Arc IV: The Last Play...

  Chapter 36 – Prelude...

  Ambris grinned and stretched both arms out. “Arise, my Hearth!”

  ‘His Hearth?’ Faris looked around as all the wizards stood up. ‘This bastard! After Marion took him to the cleaners he knew he wasn’t gonna survive for long. That’s when he must’ve planned this.’

  The Basilisk looked directly at the Mystic who gulped and began charging his Ki. “Wondering how I did it?” he chuckled. “Makes you furious, doesn’t it? You were there.” He pointed. “You saw me die, Faris. So, what happened?”

  The wizards’ attention was now diverted to the Freelance Mystic. Seredums stepped closer to him, so did Ella.

  Faris finally smiled. “You know, it’s almost good to see you Ambris,” he said. “There was a time when I used to look up to you as an inspiration.”

  “I’m flattered…”

  Suddenly, Ambris rushed at Faris with blinding speed, grabbed him by the throat, and dragged him back. As soon as he smashed the Mystic against a tree, he vanished and appeared right where he was before. Turning around, he looked at the Basilisk.

  “How did you do it?” Faris asked. “Your soul… how did they keep it from moving on?”

  Ambris straightened himself as he stretched his neck. Massaging his shoulder then, he too turned to look at Faris. “Like I said…” His smile turned into a giggle. The wizards joined in, chuckling and snickering. “It must make you furious.”

  In Athens, the Seear and his team had felt the Celestial Ki as well. They sensed it originating from southeastern Europe and used tracking spells to sense and scope the area.

  “Is everyone sensing the same thing here?” Dustin asked. They recognized the powerful Ki signature – that familiar overwhelming Ki of the Basilisk.

  “It cannot be!” Renekom muttered, wide-eyed. “The dead cannot be brought back to life!”

  Michael shook his head. “The Hearth has played us all!”

  “Forget the bounty hunter!” the Seear shouted. “Someone needs to answer for this! Dustin!”

  The Mystic, Dustin Flores stepped ahead. “Sir?”

  “Pinpoint a location. We have to go there and deal with this matter promptly!”

  Rafael, another Mystic in the group, observed his seniors for a bit but could not help but opine. “But is that the right course of action, Master Mujin?” he mused. “Shouldn’t we band together with the operatives at the outpost and then collect intel before we act? No telling what traps they’ve set up there.”

  “Romania has been a ritual site in the past as well,” Rebecca added, agreeing with her fellow Parliamentarian.

  “No!” Renekom promptly quieted them. “There is no time! We must act now!”

  At the forest, the Seredums now began to charge Ki. Before they could attack Ambris, however, wizards of the Hearth surrounded them. Ella and Faris joined in and a battle ensued.

  Derek escaped to where Ambris stood. “My Lord,” he said, half bowed. “If I may…”

  He brought out one last remnant of the Xoitique Stone from his robe. “I saved this, my Lord…”

  Ambris looked at the piece and thought for a moment. “This is to rejuvenate my Ki networks,” he said. “Very smart of you, Derek. But tell me, did you do all of this?”

  Derek bowed even deeper. “My Lord.”

  “How?”

  “Alchemy.”

  “Alchemy?” Ambris’s gaze narrowed. “When did you learn Alchemy?”

  “After your… untimely passing, sire. The thing is…” he looked up. “The Eye blamed their defeat in the ‘90s on the Outsiders and shut them down. And with no Outsiders, I found easy access to certain restricted areas and libraries. I found Alchemical literature there. I studied it. Practiced it. For this moment alone.”

  The Basilisk kept listening attentively and then got lost in thought. Looking down, his narrowed gaze fixated on the ground, he asked, “You accessed Amazonian libraries?”

  “No, of course not. But some European and African sites the Outsiders guarded had a few ancient texts. Once they were gone, it was easy to extract what I needed.”

  “Ah…” Ambris looked up and smiled. “I see. And… had you any help doing this?”

  “Your letters, my Lord. That was all the guidance I needed.”

  As Derek bowed again, Ambris nodded, smiling. ‘I never wrote about any library in those letters… this poor tongue-man...’

  “Interesting,” he whispered, looking around, feeling the world again. “It is time we continue our plans… and the Outsiders aren’t even here anymore.” He looked up at the sky. “Well done, old friend…”

  Derek wondered. He just explained that he had no part to play in the end of the Outsiders and yet Ambris was applauding him. But in fact, he was not. Derek was a servant. He was applauding a friend…

  “How long?” Ambris asked. “How long was I gone for?”

