Chapter 2

  The Revenant

  The grove where Michael had awoken and fought the monster was deep within the forest. Dense brush and steep hills hindered his progress, but Michael forced his way through like he was used to it. Something about trekking through the woods felt familiar, perhaps it would remind him of something.

  Tracking the fox proved to be tricky. Michael really didn't know what to do when he lost sight of the footprints, so spent time whenever he’d lost them crouched down and searching under ferns and brambles. After a while the path went through a creek, which had eliminated all the ash left over. Michael took some time to get a drink and clean off the grime from his bare chest. His cuts had all closed, but he was still sore from the earlier skirmish.

  After unknown hours of travel Michael caught up to the fox, but not as he’d hoped. The trail led across a narrow dirt path and into the brush, where the corpse of the critter was cold.

  Bloody fur and teeth marks on the body of the creature, but whatever had killed it did not stop to eat. Larger paw prints continued away from the poor creature. “It changed hosts.” Michael picked up his sword and continued onwards, still determined to find the monster at all costs.

  That determination wavered when something of greater concern reared its ugly head. A churning in Michael’s gut struck like a punch, and all at once he realized his hunger. “I need food.” He glanced around in hopes of finding a convenient berry or something, but the forest did not provide.

  Colored crystals crunched underfoot as Michael pushed through another thicket of ferns. The forest floor was leveling out and the trees were more distant. From the distance ahead there came a sound, and Michael saw stones stamped into the earth. A road.

  As Michael approached the sounds became clear, two voices arguing about something. Loud angry voices, but one word rang out clear. “Food!” Michael felt his ears twitch and he hastened towards the noise.

  Three figures and a cart were stopped on the side of the road. All wore the same garb of brown leathers with white cloth, though the leanest man was facing the tall man with an accusatory glare. The third person was huge, and stood placid by the cart. Michael crept closer.

  “It ain’t where you said, so where’d you put it?” The lean man’s voice was getting louder.

  “I. Told. You. I tucked in the side pouch! I remember it clear as day!” Even the tall man was shouting enough to be heard. He was holding up a large green back with lots of pockets and clasps, rattling it for emphasis.

  “Stop! Stop it!” The lean man grabbed the pack and tugged, but the other man wasn’t letting go. “You’ll ruin the food with all your shaking.”

  Michael watched the bizarre display until something else caught his eye. The back of the cart was open on top, and inside there were large bags and cloths, but something had moved. He crept closer until he was behind the last tree before the road to have another look.

  Inside the cart there were two more figures. The cloth concealing them having shifted, Michael saw the people were bound in ropes and gagged with cloth. A person struggling to move near the edge of the cart had caused the motion, which the people arguing hadn’t noticed or acknowledged. Then, the person in the cart saw Michael and froze.

  Wide eyes examined Michael, looking him over from afar. After a moment lingering on the sheathed sword he carried, then his face, the person in the cart wiggled over and thrust out their bound arms towards him. They wanted to be cut free. Michael looked closer, and around, to assess the situation.

  Three people on the road with a cart had two others bound and hidden. There were no signs of anyone else around, though the bends and hills meant all there was to see in the distance was more forest. The bound people wanted free, or one did. The other looked unconscious. Michael crept out from behind the tree to approach the cart.

  The person in bindings kept their arms held out as the people up front yelled about missing food as they dug through the pack. The wide eyes that examined him came into view, clear bright emerald eyes that shone with a curious gaze. The moment he saw them, Michael was transfixed, and nothing else mattered. Those eyes held him prisoner more than any bindings, and he knew that person needed to be freed. Michael approached the cart and drew his sword.

  “Oi! Who are you?!” The sound of one sword drawn had given him away, and Michael saw the two arguing people draw swords in response. There was no time to dally, Michael lunged forward, placed his sword against the ropes, and pulled back.

  The moment the arm bindings were undone the person with emerald eyes glowed with green energy and moved. In a moment she was free of the bindings, and in the next had flipped up atop the narrow cart wall. The men in leather hadn’t even started to approach and looked up at the woman in shock.

  “Thanks, wild man.” The woman said, her glowing had subsided to reveal her unbound appearance. Garbed in ordinary clothing, with brown hair and wolven ears, the woman was still for just a moment. As Michael watched her vanish he blinked and looked around.

