There are many signs of misfortune adventures come across during their lives. One of the most common signs would be grand pillars of smoke, and debris. Gambit intuitively slowed her pace as Ganon flipped on top of the carriage to perch on it’s roof. Shading his eyes from the midday sun he scanned the direction the smoke came from. Realizing they would be crossing paths with whatever danger awaited them he peeked his head below the roof, and into the back of their ride.
“Bro you probably don’t want to hear this, but if we go all the way around it will add another three days to our trip.”
Q was explaining the subtleties of Ganon’s magic to Miki, but when he heard that he turned to Ganon snorting.
I literally knew this was going to happen. It always does.
He rubbed his hand against the back of his head, and whined.
“Dude I swear this shit happens
every
single time we leave town.”
Ganon smiled giving Q a thumbs up. Although to Q, and Miki it was in fact a thumbs down.
“What are you sweating the small stuff for? We can just ride on through!”
Q took a moment to think while eyeing the billowing smoke in the sky.
Right now we do have the extra three days to spare. However if anything else pops up that will put us behind schedule we will definitely be late. Then if this manuscript isn’t in the Baron’s hands on time we lose a ton of posch.
With a grunt Q got up, and began stretching.
“Alright here is my plan. Once we get there you two hang back, and I will deal with whatever is going on. If for some reason it’s a bad match up, or I can’t handle it come bail me out. We will have Ganon boost Gambit, and we will make a mad dash for Terminus. Any objections?”
Miki’s eyes dropped to the ground as she spoke.
“I am a bit worried about this plan. What if the source of the smoke is from the Ennobled Emma mentioned? Will you simply capture, or kill it for the bounty?”
At first Q was caught off guard by the question.
I mean that’s not how we operate. Here in Leroy’s Cradle the Ennobled are protected by law as long as they aren’t inherently hostile. Even still this one has been reported attacking innocent travelers.
Q scratched his head, and looked back at Ganon.
“I don’t know bro. I don’t have a back up plan for an aggressive Ennobled. You got something in mind?”
Ganon flipped back down off the roof joining his party members in the coach. His smile was larger than life as he walked over to Miki.
“I appreciate your concern for nature Miki! It means a lot to a farmer like me. Rest assured though we don’t operate like that. First we try to talk them down, but if that doesn’t work unfortunately we have to put them down. They are too dangerous to be allowed to rampage freely. What’s even worse is a rampaging Ennobled is in constant pain. I'd hate to leave it like that.”
With renewed determination Miki nodded at Ganon, and thought to herself.
I’m glad Q made such great friends in our time apart. I can see why he likes traveling with Ganon so much.
As they came closer to the commotion the wind carried the scent of burning flesh to their nostrils. Q jumped from inside the carriage onto a nearby tree to get a better view. Covering his eyes from the piercing rays of the sun he surveyed the skirmish.
Unfuckingbellievable. I knew this shit was going to happen.
Dozens of bodies were laid in pieces across the battlefield. Blood drenched low level gear that belonged to the deceased. Upon closer inspection he recognized some of the armor sets among the mutilated. Shit.
Those newbies were good kids. I tried telling them to avoid large parties for a while. They must have bought into the false promises of scalpers.
Q scanned the area, looking for any possible vantage points where veteran adventurers might be hiding.
There!
Without thinking he rushed down to a rather conspicuous shrub to find two adventurers huddled up quivering. His eyes let off a terrifying glow as he looked down on them. Enraged he spoke quietly to them. His voice was seemingly inhuman.
“Is there anyone else still alive?”
He stood there quietly awaiting a response. His patience grew thinner by the second.
These two sniveling fools aren’t at fault. Control yourself. Save those you can, and deal with the party leaders later.
He kept repeating those thoughts to himself knowing that if he let his emotions better him he wouldn’t get anywhere. Taking a deep breath he tried again, but the words that escaped his lips remained cold.
“Is there
anyone
else still alive?”
