Practice makes perfect. Train how you fight. Train with the end vision in your mind to achieve a goal. Sweat, blood, and tears in practice reduce the amount you lose in battle. These are ideals, things that happen in a perfect world. In a perfect situation- one who has spent countless hours swinging their sword and honing their body for battle will come out victorious.
However, the Ravine was no perfect world. The Maedra were the key example of this. Their grotesque bodies. Their existence is stubborn and outright defiance of nature itself. They live when they should be dead. Their bodies form out of nothing, their crystal shards coming to fruition simply because there is just a bit too much mana in the dark. Anywhere else and they would grow into trees, grass, bushes, and animals. Down in the ravine, they are nightmares.
No amount of practice could prepare Jake for facing those nightmares head-on. While his magic was powerful, his skills refined- his experience was lacking. His fights with the Maedra up until now had all been done either behind the wall of power or at arm's reach. Never did he need to close distance and cross blades with the Maedra. Never did he breathe the same air. Never did his ears ring with the numbing screeches up close. Never did he truly understand the fear of fighting them. There was a reason the Oryks called the Maedra, Beasts.
Until now. His sword was shattered. His ears were deafened by a loud ringing. His body was drenched in a cold sweat, and he knelt in the middle of the tunnel, watching the Warriors and Mora handle what he failed to defeat. One month of the hardest training he could put himself through.
Wasted.
* * *
One Hour Prior
* * *
With his first request secured, his registration complete, and his pass to leave the village clutched between eager fingers, Jake found himself impatient for the first time in a while. The Warrior teams were taking their time and Jake wasn’t allowed to leave the village until they were accounted for by the guards. Even Mora’s presence wasn’t enough. Rules were rules, even for the strongest. It certainly annoyed Jake but he understood. If Jake just ran off into the tunnels without any support, then the guards would be held responsible for the error. On top of that, the Maedra might decide to follow Jake’s taken route out of curiosity. The Warriors were both a support team to fight the Maedra and a protective wall.
After quite some time, the teams finally appeared. Two squads of eight or sixteen in total. Oris Squad and Tyra Squad. Both were considered to be Blue teams due to their experience and longevity. Most members of both squads were veterans in the tunnels- a meeting of happenstance, as Warrior teams weren’t preset to each ticket. Rather, they were assigned based on current availability. Jake felt comfortable with the two teams at his back and figured he might be able to move a bit more freely because of it. Skilled teams for support would give him the flexibility to make a few mistakes, not that he would anyway.
“Red Scouts, I presume?” The Oris Squad leader was the first to step up to Jake and Mora. He seemed to recognize Mora but looked quizzically at Jake. But Mora didn’t answer, Jake did. Jake nodded briefly.
“Yes. When your teams are ready, we’ll leave.” Jake was impatient, but since he was being forced to wait anyways he wasn’t about to rush out into the tunnels unprepared. If things were to go wrong, he wanted his support to be ready. Forcing them to rush through their preparations could result in an even worse situation.
“My team is ready,” The Oris leader huffed and his seven underlings all nodded resolutely. The Tyra leader waited a few extra minutes, talking to his Warriors and giving them a brief pep talk. They conducted one final gear check and then Jake was given the okay.
“I am Jake, from the Pharos Squad. This is Mora. We are your scouts for this mission.” They certainly wouldn’t be friends by the end of the trip, but Jake at least wanted to introduce himself to his support. Both the team leaders nodded.
“I am Ryx, leader of Oris.” Curt but friendly, Ryx bowed partially as he spoke.
“I am Wur. Make sure to follow protocol and we’ll be fine. We’ll ensure you return safely.” Ryx’s counterpart did not bow. He stood tall and puffed out his chest instead. He seemed almost overconfident but he had every right to be. Wur had several scars on his body and his equipment looked top-notch. Though, Jake would let their battle skills speak for them rather than their polite words.
“Let’s go.” As the scout, Jake led the way to the tunnel- tunnel number 82. He held up his green pass card to the guards who emerged. They let him pass, along with Mora. The Warrior teams each had their cards and were permitted to exit the village as well. The exit tunnel was long, almost pitch black aside from the lights at either end, and there were several individuals hidden within the shadows. Jake counted twenty-five in all, with one or two possible extras that seemed very good at hiding themselves. So good that Jake couldn’t discern if they were real, or just crystals in the walls.