  She had jumped, and landed with a kick to the shoulder of the lean man before bouncing to strike the tall one. In an instant, two of her captors had been taken down. The third one, the huge placid one Michael had forgotten about, lunged forward with a sudden burst of speed. Red energy had erupted from behind him, and the woman had to dodge out of the way. Michael watched to see what would happen, but felt a tap on his shoulder.

  The other person in the cart had rolled closer and sat up, offering bound arms with an almost relaxed ease. Michael figured he’d already made his choice, and slit the bindings with no further consideration. The bound man undid his gag and started untying himself. “You have my endless gratitude, wild man. After I had been captured by those bandits I did not know if I would escape anytime soon.”

  Most of what he said went right over Michael’s head as he stared at the woman flipping around to fight the lumbering man. “So, they’re bandits?” The word was familiar enough, but Michael didn’t know why. “Why?”

  The man in the cart rubbed his chin for a moment, “An interesting question, but for the moment I suggest we make ourselves scarce.” He hopped out of the cart, just moments before the huge man crashed into it.

  While flicking her hair to the side, the woman approached Michael and the other former prisoner. “They weren’t so tough.”

  “Yes good work beating those ruffians into submission.” The man glanced over at the groaning fallen men. None were unconscious or close to death, but they didn’t seem like ready threats. “Though I feel I owe you an equal share of gratitude, wild man.”

  Michael grumbled a bit, “I’m not a wild man. I’m Michael.”

  The two looked at him, and the man inclined his head. “Of course, my apologies. You have my thanks, Michael. I am Sebastian, a scholar of sorts. Though I am just another adventurer I suppose.”

  The woman stepped closer to Michael, looking up at him with those dazzling emerald eyes. The way she examined him with abject curiosity made his body feel warm, and he was more aware of his bare chest and torn clothes. No wonder they called him wild.

  “I’m Yan.” She said, reaching up to pull a twig out of his hair. “Your eyes are amazing, Michael. What a lovely shade of violet.” Michael felt flushed from the attention and wished he hadn’t spoken up.

  Sebastian rubbed his chin as he examined Michael with a critical gaze. “Ah, that’s a potential issue.” When the two younger people continued staring at each other, Sebastian cleared his throat. Both the others looked over, but at the same time a grumbling sounded from Michael’s stomach.

  “You must be starving.” Yan took a step away from Michael and towards the carriage. “Hey old man, is there any more of that food you swiped?” Sebastian shook his head, “Damn. Well, they only caught me in the first place because I was starving, but we can figure something out.”

  “It might be best if we make ourselves scarce before these bandits awaken, or any Zori appear.” Sebastian grabbed a small pack from the cart and dug through some of the bandits' things. “I think there’s-”

  Howling from the trees interrupted the conversation. Michael whipped around to see a wolf, near as tall as he was, leering down at them. The others went on guard, but something about the animal was wrong. It wasn’t standing like a wolf, nor did the motion of its head looking around seem animalistic.

  The wolf charged out without warning, causing Sebastian to yelp as it rushed towards him. “No you don’t!” Michael swung at the oncoming enemy and got it to dance back from the blow.

  “That’s not normal behavior.” Sebastian’s hands glowed a pale blue for a moment before a translucent barrier spun to life before him. Michael stared at the barrier in amazement, unaware that the wolf charged forward again.

  A green energy blasted into the wolf from the side, “Keep your eyes open!” Yan shouted, causing green energy to surround her hand before launching towards the beast. Michael wasn’t sure how or what they were doing, but focused on the enemy instead of questioning it.

  Michael rushed towards the wolf, intending to clash. He swung downwards, but the wolf dodged. He tried again, facing the same issue of agility. An agile and alert beast was much faster than Michael’s sword.

  The voice of Sebastian called out an order, “Don’t swing blindly, use a surge to pin it down.”

  “What do you mean?” Michael called back, “What’s a surge?”

  Confusion drew across Sebastian's face, and in that moment the wolf lunged past Michael and leapt through the air. In a sudden rush of furious fur it jumped over the cart and crashed into Yan, knocking her to the ground.

