EPISODE 65: AN OLD SOUL

Vash staggered to his feet, still disoriented from the savage attack on his Core. Cass stood just ahead of him, to his left. She did not carry a weapon. In fact, she looked more like a wealthy merchant's daughter or a noble than the adventurers that he usually associated with.

"I thought you were gone." Vash said, his voice a rough croak.

It was a near thing. Cass said, not taking her eyes off of Zakarias. I was dormant while trying to heal. Strangely enough, Zakarias bringing me to this place sped up the process.

Zakarias scowled at them, a red glow flaring in his eyes. "I'm glad I could facilitate your reunion. Though it means more work for me, I think this will work out in my favor. An ancient soul like yours, my dear, will provide an excellent anchor for the Dungeon Heart. Then my prince will have a gateway right to the heart of his enemies in the south."

It's rude to comment on a lady's age. Cass said, the blue aura surrounding her darkening, and her voice taking on a deeper timbre.

Zakarias smiled mirthlessly. "Let's see how well your experience helps you here."

Red bolts of energy, like the ones Vash dodged earlier, streaked towards Cass. Vash flinched back reflexively. Cass stood her ground, unperturbed. Inches from her body, the bolts collided with an invisible shield, reducing them to red and orange sparks.

She looked at Zakarias disdainfully. Is this the best a sorcerer can do in this age? I'm insulted.

A wall of white flame erupted between herself and Zakarias, curving back and around the sorcerer. The pillar of flame shrank in radius until it consumed Zakarias. Vash could see his thin, shadowy outline through the roaring flames. Zakarias appeared tense, straining against Cass, but he didn't seem like he was in pain. After a moment, Zakarias gave a grunt of effort and the pillar of flame erupted outwards, disappearing into tiny motes of flame that vanished a heartbeat later.

"Impressive." Zakarias said, straightening his scholar's robes. "But you don't have the strength to maintain that sort of power for long. You're detached from your own Source, and it's only a matter of time before I wear you down."

The stone hand burst from the ground directly in front of Cass. She flung out a hand, contemptuously, and the stones flew apart in all directions.

Several streaked back towards Zakarias. The sorcerer blurred, the stones passed through his body, and he reformed once they passed. With a sneer and a wave of his hand, the stone floor beneath Cass and Vash fell away. The stones plummeted hundreds of feet before disappearing into the roiling mist.

Cass did not move. Vash felt his heart leap into his throat as he dropped. The sudden sensation of weightlessness awakened the primal fear in his mind and he flailed for something to hold on to. His fall suddenly stopped, and he hung suspended just below the level of the jagged stones that now formed a kind of cliff.

This place isn't reality the way you think of it. Cass' voice echoed in Vash's mind. He didn't see her lips moving, so guessed that this was her speaking to him in his mind. It's a construct in the ethereal plane. Like a dream, and the rules are the same as a dream. If you think you can do it, you can do it. The victory goes to the fighter with the stronger will. You must believe something to make it happen.

The words made sense, but Vash did not know how to make use of them. Cass sent a wave of blue-white energy at Zakarias, aiming for his midsection. He clapped his hands together, forming a wedge-shape with his long, skeletal fingers. The wave of energy split, like water striking the prow of a ship. Energy flowed around Zakarias, leaving him completely unharmed.

In return, Zakarias formed a lance of flame and hurled it at Cass. She dodged it easily, floating off to one side. The lance curled back around, becoming a rope of flame. One end looped around Cass' ankle and tightened down hard.

Cass let out a cry of frustration. The glowing rope flew back into Zakarias' hand and went taut with an audible snap. Zakarias pulled the rope like he was calling a dog to heel. Cass skidded forward, pulled closer to the stone floor and Zakarias.

Vash felt the force holding him aloft slacken. He dropped a few terrifying inches before Cass grabbed hold of him again.

It's just like in a dream. Vash thought to himself, trying to make it make sense. His dreams were often uncontrollable nightmares, but now and again, he would have a moment of clarity. The dream world would bend to his will and he could face the giant monster, or spit in the eye of Duke Adolus, or…fly.

Vash summoned all his will, just like he would when preparing to use a Talent. This time, instead of forming the construct for a Talent, he imagined himself being able to fly, to control his motions in the air.

A wobbly, tentative sensation coursed over Vash's body. It felt like trying to regain balance when perching on a beam or rooftop. His focus veered wildly from certainty to doubt and back again. Vash lurched in the air again as Zakarias yanked on Cass' rope.

