Chapter 21: Chapter Twenty: Fissures

Valdus stood hesitantly by the entrance to Ignis’s den, pondering. He took a deep breath, calming his nerves, then stepped in. Ignis sat inside by the fire, staring down at it silently.

“Hey, Ignis...”
Valdus called.

“Has Vertex returned to the Azure Expanse? I see she didn’t enter the canyon with you.”
Ignis interrupted.

“Y-yeah... Hey, Ignis, don’t... Don’t you think you were a bit harsh on Vertex back there? She seemed hurt after hearing what you said to her.”
Valdus asked,
“I know there was more to it...for both of you, but...”

“I...may have been harsh, yes...but she was bound to find out...”
Ignis glanced at Valdus.
“Is she all right?”

“Well, yeah. After I spoke to her, she thanked me. I hope it’s not on her mind for too long... She even said she’d take on Glacio’s last name in her memory, as ‘Vertex Alsius’.”
Valdus sighed, and stared at the ground.
Though, you can’t just get over losing someone so easily... Knowing it too well makes it even worse...seeing it happen to others... Ignis probably feels worse for it...after what he said to her.

“I understand that she’s still young, especially for the role now passed onto her.”
Ignis closed his eyes briefly and turned to properly face Valdus, before continuing,
“She in fact is one of the youngest Celestials there’s ever been, but... It’s in times like these...”

Ignis then fell silent. Valdus, not wanting to pry, moved to sit beside Ignis, looking out at the entrance of the den as he did so. He then leaned against Ignis’s forearm. The Soulfire Dragon heaved a sigh, glancing at Valdus momentarily, before looking toward the entrance of the den as well.

“You’ll find Kaenrae, won’t you? Who he truly is. Not...who he is now...”
Ignis spoke softly.

“Not...who he-...?”
Valdus trailed off, before dismissing the last part.
“I’ll find him. I made a promise to him too, last I saw him in my dreamscape. He’s...shown up in my dreams numerous times now, and to see him how he is outside that place...”

They both fell silent once more. In that silence, Valdus began to find himself curious about Ignis’s nature whenever he was around him. Even how he acted back when Ignis first introduced himself. He wanted to ask the dragon about the familiarities he felt, but the thought of it brought along a sense of unsettlement.

Maybe it’s just the presence of a Celestial...maybe I’m just looking too far into it...
Valdus began to feel uneasy from the thought.

“Something on your mind?”
Ignis asked.

“Huh?”
Valdus then froze with a sweat, unable to think of what to say.

Ignis was now eyeing Valdus with a hint of curiosity and worry, simply awaiting a response. Valdus, though, felt a mixture of intimidation and worry. Before he could think of something to avoid prying, Ignis instead sighed and looked to the entrance of the den again.

“Perhaps I shall leave you to it. We have enough on our plates already, perhaps I should not pry...but if there is something you feel you need to ask, please do not hesitate.”
Ignis assured.

Valdus sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, glancing away.
“It’s to do with me, you, and Kaenrae...and...my connections to...things... This realm...Kaenrae. Even you. But...I feel that is up to me to discover after I have truly faced against Kaenrae.”

“There would be...much to explain. There’s a lot to know...for all of us. For now, yes, you should focus on facing Kaenrae when the time comes. Even then, your true journey is still yet to come, and you must prove yourself ready. Discover the truth of your powers, and find Kaenrae. With both haste, but steadiness as well. The Corrupt may show no intention of being patient, but if you rush in without being ready the consequences will be dire. You have already seen that for yourself, already...”
Ignis insisted.
...and even if I were to tell you everything, I wish to speak with Kaenrae too. I wish to apologise...to the both of you. For everything I failed to accomplish. Everything now rests in both your hands...and I am responsible...for being too weak...

Valdus stared at the ground after having listened to all that, then looked back up at Ignis. He nodded and stood up, placing his hands in his pockets and began to leave.

“I’ll find Kaenrae someday, I promise. But first, I’ll need to become stronger.”
Valdus said,
“I’m going to talk with Ace and see where our journey will take us next.

“Then I bid you farewell.”
Ignis called,
“And may the Threads of Life guide you.”

