Mania: The Beginning of All

"I hope you remember how to ride the wind!" She had resorted to screaming as so to not be drowned out by the sound of the wizard's approach.

I responded with a nod, and continued with clarification, "Where will I be riding to?"

"Usually it's a decision made when the moment comes, so I can't tell you. Just be prepared."

I offered yet another nod, and our first evasion split us apart. She to the left and myself to the right as the formed abomination rushed past us both. His grace had made way from the soon-to-be battlefield in the time left before the wizard's arrival, and I did not lay eyes upon him after his initial exit.

She and I orbited the wizard at opposite sides, remaining at a distance while waiting for its rampage to pause so we may be granted a proper opportunity to strike, or at the least an opportunity to devise a plan of attack.

We had well departed from our resting spot when the monster had halted, turning its gaze to me with the intent of slaughter.

An arm comprised of poisonous sludge jutted out from the collection of all that provokes disgust with its mission to corrupt me, a blast of wind aimed at my lower left allowed me the propulsion to make haste from this limb. Unfortunately what began as a single limb soon turned into ten, some attacking the ground I had laid foot on a mere moment prior, others tearing at the soil beneath it, forming life into a projectile used to end my own.

Our continued circular motion around the man-turned-beast allowed my life to continue, and the repetitive nature of its attacks surely granted her time to devise a strategy, even I had began to think on an attempt at defeating this monstrosity.

A once populous area of trees in the forest had emerged a perfect circle of destruction that only widened with every attack. Trees torn with roots intact, flowers trampled without second thought, leaving a barren landscape befitting to house the enemy before us.

The continuous attacks allowed us to regroup and with this came efficient discussion.

"I couldn't find any weak spots, but if I were to guess with this kind of monster there's some core at the middle of it!" I could barely comprehend her words through the sounds of impact right behind us.

"How are we meant to reach this core? If the sludge this wizard has composed himself with is able to absorb the surrounding environment, what hope is provided by either of our blades?"

"It's a solid thing, right? Not some illusion or summoned object?"

"I believe so!"

"Then I can knock it off! With a blast of wind large enough I could blow away whatever is covering its weak point!"

"You would need to stand in place to conjure wind powerful enough!"

"That's why I need you to distract it, and you need to move it away from this place! Once I have the blast readied it's basically an item I can carry with me until I let it go! If you can distract it and bring its attacks away from me for just a bit, I can do it!"

"How long is 'a bit'?"

"I don't know! He's slow, though, you can see it too! It shouldn't be that hard!"

Our full circle around the beast had come to a close, and the land already destroyed would have proved difficult to navigate regardless. I quickly pivoted to the right and ran with all my might forward. The beast did provide chase, and I simply ran as fast as I could without looking back.

More attacks presented themselves in the form of projectiles; trees and piles of the earth untimely torn from their place of rest were thrown at me but instead of missing me in their usual pattern, they appeared at my side, even somewhat in front of me. What began as an easy task of patience in my sprint became a constant fight simply to not be crushed.

I vaulted over any appeared projectile that proved an obstacle in my path and made use of my hearing to avoid the trees and rocks landing beside me. However, I viewed an obstacle I would not be able to surpass, and I knew that my hope lied in the hands of my best soldier.

With this unfortunate piece of knowledge came two useful facts, that of my location and the possibility that I survive the coming moments. The mountains of the Aerdal forest were unkind to battles, yet all the conflicts that have occurred here have been spoken of for generations. Either my defeat will be told around the empire, or I will be celebrated by all on the anniversary of this day.

A glimpse of her uniform appeared beside me, with a glimmer brought on by the capsule of air she held in preparation to strike. I saw her mouth move, and heard no words, yet I knew what she asked of me. I quickly darted to my left, so that the wizard may run himself into the oncoming mountain.

After the impact, the wizard was greeted with the prepared blast, and despite my distance from the event, its sound must have rang throughout the entire forest. I quickly maneuvered over to her position so I may make use of this chance to strike its core, luckily traveling the vast distance between us in time for this.

Unfortunately, when the collection of sludge had been cast aside and all that was left was the upper half of a corpse and torn robes to accompany it, there was no core. No object lodged in the middle of this thing controlling it.

Our disbelief encouraged a lack of movement, a lack of thought, and that moment of repose for the beast was all it required to regenerate. We had thought too simply, we presumed that this abomination had become the main entity but the wizard was always the target.

The mind of the wizard is the core.

This realization came to me far too late, for the regenerated abomination came forth, and did not intend to continue the mistakes of its predecessor.