Chapter 7

  Hives of Hills

  Zori had existed as a threat to the world for eons, ravaging the world and consuming that which got in their way. Once an organized threat following the rule of immortal monstrosities, zori had failed to destroy the world but were never eradicated. As destroyers they were dangerous, as they left nothing behind on death but consumed to grow stronger. If left unchecked, zori would continue to deplete the world until nothing was left.

  For being monsters they were rather diverse. In both function and power, there were too many types of zori to know them all by name. Some zori were so weak a child could kill them on accident, which is a regular story amidst childhoods. Other zori could grow to be strong enough to wipe out entire countrysides, obliterating towns and villages by the dozen. It was never a good idea to underestimate a zori, least of all when they amassed mighty numbers.

  Cutting a path through zori invested hills was slow going. The one time the party tried to rush through a pack of eight zori descended upon them, reinforced by twelve more before they cleared the enemy. It reinforced the need for patience, and elevated the tension of the journey.

  The party had nothing to say. Sebastian observed in silence as Yan waved the party closer, and Michael had stopped asking questions. Hyato seemed normal, since he didn’t speak much in the first place. Their travel became a routine of moving, stopping to wait, and picking off stray zori before making more progress. Just when the group felt comfortable with the act, an inevitable issue peeked below the horizon.

  “Night is falling.” Sebastian noticed. Everyone was so wrung out that no one berated him for stating the obvious. “We won’t make it through the invested area in time, we need to find a place to sleep.”

  “Can’t we press on through the night?” Michael asked, looking up at the darkening sky. The light of the moons seemed enough to see by.

  “No.” Yan and Sebastian answered together. The former stopped checking the trail in favor of scouting around them. “There are a few caves we could try to use.”

  Before Sebastian could respond a distant howl pierced the evening calm, followed by the clamor of motion beyond the slopes. “It will have to do.” They approached the cave with a mixture of weariness and wariness. All the walking and fighting had parched their throats and made their calves ache, but risking an attack was out of the question.

  Once they confirmed that the cave was free of zori, the party set up inside. It was wide enough for them to shove bedrolls inside, with a few small shafts letting in light and air, but was not a deep cave. More like an indent in the hillside to be turned into a hovel. A thought made Sebastian grumble as he laid out his bag, “We should keep watch tonight.”

  “I’ll take the first shift.” Yan said, settling down a few feet away from the beds on the ground.

  “You’ve been doing all the work finding paths though, you should-”

  “Just sleep. I can handle a few more hours.” Yan was already leaning against all the packs, so the argument came to an end in favor of ending the fatigue. After they shared a meal of dry rations and water, the boys went to sleep while Yan kept watch.

  Evening slipped into nightfall, and the long watch of night began. Yan was tired, and sore, and annoyed for many reasons, but she just had to sit there and stay alert. It wasn’t so hard, nothing compared to her training.

  Best not to think about that. She ran away from all that after all. Perhaps the clan had given up looking for her by now? A hopeful thought, but it faded away. Best not to think about that at all. Stay alert, stay out of towns, keep on the move. She wasn’t accomplishing that these days, was she?

  Things stirred in the darkness outside of the cave. Motion in the brush. It could be zori. It could be other things. Yan shivered, then heard rustling.

  A moment later, Michael sat down next to her. “Not tired.”

  “Liar. Get some sleep.” Michael shrugged but didn’t move. “Fine, do what you want.”

  The night stretched on, a darkness so close it seemed to consume the view outside. What little light filtering in from the moons illuminated the cave just enough to make out the simplest of shapes. Yan was used to the dark, but not the night.

  “Do zori sleep?” Michael asked, speaking in a tone so quiet Yan almost couldn’t hear.

  “Yes.” She used the same small tone, whispering to avoid drawing attention. “Some do.”

  “So, why do we have to stop for the night?”

  “We sleep too.” It was obvious, but Michael didn’t react to the answer. “And, there are other dangers at night.”

  Some distant creaking sounded from an unknown source. “Other dangers?”

  “There are tales of the creatures of the night. Monsters that make zori seem tame. Unknowable, shapeless beings that walk the night. Horrors, or nightmares made manifest.” It seemed odd to be bringing up ghost stories, yet the memory of the tales seemed to come on their own. “I heard that no one travels at night, and was always told not to.”

