Meridias

  He let out a sigh and looked to Maria. He could see scrapes and bruises on her arms and legs from the fall but she seemed alright otherwise. “Well we’re sure as heck not getting back up until that black wind fades away so we might as well try and come up with a plan of attack,” he said and turned towards her. He sat with crossed legs and rubbed his head. The pain was really bothering him. Maria pulled her legs to her chest and put her face between her knees. He could only see the upper half of her face but she looked terrified. There was something else he had to say. “What were you thinking back there?” There was anger in his voice. “You thought you could take it out didn’t you? If I hadn’t pushed you out of the way then you would’ve died.” Maria was taken aback. She’d never seen him angry before. “N-no one asked you to!” she blurted out caught up in the moment. “I’m sure if I died I would’ve just appeared in town like in other games.”

  To her surprise Elunduil’s anger vanished and he put a hand to his chin. “Now that you mention it no one ever told us what happens if we die here…” He started laughing. Now Maria was confused. “That’s so dumb… I keep forgetting this place is a game.” He continued to laugh and Maria soon found that she was laughing too. “Anyway, those Cerebus. They may be fast but if we can just pin them down we might be able to win against them,” he said.

  “W-what can we do?! Those things are fast and strong! Even if we did pin them down we don’t know what will hurt them,” Maria pointed out. Elunduil shook his head.

  “No, they dodge our magic and they were avoiding the knight’s blade. They wouldn’t do that unless they knew it could hurt them.” Maria ruefully admitted that he was right. They swapped ideas for a little longer and came up with a solid plan. Their main goal would be making it to the terminus and hopefully reuniting with the others, but if they had to fight a Cerebus then they would.

  Elunduil looked up and saw that the haze was fading away. He got up and went to climb up the hill but Maria stopped him. “Wait…” she said. She had to know what had happened to him during their contest. “Today and at the river,” she started to say. A chill went down Elunduil’s spine. Had she noticed? “Both times you… there was a moment where you were like a statue, and both times I had a sense of foreboding. Is something wrong with you?” Elunduil took a deep breath. Should he brush it off? No it would probably happen again. There was no sense in trying to hide it. “I don’t know how it looks to you, but for me it’s like there’s a sudden lapse in time. That’s all I can say, but…” he turned to look at her.

  “Would you keep that to yourself? I don’t want anyone else knowing.” Maria hadn’t expected him to plead with her but he’d been so honest that she agreed to keep his secret. She wondered if he had some real world medical condition but he had started the long climb up the hill before she could ask, so she shook her head to clear her thoughts and hastily followed behind him. They were ready to face whatever came next.

  ***

  Tanis wasn’t sure what information Angurvadel had found but the fact the he’d been waiting for them outside meant that it was a big deal. The elder lead them into the town hall and then to the room where he’d taken them for the element affinity and orientation test. A single book sat on the table in the middle of the room. Elegant silver markings where scrawled across the surface of the cover. Tanis could only assume that those were Elvin words. “I have consulted many texts over the past weeks in regards to your situation Tanis. You were capable of using a magic weapon yet when you returned you still could not use magic. I think at last I understand. What you can do is different from the magic that we elves know.” Angurvadel paused to let his words sink in. “What I have found is that you may very well be someone capable of using The Light,” he continued. “The Light has been described in many ways. A force of righteousness. A presence that guides living beings to bring about good in the world. I have found a ritual that allows a person capable of wielding the Light to commune with it. Of course that is if you truly are a Champion of The Light.” Tanis was stunned. Him? A Champion of the Light? He’d always played the part but this was surreal. “I… well how do we do this ritual and find out?” he asked the elder. The elf cracked a broad smile.

  “I thought you would be interested. The room is already prepared. All I need to do is light the incense. I would advise you take a meditative pose first.” Tanis nodded then sat and crossed his legs. Angurvadel lit two incense torches that had been hidden until a moment ago. As the fumes spread Angurvadel instructed him to close his eyes. He wasn’t sure how long he sat there for but he didn’t feel anything change so he said, “I don’t think this is…” he opens his eyes. “… Working?”

