Ascension: Chapter 1

The Shard
The pale glow of the crescent moon glared down upon the vast land known by many as Geltona. A vast island hidden in mist, filled with a diverse variety landscapes, biomes, and people. In the mountainous area of the island a small village stood almost destroyed with most homes burned down to nothing but ash. Among the ruble, ash and corpses though was one large stone building. Inside the large building a large group of pale elven bandits in black clothing were relaxing around a roundtable playing cards.

“When are we leaving this shit hole?!” a skinny elven bandit stated

“Why are you in such a fucking rush? We’re hidden in the mountains, with weeks’ worth of food, and drinks at least.” An elven bandit replied

“We’ve been up here for weeks, and the bodies are starting to smell, we were just supposed to wipe this place out and keep moving.”

“Shut the fuck up Mycel, Keltara told us to stay up here a few weeks, after we killed that counselor’s family.” Another elf stated

“Yeah, but we just bagged a shard of Merconas; I don’t think it’s smart to sit on something that powerful and expensive.” Mycel said pulling the shard out his pocket

“Boy that shard is worthless, if it was still useful don’t you think these villagers would’ve used it before we literally ripped them apart.” A chunky elven bandit stated before chuckling

Just then a massive boulder slammed into the building destroying a large portion of it. Most of the bandits were severally injured by the impact. Mycel was surprisingly untouched, as he saw groups of other bandits rushing out of the building. Mycel quickly rushed behind them and saw two strong female warriors slaughtering his fellow bandits. One warrior was massive in size, standing well over 8 feet tall, with a strong muscular build; light brown skin, messy black hair, and light brown eyes. She was barefoot showcasing her long claw like nails on her large feet, with tight faded black and purple lined pants that stopped right after her knees. She also wore a tight faded black hoodie, lined with purple that cut off right above her mid-section. The other was average size, with pale skin, athletic physique, dark brown eyes, and long black hair. She wore black boots, with large dark orange tucked inside them; with a white tank top underneath a strapless black top with hints of orange. She carried a long wooden staff, with a metal totem of a feral beast head on top, as well as black glove that covered her arm to her elbow on her right, and a small wrist strap on her left.

"Take the giant down first!” One of the bandit’s said before unsheathing his sword from his side and charging at her. He attempted to drive his sword into her exposed mid-section, with the giant smirking as the sword broke on impact.

“How?!” The bandit stated before the giant slammed her fist into his head, crushing his skull on impact.

“I’ve got her!” A bandit said as he created an energy whip and tried to hit the giant with it. The giant quickly caught the whip in her hand and pulled the bandit to her punching his head completely off his body. The giant then lifted her leg up, to stomp directly on another bandit smashing him into the ground. She then grabbed another by the neck breaking it in her hand with little effort before throwing him aside.

“Having fun Skye?” Her partner asked before blocking a bandit’s sword with her staff. She quickly kicked in him inside of the leg to drop him to one knee, as another bandit fired an arrow at her from afar. The woman’s body then began to glow with a light blue aura as the arrow broke on impact with her body. She then drove her knee into the bandit’s face in front of her knocking him out, before slamming her staff into the ground causing blue energy spikes to shoot from the ground impaling the group of bandits around her.

“Just a little.” Skye stated as she slammed herself on top of a small group of bandits charging at her. She kneeled over their broken bodies, as one fearless bandit charged forward behind the group with a spear covered in white energy. Skye quickly knocked the spear out of his hands, hurled the bandit hundreds of feet in the air and watched him splatter on the ground in amusement. Mycel stood from a distance analyzing the two warriors further and saw a small golden A surrounded by wings quickly identifying it.

''“Holy shit! They’re apart of the Ascension!''” Mycel thought to himself before looking down at the shard in his hand in need of strength

“What are you doing?!” A voice uttered behind Mycel, as he was pushed into the last group of bandits rushing at the warriors. Mycel turned around and saw a chunky elven bandit standing behind him infuriated

“We live together, we die together that’s out code! Now let’s give them one last push!” The chunky bandit stated before following the last group into battle.

“Arissa!” Skye yelled over to her partner as she viciously slammed a large guard onto the few guards left in front of her. Arissa fired a barrage of energy shards from her hands killing the remaining bandits in her area, as she saw the last massive group of bandits rushing at her and Skye.

“I’ve got it!” She stated with her hands and eyes beginning to flow with light blue energy as a small sphere began to appear above the dragon head on her staff. Mycel thought about the family he left behind, as he saw the smaller warrior creating an orb of energy at the tip of her staff.

“Bestia evigilare faciatis!" Arissa exclaimed before hurling the ball towards the group, as it quickly began to gain in size The group continued to blindly charge forward, as the energy ball formed into massive cat-like energy monster. The feral beast quickly smashed into the group ripping them apart with its sharp claws the bandits continuously tried to strike the beast, but their weaponry was incinerated within any contact of the beast. Mycel then watched in horror as the monster’s final strike ripped his mid-section apart leaving him to bleed out on the ashes and corpses of the fallen. The beast then faded away into the night, with the two warriors discussing their next move.

“I’m not going to lie, that spell never gets old to me.”

“Glad you enjoyed the show, but now we’ve got to find the head of their leader so we can bring it back home.”

“I say we just rip one of these heads off and tell them the jobs done.”

“Or… since I have the bandit leader’s bounty info, I could just use my spirit finder spell to locate the body.”

“How would that work, if the guys dead? I thought souls left the body after death.”

“Soul separation isn’t instant in most deaths, it takes minutes, if not hours for a soul to free itself.”

