Chương 5: Omnimancer 5: Swarms in the Night

Bells tolled incessantly through the night as Ansala pushed through her fatigue, willing herself to hurry up even as her arms strained under the weight of the heavy wheelbarrow. The wheelbarrow which had gone and gotten stuck in a rut, in the middle of a battlefield of all places. Cursed night! She couldn't allow that to happen. Everyone's lives depended on it. Ansala pulled on the handles with every last drop of strength she had, finally managing to dislodge it with a defiant roar.

Wiping the sweat that poured from her brow, she glanced back at her brother only to find him falling behind again.

"Come on, Ensie!" she shouted over her shoulder.

"Everyone's relying on us!"

"I'm trying!" he wheezed, stumbling to keep pace with his own, smaller basket full of rocks. All the children in the village had been recruited after the lumberjacks had reported a nightswarm horde amassing in the forest. After that, everyone had toiled through the ungodly hours of the dark, preparing as best they could. Which was to say, not at all. Treewater scarcely had the means to deal with the usual nightswarm that roamed the forest. What chance did they have against a whole horde of the Dark One's minions?

As if being forced to stay up through the night wasn't enough, the constant worry had exhausted nearly everyone. Ansala shoved her wheelbarrow the last few yards, pushing it to the makeshift barricade of wagons, logs, and dried brush the adults had worked hard through the darkness to assemble. All around her, men and women hurled stones at wolves and shadowy shapes that slammed against the makeshift defense. Until one got through, sailing high above the fence, not ten paces away.

Moments later, several cries pierced the air, but it was useless. If anyone could have helped, they would already be here. At least, that was what she thought until the sounds of battle were pierced by words that carried more weight than any speech ever could. For those were chants of divine power.

"Zhek waven!" The night sky lit up, nearly blinding Ansala and forcing her to cover her face as the lightning crack echoed across the field. When her eyes readjusted, she found that the werebeast that had jumped the fence lay dead on the ground. Relief flooded her veins. She was about to thank Shaman Teyo when its corpse twitched. How!? Ansala thought in horror as it struggled to its feet.

"Go, girl!" Teyo rasped.

"Run! This place is lost." Ansala froze for a moment before dumping her stones to rush back to Ensar, who'd been too busy struggling with his load to have noticed the crisis. She grabbed his hand and dragged him away. She ignored his cries of protest. Children were no good in a fight. They could only keep the adults supplied, and if anyone could hold their own, it was Shaman Teyo. She knew that beyond a shred of a doubt. And yet, the tears that flowed from her cheeks, however, spoke her true thoughts.

Ansala looked at the men and women fighting desperately to protect the village, often unarmed. All faces she knew. All people she'd known and loved. She cried out as they were pulled through some vile rupture in reality, one by one, never to be seen again. Someone picked up a rock and hurtled it at a nearby werebeast. To her surprise, it hit its mark, dropping the vile creature, but did nothing against the next one that leaped out of the treacherous dark. Ansala cried out in warning, all too late.

The werebeast worked its evil magic, opening another rupture through which the man was mercilessly pulled. Ansala averted her eyes, pulling Ensar away from the chaos. They'd never attacked like this before. Not in these numbers and certainly not with this fury. There had to be some reason. Then a sound so loud and deep echoed through the village that made Ensar freeze in place.

"Let's go!" she gasped, forcing herself to break free of the terror that clutched her own heart.

"We… We can't fight that." Whatever that even was, Ansala feared it as much as death itself. Ensar didn't say a word, but by how tightly his hand clutched hers, he was just as scared as she was.

"We'll go to the house," she said quickly.

"We're no use here. Don't let go." A few other teens were still running loads of stone to the battlefront, but most were nowhere to be seen. She couldn't blame them. There were far more rocks than people who could throw them anyway. A shape suddenly burst from the dark—a nightswarm werebeast bounding straight for her, eyes as red as blood. She froze, certain it would take her. It seemed the Great Goddess hadn't forsaken her entirely, however, as she spotted a spear lying beside a cart nearby.

Forcing herself to move, she reached down and grabbed it with shaking hands, surprised at how heavy it was. The werebeast leaped, and Ansala barely managed to point the spear before the beast crashed into the tip, impaling itself. The impact ripped the shaft from her grip and sent her stumbling, heart hammering away in her chest. The beast thrashed in pain, but to no avail. Its movements stilled and its demon eyes dimmed as a rush of Aurum surged into her. Her reward from the merciful Goddess.

