Elara's jaw clenched tightly as she concentrated her mana into Aura of Sanctuary, it was normally a passive skill with a minor buff to all resistances, but it could be activated. Her mana channelled through both her body and spirit, it flowed from her centre and burst out through her channels, a series of runes bursting into the visible spectrum. A moment later a white light pulsed out in a ring around her.
[Aura of Sanctuary]
[Elemental Resistance – Minor]
[Physical resistance – Minor]
[Life Force regeneration – Minor]
[Sanctuary Strength: 12 / 12]
The notifications appeared, and she acknowledged the effects, then dismissed them. Twelve strength? She was improving. Now that her Aura of Sanctuary was level six, she had confidence in it absorbing a couple of strikes now.
She looked over at Haestin, wrestling with an Aberration that would have looked almost like a minotaur, apart from… this abomination had the legs of a cow and the upper body of a human, along with the signature mottled-purple skin and deranged crimson eyes. Haestin was fine, and Foust, well… he was better in combat than she'd expected.
He ducked and weaved as two Aberrations swung wildly at him—both humanoid-type-aberrations, low Tier and low level. They were relatively easy to deal with. Sure they were faster than their non-corrupted counterparts, but the aberrations could only operate on impulse and instinct, which meant that Aberrations would always be at a disadvantage at equal Tier and Level; at least against a competent fighter.
Foust's two small blades danced in the air, every step he took and every bob and weave he made left cuts gracing the arms of the two attackers. His eyes were focussed on the fight, his toothy smile reduced to a slight upwards turn of his closed lips.
Haestin kicked out at the upside-down minotaur. It flew backwards and she recognised his signature skill in action: Haestin could imbue any of his hand-to-hand attacks with a significant amount of Mana, the more Mana he imbued, the more force would be generated.
She watched as the Aberration crashed into the cavern wall, Haestin didn't hesitate to follow up, and she saw more Mana enter the visible realm as his fists collided with the creature.
Luckily for her companion, his skill reinforced his body as well as his power—she shivered as she thought just how much it would hurt to strike the aberrations with that much strength.
Within her spirit, she felt her skills hold on Foust begin to fade; Divine Strength. She immediately began to channel her mana and within just a few moments a series of small orange-yellow runes appeared in a sequence before her and the rogue.
A notification appeared—"Success."
She doubted she'd need to re-apply the skill again, by the looks of the fight. Thirty seconds would be more than enough to finish off the three Aberrations.
Foust's repeated stabs and slices wore down the Aberrations quickly, their bodies leaking dark ichor from multiple open wounds. He feigned a strike, pulling back at the last second and Elara felt a surge of intense Mana envelop him. This was one of Foust's favourite skills—Shadow Strike.
A puff of dark fog replaced his body in an instant and he appeared without pause behind the smaller of the two Aberrations. His knifes came together in the side of the beasts neck and he sliced in opposite directions, blood and ichor poured out as the first Aberration fell.
She was glad she didn't have to engage with the Aberrations up close; it wasn't her path, she was more of a support. While they supported her in her mission, she would support them in battle.
Graced by her position in the Order she had been given her pick of any skill they had to offer—as such, she had chosen skills that she thought could benefit her Guardians the most. Buffs, Aura's and Heals. She could only pick five for now but had already lined up her Tier two set. It was only a matter of time.
The beast-kin's fists pummelled the minotaur for a few more moments before he turned. The corpse of the now lifeless aberration dropped to the floor, and a mess of ichor and shards of bones littered the ground. He didn't engage the final Aberration, simply grunting and waiting.
"Hah! Don't be sh—" Foust yelled as he stepped back avoiding a clumsy fist of the growling Aberration. "—be shy, we can share—" he pounced forward as the aberrations fist completed its arc and Foust stabbed twice with his blades "—or are you embarrassed, thinking I'll show you up!"
