Chương 33: Omnimancer 28: Monsters

Jax emerged from the [Farcaster] Gate and hit the ground running. He'd thought about exiting inside, but the attackers would have come from the front. Better to box them in than to chase them out. Tala was confident nobody would attack them this soon, and from everything he'd seen, that girl wasn't prone to making mistakes like these. So, why? There had to be something else. Some factor they hadn't accounted for. Onlookers scattered in the face of his possessed sprint, which was good because he wasn't slowing down…

for anyone. He might not have been a Biomancer, but his enhanced Vitality wasn't for show either. Bodies littered the street, and for a terrifying moment, he thought it was his guards. But they wore the wrong gear, and there were far too many of them. Raiders. Jax barely even slowed as he entered the base, blowing right by them. He passed several more unconscious forms, none of whom he recognized, and the knot in his chest had only just started to ease when he caught sight of a teen with unruly brown hair.

His Pyromancer, Masou, sprawled out and motionless. And standing over him with his back turned to Jax was someone else. Someone who didn't belong. Jax saw the man's dagger and the icy rage that had been building in his chest turned into something darker.

"Rek na'thar wak," he muttered. The [Lesser Force Lance] drove into the man, sending him flying at a stone wall, which he hit with a crunch of breaking bone, slumping to the ground. Two more raiders spun toward him with drawn weapons, spells forming on their lips, but nobody could chant faster than Jax. Even if that weren't the case, they had to chant for longer to summon more powerful spells. Jax wasn't burned by that particular weakness.

"Thar'koven sho'rek ai navaa!" Their screams lasted less than a second as they were picked up and hurled through the air, their voices going silent the moment their bodies smashed the same cold wall. Jax was kneeling next to Masou even before the duo joined their unmoving companion in a heap on the ground.

"Ven ko'nav ma'ai, ve'zheen te'lem vaan, nav'maaa ven'ko rek'zholen!" Jax sped through the chant as quickly as he dared, feeling the power of [Apex Heal] form with every syllable, piling layer upon layer of complexity on the base Heal spell. If there was any life left in the kid, this would bring him back. The spell completed and an absurd amount of Lux drained from Jax's body. Were it anyone else, they'd have been left crippled and unconscious. Jax barely noticed the loss.

Instead, he focused on the Pyromancer, his finger on the young man's carotid artery for a pulse. A pulse that rang strong and steady. Outwardly, there had been no change other than rising and falling of his chest as he slept, and as much as Jax wanted to stay and watch over him, he had others to save. Rising back up, he sprinted down the hall, encountering yet more raiders on the ground. More raiders scattered around like broken dolls.

And at the end of the corridor, was Yas on his knees, barely holding himself together, the raider captain standing over him like an executioner, a lackey on each side, sneering at their victim. A spike of ice formed in the Cryomancer's raised hand, aimed straight at Yas's chest. At that range, there was no dodging. The moment his lips finished that chant, Yas would die. Jax didn't even realize he'd begun chanting [Lesser Force Wave] or that he'd overcharged the spell. Not until it was out of his lips.

Their captain went flying, and his lackeys joined him a moment later, piling onto the wall he'd slammed into. Yas stumbled and fell forward, but Jax caught him before he hit the ground, already chanting the same spell he'd just used on Masou. The big man muttered something, but Jax didn't catch it. He was too lost in the chant. It didn't matter. Whatever he had to say could wait until later until after he was healed. And heal he did. The burns on Yas' skin faded. Deep cuts closed up and color returned to his face.

But his eyes stayed shut, just like Masou. That was fine. They'd done enough. It was his job to clean up the trash. Jax lowered him gently and stood, taking in the compound's interior. Everything was destroyed. Every wall they'd scrubbed clean. Every rug they'd laid down. All of it torn apart like an earthquake had hit the place. Which, given Yas' powerset, likely had. But walls could be rebuilt and furniture repaired. Methodically, he cleared the top floor, then moved down to the second.

To the living floor he'd so painstakingly decorated with Tala. Or the ruins of it, anyway. He found his other two Mancers in a hall nearby, their bodies crumpled next to a broken piece of wall. Jax dropped beside Kuruk in what was becoming a concerningly routine operation and chanted the spell for [Apex Heal]. Chesmu lay three feet away, and his burns were so bad Jax almost couldn't look at him. Nobody could have survived that. Jax went through the motions, regardless.

As expected, he couldn't feel any air coming in or out of his lungs. Then he went to check his pulse… and stopped. It was faint. Beyond faint. But Chesmu was still alive. Likely beyond help of any medicine even back on Earth, but Jax had something better than any medicine.

"Ven ko'nav ma'ai, ve'zheen te'lem vaan, nav'maaa ven'ko rek'zholen!" Jax sped through the chant as quickly as he dared, his words racing against the clock that was Chesmu's rapidly ebbing life. The wave of healing passed over his body… and nothing happened. Jax's stomach flipped. His heart caught in his throat. He was too late. Or so he thought until the burns vanished and Chesmu's skin knitted itself, turning back to its original tan shade, if slightly pink.

