The Blight's Heart

  William's Perspective

  Sighing in relief, my gaze fixed on Markus, who stood a few sword's paces away. He stretched his arm and back right after he wiped his mouth and jacket clean. The black bodily fluid at his feet reeked, spasming like it was alive. Markus planted his foot firmly on the writhing liquid, squashing it into the earth.

  The tension eased, but the roar of chaos Engines roared overhead, ships diving low to fire down upon. Mages shot lightning that arced across the dark sky. Fire flew all across, like lanterns. Snapping me back to our reality, I gripped my sword, its handle stiff and sticky from the smeared dry black blood.

  My father and Dimmal turned to Markus, nodding at him, then turned towards the screams. I shook my head, pushing back the stench of decay and the approaching death. Swallowing my dread that came from the initial shock of seeing the Blight, I took one look at Markus, who was smirking at me.

  "You look ready," Markus spoke, his voice filled with confidence and pride. "And it's been only a short time."

  I chuckled in response. My heart fluttered with pride and recognition. "I had great teachers." Markus nodded, turning around and running farther into the woods. Dimmal followed behind, then me.

  My father covered our rear as we sprinted into the forest. Trees not rotten and collapsed onto the forest floor. Their roots sticking out like arms, arms reaching out to grab hold of what life they could find.

  Vaulting over a fallen tree and landing on black, sprawling moss that connected the tree to the ground in grotesque, sticky vine-like sap. Dimmal stood to my left, Markus remaining ahead, examining the surroundings. My father landed behind me moments later.

  A sudden crack of a branch snapped to our right, drawing our attention. My eyes darted around, searching for the source of the sound, every muscle tensed and ready. I tightened my sword with both hands. In an instant, a thick black root sprang out of the ground directly beneath Markus. Before any of us could react, it pierced straight through his chest, lifting him momentarily off the ground.

  Markus let out a shocked gasp, gritting his teeth as he let out an annoyed grunt. Slamming his feet back into the ground, he braced himself, stopping the first few roots from pushing forward. Markus then erupted into dark orange flames, lighting up the dark forest and burning the roots that were jammed into him to the dust. However, three more roots sprang around him and lunged towards Dimmal and me.

  Swinging my sword, I hacked at the roots that tried to run me through like Markus. My arm didn't waver under the pressure while I held my breath. Doubt crept in, but I swallowed as more roots sprang to life. Keeping my focus, I struck another root with a quick slice. Hearing a rumble beneath me, I leap back. A root sprang in front of me where I stood last. Quickly turning to me, I ducked and countered, chopping the assailant into bits and moving forward. Smiling, I felt the doubt rush out of my system, adrenaline kicking in.

  Turning around, I ran over to Dimmal, my eyes widening in shock with each step. It was as if the world were moving more slowly. Dimmal soon fell over, overrun by the Blighted roots. Magic arrows flew by me, whistling by my ear, and striking the roots. The arrows slowed the roots, and the ground beneath Dimmal moved by magic, dragging him towards me. The magic was all done by my father.

  Roots sporadic, lunged at us. Kicking my feet forward, I slid right past Dimmal, sword in hand, as the roots flew overhead. Coming to a stop, I pushed off the ground and cleaved the roots, rendering it immobile. Soon, I saw where the roots were coming from.

  My ears rang from a sudden, scratching static from the device I had installed earlier. Then Commander Lupin's voice spoke out. "Assault Team, the perimeter is being breached by hordes of Blighted Roots. Remove these excuses for trees off my land." Commander Lupin's voice was harsh and demanding, radiating authority.

  Markus, in front of me about twenty feet away, dashed towards an abomination of trees, all grouped together, bark warped and stitched together by blackish flesh. A face etched onto the surface of the tree, two empty socket eyes, and a mouth screaming out. The tree's branches warped and twisted into arms, and its roots dug into the ground, preventing it from moving.

  The Blighted tree swung its arms at Markus, only for him to vault over and roll at its roots. They spring out of the ground at him. Evading the attack, Markus lit his blade in orange flame and countered the roots, cutting a path towards the tree. I wasn't too far behind, as the tree was ready to counter Markus.

  The ground in front of Markus formed a wall in front of him, blocking the arm from hitting. Rushing over, I slammed my sword into the arm, taking it clean off. Taking me by surprise, Markus threw his arm around my waist, and my vision shrank momentarily, the world narrowing down to a focal point. Wind boomed past me, my gut sinking at the sudden force pressed into my back, and the cold wind sent chills down my sweating back. All at once, it faded immediately, my vision returning to normal, only for me to be standing farther away from the tree. Markus used his [Skill] to move us both back from the tree. Roots sprang all around the tree, like spears stabbing out of the ground.

  Markus let go of me and moved forward. Collecting myself, I followed behind. The tree, despite being Blighted, appeared agitated, swinging its arms and roots wildly. Markus and I hacked and slashed at its piece, but we weren't getting close. "Gwyn!" Markus yelled out.

  "On it!" My father responded.

