Traverse The Fog

The endless haze stretched ad infinitum into the horizon, interrupted only by enormous mountains daring enough to pierce through the mist. And though the murk never encroached within Avalorn, one simply had to look upwards to understand what loomed over them.

Best get used to it. Cyrus sighed.

He continued his trek. His leather shoes pressed on slate-stone pathways that embraced the overgrowth, which mirrored Avalorn's essence, into the courtyard. The deeper he went, the more he enjoyed the scenery.

Stone statues of animals were tangled with vines and other foliage, while the sounds of singing birds and the sights of insects pollinating flower beds made for a rather beautiful sight. Still, he wasn't here for this.

So, forward he went. Cyrus passed a rather simple black-metal dining set and could envision Lord Dílis and his daughter sitting there, enjoying tea as they absorbed the scenery. And beyond the courtyard lay an open field divided by a single slate path. And from what Cyrus could see, the sea of lilies even stretched around this, completely encircling the manor.

And there awaited his goal: two buildings. One was clearly a greenhouse covered in flowered vines that showcased an array of plants and greenery. The other was a wooden aviary in the shape of a dome with hexagonal windows adorned with vines that bore bright purple, round fruits.

Cyrus stopped before the aviary and waited. Meanwhile, he peered through the windows, taking in the various canaries that flittered about. Their melodic songs filled the air, creating a lovely tune of life rarely heard.

Minutes passed until the front door swung open. And there he was, Lord Dílis, stepping out before Cyrus with his sharp, dark eyes locking onto his.

"Morning, Initiate Wayfarer Cyrus." His familiar, friendly smile disappeared, quickly shifting toward solemnity. "Are you willing to endanger yourself to protect Avalorn, willing to give up your life to protect its people?"

Well... no. Yet Cyrus presented Lord Dílis a determined face, speaking 'sincerely.' "I'm willing."

Lord Dílis nodded smilingly. "Then I shall teach you how to train your reflexes and hone your body for battle to survive whatever is outside these walls. As a Wayfarer, you'll find both predators naturally born in the wilderness..." —Cosan paused and looked into the skies before returning to Cyrus, face sober— "And men turned into twisted aberrations, corrupting everything they touched. You've already met one of these and, by miracle, survived."

Cyrus' gaze narrowed. He breathed deeply to fight against the terror building within. Slowly, surely, the haunting despair fell into the pit of his stomach. Not that it mattered. He would return to that place in his dreams tonight.

"What are those things?" His question staled and heavied the air around the two, to which even the melodic chirping nearby could not lighten.

Lord Dílis sighed. "These were men who succumbed to the fog's corruptive touch, warped into beings of resentment and death." His gaze held memories both terrible and gruesome. "There is no reason would ever stop them, nor would any magic cure them." Lord Dílis held out a hand, slowly closing it with crushing force. "No, the only way to put these pitiful beings to rest is with our weapons and determination."

No cure. If it were really such the case, then it could ruin Cyrus' plans of exploring the world. There have to be rules against such a phenomenon.

"In any case," Lord Dílis continued, whose smile surprisingly lifted the heavy air. "We'll speak more of it once it matters. For now, you'll focus on training." He then gestured for Cyrus to follow to the open field, the grass swaying close to his direction with each step. "Lillie is searching through our Wayfarers for a spear instructor, even though I have my own thoughts." Lord Dílis glanced back at him. "But that's not here or there. For now, you'll be going through endurance and stress training with me until you've obtained more runes."

Cyrus nodded. "What do you have in mind... Cosan?"

Lord Dílis stopped and looked toward the forest beyond the sea of lilies. Cyrus heard the whizzing of air first, followed by the sight of three seeds heading toward Lord Dílis with the speed of fired bullets.

"First," he began, catching them without so much as a flinch. "There is no singular technique for fighting all beasts or wraiths. So you'll be training against different archetypes to round you out. Do you understand?"

"Alright," Cyrus excitedly said. "When do we begin?"

"Right now. Step to the arena." As Lord Dílis spoke, he stretched out a hand, and an enormous square outline of red grass formed before them.

Neat party trick. Cyrus silently nodded and stepped forward. He then stamped the butt of the spear on the ground as if to convey his readiness.

"Today is just a test to determine what we need to work on," Lord Dílis said, dropping a seed onto the ground. "Oh, and don't use your flames."

The next moment, a low sound rumbled from where the seed landed. And Cyrus couldn't believe it. Under their gazes, giant brown tendrils of bark sprang from the ground and entangled together, forming an amorphous blob akin to clay.

Wood crackled; the blob sprouted five separate roots that thickened, shaping into limbs. First came its legs. Powerful but short, they effortlessly lifted the blob as it transformed into an ape-like torso. Then came its arms, appearing to break a man's bones easily. Finally, it stood straight, nearly two meters in height, as the final root shaped a bear's head with a slightly curved snout.

"Is that thing really alive?" Cyrus unconsciously stepped back. "Is that possible? Can you really create life?"

As if confirmation, the creature's wooden eyes began glowing with a green hue of life. It then curiously swiveled its face before shifting its attention onto him, taking in the new world.

Lord Dílis chuckled at the sight. "Of course. With the proper knowledge, something as complicated as giving life would be as simple as planting flowers." He then moved, placing a hand on the back of the beast, affectionately petting it. "This is a nandi. A territorial beast that dwells within caves and skulks around forests to hunt prey."

"....And you want me to fight it?" Cyrus asked, voice slightly trembling.

Lord Dílis moved out of the arena, a smile tugging his lips from Cyrus' troubled look. "Why, of course, Cyrus. It's slow in attacks and lacks magical techniques, so it's a perfect first training partner." The nandi then took a single step forward. "Now, Cyrus, let's see what you can do."

