TBATE - Lightseeker

Jack's illusions allowed us to traverse the Beast Glades unnoticed and we arrived back at the main headquarters without any trouble. Our hostage was gagged and blindfolded before we entered the surrounding area of the headquarters so he couldn't find track our location. We dragged him through the artificial forest and knocked on the simple wooden door. "Come in."

We all walked through the door and threw the hostage onto the floor, all of the present members standing around him. "Take him to the interrogation room. Cobra, you do the questioning." Belladonna ordered, and Lucy dragged the Dwarf through another unsuspecting wooden door along with Cobra and Badger. "You three sit this one out." She told Ada, Jack and I, so we walked over to a couch and began talking about random topics.

....

"We found the camp. It's a small outpost with only about 20 average mages, no one powerful or influential is there, just weaklings speaking on behalf of someone else. The hostage is still alive, but he will probably be crippled for life." Cobra emerged from the room, followed by Lucy and Badger, and told Belladonna the situation about the Alacryan spy camp. "Good work. Badger, organise the hostage trade with the Dwarves. Don't settle for anything less than 15,000 gold. If the Greysunders want this traitor back, they will need to pay the correct price. Send them a finger or two to urge them on."

"Understood. I'll send one of my men to drop the fingers off at the Greysunder's mailbox. Quitely of course."

"Thanks. Rindo, please take Ada and Solis to the camp and wipe them out. I know you could very easily do it yourself, but it will be a good learning experience for them. Solis, especially."

"Will do," Rindo responded simply and asked Cobra for the location of the camp. They were holed up in a B-class dungeon about a week's travel from here. "Get ready, you two. We leave within the hour."

...

We stood atop a large tree branch, overlooking a large town with many farms. "The dungeon is close. About a day's travel, I'd guess. We will stay here overnight, and leave at sunrise. We should get there by nightfall the same day." Rindo instructed us to find a nice inn or hotel for us to stay at, and me and Ada jumped from the high branch, landing deftly on the dirt outside the town. We approached a woman carrying four loaves of breach walking with her two children, and inquired about a place to stay. She told us there was an inn on the other side of the street on our left, and so we walked over. "The people of this town live so far away from an outpost, they likely don't even know what the New Dawn is. We should be able to walk freely around here." Ada judged the looks of people around us and gaged they only give us weird looks because of our matching cloaks and funny hats, oblivious to the fact that we are part of the most feared and wanted 'criminal' organisation in the whole Glades. We entered the relatively fancy - considering where we were - inn and purchased a large room with three separate beds. After we got to our room, Ada used her ring to notify Rindo that we had found a place to stay the night.

After Rindo arrived, we settled in for the night and went to sleep after we had all showered.

...

The three of us wasted no time getting up and putting on our cloaks, hopping from rooftop to rooftop until we reached the far side of the town, and jumped down onto the dirt. We ran at a constant pace and reached the target dungeon just before the Sun left the sky. We entered the dungeon with confidence, Rindo walking in front and Ada and I walked just behind him on either side. The first five floors were completely empty, but we were met with mana beasts on the sixth. The beasts had disgusting boils and infected cuts on their eroding skin, puss leaking out of the gaping wounds. "What happened to them? They certainly don't look like normal hounds." I questioned, Rindo answering me before Ada could, "They have been corrupted by the Alacryans, and their mana cores contaminated. Be careful not to get any of their fluids on you, and leave the core. We have no need for a corrupted beast core." We made swift work of the mana beasts, and I was lucky enough to catch sight of Rindo's beautiful swordsmanship. Despite his fire affinity, his sword and body flowed like water as one in perfect harmony. He ignited his curved blade and sliced through the corrupted beasts with unimaginable ease, the flames turning the halves of the hounds into ash. He moved so fast it looked like he teleported, but the sliced-up mana beast behind him said otherwise. He dashed and sliced through the beasts in one swift motion, leaving a perfect line of fading fire in the air and two halves of a beast falling over on each side. "Incredible...!"

"Let's continue forward." Rindo's calm voice echoed throughout the cave, and we all walked down to the next floor.

About halfway through the seventh floor, We saw the wooden posts of the Alacryan camp. "Stay quiet, we will try to pick off any patrols that leave the camp," Rindo instructed us as we moved silently along the cave walls. When we heard faint chatter approaching, we hid behind large rocks and waited for them to come to us. This will be it... I will need to kill people in the camp. Can I really do it? Can I really take the life of another human? No... I shouldn't consider these 'things' human. What they did to the hounds was proof of that. They serve the Basilisks, the enemy of my Master's race. They need to be erased from this word. I steeled my resolve and awaited the Alacryan scout group's arrival. I ignored the dull pain in my eyes and listened intently for any kind of signal. The Alacryan scouts were just on the other side of my rock, and I heard a sharp whistle come from the rock opposite mine. I conjured 3 throwing stars between my fingers and emerged from the side of the rock, throwing the stars of light at the scouts. Two of them hit the Alacryans in the chest, the other narrowly missing a soldier's arm and flying into the cave wall. Ada blinked behind one of the shocked scouts and drove her fist through his chest, lightning racing throughout his body. One of the scouts attempted to yell for help, but Rindo appeared in front of him with his back turned, calmly sliding his katana back into its sheath. A line of hot red blood was drawn around the middle of his neck, and his head slid off his body, small flames searing his neck to prevent bleeding. The final scout, still trying to fight, released a wall of water my way, and I turned around to meet him. My eyes began to hurt even more as I watched the slowly advancing water wall approach me, the world seemed to slow down as I appeared behind the Alacyran mage. "So you will be my first victim, the first of many..." I conjured a blade of white-hot fire and drove it through his back, the firey edge sticking out through his stomach. I ripped my sword from his back, and my legs gave out. I tried to stand, but my legs felt like jelly. I got rid of the sword, and held the dead man in my arms, blood and tears from my eyes onto his forlorn face. I closed his eyelids and placed my palm on his chest, fire engulfing his figure and quickly turning him to ashes. The pain behind my eyes grew greater again, almost unbearable if not for the adrenaline killing most of the dull pain. I stood up, Ada giving me a strange look. "What? Something on my face?" I spoke, sounding colder than I meant to. "U-uh no. No, you look normal. Just your eyes..."