Cass cursed in a language that Vash didn't understand and flung a hand at Zakarias. Sharp stakes of stone shot up from the ground. Zakarias moved quickly out of the way, but wasn't entirely fast enough. A stone spear pierced his leg, letting loose a stream of misty astral essence. Zakarias hissed in pain and tried to pull away, but the spear held him fast. Cass held her hand out, a look of pure concentration on her face. The look of annoyance on Zakarias' face vanished, replaced by one of fury. His brow furrowed, and he pulled with all his will on the stone that held him. Gleaming beads of sweat formed on Cass' forehead.

She's holding him in place with her will. Vash thought. Her belief is keeping him prisoner.

Zakarias grimaced in pain, dragging his leg to one side. The hole in his leg widened, letting a steady stream of mist escape from the wound. Vash idly wondered what would happen if Zakarias emptied of astral mist. Was it like blood? Would he die or simply wake up?

It's best not to find out. Cass' voice sounded strained in his head. I could use some help here. He is far stronger than I realized.

I'll try. Vash replied, focusing on his will, solidifying his belief in what he was about to do.

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The air beneath Vash's feet felt more solid the more he thought about it. Not looking down, Vash let one boot settle on the 'ground', then the other. He relaxed, letting his weight settle on to the solid air formed from his belief. Vash felt Cass' attention turn from him, letting him go. He wobbled for a moment, then focused on the truth that there was something solid beneath his feet.

A trickle of power started filling the empty recesses of his Core. It didn't feel like mana. This power felt different, lighter, more ephemeral, like the roiling mists all around them.

Ethereal energy. Cass said, her voice less strained. Zakarias grunted in pain, his boots scraping as he moved backwards, erasing the progress he had made against Cass. It's what powers places like this.

Vash opened himself to the slow trickle, letting it fill him in chaotic, billowing jets. He felt more solid, more confident. The solid block of air beneath his feet became a cocoon that enveloped him and held him aloft.

With Cass able to return her concentration to the fight with Zakarias, the stone embedded in the sorcerer's leg spread, enveloping him up to the thigh. Vash thought he saw Zakarias blur momentarily a few times, but he could not pull himself free from Cass' grip.

Vash thought about the Shadowalk he tried to use. Instead of summoning the Talent formula, he focused on the place he wanted to go. He concentrated on a spot ten paces behind Zakarias. Tentatively, he reached for the ethereal energy that slowly filled his Core.

The effect was so sudden, Vash froze in shock. One moment he floated just behind Cass, the next he was standing in the exact spot he wanted to be. Not even Shadowalk was instantaneous. This felt like it took place in the space between heartbeats.

Zakarias looked around in surprise, searching for Vash and finally finding him standing only a few paces behind him. Lifting one hand, Zakarias sent a hail of rocks towards Vash. The rocks moved at speeds that would crush bone and pulverize flesh if they struck him.

Just like in a dream. Vash thought. He concentrated on what he needed to happen, then dipped into his ethereal energy. The energy flowed through his body, like a guard dog suddenly let off the leash. Vash didn't even have to lift a hand. The stones disintegrated in small puffs of rock dust at the speed of thought.

Vash grinned, then dashed towards the pinned sorcerer.

Zakarias lashed out with a second flame whip. Vash blinked two paces to the right, without breaking stride. A short sword of ebony glass, wreathed in black flames, appeared in his right hand. In his left hand, a shining silver dagger flashed into existence, appearing in his preferred toin'sur grip.

Bringing the flame whip back around, Zakarias let out a wordless battle cry, sweeping the line of fire towards Vash's midsection. Vash brought up his short sword, slashing through the line of fire. The whip sliced cleanly in two, the flame guttering out and leaving Zakarias empty-handed.

This all happened in a matter of heartbeats. Zakarias' eyes went wide in shock when Vash was suddenly upon him. Unable to move, Zakarias brought up a shield to block Vash's attacks. The midnight blade rebounded off the invisible shield, black and purple sparks flying from where Vash struck the shield.

Zakarias tried to push Vash back, but Vash imagined himself with roots as solid as the Gallows tree in Ragpicker's Hollow. He felt pressure, but his feet stayed firmly planted. Vash tried a new tactic. He slashed again, hard and fast with the midnight blade, causing Zakarias' shield to flash purple and make the harried sorcerer wince from the savagery of the assault.

