Reaches of the Eldritch (1)

Bringing my daggers onto the man's head, he punched at the water forcefully creating a vacuum which pushed then pulled everything caught in the radius.

And that included me.

Flying towards him, I twisted the daggers in a reverse grip so that I could twist over his shoulders.

Leaving behind a thin marking on their helmet, fragments of ice floated in the water before it instantly exploded into white frost that consumed vision.

'!'

Feeling a chill rise on the back of my head I swiftly turned to the side allowing a tentacle to glide harmlessly besides me.

And before I could let out bubbles in relief, Trumpet suddenly appeared through the frosty smoke while using the tentacle as a platform jabbing at my gut.

How do I know that he was aiming for my gut?

Well I wasn't particular to the feeling of losing my lunch, but I would say that it's something just like this.

"Kak!"

Feeling my stomach roil and broil in my stomach, I flailed around as I was sent flying upwards.

Arcing towards the peak of Atlantis, I would say that this was the palace with how fancy it looked.

'Not the time Slade!'

Reorienting myself, I swiftly raised my hands blocking the fist heading to my face at the cost of my arm.

Feeling my bones shatter underneath my skin, my muscles and skin quickly healed themselves as I applied force onto the fist in my hands.

"!"

Crushing the ice gauntlet in my hands, Trumpet lightly shook their hands as they stared at me from their platform made of ice floating in the water.

"I must admit intervener, you are much more powerful then you make yourself out to be."

A giant red blob swiftly whooshed past me as it crashed into the palace behind me rendering it into nothing more then a glorified pile of rubble.

Dust and stone slowly drifted downwards with deceptive speed as it slowly cleared to reveal the body of the bruised and battered ancient guardian.

Forming a new gauntlet made of ice, Trumpet flexed his hands.

"But that is all there is to you, powerful, but not overly so."

[The Chorus Bringer.]

A large shell covered in several white dented marks appeared as the being in it floated upwards with the help of its many tentacles.

Hair like tentacles swiveling in the water to make it float upwards, the Chorus Bringer stared at me with red eyes all the while Trumpet cracked his neck.

"So prepare your neck Intervener, you shall make a good mantle on our leader's wall."

Pointing their finger at me, I felt a sudden force hit me on the side as a giant tentacle whipped me out of nowhere.

"Kuk!"

Feeling all of my bodies bones in the left side crack from the force, a network of cracks appeared on my skin as fragments of said skin floated about in the water.

Tumbling in the water, I hurriedly reoriented myself to meet Trumpet that punched at my chest.

Blocking it with crossed arms, the daggers that had already been through to much broke apart.

Grimacing, I pulled out one of my gifted weapons that I never used for fear of breaking the,.

But right now, in the face of an enemy that had broken two of my daggers and would no doubt break the rest of them.

It only made sense to pull out the weapons that would never ever find use otherwise.

Bringing out the leaf blade, I felt the Vine rune drawn at the base of my hands resonate with the plant like nature of the blade.

Quickly infusing it with mana, I hurriedly used the Ram rune to drop downwards as I stabbed upwards using the Vine rune to grow the blade.

Suddenly growing larger and longer, the leaf blade which was made out of paradoxically light, thin and strong material, the sharp end of the leaf cut at the chest of Trumpet who couldn't react in time.

"Ah!"

Twisting to the side to dodge what would've been a fatal hit to the heart, it instead made sure to disable his left shoulder.

Something I made sure to pay back since my left arm was also not in good shape.

Feeling the distinct resistance of metal plant against flesh, the runes on my hands and legs lit up as more and more mana was infused in them propelling me in all sorts of directions.

Mostly downwards but that was still a direction wasn't it?

Whirling downwards, I coincidentally slammed into the earth besides the Ancient Guardian producing a shockwave that briefly lifted everything in the nearby vicinity.

That included the ancient guardian by the ways.

Red body flinching as it floated upwards, it shook its body rid of all the rubble clinging onto its red skin before turning to stare.

And maybe I was being judgmental to fish people, but I think that the Ancient Guardian was judging me.

And I didn't like it cause good God this fish was judgmental.

'...'

Maybe, they heard my mind or something but they soon turned away from me as they turned to stare at the large and small enemies hurrying their ways to us.

'I would much rather be stared at a judgmental fish now instead of fighting them.'

Feeling slightly disheartened since I was thinking that a judgmental fish was better then a fight, I infused malaise instead of mana into my vine rune.

'!?'

And hoo boy, I think I've realized what it is I can do to kill Trumpet.

Stupid name by the ways.

---

This is annoying.

Those were the most prominent thoughts running through Trumpets head.

Even from the start he didn't take things seriously as in the end, the Lords power was omnipotent and had no equal.

