Abyssal Awakening

Where did it all go wrong? When she accepted this mission with the others?

When she met Alice? When Alice demonstrated her power?

Ellie didn't know.

All she could think about was death and the inevitability of it. The gap between the talented and talentless.

The power difference despite having more Sigils.

She wished she had never met Alice nor asked her to demonstrate her strength. If she had never met her, she wouldn't have understood the meagre strength she possessed and lived in blissful ignorance.

If it wasn't for Alice, she wouldn't have fumbled against beasts that would've been easy kills for them.

'Where did it all go wrong?' Ellie asked herself once more as tears formed around her eyes.

Reaching for her arrow, she desperately pulled it back before letting go.

However, her aim was off.

"ARGGG!! Watch where you're shooting!" Griffin shouted in pain and anger while wrestling with a large armoured beast with four limbs.

He grappled two of the arms and held them at bay yet the other two dug its nails deep into his torso, causing blood to pour onto the ground.

Gritting his teeth, Finn turned around and grabbed Ellie by the collar.

"Get yourself together! We can't afford mistakes like this right now!" He lectured but he saw the fear deep in her eyes.

He knew she wasn't getting better and this fight could only rely on the four of them excluding Ellie.

Jumping up, Finn latched himself against a tree to look for a way out of this swarm.

However, the densely packed beasts of the Abyss refused to reveal a gap.

"Damn! Griffin! Keep to the walls and push to the right! Isabella! Take Kaida back and patch him up! He's getting eaten alive out there!

I'll open a way to the right! Make sure you run through when I tell you to!" Finn shouted as he reached into his bag.

Every Hunter owned one of these. A vial of blood for emergency use.

The power it granted was one that could turn the tides of battle, but the side effects were not something a Hunter dared to trifle with.

He was given two options. Either drink the vial or try to push out without its power. But he couldn't risk the safety of his companions on his desire to remain 'human'.

Taking a deep breath, he opened the vial and stared at the crimson liquid that shimmered from the lights.

The Abyss Blood, an ambrosia of forbidden might for a hefty price.

With no more time to waste, he swung his head back and poured the contents into his mouth.

The moment the blood touched his tongue, Finn felt an abyssal surge of power course through his body. It was as if the primal power belonging to the Abyss Beasts possessed his body, awakening a never before seen power from his flesh as changes occurred to his body.

His body convulsed as luminescent blue flames started to dance around him, the blood working its way deep into the core of his being.

Sharp elongated teeth pierced through his lips, transforming his once human visage into that of a fearsome half man half beast. Upon his head, twisted black horns erupted with demonic elegance and curved back.

His hair, once a mundane brown now erupted into a wild flaring display like the mane of a beast. Strands of white replaced his original colour while black scales emerged along the edges of his face, neck and arms.

Finn's body which was once human was now an amalgamation of human will and Abyssal might.

Yet, along with the surge of power came a sense of cruelty. Finn could hear the dissonance of the Abyss, whispering into his mind. Its thoughts and will polluting his own, urging him to slaughter. The boundary between Finn and the will of the Abyss blurred.

He staggered back, overwhelmed by the feeling before pulling himself together and wrestling his conscience from the depths of the Abyss. He now stood, understanding the price he had now paid for this power.

Clenching his fist, he rushed towards the swarm of beasts and slammed his hands down.

Luminescent flames erupted out as ice formed wherever they touched!

With a path of beasts now frozen, Finn created a blade of ice and slammed down with all of his might, shattering the statues and opening a path out.

"TO ME! RUN! DON'T LOOK BACK!" Finn screamed out as Griffin threw the beast aside, allowing it to tear a chunk out of his torso. With his remaining strength, he grabbed Kaida and Ellie who were out of commission.

Isabella followed behind as she was responsible for support hence she was still able to move.

Seeing that Griffin and Isabella ran past him, a smile crept up on his face as he turned around and slammed his fist into the chest of the beast that Griffin was fighting.

Letting out a roar to drag out as much strength as he could, Finn watched as blue flames and ice erupted from within the beast, ripping it apart as the blood was frozen before it could touch the ground.

"Finn!" Griffin shouted, noticing that Finn wasn't planning on leaving the swarm.

