Shadows of the Light

Page 29

Texts from the Church of the Light state that the Blasted Sinkhole was made when the Brightspear Knights and an army of Blades fought back an incursion of K'tik and other Darklings. There was a great slaughter and their bodies rose in heaps so that when their bodies rotted, the Taint seeped into the ground and polluted the grounds. That's what it said, anyway, but Sakiya wasn't so sure. He knew the K'tik were one of the Tainted Races but after meeting Marcy, he wasn't so sure what to think of it. Also, there was just something malevolent in the air, what with the foul-smelling fumes and scalding geysers, it was really a place that seemed to radiate hatred for life. It was a huge crater that was bare but littered with yawning holes where the constant flow of yellowish-green fumes would emanate. However, Sakiya had no time. He was exiled, yes, but exiled to the Warring Outskirts and if he didn't reach there by the end of spring, the law required him to be hunted down and killed. He couldn't have that. Not when he had promised Marcy. He wouldn't fail this time.

It had been a week. By rights, a forced march like Sakiya's would ensure he reached the other side in two to three weeks but the putrid atmosphere made it seem like a year. He pushed himself to the absolute limit each and every day. The air which choked him made wonder whether he would escape from there in one piece. He lifted Marcy onto his shoulders once again. The moment they had gone a few steps into the place, she had collapsed into a heap. Her sensitivity to the Taint was affecting her very adversely. Sakiya dared not get closer to the sinkhole itself, but instead skirted along near the edges without going too far south. He hurried as much as he was able. He didn't want to stay there any longer than necessary, for his sake and for Marcy's. He ran when he could but walked unceasingly. Once again, he travelled as any normal person did: walking by day and resting by night, mainly because he did not want to fall into a geyser hole by accident. Before he had left inhabitable areas, he had left behind most of his things and replaced them with as much water as he could carry. He left behind clothes, utensils and even some food. At night, he would let Marcy sleep and wet her lips with water constantly. For once, he was taking care of her, and while he was tired to the bone, he did not begrudge her. Just looking at her would make all his frustration melt away into worry. She would be shivering constantly and whimpering. Her breathing was reduced to shallow wheezing. For all his hopes about how all the training would benefit him, they all fell short. The Blasted Sinkhole was just a challenge too intense for a human being.

Then he heard a guttural howl echo across the entire place and he stopped. He looked around quickly but all he could see were the fumes that rose to about his height. Unnerved, he gently put Marcy down on the pack he carried and unsheathed his sword. His tiredness was forgotten as his blood started pumping. He scanned the place, more thoroughly this time, and this time, he spotted something reddish heading towards them from the north and Sakiya knew that wasn't a good sign. North was where the centre of the crater was. Whatever was coming at them was definitely not human nor humanoid. He breathed deeply, then realised his error as he started coughing on the stench. It almost costed him his life. Only one who has been in that situation knows how blind and deaf you become when you are genuinely coughing your lungs out. He ducked as something swiped over his head and he rolled out of the way to look at his attacker. If the sight of the Scarecrow sickened him, it just got outdone. The thing looked like a combination of a human body stretched longer and had a deer head instead of where a human one was. Its mouth was hanging open, with drool, foam and blood dripping from it. One of its eyes was hanging out of its socket and the other was clearly blind. Its antlers were shattered and broken between raw flesh where ears were supposed to be. The worst was its body; there was no flesh on it, only tense and bloody muscle, as if the skin had been flayed off. It had no hands, but muscle had grown over a large meat hook on its right arm and a broken, rusty sword on the other. Without giving him any time, it swung its sword at Sakiya and if he hadn't trained with Marcy, he would be dead. As he blocked the blow, his training kicked in and he ran his sword along the thing's and slashed at it. The thing hooked his sword and pulled it towards the left in an effort to disarm him, but Sakiya went with his blade, knowing the trick. As he rolled, he narrowly missed its stomping hooves as it tried to crush him. He got up only to parry a thrust and a wide hook swing, followed by another wild slash. While, its movements were amatuerish as a little kid swinging a toy sword, the presence of two weapons and its endless stamina meant that Sakiya was on the defensive most of the time. To make matters worse, all these exertions were taking its toll and Sakiya was now wheezing painfully. The fumes not only choked him but, now that he was constantly breathing deeply, he now knew that they also burned. The thing made a sound akin to a cross between slobber and a neigh and turned backwards.....where Marcy was lying.

Sakiya paled. Oh Light, Light, Light....

The thing gave him one last glance, as if to sneer, then charged at Marcy's prone body. As time slowed, Sakiya knew he could not reach her in time and an overwhelming sense of helplessness washed over him. In his mind's eye, he saw the lady slash at Lucianne's throat and a familiar feeling washed over him. Was it anger? His helplessness? He didn't know, but he felt a surge of power spring forth from within and he felt compelled to open his palm toward the creature. He heard one word drift by his ears:

"Cleanse..."

And he yelled as a purple and blue tinged fist-sized ball of black fire shot out and hit the creature in the back. The ball exploded with a thunderous impact and flames flew everywhere but the creature was drowned in it. It screeched and screeched its death throes before it finally sank to the ground to be consumed by the black fire. Sakiya looked at the flames and panicked. He rushed past the burning carcass, the scene in the Medhen courtyard all too fresh in his eye and beheld Marcy, still lying on the packs of water. He froze, too afraid of approaching, lest he harm her.

Then she opened her eyes weakly and smiled at him. And he breathed.

"That was quite a save."

He ran to her and hugged her tightly.

"At least, it actually was a save this time, Marcy dear."