The adventuring party stared transfixed as the black clouds rose on the horizon. A plume of smoke burst forth and coiled in on itself near the unseen base of the destruction and trailed up to merge with the gray sky.

Lamfell was still a considerable distance. It would be pointless to move faster than a brisk walk or slow jog with all their equipment. They'd be too exhausted by the time they reached their destination to help defend the village if it really was an attack. Anya wondered if they would even make it in time. They might show up at the end of the battle and expose themselves to an unknown number of enemies.

But still, they needed to at least move forward to gauge the situation.

Derek stood up next to Anya with his warhammer held at the ready. Ruslin took point a few feet ahead and scanned the vast expanse. Sue positioned at the center of the group and prepared a delayed spell with a mana potion pulled slightly out of her hip pouch.

They started moving towards the village while maintaining formation.

“How many more can you use?” Anya asked the spellcaster.

“No more than this one,” Sue responded. She nestled the vial between two of her fingers. “These potions forcibly hasten natural mana regeneration. I might do permanent damage to my mana pool if I get greedy. The battle against the ogre was pretty demanding.”

A slight rumble quivered through Anya's light boots. Some of the arced branches of the weeping trees shivered. The wind retreated after it carried a terrible roar from somewhere far in the distance. It seemed to originate from the west.

The adventurers glanced at each other uncertainly as the roar transformed into something far more terrifying than any cry of battle. It was like an amalgamation of agony and pure terror – a startling contrast to what they anticipated. Anya thought it might've been an ogre based on the initial roar of challenge, but it sounded almost like a tormented scream begging for its very life to cease.

Her lips parted as a terrible thought dawned on her. The direction of the sound wasn't from the village.

Oh shit...Evan!

"Ready yourselves," Ruslin said.

Anya was about to move out of her position until the warrior gave her a look that froze her in place. It wasn't the stern look she was used to, but one of understanding that urged calm.

“I get it,” he said. “We'll move northwest for the pass. We won't lose any time, and we will still have a visual of the village. Just stay organized.”

Anya backed off at his patient insistence. His tone still grated on her nerves, but he was absolutely right. She took a slow breath to cool her head. She looked to Derek when she felt his reassuring hand on her shoulder. The big man genially cocked his head to the side and gave her a quick wink.

She caught on to his intimation and gave him a light punch against his chestplate. There were no differences between them at this time. No bad blood. Just like when the ogre appeared, it was time to get to work.

They stuck close and kept their uniformity. At least the tense atmosphere among them had abated, replaced by common urgency. As the adventurers marched onward they visibly started to relax a bit, but it was short-lived as a distinct shape formed in the distance. They grounded to a halt and held their weapons at the ready as Ruslin extended a hand.

A hooded figure strode down the road in their direction. Why someone would wear a heavy outfit in such heat was beyond Anya's understanding. Then again, Sue wore her blue healer's robe, and a cold attitude certainly wasn't enough to ward off the trapped heat.

The individual's hands were hidden within the wide sleeves of the robe, melded together in front and held perfectly straight like metal pipes. A long black beard tied into two braids hung to the center of his chest.

The robed figure stopped a short ways from them after about another minute. His deceptive strides seemed to cover the distance unnaturally, as if he was gliding rather than actually making contact with the earth. He didn't allow the silence to linger long as he removed the hood and stared at them with grey, sunken eyes. The man looked as if he hadn't slept for days, and it was difficult to determine his age with the wrinkles crawling from his temples. A thin braid of gray hair dangled on either side of his head. Despite the heat, not a trickle of sweat was visible on his face.

A broad smile crossed his features as if he had just noticed them. “Greetings, adventurers. How fare you this fine afternoon?”

Ruslin passed an uncertain glance over his party before stepping forward. He made a show of flexing his fingers on the handle of his axe. “Well enough, friend. Yourself?”

The man let out a rasping chuckle. “Oh, quite well, considering how you dealt with that ogre in such a professional manner.”

Ruslin shifted uncomfortably at the blunt response. His back foot moved back slightly, almost imperceptible. “Yes, it was a difficult battle. How do you know about that?”

The man parted his sleeves and let his arms hang lazily at his sides. He wore a pair of black leather gloves on his hands. They seemed far too large with all the scrunched leather and the tips dangling an inch past where his fingers should have fit snug.

"Oh, most everyone in Lamfell knows," the man said. "A poor peasant galloped into the village raving about it. Though he never mentioned the fate of his passengers. Seeing as how you are all alive and well, I can only assume you succeeded."

Yet you still came out here alone? Anya thought. She eyed one of his hands as it twitched.

"But I don't recommend going to Lamfell," the man continued.

"Why is that?" Ruslin asked. He focused his gaze past the strange man and observed the growing plume of black in the sky.

