Shadowbane

So it was a Satyr...

I know I just vowed to kill everyone involved, but I'm going to have to be very careful here. I have no idea of how many enemies I'm dealing with, nor how strong they are. Most importantly though, if the Satyr sees me, that will be it for me. From here on out I'm going to take my time scouting around... Information is what I need the most right now.

I looked up at the highest point of the Arena.

Nope, not possible for me to jump that high right now. I see no way to climb either, as there's nothing to grab onto. I suppose I could use all three souls to enhance myself, that'd give me enough strength to jump that high, but I'd rather not waste the only source of power I have right now. Odds are I'm going to need them in the future. Although there is a slight chance I could get caught in a trap somewhere in the village, there's no denying that.

I called this arena strange at first, but honestly, it's quite beautiful if you ignore the fact that it looks like it has been abandoned for several decades. A shame that I didn't get to see this place in its prime. Sadly that only applies to the arena itself, the rest of it is disgusting thanks to what took place here. The conversation between those two men back in the jail makes a lot more sense now. I can see bloodied appendages strewn throughout the grassy dirt, all around the chaos circle. You can't force others to go through the ritual after all, they need to voluntarily accept it. It's a nightmarish process. They're bound by ether chains, forced to watch as their loved ones are tortured... It continues like that until they concede to willingly go through with the transfer. They probably believed a quick end awaited them in the other realm, but only a lucky few are awarded such a luxury.

Hmm... One other thing does bother me. How did they move all the civilians into here? The gate is destroyed after all. I suppose it's possible to make them all march in pairs through that tiny corridor behind me... But there had to of been at least three hundred or more people, maybe even a thousand would be required to bring over one Satyr. Warping is also a possibility... Teleportation abilities are rare, and those versed in teleportation magic are even more rare. Still, I don't want to rule that possibility out. Someone with the ability to teleport a group of people paired with a Satyr is something I refuse to allow to exist.

A light shower of rain began to fall on me. It was slowly ramping up in density.

I love rain most of the time, but out in the open anything with good instincts or eyesight will see the rain bouncing off of nothing instead of hitting the ground. A Satyr is one such being.

... I'm also just now realizing that I'm naked. I'm about one hundred and eighty centimeters tall, while Gaz and that guy I killed from behind were around two hundred or more. Baggy armor is not an option, and Peter's was completely burned up.

... It can't be helped, I'll make my own.

I walked to a location where I could keep an eye on the entrance while staying out of sight. I then quickly used Gaz's sword to cut a long gash along my forearm. Black blood began to ooze out, slowly shifting from a liquid to a cloth-like substance as I pulled on it.

No time to make anything nice, I'll stick with a makeshift one-piece for now. Also, Gaz's sword is honestly ridiculous. It went through that guy's spine as if it was tissue paper, and yet it looks like an ordinary dull sword you can find anywhere? If they're carrying around weapons like these then it's all the more reason I need to be careful.

About ten minutes later I was fully 'clothed' in a near-weightless simple black cloth.

Against this sword, it won't do anything, but non-elemental abilities will be partly blocked. Better than nothing for now.

I activated my veil(turned invisible) and began to make my way back towards the corridor.

It's really annoying that I can't get over these walls... It'd be much safer since the person connected to the three I just killed is aware of my existence and probably waiting to ambush me. I was hoping those three would have a utility-based ability, but nope. Neither Gaz nor Peter had a single ability. The last guy had one, but when I try testing it nothing happens. This happens in rare cases. It's probably something related to barriers, which is sadly something I don't have.

I jogged up the ramp and circled around the body before I reached the three-way branch I was at earlier. I peeked around the corner I saw nothing in either direction. There are about twelve magic torches between me and the door far down the tunnel to my right. I turned my aura off, because it's too damn painful around all these torches, and began running at full speed toward the exit. Along the way I grabbed all the torches near the door and brought them back to where I originally was before dropping them on the ground. When I approached the door again, I could hear rain hitting it.

So it leads outside, thank god. I'll still have to deal with torches but at least they won't be nearby.

I put my veil back up as I neared the door. I tensed up as I grabbed the handle.

... This is the dangerous part. The most likely spot for me to get ambushed is right here.

I pulled the door open and sprinted outside. The first thing I saw was a group of barrels near a house on my left. I quickly dove behind them and did a quick scan of my surroundings.

Hmm... This area appears to be a back alley filled with homes in the design of the Kitsune's culture. I did see a lot of their ears back there so it's not a huge surprise.

I looked into the nearby open window and saw six jail cells inside with a small desk near the window. This must be where they kept slaves before moving them to the arena.

