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The Exalt - Act 4: Fallen Heaven - Chapter 709: Fight To The End, The Last Hours Of The Final Night
🕑 Added 2024-05-18 05:37:07 +0000 UTCThat night, Oscar dropped the other three Gravitarams a few hours apart and was stunned each time by the exploding Ein that cleansed the plains clean down to the smallest specks of greenery. A smoldering wasteland of blackened ash remained. The sight of the growing hordes of accursed cut away any of the relief that he might have felt. It was worrisome that despite their best efforts, the accursed were relentless, with no fear hiding in their heartless chests nor chilling their dead blood, mindless monsters haunting them every second of the night. The only thing that helped was he and a few other winged beasts were the only ones to see the horrific extent of the accursed. The others fighting near the gate and bridge could be freed from the daunting sight.
Landing, Oscar turned to the cloth strips, five already spent and burnt into stubs, one almost finished burning to the base, and a final one still fresh and unblemished. The sixth day was almost over. Lifting a finger, he ignited a spark of Ein and created a small fire over the fingertip, watching the slow flame consume the thin fibers of the sixth cloth strip. The moment the flames fizzled out, leaving a small stub, Oscar set the last strip aflame. The seventh day, the last of the final night, was here. He tugged on a rope and pulled hard, the loud gongs of a bell tolling the start of the seventh day and signaling the retreat.
"Get behind the walls!" Fenu roared, holding an injured Desmond on his shoulder. G'nar and his pack carried the other injured beside him. A swift retreat followed soon after, everyone bolting past the gate with the support of the ranged Exalts on the walls protecting the rear. Marcus stayed near the gate, motioning and hurrying the people onward. As the last person leaped across, skidding against the ground with a painful groan, Marcus and Fenu, with the aid of others, pushed the heavy gates shut.
Oscar banged a pillar from the top with a palm and poured in his Ein. A surge of Ein erupted from the pillar and knocked him away, streaming and assimilating into the barrier like an upside-down waterfall flowing into a great ocean. One by one, the other pillars activated and tethered to the barrier, strengthening it one last time. The barrier closed in over the gates and rejected the accursed, their figures rebounding back past the bridge, a few falling into the lake of lava. A low hum droned on in a stagnant tune, and a high-pitched tone sometimes blared in uneven intervals, coming from the dense Ein crystals they had collected from the others and placed as the center of Auren's barrier formations.
The crystals were not the greatest compared to the natural veins of Ein that cities and important locations sat upon, but they were the next best replacement for formations. From above, Oscar gazed intently into the open basement of the main building, now exposed to the air. Already, a slight crack split along the surface of one crystal, each crack dwindling the time remaining. Oscar turned and looked at the scores of wounded, their pained wails and gasps slowly lost to the increasingly boisterous howls of the accursed but still audible to his ears. Avril and Gloria worked from one wounded to the next, using their spells to mend the wounds. Renn paced left and right on the wall, probably eyeing the accursed outside with a fierce expression.
Oscar could see them from here. According to Volten's memories as a spirit wandering Fallen, the seventh night differed from the others, and he confirmed it with his own eyes. The unruly accursed became more unhinged. They didn't swarm in a semi-orderly manner like before. Accursed clawed and climbed on each other, trying to be at the front, only to be a stepping stone for another impatient one, but it ended up in a moving mound of accursed crossing the bridge. Stacks and stacks of them crashed onto the barrier like a mighty wave of the ocean. The dense layer of Ein withstood the initial push, and the accursed skittered along the fluctuating Ein.
"Do not fear!" Oscar shouted and raised Volten's sword before everyone's eyes. A pulse of light rippled in waves past the barrier and converted the accursed, who stared wide-eyed at the sword. In a hurry, they smashed their fellow dead and dragged dozens along with them into a fiery death. Many knelt and lowered their heads in deep prostration. He called out to them, "Rest well, for we fight harder than we've ever fought for the past year."
The countless hammering of the barriers by the accursed offered no reprieve from their presence. Pounding after pounding, they slammed. The incessant and erratic sounds crawled and settled in Oscar's ears, ticking like the hands of a wayward clock counting down the moment of their end. The barrier had no use at the twelve-hour mark, so it was best suited to withstand the overflow of accursed that occurred at the start of the seventh day. Auren's calculations, even for the worst-case scenario, had the last stand of the barrier lasting for twelve hours. Another crack had pierced the chaotic cacophony of screams and pounding in the air. Another crystal suffered from the overdraw.
With nothing else to do, Oscar made his way back to his temporary home and sat by the table created from a cleanly cut section of a tree, tapping his fingers on the smooth wood. Erden laid down on another side in human form. The tarp covering the entrance flapped open, and Avril strode in, her indigo hair frazzled from exertion and her golden eyes bloodshot in exhaustion. Yawning, she was quite enchanting, the small shrugs of her shoulder and the slight heaving of her chest in the deep breath making his eyes wander to them. She knelt and pulled on his ear.
"Naughty~. Where are you looking, my husband?" Avril giggled and poked his cheek. "You're getting red."
"Enough," Oscar pulled on her wrist and had her sit on his lap. He ran his fingers along her hair and took out a comb, brushing them back straight. She hummed and bobbed her head, swaying back and forth as if purposely trying to annoy him as he tried to braid her hair. Finished, Oscar hugged her and rested his chin on her tidied head, letting out a sigh of relief. "I'm tired."
