“Clear!”
Patrick raced into the abandoned warehouse at the call out, crouching low behind a pile of debris. His black clothing blended into the shadows, but there was just enough light to see the streaks of blood that he had tried to wipe off his face. His eyes were focused, and in his right hand, he held a dagger in a reverse grip that glowed a soft violet grey.
The space opened ahead of him, piles of crates and barrels to the left, and rusted machinery to the right. A stairway along the right wall ended at a second level about twenty feet above, overlooking the manufacturing area. A storm raged overhead, penetrating the warehouse through the rusted roof. The sound of rain and of water dripping into the building was the only noise that seemed to pierce the gloom.
Keith crouched beside him, scanning the immediate area for threat. Keith was the front man of their group, a brutal tank from the Titan Division. Two others crouched low behind stacked crates to the right of the door.
“Anything, Pat?” Keith asked quietly.
Patrick sent his own aetheric senses out using Sirens Call. Energy washed through the building like a glowing sonar net. It plunged through walls at the back of the building, and up to the second level, sending images in flashes of light back to Patrick.
“Three dead spots above, and a null zone at the back.”
“Can you break through?”
“From this distance? It’s too solid, and will take too long,” Patrick replied.
“Sam, Baz, head topside, clear out the blood sworn. Pat you’re with me. Quick and quiet, neuro-coms only from here on out. Pat, you’re the exemption of course.” Keith paused to scan again quickly. “Go, go!”
Patrick followed Keith as they ran quietly towards the rear of the warehouse, using the machinery for cover as they went. Their footsteps remained quiet, muffled by Patrick’s control of the surrounding aether. He continued to scan the area as they moved forward, his dagger held low.
“Door ahead, then a long hallway. Two doors to the right, rooms are empty, nothing to the left. Null zone behind the door at the end of the hall,” Patrick whispered as they ran, using aether to project his voice so that only Keith could hear. He got a nod in response.
They arrived at the door and Keith raised three fingers, dropping them one by one. As the final finger dropped, Keith opened the door, which screeched with rusted distress. Patrick muffled the sound, whilst sending a whisper to the team above.
“We’re going in, contact in ten,” Patrick relayed, and a countdown appeared in the team’s neural interface. He moved forward with Keith. They opened the doors to the right as they went. Thankfully, just as Pat’s scan had shown, they were empty, filled only with broken down furniture and rubble.
They made it to the door at the end of the hallway. Three fingers raised again.
“Three… two… one,” Patrick whispered, sending it to the team, his count coinciding with the team’s neural interface doing the same. Keith slammed open the door. From above, a roar could be heard, mixed with penetrating shrieks of rage. Battle sounds filtered through the floors as Sam and Baz faced off against the blood sworn cultivators.
Inside the room, Patrick took in the scene with a quick glance, his AI mapping the room. Blood spatter covered the walls, dripping down to form into rivulets across the floor as the rainwater mixed in. There were three desiccated corpses tossed against the rear wall in a pile. Next to them were two bodies, covered in blood. Patrick scanned them quickly.
“Heartbeats, but real slow. They’re almost gone. We need the medics here fast,” he whispered. Keith nodded again, motioning him to make the call before moving further into the room.
Without warning, Keith roared and slammed his foot into the ground, summoning aether to cast his Aetheric Armaments. A bright gold and brown shield erupted from the floor in front him, pushing forward in a quick burst of motion. He pulled a glowing hammer from the air and swung at a shadow that shifted in front of him.
“They’re raising spectres. It’s one of the fuckin’ witches, Pat.”
Patrick muttered to himself in disgust, focusing in on the aether around them. The null zone blocked all his aetheric senses, deadening his ability to pull aether from the environment. He focused on his breath, cycling the energy within. A deep violet light began to emanate from his body, slowly pushing back against the null zone. He pushed his energy towards the two victims, and a shield began to slowly materialise around them. Next, he focused on Keith, pulling strands of aether from his core to form the runic bands of Achelos’ Shielding, causing Keith’s aura to expand dramatically.
“Sixty seconds or so and the null zone will be gone.” He listened out for the sounds of the battle above. The shrieks and growls now carried a tinge of desperation amidst the rage. Patrick could vaguely hear the curses of his teammates filtering through the ceiling.
Keith’s roar brought him back to the room, the swings of his hammer slowly dispersing the spectre in front of him. He was not completely unscathed. Claw marks covered his forearm, the cuts light, but oozing rot and leaking a grey mist.
Patrick settled his breath, and again channelled. Bright chains of violet light gripped the spectre to Keith’s right, binding it in place. Meanwhile, Keith’s last hammer smash against the centre spectre had transformed it into motes of light that slowly faded as the last of its energy dematerialised. A surge of power entered Pat and Keith as it died.