I then peeked out down the street I saw nothing moving at all besides the rain. There are large magic torches latched onto the ends of every roof, lighting up the area a little, but not enough to hurt me.

Keeping still, I stared ahead looking for any kind of movement. Aside from rickety doors and signs swaying in the wind, I saw nothing else.

... Is there truly nobody here? If those mana lines weren't for beneficial reasons but instead curses, that would still put whoever was using them on guard. There is also a chance they fled after three of their group members died so quickly...

I carefully made my way around the barrels, staying near the dilapidated homes on the left as I continued forward while scanning the area with my enhanced vision for anything out of the ordinary. One thing that stuck out was the lack of footprints in the dirt. The chances of a warper being present have gone way up.

Upon reaching the end of the road, the area opened up to what used to be a market square. Twice the size of the arena, but I'm still picking up no movement.

... I can see the entrance to the village past the square. Ambush spot number two, not going through there. Fortunately, this time I have many other ways to exit this place.

Keeping to the left, I continued advancing forward while glancing between the homes next to me and the market on the right.

If they're hiding in the homes then so be it. I don't plan on inspecting over four hundred abandoned homes. It's much quicker to just find the Satyr, who is nowhere near small enough to enter these homes.

Arriving near the fork, I slid up to the edge of the last house and checked the street on the left. It's also empty... However, I do see what I was hoping to find, a bunch of crates stacked against the wall fifty meters up next to a large-looking building. It's probably a warehouse.

Looks like I found my way out of here. Next is to find the Satyr, which will be more of a waiting game than anything else. I don't know what they're currently doing, but eventually the Satyr will begin casting magic, lighting up the area around him in the process. Regardless of what element he uses, catching sight of it in this pure darkness will be unbelievably easy. Plus, the humans with him are definitely carrying a light source of some kind, so there's a chance I'll stumble upon them before he even begins casting magic.

Proceeding toward the crates I finally saw something out of the ordinary down a back alley.

A lava hound...? What is this doing here?

The hound stands up on its hind legs, moving its head from side to side.

Seeing that strange movement I realized I forgot something. When chaos magic is used for a summoning, it pushes the two realms together for only a brief moment, but that's enough to corrupt the local area for a long time. The air is going to become very dense with ether, which is going to lead to this area swarming with monsters. That hound is looking for the densest place, which would be the arena.

Good thing I got out of there when I did. Forget multiple monsters, even that lava hound would cripple me. This sword could kill it with ease... but then it'd explode, leaving me as a husk till something else comes along to finish me off.

I did find it strange that the third guy I killed was guarding an area they no longer had a use for. They left him there, and possibly the other two, to kill any monsters that came along. The only conclusion I can come to is that they plan on using it again... They're either out there gathering up more sacrifices or killing an Eldritch. Only a soul of that level would be equivalent to so many sacrifices. Why in God's name would they help a Satyr bring over another one though? As much as I hate the creatures, they are surprisingly fair. Even an extravagant wish would be granted for what they offered. Just how greedy are these people?

While I was lost in thought the hound dashed off in the direction I just left.

Good luck little buddy, make sure to call your friends. An entire arena full of you would be a nice surprise for the Satyr if I can't stop them.

My objective is the same but slightly different now. If it's possible I still want to kill everyone involved with the ritual, but the ones around the Satyr were always going to prove extremely difficult to touch without getting myself killed.

... I'll have to take the risk and try to kill the person with the most utility. The Satyr brings enough firepower on its own, so he probably has humans around him that'll be good at crowd control or defense. If I take the best one out, he might give up on fighting an Eldritch. Assuming that truly is what they're doing, and not gathering more sacrifices. I'm positive they're not though. Satyr never suggest sacrificing others. I don't know why that is the case, but it's a weird fact about them that I know is true. And Peter said that the others were 'really freaked out' after the sacrifice. I severely doubt they will do it again. They'll prefer to kill an Eldritch if possible, and Satyr are experts at locating them.

I continued my walk to the crates without any more surprises. However, looking at the crates I suddenly felt really uneasy.

....................

How long would it take to get on the roof of that house, and then find a way up to the warehouse's roof? From there I could jump outside of the village. Or I could do the same damn thing with these easily found crates that are conveniently stacked to be climbed onto... This is the kind of location that I would trap if I were them. Getting caught in a trap right now is game over, and I have no abilities to scan for them.

On the other hand, I won't be able to prevent those creaky boards from making lots of noise, drawing monsters like that lava hound and others to where I am. The hound will hear me through the rain, and then when it starts making noise my position will be given away on top of the fact that more monsters will be drawn there. This is all assuming the boards on the warehouse don't give out completely. It's so decayed that it's literally leaning to one side...