  Sebastian and Michael both shouted in alarm, but the wolf hadn’t bitten like they assumed. Yan and the wolf lay still, but a shadowy energy was seeping out from the wolf’s grey fur and surrounding Yan. “It’s trying to possess her!” Michael sprinted forth to intervene.

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  With a swift strike into the belly of the wolf Michael skewered and lifted the beast before hurling it away from Yan. The black energy being that was inside was torn away from Yan, eliciting her to take a sharp breath. “What... what happened?” She had a distant look, shocked.

  Michael knelt down next to her. “Are you okay?”

  For a moment the two were gazing at each other, then Yan shook her head and sat up. “Yeah. Focus on the fight.” Michael nodded and stood up, then both looked to assess the situation.

  Dark tendrils of energy stretched out of the fallen wolf, coalescing once more into the familiar shape Michael had seen before. An entity formed of cables of black energy, more defined than in the ashen grove. The shadow of some warrior, tall, lean and fierce. Sebastian was staring at the enemy in total concentration, studying or scrutinizing with a silent gaze.

  Yan took one look at the creature before speaking, “That’s an evil spirit. Let’s kill it.”

  “Such a simple assessment without a simple solution.” Sebastian kept eyes on the being, his ward raised. “In my decades of study I have heard nothing of a being like this. It's not a Vurzori, nor any manner of beast. I don’t know of any Spirit that behaves in this way either.”

  “Analyze later, fight now! That thing really hurt!” The enemy lunged towards them, “Here it comes!” Yan thrust her arms forward and released energy that she had been holding around them, creating a bolt of force. At the same moment Sebastian conjured a wave of power that expanded into a crackling wall. Both attacks struck the enemy, but did not slow its approach.

  With nothing else to go off of Michael waited until the shadowy figure was near before striking again. The black crystalline sword slashed through the air with a sharp swoosh, and passed through the body of the enemy. It went right past him towards the others.

  The enemy was rushing Yan again when it dashed to the side to tackle Sebastian. The older blonde man took a step back to hold his ground, but the attack was not like he expected. Instead of striking, the shadowy figure began to merge with the man, tendrils like dark cables surrounding him. Sebastian’s mouth opened in a silent scream, but Michael and Yan were already closing in.

  Yan surrounded her arm in energy again and tried to grapple the foe off, but her hand passed through its body. Next she tensed up and her body turned green and glowed before she tried again, but whatever she did just caused her pain. “Surges and Energy Form aren’t working!” Sebastian seemed paralyzed as the entity merged with him, helpless to struggle free.

  “I won’t let you!” Michael pressed both arms into the center mass of the figure and groped for something to hold onto. It was like grasping at mist, and stung all up his arms, but he didn’t recoil. He gritted his teeth and kept trying, his mind flitting through the sights and feelings of those strange attacks these two were using. Powers that seemed second nature to them, but he had no understanding of.

  There was a power he remembered. That force that exploded along the ground in their first conflict. Michael growled and focused on that feeling as he clenched his hands around nothingness and ripped his arms back.

  Whether through determination, or having grasped at some invisible thread, the shadowy being was torn away from Sebastian by Michael’s frenzy. It scattered around them and tumbled to the ground as roiling masses of energy, but Michael was huffing and fuming too much to give them notice.

  Coughing a few times before catching his breath, Sebastian absently pawed at his own chest with a look of panic fading into disbelief. “Well. That’s not an experience worth repeating. Thank you.”

  Yan looked around then back up at Michael, “Hey, are you okay?” He didn’t respond, taking deep overt breaths as glared into empty space. Stilled with rage and not focused on anything around him, Michael’s breathing just grew more intense. “Listen, you need to calm down and focus on my words. Hey, just slow down. Are you listening, Michael?”

  Something shifted, a slight sense of change in the back of his mind. Michael, that was the name he had chosen. He slowed his breathing and blinked several times before looking at both Yan and Sebastian. “Thanks. Sorry about that.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” Yan patted his arm. Michael felt sweat pooling on his forehead like a fever had just broken, and he studied the two again as if for the first time.