But it was only when his chest started to rise and fall that Jax let out the breath he'd been holding, slumping back against the wall next to him in relief.

"Don't scare me like that, man," he muttered, patting the young Hydromancer's shoulder.

"Get some rest. I've got it from here." He stood back up, cold rage coursing throughout his body. Raiders had invaded his home and threatened those close to him. By some miracle, he'd managed to save everyone he had. But what of Tala? He had no idea if she was safe. There were voices ahead. Raiders, laughing it up. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"You see that old man go down!? Thought he was tough as nails."

"Where's everyone else? Fuckin' place is deserted."

"Mebbe they ran. Musta shit themselves when they saw us coming." Jax rounded the corner. Six of them were clustered in what used to be the living area. They saw him and went for their weapons.

"Huh? The fuck's a weakling like you doing here?" one of them sneered.

"Run along before you get hurt!" Slow. So laughably slow.

"Zhek waven."

"Zhek waven."

"Zhek waven." The chants came quickly, almost casually. [Lesser Arc]. The lowest of the Lightning spells, and not even [Lux Compressed]. Plenty for weaklings like these. Three went down spasming. The other three somehow got spells off, either not realizing or not caring what had happened to their compatriots. Fire from one, ice from another, and a wind blade from the third. Jax was already moving, chanting as he did.

"Thar'koven sho'rek ai navaa!" Tala might have told him off for using fire in an enclosed space, but she wasn't here. Besides, it was the most basic of the Fire spells. [Lesser Fireball]. Hell, he hadn't even aimed at the three Mancers. Just at their feet. Jax had the good sense to begin chanting the words for [Lesser Deluge] the moment he fired the spell though, dousing it before it became a problem The spells had their intended effect.

By the time he was done, all three Mancers had somehow pissed their pants and were currently on their knees, begging forgiveness.

"For Chesmu and Kuruk," he muttered, chanting [Lesser Arc] three times, sending them spasming into unconscious land. He rounded a corner and nearly passed a raider body along the way. [Threat Radar] informed him they were still alive. Alive… and well. The little shit was pretending to be dead. Jax reached down and grabbed the man by his armor, slamming his head against the wall.

"How many of you are there?" He held him there while he began muttering a chant.

"Tell me or die." The raider's eyes opened wide with terror. Whether at his words or at his bagged face, Jax didn't know and couldn't care.

"T-two dozen! We came in with two dozen!"

"Where's Tala?"

"Who?" Jax began chanting again. This close, the man could feel every syllable as his [Apex Fireball] coalesced. Could feel the heat rising, ready to burn him to a crisp.

"I don't know!" the man blurted, staring in horror at the rapidly forming Fireball.

"I don't know anyone named Tala! We were just hired to clear the building!" Jax stared into the man's eyes. There was genuine terror there. And genuine confusion. He didn't know.

"Rek na'thar wak!" The Lux Compressed [Lesser Force Blast] knocked the man out, but Jax never heard his body slump against the stone. He'd already moved on, pressing deeper into the compound. Jax became a machine, dropping enemy after enemy. Many never even noticed him, while the unlucky ones only had time to widen their eyes in horror before they got struck by lightning. He barely even slowed down. Then [Threat Radar] showed an enemy highlighted in light yellow around a corner ahead.

Clearly a Mancer of some means. Jax timed his [Lesser Arc] chant to coincide with him rounding the bend. Only when his [Siren] passive blared alarm bells in his head did he realize something was wrong, albeit too late. The air was suddenly sucked out of his lungs and he was sent tumbling backward the instant he launched the spell, which fired with a crack of thunder, hitting the ceiling above its target.

Jax hit the ground and slid on his back to a halt, his ribs exploding with pain as he heaved for breath despite his gambeson armor and the chainmail on top of it. No, as he just barely made out the fist that had thrown the punch, he realized through his blurred vision that the gambeson was likely the only reason he'd survived the blow at all. The arm was still extended, and the hulking elderly figure it belonged to wore a smug grin that seriously pissed him off. A Biomancer.

Not only did he represent Jax's worst weakness—physical durability—the Bio had taken him by surprise, no doubt hearing his approaching footsteps to launching a preemptive punch. But while Jax might've been struggling to suck in lungfuls of air at that moment, he was no stranger to thin air, and the chant for [Lesser Arc] was already forming on his lips. Biomancer or not, no Tier I Mancer could hope to take a Lightning spell multiplied tenfold, as he knew from experience.

So it wasn't fear that Jax felt as the brute stomped up to him, cocking his arm to deliver the final blow. It was disbelief. Anger that this peon had hurt him at all. [Threat Radar], for all its utility, couldn't let him actually look around walls to see what the other person was currently doing. Unfortunately, being on the ground limited his options to defend or dodge, and so Jax guarded with his left arm. He'd seen the sort of damage the old man could dish out.

The arm would most likely break, and yeah that would hurt like hell, but only until Jax healed it moments later. In the meantime, the guy was toast. That was until the Bio shrieked in pain halfway through his punch. A small black object had appeared out of nowhere, covering his face and clawing out his eyes. It was all the opportunity Jax needed. Acting fast, he swapped spell mid-chant.

