Chapter 26: Thalorian

The trio trekked along the roads toward St.Albert. Each footstep another step closer to finding Yoru. Yet Thalorian could feel nothing but despair. The despair of scaling a mountain that had no top. Never making it to the top, never succeeding at bringing peace to the world, only ever bringing more death and destruction.

“We’re almost there,” said Thalorian, his vision of Yoru now faded. They continued along the trail of gravel and mud. Thalorian felt something in the air. He felt the air of death infused with the most menacing mana he had ever felt. Several trots away there was a young woman, around fifteen, with incredibly light blue eyes. She looked blood thirsty, like a wolf who had lost the biggest buffalo in the world.

Thalorian heard her murmur, “That damn Damasque, he was always Oullien’s favorite, so what if he’s the Dead One, I have the most mana in recorded history,” her voice was laced with malice. “And now he’s stolen my feast.”

A man in a buttoned shirt with a collar holding several sheets of paper approached her, talking about some sort of extended warranty, whatever that was. She glared at him like he was a day old pile of vomit. She grabbed him by his collar and pulled him toward her and sunk her teeth into his skull ripping it off like a twist off bottle cap. Thalorian stumbled back, What the… How the fuck did she rip off a mans head with only her jaw?

Her vision snapped toward Thalorian, Haverian and Limiria. She bolted toward them, before she could speak Limiria’s blade was to her throat.

“No good, you people are too strong, I need time to cool off anyway,” said the woman, “Kragara.” She went shooting into the sky and gently glided down behind the group walking away slowly, slicking back the hair that had fallen in front of her face. “Ta ta, I hope to see you soon,” she said, leaving.

“That was-,” Limiria was cut off.

“Weird, yeah, she doesn’t look like someone we want to mess with,” finished Haverian.

“We should keep moving,” said Thalorian, continuing unfazed. Haverian is right. She doesn’t seem like someone we should mess with.

Thalorian thought about what had happened in the past four years. The killing of the Crown, the Rupture, and this. The revival of all magic, people gaining new forms as the people of today. All because of the spirit that had helped Thalorian, or rather manipulated him into all that he had ever done.

Thalorian’s boots pounded and carved into the slightly damp ground, making deep boot marks wherever he stepped.

“Thalorian…Thalorian…Thalorian!” yelled Limiria, “we’re here.”

“Good, last time I checked he was in that building,” said Thalorian, pointing to the old factory. The trio walked inside the factory. “I say we split up, call for help if you need it. I’ll go left, Haverian right, Limiria forward.”

Thalorian turned left and ventured through the maze of rusted machinery and fallen safety posters. He turned into a room with the words Foreman Darrel on the door. Inside were papers strewed along the ground, a cup of coffee, cold with a grey fade, sat on the desk, as well as weird drawings of someone green killing another person with multi-coloured hair. Who is that? Thalorian read some of the papers. They were old, definitely not written within the past five years. Mostly safety reports about how this place had to be shut down but a few reports about small grey creatures ransacking the place. The most recent report was from one year ago, about a person claiming to have seen a ‘grey goblin’ stealing his stuff.

Thalorian exited the room, and explored more of the factory. As he ran his hand along the walls of the factory, feeling the decay, he heard voices from above him. His head shot up as he saw a man wearing a neon outfit, with a smiling white porcelain mask on.Yoru was with him along with another boy Thalorian could identify as Josh.

“Guys!” Thalorian called out. After several minutes had passed without Limiria or Haverian appearing, Thalorian took matters into his own hands. “Kragara.” He shot into the sky landing next to Yoru, sword drawn.

As soon as the man in the mask saw Thalorian he could feel an aura of blood lust.

“You! Are! You! You! Are a descendent of him!” screeched the man charging forward with two curved blades drawn. Scraping the ground and sending sparks flying along their path. The man swung his blades upward and Thalorian ducked down, and kicked him in the chest. The man roared again, tackling him off the platform. Thalorian pushed off the man and kicked his neck. The man spun around, “ Heven Welyeh Sha Koon!” The man was on top of Thalorian again, punching him over and over again. Thalorian managed to look down and see Limiria and Haverian below him.

