Of Ice, Death & Monsters

Chapter 117 : For Life And Death Meet

1 Day Ago.

I locked in, dashing straight ahead into the temple with as much speed as I can manage, just slowing down slightly before I grabbed the Descendent by the neck, lifting them up into the air as I made it through the inside of the temple, where I saw even more of them by the statues and altars of what I presumed to be the gods. 

However, the most surprising part was the refugees, the people. They were people that I could recognize, people that I actually knew, or well, knew was a strong word to use in such a context. These were people I had seen before. 

These were the people from the expedition. The other workers, the volunteers. Why were they here? Why were they following these horrid terrorists?

Murmurs came out of the civilians’ mouths, all of them were mumbling about, but a few pointed at me. “Professor Marian?!”

I raised up the Descendent by their neck, my claws growing at the ready. The other Descendents watched, many of them actually looked quite frightened, very different from the ones I met… Many weeks ago. It has been nearly a month since this journey started. 

I stared at myself for a brief moment using the stained glass mirror, which had smoke and soot covered on it. I had really grown…

“It is I! Marian Monroe, the Soul Reaver! The Chosen of Life and the Herald of the Caretaker! I have a few questions before I all ensure you suffer and die for the choices you made in your life.”

One of the Descendents stood forward. I could tell by their spirit that they’ve been in this land for quite a long time. His soul was practically flaming from my perspective. “Oh? The Chosen of the Caretaker is finally here? How wonderful. I presume that our brothers and sisters from before have been sent to our Harbinger by your hands? We thank you for that.”

I narrowed my eyes and snarled at him, baring my fangs. “Oh? Thank me for that? Were those men sent as punishment?”

This time, a woman answered. I could feel that she was young. Younger than I was, and yet that same cult-like wrap was around her. “No, you simply ensured that they joined our Harbinger, our Unifire. We envy them greatly for they have gone to the Unifire while doing their deeds!”

The deranged cultists all raised their hands up in unison, all praising their fallen brothers and sisters. How utterly and completely delusional. All I could do at that was sneer. “You truly are deranged, every single one of you… There are no words that I could bring myself to even utter in hopes of piercing through the fog of confusion that you all have concocted for yourselves!”

I grasped the Descendent’s neck so hard that it completely crushed their throat, sending their body and head flying off in opposite directions before I sighed. “Ah, looks like another soul for the Unifire.” I said aloud. Many of the refugees and the Descendants were rattled, and so I studied them.

I noticed that those who all seemed quite scared, those who had those bouts of hesitation, they were the ones without that strange feeling of fanaticism with them. And their bodies, well, all of them were around the same age group as the volunteers. 

I felt their souls under their ivory masks and robes, and I noticed that they were all quite akin to the ones from Phorash. They were simply recent converts, those who have come here.

Perhaps they could be saved. “Now, where is your own Chosen? That whore you call Jane? Where is she?”

One of the men, I could feel their grin through their masks. “Ah! Our great and wonderful Bringer of Flames? She is with our own Herald, becoming more powerful than you could ever imagine! Already has she freed the west from the grasp of the Skiper, a serpent who can challenge the king of the gods himself! Already she has banished him and already is she on her way to receive the blessing that shall allow her to stand even amongst the gods-“

I ran through him, literally, my body completely and utterly crashed into his, turning him into nothing more than a bloody mist mark in the air and a splatter upon the wall. Many of the others already fell onto their knees, and a few were looking away. Some who have been desensitized to all the violence stared on with a dead look in their eyes.

They were crazed, insane, but that can’t make them liars. Whatever they said must have had some kernel of truth to it, and that was terrifying. That whore’s power was growing; hers had to as well if she was going to put her down. Her blood boiled, all this time that she was wasting…

“I see. Well then, now it’s a matter of what you shall all do next. I know that some of you have been truly indoctrinated, but the rest well, the rest of you are innocent. You are all here because of a failure on my part. Because I have not found you yet, but I have now. All of you have been saved! And if you desire to go forward in this salvation, you may step forward.”

I raised my hand, swiping the air as several firearms appeared, floating around. I was to be judge, jury, and executioner here. Nothing here shall escape my grasp. 

I waited patiently, staring at them all as some of the refugees began to talk with one another in whispers. Some were wavering, and some were trying to hold on. This was good; I simply had to keep up appearances.

