle?" he asked, clearly not wanting to be there any longer than he had to.

"Oh, that's simple," Ursa said. "We'll go in first, like we always do. Or, if you insist, we can have a bet. And then, we'll go in first, like we always do."

"One day, that cocksure attitude of yours will get you killed."

"Not by any of you," Ursa said, laughing loudly. "The last time we fought, you could barely scratch me."

"I guarantee if we do it again, that won't be the case," Guardian Adini said.

"Oh? Did you bring some new toys?" Ursa asked, pretending to be surprised. "See, this is the problem with you, Adini. You spend all your time making useless gadgets, instead of developing your personal strength. It's pathetic. But anyway, I'm sure you'll insist on one of these stupid competitions. Though I guess I shouldn't complain, as it gives us a chance to beat one of your students before your very eyes. I always enjoy the look on your face when we crush you."

Turning, Guardian Adini looked over the Prime Ascendants.

"We will send someone to challenge one of the god beasts," he said, "in a best two out of three match. If we win, we will get to enter the puzzle first, and the god beasts will have to wait a day before they enter it. If we lose, the opposite holds true."

Seeing Thorn raise his hand, Guardian Adini frowned.

"What? What is it?"

"Is there an advantage to entering first, sir?" Thorn asked.

The question seemed to catch Guardian Adini off guard, and caused Ursa, who had been listening, to laugh loudly.

"He must be so traumatized from the blow I gave him that he's too frightened to fight."

Ignoring Ursa's yell, Guardian Adini nodded.

"Beyond the honor that it will bring to the Temple of Man, it also gives you the opportunity to take the best spots in the village."

"Village, sir?"

"You'll understand when you go inside," Guardian Adini said. "I've given Muras all the information you need. Now, who will go out and fight?"

Immediately, Joresh and Kitsek raised their hands, their gazes burning with excitement. The other three were slower, but each raised their hand in turn.

Thinking for a moment, Guardian Adini pointed at Kitsek, Thorn, and Tolariah.

"The three of you will fight. Kitsek, you'll be fighting first. Thorn, you'll be fighting second. Tolariah, you'll take the last match. It's the best out of three, so if the first two lose, you won't have to step forward."

"I understand, sir.”

“Kitsek, make sure you don't embarrass me."

"Yes, sir," Kitsek said, bowing. Holding a spear tight, he stepped forward, walking out into this open space before the door.

The doorway was large and made of stone and bore familiar-looking markings on it. Thorn had been examining it ever since they had arrived, reading the runes etched all over it. It reminded him of the semi-permanent gate that led into the Great Forge, and he couldn't wait to see what was behind the door.

The god beasts had finished choosing their fighters as well, and it was the thin, skeletal-looking man who walked forward first, his hands hanging limply at his sides as he chewed on a leaf that stuck out halfway from his lips. As he stepped forward, Thorn saw the leaf crumble away, as if it had dried out instantly.

"Be careful," he said, calling out to Kitsek. "He's dangerous."

"You don't think I could see that?" Kitsek snapped, lifting his spear. "Worry about your own fight."

"I am Kitsek Adini, Prime Ascendant of the Temple of Man!"

Coming to a stop about fifteen feet from Kitsek, the god beast smiled, his lips opening to reveal desiccated gums and large bony teeth.

"My name is Numamir the Hollow," he said, his voice dry and raspy. "I will suck the life from your flesh."

Without another word, he launched himself forward, hands reaching out like claws, as he rushed straight towards Kitsek. With a shout, Kitsek took a single step forward, his spear drawing back and rushing forward like a great snake, its tip shifting rapidly in a confusing spiral pattern.

Numamir didn't seem to care whatsoever and rushed forward boldly, his hands grasping as he charged. With a shout, Kitsek stabbed his spear straight into the god beast's chest, only to hear a thud as his blade failed to penetrate Numamir's skin.

With an evil chuckle, the god beast forced his way past the attack, knocking the shocked saint's spear aside as he lunged for Kitsek, his hands grazing Kitsek's shirt as the saint jumped backwards.

Thorn was watching the fight intently, and it was with shock that he saw Kitsek's clothing starting to fray where Numamir's fingers had touched. It was as if the fibers had become entirely brittle, transforming into nothing but dust.

