Chapter 174 - Cleanup

“T-that…did that just happen?” mumbled Carlos, mouth agape. Abby could sympathize with his reaction; she’d seen the aftermath of Zeke’s last explosion of power, so she thought she was prepared for whatever might happen after they stepped through the portal. But that was different. It was something that had happened to him. This time, he’d been the catalyst. He had acted, and the world had trembled.

Ever since she’d been reborn into the Radiant Isles, she’d heard stories about the world’s true elites. She had been told about Lady Constance reducing an entire forest to ashes, and her husband, Jeremiah, curing an entire city of a magical plague. In the back of her mind, she’d always considered those to be exaggerations on the truth. Perhaps Constance had only set a fire that had raged out of control. And maybe that plague wasn’t as widespread as the stories claimed. But now, she was beginning to rethink those assumptions, because, with one swing, Zeke had not only obliterated a man, but he’d also carved a massive fault through the heart of the city. It hadn’t stopped until it hit the enchanted walls of the city, more than two miles distant. It was a display of power that dwarfed anything else Zeke had done, save for what had occurred at the gates of the shadow city within the demon realm. And that didn’t count because Zeke hadn’t had any control over it.

“Yeah,” she said, pushing her shock to the side so she could kneel next to Zeke. He was broken, and not just metaphorically. His bones jutted out at odd angles, the cracks in his skin had grown wider and more numerous, and blood was everywhere. Already, the bruising had begun to color his skin in deep shades of purple. “We need to help him.”

“How?” asked Carlos. “We’re not healers.”

Pudge let out a whine that made him sound like a wounded dog before padding over to his fallen companion and nudged his shoulder with his wet snout. But Zeke didn’t stir. His clothes were still intact, but only barely. The sheer amount of force he had released hadn’t just damaged his body; it had ripped the cheap, leather armor to shreds as well.

But he was still alive, as evidenced by the steady rise and fall of his chest. When Abby checked his pulse, she found that it was strong. He was broken. He was damaged. But every indication was that he would live.

“Here,” said Talia, the word scraping its way from between her lips. Abby looked back to see a handful of vials which contained red liquid. Those were the last of the potions Tucker had given them, and as such, they were invaluable. Alchemists were rare enough as it was, but finding one that could brew a healing potion as strong as Tucker’s? That would be almost impossible, going forward. It was a stark reminder of the man’s sacrifice. She’d never liked him, but she had to admit that he was at least useful. And now, he’d given his life to close the portal, almost as if he’d chosen that path just to spite her or prove her wrong.

Or maybe she hadn’t known the man as well as she thought. Perhaps she’d misjudged him. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d let that happen, and she knew it wouldn’t be the last. Either way, he was gone, and with him went their access to powerful potions.

Still, she didn’t hesitate to take the vials from Talia’s claws and pour them down Zeke’s throat. Thankfully, he instinctively swallowed. Each subsequent potion was less effective than the last, so by the time she got to the fifth – and final – concoction, it was little more than red water. But she didn’t care. Even if it was only minimally effective, if it gave Zeke even a slightly better chance of healing back to full strength, she would waste a thousand just like it. When she was finished, she rocked back on her heels and let out a long sigh.

“What now?” asked Carlos.

A screech coming from the base of the pyramid punctuated the question. Abby had been so focused on Zeke that she hadn’t even noticed that a battle raged throughout the city. Everywhere she looked, tendrils of smoke curled toward the sky, and screams of pain, anger, or anguish filled the air, accompanied by the demons’ roars that had become so familiar. Clearly, they had been trickling through the portal for quite some time, and the citizens of Jariq were ill-equipped to deal with them.

“We need to help,” Carlos said. “These are my people. I…I…please…help me. I can’t do this alone.”

Abby shook her head and glanced back at Zeke. Some of his bones had begun to set, and the cracks marring his skin had receded back to their previous state. He was getting better, but she didn’t want to abandon him. What if a demon chanced upon them? Or some amoral opportunist who saw his level and looked at him as a bag of experience? She couldn’t leave him alone, even if every single one of her instincts told her that she needed to help the people who were, with every passing moment, being killed by demons.

“I will help,” said Talia.

“So will I,” Abby said, rising to her feet. She only had to think about what choice Zeke would make to cement her own decision. He would never leave innocent people to die. Not so long as he could do something about it. But that didn’t mean she would abandon Zeke. “Pudge, stay here with Zeke. If anyone approaches, make them back off. If they don’t back off…well, do what you have to do.”

