[Ashborn-B1] 61. Flame Horizon (Patreon)

LXI

Flame Horizon

Holes burnt themselves into the small of my back as we continued through the tunnels. I didn’t need to turn and look to see the veins coursing through teary eyes; my imagination was enough. My brows furrowed. It—

Feedback from one my chicks interrupted any further thoughts.

The amy, which’d begun to recognise my sudden jerks for crucial information about to come their way, readied their weapons.

“Enemies,” I called. “Black Fangs.”

“Numbers?” Rin said.

“Fifteen,” I said. “None of them have a particularly dangerous aura.”

She hummed. “Then it should be doable.”

Doable, yes. But necessary? I scanned our members. Some of the recent additions to our group were injured…my gaze caught on the woman still glaring daggers at me.

“Let’s circumvent them,” I said.

Korin and Ori let go of the essence building inside them.

A side tunnel had us travel around the enemy squad, but saw us veer from the straight path we were following to the strongest locator signal.

‘It’s likely Raven and Kayle.’ Based on the signal, at least.

And Duke with some luck. I hadn’t seen him since the start of the Maze. ‘I hope he’s alright.’

Though we weren’t on a direct track to Raven and Kayle, we ran into other allies and added them to our force. We numbered around sixty, now.

‘Should I sent some of them back?’

Travelling unseen with this many people would be nigh impossible. Escaping likewise. Moreover, the way back to the shrine of the Dove wasn’t hard to find. It exuded a terrifying degree of essence. Also, as Aurille’s group filtered into the shrine, their unified beacons would act as a waypoint.

‘One more group.’

Then I’d split our contingent, send half of them back, and take the rest with me.

We continued through the tunnels and entered a chamber. Entrances littered the walls, stacked atop one another like the cells of a beehive. The entire room was about the size of the theatre room back in Castle Shield.

“That’s a lot of exits,” Rin said.

If that wasn’t the truth. Though the beacons were calling us ‘forward’, it wasn’t easy to determine which entrance would lead us to our allies.

I hummed. ‘What to—’

My shard pulsied. It was Saber. He wanted something. My forehead scrunched. No…he was trying to tell me something. I recalled my chicks and shaped a portal.

“What is it, boy?” I asked.

His snout was pointed at a single exit. Fiery eyes speared into the darkness covering the hole in the beehive. Flames dripped down his fangs and down the side of his mouth.

My blade cleared its scabbard. The others took their weapons in hands as well.

The shrill echoes of steel leaving its sheathe cascaded through the room before fizzling out. Hearts entered their throats as we waited.

An exasperated sigh. “I guess catching you off-guard was a tall task.”

My hands tightened around my blade. ‘That voice…’ I huffed. ‘I suppose I could’ve expected this, too.’

A figure leapt out of the entrance. Clouds kicked up as thick, heavy limbs smashed into the ground. The shadow of a tail rose within the fog.

More figures jumped out of the other entrances.

‘One…two…three…’ Six elites in total. The remainder were lesser drakes.

The clouds around Erri finally dispersed. Bronze scales as thick as armour covered her torso. They didn’t appear to be an extension of her skin or the product of a skill.

‘An artefact?’ There were plenty of those in the Tomb to go around. You just had to find them.

The scales poking from her shoulderpads were like fangs. Wicked fangs longing to spike whatever unfortunate soul would find their place there. Her face was left uncovered.

“Long time no see, Ashe,” Erri smiled.

My own lips pulled upwards, too. “It truly feels like years ago.”

No more than three days had passed since our fight that the Black Guardian interrupted. Despite the short time frame apart, the two of us may as well have been two different entities altogether.

‘Her presence is more solid.’

I couldn’t see her level, but at a guess, she must be a little north or south from level thirty—my guts were saying north. That was a big stat difference. About thirty points, give or take.

However, there was a reason my level was was that much lower.

Heat from Saber’s combusting fur blasted my cheeks and warmed the sides of my robe. The beginnings of Erri’s serpents formed around her waist and coiled around her arms. Drakes unlocked their jaws, fury and saliva dripping down the sides of their mouths.

Two elites had almost been enough to take out half of my squad. Now the elites had tripled in number, while we had merely doubled. That, and there was an Omen in their mix. That’s why it was no surprise to me when many of the Dawnflames swallowed and took a hesitant step back.

Then the atmosphere in front of the lesser drakes ruptured in advance of the combined roars leaving their throats—

Saber did not roar. Describing the sound leaving his throat as such was doing him a disservice. It was an avalanche. One whose rumbles suddenly disrupted the peace and quiet over a field of ice, whose approach heralded nothing but frozen death for the poor sinners in its path. The sole difference was that Saber’s promise of death did not come with cold.

The comparison rode the breath of of Saber and penetrated through the bronze scales of the drakes. Their own roars died in their throats. Erri’s eyes went wide.