One of them, a young man in a hood and mask, stepped forward, walking towards me as he grabbed his mask and threw it onto the ground. He was about to speak, but before anything else could happen, a burst of flame wrapped around his body, completely and utterly burning him alive before my eyes. His soul became another slush of constituents.

“We all shall ascend together. Whether it be our hands or through theirs!”

All at once, fires erupted throughout the temple, and I had to act fast. I had to save as many people as possible. I sped up my body before summoning as many plants, earth, and vines around the refugees, infusing them with as much protection as I could muster as the entire temple blew up into flames.

My own body was thrashed and burned, that same feeling of my soul being liquified that Jane pushed me through. This unbearable pain seared me whole, and I can’t imagine the number of people who had to go through this and die, being sent down to that Abyssal hole. 

I gritted my teeth until the inferno died down, leaving only the people left, and the smoldering remains of the temple, now even less than ashes, as I sighed. The statues were gone, and now we needed another way to go and do the ritual up here.

But at least the people here were safe. I stood up and saw that they were at least protected, many of them hugging each other as a few whimpered. 

One of whom was a young girl, probably early twenties, who looked at where the Descendents were. “…Are they all gone?”

“…Yes, they all are. Go now, the others will guide you.” I gripped my hands so tightly that my claws sank deep into my own flesh. I should have killed them all when I had a chance.

I looked around and luckily, Dela was nearby, helping out some other refugees from the monsters. Alongside one of the other knights. I directed the rest of the people towards her, leaving me alone to deal with the situation at hand, standing in the center of the ruined temple as I sighed.

I sat down, looking at the remains of the site of worship. Perhaps I could rebuild it? The memory of the place, though, was completely ruined. I could feel it, the fire literally destroyed the souls all around and left a husk. 

There was no way to remake it from that. I would need something like the power that the Leshy had, but even then, I needed to reconnect to the Smorodina for that. 

Maybe I could simply rebuild it? Would that count? Using the connections I had… Perhaps that was the best I could do, perhaps that was the only thing I could do.

Or maybe… Hmm, maybe the Fern Flower doesn’t just need her? This Fern Flower was to be used as a catalyst to help bring her up here to defend against the winter of this vile Morana and summon the other gods. However, perhaps then, if I could use it for a ritual for her… Then I could use it for a ritual for the Caretaker.

I could be her statue. Perhaps I could summon some aspect of her, but I'd better do it fast, especially since monsters here don’t seem to stay dead for long. They revived quite quickly, it’s as if this place was…

My mind raced. Those bastard Descendents. They could have only travelled here via Smorodina, and it can only connect to places where its influence is strong, like right here. A small laugh left my mouth as I gently rubbed the barren ground, manifesting the Fern Flower in the middle of the temple. It stood up straight, even if it didn’t have any roots at all.

The Fern Flower began to spread its warmth and radiance continually, rushing life around it as the ground began to soften, and it began to even appear to be watered as souls of life sifted through it. 

With the Ferm Flower, I focused, using it to guide me to another source I was already connected to: The Nawia. All around me were the ever-present monsters, well, them, and several explosions caused by Derek and Topher bombarding the place. I told them to be careful. We could run out of those soon if they keep using them like that. It was a good thing we literally brought a cargo ship's worth of resources, though.

But aside from that, I focused on the monsters. The connection between Arsen and the Nawia was strong, so strong in fact that I could actually feel the souls of the Smorodina. They were wailing in my ears again, crackling and moaning as they sobbed and wept. 

I connected to that, and I connected to the Fern flower. I was the conduit, I was the statue. My mind focused on one thing, and one thing alone: The Caretaker. 

Mokosh might be the goddess of the earth, of weaving, of life. But the Caretaker, well, whoever she was, she felt like someone more. She was the life and spirit itself; as long as they existed, she did, or perhaps, she was the reason they all existed. Rather than her being contingent on them, they were contingent on her.

I began to glow, as power surged through me like the Leshy as a cocoon of pure and undiluted life gathered into me. My mind began to go blank, and I felt everything within Arsen, from the sky to the ground, to even the cities below that tried to expand. 

“You have called upon me, my Chosen. And for that I shall answer your prayers. This shall only take a moment. For now, close your eyes and rest. You have done your part.”

I followed the words of my benefactor as my brain and memories began to go numb, my senses disappeared, and then everything simply went dark.