Holding my shield up, I readied myself to take the wave of furry brown bodies cascading down the tunnel at me.
[Rampart]
A second ghostly shield appeared in front of my physical one just as the nearest monster snarled and leapt.
With a shriek, the monster darted through the air and slammed into the ethereal shield, then was thrown backward just as fast. Flying head over tail, the monster's torso struck the nearest skitterslink's face and kept going. Like bowling pins, a half-dozen of the nasty things were taken out by the tumbling monster, all while its luckier allies leapt to the sides of the tunnel to avoid the furry missile. When its flight was finally done, it was little more than a bloody, broken ball of fur lying on a heap of squirming bipedal rats.
Dashing forward, I cut horizontally, cutting off the nearest monster's head. With the false edge of my sword, I took off another's snout before stabbing, burying half of my blade into another monster's chest. As they dissolved into black smoke, I leapt forward, landing on the pile of squirming skitterslinks and driving my blade into them like they were meat for a skewer. The entire pile screamed, then fell still and began to dissolve.
"Too easy..." I pointed my sword at the monsters. "Who's next?"
With squeaky snarls, the remaining monsters darted down the tunnel, away from my blade, and glared up at me.
"What?" I grinned. "Afraid?"
Like two dozen angry chihuahuas, they all began yipping and snarling at me, but none dared move forward.
Next time they came at me, they would be far more cautious.
Using their hesitation, I counted how many were still moving. About fifteen. "Got fifteen on the left!"
"Around thirty!" Vral's voice was light. "Hurry up, or I'll win!"
"Got about twenty back here!" Ro's voice was equally light.
To be fair to my allies, the skitterslinks weren't much, but still... "Stay sharp! We don't know what else is down here!"
"Who cares?" A rat yelped down the southern tunnel. "Don't be such a stick in the mud!" Vral was giggling now.
"He's right, Vral." Na-Ya's tone was far more serious than her partner's. "Be serious."
"Excuse me," Vral let out a barking laugh, which echoed off the stone walls. "Sticks in the mud!"
[Holy Light]
A flash of divine energy filled the tunnel behind me, casting long shadows down the tunnel. "I won't heal you again if you keep that up!"
"Tris wouldn't let me go unhealed! Would you, girlie?"
"You... have to remember..." Tristan's voice was strained. "I'm holding back a wave of them... with just... my magic..." She groaned. "Don't know... if I could... heal you... wanted to..."
A glance over my shoulder revealed a mass of writhing rat monsters on the other side of her barrier. Her forehead was coated in sweat, and she was breathing hard. She couldn't do that forever. But still... "You've got this, Tris. Just don't fuck around, everyone." We'd be fine. These things were easy. "Once you're done, back Tristan up."
"Yeah, yeah..." A rat's scream echoed up from Vral's tunnel. "You heard the man: don't fuck around, Ro."
"I'm always serious," The elf said. "And I never fuck around."
"I wouldn't say that," Na-Ya giggled. "You can't keep your hands off me."
"Well, uh..."
[Champion's Resolve]
"Take that, friends!"
A pulse of energy washed over me. I felt stronger, both physically and mentally.
Laughing, Na-Ya said, "Take this, too, everyone," then whispered a soft prayer.
[Bless]
A wave of white light surrounded my body, then sank into my skin. Everything felt just a little bit sharper.
"I don't know what any of that was, but I like it!" Vral's voice echoed down the southern tunnel. A rat screamed, which she followed with, "I'm even faster now! Got any more where that came from? Ya? Ro?"
Ro laughed. "Not today, Vral."
"Damn..." From the sound, she killed another skitterslink. "Alex said that we're going to the temple soon. Want to train with us? You two, Na-Ya. You guys are strong!"
"Hell yeah!" Ro's voice was bright. "I've been hoping you guys would come home!"
"I want Tristan to come home, too. I have so much to teach her."
[Holy Light]
Another wave of white light cascaded down the tunnel.
"And I'd be happy to train with you."
"Yesss..." Vral's hiss echoed around me. "Besides Alex, you're the only ones who can push me! I can't wait!"
"Just wait until Renard gets his hands on you..." Na-Ya's voice was a threat and a promise.