Valdus waved as he exited Ignis’s den, immediately meeting up with Ace who stood outside, waiting for him. He gestured to Ace as he continued to walk, and Ace followed, asking where they were heading now. Valdus shrugged, before telling Ace about his conversation with Ignis. The two of them then stopped at the entrance of the Cursed Canyon as Mythriln began to approach them.

“You two are leaving again already?”
Mythriln asked.

“Yeah, but last time we ended up in the Jade Heart. The routes past here seem a little confusing with how dark it is, but would you possibly know anything about them? Any other route would be of help.”
Ace asked.

“Interesting that you ask. My scouts and I do know of the routes quite well. There’s the sand dunes to the opposite route to the forest. It’s a long, narrow path that reaches into it. The place is called the Shifting Sands of Caligra. You’d best be careful there, though. There was a Corrupt Fissure in Caligra a long time back, and a large creature had broken in. The Fissured Corrupt wreaked havoc across that biome, and due to the said damage, apparently news of it wasn’t able to arrive until just recently - was named Drach’t, the ‘Death Worm’ Corrupt. Things are getting worse and worse as time goes by... The Corrupt have taken proper forms, and they’re no longer just shadows. We almost lost our scout crew to that thing back there, but we barely survived. I doubt I can say the same for the villagers out there, though...”
Mythriln warned,
“We’ve lost contact with Caligra since that whole mess, as it isn’t safe for the Wisps either.”

“Wait, hold on...the villagers?”
Dread filled Ace as that news hit him, then without another word, he suddenly charged into the Cursed Canyon.
Please be safe...!

“Hey, what the- Ace! Wait!”
Valdus shouted, running after Ace.
Dammit, what’s happened?

The two rushed through the canyon, and the shadows began chasing. Ace wasted no time in attempting to fight the Corrupt here, leaving Valdus to do his best to keep up. They kept track of the new route they were taking and noticed a faint light up ahead, sand covering the edges of an exit. The entrance to Caligra was just up ahead, but an ominous aura loomed through the narrow path. Still, they took their chances and continued running, but a sudden roar stopped them in their tracks. The wall to their right exploded, throwing rubble onto the path. Black lightning shone from the break in the wall and tendrils erupted from it.

“I’m gonna go ahead and assume that’s a Corruption Fissure...!”
Valdus supposed, finally catching up to stand beside Ace.

You are reading story Realm of Eldoria at novel35.com

“Well isn’t that convenient?”
Ace shouted in anger, grabbing the handle of his greatsword.

The tendrils ripped the crack in the wall open, and a strange, rounded figure stepped out in front of Valdus and Ace. It looked somewhat like a stout, bulky lizard with not much torso length, bulky legs, and it showed no facial features at first, save for a line running horizontally across the front of its body. It had dark-jungle green scales, a large, broad tail, and spines lined across its back. The tendrils which ripped open the wall seemingly sank away into the creature’s back, right before the line on the Fissured Corrupt’s face opened, revealing a large mouth; endless rows of teeth sitting inside, its tongue lashing at the air. A foul stench wafted as it snarled at the two adventures.

Valdus gagged and covered his mouth and nose, stepping back a bit.
“Urgh- Disgusting... We can’t waste our time with this thing. You looked like you were in a rush to get to Caligra.”

“And how the hell do you expect to deal with a Fissured Corrupt?”
Ace shouted again.

The shadows that had been chasing had long retreated, now with a Fissured Corrupt’s presence nearby, and that presence had been growing gradually as time went by. It shuffled in place and licked its lips, as if to observe Valdus and Ace, waiting for a chance to strike.

“I was told this realm would bring back my Lord, so I supposed that it would be a good chance to feast while preparations were made. I think I was right! This place is teeming with so much magic! Shame I couldn’t come during the first incursion...‘cause I can’t wait to consume it all...!”
The Fissured Corrupt spoke in a deep, snarling voice,
“You two can call me Gaur, ‘Voracious Beast’ Corrupt...though, knowing my name and ranking won’t really matter once I’ve devoured you two!”