  Michael glanced around a bit, then settled in again. He was so close, so warm. Yan felt her heart beating faster. That needed to stop. “There’s so much I don’t know. If I hadn’t met you guys, what would have happened to me?”

  “Amnesia huh. Well, until you remember, we can teach you.” The two sat in silence for another little while. It was hard to tell the time while keeping watch. They had nothing to track things, nor even a fire made to burn down. The chill tension kept creeping in, and the night grew long.

  After another long silence, Yan told Michael to go to bed again. This time he listened. Not long after, Hyato arrived to switch out with Yan. For a few short hours, there was blessed sleep. Morning arrived too soon.

  Silent breakfast preceded a careful march. The party tried to push forward during the calm hours close to dawn, but luck did not favor them. Less than an hour after they broke camp the first group of zori descended upon them.

  An energy wave trailed past Hyato and a zori, petering out into thin air as it hit nothing. “Focus, Michael.” Hyato slashed twice to eliminate one of the zori, then just stopped attacking and looked around.

  Yan crept around behind the enemy, out of sight and poised to strike. Two of the zori lined up, and a third was nearing, inching closer to the perfect opportunity. Then flames erupted on one of the zori, causing the others to scatter. “Hey! I was taking care of those!”

  “Just keep fighting!” Sebastian spread the flames to another of the enemies, but they were amassing around them even more. Michael slashed with impunity since the enemies were too dense to miss, but not enough were cut down. “Hyato! What are you doing?”

  The stoic swordsman snapped to attention and slashed through the nearest enemy. “Apologies.” He sheathed his sword then flashed ahead to cut through and repositioned to land near Michael. “Use Flash Blade, it’s undodgeable.”

  “Right.” Michael sheathed his weapon and gathered the energy around himself. A tingling sensation of power coursed through his body, igniting his muscles with sheer force. The memorized technique carried through as Michael blinked forward and drew his sword. Flash Blade.

  He missed.

  “You said-”

  “Undodgeable, but you need to be accurate!”

  The battle was chaotic. Zori charged in from all sides as the party cut them down and took hits. Arguments broke out over strategy and focus, whether or not to attack or take gambits, but were cut short by the frenzy. Yan was knocked by a boar like zori and sent tumbling, Sebastian took a nasty cut, and the two sword users were nigh overrun.

  In a last ditch effort of force, Michael slammed his sword to the ground and sent the shattering lines of Dark Blade all around. Many of the zori were launched away, and some were just staggered. Michael rushed to pull Hyato and Yan to their feet, “Run!”

  They made a break for it, rushing to escape from the monsters. One of the zori jumped and latched onto Michael’s arm, biting hard, but did not stop them. Hyato took the front of the escape to cut through one of the zori in the way, with Sebastian following up with an elemental strike. They pushed through the staggered mass of fur and bristles that landed around them, shaking off the nearest pursuers.

  Michael tore the zori off of him and threw it with a heavy grunt. “These ones seem weaker than yesterday.”

  “New zori... not strong.” Sebastian was panting as they fled, “But too many.”

  Despite escaping the ambush site, they still seemed surrounded. The road was narrow ahead, curving between two steep cliffs. Hillsides were crawling with zori, and many of them were already taking notice to close in. No time to look around, they had to run.

  Heart beats racing in their ears, the burning sensation in their sides, and that lingering scent of blood in the air. Those monsters born from the corpses of creatures, popped from fleshy tumors, were closing in around them. How many were there? Could they get away? The road felt crowded, and the hills too close.

  The party burst past some of the snarling zori into more open fields. A wider space with more trees and less slopes, that earthy brown peat rolling along their path ahead. Some of the swarms could be seen in the distance, but a gap had also revealed itself. They raced along for minutes, before Sebastian collapsed from all the running.

  The others spun around and drew their weapons at once, lashing out against the zori that were still giving chase. A half dozen or so had been biting at their heels, and looked towards the fallen as their first target. “No you don’t!” Michael sent a wave of energy that clipped one of the zori on the head.

  “Focus!” Hyato repeated, to no avail.

  “I am focused!” He tried another attack that went awry, but both Hyato and Yan followed up with clean blows. One zori slipped past to slam at Sebastian, but was rebounded by a pulse of magical force.

