Upon awakening Ryder was greeted with the sound of commotion coming from the first floor. His tired eyes fluttered open as he sat up in confusion, what was with all the noise? Had he slept in and missed something important?
After stretching and yawning loudly he walked out the door only to be greeted by a familiar maiden, Eleanor stood there facing away from his door.
"Eleanor?" He asked in complete surprise. "What are you doing here? What's going on?"
Quickly she turned around, shocked she missed the sound of the door swinging open. "Ah, Ryder! It's good to see you again after so long! I was standing guard like Sir Feros asked me to!"
"Stand guard, why? What's going on down there?" he tries to peek around the corner, now getting slightly concerned as to what's going on.
"Tis a celebration, or rather a send off I suppose…" Eleanor corrects herself as she looks down the hall. "Everyone has gathered in the dining hall down below before the big raid today."
"Seriously? They're already acting like we've won…" he hangs his head a bit, now very worried about what'll happen. "I hope they aren't expecting too much of me."
"They do I'm afraid, you're being heralded as a champion of the people by Yuria" she lets out a tiny laugh "and many have already been getting excited about meeting said champion."
"That… honestly explains a lot." Ryder sighs once more before fixing his posture. "Well, hopefully they saved their so-called champion some food." he says while walking past Eleanor and towards the stairs, only stopping once he reached them. "You coming or what?" he says while waiting on her "If everyone is celebrating you should too."
Though a bit surprised Eleanor meekly nods in agreement before following him down the stairs. There the noise and commotion only gets louder as people come into view, many in the tavern and some even hanging out in the main foyer.
At first they don't notice Ryder's approach but as he passes people many begin to whisper and talk about their "champion" who will lead them to victory.
Suddenly a voice calls out, "Ryder! Over here!" as he looks over he sees Oto standing with Lily and Feros, a smile on his face.
Not wasting a moment the duo quickly slinks through the crowd over to where the group was waiting. The commotion only grew as Ryder's presence was fully registered to everyone.
"Good to see you again, wish we could've met up sooner but I've been busy helping a few friends." Oto says while holding out a cup of what appeared to be juice to Ryder. "You've been keeping yourself busy even while going off the grid."
"Oh you have no clue." Ryder yawns again and thankfully takes the drink, chugging it in one go much to everyone's surprise. "Still, why didn't anyone stop Yuria from spouting this champion nonsense? I'm not exactly an expert at anything."
"Simple really, that kind of stuff boosts morale through the roof." Feros interjects, motioning to the rather talkative crowd before them. "Just have a look around."
Sure enough morale did seem to be sky high, everyone was talking and laughing with jovial faces, each one excited to head off into battle.
How did Yuria manage this? This would essentially be a death march most likely if Ryder failed and there's no guarantee things would go to plan.
"Just relax, I can tell you're overthinking things." Oto says while pouring him another drink. "You'll have us to back you up as well, so surely things won't go too terribly."
"Wait, all of you are?" Ryder looks around at the group confused. "Seriously?"
"Yup! We all agreed to give you the backup you needed! The others can handle the boss after all." Lily says with her usual smile now back and brighter than ever. "Everyone here has agreed to give it their best since you will be too."
"Exactly, plus Feros and I here are used to dealing with humanoid opponents… tons of hours doing PvP in pretty much any game." Oto says while lightly nudging Feros. "What do you bet you still can't keep up with me?"
"You may be faster, but you still lack precision and technique most of the time." Feros states bluntly but smiles a bit. "Though this will be a fun chance to see who's gotten the lead currently."
"Wait, you two know each other?" Ryder asks, genuinely confused at this prospect.
"Oh yeah, we're old friends irl." Oto proudly states. "This guy right here is the one who's always helped me with raids and tough opponents."
"And I must admit, had it not been for his ingenuity and rather inhuman reaction speed we would've lost many matches before." Feros admits rather stubbornly. "Though currently I've still got the advantage on him by five bosses."
"Huh?! Since when was it five?!" Oto shoots back, the two now getting into a semi heated argument over kills.
All Ryder could do was laugh at this and smile at how the two got along. This world may be in a sorry state but it seems like spirits couldn't be any higher at the moment.
"Well at least everyone is doing alright…" Ryder says while looking at Lily. "Where are the others?"
"Oh you mean like Aranea? They're in the guild hall finishing any last minute preparations. After all, the only ones staying will be a few low levels and Eleanor."
"Wait, seriously?" Ryder nearly drops his cup out of surprise. "So you're telling me that everyone here will be taking part in the boss fight?!"
"Yup!" she gives a thumbs up. "Yuria's speech plus the idea of grand loot got everyone excited and no one backed down from taking part in the fight."
"Yeah, the idea of taking the fort has gotten everyone riled up." Eleanor chimes in, a small smile on her face. "I do wish I could help but this extends way beyond my prowess…"
"Hey it's alright, some people are good at fighting and others are better suited to other tasks like writing or mending the injured." Ryder states while patting her on the shoulder. "All you need to do is just help out in your own way."
Eleanor blushes a tiny bit but nods and smiles brighter than normal, overjoyed at the statement.
"There's the champion!" Yuria's voice proclaims as she walks up to the group. "My oh my I never thought you'd awaken, I was afraid you'd sleep the day away!"
"Yeah it's good to see you too Yuria, next time don't go around telling people I'm some sort of champion alright?"
"Aww why not? Everyone could use a good morale booster every now and again, wouldn't you agree?" she smiles at him, her face partially obscured by the hood.
"A morale boost is good but I'd rather not be the center of attention." he sighs again, quickly becoming tired of the thought.
"Then you're not going to like what Aranea would have you do." Yuria shrugs and pats him on the back. "Just be ready for her when she arrives."
"Why? What would she have me do?" even more concern arose in him, only to be met with the smile of a gremlin and Yuria quickly slinks back off into the crowd. "I swear…"
"Oh relax, I'm sure it won't be anything too complicated." Oto replies, now having finished his little argument with Feros. "Just play it natural."
"...you know something don't you?" Feros asks Oto, his voice also slightly annoyed.
"Maybe, maybe not." Oto shrugs "All I know is she said it'd be important for morale."
Suddenly Oto stops and reaches into his pocket, pulling out a transparent looking letter. "Well, speak of the devil… she's actually ready to talk to you right now."
"What was that?" Ryder asks, pointing to the letter.
"This? It's the messaging system… did no one tell you about it?" Now it was Oto's turn to be concerned as he looked at Ryder.
"No, no one ever did…" he sighs and shakes his head. "That can wait though, I'd better see what Aranea wants."