Following the instructions on the ticket, Jake led the expedition group out of the exit tunnel and into a large intersection. He glanced up at the tunnel number etched into the stone tablet above the archway and then looked around at the seven other tunnels. From eighty-two, they took eighty-six. Then, when they reached another intersection, they took one-hundred-twenty-two. There, they popped out into a familiar-looking space. There was no running river of essence nor water but the tunnel certainly looked like the one he had initially taken on his first day in the Ravine.
The walls to this tunnel were fairly smooth and illuminated mana crystals lit the path, illuminating the space which had thus far been explored and cleared of Maedra. Jake couldn’t sense any close by so that was nice. However, the silence of the tunnel made him uneasy. He could hear his breath loudly in his ears and his heart thumped against his chest. Every step was done heavily as the support group wore various pieces of protective gear which rattled.
This was where they assumed their roles. A tactical pause was called upon entering the expedition tunnel and the Warriors adjusted their gear from travel, to battle-ready. Oris squad moved to the front with Tyra assuming the rear line. Oris was more mobile, the eight fighters more used to the speed of combat while the Tyra team relied on armor and heavy weaponry to combat the Maedra. The two teams had also fought before, which helped the chemistry. Mora had her preparations to make but she mainly only activated her few enchantments and tested that they worked.
“We’ll establish your backline out of sound but not out of sight of the flare. When you find the Beasts, light the flare and we’ll switch. Don’t sit on the flare.” Oris’s squad leader spoke as he checked his sword. It was sharp, clean of blemishes and chips, but the hilt was worn. It had seen lots of use.
“Okay, but I won’t be running back to you.” Jake knew why the Warriors were here, but he wasn’t about to follow the rules exactly. The game faces of the Warriors became a bit more uneasy.
“You’re going to fight them,” Wur said aloud without looking up from his hammer. Jake nodded. “Fine. Light the flare anyway and we’ll come to assist if you need it. If you die, there won’t be a body to bring back.” Wur twirled the hammer in his hands and then raised it to his shoulder, dropping it and resting it across his upper back. He was ready, as was the rest of his team.
“I won’t stop you either. The Beasts aren’t stupid. If you’re in trouble, back off and we’ll switch.” Ryx seemed to become less concerned with Jake now that the intention of the mission was clear. “Team, we’re going to level two.” His warriors acknowledged the change and their gear was moved around a bit more. Some pulled out second weapons from their rucksacks, others pulled out small shields. Jake noticed the change- they were preparing for heavier fighting.
He didn’t scowl, he didn’t complain. He didn’t say a word. Instead, he turned inward. A lot was riding on the outcome of his expedition. Mora was watching him closely and Nuro would likely be told the result of the fight. The Association would remember the paperwork and might adjust the level of restrictions on him if he failed to succeed. He had put his pride on it. If he failed here, even if no one else did- he wouldn’t let himself go out alone again. This was his gamble. He was putting everything into all of his efforts and struggles up to now. If he couldn’t perform a simple task like killing Maedra, which was exactly what he had been training for, then how could he trust himself with anything else?
The two teams finally finished their preparations and gave Jake the go-ahead. He took in a deep, long breath. On his exhale, he turned away from them and began his walk into the tunnel. Mora was at his back, a few paces behind and off to his left. A small detail but she had put herself on his weak side. An interesting adjustment.
Mana crystal lights were lodged into the upper portions of the tunnel in the centers, providing plenty of dim illumination for the majority of their walk. After a short period of walking, the tunnel opened up on the left to a small room- a rest area. A small fire pit was in the middle of the room, a team of healers and warriors were sat inside, and a sleeping area had been sectioned off. It wasn’t a place to stay for long but it would do well for teams wanting to rest and resupply from the village before continuing back out.
Further up, Jake crossed an intersection of tunnels. His tunnel continued straight and one cut through, leading off to his left and right. That tunnel was fully lit and guards were posted at the crossing point. However, while the guards were there, they did not impede the progress of the expedition. A few glances were exchanged with dark shadows on the wall and then Jake was on his way. The tunnel continued even further and then another rest area was found.
Beyond the rest point was where the “known” section came to an end. The number of crystals overhead began to thin, their frequency becoming shorter and shorter. The smoothness of the tunnel went away and the walls and floor became more rugged. After a short distance further, the crystals stopped entirely. Beside the wall, a stone marker was stabbed into the floor. It was the furthest point a team so far had gone and Jake could already smell it.