Hell, if he wasn't a follower of the Almighty Lord above, Trumpet was confident that he would be able to stand against the Emperor of Minaft and the Sage of the tower.

Even the Lunatic Cultist chosen by the lord to be his apostle would have trouble defeating him without the blessing of the lord.

Of course, Trumpet didn't act on those thoughts that were on the edge of heresy as it wouldn't coincide with the Lords plan.

But now that the Final Chorus had been interrupted before its completion, Trumpet couldn't help but be vexed.

It took the souls of five hundred screaming children, a worthy sacrifice and the blood of an ancient being to activate the final chorus responsible for awakening the lord.

'Fifty long years, wasted because of one annoying snake.'

Of course he knew that if he took things seriously in the first place such a thing wouldn't have happened and the Final chorus would've been completed.

But human nature had the habit of ignoring their own flaws and pinning the blame on others.

So that was what Trumpet did.

"You fool that stopped our lords glorious awakening!"

Punching forwards, frosty mist surged alongside his fist which left a visible indent in the sea as the salt water known for its low freezing point made small shards of ice.

Twisting around to dodge the fist imprint in the water, I never would've thought that I would also have to hurriedly dodge a tentacle sniping at me from afar.

Blood leaking from the mark left on my face, I hurriedly infused malaise into it erasing the stinging sensation akin to poison and glared at the tentacle monster.

"If you think that's enough to hurt me, then you should try hardER!?"

Feeling the poison suddenly escalate in intensity, the flesh surrounding the wound necrotized and turned black right before the spread of it stopped when I infused more malaise into it.

"Hmm..." Glancing at the Chorus Bringer that was now staring at me provocatively, I chopped my arm where the wound was inflicted and watched as how the piece of flesh turned into something indescribable.

'What the actual fuck.'

Feeling a pinch in my mind, I noted it down in my mind to dodge every single attack inflicted by the Chorus Bringer otherwise I wouldn't even know how I died.

Well I would actually, I just wouldn't know how it exactly happe- 'Shut up Slade and focus on the man in front of you.'

'Wait a minute.'

Feeling a sudden pain punch me in the face I instinctively waved my hands and sent a high kick flying into Trumpets chin.

Regenerating my face with the help of the malaise, I turned around and stabilized myself in the water.

And by using the blood leaking from my wounds, I made an icy platform upon which I launched myself off of it swimming straight towards trumpet with a vengeance.

Pulling out my sword, I sliced at the still reeling Trumpets gut right as he sent a punch flying at my sword.

Of course, as this conflict was happening, in a place that was away from the chaotic battle at the subterranean seas entrance.

A certain follower of the moon who had accompanied Trumpet was unleashing her deadly machinations.

---

"Why are you doing this Violin! Didn't the Lunatic Cultist command you to aid us!?"

Shouting in terror, the descendant of Atlantis's royal blood line hurriedly backed into a wall as several familiar looking corpses shambled their way towards him.

With dead glassy eyes, their bodies moved mechanically and without any soul.

Jaws hanging open, various wounds covered their bodies with increasingly lethal intent.

But despite that, they continued to walk forwards as if it couldn't bother them less.

"Why am I doing this you ask oh little princess?"

Playing with a dagger in the palm of their hands, the black blade covered in an unknown language that seemed to shift with every single moment flickered through the water as if the word water resistance didn't exist.

Pitch black eyes flickering underneath the crows mask adorning her face, Violin exaggeratedly put her hand onto her face as she started to speak.

"It's because in light of the horrid non believers intervention with the last step of the divine ritual meant to awaken and free our lord the fervent believers of Atlantis were caught in the cross fire."

A glint of mischievousness flashed through her eyes.

"And in light of their undying loyalty to our lord to the point that they would throw away their lives against the heretical scum of the earth."

"I gave their death's a new purpose."

She pointed at the Princess who was now surrounded in all sides by her fellow brothers and sisters of the sea.

"To serve the lord of the moon even after death."

Hearing those words, the Princess grit her teeth as she glared at Violin.

"Then you should've aided us in getting rid of the unbelievers! Why stab us in the back!"

Tilting her head, the woman clicked her tongue.

"Because its more efficient this way."

"What?"

"You fish people with all of your royal ideals of serving the lord are nothing more then fancy idiots flamboyantly using your power."

"But we would've helped you!"

"Not in the way I would've liked"

Shaking her head, Violin flipped the dagger in her hand.

"I don't know why I am explaining things to a soon to be dead woman, goodbye."

Corpses of all kinds receiving the command, they lunged forwards spears in hand thrusting them at the Princess.

Eyes flickering a darker shade of blue, the Princess grit her teeth before pulling out something from behind her back.

+++ 

Tree