Terrified the adventurer with a lance gulped, and nodded. The shock from the incident must still have a hold on him. Q crouched down before him bringing his face close to the adventurer. Deciding to keep his words to a minimum to avoid wasting time further he hissed.
“Good. Now
point.
’
Shakily the adventurer moved part of the brush out of the way and pointed in the direction of a nearby river. Q stood up, brushed himself off, and grabbed a nullshard from his pouch. After a quick incantation he threw it at the lance wielding adventurer along with a pouch of Posch.
“Listen carefully. I want you and your friend here to take this nullshard to ‘
Emma the Platinum Banshee’. You can find her in Newhaven easily. Just ask anyone to help you find the Headguard there. After you do that go to The Fool’s Errand, and ask for Euron to patch you guys up. Whatever Posch is left after you do that is yours. Also stay off this path for a couple weeks if you value your lives.”
They looked at Q confused. Why would a stranger give money to them with no contract to fulfill his request? Almost as though he knew what was on their minds Q cracked a creepy smile.
“Hahaha I’m sure you boys wouldn’t try to make off with my money now would you?”
Vigorously shaking their heads the two adventurers shot up. They then ran off towards Newhaven leaving a cloud of dust trailing behind them. Q’s smile quickly faded as he gazed off in the direction of the river.
I will find who was responsible for this. When I do I will make them pay.
Q unable to contain his rage recalled the time when he, and other newbies were sent to their deaths in a similar fashion. It wasn’t until after that botched mission he learned about newbie crushing.
Being sent to our death to wear down monsters is bad enough. What’s truly unforgivable is when she ordered them to ransack the corpses. We were nothing more than free gear and cannon fodder.
Grinding his teeth, and closing his eyes he recalled a technique Emma taught him that would help in this situation. He’d purposefully dull his other senses to boost another in doing so he could use magic similar to Emma’s to use sound to locate the survivors. Suddenly he heard echoed cries of terror. Frantically trying to locate their position he used a bit of mana to increase the efficiency.
150… No 200 meters away. There are three people still alive. Time is short, unfortunately I’ll have to use that.
Q assumed a position akin to a sprinter at the starting line. Mana swirled around him violently thrashing the brush around him. His eyes gave off a red glow as his muscles groaned from the added pressure. He had to make it there in the shortest amount of time possible. At max speed it would take him just shy of six seconds to travel 200 meters.. Normally this wouldn’t be an issue, but maintaining peak speed beyond three seconds would leave him temporarily drained.
“Tch— I really hate using
that
, but it’s my only option if I want to be of any use.”
Inhaling until his lungs couldn’t take it anymore Q grit his teeth as his body creaked. He felt his mana roar as he channeled it around him. Keeping his mana this close to his body without directly interfering with his gate was no easy feat. It required a very high level of finesse that would be difficult to achieve even for the most skilled supporters in Leroy’s Cradle. Everything was already set for him to use his technique, but fear held him back temporarily.
The last time I did this my gate closed off for a week. I just need to remember what Emma said, and use less output. Still though. With a spell like this that’s asking a lot.
He shook his head, and focused on his destination, eyes filled with determination. The bushes around him were torn apart by the sheer ferocity of his mana alone, and the ground beneath him began to give. Q shouted with all his might desperately trying to keep his mana in check.
“
Divergent Chronos!”
As he leapt forward dashing from his position his surroundings went eerily quiet. The bushes that were once whipping violently seemed to be standing still. Leaving a trail of mana as he rushed towards the survivors he knew he succeeded for the first time using this magic. Now able to see his destination it appeared as a two legged beast was standing above a cowering adventurer. Its bottom teeth had two large tusks protruding from its mouth. The head is similar to a mabear, but it’s posture is more akin to a werebeast. It’s thick hide darkened from mud, and dried blood. Thankfully it seemed to be stuck midswing on the grounded survivor. The other two adventurer’s that were there appeared to be in the middle of trying to escape. Q really couldn’t blame them. This beast’s one arm was as large as Ganon was tall. However that wasn’t what concerned him the most. There appeared to be a thick defensive layer made from mana bound to each tuft of fur. The only place this mana seemed weaker was around the beast's bloodshot eyes.