The awful stench of rot lingered in the air. It was thin but noticeable to the trained, or experienced, nostrils. Jake felt his heart thump against his ribs and his breathing instinctively hastened. The timer to combat was ticking down. He could sense it. There was no urgency to his walking and Mora didn’t say anything behind him. From here, it was all on him. The darkness was the only thing keeping him from success. Still, there was one detail he noticed hadn’t been explained to him.
“The lights,” Jake mumbled. Mora stepped up to his side. “Who puts up the crystals for light?”
Beyond where he stood, the tunnel was black. Save for the sporadic piece of random crystal jutting from the wall, nothing was lighting his way or alerting him to danger. There wasn’t a bag of mana crystals on the floor by the marker nor was there someone waiting for them in the rest area. They were entirely on their own out in the tunnel.
“Once the tunnel is cleared, workers will come after to place them. Our task is to scout the tunnel, clear it further, and make it safe for them to work.” Mora spoke quietly, very softly as opposed to how she normally talked. Jake was a bit uneasy but he was prepared for this. Along with Chul’s Core, the Arachkin blessing came with another trick. One he had learned to control.
Channeling his mana, Jake coiled two small globs and gathered them behind his eyes. Slowly, his vision began to lighten. He could feel a bit of pressure on his face but the darkness thinned and cleared. He adjusted the strength of the mana along with the quantity, which in turn adjusted the level of night vision he had. With little to no natural light sources, he would have to maintain a high level of fuel to maintain the skill. Along with his eyes, he pushed out a directed cone of mana into the tunnel. He could see almost fifty meters ahead of him. His Mana Sense stretched beyond twice as far. At such a distance his accuracy was low but it would at least provide an early warning if he spotted something.
“Your eyes are glowing,” Mora mumbled. Jake blinked a few times and looked up at her. While her voice sounded interested, she looked unsurprised.
“Magic,” he answered. Rather than say it was a blessing from a God and open up the wrong kind of conversation opportunity, Jake dodged it entirely with the easiest excuse he could muster. Then, he began his walk.
Mora’s steps seemed more uneasy now that the lights had been turned off but she maintained her spot just off his left hip. Jake could no longer hear the Warriors behind him but if he turned, he could see them at the edge of his Mana Sense. True to their veteran label- they walked boldly in the dark and without fear. At least Jake could leave his back to them.
Even with his night vision, Jake slowed his pace. Hasty and quick steps were harder to control. Where his shorter, more planned foot placement allowed him to remain quiet. With no more light, the darkness became more monotonous. The walls didn’t bend or twist, the floor didn’t dip or rise. He walked in a straight line, cutting through the stone on a crash course for the distant wretched stench in the air. His heart rate increased more and more. Sweat accumulated on his back and under his arms. His palms became moist and clammy. He was anxious, anticipating the Maedra’s appearance at any step.
Before his vision detected anything, Mora’s hand extended to his shoulder. Jake jumped a bit. He had become so focused on the blank area ahead that his vision had narrowed. His awareness was almost nill.
“Light the flare,” Mora whispered. Jake shook his head.
“There’s nothing ahead.” He searched around for something, anything, but there was nothing. Not a trace or spike in mana between where he stood and the very edge of his Sensory magic. Mora’s hand gripped him tighter, though, urging him to comply. Jake clenched his teeth, torn between the order and his own eyes. The Maedra were closer. He wouldn’t argue that. But they weren’t close enough to warrant further caution, let alone the flare.
Jake brushed off Mora’s hand and continued to walk. He put all of his focus into his eyes and his nose. He searched for the change in the air and sniffed softly for the rot. Mora, however, increased her distance from Jake. She drew two of her three blades and clutched them firmly in her palms. Jake ignored her and continued to walk. He took another ten steps before the hairs on his neck all stood on end. His skin went cold.
That’s when he caught it.
“Shi-!” Jake reached for his sword as the walls broke apart on both sides of himself. The floor crumbled as the crystals he thought were just cast-off pieces were suddenly engulfed with flesh and mana. The Maedra emerged like a swarm from nothing, their massive arms and gooey bodies lunging at him. The edge of his vision blurred with movement as those sitting just beyond the trap collapsed in on him. There was no time for the flare but Jake had the next best thing.