  Yan kicked one zori out of existence, “These ones are weak, just do what you can.” One by one, the party tore the zori apart. Michael managed to take one of them out, but ground his teeth about it as he sheathed the black sword.

  It was ridiculous. All these monsters, and the multiplying. He couldn’t remember anything worthwhile, none of his techs were landing so combat was moot, and everything was getting worse. Michael stomped and growled, clenching his fists and clacking his teeth. “I hate this! I’m useless, this sucks!” He kicked at a rock, sending it nowhere as he missed a clean shot. “Aargh!”

  “Dude, you need to calm down.”

  Michael shot Yan a dirty look, which didn’t faze her. “Why bother?! Doesn’t matter how calm or focused or whatever, I still can’t hit anything. And I can’t remember anything either. Everything sucks!”

  “There is no time to argue.” Sebastian said with a wheeze, “We need to keep going. There are still too many zori around, we must not let them overwhelm us.”

  Yan chewed her lip as she considered saying something more to Michael, but turned to continue trailblazing instead. “He’s right. We need to break through the outskirts of the swarm somehow. Follow me, I will find the best path.”

  The party continued to push on ahead, but Michael was still seething as they did. Rushing while keeping low, then stopping to wait for an opening, along with brief sprints, became the routine set by the day. Each sprint leading to a full stop made Michael’s limbs ache more, intensified by sudden skirmishes with stray zori. As they fought Michael grew less and less accurate with his techniques, but he wasn’t alone in suffering.

  All of the activity was taking a toll on Sebastian. Each sprint and skirmish left him looking paler and more disheveled than before. He spent precious moments gulping down air where he could, and started to drag behind the others. After some time, it was clear that they were not making anywhere near the progress they needed to.

  “We’re taking a break.” Yan said, leading the others to an elevated campsite surrounded by rocks. It was out of the way and high up, but would be easy to defend if they had to.

  “There’s... no time... to break.” Sebastian panted, dragging his feet along behind the others.

  “We’ll get nowhere if you don’t get your energy back,” Yan glanced over at Michael and Hyato who were both silent and spaced out. “And I think it's time we had lunch anyways.”

  “Fine.” Sebastian collapsed onto the ground without further protest, then tried to drink water without getting up, to little success. Yan rolled her eyes and passed out rations from her pack, making sure everyone started eating.

  Cries of zori fighting in the distance were ever present throughout the day. Somewhere between guttural grunting and the roaring of beasts, with the occasional growl. Yan’s ears twitched each time they sounded, tracking how close they were. Michael wondered if he could do the same.

  Before long, Sebastian pulled himself up into a seated position. He closed his eyes and began to meditate after finishing his ration, and moments later began to glow. It was a soft light, like the hint of starry white, almost imperceptible under the harsh summer sunlight. “What is he doing?” Michael finished off the dry ration, washing it down with water.

  “Using synergy to empower himself.” Hyato said, “I usually do that before bed.”

  “Do you really? I tend to stockpile synergy myself.” Yan said, as energetic as ever sitting near the edge of camp. All the harsh travel seemed to have no effect on her.

  Michael sat down in the meditative posture, but just flexed and examined his own hands. “I’m not sure I have a full grasp on all this synergy stuff. I’m not even sure I can tell what it is.”

  “It’s that glow you feel sometimes, when you kill a zori.” Yan drew energy around her hands, “Kind of like a light or energy, but going inside you instead.”

  Hyato tapped one foot and crossed his arms, “We should be pressing on.” When the others stopped talking but didn't respond, Hyato pursed his lips. “We need to focus on getting out of here.”

  “Focus focus focus.” Yan let the energy she was holding burst free from her hand, “Is that all you know how to say?” Hyato grunted. Yan glared at Hyato, who looked at nothing, while Michael did not know what to do. A few moments later, Sebastian let out a breath and stood up.

  “I am ready now.” The oldest of the group said, “I have done what I can to increase my stamina. I shouldn’t be slowing us down too much now.” He rolled his shoulders as he stretched out, then gave the others an inquisitive look. “Is something the matter?”

  Silence sounded as Yan and Hyato both wore annoyed expressions. Michael looked lost, and Sebastian could feel a headache coming on. Dealing with youngsters was more trouble than he remembered.

