Blood dripped from the mage Eldritch goblin. In the end, it couldn’t survive the onslaught of flurried attacks brought upon it by a small young woman. A broken skull, along with multiple shattered bone had sealed the deal. The mage tried to defend, but its barrier spells were weak and untrained. After four swings the shield was crumbled like a tin can in a bench vise.

Clammy, who now looked as if she had bathed in crimson red paint, felt alive. Taking lives was something she cringed at, knowing that to enjoy killing was a spiral into her nightmares. She had tortured friends, family, random bystanders, anyone who had made an impact on her life. But in this instance she didn't see herself as the Queen in her nightmares but rather that she was doing good. Ridding the world of the abomination of the Eldritch while satisfying her revenge for her loved ones.

She took a moment, cleaning her face of soot, dirt, and her enemy’s fleshy bits. Across the open cavern Lesterwood’s raid team fought hard, securing their advance. It would only be a matter of time before reinforcements showed up, something she looked forward to. Not because she was tired or low on mana, but because it meant less would die. The horde of goblins seemed to be never ending. They clambered up the jagged rock face, pulling themselves up with engorged muscles before being blasted back. A lucky few made it to stable ground, only for a sword to slice through their flesh. A few of those were able to hide in the shadows, striking at their invaders only to be taken out by arrows.

It was a battle of never-ending numbers verses a strong defensible choke-point with veteran fighters. But arrows ran low, mana ran dry, swords weakened with every thrust. The only thing that kept them going was the hope of new recruits and the glory of destroying a vile Divine shrine. Clammy traced the wooden inlay of her reality bracelet Bishop had given her. It was a simplistic notion, one that brought comfort to the unknown future. It calmed her, something she hardly noticed she needed.

Bishop fought on the base level, he along with the other leaders pushed through mounds of non-Eldritch goblins. Their target was the [Hexer] at the end of the cavern. It alone had brought unprecedented strength at the start of the battle, and its silence since then had been disconcerting. Along with the non-hexed goblins that ran rampant. Why is it not hexing them? Clammy wondered, scanning her gaze across back to the raid team. She watched as a man with a double-edged sword activated an ability. He seemed to evaporate into steam, reappearing a meter away, sword already swinging down in an over hand slash. A goblin’s head rolled.

It looked like they had it, at least for the moment. Clammy jumped off her perch slowing her decent with altered gravity and leaving the broken mage behind. She investigated, slowly, peering arounds stalagmites and into crevasses. She tried to remain hidden, knowing that as soon as she was discovered she would be swarmed. Hearing echoes of cracking bone, she looked into a tent that was soon to be aflame.

The tent covered a secondary cave leading into an antechamber of sorts. It was maybe half the size of the main cavern, but every inch was filled with goblins. They twisted and woven together like a rat king, moans of death and liquidly coughs of blood filled the air. It reeked of filth, excrement, and decay, something that was only amplified by the sealed room. At the center of the mound was an Eldritch, it was big. Very big.

Easily three or four times larger than the already giant [Hexer], the monster sat picking its teeth with a bone. A bone with a foot attached on the other end. Its back was slanted, signaling to Clammy it knew not of the battle raging next door, but as dying goblins shifted one at a time, its ears flickered. A nearby goblin began to morph, it let out a loud hiss as its bones broke and muscles snapped. Before it could stand and join the battle, the monster reached down picking it up. With the force of a tier two adventurer, the monster’s teeth broke straight through the Eldritch’s reinforced body like it was a carrot.

Clammy’s mind spun trying to figure out what the hells was going on. Why was there a pile of dying goblins? Why were some getting turned into Eldritch? What was that thing? She dared not inspect the horror knowing that it she would be its next meal if she did. Clammy dove out of the antechamber doorway, hiding from a fresh Eldritch. It scurried up the rocks, adding to the endless army.

This is the [Hexer]’s ammo. Clammy realized. The battlefield seemed to freeze at this revelation. There were hundreds of goblins waiting their turn to evolve. If she could kill them all now… It would immediately turn the tide of the battle… But there was one small issue, actually one large issue. The Eldritch eating the goblins was too much for her. Maybe with Domic or Bishop, but alone she would have to run. But if I collapse the roof in…

Inspecting the doorway led her to believe a few hammer swings would be enough to cause a cave-in. At least, in the small tunnel leading into the antechamber. But the question of how she was going to kill a literal pile of goblins loomed over her. She could easily spend a few hours swinging away, but by then the raid would be over. Maybe she could cause the antechamber to flood? Unlikely. Not unless she could remain hidden from the monster…

A remnant of a previous conversation came to her, like a ghost saying ‘I love you’ to a loved one. “The spell works by compressing a large amount of flame into a singular small area-” Would that work? Max had a similar spell, condensing and heating water eventually making it explode. Maybe the same would work for her? A pulse of mana filled the palms of her hands. A quick check back into the antechamber showed the monster ignorant of the nearby magic. Clammy continued.

