Chapter 14

  Drakmor Company

  An enormous boulder crashed into the road, followed by several dozen stones which scattered from the impact. From the dust came more of them. Deep orange skin pocked with brown spots, bulged with odd muscles. They bore sharpened stones and cackled.

  Gibzori.

  Michael knew how to deal with them. He swept his sword at the charging enemies, unleashing a surge that cut into them. That wasn't quite right. He needed more ferocity. Michael swung again and split open three of the manic zori with an empowered slash. The surge cut them open and sailed past, splitting the branch off of a tree up ahead. Each Gibzori he slashed fell to the ground and began to fade, slain. The rest charged, anger and excitement in their eyes. Four... Six... Twelve... More were coming. Too many more. Michael glanced at the boulder that blocked him and these Gibzori from the others.

  Focus. Michael exhaled and steeled himself. He would need to deal with these foes himself, or they would kill him. Michael thrust his sword and called forth the power of Dark Blade, launching the oncoming Gobzori into the air. He followed up with a wide vibe, adding a little wind to the attack while backpedaling to gain distance.

  Gibzori were launched about, but more of them advanced through the attack. They raked at Michael, tearing into him with sharp stones and heavy fists. The blood started to rush as he took several hits. The enemy pushed him to the wall of a cliff and surrounded him with haphazard strikes that caused cuts and bruises on his face and body.

  Michael snarled, but held back his rage, and his sword. He swung it and a Gibzori flinched out of the way, but wasn’t being targeted. Michael stabbed the wall behind him and snarled through his teeth, “Dark... Blade...” The energy cracked along the wall, then burst out, launching Michael and the Gibs away from the wall with incredible force! Michael shoulder bashed a Gibzori and used it to slam into the others, and then rolled with the impact to his feet.

  The rest of the foes were on the ground all around, groaning and rising from a tangle of bodies. Two of the Gibzori thrashed and then exploded, the impact of the attack having sent their stone weapons into vital areas. Michael stabbed a nearby prone Gib in the head and killed it.

  There were still too many, and they were recovering too fast. “This would be a good time for some help...” Michael said, glancing at the blocked boulder, hoping Hyato or Yan would make it through. The Gibzori charged Michael again, he disposed of the first few with some heavy slashes.

  “GRAAAAH!” A brutal bellow of challenge from above was accompanied by someone Michael had never seen dropping into the middle of the Gibs! A woman landed on a Gibzori with spiked boots, then swung a huge axe around, killing and launching a dozen or so Gibs all at once! Michael had no idea who this was, and he grinned like a madman.

  “HYAAAH!” Michael roared, answering the woman’s bellow. He swung with wild frenzy at the Gibs near him, excited for battle! The Gibzori tried to fight back, but the war cries had poisoned them with fear!

  Michael and the mysterious woman tore apart the Gibzori, the last one falling to a clean axe chop from the woman. She brushed the dust off her leather pauldron and stood up straight, looking down at Michael. “Good work dude!”

  “Thanks, mind helping me move these rocks? My friends are over there.”

  “On it.” The woman moved to the rocks as Michael sheathed his sword. They worked to move the barricade aside and opened the way forth.

  Hyato snapped a Gibzori in half with a flick of his blade, and Sebastian ended another with a launched icicle. Sebastian wiped sweat from his brow and said, “Let’s go help Michael.”

  “Don’t have to.” Michael said, stepping past the barricade. “Already done.” He and the woman stepped through.

  “Hi everyone.” The woman said, grinning and waving her hand, “Hi Sebastian. I’m Kyria.”

  Sebastian straightened and smiled, “Kyria! I didn’t expect to see you again.” He straightened his shirt and ran his hand through his hair.

  “Old flame?” Yan appeared next to Michael and Kyria, making Kyria flinch. Yan examined the warrior woman and her axe.

  “Not exactly.” Kyria said, “He tutored me a few days ago and suggested I come to the mountains to slay Zori to get stronger.”

  “Worked out for me.” Michael said. “You saved my skin.”