  “You know, I thought the only problem we would face today was zori.” Sebastian said, “But there’s something more going on here, isn’t there?” The others continued to stew in silence, “Aren’t we supposed to be a party? United for a common cause? Come on, we need to communicate.”

  “Stop over analyzing everything then!” Yan snapped, “If we had just killed the zori the moment we saw it, we wouldn’t have let it start spawning more.”

  Hyato grunted, “Wouldn’t change anything, still too many zori.”

  “Come now, let’s not be hasty.” Sebastian tried to placate the others with a softer tone, but it didn’t do much.

  Yan threw her hands into the air. “Better than repeating the same thing over and over! Focus this, focus that. If you’re going to give advice, at least try to make it useful.” Hyato didn't react beyond looking away, which made Yan inhale with growing frustration.

  The shrill howl of a zori rumbled in the vicinity, cutting through the discourse like a molten blade. Everyone looked around and readied for battle, but the zori had yet to reach them. “We need to make a decision now.” Sebastian explained, “Do we stay here and try to defend, or make a break for it and try to get away?”

  Everyone looked around for a moment to decide what to do, as the shrill call of zori grew nearer.

  When the suns set over the horizon, the party dragged themselves into a narrow crevasse for another night. Another full day of running from zori, sneaking around and marching for hours, had drained them. Even the bickering had stopped to conserve breath, else the chatter would draw too many foes.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Their escape had not been without struggle. It felt as if there was no end to the zori, and many had tried to add the party to the growing masses of flesh. Each hour there seemed to be more battle, until arms and legs were tired in equal measure.

  In the last battle Michael had managed to hit with every attack, but there was no time to celebrate. The party tucked away in almost total silence, huddling up as Hyato readied for first watch. “Tomorrow.” Sebastian muttered, “We should make it through the hills tomorrow.” Sleep came to the party with haste, and departed all too soon. As the morning dawned it brought with it determination for tired eyes.

  The third night in the hills came all too soon.

  Progress had all but come to a halt that day. Dotting the hilltops were massive growths of flesh the size of small buildings, churning out zori without pause. The new monstrosities pushed out and spread across the hills like a swarm of insects, filling all of the opportune pathways with gnashing teeth and bloody claws. What began with a dozen corpses of wild animals had already become a near extinction event for the area. As zori encountered creatures and edible plants they attacked in a frenzy to eat and continue propagating.

  Attempting to navigate the hills in the same manner proved ineffective, forcing the party to spend most of the day moving about for a short time in between hiding from the zori. With a few skirmishes, and some coordinated strikes, they remained hidden from the greater horde, but did not escape.

  As night fell, Michael slumped down against the cave wall of their hidden camp. “We can’t keep this up. We need to get out of this place.”

  “Simpler stated than achieved,” Sebastian started to get out the pot for stew, then put it back to hand out rations instead. “The zori should never have been allowed to grow this numerous.”

  “How does this not happen all the time?” Yan wondered, eyes glittering over the question despite her fatigue. “They grew so fast.”

  “Nature is usually able to fight back to a point.” Sebastian explained, “However the majority of the culling would have been the work of Slayers. But the nearest town...” The words hung on the air like an ichor. Liniva would have been the closest town.

  Michael cut through the silence before it lingered, “Right, so there are tons of zori. How do we deal with that?”

  “Well we aren’t Slayers or all that powerful, so we can’t just go and fight them directly.” Sebastian rubbed his chin, “It would be nice to create a distraction to make an opening, but I doubt we can make one large enough.”

  “Aren’t you some kind of mage?”

  “More of a scholar, really. I spent my time traveling between libraries, not really fighting zori.”

  Hyato had been lurking near the entrance to their encampment looking outwards since they arrived. He looked in towards the others, “We need teamwork.”

  “You could use more words to explain things, you know.” Yan leaned back, “But you’re right. We don’t really work together all that much do we?”

  “I thought that's what we’ve been doing this whole time.” Michael said. No one responded right away, each absorbed by their own thoughts. It was late, they were tired, but no one moved to sleep right away. The uncertainty of the morrow, coupled with that sense of having wasted a day, was not something they could just ignore.

  After a few moments of quiet reflection Yan let out a soft sigh. “Thinking about it, I have been too hasty. I’ll try not to race ahead so much, or end fights the moment they begin.”

