The roar of the approaching horde was deafening as the group reached the base of the massive Slayer statue and the few weapons placed around it, directly in the ground. "Climb!" Nephis yelled again, already summoning a thin, golden rope into existence. It shimmered faintly, looking delicate but radiating an aura of strength.
She tossed one end of it to Effie the next moment, following which the tall huntress began a quick, but skillful ascend. It took her mere seconds to reach the height of one of the hands belonging to the Slayer.
As soon as Effie had managed to gain a certain footing – and secured the rope – did the others began their climb as well, one after the other.
"Cassie, you first!" Nephis immediately directed their blind companion to the rope, and as soon as she was somewhat blunt to it, did Nephis activate the enchantment of the rope, as well as Effie began pulling on it from the top. Cassie took not even half as long to reach the hand as Effie had previously.
The others then followed suit.
Ray didn't join the initial climb, though. He took a step back, facing the tide of monstrous forms pouring into the basin. The Chitinous Stalker's corpse was already being trampled and torn apart by the frenzied creatures. Regardless of their original purpose for being in this region, their current goal was clear – the lingering scent of Henry's power.
With a thought, Ray sent his halberd, [Stormpiercer], back into the quiet solitude of his Soul Sea. In its place, his hands grasped familiar, cooler metal. He summoned [Reaper's Whispers], the Awakened Memory throwing knives. Their dark blades hummed faintly, trailing tendrils of inky mist.
The first wave of Nightmare Creatures – skittering insectoids and gaunt, humanoid figures with fish-like features – were almost upon him. Ray flung the first knife. It vanished mid-air, bypassing the crude armor of one of the leading creatures, only to reappear embedded deep in its chest cavity a fraction of a second later. The creature shrieked as black corrosion spread rapidly from the wound, its flesh visibly decaying. It stumbled and fell, consumed by its brethren.
[You have slain an awakened beast, Dark straggler]
[Your presence…]
Ray didn't pause. Knives flew from his hands in a continuous stream, each one reappearing almost instantly after finding its mark or being recalled by his will. 'Phantom Strike' allowed them to phase past waving limbs and thick hides, striking vulnerable spots. 'Corrosion's Caress' turned even minor wounds into rapidly expanding points of decay. He could feel faint whispers of stolen vitality flowing back to him with each successful hit, 'Reaper's Toll' counteracting his fatigue slightly, but it was like trying to hold back the ocean with a bucket.
He was getting kill notifications, yes, but for every creature he felled, three more surged forward, their eyes burning with unnatural hunger fueled by Henry's Flaw. Ray used his own Aspect sparingly, blinking out of existence for a heartbeat when a hulking brute swung a massive claw where he'd been standing, deactivating it a few feet away, knives already flying again. He was buying time, nothing more.
Above him, most had already reached the higher altitude of relative safety. Nephis was currently nearing the platform as well, now also having reached it after having fended of some of the nightmare creatures that went past Ray.
"Ray! Now!" Effie yelled down, her voice barely audible over the din. Most of the group was clear, all besides him.
Ray risked a glance up. Effie was leaning over, extending a hand. He threw one last knife, phasing back from a lunging beast, and lunged for the already dangling golden rope, grabbing hold. "Haul!" he roared.
Instantly, the rope went taut. Effie threw her considerable strength into pulling from above. Simultaneously, Nephis, used the familiar enchantment once more. The golden rope seemed to come alive, visibly shortening, retracting upwards with magical assistance, adding its strength to Effie's pull.
Ray ascended rapidly, spinning slightly, the horde snapping and clawing at the air just below his feet. He didn't stop fighting. Knives appeared in his hand, were thrown downwards into the sea of monsters, then reappeared ready to be thrown again. Corroding wounds blossomed across the upturned faces of the creatures below as he was lifted clear of their immediate reach.
With a final heave from Effie, Ray tumbled onto the platform beside her, gasping for breath. He scrambled further up, joining the others huddled on the statue's broad shoulder, offering a vantage point high above the basin floor but feeling terrifyingly exposed.
They looked down. The sight was horrifying. The horde hadn't given up. Creatures were crawling over each other, forming living ramps, attempting to scale the sheer sides of the statue and the rock face. Dozens had already gained significant height, their claws finding purchase in ancient cracks and carvings. The platform they stood on wouldn't remain safe for long. Fear, cold and sharp, began to replace the relief of their immediate escape.
