KESM: Terra Quatuor Chronicles

The team rushed to Sabbath's location, wasting little time getting there.

What a battle. Life and limb had been staked, every ounce of strength wrung dry to come this far. Surmounting the inevitable. Securing their freedom. 

"Sabbyyyy!" they called in unison, almost stumbling as they pushed their exhausted, bloodied bodies to meet his.

Initially standing in his lonesome, the warmth of their embrace — if only a bit suffocating — was just what he needed. He had kept his promise, they had kept theirs. He had forged the path to their victory. They had stayed alive long enough to see it realized. Words could barely express every emotion, barely scratch the surface of it all.

For a moment, they simply clung to each other, breathing in relief, letting the world slow down.

Eventually, they collapsed onto the ground, indifferent to the muddy terrain and cold rocks beneath them. Laughter bubbled up, sharing jokes, visions for the future and everything in between.

"Did we really just defeat a Tier-2 Fiend!" Angie said in excitement and shock. That was a feat as unheard of, as improbable as one could come by. 

"We sure did." Sabby said with a whistle. Even he couldn't believe it. So many factors and variables came together to make their current reality possible. 

"Wow, who would've thought I'd follow this psycho into any battlefield, much less one with a Tier-2 Fiend?" Jon said laughing, virtually gasping for air.

"Hah, 'psycho' doesn't even cover it." Emaila added, rolling onto her back with a groan. "Sabbath's so unhinged, we need a whole new word for him."

"Safe to say, though, that was a close one," Hayz added, leaning heavily on an Aura-crafted arm.

"Speaking of psychos." Angie, glancing at Hayz. "How can you still use your abilities? Why do you use them! That's…. I'm speechless" 

"What? Care to lend Me a hand?" after a short pause "....pun intended". He quipped, grinning ear to ear.

Groans and chuckles followed. 

"Besides, I didn't exhaust myself as much as Jon over here, he was basically breathing Spells for a second there." He continued, "Thanks for fixing my arm up by the way."

"Excuse you." Jon cut in "I don't remember being the one to draw first blood from an Arthurian Fiend." 

"Heyyyyyy, your little display set it up for me. Skillfully drawing its attention, let's not forget your whole delayed-spell trick, the Cumulodrake fell for that hook, line and sinker."

"So that's what that was. So sneaky." Angie facepalmed in glee.

***

The battle had ended, the tension drained from the air, replaced by something else. Relief was such a drug.

The battlefield lay quiet, a graveyard of shattered stone, bloody puddles and scorched earth. The island's jagged cliffs framed the horizon, their edges softened by the silver glow above. Hours earlier, the sun's final rays had broken through the clouds, gilding the ruins in amber. 

Now, the heavens stretched wide, a sea of deep indigo scattered with stars. The full moon hung heavy and luminous, its light casting long, pale shadows across the uneven terrain. Wisps of smoke curled lazily from the charred remains of earth, faint tendrils rising to meet the cool night air. A gentle breeze stirred the ash, carrying the faint tang of ozone and something acrid from the earlier clash.

Above, constellations glimmered, their brilliance stark against the void. The ocean beyond the cliffs rippled with reflections, each wave catching fragments of starlight as if trying to hold onto them. Silence reigned, broken only by the occasional rustle of the wind and the low hum of waves below.

Caution was a distant thought. The island, enchanting in its isolation, offered no threats tonight. The Cumulodrake had laid claim to this desolate place, and with its fall, the territory felt oddly vacant, peaceful.

It was a vacation now…. If a vacation could happen in the aftermath of a life and death battle with a Fiend.

Its colossal form loomed in the distance, battered and lifeless. Despite its power — its speed, strength, and durability — it had fallen.

Oh, what a battle it had been.

Time passed, marked only by the steady beat of activity as they surveyed the aftermath. Sabbath ran a hand through his hair, now loose from the knot it usually held, unraveled during his game with the Fiend. A strand fell across his face, something he normally wouldn't allow but didn't bother fixing now. Victory had its price. 

Emaila was hunched beside her broken staff, staring down like it had betrayed her. Jon, looking spent and pale, was leaning against a morphed outcropping. His breath came in ragged gasps. The depletion of his mana evident — barely enough left to even conjure a weak spark.

"So," Hayz's voice cut through the quiet, "who's up for some dragon meat over a campfire?!"

The others looked at him with incredulous expressions on their faces.

Yet….

They all answered with a resounding "Yes."

Having carved generous slices from the tail, neck, and back of the Drake — the so-called 'best cuts' of Cumulodrake delicacies, as proudly detailed in the Team's tab — Hayz had wasted no time seasoning and spicing them with an almost ceremonial precision. Around the makeshift campfire, glowing embers licked at the cool night air, crackling faintly as they devoured the wood. The tantalizing aroma of Fiend meat drifted into the darkness, mingling with the faint tang of smoke and ash still clinging to the battlefield. 

A bubbling stew simmered in a battered pot, no doubt Jon's handiwork, its surface catching glints of firelight as it stirred itself in lazy circles. The rich scent of spiced broth and seared flesh wove into the air, clinging to everything like a second skin. A mouthwatering feast was underway, the anticipation thick enough to taste. Shadows of the Team stretched long across the ground, waiting in quiet anticipation. Above them, the moon kept watch, a pale witness to this small victory carved from chaos….

Jon conjured up some wine he had prepared, aged to perfection. Equal parts fruity and…. spirited.

Shortly after, everyone got settled in, comfortable around the fire, for the feast was ready.