  “Seven years, sire.”

  “Really?” The Basilisk looked at Derek. “That long? This should’ve happened sooner.”

  “It was Hedish, sire… he… ah… he began working different angles.”

  Slowly nodding, Ambris turned his attention towards the wizards trying to bring the Mystics and Seredums down. “They’re wasting time,” he said.

  Derek looked at him. “They will win, my Lord. There’s just too many of them.”

  “Yes. But it will take too much time. Reinforcements must already be on their way…”

  “Then what should we do, my Lord? Just give the word and we shall obey… as always.”

  He looked around. “Give me the remnant and call them off. I will take care of them myself.” Looking at the Alchemist, he asked, “Where are the Serpents? I can’t sense anyone but you here.”

  “Only one call away, my Lord.”

  “Good… we’ll need them soon. For now, call off the Hearth.”

  “My Lord?”

  “I’ll take care of them. Should be a good workout…”

  The wizards were powerless against the Mystics and the Seredums but were there in overwhelming numbers. They would have tired the quintet down eventually.

  The Alchemist yelled, “Stop!” and the wizards engaged in battle stopped and moved away.

  “What now?” Ella asked, looking at the cloaked men and women moving away.

  “Now,” Faris shook his head. “Now the real battle begins.”

  He shook his head thinking, ‘That backup better be good and better get here fast…’

  The wizards rushed away as Ambris began walking towards them.

  “Master!” the young Mystic exclaimed. She stared – her eyes widened, glassy with panic. “His Ki charge… how much…?!”

  Her voice failed her entirely, collapsing into silence. Half turned away, her shoulders curled inward as if trying to shield her heart, while a cold shiver crawled up her spine. Even her Ki recoiled, trembling under the weight of Ambris’s approaching presence and overwhelming aura. Every instinct in her screamed to run.

  “Brace yourself, young one,” Faris said as he assumed a battle stance.

  Closing in, his strides got longer and soon, Ambris was running at them. His swelling Ki distorted the air itself – leaves tore free from the forest floor and dust spiraled outward in a sudden, violent gust.

  Suddenly, a portal opened in his way and sucked him in. It was Faris. He had thrown Ambris into the Continuum of Sempiternity.

  “Good job, Master Naji,” Eira said, smiling excitedly.

  Just moments later another portal opened behind the smiling Seredum sister. An arm stretched out and grabbed her by the head. Ambris casually walked out, dragging Eira along.

  “What was that supposed to be, Faris?” he asked. “We worked together. You should’ve known better.”

  ‘He just got revived,’ Faris thought, staring at Ambris, wide-eyed. ‘The Continuum should’ve discombobulated him. How are his senses that damn precise already?!’

  Eila rushed at him. He moved out of her way and avoided the attack easily. Eira then phased through his grip and got herself loose.

  He smiled, looking at his hand. “Oh, so there’s some spirituality here…”

  Erina, noticing the Basilisk staring at his own hand, rushed at him. He dodged her first attack but the Seredum quickly turned around and kicked him in the gut pushing him back. Her following punch was blocked easily by Ambris using his wrist.

  “Not like that, Ambris…” Erina’s next punch phased through his defences and struck him right in the face. The Seredum remained on the offensive and was able to land some lusty blows.

  A massive right hook then threw the Basilisk back. He fell on the ground on his back. After only a moment’s pause, Erina signalled her sisters to join in. The trio rushed at Ambris who had still not gotten up to his feet. But before they could strike, he teleported and appeared behind them.

  “Good,” he said, nodding.

  The Seredums quickly turned around and rushed at him once more. This time, they were assisted by Faris. The sisters came at the Basilisk from in front of him while the Mystic attacked from behind.

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  He simply smiled and, before they could strike, vanished once more leaving them punching a smoke cloud.

  The wizards laughed and mocked them as the Seredums and Faris stood looking around trying to locate Ambris.

  His teleportation was simple. It could have been tracked. But because of the forest’s peculiar Ki distortions, he remained untraceable.

  “I like this one…” Ambris stood smiling, barely six inches behind Ella. She stood frozen, her muscles tensed as if the very air pressing off his Ki was weighing her down. “She understands how helpless you people are right now.”