  Kyria grinned, “Nah, you would have had them.” She offered her hand to Michael, and they exchanged a greeting, placing their right hands on one another’s right shoulders for a brief moment. Once the greeting was completed Kyria offered her hand to Yan. Yan smiled and exchanged the greeting with the tall buff woman.

  “I would like to thank you as well, for helping Michael.” Sebastian said, as Hyato greeted Kyria and exchanged names.

  “If you wanna thank me, then I have a great idea.” Kyria said. “I could use a little more direction in my training.”

  “Ah, yes.” Sebastian said, eyeing Kyria. “Well we are in the mountains on business. Have you seen anyone coming through in the last day, besides us?”

  “I haven’t seen anyone myself, but that doesn’t mean no one came through.” Kyria said. “But I won't keep you long if you are in a hurry. I am camping at an old fortress ahead, and you’ll need to stay somewhere for the night right?”

  “Well...” Sebastian looked at the others.

  “We should stop there,” Yan said. “I can look for tracks while you train her.” Michael and Hyato nodded too. “If we find anything definitive we’ll have to move out right away though.”

  “Okay!” Kyria said, suddenly picking up Yan into a tight hug. “Follow me!” She set yan down and ran ahead on the path the party had already been moving. Yan exhaled and took a few breaths, blinking.

  Michael patted Yan on the shoulder, “You okay?”

  Yan nodded and chuckled, “Yeah. Let’s go.”

  The day of traveling before encountering the Gibzori had been uneventful. The suns had already crossed the midpoint of the sky when Kyria showed up to lead everyone to her camp. Their path wound between crags, boulders, and brush as they made their way ahead.

  At the crossroad between several mountain roads there were the remains of an old fortress. The walls were crumbled in many places, and scavengers had taken all but the bare bones of a once stalwart defensive holding. Kyria went right into the old fortress with the others, where she had set up a tent, campfire, and some simple defenses.

  “What is this place?” Michael wondered aloud as he looked around.

  “A fortress, from the Broken Times.” Sebastian explained. Michael had a quizzical look, expecting more information. “You’ll find them all over. The Broken Times tore the world apart with dozens of wars.”

  “Which just means there’s no one to kick us out.” Kyria leaned her axe against one of the sturdier stone walls and took a seat.

  Sebastian took a seat across from Kyria, “So, you need some extra training then? Perhaps you can spar with Michael and help one another grow stronger.”

  “After some rest maybe, and something to eat.”

  Yan clambered up a nearby wall to have a look around. “In that case, why don’t you guys focus on training and I will head out to find some tracks, and maybe some extra food.”

  “I’ll help!” Michael shot to his feet, almost bouncing with excitement.

  “Michael, I’ll cover more ground if I go alone.” Yan gave a polite smile, and he deflated a little.

  Hyato stood up too and patted Michael on the back, “We can go looking. Then Yan can cover more ground, and we can bring more food.”

  The excitement returned to Michael as he nodded, “Yeah, okay!” Sebastian and Kyria chuckled from where they sat, content to keep resting.

  “Just be careful, don’t eat anything you don’t recognize.” Yan warned, “Use gloves and bring things back, I know most of the plants in these mountains.”

  “Except for ones you’ve already shown us, right?” Hyato asked, attempting a smile. Yan sighed and shrugged, then took off from her perch to go scouting.

  Sebastian waved as the boys headed out, “Bring back something nice you two, and don’t bother hurrying back. Take your time.” He grinned as they went, before turning his attention back to Kyria.

  Their second day in the mountain did not have as many encounters with Zori as Michael had been led to believe. He found the paths rather bare of monsters or creatures as he knelt to dig out the tubers hidden in the rocks. Perhaps the reason why all the edible plants were out of the way was because the rest had already been eaten. “I don’t like gloves. They’re too stiff.”

  “I found some berries.” Hyato called from further up the slope. He gathered a few bunches of green berries that clung to the cliffside, but ignored a bushel of blue ones growing from the stones.

  “What about those ones?”