“Ignarus!” Rather than rely on his mana alone, Jake shouted the Word of Power to accelerate the spell’s activation. Fire appeared at the tips of his left hand as he generated a swarm of spells around his fingertips. He yanked the hilt of his blade, drawing the weapon as he triggered his initial volley of fire. The first few Maedra blasted apart, exposing their mana crystals for the second round of heat.
Jake dumped mana into the floor through his heels, expanding his sensory area outwards into a circular view, fifty meters in every direction. He maintained his night vision on top of the Mana Sense, giving him a full view to dominate within. Yet, the Maedra were close. Too close. His spells fired off but failed to reach peak velocity which made them truly lethal. The spells impacted flesh, burning and shredding but the Maedra didn’t fall.
Gritting his teeth, Jake took his first step forward and crossed his blade with the first Maedra. His weapon smashed into hardened meat with a dull thud. He felt the impact through his arm, the pressure on his joints was immense. The Maedra was strong and it was hungry. Even with no eyes, Jake could feel it staring at him. It leaned closer and let out a low, deep gurgle. Spittle and slop leaked from its vertical mouth. Razor-sharp teeth glistened within the black maw. Its breath was foul, enough to make Jake’s stomach twist in his gut.
With a hard shove, Jake pushed himself away from the Maedra and opened his palm low. A large cone of wind appeared and then shot forward, tearing through the Maedra. It missed the crystal, forcing Jake to take another backstep to avoid a heavy swing. After the first arm fell, a second Maedra climbed over the back of its compatriot and lunged at Jake. Jake’s eyes widened, caught off guard as he had been focusing on the initial threat. He quickly swung his sword to catch the falling foe. The weight and momentum forced him to stumble. Jake retreated further and moved to his left. The ground cracked where he had just stood as the Maedra slammed its fists into the floor.
Jake fired off a super-heated fire ball at point-blank range, melting the Maedra’s head. Then he ignited the mana in the floor and skewered the beast. Its crystal shattered from the impalement and the body sizzled as it began to melt.
Unable to enjoy his first close-range kill, Jake turned his attention to the horde and triggered the mass of mana in the floor, spearing several of the Maedra from below. A few must have foreseen the attack and jumped away, attaching to the ceiling and the walls. They latched on like insects before scuttling towards Jake. Jake fired off several volleys of Wind Bullets, tearing through flesh and exposing crystals for fire balls to finish off. Bodies dropped to the stone spears below. Yet, they kept coming. Their numbers were more than Jake had anticipated.
Jake lunged to engage rather than remain on the back foot and swung his sword against the closest Maedra. It met him with equal and more force, pushing Jake back again. He grunted wildly and narrowed his eyes, pissed. He squeezed the hilt of his sword and planted his left hand down on top of his right. With all of his might, he shoved down on the Maedra. It growled at him as its arm began to flex in the wrong direction, then it screamed.
From its black mouth, a deafening screech ripped into the tunnel. Jake’s vision vibrated and his ears began to ring violently as deafness set in. The screech sounded so far off, but he could feel it in his core. He felt light-headed all of a sudden and his muscles were weak. The Maedra shoved, and Jake was thrown backward. He smashed into the floor, flat on his back, and he stumbled quickly to his feet. He needed to use healing magic, but doing so would pull from either his vision or his Sensory magic. He couldn’t do it all and attack.
There was no time to think- the Maedra were on him. He cut off the sensory magic and mentally cast healing magic, thrusting waves of Light mana through his veins. He smashed swords against a Maedra’s hammer-like arm and deflected the blow. Then, he ignited a fire ball directly into its chest. No mana crystal. Jake jumped away to avoid a side attack and swung his blade to meet the hammer again. This time there was no deflection, he had to block. The Maedra put in enough force to knock Jake sideways, slamming him into the wall. The lack of sensory magic cut off his awareness, and as Jake stood up he was surprised by another rapid attack from another Maedra. A hand reached out towards him, aiming to grab his throat.
Jake’s arms tingled and his eyes widened as he caught the hand with his sword out of instinct. It deflected the arm, but the body kept coming. The Maedra tackled him to the floor. Panicking, Jake trigged mana in the floor and skewered it. The Maedra hissed and let out a low, pained screech as Jake struggled out from beneath it. He turned to face the horde again, but there was no reason to try to find them. The next foe was back with a hammer, and Jake had no choice but to block again. This time, his sword couldn’t hold the weight of the strike.
