Rotten Æther

//Author Note: I would strongly urge you to read Bloody Æther | Scribble Hub alongside this story. Shared world and setting, with crossovers coming!//

 

The shadows stalk the streets as predators. They hunt in the darkness, destroying all the light and leaving us in near total inky blackness. Through Crow’s eyes, I can just barely see them stalking people and tormenting them before running them down and killing them.

Even as I watch, a predator stalks a man down into the dark alleys, tripping him every time that he stands and tries to flee. She only walks after him but catches him much too easily. I can’t see any details, but he falls silent as she falls upon him.

I send Crow from rooftop to rooftop, scouting out the shadows, but I’m sure that there are many that remain unseen. I track a path through the streets. A road we might use to escape.

“We need to get out of here, they’re killing everyone,” I whisper to Olive and Anna. A shadow a street away turns to stare at us through the walls between, Crow watches them closely but still loses them as they pass into deeper pools of darkness.

I send sparks along my swords, walking the one path that I can find that might be safe while watching for the stalker that heard us. Anna and Olive are struggling to keep quiet but I don’t think it even matters, the shadow around us seems to hear us no matter how quiet we are.

They choose to let us pass, they allow us to live, but for how long? Already one of them stalks us. A creature the size of a child, but it isn’t a child.

I don’t tell Olive or Anna. They won’t react well, and it’s not like we can move any faster away from all of this.

“Faster,” I urge Anna and Olive, cutting through the streets. They can’t be attacking the entire city like this… unless they are. If they’re taking out the entire city…

I have to find my team. They’ll know what to do. Maybe even escape the city itself.

I flood my eyes and ears with strengthening magic, warping it around in new shapes. I need better senses, and I need them now. I have to be close to figuring it out with all the time that I’ve spent practising.

“What if we hide?” Anna asks.

“We can’t,” I tell her, not bothering to stay quiet.

I adjust my grip on the two swords in my hands and thread a small current of æther through them, only enough to spark along the edges. Not enough to waste my energies, but I’ll be ready to respond if I have to.

The one stalking us is getting closer. They’re going to act, I can’t let them have the first move.

“Anna, Olive, stay close and stay behind me,” I keep a distance from the other undead while Crow leads me down a dead-end street where two bloodless corpses lay strewn on the ground. I pass them by, seeding them with my necromantic magics before leaving them where they lie.

This will have to do. If it’s anything like the one we fought before… if it’s that powerful…

No, I won’t die.

“Anna, summon a light at our back and watch the shadows,” I say, staring down the road towards the monster that’s coming for us.

“You think the light will save you?” The creature’s voice is a warped whisper. It comes from everywhere at once, a thousand overlapping voices, most not quite human. An illusion. Lothar warned me about things like this.

“You’re weak,” I say, shaking my head and keeping my swords out. “It is the moths, that use illusions in the wild. The rabbits who hide in the shadows. The bears and the wolven don’t care to hide themselves, they don’t need to pretend that they’re strong.”

I stand a little taller, keeping my eyes focused on the young boy’s shape, though I can’t see him with my own eyes. Crow watches from above, and it’s enough for now, but if I have to fight with my swords while he’s still invisible, then it could be trouble.

It’s a good thing that I’m not fighting alone.

“Syr, what do we do?” Anna asks, Olive trembling beside her. A few people watch from the nearby windows, but they don’t interfere, and the child before us seems happy to have an audience. Will he be killing them too?

“Flood me with light when I shout for it,” I say.

“I can taste your fear,” the boy whispers, again his voice much deeper than it should be. The shadows around us dance with a fake life but they are still solid enough to trip me, they got Lothar with that the last battle we fought.

“Well, I hope it tastes like bugs,” I say, glaring at the boy. He pauses while standing over one of the bodies, quirking his head at my reply.

I pull at my puppet’s limbs, gripping the boy’s ankles with the dead man’s arms.

