A month later
"Jaric, now!" Kallen shouted. Using the leaping ability of his armor, he dove under the fallen abomination, and shot out the other end.
The Fallen beast floated just above Kallen, a headless humanoid torso covered in mouths, all chanting in unison. A sonic shriek blasted the ground just where Kallen emerged, and Jaric hoisted his crimson blade, throwing it like a javelin.
It caught the beast in the shoulder, and spun it from the force, but the creature recovered and devoured the sound that had left Kallen's lips, partially sealing the empty hole in its shoulder.
So it consumes sound…
Kallen drank the information in, recognizing the harrowing power of the beast before him and his hunting party. Their pathfinder had decided to sit this one out, meaning it was him, and his five other subordinates versus a Fallen Beast.
They would have to be careful. Harren's aspect ability was entirely sound related, meaning one of their more powerful members was—while not useless—less effective than normal.
Gorn, a hulking beast of a young man, hefted his greatsword and lunged for the beast. His aspect ability allowed him to manifest an additional pair of hands, and when he activated it, a great axe appeared in the other set.
His newly manifested axe sheared through the beast's rib-like protrusions, but it didn't scream. Instead, the severed bones vibrated and shot outward in a soundless shockwave. Even far beyond the blast, Kallen felt the strain on his ears. The rest of his hunters were far enough away, but Gorn hadn't been fast enough.
The hunter's ears burst with blood.
Lyss—the party's archer shot an arrow that trailed smoke. This one was tinged a deep red, which signaled one of their tried and true formations.
Seeing the signal from the archer, Kallen lit his sword ablaze and charged. The Nightmare Creature turned after him, and fired off a new concussive blast.
Jaric leaped in, abandoning the hybrid part of his role as a ranged and melee threat, choosing to act as the party's striker along with Kallen.
Lucius, the last of their melee fighters joined in, his aspect ability allowing him an uncanny danger sense that Kallen had personally witnessed save the man's life on more than one occasion.
Kallen's sword flickered and flared as he feinted left. The beast took the bait, twisting to intercept him. Jaric's boot slammed into its back. The creature lurched forward, its many mouths gasping as Lucuius's dagger found a gap in its vibrating ribs.
It wasn't enough.
It spun on them, bones shifting and reforming like a grotesque puzzle. Harren, ears bleeding, mouthed a warning, but stopped himself at the last moment.
A shockwave, smaller and less raucous than the previous one ripped out from the Fallen Nightmare Creature. Lucius was near Jaric and yanked him down just in time, but Gorn wasn't quite as lucky.
The shockwave slammed into him, sending the hulking hunter crashing through a wall. Dust plumed.
Shit! Kallen cursed, grip tightening on his sword. This was bad, a sound based enemy would attract danger to them. Likely, several abominations were already closing in on their position.
"Gorn—" Lyss's lips moved, but the hideous beast stole her voice.
It paused for a moment, a split second vulnerability as it consumed the sound of Lyss's quiet remark. Kallen could use that. He raised four fingers, signaling formation delta.
Lucius nodded, pulling a dagger from his belt. Jaric formed in close to him as Dorn pulled himself out of the rubble. Lyss drew her bow taut, careful to make as little noise as possible.
With a practiced motion, Lucius, understanding what Kallen meant, hurled his blade past the beast, not to strike it, but to clatter it against the cobblestones behind.
The Fallen creature's many mouths opened, twitched, then ripped open in unison, sucking in the sound of the metal on stone. Its grotesque torso pulled as it fed, momentarily caught up in the process.
Immediately following, Kallen lunged with the help of his armor's enchantment. In the same instant, Lyss loosed a smoke-trailed arrow into the Nightmare Creature's gaping maw. Jaric, who had resummoned his crimson blade, dove at it from behind, slamming his crimson blade into its spine while it was focused on Kallen and the smoke choking it from the inside.
Gorn barreled in, blood dripping from his ears, and heaved his axe in a decapitating arc, but the beast twisted out of the way, its bones swallowing Jaric's blade as it made a mid-air dash to escape.
Right towards Kallen.
Kallen splashed the water from his canteen onto his neck. It slithered down his front, beneath his armor, fulfilling the conditions of his flaw.
His dormant ability flared. Jaric's blood that lay on the ground, as well as a bit of rainwater that had pooled onto the streets shot toward his fingertips, amassing in a long, whip-like weapon. He lashed forward, and it curled around the beast's throat. With a brutal tug, Kallen dragged it to the ground, where Gorn waited with a follow up strike.
He cleaved right through its body, cutting it in two.
