Ryris was immediately taken aback by her appearance. Where the others had been ghoulish, their ghostly skin rotting from beyond the grave, their empty eyes boring directly into your soul—Ealsig was hauntingly beautiful. Her skin was intact, her eyes clear. Her flesh took on a milky sheen, yet transparently opaque. Shocking red locks floated around her head, dancing on currents of air produced by her supernatural aura. Emitting her own radiance, she literally glowed—a faint blue halo surrounding her entire phantasmal body. The foul stench of death accompanying the garrison of soldiers did not linger in her presence.
Kaia’s mouth hung agape, her eyes disbelieving what she saw. Jaric moved to stand behind her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. His jaw trembled.
“She’s been turned, too.” Grildi cautiously moved forward, bumping Ryris in the process. “I can see right through her.”
“No…it’s got to be some sort of trick.” A single tear dripped down Kaia’s cheek. Ryris was stunned. He had never seen her weep. She was usually stoic and calm—except for when she was yelling at him. Now, looking upon the ghostly visage of her former general and friend, she was stricken with emotion.
The torches on the walls suddenly blazed alive on their own, illuminating the chamber in bright light. It was then that they noticed dozens of skeletons scattered around the room, weapons and armor discarded where they fell. A pedestal became visible on the back wall, a large, jet-black stone obelisk sitting on top. Visible shifts in the air surrounding it pulsed outward in all directions. The object gave off an unnerving, demonic aura. Ryris couldn’t help but stare at the stone, as if it were drawing him in with unwavering power. His stomach tied itself in knots, and his strength drained from his body as a pressure wave overtook them. He leaned forward with a groan, resting his hands on his thighs to steady himself. A wave of nausea swept over him. It was apparent his comrades were feeling the same effects, for Jaric’s shoulders slumped, causing the tip of his sword to tap against the ground. Grildi brought a hand to his head and massaged his temples with a wince. Kaia let out a shaky breath—due to both the shock of seeing her fellow general and the fatigue that now consumed them. None of them noticed the sly, knowing smirk cross Ealsig’s lips.
Without warning, Ealsig drew her axe and lunged forward, the blade slicing into Kaia’s forearm at the junction between her gauntlet and upper body armor. Blood spilled from underneath the crystal plates as she howled in pain. Jaric grabbed his injured companion and threw her to the side, just as Ealsig struck again. With his waning strength affecting him, he was slower than usual to move and just barely missed being sliced in half. A blast of energy flew out from her weapon’s arc, knocking all the companions to the ground. Ryris tumbled backwards, his head smashing to the floor with a thud. It took him a few seconds to regain his senses, stars blinking in front of his eyes. He gingerly crawled back to his feet, with Grildi’s assistance. The amulet on his chest started to heat up. He didn’t know what to do, so he just stood there dumbfounded. He knew he should be helping, but his body was hopelessly fatigued, his mind sluggish and disoriented. His attention fell to the stone on the pedestal for just a moment before being yanked back into the fracas.
Kaia scrambled to her feet and drew her bow with shaking hands. Blood from her wounded arm splattered onto the ground. She backed away from the ghoul as best she could. Ealsig charged at her, her axe cutting through the air with incredible precision. It nicked a shard of crystal from Kaia’s shoulder pauldron. “Ealsig, stop!”
Ealsig ceased her onslaught for a split-second, a surprised jolt shaking her body. It seemed Kaia’s command had struck a nerve. It only lasted an instant, and the spectral soldier’s eyes flared red and she swung again. Kaia brought her bow up to defend herself just in time. The shaft of the weapon clashed against the upper limb of the bow, the sheer force of the blow threatening to shatter the crystalline material. The bow bent under the impact, but did not yield. Ealsig pushed Kaia backwards, using her axe as a ram, until she slammed her into the side wall. Kaia’s bow fell from her hands, allowing Ealsig to jam the shaft of her axe against Kaia’s throat, cutting off her air supply. Kaia clawed at the obstruction with frantic hands. Ealsig leaned in close, nose-to-nose with her captive, and snarled.
Grildi, club swinging, ran at the pair, only to be forced back by an unexpected blast of energy. It seemed to come directly from Ealsig’s body. He somersaulted backwards and came to a stop in a sprawl of limbs, his head smashing against the wall. Dazed.