The man made a regretful sigh. "I tried to inform the rest of the villagers. Some heeded my warning, but the news of the ogre has stayed their legs with uncertainty." He shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid Lamfell is lost."

Anya went rigid upon hearing the news. She glanced at Sue and noticed her forming the familiar signs of an advanced appraisal spell. Appraisal spells cost a decent bit of mana, but she must have reasoned that this strange situation called for it. The young spellcaster's hand went still as she finished the incantation.

"I can't measure him," Sue whispered. A few seconds passed before she received the final reading of her spell. "The hell...I'm not getting anything. Just some weird symbols."

Anya leaned closer to Sue and lowered her voice as well. “Is it like Evan's outfit?”

Sue made a quick shift of her head. “No. Evan's status is just blank. These are just...I don't know.”

"And how do you know this?" Ruslin said to the mysterious man.

The man didn't answer the question. Instead, one of his hands curled into a fist, released and formed a few strange finger signs. He muttered something inaudible under his breath. Specks of red light like fireflies emerged from the palm of his other hand. The light merged into a distinct shape and burst in a cloud of fine powder. In his hand was a book with orange binding.

Sue took a defensive step back and raised her staff. “He's a spellcaster! Get behind me!”

The man stood staring at them, perfectly at ease. His eyes never left them as he lifted the book at chest level. It opened as if guided by an unseen hand.

“Time is short. I will turn you away by force, if I must. Please don't hold it against me," he said. His eyes seemed to flicker with a moment of sudden recollection, but his tone didn't shift in the slightest. "Ah, but first - are you perhaps seekers of True Equivalence?”

“What are you talking about, old man?” Ruslin growled. He bent his knees and brought the axe back.

“You released one of the catalysts,” the man answered. “I just simply wish to ascertain whether you understand the ramifications of your actions. Perhaps remotely, since defeating such a perverse form of an ogre might incite some speculation. Though I suppose you lack sufficient knowledge."

"Catalyst? What does that have to-" Ruslin's words caught in his throat when the man held up a finger and stared at the sky. He bent it up and down as he seemed to consider something. He brought it to his mouth, licked the tip and raised it again as if he was testing the direction of the wind.

Derek leaned towards Anya and beckoned for her to move closer. She slid her stance slightly and cocked her head to the side. She already had an arrow nocked with her bow raised halfway.

“Make that arrow count,” Derek whispered. “If that weird book does anything you don't like...”

“I got it,” Anya said.

Sue turned to her as she caught their conversation. Her voice was muffled by her shoulder. “Aim for the book. This guy's mana just spiked. It's all around him. I think he's casting an invisible body protection spell.”

Invisible? Anya recalled something similar when they battled the Siren. She was used to the glowing hexagons that formed domes, walls and pillars. If it was possible to hide them from view, then she assumed this spellcaster was at a high tier.

But his manner seemed so non-threatening and conversational. It was almost as if he was genuinely thanking them for something. Anya wondered what he meant by 'catalyst.' Perhaps it had something to do with the ogre. And the strange book was definitely giving off some bad vibes.

A half-smile crept along the man's features at a snail's pace. He lowered his arm as slowly and non-threateningly as possible. “Ah, yes. The final catalyst. There it is. The anchor has finally been severed.” He glanced at the book and his half-smile turned full. "How fitting that Rinka's chosen should deal the final blow. Yes, he will receive great strength from this trial."

Despite being on level ground, Anya felt as if the man was actually staring down at them from on high, like some sort of deity considering whether to bring about an apocalypse.

Anya's arm trembled as the bow continued to strain. 'Rinka?' The hell is this guy talking about?

“Forgive me,” the man said. “Lamfell's sacrifice is necessary...for all our sake.”

With that last statement the ground seized beneath them.

Sue slammed her staff into the ground and shouted, “Protection!”

The dome of fused, luminescent hexagons appeared around them. She held the staff parallel to the ground and extended her free hand forward.

“Root bind!”

A pair of massive roots burst from the ground to either side of the other spellcaster. He raised a hand and held two fingers together. He flicked them a few inches in front of him. The roots of Sue's earth magic sliced in half and collapsed to the ground. They spasmed and curled like snakes with their heads cut off.

“W-what the hell-” Sue started.

“Get back!”

Ruslin grabbed the hood of her robe and jerked her towards him. A spear of rock exploded out of the ground and pierced the air where she'd been standing just a second before. More sharp rocks appeared along the side of the road. Some even came within inches of skewering the man that they thought might be the source of the sudden chaos. He casually sidestepped as a stone spear entered the space he once resided in.

Anya jumped outside the protection spell and loosed an arrow. The man raised one of his fingers and pointed at a space between his eyes and the projectile's path. The arrow halted a few inches from the book, trembled for a second and clattered to the ground.