  Sebastian rubbed his hands together. “Sorry about what I said. I have thinking as well, and will temper my instinct to analyze everything in favor of responding with a more reasonable level of urgency.” Yan giggled, and Sebastian let out a light chuckle.

  From the entrance of the cave Hyato cleared his throat. “As for me, I shall think about more than just the mission.”

  “What about your spacing out?” Yan asked, with a note of jest.

  Hyato remained impassive as usual, “I will try to react sooner, if I can.”

  “I was only joking.”

  A lull in the conversation came about, followed by the slow motions of three people looking over at the last of their group. As each of them looked to Michael, he felt a sense that he should have spoken up too. “I don’t know what you want me to say. I’ve been thinking too, but I still can’t hit anything.”

  “Michael...”

  “That’s what this is about right? We each have things we’ve been fighting about, stuff we fail at. I can’t hit anything.” He rocked back and forth, almost standing but choosing not to, “I keep trying to. I focus as hard as I can, so much that my head hurts. But I still can’t land a technique.” He moved his left arm as if to swing a sword, “I feel like I know exactly how to do them too, but they always miss.”

  Hyato approached the others and took a seat, forming the group into a close circle. Sebastian scooted in a bit to close it up, so the party was huddled close enough to speak in hushed tones. It felt apt for the time of day, and potential proximity of monsters. “Have you noticed any variation? Surely you don’t miss every attack.”

  It took a few moments for Michael to respond. Thinking back over the days, as hectic and violent as they had been, was nothing simple. “I mean, I did hit a few. There was that one time it went well on the first strike, but I mean. I was tired, they got really close before I even noticed them. Of course I can hit them up close.”

  “So perhaps you should wait until the enemies are closer, or close the distance before attacking.” Sebastian suggested.

  Michael sighed, “But they’re supposed to be ranged techniques... right?” He glanced at Hyato and got a nod. “So if I can’t use them at range because I can’t hit anything, what’s the point?”

  “Then maybe range isn’t the issue.” Yan tapped her knee, “Maybe it's just timing? You attack when the enemy is too hard to hit because they are moving so much? I usually wait for a moment of hesitation to strike, myself.”

  “It could be emotion.” Hyato added. “Not focus you lack, but calm.”

  Three different ideas, but Michael closed his eyes to think about them. Perhaps one of them, or all of them, were solutions to his problem. They could be, but it might not be enough to really do teamwork. If they all focused on their separate issues that they were squabbling over, would that be enough to work together?

  Sebastian clapped once and stood up, “I think we should get some sleep and think things over. I will take first watch, so you all head to bed now.” The lure of rest was too strong to resist, though they lacked the comfort to reach sleep with due haste. Michael pondered the advice of the others, wondering if they were thinking about their own ideas, as he drifted into the dark of sleep once more.

  In the haze of shadows and dreamy memories of the long days of anxious travel, Michael was awash in a sense of repetition. Some part of him knew it was a dream, yet the stress of rushing from one space between zori to the next seemed to be like an endless gauntlet. Over and over did he run, then stop, then await the next signal. Droplets of sweat from his brow loud enough to draw the ire of monsters. The shrill howls in the distance clanging like a spoon on the edge of a cup. A sudden rush of pain, crashing from all around, then a thousand shards of starlight glittering and reflecting all around him like a million mirrors as he fell.

  Michael woke with a start in the middle of the night, then rolled over and went back to sleep. It was just a dream.

  Where once there were hills, and then there were hives, there came a horde. Writhing like insects with nowhere to move, filling each space between the slopes as an ever growing mass, the Anozori spilled out across the hills like a storm front fit to burst. The largest gathering of monstrosities that Sebastian had ever witnessed, clogging the path ahead with their growing menace.

  The party looked out at the hills ahead with silent horror. “There’s so many.” Yan whispered, as if unable to process what she saw. “How are we still alive?”

  “There aren’t many behind us.” Hyato noted, looking the other way. The mass of zori had somehow gathered in front of them more than anywhere else, along the path they wanted to take.

  “Is it too late to go around?” Yan explored the borders of the territory they were traveling through, but some large ridges and deep chasms made for natural blockades. It would take over a day of backtracking to go around either without attracting attention.

  “The Revenant did this to slow us down.” Michael said, his jaw set as he glared at the growing masses of zori. There weren’t very many bulbous sacs of meat like before, so they must have run out of food. “We need to break through if we are to keep up.”