  Slamming down on another root, my mind came to a conclusion. We didn't need to push towards the Blight. Smirking with confidence, I kept up my assault, evading a sudden root that struck from the earth. Swinging my leg at it, I took the root out of the ground, sending pieces of it flying. Noticing many more roots approaching, I recall what Markus told me about my body and the uses of [Skills] and tried to envision the [Sword Skill: Triple Slash]. A smile formed on my face as I felt the familiar warmth in my body. But this time I didn't focus on it. It was instant. Muscles tighten and constrict. In an instant, I swung, my sword beaming in a golden blur. Four roots that lunged at me were instantly cut down in two slices. Launching myself forward at another incoming root, I then envisioned the [Sword Skill: Upperslash]. Immediately, I swung up at the incoming root, larger than the others, yet fell so easily. What caught me in the moment was what I just. I just combined two [Sword Skills] into one. Snapping out of my thoughts, I realized I launched myself into the air.

  I was vulnerable. But that's what I wanted.

  Hearing my father and Dimmal's voice calling out my name, the Blighted Tree thrust its arm at me. Raising my vambra, a golden shield formed in time for the attack. The force of the attack sent me hurling back towards my father. Landing safely by him, Dimmal ran past me and towards the front, effectively replacing my spot in the battle.

  Looking back behind me, now having a moment to breathe, my father had his bowstaff raised, a massive compression of blue magic energy formed at the tip of his newest arrow. Soon, he shot it at the Blighted Tree, and in an instant, a blinding red light erupted, blinding me. Covering my eyes for a moment, I reopen them to see the tree having a massive hole in the base of its trunk, scorched and burned. Embers flickered across its surface, dying out as it finally stopped moving.

  My body ached with fatigue, sore from fighting. Stretching my arms and legs, I felt my muscles no longer so tensed. It reminded me of when I was younger, my father always stretched before any physical activity. I'm regretting not stretching. My legs cramped, squeezing roughly, and my arms felt tight in a painful way. But stretching released some of the tension that caused all the pain.

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  "You risk too much," my father shouted, running towards my side. His armored-covered hand was covered in grim and black blood. Gripping my arm, he moves to inspect me for injuries, I assumed. Assured I was fine, he let out a loud sigh. "At least you're ok. Just don't go acting rashly again."

  I couldn't help but scoff at him, but I couldn't help but smile. The sense of fatigue left me, allowing me to move around more freely once more. Rubbing my shoulders, I answered my father. "As long as we play it safe, I won't have to."

  My father furrowed, narrowing his eyes and glaring at me, but he let out a sigh of acknowledgement. The sound of thunder boomed over our ears, making my ears ring. Debris tossed into the air from explosions nearby snapped my father and me back into the fray.

  Moving forward, Markus led us farther and farther. Ships that flew over us were shot down by a giant tree that was thrown. The earth shook beneath us when the ship flew. Markus vaulted over a fallen tree, turning his head back to us. "We almost to the town."

  "Town? I asked.

  "The location of the nest. There we find its heart." Dimmal answered, with a slight fatigue audible in his voice as he breathed.

  Heart?

  My father's voice came from behind. "That spider monster we fought back then in the blight nest.. That was the heart, as odd as it was."

  I pondered for a moment, ignoring the deathly stench with every inhale I took. The dirt beneath me split with every step. The massive spider-like monster that we fought. Its legs were misshapen, and its movements sent shivers down my spine. Recalling how it was doing something to that noble, San something. Wasn't it normal?

  Questions form in my head, but I can't answer them right now. Furrowing my brows, I looked over to Dimmal. "What type of 'Heart' will we face?"

  "We will see," Dimmal said, his voice was cold and startled by something. Something that caught my attention. It was an odd feeling. Like a sudden warmth pressed into my head, compressed down to almost like a needle was poking me. It wasn't painful in any way, just odd.

  Soon, Markus called out, drawing my attention once more. There I saw stone buildings ruined and destroyed. Clearing out of the forest, the ruined town lay before us. Smoking rises from inside, making Markus pick up speed.

  Leaping over debris, an uncanny stillness pressed down on me, like the air gotten thick. There were no signs of anything, almost like back in Hearthglen, where all the dead bodies were moved.

  Not surprising that we are dealing with the Blight. But once a blighted creature is killed, its body remains.

  Black veins raised up out of the ground and onto the road and buildings. The once-stone bricks were now brittle to the touch. Black goo drips down the window scenes. Black roots sprouted all over, thick as Argon's leg. Massive roots, unlike those from the trees we had to fight, all led towards something farther into the town. It was like the town was infected.

  A sense of unease filled my chest. Debris fell onto the ground, noises and movements all around us, like a ghost town. The road and sidewalks were cracked and loose behind repair. We weren't alone, but we couldn't see what or who. A few sobbing whimpers could be heard, but based on how Markus reacted, they weren't real. I would only assume Dimmal to think the same.

  Letting out a nervous breath, raising my sword in case of a surprise attack, and moving towards Markus. My father followed behind me. Markus, much to my surprise, didn't follow the roots, but instead moved to the ship that few.

  The road beneath us cracked under our steps. Sounds of rock hitting rock, cracking sounds as we march our way in, no longer running into danger. Markus, though, just strove forward, forcing my father and me to keep up.

