Chapter 24 - The Dead Scar (Patreon)

Echo and Fumi ascended further using the Pillar spell until they broke through the clouds above and reached the mountain peaks. What faced them was a bleak sight as they clung to the snow-crusted mountain top gazing northward.

Far North, due to their height and Far Sight Ability, they could see The Holy Wall. To the East, the crystal-clear waters of Moonsorrow Bay.

The Dead Scar filled the gap between the Duskfall Range and the wall that marked The Holy Empire's borders. A desolate, windswept, and barren landscape dotted with ruins of long-forgotten cities. In the center was a massive edifice, a ziggurat of truly enormous proportions.

Way bigger than the Great Pyramids of Giza

Echo began to see clusters of shuffling, shambling creatures that were trapped in this place. Trapped between the ocean, a river to the West, the mountains they stood on, and The Holy Wall itself.

It's like they were intentionally corralled here.

Fumi looked over at him, "...How are we getting down?"

Echo tapped his foot, "Didn't think that far ahead honestly…Give me a few minutes."

Fumi sat in the snow next to him and hugged his leg while he stood there in thought until an idea popped into his head.

"Ever gone sledding?"

"What's that?"

Echo reached into his pocket-dimension, pulling out cloth and metal and quickly transmuting them together into a large sled with padding; a disc shape that could seat the two comfortably. "Get on." He set it down and pushed it into the snow so it wouldn't go sliding away.

Fumi sat down and he took up a spot right behind her, wrapping his legs around her. "Be ready to bail into a snowbank."

Fumi nodded and grinned as Echo pushed them forward and reached backward with his hand, touching the snow, and pushing his hand down until he felt the mountain below. "Transmute Substance."

The mountain under them turned into a slide with a groove in the center, slightly larger than their sled. The snow on the surface stayed in the same place, and a large chunk began to tumble down. "Here we go!" Echo pushed them off and they began their rapid and dangerous descent.

The mountains rushed past them at ludicrous speed. Fumi was giggling with excitement holding her hands up and Echo made sure to hold her tight; occasionally reaching outside to tap the slide and elongate it further.

Soon enough they reached the end of the snowline, and the ride became quite a bit bumpier; Echo had to keep reinforcing the sled they were riding on as the metal scraped away. Fumi seemed to not care and let out a yell of excitement. He grinned like an idiot at hearing her joy at an activity he loved since he was a child in his past life.

Glad she's enjoying herself.

He began tapering the curve as they reached the valley floor, gradually and gently slowing them until the slope ended. They skittered and spun across the dead landscape. A few puffs of dirt kicked up but eventually, they swirled to a stop and Echo let out a sigh of relief as he leaned back.

Fumi leaned back against him and smiled in between giggles. "That was fun!"

Echo hugged her briefly and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before pushing her up and off, standing up himself and brushing off his clothes as they surveyed the brown, barren land.

Fumi returned to her usual, serious self as she looked around. "That guy said a Lich was around here."

Echo nodded. He knew from pop culture in his past life that Liches were powerful, intelligent undead who controlled lesser ones. Based on the similarities he’d spotted in the languages and architecture, he reasoned that his understanding of them from Earth in fiction would probably be applicable here.

He pointed in the direction of the ziggurat they had spotted from their high vantage. "I'd bet the Lich is in that."

Fumi followed his finger and nodded, "Mhmm…Let's find that plant." Fumi began jogging and Echo took off after her.

The dead lands passed behind the two and extended ever onward as they jogged through the desolate region. During their travel, they had stopped the game of tag but had not stopped training. This time, they were focusing on endurance and agreed to not stop to rest at all, pushing their limits.

They were able to easily avoid the variety of undead creatures that traveled across the landscape, hordes of shambling corpses.

Zombies from any zombie film ever.

Rotting and putrid, a sickly-sweet scent that was amplified by Feral Instinct to the point that both monsters had to will the Ability to turn off, granting them that small amount of reserved Quintessence in a jolt of energy.

Clusters of skeletons also roamed the wastes; Echo could see the strands of magic that held their bones together as they mindlessly began to chase the two. Despite being part of pop culture back in his past life, it was a disturbing sight.

Whatever this 'Void' thing was in the past, it must have been pure evil to make this.

The sun was beginning to set as they approached the ruins of a town and slowed down. The place was devastated and completely silent, with naught but hollow buildings and cracked stones. As if some earthquake shattered it apart, or a bolt of lightning from the sky had struck.

