The Paths 1: Thorny Combat

The barrier had scarcely manifested behind Aeolia and Senka when footsteps echoed through the dark passage beyond where Teri’s ball of light shone. A trevolk, this one armed with a thin wooden saber where its right hand would have been.

“Guess a tunnel for fighters would end up being a gauntlet,” Aeolia said, spinning her glaive around, wisps of green wind trailing along the edge.

“Do you mind if I take the first attack?” Senka asked, stepping forward slightly, pointing her knife at the trevolk.

“You couldn’t have asked that before I got all ready to swing?” Aeolia muttered good naturedly, letting her magic dissipate from her weapon as she stepped back. “Bit of a mood killer.”

“Sorry to be a bother,” the spirit apologized as the trevolk approached slowly with measured steps. “I would have preferred to strategize but we weren’t given the time. Hopefully there’ll be a pause between attacks.”

Senka brought her right hand up to her left shoulder, the blade gleaming in the light before a shroud of darkness coated the steel. She brought the blade down in a diagonal slash, the trevolk rocking back as its torso cracked from the attack, shadows briefly obscuring the point of impact.

Senka looked at her namesake and origin with an inquisitive eye. “It’s easier to use Cutting Shadows. I wonder if that has to do with its mana conductive properties or my connection to it?”

“I don’t think we’ve got the time to ponder that,” Aeolia remarked. “Don’t think you did much more than I did against the first one.”

The trevolk swordsman had regained its balance, its chest split open slightly from Senka’s attack.

“It would seem so,” the spirit remarked. “Any plans?”

“You work best standing still, right?” Aeolia asked.

“That is the case,” Senka replied.

“Then how about we try this: you draw its attention while I fly around and hit from behind?” Aeolia suggested.

“A good plan,” Senka admitted. “I am curious if my other spells can be channeled through the knife.”

She shifted her stance, cocking her arm back, shadow coated blade pointed at the trevolk. Aeolia shifted her size down and took off like a shot. The trevolk deemed the flier the more immediate threat and brandished its blade swiftly, trying to swat Aeolia out of the air.

She proved more agile than their foe’s technique and easily twisted out of the way. Before the trevolk swordsman could pivot to track its diminutive target, Senka thrust her blade forward, the shadows covering it shooting out. The Black Thorn struck the wooden warrior right where its armor was already opened from Senka’s first attack. The dark spike sank deeper into the living tree, causing its movements to stop with a jerk.

Aeolia, now fully behind the spasming trevolk, grew to her full height, tempest coated glaive held high. She brought her blade down hard on the trevolk’s head, cleaving down to its neck. Despite its head being split in two, the trevolk stubbornly held on to life, swinging its weapon arm backwards in a blind and fruitless attempt to counterstrike.

“These guys are kind of tough,” Aeolia commented as she shrank down, pulling back from the trevolk. “Not so much on the attacking side but they can take some crazy hits.”

“In its defense, you are a much better fighter,” Senka pointed out. “You’re likely five levels stronger at least, with the same focus on melee combat. It was never going to push you to your limits, outside of employing some ambush tactics like the ones at the entrance. And you were able to avoid their attacks without trouble.”

“Well, aren’t you a sweet talker,” Aeolia said with a laugh. “You want to do another attack? I think if I take a swing, this guy’ll be firewood.”

The trevolk continued to try to attack Aeolia with awkward backward swings, unable to move its legs in anything more than a jerky waddle and seemingly incapable of turning around at all.

“I suppose a little more practice couldn’t hurt,” Senka replied, lifting her shadow coated blade above her head.

“Seeing if you can deepen the cut?” Aeolia asked playfully.

Senka smirked at her winged companion. “Let’s see how my magic stacks up against your prowess.”

She swung the knife down and a surge of darkness bloomed in the canyon left by Aeolia’s attack, digging several centimeters deeper into the trevolk torso before dissipating. The trevolk made one last stuttering movement before fading out of existence.

“I believe your attack cut through far more than I did,” Senka admitted as Aeolia landed in her full size next to her.

“To be fair, I am, like, ten levels stronger than you,” Aeolia said. “And you have more mana than I do already. That shadow slash of yours will probably match what I can do. Or you could show me up. What do I know?”

Aeolia cracked her neck. “Looks like swordy boy was the only member of the welcoming committee. Probably going to be a lot more lurking down there, so let’s not keep them waiting.”

“Actually, since it looks like we’re not going to be attacked, I have something of a delicate matter to talk to you about,” Senka said, her tone serious. “It’s partially why I pushed for this arrangement. This is something that I don't want John to overhear.”