No way! Anya pushed back as a squat wall of rock emerged from the ground. A boulder a few yards off the road exploded as it was skewered by another spike, one much larger than the others that appeared so far.

The robed man rested a hand over his chest and made a most courteous bow. Debris tumbled around him as more platforms and spikes emerged. It was as if an invisible force emanated from him that redirected all possible threats. His head didn't rise as he addressed them, “I recommend you run.”

Anya took a trembling step back as something rose behind the spellcaster. It was very far behind him, miles in the distance. It pierced the thick black smoke and dispersed it in curling tendrils.

Her body froze when she realized what she was seeing.

The village of Lamfell was being replaced by a great mound of earth. A few buildings that managed to remain briefly intact fell down the side and exploded into splinters as they collided with tall outcroppings of rock. A number of geysers erupted out the sides of the rising mountain like mini volcanoes. She could faintly see what she thought were the flailing bodies of people as they fell to their deaths. They disappeared in a pluming cloud of dirt and decimated stone. A heavy, baritone-like sound assaulted Anya's ears as the wind picked up to a violent gale.

Oh my god...

She suddenly whirled about as someone pulled at her arm.

“Run, goddammit!”

It was Derek. The big man made another violent jerk to make sure she woke from her stupor. She fell into a stumbling run and forced herself to watch the road rather than the destruction behind her. It really felt like the apocalypse was upon them.

Another spike eagerly broke the center of the road in an attempt to stop her. She spun around it and leaped over another obstruction that started to pulse beneath her.

They ran. She didn't know how long. Probably only a minute, but it felt like an hour.

Then there was a weight as if gravity was privy to the horrible conspiracy of devastation. Anya fell to one knee as the invisible force increased intensity. The two warriors ahead of her propped themselves up with their weapons after taking a few stumbling steps.

Anya heard the strained voice of Sue behind her, “Mana...too much mana! Back to me!”

They were forced to crawl towards each other as some terrible power now seemed to squeeze them from all sides. The insane pressure increased for a split second and drove Anya's face into the ground. Sporadic black lines split her vision as if she viewed the world through an old black and white film. Her fingers clawed at the dirt, desperately seeking out some sort of purchase to pull forward. She dug her heels in and pushed towards Sue in short spurts.

It was as if the force was becoming more internal than external. A pain flared in Anya's chest and coursed through her body as if her blood overflowed and expanded her veins. Her neck strained and muscles tightened as the horrible feeling of extraneous blood threatened to explode. Her heart felt as if it was pumping at triple the normal capacity.

We're going to die. No other thought seemed suitable for the terrible pain. 

Anya forced her head up, and her despair was complete. Closing the distance was a tsunami of earth. A shockwave pulsed forth and the wave of dirt split in two as a massive length of the rising mountain that destroyed Lamfell continued to claim a portion of the sky. The top of the wave dove down, merged with its other half and pressed onward at increased speed. It came on and filled the horizon. Anya covered her head with her arms as she was buffeted by rocks, broken branches and other debris.

"Protection!" Anya heard Sue shouting somewhere near her.

Then the physical agony and agonizing thoughts subsided. It was instantaneous. A relieved breath escaped her that she had no idea she'd been holding. She rolled on her back and felt the wash of relief when she saw the yellow hexagons glowing above her. Sue had managed to erect another protection spell.

The wave of earth assaulted the protection dome, but the magic held fast with only a few black cracks crawling along the surface as Sue poured all her mana reserves into the spell. The spellcaster let out a sharp breath and pressed both her hands against the spell. She collapsed to her knees and let her arms fall to her side as the cracks mended. They showed no signs of reappearing.

After regaining her wits, Anya frowned as she noticed something seemed off about the glowing surface of hexagons. She saw the debris clattering against the side, but when her eyes regained their normal clarity, she realized that there was a strange fluid crawling down the dome. At first, she thought it was the rain promised from earlier, but it was unlike any rain she'd ever seen. Drops of deep cerulean splattered against the top of the protection dome. It seemed familiar.

“It's mana,” Sue said. The spellcaster struggled to plant a foot underneath her and examined the dome. "Good thing I didn't drink that potion." A few seconds later, her eyes blinked rapidly and she began to clutch at her chest.

Ruslin moved to assist her as she let out a cry of pain and rested her hands on the ground. She raised one of her trembling arms to stop the warrior in his tracks. “No! Stay back! It's-” The rest of her words cut off as a stream of bile erupted from her mouth and splattered on the ground. She gasped as her throat filled and she retched a few more times before it reduced to dry heaves.

“So much – mana.” Sue violently shook her head and wiped some snot from her nose with the sleeve of her robe. “So much in the air. Gods, you can actually see it.”