  “Those are mana berries. Inedible.” He placed the green berries in the bag, sampling one. “They give you the runs.”

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Michael sighed, “I wish I didn’t have amnesia. That seems like something I should know.” He pored over another hidden bush to see if anything looked worth gathering.

  “It’s not like someone taught me that. I learned most things from experience.” Hyato pursed his lips, “But I do tend to forget things.” The two gathered in silence for a few more minutes, heading further up the slope.

  Hyato continued to gather whatever he could into a pouch, stopping to sample the things he recognized. Michael wondered if he should be sampling things, but found the laid back attitude amusing. Hyato was so often stoic and silent, it was interesting to see him so animated. Then, Hyato went still and stared off into space like he did on occasion, before looking around with a critical gaze.

  “Something wrong, Hyato?”

  “Hm.” He glanced at Michael then looked at his wrist, before tapping it with his other hand. “Should we... keep going?”

  “Oh, sure.” Michael moved past to climb up the slope some more, and Hyato fell into step beside him. “You spaced out again, just wanted to be sure you were good.”

  The flinch Hyato disguised was subtle, but Michael noticed it. “Sorry. I keep... doing that.”

  “It’s no problem.” Though it did not seem that Hyato agreed with that statement.

  To keep his friend from feeling uncomfortable, Michael started focusing more on gathering more potential food items. There were many berries, tubers, and some clovers even, but he just had to find them. Michael pushed his way into some bushes and scoped around. “Oh, found something. Hey Hyato, come here.”

  Hidden behind the bushes and nestled beneath some rocks was a vivid flower. It has long springy wavy petals, and grew from the stone apart from other plants. It was simple, pretty, and rather unique compared to other flowers they had seen.

  “Think flowers are edible?”

  “I don’t think so.” Hyato said as they crouched near the flower. “You could pick it and give it to... someone.”

  “But that would kill it.” Michael examined the flower for another moment, while Hyato watched from a little further away. After contemplating it in silence, Michael turned away to move back to the gathering. Hyato went with him.

  “How much more should we gather?” Hyato asked after a little while longer.

  “There’s still plenty of sunlight.” Michael stood up from gathering, rubbing his back. “But all this bending and kneeling is killing me. I don’t think I could make it as a farmer.”

  “Well they have pitchforks and stuff.” Hyato mimed a motion with his hands, “So, it’s easier. Right?”

  “I guess that makes sense.” Michael wondered if he knew about farming before he got amnesia, “I suppose that doesn’t really matter. We should get back soon, before it gets dark.”

  Both men stopped to look at the sky for a moment. It was still blue, but the suns were trailing near the horizon. The depth of summer meant that the winter sun was almost imperceptible behind its warmer counterpart. Hyato stretched a bit, “Let’s finish filling out packs first, we are almost full. Berry?” He offered one to Michael who relented and tried it. A bit bitter, but with a burst of sweet.

  “If we eat too many you’ll get a stomach ache again.” Michael warned, as they moved to the next hidden patch of clovers and roots. “And Yan said not to eat any you didn’t recognize.”

  “Which is why I am only sampling the ones she’s shown me already.” Hyato spotted familiar looking clovers and pulled them out. “Like these.” He ate a couple, and passed some to Michael.

  With a sigh, Michael accepted the snack. They were sweet, afterall. “You are much more talkative than...” He and Hyato both coughed as a horrid aftertaste polluted their tongues. Hyato rubbed at his tongue while Michael gulped down and spit out water to try and be rid of the taste. “What happened? Were they spoiled?”

  “I don’t... I don’t know.” Hyato coughed, and an itching sensation crawled up his throat. “I don’t think those were the same clovers.”

  “That’s... thatsh...” Michael slurred and staggered backwards. “My head is so... spinny. Dizzy. I dun understand.”

  “Oh, that’s not good.” Hyato lurched, and then swooped to catch Michael under his shoulder before he fell. “If you’re drunk, then that was poison.” Sweat began to pool around his eyes, “We need to get back.” Michael chuckled and giggled, which made Hyato feel even worse. “How am I going to explain this?”