... Whatever I do, it needs to be soon.

~Brian POV~

"No I will not calm down!! Even Jason was killed in one hit! Please honey, I'm begging you, grab that worthless brother of mine and go join up with Keith..." Nisha said.

"Stop screeching, it's too late for us to be relocating. There are at least a dozen different A-rank monsters in the area now, slowly making their way towards Kikyou. For now, Brian's net is keeping them away from us. So shut the hell up and keep your focus on scanning the area around us."

This back-and-forth has been going on for a while. I love her, I really do, but these two are a complete pain in the ass to deal with sometimes. Although this time they both have a point, even I am worried about what kind of monster could take Jason down in one hit.

Jason...

He may have been a newer member, but his death still hit me hard. It was obvious he wanted nothing to do with any of this. Barely an adult, still walking around with a naturally pure heart in this bleak world. Yet we brought someone like him out here to help us...

"Your brother is right, we can't move right now. The current plan is the best we've got. All we can do is pray that the monster, or Elf girl? Whatever the hell it is, gets caught in one of your traps. Either that or nothing happens until Keith returns with the Demon."

....................

Oh? I wasn't expecting her to go sile--

"It's there..." Nisha whispered.

"What? The Elf?" Albel replied.

"Yes, I can feel a hand on the outer edge of my trap that we placed on the crates near that warehouse. Only a hand though, nothing else yet."

Both me and Albel tensed up, preparing to attack at any moment.

The second she activates it we're going to have to bombard her. Here's hoping it's enough...

We passed the time in silence, every second feeling like an eternity.

To my right I could see Albel waiting with his hands interlocked, leaving a big gap in the middle.

As I thought, he's planning on incinerating her.

"A foot just hit my mark, she's climbing up!!"

I canceled my wooden net, turning it into a massive spear. I could hear Albel sucking in as much air as his lungs will allow.

The blue exit mark on the tree in front of us began to shine.

I launched the spear forward with as much mana as it could handle while Albel exhaled a long stream of fire, both aimed directly at the mark.

The spear smashed into the tree, piercing it straight through. A short scream could be heard as the fire engulfed the tree.

With no time to celebrate, we both turn to flee the area, knowing full well that we're about to be swarmed by monsters. I won't be able to reform that spear to a net for several minutes after all.

However, what happened next stopped us both in our tracks.

"The monsters are running away...?" Albel said, clearly confused.

"Looks like it? Calling this strange would be an understatement."

That's not the only part that could be called strange. I swear before my spear landed I couldn't see anything on the tree we attacked. The girl should've appeared there one second after the mark lit up... Yet I saw nothing until after I pierced her.

"Did you get her?!" Nisha asked.

"Yeah... Yeah, we got her." Albel replied, still looking around for monsters.

"Truly?!! Well done you two!! Now hurry back to where we are! I won't feel completely relieved until we're all together again."

"I can't, remember? I need to wait till I can retrieve the spear." I said.

"Oh... right. Okay well, hurry back after, alright?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "Don't worry beautiful, it's over. Stop being so worried, we'll be back by your side soon." Speaking aloud this time, I continued. "Your sister is just too damn cute. I suppose there was no need for me to tell you that though. I'm sure you already know that better than anyone."

I turned to look at Albel, but he wasn't there. I looked around and spotted him on the branch of a tree ten yards behind me, holding a thin spear of fire.

"When the hell did you get up there? I only looked away for a second."

"I'm going to keep watch here while you get your spear back. Now hurry up."

"I can't hurry up when it comes to this, but alright sure."

I felt slightly apprehensive as I approached the tree. Seriously, what was this girl? I'm positive she was dead when we found her...

Upon reaching her, I'm surprised to see the blood around the spear was completely black. The trap mark is still lit up so I can see it clearly, her blood really is black... What the hell? I can't think of a single living being I've ever seen with black blood.

In any event, that's all I can tell about her at this point. Albel completely crisped her.

Wait... There's no smell.

"Holy shit, ALBEL! This girl has no smell at all even after being cooked by you!"

"That's not possible. Please see a doctor after we return to Viseux."

"Fuck you too. I'm serious here, I smell nothing from her right now. This is wild..."

"......................."

Even if I can't see his expression, I know the little bastard is intrigued.

I laughed and turned back around to prepare to detract my spear, as it should be ready soon. And that's when a hand grabbed my throat, squeezing with enough force to crush it.

"Grrggggghh?!"

W-What is this?!

In a panic I grasped at the hand choking me, immediately realizing that it was charred.

