We made our way around the hill so we would be out of sight from the horde when it passed over. We watched the first monstrous creatures fly overhead, they looked like Horrors, just as ugly and grotesque. All with different body shapes and limbs that didn't look the way they were supposed to, however they had big, leathery wings that were just as disgusting as the rest of them.
They swooped down and we could hear the fighting begin, the Terrors carrying the carriage were slower than the others so they passed close to the end. But instead of flying to the fighting, they stopped nearby and Blaike's assumption about Riltresik had been right. He was going to see what his Horrors had done to us, whether we would all be too distressed to fight and he could pick us off easily.
While the Terrors were landing, we crept around the hill until we could see the corpses of the Horrors we had killed. They were all exactly as we'd left them, we had to act fast if the plan were to work. We moved the carcasses carefully, we needed to place them against the hill at the right position. He would have to walk into the open clearing to figure out what had happened.
We managed it just in time as footsteps and noises could be heard coming closer, we dispersed to our pre-arranged positions and waited. I was perched on the side of a hill, able to see just over the edge to where Riltresik would stand. The noises grew louder and figures loped around the farthest hills, black shapes whose wings didn't fold away very well.
The Dark Terrors couldn't seem to walk properly either, their gait was hobbled and unsteady. But my attention was pulled to the figure leading them, I pushed away my fear and opted for pure revulsion. Hideous was an understatement, black always seemed to be the primary colour for these things but Riltresik seemed to be taking it to the extreme.
The disfigured body was oozing black gunge everywhere, bits and pieces were stuck on his body that shouldn't be there. For some reason he was wearing a black cloak around what was meant to be his neck, it flowed out as he walked. He couldn't be mistaken for a man anymore but somehow he carried himself as one, like his appearance didn't mean anything and he still thought himself better than everyone else.
He stopped in the clearing and I noticed the pools of Horror blood had caught his eyes. Although I didn't know how he saw anything through those black orbs that were popping out of their sockets. He said something to the Terrors and they began to hobble off in different directions. He was so predictable, I climbed down the hill without a sound and crept around to where I knew the Terror would be coming.
The footsteps were as loud as they were clumsy, I crouched when it came towards my hiding place and as it came around the hill, I sliced my sword across the area of its abdomen. It let out a shriek that set my teeth on edge, I pulled back my sword and silenced it with a blast of magic aimed at its chest while it tried to grab at me. I heard similar shrieks go up from all different directions, I counted three more and that was every Terror Riltresik had brought into the clearing.
I turned and climbed the hill again, standing proudly on top of it so I could look down on Riltresik in the clearing. I saw three more figures stand atop their hills, all four of us staring down at Riltresik. He looked up at each of us in turn, he didn't seem bothered that we had eliminated his companions or that we were there at all.
He looked bored, "I will admit you are not what I expected when I received word of you. Not quite children but not yet adults, somewhere in between and still somewhat unworthy of the roles you have been given." His voice was deep and raspy, like it too had been rotted and morphed into something else.
I frowned at his words, but realised we were giving him too much time to figure out his own plan.
I was about to raise my hand to signal the attack when he held up his own appendage. "Were there not supposed to be five of you? Not that it matters, this mockery of an ambush will not work on me, you must know that by now."
Emy let her head drop, "There were five of us but your ugly followers changed that. We planned our revenge very well though, thanks." Her attitude didn't go unnoticed but Riltresik wasn't fazed.
"You do not worry me little girl, you are a nuisance that must be eradicated so that I may continue with my plans."
He aimed his attack so suddenly that we only just had time to react. He fired four simultaneous attacks, seamlessly at us, but we were ready and we disappeared from our hilltop positions.
Reappearing a second later at the bottom of our respective hills, closer to Riltresik. We all attacked at the same time, aiming blast after blast at him without letting up. He deflected all of them and still managed to attack back, sending two shockwaves at Blaike and Emy. They both deflected theirs and blew a hole in the side of one of the hills.
None us were depleted but neither was Riltresik, he spoke between attacks.
"You are strong, I will give you that but not strong enough!"
He pelted a barrage of attacks at Blaike and Emy, they couldn't deflect them all but Kaleb and I didn't need to speak to agree on coordinating our next moves. I deflected the attacks that Emy and Blaike missed while Kaleb attacked Riltresik. We managed to take him by surprise, Kaleb's magic sliced into what should have been his shoulder and black blood squirted out.