The bear chuffed. As if he would’ve left Zeke’s side, regardless of what she’d said. The bear was friendly with all of them – Abby more than most – but he enjoyed a special bond with Zeke. And he couldn’t have cared less about innocents being slaughtered by demons. To him, the choice was just as simple as Abby’s – at least once she thought about it for more than a second.

That taken care of, she got Carlos to help her reposition Zeke against one of the statues lining the top of the pyramid. That’s when it hit her – there was one last thing they needed to do to ensure that the portal was permanently closed. The doorway had already disintegrated, but who knew how these things worked? Certainly not her. So, she unfolded her bow from her glove, conjured an arrow, and activated [Thunder Strike] before loosing the arrow at one of the larger, newer statues. When the lightning descended from the sky, the stone statue was shattered into a million pieces. Even as thunder rolled across the city, she repeated the action on the other two remaining statues. The fourth was already a pile of dust, destroyed when Zeke released his momentum.

There was no indication that her efforts had done anything worthwhile, but Abby was still satisfied. So, with the job finished, she, Talia, and Carlos set off down the steps. They encountered the first demon at the base of the pyramid.

It was one of the larger specimens, naked and with red skin. It hefted an obsidian battle axe as it charged them, madness in its yellow eyes. It made it three steps before it sprouted three silvery arrows, all within an inch of one another, which summoned a massive bolt of lightning that sent it flying through the air to collide with one of the garishly graffitied buildings. The moment it crashed into the wall, an umbral spear pierced its abdomen. Then another went through its leg. And another destroyed its shoulder.

That’s when Talia reached it. Moving almost too fast for Abby’s eyes to properly track, the undead girl raked her claws across the hulking demon’s muscular form. Each strike left blackened and rotting flesh in its wake. The creature howled – in anger as much as frustration – but it was wholly immobilized by Carlos’s spears.

In less than a minute, it died, rotted from the inside out.

It was a good start, but judging by the screams all around them, it was just that – a beginning. There was a lot of work to do. So, with grim determination, the trio set out to rid the city of its demonic influence.

Over the next few hours, they killed dozens of demons and rescued even more people. Carlos took over the rescue effort, directing the frightened and oft-injured citizens of Jariq on where to find shelter. Most of them were thankful, but a good portion of them were entirely shell-shocked and followed their fellows in a daze.

From time to time, they ran into the city’s defenders, but most were comparatively weak. The city had its share of elites, but they were either dead, hiding, or had fled from the city, because Abby didn’t see anyone who’d qualify for the label as they roamed the city, searching for more demons to exterminate.

Gradually, the time between encounters with demons stretched, and Abby felt the exhaustion of the last day creep over her. As day turned to dusk, which inevitably became night, she said, “I think we’ve done enough for now. We need to go back and check on Zeke. I know he was getting better, but now that things are kind of stabilizing, I think we should find a healer.”

“We can take him back to The Nest,” Carlos suggested. “My organization has healers.”

Abby shook her head. “Our relationship with the assassin’s guild isn’t the best in the world,” she said. “You’re fine, but I can’t say the same’s going to be the case with everyone else.”

Carlos was going to respond, but cut himself off. After a few seconds, he let out a sigh before saying, “Yeah. You’re probably right to be cautious. Besides, I don’t know how much influence Asino had. He was one of the elders, but…I just don’t know. Some of the people there might still be possessed.”

“So? It’s your city,” Abby said. “What do you suggest?”

“Let me think about it while we head back to the Jungle,” he said. “I’ll figure something out.”

“Fair enough,” Abby stated.

Then, the trio started the long trek back to the pyramid in the distance. Their quest for demon extermination had taken them to the other side of the city, but they all possessed vastly enhanced speed and stamina. So, the distance shrank at a considerable pace until, at last, they reached the base of the Crown of the Jungle. Abby couldn’t help but frown as they approached the crowd that had gathered before the steps.

“We have to kill it!” yelled one man. A good portion of his arm was blackened and bleeding, evidence that he’d recently found himself on the wrong side of a flame. Abby suspected she knew the source. “It is a demon!”

Abby used [Keen Eye]:

Harold Locke – Level 24

“What about the cataclysm?” asked another. Abby identified her as a level twenty-three named Stephanie Hall. In the group of two-dozen others, there were only a couple below level twenty. Most of the rest were between twenty-two and twenty-five. A formidable force, and the answer to any question about where Jariq’s elites had been.

“What’s going on?” Abby asked.

Almost as one, their heads wheeled around, and she could feel a couple of embraced skills. When they saw that she was human, they relaxed – a little.

“There is a demon atop the pyramid,” said Harold. Despite not possessing the highest level, he seemed to be the leader. “We have a duty to slay it.”

“There is no demon,” Carlos interjected, stepping forward.