Panic started to set in. They were trapped, high up, with a literal tide of monsters climbing towards them. Henry looked particularly pale, knowing his Flaw was the cause.
And then, amidst the chaos and fear, the rune surfaced in Ray's mind again, stark and clear against the backdrop of his thoughts.
Veil.
Suddenly, inexplicably, it clicked. The cryptic word, the tome's first chapter discussing the nature of his Aspect, the very essence of oblivion he touched when he phased... it wasn't just about personal non-existence. It was about separation. Concealment. A barrier. An actual Veil.
"Everyone!" Ray gasped, pushing himself up despite his exhaustion. "Huddle close! Get tight together! I have an idea!"
Hesitation flickered, but the sight of monsters scaling the statue spurred them into action. They pressed together instinctively, forming a tight knot on the stone platform, eyes wide with apprehension and a desperate sliver of hope. Caster, Effie, Henry, Cassie, Nephis – all looking at Ray.
Ray closed his eyes, focusing his intent, reaching for his Aspect not just to pull himself out of reality, but to project that state outwards. It felt different, vastly more demanding than his usual phasing. He pushed.
He felt the familiar chill, the touch of oblivion, but instead of feeling it inside of his body, he spread it thin, like stretching smoke. It started as a layer clinging to his skin, then expanded outwards, centimeter by centimeter, fueled by his will and rapidly draining energy.
A swirling, translucent blackness coalesced around the group. It shimmered like disturbed water or heat haze, obscuring them from the outside, though they could still vaguely see through it. It felt cold, unnervingly silent within the bubble, the roar of the horde strangely muffled. It was the essence of his phased state, made manifest as a protective shroud. Oblivion, shaped into a veil.
"Don't... touch it," Ray managed to warn them, his voice strained, uncertain of what direct contact with raw oblivion might do to someone not attuned to it.
Outside the shimmering black dome, the effect was immediate and dramatic. The Nightmare Creatures scrabbling up the statue faltered. Those on the basin floor stopped surging forward. The unifying drive fueled by Henry's Flaw seemed to vanish the instant the Veil concealed the group. Deprived of their singular focus, their innate aggression and territoriality resurfaced instantly.
Creatures turned on each other, shrieking and tearing. Others seemed confused, milling about aimlessly before shambling off into the labyrinth. The monstrous tide broke apart, dissolving into chaotic infighting and panicked flight.
Inside the Veil, the group watched in stunned silence as their pursuers destroyed each other or simply fled. Within the next few minutes, the immediate vicinity of the statue was largely clear again, though the sounds of distant monstrous conflict still echoed through the labyrinth.
Seeing the immediate danger past, Ray focused, slowly drawing the Veil back inwards, collapsing the shimmering blackness back into himself. The effort left him utterly drained. The moment the Veil fully dissipated, his legs gave out, and he crumpled onto the stone platform, exhausted but conscious, gasping for air. The world swam slightly, but they were safe. For now.
"Listen, I won be able to move for a while, I think. I'm completely empty, this drained me fully," Ray groaned from his spot on the ground.
Effie had to stifle a laughter at these words, before adding in a mischievous tone, "Oh? I remember you having more stamina…"
Ray didn't even have the energy to argue with Effie right now, and just looked at her with tired eyes, that seemed to speak for themselves, 'You serious?'
Caster jumped in at that point, "Regardless, we probably should move soon. The blood down there will surely attract the attention of more nightmare creatures, and now that Ray is out of essence, the same trick won't work twice."
"Are you sure? What I'm seeing down there is a different story," Henry spoke and instantly caught the attention of everyone present. They all turned to him, before looking over the edge towards the ground where the huge pile of bodies lay.
At first sight, it looked as it should, but moments later, the others realized what Henry meant.
A green eerie mist spread slowly across the pile, corroding nearly everything it touched. The bodies soon all started to disappear slowly, as well as the blood.
"Well, that does not look creepy at all…," Effie spoke, while eyeing Ray's throwing knives, "whatever, with this we should be good for now, right?"
At some point, Ray spoke up again, still lying on the floor, "Can someone finally climb down to get the damn shards? That poison only targets biological substances, meaning the shards should have survived. And… let's stay here for now, I seriously need some sleep right now."
And that he did.
The others looked on, still weary about the poison, but soon, when they made sure that the stones were intact, and some shards were already lying open on the ground, Caster and Effie were instructed to get them, using Effie's bag to carry them afterwards.
All the while…