Blackout In The Snow

Amid the snow and wind, Mark stood out like a red drop on the snow. He was walking alone, going from place to place, fighting monsters on his way—nothing out of the ordinary.

He knew where to look; past experience was coming back to him like pure instinct. He found himself standing face-to-face with five Cryo Monuments, a large pool of ice in the center between them.

"Great. How the heck should I go about this?"

He watched the order in which the fire seelie went to each monument before taking a handful of snow, which he placed on the stone monolith, lighting it up with a light blue light.

"Great! I got brains for a reason other than not using them."

He quickly did the same with the other four Cryo Monuments, lighting them up one by one in the right order. As he finished, he found himself standing in a blizzard, watching in terror as two Ruin Guards, twice his side, loomed closer and closer to him.

"Great! One before me and one behind me. I did remember this part, so why the heck am I even acting like I'm confused?" thought Mark, angry at his own reactions.

He unsheathed his sword, preparing for the incoming battle. One of the mechanical beings came closer to him, its arms swirling around it as it marched towards Mark, while the other turned its back at him, launching rockets that flew his way.

Without missing a beat, Mark used Anemo to hurl himself to the side, breaking into a sprint for the one who launched projectiles at him. Before it could sit back up, Mark stood before it, watching as the rockets following him stopped in the robot's back, turning it into scrap metal.

"One more, then the big boss comes."

His eyes scanned around for the unseen guard until he noticed the looming shadow that kept growing around him. His heart skipped a beat as he sent himself tumbling backwards, watching as the ground cracked under the Ruin Guard, right where he stood.

"Come on then, let's figure you out as well."

Mark began sprinting towards it, dodging the chunk of iron that it called hand, before jumping right in front of it, thrusting his sword into its very core.

The Ruin Guard seemed to shut off, but Mark heaved off his claymore, and with a healthy shout, he hurled it above himself, letting the blade fall along the guard's center, cleaving it in half at a weak point.

Wiping off the sweat on his brow, he put the claymore on his back once more, lifting his sword as he felt the ground tremor. Before him, comming in loud, heavy steps, was a Ruin Grader.

"Let's see you dance, big boy. I'll make sure to take you down."

Mark stared it down, his eyes fixed on its core, which lay in the center of its head. Before he knew it, the thing was charged up, and Mark yelled out as he ran away from the laser, making for the large machine.

"Come then!" 

He walked closer to it, stiking at its leg, but it merely grazed it. As Mark swarmed around it, he found himself within reach of its arms, running away once they loomed closer to him. In a heartbeat, Mark was prepared to pull off a stunt. He flew high in the air, falling on the robot's head, holding on to the antler-like things it had on top of it.

It was the same move he had pulled earlier. With his left arm, he thrust the sword into the thing's face, shattering its core, before leaping in the air once more, holding his claymore as he fell, splitting the thing in half.

"A job well done, if I may say."

The blizard around him dissipated, while the ice pool shattered, revealing an underground cavern burried in ice. Mark dropped down, coming face-to-face with another one of those weird objects, encased in ice before his very eyes. Next to it was a stone tablet, which he eagerly added to the list of 'already read'.

Again, he got to work, glancing at the remains of the Ruin Guards as he picked up the scattered red stones, breaking them off before putting them against the ice, watching as it cracked open, releasing one more of those weird things. It flew to the very top, just like the other.

"Now to make my exit before these guys wake up."

He flew out, not bothering to look below at the nearly-awake machines.

"On to the last one," thought Mark, rushing to the cavern where he was to finish this little quest.

Walking through some ruins, he made quick work of some hilichurls, heading deeper through the shattered walls, finding what he was seeking. Using his gilder, he floated down, coming face to face with a bunch of abyss mages and hilichurs that swarmed around the place, as if looking to figure out the secrets encased within the ice.

"Not going to happen!"

He plunged down, using his claymore as he fell, cutting one of the mages before leaving the large sword on the ground, taking out his long sword. With a flick of his fingers, a gust of wind threw to the side whatever ice spikes the remaining mage tried to throw at him, moving in like thunder, cutting it along the body before moving to the remaining foes.

It was over before it could truly begin, or so he reffered to the situation. He sat face to face with the shattered ice, holding in hand the last needed red crystal. With a sigh, he used it, releasing the last object.

"Looks like a job we-"

His words were cut short as he felt his own heartbeat pick up, each thump louder and fiercer than the last. A spike of pain crossed his chest as he fell on his knees, just now noticing a faint red mist linger around, as if released from the ice.

"You who released me...give in to destruction..." echoed a voice in his mind—it wasn't his.

He felt his vision blurry, his body weaken as he nearly threw up. His mind was a mess, and he could barely mutter a few words.

"Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner..." 

The voice seemed to shied away, its voice a boisterous fake confidence.

"No one will help you! Give up!" 

Mark shouted once more, looking up with his remaining strength.

"God, purge this evil within me..." 

Everything snapped black around him; his consciousness faded... 

"I wonder what Mark is doing," said Ras, glancing over at Lisa. She sat in the library, studying an old tome that she held with one hand, taking notes with the other.

"He did wander off without saying a word. I hope he didn't get himself in trouble," said Lisa, still focused on the tome in her hands.

"Well, he wasn't really the type to stir up trouble, but it still worries me a bit."

Ras sighed, focusing on his book rather than random thoughts that lurked in his mind. He still tried to figure out what the deal with the light on his wrist was, but to no avail. Even books from the forbidden section didn't speak about such things—or at least that's what Lisa had told him.

He put his book down, sitting up so fast that Lisa was startled.

"My dear, where are you going? Did you perhaps get tired of my presence?" teased Lisa, a soft smile on her face.

Ras blushed slightly, shaking his head.

"Please, I could never get tired of you. I just need to go train for a bit. Mark suggested I don't slack off, and to be honest, it's working rather well. I'm quite excited to figure out the proper way of using a sword."

"In that case, have fun. I'll be here, waiting for you to come back."

She blew him a kiss, which made him blush slightly as he almost ran for the door. He still had to get used to Lisa's teasing.

He walked outside to the training grounds, meeting Amber, who was practicing her marksmanship there, shooting arrow after arrow, trying to shoot one in an already-stuck arrow.

Ras nearly turned around, the thought that he was socially awkward holding him back, but it was too late.

"Hey there, Ras!" said Amber, walking closer as she waved. He turned around, trying his best to put on an excited expression.

"Hey there, Amber. I didn't know you'd be out here training."

She giggled, putting her hands behind her back.

"I'm merely trying to keep my skills in the best possible state. I couldn't call myself an Outrider if I neglected training."

Ras chuckled, looking at the sword he held at his waist.

"I'm here to train as well. I'm hoping to figure out my way with the sword, if even a tiny bit."

"It's good to have a clear goal in mind, so you should try to prepare some 'steps' for you to take."

Ras nodded silently. "Yes, bite-sized chunks to help me progress faster. You sure know how to go about training."

She chuckled, her gaze falling somewhere behind Ras. He turned around, hearing someone shout for him.