For a heartbeat, there was silence. Then the Nightmare Creature shattered into a pile of twitching bones and viscous black fluid.
~~~
Gorn spat blood, grinning. "Serves you right you bastard."
Harren knelt nearby, fingers pressed to his savaged ears. There was a pained expression on the man's face. He was a good bit older than Kallen, one of the more experienced Sleepers on the forgotten shore.
Lyss approached Kallen, her bow slung over one shoulder. "You're welcome," she said, tapping the still-smoking arrow that lay lying on the ground.
Kallen opened his mouth to reply, when Mira—their pathfinder—finally showed up.
"A Fallen Beast. And you didn't wait for me?"
The woman emerged from the shadows, her nose wrinkled in disdain. She walked over and toed the carcass with her boot.
"So kind of you to finally show up." Jaric dispelled his helmet. He was bleeding from his square-set nose. He wasn't a whole lot older than Kallen, but he surely looked it.
Mira flipped him off. "Whatever, amateur."
She then moved in toward the beast, summoning a knife from her soul-sea. With difficulty, the woman tore through its corpse and pulled out a shining soul shard. She appraised it for a moment, grinning before stuffing it into the sack hanging off of her shoulders.
Her dormant ability allowed her to sense and locate soul cores. This made her an expert pathfinder, for the sole ability of being able to locate Nightmare Creatures with her uncanny senses.
Kallen and his group had known they were going up against a Fallen Beast hours before they actually fought it, and they also knew that there weren't too many creatures nearby as well.
Given her languid demeanor, there probably weren't any horrors heading in their direction. Or if there were, they were weak.
Mira knew that Kallen's soul core was different than other sleepers. He wasn't sure how much she knew, but Ariel had told him her fears. He had said she was afraid of the peculiarity in Kallen. It was perhaps the only thing that kept her unbearable personality in check.
After she grabbed the soul core, she moved into the nearest building and closed her eyes, sitting in silence as she began to plot their course back to the bright castle.
Jaric and Gorn moved to help Harren over to the house as well, and Lyss began to say something to Kallen.
But something strange happened.
A familiar pulse of pain began to form in his head, and he missed what she said. She tilted her head, looking at him with a concerned expression.
The pain compounded, and Kallen reached for a support, finding the young Sleeper girl. A black spot formed in his vision, and he stumbled into her, nearly bringing them both down.
"Woah, Kallen, what…"
The searing pain split through his skull. His knees hit the cobblestones before he could stop them.
Fire. Thunder. Explosions. The stench of burning flesh.
The visage of a mighty dragon, its powerful wings beating as it hovered in place, dreadful flame billowing from its mouth in a torrential downpour of death and destruction. The crimson spire burst through his vision, its length too towering to comprehend.
The beast at its base uncoiled, massive wings stirring in a storm of ember. Kallen met its eyes, twin pits of molten gold.
It said his name. But… strangely not his full name. It whispered: "Kallen."
"Kallen! Kallen! What the hell is happening!" Lyss's voice pierced through the fog, though it was muffled.
Kallen gasped, blinking away the vision. His group of hunters stood in a loose circle around him, and Lyss's hands were on his shoulders as he knelt, shaking him.
Gorn gripped his axe tighter. Jaric's blade was half-drawn, and his eyes darted between Kallen and the dead body of the Fallen Beast. Harren, though temporarily deafened, had also witnessed his leader collapse.
Lucius, the only hunter to have witnessed one of these bouts, met Kallen's gaze. He'd seen this before. Only Mira seemed unaffected, as she was still sitting with her eyes closed, busy.
Kallen shrugged himself from Lyss's grip and rose to his feet, muttering, "We're done here."
He could feel their gazes boring into him, exchanging glances. They'd seen him command, take charge, and deal with Nightmare Creatures without flinching away. They'd watched him dispose of an assassin sent by Gunlaug himself.
But they'd never seen him kneel before.
No one would question him or his rule as their leader, but there would be reservations after something like that. He was sure.
It was the second vision he'd had this month… that was a bad sign. Last time, the visions had increased in their frequency exponentially, quickly growing into a multiple a day situation. If that happened… Kallen wasn't sure he could survive as a hunter.
He had time before that would happen of course. But he was on a timer. A deadly, terrifying timer that led him straight into the maw of a Titan.
Soon, he was walking behind his squad of hunters. He'd spent nearly a month with them by now. He couldn't believe it had already been that long since his battle with Jaric that had earned him a spot as a hunter of Gunlaug.
He'd been made head of his own squad on the fourth day.
Their party had immediately stood out among the other squads of hunters as a quick moving shock force, meant to deal with powerful abominations quickly and efficiently. Gorn's strength, Jaric's powerful aspect, and Lucius's uncanny senses made for a deadly front line, with Kallen at the lead.