Ansala stood there, unable to process what she'd just done. She'd… won? Against a nightswarm beast? By pure luck, yes, but still! She'd ask Shaman Teyo to perform a ritual of gratitude later. She'd pay the cost, no matter how high. She'd pay it gladly.

"Ansie," Ensar urged in a voice that dripped fear.

"We need to go." Ansala got up and grabbed his hand again, panting heavily as she ran from the werebeasts that jumped through the broken barricade even now. The pair stumbled through the treacherous dark, tripping over roots and stones, catching themselves only to trip again. The night was full of dangers, which was why she'd never moved around in it like this until now. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

It didn't help that the only light came from the torches of the few fighters behind them and the few still burning in the village. Screams rang out all around them, but Ansala didn't dare look back. She ran until her lungs burned, past the Guardian Totems to the inner village where a handful of adults were scrambling to pile sacks of maize into makeshift walls for a final stand.

"Shouldn't we help?" Ensar asked between breaths.

"We can't," Ansala said, more harshly than she'd intended.

"We're no good to them." It felt wrong. Cowardly. But what else could they do? The adults were absolutely terrified, and one look was all she needed to know that their defense wouldn't hold.

"We'll just get in the way," Ansala said, trying to convince herself. Deep down, she knew it was nothing but cowardice. That she would earn Luxor's ire after having just been given her mercy. She didn't care. She'd take all the condemnation in the world if it meant keeping her brother alive. Turning away from the defenders, she seized Ensar's hand and headed away from the central plaza and the burning Sky Temple. Through the wet mud footpaths, at long last, they arrived at the earthen hut they called home.

The walls that had once sheltered them, that had not-quite kept so many storms at bay, now felt like little more than the mud and reed it truly was. Would it offer them any protection at all?

"Quick, into the corner. Don't make a sound," she whispered. They huddled together, as if crouching lower could somehow shield them. Minutes crawled by in terrified silence, and Ansala found herself clutching Ensar tighter as the shouts and battle cries outside gave way to nightswarm roars and screams of terror. She'd heard the stories of other villages wiped off the face of the world, the same as everyone. She just never thought it would happen to Treewater. Never to them. It wasn't supposed to happen like this.

She was supposed to ascend to a high city to find a school to protect Ensar! It was all wrong, and it made her want to vomit. She didn't dare. Instead, she did the only thing she could—she prayed. She begged Luxor for salvation. For a miracle. Because nothing short of a miracle would save them from this waking nightmare. Thunder cracked and lightning filled the sky. More rain fell, then fire, the sounds of fighting finally dwindling under that onslaught.

Fewer and fewer voices cried out, until at last there were only… normal voices? How? Those were not the cries of death. And there should have been more. Many, many more. What does this mean? Dawn crept into the sky, painting the world in color but Ansala didn't dare peek outside. The nightswarm were still out there. She could hear them even now. Whimpering. Wailing. Odd noises, to be sure, but who was she to say?

Yet as the sky brightened further, the noise of those monsters died away as well and the ordinary sounds of morning began to return. Birds began to sing again and animals resumed their daily routines. Hope lit within Ansala's heart. If they hadn't been found yet, then perhaps… perhaps they may yet live through this night. But no. She dared not hope. Not yet. Not until she was sure the monsters were g—!? The earth shook, jostling the hut. Boom. Boom. Boom.

Each impact rattled the walls and dislodged thatch from the roof. Something enormous was out there, shaking the earth with every step. The tremors grew closer and louder, until it felt as though the very ground beneath them was about to split. Ansala pulled Ensar tighter. His small frame trembled against hers. Neither spoke, scarcely even daring to breathe. They just stared at the hut's dark entrance, awaiting the worst. The sound of splintering timbers pierced the silence, followed by a rain of debris.

Ansala threw herself over Ensar, shielding his body with her own. Dust choked her lungs. She looked up to a pair of enormous red eyes. Searching the hut from above. The nightswarm beast was larger than any Ansala had ever seen. Only one beast was ever rumored to be this large.

"Ogrosh," she whispered. Ensar screamed as foul spittle spilled from the monster's maw, drenching them both. She clapped a hand over his mouth, but it was too late. The Ogrosh whipped its head toward them. Its crooked mouth twisted into a wretched grin as a massive hand as broad as the hut itself reached down to scoop them up.

