//------------------------------// // Disease Breather // Story: An Aeternian's Conviction // by The Real Darkness //------------------------------// A great white light shined from where the spearhead dug into the ground and a bubbe rapidly spread around him and the surrounding area, encompassing all of Griffonstone. At that initial brightness, mana was being dispersed, spells stopped. The cave at the base of Griffonstone revealed itself, the most likely place this undead army was being assembled. Arctus approached with no hesitation or fear, holding his spear in front of him. Though the risen dead were easy to dispatch, the true danger came from the countless diseases one could get from handling them. To save the griffins above from that effort, he wouldn't be leaving until each one was dead. The moment he stepped into the cavern, "I knew you'd find me. You and that damn spear are the only reason why I haven't been acknowledged as the superior force in Aeternia." Torches flared to life, revealing the groaning army of griffins, rotting away. "I want to see you give in to my force," Hadden mocked him, his voice coming from farther back. For most, a deadly blow to the head or complete annihilation of the corpse would slay an undead, but Hadden had his mana in each one of these bodies. It would be fire to kill them, but Arctus' spear would neutralize each one at the first touch. Without hesitation, a unique symbol hit the air in front of Arctus, led by his hand, "Relentless Gær! I invoke your name. Give to me your breath, blown into my nostrils so I may not." Green light shone over the Master Scout and he dove in, slaying the horrors with a single strike, countering beforethey could land anything on him. He wouldn't admit it, but the thought of undead touching him was a fear he acquired ever since he roamed his first sky-cursed ruin. Arctus fought on, slaying body after body and moving forth, heading closer and closer to the back of the cave. "You invoked a godhood, I suppose you won't tire from my hoard." "You're only just a mage, how do you expect to stand up to a Master Scout?" "I'll send you to your grave whether you kill me or not. Disease with be your killer, Arctus." The undead began dropping all on their own, Hadden was taking his invested mana back, eventually he was visible and so was another Aeternian at the back of the cave behind him. Dressed much more casually, that was a normal citizen, some kind of laborer or tradesperson. Arctus saw Hadden inhale and then exhale a great amount of fumes, a brackish brown cloud puffed from his mouth, overtaking to the walls of the cave and moving alarmingly fast at him. "Intangible Kamna!" "No! Nobody has used that godhood in a hundred of years!" He traced the symbol in the air, "teach my body to become fateless and unbound so that I may deliver the final blow as you did to the sky!" A pink sheen raced over his body and Arctus gave way, sinking into the stone floor of the cave. His vision still worked and he was able to see out of the rock, going around the cloud he met the front of Hadden, impaling his spear deep into the necromancer's chest. He was as any spirit can be, physical material would only stop him if he allowed. "You always practiced the most distasteful arts. Aeternia will be better off without you in its future." "You...goddamn bastard. Why refuse to conquer nations and be the ruler you want?" "There is wisdom in Aeternia's ability to function without a true leader." "I always thought you were full of yourself, Starborn," he mocked, "but now you're just full of yourself in a moronic way." Arctus flared the rebirth of his spear and the frostbitten heat roasted his cells, demolishing them as it froze over. Hadden went limp and slipped from his spear, no blood pooled out. It was all too frozen to move. Arctus looked to the terrified Aeternian. "You know what those two were doing was wrong. The dead deserve to stay dead. As a civilian, you don't have the need to conquer and destroy born in you, I know a place you can live peacefully here." "M-Master Scout Arctus?" "That is my name, didn't you hear them say it," he heaved the woman to her feet, "we leave. You're going to be roughing it for a while so get used to that," Arctus pulled her hard before she walked of her own accord, "move quick, there are countless diseases here, don't breath the air too much." The pair made it out of the cave and Arctus took a moment to lay a sigil that he used at the twin sister's castle. The entrance was exploded and quickly covered in a rockfall to prevent anything from entering the defiled mountain hole. "I'm camping out in the woods to the South. Once I get some rest, food, and make two more oars, we're rowing further South to a place called the Dragon Lands. Then I can get you to your new home once I crumble that kingdom." "O-okay," she looked to the night sky, "thank you for the envoy of my prayers." Arctus returned to his camp, his physical form wasn't too exhausted, but his mana was dwindling and that also required rest to restore. He started a fire without hesitation using more magic and went to work getting fish. "What's your name?" Arctus asked as he held his bow over the water, thin rope tied to the shaft. "Huh?" The woman looked at him, "oh, Lohey." "Lohey, as someone who is non-military I know you're not used to taking orders. I know you know of Aeternia law that allows a Scout to leverage use of whomever and any resources they need. I would rather not apply that law, so I ask. Can you get more firewood? Whatever sticks, branches, and dried plant material. I'll be co-," he loosed his arrow and yanked the rope back, pulling a fish up, "cooking quite a lot tonight and resting in the morning." Lohey nodded to him and left. Arctus knew these woods were completely safe and that was the lone reason why he sent her out. That afternoon, Arctus spent time cutting a fallen log down before making two more shabby oars, taking time to make another meal for them both afterward and as night approached he looked to Lohey, "listen, that canoe is big, so you can sleep in it, but I must be off to my next task." "Is there any city you can leave me at?" Lohey spoke up. Arctus took a look at her, an incredible amount of fear symptomed from the dart to avoid eye contact. "Yes, Equestria has the same law enacted. I can get you there," he began digging the canoe up as a great orange shade cast over the sky, "grab an oar and start digging." Lohey followed his wish and both of them in their sweat unearthed the canoe. Arctus turned it over, removing most of the sand from the inside. And they were off with irritating grains preventing a more comfortable ride.