The Pillar of Enera

[Book II Chapter 79] DAWN: The Burning City

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Upon taking the lift to the surface, they found themselves in a smoked filled cathedral, an inferno raging around them. Dawn raised her hand to ready an arctic blast, but Zentrias stopped her.

“Don’t.” He said. “It could draw unwanted attention.”

True, we’re no longer in a sanctified ground. She’d almost committed a rookie mistake and snuffed out the fire without thinking. She shook her head in self-reproach.

Exiting the cathedral, they witnessed a city engulfed in flames. Despite the blaze, no buildings were collapsing. They likely never would no matter how long they waited. Everything was trapped in a perpetual state of destruction.

“Our detour must have taken us to the next area.” Zentrias declared. “No reapers here, but we should still stick to the ground.”

“I guess we’ll be facing flaming corpses and burning dead.” Rose said. “But that can’t be all or it’d be too simple.”

Dawn nodded. She’d run into both types of undead in an Aery dungeon. Flaming corpses were basically stronger ghouls. They could immolate if touched, but otherwise couldn’t manipulate fire. Burning Dead were far more dangerous, able to wield pyromancy. Neither was a saint level threat.

“Some will probably be horned.” Carol chimed in.

Horned… This word elicited anxiety. “Aren’t those bad news?” Dawn asked.

“They are.” Rose agreed. “Certain undead can evolve into stronger versions of themselves by growing horns, essentially tapping into our fear of demons. Burning dead are one of the types that do this.”

“Their sin is pride.” Carol added. “They broadcast their presence with intimidating auras stronger than other undead. It should be possible to detect them from far away.”

Dawn took the lead, moving cautiously through the windy streets. Whenever she encountered enemies, she instantly froze them and dragged them back to their position. Unlike the prior areas, this time they properly dispatched each one, relying the roaring fires to mask their actions. This strategy suited her.

Although she was putting on a brave front, memories of battling the prison’s boss were fresh in her mind. She’d been completely powerless before the wretch’s chains. It’d been the first time in her life feeling that helpless, and it was eating away at her. Without Zentrias, they’d certainly have perished.

While she’d had plenty of other brushes with death, none had been the same. The duel against Sion Gale and her predicament in the Nolfis Underground had been dire situations, but never had her ability to fight stripped away.

They came upon a square with a dozen skeletons and smoldering zombies. Perfect, another opportunity to let loose. Throwing the flaming corpses behind her, she piled up several burning dead and began repeatedly crushing them under a giant block of ice. It was therapeutic.

The lingering unease from yesterday was bothering her. Sure, it was nothing crippling, but she hated it. She was accustomed to operating in a state of supreme confidence, so the nagging worry was a distraction. She couldn’t help thinking about it.

Out of nowhere, Dawn broke out in a cold sweat, fear swelling within her. Pressing forward became daunting. What’s going on? Am I… becoming a coward? Her horror at the notion amplified her panic. To hide her shameful feelings, she intensified her pounding.

Something smashed into her from behind. That was one of Rose’s fireballs! It didn’t do any damage, but still! Ready to vent at her, she was surprised to find the teammates had retreated to the street they’d come from. They were frantically gesturing for her to follow.

Oh… That was when it hit her that her terror had an external source… and it was almost here. She turned to see a horned burning dead walk around a corner.

Two heads larger than its brethren, it glared towards them with a malefic self-assurance. Then it roared, and Dawn was gripped by a paralyzing fright. Only once it ended could she move again. Undead from all over could be heard heading for the square.

“We’re falling back!” Zentrias shouted.

Sprinting back to him, Dawn saw he was carrying Carol. “What happened?”

“That screech knocked her out.” Rose answered tersely. Dawn grimaced. This is my fault, if only I’d reacted faster…

They reached a bend in the road and came to an abrupt halt. The horned undead was blocking the way. Behind them, hordes of undead were pouring down the street.

“No choice but to fight.” Zentrias declared, placing Carol in a corner.

“I’ll face the horned one.” Dawn yelled, sending out ice blast. She had to redeem herself.

Her opponent swatted down her attack and raised its hands to release a barrage of fireballs, each one curving towards the unconscious Carol. No, you don’t. She intercepted the projectiles with icicles. She then rushed close, summoning short blades. She wasn’t going to give it an opening to try that again.

The horned undead shaped its fire into a shield and axe. The two met and exchanged a swirl of blows. It’s tougher than the dark knight. As they fought, she grew concerned about the others. Her worry was heightened when the horned undead appeared to smile.

She glanced back to see several undead broking through and heading towards Carol. Before she could act, the horned undead lifted its axe. She blocked the overhead swing, but it pressed its entire weight down on her, pinning her in place.

I… I can’t allow this. I won’t be responsible for her death. Instinctively, Dawn reached out and grabbed a foreign power. Before she knew what she was doing, she’d sent out two dozen ice lances. Carol’s attackers were all impaled against the wall. Even the horned undead was knocked back, its chest pierced in two places. It glared at her, its flames flaring to melt the ice.

