The trail of distorted Edo energy and faint goblin tracks led Hivean and Elara away from the recovering chaos of Lucrasia, deeper into the tangled wildlands that bordered the city. The air grew heavy, thick with a malevolent, unnatural energy that made Elara's skin prickle. Even Hivean's iron body, usually impervious to such subtle shifts, registered the growing oppressive weight of the corrupted Edo.
"It feels… wrong," Elara whispered, clutching her arm. Her nascent elemental spark, a tiny ember within her, seemed to recoil from the pervasive darkness.
"This is the influence of what we detected in the city," Hivean's synthesized voice resonated, his own senses probing the growing Edo signature. "A twisted form of Edo, channeled for a specific purpose. It is stronger here."
He moved with silent, practiced stealth, Elara struggling to keep pace, her feet rustling the undergrowth. Soon, the muffled sounds of guttural chanting reached them, rhythmic and unsettling. The scent of ozone, mingled with something metallic and foul, grew stronger. Hivean slowed, drawing his unique rifle.
They emerged into a clearing that was a sickening mockery of nature. Trees stood twisted and diseased, their bark peeling, their leaves a sickly, bruised green. At the center, a crude, towering totem pulsed with a vile, purplish light. It was fashioned from jagged pieces of scavenged metal, brittle bones, and raw, dark stone – all vibrating with the same corrupted Edo that choked the air.
Around the totem, dozens of goblins, their bodies seeming bulkier and more agitated than those in the city, toiled. Some hammered at metal, forging crude weapons. Others, with a disturbing, almost focused intent, were attaching glowing, dark nodes to captured forest creatures – wild boars, predatory cats, even large birds.The animals convulsed, their eyes glowing with unnatural malevolence, their forms subtly twisting as the corrupted Edo infused them.
And then, Elara saw them. Looming over the goblins, directing them with sharp prods and guttural snarls, were figures that made her breath catch in her throat. Humanoid, but with stark white hair and cruel, sharp faces. On their heads, menacing horns, varying in size, marked their authority. These were the Demons Hivean had spoken of. Their very presence exuded a chilling, cold hatred.
"Demons," Elara breathed, her fear turning to a cold dread. She remembered the legends, the whispers of beings from an underground realm.
Hivean's glowing eyes narrowed behind his mask. "The source of the blight. This totem acts as a conduit, twisting the Edo from the earth to fuel their horrific creations." He saw the lead demon, its horns larger than the others, barking orders, its gaze fixed on the corrupted creatures.
He knew what he had to do. The totem was the heart of this operation.
Without a word, Hivean raised Rari's rifle. The blue light of his own spirit element flared brightly in its barrel, a stark contrast to the oppressive purple of the clearing. He aimed not at the demons, but directly at the pulsating heart of the totem.
A blinding beam of pure light erupted from the rifle, lancing across the clearing. It struck the dark Edo totem with devastating force. A high-pitched, soundless shriek tore through the air as the malevolent energy within the totem flared violently, then imploded. Cracks spiderwebbed across its dark stone components, and the foul Edo energy within it sputtered and flickered, momentarily weakening the oppressive aura in the clearing.
The goblins recoiled, clutching their heads, their chanting dying. Some of the mutated beasts whimpered, their unnatural glow fading. But the demons, though momentarily staggered by the sudden energetic shockwave, roared in furious defiance. Their white hair seemed to bristle, and their horns glowed faintly with dark energy.
Two of the larger demons, including the leader, lunged at Hivean, their movements surprisingly swift and powerful for their bulk. Their hatred for anything that opposed them, especially a creature of light and order like Hivean, was palpable.
"They're coming!" Elara cried, seeing the immediate threat to the Ironclad. She instinctively thrust her hands forward. A small, desperate burst of fire, fueled by her nascent elemental spark, flickered between the charging demons and Hivean. It was weak, but it created a sudden, searing heat that momentarily caused the demons to flinch and roar in irritation.
Hivean didn't hesitate. He parried a demon's claw with his sword, the clash of metal resounding. Then, he brought Rari's rifle to bear once more. His priority was the source. With a decisive thrust, he channeled a powerful surge of his light Edo through his blade. The sword glowed with an intense blue as he brought it down onto the already shattered base of the totem.
The entire structure shrieked its final protest as it disintegrated into a shower of dark motes and wisps of smoke, leaving behind a deep scorch mark and an eerie silence. The corrupted Edo that had filled the air lifted, leaving a fresh, clean scent in its wake.
With their power source gone, the remaining goblins instantly lost their unnatural aggression, crumbling into cowering, confused piles. The mutated beasts whimpered and shrank, their unnatural forms beginning to revert. The two demons, however, were filled with a profound rage and frustration. They looked at Hivean, then at the ruined totem, and finally at each other. Their calculated malice turned to a desperate desire to escape. With a final, guttural snarl of pure hatred, they turned and vanished into the depths of the twisted woods.
Hivean lowered his sword, the light fading from its blade. The immediate danger was past. But his gaze swept over the clearing, then towards the path the demons had taken. This was more than just a localized threat. This was a calculated strike, a new level of aggression from the Demon Race. And it had only just begun.