Her hands were getting heavy, to the point where she had to let go of the magic. It slammed straight into the ground, cracking the surrounding rock into a maw of sharp teeth. The spell fizzled away after Clammy cut off its mana supply. That avenue wouldn’t work. The spell had to be thrown somehow, simply raising the gravity of a particular area would eventually be impossible to move. But what if she pushed and pulled on a point at the same time?

An image of what she wanted formed in her head. It was similar to how she made herself float, pushing up from her feet while limiting height by pulling down from her head. Gravity began to push against itself, tightening from a fist to a marble. It was tough, two wells of magic fighting for dominance stemming from a single source. Rocks, sticks, and nearby debris rushed to the marble. Soon a ball of random trash hovered just before Clammy. But she was hardly affected. She pushed and pulled again; mana drained fast, fast enough to force her to dip into a trance.

Her Battle Trance was highly mana efficient, allowing her to drop the size of the marble significantly. She was pulled forward. A smile bloomed; it was working. Her breaths were long and deep, visible exhales were quickly pulled into the gravity anomaly. With each passing second, her breaths quickened, mana lowered, and the gravity pulled her harder. She was working with a time limit, so as soon as she had to grip a nearby wall, she gently pushed her spell.

It hovered slowly, still condensing and still increasing in power. A black sphere followed by a white ring became the main source of light. Candles and torches aflame had their fire pulled way, wrapping around the halo of white. They morphed together, lighting the rock and tent material. It pulled more and more fuel, ripping loose goblin clothing and planks of wood which made up the flooring. It hovered just past the center of the room, blazing minimally. The light from the fire seemed to be misplaced, almost hidden withing the center of the black and white sphere.

The monster took notice, swiping at the odd intruder. It was a light, hesitant attack, one used to probe rather than injure. Its massive hand was stuck for a moment, the monster having to rip it away to regain control of its appendage. A low growl echoed off the walls and vaulted ceiling. It was fully alert, stalking in a circle. The monster bent on its four legs, preparing to pounce. Muscles bulged, the goblins under its massive hands were crushed, its eyes turned dark, it moved.

Clammy reacted fast, seeing this as an opportunity rather than a threat. She poured nearly the rest of her reserves into the spell, contracting the area even further. The once marble was now no bigger than the tip of a pin. The spell flared and as if it broke a threshold, it changed. A band of gravity rushed out, shifting everything it came into contact with. It waned away just before striking Clammy. The black sphere and white ring expanded, growing in size. The monster completed its attack, slamming into the mass of objects with shredded fingernails. It tried to move away but found itself stuck.

The nearest goblin was pulled, lifted up from its prone position. Then another, and another. Soon a stream of goblins was being attracted to the center of the room. A ball was forming, now covering the opposite colors of the spell. Kill notifications started appearing. Slow at first, but as more weight slammed together, goblins were crushed to death.

Clammy’s breaths finally gave out. Her Trance dropped, and she was left shivering like a wet dog. Her lungs burned, a pain she was slowly becoming used to, but she was smiling. A smile so great, it would have warmed even the coldest of hearts. A golden light filled the small tunnel. She still held the wall, afraid to fall to her own creation. The light dissipated, causing her lungs to heal, headache to disappear, and smile to widen further.

More notifications filled her view. She had never seen so many blue boxes. At first, she tried to count, but as the number passed thirty, she quit. But she read through each. Most were various types of goblins, a few Eldritch and their variations. But a single box stood out. The experience amount associated with the kill was large. She counted the commas, each filling her with an endless greed.

Congratulations, you have killed a level 73 Despondent Eldritch Ghoul!

You have gained 219,517,246 experience!

A Ghoul. Clammy trembled. I killed a GHOUL! The words flourished in her mind. Ghouls were known for their survivability, strength, and ever-growing appetite. It would not be uncommon for a team of veterans to lose their lives at the hand of a Ghoul. And she had killed one solo! A level… Seventy-three? She reread the line, again and again. Notifications continued until she was six levels higher. Six!

