The Infinite Bk. 05 Ch. 03

Noah formed an illusory grenade launcher and lobbed a bomb at Tysinger. It exploded at his feet, battering him with another assault on the senses. He burst from the dust cloud, sprinting across the battlefield to avoid the coming bombs. After six rounds, Noah paused, out of ammo and dizzy from the mana expenditure. Flashbangs were easy, as they were simple light and sound, but though his bullets were immaterial, they were made of much denser mana, and it seemed the caliber he used played a significant role, both in how long his enemy was stunned and how much mana was required. Small bullets didn't drain much, but larger rounds and explosives took more out of him.

With that brief pause, Tysinger turned and shot toward Noah and the two locked blades. Noah was pushed back by Tysinger's inhuman strength, but when he went in for the kill, a submachine gun appeared in Noah's hand, and he sprayed the ghoul with bullets. Even Tysinger, his mind fortified by centuries of combat, hesitated as his body assumed a fatal wound.

In that moment, Noah went in for a slash, and this time, Tysinger couldn't block. Noah's sword carved him from shoulder to hip, spilling his black blood onto the ground. His body was resilient, and were it not for Valia's training, Noah would have never made the cut without warrior magic. Noah shot him again with a burst of ammo, then stepped forward and slashed him across the legs, trying to slow him down. The wounds healed instantly, and before Noah could attack a third time, Tysinger regained his footing and zoomed around to Noah's blind spot, aiming for the back of his neck for a decapitation strike.

Noah ducked down to avoid the blade, then turned around with a slash of his own. His counter was blocked, but he pressed on, dual-wielding the gun and sword. Each time Noah shot Tysinger, he lost strength and focus. It was only for a fraction of a second, but it weakened his attacks enough for Noah to block and go on the offensive. The sounds of gunshots and steel-against-steel formed a continuous crackle as the two warriors fought with their lives on the line.

However, as the battle progressed, the gap between Tysinger and Noah began to open again. Tysinger was getting better at dodging Noah's bullets and preserving his physical advantage, leaving Noah with no time to catch his breath or restore his mana. Though Noah managed to cut him on more than one occasion, the speed at which the wounds healed proved how little they mattered.

Finally, Tysinger backed off and raised his sword. "I make you this offer once more, join the Profane."

"Those parasites seem like more trouble than they're worth."

"I'm not talking about the parasites. I'm offering to turn you into a genuine ghoul. My kin use their venom to build peerage and amass servants, or horde it to preserve their own power. I, however, walk the path of the swordsman, and swore that I would pass it on only to those I deem worthy, those who could surpass me, just as my predecessor did. I offer my power to you, because you have proved yourself a worthy vessel, and will become an even mightier warrior than myself."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but I'm going to have to respectfully turn you down. It's true, I could do a great many things with that power, but when it comes to what truly matters, and what it is I desire, my instincts tell me that power would just trip me up in the final stretch. Thank you, though."

"What a shame and what pleasure, to kill such a worthy opponent," Tysinger said.

A black magic circle appeared around him, and a torrent of red mana engulfed the blade. All around the destroyed village, the corpses of the slain fiends and centaurs similarly glowed, with their blood shimmering like molten metal, being drawn into the air and forming a howling tornado of crimson energy. Noah could feel the power gathering, on par with Aithorn's Divine Winged Snake. This wasn't some basic spell he was throwing out; he was trying to draw the curtain on this fight.

"You have given me the best fight I've had in ages. For that, rather than eat you, I will honor you with my most powerful attack. What is your name, warrior, so that I may carve it into my heart?"

"I am Noah, the Wandering Spirit."

"Noah, in oceans of blood, you and I live, and in blood, you shall meet your end. Scarlet Maelstrom!"

He then brought down his sword, striking the ground and setting off a thunderous burst like a volcanic eruption. Crimson mana, splashing like water and burning like flames, surged forward in a directed explosion while annihilating everything it touched. The night sky lit up from the intensity of the light, and the ground shook from the force of the blast. Everything in front of Tysinger, almost the entire centaur village, was reduced to a smoldering crater. Once the smoke cleared, there was no sign of Noah. Tysinger heard no breath, saw no corpse, and smelled no blood.

Satisfied, he searched for Deacon and found only his degenerated corpse. When Noah sliced off Deacon's arm, he cut off the connection to the parasite, causing Deacon's body to rapidly degrade. Tysinger sighed and gave a loud whistle. Answering his summons, the massive condor he arrived on descended. In actuality, it was a beastman who lost his mind upon receiving the power of the parasite. The resulting mutations gave him ungodly strength at the cost of his sanity and human form, creating a perfect mount. Tysinger collected Deacon's parasite and hopped onto the bird's back, and it took off, flying east.

Once he was gone, Noah appeared behind the crater, drained of mana and unable to maintain his illusions. With the inevitable outcome of the battle clear and his exhaustion mounting, he had decided to cut his losses at the end. Rather than interrupt Tysinger's spell and prolong the battle, he hid behind him under the cloak of invisibility and let his clone take the attack. It was a shame to lose Deacon, but survival was the priority. Now, he just had to join back up with Valia.

