[Tian] 1:22 (Patreon)

A HORDE OF MONSTERS CHARGE GALGOM’S HIVE.

They move through the earth like a landslide— I can see their vague shapes tumbling forward, a relentless, unstoppable force headed in only one direction. They do not stop, not even for Crimsonhome.

There is nothing there for them; they have their sights set only on the protrusion, jutting out of the tall mountain. Galgom’s Hive.

Our destination. Our target.

The ground shakes as a figure lands behind us. A few Elementalists spin around in a panic, readying their magic, conjuring their ice and fire to meet this enemy. But it is not an enemy that greets us.

Eight red eyes bore into them. The magic dissipates, returning to Lifeblood. Frantic apologies are made as the Websmith leisurely approaches me. I cross my arms and meet her gaze.

“Did you not say that you could not command monsters?”

“Yes. I simply give them directions— what they do next is up to them, not my will.” Her words are simple; clear. She did not tell them to avoid us. They are simply too enraptured by Galgom’s Hive, they are drawn to it like moths to an open fire.

Kalmat steps up behind us, his sword drawn, and his attention partially turned to the stream of monsters passing around us. “Shall we begin?”

“Wait,” the Websmith says, “we have yet to see the might of Galgom’s forces.” She raises one of her appendages, pointing at the Hive. “Observe.”

I narrow my eyes, expending some of the Essence to sharpen my vision. I can see shifting in Galgom’s Hive— something is moving. It is like doors are opening, or windows are being slid open. Then there is light.

Hexagonal shapes reveal themselves one after another, glowing brightly and revealing the interiors of the Hive. Hundreds of Esh step out of these rooms, followed by their weaker En counterparts. An army of machines engage the army of monsters— they clash in the darkness, filling it with the sounds of battle. It brightens the night. Each of the machine’s blasts sends a glow flying through the battlefield.

Leaning forward, Kalmat takes in the scene, although he does look a little lost. His vision is not as good as mine, even before using the Essences. So, I explain to him everything he cannot see.

“They are losing,” I say simply.

“That they are,” the Websmith agrees. “However, that is their role in this battle.”

Kalmat shakes his head, turning back to the Keepers of the Grove and the people of Thornthistle. “There are… thousands of them. Maybe even more. We are heavily outnumbered.”

I nod, still facing the war between machines and monsters ahead. “We are. But that is something we already know, is it not?”

The man clenches his jaw— I can hear his teeth grinding against each other softly, like the crunching of feet against sand. He is trying to hide his fear. I place a hand on his shoulder.

“We have known this, Kalmat. That is why we recruited the Websmith. That is why she called upon the forces of nature to our side. All that is left for us to do is defeat Galgom.”

“Right.” He relaxes slightly. Steeling himself, he marches back to the uneasy, wary people under his command, and begins giving out orders. “Keshiy, Nindran, Beihal—”

They all split up into their subgroups— each is no fewer than a dozen members, with some reaching up to almost a hundred. Kalmat stands before them all. He does not have much to say— this has been something we have had ample time to prepare for. All that is left is to act.

“Keepers of the Grove—” He takes the view of his army. It is not a large army; it is not even the gathering I see from a sect war. Maybe if it were a smaller sect— at least, not the Liufan sect. However, he nods affirmatively to himself. “Let us show Galgom what we are made of.”

I feel invigorated— I watch as they slowly head off, going into battle. They do not join the monsters. Instead, they use them as a distraction to strike from behind. Intercept the Esh and the En as they exit the Hive.

The battle rages on, and I face the Websmith, a slight smile curling up on my face.

“Shall we?” I ask, cycling my Qi through my meridians.

The Websmith clicks her mandibles, straightening her back, until her segmented upper bodies are entirely vertical. “Do not be reckless, Tian. Use Kalmat’s boon wisely. Conserve it. Wait for our target to reveal himself.”

And we join the fighting. I leap through the air, crossing the distance with a blast of flames carrying me from behind. The Websmith skitters after me, not in as much of a rush as I am.

I twirl as before coming to a stop, landing atop the head of an En. The machines look up at me, raising their weapons in my direction. I smirk and point past them, straight at the ground.