She almost lost her grip. The spell was still active. How… How do I turn it off? She peered through the hallway. A sphere of bodies filled the antechamber, broken and twisted together. Blood pooled around the outside, having been squeezed from deeper within like juicing an orange with its peel still intact. The room was silent, besides an occasional crack or pop. It was a slaughter. An absolute hellish slaughter.

But the spell raged. Or did it. A single drop of blood was the first to fall free. Then a dismembered arm. Then a rock, followed by a goblin. Soon the sphere of bodies was a pile. A mound, like the Flame Ants of Renloc. A miniature mountain of death and blood, Clammy caused this. The air seemed to change almost like a hundred eyes turned to stare. She felt vulnerable, a feeling she hadn’t felt since leaving home and meeting Max.

Cral, the God of War, has noticed you and would like to speak.

Destroy the statue then come to me, young warrior. We need to talk.

Accept: (Locked)

Sahhgen, Goddess of Space and the Infinity, has noticed you.

Hxut, God of Dirt and Stone, has noticed you.

Tasitus, Judge of Order, has noticed you.

Peneil, Precursor of Death, has noticed you.

Cazdis, Queen of Eldritch, has noticed you.

Gaxitia, the All-Seeing Presence, has noticed you.

Congratulations, you have created a unique spell. Please name it so it can be cataloged in the system.

Clammy was shell-shocked. She gaped in silence; her vision narrowed as she reread the notifications. A name… She thought after a few minutes of processing. She decided to ignore the Gods for the moment. A name came to her, vaguely, she remembered Max mentioning a name she thought was appropriate. He talked about gravity, months ago, before she had become a [Gravity Mage], explaining simple and complex topics. This was one of the complex topics.

Congratulations, you have created a unique spell: Dark Hole

Create a point of gravity so strong it breaks a hole in space.

Damage calculated based on [UNDETERMINED]

Mana cost [UNDETERMINED]

Category: Gravity Magic

Subcategory: [UNDETERMINED]

Does this information express the spell you wished to create? Y/N

Please note that the information listed above is subject to change during the review process.

Huh? This… Seems wrong, Clammy thought.

Spell has been found to breach expectancies.

Flagged by:

Cral (Divine)

Sahhgen (Divine)

Hxut (Divine)

Tasitus (Divine)

Peneil (Divine)

Cazdis (Divine)

Gaxitia(Divine)

And others not wishing to be named.

Do you wish to appeal? Y/N

We will discuss the fallout of such a spell when we have our talk. Destroy the crown. They need help. Go now. – Cral

It took her a few seconds, but the final message kicked her in the ass. She moved. With her lungs full of vigor, mana reserves filled, and fear in her mind, she shot out like a bullet. Information blared like a foghorn as her Battle Trance heightened senses picked up on things. First of all, Cral was right. The raid needed help. There were only two forward fighters and a single [Archer] holding the defensive line. The rest were either injured or out of resources. One of the melee fighters, looked awkward and out of place. She wore mage robes but fought with a short sword, a last resort of a manaless mage. She was being overwhelmed by multiple Eldritch.

Clammy landed as if the previous battle had not taken place. Like a fresh fighter just being tagged in, she hammered down hard. A small shockwave blasted out of her weapon, knocking the Eldritch away except for her target who crumbled before the weight of six new levels. She stepped forward, flowing into the next swing. Magic augmented her attack, shattering the bones of another enemy before pivoting into a Rock Bullet. Three holes appeared in the chest of a goblin with a massive cleaver. It staggered back, tripping over a stalagmite. Clammy’s hammer landed a moment later.

A sword slammed into the ground behind her. The attack failing to penetrate her gravity shield. A simple kick launched the Eldritch across the cavern as if it was hit by a truck. In reality the goblin was perfectly fine, but it would be a few moments before it arrived back. Clammy jumped high and locked on to a target. She fell like a meteor, landing on the, now broken, enemy. An arrow rose from the ground, zipping off and plunging itself into the back of a goblin preparing to strike the other melee fighter. An enhanced arrow from the remaining [Archer] ended its life.

“Where have yo-“

Clammy ignored the man. The last of the Eldritch were dead, leaving only the [Hexer]. She moved through the stalagmites, weaving her hammer above her head as it was too bulky to pass through the narrow channels. Ahead, flames heated the air while smoke choked the lungs. Crackling lights flicked off the reflectant damp walls, orange with an occasional highlight of green or yellow. She stopped at the edge of the cliff.

Bishop and Shatterwind were fighting through a horde of… Arms? The crimson red, multijointed, multi handed, arms seemed to have been grown from the jugs of blood. Six jugs lined the staircase leading to the shrine, each with a creation whipping at anything that got too close. Including the remaining non-transformed goblins. A spray of impacted goblins lined the walls to the side of the arms. All dead, having been flicked across the room as if they were bugs.

