Merlin stared at the seer as Sunny and Nephis walked over, the former looking like who just ran a marathon, after drinking water from the endless spring, Sunny turned to Cassie.
"Well, are you ready, to talk about it?"
Cassie stayed quiet a bit then nodded.
"I'm ready".
"Okay we're listening" Nephis said as her eyes flickered to Merlin lasting a second too long.
Cassie spoke up.
"I... I don't remember much, it's in fragments"
"Well tell us what you can remember, we'll make do with that" Merlin said in a flat voice, but inwardly he was curious, curious to see if the vision had changed with his intervention, or if fate was still blind to his existence.
"At first, I saw a… a boundless darkness locked behind seven seals. Something vast was churning in the darkness. I felt like if I directly saw it, I would lose my mind. As I watched, terrified, the seals broke one after another, until only one remained. And then that seal broke, too. " Cassie spoke up, her voice trembling but steady.
"After that… I don't know. It was as though my mind shattered into a thousand shards, each shard reflecting its own image. Most of them were dark and scary. Some I have already forgotten. The other…"
She paused for a while then continued.
"I saw the human castle again. Only this time, it was at night. There was a lonely star burning in the black skies, and under its light, the castle was suddenly consumed by fire, with rivers of blood flowing down its halls. I saw a corpse in a golden armor sitting on a throne; a woman with a bronze spear drowning in a tide of monsters; an archer trying to pierce the falling sky with his arrows. "
She looked up at them, with trembling shoulders.
"In the end, I saw a colossal, terrifying crimson spire. At its base, seven severed heads were guarding seven locks. And at the top, a… a dying angel was being consumed by hungry shadows. When I saw the angel bleed, I suddenly felt as though… as though something so precious that it can't be described with words was taken from me. "
"Then, I felt so much sorrow, pain and rage that what little remained of my sanity seemed to disappear. That was when I woke up… I think. "
At the end her voice had been reduced to a whisper, Sunny moved to comfort her, Merlin was wrapped in his own thoughts, while Nephis stared at him.
'It seems it hasn't even changed slightly from the original, either Cassie is lying about some parts, or the 'Mystries' attribute makes me invisible to fate while locking me with change'
"So, do you know anything about it?" Sunny who at some point had left Cassie asked him.
"I'm sorry Sunny, but I'm not one for interpreting visions so..."
"I understand" Sunny said leaving the question and going to start the fire.
After the food had been eaten, Merlin and the group discussed their plan for the day.
When Sunny sent his shadow forward, Merlin simply picked up a a stick ftom the bonfire and reignited it's flames and walked to the edge of the cliff where Nephis and Sunny stood, they watched as the Scavengers tore through the remains of the carcass.
During the feast, Two brilliant shards rolled out from the carcass.
"Is... that?" Sunny asked.
"Yes, transcedent soul shards" Nephis said eyes fixed on them, that she didn't notice that Merlin had snapped his fingers at some point.
"Should we...?"
"No, let's wait" Nephis replied Sunny.
A moment later, two huge nightmare creatures moved in, they looked like scavengers, except larger, and the pincers were replaced with large scythe.
The scavengers parted way for them, but just before they reached the shards, flames bursted out into existence, Merlin hurriedly picked up the shards and snapped his fingers, not even sparing the monsters a glance, and he was gone in a blaze of flames.
The large monsters stared at his figure as it disappeared, their speed unable to stop him.
Sunny and Nephis stared from the distance, the enraged large beasts began to tear the other scavengers to vent it's anger, after maiming a few of them, the large beasts began to retreat, by that time Merlin finally arrived at the top.
As he arrived, he was greeted with intense stares from the duo, at this point he decided to take a page out of his superior's book.
"A good walk after eating is good for one's health" Merlin said with a casual shrug.
"Well, it's time to move out, we'll leave before the scavengers are done with the newly procured meat" He was talking about the carcasses of the killed scavengers.
Nephis and Sunny stared at him some more then they began to get ready as they departed the statue.
They moved through the labyrinth, guided by Sunny's shadow and Merlin's dowsing rod, along the way they encountered nine scavengers which were killed quickly and swiftly.
In addition they encountered three scavengers hording together, they moved with the divide and conquer strategy, Merlin killed two alone while Sunny and Nephis killed the other.
At some point, Sunny had gained his echo, Cassie used the echo as a mount, while they followed on the ground.