Limiria jumped up and slashed the man's back. Thalorian punched the man in the face and sliced his head off. Landing on the floor, Thalorian wiped his brow.

“That was a lot, but when It came down to it, he wasn’t that strong,” said Thalorian, walking away from the body.

“Yeah, just a few cuts,” Limiria commented.

“Um, you might want to look behind you,” said Haverian. Thalorian turned around to see the corpse getting up.

“Hey fuckers! Guess what, I’m already dead, a zombie, a ghoul, whatever, so yeah, try and kill me all you want, you can’t,” laughed the headless corpse. “Back in my time they called me Dead One, because I’m dead, inside and outside!” The corpse picked up their head and placed it back on. He ran at Thalorian and Limiria, but the running almost looked like he was skipping. He twirled the swords around his fingers before dashing forward and cut into Thalorian’s chest. Where’d he get all that speed?!

Thalorian spun around, “Lagra Elia!” a beam of mana erupted from his hands, ripping up the rusty metal ground. Dead One jumped above it and laughed in the air. Limiria blasted upward and cut through Dead One. Dead One flipped onto Limiria’s sword and tried to cut her in quarters. Thalorian dashed forward and dropkicked Dead One in the face. Limiria flipped back and recovered. Thalorian continued his assault on Dead One, punch after kick, after slash, after spell. Thalorian spun midair and cut into Dead One’s chest. Dead One stumbled back.

“Wowy that actually dealt damage to me!” laughed Dead One. “I guess I can die, ‘cause of this host!” Dead One slicked their hair back, “I should use this now,” whispered Dead One. Mana erupted from him, bright purple and pink mana covered his entire body, six horns sprouted from his head. He threw off his cloak, his weapons were suddenly covered in mana. “Welcome to the big leagues, baby boy! The Arcane State, capable of total planet destruction in the right hands!” Arcane State- Isn’t that the art of enhancing your mana to the point of perfection, so much so that it emanates off of you?

“As if he couldn’t get any stronger,” muttered Thalorian, already charging forward. Suddenly Dead One was behind him and there were cuts all over his body. Dead One was already above him, laughing like a maniac while cutting into him with insane ferocity. Dead One slid back and propelled himself forward by slamming into Limiria’s face, sending her flying into the wall behind them. She coughed up a tsunami of blood.

“Limiria!” yelled Haverian, rushing to her side.

Limiria…Haverian…Me…We…are…going…to…build…the…better…world…and that starts by killing this man! Thalorian felt a surge of power rush through his body, mana weaved its way into every corner of his body. Mana poured itself out of his body. It became a tapestry of blue and red mana.

“Oh! You can use it too! Let's have fun killing each other!” celebrated Dead One, dashing forward. Thalorian could feel his presence now, not just his mana but everything he would ever do. Dead One stabbed to the right, Thalorian dodged to the left, Dead One stabbed to the left, Thalorian dodged to the right. Let's finish this quickly. Thalorian grabbed Dead One’s head and slammed it into the ground.

“Brari- no, I’m trying something new, Braris Elia Maxilia,” said Thalorian. A wave of flames exploded from Thalorian’s hand, each spark exploding into more sparks, creating an infinite stream of burning mana. The most powerful fire spell to ever be created applied directly to Dead One’s head.

Thalorian plunged his sword into Dead One’s chest.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m definitely dying now, so I’ll do one thing to help before I die,” coughed Dead One, getting weaker and weaker. “Poet, I… give…you…my…life,” whispered Dead One, “I want to go out with at least one good…dead.” With that Dead One, had died for the second time in their life.

Haverian fell to the ground, screaming. He held his head as his black metallic skin started to revert back to its regular state, his right arm became its skeletal form again. Haverian looked exactly like he had all those years ago.