He yelled out and stopped his attacks, his surprise was his weakness because we turned the tables. The four of us sent a barrage of our own attacks at him, everything we could think of with as much strength as we could muster. He couldn't deflect them all, a few actually hit home and he shrieked. He became enraged, he hadn't expected us to put up that much of a fight and now we were gaining the upper hand.
It wasn't the time to get cocky though, we still had to defeat him before he could disappear like he had with Merkell all those years ago. Blaike's plan was working but we had to find a way to end it, we wouldn't be able to keep going like this forever. Riltresik was furious as another attack hit his leg and there was a loud cracking noise. It bent at an odd angle, which meant very little paired with the rest of his disfigurements.
He was off balance but it didn't affect him or his magic, it just made him angrier. We should have expected something more cunning from him but not what he did next. He deflected one of Kaleb's attacks and sent it hurtling at Blaike who wasn't prepared for it. It hit him in the side and sent him flying to the ground, he was conscious but he hadn't got back up.
I wanted to go to him but if we stopped attacking, Riltresik would take advantage and either kill us or flee. We had to finish him, he was still deflecting most of our attacks and now we had to dodge our own as well as his. We had lost our upper hand, and we'd lose so much more if we couldn't find a way to kill him. We were locked in this stalemate, none of us gaining any ground now and Blaike still couldn't get up.
I had managed to move a little closer to him while we fought but not enough that I could see the damage. I was doing my best to make sure none of the attacks hit him. If Riltresik aimed his attacks solely at Blaike, he could have killed him. Taking my eyes off of Riltresik would have been catastrophic too, even a broken leg wasn't slowing him down.
Emy and Kaleb were fighting just as hard as I was, we all knew we had to keep going and we did land another attack on Riltresik. It split a chunk of flesh off of his torso and he shrieked so loudly I knew if any of his Menaces heard it, they would be on us very soon.
Time was ticking away, it would start to get dark soon and things would become ten times more difficult. Riltresik must have been able to sense my worry because he laughed, though it was void of any humour.
"You cannot beat me, you will all die here and then I will find the rest of your loved ones and kill them. Your father was saved to be used for bait but he will not be so lucky this time. As for the rest, they will be tortured until they beg for death."
He aimed his words around our group but he only angered us into increasing our attacks. It didn't have his desired effect and it wiped the smug look off of his face as he deflected and attacked simultaneously.
"NOW!"
Came a call from nowhere and we knew what to do, Emy, Kaleb and myself disappeared from our spots and the attacks ceased for a second. We reappeared together standing close to Blaike, I could see he was holding his side and I guessed he had broken ribs- I hoped that was all.
Riltresik looked confused until a figure walked through the hills behind us and straight towards Riltresik. His cloak billowing behind him, Slingers swinging in both hands, he let them fly one by one while he walked to us. Riltresik wasn't confused enough not to block them, the stones fell to the floor in front of him but Kayle was already reloading and firing more.
Each time they were blocked, they fell in a different place at Riltresik's disgusting feet. Kayle didn't have an unlimited amount but he was the right distraction, while he pelted stones we renewed our attack with magic, all from the same angle. Riltresik had more trouble deflecting them all, we managed to land more and soon he was looking more like the Dark Horror carcasses behind us. But it still didn't stop him, another hour must have gone by and he still didn't stop or try to back down.
"Your secret weapon was a non-magic user and his toys?" He cackled loudly and it made my skin crawl. "I am going to enjoy killing you vermin, then I will make it my mission to kill every single person who ever cared for you. I will take great pleasure in starting with Merkell, the weakling coward."
I scowled at him and increased my attacks further, despite the fact that I was starting to feel tired.
"We'll destroy you before you get the chance!"
Riltresik found this highly amusing, "You are tiring already, you grow weak while I am untouched by your pathetic attacks. There are five of you against me and you will still lose, this world is already mine."
And his attacks increased in strength and frequency. We were doing our best to deflect them and still trying to attack but that was happening less and less. Kaleb had to defend Kayle from any stray attacks, his Slingers were out of ammo and Riltresik was all but ignoring him now. Blaike was in bad shape after trying to use more magic, his injury must have been more severe than I realised.
I heard Emy cry out to my right and saw that she was bleeding from cuts all over her body, they were small but there were so many of them. We were losing and there was nothing else we could do, we couldn't call for Merkell and he had to be tiring after fighting all of the other Dark Terrors. We had to keep going but with Emy and Blaike injured, and Kaleb and I tiring, it felt like we were failing. The five of us weren't strong enough to defeat Riltresik, our fears were being realised and he knew it.