Behind them were the ranged threats. Harren's powerful sonic bursts were a devastating backup, and Lyss's smokescreens were helpful in concealing their squad, or signaling different formations when Kallen wasn't in view.
They were undeniably powerful. This had attracted the attention of their very own Bright Lord, who perhaps didn't like Kallen's rising popularity.
He had sent an assassin disguised as a normal guardsman after Kallen one night, aiming to do away with him in the dark, but it hadn't even come close to working.
Why do that when Harus was such an effective executioner? Kallen wasn't quite sure. It didn't particularly matter, since he planned to assassinate Gunlaug as well.
He sighed, watching as Mira lead them through the dark city. As others moved ahead, he noticed Lyss slow down and linger, keeping pace beside him.
"What was that?" she whispered after a long while.
Kallen flexed his hand. He shrugged. "Just a bit of pain from the Beast's sound attacks I think."
"Bullshit," she said under her breath. The bow slung over her shoulder disappeared in a shimmer, as did the quiver.
Kallen ignored her, instead, focusing on the clank of Gorn's armor ahead. The big man walked with a slight limp, that last shockwave had done more to him than he let on.
Glancing down at his own hand, a slight tremor shaking it, Kallen realized he was hiding things as well.
Lyss's fingers brushed against his wrist, light as a whisper but enough to make him flinch. "You're hiding something," she said, stating a fact and nothing more. "You think they don't notice that you're distracted by something…"
She's afraid of what you're hiding," Ariel whispered.
Kallen gave her a look, but didn't say anything. Ahead, Mira paused at a crossroads, thinking for a few seconds. The others slowed, waiting for her signal.
Lyss seized the moment. "What's happening with you?"
"It doesn't matter," Kallen spat, words coming out sharper than intended.
"Okay," she said.
Lyss walked past him. Before the weight of her suspicions could press on him, Mira's voice cut through the tension.
"Two blocks east, then north. There's a fallen monster lurking nearby, so be careful."
The group trudged forward in silence. Then Jaric whistled sharply. "Aye, Captain. I saw something move in the shadows up there."
Kallen cocked his head, feigning interest. He walked up and held his hand, motioning for the crew of hunters to stop moving. Jaric pointed to a wall in the distance.
Sunny was spying on them most likely. He often scouted out the dark city himself, sometimes appearing and taking down threats whenever he saw fit. He acted mostly independent, as too much contact between the two of them could tip someone off about their relationship.
"I don't see anything." Kallen frowned at the shadow—more for show than anything, then he waved his hand. The squad kept moving. "Stay vigilant then… shadow creatures are a nasty type."
~~~
Kallen arrived at his room in the bright castle only a little while later. He had spent the past few weeks acclimating to his newly found status as a famed and powerful hunter of gunlaug. It was dirty work, he felt disgusted with himself to be forced to pledge his loyalty to that snake of a man, but he did what he needed for the betterment of the cohort. That was where his true loyalty lied.
The biggest problem with his new lifestyle, ironically, was indeed the very fame he had specifically sought out. He was an inside man. Not a scout like Sunny, but a spy there to gain as much information directly from the source as possible.
Kallen, however, had other plans. Plans that involved Sunny's help specifically.
It would be a gamble. Kallen would bide his time for a few more weeks, months, it didn't matter. Eventually, however, Harus would be sent after him, and that was when he'd strike.
Sure, he would have to defeat Harus first—hopefully with Sunny's help, and then Gunlaug after that, but when it came to the golden king, that was where Kallen was most confident. The man's own paranoia would be his downfall.
After Kallen had met the man a few times, he gleaned enough from the whispers of Ariel in order to learn his flaw. It was quite obvious when he thought about. Gunlaug's flaw was debt. He was forced to repay any debt he found himself in, and Kallen had the perfect plan in mind.
The takeover would be swift and decisive.
Kallen sighed, closing the door to his room behind him. Sunny was probably there waiting in the shadows like he was supposed to be, but Kallen couldn't sense the young man.
Truly a powerful aspect, he thought, dismissing the outer layer of his armor. Kallen moved toward his bed and placed his sword under the pillow. He then rummaged through his sack of shards to make sure no one had raided his home while he was away.
It would have been incredibly stupid to steal from the famous up and coming hunter of Gunlaug, but people on the Forgotten Shore were a nasty bunch.
No one seemed to have gone through his shards, but his personal handmaiden had cleaned up the place while he was gone. Honestly, the handmaidens made Kallen uneasy. He didn't trust a single one of them, least of all their leader Seishan.