While Vash rained blows down with his right hand, his left swept to one side. Pivoting after completing a blow with the midnight blade, Vash swept the silver blade swiftly across Zakarias' stomach. Vash touched his ethereal energy while committing to the belief that his attacks on Zakarias' shield left this part of his body open to assault.

The shield parted beneath the silver blade. Vash felt the barest whisper of energy when his hand passed through it. The long, silver blade sliced through robes and illusory flesh. A great gout of gray mist billowed out from the deep wound on Zakarias' side.

Letting out a cry of rage and pain, Zakarias faltered, dropping to one knee as his other leg remained held fast. Vash saw the healthy, confident visage of Zakarias flicker. For a moment, Zakarias was as he was outside this ethereal pocket, bent, twisted, and deformed. The sorcerer got control of himself a moment later, but Vash saw the panic in his eyes.

Vash looked down at the billowing cloud of ethereal energy flowing out of Zakarias' side. It looked like a severe wound. Strangely, the gray mists flowed in a single direction. As Vash watched, the mists flowed through the air towards Cass. A cloud of gray formed around her like a thunderhead, her strange blue-white glow illuminating the mists and casting strange shadows all around her.

Cass' face glowed with ecstasy. The look of a starving person luxuriating in their first rich meal in a long time as she drew more and more from Zakarias' wound.

Turning his attention back to Zakarias, Vash saw the sorcerer's self-image flicker again. Daze and panic showed plainly as he tried again and again to free himself.

What's she doing? Vash thought, trying not to broadcast his thoughts too loudly, concerned what Cass might think or do.

He need not have worried. Cass was so distracted by the joy of absorbing Zakarias' ethereal energy, that Vash could have shouted his suspicions and she would not have noticed.

I need to get us out of here. Vash thought. He brought me in here, so there must be some sort of connection between us. Maybe I can… He trailed off. The moment he imagined a tether between himself and Zakarias, a thin cord of glowing purple light appeared. The cord connected Vash to Zakarias, running from their Cores, like an umbilical. Then Vash spotted faint cords leading away from Zakarias. Dozens of threadlike connections, vanishing in the mist.

That must be his connection to the Scalebacks. Vash thought. The threads pulsed and squirmed, like they were alive and Vash could see that they were long and segmented, like a thread-thin worm. Vash recoiled in disgust.

A shiver of motion ran through the dozens of threads connected to Zakarias. Something was happening out in the real world. Zakarias shuddered, but seemed to gain strength from whatever was happening. He looked up at Vash, hate in his burning yellow eyes.

"It's time to end this," Zakarias said, taking a deep breath in through his nose. He inhaled the stream of ethereal energy, drawing it away from Cass. Blinking and confused, Cass floated in a cloud of rapidly vanishing mist. Zakarias held out a hand, a spear made of the same onyx glass as Vash's sword, appeared in his palm. He pivoted, raising the spear and preparing to throw it at Cass.

Blinking rapidly, Cass seemed barely aware of what was going on.

"May this sacrifice be the bridge between earth and shadow." Zakarias said, a half smile playing across his lips. "May it please my prince and usher in a return of his glory!"

Vash felt his face contort with rage. "Never!"

Zakarias startled, his focus on Cass so absolute that he forgot the threat at his back. Vash brought his sword down in a savage slice, putting all the will, focus, and ethereal energy he could muster into one lethal strike.

The sword did not sink into Zakarias, however, it sliced through the dozens of tiny threads that lead away from the sorcerer. The threads broke with a sound like wires snapping. Vash could feel the feedback of energy and mana.

Flashes of light erupted in the mist that surrounded their battlefield. The rocks trembled, dropping from the once-solid ground beneath his feet and opening great fissures into the void. Zakarias let loose a scream that Vash had never heard before and hoped to never hear again. It was almost as if Vash could hear the man's mind fracturing as connection after connection was severed.

Cracks appeared on the surface of Zakarias' body, like a brittle clay pot being dropped. The clouds of mist faded in the distance, revealing a spell form gleaming golden with mana. The spell form buzzed and flickered as Zakarias' mind could no longer hold on to the formula.

The stone floor shattered with a thunderous crack.

Vash felt himself falling. He tried to latch on to the belief that he could fly in this place, but waves of confusion and dizziness prevented him from getting a firm grip. He flailed about, trying to grab onto something, anything, as the spell form shattered like glass, spraying motes of golden mana into the void.

A cold, smooth hand slipped into his. Their fingers twining. Chaos raged around them, but Vash was suddenly safe in a tiny pocket of sanity.

I've got you. Cass said, as they plunged into utter darkness.

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