The [Hexer] knelt below the statue, its back completely turned away from the battle. Power mixed with Divine aura warned all not to approach if the arms were enough reason not to. It slowly mixed two smaller jars of blood together, tasting each iteration. Above, a golden crown of eternal power gently glowed. It needed to be destroyed before any more blood could be created.

Domic was pulling an injured Yel out of harm’s way. Both of her legs were broken, maybe a few ribs. The crimson red of the arms shone distinctly on her clothes, a reflection of the attack that put her in such a state. Strikes of lightning sounded followed an ear-splitting shattered noise. A jar had been broken. The arm lashed out as if it was in pain. It reached down the stairs, clawing its way to Bishop before slowly stopping dead. The crimson blood evaporated, leaving a distinct iron taste in the air.

A second set of lightning bolts were fired, a second jar crumbled. Before the arm could scramble to its attacker, the [Hexer] turned. It was only a brief moment, but a solid bar of pure green energy was discharged. The beam was deflected into a wall, casing a rumble and a few rocks to fall. A leak of water had ruptured from the hole. Clammy saw an opportunity. The rocks held in the air. They slowly moved across the battle, trying not to draw any attention. They hovered just above the [Hexer] before falling. Either the Eldritch didn’t notice or didn’t anticipate such damages. It was perfectly fine. The rocks acted as if they were crumbs to the monster’s massive body. But the small jars it had been toying with were crushed out of its hands.

It twisted, searching who was responsible. A crash of lightning and a blade of wind both broke two more jars. A fireball boiled a blood arm, rendering it dead, followed by a flaming bird ramming into another. The jars were gone, but the [Hexer] was still searching. It sniffed the air like a rabid dog. Tears of black streamed down its face as if the jars were its dead children. A whip of flame wrapped around its arm. It pulled back, trying to rid itself of the constraints, but a gust of wind knocked its left leg out from under its body. A hail of lightning daggers imbedded themselves into the monster’s chest, shocking it until its skin turned black. Finally, a crossbow bolt with an explosive attached embedded itself into the monster’s thigh, which ripped chunks of flesh away.

A surge of mana extended from the goblin’s core, followed by an ungodly scream. Its skin was melting and not from the flame whip. A set of fingers erupted from its throat pulling apart skin and muscle like a newborn chick breaking out of its shell. A deep red arm shot out, slamming its, now, massive palm on the ground. The stone broke under the force, splintering into ammo for the [Gravity Mage]. Attacks flew in trying to put the monstrosity down, but the arm kept coming. A second appeared, followed by the top of a head. It used its second, and much smaller, arm to pull itself out of the fleshy incubator.

Sanguine Eldritch Newborn, level 1

Inspect confirmed a terrifying fact; an Eldritch had just been born. Real Eldritch were rare and not to be confused with Eldritch evolutions. While it is possible for all living things to become an Eldritch, they are not true. They are simple catalysts for Divine blood, not the real thing. True Eldritch rivaled Demi-Gods. They were, in fact and name, calamities. There was a reason why Cazdis was hated by almost every other God. The power to create beings that could harm their rule.

The Eldritch finished pulling its body out of its shell. It stood, just shorter than Clammy, solid red as if it was baptized in blood. It was humanoid, much like the goblin host. But while the goblin had equal sized appendages, the Eldritch had a single massive arm. It snaked across the ground as if it had a mind in and of itself. A mouth appeared on its palm; a skinny razor-sharp tongue extended out and licked a rock. The rock broke. It licked a goblin corpse, finding its taste satisfying and devouring it in a single bite.

“Destroy the crown!” Clammy shouted, echoing Cral’s message.

The others jolted at her words. Bishop moved first, followed by a flying Shatterwind. Her wings flapped fast and hard, propelling her above the Eldritch in a matter of seconds. It had not noticed her, too focused on testing its new body. A spell activated from the tip of the captain’s sword. The air seemed to crack in the space around it, like a warm wire through styrofoam. Her blade was deflected by a golden barrier. A lance of lightning was next, having been thrown from the ground.

The room began to heat, a bird of fire grew behind Domic. Starting red orange, it shifted color into defiantly white as Domic muttered a prayer to the purification of Ulafle. In a single flap of its wings, the bird launched itself in a tempest of flame. The golden barrier shined true, but multiple cracks formed. Shatterwind continued to swing, constructs of lightning continued to barrage. White fireballs were next, following one after another. Gravity shifted Clammy’s weight, propelling herself above the crown.