"You go on ahead, we'll make sure things stay relatively calm here." Feros replies while looking towards Yuria in the crowd. "Wouldn't want a certain someone getting the crowd too excited."
"Right, well good luck with that, I'll see you guys soon." Ryder says before walking off, exiting the inn.
Though he could still hear the commotion from outside, the village itself was generally much more calm, most people making last minute purchases or watching Ryder.
The stares he got were soul piercing and heavy, as if they were expecting something great from him. Just what had Yuria told everyone to get them in this mindset?
Being in the spotlight was never something he liked, it felt alien in comparison to how the everyday normally was. He was silent and moved through crowds like a ghost, no one really noticing his existence and him not paying much mind to them.
It's just how life was, yet now here he is being hoisted up as this champion of sorts. Though it still felt alien to him, he didn't mind it as much… not when it seemed to make others happy and excited. Maybe just this once he'd play along with it, see how it affects others.
Yet part of him couldn't help but find the irony amusing, he was being called a champion by what many would see as a witch of the woods, and he was now a harbinger for an entity of darkness… some champion he was.
As he approached the guild hall he heard a few voices, much more quiet and serious in nature in comparison to the celebration happening at the inn. Must be the leaders finishing all the last minute preparations.
Upon opening the door his suspicions are confirmed as he sees Aranea, Radogan, Laurence and Demea discussing things as they sort through supplies on a table.
Aranea's eyes darted over to the door upon hearing it open, only to relax upon seeing Ryder. "Oh it's you, perfect timing, we need to discuss the speech you'll give beforehand."
"I'm sorry, you want me to give a speech?" Ryder looks at her, now very confused. "I figured that'd be your thing considering you're the leader."
"While I am technically a leader I only guide people, we all work together towards a similar goal in the end." she replies before crossing her arms. "And that means I'm not the only one people look to for inspiration and leadership at times, just ask Radogan."
"Man, don't remind me… when we first got here I was busy taking care of everything, all because I knew how to repair weapons and set up defenses." Radogan sighs and hangs his head ever so slightly.
"With everyone riled up about actually clearing the fort though they're looking to you for guidance." Aranea looks back to Ryder. "You're the one who proposed the plan and Yuria has been hyping you up. So naturally you're the one everyone is looking to."
"So what, you want me to give some kind of great speech to get them excited?" Ryder asks, slightly nervous. "I'll have you know that is not something I'm capable of."
"Relax, it doesn't have to be anything huge." she says, trying to calm him down. "The best thing you could do is just give a few words of encouragement."
"We are heading into the unknown here after all." Laurence chimes in. "Should you fail then it matters not if we best the boss behind the doors, that NPC will kill us all."
"Not only that but we don't even really know what the boss is weak to…" Demea timidly comments. "I'm not trying to add pressure, just telling the truth…"
"Hell before Yuria hyped everyone up they were all waiting for you to return anxiously. Some couldn't even sleep and took up extra night guard posts." Radogan says before reaching into his pocket. "That all changed with that star and your return though, now everyone's morale is through the roof." he pulls out a fragment and tosses it to Ryder.
Ryder catches the fragment and looks down at it for a moment before sighing. "All I gotta do is say a few words of encouragement, right?"
Aranea nods in confirmation. "That's right, just a few words before we head into battle, it may not seem like a lot now but I promise it'll help."
Ryder stares at the fragment in his hand for a moment before groaning and giving in. "Right, I'll do it then, just let me know when it's time."
"You've got it… thank you again." Aranea replies as Ryder walks out of the building and off to the edge of town to wait on everyone else.
As he leaned against one of the wooden walls protecting the village it wouldn't take long for many to start gathering, everyone waiting in anticipation for the march to the fort that'd been halting their progress for so long.
He zones out for a moment, thinking of all the possibilities of the battle, what could and likely would go wrong.
Anyone could die with just a single slip up, it was incredibly worrying… and who was to say he'd truly be able to win this battle?
It was all too much… oh how nice it would be to just be doing his own thing again away from the spotlight.
Though you can't hide from it forever, it'll always find you one of these days… and besides, who knows? Maybe this'll get him one step closer to finding that kid, if he's even real.
"Ryder, a moment please?" Demea's voice snaps him back to reality as he sees the tired developer in front of him, her eyes now as clearly worried as his.
"What is it? Getting cold feet as well?" Ryder jokes a bit while looking out amongst the crowd forming. "Honestly, I'm still surprised how many people are actually taking part here…"
She frowns a little and sighs. "Please don't go running off now… especially not after I had Radogan make you something extra just to be safe."
"You did?" Ryder asks, very surprised at this.
"Yes, considering you'll be doing most of the heavy lifting I figured you'd need all the advantages you could get." Demea replies tiredly before reaching into her bag and pulling out a wrapped object with both hands. "Here, be careful, it's the first of its kind and possibly the only one."
Carefully Ryder takes the object, slowly unwrapping it to reveal an odd silver dagger with noticeable glowing patterns in it, almost resembling a damascus blade of sorts. It felt heavy to an extent but also powerful, otherworldly almost… yet it felt right at home in his hands.
"What is this?" he asked in awe while examining the dagger closer, feeling some sort of energy coming from it.
"An Astral Dagger, something that'd normally be impossible to forge until later on." she crosses her arms. "Its base metal is silver, not great on its own until you add fragments from a falling star."
"Wait, seriously?! You made a weapon out of the fragments?!" Ryder's eyes widen in shock as he looks at her.
"Yes, normally that'd be something only possible late game but here we are… do be careful though as if it breaks we can't repair it… not for a long while anyways."
Ryder lightly spins it one hand, getting a feel for it while also imagining the possibilities with it. "So, any unique properties to it?"
"It's an anti magic weapon that grows alongside its user, all Astral weapons do, it's why they were the most sought after in the beta." Demea looks at the dagger. "It may be weak and only function decently now but, since you got it so early on, it has way more potential than they normally do."
"Wait, so you're telling me that I can break spells with it?" Ryder looks at her even more surprised now.
"Not break, more like cut, pierce or deflect most magic." she replies while shaking her head. "And you're more concerned about that than the other thing?"
"Oh don't get me wrong, the idea of it leveling with me is cool, but the anti magic is what's going to be more useful in the long run… even a tiny level one dagger with that effect would be useful." Ryder happily slides it into his belt next to his sword.
"I swear you are a weird one… most people would care more about the damage potential rather than the utility…" Demea shakes her head with a smile. "Then again it has been your out of the box thinking that's helped with several things so far."