That was Myriad Calamity Crystallization, she understood. She’d partly activated her sublime vagary and released an instantaneous attack against multiple targets without channeling magic. After months of failure, finally a success!

“Great job.” Rose called out from behind her. Dawn turned to discover her sister appeared to have taken control of the immobilized burning dead. “These reinforcements should help us hold out. Hurry and finish that one off.”

“Will do!” Dawn replied confidently, bracing behind an ice shield as her foe breathed fire. The adrenaline from her exhilaration had done wonders for her mental state. With Rose’s words dispelling concerns about Carol’s safety, her usual confidence had just about returned.

Time for a field test, she smirked. After having mastered everything Astra had taught, she’d moved on to improving her martial arts through her own insights, leveraging her experiences messing around with others magics. One of her more successful creations was a technique she called Sapphire Blood.

Dawn summoned Frost Fire and directed it into her veins. Beginning with a small amount, she gradually added more. The concentrated energy circulated through her system, seeping into the ice-based enchantments enhancing her body and supercharging them. Her skin slowly emitted a faint blue as she boosted her strength.

Of course there were drawbacks. Sapphire Blood burned through her stamina at a crazy pace. The concentration of Frost Fire also had to be increasing at all times to maintain the right balance. Finally, once she reached the upper limit of tolerance, she had to restart the process at zero. These demerits aside, Dawn was proud of her ingenuity.

The horned undead was forced onto the back as her power swelled. Once she’d reached the technique’s halfway point, she was comfortably dominating the battle, landing heavy blows. It won’t be long now. What Dawn loved most about Sapphire Blood was the finale when she unleashed all her pen-up energy in one massive column of frost fire.

Then, out of nowhere, something long and sticky snatched her foe away. She pivoted to find a giant, hideous black toad. The beast’s belly grew brighter as its prey struggled to escape.

“Don’t you dare spit it out.” Carol snapped sharply. “I know you have the resistance to endure.”

Oh… I guess that takes care of that… Somewhat disappointed, Dawn went to help the others but found an army of nightmare creatures tearing their way through the remaining undead. Carol marched after them, barking angry orders.

Dawn joined Zentrias and Rose, and together they observed the spectacle. “I didn’t know she could summon that many.” She stated.

“Powerful entities with a close connection to their summoners can to cross over on their own for short periods by expending their lifeforce.” Zentrias answered. “Carol is demanding tribute for all the fear she’s fed them.”

So if Carol calls in her favors, she’s potentially the strongest of us? Several dozen A-rank monsters were an overwhelming force. When the last enemy was felled, Carol dismissed her underlings and stomped over.

“Feeling better?” Rose ventured cautiously.

“Barely.” Carol retorted. “When that horned’s cry sent me into a terror-induced stupor, those bastards were happy to leave me in a vulnerable state just to gorge themselves. It was smiley of all people, and his mocking voice, that snapped me out it. He’s going to lord this over me, I just know it…”

Carol’s eyes fell on Dawn and lit up. “And you… What’s wrong with you? We all felt that horned one coming from miles away. Why didn’t you react?”

Dawn winced and bowed. “I was out of sorts. I apologize.”

“You think a simple sorry is going to settle this?” Carol flared. “Our lives are at stake!” It took several minutes to calm her down. Only upon hearing Dawn’s valiant efforts in keeping her safe did she relent.

Carol led the way through the rest of the burning city. Her sensitivity to fear permitted them to avoid further encounters with horned undead. Dawn was glad, as using Sapphire Blood had left her drained. She thought back, recalling the ice spears from earlier.

I wonder how I did that. She carefully reviewed the series of events which allowed her to briefly access her sublime vagary. I believe I’m on the right track in thinking desperation is the key. I’ll need an even more dire situation to unlock the full version again.

After a long trek, they arrived at another sanctified ground. They weren’t the first ones. Another adventurer party was waiting. Dawn recognized them as the group from Garnen.

Their leader approached them. “The boss of this floor is an undead drake. We were hoping to cooperate to take it down.”

“Hi Cindy.” Rose said. “Sure you’re okay with teaming up with me again?” Dawn sensed a hint of sarcasm.

“Hi Rose.” Cindy answered tensely. “It won’t be an issue.”

Zentrias and Carol looked at each other. “Could you give us a moment to consider?” He asked.

They gathered to discuss. Carol spoke first. “I’m fine either way. While it’d be nice to have assistance, I believe we can defeat this boss on our own. It’s still early to start teaming up, and there’ll be a stiff experience penalty, which I know Zentrias will be keen to avoid.”

“No,” Zentrias countered. “If there’s no objections, I believe we should accept their offer. We’ve had too many close calls for comfort, and things will only get tougher from here. Better to secure allies now than risk not finding any later.”

Carol studied their leader, “I’m honestly amazed to hear this considering how hard you’ve been pushing yourself lately.”

Zentrias sighed. “True, I’m anxious to reach the wall, doubly so with the Dark Age. However, this was a mission assigned to us by Yuria herself. Failure is not an option.”

I guess it’ll be much deeper in dungeon before I get another chance to release Myriad Calamity Crystallization, Dawn thought to herself.