"Is he really that strong?"
"Yes." Ro, Na-Ya, and I all answered at the same time.
"No... rush... or anything... guys..." Tristan's voice was strained. "Can... do this... all... day..."
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"Sorry, love!" Get your head straight, Alex! Looking back at my skitterslinks, I noticed they'd gotten fairly close but were still very hesitant. "Keep it up!" I needed to end these quickly so I could back Tristan up. Not wanting to lose the momentum, I pulled my shield off my arm, spun, and heaved. As the shield left my fingers, I activated the skill Jorn had taught me.
[Shield Throw]
My shield hummed as it cut through the air, its rim aimed directly at the closest skitterslink's chest. Before it could react, its body crumpled around the shield and was thrown backward. The monster behind it got bodied, too, its neck snapping on the shield's metal band, and the two behind that one were thrown to the floor. My shield bounced off the ground, hit the wall, bounced off the back of another skitterslink's head, then teleported back to my arm.
It hit me then, all at once. My abilities... My skills... even my damn heritage... Pulling my shield back onto my arm, I held it up, placing it between me and my beautiful quarter-elven lover, and grinned. "I'm fucking Captain America."
[Rampart]
As the ghostly shield appeared once again, behind me, I heard Tristan ask, "Who?"
"I'll explain later." He'd never been my favorite, but when the shit hit the fan... Or was I All Might? Superman?
I took a step down the tunnel. Then another.
The monsters' red eyes narrowed on mine.
"Let's go, bitches."
Step.
They began chittering among themselves.
Step.
Angling my sword, I let the tip rattle against the stone walls. The sound echoed up the tunnel, washing over them, making their fur stand upright on their backs.
Step.
Once by one, their eyes began to widen.
Step.
The monsters began squeaking panicked rat squeaks at one another. The biggest one shoved another, who shoved it back.
Step.
The two began arguing, each pointing in different directions with its clawed fingers. Seemingly at an impasse, the one attacked the other, tearing open its throat with its jagged buck teeth, then screamed for the others to follow it down one of the small tunnels as its fellow's black blood flooded out onto the tunnel floor.
Darting forward, I placed myself in front of the hole and asked, "Going somewhere?"
[Provoke]
The remaining fifteen or so rat heads were pulled upward by the invisible force that was my skill.
Looking down upon them, watching as their rat noses twitched, their bodies thrust toward me, I saw one thing in their eyes: terror. They knew what I knew.
I was their death.
A familiar, uncomfortable, empowering bloodlust bubbled up in my chest. With it, the light illuminating my tunnel dimmed, and a powerful voice echoed in my soul.
SHOW THEM WHO YOU ARE.
My sword flashed.
The nearest skitterslink reached for its throat. A wicked smile spread across its snout... then... black blood began pouring through its fingers.
SHOW THEM WHAT YOU ARE CAPABLE OF.
My sword carved another monster in half. With a heave, I cut two more down, their blood spraying into the air and settling on my lips.
SHOW THEM WHAT YOU WILL DO TO THOSE WHO WOULD TAKE WHAT IS YOURS.
I grinned. None would ever take what was mine.
A monster screamed. Then another.
One turned and ran.
[Shield Throw]
Its skull exploded against the wall of the tunnel.
Another leapt at my wrist.
With a twist, my blade was buried a foot in its gullet.
SUFFER NONE WHO WOULD SHACKLE YOU.
Several monsters leapt at me.
[Iron Skin]
Their teeth shattered on my impervious skin. Then, their blood flowed through the air.
SUFFER NONE WHO WOULD KEEP YOU CHAINED.
Aerell's cackling filled my ears. The pain as she channeled her black magic into my collar. I could feel that fucking thing around my neck again. Could feel her magic wrack every muscle in my body with piercing agony. Her shitty face, smiling. Her cracked tooth, empty. Cackling. Always cackling. Pointing out every flaw. Hardening me. Tempering me.
Making me strong.
My eyes cleared.
Aerell made me strong.
A glanced around the tunnel. Five monsters remained.
"She made me strong." I clenched my jaw and stepped toward them. "Strong enough to fuck you up."
