Realm of Monsters

The half-moon hung high in the midnight sky. Despite the late hour, over a hundred soldiers patrolled the black shores of Shadow Lake, guarding the pier towards the infamous Sunken Temple.

The soldiers wore a mixture of leather and chainmail, and a steel cuirass with the insignia of a black rose, the crest of House Thorn. Many of them carried torches in one hand and a sword in the other.

Stryg and the Undergrowthers observed the situation from behind a thick bush at the tree line a few dozen paces from the shore.

“I thought you said there would only be a dozen guards at best,” Heather glared at Veronica.

“Those aren’t even ordinary guards. Their elite soldiers from House Thorn’s army. It looks like an entire battalion,” Damian said grimly.

“There’s no way we’re gonna get past a battalion,” Plum sighed. “We should just leave before any of them catch us.”

“Guys, relax, I thought this might happen,” Veronica said easily.

“You thought there would be an entire battalion guarding the Sunken Temple and you still dragged us along!?” Heather whispered harshly.

“Look, I thought Lady Thorn might put extra guards on duty, in case any tourist or spy might try to investigate the temple,” Veronica said.

“So why did you bring us here?” Plum furrowed her brow.

“As I said, I thought there might be extra guards,” Veronica smiled smugly. “Which is why I dragged over a canoe earlier today. The canoe is only about a hundred paces down the shore. Easy enough to get to, but far enough for the guards to notice.”

“You dragged an entire canoe through these trees?” Plum asked incredulously.

“It helps to be a chromatic brown,” Veronica shrugged.

“And you don’t think anyone’s going to find it suspicious that you dragged a canoe through the city’s outskirts?” Plum asked skeptically.

“There are literally dozens of canoes docked on the pier, what’s one more canoe gonna do?” Veronica said. 

“Those canoes are for carpenters and other laborers that bring supplies to the pier and archeologists,” Plum said. “You’re not a commoner, no one is going to think you dragged a canoe here to work on the pier.”

“It’s not that uncommon for people to take canoe trips on the lake,” Veronica said defensively.

“Ordinary people, not mageborns,” Plum frowned.

“Meh, it’ll be fine,” Veronica shrugged.

“Unbelievable,” Plum muttered.

Stryg glanced at the boat hidden in the darkness down the shore. “Even if we do have a canoe, how are we going to get to the temple unnoticed? There’s still a battalion of drows guarding that place.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Veronica grinned. “Everyone around here is too superstitious, they’re scared of the Sunken Temple. That’s why the guards are swarming around the pier, they don’t actually want to walk down those wooden planks and enter the ‘spooky’ sunken ruins. So long as we paddle around the pier and go to the back of the temple we’ll be fine.”

“...Dammit, she’s right,” Plum nodded reluctantly. “No one likes getting close to the temple at night. Plus, there is a makeshift walkway around the temple’s entire perimeter. Once we’re at the back of the temple it should be easy enough getting inside.”

“See, there’s nothing to worry about,” Veronica smiled. “Now, come on, let’s go.”

“Hey, wait up!” Plum called out with a harsh whisper, but Veronica had already jumped out of the bush and headed down the shore.

“Dammit, she always runs away without listening to others,” Plum grumbled.

“Seems problematic,” Stryg said.

“Yeah, it reminds me of someone else I know,” Plum sent him an annoyed side-glance.

But Stryg had already run down towards the shore before she had finished talking.

“Wait, Stryg! Don’t go just yet!” Plum called out anxiously.

Stryg caught her voice as his feet sank into the black sand. The world suddenly began to spin. His chest tightened and he felt sick to the stomach. He stumbled and fell to his knees, gasping for breath.

“Stryg!” Plum sprinted towards him.

“What happened?” Veronica looked back.

“I-I…” Stryg gasped feebly.

“You’re okay, you’re gonna be fine,” Plum rubbed his back and whispered soothingly.

“It looks like Shadow Lake is hitting him hard,” Heather noted quietly.

Damian scowled, “I knew we shouldn’t have taken a weak Hollow Shade mage with us.”

“He’s a tri-manifold! The lake’s chaotic waters hit him harder than most mages!” Plum said angrily.

