***

Arameth

I ran along the path I had taken to the strange prisoner following the bird sounds that Gottfrid made. I searched for any trace of the prisoner whilst running to the source of Gottfrid’s signal, but there was no trace of the strange man even being here. No footprints, no figure in the distance, nothing. He had simply vanquished.

Following the path that I saw Gottfrid run down, I eventually get to a wall full of tunnel entrances.

"Of course" I sigh.

I decided to take the tunnel in front of me hoping it would lead me to where I needed.

"Can’t waste any time!" I shout to motivate myself.

Running down the tunnel, I quickly decide on a way to go at every crossing, following the path that is lit up with torches. That the bandits most likely put up. Jumping over every single hole in the ground and preparing for anything that could jump out at me.

Eventually, when I get to a crossing where there are torches on both paths I come to a standstill. However, I don't get much time to think since from the right a cave spider crawls out. Its round body opening up revealing its many rows of teeth. As it starts to charge at me.

"Get out of the way!" I Shout

Not wanting to waste time, I pull out my sword and with two fast strikes at its body I slay the beast. Its small round body and long twisting legs fall limb as it’s cleaved in three.

I jumped over the body and continued down the path that the beast came from. Putting my sword back in its sheath.  

After running further down I heard a loud explosion and felt how the entire ravine started to shake.

"What in the world?" I said. Confused with what could have caused such an explosion.

"No! Focus Arameth!" I yell at myself. I can’t get distracted now. I need to help find Katla.

Soon after I got to a drop with a ladder going down to another tunnel.

The tunnel leads out into a large, emptied room with cages full of animals and what looks like humans. As well as guards everywhere. I get ready to draw my sword in case the worst happens.

"The fuck was that?" One of the bandits asks in surprise, referring to the explosion.

"No clue." Another responds.

"Probably just one of the gunpowder barrels on the lower levels going off again. Maybe a mantis got in or Conrad got drunk again." A bigger more muscular bandit says.

This bigger bandit was wearing the hide of a grizzly over his chest and had a grand assortment of knives and throwing axes fastened on a belt. The grizzly pelt covered his back and the head of the beast had been made into a sort of hood or helmet for the bandit to wear.

"What if it was Jacob? You know like from the stories." The first bandit spoke.

"You really believe in that? If some poor fellow was actually swallowed by this ravine Lunare would have taken them to the sea of souls not just left the man here." The bandit wearing the pelt explained.

"But what about the weird singing we heard the other day while doing our rounds?" The first bandit asked.

"Probably just the wind."

"THE WIND? What kind of wind produces a song?!" The first bandit exclaimed.  

"There are no phantoms or ghosts in this ravine. That’s final now get back to checking the products." The grizzly wearing bandit said with a stern voice.

However, before the bandits could go back to their duties a woman ran out from the tunnel on the other side of the room.

She stopped by the wall to catch her breath. Her face looked burned, and her armor looked like it was starting to rust away.

"Alice? What are you doing here? And what happened to your face?" The grizzly wearing bandit asked the woman.

"The speaker bitch escaped... Some pyromaniac is causing explosions down at the lower levels... and this weird knight is forcing his way into our base killing anyone in sight." She told them with a heavy breath.

She escaped?

"She escaped!" the grizzly wearing bandit shouted.

"Could it be her friends from before?" one bandit asks.

"But where there not a fourth one as well?" another one asks.

"Yeah, he chopped off the boss's arm." One of the bandits said.  

"Boss wants us to split up and take care of them." The woman called Alice told them.

The grizzly wearing bandit stood quiet for a second before speaking.

"You four go after the speaker woman!" he ordered whilst using his whole hand to point out four bandits at the very back.

"You over there go with Alice down to the pyromaniac. William, Frans you to stay here with me in case the fourth one shows up and the rest of you find that knight. Alice where did you see him?" The grizzly bandit asked.

"According to Conrad, he saw him go towards the central storage rooms." She said.

"Well, then the rest of you head towards central storage." The grizzly bandit commanded.

As soon as he was done speaking the room scattered out of the room following his orders.  Within seconds the room became empty, leaving only the three remaining bandits and me hiding.