"Hey, sometimes that's all you need… can't always try to play strictly by the rules." Ryder smiles before hearing the crowd whisper, catching his attention and causing him to look over at the commotion .
There he sees the last of the members arriving, all of them being led by Aranea with a fierce look of determination in her eyes.
She grips her weapon tightly, clearly trying to hide her own nervousness as her free hand trembles ever so slightly.
In fact the only two who seem perfectly calm are Oto and Feros, both of which look more ready to fight than anyone else.
Ryder can now see Feros' build more clearly now, lightweight cloth armor and a saber with throwing knives hanging across his chest. A duelist perhaps… more focused on dodging and possibly parrying attacks rather than blocking, the throwing knives being there as a ranged backup and last resort parrying tool.
Feros makes eye contact with Ryder, his eyes still sharp and dangerous yet seeming to be ready to follow his orders. Quietly he makes his way to Ryder's side alongside Oto and Lily.
With everyone gathered now Aranea looks back amongst the crowd of at least 70+ players, her eyes counting everyone before taking a deep breath and speaking. "Alright, is everyone ready to move? Got the plan memorized?"
The crowd rumbles for a moment as everyone confirms for another before various confirmations come from what could only be the squad leaders.
"Alright, good… then we march for the fort, everyone be sure to stick with your respective groups and get ready for anything." Aranea says before turning and walking out of the city alongside her group and Ryder's.
Everyone soon follows behind, this large group of outlanders marching for the fort, not a single soul talking as each one tries to prepare mentally for the oncoming battle.
Ryder finds himself zoning out and worrying once more as his hand traces the handle of his sword for some kind of comfort.
His mind vividly picturing his fall and trying to imagine what'll happen after.
"You shouldn't worry so much." Feros spoke without looking over at him. "You're not alone in this after all."
Ryder glances at Feros, a little surprised by this, though it does help him relax a tiny bit. "That is true…"
"He's got a point you know." Oto cuts in, "We're tagging along for a reason, try to ease up a bit man."
"If you go into this with your emotions freezing your nerves then you'll never be able to properly fight." Feros bluntly remarks without a care.
"They're both right, try to rely on us a little bit and I'm sure things will work alright!" Lily cheerily says while walking up to Ryder's side. "You may have the pact but we're not helpless."
"I know, I know… thanks though, that did help a bit." Ryder says, forcing a tiny smile onto his face, though the pit in his stomach only grew bigger as he saw the fort coming into view.
The giant stone walls imposing a menacing figure and casting a dark shadow over them. This place was the final resting place of many players and Ryder could feel it.
It felt like the darkness was reacting to something within the fort's walls, as if something much more insidious was lurking within.
He felt his blood run cold and the feeling of fleeing had never been stronger.
Silently a hand came to rest on his shoulder, he looked over to see it was Aranea, she had moved over to his side as they were now just outside the aggro range of the mobs.
Her eyes though, he could tell they held the same fear and uncertainty deep down, yet she still stood strong.
It was like a silent plea to stay strong too, as they both felt lost, way out of their depth.
"It's time isn't it?" Ryder asked quietly, the dread building a little more with each passing second.
Aranea only silently nods, confirming what he asked of her before slowly moving back to her group.
The anxiety and dread was enough to make him feel sick but he couldn't run away now, after all what would everyone think if he did? The man who was supposed to lead them to victory running at the last second… god what a joke.
With a deep breath and long sigh he slowly turned to face the crowd, preparing to give possibly the worst speech imaginable.
His eyes widened and hands trembled as he saw the dozens of players looking at him with intrigue and high expectations, he could feel them staring into his very soul.
Fear bound him for a moment before he spoke up.
"Alright everyone listen up! This is it, the moment everyone has been working towards! That fort is the only thing standing between us and finally facing the lord of this island!" His voice is loud and holds a slight hint of fear but is strangely commanding.
The crowd seems nervous themselves but they stay intent on listening, many of their own trembling hands calming a bit.
"Now, I know many of you are probably terrified out of your minds, rightfully so considering you're diving into the unknown here… but let me tell you something, you are not alone." Ryder looks across the crowd. "None of you are alone today, whatever awaits you in the boss is no match for all of you! Follow Aranea's lead and fight…"
Silence falls over the crowd now as Ryder draws his weapon and upon raising it up high, with the loudest and most commanding voice he can muster yells out to them. "Fight and Survive! Yield for no foe and fight to see the dawn of the new day! Fight to see your friends and family again! Fight for your freedom from this world!"
A dreadful silence overtakes the crowd as they look at him, seeming to try and process this… speech of his.
Though just as Ryder was beginning to regret this, a magic catalyst is raised towards the back of the crowd and a meek voice calls out the same chant. "Fight and Survive!"
Much to Ryder's surprise one by one each member of the crowd soon starts repeating it as well, raising their weapons to the sky and chanting "Fight and Survive!"
All fear seems to have vanished as the crowd chants, ready to fight any enemy that gets in front of them. Every group now ready and raring to raid the fort.
"You heard the man!" Aranea shouts as she raises her halberd high into the air. "Let's show our champion just what we're capable of!" she shoots a smirk at Ryder who just sighs in response.
The roar of a dozen voices fills the air as Aranea's group and their troops begin their march onto the fort, leaving Ryder's group to linger for a moment.
"Fight and survive huh? Where'd you come up with that one?" Oto asks with a slightly sarcastic smirk.
"Oh shut up… I'm not good with speeches, that's all I could come up with in the moment." Ryder replies clearly embarrassed at what he'd consider a lackluster and awful speech.
"It was good enough, was it not?" Feros stoically replies, walking up to his side. "After all, it seemed to boost morale well enough."
"Exactly! So there's no need to be so embarrassed about it!" Lily happily chimes in.
"I guess you guys are right… besides I don't have time to dwell on it, we've got a bigger concern to worry about." Ryder's voice gets a little more serious now as he starts walking to catch up with the crowd, his fight just moments away.
Though before he could fully catch up a familiar green clad individual appeared at his side.
"Ready to fight are you?" her voice seemed calm as usual.
"Yuria? Where have you been?" Ryder asks, looking towards her now, thinking he left her behind at the village.
"Oh don't you worry about me, I'm with you always, you are my dear companion after all." a slight teasing tone is in her voice. "Though do know I can't help you with this upcoming fight… not yet anyways."
"Huh? Why is that?" Oto chimes in, his voice slightly annoyed. "You don't want to help?"