In fact, of everyone on the Forgotten Shore, Seishan was up there in the rankings of people he wouldn't want to mess with.
Of course, Nephis of the Immortal Flame stood at the top of that list, followed by Gunlaug and Sunny. After them was, Caster, Seishan, Gemma, Tessai, and that Effie woman from the outer settlement. These were all people he didn't fancy his chances against in a fair fight on land.
Not that he fought fair anyways. Given certain conditions, he knew he could take any one of them down. Except… he wasn't too sure about Nephis.
The little of her that he had observed had impressed him greatly, but he got the sense that she was holding back. Like there was a well of power there she was hiding beneath the surface. If he was honest, he got that same feeling from both Sunny. Cassie as well.
But there was no sense in thinking of that now. He had business to attend to.
"I know you're hiding for dramatic effect…" Kallen called out to the shadows. "But its late Sunny, I want to go to bed soon."
"Damn… and here I was thinking you hadn't noticed." Sunny strode from the shadows, a confident and free smile on his pale face. Those dark eyes of his hid a mischievousness and a hint of something slightly sinister behind them.
Sunny leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "So? How'd the hunt go?"
Kallen cocked a brow. "As if you don't know." He adjusted his pillow so that it better rested against the edge of the wall. "Fallen Beast. Nasty thing. It ate sound."
"How's Harren?"
"He won't be hearing for a while I'm sure. Gorn took a rough hit too, but he'll live."
"And you?" Sunny asked, giving him a look as though he'd seen what had happened back there.
Kallen clenched his hand. "Had another episode. Nothing too bad on its own…"
Sunny frowned. "But?"
"But it doesn't bode well. Something…" he paused, thinking of his sisters flaw. Of the dragon that was waiting under the black sea. "Something bad might happen in the near future. I'm not sure exactly when, what, or how, but I am sure something will happen."
Sunny pushed himself off the wall, his shadow waving at Kallen as if they were long lost friends. "You know that doesn't help, right?"
Kallen exhaled. "Yeah. I do. But we need to move faster. What is happening to me has happened before, and once it crosses a certain threshold, my usefulness will fade quickly."
"I know, I know." Sunny paced, his shadow following him. "But I can't rush this. One wrong move and Harus skins us alive before we even get close to that golden bastard."
"Then bait him."
"Are you crazy?" Sunny stopped mid step. "You say that as if it's easy."
Kallen met his gaze. "You've been doing it to Gemma. Has he suspected anything?."
Sunny's lips curled. "Oh, he's itching to report you. Practically salivating at the thought of handing his king a traitor on a silver platter."
"Good," Kallen said. That was the plan, after all. He crossed his room to his window. The Crimson Spire loomed in the distance, its peak lost in the haze of the gray sky. "When Harus comes, I'll need you."
Sunny's face flicked with annoyance. "That wasn't part of the original deal." His voice was light, but his eyes had gone flat—the way a dangerous animal's did when it was cornered.
"You'll have to trust me." Kallen glanced at the window, and then back to his companion. "I know how to get that armor off of Gunlaug. But I need your help… you're the only person I know slippery enough."
A beat of silence, then Sunny barked a laugh. "Flattery? Really?" He ran a nervous hand through his hair. "Here's the thing, Captain. I like you, and I like your sister, but I don't trust you with my life just yet. I'm certainly not okay with whatever game you're really playing, so why should I walk into Harus's blade for you?"
"Because you want a change of regime just as much as I do."
Sunny's smile turned razor-thin. "True. But I'm patient. You're on borrowed time."
The truth of his words were a noose around Kallen's neck. Finally, Kallen exhaled. "How can I convince you then?"
Sunny waited for a moment. "You don't need to convince me." He sighed. "I'll help you, I guess. But Nephis will need to be persuaded. Do you have a plan for how to do that?"
Kallen waited a second before slowly smiling at Sunny.
Sunny didn't understand his intention immediately, but when he did, he rolled his eyes. "Fine. But you owe me a Memory from Gunlaug's vault. No, two. And if this goes wrong, I disappear. No heroic last stand with you. No we'll fight our way out. I vanish and you don't come looking. Got it?"
Kallen nodded. "When Harus comes, I'll know. I have this placed webbed, so it'll wake me up."
"And I'll be there to ambush him?"
"Sounds good," Kallen said. Sunny turned to leave, he lingered for a second, meeting Kallen's eyes with a determined look that said: Don't fuck this up.
Then he was gone, leaving Kallen alone with the weight of what they were setting in motion. He snuck a hesitant look at the spire, wondering when that Leviathan might show up.