The Eldritch noticed the attacks, shrieking with enough force to rupture eardrums. It swatted at the air in a panicked tantrum. Shatterwind was forced to disengage, drawing its attention. She flew faster and faster, buzzing around the razor tongue as if it was an obstacle course. She moved with enough grace to make any flyer jealous.

Clammy’s breathing was becoming labored. The level ups refilled her capacity but now she was coming to a head. Gravity flexed, bending her hammer’s shaft. Her mana was drained, but she pushed anyways. Hatred mixed with rage filled her attack, as if a single swing described her lost friends. The hammer hit the gold barrier where it stopped for a brief moment before cracking like a rice cracker. The hammer followed through, missing the crown as it bent and contorted with the colossal gravity shift.

A grand arrow made of fulminating mana pierced through the golden band, ripping it from the statue’s head. It flew, like bait on a hook, into the far wall where it hung for all to see. A pillar of white fire formed on a nearby jutting rock where the purifying aspect of the flame did its work. The crown melted with a dying scream, one alive and atrocious. Bubbles formed on the Eldritch’s red body, busting with pus and blood. It screamed as its body failed and withered. It died just moments later.

Domic stumbled back, his skin nearly white from his normal red. Bishop had blood gushing over one eye but otherwise unharmed. Yel hobbled to one leg, emergency top-grade healing potions doing their work. Shatterwind caught the trembling Clammy, gently lowering her to the ground. Clammy could taste blood in her mouth stemming from her ragged lungs. As she was about to remove her Trance, her eyes went grey.

A vision of a battle torn land filled her mind. She actively fought it, trying to force the magic to subside. But the vision warped with each try, something she had never seen before. She was moving the perspective of her magic. The Trance! She realized. For nearly two months, Clammy had tried to feel her divination magic, only getting wafts of scarce mana. But between her new levels and actively being in a Battle Trance, she felt it.

To her, divination magic was silver. Gravity was dark purple, but divination was royal silver. Haunting and chilling silver, similar to how her eyes changed during visions. This silver mana, she had found its source. While her gravity mana was within her mana system, divination was behind her mind. Or, memory, rather. The magic was memories. Memories, that was all what divination was. Memories of the future, the past, the present. Sent through space and time, arriving to those who could see. Those like Clammy, like the Prophet of the Mountain.

The battlefield was shrewd with explosions. Craters of missing dirt stretched far into the hazy distance. Clammy hovered above it all, like a passenger. A bystander. A watcher. She moved along, looking at the odd dead body or shredded tent. It was maybe midday? It was hard to tell, everything seemed dark, but she could tell there was supposed to be light. Multiple rows of tables were blown to bits across a cleared area. A school, Clammy realized.

She continued further, past more dead bodies. Eventually she came upon survivors. All different races all wearing different types of clothes stood around. They looked hurt, burnt, scratched, or broken. Some were young while others very old. Clammy scanned the crowd trying to remember features so she could hopefully identify them later. She stopped at a man. Or at least what she thought was a man. His pants were the only identifiable aspect of him, as his torso and head were blurred.

That’s weird. She thought. That’s the first time someone’s identity has been hidden to me… Her thoughts trailed off as she continued through the crowd. She stopped dead when she saw someone. She knew him.

“Bella. It has been a while.” The man spoke, pain in his voice. He locked eyes with her, clearly able to see her.

Max, Emi, and Celenia laid atop the mansion roof, gazing at the endless void above. Stars so bright, so alive, glimmered upon this perfect night. Well, perfect for the Elf and Human. Their kissing started to annoy the little bond monster after a few minutes. But besides that, it was a perfect night. Since coming to Nava, Max had felt like his life was not his. Every move he made, every decision he chose, all seemed to stem back to a God or Leviathan. He was a pawn in a huge game, one he wanted nothing to do with.

But this, this right here, right on this roof was his choice. He knew because his heartbeat so fast. So strong. If this choice wasn’t his, he knew his feeling wouldn’t be so pronounced. He had chosen to open himself, finally allowing himself to be happy. He was stuck on an alien world, somewhere out in the void he was currently looking up at. Why not embrace it. He thought.

But a sensation, deep within him, pull his attention away from the moment. A stone appeared in his hand. It was vibrating.

“Emi, we’ve got to go. A vill-“ He stopped.

“A village? -“Celenia stopped. “What’s wrong. Max? Max!”

Four more stones appeared in his hand. They were all shaking. “Something is coming. Tell everyone.” Without waiting for a response, he grabbed Emi and disappeared.