Patrick sent his aether forward, and runes of energy circled the spectre to Keith’s left, sinking into its incorporeal form. It shrieked in pain as Echo’s Embrace caused vibrations that shook it from within. Its screams doubled as Keith’s hammer came crashing down, and grey flames burst out from the new cracks in its form.
“Odysseus’ Restraint will only last for another five. Focusing on the null zone.” Pat warned. He raised his hands to push at the air on either side of him. His energy waxed, the glow around him intensifying as he continued to push at the boundaries of the null zone. Sharp cracking could be heard as the dome that covered the room shuddered in stress.
“Be ready, null zone down in three…” His voice was strained as he projected his voice to all his teammates. Keith lashed out at the injured spectre with a roar and another surge of energy rushed through the room as it died. At the same time, a crash sounded from above, and Sam shot through the roof in a blast of flames. She floated just above the ground, before landing softly.
“Only the one of the sworn left, Baz will finish it. What have we got?” she asked.
“Half-step temporal shift, it’s coming down … now!” Patrick roared as he forced his energy to ripple out. Cracking sounds like stressed glass reverberated. The room shimmered, reality merging back into one. More corpses joined those that had already been visible. In front of them a previously white autopsy table appeared, a freshly slaughtered young woman lying naked across the tiles. Her face was frozen in a rictus of horror and pain, her chest cut open, and organs missing from within. Blood drained from the top of the table and into a cistern underneath. A scream of rage pushed them all back with malevolent force.
“Blood witch!” roared Keith, and he hurled his golden hammer in an overhead throw at the newly revealed opponent. Momentarily short of breath, Pat watched as Keith’s shield lifted free of his arm and rotated to float in between them and the witch. Sam, slightly to their right, lifted her arm and a terrifying snake formed of smoke and flame shot forward at the same time.
“More food.” The blood sworn witch laughed in delight, her crazed eyes filled with blood and pulsating with a malevolent energy. She cackled, revealing teeth filed to points whilst flinging the half-eaten heart at them.
Ignoring the witch, Patrick recovered with deep breaths, drawing in the released aether. He wiped sweat from his forehead as his eyes scanned the newly emerged room. Five iron cages had come into being against the far-left wall. Inside he counted ten people clutching desperately at the bars. Their eyes were glazed over with pain. Attached to the forehead of each was a blood tendril that connected to the right hand of the witch.
Keith’s hammer and Sam’s flame serpent landed, and Patrick instinctively ducked behind Keith as the witch screeched in pain and rage. One of the tendrils disconnected from the caged victims, transforming into a whip that lashed forward in retaliation. The man it had been attached to, slumped to the ground unconscious, the hole in his forehead seeping blood.
Circulating both hands, Sam formed multiple shields of flame that rotated around her. The whip cracked against one, resulting in a wet sizzle and the waft of burnt blood. As the whip retracted, the witch’s rage pulsed out in a blood-coloured wave, rippling against the shields. Gold and red light responded to the pressure, and both Keith and Sam grimaced in pain. Patrick focused his energy, and bands of shimmering violet covered Keith and Sam, before sinking into their body.
“Defence increased for the next sixty,” he called as he renewed Achelos’ Shielding on them both. Another wave of his hands, and the light from his Song of Plenty shot out and surrounded them again. “Aether absorption increased! Bring the bitch down!”
A screech from his left recalled him to the remaining spectre, and he lunged forward as the last of its chains faded. His dagger plunged into its chest while he dodged under a swipe from its smoke like claws. All it could do was scream as the energy of the dagger transformed into countless waves that tore it apart from the inside.
He turned quickly as he heard a thump behind him, relieved to see Baz as he pulled himself up from the ground, having dropped down from the hole in the ceiling.
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“Fork it!” Baz groaned. A green light emanated from his hands as he rubbed furiously at his left ankle. “I’m getting too frackin’ old to be dropping from the ceiling, why can’t I get some floaty magic?”
“Get it together old man!” Keith roared without turning from the main fight.
“There are ten vics to the left, and Keith needs some repair. The blood sworn bitch is all jacked up and ready to blow,” Pat said to Baz as he moved back towards Keith.
The battle with the witch intensified, and Patrick began forming shields over the prisoners as one by one the damage caused by his teammates forced the blood tendrils to release. He watched as Keith channelled his energy into defence, the golden-brown shield turning translucent and growing to cover the whole team whilst Sam’s offence picked up pace. Two glowing snakes rose from her back, undulating as fireballs exploded from their mouths in concert with her own. A greenish glow covered Keith with a wave of Baz’s hand, and the claw marks on his forearms slowly faded as healing energy pulsed through him.