  Out of utter fear, the young Mystic screamed at the top of her lungs as she spun around and took a jab at Ambris almost instinctively. But he vanished once more. This time he appeared close to the Seredums and ran at Eila.

  She stood firm. Seredums were direct disciples of Keepers and knew extra spatial manipulation. They could phase through any material. Direct attacks of the kind were never going to hurt them.

  “Bring it on,” she quietly said, balling up her fists, prepared to counter.

  Smiling, Ambris stretched his fingers straight. Ki extended from the tips and formed a sharp blade. But the Seredum remained unmoved. Ki attacks were just as useless against her.

  The Basilisk struck. His arm did go through the youngest Seredum sister but not in the way she had hoped. She felt a warm sensation in her chest and looked down.

  “No…” Faris whispered.

  Not only was Ambris able to strike the Seredum but he had pierced her body and his arm had gone right through her. As he then jerked his arm back, a gaping hole was left in Eila’s body. She stumbled back, coughing blood.

  “Eila!” Erina screamed and rushed to the sister’s aide. Faris came running as well while Eira attacked Ambris who was forced to move back to avoid.

  Erina asked, “Why didn’t you phase through?”

  She found it hard to speak. “I… I… cou… I couldn’t…” she stuttered.

  The young Seredum fell back into her sisters arms. There was little anyone could have done for her.

  Tears in her eyes, Erina whispered helplessly, “No, Eila… please…”

  She quickly looked up at Faris. “Where the hell is your damned backup?!”

  Eira, after pushing Ambris away, leaped back and landed alongside her sisters. “How did he do that?” she asked. “He’s not a Keeper nor a Seredum. No one should’ve been able to strike Eila like that.”

  “And I repeat,” Ambris said, loudly. “It makes you furious, doesn’t it?”

  Ella came running to the others as well.

  “How is he doing this, arcanists?” Ambris giggled. “Sacrilege!”

  Placing the dying sister down, Erina stood up. “You’re just a trickster… who has no right to be among the living. Your soul belongs to the dead.”

  She stretched her arms out. Keepers, and even their disciples, had the ability to communicate directly with and command spirits.

  “Be gone,” she whispered.

  Ambris’s body got stiff and he was pushed a few paces towards her before he unleashed a Ki shockwave and broke free from her control leaving the eldest Seredum sister dumbfounded.

  “Don’t be that surprised, o spiritually active beings.” Ambris steadied himself and stood tall. He raised two fingers in mocking air quotes. “You’re not ‘special’. It’s just knowledge; anyone can acquire it.”

  Erina and Eira glanced at their dead sister lying behind them and then shared a look. Anger and frustration took the better of them as without hesitation or planning, they rushed to attack Ambris.

  Faris yelled at them to stop, but they were adamant on bringing down the brute who had just murdered their sister.

  “This is futile,” Ambris said, grinning, as he comfortably kept blocking or avoiding the Seredums’ attacks.

  Ella ran over to Faris. “Should we join them?”

  “Not like this,” he replied. “We need a coordinated attack formation. We can take him. He’s still weak.”

  She stared wide-eyed. “He’s weak?!”

  “Oh, yes, Ella. At his peak, the Basilisk could achieve laminar Ki flow and was much stronger than what you’re witnessing here.” Looking at her, he explained, “His body is still adjusting and Ki is still not fully in his control.”

  “But they’ll die.”

  “Yeah, possibly…” He sighed. “Let’s join in.”

  The Mystics ran to the aide of the Seredums.

  The battle got intense. Ambris Ferrer’s strength and versatility were on full display but the Devil’s Hearth was starting to feel uneasy. Four against one – the Basilisk was being dragged back. Until eventually he punched the ground with a Ki charged fist. Apart from uprooting the ground beneath him, the impact unleashed a shockwave which pushed all his adversaries many paces back. The elders, Erina and Faris were able to steady themselves, but both the young ones lost their balance and fell to the ground.

  “Watch out!” Faris yelled.

  Ambris came running at Eira who had barely stood up. Channelling Ki into her balled fist, she took a jab at him. Her punch barely turned his face while his two Ki blades extending from his hands pierced through her chest. He dug them deeper. She grunted. The Ki blades tore right through the back of her poncho and blood gushed out staining her white suit.