The man started to argue, but then recognition dawned on his face. Tilting his head and squinting his eyes, he said, “Carlos? Is that you, boy? Where have you been?! We thought you lost!”

“I had some things to take care of,” was Carlos’s only reply. “When I returned, I saw that the city was overrun by demons. So, I set out to help. Imagine my surprise when I find so many of the city’s elite standing here and doing nothing while the rest of us have fought off a veritable army of demons.”

Harold’s expression changed once again, this time settling on angry indignation. “We were preparing to assault the demon gate!” he exclaimed. “The guardian is too strong, though. I see that your power has grown. Perhaps with your strength, we can now defeat it.”

Abby couldn’t help but laugh, which definitely didn’t help the situation.

“And who are you to laugh at us? This is a serious matter!”

She held up a hand. “Sorry. Sorry,” Abby said. “Just imagining how insufferable Pudge is going to be when I tell him that an entire group of elites were afraid of him.”

“Pudge?”

“That’s his name,” Abby said. “And he’s not a demon. In fact, when we got here, we killed the guy who was guarding this side of the portal. Killed the demon on the other side, too. You’re welcome.”

Harold glared at her for a long moment. Then, almost as if someone had flipped a switch, his anger turned to horror. “Y-you…you are responsible for the cataclysm?” he asked.

“No,” Abby said, and he relaxed. “That was my friend. The creature you’re so terrified of? That’s his pet. He exploded the other guy. Never got his name.”

“Itzli,” Carlos supplied.

The face of every person there paled. Obviously, the guy with the obsidian edged club had a reputation.

“Exploded?” one of the others asked. “How?”

Abby shrugged. “Same way you explode anything, I guess,” she said.

“But…but…”

Abby cut her eyes at Carlos, who said, “Itzli was widely regarded as almost unkillable. Focused entirely on vitality and regenerating skills. He could regrow limbs in a matter of minutes.”

Abby nodded. “Oh,” she said. “I guess that makes some sense.” Then, she turned to the gathered elders. “If you could make a hole, I need to go check on my friends. Carlos, see if any of these people have access to a healer, okay?”

Carlos nodded, and the group parted before her. She mounted the stairs, taking them a couple at a time until she finally reached the top. When she did, she saw that Zeke was awake, but he was far from recovered. Perhaps he’d never fully heal, given the damage he’d sustained.

It took Abby only a couple of seconds to close the distance, and when she did, she knelt beside him. Resting a hand on his thigh, she asked, “How are you?”

“Just dandy,” he croaked. Then, his eyes shifted to the crumbled side of the pyramid and the destruction of that side of the city. “I think I might’ve overdone it a little.”

Abby couldn’t help it. After the tension that had suffused every minute of the day, she needed a release. And like his statement had opened a valve, her laughter poured out. Zeke joined her, but his mirth soon devolved into a coughing fit.

“Pudge tells me there are some people down there,” he said after the fit had passed. “He had to burn one a little. Are they enemies? Or friends?”

“Neither,” she said. “Or both. I don’t know.”

He sighed, leaning his head back against the statue and closing his eyes. It only lasted a moment before he said, “I guess I’m going to have to go down there, then. Help me up.”

“What? You can’t go down there like this,” Abby said.

He shrugged. “My bones are mostly set,” he said. “I can walk just fine. And I’m going to have to talk to them at some point, whether I want to or not. The sooner I do that, the better.”

“Why?”

“Because,” he said, pointing to the damage he’d caused. “I want that to be still fresh in their minds. If they think I can do that at will, they won’t want to mess with us. In fact, I’m pretty sure they’ll trip over themselves to give us whatever we want.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You think?” she asked.

“Yeah,” was his response. “But I’ve been wrong before. If that’s the case, Pudge thinks he can take at least a couple of them. Between you, Talia, and Carlos, I think we can deter any aggressive thoughts. And push comes to shove, I’m not helpless. I’m maybe a quarter strength right now, but I think that’d be enough to deal with a bunch of people who were afraid to fight Pudge.” Zeke glanced at his companion, adding, “Sorry, buddy. More of a judgement of them than it is of you. You’re very strong.”

Pudge huffed.

“Alright – then let’s get it over with, I guess,” she said, biting her lip. Abby wasn’t certain if it was the right choice, but she couldn’t really fault Zeke’s logic. He couldn’t remain atop the pyramid for the rest of his life, so he’d have to confront the city’s elite at some point. Now was as good a time as any, she supposed.

