God of Nothing

Thump!

Brandon skidded across the cave floor as the strange herald sent him flying. Rayse returned to his friend’s side, trying to regroup.

“We’re not getting anywhere!” Brandon said, frustrated as Rayse pulled him up. King Mios smirked at them from afar, no longer trying to actively join his brother’s fight, but felt content to block them here. He looked as fresh as he did when they started to fight.

It was bad. At their backs lay the wall that Carrack’s men hastily put up to split the battlefield, meaning Mios had already pushed them this far. Rayse shared in his friend’s frustrations as his mind raced, searching for a way to change their fortune.

How are things on your end, Lace? He asked, letting his thoughts carry to the other side via his disciple’s brooch.

Uhhhh, not well… Came the reply. 

This guy’s tough. We’ve thrown everything we can at him, but these fireflies are annoying. I could try using something bigger, but Lord Carrack says to wait for a clearer shot. Rayse didn’t hear it, but he thought he felt Lacey sigh during the pause in her thoughts.

 As it is, we’ve been stuck in a deadlock for a while. How are things on your end?

Rayse and Brandon looked at each other at that. They didn’t need telepathy to tell what the other was thinking.

““You go.””

Their eyes widened at each other.

“No.” Rayse insisted. “Didn’t you hear? They need firepower!”

“Dude. They’re having trouble with the fireflies. Couldn’t you do something about that?”

Rayse stared at him flatly before glancing to the side. Mios stood tall, his fresh wounds already closed. 

“Listen, man. We don’t have time for this. Strong as you are, that power’s meaningless against this guy’s regeneration.” Brandon narrowed his eyes at him in suspicion.

“You’re trying to sacrifice yourself again.”

“...Okay, you got me.” Rayse finally said, bringing his hands up. “I just don’t want Lacey shooting stars around in this place. This entire mountain’s gonna drop on us if she tries.”

HEY! She protested loudly, making the pair jump. Did she just shout in her thoughts? Whatever it was, it broke the tension between them. Brandon cracked a smile before putting his sword over his shoulder.

“Alright, alright. I’ll go.” Brandon said, cutting a path through the stone wall. “Don’t do anything reckless.”

“What’ll I do? Not like I can hurt this guy. I’ll just tie him up a bit til you deal with the big one. How hard can it be?” Rayse shrugged, before finally facing King Mios. he had his eyebrows raised, as if wondering why the pair had not attacked him yet.

“Okay.” Rayse admitted, “It’ll be hell for me. You better beat Rage quick, cause I doubt I can hold him here for very long.”

“Knowing you, you’re gonna try and do something crazy again.” Brandon smirked, but Rayse could tell he was serious. “At least wait for us to finish dealing with the other guy before you do it.”

Rayse briefly glanced at him and winked, before shooing him away. His eyes focused on the mad king, who had just been looking at them this entire time.

“Where’s he off to?” King Mios said, mildly disappointed that one of his opponents decided to leave.

“Since you’re refusing to stay down, I sent him to go kill your brother instead.” Rayse stabbed the ground with his spear, and sleek metal poles appeared on the opening Brandon created, sealing it once again.

He started circling the herald, stopping just between him and the new addition to the wall his friend created. Knowing his job was to stall, he settled for throwing out another jab.

“Don’t worry. I’ll send you ahead so you guys can settle in.”

Without waiting for a response, Rayse charged. His spear tip glowed with energy as he let Sonia’s mana flow through, empowering his strikes.

The herald brought up his hand to block, but the mana enriched spear tip mangled it beyond recognition. Rayse followed through, driving the spear through the creature’s neck. Then, he stepped back, as even through the gurgling mess of the monarch, it had tried to grab him.

He fought conservatively the rest of the way, making full use of his reach. He extended the shaft with Sonia’s magic, puncturing the creature with multiple thrusts. The herald tried to swipe at him, but his extended spear gave him a considerable reach advantage. Still, the creature’s strength was immense. Rayse suffered several cuts on his extremities just from the shrapnel produced by the demon’s limbs getting in contact with the hard ground. He even sent some of the sparse dragon scales that he had been painstakingly fixing.

Rayse kept attacking, slashing and thrusting at whatever piece he could. He maintained distance, even when the herald would lunge at him. Eventually he just stopped, and settled on launching bits of bone at him like he did with Brandon. A few nicked him, but for the most part, it was manageable.

A little too manageable, Rayse thought. This herald was fighting strangely. For one thing, it focused its immense mana solely for healing. It had the same attribute as Vaynard’s mana, and Rayse had seen firsthand how strong it was when the prince saved him from Deceit. This strange herald had already shown that it could wield its body how it wished, so it made no sense why it felt was pulling its punches. Rayse was missing something, and the fact that he had no time to even attempt to figure it out was beginning to gnaw at him.