“Quaeram animam inventor Gershal Halku.” Arissa stated with her eyes glowing with blue energy, her eyes was quickly blinded by a powerful energy

“Something’s wrong.”

“What? The leader never had a soul or something?”

“No, there is some kind of spiritual energy surrounding the area; it’s making things pretty hard to see.”

“Well I’ll take a look with my real eyes, while you go soul searching.” Skye stated as she began walking around the corpses. She looked beside her and saw a bandit still breathing quickly slamming her foot down on his head splattering his skull against the ground. As Mycel felt his soul leaving his body, he could feel something else starting to enter it. Mycel then a burning energy building inside him, when suddenly, an explosion of energy occurred completely blinding Skye and Arissa.

“What the hell was that?!”

“I’m not sure, I’ve never felt so much spiritual energy in one spot before.”

The two began to regain their sight as they saw, a goliath sized elf standing over the corpses of the fallen. He was a 7-foot pillar of muscle, carrying a massively chiseled frame. He had long black claws, with cold light grey eyes, and long silver hair, with black roots. His ears were covered in piercings, with an indescribable beard design. He stood shirtless allowing his massive frame to be completely exposed, along with a large gold belt, and long black pants, and bare footed. The goliath looked at his appearance in disbelief, quickly touching his face, and feeling his muscular frame impressed by himself.

“What the hell just happened?” The goliath said to himself now looking around at the destruction and blood beneath his feet.

“Talk about a big boss.” Skye said impressed by the man’s appearance

“I have no idea what’s going on, but something tells me we should be careful.”

“I guess that means no mercy.” Skye stated before her glowed entirely red, as red lightning surrounded her body, as a ball of red energy appeared in her hand, slowly forming into the shape of a massive war hammer. The hammer then solidified in Skye’s hands standing over 7 feet tall, with a massive top with runic carvings on it.

“Stay back and stay ready, I’ll see if he’s friendly.” Skye stated as she began walking towards the Goliath with her hammer in hand.

The goliath saw her coming towards him, and felt a sense of fear, followed by an immediate rush of anger causing his body to erupt with a thick black aura. His eyes turned completely black as well, as he began to hear countless voices in his head. Skye then stood in front of him looking down at him, as he held in his head in confusion.

“You hear to talk? Or just doing some mountain hiking?” Skye asked

“I-I… I am Mycel Kintera.”

“I’m Skilgethera, but my friends call Skye.”

“You killed me.” Mycel stated as the voices disappeared, and his memories rushed into his head

“What?”

“The Ascension killed my father, and now it killed me.” Mycel said to himself with the voices in his head silencing themselves, as he became more confident in his new form.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Shut the fuck up.” Mycel said before throwing a wild punch at Skye, allowing her to easily dodge it as he collapsed to ground

“He’s clumsy.” Skye thought as she lifted her hammer and slammed it on top of his head creating a large burst of energy and destroying the ground around them.

Skye then looked in shock as Mycel laid on the ground with just a small cut above his head from the attack. Mycel then threw his hand towards her causing black energy to launch from his hand knocking her off her feet. Mycel stood back up, impressed by his new strength when large golden chains surrounded his body. He looked to the side of him and saw Arissa in the distance with the chains coming from her staff.

“You killed me!” Mycel roared, easily shattering the chains around him, and running towards her enraged.

She quickly put her hand to her mouth and began to blow smoke from her mouth to blind Mycel as he ran towards her. Mycel then stumbled over a corpse, clumsily falling to the ground. He then smashed his fist into the ground enraged accidently creating a large wave of black energy around him throwing Arissa out of the smoke and into the side of a broken house. She slowly began to get up, as Mycel continued to stumble in the smoke, and rushed over to Skye. Skye was just getting to her feet with her hoodie damaged from the fall.

“You okay?”

“I think my ego’s the only thing damaged besides by clothes.”

The smoke began to clear with Mycel seeing the two from afar and roaring towards them causing four large black canine-like creatures to run out of his aura towards them. Arissa quickly shot energy shards, with the energy being absorbed into the creatures

“Holy shit!” Arissa stated in shock

“My turn.” Skye stated before slamming her hammer into the ground creating a surge of lightning to launch from it towards the creatures and destroy the ground beneath them. The creatures continued to run across the broken ground, with the lightning absorbing into their bodies as well. Skye then dropped her hammer quickly as the first hound lunged forwards to bite her. She attempted to punch it going directly through it, as two more bit down on her legs creating a stinging pain in her body. The last hound ran beside her and attacked Arissa, who created a mystical barrier around herself to keep the hound away from her. Mycel then charged forward as his hounds attack the warriors. Skye saw him coming and released her pain and rage into an immense punch to his face. Mycel’s nose broke from the impact of the blow, with Mycel then trying to throw another punch of his own. Skye dodged with Mycel staying stable enough to remain on his feet allowing her to throw an elbow to his face. Skye then felt an immense shock of pain as the hounds continued to pierce through her dense skin. Mycel then roared as he landed a punch of his own with enough devastating force destroying the hounds, and shattering Arissa mystic barrier.

Skye was smashed into the ground with a massive cut above her right eye. She looked up in completely disarray as Mycel’s wounds began to heal instantly in front of her. He lifted his hand to deliver another strike, when a small blue energy blast hit his face. He looked up and saw Arissa attempting to attack him, infuriating him even more. He then threw himself at her leaping several feet in the air and smashed into her. His face became instantly filled with confusion though, as Arissa’s body vanished in front of him. He turned around and saw her kneeling beside Skye while pulling a stone out her pocket.

“Reditus!” She stated causing her and Skye to vanish with only a large rune burnt into the ground being left behind from their travel.