"That's not it." Yuria replies, sighing as she crosses her arms. "This is your fight… and from what I'm sensing it'd be best if the opponent didn't know I was here." she thinks for a moment, trying to find the best words to describe her thought process. "Basically think of me as your ace in the hole, if they know I'm with you then we've lost all surprise advantages."
"I guess that makes sense." Ryder replies while crossing his arms. "What if we're about to die? Will you just leave us for dead?"
Yuria shakes her head, alleviating some tension in the group. "No, should it come right down to it, I'll step in to protect you all, I promise."
"Alright, that's good enough for me." Ryder says while looking away. "I'll be counting on your support."
"Right, may the stars guide your path." Yuria politely says before seeming to vanish into thin air right before their eyes.
"I swear… she just does whatever she wants." Oto grumbles while crossing his arms.
"Hey, at least we know we can trust her." Ryder retorts before moving forward. "Now come on, let's go, the others already got a decent way ahead of us."
Lily, Feros and Oto all prepare themselves, drawing their own weapons now as they all move into the fort, splitting off from the main path and walking to the right, to a secluded section of the fort.
The only sounds they could hear as they moved away were the sounds of battle in the distance, the smaller mobs of the fort now being alerted to their presence.
"Are you sure it's not wise to catch up with the group? That assassin has been known to roam…" Feros comments while looking around the stone room.
It was dark but wide open like they'd cut off half of the yard for reasons unknown. The crumbling tiles overhead only let light peak through ever so slightly.
"I'm sure, they've been primarily sighted over here and I think I know why now…" Ryder points towards the opposite wall, there is an ironclad door with an intricate lock on it. "This has to be it…"
"You think that could lead below?" Lily asks, looking at it curiously.
"It's either in that room, which is unmapped… or there's a path in the boss room." Ryder looks around before the sound of footsteps echoes all around them.
They're heavy, and metallic sounding, like armor.
A figure soon appears seemingly having been invisible previously, their entire form hidden by a long dark cloak blocking everything.
Not a single word was spoken from them, no music played, not even a boss health bar appeared.
Their health bar hung overhead, with a title and name above it.
[Lord Hunter]
[Shade]
Silently they moved their cloak aside, revealing dark, almost burnt looking armor beneath. The plates covered in scratches and dents, yet not from any weapon the group had ever seen.
They drew an odd looking longsword from its sheath on their left, the blade looking to be made of obsidian and the flat guard of an unknown dark silver metal that flared into a flame pattern.
Something about this person made the darkness within Ryder scream, it was like a primal warning that this was not a fight that could be won.
They were looking at a figure way out of their league and would likely meet the same fate as all others before them.
Whoever or whatever this was is a threat to everyone here.
"Alright, I'll take the first shot!" Oto says to the group while readying two daggers and charging in, much to Ryder's horror.
Desperately Ryder reached out to stop him but it was too late as he dashed ahead of the group to fight the Lord Hunter.
Oto rushes in, surprisingly fast and goes for a surprise stab to where the face should be… only to find nothing as they easily side step his attack, though do nothing in retaliation.
Quickly Oto attempts another attack, going for a flurry of swings to try and keep them from dodging everything.
Now though the figure doesn't bother to dodge, instead taking the hits with no problem as Oto's weapons bounce right off the armor with zero damage done.
"Oto! Get the hell out of there!" Feros yells before charging in as he notices the figure shift their weight a tiny bit and move their free hand.
In one blindingly fast move the Lord Hunter grabs Oto by the neck, stopping the assassin dead in his tracks.
Before anyone could react the Lord Hunter slams Oto hard into the ground, the stone cracking from the impact and a loud, painful, snapping sound is heard.
Oto's HP is reduced to one, and he doesn't get up from the ground as the Lord Hunter lets go.
No one could move, the realization of what just happened sinking in as they watched Oto lie there, at the mercy of the invader before them.
Without wasting another moment Feros dashes in, swinging at the Lord Hunter, each arc of his saber leaving behind a silver trail and sparks fly as he tries to find a weakness to the armor in any spot, but times running out as the figure now focuses his attention on Feros.
"Not on my watch!" Lily dashes in, quickly striking their wrist and drawing attention away from Feros who takes it as a chance to recover his stamina.
The Lord Hunter doesn't budge much, only redirecting their attention to her temporarily, now slowly walking towards her. Lily nervously looks around, for any sort of advantage they could use, seeing none right off the bat.
"Ryder… a little help would be appreciated." Feros states as calmly as possible while not looking back, being too afraid to take his eyes off the opponent in front of him.
Shaking as much fear as he can from his being Ryder tries to assess the situation before creating a dark sigil in his hand and running it over his blade.
The silver blade jumps to life as the pitch black flames dance along it, creating a mesmerizing effect and otherworldly sounding noise.
The Lord Hunter suddenly pauses, looking directly at Ryder, the killing intent seeming to vanish from them for a moment before they move faster than Ryder could track.
There's a flash of dark silver as the Lord hunter flicks their blade, the attack now registering.
"What-" Feros questions as he feels a sharp pain through his stomach, only to notice his and Lily's health depleted down to one.
Attacks faster than the eye could see cleaved through both of them, knocking them out in an instant
With a loud thud the both of them fall to the ground unable to move as a numbness takes control.
A scarlet sigil forms in the hunter's free hand as they trace it along their blade creating a scarlet aura among it, the darkness of their hood now holding a singular red light where an eye would be.
"So… you actually managed to find it." The Lord Hunter speaks finally, his voice deep, raspy and slightly hoarse. "This is the first time I've seen this…"
Shade points his sword at Ryder, the scarlet aura dancing along his obsidian blade sinisterly. The sight of it alone being enough to make Ryder's blood freeze completely as something told him not to get touched by it.
Quickly Ryder pulled out his dagger with his free hand and took up his own fighting stance, hoping to somehow survive this fight.
In an instant the hunter dashes over, trying to cut Ryder in half, only to be met with a block from the black flame sword.
As the blades clash the metal whines and sparks fly, the magic meets and an unholy screeching noise emitted from the clashing magic.
Even though it was a successful block Ryder could still feel the damage taken and noticed a quarter of his health missing, just who the hell was this guy?!
His strength was ridiculous as well, it felt like the sword would snap if Ryder kept trying to resist any longer.
Not wanting to take more damage Ryder quickly switches it up, going on the offense by sliding the dagger up and using both arms to push the blade away. As the hunter follows the force of his swing Ryder turns and throws a heavy swing at him, the flames aiming directly for the man's head.