Slowly, Keith led them around the table in the centre of the room, closing in on the witch. Patrick continued to pour his energy into Keith and Sam as they held the front line against the witch’s attacks.
“You’re too late you pathetic blood-bags. When the Blood Lord rises you will all bow down and offer yourself as sacrifice.” The witch’s voice rasped, causing the hair on the back of Patrick’s neck to raise in protest. She waved her left hand, and the cistern of blood vanished from under the table, appearing next to her. She dipped her hand into its red depths, using the blood to draw glowing crimson runes in the air.
A disgusting slurp could be heard as the final four tendrils disconnected from their victims. She swiped her right hand across her chest, the tendrils like writhing worms, absorbing into her flesh before bursting out once again from her back. Like ghastly wings they floated behind her, lashing out at the constant stream of fire balls that were flung her way.
Baz dropped, smashing his hands against the ground, and a sprig of green and brown light grew up from the ground between has hands. “Sprig is live,” he yelled, his voice barely heard above the sounds of battle.
Pulsing waves of energy continued to release from the plant, the energy rejuvenating his teammates and causing the blood witch to screech in pain. She hissed, waving her right arm towards the cages. Slowly, the moans of those trapped transformed into screams of agony, and a new group of spectres began to form.
As the team came within melee range, Patrick pushed Baz towards the cages, and a shield of violet flared into life around him. Patrick then stepped back, safeguarded by Keith but midway between Baz and the main fight. He lashed out with his dagger, deflecting one of the blood tendrils that had snaked towards the healer as he left the protected area behind Keith’s shield. A sharp hiss could be heard as the tendril retracted.
The blood sworn shrieked again, her arms flung wide, and the tendrils glowing red before lashing out all at once. The shields protecting the team cracked and rumbled at the onslaught, only just holding against the fury of her attack. Feeling a building crescendo in the malignant energy, Pat lunged forward, his hand against Keith’s back. He channelled his own energy into Keith as the witch swept her arms up, and a wave of aetheric blood forced them all back. In front of her, the crimson runes rotated, and a vortex of blood slowly formed on the ground. Overhead, the night rumbled as lightening rippled across the sky.
“Blood Lord, accept this sacrifice!” she cried, pouring the container of blood into the vortex. “Fermented in pain and horror, let this essence form the bridge. We welcome your deliverance!” A rumble shook the room as the vortex expanded with each drop of blood. The walls shook, plaster and dust drifting down, the ceiling threatening to drop.
“Suck a bag of flaming dicks, you bitch!” Sam shouted, the two flame serpents detaching from her shoulders and forming into twenty undulating daggers that rotated in a burning circle around her. As she thrust her hands forward, the daggers followed her movement. Distracted by the ritual, the witch failed to defend, the tentacles blocking only half of the fire daggers that rushed towards her.
Penetrated by the remaining daggers, she screeched in agony as the flames slowly spread. She thrust her arms into the maelstrom at her feet, pulling blood from the pool to soak the flames. Behind her, the tentacles writhed as the flames from the daggers shot like veins along their length, withering them in a cloud of hissing steam.
Pat switched his support to Sam as she slumped to one knee, panting with the massive loss of energy. He felt it as Keith roared and shot forward, his hammer growing larger with each step, his shield fading as the energy surged into his weapon in a berserker rage. Aware of the drop in their defences, Pat kept his eye on the witch as Keith rapidly approached.
The Blood Sworn raised her head as he advanced, her hands still trapped within the vortex as blood rushed up her arms in a battle against the flames. She roared at the approaching tank, her tongue lashing out, transforming snake like as it did. Just as they were about to clash, two skeletally thin hands rose from within the blood pool, black claws piercing into the flesh of the witch’s arms. She screamed in pain, her tongue retracting rapidly.
“Master, noooo! Let me serve.” She wailed in abject fear as her arms shrivelled down to husks. Keith’s glowing hammer slammed onto her head, forcing it into the vortex. Quickly, Pat pulled on the tank as one of the blood-soaked claws swiped at his legs, only narrowly missing. Returning to its feast, the claws grabbed hold of the now silent witch, pulling her into the vortex completely before it finally spun closed with a screeching gurgle. A massive burst of aether shot through the room.
Patrick dropped to the ground; his head raised to the ceiling. He breathed in relief and then gagged as the taste of burnt flesh and blood hit the back of his throat. “What a mess.”
“Too right, mate. At least that bitch got shafted!” Keith dropped his hammer which disappeared in a flash of light. Shaking out his arms, he paused, then turned to Sam and chuckled. “Did you really tell her to suck a bag of dicks?”
“Flaming dicks, Keith. Flaming!” Sam corrected in mock outrage before bursting into laughter. Patrick and Keith followed suit, the adrenaline of the past twenty minutes catching up to them all.
