Following the announcement of Eralas’ advent on Eroa, there was a flurry of activity amongst governments, militaries, and even religious organisations wishing to locate it amidst the chaos that had engulfed the world. Unfortunately for most, their current circumstances were best summarised by the words ‘mortal peril’, and were unable to affect a real search effort.
Looking down on the new and vibrant world, still untouched by the taint of her enemies, Eralas was resting in her seat at the head of the new Pantheon, with the ephemeral figures of her sisters by her side.
“You really did have incredible luck this time, Errie.” Her youngest sister Ameri said in a playful tone. “I’ve been looking into the culture here, and it’s quite interesting. Surprisingly, there’s a large population here that have a good affinity for my spirit dominion in the east, and I’m hoping to make good progress over there.” The vibrant woman spoke excitedly. Eralas couldn’t help but feel a surge of fondness for her excitable sibling.
Ameri’s primary dominion was Spirits, who by their very nature were honest and excitable, which in turn reflected upon the deity that held the dominion. As if to bely all of that, however, Ameri’s other dominions were illusions and secrets, which Eralas attributed to the youthful goddess’ love of pranks.
“I hope I can get a decent seat this time. It’s so tedious trying to move up from the lower Pantheon, especially once those baddies show up.” Eralas’ mood soured at the mention of their enemies, but she didn’t express her distaste for them beyond that.
“I seem to have gotten lucky as well. A child with good potential from the same group as yours, sister.” A voice that was as cold and distant as it was musical spoke, belonging to Eralas’ first sister, Nivenna.
“The only problem is that interesting fellow has no more Superior Enhancement Tokens to aid her. I would enjoy having a Hunters’ Hall for my first Temple on this world. Perhaps you could offer them a task? I don’t mind offering the rewards myself. If I can achieve second or third seat, I can bring forth another moon without censure.”
Eralas wasn’t opposed to the idea. If her sisters gained high seats within the Pantheon alongside her, her position would be much more secure, especially against the machinations of that bitch Maravel.
“It seems as though that Infernal harlot is already trying to gain a foothold. Those ‘Children of the One’ zealots really are right up her alley.” She sighed. “Ameri, how soon do you think you can have a Temple without my assistance?” I can’t interfere directly too much, or I’ll be censured for sure, but if I help Nivenna, she can assist Ameri in turn.
"I'll be OK for now, Errie, but once those scary guys show up, they're going to make sure I don't get a chance for a good seat." She replied, her voice losing some of its cheer.
Ameri's dominion of Secrets made her an obvious target, especially for those who preferred to use conspiracy to achieve their goals. It was rare to see Ameri take a high seat within the Pantheon, but when she did, she made it extraordinarily difficult for others to rise to power through underhanded means.
“You know, Ameri, that fellow has an interesting familiar that doesn’t technically fall under any dominions, but should have quite good affinity with you…”
The three goddesses continued their discussion for hours as they watched the effects of the chaos gripping the world.
~
“I have had a revelation my brothers!” An aged man shouted vigorously before a large assembly.
“Our Lord and Saviour, The One True God has handed down to me a vision of a world awash in His glory. A world free of heretical beliefs. A world, where we, the pious, may prosper and bask eternally in His love.”
As the aged man intoned, there were shouts of joy rising from the crowd.
“A pretender to godhood has made itself known, my brothers, and seeks to place itself ahead of our Lord!”
The joy of the crowd shifted instantly to rage, as if the aged man were conducting an orchestra.
“This so-called ‘Lifewarden’ is an affront to our faith, and He will suffer no false idols within His Garden!” Spit flew from his mouth as he shouted, his eyes became bloodshot and tinged with madness as he worked the crowd into a fervour.
“For the righteous to prosper, evil must perish! Seek out the temple of this false god, my brothers, and the heretics that stand with it. Purge their sin in cleansing flame, and return them to His embrace!”
The cries of the assembly had grown as manic as his own.
“You are soldiers! Holy warriors that march in His name! Faith shall be rewarded, for only His children may find true salvation!”