His revolting mouth stretched into a smirk, his laughter echoed against the hills. The black blood had congealed in his wounds, effectively stopping the bleeding altogether. His leg was still broken but he wasn't at all bothered, his attacks were just as brutal and my lapsed attention was my downfall. Magic hit me and pulled my legs from under me, the wind was knocked out of my chest and my head hit the ground so hard I saw stars.
No, they were real stars peeking through the cold evening sky, it was starting to get dark. I pulled myself up before Riltresik could get another attack in but I was dizzy. I only managed to kneel and the world was spinning. If I attacked I could hit anyone, I focused on my breathing and tried to clear my head.
Riltresik was still laughing, I could see that Blaike was close to my left and he was sat up trying to attack but he produced no magic. Riltresik was picking us off one by one and soon he would be able to kill us, we all knew it but we couldn't just give up. Every attack, every second, counted because despite his arguments, he must have been getting tired from the intensity of his attacks, added to the chore of deflecting ours. My head started to clear and I renewed my attacks but it didn't make a dent in the fight.
Riltresik knew the fight was nearing its end, he waved a hand. "Enough! It is time to finish this, any last words before I end all of you?"
A blast passed around the clearing, wobbling us and stopping all attacks including his own.
He was giving us one free pass to say our last words, he was that confident in his victory but we planned to take advantage. I stared at Blaike, who was panting through the pain. He held a hand out to me, I held it tightly and reached for Emy's as I looked at her. She had several cuts on her face, one on her cheek that was bleeding heavily and her hair was a mess. But she smiled brightly as she took my hand, reaching in turn for Kaleb's. He smiled at her and held tightly to her hand.
Kayle glanced down the line and nodded to each of us.
"It was a good run, my friends, no matter what happens, remember that we were in this together."
We knew what he was trying to say and we nodded as Kaleb held Kayle's hand.
"A touching goodbye, the weakling will die last." Riltresik raised his hands ready to attack but Kayle held up one of his own, shaking his index finger from side to side.
"Erm, no, who said anything about goodbye?"
On his cue, I felt something surge into my body through my left arm, I smiled at Blaike as I felt my power growing exponentially. I sent everything I had, down my right arm with a rush of heat and into Emy's body, knowing the power she would feel would be intense.
I could see the wonder in her face and then it left and entered Kaleb. His eyes grew wide but it was not done yet, he now passed it down his arm and into Kayle. He was receiving so much power it looked like his body was thrumming with energy.
This all happened in a few short seconds and Riltresik had no idea just what we had done. The four of us slumped to the ground, exhausted, injured and depleted. Kayle was the only one left standing but Riltresik barely registered him.
"Pathetic, you may be depleted but I will drain the last of your magic, then I will happily kill you all."
He prepared to strike but Kayle was the one holding my attention, he moved around to stand between us and Riltresik.
"So you want to die first? That is fine, you are a waste of my time and energy but I will do it." He aimed an attack at Kayle who deflected it so easily, it might as well have not happened.
"Impossible!" Riltresik exclaimed in outrage and disbelief.
Kayle peered down at his hands, grinning widely and even in my weakened state I could sense the amount of magic swimming through his body.
"Yet nonetheless it is happening... and now, you die. For everything you have done, for everyone you have hurt, for my friends and family... but especially for my mum, for Arissa!"
Riltresik didn't understand the trouble he was in. I felt my eyes drooping but I had to see what happened to him. I needed to see Riltresik die, it had to be true before I would let unconsciousness take me. Kayle stepped closer to Riltresik, who tried to attack him with an assault of magic but none came close to landing on Kayle.
He walked casually, as though it was a walk in the park, he stopped within a foot of Riltresik and raised the stones that he had previously shot at Riltresik. They began to spin rapidly and formed a magical circle I knew Riltresik wouldn't be able to escape from. Kayle was in complete control, he reached out and blasted Riltresik down to the ground. Riltresik couldn't deflect it, it was far too powerful. He scrambled and scraped at the ground but Kayle shook his head.
"Do not think you are going anywhere. I would toy with you but that is beneath me, you are beneath me. As a non-magic user, you underestimated me and we used it against you."
Kayle stood over Riltresik and he looked taller, older and stronger. He was a formidable Vessel and he used it well. Riltresik looked like he was about to beg for his life or plead for mercy but Kayle didn't give him the chance. He blasted Riltresik with every bit of magic he had in him, four times that of anyone else in Nentarli, stronger than Merkell himself. We all knew when we planned this that that was the point, that was the whole reason why we were chosen and why we had to do this together.
