The Breach

Everyone at Wolfmore kept their eyes locked to the sky. The bizarre crack in the heavens stole all the attention away. The black fog darkened the land, turning the early afternoon into the middle of the night. Yet, for some odd reason, the clouds had all but evaporated, while the sun became completely consumed by innumerable stars. In a matter of seconds, the crack spread so wide it covered the entire sky above the village.

- "By Elidy's grace, what is that?"- one of the soldiers cried.

- "Awesome!!!" – yelled the warrior.

- "Could it be?" – another soldier mumbled.

- "Is that what I think it is?"

- "It must be a Breach!"

- "Impossible! Wolfmore has never had one of those! We are weeks away from the Capital! It doesn't make any sense! Why would they attack here?" – one of the soldiers yelled as he started shaking.

- "He is right! We have nothing to offer them! It couldn't be a Breach."

- "What are we going to do? We are all as good as dead!"

- "No! I don't want to die! Not now! My wife just got pregnant!"

The soldiers quickly lost composure. They all mumbled...some were trembling, others crying, the rest screaming. The squad looked nothing like a proper battalion. The adventurers couldn't believe their eyes.

- "Stand your ground!" – the captain yelled, immediately quenching the unrest.

- "A Breach? What's that?"- asked the archer.

- "Breach...ah... yes. You are the new recruits." – the captain mumbled in disappointment and continued. "Every once in a while, a Breach opens somewhere around the capital. A portal that connects us to other worlds, those completely different from Elidy. Monstrosities come to attack our realm and destroy everything in their wake."

- "Why?" – the wizard joined.

- "For power. What else?"

- "What kind of power, captain?"

- "The capital is filled with adventurers, magic items, crystals, nobles... anything that carries magic, or what we call "mana". The nobles are born with an abundance of mana, while magic items are made to carry mana. You adventurers get access to some of the mana the moment you get summoned to Elidy. That's why you can cast spells, use massive swords or magic items. These monsters need mana to survive. Here, mana is abundant. You could call us lucky, but I say we are cursed. There is mana here in all things, from plants to stones and living beings. But, monsters only attack places with a substantial amount of mana and take it. Not here."

- "How do they take the mana?"

- "You mean, how do they feed? Easy. They drain it out of all living beings."

- "They drain our corpses dry!" – a soldier joined, desperately trying to hide the terror emanating from his eyes.

- "For real?" – added the warrior adventurer with a grin.

- "Adventurers! Get out of here before it is too late!" – the captain ordered.

- "Nonsense! That's what we came here for!" – the wizard refused.

- "You don't get it, do you?" – the captain took a look at the young fighters with sheer determination. "Do you want to die so badly?"

- "Pathetic! We won't die! We'll show these monsters real strength. They stand no chance!" – the warrior barged in.

The wizard and archer confidently nodded, grasping their weapons tightly.

- "Everyone! Listen!" – the captain took a few steps forward, facing all his warriors. "The time has come. The royal family trusted us to keep these mines safe! The source of income for the capital. We've succeeded for more than twenty years. We can't afford to falter. Not now, nor ever! Do you understand me?"

- "Yes sir!" – the soldiers immediately took up positions and greeted the captain.

- "May Elidy watch over you! For the Kingdom! For glory!"

- "Oi!" – the soldiers cheered clenching their teeth.

Suddenly, a row of stars in the sky aligned, spewing forth a wave of ferocious monsters. Their physique was hardly discernible in the dark clouds. But, as soon as they landed, everyone wavered.

Massive monstrosities, with a head of a wolf, body of a bear, and more than a dozen snake tails. Every single one of them looked more deranged than the next. Their bodies were gnarled and crumpled. Their hide rancid and folded as if they recently lost some weight. Their five eyes swiveled widely...adapting to the plane. In a matter of seconds, their glare focused. They had found their prey.

- "What...what the hell is that?" – the wizard mumbled while taking a few steps back.

- "Woah! That thing is ugly!" – the warrior whistled excitedly.

- "Get ready!" – the captain shouted.

His voice echoed through the emptied village. As luck would have it, all the slaves were already working at the mines. The rest escaped. There was no one there, but them.

- "We need to finish this quickly." – the archer added.

- "Bring it on!" – the warrior boasted proudly.