Yet I wasn’t done.

Saber’s shoulderblades tensed, the blocks of pure muscles contracted and ballooned his physique. Hundreds of tendrils of fire shot from his shroud into the air and formed into a sphere that cast out every speck of darkness. Bubbles popped on the surface of the miniature star. Where its radiance fell and touched those it deemed allies, a sense of warm and confidence seeped through their skin.

My flametalon appeared behind me in a flash of fire. In its wake, the only sounds were the pops coming from the star, which faded into background noise so the chamber was actually silent.

My voice broke through the quiet. “I should warn you, Erri—”

I stepped ahead of the Dawnflames staring at the flaming orb overhead, past Ren, who needed a second to force his jaw shut. When he turned towards me, the light in his gaze contained something akin to reverence.

Enchantments engraved into my blade fired. Flames travelled down the length, flaring more brightly than they’d ever had before. I met the Dragonflight princess’s gaze as I’d done under that sky full of roving predators so long ago.

“—I’m not the same girl I was back then.”

And now it was the turn of her clan to step back.

Erri’s brows and leathery lips set. “Is that so?” The armour near her neck morphed and grew until it covered her face as well. Space distorted around her fingers, and a whip warped into her hands. When she spoke next, her voice came out as the distorted tone of some eldritch being: “Let’s see about that.”

Around me, Dawnflame techniques bloomed, amped up by the sun so very near them. Drakes spit their fires. Steam hissed as the walls began to melt from the soaring heat. Despite the bubbling warmth stirring up the anger hidden deep within their bellies, neither the drakes nor the Dawnflames moved as Erri and I approached each other.

“I heard about your new little pet.” The six serpent heads snapped their jaws. “Not going to summon him? I want to see this ‘dragon.’”

Red sprites curled over Saber’s frame as he waltzed at my side, his shroud so bright I had to squint to see through it.

I chuckled. “Skul is a haughty summon. He doesn’t like appearing to take care of weaklings.”

A red pulse flickered underneath Erri’s armour as she laughed.

My lungs expanded with warm arm. The audience of drakes and Dawnflames reminded me of the fight in front of the Tomb entrance.

‘A strong showing.’

Whoever won this first exchange could swing the battle in their favour from the start. For a disciple, it was one thing to feel someone’s power, another entirely to see it in the flesh.

Cool, flaming essence coursed through me so muscles on my forehead relaxed. Calling on the cinderwing’s agility skill reduced the weight of my limbs to that of a feather. I crouched and held my blade over my shoulder.

Erri’s laughter stopped abruptly. She clenched her fist, and three serpents coalesced on her knuckles and meld into one, big construct. “You’ve at least grown wittier.”

The serpents rippled—

The last bits of breath shot into my lungs before tensing muscles closed my airway. My eyelids narrowed. In a span barely a fraction longer than that action required, I’d covered half the distance between us. The world raced past so fast my blade’s edge barely managed to get out in front of me.

Erri jerked. Her serpentnt rushed forth. Even caught off-guard, it remained fast. Fangs aiming for my throat caught on my blade. Though the sword cut through the beast, my weapon almost ripped out of my grasp.

‘They’re tougher than before.’ Those levels really weren’t for nothing.

Split in two, the serpent continued past me, tendrils of fire already forming on its skin to make it whole again. The three remaining serpents still tied around her waist spread out and barrelled forwards. I wasn’t ready to strike yet, so there was no way for me to intercept them.

Saber appeared in a blinding flash. Red lightning wreathing around his claws, he slammed into all three beasts and crushed their heads.

That left just me and Erri.

She jumped away. Her whip wasn’t a close-range weapon, so she needed space to pull back her arm and strike.

I didn’t let her create said space.

My blade reversed, turning the end of a downward strike into the start of an upwards one. I wasn’t in range. Wouldn’t be unless I jumped after her and overextended myself.

“Thanks for teaching me this,” I said.

A portal spawned below her feet. Her gaze moved the barest fraction to regard the beast coming out. But what came out was no beast. The branch latched onto her middle and pulled taut against the force yanking her in the opposite direction.

The helm covered her face, yet I knew for certain the expression underneath was one of fear.

I let go of the agility lightening my body and poured my mind into my blade. Sweaty palms curled around the hilt. I exhaled, and the edge of flame forming on the sword transformed into a red so deep it seared my pupils. How many buffs were activating at once? Calm Mind, Saber’s shroud, his flame horizon, the weapon’s own enchantments…I would’ve liked another activation of Calm Mind in there, but this would have to do.

A scream ruptured out of my throat as the beam of flames seared through the very air. The helm covered its target’s face, yet I tasted the fear underneath Erri’s armour. Could see her tail curl upwards in fright.

And then the flame cutter was in front of her.