Chapter 64
The ground beneath Kernal's massive feet trembled as the guardian halted at the clearing's edge. The group, perched on Kernel's broad shoulders, exchanged uneasy glances, their hands tightening on the roots sprouting from his frame.
The dire wolf, its hulking form nearly matching Kernel's, let out a guttural growl that rippled through the air. Beside it stood the monstrous goat, its grotesque form glistening with corruption as jagged arcs of yellow-green lightning danced across its wickedly curved horns, radiating raw menace from its stance.
"Time to get our boots dirty," Robert said grimly, gripping the roots on Kernal's shoulders as the guardian crouched low, offering an easy descent, his stone limbs creaking like ancient trees in a storm.
Hamish swung his legs over and slid down first, landing heavily but steadying himself with ease, his boots kicking up dust. His hand tightened around his sword's hilt as he muttered something in Gaelic, his eyes fixed on the Hell-Goat with disgust and determination, a warrior ready for battle.
Chaucer followed, his twin wakizashi drawn and held loosely, the blades catching the rift's eerie light. He glanced at Hamish and grinned, mischief sparking in his eyes. "You're not really planning to ride that thing, are you?"
"Watch me," Hamish replied, his voice dark but laced with humor, a challenge in his tone.
Lillia descended last, her movements light and graceful, black curls bouncing as she landed softly. Her emerald eyes scanned the battlefield, narrowing at the corrupted beasts, a quiet intensity in her gaze.
She raised her hand toward Kernel, a shimmering glow surrounding her fingers as she reinforced his magical defenses with life energy, a protective light sinking into his stone frame. Kernal rumbled softly, his glowing eyes flicking toward her in acknowledgment, a silent thanks.
Robert landed beside her, pulling a mana potion from his dimensional inventory; the inventory a gift from the Fae Queen's defeat, and the potions were crafted by Snow. He'd been sipping it while they trekked toward the green light from Kernel's warning, its blueberry tartness sharp on his tongue, slowly refilling his mana like a battery recharging.
Insightful Vision activated with a glow in his left eye as he surveyed the monstrosities. The wolf's aura swirled with darkness, tinged with sickly green and yellow veins like diseased arteries. The goat radiated chaotic energy, its mutations crackling with unstable magic from the rift, a storm barely contained. Robert's jaw tightened, his mind racing with stakes.
"They're feeding off that portal," he said, pointing at the glowing rift behind the creatures, its jagged edges a tear in reality. "As long as it stays open, they'll keep getting stronger."
Lillia stepped forward, her expression calm but resolute, a quiet strength in her stance. She placed a glowing hand on Robert's shoulder, infusing him with healing energy and bolstering his strength, a warm light that steadied him. Her actions spoke her resolve, a silent promise of support.
Hamish stepped up, his twin short swords—one red, one blue—glinting in the portal's eerie light, a stark contrast to the darkness. "One problem at a time. Let's deal with these bastards first." Chaucer glanced over at Hamish. "Didnt you tell me that dual wielding was for ninjas and 12 year old boys trying to look cool?"
Hamish only snorted, too focused on the task at hand to come up with a retort.
The dire wolf snarled, its red eyes locking onto the group, a predator's focus. It crouched low, muscles rippling as it prepared to charge, a coiled spring of fury. Beside it, the Hell-Goat pawed the ground, its massive hooves cracking the earth, a living battering ram ready to strike.
"Here they come!" Robert shouted, drawing his staff and channeling a defensive spell. A shimmering barrier of light flared into a dome, just as the wolf launched itself with terrifying speed, a blur of corrupted fury.
Kernal moved first, stepping between the group and the beast, a titan of stone and wood. He swung a massive fist, meeting the wolf mid-air, the impact sending shockwaves through the clearing, a thunderclap of force. The wolf snarled, knocked back several yards, but landed on its feet, claws digging deep to halt its momentum, a predator undeterred.