Tears ran down the faces of the crowd, their madness mirroring his own.
“The One True God shall drive out the Many!”
As the roar of the crowd echoed the aged man’s words back to him, inhuman eyes watched the scene unfold from a distant realm.
~
“It’s too dangerous to stay in the city! There are more monsters by the day, and they keep getting stronger the more people they kill. If we don’t get out now, we won’t. Full stop.”
Sarah Alden was an animal husbandry student studying at Mount Lyre University when the System Induction occurred. The day that the Seeds had appeared, she’d stumbled across one, gaining herself a Class, Packmaster centred around strengthening and coordinating bonded animals, while she herself acted as a central hub and supporter.
“There are monsters out there! You can’t ask us to go wandering across the country while things are like this! We should stay here and wait it out.”
Various sensations flashed through her mind, an image of the people before her saturated with the stink of fear followed by an image of herself and her bonds moving freely.
Behind her and to her side sat two large wolves with charcoal coloured fur, two of her bonds, Ras and Mona. In the minds of the canines, these people had given up and were best abandoned. Their only concern was for their pack, which included her.
“You know what? Fine, stay here pretending you’re safe. Us though? We’re leaving. I’m done babysitting you.” She said, moving towards the door, only to have someone step in to block her way.
“Why are you being so selfish, Sarah? You know we can’t fight those monsters, and you’re just going to abandon us here? You have a moral obligation to protect these people!” A middle aged man scolded her.
“First of all, it’s your choice to stay here. Not mine. Grow a pair of balls, Gary and own your decision. I’m not going to throw my life away just because you’re a fucking coward.” She snapped at the man.
“Second, not one of you is my responsibility. I don’t mind reaching out to people in an emergency when I’m able to, but don’t think that anyone but me gets to dictate my choices. Who have you helped, Gary? When I found you locked in that utility room, alone, how many people, how many of your students were lying dead right outside the door?” She shouted accusingly.
“Anyone but that waste of existence,” She said, pointing at the man. “Is welcome to come along. Get out of my way.” She glared at Gary who still stood in front of the door.
The man glared back at her for a moment, but faltered and began to tremble as the wolves’ hackles rose, deep growls resonating in their throats as they bared their large teeth towards him.
“Ras, Mona. If you spot him following after we leave, kill him. I don’t want him leading anything to us.” She said, staring him down as she stepped outside.
The middle-aged man shook violently, his skin was pale and drenched in sweat as the wolves eyed him before they too left.
A dark stain trickled down his leg as people began shuffling out of the room, feeling they had a better chance with Sarah than staying there without anyone to protect them.
~
Sarah rode her bicycle as her wolf companions trotted alongside her, easily keeping pace while the group of people following her had piled into a van. Doubt we’ll make it 10 blocks before they have to lose the van. She thought to herself. Oh well. Their problem, not mine.
Sure enough, the route to the highway had been blocked by vehicles that now sat abandoned, covered with the signs of a monster attack. Weaving between the damaged vehicles, Sarah made her way forward slowly but steadily while the people in the van debated in panic before piling out to follow her on foot.
It took three hours to reach the edge of the city, after which Sarah remained feeling quite fresh and able to move, while the people who had been on foot all that time were showing signs of fatigue and began mumbling complaints.
“Can we stop and rest for a bit?” A young man whined.
“If you want to stop, that’s up to you. I’ve got somewhere else to be, though.” Sarah replied, maintaining a slow and steady pace that allowed the people on foot to keep up with her.
“That’s easy for you to say! You’ve got a bike, and we’ve been walking for hours!” He continued.
“How many bikes were locked up next to mine when I grabbed it? Whose idea was it to get in a car instead, knowing the roads were blocked? Who decided you were going to follow me instead of staying in the city?” She asked. “And now I’m slowing down so that you all can keep up, putting my life at risk, and that’s still not enough?”
I’ve had enough of this bullshit. Sarah thought angrily. “Keep up or don’t.” She said, continuing onward.
