Chapter 24: Soul Shenanigans Part 2

Grog was propelled by Barbados down onto the stage and as he descended, he conjured his mana and formed it into a bolt of lightning. He hurled the high-voltage lightning into the vine and the smell of burning wood spread around them. Barbados wielded a dagger as he jumped down and slashed the leg tendons of the cultists.

"Your arrival won't stop the descent of our wrath." The human cultist erupted into a hysterical laughter as their last breath escaped their bleeding mouth.

"Wonderfull, what a cryptic message." Barbados said as he used a rope to tie the remaining living terrorists.

Chloutarg yelled in pain as the mana being output increased.

"So Grog, what's the plan?"

"Do you remember when you went in to attack the Remnant at the academy and said you knew all there was about them? Here's the basic idea that you got wrong. Remnants don't form when a person dies while not using mana. It's the opposite way around. They form when a person dies using mana or experiences severe mental shock."

"So Chloutarg is going to turn into a Remnant. Any way to stop the transformation? He isn't dead yet but I can see his skin losing colour."

"We would need the help of a Recluse." said Grog as he wrestled with multiple vines.

"Duck." replied the Sinborn as he picked up his dagger. "The purpose is to burn the world." he whispered to the blade. In mere moments, the cold steel had turned red and fire blazed into the air. Barbados sliced horizontally and a slash of fire flew straight through the plants, scorching the tips to ensure they wouldn't regenerate.

"You could have cut me in half!" yelled Grog.

"You ducked right? No need to think about what ifs. Go find the recluse. I will find the druid." Barbados searched through his personal space and pulled out the egg of an insect. "This will be fun." he said as he borrowed the egg in the branch.

Only minutes later, a scream echoed throughout the empty building, which the source was a druid hiding in the janitor's closet.

"Hello there," Barbados said as he smiled, "Did you enjoy the gift of parasites digging away at the vines and spreading poison?" He picked up the druid and whispered to them. "I have fought many of your kind. I know your weak points and flaws.

"Sarachat." mumbled the druid as he cried pathetically from the immense pain.

"Oh? I'm happy to see that my tales of terror still persist in your race." It is a simple tale of Barbados causing the extinction of the Dryad race which were the defenders of the Druid race. The reason was simple. Barbados needed good materials for his craft.

Barbados dragged the druid back into the main area and waited as Chloutarg still resisted the Remnant transformation.

"Chloutarg, what would happen if i was to put you to sleep. Would the transformation fasten or stop?"

"I don't know sir." he said before yelling in pain again. Grog had arrived back with the Vander Recluse.

"Well this is a sight to behold." he said as he gently walked down while still wearing his sunglasses.

"Ah hello Azer. How will you solve this predicament?" asked Adam who also returned after handing in the fallen criminals.

"Simple. Disperse the mana." Azer pricked his finger and a silvery liquid poured out. He flicked his hand and the metal hardened into a long blade. "We pry all that excess mana out."

Azer took a step back and then lunged at Chloutarg, striking the mana forcefield with the blade he forged with his blood and shattering it.

"Ha ha!" he exclaimed as his whole body shook and shifted hues. The same silver material poured out from his pores and covered his entire body. The vander had donned a metallic armour. "I know all about that cold steel or whatever the Arcanists chose to call it." He grabbed a hold of the ethereal substance and pulled into the armour, channelling it throughout the shell.

"Azer, shoot the mana into Barbados." said Grog as Barbados put on his best shocked face.

"Wha-"

"Got it." The vander smiled as the metal shifted and formed a nozzle and propelled the pure mana into him.

"Argh. It burns!" Barbados yelled as his skin burned. "Just give me a minute," he said as he plunged his hand into his chest and formed a hole, "Direct it into here."

"Woah. Nice trick." Azer said as he redirected the stream of compressed mana. Barbados's body convulsed at the influx of mana. The Sinborn strained to contain it in the same form as before, but this time compressing it even further to allow for more mana to be encompassed.

The mana drained but the Aster still remained trapped with Chloutarg's body, alongside the strange device. Azer reformed the blade into two smaller blades and asked for the help of Grog to pull out the device without disturbing the Aster.

"Got it." Grog said as he used mana to form an enlarged picture of the wound. Azer held the blades close to the wound and from those blades, small appendages formed that surrounded the device, cutting away at the roots it had taken. With a mighty pull, he pulled out the device and a last mana wave pushed Grog and Azer away.

Barbados finally overcame the dizziness and regained control over his movement.

"Grog…I never wish to experience that again. Grog?" he said as he looked around and saw the situation be resolved. "Good job everyone."

"No Barbados, it wasn't," spoke the Vander while laying on his back, "The soul has been cracked."

"What? But it couldn't have. The soul has the properties of a membrane, it shouldn't be able to crack."

"Heh. Mana is a bitch." replied Azer. "This is all new. No other person has ever tried to amplify their mana output with their soul. Got any ideas my winged friend." Barbados wasn't panicking, but rather composed as he already had a plan in mind.

"Yeah. I do. Give me a second or two." There was one being who could tell him the answer. He grabbed ahold of his halo and shattered it in half, seeing his body fall to the ground and a figure standing next to him.

"Come." the man in black said to him in a cold tone.

"The Grim Reaper I presume?" asked Barbados.