“Veronica and I are tri-manifolds too, but we’re still standing just fine,” Damian said proudly, though there was clear discomfort in his voice.

“Shut up, Damian,” Veronica snapped. “We’ve been to Shadow Lake many times, we’re used to its effects, so stop being an ass.” 

Plum ignored the others’ voices. She cupped her hands between Stryg’s cheeks and stared into his eyes, “Stryg, look at me, I need you to breathe.”

“Don’t,” he wheezed, “...leave.”

“I’m not going anywhere, I’m right here,” Plum said. “Focus on my voice. I need you to take a deep breath for me, just breathe.”

Stryg gulped several times, trying to swallow air. He could hear his heartbeat thrumming loudly in his ears. He felt a cold pain as if an icy dagger had been plunged into his chest. His eyes flitted around in fear. 

Plum’s warm breath tickled his face and broke through the panic. Stryg stared into her blue eyes. One of her glasses’ lenses was cracked.

When had that happened? Stryg thought numbly. I should have asked what happened.

“Breathe, just breathe,” Plum’s voice echoed in his mind. 

Stryg opened his mouth and swallowed a deep breath of air. His lungs relaxed and his breathing became a little easier.

“...Thank you,” Stryg whispered.

Plum sighed in relief and took a few steps back. “Don’t mention it,” she muttered.

Stryg stared at his shivering hands, “...What was that? What is this? Why do I feel like this?”

“I was trying to tell you before you ran off like an idiot,” Plum clicked her tongue. “Shadow Lake’s waters are filled with elemental chaos mana. This close to the lake the air itself becomes chaotic.”

Veronica nodded sympathetically, “Chaos mana doesn’t mix with any other kind of mana, elemental or chromatic. It’s basically toxic to mageborns. What you felt, what you’re still feeling, is the chaos mana in the air circulating around your body, which disrupts the flow of mana within your body. It’s incredibly uncomfortable, but you’ll be okay.”

“It disrupts my mana flow?” Stryg asked weakly.

“Think of the chromatic mana in your veins as a rushing river,” Veronica explained. “The chaos mana is basically an incredibly powerful earthquake, shaking all the mana within you out of sync.”

Stryg furrowed his brow, “So my magic…?”

“Magic doesn’t work near the lake,” Heather added.

“It’s why there aren’t any mages guarding the temple,” Veronica said.

“Guys, if we’re going to be doing this, we should hurry,” Damian said impatiently. “The longer we stay near Shadow Lake, the worse the effects are.”

“He’s right, we’ll all end up sick if we don’t move quickly,” Veronica admitted.