Elara frowned as Haestin growled "Fuckin' half-wit, dung breath, shit—"
She blanked out the long, drawn-out monologue of expletives as Foust quickly finished the last Aberration. "Foust, our work is serious. Let's not make light of the happenings here," she said, admonishing the rogue. "They were all once like us… It is ill-fate that leads to their deaths."
Elara walked to each of the bodies once the combat had ceased, she knelt, prayed for their release in death and closed their eyes. On two of them at least.
Just a prayer would have to do for Haestin's more unfortunate opponent.
Foust looked at her with a questioning look, as he always did. He didn't understand. How could he?
"He doesn't need to. It is better this way," she thought.
He was oathbound to serve and protect her on her mission. That was enough.
Haestin waited silently, watching out for any more to approach.
Once she finished, she looked to Haestin, he nodded "They're level two Elara, don't 'fink we'll need to stop—say the word."
"We'll cleanse the corruption, as is the way of the Order," she said in response.
Foust's only response was a toothy grin in agreement as they moved deeper into the Caverns.
They came across two more groups, the first group much the same as the last and they dealt with it just as easily. The second group had two Aberrations, but they weren't humanoid, instead they found themselves against two rats: one of the worst corrupted species to fight. Why? They were fast, deadly, and every bite from their oversized teeth was laced with corruption. One bite could spell the end for an adventurer.
Encountering the rats was one of the few times Haestin had openly stated he'd needed the 'accursed elf'—something that made Elara smile internally. Despite their apparent dislike for each other, they each respected the benefit they provided to the team.
A combination of Elara's Aura of Sanctuary and Mana Barrier allowed them to commit to an all-out assault. The physical resistance of the Aura, combined with the Mana Barrier's mitigation, reduced the effective damage of the rats attacks to a level where the Sanctuary's shielding negated the bites entirely. Before the rats had time to re-engage after the first lunge, they were dead. Both Haestin and Foust had unleashed devastating attacks, expending the majority of their Mana. Luckily, they didn't have too much Life Force.
After the battle she and her companions recovered their Mana Pools with potions; they had a small number to burn through, knowing they would be replenished upon their return to the Capital.
They had travelled further for a small while and had eventually ended up in an open cavern—it was pretty bare. As soon as they reached the cavern, Elara began to feel a concentration of corruption coming from a small passageway at the end of the open cavern. Usually, when she felt her body react to such concentration, it was an indication of an Aberration hive-mother: a term the Order used to describe the leader of the pack, usually an Aberration with unusually high intelligence and concentrated corruption. It allowed them to spread the corruption in the areas they 'settled', expanding their numbers and forcing themselves on the local populations.
Both Adventurers and the Order made it their mission to eradicate nests as quickly as possible. Despite their best efforts the past couple of months, the surge of activity around a month ago across the Empire had caused surprising devastation, she'd gotten word that almost every outlying village had been hit. Along with three of their trade-hub towns. She shuddered at the thought of some organisational command sending the Aberrations into a frenzy…
She turned to her companions, both now recovered from the shock of encountering the dangerous beasts in this place, "I believe the Hive-Mother is just ahead. Haestin, Foust, please. Let's end this quickly."
They nodded, one with a smile and one with fierce determination.
As they passed through the threshold of the passageway into the new open cavern, she smelt the dank rot of meat and the putrid smells of corruption. It wasn't only the smell that affected her though, it was the feel in the air, it felt oppressive, toxic. The cavern was small, a pool of murky water ran through the middle, and a number of rocks broke the otherwise flat surface of the area. The dim lights that hung from the lanterns at their belts pushed into the darkness, revealing their foe. "It was humanoid at least." She thought.
As she looked at the almost human creature ahead of her, a well of sorrow pooled into her spirit. It was a woman, or… used to be a woman. Her likely full head of hazel hair was now sparse, matted and covered in dried blood. Her clothes had been ripped to almost nothing, and her bare flesh looked as though it was peeling. Anomalous growths spurted from her form in hues of purple, and black ichor pulsed slowly from 'zit-like' pores across her transformed body.
They needed to release her from this corruption.