"It's quiet here." Fumi unsheathed her katana and paced forward into the town along the main road. Echo was just a step behind her and pulled out his blade and shield, eyes scanning for targets constantly. He reactivated Feral Instinct and couldn't detect any scent of rotting flesh.

"No zombies, so we'll just have to watch out for skeletons…and any other types of undead."

Something flicked across Echo's vision, and he rapidly wheeled on it. Fumi reacted to his movement and immediately took up a position guarding his back. The flicker returned and whizzed across his vision.

"Fumi, are spirits a thing here?"

"Souls that are tethered or can't move on. We call them wraiths." She replied in her warrior demeanor.

Echo was finally able to get a bead on the spectral figure; it was a pale white color with burning red eyes. It looked like a person wearing a large cloak but had visible arms and a tattered midsection that faded to nothingness. "Found it!" Echo eyed it warily as it floated there.

Fumi turned around and immediately swung out at the wraith, "Spatial Sever!" Reality parted in front of her blade and the razor-thin line of fractured space raced to the wraith. But the wave passed harmlessly past the creature and sliced some ruined buildings in two as they collapsed. The debris kicked up dust and Echo lost sight of the wraith in the haze.

"We can't hurt it physically. Can it hurt us?"

Fumi shook her head and resumed her place back-to-back with Echo, "I don't know."

The two stood there in tense silence, eyes peeled for the wraith…but nothing appeared. Even when the dust had settled there was no sight of the creature.

"Let's assume the worst then." In some games back on Earth, they could possess people. Given the overlap between the two worlds in other aspects, he figured it was a safe bet that they could do that here. "Be ready for anything."

He didn't hear a response. "Fumi?" He turned around and barely ducked out of a slash as the katana swung through the space he had just occupied.

I guessed right.

The now-possessed Fumi - who looked the same save for blood-red eyes - unleashed a flurry of strikes. To Echo's surprise, they were easy to dodge and parry.

Ah, you can control bodies, but can't do anything els-

Possessed Fumi stabbed forward, "Resonating Thrust." Her voice was completely monotone and devoid of the normal excitement during their practice bouts or when she fought.

Echo parried the stab to his side and felt the air behind him ripple and distort as what sounded like an explosion roared past his ears. He spared a glance backward and saw a massive, meter-wide hole that had been carved out of a wall, and a groove ran along the Earth behind it for another fifty meters.

Her strikes became surer, and swifter and he had to completely focus his attention on her.

It's learning.

If it continued, he may not be able to stop her. He activated Alacrity and dashed behind his possessed lover, gripping her body tightly and pinning her to him. She struggled for a few moments, but his strength stat was far greater than hers.

Fumi went slack in his hands as he felt a cold sensation press against his chest before the creature manifested once more in front of the two. It pointed at Echo, and he could faintly hear a screeching noise.

"Guess my Magic Resistance is too high for you to possess me," he surmised.

Fumi began to rouse and struggled in his grip for a moment before putting the pieces together and staring at the wraith.

She raised her hand and uttered a short phrase, "Create Space - Dimension Grip."

She's using magic?!

It was her first time casting a spell since she used the Gust spell back in Tiberius’ lair. She had always preferred using Abilities, but this situation must have made her quickly change her mind about using spells instead.

Her hand glowed a deep green as the same red sparks that his magic manifested with crackled along her palm.

The space in front of them, surrounding the wraith, shattered into billions of tiny pieces; a black hole covered with the green glow and red sparks floating in the air that the wraith was rapidly sucked into. Then, the shattered reality shards snapped back into place.

Thanks to Detect Magic, he could figure out what was happening - she had created a pocket dimension, opened a rift to it, and forced the wraith to be sucked in. The perfect trap to deal with something later.

She collapsed in his grip and her weapon clattered to the ground.

Echo glanced around and waited several minutes until he was sure they were alone before gently setting her down and sheathing her blade. He brushed her hair and smiled.

Great job, Fumi.

He knelt and placed his hands on the ground, "Transmute Substance." He set up an earth dome to house them – hopefully from prying eyes.

And let's make another spell.

"Sound Suppression." A brief 'pop' sounded before all was quiet - an invisible field surrounded their refuge that prevented the noise they made inside from being heard outside.

He pulled out the cot and set Fumi on it as he laid down next to her. He remained awake and on guard, and held her tight – just in case she was possessed again.