"Rek na'thar wak!" The punch went wide, but not before the Biomancer slapped the rodent away with his free hand, sending it tumbling to a stop on the stone. [Lesser Force Blast] fired, pushing the big man off balance. Jax locked eyes with the gray-haired man who was getting ready to throw another punch and muttered the chant again. Activating [Lux Compressor] again. Except this time, he did not undercharge the spell.

"Zhek waven!" The Biomancer broke into a spasm-induced dance. For about five seconds. Then his eyes rolled up into the back of his head and he slumped to the ground unconscious. By the time he hit the ground, Jax had already ripped off his bag and was at the rat's side, muttering the chant for [Apex Heal]. The spell took effect and worked its magic, but even after it finished, Tala didn't turn back. The compound went suddenly quiet.

"Tala!" he pleaded, trying to be as gentle with the tiny creature as possible.

"Tala, please… wake up!" Jax's heart nearly stopped. This was Tala, right? Not just some random Rat? Why wasn't she transforming? She'd even said she couldn't sustain much damage in that form. Had even his undercharged attack been too much? Had he killed her? Then something horrific happened and panic nearly consumed him. The rat in his hands broke before his eyes. Bones jutted out from all the wrong places, and it twisted and writhed as if possessed by some abomination.

Jax nearly fumbled the creature, barely setting it down before the expansion multiplied. Seconds later, the rodent was gone, and in its place stood Tala, looking weary but otherwise unharmed.

"They really trashed the place, huh?" she said, seemingly entirely unconcerned. Jax ignored her, sweeping her into a bear hug, letting the relief flood over him.

"I'm okay," Tala muttered, her hand on the back of his head.

"Thanks for the healing, Jax. I, uh… may have panicked. Just a little."

"I thought…" he trailed off, unable to say the words.

"Don't worry, I did what I always do. Stayed small. Nobody noticed, not even when I was right beside them. No one ever does. Um…" Jax broke away, realizing he'd been holding her just a bit too long. With a sigh, he slumped back against the wall and muttered the chant for [Apex Heal] again. Pure bliss washed over him. Like being born again as the pain in his chest miraculously disappeared.

"Well," he said when the short but sweet sensation passed.

"Guess we're gonna have to redecorate the place. Again." Three blocks away, Taren Stormcrow stood mutely in the third-floor room he'd turned into a command post, staring at the Psychomancer he'd overpaid. The woman had been silent for three minutes now. Three minutes since her near-continuous reports of chatter had ceased abruptly. Taren knew Psychomancers never saw the full picture at these distances, nevermind accurately relaying it to others.

Which was more a testament to their ability to interpret what their Gift told them and communicate it effectively. Binesi was, if not among the best, at least solidly competent in that regard, relaying the check-ins from his soldiers who carried psycrystals. But then the screaming started, and watching Binesi feel their emotions through the eyes of his troops had painted quite the horrific picture.

"Something's here! Something's coming!" she'd screamed.

"He's not human! He can't be—""Sir, we need backup! He's annihilating us! He's—" One by one, his squad had gone dark. Two dozen trained fighters. Mercenaries though they might've been, they were all veteran Mancers of the First Tier. Hand picked by him. And all of them had gone silent in the span of ten minutes. Taren stood there staring through the window at the compound entrance three blocks away. Smoke drifted from broken windows. The street was empty except for bodies of his men.

Most of which bore no markings of any kind. At the very least, this debacle would not be traced back to him. Or Bidzi. He should have known that the Bear would not have been wrong. Two dozen Mancers wiped out like they were children. More like ants, really. Children could at least fight back. And not to a squad of talented mancers, but a small handful of elites. Or, more likely, just one man. One creature. His men's last words echoed in his head. There is a trail of bodies in his wake.

Under any other circumstance, Taren would have been certain there were at least a half-dozen of them. Yet when reports of Pyro, Electro, and Kinemancy started coming in—all from the same person—Taren had actually breathed easier. An advanced squad of Moonfire elites he might have been reasonably expected to defeat. But the Fallen Emissary himself? He'd been lucky to keep his life. The question was what now? Taren looked at the three men he had left. His guards.

They stared back at him, nervously shifting their weight from foot to foot, waiting for orders. He could lead them in. Could command them to follow as he fulfilled the mission, almost certainly dying in the process. A group of three talented Tier I's held no chance against a handful of elite Tier II's, to say nothing of the Heretic. The Heretic, and only one being in history bore that ignominious title. The other option was to retreat. To live to report what happened.

The problem was, of course, that he'd never confirmed it was the Fallen Emissary. It could very well be Moonfire elites in those halls, or even a higher race, for all he knew. For his cowardice, he'd face Bidzi's wrath. But at least he'd have a chance. At least then he could beg the Bear's forgiveness and pray he might live another day.

"Pull out," Taren said quietly.

"We're leaving."

"Chief?"

"I said we're leaving. Now!" Taren took one last look at the compound, at the smoke and the silence and the death. There were monsters in those halls, of that there could be no doubt. And if there was one thing Taren knew, it was that monsters had but one counter. Other monsters. He just hoped he lived to see another day after delivering the message.