1 The Fall

Orion took another step back, gritting his teeth in pain but never taking his eyes off of the approaching group.

The leader of the group sighed loudly, shaking his head in mock regret. "It didn't have to be this way, 'Ri. If you had just accepted the merger-"

"Go to hell, Elijah," Orion spat.

Elijah looked momentarily stunned by the outburst from the usually reserved man, but his face quickly settled back into a smirk.

"I think you might be a little confused about your situation, /faction leader Silver/. If anyone here is going to hell today, it isn't going to be me." He signaled to one of the others, who began chanting softly.

Orion's eyes widened as he recognized the chant. In the state he was in, a spell of that magnitude would undoubtedly kill him, and there wasn't much he could do about it. He started to back up again, but stopped as he caught a glimpse of the drop-off just behind him.

They had maneuvered him up against the edge of the Rift. The cave systems leading off of the massive ravine were rumored to be the origin of some of the most vicious monsters that anyone had ever seen, but nobody had ever survived exploring deep enough into them to verify.

The chanting practitioner's hands began to glow, a sign that the spell was almost complete.

Orion's eyes darted between the glow and the sheer cliff behind him, before making a decision.

He grimaced, turned on his heel, and flung himself into the ravine.

Shouts of alarm came from above him, but Orion found himself much more concerned with the branch protruding from the cliffside, which was swiftly approaching.

He felt a brief flash of pain, and then nothing at all.

--

Elijah stared down at the black speck of his former friend's body, crumpled on the floor of the ravine.

"You always were a stubborn bastard," he muttered, then turned abruptly to stride away.

He glanced over his shoulder, seeing that the others were still gathered around the edge, murmuring to each other. "What are you all waiting for?"

The practitioner who'd been casting the spell looked up, seeming hesitant. "But sir, what if he survives?"

Elijah scoffed. "Even if the fall didn't break his neck, the monsters will. His Core was shattered. He doesn't have the power to make himself a nuisance anymore."

The other man bowed his head, and turned to follow him, the rest of the group trailing behind.

Far below them, a battered figure stirred, and climbed slowly to his feet...