Why do I get the feeling this thing is a bad matchup for me?
Based on the carnage I’ve seen talking doesn’t seem like it will work. Either way I have to create some distance between this thing, and that idiot under it.
Moving the terrified lump out of the striking distance of the beast Q noticed things started moving again. He had hoped to get a few strikes in while his spell was still in effect, but it appeared he was out of time. The beast's claw smashed into the earth, and a boom was heard from the direction Q came.
Shit I probably flattened that area. I gotta get better at knowing when Convergence will happen. Hopefully Miki, and Ganon were far enough away it didn’t affect the carriage. Ah yeah. Speaking of which I should probably let them know where I am.
He quickly raised his left hand to the sky gathering mana, and shooting three glowing red orbs into the air directly above the treeline.
That ought to do it.I hope they get here fast!
He turned his gaze to the beast who was all the sudden above him coming down with its right arm. Without even thinking Q condensed the mana between him and the crippled adventurer then released it to create a burst of air sending him into a group of trees in the distance. With very little time to react Q raised his left arm creating a suspended path of water between his face and the beast’s attack. It slowed the oncoming strike down significantly making what would have been a fatal blow into a bruising attack. He was able to bring his free arm in front of his face pre impact softening the blow to his face, but sending him rolling to the left of the beast. Realizing in that moment this truly was a bad matchup for Q he addressed the beast. Hoping that if it did have intelligence he could find out if the Ennobled was acting out of self defense. If it wasn’t his primary objective would be to buy time until Ganon, and Miki were able to back him up.
“I won’t harm you if you’ve been attacked unjustly! Just talk to me! Give me something to go on!”
Rubbing his right arm he winced in pain. Even the most obtuse individual could see that Q’s smile was nothing more than a facade. He was simply outmatched.
Ganon’s magic would be perfect for an Ennobled like this. I got too cocky wanting to show off for Miki. Well. That’s partially true, but I really wanted to try using that power again. Chances are it doesn’t matter anyways, because the Ennobled are usually docile and recluse. They generally only kill if provoked by outsiders.
The beast slowly shambled towards Q the ground thumping as it spoke.
“
D-die... H-human.”
Q’s chest became tight as the beast towered over him raising its arm to strike again. He preemptively jumped back several meters to create some distance. The beast's claws caved into the ground where Q once was creating a massive shower of dirt, and debris. Shouting Q pleaded with the monster.
“Please! I don’t want to fight you! I know people can suck, but we have protections in place for Ennobled! Just show me you understand, and you won’t be bothered again!”
Almost as though to smile the creature tilted it’s head down to Q. It made a disturbing noise that could only be described as a distorted cackle.
“Y-you think I d-do this for surv-vival? I e-enjoy killing your kind. Especially the ones like y-you. Your m-mana smells d-delicious.”
Q’s pain quickly became dulled as rage set in.
This piece of shit is enjoying this.
This sudden epiphany changed his plans immediately. His face contorted as his eyes became sinister.
I’m going to fucking kill it right here, and right now!
Rushing the beast Q cast another spell.
“Born from creation—
Shivering Princess!
”
In his left hand formed a frozen glaive that was 94cm long. At the tip running down the shaft 54cm was a broad bladed section. It had a peculiar red glow that was accentuated further by the steam it constantly gave off. It’s gorgeous craftsmanship was made more impressive by the fact it was made with pure mana. It’s weight, and balance were perfect for Q even though this was only a smaller version of the weapon he normally would use. The damage to his right arm forced him into this spur of the moment makeshift weapon. Even so it fit perfectly in one hand. Letting out a cry Q struck the monster in its right shoulder with the blade. Swinging back with a cry of pain the monster struck Q in his right arm again. This time his arm folded unnaturally going completely limp. The crack from his bicep was easily audible over the sound of Q screaming in agony.