As their speed increased they were able to cover more distances over short periods until they finally made it to the bottom of the cliff.
Merlin looked towards the top of the cliff, his danger sense had already triggered. Something was up there, something dangerous.
The sounds of battle ensued next, the wails of scavengers being hunted by something else, something more terrifying. The sounds were erratic, shells being crushed, the air being split apart fast, the dying screams of the monsters.
A few moments later and it was silent, whatever caused the noise was done but not gone, Merlin's danger sense was still active, but reduced to a bearable extent.
"I'll be honest, the sounds were probably scavengers, and whatever killed them, well it's either the big guys from before or something much worse" Merlin said breaking the tension.
Cassie already pale from the sounds asked.
"So s-should we turn back?"
Nephis turned to her and said, voice firm.
"No, we fight"
"Are you nuts?!, what's up there is probably an awakened monster or worse, we've killed awakened beasts, but this is in another level!" Sunny's words came immediately after.
Merlin look at them, then looked up at the cliff.
"Sigh... The only way is to fight, it's either that or we'll be greeted by the black sea before we return back, if we're choosing over each, I'm going with whatever is up this cliff"
"So here's the plan, I'm guessing if it's the large monster we saw earlier, it's probably an evolved version of the scavenger, so similar weak points and strategy, if the pale shell is unavailable, we go for the joints, cripple it then find a way to kill it. If that fails, you guys leave, sunny's echo and I will draw it's attention, I have my way to survive, so don't look back, we'll regroup, learn from mistakes and retry, that's the plan, any objections?"
Nephis and Sunny shook their head, they trusted Merlin when it came to making plans.
"Alright, if it's another creature, Sunny's echo and I move first, you guys try to study it, after a while we'll regroup then plan our attack then". Merlin added.
Nephis then asked.
"Why?"
"Huh, why what"
"Why are you always the one in danger?" Nephis asked with an emotionless face.
"That's because I'm the one with the highest chance of getting out of said danger, trust me, none of you want to survive this place as much as I do, A magician never acts unprepared after all" Merlin answered with a light smile.
"Alright enough emotional drama, let's move out"
They then proceeded to climb the cliff, Merlin went first, then Nephis, then Sunny and finally with the rope, Cassie came last. As they arrived at the top, they saw scavengers, mangled apart, the floor flowing with azure blood.
"They're dead, if they weren't, my danger sense wouldn't be this calm" Merlin said as he walked towards the slaughter site, fishing out a total of eight soul shards.
After storing them, he walked forward a little, then he spotted it, laying there in it's massive cave, was the Centurion, scythe like hands, towering size, grey shell with red markings all over.
'Damn this is gonna be harder than I thought'
"We'll stick with the first plan, I can't see a pale shell from this distance, so we'll assume the worst and go for it's joints" Merlin said as he returned to the team.
He picked up a nearby stick and gave it to Nephis, bearing the scorching pain, she lit the stick, Sunny summoned his echo that he had unsummoned before climbing, and he summoned the azure blade, beside him Nephis summoned her longsword.
"Hold on to the fire for now, when you get the chance, throw it towards the beast, I'll take care of the rest" Merlin said as he handed Sunny the burning stick.
The trio then decided to carry out the attack, Sunny moved towards the centurion grabbing it's attention, as it's red eyes fixed on him, he immediately ran without hesitation, as he ran, he threw the flaming stick towards the nightmare creature, because of its towering height, the stick didn't reach atop it, only stopping a few inches away from it's face as the flames bursted forth to manifest Merlin who used his katana to stab one of it's red eyes before snapping his fingers and appearing by its side.
The centurion which had been injured recognized that technique, the same flames and man that once stole it's treasure, the centurion was immediately fixed on Merlin and with insane precision, it swing it's scythe towards him, but Merlin had already replaced his position with an illusion, as the scythe sliced through the air, Merlin that was already near it's legs, slashed with his strength, severing a tendon in it's leg as it staggered backwards.
Before it could adjust, Sunny's echo slammed into it, pinning it down with it's pincer as Sunny moved to it's other leg and slashed at it giving a deep injury, Nephis who had already joined the group brandished her longsword and stabbed in the spot between it's torso, the strike was deep, but not deep enough.