In a flash the attack is deflected and Ryder sees the flash of red coming right for him, reacting quickly he blocks with the dagger but is sent flying back into a wall away from everyone else.
Stone shatters and Ryder feels his health deplete down to only a quarter remaining as his body aches from the force. Slowly he stands back up, coughing up a little bit of blood much to his surprise.
"Amazing, you can still stand…" Shade focuses on Ryder, clearly preparing for a strong finishing attack as he holds the sword back, readying it for a thrusting motion to pierce Ryder's armor. The scarlet aura around the blade glowing brighter and the blade humming in resonance with it.
The others can only watch helplessly as the hunter lunges forward in a streak of black and red, aiming to kill Ryder.
In that moment time seems to slow to a halt for Ryder, the flames on his blade raging higher and more out of control.
He could see it clearly, the way the attack was moving, the path of the scarlet aura that would end his life.
With not a moment to spare he parries the attack at the last possible second, deflecting the attack away with the dagger, the aura seeming to fade upon coming into contact with it. Then in retaliation he swings as hard as possible with the sword, slashing the figure across his chest.
Though the blade would have been deflected the black flames ate through the armor, cutting deep and allowing a sloppy attack to become a tide turner.
Surprisingly though Ryder is quickly grabbed by the throat and tossed back to his allies, his body crumpling like a broken toy on the ground.
Shade looks down, his health depleted by only a small sliver but it's enough to surprise him. He runs a hand over the wound, looking at the blood pooling out. "...you, you're different."
The Lord Hunter's glowing eye dims and he puts his weapon away before closing his cloak back up. "Grow your strength, you'll need it…" His voice is cold and emotionless, barely above a whisper before he steps away into the darkness, vanishing from the fort.
Though Ryder wished to stand back up and fight or to check on his friends, his body wouldn't move. The flames on his blade now dying and his body aching more than ever as darkness begins to engulf his vision.
Had his HP depleted zero without realizing?
Was this the end?
"Easy now champion of mine, rest now… for you will need it in the upcoming battles…" a familiar voice distantly spoke to him as a faint warmth soothed his aching body.
Yet he could not keep his eyes open.
Though he fought hard in the end, darkness consumed him.
Metal, clanking, scraping, whispering.
Those noises invaded Ryder's senses as he began to wake up.
His body screamed at him for more rest, to let the darkness keep him longer.
It was an odd feeling, sleeping without dreaming, while not uncommon for Ryder it felt closer to a final rest than before.
The darkness wrapped itself around him and was so comforting that he couldn't budge an inch, it felt… safe.
The voices got louder and louder as he began to awaken, causing Ryder to slowly force himself fully awake.
A mixture of colors and lights fill his tired eyes, slowly forming into shapes and people before seeing what was happening.
Crackling fire, people whispering as to not wake those resting, many looking over their tools.
It seems like they're still in the room where they fought Shade, but the ceiling is broken further apart to allow smoke to escape.
Eleanor and Yuria are patching up troops with some help from other clerics and others guarding the entrance.
"Ah, you're awake now, it's good to see you're recovering." Aranea's soft and kind voice spoke from his right, causing him to look over at her. "I was afraid you or the others wouldn't wake up."
"What… what happened?" Ryder asks, still processing what was going on, his throat was dry and voice horse.
"Easy there… don't push yourself." she slides a cup of what looks to be tea to him. "We cleared the fort and took it, but everyone was severely injured in the process… we've turned this into a med bay until everyone gets better."
Ryder slowly takes the tea and drinks it, feeling oddly refreshed. "So we actually won… that's good." he sighs a bit and looks around. "Any losses?"
"Surprisingly none… I think your speech really helped keep them focused on fighting and surviving." she lets out a soft giggle at this. "You really were the champion they needed."
"Sure, some champion I am…" Ryder groans and looks back down. "Couldn't even protect my friends or beat one enemy on my own."
"You may not have beaten him but whatever you did saved dozens of lives including your own." she leans back against the wall and lets out a sigh of relief. "And personally I think that's better than winning any battle."
"I guess so… just stings, being beaten so easily like that." Ryder closes his eyes again, replaying the fight in his mind over and over, hoping to find some different outcome but to no avail.
"Hey stop being so harsh on yourself, it's clear that whoever they were, they had several advantages." She looks at Feros and Oto who are still passed out. "They'd need to in order to beat them both at the same time."
"That's a Lord Hunter for you." Yuria's voice chimes in as she walks over and sits next to Ryder. "Annoying bastards only care about their own goals and use any dirty tricks in the book."
"You know about them?" Aranea leans forward, curious and a little concerned.
"Yes I unfortunately do… they're not a lot you want to run into." She pulls out a pitch black coin and flips it to Aranea. "That's their mark, shadows of a time long forgotten only seeking to restore this land to its former glory."
Aranea looks over the coin, finding two symbols engraved on it.
The front has a bird of unknown species spreading its wings wide, something about it seems rather imposing amidst the darkness.
On the back there's a moon set ablaze, the image almost seeming hypnotizing to her.
"So basically they're not with this current lord?" she asks, her concern only rising.
"Nope, most of them aren't." Yuria shrugs while beginning to heal Ryder more. "While they are a group it's still a free for all, they may be called hunters but they only wish to cull the hoards for the true lord."
"Is that why… they were attacking everyone here?" Ryder asks weakly.
"The one here was culling you outlanders, after all, people not of this realm trying to claim the title of lord? Can you imagine why people would be up in arms?" Yuria's voice softly speaks. "Even the priest only called you here as a last resort."
Those words pierced them deeply, it was true.
In the end they were still outsiders to this place, the only reason they were participating in the story was to escape.
But it still didn't sit right with either of them.
"Well… I'm here now, and apparently showed that we're actually worthy… considering that bastard ran off after i got one hit on him." Ryder weakly states while looking at Yuria. "Apparently… that's all it takes to impress them…"
Yuria responds by lightly flicking his forehead, seemingly slightly annoyed. "No it wasn't, smart one… you only survived because of what you had, not what you did."
"The pact…" Aranea speaks up, realizing it. "He had access to ancient magic, proving himself worthy!"
"And all without need to massacre the residents of the island." Yuria cheerfully responds. "Without that it'd be impossible to show your worth to stubborn blades like them."
"Then how do we get more?" Aranea leans back now, getting more invested in this. "If we manage to find more of those entities or ancient magic we can protect ourselves from them, right?"
With a sigh the green cloaked mage looks at Aranea. "Technically you are correct but there's no definite way to find them… these tears in reality aren't exactly normal."