"Me too…." Avril leaned back and used his chest as a pillow. She snuggled deeper in his embrace, using his arms as a blanket as she covered her shoulders under them. Her light snore came out with a sentence, "There's only a few mutton chops and herb stew left."
Renn, Gloria, and one other woman entered. The last one Oscar knew well since she was the woman Renn had been meeting and had an ambiguous relationship with during the past year. Her auburn hair matched the mellow green eyes, lending her a warm presence, further smoothed by the simple white robe with a green lace-up vest and the faint blush brightening her small face, the cheeks supple and lips thin. Meeting Oscar's stare, she tensed and bowed deeply, but Renn held her hand and straightened her up.
"You know the meaning of bringing her here. My father, your grandfather, always mentioned I shouldn't come back home with a woman unless she would be part of the family." Oscar glanced at the intertwined fingers between his son and the woman.
"Yes, I know. And it is so. I will marry her." Renn sat and bowed his head. "I ask for your blessings, mother and father."
"I agree!" Avril pumped a fist into the air. "A great event! Lovers meet in the throes of danger and fight side by side. What is not the best time, if not now? When to declare it? She cheers for her son's good fortune!"
"Already?" Oscar looked down in shock. Then again, she had a point. He remembered how he had proposed in a hurry after leaving the Lands of Zeret because he didn't want to waste another moment. In that regard, it was only right for Renn to propose now instead of waiting to see if they'd survive the final night and the dark tower. But he still had to assess his future daughter-in-law and crossed his arms with a frown, garnering Renn and the woman's stressful gazes.
"What is your name?" Oscar asked.
"Yes! I am Renee Ostere. It's an honor to be here, my Lord." Renee wanted to bow, but Renn stopped her.
"Renee, don't do that. I told you many times now." Renn scowled at Oscar as if blaming him for the fanatical display and coaxed Renee to be more comfortable.
"There is no need to be so uptight around family. Just think of me as your father." Oscar chuckled.
"Eh? You agreed so fast." Renn twitched and raised a brow in confusion.
"Did I? Well, I guess it's intuition." Oscar glanced at Renee and closed his eyes. His mother propped up in his thoughts, and he could feel a similar air around Renee. If a person had the same sort of presence as his mother, then surely, she could be trusted. After all, after Avril, his mother was the best woman he had ever known. Renn and Renee's faces brightened, and they embraced each other very openly without embarrassment.
"Darn. Now, it's just me…." Gloria smacked her forehead and covered her face while swaying around in a playful display, acting ashamed. Though it seemed to be an act, Oscar knew his daughter well and saw the smile quiver for a quick second, a flash of loneliness and loss dulling her blue pupils. She perked up and shouted, "I can't believe Renn is getting married. Congratulations, new sister! Be on my side whenever Renn gets out of hand."
"Oi!" Renn said through clenched teeth. Renee giggled and nodded, agreeing with Gloria, to which Renn looked at her with a quick snap of his head, clearly shocked at his lover's betrayal. Indeed, Oscar's discernment was not wrong. His mother had the same teasing yet loving nature, much like Avril as well. Avril set down plates and divided the small portions of food, keeping a large bowl of stew for herself. Conversations flowed endlessly, mostly focused on Renn and Renee's relationship, but also to drown out the accursed still piling on above.
Hours later, the peaceful meal and talks of marriage felt like a pleasant dream now ended and replaced by nightmares. Oscar lost his smile and watched the strip burn until half of it remained, twelve hours gone. This time, instead of slamming a pillar from above, Oscar released a Shattering Wave and destroyed it, the glowing chunks fizzling out as smoke fumed from the rubble. A final surge of Ein shot upward, the Ein in flux and crackling along the barrier underneath the mass of accursed. The barrier burst outward with tremendous force, flinging the swarm of accursed in all directions away from the outpost. The foul undead blanketed the sky surrounding the outpost and fell like a sudden downpour.
The Ein crystals shattered into fine dust, blown away by a faint breeze. A section of the wall collapsed and tumbled down the cliffs. Following that, the next sections fell apart, one after the other. Under a clear, dark sky, Oscar strode forward and stopped near the bridge, with no gates or walls to protect them anymore. He bashed his shield like a drum, his army following behind, marching to the drumming of his armament.
He turned to them and said, "Twelve hours. That is the line between life and death. Some of you believe that I can save you. Some are ready to die so easily if it's for my sake. I say to you now, no one is allowed to die! Fight until you can't hold a weapon. Use your fists. Use your teeth. Cling to life but do not cower. I may not be there to save you, but you can save yourself by fighting to the end. Here we are. Humans and beasts united in one purpose. To survive. To fight and live. Anything less is unacceptable! Let our enemies, the others, know at the end of this final night…that we are still here!"
"We are still here!" Everyone cried out. The beasts roared.
"Give these accursed nothing! Our lives are our own, not theirs for the taking!" Oscar raised Volten's sword, and everyone stomped their feet, reverberating their courage into the earth. He turned back and narrowed his gaze at the new accursed, thin, more human-like in appearance with regular color in their eyes, not the usual pale dullness, and slightly taller than the normals around them. The last twelve hours of the final night allowed these monsters to manifest, the accursed lords.