“Okay, I really don’t like the sound of that,” Aeolia remarked. “What’s so important and why can’t John know about it?”

“It pertains to your and Vivian’s relationship with him,” the spirit began.

“What, you got some problem with us?” Aeolia asked heatedly.

“Quite the opposite,” she hastily stated, bringing up her left hand in a placating gesture. “You both obviously care for him and his appreciation and affection for you is something I literally can’t ignore.”

“Then what’s this all about then?” Aeolia pressed, folding her arms over her chest.

“I won’t beat around the bush,” Senka said, lowering her hand. “I wish to join.”

Aeolia blinked owlishly. “Join? As in…”

“Your relationship, yes,” Senka clarified.

Still gobsmacked, Aeolia shook her head to re-engage her brain.

“Sorry, you’re going to have to give me a minute to process this,” she said. “Not really something you should drop on someone in the middle of a monster infested dungeon.”

“When else could I?” Senka remarked. “Even though John wouldn’t say no to tying me to the knife so I could move freely, his curiosity would lead him to wonder why I wanted to speak with you privately.”

“That’s a fair point,” Aeolia relented with a grumble, running a hand through her hair. “What brought this on anyway? Or were you just born wanting to get into John’s pants?”

Senka’s lips twitched in irritation, but she calmed herself before answering.

“I am not driven to be some sort of sex toy for John,” she calmly answered. “However, I can’t deny there is a fundamental part of my being that is very compatible with him. ‘Soul mate’ is an overplayed term, but in some ways it fits. John did provide some of his soul, in bite-sized pieces that did no damage to him, to allow me to manifest. Which doesn’t really cover all the complexities, but it is what it is.”

“And having bits of his soul in you gives the right to just waltz up and go, ‘How about we make this a foursome’?” Aeolia snapped.

“No, it doesn’t,” the spirit replied, her visage growing downcast for a moment. “Which is why I’m asking your permission instead of trying to worm my way in. If I had nefarious intent, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

Aeolia opened her mouth to retort but snapped her jaw shut as she considered Senka’s words.

“Damnit, you’re right,” she muttered, starting to pace across the passageway. “You do have a direct link to his head. Okay, being upfront here, I don’t have an issue with some other girl joining up, if she fits with the group, and something tells me John probably wouldn’t mind, but Vivian might and that makes the whole thing a no go. We’re not some ‘majority rules’ sort of thing. Not for something that important.”

Despite being given a ‘No’, Senka smiled at Aeolia’s declaration.

“Your dedication to them deserves commendation,” the spirit remarked then let out a sigh. “If you could at least discuss this with Vivian, I would appreciate it. Now we have a corridor to finish exploring, yes?”

Aeolia blinked at how quickly her companion surrendered and returned to the pressing task.

“You’re just dropping this?” she asked exasperated.

The spirit shrugged. “I never expected you to just jump on board. Honestly, I would be a bit disappointed if you had. I just wanted to make my desire known. If you and Vivian don’t wish it, then that’s that. I only wish for the topic to be discussed.”

“And what if Vivian wants it to just be me and John?” Aeolia pressed.

“Then my desires will remain between us,” Senka answered. “I don’t want to make things awkward with the group.”

“A bit late for that,” Aeolia muttered under her breath then sighed. “I don’t know when I can bring it up, but I will. Might not be for a bit though, Vivian’s got her mind occupied with, um, other things.”

Senka giggled, hiding a sly grin with her free hand. “Planning some nightly activities, is she? I'll be sure to keep your privacy.”

“You really know how to change the mood of a room,” Aeolia chidley remarked.

“There’s no point in dwelling on things one can’t control,” Senka sagely said. “Speaking of which, we should probably get back on track.”

“Yeah,” Aeolia muttered as she turned to face the darkness beyond them. “Let’s get back to that.”

---

‘Why do I have to deal with this relationship curve ball?’ Aeolia thought as she cleaved through the head of another trevolk, this one thicker than its blade and whip wielding brothers. To complement its bulkier design, it carried only a kite shield and attacked by charging in with the flat surface.

Between her agility, size shifting and ability to fly, Aeolia was in no danger of getting hit, which meant her mind was free to process Senka’s request. She was well aware of her lack of skill regarding navigating the dangerous waters. She repressed a flinch as she recalled how she almost ruined their relationship by being too forward with Vivian.

She spun away from the decapitated shield bearer, glaive easily parrying the swing of a blade wielding trevolk that tried to attack her while she was otherwise engaged. Aeolia looked past her new opponent to where her companion was dealing with another trevolk, the last of this attacking trio.