  An unfamiliar place fills his vision. He is standing on a barren, rugged landscape and there are men and women wearing medieval style armor. They are yelling battle cries and charging at some enemy in the distance that he cannot see, for the number of people around him had to have been in the hundreds if not thousands. Magic lightning and fire shoots from the sky and around him, but the spells were massive in size. Each spell seems like it could swallow buildings whole. It made Elunduil’s magic look pitiful by comparison. “Where… am I?” he asks as he looked about.

  He realizes he is gripping something in his hand and looks down to find his sword, Retribution, in his hand. A massive explosion of emerald light rises up in the distance to his right. He squinted and sees a person hovering in the air by the explosion. His eyes go wide. It couldn’t be? He looks as hard as he can. It was impossible to make out the details from this distance but that person is wearing a blue robe that looks like Elunduil’s. Tanis doesn’t know why he thinks it could be Elunduil but now he has to find out for certain. He gulps as he looks at all the people. He has to get close to whatever the heck it was that they were fighting, but something is telling him that he needs to go to the person in the robe. He grips his sword and dashes forward into the flood of people.

  ***

  After several minutes of climbing Elunduil pulls himself up over the top of the ridge. He looks back to see Maria coming up the slope and reaches out a hand to pull her up with. She grabs it and he hoist her over the edge. They quickly scan the area for signs of danger but find nothing in the vicinity. “Okay, let’s head around the edge of the corruption back towards the Terminus like we planned,” Elunduil says. Maria nods in agreement and they set off. The plan was simple: Attempt to head to the terminus while avoiding the Cerebus, and if possible to regroup with the others. Their situation was too dangerous to prioritize regrouping and the others would probably also attempt to escape the area and go for help. Elunduil had devised a battle plan if they were to find themselves surrounded by the Cerebus but their main priority would be to flee.

  They run at an average pace so as to be able to react to danger and to get out as quickly as possible. Elunduil’s eyes flick from place to place watching for signs of movement. There is a crunch from some brush ahead that causes Elunduil to come to a stop. Maria stops beside him and gives him a look. There is fear in her eyes but she seems resolved. Elunduil gathers energy to his palm and a ball of light shines forth. He aims towards the brush and waits while the sound of branches snapping come closer to them. A shape burst forth and Elunduil almost attacks but at the last moment he realizes it is a person and his spell fades. “Daniel!” Maria calls out as the younger of the brothers tumbles out. “Oh man I’m really glad I found someone!” Daniel says with relief. Maria goes to him while Elunduil turns about and scans the area before joining them. “What happened to you two? You look all beat up,” Daniel asks as he looks at Elunduil and Maria.

  “We sorta fell down the side of a hill trying to get away from the Cerebus,” Maria says embarrassedly. Daniel was about to ask more but Elunduil cuts in and says, “We need to get moving. The Cerebus are still out there.” Maria and Daniel nod and the group start to head out when a growl reaches their ears.

  Elunduil feels a chill in his spine and spins about to face their foe. One of the Cerebus
had found them. “Tch!” Elunduil clicks in annoyance. If only they hadn’t stopped for so long. At least there was only one of them. “Daniel arm yourself!” he commands. “Maria, let’s stick with the plan and attempt to fall back to the terminus.” They slowly back away and he hears Daniel draw his blade. The Cerebus glowers at them but doesn’t move to strike. Elunduil wonders why it isn’t following but if they are able to get away without a fight then that would be ideal.