The earth breaks open, swallowing them as they fire their blasts into the air. Streams of light fill the air— lines heading straight for the skies, glowing, almost like a reverse shower of comets. I hop away from the En, flames carrying me once more as I reach the other side of the battlefield.

Monsters are caught in battle with a group of machines there. They are being torn apart— a large, six-legged creature, almost like an insect, is sliced in half by an Esh’s blade. The Esh flies up, evading the chomping pack of hound-like creatures. Only to be kicked back down by me as I arrive.

The monsters try to tear its limbs off as it stares my way with glowing eyes. I hover over it, arms raised towards the sky, creating a gleaming shard of ice. The Esh breaks free from the grasps of the monsters right as I hurl it down.

It flies in a circle, weaving through the monsters, cutting them apart before thrusting its way straight at me. I dodge past one of its wild swings, grabbing its shoulder and striking a fist at the back of its head. The impact knocks it away momentarily.

Then a blue light overcomes its face. And the head of the Esh explodes into a thousand pieces.

I sweep my gaze at the wall of En holding the monsters back. I point at the falling Esh, and its broken body begins to reassemble into hundreds of metallic spikes. They rain down on the En, tearing them apart, letting the monsters break free and press on, a deluge that washes up the side of the mountain, straight for the Hive.

More machines charge down, trying to meet the wave. But they are quickly taken apart. The Keepers of the Grove lead their men around the sides, blasting their elements at the hexagonal exits for the Esh and the En, filling it with a tempest of magic.

I spot Beihal and Seiled using their lightshooters— their beams rapidly firing through the darkness, a different color from the En. Nindran sends a torrent of water, gathering the En in a cluster, before using her Ray of Esh to destroy dozens of them at once. Keshiy’s flames rage on in the corner of my life, and the other members of the Keepers are just as unyielding in their aggression.

This is it, to them. This is what they have been fighting for their whole life.

I rip a Esh in half, tossing it aside as thin, metallic threads expand around me. The Websmith pierces dozens of the En and the Esh, catching them, smashing them against the ground. Then a flash of red lightning severs the Websmith’s threads.

Her web is untangled. The blast comes from the Hive. I spin to face the single figure leaving one of the hexagonal openings. “He is here,” I whisper.

With a crash, Galgom lands on the battlefield. Five swords hover over his head. They rotate rapidly in circles, like a halo, slicing apart any monster that leaps his way. I glance over at the Websmith.

“Come on. It is time to finish this.”

The two of us approach Galgom as a red beam takes down a lumbering giant worm. The Essences gather around me, a thin smile spread across my face as I greet the immortal.

“It has been a while, Galgom.”

“You.” He frowns as he looks my way. His eyes dart over to the Websmith. “Ah, and the last guardian of Utana decides to show herself too. How convenient.”

“You cannot defeat the both of us,” the Websmith says, digging her scythe-like arms to the ground.

“And why can’t I?” Galgom raises a hand as the swords reform into a massive halbern. It is over twice the size of his body— it looks like a weapon the Websmith would use. “I have already slain the other three. What difference is one more guardian and an otherworlder?”

I close my eyes. “It is all the difference.”

And the illusion ends. Galgom’s eyes grow wide as I appear next to him, jabbing my fingers for his exposed face. He barely leans back, away from the attack. The side of my hand grazes past his cheek, opening a cut and spilling his purple blood.

He leaps back, holding out his halberd ahead of him as I send a Ray of Esh at him. He deflects the attack with the pole of his weapon, only to be crushed by the falling arms of the Websmith.

“For my brothers and sister— you shall face your demise here.” She slices her other arm through the ground, following up and knocking Galgom into the air.

His halberd is gone, replaced with a sphere-like shield. It covers his entire body, partially protecting him from the Websmith’s attacks. A web catches him, the threads trying to pierce through his defenses.

Galgom screams and erupts into a red blast. It forces the Websmtih back as I steady myself, squinting, trying to see past the gust that sends monsters and machines flying back.

“I am immortal—”

I spring up through the pushing gale and land a fist into his abdomen. He groans, spraying blood from his mouth as I raise my other arm. He manages to push me back, propelling himself away as I fall back to the ground.

Galgom begins to flee back, zipping through the air straight towards the Hive.