One after the other, more monsters fell from the sky. Their numbers tripled. But, the more they waited for their warriors to come down, the angrier they became. The frustrated look in their eyes was terrifying.

- "Are they waiting for something?" – the archer asked.

At that moment, one red monster, with absurdly long spikes instead of a hide, came forth. It was three times bigger than the rest. Toxic ooze spewed from its feet, burning the ground beneath. All the other creatures howled.

- "You see that red one?" – the captain added.

- "Yes."

- "It's a leader. The strongest of them all. Until it gives out the order, no one is allowed to attack."

- "These things have rules?"

- "Oh...they are not mindless brutes, archer. Mind your step."

- "Even better!" – the warrior clenched his fist.

Not every monster obeyed, however. One was so impatient that it slowly started approaching the elven army. By the uncontrollable amount of saliva drooling from its sharp teeth, the elves could tell it was hungry. Starved even. But, the closer it got, the easier it was to smell it. It reeked of decaying corpses.

- "It stinks! I can't let that thing touch me!" – the wizard shivered in disgust.

- "I bet you guys are happy we got here when we did." – the warrior boasted proudly.

- "Focus!" – the captain ordered.

Then, out of nowhere, the red monster jumped at the impatient one and ripped its head off. One gluttonous bite was all it took to tear it to shreds.

- "What? They are killing their own kind?! Impossible!" – the archer frowned.

- "And not a single monster came to its aid. Strange." – the wizard added.

- "In their world, the word of the leader is absolute. Disobedience means death." – the captain explained.

- "My kind of world."- the warrior chuckled.

In that moment, the red monster slammed its tails in fury against the ground causing a massive earthquake. Every single house, cabin, hut, and watchtower crashed down in an instant.

Just like that, the Wolfmore village was wiped from the face of the earth.

The adventurers could barely stand; the shaking was just too great. The elven guards, however, stood their ground.

- "They are coming!!!"- the captain yelled.

The creatures charged at the army at full speed.

The wizard immediately channeled the fury of the raging flame in both his hands. Then, he threw a ball of fire at the terrifying creatures.

The archer quickly followed suit. He drew his bow, enchanting it with fire, and unleashed a barrage of shots to every monster.

The warrior didn't hesitate either. He focused all his strength into his blade and violently struck the ground, creating a massive fissure.

With every attack, more and more dust rose. But, as soon as the dust cleared, the beasts dashed at the army, unharmed. The adventurers were mortified.

- "Impossible. Not even a scratch?" – the archer mumbled.

- "We are screwed." – added the warrior.

For a moment there, the wizard lost his composure. He didn't even have the guts to cast another spell. The archer trembled as well. He has never seen such powerful creatures in his life. The warrior wasn't ready to give up yet, but they could see his determination slowly dissipating as he loosened up his grip.

The elf guards were trained for this. They had seen years, some even centuries of battles. While these monstrosities were horrifying, the army couldn't afford to falter. They stood in formation with just three rows facing hundreds of thousands of creatures.

In just under a few seconds, the wave of monsters and the elven army clashed.

The front row was quick to pry their long spears and dashed to stop the monsters in their wake. They whipped their weapons and slashed some of the monsters' legs.

Then, came the second row, warriors wielding two massive elven swords embellished with gold and silver. They weighed their weapons in the air creating a powerful gust of wind, pushing the monsters even further behind. The archers soon unleashed a barrage of arrows knocking down countless beasts.

That's when the third and final row joined the fray and the captain with them. Together, they leaped into the air unarmed. Then, they raised their empty hands to the sky waiting for the light to engulf them. At that point, magical mist as bright as the sun manifested into a humongous axe of pure light for each and every soldier of the third row.

As soon as the axes formed, the warriors roared with fury, slamming the enemy from above, cutting countless monsters in half.

The elven warriors wielded their weapons without mercy. Every movement, every attack was perfectly planned. They carried out their fighting strategy flawlessly, slicing, and dicing their way through the wave of creatures.

The adventurers breamed with hope.

- "They got this!" – screamed the wizard.

- "Awesome! They are quite the fighters. A lot stronger than what I expected." – the archer joined.

The warrior laughed as more and more creatures fell beneath the army's feet.

♣

An hour prior to the battle, Aiko, Daisuke, and Ren were working hard in the mines. Dust lay on their skin and clothes, covering them bit by bit. Her nails were packed with coal that Aiko didn't even bother to scrub away. Ren's pure white hair was coated with black dandruff, completely changing his look from head to toe.