Jaric, watching this unfold in seemingly slow-motion, stumbled forward under the fatigue of the menacing obelisk and tried to attack his former comrade. He raised his sword high above his head and brought it down, slicing through her back with a pained, sorrowful yell. Ealsig’s body parted, allowing the blade to pass right through. Jaric narrowly missed hitting Kaia. Ealsig’s momentary fading gave Kaia enough time to slide down the wall and out of her grip, gasping for air. She rolled to the side just in time to avoid Ealsig’s blade once more. Her ghostly opponent turned and went after Jaric, an orb of ice materializing in her outstretched hand. She flung it at him, the icy projectile hitting him in the legs and bowling him over. She seemed to pay no mind to Ryris.
Once again, Ryris’ attention was drawn to the stone in the back of the room. His foggy brain struggled to decide whether or not to fight, or figure out what was going on with the object. He tried to get Jaric’s attention, but found his mouth had gone dry and unable to produce words.
Jaric, still disoriented, crawled on the ground, the remnants of Ealsig’s icy ball melting on the floor. Ealsig approached him, kicking his legs out from underneath him before he could stand. Without touching him, she pointed and he rose into the air, high above their heads. A flick of her wrist sent him crashing to the ground. Jaric screamed out in pain as his body slammed against the stone floor. Blood trickled from a new cut to his scalp.
The amulet on Ryris’ chest was burning him now, and he knew there was only one thing he could do. They were in great peril, and he didn’t know how much longer they would survive. He knew he had the skills…he just had to muster the courage to use them. After all, this wasn’t some nameless ancient ghoul—this was Kaia and Jaric’s friend, their comrade. But if he didn’t do something, they’d be killed. There was no doubt in his mind about that. He summoned all the strength he had and conjured a ball of flames, flinging it at Ealsig’s back with a hefty battle cry. To his shock, it hit her—and immediately disappeared into a cloud of smoke. He stared in disbelief as he remnants of his volley wafted around her ghostly body.
Kaia, watching Ealsig’s reaction to the attack, noticed a slight wavering in her concentration. The assault had definitely rattled her. Whether it had any effect on her strength or accuracy would remain to be seen. Ealsig turned and focused her attention on her new opponent.
“Again! Do it again!”
Kaia’s desperate plea shook him from his reverie. He concentrated again, all the while watching his comrades form up behind their spectral friend. Ryris knew what they were doing. He was being used as a distraction. He steeled his nerves and quickly flung another fireball at the spectral warrior.
This time, Ealsig actually laughed at his attempt. A mocking, ghoulish chuckle that made Ryris’ hair stand on end. She stared him down, all while forming a glittering spike of ice in her hand. She held her axe high with one hand and readied a giant icicle with the other. It hovered just above her head as it took shape. The icy weapon crackled and popped as the heat from the room began to melt it.
Just as Ealsig was about to deliver the fatal blow to the alchemist, Jaric leapt at her and knocked the frozen projectile out of the air. It crashed to the floor and shattered. Ealsig immediately roared with anger and whirled around to face him. Her eyes flared and her hair billowed around her head on furious currents. An animalistic growl reverberated from both her lips and the room itself as the obelisk against the wall pulsed again, sending out a crimson-tinted wave of energy. It surrounded Ealsig, s
eeping into her misty body. In a matter of seconds, her feet touched down to the ground and she stood once more—this time on solid appendages. With a flick of her wrist, she sent Jaric hurtling backwards on a wave of energy.
She was no longer a specter. Her armor took on mass along with her body, and she was suddenly much more dangerous. Phantasmal fire wicked up around her as power surged through her newly-formed body. The ground beneath their feet shook. Grildi grabbed Ryris under his arms and dragged him back, away from Ealsig.
Kaia, wasting no time, brought up her bow and conjured an arrow of pure light. She fired it at her former partner as the spectral wind knit her body back together. The projectile hit her in the abdomen, her ghostly armor absorbing the energy with ease. Undeterred, Kaia attacked again, even though her injured arm struggled to hold her bow. As soon as the holy arrow struck, Jaric followed up with an attack of his own, hopeful he could take advantage before Ealsig’s transformation was complete. He swung his mighty sword at her, only to have Ealsig grab the blade between her hands and wrench it aside, throwing Jaric and his weapon to the ground.