"LEAVE! DON'T LOOK BACK! LIVE WELL MY FRIENDS!" He shouted out, slashing the beasts that tried to get past him. He had to stall for as long as possible so that they could escape.

Gritting his teeth, Griffin turned around while Isabella hesitated.

"What are you waiting for!" He shouted as Isabella bit her lip and ran behind Griffin.

Seeing that his friends were leaving as per his orders, he smiled in satisfaction. Surrendering his mind over to the Abyss, he bit down on the neck of a beast and ripped it apart.

Allowing the primal urge to wash over him, Finn was no different to an Abyss Beast as he clawed away at the horde. There was no longer any reason to his actions, all he knew was that he had to KILL!

"ARG!!!" Letting out a cry of pain, he could feel the claws of Abyss Beasts piercing his torso as the last embers of his life slowly fizzled how. Gathering as much power as he could, blue flames erupted out with his body as the epic centre of the blast.

An ice age washed over the region as the trees and beasts were all frozen solid.

###

Griffin couldn't say anything. All he could do was carry Kaida and Ellie while Isabella followed. He could feel the vibrations through the ground, the expansion of power and his friends final shout in defiance.

However, the malevolent aura behind them continued to surge out. The beast swarm was not stopping.

"Go ahead without me! You need to warn the caravan! They have to leave as soon as possible!" Griffin called out as he understood his current state. He was running on nothing but adrenaline while blood continuously leaked from his body. But Isabella was different, she was naturally fast and as the assassin of the group, it would be an easy task for her to reach the caravan.

"I'll be fine. The sooner you notify them, the faster they can prepare." Griffin smiled softly after seeing Isabella's hesitance.

Clenching her fist, Isabella nodded.

"Don't fall behind."

"Who do you think I am? Now go!" Griffin chuckled.

Stomping down, Isabella rushed forward as fast as she could. There was only one hope on her mind, Alice! She had to find Alice!

The demonstration from the other night, if she was capable of such power, she should be able to help Griffin.

Finn had sacrificed himself to buy them some extra time, she didn't want to see more of her friends disappear!

###

"You… Can put me down…" Kaida muttered weakly as he could barely keep himself conscious.

"Shut up."

"I'm no help to… anyone right now. If you put me down, I can stall them for you. What else can a one armed swordsman do anymore?" He smiled before coughing up some blood.

Even though Isabella had patched him up, he could feel his wounds reopening as the healing blood was unable to heal the rest of his wounds.

Before Griffin could reply, Kaida mustered some strength and forced Griffin to let go of him.

"Hah… You can't even hold onto a dead man like me. Go ahead, I'll buy some time for you like Finn did." He groaned while forcing himself to stand up.

"And how much time can a half broken twig like you stall for?" Griffin scoffed.

"A few seconds give or take. But better than nothing." Kaida shrugged to the best of his abilities.

But despite his strong words, he could feel fear gripping his heart.

He didn't want to die but things have already reached this stage. He was broken and wounded, no use to anyone. Only dead weight.

"Then let me help. The longer we stall for the better no?" Griffin sighed while Ellie froze up.

"N-no!" She cried out as this was all her fault. If she didn't panic they wouldn't have gotten so injured. If she didn't screw up her role, Finn wouldn't have had to sacrifice himself.

She couldn't let these two pay for her mistakes.

"Just go back with Isabella will you? Try stay away from danger next time." Griffin chuckled as the roars of beasts slowly grew louder.

Grabbing Ellie, he mustered as much power as he could and threw her as far as he could, not wanting her to remain here as the beasts will soon arrive.

Widening her eyes, Ellie felt her chest tightening as she was unable to let out her voice. She could only pray, pray that someone will come save them.

*BANG!!!!

From the skies, a bolt of radiant lightning crashed down as four motes of lightning transformed into a spear.

"I'll hold them off! Help me when you're done with them!" Ria shouted out as Alice caught Ellie before rushing next to Kaida and threw a vial of healing blood into his mouth.

"Here's your portion. Take them away." Alice threw a vial towards Griffin before unsheathing her blade. Running forward, she activated her second Sigil as violet flames appeared on her blade.

'Destroy as much as you want, I allow it!'

After receiving permission, the flames roared out in joy as the flames pulsed out with anticipation for slaughter.