  Suddenly the creature bears down on them and Elunduil responds by shooting a couple bolts of light at it. As expected the Cerebus easily maneuvers out of the way and keeps coming at them. Elunduil pours more energy into his palms and fires a barrage at the creature, forcing it to weave tightly. Good! Just a little closer and then it would be Maria’s turn. The Cerebus had other plans and dashes widely around to his left side. He follows it as best as he can with his magic and at the same time realizes the creature is changing targets. Maria or Daniel… which one was it after? He forces a patch of earth to jut up in front of the Cerebus to try and slow it down but to no avail. It simply moves around it with its uncanny speed. He fires a volley of six bolts of light between Daniel and Maria. This was it. The Cerebus has fallen for the trap! It dodges the magic then immediately turns and dashes to Maria who was already unleashing a blast of ice that will freeze the creature in place.

  A freezing gale howled from Maria’s hands and washed over the beast. Ice coalesced on its body and quickly spread. The Cerebus’ speed dropped drastically as the ice covered its form and Elunduil felt certain this would stop the creature so that they could get away, but for some reason he felt uneasy. Something was wrong but what? By the time he realized it, it was too late. A black aura rose around the Cerebus and the ice that was forming was obliterated. He didn’t even have time to raise a hand. The Cerebus bore down on Maria before he or Daniel could react and they fell to the ground. She had begun to loose a scream but it was cut out when the Cerebus had sunk its teeth into her throat with a sickening crunch. She was dead. Somehow he knew it was for real. It wasn’t a game. She wouldn’t come back. Time seemed to stand still for him in that moment. He blinked.

  The Cerebus was bearing down on Maria as she started to unleash her magic. Time slowed. He wasn’t sure what he just saw but he didn’t have any time to dwell on it now. All he knew in that moment was that he wouldn’t allow the future he’d seen to be realized. That was the only thing that mattered. He didn’t care if they realized the truth about him. The only thought on his mind in that moment was:

  I need to save her.

  Time starts to move again. He concentrates like he never has before and gathers his energy! The ice is starting to form on the Cerebus. It has to be now! “Firewall Flower!” he shouts. A wall of flames in the shape of four petals erupts around the Cerebus as it charges. He sees Maria and Daniel jolt in surprise at the magic. The intensity and scale are greater than when he had used it months ago. He quickly clenches his hand and the petals close, engulfing the Cerebus inside. The flames roar and become a pillar until they dissipate. Elunduil feels the toll of his magic hit his body and staggers. He looks up.

  The Cerebus lay on the ground but he could tell it wasn’t dead. He’d hurt it but they could probably escape before it recovered. What had he seen before though? A vision of the future? That seemed the most logical but for some reason it felt more like something that had happened before. “Holy…” Daniel said in surprise as he came to his senses. Maria was just as shocked and turned to Elunduil. “That wasn’t part of the plan!” she managed to say. He looked to the side and said, “That plan would’ve failed.”

  She thought she saw a pained look in his eyes for a moment but when he looked back the expression was gone. “We need to get out of here before it can move again. As strong as that magic was I’m a bit surprised the Cerebus didn’t get reduced to ash,” he said. Maria nodded but her thoughts were elsewhere. Elunduil’s magic. A blue robe with a four-petal flower on the back that he’d gotten from the elves. A person from another world. After seeing what she’d seen him do just now she couldn’t help but thinking that maybe he was The Firewall Flower. It couldn’t be, could it?

  They started to leave but two growls reached their ears. They looked back and saw that the other two Cerebus had found them. “Just our luck!” Daniel commented gloomily. Maria shared his sentiment but if Elunduil could use magic of that scale then maybe they stood a chance, but how long could he use magic like that for? If she had to guess she would say once or twice more at best. She didn’t think he could focus on two Cerebus at a time either and if he did try to get one of them the other would surely exploit that opening, and if her magic couldn’t stop them then… they were in trouble. The Cerebus began to charge at them but large spikes of earth shoot up from the side and their forced to dodge. “Here comes the cavalry!” They heard Tim shout from their right.