The spirit gracefully brought her left hand up, a wave of shadows following in its wake forming a defensive screen to intercept the downward swing of the trevolk pressing in on her. With a quick horizontal slash of her knife, she cracked open the trevolk’s chest with her instant cutting move, darkness spilling out from the fresh wound in the wood.

Aeolia spun her glaive around and struck her opponent with a racking swipe from shoulder to hip, the sound of cracking wood echoing off the stone walls. Motes of purple smoke rose from the gaping wound and Aeolia quickly gave it a matching gash, carving an ‘x’ into its chest. It gave one final jerking motion before it faded away, leaving only the trevolk facing Senka left.

The spirit maintained a cautious stance, blocking another strike with the magically generated shield before thrusting her shadow coated blade towards the opening she made. Instead of launching a spike of darkness, the blackened blade extended outward. It stuck into the trevolk’s chest, eliciting a shower of purple sparks as her attack appeared to hit something vital.

The trevolk rocked in place and Senka dismissed her magics as she pulled back. A second later, the wooden warrior went limp, fading out of existence before it could hit the cold floor.

“I’d say we’re getting good at fighting these guys,” Senka remarked. “Those three put us at fifteen defeated, if I’m not mistaken.”

“Yeah,” Aeolia confirmed.

“Hopefully we’ll reach the end of this path soon,” Senka continued. “I only have around ten minutes left before my manifestation fades.”

“What happens when you're out of time?” Aeolia asked as they proceeded further down the hallway, focusing on that ticking clock instead of their earlier conversation.

“I’m not sure,” Senka replied, her voice taking on an uncertain tone. “I assume I would end up back in my domain within John’s aura. Let’s hope we can deal with what’s left before then. I would hate to leave you alone and I know John would be rather worried.”

Aeolia smiled a bit, knowing that to be a true prediction. Still, with a touch of pride, she countered, “It’s not like I can’t take care of these guys alone. Just might take a bit longer.”

“Better safe than sorry,” Senka intoned as they began to descend a flight of stairs. “If I were to run out of time in the middle of a fight, whatever enemy I was fighting could find itself with a direct shot at your rear.”

Aeolia chose to ignore the spirit’s choice of words and said, “If it comes down to the wire, try to let me know before you go poof.”

Senka nodded. “I will make every effort to.”

‘How can she just carry on like she didn’t drop a bomb in my lap?’ Aeolia groused, the question worming its way back to the forefront of her thoughts. While her dating history was rather shallow, she had been the instigator in them. Being propositioned was not something she was used to and Senka’s forwardness and complete nonchalance over whether her advances would bear fruit put her on the back foot.

‘Will she really be okay if we don’t add her?’

The thought crossed her mind, at first colored by the nagging suspicion that she would try less up front methods to work her way into John’s pants. But then her mind replayed Senka’s expectation on what would happen when the mana spent to manifest her ran out, and Aeolia realized she didn’t have the luxury of being able to shop around.

‘Well, great,’ the winged woman grumbled internally, feeling an uncomfortable weight settle in her gut. ‘The fate of her sex life rests on my and Vivian’s shoulders.’

“I think we’re nearing the end of this path,” Senka suddenly said, drawing Aeolia out of her thoughts. Several meters ahead of them, soft green light glowed from around a corner. “If the minor guardian was to be anywhere, I believe it would be through there.”

Aeolia shook her head and cleared her thoughts, getting her mind back on track. She glanced up at Senka’s mana bar, around two thirds drained, then nodded.

“I’ll take the lead,” Aeolia declared. “I’m better on mana than you, and once you’re drained, you don’t recharge quickly, right?”

“That is the unfortunate reality,” Senka replied, nodding to Aeolia. “I will play support then. Shall we?”

“Let’s get to it,” Aeolia answered, and as they moved towards the bend, the green light was bleached out by their divinely sprouted orb. They rounded the corner and emerged onto a wide ovoid chamber. A number of skinny trees grew in a haphazard fashion from the floor, their roots chewing up the stone and full leaves glowing bright green. A number of weapons hung from some of the branches, ranging from blades to polearms, all made solely from wood. At the far end of the chamber, opposite them and on a raised dais, waited the guardian.

It stood at least a meter taller than their previous enemies and unlike them bore neither shield nor weapon. Purple eyes burned on what amounted to its face and its posture shifted slightly as if ready to begin combat, limbs tensing and branch-like fingers curled into fists.

“I’m going to fly in,” Aeolia whispered. “If you get the chance, try to bind it up.”

Senka nodded and Aeolia jumped into the air, wings beating hard enough to rustle the leaves of the nearest tree before she rocketed towards their enemy. The trevolk leapt down from its pedestal, easily grabbing hold of one of the dangling weapons, a longsword, before it began charging in, its long legs letting it quickly close the distance between them.