“He’s trying to escape!” The Websmith charges past me as I pick myself up.

She knocks aside the Esh and the En trying to bar her path. However, she is too slow. Galgom is already reaching the Hive. I grit my teeth, and jump.

I soar through the air, using the Elements to boost me as fast as I can. Just as he reaches one of the hexagonal doors, I intercept him, crashing into his back. We tumble through the air and smash into the side of his Hive.

He roars as his weapon changes shape. He grabs hold of me as I try to back away from him. He swings a massive hammer for my head— and I vanish.

Void Walk.

I appear a few dozen paces away from the immortal as his attack hits the air. He looks around, discombobulated for a moment, before the threads of the Websmith crash into him. They do not just pierced through his armor, they wrap around his arms, preventing him from raising his weapon. He is brought down to his knees, dropping his weapon, and held tightly in place in the small crater on the side of his Hive. The giant hammer reforms into what looks like a lightshooter, aimed straight at the Websmith.

A blast of lightning crackles out. It goes straight for her as she tries to step away. But it is too fast for the Websmith. I cover the distance in a moment, appearing before the Websmith. I spread my arms wide as I stared defiantly at Galgom.

“The Guardian’s Blessing.”

A shield forms around me. A great shield that stops the lightning bolt, saving both myself and the Websmith from the powerful attack. I breathe a sigh of relief, nodding her way.

“Thank you, Tian.” She walks past me, tapping her scythe-like arm lightly on my shoulder. “In my anger, it seems I let my guard down.”

“It matters not,” I say, looking at the struggling Galgom. More threads cover his body. He is truly apprehended. “It has been done.”

We approach Galgom, caught by the Websmith on the side of his own Hive. There is a deep hole— a dark pit at the foot of his Hive. Is it a tunnel? I am not sure. We avoid it, walking around stopping before Galgom himself.

When we reach him, he is still struggling, grunting, trying to break free. But he cannot. His weapon, too, has been caught by the Websmith.  It is enveloped by her threads. He is defenseless. Helpless.

“You have lost,” I say simply, crossing my arms. Behind us, a battle rages on. But it is a winning battle. I can hear Kalmat’s rallying words— the cries and the cheers as the Esh and En are pushed back, overwhelmed by the combined might of the people of Utana and its creatures of nature.

Galgom faces us, his eyes burning with anger. His glare is fixed at me. For a brief moment. Then he laughs. A wicked cackle escapes his lips as he relaxes, shaking his head slightly. “I have lost? You must be mistaken, otherworlder. I am far from defeated.”

“We have captured you, foul tyrant.” The Websmith looms over him. “Your immortality cannot save you now.”

“That is right.” I snap a finger, and rocks jut out of the ground, restraining him even more. “You will be sealed away. There is no revival for you. No future, but confinement for all of eternity.”

“Sealed away? Captured?” He speaks dismissively, almost as if it does not matter to him. “Do you truly believe you have caught me? That I have lost because of—” He gestures at the strands holding him tight. “Because of this?”

I pause. His words are confident. I feel a tingling sensation in the back of my spine. Why is he so confident? Is he—

“Are you not Galgom?” I ask, suddenly feeling a slight fear rise up my stomach.

“No,” he says, still smiling, “that I am.”

I almost feel relieved, but he continues. His composure grows more erratic— almost mad. Gleefully mad.

“I am Galgom.”

I feel the ground shaking. A slight rumble that originates from behind us. I spin around, looking in the direction of the pit I saw earlier. The tremor comes from the abyss. And from its mouth, figures begin to erupt out.

I spin around, staring as I feel my composure leave my body. The Websmith makes a clicking noise.

“No…”

Figures dressed in the familiar black armor fill the sky. Their weapons hovering around them sparkle with red electricity as they fly up into the air. Dozens of them. No— a hundred. All of them cackling, just as the man behind us does.

“I am Galgom, just as they are.” His voice grows louder, slowly being accompanied by the echo of a hundred others. “We are Galgom. We are immortal. And you cannot stop us.”

Author's Note:

Tian chappie done. 2,500 words. Maybe a Salvos chap then another Tian chap next. Hopefully. Let me know what you think of the chap!