  “So weak,” Ambris whispered. He pulled his hands apart, and Eira’s body parted with them – top half falling at his feet, the rest crumpling backward.

  A voice in his head whispered, ‘He’ll kill them all!’ as Faris forcibly charged his Ki to a maximum.

  “FORACIM-TERAFIM-SIGFRED!” he chanted and charged at Ambris. The spell helped him forge a rock-hard layer of Ki atop his arms and legs. He unleashed a barrage of punches and kicks and engaged the Basilisk alone.

  While Erina sat beside Eira – wide-eyed, sweating, and still unable to come to terms with what had already transpired – Ella stood frozen in the middle of the ritual site. She could not get herself to move. She could not even breathe properly.

  Ambris Ferrer was a versatile fighter. She had heard in stories. But witnessing it first hand was unlike anything she could have expected. He had countered the Seredums’ peculiar magic easily, was going toe-to-toe with Faris, an extremely talented Mystic, and handled both Magicism and Ki Manipulation with unnerving ease.

  But none of that was what terrified her the most… it was his sheer, impossible strength.

  No unusual wizardry, no alchemy, no demonic magic – just pure raw physical power, overwhelming Ki, and a ferocity that felt more beast than man. No weapons. No charms. No enhancement spells...

  It was all him.

  And he was not even at his maximum power yet.

  Ambris and Faris’s fists smashed against one another. The shockwave pushed even the trees back. Everyone felt the pure raw Ki forcing them away. Faris had still not recovered fully from his battle against the Hearth four days ago. But he was no pushover. At his ferocious best, he could rival the likes of Hugo Baylis and Obadiah Moore in direct combat.

  “Well done, Faris,” Ambris said, smiling, as he leaped away. “You’ve gotten stronger in my absence.”

  The Mystic established a telepathic link between Erina, Ella, and himself. “Listen up,” he said. “He’ll tap into this telepathic link as well, sooner or later. So, I’ll say this once – I’ll lead. Just back me up. And remember one thing above all else – he can counter anything you throw at him so don’t try to be a hero!”

  Erina stood up. “Ella!” she called. “Let’s do this!”

  Ella looked over and gulped before nodding slowly. ‘This is it,’ she told herself, taking a deep breath in. ‘You always wanted to work alongside the best Mystics. Well, this is your chance. You’re not getting out of this alive either way.’

  The ladies charged their Ki as much as they could and got ready to join Faris.

  Elsewhere, all four Mystics of the Seear’s group had pinpointed the location. “We have a lock, sir,” Dustin said.

  The quartet was sitting cross-legged on the ground with heavy tracking spells deployed. In minutes they had triangulated Ambris’s exact location.

  Renekom, standing with his arms folded, nodded. “Where?”

  “The forest.” Dustin looked up. He opened his mouth, closed it, then tried again, fingers tightly clasped at the knees. A deep breath and he finally said, “Hoia-Baciu…”

  The Seear and all his associates were left wide-eyed.

  “You were right to fear the Cults,” Michael said. “This just confirms that the ritual sight is still being actively used!”

  “Regardless, we need to get there fast.” He let his arms fall, shoulders squaring as he shifted into command mode. “Form the teleportation circle, lock into the forest, and get us there now!”

  Ambris clashed with the trio. Faris was in the lead, assisted by the confident and raging Erina and the cautious Ella, desperately hoping for their backup to arrive soon.

  It did not take long before the Basilisk began avoiding Faris, blocking Erina, and attacking Ella – she was the weakest link. It unsettled their formation and forced the seniors to concentrate more on defending their junior rather than focusing on attacking Ambris.

  While Faris undid Ambris’s wind tunnel he was trapped in, the brute punched Erina away. Ella, gathering all the confidence she could, attempted to charge and punch him. He easily avoided it by spinning on his left foot and then countered by kicking her in the back with his Ki filled right leg. She flew many paces and then hit the ground hard, rolling over the dirt before smashing into a tree. She attempted, but could not get up. The young Mystic grunted in pain.

  The wizards chanted and cheered their leader. He took a quick look around, smiling, but was not about to let his enemies recuperate. He rushed at Ella.

  “Die!” he whispered as he leaped in the air, right fist glowing bright. In midair, he punched – a Ki beam erupted from the tip of his fist and screamed toward Ella.

  The flare of his own Ki drowned the space before him in blinding light, and by the time it cleared, Ella was already gone... sucked into the Continuum and moved away beyond his reach.