The guardian swung its long blade at Aeolia, the whole of its weight behind the attack. Aeolia tucked into a roll, shifting to her natural size to avoid the strike. Despite pulling her wings close to her body, the wave of displaced air knocked her to the side, turning her evasive maneuver into a wild tumble.

After a second of uncontrolled spinning, Aeolia righted herself and flew straight back at the trevolk, maintaining her diminutive stature.

‘We don’t have a lot of time to finish this,’ she thought as she fired a crescent of wind at her enemy, the arc of wind too fast to be avoided. It scored into the guardian’s chest weakly, not even leaving a noticeable mark.

‘Bit tougher than its underlings,’ she noted, recalling how a similar attack on one of the earlier trevolks left at least a small scar. ‘I think focusing on the chest is the best way to go. These guys have pretty bad reactions to heavy hits there and that’s how we beat that Woad Commander.’

It was a straightforward plan but Aeolia didn’t have the luxury of being able to develop a more complex one. So she began to flit around the guardian, striking at its chest as she evaded ever closer swings. Her repeated attacks were slowly wearing down the guardian’s chest, but the limited size of her blows only scratched away the bark.

‘Staying small isn’t going to work,’ Aeolia thought, gathering mana on her blade. ‘Probably only going to be able to pull this trick off once, so I better make it count!’

She continued her orbiting path, purposely slowing her flight to goad the trevolk into attacking. The guarding took the bait, snapping its weapon in a backhanded swing, intending to catch its harasser before she could strike again. Smiling, Aeolia dodged the attack, riding the wave of displaced air upwards.

Now well enough above the guardian, Aeolia grew to full height, glaive alight with verdant wind.

“Left yourself wide open, twig brain,” she snarled and brought her wind enhanced blade down, cutting the guarding from neck to navel. The blow caused the trevolk warrior to rock back slightly, but it retained its footing. A sickening, crunching sound drew Aeolia’s attention; the trevolk’s free arm twisted in an inhuman fashion to take hold of an ax hanging from a nearby tree.

Aeolia quickly pulled back, not eager to get caught between the two weapons and the trevolk snapped to attack her, its long legs easily keeping up with Aeolia’s flight. To better evade, Aeolia shrank down and flew higher. As she pulled out of the guardian’s range, she noticed Senka had moved from the entryway and was stealthily getting closer to them.

Hoping the spirit was sticking to their initial plan, Aeolia dived back into the fray, launching a flurry of weak attacks to keep the guardian’s attention. While her blows did little more than chip away some bark, the trevolk continued to flourish its weapons like she was dealing out deadly blows, the skilled bladework pushing Aeolia to her limit.

Then the guardian’s arms were ensnared by Senka’s dark vines, their thorns digging into its woody exterior.

“I can only hold this for another ten seconds!” the spirit announced.

“This’ll be over in five!” Aeolia called back, quickly shooting upwards before diving down to pick up speed. She leveled her flight, aimed squarely at the wound she made and poured her mana into her glaive, a tempest flaring to life along the blade.

She grew to her full size and slammed into the bound trevolk, tearing into its chest with her wind sharpened weapon, filling the chamber with the cracking sound of splintering wood. The guardian lurched backwards, motes of purple energy streaming out of its chest and back as Aeolia’s blow ran it through. The trevolk made one final attempt to attack, a feeble swing of its sword, before vanishing into thin air.

Aeolia landed hard, her breath slightly labored.

“Nice move there,” she said to Senka after a moment to collect herself.

“Just following the plan,” the spirit replied. “I believe the totem we need to obtain is behind where the guardian was waiting. I’d like to be able to say we claimed it before I run out of time.”

“Right. Time’s ticking,” Aeolia groaned. “Let’s get the thing.”

The pair moved to the dias opposite the entrance, climbing up the root covered stairs onto the platform, where the totem waited, embedded in the wall.

“So this is the totem, huh?” Aeolia remarked. Their prize was a meter long cylinder of carved wood. Etched onto it were depictions of warriors engaged in battle, some with other armored foes, others against beasts. Aeolia pulled it out of the wall, and the pair leapt back as the stone shifted, revealing a hidden passage.

“Looks like that’s our way forward,” Senka said.

“Yeah,” Aeolia uttered. “Let’s go. Hopefully this leads to where the others are and we make it there before you go poof.”

Thanks again for reading this little story. If you liked the chapter, please hit that thumbs up, and if you want to support my writing, check out my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/ScrapCrow. Get access to my chapters before they’re published here and join my private Discord.