“Diediediediediediediedie”
Through all of this he never stopped, somehow he was moving even faster as he began barraging the monster. Dodging more, and more of the creature's attacks it began to slow down. His breathing slowly started to become more erratic. Even though his rage granted him a temporary boost he had taken a lot of damage. He started to see black circles around his eyes and his body began to feel heavier. Q wasn’t the only one getting worn down from this fight. The beast had taken it’s fair share of damage, however that wasn’t what leveled the playing field. In each of the wounds patches of ice were draining magic, and slowly growing in size. At this rate Q would be able to bring it down in 20 minutes without landing another blow. However running away was not a strategy that was currently viable, and fighting for even a minute longer would be too much for him. The fact he was even still conscious was a miracle in itself. Kicking the Ennobled in the face with his left leg, and jumping off it’s tusk with his right he landed back on the ground to continue his assault. As Q’s foe rained blows down from above Q let out a blast of blinding light.
“
Radiance!”
By the time a few blows from the beast met the ground it was already blinded. Q sent his glaive rocketing towards the Ennobled. Reeling from the light it began to guard its face. By the time it opened its eyes The Shivering Princess was already plunging into it’s left eye. Lodged in it’s socket the monster dropped to the ground attempting to wrench the glaive from it’s eye. However instinct took over the Ennobled as it felt a chaotic shift in the mana nearby.
“W-where are you h-human? I b-beg for forgiveness!”
Suddenly all the monster felt was pure malice from behind it. Slowly turning to face the source of this feeling it saw Q. His eyes seemed to be looking down on the beast. The Ennobled remember this feeling from not too long ago. Shaken the beast tried to run, but couldn’t. Looking down out of it’s right eye it saw pillars of ice where it’s legs once were. Crying the best pleaded with Q.
“P-please h-human! I c-can change!”
Q dropped his head with a slight smirk he pointed at the Ennobled. His voice trembled softly as he spoke. The words were colder than the ice prison his foe was trapped in, but danced lightly through the air.
“And change you will—”
Raising his left arm he pointed to the sky. His fingers formed an L with his thumb and index finger. A glowing red miniature orb started forming in front of his index finger as he channeled massive amounts of mana into it. As it began pulsating Q could feel vibrations being sent through his entire body. Something felt off about his mana as he cast his spell. The once red orb turned into a chaotic mess as it turned pitch black. His eyes lost all semblance of sanity as he shouted.
“—
RAILGUN
!”
From Q’s finger emerged a massive beam of pure mana. The force of the blast alone created a shockwave post launch that shook both of them down to the core. The ground ruptured as Q’s mana surged forward eating up everything in its path. The black stream decimated trees and wildlife alike. This created a clearing in the otherwise wooded area. Everything around the Ennobled seemed to move at a crawl. It couldn’t hear anything and nothing made sense to it. Its body grew cold. This was different from the frozen feeling the glaive gave him. Filled with dread the beast looked down to see a massive hole in its abdomen. Looking back up with fading vision all it could see was a massive shadow and glaring red eyes from within.
I-is this how all my p-prey felt too?
It’s final thoughts gave way to nothingness. the Ennobled slowly slumped down where it stood its final breath weak, and raspy. Spent, Q hobbled over to the beast to verify it’s passing.
It’s dead. I need Ganon to get here now before I join that thing in eternal slumber.
His rage subsiding Q’s legs gave out from under him. He still had mana at the ready, but his body was no longer willing to stand. Q laid there staring at the sky thinking to himself.
It never gets easier I guess. Taking a life that is.
The wind gently kissed his cheeks as he continued to ponder.
What’s the deal with my mana? It was so powerful I thought I was going to burst. I mean my Railgun has been my ace in the hole for a minute now but the color change was new. Is this like something in a videogame? Am I possessed or did I just find my super OP transformation?
This was soon cut short by the sounds of multiple people converging on his location. Turning his head to see who was the cause of this commotion his eyes widened. Fear now fully setting in he readied himself for the worst. Speaking to the figure now standing above him he spat on the ground.
“Why are
you
here Gwynne?”