“What are you doing?” The boy shouts with his actual voice, speaking to the unliving puppet as if it’s something alive. “Who’s ordered you to do this?”

“Now!” I shout to Anna, charging at the boy while I have the other corpse puppet leap on him. The pair grapple with him, holding him with everything they have.

“What?! Let me go!” He shouts into the darkness around him, shoving the corpses away. “Who’s doing this? Which one of you traitorous bastards is messing with me!”

 He’s stronger, and he’s fast too. But he’s busy shouting at the shadows while fighting them off, and he’s too slow to react to me. I thrust both swords into the boy’s chest and fill them with fire.

He screams.

The boy cries out in pain, flames bursting through his flesh. It’s much more fire than I’ve ever used before, and I still don’t think that it should be this powerful. His flesh explodes into ash, as the flames spread through his insides. In seconds he is reduced to a pile of ash and clothes lying on the ground.

It’s something eerily like what happens to my friends when I let them go.

“What was that?! Who are these people?” Olive asks, looking over the two pale puppets that helped me slay the undead monster. I have them look the other way and walk off into the darkness.

“They’re… friends,” I say, biting my lip. “They’ll help us escape.”

“What did you do to that boy?” Anna asks, her legs trembling weakly under her as she stumbles over to the ash. “He was… he just…”

“It wasn’t a person, he was a fake,” I say. “Stay focused. We need to keep moving before the others come for us.”

Those in hearing distance of us are currently distracted with their own hunts, some even slowed down with battle—I’m not the only one fighting back—but I don’t know for how long that will last. There are a few warriors fighting bravely against the hunters, shining light about them and warring against the undead. Among them are the robed followers of the strange man that I saw before this all started, they’re using some strange magic that seems extra powerful against the monsters we’re fighting.

Not all of them are as successful as the best. Even as I watch, one of the robed figures is being stalked by another of the undead predators.

If these undead monsters are as weak as the boy was, then maybe I can do something here. Maybe I’m stronger than I thought.

But even if I’m strong enough to fight them. I’m not fast enough to protect Anna and Olive at the same time.

“We have to move fast!” I shout, “This way!”

I lead them toward the closest of the robbed warriors, Olive is a little faster to catch on than Anna, picking her up and pulling her along. The robbed warriors are wandering around, collecting people, and guarding them against the predators that are hunting them. As groups, they’re shining lights and singing songs and all sorts of strange things, but most importantly. The monsters stay away.

I can’t do the same.

The closest of the robed figures is the one who was being stalked. I scout out a path with Crow and quickly race to the man. My two puppets are a step ahead of me, but I keep them at the edges of the road so that Anna and Olive can’t see them too clearly.

“Let the light of truth shine through these streets,” The robed man says. He’s old, but he doesn’t use a cane yet. He has to be pretty strong, then. The three others following him aren’t as confident in him, but they still summon lights and chant with him.

“Let us sing a song,” he says. “Break your fears with a happy song and shine an honest light on these terrible villains. Wash away their deceit and they will leave us.

“Oh, survivors? Please join us,” he says upon noticing us. Anna and Olive are hesitant, but I shove them closer to the man and the ring of light that the others with him are creating.

“Just let me prick you with this for just a moment,” he says. “We must be sure that you aren’t one of them.”

“You can check?” I ask, holding out the back of my hand.

He jabs the small wooden splinter into the flesh. I clench my teeth at the sudden burning pain that spreads through me.

 Anna goes next, shouting as she gets pricked. Olive isn’t happy but she does put out her hand as well, staying quiet and rubbing her hand when she has it back.

“Fire,” he says after we’re all checked. “The truth is revealed by fire and light. These creatures aren’t as strong or scary as they seem when their lies are dispersed. That is why we must shine our lights and spread our songs. Let us do away with their terrible deceptions.

“What about you two men, will you join us?” He asks my puppets, hanging by the side of the road.