Gaur then grinned widely, laughing as saliva began to trickle from between his fangs. Steeling himself, Valdus stepped forward - sword drawn and standing guard - and glanced back at Ace.

“You seem to have something on your mind after you heard about the villagers. Go...”
Valdus spoke confidently,
“...I’ll keep this thing at bay.”

Ace shook his head, but before he was given the chance to respond, Valdus shouted at him to go. Ace gritted his teeth, then looked for an opening to escape past Gaur and ran for it.

“I’m offended that you underestimate my strength. Perhaps I should teach a child like you a bit of a lesson? Your friend won’t pass by me!”
Gaur snarled, attempting to swipe at Ace.

Right as Gaur made that attempt, Valdus leaped forward and struck the Corrupt's arm. The blade sliced it open, spraying black blood. Valdus then stumbled back, and so did Gaur. With that opening made, Ace continued past and made a break for the exit of the canyon, not turning back. Gaur kept his grin, and Valdus chuckled, grinning back, but sweating.

“I guess it’s the other way around... I seem to have underestimated you. That doesn’t mean my appetite’s been ruined, though!”
Gaur snarled once more, this time lunging toward Valdus,
“I’ll savour every bit of your magic!!”

Valdus ran at Gaur and slid across the ground, below the large beast’s body, slicing his stomach open. Gaur roared in pain and plummeted into the ground, blood trailing as his body skidded across the canyon’s floor. Valdus then immediately got back up, readying for the next attack, while Gaur stood back up slowly, no longer grinning. A grimace of sheer annoyance now shaped his expression.

“That...hurt...!”
Gaur growled,
“I’ll make you pay for that!!”

Shadows enveloped Gaur, and more saliva flooded from his mouth. Scythe-like spikes formed at the end of each of his tendrils as they rose from his back once more. He let out a hiss and the spines on his back began to vibrate violently.

“Guess I just can’t have fun, so I’ll teach a puny twig like you a proper lesson!!”
Gaur snarled again.

Valdus took a deep breath and glared back at Gaur.
I won’t be able to defeat him, but if I can hold him off for long enough...! I can’t let him into the Canyon of Flames, but...Ignis might be able to help.

Gaur moved into a pouncing stance, and lunged yet again. Valdus attempted the same move he tried earlier, only to be struck by a tendril - a deep cut across this arm - and was thrown into the canyon wall. Before being struck though, Valdus had tensed his body, hoping to endure. A purple shroud had formed across his body where the tendril and scythe was aiming, weakening the blow greatly, avoiding anything fatal. Gaur gave him no time to recover though, becoming relentless with attacks, locking Valdus between his claws against the ground and wall. The tendril’s loomed over him, one of the scythes hovering just above Valdus’s throat.

“You’re quite strong for a kid, I’ll give you that. If that weren’t the case, you’d have been sliced in half and crushed already. I’d say you’re one lucky little-”
Gaur mocked, before he was cut off.

A voice from far-behind Valdus shouted out at the Fissured Corrupt. It was a figure in a hood standing on a wall of the canyon, and it aimed what seemed to be a bow and arrow directly at Gaur. Strangely, no light reflected from the arrow’s tip. As the arrow was fired, Gaur’s attention was drawn away from Valdus, and black fire followed the arrow’s trail. The arrow struck Gaur's leg, causing him to flinch and stagger backward, further from Valdus. Valdus then staggered to his feet and ran toward the figure, only to face Alterion - faint shrouds of black shows fading off his body.

“What in the hell are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be in the forest?”
Valdus shouted.

Alterion called back to them,
“Well, someone has to be the plot armour around here!”

 

Meanwhile, back in the forest...

“Alty’s going to be in so much trouble when he gets back...”
Nazarim said to himself.

“Indeed, he is.”
Vuryth said, suddenly appearing behind Nazarim.

Nazarim jumped in sheer surprise, shouting out at the same time,
“What the f-!”

You can find story with these keywords: Realm of Eldoria, Read Realm of Eldoria, Realm of Eldoria novel, Realm of Eldoria book, Realm of Eldoria story, Realm of Eldoria full, Realm of Eldoria Latest Chapter