The enraged centurion lashed out, swinging wildly, Nephis ducked out of the way, but Sunny and Merlin were hit squarely, Sunny on his chest which sent him flying backwards and Merlin on his left arm, breaking his bone.
The scavenger rushed towards Sunny, his echo rammed ito the beast again, Nephis rushed in to deliver another attack but she was hit back by the centurion, she used her sword to reduce the damage, but her back hit the rock nearby forming cracks leaving her unconscious.
From the side, Sunny had stood up again, barely breathing as blood poured from his mouth but his eyes and mind had obtained clarity, he hurled his sword and slashed at the beast's leg leaving it limping, from the side, Merlin had already stood up, he attacked the beast's remaining eye leaving it blind to the world.
The disoriented and injured beast tried to stagger away, but Sunny had already closed the distance, his sword aimed at it's torso, the place Nephis had left an injury, with a strong slash, the wound was magnified, blue blood spattering all around, he retreated a few steps, dodging a reckless swing by the monster and struck again, this time affecting it's spine, before the creature could attack again, Merlin had slashed at the remaining leg, and Sunny's echo used it's pincer to deliver a massive strike on the head of the monsters.
The beast immediately went limp and fell to the ground as it's head bled from the impact, the spell sounded in Sunny's ear.
[You have slain an awakened monster, Carapace Centurion. ]
[You have received a Memory: Starlight Legion Armor. ]
[Your shadow grows stronger. ]...
The battle had ended, Merlin watched as Sunny fell down on the ground, chest heaving heavily, he rushed up to him, using his damage transfer ability, he moved the broken bones in sunny's chest to his arm, Sunny's left arm immediately became mangled while he coughed loudly, drawing deep breaths.
Merlin did the same for himself, gritting his teeth, he moved the broken bones in his left forearm down to his wrist, his hands immediately became mangled as well.
He then walked to Nephis and shook the girl slightly to wake her, Nephis jolted awake, but after seeing the dead creature she sighed slightly and clenched her fist.
Merlin and Nephis returned to where Sunny layed, and Merlin watched as Nephis used her flames to heal Sunny's hands back to normal while suffering intense pain. When she offered to heal him he refused, partly out of pity, but mostly because he could already feel himself healing, slowly, but definitely healing. He estimated four hours before he was back to normal.
Merlin went to retrieve Cassie, she asked about the battle but he didn't reply anything. After they were gathered together, Nephis handed him the two shards which he stored, and went to lay beside Sunny as she fell asleep.
At some point, they all slept, exhausted from their battle while the shadow kept watch.
Sometime later, Merlin stood up, it was already dusk, and the great sea was rising, immediately he looked for a stick, an started sharpening it into an arrow, he had successfully made four arrows before his danger sense activated, and a screech was heard moving in their direction.
'Here it comes' Merlin said as he changed the orb into an bow with a thin string.
Merlin used an illusion to hide his location as the massive lion looking creature with a bird like beak, black fur and large wings landed just beside the carcass of the centurion.
Sunny, Cassie and Nephis had already been awake, but they didn't see Merlin nor noticed him at the wall near the carcass.
From the illusion, Merlin drew his bow, the clown's body control giving him the perfect shot as he fired at the beast's eye, it pierced deep as the creature wailed, the creature tried to fly but another arrow pierced it's wings making it's takeoff unbalanced, before it could search for the attacker, Merlin shot the next arrow at it's neck, he aimed for the head, but the creature's sudden turn made it hit the neck.
Seeing that flying was impossible, it decided to run away, but Merlin had already aimed the last one at it's second eye, the arrow stuck just above it's pupils, the eye wasn't blind, but it was blurred by the blood.
Merlin rushed out of the illusion, turning the bow into a spear, and stabbed at the neck of the creature, his left hand which had almost healed groaned under the pain, the creature's loud screech echoed in the darkness, Merlin pulled back the spear and stabbed again, the beast shifted slightly, slamming Merlin with it's massive paws, sending him flying backwards, the beast turned to escape, but met resistance.
Nephis had attacked the beast from behind, she slashed across it's torso leaving a wound, sunny stabbed the neck again and retreated before getting hit, and Merlin rushed in with his katana and with a swing, he severed it's throat, the creature gurgled then fell limp on the ground. The spell sang it's melody in his ear.
[You have slain a Fallen Monster, Cursed Herald. ]
[... You have received an echo. ]
They had won against the spire messenger.