The goat charged straight for the group, its horns glowing with crackling energy, a juggernaut of destruction. Hamish sprinted toward it, sword raised, a warrior in the fray. Chaucer darted to the side, his wakizashi flashing, seeking an opening, fluid as a dancer. Lillia stayed back, hands glowing as she prepared to shield against the goat's corrupted magic, her focus unwavering.
"Hamish, look out!" Robert shouted, his crystalline shillelagh glowing as he unleashed a beam of light magic at the goat. The spell struck its side, causing a slight stumble, but it didn't slow, its momentum unbroken. Hamish ducked under its sweeping horns, slashing its ankles as it thundered past, his blade biting deep.
The goat roared, black ichor spilling, but wheeled around with unnatural speed, eyes locked on Hamish. Taunted, Hamish thought grimly, recognizing its focus.
The wolf recovered, leaping at Kernal with fangs bared, a predator's strike. Kernal caught it mid-lunge, gripping its torso as the titans grappled, a clash of giants. The wolf clawed at Kernal's arms, teeth snapping inches from his face, but Kernal held firm, his stone muscles unyielding, a mountain against a storm. When the wolf gained ground, Kernal landed a rib-crushing blow, a strike echoing through the clearing. The wolf retreated briefly, then redoubled its attack, relentless.
"Chaucer, flank it!" Hamish shouted, his voice barely audible over the chaos, a command in the storm. Chaucer darted to the goat's side, blades slashing its legs, a whirlwind of steel. The beast bellowed, kicking out, but Chaucer rolled away, coming up with a grin, fur ruffled but unharmed.
"You're slowing down, Hamish!" he called, laughing despite the danger, a spark of levity.
Robert fashioned a stone embankment for cover, shaping earth and rock into a waist-high wall before Lillia and himself, a sturdy barrier. His mind raced: blast the wolf or goat with magical beams? Craft a weapon for Kernal? Ultimately, he knew the rift was the source. Beside him, Lillia sent stamina-boosting magic to Hamish, Chaucer, or Kernal, ready to heal, her expression calm but intense, a healer in the storm.
The goat, which Chaucer smirked and dubbed "Satan" for its hellish horns and brutal vibe, charged him, a juggernaut of corruption. His slender frame crouched as Satan barreled closer, a wall of horns and fury. Lillia's eyes widened, pointing him out to Robert, her gesture urgent.
They thought Chaucer wouldn't escape, but as Satan's head lowered to slam him, he dodged with a daring leap, landing lightly on its forehead before flipping onto its back in a graceful somersault. Satan glanced left and right, unable to find him, its glowing eyes wild with frustration.
Chaucer cheered at Hamish, voice bright with triumph. "Ha! You owe me dinner!"
Hamish, begrudgingly impressed, narrowed his eyes, scanning for an opening to climb Satan. The goat locked eyes on him as he cast a golden defensive aura, glowing across his form. The light infused his blades, radiating crimson and azure, their edges sharpened with light magic, a warrior's preparation.
"I'M COMIN' FOR YOU, SATAN!" Hamish bellowed, sprinting forward, his shield aura trailing like sunlight, a beacon in the gloom. Satan froze, thrown by the mortal's audacity, then roared, lowering its horns and thundering toward him, a clash of wills.
They closed the gap rapidly, the ground trembling. At the last moment, Hamish lunged aside, tumbling through withered grass and crouching smoothly. As Satan barreled past, Hamish leapt in a charge attack, mana surging into his blades, propelling him toward the goat's hind leg with precision.
His swords buried deep into the haunch, nearly to the hilt, a devastating blow. Satan bellowed as the leg gave out, collapsing momentarily, a giant brought low. Hamish yanked himself upward, using the blades as leverage, twisting them for extra pain, eliciting another furious roar.
"HA! I made it too!" Hamish yelled, glancing at Chaucer with a competitive grin, his beard twitching with pride.
Chaucer smirked from his perch, teasing but impressed. "About time, old man!"