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The sun shone upon Valia, blessing her with its light and warmth as she slowly stirred. She was passed out on the riverbank, still clutching Shannon's hand. Through surging water and across jagged rocks, Valia had chased her down as the raging river swept the young woman farther and farther beyond her reach. Not even her elven grace and magic had spared her the full brunt of the pursuit, but propelled by desperation, she refused to give up and pulled Shannon from the water before collapsing. Now, they were washed up on the sand like flood debris, with no idea where they were. She crawled over to Shannon and tried to wake her up.

"Shannon! Shannon! Answer me!"

Shannon's eyes slowly opened and then she violently coughed, expelling some of the water she had inhaled. "Valia, is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me. Are you hurt?"

"I don't know."

"Here, drink this." Valia pulled out a healing potion, took a gulp for herself, and gave the rest of Shannon.

"My father, is he all right? Where is he?"

The elf was silent, fighting back tears, but that was enough of an answer for Shannon, and where Valia succeeded, she failed. Valia embraced her, pulling her close. "I'm sorry, Shannon. I'm so, so sorry. I wanted to save him, I did, but I... I just wasn't strong enough," she murmured, unable to contain her anguish. Through tears, she apologized over and over again, hoping the pain in her heart would dull, but it only grew worse.

The two women cried together for a few minutes before Shannon could steady her breathing. "I have to go find my grandfather and the others. I have to find them. Please, will you help me?"

"Of course, let's hurry."

With Valia running on two legs and Shannon on four, they followed the river upstream, searching for where they were separated from the rest of the tribe. It took the better part of the morning, dawning on the women just how far the river had carried them. More than once, they stopped as Valia and Shannon discovered a body or possession of the centaur tribe thrown upon the rocks. In time, the sun that once warmed them was replaced by storm clouds, heavy and dark like a mountain of coal.

Finally, as they arrived at the cliff where the centaurs had faced off against Korbin and the fiends, the autumn rains began to pour. Bodies littered the ground, most of them Shannon's kind, those who fought to the death. They all showed signs of being fed on, sporting cuts from butchery and bite marks from when the fiends simply tore into them with their teeth. The warriors that fought to the death were made examples of, with their heads put on pikes. Anything the centaurs carried had been either trampled or tossed into the river. Hoofprints and drag marks led away from the scene, now being washed away by the rain, removing all hope of tracking down the enslaved tribe.

Looking upon the scene, Shannon collapsed and screamed in agony, her face wet with tears and rain. Everything she cared for was taken from her in a single night. All she could do now was weep while the rain pummeled her trembling shoulders. Valia kneeled beside her and held her tight, knowing that pain better than anyone. Having lost her island and kin ages ago and turned her back on Uther to search for her brother, she knew what Shannon was experiencing and how much it hurt.

Valia and Shannon worked together to bury the slain centaurs and make a decent memorial to honor them. The dead fiends were simply tossed into the river. It was midday when Valia stopped with her elf ears twitching.

"Someone is coming. I think it's a fiend. Shannon, stay behind me."

She looked to the horizon and saw the approaching figure. She was downwind and could clearly smell its revolting stench and the aroma of blood.

"Please, no more. I can't handle anymore," Shannon whispered in exhaustion.

"What in the world?" Valia exclaimed as the fiend came into view.

It was one of the armored berserkers that had chased after the centaur herd, only now, he was missing his arms. As he drew closer, Valia realized he was dragging something behind him from a chain wrapped around his neck. It was one of the sleds the centaur used to carry their possessions when they traveled, and sitting upon it was Noah.

"Noah!" she called out while waving him over.

Rattling the chains, Noah ushered the fiend over to their location. "Whew, finding you wasn't easy. It's hard following tracks in the dark, and I lost my horse in the battle. Had I not come across this guy lying in the mud, I would still be walking."

"I did what you wanted and got you here, now give me back my arms and let me go," the fiend panted with a hoarse voice while blood oozed from the stumps of his shoulders.

"Arms aren't a right; they're a privilege, one you have yet to earn. You haven't yet earned the privilege of speech either. Shall I revoke that as well?" The fiend fell silent, and Noah turned back to Valia. "Don't mind him. He was very uncooperative at first, but I found some incentive to get him moving. Anyway, I'm glad to see you're alive."

"Same to you. Did you defeat their leader?"

"Yes, but I wasn't able to bring him in for questioning. What happened here?"

"Shannon and I fell in the river, so I didn't see it exactly, but it's clear the tribe was captured and taken away."

"That's not good. We need to join back up with Reynolds and his men, get to Welindar."

"Shannon's coming with us. She has no one and nowhere to go."

Noah looked past her to the despondent young woman, weary with grief sorrow. "As you wish. Just don't let her become a burden."

"I'm sure she can help you with your alchemy."

"That's not what I mean."

Noah and Valia briefly gazed into each other's eyes, but Valia was the first to look away. "I killed her father, Noah. How can I walk away after that? I have to help her."

"I know you do." Noah walked over to Shannon and rested her hand on her shoulder. "You're coming to Welindar with us. Things may be bleak now, but you aren't alone."

"My father... he disappeared several months ago, and then he came back. So it's possible that the rest of my tribe won't be killed, right?"

"If we can defeat the Profane, then there is hope we can find them in time. We can help each other."

Shannon turned away from Noah and retrieved her grandfather's sword and bow from the nearby memorial. "In the name of my ancestors, I swear I'll save my tribe, and I'll help you rid the land of this evil."

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