"False Zones…" Ryder chimes in. "That's what we'll call them, after all they're areas that shouldn't exist here, therefore they could be considered false."
Aranea sits back once more, pondering for a moment. "So… if we want to learn more about the mysteries of this situation, and keep others safe… we're going to have to find these False Zones."
"Only one problem, once again, we have no way to really find them!" Yuria repeats while sighing. "There's no map or magic I know of-"
"That you know of… but there's someone who might have, we'll just have to follow his trail." Ryder smiles a bit as Aranea starts to catch on.
"The Forgotten!" Aranea's face lightens up. "The first portal was found by his castle, it's surrounded by a magic forest, there's ancient texts there… if anyone knows about that kind of magic it'd be him."
"Not to mention… we're sitting right above another area of his…" Ryder says, looking over to the door.
"Well isn't that convenient…" Aranea smiles. "Alright, we know our next course of action then!"
With a bit of effort Ryder forces himself to stand up, stretching a bit but groaning at the lingering soreness. "Well, what are we waiting for then?"
"You're still recovering!" Yuria says, trying to get him to sit back down. "Please just wait a moment."
"Nope, no time, who knows when we'll run into another Lord Hunter after all." Ryder smiles at her. "Besides, I'm already good enough thanks to your healing, now I just need to do my part."
Quietly he grabs his sword which had been resting by him and marches over to the door, Yuria and Aranea quickly following behind him curious as to what may await behind it.
Upon approaching now it's clear this door isn't natural, it's wooden yet unlike the rest of the fort has no signs of aging or damage.
Ryder gently runs his hand across it, examining the door for any signs of tampering or replacement but instead, the darkness reacts to it.
It feels like a low rumble deep within but this door… It has some kind of strong magic affecting it.
He tries to turn the handle only to find it won't budge, there's no key hole either.
It's as if the door is frozen in place, unaffected by time or space.
"Hey, where's my dagger?" Ryder asks, looking around.
"Right here." Aranea says, grabbing it from her belt. "I kept it safe while you were passed out."
"Thank you." he cautiously takes the dagger and looks at the door once more. Unsure of if he'd need to stab through or not he cautiously held the tip of the blade up to the door.
The dagger glows for a moment upon touching the wood, an odd mirage like effect starts warping the door but it remains in place.
Cautiously he pulls the dagger back before forcing it as deep into the door as possible.
With a groan suddenly the door vanishes into tiny blue particles, floating away on the wind, leaving behind only the opening that it was guarding.
"An illusion?" Aranea asks while moving forward.
"No, Stasis, that door was frozen in time, now that it's been undone it returned to the state it should have." Yuria clarifies while sighing a bit. "That means this whole area likely has been coated in stasis magic."
"So we're going to be diving into an area frozen in time?" Ryder asks while leaning forward, examining the pit in the room.
The only way down being a set of spiral stairs made of stone.
"Yes, yes we are… meaning whatever traps are down there are likely to either be frozen or active." she grumbles a bit. "Honestly I hate this kind of stuff…"
"You don't know for sure if they're active?" Aranea asks, clearly worried about it now.
"No, I don't. With magic like this it can be so fine tuned that even traps can still activate in stasis areas." Yuria bluntly responds before walking down the stairs. "Well come on then, we won't find answers just standing here!"
Unlike the room they were just in the stairwell alone feels otherworldly, almost like the False Zone in a way.
Aranea could tell that the materials were from this world… but something about it just didn't sit right with her.
The mana in the air was heavier than anything she'd ever felt before, not only that but their steps echoed back loudly, creating this ambient feedback that made a shiver run down her spine.
It was obvious that everyone was nervous about this as even Ryder and Yuria remained scarily quiet, as if waiting for something to happen.
Yet nothing did as they descended further down.
Deeper down, the light being smothered out as with each step it became darker until it was impossible to see even an inch in front of themselves.
A sea of impossible darkness blocking their view, seeming to even swallow all noise as the echoes from before died off.
Ryder tried to call out to both of them, but his voice went nowhere, he couldn't even hear the words he desperately called out.
Getting panicked now he reached into his pouch and produced a flare stone, getting ready to try and disperse the darkness when he feels a hand grab his wrist.
Yuria stands close to him now, her shining blue eyes clearly visible now and filled to the brim with fear.
She shakes her head no, a warning to not use the stone here.
Aranea soon enough bumps into the two of them, her eyes filled with pure terror as she latches onto Ryder, not wanting to lose him or Yuria again.
Whatever this darkness was, it was definitely some kind of safety measure against invaders… that much was for certain.
Trusting Yuria's instinct Ryder puts the flarestone away and holds onto both her and Aranea before continuing their slow walk down the stairs.
Though as the steps became more and more uneven he looked down to see what the problem was… that was when he understood why Aranea and Yuria were so terrified.
There, at his feet were countless pieces of equipment scattered about.
Swords, Shields, Bows, Daggers, Armor… all undamaged, just missing their owners.
Now Ryder's blood ran cold as he tries to figure out what happened here, dozens of possibilities running through his head but none adding up.
Slowly but surely they walk through the darkness, the possibility of death looming over their head with every step.
How they would perish being a mystery as well.
Deeper down they went for seemingly hours as the equipment just kept piling up, the feeling of looming dread building.
Paranoia slowly setting in.
The trio now swore something was watching them, observing them wading through the sea of darkness.
Slowly the air became heavier as well, thicker with mana and making each step increasingly unbearable until finally they reached the bottom.
Another door awaited them, one they gladly used to escape from the darkness into a new area.
Ryder collapses to the floor with a long and exhausted sigh of relief after taking a deep breath, it was easy to breathe again and he could actually hear it as well.
"What was that?!" Aranea practically yells, clearly still disturbed by what they walked through just then.
"Frankly, I have no clue… nor do I think I ever want to fully know…" Yuria replies, still shaken up as well as she tries to calm herself.
"Whatever it was, thankfully we're out of it… and into somewhere a lot more calm feeling." Ryder replies to them while looking around at their surroundings.
The area had taken on a more open cave like appearance, interestingly enough though there were light sources… patches of glowing blue moss stuck on certain things.
Stalagmites were absolutely covered in them though, making these inverted glowing spikes hanging from the dark ceiling.
"Where are we?" His voice is a bit more hushed now as he looks around, curiously and with a bit of awe.
"I would assume this is the area leading up to the healing chamber… or I would hope so anyways." Yuria calms herself before pointing at the moss. "That is a mutation caused by excess mana being released into the air… between all the spells used it would cause this massive scale we're seeing."