I felt the heat and power of the attack from where we were, I was sprawled out on the ground now but I had to see it til the end. Kayle was shouting with the release of all that magic, Riltresik was shrieking as he was ripped apart, burned and melted all at the same time. The sounds were traumatic but I kept watching Riltresik, his murder was particularly torturous but I watched for all of the victims of his Dark Horrors, for those hurt by Scavenger raids.
For my parents and Emy's, whose lives had been ruined because of him. For Kaleb and Blaike's parents who had to go into hiding and still died at the hands of Riltresik's followers. And for Kayle's mum, who he never got to meet properly due to the lure his dad felt to become a Dark Horror. It felt justified as Riltresik's shrieks were suddenly cut off, Kayle didn't stop shouting though and we watched the body melt and shrink below him.
Soon it was just a pile of blackened ash, Kayle kept going until the ash disintegrated into nothing. The magic ran out and Kayle fell to his knees, panting so heavily I thought he was hyperventilating until I heard the loud sobs. Kayle was crying, I didn't know why but I felt it in my heart and clutched at my necklace as my eyes drooped shut. Kayle's sobs reached through to my unconsciousness, the last things I heard while I fell into a world of darkness.
The darkness didn't last however, suddenly I was floating through bright white and then burst into a rainbow of colours. I was in the Sanctuary but I wasn't with the others. I was alone, except for one elderly lady who was picking her teeth with a silver toothpick.
"Hello, Cassandra. How are you feeling?"
I frowned at her question and thought back to my dizziness, it was gone and Nenny smiled, of course she knew.
"I'm... okay I guess... why am I here? What happened?" My brain felt fuzzy, we had defeated Riltresik, or had we? Had I dreamed it?
"Do not worry, you did defeat Riltresik and I am very proud of you all, you understood my hint and used it to the fullest advantage." The relief washed over me so thoroughly that Nenny fanned herself. "Okay, relax yourself. We still have a few things to discuss and your responsibilities are not quite over."
"What?" I had to ask questions fast before she read them in my mind and tried to avoid answering.
"You have had your suspicions about who I really am for a long time. You have touched on the truth very briefly but I do not think you realised it. You deserve to know everything before I go to sleep."
I thought that was a pretty strange thing even coming from her and my thought made her laugh.
"If I explain, you will understand what I mean. I appear to you here as a person but that is not exactly what I am. I am not a person at all and yet I am many people all at once, I am here and not here"
Despite the cryptic words, I understood what she was saying as an old thought came floating to the surface.
"I love riddles but I think I've solved this one already, Nenny is short for Nentarli. You are the spirit of this world, that's why you couldn't directly intervene to stop Riltresik and why you knew everything that was going on without being there. And why we were your warriors, why Merkell was your warrior, Nentarli's warriors."
She nodded enthusiastically but I didn't need her confirmation, it all fit perfectly into place and I watched as she changed form in front of me. From a white cat, to a Triorn, to a handsome young man, then back to the old lady that was so familiar.
"But, I don't understand why you're telling me this now."
Nenny sighed, "Because the people are safer now that Riltresik is dead but there is a lot of work to be done. The Sectors are still divided, the people do not trust each other as they should and there are still Menaces that need eradicating. I have been awake for far too long, my tethers are strained and if I do not sleep soon then the essence of this world may be lost forever.
"I cannot oversee the rebuilding of my world or my people, I need someone worthy to do that, those Elders are too set in their ways to help. But this is simply an opportunity that you can most definitely turn down. I would have to find someone else to help in your place, it may just take more time. I am willing to send you and your family home, back to the other world, if you would like."
My mouth fell open and I blinked back my shock. "I could go home so easily?" Nenny nodded but I thought about it more thoroughly, "It wouldn't be easy though. What about the other people I've grown to care about and what about...?" I trailed off.
"What about Blaike? Well, he must make his own choices, I cannot persuade you one way or another. You have no obligations to stay here, nor should you feel any burdens now. You are a hero, you can do anything you want but I ask that you make the decision quickly. I am exhausted," she punctured her sentence with a yawn and a small smile escaped my lips.
I thought hard about what I really wanted, the clarity I felt in the Sanctuary helped immensely. I weighed up the pros and cons, the list was fairly even and yet my decision surprised even myself. Nenny seemed to expect it though and she smiled sadly at me.
"This will be the last time you see me, but I will always be with you, in spirit."
She grinned widely and waved a hand, I was blinded by a flash of bright, white light that took me away from the Sanctuary and I whispered my goodbye.