My eyes went wide. I looked up at the girl to see two red eyes staring back at me.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I could hear Nisha screaming, followed by her brother yelling something as well.

I couldn't hear anything they were saying, nor was I listening. All I could hear was the sound of heavy rain blaring in my head as two red eyes glared at me unblinking.

Kicking her or punching her face did nothing, she merely kept staring at me, completely unfazed.

Every now and then she moved me to the right or the left, using my body to guard against Albel's spear. Because of the mark, I could tell he was changing tactics and running in this direction to attack her directly.

The world around me began to fade, and my strength to fight back went with it. I tried to tell Nisha one last time that I loved her, but I was unable to focus enough to communicate with her.

I could see my whole life play out in front of me as everything slowly went black.

The day an inquisitor saved my family's caravan from a monster attack. How cool he looked as he cut that Werebear in two despite the overwhelming size of the beast.

All the years of training in the temple, preparing for an entrance exam that almost nobody passes, especially rookies like me. After dozens of tries, I finally succeeded and became an inquisitor. Not only that, I was incorporated into a newly formed unit under the number one rookie, Keith. Within seven years we were one of the top three units on the entire moon. We traveled around completing every mission we were given with ease. Everywhere we went, there was nothing but pure happiness on the faces of people when they saw us coming. The greatest joy of my life was found in that group as well, Nisha.

Those were the best years of my life... However, they didn't last.

Nobody knows why, but suddenly the amount of Eldritch appearing around Urza had quadrupled. And not only that, they were also becoming progressively stronger as time went on. We'd lose on average one to three of our comrades on every mission.

The Tengu also reappeared, destroying every village he could. Lord Rai'ga was suddenly unable to assist in anything else as he was forced to focus solely on keeping the Tengu at bay.

This repeated for many years. Before we knew it, most of our unit was replaced with new members. Even former bandits like Gaz were being admitted into our force now.

We had already served our time and more, so it was our right to request permission to retire, which included access to the portals as well. However, time and time again we were denied; always told the same thing, 'Now is not the time to be selfish'. To a degree, I understood. Honestly, I knew what kind of trouble we were all in. It felt like every other month there was news of another village falling to the corruption of a new Eldritch. Even so, had we not done enough? We'd put our time in and more.

Regardless, we pushed on like that for another year before Keith reached his breaking point when his sister Rachel died. She had been with us from the start, and it wouldn't be a stretch to say her abilities were a major reason we survived as long as we did. Unfortunately, the Eldritch we were sent to investigate turned out to be a Demon, who also noticed how important she was. One minute she was there, the next she was gone. At the time we thought that it might be using a higher-tier version of Nisha's warp.

What happened to her next was something no one should have to experience. That fucking abomination surrounded itself in the strongest barrier we had ever seen, all for the purpose of making us watch. It slowly ate her piece by piece, then used her own ability against her to restore her body parts. We did all we could to pierce the barrier, but it still took hours. When it was finally breaking, the Demon laughed and swallowed her whole before warping away to god knows where. We searched in vain, knowing full well that both the Demon and Rachel were gone.

After that, Keith disappeared for almost two months. We thought he was gone for good. But one day he returned and marched straight to our commander's office, demanding access to a portal for all of us. He was rejected as usual of course, but Keith didn't look surprised or annoyed in the least. Instead, he gathered all of us up and told us his plans to summon a Demon. He said had no illusions about it being okay for us to sacrifice others for our own good, especially not the Kitsune of all races. No one has had it worse than them.

Nobody said anything, which Keith took as affirmation. This was how our meetings always went, but this time it was a little different. It wouldn't be a stretch to say we were all shocked to hear him say he'd be summoning a Demon. We had only recently lost Rachel in the most horrific way possible to a god damned Demon, yet here he was suggesting we summon another one? He noticed our confusion and went on to explain in great detail that what we'd be summoning was of a completely different species that honored their deals. I wanted to ask how he even knew this, or how to summon the Demon at all, but from Keith's attitude we could all tell he was going to do this regardless of whether we were there or not. Again, nobody said a word, which was taken as a silent affirmation of the mission. Did I want to send roughly five hundred innocents to their deaths? Absolutely not. But the image of Rachel screaming while being eaten alive wouldn't leave my mind. It kept leading back to the same question.

What if that happens to Nisha?

Now here I am two weeks later, dying at the hands of an unknown elf. Surprisingly, I don't hate her. This is merely Karma coming back around my way.

I don't regret trying to save my girl, but I do regret killing all those Kitsune...

This entire night was a farce.

This is not why I joined the inquisitors.

I only wanted to help people...