  Yan was shorter than Michael by a fair bit, lithe and athletic. From the way she had been jumping, flipping, and kicking with such ease it was easy to call her strong. Short brown hair with a curl in front of each of her wolven ears, and dazzling emerald eyes. “Stop looking at me so hard, we need to focus.”

  Sebastian was closer to Michael in height, with blonde hair and a scrawny figure. He seemed far more studious and had different ears than Michael and Yan did. As he rubbed his chin to inspect something Michael wondered what he thought behind those calculating blue eyes. “I don’t see it, there could be trouble.”

  “What are you talking about, I ripped that thing apart.” Michael looked around, his newfound sense of clarity helping him spot details he had missed before. There were so many shrubs and rocks alongside the weathered cobbled road, tall grasses and trees of varying sizes. He couldn’t see any trace of the spirit monster thing they’d been fighting.

  Groaning drew Michael’s attention, but it was just the bandits that Yan had knocked out. Michael scrutinized them, trying to decide if they were a threat or in danger, when a flicker of shadows moved along one. The huge man that had been pulling the cart through sheer strength stirred and rose with unnatural stiffness, turning to level an empty gaze at Michael and the others.

  “An evil Spirit that possesses people and cannot seem to be defeated,” Sebastian assessed, “I believe this is a Revenant.”

  “Not the time, old man.” Yan reached for her hip where there was no weapon and looked around for a second. “Anyone have a knife?”

  Neither of the others answered the question, so Sebastian returned to his original line of thinking. “It’s always the right first step to know your enemy. If we- WATCH OUT!”

  The lumbering Revenant grabbed the cart with one hand and tossed it into the air. Wood and barrels crashed towards them, breaking Sebastian’s ward without effort and forcing everyone to scatter and dive for cover. As they fled the lumbering man charged them, slower than when it was a wolf or spirit, but commanding a weight of mass that shook the earth with every step.

  Yan dove the furthest, but found the huge enemy bearing down on her first. With an eep she dashed further on all fours for a moment before leaping again to gain distance. Michael emerged from the bushes where he had dodged and brandished his sword with a snarl. He rushed towards the Revenant, but the big man swatted the air and created a wave of energy that sent Michael head over heels into a tree.

  Sebastian recovered from where he’d taken shelter and launched a simple attack at the Revenant. “Don’t be too predictable, Michael!” He advised, despite his own attack being blocked.

  “Right.” Michael forced down his annoyance as he stood back up. He wouldn’t be able to do anything if he was too angry and direct. Michael charged forward with a yell, but stopped short to strike the ground and launch dirt at the enemy. Instead of dirt, black lines spread over the ground and gave off a weak blast of energy.

  It wasn’t anything like what he’d done in the grove, but it made the lumbering man stagger. Yan flew in and delivered a flying kick to the huge man’s chest, causing him to start falling backwards. In an attempt to avoid falling the man took several steps back, then crashed onto his back with a heavy whump.

  Michael gathered himself and ambled to a ledge overlooking the fallen bandit. His stomach growled as a pang of hunger made him clutch his chest, and the thought of fighting anymore made him feel dizzy. “Is it over?”

  Sebastian approached as well, looking down with a curious gaze before inspecting the other fallen bandits. “I wouldn’t be too optimistic. This Revenant has proven resilient already.”

  Yan crouched down near the bandit and rummaged through a pack of his, withdrawing a sheathed dagger. She drew the blade and looked up, “Shall I finish the job?”

  The thought of killing made Michael’s stomach turn, but motion made that worry flee. “Look out!”

  Thick fingers closed around Yan’s ankle before she could react and she was hoisted into the air as the possessed man rose. Yan slashed and drew blood, but that didn’t stop her from being thrown at the ground. Acting on instinct, Michael dashed to try and catch her. She slammed into him as they both fell over.

  Looming above was certain death. The shadowed glower of a man possessed, wider and stronger than both put together. Michael and Yan watched as two torso sized fists were raised above. Yan closed her eyes, and Michael couldn’t look away.

  A glimmering light appeared around them as Sebastian arrived in the final moment. A spherical ward surrounded them as the heavy fists came crashing down. The Revenant could not break the ward, but Sebastian stood with arms outstretched maintaining it. With a howl of fury the huge mute bandit slammed again, and again. Each impact made the earth tremble, but could not break the barrier. Blood formed from the fists of the bandit, before harsh blue flames sparked to life around his fists and body.