Hamish sprinted up Satan's spine as the beast recovered, its rear leg dragging but regaining strength, a wounded beast's resilience. Satan, outraged at being ridden, bucked wildly, trying to shake them off, a storm of fury. They laughed, enjoying the danger far too much, their laughter infuriating Satan further, a taunt in the chaos.
Robert decided his course, focus sharpening. With the guardians distracted, he saw his chance to hit the rift. He spoke softly to Lillia, voice steady despite the violence. "Alright. Let's see what I can do with Moira's gifts."
He gazed at Lillia, his eyes softening at her determined stare, her midnight hair fluttering in magical winds, an otherworldly aura that enchanted him. She caught his look, flashing a dazzling smile and a playful wink before pointing at the rift, a gentle nudge.
Robert raised both hands, elemental energy surging, crackling with raw power. A system prompt flashed: System: Aetheric Weaver class activated. URGENT TASK!: Weave elemental beams to reconstruct spacetime. Failure risks Warlock's foothold near Doras Dagda. He'd never woven spacetime before, but who had? It was time to wing it, and figure it out by feel.
Fire and water alternated from one hand, spiraling toward the rift's edges, while earth and air churned from the other, grinding through corrupted magic. Light infused each beam, reinforcing natural order, guiding the universe to mend.
The beams struck the rift, flaring as it recoiled. Robert gritted his teeth, hands trembling, mana burning fast from his potion-fueled reserves. Fire hissed steam with water; air and earth roared, carving into the corruption. The rift flickered violently, edges cracking, but progress was slow.
His inexperience showed. He adjusted, weaving beams tighter, precision growing with each attempt, a mage learning on the fly.
"Keep going, Robert!" Chaucer shouted from Satan's back, voice faint over the chaos, a cheer in the storm.
Kernal roared, slamming the wolf into the ground, rallying to Robert's cause, a titan's support. Lillia sent life energy to Robert, easing the magical toll, a warm light steadying him.
The rift's flickering intensified, yellow, green, and red lightning lashing out in desperation, a dying beast's struggle. Robert's focus narrowed, directing beams with growing skill, chipping away at the portal's hold, the elements harmonizing in destruction and restoration, a symphony of power.
A figure appeared through the rift, startling Robert, nearly breaking his focus. Masculine, clad in black plate armor, he stood with arms crossed, a corrupted human radiating dark power. His magical helmet shifted its visor's expression unnaturally. It would shift from grinning to snarling and back again in moments. A living mask of malice. Bright blue eyes blazed with inner fire, auburn hair billowing like copper. His gaze held curiosity but burned with calm, eternal hatred, a hunger to rule all magic without morality.
Using Insightful Vision, Robert zoomed in, desperate to know him. The Warlock turned, locking eyes through the rift, and growled a single word: "Lamont." He recognized Robert as a Lamont descendant, he could smell it on him, even from across the field.
The name shattered Robert's Vision, jolting him back with fear. Adrenaline surged, fueling his urgency to close the rift. He brought his hands together, fire, water, earth, air, and light swirling in two spiraling beams, a torrent of elemental fury. He screamed with effort, driven to save the world from this Warlock, a primal need.
The beams struck the rift, which denied entry to hit the Warlock but couldn't resist the magic's force, a barrier weakening. It shrank rapidly, a wound sealing. The Warlock stepped closer, peering through the shrinking hole, his voice a guttural snarl. "I know you now, Lamont kin."
He uncurled his fingers, red lightning arcing around Robert's beams, shattering Lillia's barrier like smoke. As the portal sealed, leaving a steaming crack, the lightning blasted Robert off his feet, plunging him into unconsciousness, a void of darkness.
As he fell, he could see what had transpired while he was closing the portal. AT some point, Kernel had turned the tide, crushing Satan's skull before seizing its corpse to batter the dire wolf's head with its jagged horns, a brutal end. That surreal sight faded as darkness claimed Robert, his body fell limp onto the scarred earth.