Aranea walks up to the wall and rests her hand on it, feeling her energy slowly being restored. "It's like pockets of restorative energy…"
"Yup, as to be expected from an area housing a healing ritual." Yuria speaks with a forced smile. "Definitely had one terrifying guard though… not looking forward to seeing that thing again."
"Well, maybe if we're lucky we won't have to." Ryder replies without looking away from the stalagmites. "We should be cautious still, I doubt that was the only trap around here."
"I have to agree… as effective as whatever that was may be, we still made it through unharmed." Aranea quietly replies while lightly scraping some of the moss into a jar.
"Exactly, if anyone made it past that while he was healing then it'd be game over…" he draws his sword and begins slowly walking forward. "Come on, let's keep moving."
The trio begins to move through the cave on high alert, looking for any signs of traps or ambushes.
Cautiously they check every single nook and cranny but find nothing.
No arrow traps.
No cages.
No spikes.
Nothing.
It's peaceful and serene here, soothing them right to the core.
Honestly one might even refer to it as divine ground with how it feels.
For the deeper they march, the stronger the feeling becomes, the more the moss blooms in brighter and more vivid shades of blue.
On occasion there were signs of a struggle, blade marks scarring the moss, arrows fallen to the ground.
But it seems whoever used to stand guard here was gone now.
All that remained was this place, forever frozen in this moment.
"There, the healing would probably be right through that door." Yuria pipes up, pointing at an old wooden door at the end of their path.
The door didn't seem special, not particularly, in fact it seemed outdated if anything.
Yet it was apparent that it'd been through a lot, left to bear the battle scars for all eternity.
"Just how long has this place existed?" Ryder asks aloud to no one in particular while slowly and gently pushing the door open.
Thankfully it slowly creaked open, revealing the inside room bathed in a teal glow.
Inside was surprisingly… modern looking compared to the outside.
Stark white walls and floors gave an almost hospital-like feel to the place, there were shelves lined and filled to the brim with various items and objects.
Some appeared to be medical records, penned in the ancient language.
There are also bottles of various liquids and some dry ingredients lined separately from the books.
It was so out of place in comparison to everything else thus far, sure it was technically a "healing chamber" but it looked more like a doctor's office.
There were even recipe cards for remedies lying on a counter, though only clear from the pictures on it.
On the far end of the room was a cot with a teal magic circle pulsating underneath it.
Just being within this proximity of it made Ryder feel more eased and as if any previous aches just melted away.
This must be the spot where The Forgotten spent most of his time healing.
"There's lots of interesting things in here, not just remedies." Yuria loosely comments while reading through a book with seemingly no problems. "Talks of curses, other worlds, alternate timelines, the whole crazy package… I'm surprised people didn't think he was insane."
"They didn't?" Aranea asks, her curiosity piqued as she strolls over to Yuria. "With all the stuff I've heard I pictured him as a crazy cultist…"
A small laugh comes from Yuria as she shakes her head a bit. "Oh no, not a cultist… he was the first true Lord that united these warring lands, even today many still revere him for what he did… though alas due to some cruel twist of fate none can truly remember him."
"That's why he's The Forgotten… not because they wanted to forget him but because something forced them…" Ryder fits the pieces together while looking around. "Yuria, you can read the old script, right?"
"Yup, you're in luck as I understand most languages, don't really understand how but I can." Yuria shrugs but her carefree smile is back on her face.
"I see… well could you please look for something on the False Zones or some way to read star archives." Ryder asks while sitting down on the cot to think for a moment.
"Sure thing, though I hope you won't just be sitting there the entire time." she jokingly replies while she begins flipping through the books one by one.
Ryder's mind begins to drift a bit as he tries to understand just what this place truly was, why it was so different.
What was it about The Forgotten that made this island seem to revolve around him? Would it be the same for the mainland?
Would any of this eventually make sense? Some part of him doubted it… and yet he still wanted to know more, to understand this place better than anyone else.
It was like a gnawing hunger, eating away at him, taunting him.
He was unlikely to last long currently though, his skill set was subpar at best. If he really wanted to survive he'd need to be more capable at defending himself and others.
Training would be in order after they get out of here, he couldn't risk charging into another fight unprepared again… he wouldn't get so lucky a second time.
"Ah, I think I found the key to translating the archives!" Yuria proudly proclaims with a big smile on her face. "It's a little hard to decipher but I'm sure the church girl will understand."
"Are you sure about that?" Aranea asks while looking over the page. "I don't even think she can read that old script…"
"If not then the two of us can just bunk up while I help her learn the deciphering method." the mischievous mage grins ear to ear.
"I don't like that implication…" Aranea warily replies while backing away from Yuria. "Oh yeah, how are we going to get out of here?" She holds up the teleportation crystal. "It looks like this is disabled in here… probably something to do with the magic."
"Well, I don't see a ladder anywhere… but, there might be a secret exit somewhere." Ryder replies while looking around. "After all, if someone started invading here, this would essentially be a tomb."
"One way in… one way out…" she replies before thinking for a moment. "But he was magic… so maybe a spell?"
"Right, the teleportation…" our hero sighs, annoyed with himself for forgetting such a thing.
"Teleportation?" Aranea asks, now trying to hide her growing anger. "Did you have that the entire time?!"
"I did! But I can't teleport anywhere I haven't been before!" Ryder holds up his hands in defense as he tries to explain himself. "And I can only use it once per day!"
The paladin screams into her hands, her annoyance boiling over at this revelation.
She takes a long, deep breath before recomposing herself and continuing. "Alright, it's fine… that's fine.. Just get us out of here after we get everything."
Aranea takes a seat next to Ryder as Yuria keeps looking through the books, making a stack of important ones while putting the rest back.
The quiet ambience of the room gives everyone a moment of respite to relax and think.
"Hey, Aranea… if you don't mind me asking… why are you so interested in finding more guardians?" Ryder's voice was a small bit colder and more inquisitive, though not entirely on purpose. A thought had come to his mind, they were still only in the prologue area, not even having cleared the first true boss of the game.
Finding more power ups so early would help… but it's also a tad bit concerning. He and a lot of other players don't even know what lies on the mainland, could it really be that worrying?
Her eyes slowly look at him before looking down, hesitance clear in her slight shaking hands and nervous foot tapping. "I want to be prepared… for anything really." her voice trembled slightly, giving away her fear even more.
"You're scared, why is that?" his voice returns to its more calm and soft tone. "I just want to be able to properly help, but I can't do that… not unless I know what's got you shaken up."
