I kept marching onward – to the South-West, even though I still saw not even a single track. Slowly I was losing hope thinking that the best woman simply lied to me, and just as my anger started turning into a fury, just as I started making plans of terrible tortures that would hunt them even in the afterlife!!!

...and then I spotted it.

A single footprint.

I rubbed my eyes with my fists in disbelief. I thought that it was maybe just some animal marching across the forest that left that mark in the ground, but then I quickly started finding out more and more tracks. The group of slaves stopped cleaning their footsteps believing, that they should be far enough and no chase shouldn't reach them here. A single footprint turned into two, two into four, four into the eighth, sixteen and so on.

There was no way that I, or anyone else seeing that, could ever be mistaken about it. These were tracks of small settlement marching on.

How did they manage to hide these many possible tracks? Maybe a small group of skilled hunters was marching behind the main group cleaning every track that their Kinsmen left? Or maybe Kim did some trick? Gods only know what kind of creatures with what abilities he must have eaten till now?!

For now, to me, all these things were irrelevant thought. I had other thoughts that were occupying my mind right now.

I kneeled on the ground and touched the dirt, I can’t recall how many times I did that today.

“Oh, gentle mother, that…”

My calm voice once again sang a chant. And once again my vision “left” my eyes so I could see everything. From above. From below. From the sides and from within.

Hundred meters, two, five… a kilometer, two, three… No! Back!

Seeing a small spark of life that suddenly disappeared in the jungle I decided to “turn back” and focus my gaze there. Something was trying to hide from my gaze, but, it made a mistake. I noticed it.

A barrier – the formula was solid and the power quite so-soish, maybe even worthy of praise? I located the “edges” or “knots” that waved the whole spell-web, more or less estimating its size.

Aye – it could cover quite a small village indeed. Now, let’s strip you naked. Layer after layer, till I can finally, truly see.

Magic loves beast-men. Even if they wouldn’t be able to chant it, they could passively abuse the power without even realizing it. But, because of that, among beastmen spellcasters were a little more common. Especially those that had strong connection to nature and animal guide-spirits.

Shamans.

Few of them raised a small barrier around their current settlement. Nothing huge, just a little optical and spiritual vision haze. If someone would try to spot them from afar or via magical vision, they would see nothing. Just an empty clearing, maybe with some lesser life forms as a distraction.

These shamans made a net of totems. Right now, they didn’t have any power source to fuel the totems (so they couldn't just operate on their own), so each of them was sitting under the wooden pile covered in bones of animals, lost in meditating slumber.

Soon, on the horizon of their magic vision something appeared. Something dirty. Corrupted. Maybe evil even. It looked like millions of eyes balls literally flooding across the land. They were looking in all directions, scanning, touching, observing, analyzing… clearly looking for something very, very particular.

~ Don’t look at it brothers... ~ the eldest of shamans said to them via their connection ~ When you look into the heart of the void, the void gazes into you! Let is past, do not resist. It cannot see us… just… ignore it… let it embrace your body and fall past you like a drop of the rain…

Most of the shamans even closed their inner eyes to not be tempted or provoked.

The storm of darkness hit them like a powerful breeze of air. Dirty. Cleaingy. Both cold and unpleasantly warm, sticking to their avatars like a mud, yet sliding past them leaving just a terrible sensation similar to urge to puke.

Youngest of the shamans – Karan – was looking onward, with his eyes pinned into some distanced place on the horizon, just to not be focused on the mass of eyes.

But, one of such eyes ball flew directly in front of his face. Lead by instinct, his real and inner eyes followed after its movements.

~ NO! KARAN! YOU FOOL! DON’T LOOK!

But it was far too late.

That single eyeball stopped, moved back and pinned its entire focus on the young shaman sitting behind a thin layer of semi-transparent wall.

The eyes had a “mind” of a herd, once one of them spotted something, all would react. The towering mass of darkness started dancing like a hurricane around the barrier. It found it. Touched it. Some of the eyeballs grew few small tentacle-like limbs that dug into the structure of barrier, tasting its craftsmanship.

But, the colossal rest of the eyes did something different – it molded into one existence. A single creature made of mouth and eyes, one of which occupied almost entire its structure. Each eye was moving on its own, regardless of the others, but that biggest one would keep on starring into shaman that attracted its attention.

A beam of words and signs came flying from that creature spreading across the structure. The words and symbols would start merging with the barrier structure like a puzzles, like keys finding its locks.