With that decided, Abby helped Zeke to his feet and, together, they descended the steps. Pudge followed, and due to both his size and his positioning, he loomed over them like a guardian. Abby went slowly, careful not to push Zeke too hard, but even though she knew he was wracked with pain and barely keeping himself together, he displayed no difficulty. It was like the cracks in his skin were merely cosmetic, rather than heralds of the significant damage he'd sustained.

Finally, they reached the base of the steps and, for a moment, Zeke just stared at the gathered men and women. It was probably too much to ask that he was using his identification skill. Instead, she felt sure the whole stare-down was for effect.

“I am Ezekiel Blackwood,” he said, his voice raw. “And I require the services of your best healer.”

“You killed Itzli?” asked Locke, wringing his hands.

“And destroyed part of the city?” asked another.

“Is that a demon bear?” was the next question.

A few others voiced their questions or concerns, but Zeke cut them all of with a simple sigh. They were terrified of him. And given what they had just seen, they were right to be afraid. Perhaps there were still people within Jariq who could stand up to someone like Zeke, but there were none in the group. Abby was certain of it. The couple of level twenty-fives they had looked like non-combatants. Maybe they’d earned their levels the hard way, but Abby wouldn’t have been surprised if they were bought and paid for. Either way, no one there seemed ready to oppose Zeke.

“I will answer your questions soon,” he said. “But for now, my companions and I are tired and injured.”

“The Pools of Serenity!” exclaimed one of them, his finger pointing into the air. He was a short, stout man whose bald head shined in the moonlight. “Yes. That will help you more than any healer.”

Abby identified him as Raphael Taggert, one of the level twenty-fives in the group.

One of the others cut her eyes at him, hissing, “He is not one of us! It is not allowed!”

The man waved away her objection, saying, “Times are changing, Cordelia. Times are changing. The Fabricators Union will change with them, yes they will. Come, Master Blackwood. We will fix you right up. You’ll see! I see that your armor is a bit…ah…destroyed. We can fix that as well. For the right price, of course.”

Abby glanced at Carlos, who gave as light nod. He knew the lay of the land, and if he thought it was safe, then she wasn’t going to argue. Zeke seemed to think the same thing, because he gave his assent, and the group dispersed. Abby, Zeke, and the rest of their group followed Raphael and Cordelia down the primary thoroughfare, turning only when they reached another major street.

The moment they were out of sight, Zeke stumbled to his knees and vomited blood all over the cobbled street. It was like someone had turned on a faucet, and the blood just kept coming until, at last, Zeke let out a sigh. He wiped his chin and looked up at Pudge. “Sorry, buddy. I know you don’t like it, but I don’t think I’m going to make it very far on my own. Mind I catch a ride?”

Pudge huffed, then lowered himself to his belly. Zeke wrenched himself to his feet and arduously crawled onto the bear’s broad back. He gave a weak chuckle, shook his head as if remembering something, then said, “Onward, mighty steed.”

Pudge gave a snort, but he started walking. Cordelia and Raphael both looked troubled, but neither said anything. Even without Zeke at his best, the group surrounding them could easily rip them to pieces.

“Pardon,” said Cordelia, lagging behind a little so that she could walk next to Abby. “But do you know that there is a zombie following us? I didn’t dare say anything when the others were around…but…”

Talia finally spoke. “I am no zombie,” came her monotonous and scraping voice. Cordelia stumbled and nearly fell, obviously shocked. And rightly so, given that when she’d first spoken, Talia had been twenty feet away. Now, the undead girl was walking beside her. “And I assure you, I mean you no harm.”

“Oh,” muttered Cordelia, patting her hair. She was an older woman, with her grey hair arranged into a perfectly coifed bun, so it was unnecessary. “I see. I…ah…yes. Of course. I never doubted it for a moment.”

“Then you are a fool.”

And then, Talia was gone. Abby could barely track her movements, and she suspected that she was far better equipped to do so than Cordelia. After all, if the woman was a crafter, like Abby suspected, then she would, at best, only see a pale blur. At worst, it would look as if Talia had teleported.

“Don’t mind her,” Abby said. “She’s still adjusting.”

“R-right,” Cordelia said. Then, she glanced at Abby in confusion, asking, “Adjusting to what?”

“That’s a long story,” was Abby’s reply. “And probably not mine to tell. If you’re truly interested, you’d best ask her.”

And with that, she sped up her pace until she drew even with Zeke and Pudge. Like that, they made their way through the city, passing through two distinct territories. The pyramid had been located in what Carlos had dubbed the Jungle, and many of its buildings had been painted with that theme in mind. However, they soon passed into another territory whose buildings were painted in a myriad of colors. And finally, they found their way to a territory with a far more utilitarian theme.

“Welcome to The Union,” said Raphael. “Home of the best crafters in Jariq.”