  Sharp stone crags jutted out from sheer cliffs throughout the Drakmor Mountains. Remnants of old battles, scars from when the landscape was ruined by warring forces competing for dominance. The mountains had stood for years before the Broken Times, but the conflicts of that time and the scuffles between mages afterwards had left many places warped out of shape. The histories of the mountains were as familiar as the peaks themselves, to those who grew up within them.

  Yan landed on an isolated crag above the passes that wove through the mountains. The slopes and valleys lent themselves to numerous roads, but most were blocked off by rockslides until the storms or rains cleared them again. Sometimes the way forward was obvious, and other times it took a keen eye to spot them. Yan had found the paths they could take deeper into the mountains, but had not seen the Revenant since their last encounter.

  “Which way would be best for us?” She chewed on her lip and tried to concentrate on her task. She’d seen the bandit, but not well enough to know where he was headed or what kinds of tracks to look for. She had to track this by herself, the others weren’t skilled enough to keep up.

  If she trained them to move like she did, perhaps she could bring them along. It took her years of training at her village, but just the movement techniques might be quick. Yan sighed, there were already too many other things they were learning right now. Best to focus on what she needed to accomplish.

  After studying the trails for a while, she concluded that it would be best to talk things out after all. Sebastian was a perceptive guy, and could offer some good advice. He was a tactician, and it’s not like she was a tracker or navigator.

  With the wild game she’d managed to catch earlier, Yan returned to the ruin campsite. She was able to cross wide gaps and run along the sloped cliffsides with great ease, so her trip back didn’t take long. It was a little easier now that she didn’t need to hide that she was a ninja from the others.

  As Yan closed in on the camp she saw that Sebastian and Kyria were chatting and laughing together. The boys had yet to return. Even after all the time she took hunting and scouting, she still beat them back. Maybe she needed to drill them in agility anyways.

  “You two are getting along well.” Yan landed in the camp, taking a seat. “What happened to training?”

  “No harm in a little rest.” Sebastian countered. Kyria seemed amused and upbeat, and the two were sitting quite close to one another.

  “Nevermind. I don’t want to know.” Yan placed her pouch of forage and game aside, “I wanted some input on where we are headed next. I checked the paths and narrowed it down to three that might lead in the right direction, but couldn’t find any tracks left by the Revenant.”

  Sebastian rubbed his chin and sat up, his expression becoming serious. “If the Revenant goes into hiding, we wouldn’t be able to find it. There are too many side paths and places to hide.”

  “Exactly. I can’t figure out where it might have gone, so I don’t know where to lead us.”

  “It’s the reverse. If the Revenant hides, then we win anyways. It’s not a threat if it doesn’t act. So if we press forward and just keep looking for it, we are bound to run into it at some point. We just need to find out where it’s going, not where it is.”

  Yan’s eyes widened, “In that case, any route might work. We just need to keep heading through the mountains until we find something.”

  “Exactly.” Sebastian looked up towards the sky, eyes tracking the long shadows extending from the mountain peaks. “Night comes early in the mountains. Let’s take the fastest path in the morning.”

  Kyria stood up with a grin, rolling her shoulders. “Then you should help me train more tonight. I’d like more of your guidance.”

  Sebastian chuckled, admiring Kyria’s eagerness. “Of course. Sparring might be best, you and Michael should go at it. You could both stand to learn from one another.”

  “I’m up for that, soon as he gets back.” Kyria glanced towards the entrance of the camp, drawing the gaze of the others as well. It was already getting dark, most of the roads had shade from the peaks for a while, and what little light remained was dwindling.

  Yan stood up and tapped one foot. “They should have been back by now. I think I should go look for them.”

  “If you think that’s best.” Sebastian agreed. Yan gave a sharp nod and rushed out of the campsite. Sebastian hummed for a moment, then glanced over at Kyria. “So. Kyria. I wanted to ask...”

  “Yeah?” Kyria arched an eyebrow.

  “SEBASTIAN!” The shout made them both flinch, “KYRIA! COME QUICK!”