"Eh... Magnus don’t take this wrong. But why would you stay here, you could easily take on that old knight." The shorter bandit from before, wearing a blue vest and writing down something on a piece of paper, asked.

"Well according to the boss, the kid’s sword grew right before his arm was chopped off. That makes me believe that the kid is able to use Form." The grizzly bandit called Magnus said.

"How are you so sure? What if it was just his burst?" The other bandit asked, he stood a bit taller than the other one and was wearing a leather coat.

"Because when I saw him before I felt how his pressure waves were more tuned than the others, showing that he is able to use pressure waves. Besides, burst is not able to alter the physical form of the weapon." Magnus explained.

"Wait you can tell he is using pressure waves from his waves?" The short bandit asked.

"Indeed. Just like I could tell that he is standing behind us, most certainly in the tunnel to the right." Magnus said.

I froze up.

How could he know I was here?

"Come on out, no point in hiding anymore." Magnus said.

I slowly moved out of the tunnel and into the room, drawing my sword as I do.

"Three on one. That doesn’t seem fair." I say, wanting to sound like I wasn’t bothered by this situation.

"I’d say three against someone with Form is more than fair." Magnus said.

Maybe if I actually knew more about it. 

As Magnus starts to move towards me slowly, I see how he pulls out some sort of big hammer from under the grizzly pelt.

I started to slowly move as well. Circling the three wanting to have get a good view on all three in case they go for an all out attack.

However, the other two seem completely uninterested in me. Letting Magnus go at this alone.

Is he really that strong?

Now that I know he isn't getting any help from the others I decide to get the first blow. I charged at him ready to strike. However, he stretched out his arm and spoke.

"Puncture"

In a moment I felt how something pierced the side of my left thigh.

I screamed in pain. Falling to the ground. Taking a look at my leg, I see how a small chunk of my leg has been cut off. Like if I had been cut by some invisible blade.

However, there was something more. I felt how the pressure waves around me felt weird. Like if he used an incantation.

He did mention that he could use pressure waves.

I slowly pull myself up from the ground. Ready for what could come next. As now the bandit had gotten much closer, he had his big hammer lifted into the air and slammed it down. I quickly jumped back in order to dodge his attack. Landing with my newly injured leg first I feel a great sense of pain.

How did he perform an incantation in such a short amount of time and not get exhausted?

If forcing your own waves to change frequency, then create a shape in your mind with materials like wood and dirt takes a minute, wouldn't doing the same with air take longer?

Did he plan out the incantation period the entire time?

Or...

Did he not create the shape himself? Could he be working off a template?

That could work, right?

Not forcing the existing waves to be like your own. Nor have your own waves be formed to the standards of the air. Instead matching the frequency of the two and forming them after the waves of a weapon.

But then there is the problem of the area. Instead of constantly moving the incantations deployment area, maybe it would be possible to have it in a specific area and force your opponent into that area.

Is that why he let me get so close to him?

Magnus looked at me as if he knew I had figured something out.

A freakish grin grew on his face.

"I have a feeling that this could be fun."

But then there is the problem of him possibly being able to see me perform the incantation from the waves.

But since I couldn't see anything when he performed his attack it gives me two possibilities.

A, he is simply faster than me at casting incantations. Making it impossible to see him cast it.

or B, pressure wave users can't see another pressure wave user use incantations.

Well, I guess I have to figure this out the hard way.

Getting myself up I started preparing myself to attack while focusing my pressure waves to tune to the frequency of the pressure waves of the air. Focusing on the air around two meters behind me.

I yet again move towards Magnus this time trying to zig-zag around him in case he decided to perform another Puncture. However, if I got close, he would use pressure waves to create spikes of rock that nearly pierced me.

Eventually, I was able to dodge them and get to land a blow on him. I felt how my sword sliced his flesh.

"Now we are even." I said as I sliced the side of his stomach.  

Our weapons clash. I end up using my sword more as a shield as his hammer feels like it's heavier with every strike.

I need to have some sort of template and tune the waves to match the waves of the template.