Grildi ran at her, whipping his club around in a graceful arc. It connected with Ealsig’s shoulders, knocking her forward. She needed a second to regain her footing. When she stood straight again, she turned toward the lumbering man and blasted him with a frosty wind, rendering him unconscious before his body ever hit the floor.
“Grildi!” Ryris bolted to his friend’s side, slapping his cheeks in an attempt to get him to come to. Grildi laid motionless, blood oozing from his nostrils. A thin sheen of ice covered his entire body. Ryris wiped the frosty coating from his eyes and mouth, completely unaware that Ealsig was ready to pounce on him. It was only when Jaric’s booming battle cry ripped through the air did he turn to see he was about to be cleft in two. He barely dodged the attack, Ealsig’s axe smashing into the ground right beside Grildi’s head. Jaric soon followed, jumping on her back and attempting to hold her in a bear hug. She desperately tried to hang onto her weapon.
Ealsig roared in fury, her eyes burning red as she fought off her friend. Kaia readied another holy arrow and let loose, hitting Ealsig in the chest. The ghostly warrior, angered by the attack, screamed and forced Jaric’s arms from her body. He fell onto his backside and rolled away. Ealsig drew her axe and charged at Kaia.
“Ealsig, what are you doing?” Kaia held her bow, cocked and ready with another magical projectile. “Don’t you recognize us?”
Ealsig stopped momentarily, confusion crossing her face. Her eyes darted to the side, resting on the stone in the back of the room. Within seconds, she snapped out of her haze and continued her onslaught. She swung at Kaia, her axe blade narrowly missing the junction of her armor between her cuirass and thigh plates. Kaia doubled over from the ferocity of the attack and dropped her bow. Not bothering to pick up speed, Ealsig leisurely strolled toward her, knocking the rest of the companions back with a blast of energy from her hand. She knelt down and grabbed Kaia by the collar of her breastplate, lifting her high in the air. Blood gushed from her arm, staining the dusty floor below.
Ryris watched through hazed-over eyes as Ealsig shook Kaia before tossing her aside like a rag doll. She laughed, her head thrown back, her red hair cascading down over her glittering armor. Kaia groaned as she desperately tried to pull herself to her knees. She spat a mouthful of blood onto the cobblestones.
The sight of her struggling filled Ryris with rage. He suddenly had the driving urge to defend her. Before he knew it, he shot a ball of plasma at Ealsig. She knocked it out of the air with her hand like she was batting away a gnat. Before he could react, she grabbed him in the same manner she had Kaia. With absolutely no effort, she tossed him aside and moved on to her next victim.
Jaric scrambled out of the way and made a bee-line for his sword. Grabbing it, he swung wildly with none of the precision that his training had awarded him. Surprisingly, he made contact, crashing into Ealsig’s gauntlet. With new determination burning in his eyes, he kept up his assault, his sword smashing into her armor with a ferocity Ryris had never seen from him. Time after time, his weapon sliced into Ealsig’s defenses, his blade cutting into her spectral flesh on more than one occasion. Thick black blood dripped from her wounds, coagulating on the floor. Rage burned in Ealsig’s eyes, but she did not attack him back.
There was something else in her expression, something that Ryris almost missed. For just a moment, her face showed remorse—and fear. Once again, her eyes shifted toward the obelisk at the back of the room before a great arc of energy shot out from its surface. It enveloped Ealsig and she roared in defiance, finally returning Jaric’s assaults with vicious accuracy. She charged at him, her axe blows precise and vengeful. The loving, pitiful look in her eyes had been replaced by sheer malice. Her blade tore into Jaric’s breastplate, slicing a hole over his heart, mirroring the one her armor bore. His under mail had thankfully stopped the otherwise-fatal blow. The force of the strike knocked him backwards. Kaia tried to crawl to him, but was stopped by Ealsig’s boot on her back.
“…pitiful…”
Ealsig’s ghostly voice reverberated through the room, seemingly coming from her mouth and the stone in the back at the same time.