The metal cracked in the center, the blade flexing irregularly. Jake could feel the tension snap in the hilt and his heart found its way into his throat. He was out of options, and the Maedra were about to overrun him. The ones he had tried to kill with his rock magic were pulling themselves free, leaving only a few dead among them. His spells had mostly missed their marks and the horde was largely undeterred. Spooked, sure. Yet Jake was by himself- the Maedra surged forward.
Another swing from the hammer and Jake’s blade shattered.
Suddenly, Jake felt a hand on the back of his neck. Before he could react he was yanked out of the range of a third swing. He flew backward in the dark and Mora moved up to take his place. A flare burned on the ground beside where he landed but the Warriors were already passing it before Jake stopped sliding. Their heavy feet rumbled in the dark and the Maedra screeched as the echoes of battle rang into the tunnel.
Jake stared at the backs of his support element, watching as the Warriors and Mora crossed with the Maedra. Wur and Ryx shouted orders both to their teams and to one another. Coordinated movements between the two teams helped establish a line and the Warriors held it firmly as Mora fought just beyond it. Never too far where she couldn’t get help if she needed it. One Warrior cast a few magic spells, lobbing the fire balls over the top. Another was casting healing magic, aiding with minor injuries, and restoring stamina to those who were tired. Mora engaged the bravest and boldest of the Maedra, cutting off the momentum of the Horde. She weakened them as best as she could before she passed them off to the Warriors to be finished. The Warriors had their hands full but they made their adjustments to ensure Mora could maintain her vanguard position.
This was a team. They fought in a calculated and organized fashion. The Maedra were an unorganized, feral mob. Against the stable feet and shared burden of the Warriors, the Beasts were kept firmly at bay. Jake stared both in awe and in disgust. He had ignored their warnings and brushed everything off as if it would all work out as it had done before. After winning so much in Mur’s Hall, after advancing so far in his battle magic, Jake had become not confident but cocky. He had become so enthralled with the idea of massacring the Maedra in a glorious fashion that he failed to account for the true chaos of battle. He couldn’t even blame it on just a lack of experience either. He had failed at every step since leaving the village.
However, he wouldn’t just sit and let someone else do his dirty work. Jake had taken his mission and he would see it through. Even if it killed him.
Gripping his shattered blade, Jake regained his footing and gripped onto the bottom of the burning flare. He ran up to the back of the Warrior’s line and then heaved the flare with all his strength over their heads. Casting a wind spell, he blasted it further and down the tunnel. A few Warriors could spare a brief second to glance upwards at the flare as it sailed overhead. Only one or two could see who had moved it. The flare illuminated the area beyond, exposing the Maedra in the dark to the Warriors.
“Welcome back, kid!” Mora shouted from the front. Jake didn’t answer and immediately evaluated their situation. He finished his self-recovery and then thrust mana into the floor to sense out the area around them. The Maedra horde had been halted but there were at least fifty remaining. The majority were injured in some fashion. At least half were fresh just beyond the flare. The Warriors were holding off those in front of him and Mora’s deadly dance remained effective at slowing the advance. However, fatigue would set in eventually. Contrary to what Jake originally thought, the Maedra were steadily throwing their numbers forward.
And to think, Jake had believed them to be uncoordinated.
Using Mana, Jake created a pedestal beneath him and pushed himself up into the air. He knelt down on top of the raised platform, stabbed his sword into the stone, and then held his hands outwards. Fire balls ignited at his fingertips and he launched them straight across the battlefield, attacking the backline of the Maedra directly. The front row was illuminated by the fire, exposing them to the trained eyes of the Warriors. With their tactic now exposed, the Maedra began to spill forward. Jake cut them off with a wall of spikes from the floor, impeding the initial spill of Maedra by skewering them. Able to focus more on his accuracy, Jake launched Wind Bullets into their crystals, shattering a swathe of the creatures.
A few Maedra took to the walls and ceilings in an attempt to avoid the spikes from below. Jake was ready this time. He fired off modified water magic, targeting the rock to make it slick. The water impacting the stone was chilled, turning the stone into an icy surface. The Maedra, unable to maintain their grip, began to slip and fall. Jake switched back to Wind Bullets, ripping through their falling bodies and then targeting the crystals once they were exposed.
