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Zentrias moved cautiously through the darkening Evermist underbrush. With the setting sun on the surface, the light blooms were also fading.
He’d almost regretted his decision when Darius had abandoned him in the dense fog teaming with an endless hordes of monsters. Instead, he’d kept his senses alert and focused on avoiding the terrifying moonlit sovereigns roaming the mist. Thankfully, the lesser monstrosities he’d encountered had largely chosen to ignore him. For them, this is a festival, and there are easier prey.
A faint echo of a scream reached his ear, causing him to pause. Unlike the screeching and howling he’d occasionally hear, this one had been distinctly human. How can there still be people alive? It’s been half a day…
After an agonizing moment wrestling with himself, he changed course. Soon, he was crossing fields of shylilies, indicating the presence of a nearby settlement. He slowed detecting a sinister presence ahead. No doubt it was responsible for the agonizing cry. Against his better judgment, he felt the need to creep closer.
The fog thinned, and he noticed bright red lights zig zagging wildly overhead. One swooped down, revealing itself as a giant firewasp. The insect radiated incredible heat, but didn’t attack. Summons to push back the fog… Passing through them, he spotted a small walled-city and recognized it immediately. Merrybell, the village where we saved the kid… He had to take a closer look.
He leapt on top of the outer wall, and circled around towards the village gate. A row of wagons came into view, their wheels entangled by thorny roots. Inside he spotted frighten faces. The statues of four adventurers stood in front of the convoy in a stance prepared for battle. His eyes revealed they were alive, yet some force held them perfectly immobile.
Nearby a pack of creatures was crowding together to gorge themselves on some unseen meat. They resembled werewolves with bat wings and the faces of hyenas. Once he moved closer, their master came into view, and his heart sank. The hideous crone measured ten feet, dwarfing her pets. The two Mavens he’d fought previously were incomparable to this incarnation. There’s nothing I can do against that…
One of the hyena monsters stopped and sniffed the air. He he ducked down, frantically double checking he’d properly erased his scent. Is there a flaw in my technique or do they possess special senses? He risked a peak and found the hags abominable visage staring right at him.
“Beasties, at attention!” She cackled and pointed. “Bring that man to me.” Barking and yapping, her familiars scattered.
Zentrias fled, but found himself surrounded in the shylily fields. One lunged at him. Parrying the blow, he grunting as he was knocked back. His assailant’s paw then exploded violently, causing him to smirk. That will teach you… to… The hyena raised its shattered limb and laughed hysterically watching it regenerated.
He grimaced. With such regenerative power, only a strike to the body would finish them off, yet they were too swift. He retreated, enduring a flurry of attacks. Soon his back was against the town wall. They’re herding me…
Understanding escape was impossible, Zentrias switched tactics. It was a long shot, but, if he could strike down their master, there might still be a chance. Escorted by the deformed hyenas, he returned to the wagons.
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The Maven was waiting, grinning repulsively. Dropping down to face her, he noticed the cooking instruments gathered on the side of the street and he almost lost his stomach. Every version of her is revolting.
Channeling destruction, he dashed forward. The Maven reached into one of the large pouches that lined her waist, brought out an orange potion, and crushed it in her hand. Zentrias halted his charge, stunned. They’re gone… The lines and points are gone!
How could this foul monstrosity be the same Yuria? It was blasphemy. Perceiving the Maven’s misbegotten exterior, he saw patches of orange covering her wrinkly skin.
“Twice you felled me.” She cackled. “Do you think us incapable of adapting? Your magic is powerless before my chaos-devouring oil.”
Zentrias backed off apprehensively. “Are you the prime Maven?”
“I’m third eldest.” She chimed happily, withdrawing an empty potion bottle. “More than enough for thee…”
At blinding speed, she flung the bottle at his feet. When he reacted, he discovered he couldn’t move.
“Five statues I have now!” The maven crowed victoriously. “Don’t fret, I’m saving the lot of you for last. Your type tends to fear more for others than yourselves.”
Satisfied, she ambled off towards the wagons, rubbing her chin. “Now who to cook next? A child before their parents, or a parent before their children?” Her eyes lit up, glancing back at him. “I know! Where is the brat you stole from me last time?”
Zentrias struggled with all his might while the witch dragged a crying boy off towards her ‘kitchen’, but he failed to more an inch. Attempts at channeling produced no better results. The barrier binding him almost seemed alive, reacting to and canceling any magic he let lose.
<
It’s the only way. Instead of aiming to escape the confining enchantment, he focused on destroying it. Repeatedly he assaulted it with his magic, watching closely. Finally, he saw it in his mind. A weakness.
He poured in all the destructive power he could muster. At first, there was no reaction, but he persevered, trusting his insight. Gradually, the invisible prison began disintegrated, corroded from within. Its collapse accelerated and within seconds he was free.
Despite the small victory, Zentrias stayed still. The Maven’s skin was still glowing, so there was no chance of landing a lethal blow. His situation remained dire.
He desperately studyed the witch as she prepared to roast her victim until an idea came to him. Slowly he reached the pocket of his backpack and grabbed the wish seed he’d receive for defending Safire. With this, just maybe…
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“Your tricks are meaningless against me.” She gloated.
“I wasn’t aiming for you.” Zentrias answered coldly, releasing the magic pulsing in his fist. Corrosive energy traveled around the Maven’s belt, seeping into the dimensional pouches attached to it.
“No, impossible!” The crone backpedaled in fear, and Zentrias took the opportunity to deliver a flying kick, knocking her into the alley between two houses. Grabbing the traumatized boy from the seasoning table, he dashed towards the wagons. Behind him he heard the shattering of glass as hundreds of vials and potions overflowed from their containers. He glanced back with dread.
A cloud of different colored smoke had engulfed the alley, growing rapidly. Sparks and fire shot out. Deformed creatures burst forth, some burning to ash and others covered in green slime that melted their flesh. Reality itself wailed, warping under the flood of sinister magic.
Zentrias reached out and pushed back the expanding storm of chaos. Thankfully, the smoke slowed and was held at bay, spreading in other directions. When the air finally cleared, half the town of Merrybell was gone, a misshapen crater in its place.
The two surviving hyena beasts leered down from far-off rooftops, not daring to attack. Once he’d freed the four adventurers from their stasis confinement, they retreated yelping angrily.
The world blurred, and Zentrias collapsed. He was vaguely aware of being moved into a wagon and felt the vibrations of traveling a road. Eyes closed, he smiled. Somehow, he knew his name had appeared on the Wall of Legends.