“No,” I say, stepping back towards them. “We’re going hunting.”

“Syr!” Anna calls out, reaching for me. “You can’t, we have to stay together!”

“The monsters are predators,” I say. “They aren’t used to being the hunted. They’ll follow us until they see weakness, it’s better to challenge them than to let them choose when to attack us.”

“It is safer for us to stand together,” the old man says.

“I’m not going far,” I say, staring into the shadows where the stalker has hidden. It is strange, he only takes the most basic efforts to hide, standing just out of sight. Crow can see him easily enough even in the near total blackness.

This particular hunter has somehow gotten ahead of us, moving closer to my puppets. I don’t know why, the other one was saying strange things when my puppets caught him, but whatever it is, I can use this chance.

I step out of the robbed warrior’s light and into the darkness, illuminated only by the small sparks that skitter along the edges of my new swords. Crow watches the hunter carefully as he approaches my two puppets, but it’s only when it gets closer that it pauses, noticing something wrong with them.

He looks between the two puppets in confusion, getting closer and prodding at the side of the closest one.

“What’s wrong with them…?” He mutters. “Go on, go kill things, that’s what you’re supposed to do. Why are you just standing around? Some kind of defect? Head trauma? Would that even affect you?”

“Excuse me,” I say, calling out to the man.

He knows I’m here and from the way his feet are set, he’s ready to respond to my attacks the moment I overstretch myself. He’s also growing more cautious of my puppets, as they’re standing frozen and unmoving. I can’t take him by surprise if he’s already seen me.

“Yes? What is it?” he asks, not even looking at me. A strange reaction, but if it gives me a chance to manoeuvre into a good position, then I won’t complain. Sometimes the bears would do something similar, and we’ll end up growling back and forth while circling each other.

“Why are you doing this?” I ask. “Did these people do something wrong?”

“Hmm? This hunt?” he asks, looking me up and down. “You’re asking a soldier the purpose of their commander? You’re not going to find a complete answer, but I suppose I have a few guesses. We’re training. Growing stronger and gaining some cheap fodder while we’re at it.”

Why is he answering seriously? Is he that confident that he’ll beat me? Does he not care?

“Why aren’t you trying to use illusions?” I ask, holding my swords out, ready for anything.

“Illusions?” he asks. “So that is ash that I smell on you. You’ve slain one of us? Well, that’s good, then. Less competition for me,” he still hovers around the two puppets, more curious of them than me. “Say did you see where these two came from? Did something happen to them?

“If you can give me an answer, I can kill you quickly and set you up in a cozy basement with a few cripples,” he says. “A pretty good offer, though I guess you wouldn’t understand.”

He draws a sword and starts stabbing at one of my puppets, I leap forwards with all my bodies and try to score a cut on him. He dances around my swords, the flickering flames not quite touching him. I swing again, pushing myself harder and faster. I’m still not used to my short swords and I can only do simple attacks.

The sword that he draws from his waist is a simple rapier, meant for thrusting, and he doesn’t have the weight to properly deflect my next attack. I send him flying back into a wall.

He twists around in the air, catching himself easily and slowly walking around me and my puppets. His eyes open wider as he stares at me, licking his lips. The puppets aren’t slow, but they aren’t fast, and not nearly fast enough to catch the man without coordination.

“This is strange,” he says. “You aren’t one of us, yet you command the ghouls so easily. My sire couldn’t pull my chain quite so well. What are you? Some half-breed? Did one of ours have a living child perhaps… but then… no that makes no sense either unless they are somehow your kills…

“What are you?” He asks, but I don’t think that he wants an answer. It’s more like he’s speaking to himself. Anna and Olive are walking away from here with that robbed man, and they’re safe for now, but other hunters will be coming for them soon. I can’t be slowed down here.

I’m strong now, I need to protect people.

“That’s what I want to know,” I say, stepping closer to the man. “You have a master? Who? Is there some necromancer in this city? In that big tower in the middle, maybe?”