"Arwen, Arvos… lend us your strength as we purge the corruption from your child," Elara whispered in prayer before yelling, "We will save you."
Haestin took her words as the signal to move and did so without hesitation, he bolted forwards, cocking his fist back to engage the Aberration.
Foust darted in at an angle to the creature's side, allowing Haestin to take the frontal assault.
"Sav-ve me?" the woman said, her scratchy voice grating their ears. It was unnatural and tinged with a beastly sublimation, "Join me-e."
Elara's eyes opened wide as she heard the Aberration speak, this was the first time. Not in all of Eridoria, no, just the first time she'd heard it. The shrillness of the voice, the desperation within. It was so primal, so…
The Aberration dove forward at a speed that blurred in her vision as it dove towards Haestin. It was too fast.
"Fuck! Shit-face, don't fuckin' hold back, let the bitchin' beast 'ave it!" Haestin roared as he collided with the Aberration, her momentum more than matching this, they tumbled as ichor pulsed over Haestin, a smoky black haze rising from its contact.
Foust launched himself into the scuffle and stabbed down with both daggers. The daggers pierced deep into the beast, but it barely flinched.
The three of them rolled in a desperate tussle as ichor spread across the trio. The female Aberration using its unnaturally long, purple nails to claw at the men.
Elara channelled her Mana desperately, pulling as much as she could and pouring it into her skill. Large runes appeared around her, their golden orange glow illuminating the cave, revealing piles of corpses at the back. "What… what the..?!" she gasped, her concentration on the skill almost failing.
"Come on, Elara!" she thought as she steeled herself and finished channelling her skill; Light of the Divine Monarchs
Beams of white and orange scorched forward out of the runes enveloping the trio. It was a multi-functional skill; it restored the Life Force of allies and dealt damage to foes. The beams tore out into the three of them for a few moments, and she heard a muffled scream coming from the beast.
As the skills effects began to fade, she noticed how the ichor that had begun to cover her team had also evaporated, leaving only the fresh ichor from the creature as a threat. The aberration was also covered in scorch marks, its exposed skin crumbling into fleshy blisters and crisp flesh.
Haestin punched with all his might—and mana—and the Aberration was forced into the air, its face jutting backwards as his blow connected. Foust disappeared in a flash of black fog and appeared atop the launched beast. His daggers pierced straight into her eyes. His usually smiling face had turned into one of concentration and caution.
The Aberration screamed in primal agony, lashing out with its claw-like hands and Elara felt something building within its body—"Watch ou—" she began.
Too late. A pulse of crimson energy coursed outwards, flooding out of the Aberration. Haestin and Foust gasped in pain, and she braced as the unholy corruption pierced their spirits. She hesitated for only a moment before she spread her arms outwards and screamed.
An orange glow burst from her eyes, and the corrupting light paused. She didn't stop, a tear running down her face from the pain that coursed through her—she hated this, but she was chosen.
The crimson light began to shudder, to flicker and to pulse forwards and backwards, all the while the orange-yellow coming from her own eyes began to collide with its will. Both colours representing overwhelmingly powerful forces from opposite ends of the spectrum.
The corruption fought valiantly, but it was no use. It was being called by something more. The red in the air pulsed angrily and then swarmed towards Elara; it flowed into her open maw.
Elara shuddered as the toxins passed through her vessel, as it travelled through her body and spirit. It was only for a moment, and she would endure.
And so, she did. As the crimson disappeared from the cavern, so did the pain. As the corruption passed through her and over the threshold, it became obsolete, as if it had never existed.
It worked.
That didn't mean the fight was over… she looked up and saw Haestin and Foust follow up her sacrifice immediately. They tore into the flailing woman. Elara grimaced, it was a cruel fate for the ill-fated.
Only moments more passed until the fight was over, and she fell to the floor, barely holding on to her consciousness.
She looked to her companions, "My Path is one of sacrifice, do not fear or feel pity for me."
She hoped they would not press the matter. She closed her eyes and embraced the darkness, falling unconscious.