Stryg nodded faintly and slowly pushed himself to his feet, “...Let’s get going.”

~~~

The canoe was larger than expected, the five of them were able to fit in with some room spare. It was twice the size of the canoes the Blood Fang tribe had. Stryg supposed it made sense, goblins were smaller after all, though it still felt strange sitting inside the overtly large boat. Or maybe it was just the atmosphere itself was unnatural.

The air felt thick, it was difficult to breathe, and he found himself taking only short breaths. Veronica had deemed him too debilitated to row and had placed him at the center of the canoe.

Stryg spent the time staring into the lake’s dark waters as the others rowed. The lake held no reflection of moonlight or anything else for that matter. In the darkness, the waters were pitch black, liquid shadows swirling all around them. It was mesmerizing. Stryg leaned over and stretched his forefinger towards the water.

“Don’t get too close,” Veronica warned. “Any mageborn who falls into the lake is as good as dead. If you thought the air around here was bad, the water is ten times worse. You’ll drown long before you manage to swim back to shore.”

“...Duly noted,” Stryg mumbled. He didn’t know how to swim in the first place, so without his blue torrent magic at his disposal, he would drown anyway, but he thought it best not to mention that.

“How is everyone feeling?” Plum asked.

“I’m okay, just a little light-headed,” Heather said.

“Could be better, I’m starting to feel pretty nauseous,” Damian admitted.

“Same. Hopefully, it’ll get better once we’re at the temple,” Veronica said.

“How about you, Stryg?” Plum whispered.

“...I’m freezing,” Stryg rubbed his trembling arms. He felt sick to the stomach, his chest hurt, and it was getting harder to breathe. But unlike his shivering, it was easier to hide the other symptoms, so he said nothing else. He needed to appear as strong as possible or at the very least not completely incompetent.

“Sorry, Stryg. I’ll treat you to dinner when we get back to the city,” Veronica smiled.

“What?” Damian asked indignantly.

“Let’s just focus on getting to the temple, yeah?”  Plum said. “The chaos effects are still pretty bad in there, but it’s better than being out here on the water.”

“Sounds good,” Stryg wheezed between short breaths.

“There it is,” Heather pointed to the wooden walkway floating around the old ruins.

“Let’s get a little closer,” Veronica said.

Damian nodded and they both rowed the canoe to the edge of the walkway. Heather threw a noose around one of the wooden pillars and secured the canoe.

Veronica leaped up on the walkway and turned around with a grin, “What did I say? Easy.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Plum rolled her eyes and stepped up on the wooden planks.

Damian and Heather followed after her. Stryg tried to steady himself before he slowly pulled himself up as well.

“Are you okay?” Plum asked him.

“I’m fine,” Stryg forced himself to smile.

“...If you say so,” she nodded carefully.

“Lead the way, Plum,” Veronica said.

“Me?” she frowned. “This is your plan.”

“Yeah, but you’re my dad’s assistant,” Veronica said. “You know this temple better than any of us.”

“...Fine,” Plum sighed. “Alright, everyone, follow me. And try to be quiet, sound carries further over water.”

They all nodded in agreement and followed Plum as she slowly tiptoed down the makeshift walkway. A guard suddenly turned the corner and came face to face with her. Plum froze at the sight of the guard, her face pale with fear.

“Intruders!” the guard screamed and pulled out his sword.

Veronica reached her arm out, “Wait, we can explain-!”

Stryg barreled past the others and tackled the guard to the ground. He roared with anger and bashed the soldier’s head into the planks over and over, the wood cracking beneath them.

Plum stared in frozen shock. She shook her head, rushed over and grabbed Stryg’s shoulders, “Stop, Stryg! Stop! He’s already dead…”

Stryg’s arms grew stiff. He released the bloody broken skull and looked up at Plum in a daze, “I… he was going to…”  His head swayed and he tumbled over.

“Stryg!” Plum’s arms shot out and caught him before he fell off the walkway. “He’s heavy, help!” she grimaced.

Veronica ran over and pulled Stryg back onto the planks. “Damn it, you’re right, he’s heavy,” she groaned. “What the fuck does he have in his pockets? A chest of gold?”

“What the fuck are you guys even talking about!?” Heather whispered angrily. “He just killed one of House Thorn’s elite guards! Lady Thorn will have our heads for this! Why was there a guard on the walkway anyway!? I thought you said they didn’t cross over the pier.”

“Clearly, I was wrong,” Veronica grumbled.

Plum patted Stryg’s cheek, he didn’t move. She cursed under her breath, “Fuck, he’s unconscious. We gotta get him out of here.”

Damian took a step away from Stryg, “Um, Is no one going to talk about how he just killed that guy like a damn gorilla?” 

“Hey, do you guys hear that?” Heather whispered.

