We each landed with a thud in a woodsy, cavernous area. The air was musty and sour, yet had the woody scent of a forest when a breeze passed by. Our impact disturbed the birds in the area, so we saw plenty flee from the trees.
"First, Steed, then we were kidnapped, now we were shot all the way here. I'm starting to get the feeling they don't take us seriously," Za'Fia said as she patted dirt from her jeans.
"Of course they don't. These people have been around for eons. We may have piqued some of their interests, but we lack the power, thus the presence, to be significant in this world," Avarice said as he looked around. "Hm. I'm sensing an incredible amount of valuable metals and gems here, yet not a drop of greed or ambition. What does the brochure say about this district?"
"Um, for starters, we're in Irastia. It's a collection of caves within the Berserker District that stretches for hundreds of miles. There's not a lot going for the crest or the district, though. The Berserker Crest has only 39 pneumarians, 60 klevonians, and no elemental advantages. They don't bring in any revenue either."
"Yet there's so much untouched precious material here. It makes no sense," Avarice was baffled as he struggled to wrap his head around this apparent fact.
"I think I know why," I said, continuing to read the brochure. "The Berserker District is the only official 'wild' district where everyone knows to venture here at their own peril. All those resources you sense are still here because everyone considers this place too wild and unpredictable to enter. Even among the crest members, it's unstructured, where everyone challenges everyone. Only those who live for chaotic battle can survive here."
"Oh, God." I exhaled before continuing. "The only law here, aside from the one protecting the sacred guardian, is that crest members can't kill each other to preserve the crest's numbers. Civilian deaths that occur here aren't held up before the Pneumarian Council."
"What kind of hell did that bastard send us to?" Za'Fia tensed up as we spotted some wild bears the size of garbage trucks in the distance. We also sensed several klevonians fighting amongst themselves not too far away.
We were about to fly into the sky to avoid running into any issues when a sudden roar was heard that raised every hair on my body. We each clutched our heads as something strong influenced us, causing us to have an uncontrollable urge to run rampant senselessly.
In an instant, I'd entered my evolved form, Avarice had entered his hybrid form, and Za'Fia had gone straight into her raging blue-flamed hybrid form. Next thing I knew, we were charging full speed toward the klevonians we'd seen as our elements devastated our surroundings on the way. It felt like I was watching myself act from the passenger seat of my own consciousness – an experience I did not enjoy in the slightest.
When the klevonians saw us coming, the group stopped fighting amongst themselves and charged at us with a level of avidity I'd never seen in anyone before. Each of their eyes glowed, and their auras were released as they grew fur over part of their bodies and bear-like claws, becoming hybrid forms. It was like being hunted by a rabid pack of wild animals. If not for whatever was influencing me, I'd have taken Za'Fia and Avarice and flown straight up to flee from them.
Instead, I was like a completely different person. I felt elated at the challenge and didn't falter for a second. The group of wild klevonians clashed with the three of us. I watched as Za'Fia gripped one of their faces and released a torrent of blue flames from her palm before dropping him, letting out a draconic roar, and moving to the next. Seeing this, I quickly noticed that they were at a disadvantage because they had no element, and none of them seemed to have any cintracies. They were zero-klevonians.
Avarice used sound waves to generate a pitch that disoriented some of them. Then he knelt to touch the ground, forming gold that washed over several klevonians. Despite being more powerful, the klevonians couldn't break free due to their inefficient spirit manipulation.
"These beasts are no threat to us. They're just strong savages, it would seem," Avarice remarked as he tossed one of the golden statues aside.
"Fine by me. Makes it easier to burn them all," Za'Fia remarked as she rose higher and sprayed flames that ignited more of the trees and some of the klevonians.
"Then once we finish them off, we find more who're stronger," I grinned as I used a technique called Stasis Field Expansion to form a perfect sphere around me that carved away part of the ground beneath my feet.
The klevonians who tried to attack me all at once found themselves suspended in midair as my energy held them there. I levitated off the ground until I was a couple of hundred feet up before I decided to use Stasis Field Rotation to spin the sphere, along with the trapped klevonians, violently. The force of the spin was so strong it started to uproot trees and rip apart the nearest caves before I flung everything pulled in away with tremendous force.
Each klevonian was thrown in different directions, creating paths of dirt and destruction as they crashed through trees, hillsides, and caves.
"This is kinda fun..." I heard myself say. "Who's next?"
Lisa, look at the damage you are causing. I heard Viraa's voice echo in my head.
When I looked around at the destruction we'd caused, I caught a glimpse of some of the state the klevonians were in. Some were rolling through the dirt, screaming as they tried to extinguish the flames on them.
Look at the klevonians you have hurt.
The ones I'd sent flying weren't moving at all, and their limbs were bent awkwardly. I felt panic and guilt start to rise.
"No, did I...?"
They still live. These particular klevonians are accustomed to harsh treatments, but this is not you. Take back control.
I gripped my head as it began to hurt from my sudden resistance. With one eye open, I remembered the klevonians trapped by Avarice's gold. I was too panicked to remember cindarians could survive without oxygen if we chose to, and spun to check. The ones Avarice had made into statues were...wait, where were they?
None of the gold that had been there moments ago was there now. Only unconscious klevonians remained.
"A-Avarice!" I called, still trying to break free from the influence. Half of me still wanted to rush off to find more klevonians to test myself against. Maybe I'd even find a pneumarian...
"Hm...that was an unusual experience," Avarice muttered to himself as he walked through a wall of Za'Fia's blue flames. He was still in his hybrid form, but he examined himself as he strolled toward. "Glad I found a way to break free of that. I prefer being in control of my impulses."
Close to him, he saw Za'Fia drop to her knees as she struggled against herself.
"No..." Za'Fia's flames flickered between orange and blue. "I'm won't...lose control...again..."
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