The stage was now set. With that, the Nandi lifted its head into the air and made a low, bestial roar. The next moment, it lunged toward Cyrus, clawing arms wide. Cyrus couldn't help but nearly freeze at the sight. Yet his body moved for him, barely evading the lumbering behemoth.

Whoo—Cosan blew out a breath of air. "Looks like Morgan's memory did some good, Cyrus! You didn't instantly lose!"

Meanwhile, the nandi jerked its head toward him, opening its mouth and revealing thick incisors that would no doubt tear limbs or crush heads. It roared again, moving toward him for a bite.

Shit!

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Quickly scrambling, Cyrus maneuvered around it, barely. He then reacted quickly, stabbing forward with his spear with all his might toward its muscular side. And it bounced off the nandi's bark without so much as a mark.

A pause. One that nearly brought him to his knees in infinite weakness before the nandi struck out again.

Dodge, stab, dodge, stab—it soon became very apparent that Cyrus was fighting a futile battle. That, along with the relentless pursuit of the beast, Cyrus' morale was quickly sapping. After dodging another attack, he planted his spear onto the ground, chest heaving for air.

This is going nowhere.

Meanwhile, the nandi turned to him. It began taunting him with a roar, its green eyes lighting up. Yet that gaze served Cyrus an idea. So, he readied himself, preparing to move. So far, the beast had favored standing on its hind legs and swiping with its arms. And Cyrus intended to take advantage of that.

He moved. Cyrus then watched its arms, and upon realizing that it was to swipe to the side once more, he lowered his body into a slide, barely avoiding the attack. Meanwhile, the nandi tracked Cyrus' movements; its gaze dropped to follow him.

Now. With a forceful forward angular motion of his arms, Cyrus struck upwards with his long spear. A hit! One that sank several inches deep, no less.

"Not bad, Cyrus." Lord Dílis nodded in approval.

However, the nandi continued its attack despite the wound. It raised its powerful arm and slammed it down onto Cyrus with incredible force. Anticipating it, the latter had already moved. But not quick enough to avoid his spear being smashed. The strike's force reverberated up his arm; with it, there was pain.

"Shit!"

Dropping his spear, Cyrus bolted as fast as he could to the arena's edge with the nandi in pursuit. And with no weapon in hand, an exhausted Cyrus was left only to barely dodge its attack with no retaliation.

Meanwhile, Lord Dílis watched without a word, occasionally shaking his head at Cyrus' reactions. Or rather, the lack of them.

The fight pressed on. Tired, chest heaving, Cyrus made a last, desperate attempt for his spear. He broke into a sprint, running as fast as he could. Yet once stood before his weapon, a roar directly behind him drew his attention.

And it was too late. Freezing at the sight of the nandi mere steps before Cyrus, his gaze widened at those gorilla arms wrapping around him 'loving' bear hug that sucked the wind out of his lungs. And at that moment, it opened its maw wide. It was aiming to crush his skull with a single bite!

"I giv—" The nandi transfigured into a myriad of colorful flowers, burying Cyrus. And it was his loss. Just what were the choices he made to reach this point? This is my life now.

Lord Dílis heartedly laughed at the sight. "You'll never leave these walls with those skills, Cyrus!"

Sighing, he reached out from the pile for assistance, to which Lord Dílis responded with a yank. Once Cyrus was out of the pile, he dusted himself.

"So," he began. "How di—" The rustling of flowers behind them caught their attention. Under their gaze, the sight of flowers coalesced into a ball of bark. It shifted and churned, reshaping itself into the form of a bear, its upper half covered in a pseudo-blanket of moss.

The nandi was back? Cyrus was at a loss.

However, it was fine. It stared at Cyrus, seemingly taunting him with its intelligent, glowing green eyes. Once it grew tired of him, it sat down and curled up, snoring.

Fantastic, made fun of by fake animals. Cyrus shook his head and faced Lord Dílis. "How did I do?"

The man in question scrutinized Cyrus' weary, sweat-laden form. "You're too slow in both reaction and speed." Lord Dílis shook his head. "It was a miracle that you lasted that long."

Cyrus silently nodded without complaint or remark. Of course, he knew his inability to fight. It wasn't like he enjoyed the idea in the first place. For now, all Cyrus could do was listen diligently and learn.

Finding no adverse or negative reaction, Dílis smiled. "I understand that you couldn't pierce through the bark." —The spear floated to his hand, carried by pollen, no less— "But a warrior must find every weakness to exploit, not just the eyes. That includes attacking joints or other soft spots."

"Thank you." Cyrus bowed his head. "Where should I start?"

"That's easy. We'll work on tempering your body first." Lord Dílis tapped his temple. "Which includes using life runes to improve your body and reactions."

"What do you mean?"

Lord Dílis opened his palm, revealing a life rune in the shape of a leaf. "The domain of life is rather unique compared to the others as it adapts to the mage's needs. If you want to run beyond any typical human, you saturate and train your legs with the runes."

That... sounds incredible.

"So you want me to make more life runes?"

Lord Dílis nodded. "Make it a ratio of a two-to-five split between fire and life."

Which would leave light out of the equation. Well, that is, if Cyrus could only create seven runes per day.

"So.. should I create some now?"

"A moment," Lord Dílis began, opening his palm as a large life crystal emerged from the void. "Take a gander of this. Even beasts can learn to control the elements, and the more powerful ones form runic crystals within their bodies." His subtle smile tugs a bit wider. "You should well remember that when a mage absorbs several crystals from a spirit beast, it can acquire traits of the beast, provided it shares a similar domain. So, go ahead. Absorb it."