As Daisuke was minding his own business carrying rocks from one cart to the other, Ren approached him from behind. Aiko quickly noticed and giggled.

- "What is it? What are you laughing at?" – mumbled Daisuke while desperately patting his body as quickly as he could. "Do I have something on my face?"

- "Behind you!" – Aiko raised her hand and opened her eyes wide as if there was something terrifying behind him.

Daisuke gulped and slowly turned around.

A big creature with menacing eyes and dark fur loomed over him. His orange spikes were piercing through the dust.

Daisuke screamed his lungs out.

- "Woah, calm down. It's me." – Ren wiped the dust off his face.

- "By Elidy's grace! You scared the living daylights out of me!" – the young boy was trying to grasp for breath.

- "That was the whole point, scrawny."

- "There there!" – Aiko jumped at Daisuke and hugged him from behind. His face flushed red. "Ren, stop calling him scrawny! Save the insults for someone else." – she puffed her cheeks in anger.

- "Ha! Yeah right. Well, start digging, scrawny!"

Daisuke was flustered, not because Ren was insulting him, but because Aiko held him tightly. The longer her arms were wrapped around him, the quicker his heartbeat got.

- "Well, Ren, you are right about one thing. We need to get back to work. Come on, Daisuke."

Aiko loosened her grip and handed him a stone. Then, out of nowhere, Daisuke slapped his cheeks to get back in shape. He was losing focus, and he couldn't let that happen in the mines.

- "You are right." – he took the stone from Aiko's hands with a serious look on his face. "We have work to do."

The narrow tunnel where the three were working was completely empty. They were so deep in the mines, no one else had worked there besides them.

At that moment, Daisuke noticed something shiny peeking from inside the tunnel walls. He slowly bent forward to take a better look.

- "Aiko?"

The girl immediately turned around while she was carefully loading the cart with coal.

- "What is it?"

- "Come. Take a look at this!"

Aiko immediately threw the coal barely missing Ren's feet by an inch. He jumped to avoid it.

- "Hey, watch it!"

As she leaned over to take a closer look, the tiny stone in the wall shined even brighter.

At that moment, every single muscle in her body completely froze, except for her mouth. A huge smile crept over her face revealing her every tooth. Her eyes immediately sparkled with excitement. Then, she gasped and yelled as loud as she could.

- "A mana stone! It's a mana stone! No way!!!"

- "Mana stone?" – Daisuke wondered.

Before Aiko could offer an explanation, Ren jumped right in, pushing Daisuke to the side.

- "Let me see!!!"

- "Ren!" Aiko smiled and ordered. "Do it!"

Ren knew exactly what to do as if he could read her mind. He immediately shook the dust off his fur revealing his white coat. Then, he pointed the top of his head towards the shining stone and focused. His fur sharpened. The once fluffy furry coat reshaped into pointy orange spikes sharper than any blade.

- "Do it now!" – Aiko ordered once more.

Ren roared. The spikes came right off his body and flew towards the wall, slicing and dicing everything around the shiny stone. As soon as the dust settled, the stone fell on the ground.

Aiko bent down to lift it up and carefully held it in her outstretched hand. Both Ren and Daisuke watched in amazement.

It was not bigger than a walnut, but it was the most gorgeous gem they had ever seen. It glittered so brightly with a rich blend of orange, crimson, and a purple hue. Everyone gasped.

- "It looks like a sunset!" – Aiko murmured.

- "You are right! Like the one we have in Wolfmore." – Ren added.

- "What is that?"

- "Oh, Daisuke...You've never heard of a mana stone?"

- "No...not really."

- "This is one of the most valuable gems in Elidy. For those with magical powers, like the elves, adventurers, and all kinds of living beings, mana stones are a source of energy."

- "I don't understand."

- "Ok." – Aiko giggled.

- "Sorry." – Daisuke lowered his head in disappointment.

- "No, no, it's OK. Nothing to worry about. You see, it's absolutely normal that you've never heard of it. Many people haven't. That's why it's so rare."

- "Oh. I had no idea." – Daisuke smiled.

- "It's literally worth a mansion. But, of course, the guards will get the most of it. We will just get rewarded for finding it." – Aiko scratched her head as she forced a smile.