  “Is that even possible? That can’t be a good idea.” Yan looked from Michael to Sebastian for confirmation.

  “Actually, I agree with Michael in this case.” Sebastian had been analyzing the scene in silence the longest, but his declaration made even Hyato react with surprise. “If the zori are lighter behind us, and are massing up here, it may be due to an effective defense. I’d say there is a line of warriors keeping the zori at bay past there, luring them in and culling the ones that attack.”

  Michael hummed and looked over the hills ahead some more. They were hidden behind some tall rocks, but zori might come there way if they lingered. “Do you think that’s true?”

  “It’s only a theory, but it’s based on what I know about zori.” Sebastian rubbed his chin for a second, “Well. I hope that’s how it is.”

  The four looked at the situation again while trying to stomach the idea of facing it. Anozori, beast monsters that had vague similarities to mammals, reptiles, avians, or insects. In this case, their foes had fur and bristles, like boars or bears, as well as tough claws and fangs. There were hundreds within sight, and so much activity that the hills around them were muddy and dusty from too many just walking around. Many of their number could be hidden, and there did not seem to be a light section to target.

  Hyato was the first to speak. “I trust Sebastian’s plan.”

  “Well, if we are going to rush ahead, we need to know how and where.” Michael drew his sword and readied himself for battle. “If we just charge in we will be swarmed, right?”

  “So a degree of stealth is necessary.” Yan scrutinized the hills for any chance at a sneaky way through. Sebastian placed a hand on her shoulder, then pointed ahead.

  “I believe intimidation will be our guide. We should take the swiftest path, keeping the zori at bay with strength and force.” He indicated the path over the hills, rather than weaving through them. “I have a plan.”

  Fire burst forth into a ring on the hillside approaching the zori blockade. Moving at a deft march, propelled by an absolute purpose, were four people within that blaze. The fire moved with them, flickering between natural orange and sky blue as it crackled with heat. Michael led the party inside the wall of fire, with Hyato and Yan to the left and right while Sebastian maintained the ward.

  Zori were wary about the approach of the flames, which was as Sebastian predicted. Anozori are often weak to fire, but that did not mean his trick was foolproof. It would be simple for the enemy to rush through the ward, so the others stood ready to punish any that did. If the zori that attacked died fast enough, the rest might remain at bay.

  The first attackers did not wait long to approach. From the left they had to contend with Hyato, who struck with swift strikes as they reached the fire wall. What happened next would be more important, capturing the attention of the party through bated breath.

  A second wave did not come, at least not at once. Sebastian’s gambit was working.

  Flames held the weaker zori and the cowards at bay, while others rushed in to attack anyways. Yan and Hyato were able to dispatch the interlopers with ease, but Michael felt his heart racing each time one approached from the front. They rushed in and he struck, hoping for the best. Each time the zori went down, he was worried if they would get back up.

  “Pick up the pace a bit Michael,” Sebastian called. “We’re right behind you.” If that was supposed to be encouragement it didn’t work. The others seemed to have gotten over their differences, but Michael still second guessed himself. He would miss an attack soon, wouldn’t he?

  Everyone relied on Michael to set the pace, so he moved faster. Is this what they meant by teamwork? He couldn’t let them down, they were counting on him. He started to almost jog, and the others kept pace behind him.

  Whether out of fear or fury, the zori were not content to let them pass. With each minute more of them gathered near the edges of the fire wall, growling and snapping at the air. Many of them spread to make way for the party, but many others rushed in to attack. Michael lashed out at those approaching from the front, while Hyato and Yan guarded the sides and protected Sebastian at the back. The scholar commanding the fire around them needed total focus to maintain the trick.

  A zori charging from the front slipped past Michael’s attack and lunged for his throat! Michael gasped and tried to dodge back, but a flash of steel whipped out before he got the chance. One moment the zori was there, the next Hyato was returning to his side. From the left he had ducked beneath Michael’s arm and severed the zori that got too close.

  Yan patted Michael on the back, having also moved to help. “Don’t worry, we got your back.”

  So this was teamwork.

  With a renewed vigor, Michael led the party ahead, “Come on, let’s get out of here.” He rushed at the speed the others could handle, keeping his eyes on the road ahead. Looking for any signs of a blockade or exit to these zori infested hills was his job, but the first thing to deal with were the enemies still in the way.

