Divine Beast Ascension

There were half a dozen people inside that cave, three of which were currently sitting cross-legged inside a large formation. The other three were either resting or eating while on their break.

The woman that had just entered immediately demanded everyone’s attention. She slammed a fist into a table and announced, “Pass the order, attack now and without mercy!”

“But we–”

“Portro’s been killed. We must move forward while we still can!”

“Y-yes!” All three people inside the formation responded in unison.

A speckled, mostly transparent essence surrounded the three people, linking them further with the formation they sat in. The gray energy would fade and evaporate quickly after leaving their bodies and the formation, but the intensity spiked the moment the order was given.

.....

“Ah, so I’m a little late...”

That old voice spoke calmly but that only made its appearance all the more startling. The woman turned around while the man beside her had already retrieved a set of daggers.

“Will you come peacefully? Or must I use force?” asked the aging man, unfazed in front of his foes.

However, before the others even had a chance to respond the old man had vanished in a blink of purple energy. And by the time the others had found him, it was too late to save those inside the formation. He had slammed down his staff in the center, sending out a slew of spatial shockwaves. Those shockwaves rocked against their bodies but didn’t appear to do much, not until the shockwaves passed and pieces of human bodies fell to the ground like mincemeat.

“Perhaps I was a little too late... Rhyner won’t be pleased with that.”

“You’re supposed to be over the palace!” shouted the woman, now holding fast to her spear. She, her partner, and the three others that were formerly on break now surrounded the old man. “How did you–”

“I asked first. Answer my question. Will you come peacefully?”

“How dare you?! Against all of us–”

“Force it is then...” the old man sighed with a faint chuckle.

Again, the man blinked away but his opponents were now on guard. As he reappeared by the woman’s partner, he caught the man readying a block with earth essence.

With the swing of his staff, a small tempest of spatial winds flew into the man. It wasn’t enough to overwhelm the man, but it was more than enough to leave a few wounds. But failing to break the man’s defenses left the aging mage open for attacks from the others.

Yet the old man wasn’t concerned.

He teleported again before fire and lightning attacks could reach him, appearing beside one of the three weaker opponents. And all it took was a split second for a jolt of spatial energy to lash out against that opponent’s neck. As the enemy fell, the old man was already attacking another one of the weaker foes.

Seeing the failed attempt to contain him, the woman in command dashed off without a word. She let another one of her men die without a second or even a first thought. Her natural disdain for those she deemed lower was apparent in her lack of orders or concern as she charged away while the old man took the bait. Her partner followed afterward but only after giving her a headstart.

But as the man rushed to flee the cave, another wave of spatial slashes raked against the man’s defenses. “Sorry, but I don’t have time for this. Forgive me for not treating you with respect as a warrior.”

That man grunted and lunged at the mage but whiffed hard. The man wasn’t mad though, as he spotted the next pulse of spatial energy and readied his next attack.

Cough!

Then, a lashing of spatial whips crashed onto the man’s back, exposing his slashed flesh through his broken armor. And before he could turn back after coughing up blood, another set of spatial whips crashed onto the man’s shoulders, slicing cleanly through the bones and rendering the man disarmed. A final lashing swiped the man’s thighs, leaving him without limbs or means to move.

“Don’t worry, you won’t be left like that for long,” remarked the old man, staring in the direction of the fleeing woman.

Another pulse of purple energy carried the old man away. He stood in the sky and scanned the undergrowth carefully. After a moment of searching, a tiny smirk appeared on his face before he blinked away yet again.

The woman noticed the appearing mage instantly, surrounding herself with wind and lightning as she changed directions instead of facing the challenge.

But it wouldn’t be quite that easy.

As she expected, the old man reappeared nearby and threw a wave of spatial slashes her way. She weaved and bobbed as she evaded each potentially crippling strike. But it seemed effortless, second nature for her. And when the next pulse of spatial energy appeared, she was more than ready. Or so she thought.

Instead of seeing the man’s face as she threw a spear of lightning, the woman was greeted with an explosion of spatial slashes and shockwaves. The erratic patterns and sheer amount of spatial shockwaves left the woman with no chance of getting out unscathed. She accepted many cuts and grazes while avoiding crippling blows. It was proof of her battle experience and her qualifications to lead the incognito group.

But it wasn’t enough to impress the old man. He clicked his tongue and reappeared nearby. “Will you come back and choose to live or will you force my hand and condemn yourself after imminent torture?”

Getting a lightning spear as a reply, the man teleported away and a hand suddenly grabbed the woman’s spear. And before she could overwhelm the aging man physically, she suddenly lost feeling in both of her hands. And then her feet. And then her knees... Within the span of a second, a storm of spatial energy had consumed the woman and hacked off her limbs while leaving her torso and head unscathed.

“At least having you two will keep Rhyner calm,” Jarrit sighed, stepped toward the panting and bleeding woman.