- "Really?!"

- "Yup. But, it's a good deal for us as well. This shiny thing will pay off months of work."

- "Whoa! What does it do?"

- "Scrawny..." – Ren jumped in. "Mana is basically our source of life and power. If you eat it, it will boost your magic a hundredfold. But, most importantly, it will add years to your life. Simply put, you live longer and become more powerful than you can possibly imagine. Nobles, particularly the royal family, will pay whatever it takes to get their hands on this little fella."

- "So, does that mean if one of us eats it we don't have to be slaves anymore?" – Daisuke's eyes filled with excitement.

- "No, silly." – Aiko added. "It doesn't work that way. You need to have powers to make them stronger. I'm a human, and you are a half elf-half human. We are not born with powers. Only Ren can benefit from it. He is a magical beast after all."

- "That's right. But I don't need it. I'm more than capable of protecting both of you. We are better off selling it."

- "Oh...that's a shame."- Daisuke let out a huge sigh.

- "Don't worry! We will still get a lot out of it." – Aiko placed her arms over his shoulders to lift his spirits up.

- "Aiko!" – Daisuke lifted his head and leaned towards her with sheer determination.

- "What is it?" – Aiko's cheeks blushed red.

- "I promise you. One day you will get out of here and live a free life. I will help you! No matter what it takes."

- "Oh..." – As Aiko paused her answer, she ran her fingers through her silky hair and placed a couple of loose strands over her left ear.

For a moment there, Daisuke couldn't help but stare at her beautiful pale skin. The longer he looked at her, the more he would lose himself in his thoughts.

- "I don't mind living here, Daisuke. I love Wolfmore. It's all I've ever known, really."

- "But..."

Before Daisuke could finish his sentence, the ground started to shake. It was a massive quake. Cracks emerged on the ground from the mighty shock.

All the walls in the tunnels were collapsing. Even the carts full of coal flipped upside down. Daisuke, Aiko, and Ren immediately lost their balance and fell. From all the shaking, it was difficult for them to stand.

- "What's going on?!" – Aiko yelled.

- "The vibrations are coming from above!" – Ren turned his head to the surface sensing something happening in the village. "We..." – the shaking became so severe, it was difficult to even speak. "...need... to get out of here! This is no...ordinary...earthquake!"

- "Daisuke! Daisuke! Get up!" – Aiko kept yelling.

The young man's frail body couldn't handle it. The quake swung so violently every time he tried to get up, he would get knocked back down. The tremors took down tons of rocks, blocking the only exit.

At that moment, Ren's bones felt a chill. He had to get up. He had to clear a path or they would all be dead.

- "Ren! We...must...go. Now!" – Aiko ordered.

- "On it!"

Ren focused. His eyes were locked onto the exit. Suddenly, magical dust wrapped around his legs, which gave him the strength to stand up. He waded through the dust and pebbles heaving his huge body against the pressure of the quake. With every step he took, he pushed all the rubble to the sides clearing all the coal that stood in his way.

- "Get Daisuke!"

Aiko nodded. She knew there was no time to waste. With all the strength she could muster, she barely managed to stand. But, somehow, she did it. She stood up merely holding her legs still. Then, she quickly reached out for the fragile young man.

- "Daisuke! Grab my hand!"

As Daisuke raised his head to face Aiko, he spotted a massive boulder above her head. It was just about to fall. His face turned pale, his jaw clenched. He couldn't afford to lose her...not here. Then, the tremors got even more aggressive.

- "What are you waiting for?! Grab my hand!"

By the time she reached him, Daisuke bit his lips and focused all his strength in his legs. He stood up.

- "Daisuke!" – Aiko smiled full of hope.

But, instead of grabbing her hand, he pushed her further back. Aiko's smile slowly turned to shock. Her voice trailed slowly as her body fell to the ground. The only thing she could see was Daisuke's warm smile as he waved her goodbye.

- "What...?"

At that exact moment, the massive boulder detached from the top wall and smashed Daisuke's frail body. The torches on the walls flickered rapidly before the dirt put them out. It was pitch black.

- "No...no...no!! No!!!!" – Aiko's scream echoed.

- "Aiko! Aiko where are you?!" – Ren struggled to open a path, but he couldn't see a thing. "Are you OK? Aiko! Talk to me! Aikooo!!!"

- "Daisuke!!!!"