~ There is no point in hiding! Keep only as much power is masking structure to waste its time with the opening! Rest of the power channel to the physical structure! Whatever it is, do not let it past us!

~ For the oaks! What is this… this… bestial avatar!? Never in my life, I have anything so… dirty!

~ Whatever it is, it belongs to a single magician! We have to fight back… and pray to mother earth we have more spiritual energy than this something!

~ We are ten mages! We won’t lose with a single man!

And then, the eyes spoken. In the spirit-words that could be only said in the language of magic. It sang a chant, that everyone in the spirit realm could understand

~ Oh, mother, that gave birth to me,

Unveil your secrets that you keep from me.

May the windows shatter. May the door break free.

Punish all the fools, the fools, that won't let me iiiin…

~ Oh, gentle mother! Protector of all!

Keep thy children safe, let them be calm!

Be our guardian, our haven so safe,

Don’t let in evil, that wish to…”

The power of creature suddenly grow. The beam of words accelerated and started turning and twisting.

~ How… how terrifying…

~ Elder!? What is happening!

~ Usually, when you break the barrier you have two options, either undo the layers of spells by finding counter-words, or break via pure force. It… It does both at the same time. It forces the countermarks even into symbols that do not respond with them… I see it for the first time in my life..

~ How… How do we stop it?!

The elder got up from the ground and turned its back to monstrosity. He smiled toward his students.

~ You don’t.

The barrier broke and cracked into millions of pieces. Few of the more advanced shamans managed to break their connection before it happened, those who didn’t faint and fell on the ground because of shock.

The creature now looked into all the shamans. Its gaze pierced through them like a freezing spear. In second, it learned everything about them, then, it once again shattered into endless mass and charged across the camp.

It was not them, that it was looking for. The existence wanted to move further into the camp, yet was stopped.

~ Vile creature! You could break our barrier, you could break our focus! But… you will not… break our… spirits!

Shaman raised his staff above his head and slammed it down on the ground. The bright light struck the avatar of dark magician, breaking its form for a moment.

~ You have looked within us, now, it's our time to look within you!

Another burst of light, the shapeless mass for a moment took a shape of human silhouette, yet quickly turned back into smoke. The creature once again faced the mages, annoyed, not to say that completely mad.

~ Off my way, weaklings!

The creature hissed

~ REVEAL! YOUR TRUE! SELF! YOU MONSTER!!!

Other shamans aided their elders causing another outbursts of light. The creature started answering with purple mist made of thousands of looking like bugs pieces.

~ Your corruption shall not taint us! We are guided by the divine in flesh! By the gods among mortals and mortal among gods! Our spirit shall never…

Something changed

~ LOSE!

The mass turned shape of man - made completely of smoke and tar. Or, was it actually a “man”?

Very slim being, with dears horns growing off its head, with teeth like a viper and each time it spoke, mists of darkness and blobs of tar would escape his mouth.

~ Rash-tija-nu-ell-van-kraj-sik-ner-dol-na-ral-el-sijuh-tek-bul-naj-vran-kraan-dej-zi’e-fol-mien-nyoh-noll-kreeeee

The creature started chanting, word after word, without even a pause for breath, even though you could distinguish one word from another, they sounded like sounds of animals – barking of a dog, cries of a raven, howls of a wolf. Each of his words resonated with power, that spread across their bodies like drums, shaking them to the core.

The words were spoken in language so old, that not even memory remained after the creatures that used it, still, the meaning was carved deep into the mind of those who opposed the avatar.

“I am the one, the only, that wields the flame, the water, the dirt and air. I have seen the world being born, I shall see it cruble. You were raised from the dust and into dust you shall fall. I know your names. I always knew them. Step out of the way and bow thy heads. For you can not oppose me.”

And everything that he said, was true, for the language could not lie. The consciousness of shamans were fading into slumber. What the creature yelled was not magic. I was something so ancient, so old, that not even magic could overwrite its effect.

How did Zari known that language? He himself had no idea. The words just appeared in his head. Who knows? Maybe one day we would know the answer to that little mystery. Not today though, not today.

Zariel had no time for that now. Few moments later he would be marching into the camp “guarded” by unconscious now shamans. He quickly counted the bodies.

One was lacking.

So, Kim will most likely know that he is coming? Good.

The last thing left to do –

Zari looked into the mountain. Lots of existences were cramped below the mountain, in tunnels – the villagers – woman and kids. To these, the demigod paid barely any attention.

What occupied his mind right now was a bright light atop of the mountain – his goal.

The last thing to do – to climb.