  “Faris,” Ambris whispered as he landed and turned around. “You’ve become quite the user of the Continuum portals.” He chuckled. “But I’m afraid you’ve only delayed the inevitable.”

  Erina waited. Faris walked over. Ambris too stood charging his Ki.

  “Ideas?” the Seredum asked.

  Faris took a deep breath. “Not a one…”

  “Backup?”

  He chuckled as he shook his head. “Same old, same old…”

  The cheers grew louder. The wizards had succeeded in bringing their leader back to his life and were now witnessing his strength.

  “Hail, the Basilisk!” they chanted. “All hail, the Basilisk!”

  “Hold nothing back,” Faris eventually said and charged. Erina followed closely behind. Ambris too charged and they met in combat once more. But this time, the Basilisk noticed a difference in approach from his adversaries.

  Faris was staying close to Ambris, not letting him settle or conjure up long spells. Erina, on the other hand, was staying a safe distance away not letting the Basilisk attack her directly. She was throwing long range spells and using the elements from her surroundings to disorient the brute and give Faris as many opportunities to land hits as possible.

  Their offensive was fast, ruthless, and accurate. Ambris was still not at his best. This man was rated at 4000 at his peak by the Eye. But just back from the dead, he was beginning to feel overpowered by a man with a rating of 3000 and his Seredum aide.

  Gusts of wind, mud and stones, and vines pulled from the trees behind them – Erina was using everything she could to confuse Ambris and keep his concentration divided. Whereas Faris was content with attacking with his bare hands. All his Ki charge was concentrated into his fists. And he had begun to land meaningful blows.

  He quietly began to hope. ‘Come on, Ambris. Keep that ego for just a little while longer… don’t call for backup... keep fighting alone.’

  The Mystic and the Seredum were collaborating well and felt more comfortable. Ella had been teleported away, Eira and Eila were dead – they had nothing left to lose and had everything to fight for. They were giving it their all. And they had begun to gain a slight yet visible upper hand.

  Stones rose from the ground and trapped Ambris in a pillory. Before he could break free, Faris pounced on him. With a stiff layer of Ki turning his fists hard as hammers, he gave the Basilisk a swift punch pushing him back. The next uppercut hit cleanly as well, shattering the pillory. The brute went flying away only to be caught in a mud trap created by Erina.

  “TAKATA-HATA-PETRICHOR,” Faris chanted and dropped into a wide, grounded stance, drawing atmospheric Ki from his surroundings into his clasped hands at his hip.

  Erina leaped in and stood beside him. She too began to channel Ki into her hands to unleash a powerful attack to take out Ambris once and for all.

  Her Ki Manipulation and sensing abilities were not as sharp as Faris’s.

  The Mystic sensed what she could not.

  Letting go of the Ki in his hands, he leaped away.

  “Erina!” he shouted. “Look out!”

  By the time she did, two stone arrows pierced through her chest and one went through her neck.

  The ones aimed at the Mystic got embedded in the ground beside her.

  Faris landed and saw Ambris unleash a Ki shockwave to get himself free from the mud trap. He looked over at the Alchemist walking towards his master with more stone arrows hovering over his head.

  Panting, the Mystic whispered, “Was gonna happen sooner or later…”

  Half bowed, Derek apologised. “My apologies, my Lord.”

  “Good shot, Derek.” Ambris dusted himself off. “I’ll need a little more time to get back on my feet.”

  He then shifted his focus towards Faris once more. “So, Faris Naji… looks like our game is at its end.”

  Faris took a deep breath with closed eyes. Looking up at the sky then he smiled. “Looks like it…”

  Wizards of the Devil’s Hearth had begun surrounding him. Sweating, panting, and running out of Ki, surrounded by a thousand wizards being led by an Alchemist and the most powerful arcanist of the world – his chances of survival were slim to none.

  “Why don’t you use the Continuum to run away, Faris?” Ambris asked, smiling.

  “Hmm…” The Mystic smiled and looked at him. “Tough to escape your senses.”

  “Then give up. And I’ll let you live to see the destruction of the Eye.”

  “Thanks… but I’ll pass.”

  As the wizards closed in, Faris stretched his arms wide. A sword appeared in each hand and he began charging his Ki. As he assumed a battle stance once again, a faint whisper escaped his lips – “One last dance…”