  Looking around, Dimmal was no longer near us.

  Gone.

  Vanish.

  Disappeared.

  My heart sank, my eyes widened in disbelief. Dimmal was right next to me. How could he just disappear? A horrific chill rushed down my back, my forehead broke a sweat of nervousness as I instinctively moved closer to my father, my sword raised. "Dimmal?!?" I cried out. The odd warmth in my head from earlier is more noticeable. Stronger even.

  "Dimmal!" my father shouted.

  But there was no response. It was quiet. Markus was about to call out, but a scream echoed down an alleyway to our right. Without questioning, Markus ran down the dark alleyway.

  Groaning in concern, I ran after Markus. My father called out to me, but I ignored them. Pushing past black roots that had sprouted, their texture was nowhere near similar to a normal tree root, but something liquid and slimy. Letting out a gasp, kicking leftover trash, and clearing the alleyway, I was on a new road.

  Markus stood there in front of me, looking around for the source of the scream. Turning to my left, I saw a woman running out of a ruined building. She fell onto the ground, and blight creatures with the appearance of winged bats crawled out of the building.

  Angrily staring at the blighted creatures, I didn't hesitate to rush in. Sword in hand, my body following my wishes as the sensation of the [Sword Skill: Sword Rush]. My vision tunneled, and wind rushed past me. Moving forward at a rapid speed, I flew directly at the creatures. Despite my limited vision, one of the alleyways I approached creaked. A blur appeared, making me duck down in time for a claw to slash over me.

  If I wasn't careful, it would've killed me.

  Recovering, I was instantly on top of the first blighted bat monster. Its skin was torn off, revealing its blackish muscle. The moment it looked at me, my sword already went through it. In a quick swoop of my sword, I spun around to slice at the monster behind me. Then the next and the next. Within five seconds, I cut down five blighted creatures.

  Markus ran up behind him and patted my back. "Well done, Will!" His voice echoed.

  Smiling, we both moved to the woman, who was in a panic. My father approached us last. Markus gestured to him, making my father turn his back toward us to examine the area, I assume.

  I spoke first to her. "It's ok, your safe with us." My words were quick. I was relieved. I was able to save someone.

  "Is there anyone else," Markus asked.

  "There was a man who helped me make it out. He said he was a Nightwatcher," the woman said, her brown hair in disarray. Her voice was harsh and sounded winded.

  Markus glared for a moment. "Where is he?"

  The woman shook her head.

  Markus stood back up, gestured to his ear, and spoke. "Commander Lupin, we have a missing Night Watcher."

  "Any ID on the Nightwatcher."

  "None."

  "Acknowledge. All channels. We have a missing Nightwatcher. Report when found. Exterminate if necessary."

  After Markus finished speaking, he moved over to me. My mouth dried as I tried to speak. Confused about the importance of this Nightwatcher. Never heard of them in Drakelene; even with knowledge of rumors, I couldn't recall anyone living there. I was more concerned for Dimmal, who went missing. Swallowing some of my spit that had built up to remove the dryness in my mouth, I spoke. "What's a Nightwatcher?" I asked.

  "A investigator who protects most common folk from magical incidents, either domestic or foreign." Markus answered. I didn't know about that and wondered if they were related to the Nightguard fighting style. But before I could ask, more blighted creatures cried out farther in the town. Both he and my father readied themselves. Standing up, I was motivated to protect this woman.

  I can't fail her.

  "Something is wrong," she said, drawing my attention.

  Looking at her, I noticed her veins were beginning to appear, turning black. My eyes went wide in horror as those veins rushed up her neck and arm. Suddenly, her black-veined arm snapped. The woman let out a painful, horrific scream, the skin on her arm peeled back, and her bones twisted and contorted, bursting out of her sinews. The peeling and contorting made its way up her shoulder, blood spewing out from her neck, and the clothes tore off from bones ripping out of her. Her eyes slowly turned black while tears dripped down from the pain and fear.

  I froze in fear and horror as Markus came to my side and killed the woman before she could finish turning. I watched her body hit the floor, her eyes wide in terror and strained. Tears were still visible on her face.

  "Fuck," Markus sighed, angered by what had happened.

  I fell to my knees in silence. Looking at the now dead corpse of the mutated woman.

  I was supposed to save her.

  Recalling memories of the Blight Nest near Hawkwood, I was infected by the spiders then. Didn't my magic cure me? Could I do the same to her? Why didn't I? Why? Why?

  "Will!" Markus shouted, shaking my shoulders.

  I looked at him in disbelief. My mind is racing as I remember my time in Hearthglen. How could I save anyone? How could I not even save this one girl?

  My father took Markus' place, holding me tightly against his chest. "It's ok," he whispered to me. I felt like crying. But I was too stunned to lose in the moment.

  The cries of more Blighted creatures roared out, appearing in the alleyway. Markus approached them. "Take a moment, Will," Markus said, stretching his arms. "You taking notes as well?" He smirked.

  Somewhere close, a thick roar of a massive beast could be heard. It sounded like a blighted dragon.