"Run!" Ansala shouted, shoving her brother aside, fully expecting him to resist. Fear, however, won over honor, and he bolted through the wreckage, scrambling over the broken timbers to get away. The Ogrosh's eyes followed her brother, and Ansala's heart nearly seized. Fighting every instinct in her body, she stood.

"I'm the one you want! Over here!" The nightswarm's gaze shifted back to her. Relief surged through her veins. If it meant Ensar survived, she would gladly give her life. He was a clever boy—he'd find a way.

"I'm the one you want," she repeated, bracing for the end. The Ogrosh's hand descended. Ansala closed her eyes, bracing herself to be crushed in its deathgrip as she awaited her end. But the pain and the darkness never came. She opened her eyes. The ogre had straightened back up, its head tilted toward the sky. Then thunder split the heavens and bolts of light raked the earth. Blinding against the predawn dark. Werebeasts fled in terror, only to be sundered by searing bolts of lightning raining from the heavens.

Reduced to little more than dust and ash. More followed, scorching one nightswarm after another. As if in answer, the Ogrosh roared at the sky, pounding its chest in fury only for another spear of light to come crashing down upon its hulking form moments later. The massive beast staggered back but swiftly recovered, bellowing even louder than before. Then came another bolt, so bright and deadly it split the sky, leaving Ansala reeling as her vision turned white and her ears rang from a deafening thunderclap.

When her sight cleared, the Ogroth still stood—staring up at the sky. This is my chance! She thought. Run, Ansala! Maybe she really could get away from this behemoth, distracted as it was… But then she noticed something odd.

"It's not moving," she muttered. The werebeast was staring up at the sky, as though frozen in place. It was only as the sun finally broke above the forest moments later that she saw why. Its face was nothing more than a black hollow. Charred and unrecognizable.

"It's dead…" she whispered. Slowly, its body finally fell, crashing heavily to the ground. The impact shook the remains of her hut, dropping timbers from their supports. Ansala stumbled onto the street, only to find monsters lying dead all around them. One by one, others did the same, emerging from their homes only to reel at the carnage. No! She wanted to tell them. Stay inside where it's safe! She was too late. One after another, they emerged only to disappear from sight, their cries instantly cut.

Ansala understood then the fate that had befallen the others. That they had not died to some werebeast. They'd been erased out of existence by some unknown nightswarm. A creature far beyond her capacity to comprehend. One that did not bite or maim, but who vanished souls entirely. The lightning did not cease. Worse—it began to rain. But these were no drops of water. It was fire. Flames streaked from the sky, setting everything in sight ablaze. Nightswarm, homes, wagons, and all.

Larger fireballs rained with them, seeking out and scorching the fleeing nightswarm. Miniatures suns that slammed into the monsters, setting them ablaze. Joining them were bolts of lightning that streaked down incessantly from the fiery heavens, setting charring every beast it struck. It wasn't long before Ansala was surrounded by a sea of flame. But just as she wondered if the whole village would burn to the ground, fire miraculously turned to water, pouring down from the sky in a flood.

Flames hissed and died, smothered before they could damage the village. All for naught. The nightswarm was making people disappear even now, and she knew she would be next. She stared at the bright and terrible figure descending from the storm, trembling uncontrollably. Clasping her hands in prayer, Ansala whispered a prayer and awaited her end. She did not wait long. The magic finally took her, the Lux smothering her very being in her final moments.

"Ansie?" a voice called. Her brother. Her dear, poor brother, wailing in the throes of death. Why had he returned? Why had he not saved himself?

"Hey, sis!" he said, shaking her arm.

"Come off it! Look!" Ansala opened her eyes. To... a field? She was outside the village, and all around her were the villagers she'd seen sucked into that vile hole. All alive and healthy, their gazes pointed skyward. Understanding dawned upon the girl, her eyes widening in shock. Shock... and hope, which returned like a blazing wildfire. They weren't being erased at all! They were being transported! To safety! She beheld the being in yellow again, this time in a new light.

A savior clad in magnificent armor that glowed with the radiance of Luxor herself. Floating high above the village to protect them all. Ansala fell to her knees. Like her, her brother's wide eyes were fixed on the sky.

"Who is he, sis? Who is that?" Ensar asked. Ansala's tears blurred her vision. For a being so powerful, so far removed from the likes of them, there could only be one word.

"A miracle."