He fought with abandon, cracking the enemy’s mana heart on several occasions. The air had gone thick with mana smoke, making it harder and harder to dodge the sharp spikes of bone that flew his way. Eventually, Rayse had to relent, putting distance between him and the herald once again. A shadow behind him told him that he was once again standing against the wall that separated the enemy, surprised at how far he had been pushed back despite being the aggressor for much of the fight. Panting, he swiped at the mists with his spear. It swirled around him and stayed in place. As if he didn’t have enough to worry about. 

Ggrrgl…

The herald stood in the distance, a glowing, twitching thing within the mists. The sight unnerved Rayse, regardless of its obscurity. He touched Unbroken’s jewel, sensing within. He put up a brave front when Brandon was here, but the protracted battle depleted much of his reserves. His only hope was that Rage would fall soon. 

Rrrrrumbleee….

The ground shook at that moment, so hard that it almost took Rayse off his feet. Yes! Brandon shouted triumphantly soon afterwards, his victorious cry echoing in Rayse’s mind. He smiled to himself in response, taking it as a hopeful sign, before braving the mist, attacking once again. He kept up the offensive, as he knew that if he let up for even a second, it would be the end of him. No more big attacks, just swift decisive strikes to the enemy’s glowing shadow. 

Ssik, ssk, skkk!

His strikes found purchase, filling the air with the sick sounds of metal slicing flesh. He even struck the mana heart even more times, releasing a deluge of that abominable mist. It only made him more apprehensive the more time passed, as his opponent barely moved, let alone attacked. But he refused to stop, thinking that each strike bought a second of time for his companions, but inevitably, fatigue slowed his hands, and right on cue, the enemy struck.

A long, massive shadow lept at him through the dim.

“!!!” A chill in Rayse’s spine warned him ahead of time. With difficulty, he shifted his shield arm up in time, causing it to deflect the attack over to the side. The momentum caused his entire arm to flail outwards, giving his enemy an opening.

“Haah!” His opponent bellowed thriumphantly, having finally recovered his voice. Rayse was curious, but the chill in his spine hasn’t abated. The reason became clear a second later, when he found himself pulled off his feet and flying towards the herald. Inexplicably, King Mios’ arm, the same mangled one he had split open in his first attack, had somehow reached around him, trapping him in a wicked embrace.

“Boy!” He spat, locking eyes with his elusive adversary. Rayse squirmed, trying to free himself. He felt limbs wrapped around him crack and even give way, but it was only for a moment. The glow of Royal mana flowed through it, healing and strengthening it until even Rayse’s power depleted. King Mios’ body had ceased its glow, clearly regaining his health.

“I finally caught you!” The herald bellowed in his face. Gone was the blank, vacant look he saw back at the capital. Now, all he could see was the creature’s contemptuous, triumphant stare.

His struggles were cut short, interrupted by a piercing scream; A scream he belatedly recognized as his own. His vision went white as he felt multiple sharp objects pierce his body against where the creature held him. He felt his back getting wet from his own blood, dripping freely from the newly punctured holes in his torso.

Rayse flopped to the ground as the creature finally let him go. The cold mists clung to his skin, enveloping him in cold.

“Be proud, mortal. There had been precious little that could stand before  Conquest, littler still in my current form.” A hand pulled him by the neck, lifting him off the ground and strangling him.

“...Urkk..”

Rayse didn’t even have the strength to struggle. He sputtered weakly, flailing his limbs in an attempt to get the enemy to release him. Unbroken lay discarded on the ground, looking as sleek and powerful as ever. One wishes the same could be said for its master.

“You‘ve fought well. Not since our campaign against the dragon have I fought one of your caliber.” The creature rambled on, heedless of its prey’s fleeting life. The words washed over Rayse, who focused on them intensely just so he could avoid the abyss of unconsciousness. It was a hard fought battle, as it drips away from him as steadily as the blood that dripped from his sides. Rayse tried to rouse his mana to heal himself, heedless of the pain, but the stimulation only served to send his thoughts to the ether ever quicker. He spasmed one final time, wrung out of hope.

“It was a costly battle. Much of my army was lost. That bitch’s meddling would have been my undoing… but no matter. This new body is no dragon, but it will take me to greater heights than before.” Conquest paused, laughing to himself “Nevertheless, the Herald of Conquest needs an army fitting the name, and it starts with you.”

Within his fading consciousness, he felt a touch on his forehead. More than hearing them, he felt Conquest’s next words echo in his soul.

“Take your boon, mighty warrior. As is my right as your dominator, I name you my champion.”