Anya finally managed to roll to her stomach and settled her hands underneath her. She attempted to push herself up, but almost fell on her face again at the unnatural feel of the air. It felt like attempting a push-up in a pool of jelly.

Ruslin punched at the dirt to steady himself. “What's happening? What the hell did that caster do?”

“Some incredible surge of mana,” Sue answered as she collected herself. She swallowed hard to wash down the burning sensation in her throat. "I don't think it was him. At least, not directly. No one can possess such a mana pool."

“Enough to raise a mountain out of the fucking ground!” Derek shouted. The warrior fell back on his rear and clawed at his head furiously.

A boulder pounded against the dome. More thin cracks appeared on the surface. It was disconcerting to say the least.

“Enough to kill a person from the inside,” Sue said. She pulled one of the vials from her pouch and stared at the sloshing liquid along with the fluid trailing down around them. A momentary look of brief disgust crossed her features before she stored it away.

“It was flooding our mana pools,” Sue explained. “The natural mana in the air is so dense that it actually forced into our bodies, potentially causing an implosion once there is nothing left for it to fill.”

They stared up at the trickling mana. Mana in a physical form. Something that was meant to bend to their will had nearly killed them from the excess.

Anya's eyes traveled down the glowing dome and settled where their party had retreated from. The wind started to die down and she could now see a fair distance through the brown flakes drifting like snow. Of course, the man was gone. She expected as much. What she still failed to comprehend -- what she simply couldn't believe -- was what stood where a village once resided. Even after sparing those terrified glances back at it as she ran, it was still too fantastical.

The rest of the party followed her gaze. Lamfell was clearly gone. What looked like a mountain took its place. It almost seemed too perfect, too symmetrical, as if it had initially belonged there rather than the village. A halo of black smoke gyrated around its peak, expelling black sludge like the mana that splattered around them. In the side was a gaping hole like the maw of some terrible beast. A fog of dark cerulean crawled forth as if it was breathing.

A few minutes later, Sue deemed it safe enough to remove the dome of protection. The air was calm in the aftermath of the destruction. What few trees remained looked as if they'd come back to life and tore their branches from the ground in a desperate attempt to escape. Earthen spikes littered the surrounding area for miles.

The rain began to fall in sheets, as if someone decided to flip a switch.

---

Field Master Jin Hanlon rushed up the stairs within the northern wall of the capital city. He was convinced that his eyes deceived him. Surely what he saw from the city's center couldn't be real. He needed a full view to be sure.

Evelyn trailed behind him with her staff gripped tight in both hands. She cursed under her breath as she struggled to keep up in her heavy robes.

They reached the top of the inner section and climbed the ladder leading to the walkway. Jin pushed aside a shock-stricken soldier and threw his hands down on the parapet. He stared out over the open land to the woodlands northward. Despite being miles in the distance, he could see what was clearly something akin to a small mountain, a great peal that reached for the gray clouds. A thick black smoke circled its zenith. A dark hole gaped from its side.

Jin noticed a young spellcaster fall to her knees a short ways from him and shake uncontrollably. Her staff fell from her hands and clattered to the ground. She grabbed the sides of her head. “I-I can feel it. From here! It's eating everything!” she shrieked.

Evelyn knelt down next to the girl and whispered something Jin couldn't hear from where he was standing. He tore his gaze away from the sobbing girl and observed the men standing on the wall. All their expressions were much the same. He hadn't seen such fear since the war twenty years ago before they breached the monster line at the border.

Jin pushed himself off the wall and forced his body to straighten. He needed to assume the air of authority assigned by his position as Field Master. The last thing they needed was full-blown panic.

Who am I kidding? he thought. It's already chaos.

When the girl had calmed somewhat, Evelyn rose and stood next to him.

“Evelyn,” Jin said, “What are we looking at?”

The spellcaster bit her lower lip. “There is an obscene amount of mana emanating from that place. Anyone close enough is probably crushed by the weight of it.”

Gods...

“But what is it?” Jin struggled to keep his rising voice in check.

Evelyn took a few swift breaths. Jin realized that she was masking what the other young spellcaster had felt. He noticed that a few other magic users standing on the wall seemed distraught, but only a few felt whatever it was as acutely as the former.

“I can't say with certainty,” Evelyn started as she calmed down, “But I feel an amalgamation of foul mana. I believe that place is very similar to a dungeon, but...this mana is pure evil. By Lady Lo, it's wretched.”

Jin forced his gaze away from her when he noticed the tear crawling down her cheek. He'd never seen her so rattled before. So afraid. And it was made that much worse when a member of the Spire speaks the name of the creator of the System in such a way.

So close to the capital city. Fuck, practically a day's ride. Jin's nails dug into the stone as he planted his hands once again to steady himself. A trickle of blood bubbled from his fingertips.

How the hell do we deal with this?