  The knight, Tim, and Dave rush to join them. Elunduil doesn’t hesitate and shoots bolts of light at the Cerebus to keep them distracted. Maria join him with shards of ice flying from her fingertips and Tim keeps upheaving the earth with dangerous spikes to give the beasts another obstacle to avoid. “Let’s go!” Elunduil says over the spells flying through the air and they dash to meet up with the others. “Is everyone unharmed?” The knight asks as the groups meet. Elunduil nods. “We managed to hurt one,” he says while shooting another volley of light at the Cerebus. “Good! Let us retreat before they gather their full might!” The Cerebus didn’t seem keen on letting them go but they keep their distance as the group slowly retreats.

  The third Cerebus had risen during this time and joined its brethren in their march. Elunduil has a sinking sensation that they were going to try their combo attack again, and this time if they got separated he doesn’t know if they’d be able to find each other. That’s when he notices something else. Amidst the miasma and the blackened landscape something stirs. Black and red dust-like particles swirl up from the tainted earth and begin to coalesce into a ball. Appendages form out from the ball, and the ball elongates. The two front appendages become jointed and long claws form out of them. The back two appendages become smaller jointed legs and a lump rises up from the body. Long wispy antennae form from the lump and a large red eye that glows menacingly appears.

  The appearance of this creature causes the three Cerebus to pause and they look at it. It doesn’t make a move to attack them so they turn their attention back to the humans. “Uh, this is bad,” Tim says worriedly. Elunduil instinctively dislikes the tainted creature that had appeared. Everything in his being was against that creature’s existence… but why? “What do we do now” Maria asks. The knight shakes his head. “We must flee but if those creatures are allied than we may have to fight them all,” he answers.

  “Let it come!” Elunduil says indignantly. He could tell the others are surprised by his response but so is he. He can’t fathom why his behavior has shifted and finds himself waiting for an opportunity to strike. The Cerebus seem like a non-factor compared to the tainted creature.

  Suddenly the tainted creature comes to life and soundlessly lashes out like lightning at the nearest Cerebus. The beast doesn’t even have time to react as a deadly claw tears into its side. Black blood sprays from the wound and the Cerebus let loose an unearthly wail as its form became transparent until it fades away. The other two Cerebus quickly turn and attack the tainted creature but are eviscerated in the same fashion as their fallen comrade. Elunduil was already ready. As soon as the tainted creature had attacked the first Cerebus he had started gathering energy. As the other two Cerebus are felled he holds up his hands and unleashes a beam of light at the tainted creature. It was different from the beam he’d used against the Leader. This one shines with a holy light, meant to cleanse evil and darkness from the world. By the time the light fades the two Cerebus had faded away and the tainted creature was gone. Elunduil panted heavily but felt a sense of relief. No wait there was something that he still needed to do.

 
While the others were recovering from their initial shock Elunduil strode forward alone through the tainted land. “Hey, wait we should leave!” Someone called out to him. He ignored it and continued on until he could see the source of the corruption. He grimaced as he held up his hand. He wouldn’t be able to use any magic after this. A golden light shone from above his palm and he raised it towards the crevasse in the ground that seeped miasma from its depths. Burn like fire. He thought as he shot the light into the crack.

  A moment later golden flames licked out of the crack then dissipated. No more miasma flowed from it and Elunduil sighed in relief. “What the heck did you do Elunduil?” Tim said from behind him. Elunduil shrugged. “I don’t know. That only really stopped the flow I think but… the tainted area here will still seep out miasma and spread… probably.” Elunduil wasn’t really sure about that but he did feel like the main source was dealt with. The malice he had felt from the depths of the tunnel was gone.

  Maria and the others caught up to them and after they heard what Elunduil had done they left the corrupted land and returned to the Terminas. Maria was still shocked by what she’d seen. She could hardly believe the difference between her and Elunduil. Sure she’d thought that his firewall flower was impressive but that beam of light that he’d used at the end was a step above that. The way Angurvadel had talked about Elunduil at the river made her think that perhaps Elunduil had been to this world before her. If he had then… was the legend of the Firewall Flower really just something that had happened recently? Were the elves and humans of this world covering it up by telling them it had happened a long time ago? She couldn’t be sure but if that was Elunduil’s full power then it was likely he was the one from the legend.