  Approaching from the front were three more zori. Michael felt the urge to strike, his arm tensing up to prepare the energy needed for a technique. He lifted his left arm, then paused to analyze for a moment. They were in range, but still charging, it wasn’t the right moment. Just a few steps closer, the moment they jumped. Then he struck. With a single thrust Michael released a bolt of energy that pierced two of the zori, then followed with a backslash to cut the third as it reached him. All three zori faded at the same moment. “Timing huh.”

  Michael glanced at the others. Hyato and Sebastian gave a nod, while Yan smiled. That was enough to go on, Michael led the charge. As they crested over the hill the full scope of their journey came into view. Another dip down before yonder slope, and in the distance were walls of spellwrought stone besieged by the very monsters around them. The blockade was in sight.

  The party picked up the pace, now that an end to their struggles could be seen. Everything they had undergone to get this far left them strained, but a second wind to reach the end seemed to vivify them. It was a faint few hundred yards away, perhaps close enough for a sprint.

  Luck did not favor their hopes, curtailing the final sprint before it gained momentum. A baleful roar preceded the arrival of a massive mass of fur. Shaking the earth as it landed from a leap, the massive Anozori crashed before the party with enough force to cancel the fire wall outright.

  All at once they were exposed and surrounded by dozens or more snarling beasts, as one dwarfing them all loomed above like a behemoth. Sebastian tried to bring the flames back to life, but they petered out around them. There was a moment of stillness, followed by a concert of growls.

  Zori rushed in from all sides, moving like a tide of malice. They trampled the ground and each other to reach the party, attacking without reservation. Yan was the first to react, leaping into the air to sail over the wave of zori and land with a diving kick. She struck and bounced to keep herself airborne and out of reach. Many of the enemy were distracted and tried to follow her, splitting off from the main assault.

  “Michael, deal with the big one.” Hyato spun his sword into its sheath then vanished with Flash Blade to cut through some of the zori. He began to use precise sweeping slashes all around to cut down the weaker foes and thin the horde.

  “You’ve got to be joking.” Michael glanced at Sebastian as the man drew the power of water around him to push enemies back, then turned his attention to the intervening monstrosity that caused this all. The mighty massive Anozori that loomed above had a huge front section resolving into a wide mouth, like it was a gigantic bristle coated bullfrog. It was lifting one arm to attack, “This is ridiculous. Dark Blade!”

  Lines of black energy spread out beneath the zori as Michael stabbed the ground, emitting a shockwave that burst up before him. Several smaller zori were tossed into the air, but the attack did nothing to slow to strike of the big zori. It slammed a huge paw down and slammed Michael to the ground, doing little more than stepping to pin him down. Michael had already been neutralized.

  “Hyaah!” A blur of green shot in from the side as Yan leapt to the attack. She stabbed the massive zori at full speed, causing it to shift just enough for Michael to scramble out from underfoot. There were still zori all around them, but Yan landed next to where Michael stood up. “We’re still a team, we take this down together.”

  “Do you think we can?”

  “We have to.” Yan cricked her neck, then leapt into the air again. “Any means necessary!”

  Yan went for another diving kick, surrounded by energy, to slam into the big zori. It was a clean hit, but still seemed to have little effect. She followed up by diving into a group of zori to blast them with a similar surge.

  A couple zori made their way through to Michael and bit down into his leg while he was distracted by Yan. He expelled a surge to knock them away, then slashed down with full force to send a wave of energy ahead. It took a chunk out of the enemy and made it stagger backwards, taking a couple of the lesser zori with it in the process. Michael took a few steps back, and felt his back against Sebastian’s a step later.

  “This isn’t looking good, Michael.” Sebastian continued to push the zori away, but they grew closer by the second. His elemental skills left much to be desired.

  “We win or we die, right?”

  Sebastian inhaled and steadied his breath. “You aren’t wrong.”

  “Then let’s focus the big one. We can figure out the rest later.” Sebastian nodded, then agreed aloud. Michael took his own breath, using the moment of being within Sebastian’s safe space to calm, then looked ahead. “Yan! Hyato! With me!”