Tiberius grumbled as he sat in a dark, cold hollow in the Upheaval Mountains. Further South was his destination - Soju – but there were numerous guards.

He was powerful, extremely so. He could take on a Great Clan alone, but he wanted material to craft and shape.

And so, he had to revert to a backup plan. Wait until some Gori and Ogo left, ambush them, capture a few, and then use the Mimic Cube on them.

A small force is all I need.

He knew once he got inside, he could disappear into some cavern and begin abductions. Creating a new army of monsters. It would take time.

You’ll both return. And I’ll show Malvir my interpretation of his will is right.

Fumi woke a few hours later and rubbed her eyes, "...Fwah? What happened?"

Echo grinned and gripped her hand, "You beat the wraith by casting a spell."

Fumi sat up slowly and rubbed her head for a second before Echo felt the splitting headache she should have suffered. He winced and rubbed his head as she looked at him with wide eyes.

She hugged him and started crying, "...I'm…sorry I attacked you." Echo brushed her hair and shushed her as she continued, "...I wasn't strong enough."

"Hey, enough of that. Neither of us knew that we could be possessed. Lesson learned.”

She pulled away slightly and nodded, "...I promise...I’ll train harder…so it never happens again."

He kissed her head and laid down, "Mind keeping watch? I'm a bit tired."

Fumi nodded and sat up in the cot next to him, resting her hand on his chest as he drifted off to sleep.

Rickard was in ecstasy.

Lux had rewarded his efforts with more of her divine Heat, her power. Converted Quintessence from her worshippers that she entrusted with him.

Him. Her chosen champion.

Not only that – but he was being serviced in every way he could conceive by divine beings of beauty that were unmatched.

He didn’t care in the slightest about his past allies in the Sacred Swords, despite trying to get with Velu and Ingrid on many, many occasions. What could compare to the bliss that he now felt?

But, despite this luxury and power, there was one burning kernel of hatred.

A specific monster that Lux knew he hated. Some wayward creation of Malvir.

Echo.

He gripped one of the female angels that was servicing him and snapped her neck. She faded into liquid light before reforming a few moments later, and resuming her task.

As soon as we find you…you’re dead.

Morning came and Echo slowly blinked his eyes open. Fumi was nowhere to be seen. He began to panic and bolted upright, activating Alacrity, and dashing outside. His initial burst of fear was unnecessary though, as Fumi was sitting just outside.

"...Good morning, Echo."

"Morning lovely. Did anything happen last night?"

Fumi nodded, "Mhmm. More wraiths. I made them go away. I don’t know where they went."

"You have Spatial Magic. You made a pocket dimension and forced them into it."

Fumi tilted her head slightly, "So they are all in the same place?"

Echo shrugged, "Probably. How are you feeling? Drained at all? Tired?"

She nodded and wiped her eyes as she yawned, "...I want to sleep."

Echo broke down the camp and picked her up, rigging a quick harness with some transmutation magic to let her ride on his back; just like he had carried her out of Tiberius's lair. After she was strapped in and had nodded off, he resumed their journey to the ziggurat, taking care to be as smooth as possible in his pace to not wake his sleeping love.

Magic must be new enough that it drains her Quintessence faster than Abilities.

It made sense to him, she had been a warrior for her whole life up until this point, not a mage.

He kept running across the desolate landscape.

The kilometers passed and Fumi roused. The two paused to have a short meal of travel rations, walking at a leisurely pace as they held hands just enjoying the silence and time alone together. The wasteland around them put them on edge, as the eerie quiet bordered on the unbearable. It seemed to mute their Evolution Instinct as well. Despite holding hands, they did not feel the urge to activate.

They kept their eyes peeled but didn't see any of the Deathvine. As the Sun and Inferno began to set, they saw the ziggurat once more in the distance.

"It's massive! Who the heck built it?" Echo asked aloud.

"The undead."

"If I was a betting man, I'd bet that the Deathvine grows there."

"I agree."

They could make out the large gathering of undead that milled around the base of the Ziggurat. Several entrances opened and the creatures entered and exited at will.

"If this is anything like the games I played, I bet the real necropolis is under the ziggurat." He pulled out his whipsword, "This should be interesting. Ready to kill armies of walking dead?"

Fumi nodded and unsheathed her katana. "I’ll focus on trapping wraiths."

They charged the horde, blades glinting in the faint light piercing through the clouds.

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