  Sebastian was wavering, the impacts rang out with the roaring of bloodthirst, and the ground continued to shake. Michael tried to stand, but found his legs and arms too heavy. Yan was trembling, curled up into a ball on his chest. Why was his heart racing so hard?

  “Don’t worry.” Sebastian croaked, “Nothing breaks a meteor shield.” It wasn’t clear whether he was telling Michael, or himself.

  The mindless fury of the Revenant continued as he slammed again and again against the barrier, breaking his own hand to try and get at them. Someone shouted and approached from behind, another of the bandits, but the Revenant swung back hard. A sickening crunch, and the other man was dead. Michael felt the bitter taste of bile color the back of his throat.

  “GRAAAAAAAAH!” With a final roar the massive bandit slammed his entire body against the barrier with unrelenting futility. His body burst into flames as fiery blood splattered, and the physical form of the Revenant fell dead. Michael exhaled, but it was not time to celebrate.

  Black energy and blue flames flickered and burned around Sebastian’s meteor shield. The barrier wavered and the Revenant closed in around them, hungry malice in its infernal body. A cold sweat broke out over Michael, Yan, and Sebastian as daylight was closed off.

  That fervor that carried it to try so hard to get to them that it drove its own host to death, the intensity of it was closing in around them. It would go beyond death to destroy, consume, or control. Sebastian dropped to one knee and the barrier closed in more. From the way his hands were trembling, it was clear this was not meant to be maintained so long.

  Yan was unresponsive, and Sebastian was slipping. It felt like the end was coming, and Michael had done nothing to fight back. Everything that was accomplished worked without his intervention, and because of him. Behind that feeling of helplessness, anger bubbled to the surface. “You will never have us.” Michael glared up in absolute defiance, his eyes and jaw locked into a scowl. The inevitable didn’t matter, nor did his hunger. “We won’t give up fighting, ever.”

  The faintest shift in Yan’s shivering, and in Sebastian’s poise, told Michael his words had done something. That was enough, there was nothing else that could be done.

  The encroaching darkness wavered, blazing in silent fury around them. All of the blood on the barrier had been burned away, and the body of the fallen bandit was withered after the possession. There was a long moment of silence as the world held its breath, then the Revenant retreated.

  Michael gave a sigh of relief, but Sebastian kept the barrier active as his body trembled. “Don’t relax yet. Help me keep us safe.”

  “How?”

  “Use a meteor shield. Take over for me.”

  “I don’t... know what that is. How do I do that?”

  “What are you talking about?” Sebastian glanced back, “Are you serious? Everyone can do this, Iagorothi grants us all this ability.”

  “What’s Iagorothi?”

  Sebastian reeled from shock, but Yan uncurled and stood up. “Take a break.” She extended her arms and created the meteor shield, allowing Sebastian to drop the ward.

  As he collapsed to catch his breath Sebastian stared at Michael. “How do you not know the name of our world, the very plane upon which we all live?”

  Michael scratched his head and felt embarrassed, “I don’t know. I know my name is Michael... and... math I guess.”

  “Ahh.” Sebastian hummed, “You must have hit your head. Temporary amnesia, that’s rough.”

  “Boys, the Revenant.” Yan snapped the others back to attention as they all watched the last remaining bandit stand up. Dark tendrils of energy faded into his clothing, but afterwards he looked the same as before.

  The Revenant looked over at them, dug one hand into the pouch on the bandit’s belt and threw dust into the air. The white dust caught the air and spread out like a cloud, obscuring their sight for several seconds. Michael got his sword ready to try something when the enemy appeared, but the dust cleared moments later. The Revenant was gone.

  Yan dropped the ward and dashed ahead to where the bandit was before he threw the smokescreen. After looking around for a moment she looked back at the boys and declared, “It fled!”

  Sebastian groaned, but Michael relaxed and lay back. He’d been sitting against a rock in an awkward position when Yan first landed on him, but the enemy was gone. Nothing else mattered as he closed his eyes and slumped to the ground, “I need food.”