Ryder looks over to her, now surprised to see her usually fearless eyes filled with dread, her hands clasped together as she tries to minimize that shaking.
"I'm terrified of what lies beyond the sea… especially with the current state of this world." her eyes focus solely on the floor in front of her, seeming to avoid any eye contact. "The beta was already this tough as nails game… but it was just that, a game… something I didn't have to take too seriously." She takes a short and shallow breath, unable to calm herself as her mind runs rampant. "Did anyone ever tell you what us beta testers found beyond this island? What the mainland was like?"
"No… I can't say they have…" Ryder quietly replies, his curiosity getting the best of him now. "How bad was it?"
"...when we first arrived the only thing we saw was a port town overrun with undead and monsters, it took us two entire days to push through that." there's a brief silence as she thinks for a moment, debating whether or not to continue. "After we did secure it, there was only death awaiting us around every corner… very few real signs of life to be found, and if we did find someone they usually attacked on sight."
"So it does get worse on the mainland… that's a scary thought-" Ryder tries to reply, only to be cut off by Aranea.
"Not just scary, horrifying! Think about how many people we already lost here! There's no way we're going to be able to handle the creatures that wait for us, not without proper equipment, strategies and power boosts…" she lets out one small sigh before shaking her head. "There's even some big creatures waiting for us… ogres, dragons, serpents, the works… no one here is ready for that kind of stuff."
"She's right, you know." Yuria closes the book she'd been reading and looks to Ryder. "The mainland is nothing more than shattered time and lords from both past and present trying to lay claim to the throne… yet their struggle has only caused dozens of factions to pop up, along with plenty of monster nests to form under their very feet."
"Well, while that all does sound very terrifying we can't just sit around can we? There's also no guarantee that we'll find another guardian… so in that case what do we do?" Ryder responds while looking at both of them, the two seeming lost and awaiting an answer. "We train everyone up."
"You can't be serious! Do you know how long that'll take?!" Aranea snaps at him. "We'd be trapped longer than needed!"
"That could be true but I'm not suggesting we make everyone god tier fighters, all we need to do is take time to get cooperation and skills honed." he calmly states, crossing his arms and looking at her. "Get Feros, Oto and Radogan to start the training and then once we're ready we move to the mainland."
"And what about the people not with you?" Yuria asks, tilting her head a bit. "You won't be able to get everyone to join you in this."
"I can't stop them, if they want to go on ahead to the mainland then we let them." he shrugs a bit. "Like you said we can't get everyone to join, but even then we shouldn't worry too much as solos do have their own advantages."
"That's fair… but how long would it take?" Aranea cautiously replies, still concerned about it.
"Honestly? Could be weeks, could be months… I'm not saying we stop our advance though." Ryder motions to Yuria. "She has the info we need to read the star archives, that'll keep Demea and Eleanor busy, and while they're doing that we can train and slowly march towards the Lord of this island." he looks back to her now. "After all there are still dungeons and villages for us to clear, right?"
"I guess so." she sighs once more, mulling over the situation before looking at him. "Fine, we'll do it your way for now, but I hope you won't pull another vanishing act on us."
A slightly nervous laugh comes from Ryder as he looks at her. "Don't worry I don't plan on doing that again any time soon, I'm too interested in finding out more about this world." with a smile he stands up and stretches a bit. "Now then, are we all ready to go?"
"I believe so, I got all the info I need right here!" Yuria proclaims as she has two messenger bags filled with supplies hanging from her, and in her hands is a rather ridiculously tall stack of books.
"Do you really need all that stuff?" Aranea asks, a rather amused look on her face as she stands up.
"If you all wish to get stronger and explore this world? Then yes, yes I do." Yuria states matter of factly while looking at Ryder. "Now open the portal! I can feel my grip slipping already…"
"Right, right, working on it." Ryder says, holding his hand out, letting a dark sigil form before he snaps, causing the familiar dark doorway to form in front of them. "There, that should take us back to everyone… hopefully they aren't freaking out about the portal."
"Well then the looks on their faces shall be amusing to witness!" she responds before hurrying through the doorway where, surprisingly enough, a couple of muffled screams could be heard much to the remaining duo's amusement.
"Sounds like they freaked out…" Aranea laughs a bit before looking at Ryder. "Well, let's get going, champion, shouldn't wait too long to implement your plan."
"Fair enough, I look forward to our future sparring sessions, oh brave leader of ours." Ryder jokingly says, trying to return the jab as they walk towards the portal together.
Though as he approached he felt the darkness tugging at him once more, the feeling of an item being missed invading his mind.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl again as he looked around, unsure what he was even looking for, then something caught his eye.
A little wooden box, hidden just behind some bottles on the shelf.
Carefully he reached out and grabbed it, feeling an unnatural resonance coming from the box that made him cautious, yet all the more curious as well.
Slowly the champion opened it, his eyes being met with what he could only assume was the artifact that Laurence had mentioned before.
It was a crystal clear orb with what appeared to be a dull lifeless crystal inside, something about it seemed… otherworldly… unnatural.
Carefully he pocketed it and looked back to see Aranea and Yuria already gone, quickly he ran through the portal as well, hoping to not be far behind.
As he walked through the darkness Ryder could tell that the coming adventure would be grueling.
Aranea and everyone else had high hopes of him, hopes he could not let fall into despair, he had to keep them going no matter what.
Then there was the matter of the False Zones and what mysteries remained there, as well as how they tied to the orb he found.
Many secrets remained… and many dark days were likely to be found ahead.
So steeling himself once more the champion marched through the darkness, seeking it's strength to propel himself forward.
Amidst the darkness for a moment he swore he could see someone watching him, a figure wearing a long dark green hooded robe, a bittersweet smile on their face.
A smile so hollow that it was clearly hiding an untold amount of pain.
Quietly they raise a hand and sign to Ryder.
[Stay strong.]
As quickly as they appeared they vanished into the darkness once more, leaving Ryder with a confused feeling swirling in his chest.
It was an amalgamation of things he couldn't understand in the moment.
Hope, fear, sorrow, nostalgia, it all weighed his heart down and made his eyes water in the moment.
Yet though the unknown storm swelled within his heart and froze him temporarily, he also felt a surge of determination stronger than any he'd ever felt.
Those simple words played in his mind on repeat.
He looks back to the path where Aranea was now awaiting him with confusion and concern on her face, likely from how long he took and seeing him suddenly teary eyed.
Quickly wiping away the tears he starts walking to catch up with her, a more proud smile on his face as walks deeper into the dark.
Ready to face whatever may come.