Their numbers reduced, Jake snatched the hilt of his half-blade and jumped over the line of the Warriors. He landed down beside Mora and joined her. The Maedra swarmed around him and the screams of the Warriors and the Maedra rang in his eardrums. Maintaining his focus, Jake steadied his breathing. He focused on his mana, his blood flow, and the flow of his body. Relying on his training to see him through, Jake trusted what he’d learned. He assumed an offensive stance and began to glide through the battle with the Flow of Chi technique.
The swings of the Maedra’s arms whizzed past his face or grazed the side of his blade as he parried their blows. His left hand opened and closed, firing off Wind Bullets directly into the flesh of the Maedra he tangled with. He used more mana behind his spells, launching them at even higher rates of speed to make up for the lack of distance. The change proved more effective, and the flesh of the Maedra couldn’t withstand the pressure. His blade couldn’t pierce the crystals anymore but it was effective at carving flesh and exposing the underlying crystal hearts. The Wind Bullets worked well enough and the bodies began to stack.
“They’re routed!”
Jake had lost his battlefield awareness again, as he became more focused on his own fighting as well as keeping out of Mora’s way. Around him, the Maedra collapsed in heaps and the Warriors advanced slowly, which in turn had nudged Jake and Mora forward. Jake killed another Maedra and as he turned for the next, he found himself stepping beside the flare he had thrown. That was how far they had pushed. Using his sensory magic, Jake peered into the dark.
The Maedra were running.
“They’re running!” Jake shouted, lifting his left hand and firing a massive ball of flame into the tunnel. It scorched flesh as it soared into the distance, illuminating the Maedra as they fled.
“They never run!” Wur answered. Shortly after, a dozen balls of light raced out of the dark towards them. Jake’s eyes widened as he recognized the spells and he immediately planted a hand firmly on the ground. He thrust more mana into the floor, filling and filling the area in front of him with as much as he could until the last moment. Then, he erected a massive, thick wall of stone in the center of the tunnel. The floor shook from the impacts against it. Jake could feel his mana vibrate as the Maudraga’s attempted to rain spells on their heads.
“I thought the Beasts didn’t care about getting hit by magic?” Jake glared over his shoulder as the Warriors finished off the last of the now trapped Maedra. The wall continued to shake, the Maudraga spells relentlessly crashing into it.
“They normally don’t. This is new.” Mora stepped up to the wall and wiped off her bloody swords with her pants. “Nice shield,” she smirked as she looked up at the stone.
“Thanks,” Jake winced as he felt his head throbbed. Using so much mana so fast, and under stress, had made him lose focus. His mana flow was unstable.
“How long will it hold?” Wur stepped up to Jake’s side but the boy shook his head as the Maudraga spells thumped.
“Not long. My mana isn’t really happy with me right now,” Jake huffed. He closed his eyes and steadied his breathing, working to bring his mana back under control. The fight wasn’t close to over.
“We’re retreating then,” Wur declared. Jake glared up at him.
“We’ve come this far and you want to run?” He hissed. Wur laughed.
“No, I want to retreat and gather a stronger force.” Wur reached down and patted Jake on the back. “Before you question others, maybe you should work on yourself. That was some ugly fighting.” Wur walked away from Jake and whistled at his men. They immediately began to collect what they had dropped as well as what mana crystals they could.
Jake lowered his head, tired and his pride shattered. The one thing he didn’t want to happen had happened. He failed to hold off the Maedra on his own, had nearly died, and had lost his blade. His magic was effective against the Maedra but he hadn’t accounted for the lack of power without that gap between him and the target. If it weren’t for Mora pulling him away and lighting the flare- he would be dead.
He was beginning to hate his luck.
“Make the wall as strong as you can and then run. Once we get far enough away, the Maedra won’t follow us.” Mora moved away from the wall and stared back at the Warriors. Jake glanced over his shoulder towards them as well, waiting until the two squads were running back towards the village. Then, he pushed as much mana as he could into the ground and raised as thick of a barrier as he could manage. The shocks of the Maudraga spells faded to dull thumps, but they would likely continue until the wall was broken.
“Good,” Jake pulled his hands from the floor and then snatched up his broken sword. Mora nodded and the two hustled after the Warriors, leaving the carnage of the battle behind.