  Outside the decrepit walls of the fortress, Sebastian and Kyria rushed to convene with Yan. The two missing men were on the road nearing the makeshift camp, collapsed face down, as Yan inspected them with worry. As everyone gathered near Michael groaned and hiccuped, while Hyato struggled to lift one arm. He held out a small clover between two fingers, and croaked in pain as he tried to speak. “Sorry.”

  “Let’s get them inside.” Sebastian went to help Hyato and Michael up, but Kyria stepped past and picked up both men in single handed grips. She hauled them into the fortress as everyone gathered around in worry.

  The clover that Hyato had given them looked identical to the ones Yan had shown them the day prior, except for the white spots under the leaves clustered around the stem. “This is my fault. This clover is rare, but it’s a reagent for a potent poison. These two are in serious danger.”

  “What can we do to help?” Kyria asked.

  “Just give me a minute.” Yan grabbed the packs that Michael and Hyato brought back and pulled everything out to sort what had been gathered. There were many good food items, and several useless plants among what the pair had gathered. Yan sorted them as she went, placing things in appropriate spots, while discarding the weeds.

  After a few moments she deflated, grinding her teeth. “They don’t have anything I can use as an antidote. I’ll need to go find something.”

  “It’s too late to head out, it’s almost sunset.” Sebastian reminded her, “We can look together in the morning.”

  “No. If we leave them untreated for too long, it will take them days to recover. I need to make an antidote tonight, or we will be delayed by a week. Or worse.” Yan grimaced at the thought, and examined the two once again. Hyato was pale and sweating, signs that the poison was already doing serious harm to him. Considering that he couldn’t speak, he had to be more susceptible than average.

  Michael, on the other hand, was not showing any symptoms of the poison. He was drooling a bit and seemed dizzy, which weren’t effects that the clover should have produced. As she watched, Yan saw Michael hiccup himself awake and look around in a daze. A goofy grin plastered his face as he drifted off again.

  “That’s... odd.” Yan glanced at the others, who were also assessing Michael’s peculiar behavior.

  Sebastian rubbed his chin as he processed what he was seeing. “I’ve seen people in similar states, when they are blackout drunk.” He shook his head. “But that seems a bit far-fetched.”

  “There’s no way he should be drunk, he was poisoned.” Yan looked between Hyato and Michael, and the differences kept adding up. “Right?”

  “Actually, I’ve heard of someone who is immune to poison, but gets drunk instead.” Kyria chimed in. The others looked at her with surprise, “It’s true. He used to do it as a party trick, according to a friend of mine. Apparently, he got the power from a Chaos Altar.”

  “Hmm.” Sebastian nodded in thought, “An excess of chaos mana could cause all sorts of effects, bizarre, beneficial, or even baneful.” He spoke as if reciting a memorized text, “You know, that could also explain why he has purple eyes. And perhaps even his lack of pupils.”

  “Why that?” Yan asked.

  “Because, purple eyes are a sign that someone has been altered by some force. Chaos mana could be the reason he has such an unusual appearance, and might also be the cause of his amnesia. If he visited a Chaos Altar and made an offering to be infused, then this could be the result.”

  Yan examined Michael once more, thinking back to their travels so far. It was true that he was an odd one, for a variety of reasons. If he went to such a place to change himself, then who was he before? What would even drive someone to do that?

  Her thoughts drifted back to the current issue when Michael hiccupped again, but Hyato let out a weak groan. Michael was safe, but Hyato was still in danger. He was odd for many reasons as well. Appearing out of nowhere before joining them, then being spacey and skilled all at once. She didn’t know him that well, to be honest all three of the men she traveled with were as strangers to her, but they were also the people who stood by her side.

  “I am going to find the antidote reagent for Hyato.” Yan put on a hood to conceal her face as the light of the suns dwindled in the distance. “It’s best if I go it alone. I will return soon.” Yan slipped away from the fortress without another world.

  Following a moment of silence, punctuated by a cough from Hyato, Sebastian and Kyria looked at one another. “So, let’s do some training.”