The Sage's Vow

8.2 || From the Shadows

The following day only further proved that Cale needed to progress deeper into the mountain.

The camorias weren't creatures that anyone should take likely. Many legends of the undead, especially zombies, stemmed from these humanoid flesh-eating monsters, though they got a few things wrong. They weren't decaying, and they preyed on meat and blood to enhance their strength and healing rather than from a need for it.

But the stories had gotten one thing right—beheading was the easiest way to defeat a camoria. Their bodies were deceptively thin. Skeletal structures as sturdy as steel made what looked like a simple feat much more difficult to accomplish. It took multiple energy-infused strikes to decapitate the beasts. 

Perhaps this task would be nearly impossible for humans. Less experienced Paladins could even have struggles. For Cale, though, it was easy. Not just easy—it was boring.

Most of these camorias had multiple injuries, hindering their movements and making them easy to dodge. To make matters worse, they were neither bright nor nimble. Time and time again, simple tricks and quick footwork would get him in a place to swing at a camoria's neck with plenty of time to retreat from its thrashing limbs.

Boring. So very boring.

He dodged around one of the camoria in a way that put him behind another, and the creature barely stopped from running into its brethren. While the two were distracted, Cale lopped off the head of the one he'd hidden behind.

The disintegrating body fell forward onto the camoria that had been chasing Cale. He used this disorientation to behead the other.

He'd repeated such a trick about five times now. He'd had camorias chase him around a tree right into his swords three times. Six times he'd simply trapped them in earth while he cut off their heads.

Boring. Easy. Not enough. This wouldn't help him achieve the Soulmerge.

Gritting his teeth, Cale extended his will toward the surrounding earth. "Dragon's Pillar!" The energy within the earth reacted immediately, pliable under Cale's command. A command which sent a pillar of solid rock forth to crash into one of the last camoria.

Cale sprinted up to the monster. It took three strikes this time, but the camoria was powerless to stop its demise. The final camoria was running up to Cale at that point. He spun, one slash taking off its arm and the next two severing its head.

Mara appeared from a nearby tree moments later, grinning. "That looks to be the last of—" Her light expression fell away at Cale's darker one. "What's wrong?"

Cale swiped his blades through the air, ridding them of the slight residue left over from battle. "We're returning to camp and grabbing our stuff."

It took Mara a moment to understand. "That place will no longer be camp, will it?"

"No." He sheathed his blades and turned to her, searching for any hesitancy in her face. When he saw none, he gave her the smallest of grins. "Maybe if we find worthier opponents, you can do more than just watch."

He began to walk back toward camp, and she fell into step beside him. "That would be great. You've gotten so efficient that I don't even have ones to pick off anymore."

It took them mere minutes to break camp. They always packed in the morning before they left in case of any emergencies, and Cale crumbled his earth dome with little thought.

They didn't stay directly beside the only river they'd found so far. Too many monsters lurked there, either watching for prey or needing their own source of water. Now, though, Cale and Mara traveled back to it. After they refilled their canteens, they began the trek alongside it, heading further up the mountain.