“Stuck up bitch.” The young man muttered angrily. “You think you can act like hot shit because you’ve got a couple mutts to fight for you?”
“Ras, I don’t want him following me anymore.” She said softly. The larger of the two wolves turned around, blocking the young man’s path as Sarah continued onward. Icy blue eyes bored into the young man’s own, causing him to falter.
“You can’t just leave me here!” He shouted fearfully.
“You should keep your voice down,” She called back. “You know, monsters.”
The young man sank to his knees as tears and snot covered his face while the large wolf blocked his way.
“This isn’t fair.” He sobbed pathetically. “You can’t just leave me here.”
After several minutes passed, Ras left, moving to catch back up to Sarah, leaving the man to wallow in self-pity.
Like any of this is fair. Sarah thought bitterly.
~
Sarah and those following her had made steady progress throughout the day, reaching the outer edge of the city without encountering any monsters while she considered how to continue.
I should look for a vehicle. Sarah thought to herself. It’ll save days of travel at this pace, even if it isn’t a reliable solution long-term.
While Ras and Mona flanked her, Sarah looked to the sky high above while directing her thoughts towards the final member of her ‘pack’, Eyr.
Far above a steely grey raptor soared, his piercing eyes able to track every bit of movement within a 750m radius of Sarah’s position.
Receiving her thoughts, Eyr relayed what he could see back to her through their connection, revealing the location of a bus depot, and several monsters roaming the area.
Well… I already knew that I wasn’t getting out of town without a fight. She sighed.
“There’s a bus depot not far from here. Going to try and get some wheels now that the roads are clearer, but there are also monsters nearby.” She said to the group.
“We’re going to clear the place out; I suggest finding somewhere with a bit of cover nearby… but I would stay out of the buildings. Might be monsters in them.”
Sarah set her bicycle and backpack down near the fence surrounding the depot, feeling her heart begin to pound as she prepared to use her Class’ primary skill.
Heart of the Pack.
Sarah’s body seemed to vanish, becoming energy that flowed into her bonds, strengthening their bodies and connections to one another, becoming a more unified whole.
With Sarah now a part of them, the two wolves surged forward before their figures shifted, becoming hazy and insubstantial as they made use of the skill Prowl.
Thrill of the Hunt.
Overhead, the cry of a bird carried on the wind, drawing the attention of the monster the pack was about to ambush while granting the pack seamless awareness of the target, able to sense its every shift and motion.
The monster the pack was hunting resembled a goat covered in hardened scales, with needle-like teeth and jagged horns. Its serpentine eyes were fixed on Eyr’s form as he flew overhead, seemingly unable to ignore the bird’s challenge.
Two dark blurs streaked toward the reptilian goat, one aiming to strike from the rear, while the other aimed for the flank. As Ras’ powerful body sprang upon the monster, Sarah activated her most versatile skill.
Natural Predator.
Ras’ form shifted, his forelimbs becoming bulkier and his claws grew much larger with sturdy barbs on the end, perfect for ripping at the scales of the reptilian goat. As his muscles expanded, his body lost much of its leanness as he gained additional skin that hung loosely, increasing his resistance to strikes from the goat’s claws and horns.
The goat’s rear legs buckled beneath it as Ras’ considerable weight bore down on it, and it let out a hissing shriek as it was overcome with an instinctual panic.
Without delay, Mona struck the monster from the flank as it attempted to turn and fed off Ras, her teeth tearing into one of its limbs as her claws scratched at the softer underbelly scales.
Sarah’s heart raced with excitement as she felt her powerful teeth and claws tear into the prey, ending its life quickly and efficiently. She panted heavily as coppery blood dripped from her muzzle. The urge to howl, declaring her victory to the world nearly overcame her before she was able to collect herself, cancelling her skill Heart of the Pack.
Lacertael Capra Lv3 slain. Gained 9xp.
With her senses and mind returned to her, Sarah felt her own heart racing and he skin still flushed from the excitement. Almost lost it there, Sarah. Can’t let yourself get carried away like that.