“A necromancer? Living in the royal castle?” The man chuckles, shaking his head at me before diving right for me. I throw my swords up and toss aside his sword but he quickly thrusts again and again. He prods me six times, three of them I can’t deflect. I heal the wounds quickly enough, but something about the injuries feels off.

Someone, this strong wouldn’t be happy with just a few small injuries like this.

I shudder, my guts twisting up as some wrongness spreads through my insides near my injuries, burning pains spreading in my guts. My sword channels fire and weight magics. What does his carry? What poison has he injected into me?

My healing magic can’t get rid of it?

I flood myself with more healing æther as I face off against the hunter. He’s confident. He knows that he’s already won. I’ve seen the same from the wolven following a wounded deer. He’s not going to risk himself by pressing me further.

Olive and Anna are getting too far away. I can’t let this fight go on any longer.

I throw myself at the man, swinging my swords while my puppets flank him from both sides. Almost as if he has no real form, he slides past me not bothering to attack though he easily could. I move fast, I try to catch him, but he keeps escaping me.

The pains in my guts are spreading to my chest. I don’t know what he’s doing to me but I need to finish him quickly and heal before it’s too late.

“You don’t use illusions?” I ask, focusing on him. “You have another set of fangs?”

“Precisely,” he says. “I might just have to find that basement for you. You could make for a valuable minion.”

“Minion?” I ask, slowing down. I kneel, trying to find the part of me that’s hurting. If I can’t heal, he’s going to kill me before I can even do anything. He’s faster than me and if I try running, he’ll just chase me down.

I press my fingers against my chest, just beneath my ribs. Something is in there. I don’t know what. I don’t know if I can grab it, or pull it out.

“Just lie down,” he says. “I’ll make this part easy.”

He hovers just at the edge of my reach but I can’t hit him.

How can I kill him?

How can I catch him?

“I don’t want to die,” I say. “I can’t die.”

“We all die,” he says, hovering closer. “Put down your weapons. This isn’t the end, I promise.”

I shiver, setting down my swords. He knows that I’m trying to set a trap, but he approaches anyway. He’s confident in himself, stepping across the barrier between us, and reaching out for me.

He sets a hand on my shoulder, his grip is much too tight. His eyes glow and ice washes through my skin.

“Enough,” I say, threading him with æther. “Stand still.”

My command sends a shudder through him, and though he fights me, he is not as powerful as the last one I tried to grip in the same way. I still don’t know how long it’ll last. I take up my sword, and I thrust it into his chest.

The flames burst through him. He opens his mouth and tries to speak, but nothing comes from him. He falls into nothingness before I can ask anything. Maybe I should have captured him and forced him to tell me all his secrets, but I don’t have the time.

The pain in my chest eases. I probably should have delayed killing him, and ordered him to stop his magic, but it seems that killing him fixed the problem anyway.

I take up my swords and chase after Anna and Olive. Their group has slowly grown, heading out and away from this area, but they’re coming to a stop now. Ahead of them, another group led by another robbed man is speaking with a tall figure in a set of heavy armour.

With only a few words shared, the knight swings his sword. It may not be as large as an adamant weapon, but it’s enough. He cuts through the group, the robed figure and four people behind him all split in two, he slashes again, and more fall.

They blast him with light, and some even toss fireballs, but they flash off his metal armour. The priest, separated from his legs, reaches out for the knight glowing with strange magic and holding him in place for long enough that the rest can scatter and escape.

The knight thrusts down, killing the priest, before turning to look at the group with Anna and Olive.

I jump, grabbing windows to help throw myself higher, when I hit the roof, I sprint for them. I charge, while the knight slowly approaches the group, dark vampires clinging to the darkness, ready to catch anyone who strays from the light. The corpses spread around the town start to stand, they move even without my magic to guide them.

What is happening here?

I dive onto the knight from above, thrusting both swords down at him.

 

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