Veronica closed her eyes, she could hear the faint rumbling of footsteps in the distance. Her eyes snapped open, “The guards are coming! We need to get out of here!”

“Not without Stryg!” Plum said resolutely.

“Trust me, I wasn’t gonna leave Mister Cutie behind,” Veronica grinned. “Damian, now would be a great time for those big muscles of yours.”

“Right,” he nodded and helped the women lift Stryg up. “He really is heavy,” Damian muttered with a wince.

“Talk later, move now!” Heather ran back to the canoe.

Plum and the others nodded and carried Stryg quickly. They laid him gently down in the center of the boat and jumped towards the back. Heather pulled out a dagger and sliced off the canoe’s rope. Veronica and Damian picked up the paddles and began to row away.

“Well, this could have gone a lot better,” Veronica sighed.

“No shit,” Heather spat.

“Hey, it’s not Veronica’s fault,” Damian said.

“Oh my gods, stop defending her, it’s totally her fault,” Heather glared at them.

“At least we’re alive,” Damian said.

“Um, guys, what is that?” Plum pointed behind them.

A myriad of torchlights glowed dimly above the lake’s dark waters.

Veronica’s eyes widened, “Oh shit, the guards are using the supply canoes! There’s gotta be at least ten boats out there!”

“Paddle faster!” Heather yelled.

“We’re doing the best we can!” Damian grunted. “Why don’t you help us!?”

“I can’t, Veronica only brought two fucking paddles!” Heather snapped.

“They’re gaining on us!” Plum said anxiously.

“Oh gods, I can’t die like this!” Damian paddled frantically.

“We should just surrender,” Heather muttered. “If we explain what happened to Calex he can talk to his mom for us. We’ll be fine, right? We’re still aristocrats from Great Houses, the guards won’t kill us just for trespassing.”

“Probably, but what about them?” Veronica glanced at Plum and Stryg. “A guard is dead. Surrendering isn’t an option. We have to keep paddling!”

A supply canoe exploded in a burst of flames. The guards' dying screams echoed across the lake.

“W-what the fuck was that?” Heather whispered.

“A… flame spell?” Damian frowned.

“No, that’s not possible,” Veronica said.

“Some kind of red potion, maybe?” Plum muttered.

“No, potions don’t work on the lake either,” Veronica said.

Heather bit her lip, “Then what the hell was tha-?”

Another explosion echoed in the distance and then another. One by one the supply canoes burst into flames and were smothered out by the dark waters. In mere seconds their torch lights disappeared and the guards’ cries were silenced.

“Guys, what the fuck just happened…?” Heather mumbled.

“I knew that temple was cursed,” Damian shivered. “We should have never come here.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” an eerie voice whispered.

Plum and the others almost jumped out of their seats in shock. They spun around and were frozen with fear at the sight of a 10-foot specter. The specter stood at the tip of the canoe’s stern as if it did not even weigh a feather. Its pale white cloak billowed in the wind, but there was no wind, not even a breeze.

Though its features were obscured, Plum felt its eyes land over her. She backed away, but there was nowhere to run. Death had never felt so close, she could practically feel it breathing down her neck, eager to end her small spark of life.

“I should have guessed it was you,” Holo sighed, a trace of annoyance in her voice.

“Wha-wha…?” Plum stammered.

Holo slowly glanced over the others and spotted Stryg lying unconscious. Holo stiffened. “What happened?” she asked worriedly.

“Huh?” Veronica blinked. 

Holo’s pale cloak shivered and her form grew smaller until she stood no taller than Plum. She hopped into the canoe with a light step. Veronica and the others did their best to quickly move out of her way.

Holo ignored the drows and crouched next to Stryg. She traced her fingers over his chest, “What have you fools done?”

Plum licked her lips nervously, “Um, it… It was the lake. The chaos mana in the air… It affected his body worse than most…”

Veronica nodded stiffly, “He’s just unconscious, once we’re back on shore he’ll be fine. Most people recover from mana flow disruption after a few hours.”

“…It’s not a flow disruption…” Holo said bitterly. “It’s the little one’s heart… He’s dying.”

“What?” Plum’s voice cracked. “N-no, he can’t be…”

“There's no time to waste. All of you, hold on tight, this might hurt a bit,” Holo stretched her arms out and grabbed onto the sides of the canoe.

Plum swallowed, “What do you mean-?”

The world flashed bright orange. The drows flinched and covered their eyes. Suddenly the world was dark once more.

Plum’s head ached as if she had just gone through the worst drinking binge of her life. She slowly opened her eyes and frowned in confusion. They were still in the canoe, but they were back in the woodlands, a few dozen paces from the black shore.

“What just happened?” Plum whispered.

“…Is… everyone okay?” Veronica asked weakly.

“Ugh, I feel sick,” Heather grimaced and held her stomach.

Damian threw his head over the canoe and vomited.

“Oh no…” Plum glanced around restlessly. 

The white specter was gone and so was Stryg.