I focus on the waves created by my sword and try to have the waves be tuned to a similar frequency. While fighting Magnus.

Firstly, I form my own waves to match the frequency of the air. Then I try and force the pressure waves of the air around that particular area to tune itself like I want it to.

With every blow, I feel how I am forced back, but with every step, I feel how the waves start to get tuned.

Block left, block right, back away, strike up, gain distance, block left, spin around, strike right. Just a bit more.

Eventually, I feel how an incantation is formed in my head as I had done it.

Looks like I was right. Working off a template saves time, now just to test my other theories.

I back away past the set area. Forcing Magnus to chase after me, and he does. gaining more distance in order to have him get right where I want him.

First, he was three meters away, then two, then one, then just some steps and then.

"Puncture!" I screamed out.

Not even a second after Magnus had set his foot on the ground, the sound of wind whistling echoed throughout the room, and Magnus' leg was sliced off. Making him fall to the ground.

I guess that proves that pressure wave users can't see other users tune pressure waves. If he had, he wouldn't have just followed me like that.

But why did my attack cut off his leg instead of simply cut it like his did? Was it that when he performed his attack, I was simply enough out of range so that it just cut me instead?

I feel how my energy has been drained from my body, but not as much as expected.

So, this method could save up energy and not make me numb after usage. That’s good to know.

But it's still much more drained from when he did it. Either after years of training one builds up enough internal energy that it doesn't bother the caster at all when performing incantations like this or mirage.

Or after training one is able to limit the amount of energy they pour into the incantation without making the attack less powerful.

I stood there in my thoughts, not noticing the other two bandits starting to move closer. As well as Magnus slowly getting back up.

"Did you think that would be enough to take me down!" he shouted as he got back up, balancing on his one leg.

"How are you supposed to fight me on equal terms with just one leg? Are you going to hop around me like a little bunny?" I said teasing him.

I backed away wanting to get more distance.

"Oh? Just one leg you say?" Magnus said with a grin.

Magnus lifted up the leg where he had been attacked and stood there seemingly focusing on something, and in a second, he growled in pain as he screamed.

"Spike!"

From his sliced off leg a spike of pure bone erupted, becoming something of a peg leg. Blood poured out as it grew to the leaning of the missing part of his leg. Judging by Magnus' face, it seemed like it put him through a lot of pain to do this.

"It's not anything like Form but it's the next best thing." Magnus roared. Preparing for another fight.

I don’t know why but the sight started something within me.

I felt something akin to joy. Excitement to continue this battle. To learn from it, to experience it, and after seeing Magnus' face I could tell he felt the same.

***

Katla

I ran down the tunnels keeping my spell going. With every bandit coming close I rusted their weapons and if I had to, parts of them as well. leaving behind a trail of neutralized bodies.  

I can’t keep the spell up much longer. How long are these tunnels anyway!?

I wonder if that explosion from before was Sebastian. Then that means the others have found their way in!

I started to run faster with renewed passion. Making sure to take every turn that was lit but not crowded with bandits. After many empty corridors, it seemed that my luck had run out. As the room I entered was full of bandits from every corner. It looked to be about 30 of them.

"Shit."

With every bandit that got close, I rusted their armor then used the knife I stole to take care of them quickly. However, I couldn't hold my spell forever so at the moment when everything felt like it was going well my spell ended and I was hit with the side effects of constantly keeping a spell in motion.

Temporary paralysis.

In a matter of seconds, I went from flying through the air with ferocious might to falling to the ground.

Looks like I'm all out.

I saw how the bandits slowly surrounded me as I laid there.

I wanted to move, to run, to spit in their faces but I couldn't, my body had reached its limit.

As the bandits closed in, I just closed my eyes not wanting to give them the look of defeat that they so desperately wanted from me. I felt how they grabbed a hold of me but then suddenly they let go. I felt something hitting my face as a loud crash echoed through the room and the sound of metal cleaving flesh started to drown the screaming bandits.

I opened my eyes expecting to see my captors but in front of me stood a knight, his gray armor drenched in blood. He got down to his knee and asked.

"My lady, do you wish me to carry you?"