“Oi, you numpties! A little help over here!” Baz’s outraged yell penetrated the laughter, and the three of them turned to see him throwing green and gold punches at a group of spectres. They all paused momentarily, before bursting out into laughter again.
“Sick ‘em, Baz” Sam called.
* * *
“What time is it?” Patrick asked, looking up towards the brightening sky.
“Well, the suns about to rise, so I’d say sixish? Don’t you have a phone?” Keith responded with a yawn. “Fuck me, I’m beat.”
Sam echoed the yawn, leaning against Baz and the sodden wall. “Any leads?” She asked.
“Nothing from a quick scan, we’ll have to wait for the clean-up team to report in and do a full check.” Patrick’s phone beeped at him. “Medics are five minutes out. I need to take the car. You guys’ head back with the crew, and I’ll meet you all back at the base after I’ve run some errands.”
* * *
“Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy. Don’t cry, dear Jimmy.” A melodious voice penetrated the darkness.
Jimmy stilled. He had heard many voices since the darkness had claimed him, not all of them real. He had no idea how long he had been in the cell. Alone, dirty and starved. No light ever penetrated.
Silence once again took hold as Jimmy held his breath in terror. He didn’t know what was worse. When the voices were real, or when they were only in his mind.
There was a soft whisp as silk slid across stone.
“Didn’t I hear you had claimed dibs, Jimmy?” The voice whispered from behind him.
He screamed.
SKILL NAME – CHARACTER – TIER – RESONANCE – SKILL TYPE – EFFECT
[i] Siren’s Call – Patrick MacDonnell – Tier 5 – Siren – Utility (instant)
Life tracking that becomes more adaptive with each Tier
Tier 2 – range enhanced, cost decrease (5% > 4%)
Tier 3 – able to track specific aether types and densities
Tier 4 – range further enhanced, able to be manipulated whilst in use, cost decrease (4% > 3%)
Tier 5 – can be used to track and identify non-organic forms
Aetheric Armaments – Keith Harrison – Tier 5 – Titan – Defensive (summon / reserved)
Manifests shield and hammer. Physical damage and damage reduction (10% reserved)
Tier 2 – allows for non-material damage mitigation and damage (5% infusion cost)
Tier 3 – allows for instantaneous call (reserve cost reduction 10% > 8%)
Tier 4 – allows for manipulation without physical contact
Tier 5 – can have a secondary effect by infusing with second resonance (infusion cost reduction 5% > 3%)
Achelos’ Shielding – Patrick MacDonnell – Tier 4 – Siren – Buff (instant / duration)
Self-cast buff to increase defense against physical damage (5% cost for self)
Tier 2 – able to cast on self or others within ten meter proximity
Tier 3 – proximity of cast expands (cost reduction 5% > 3% per target)
Tier 4 – increases defense and resistance across all damage types
Echoes Embrace – Patrick MacDonnell – Tier 5 – Siren – Ranged Strike (instant)
3 second DOT that floods a target with vibrating aether causing internal damage (5% per cast)
Tier 2 – can be used to attack immaterial targets
Tier 3 – disrupts aether channeling (cost reduction 5% > 3%)
Tier 4 – initial spike of damage, DOT lasts 5 seconds
Tier 5 – Can cause damage to aether channels (cost reduction 3% > 2%)
Odysseus’ Restraint – Patrick MacDonnell – Tier 5 – Siren – Debuff (instant / time limited)
Chains that slow movement speed for 3 seconds (5% aether cost)
Tier 2 – can affect up to three targets (4% cost per target)
Tier 3 – debuff last 5 seconds
Tier 4 – chains now affect non-corporeal targets (cost reduced 4% > 3%)
Tier 5 – chains freeze target for 5 seconds, and slow speed for another 3
Song of Plenty – Patrick MacDonnell – Tier 4 – Siren – Buff (instant / duration)
Self-targeted buff increasing aether regeneration (10% aether cost)
Tier 2 – Can target one other person (4% cost per target)
Tier 3 – Removes single negative status effect of equivalent tier
Tier 4 – Can target two other people (3% cost per target)
Sprig of the World Tree – Barry Johnson – Tier 5 - Hydra – AOE Healing / Cleansing (channeled / duration)
Small sapling that grows over time producing healing waves every 3 seconds, impervious to damage. Channeled cast for 5 seconds, last 10 seconds. 20% total aether cost.
Tier 2 – Sprig last additional 10 seconds
Tier 3 – Sprig grows slightly, able to cleanse poison (20% > 15% cost reduction)
Tier 4 – Healing waves every 2 seconds
Tier 5 – Sprig can now damage targets causing small DOT (2% total health)