"My eyes?"

"You know what just forget it. It's nothing." We walked back over to Rindo, and he studied me for a few seconds, the calm look on his face never changing. "Let's continue. I doubt anyone heard our fight, but just in case, be on high alert."

We walked through the entrance of the Alacyran camp and saw seven or so individuals standing with their backs to us. "They are having a sparring competition. We should take advantage of their lack of awareness and take them out." Ada suggested and we all agreed. We leisurely walked up to the distracted Alacryans and took them out effortlessly. I conjured two swords of light, impaling two soldiers standing in front of me. "Goodnight..." A large raven of light perched on the shoulder of the Alacryan next to my two victims and exploded, sending pieces of his brain flying in all directions. Ada finished beating the life out of her three targets and Rindo decapitated the last in line and the two soldiers duelling. The whole ordeal took no more than 15 seconds. I heard a large gasp off to my left, followed by the sound of a metal pan dropping on the floor. I turned to see an elderly woman dressed in a cook's robe and a pan of food on the floor. I appeared in front of her, and she fell to her knees in tears. "P-please don't kill me! I'm not a mage! Have mercy!" She wept on the floor at my feet, her hands over her chest and her head looking at her knees. Another Alacryan. She must be purged... I dropped to one knee in front of her, putting my hand over her mouth. "I'm so sorry... In a perfect, ideal world... I would never have to do this." I conjured a small, sharp assassin's dagger formed of light and drove it through her throat. Blood gargled and hit the palm of my hand, and her eyes lost their light. I placed her gently on the ground, her scared expression not leaving her face even in death. "In the name of the Sun." I placed my palm over her chest and lit her body ablaze, reducing her to ash. "Rest in peace." I voiced solemnly, a single clear droplet falling from my face.

....

We reached the doors to the boss room and prepared to face the final Alacryan soldiers. "Once we open these doors, all of the remaining Alacyrans will know of our presence," Rindo advised us before we pushed open the two large doors with a loud creak. Many shouts and cries came from around the camp in front of us, and volleys of spells came our way. Ada's body became engulfed in lightning, as a small ribcage of lightning grew from her back with a skeleton-like hand extending from it. She brought the skeleton hand of lightning up and caught all of the spells. preventing us from getting injured. Pillars grew from behind us, and branches of earth wrapped around our arms and waists, holding us in place. An illusion... I can see it..! Instinctively, I reflected the illusion back on the Alacryans in front of us, the three closest getting trapped in branches of earth sprouting from a pillar at their backs. I conjured a sword of light for Ada to use and the three of us dashed in front of them, plunging our swords and into their chests. I looked behind the pillars and saw at least 15 approaching Alacyrans. "Let's get this over with." 

"Agreed!" Ada shouted enthusiastically.

I closed my eyes and sensed the Rune on the back of my right hand, imbuing my mana directly into it.

[Dawn

Paladin]

My form changed into light and reformed taller, with a large set of wings sprouting from my upper back and a smaller set sprouting from my lower. A crown of light shone above my head and I formed a large lance of light in my right hand.

A large guardian of lightning formed around Ada, protecting her from all sides. The guardian had now lower half, but had two long arms, each with a bolt of lightning, and a large human-like head.

The two of us cleaned up the remaining Alacryans, who seemed to lose all hope after seeing our beast wills, while Rindo sat down on a log enjoying the warm food meant for the Alacryan soldiers. My lance of light pierced multiple Alacyrans at a time, and Ada's skeletal hands bearing bolts of lightning cut down any idiot who still dared attack her. Spells did nothing to her lightning guardian, merely dissipating upon contact with her protector's form. I stood in the middle of the remaining Alacryans, sending hundreds of needles of light from my body, piercing straight through their armour and digging into their hearts, killing them all immediately.

I ended my beast will transformation and returned to my previous form, Ada doing the same, and we walked over to Rindo. I collapsed halfway, clutching my eyes. The indescribable pain had gotten worse. My eyes felt like they were being burned and beaten at the same time. Blood flowed from my eyes before the pain vanished and I looked up. The world looked clearer than ever. I looked at a worried Ada's face, somehow anticipating the very fibres of her facial muscles moving even before she spoke as if I could predict what she would say. I looked over to Rindo, who for the first time looked shocked - worried, even. Information flooded my brain, like a dam releasing all of its stored water. "Eye of Horus, Eye of Ra... What the hell is all this?" I tried to stand up, but my body had lost all strength. Ada caught me just as I fell unconscious.

....

A/N : His eyes look like the 3-tomoe Sharingan, but yellow instead of red.

Horus: Egyptian god of kingship, healing, protection, the sun and the sky;

 Eye of Horus: Left eye - symbolises health and restoration, as well as protection via Divine intervention,

Ra: Egyptian god of the Sun

Eye of Ra: Right eye - symbolises protection through destruction, power and violence.