Remembering the leaf he had seen in Numamir's mouth, Thorn drew in a sharp breath. He had gotten a sense of danger from Numamir, but the god beast was clearly much more dangerous than he had assumed.

Spinning away, Kitsek tried to use the butt end of his spear to knock Numamir off balance, but the god beast threw himself forward once again, forcing Kitsek to retreat quickly.

"Even if you run, I'll still get you," Numamir said, his back hunched and his arms hanging at his sides.

Gritting his teeth in anger, Kitsek pulled mana from his surroundings, wrapping his spear in brilliant light.

"See if you can survive this," he said.

As the light transformed into a roaring dragon, it pounced down on Numamir just as Kitsek slashed. A faint flicker of emotion ran through Numamir's eyes as he brought up his hands to block. The dragon bit down on the god beast, light tearing into his clothes, but Numamir simply let out a shout, causing a sickly gray aura to surge up around him, blocking Kitsek's slash.

Undeterred, Kitsek attacked again and again, each blow hammering down harder than the last. Yet Numamir seemed fearless. The dragon had wrapped around him, but he didn't care one bit, throwing himself at Kitsek with abandon. Anywhere the dragon came in contact with the gray aura surrounding Numamir, its scales began to dim, almost as if they were decaying, and soon there wasn't enough of the dragon left for it to maintain its form.

By this time, Kitsek was nearly mad with fury. None of his attacks seemed to do anything to Numamir, and if the god beast didn't block them with his aura, he simply let them strike his body, as if they posed no danger. Judging from the way Kitsek's strikes bounced off of him, it was clear that they didn't. The opposite, however, was not true. Numamir's empty-handed attacks had left Kitsek's clothing and armor in tatters. Everything his hands touched seemed to wither away, and the powerful-looking armor Kitsek wore crumbled to dust under Numamir's touch.

With a shout, Kitsek threw all of his strength into a stab aimed directly at Numamir's throat. So far, the god beast hadn't bothered dodging Kitsek's attacks. But now, he suddenly shifted to the side, dashing forward with incredible speed, his hand slapping down on Kitsek's wrist. The armored gauntlet Kitsek wore crumbled away within a second, as Kitsek tried to shake the god beast's grip free, blood rapidly draining from his face.

Realizing something was wrong, Guardian Adini started to move. But before he could, Ursa the Tyrant's aura rose to cover him. Thorn, who was keeping track of the battlefield carefully, knew that if the Guardian moved, so would Ursa. And so, with a single step, he appeared on the battlefield, his hand coming down in a fierce slash on Kitsek's forearm, cleaving his bone in two. Grabbing Kitsek by the front of his shattered chestplate, Thorn took another step, moving back across the battlefield to where Velin stood.

"Heal him, please," he said, dropping Kitsek at her feet. Immediately, she crouched, hands stretching out, as intense emerald life force spilled out of her. It had happened so fast that Kitsek wasn't quite sure what was going on. And just as the pain started to hit him, his arm was bathed in warmth, and his cut-off hand began to regrow.

"You—!”

Guardian Adini began to shout and then suddenly stopped. In the center of the battlefield, Numamir held the part of Kitsek's hand that had been cut off. The skin and muscle underneath it had transformed into ash already, drifting away in the breeze, and the skeletal remains soon followed. Brushing his fingers off, Numamir chuckled.

"I'll take that as my win," he said, turning around and stalking back towards Ursa, who let out a bellowing laugh.

"It looks like we have the first match," he said.

Though he wanted to protest, Guardian Adini knew full well that it would do him no good. So he just gritted his teeth and gestured for Thorn to step forward. Unsheathing his halberd, Thorn walked out into the battlefield, watching the god beasts to see who would come out. One of the identical brothers was the one Ursa had chosen, and with his weird, twitching walk, he made his way out to face Thorn.

Akira, who was helping Velin heal Kitsek's arm, wrinkled her nose, sniffing disdainfully.

[He's a gross bug, master. One of those green ones with the knife arms.]

You mean a praying mantis?

[Oh right, yeah, that's what they're called.]

Coming to a stop in front of Thorn, the man stood absolutely still, staring up at Thorn with intensity, his arms held scrunched up in front of him. After waiting for a moment, Thorn took a step forward and struck with his halberd, aiming to end the fight quickly. Yet even as he did, his opponent moved with eye-watering speed, dashing to the side as he struck at Thorn's halberd, knocking it away.