With loud squeaks, the monsters ran.
[Provoke]
Their heads were torn backward. They were filled with fear.
SHOW THEM.
Faster than I'd ever moved, and with as much strength as I'd ever mustered, I swung my blade and cut through all five monsters down in a single slash. Then, as they fell backward, mouths open, hands reaching for their torn chests, I slashed again. And again. And again and again and again and again and—
There was a noise behind me.
BE FREE.
With everything I had, I pivoted and swung my sword. It hummed as it cut through the air, aiming for whichever monster dared harm my loved ones!
Halfway through my strike, my wrist struck something hard as diamond.
A wave of rage flooded through my entire being. How dare one of these fucking monsters try to surv... ive...
Faye's green eyes were practically on fire as her fingers wrapped around my wrist. "That's enough, Alex."
SHOW ME.
"I..." I'd fallen into that pit again. Into the Pit. I was there again. Reliving everything. "I didn't mean to..."
She seemed deflated. Tired. And more than a little sad. "His voice won't ever bring you peace, you know."
The light permeating the tunnel grew brighter. "How do you know—"
"I knew someone once who heard His voice like you do." She sighed. "It's not very common. Only a couple dozen people throughout history could hear his words like you do."
I didn't know. "Who... who was he? This guy you don't like to talk about?"
She smiled a sad smile. "He was... he was a dear friend." Chuckling, she added, "And a bad person. But not bad, bad. Just... broken. And sad. And so, so angry." Her eyes grew distant, like she was reliving a memory. "We spent a lot of time together. Grew to know one another. And in all that time, all he ever did, really, was try to be safe. To find the people he could trust. But he didn't know how. So he manipulated everyone. Collected people like they were things. And, in the end, he lost everything." Her eyes grew heavy. "When I killed him, I prayed that he might get a second chance. And, I prayed that, in the end, I could see him one more time." She smiled. "I wanted to see the man he chose to be. The man he could have been without that voice in his head and heart."
That answered nothing, but I expected as much. "Will you kill me, too, then?" I stepped closer, despite the pain screaming through my wrist. "And after you do, will you pray for me like you prayed for him?"
Her green eyes refocused, then locked onto mine. "I'm not here to choose your path for you. You can choose whatever you want. I just want you to choose well." She let go of my wrist and placed a hand on my shoulder. "However, if you do end up choosing the easy path, that isn't any of my business." Stepping backward, she continued, "I don't think anything you do will make the world end, and I don't think you're strong enough to break the seal, so what you do isn't my responsibility." She smiled. "I just want you to be happy. You deserve that."
"Why? Why do you want that for me?" I didn't get it. Why did she care about me at all? Why was she even here?
Laughing, she said, "Greta told me about what she saw when she first met you. About who you were." She pointed at herself. "I wasn't supposed to be here, either, you know? I was a tagalong just like you. I lost everything for a world that never wanted me, and I became the woman you see in front of you because of it."
"But... you're the Divine—"
"The Divine Hero?" She laughed again, loudly this time, and with far more bitterness. "They started calling me that a hundred years after I saved this world. Before that, I was usually called the 'Upstart' or the 'Wannabe.' Sometimes, when I wasn't nearby, they called me the 'Little Whore Who Could.' No one ever called me a hero, let alone the Hero, until almost everyone who lived during my time was gone."
"So, am I just... charity, then?"
"Yeah?" She shook her head and chuckled. "From one wannabe to another, I just want you to have a better go of it than I did. Is it wrong of me to want to support the next person in line?" A sour look crossed her face. "The hero before me sure as shit never did."
"Are you saying that I'm a hero?"
"No." She looked me over. "Just a candidate. But you could end up being one."
Before I could process what Faye was saying, I heard Tristan groan behind her.
"Alex... I need you..."
Looking past Faye, I saw Tristan's barrier begin to flicker. Next to it, the priestess had fallen to her knees and was panting.
"Let's talk later."
"Yeah." Faye stepped to the side. "Go get 'em, chosen buddy."
I grinned. "I will."
Tristan's barrier flickered, then faded. A wall of rat monsters poured out of the tunnel and toward her.
"Alex!"
[Intercept]
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