Something in Ryris snapped when he heard her insult. They had tried their best to defeat her, knowing it was the only way to bring peace to her soul and to get out of there alive. And here she was calling them pitiful. Whatever had corrupted her, whatever was making her act in this uncharacteristic way—Ryris knew it needed to be stopped. If he didn’t do something, they would soon join Ealsig as undead warriors. His hands clenched at the sight of Jaric and Kaia laying helpless and bleeding under Ealsig’s malicious stare. She twirled the axe arrogantly in the air above her head, staring Ryris down. Daring him to be the hero.
His amulet began to burn his skin, and he looked down to see it glowing brightly, even under his shirt. Suddenly, electricity crackled over his body, as if it were erupting from his very soul. He was afraid in that moment, for he had never experienced anything like this before. His head began to swim, a thousand voices calling out to him from across time and space. They melded into one voice, although Ryris had no idea what it was saying. He heard it, yet didn’t understand it. All he knew was it seemed to be encouraging him.
Ealsig bared her teeth, kicked Kaia in the stomach, and raised her axe above her head, ready to take Kaia’s as a trophy.
Time suddenly stopped. Ryris saw the axe, saw Kaia’s terrified face. The screams of his friends stretched out, the words unintelligible. He felt as if he were floating, his consciousness seeping out from every pore. It was as if he was leaving his body and being sucked deeper into it at the same time.
The amulet flared, and his hands erupted with grand arcs of lightning. He had no control as powerful bolts of electricity erupted from his fingertips and flew at Ealsig. The energy crackled across her armor, tendrils of lightning flashing out in all directions. Ealsig screamed—a bloodcurdling, horrific scream—and fell to the ground. Her axe clattered down next to her. She held her head in her hands, the inhuman cry continuing to erupt from her lips. The obelisk in the back of the room bellowed out a grand pulse of energy and Ealsig ceased to scream. Black fog poured from underneath it, and rolled across the floor toward them. The acrid stench was unbearable.
Ryris was suddenly sucked back into his body and fell to the ground. His hands were smoking and shaky, his stomach threatening to empty itself from stress. He couldn’t breathe. Kaia clambered to her feet and stared at him in awe as she covered her mouth against the putrid fog. Ealsig curled into a ball on the ground, electricity still arcing across her spectral armor. Her body began to flicker. Jaric grabbed her axe, so she was unable to re-arm herself again.
His mind once again his own, Ryris finally realized just what Ealsig had been trying to tell them in her fleeting moments of clarity. He pointed to the pedestal and yelled out to Jaric.
“The stone!”
Jaric tight
ened his grip on his comrade’s axe and ran toward the obelisk, leaping over the rolls of poisonous fog as he moved. With one grand swing, he raised Ealsig’s awesome weapon above his head and brought it down with a mighty strike, shattering the dark artifact. A spectral wind blasted out from the remnants of the object, blowing the barred door wide open regardless of the lock. Out in the corridors, the clattering of weapons dropping to the ground rattled through the complex, as their owners were sucked into the void.
The room became freezing cold once more, and Ealsig’s misty body rose up and hovered a few feet above the floor. She no longer had an air of malice about her, and didn’t move to attack. Her expression was one of peace—and relief.
“…I’m sorry…”
Kaia scrambled to her feet and ran to Ealsig, reaching out a hesitant hand to touch her. She stopped short, her fingers barely penetrating the spectral body of her friend. “Ealsig…I…”
The ghost soldier offered a sincere, loving smile. “Don’t…cry over me. I’m…at peace.” She pointed to the remnants of the dastardly obelisk. “That thing…held us here…made us kill. We couldn’t…destroy it.”
Kaia fought her tears. “I couldn’t save you…”
“You’re wrong… You saved us all…” She floated around to face Jaric. He stared at her longingly, holding her axe at his side with a shaky hand. Her phantasm began to fade as she spoke. “Jaric…we never had the chance…to…”
He reached out for her, his fingers passing directly through her outstretched spectral hand. She lifted her other hand and traced her fingers down the side of his face. His shoulders slumped and he hung his head sadly. Kaia moved beside him, and together they stood in solemn solidarity. They finally looked up to their fallen comrade just in time to witness her final words.
The Alchemist: Dawn of Destiny Page 37