  Michael charged in with sword at the ready, letting out the fiercest war cry he could muster. Everything else would have to fall into place. Hyato and Yan heard the call and swept in from their own skirmishes, crossing the battlefield with solid surge slashes that cut into the tanky heft of the large zori. Michael reached the enemy and stomped as he dragged his sword along the ground for his final attack. A blast of cyan force shot into the enemy from behind as Sebastian used the last of his power to batter the enemy with a vibe, leaving it open for a final attack. Michael slashed upwards and focused harder than he had ever done before to amplify the attack.

  Energy courses through the bodies of every living creature, a force of power equal to the measure of one’s vitality and health. The power of the physical form manifested into sheer force, the source of surges and that which all techniques were composed of. Rather than stamina or the external power of mana, energy was the power of vim, the culmination of determination and willpower that exuded from the very Soul of a being.

  Violet energy erupted from Michael’s sword, gleaming like a rising light before a torrent of force crashed into the air like a furious geyser. The massive zori was shorn in half by the overwhelming force of the white haired amnesiac and his black crystalline sword. His attack like a beacon to the heavens, Michael watched as the enormous zori melted into dust and faded away into nothing as the energy he released became crackling static that sparked out of existence.

  That was it, the last of his energy. Michael’s shoulders slumped as the others drew in around him, and he looked to see if his gambit worked. With the death of the titan amongst them, the other zori were leaderless. From here, scaring them away should be...

  Guttural growls and gleaming eyes closed in around the party as the zori reformed their wall of menace. Contempt untempered by fear, monstrous malice seeking nothing less than total destruction. The sheer bloodlust of the enemies around them made the hairs on the back of Michael’s neck stand on end. There was no fear in these foes, no worry for those lost to the battle. Brutal, hollow violence stared at them from hundreds of pairs of monstrous eyes.

  “So, this is a zori.” Michael muttered, the full weight of the enemy reaching him at last.

  “The scourge of Iagorothi, since long before the Erasure of History.” Sebastian said, his voice a shell of its usual clarity. “The downfall of more nations than any other force.”

  Hyato stood with his eyes closed, stoic to the last, while Yan was taking slow controlled breaths. The zori closed in, but Michael no longer felt capable of fighting back. Sebastian seemed to be much the same, panting as he watched the enemy creep closer and cut off any hope of escape. There was a twinge of anger behind one of Michael’s eyes, a sense of growing enmity towards the monsters around him. Underneath his breath, quiet enough that none could hear him over the din of gnashing teeth, Michael resolved his feelings towards those around him. “I hate zori.”

  “Fire!” Spears rained down from the skies all around them, and so too did a soldier with a broad shield. The sudden activity spurned the zori to charge, but a barrier from the newcomer held the enemy at bay. From the ridge ahead there was a detachment of armored warriors raining down attacks at the gathered foes. “Clear a path so we can get them out of here! Focus fire!”

  “Let’s go folks, I’m here to get you to the wall.” The soldier started walking through the assault, keeping a tight barrier up around them. It resolved as a physical ward, so the party had to walk or be pushed by it, but it took them a second to realize what was happening. The soldier was patient, but insistent, and got them all moving.

  Bit by bit, and with escorts trading out, the party was extracted from the zori hills and brought beyond the blockade. The sudden lack of danger, an almost hysterical reality, drew out the last dregs of their stamina faster than they expected. In the face of an end to their struggles, a wave of fatigue washed over the party like an all consuming flood.

  “You’re safe now.” The commander of the squad sent to extract them said, helping Michael and the others step through the wards at their makeshift blockade. “We’ve got water, food, and tents for you to recover your strength in. There’s nothing else to worry about.”

  Michael looked towards the commander as they were led to a tent, and mustered up what he could to smile. “Thank you.” There was a moment of silence as they looked at one another, and Michael thought he saw hesitation in the expression of the man. Then the commander saluted and departed. Michael joined the others in the blocky military tent and laid down on the cot prepared, joining the others in a long overdue rest.

  The party had escaped the clutches of the zori, crossing through the deathtrap turned disaster set forth by the Revenant. Rest overtook them, as the militia and warriors at the wall gossiped about the flash of light from the battle and the demise of one of the large dangerous monsters. A victory over the zori that rang out like a triumph, inspiring the defenders to hold out against the fledgeling horde of zori until military reinforcements arrived. The end of a long battle for the party, signalling the hope of an end on the near horizon.