Symphonic Odyssey
: Vol. Four: Odyssey’s Outset: Verse One-Hundred Eighty

The news that a Minus had returned spread quickly through the ranks of the Radiant Corps. It was something that nobody had expected, and it caused a lot of the Conductors in that organization to rethink their own strength. For centuries, simply reaching the higher ranks had been the only goal.

Wars between nations still happened every so often, but things were relatively calm, and those battles never lasted more than a few weeks at most. They were, at best, petty squabbles that only served to maintain the balance of power in the land. Peace was common in this day and age, and in times of peace, it was easy to grow complacent.

To most Conductors, power was power. The quality of said power didn’t mean much when those who had reached the higher levels usually went unchallenged. The few wars that did break out served to reduce the number of powerful Conductors each nation had. This kept a balance in the world that the leaders of each country were more than happy to maintain.

So when news that a Minus had reappeared after the assumed extinction of their dangerous race, Conductors in the Radiant Corps weren’t sure how to react. It didn’t help that the Minus had faded into memory and become nothing more than myths and legends that the Conductors of the past had been forced to deal with.

The Paladins of the Radiant Corps had trained very hard for decades. Their power was renowned among mortals and Conductors alike. One couldn’t forget that reaching the fourth rank was quite an incredible accomplishment. Not many could ever reach those heights and continue to down their path successfully before a powerful Zight-beast, war, or petty squabble claimed their life.

Their strength was great indeed, but they were still a product of a more peaceful era. To them, this would simply be similar to fighting a powerful Zight-beast, or a band of rogue Conductors. In fact, the only reason they were showing any caution at all, was because of the name of the one that had returned.

Louis Balistane had gone down in history as one of the most ruthless and powerful Minus the world had ever seen. He was a Vampire Lord, estimated to be at the peak of the fifth rank, and had unknown abilities. Normal Vampires still existed in the world. They were rare, and they couldn’t reproduce as quickly as other Zight-beasts, but Louis Balistane was more than a simple Vampire.

The higher-ups of the Radiant Corps knew the full details of his threat level. Yet, despite that knowledge, they had only sent in some of their most skilled fourth and fifth-rank Conductors. It couldn’t be disputed that Louis posed a severe threat to the entire world.

However, the Radiant Corps was a mostly secret organization. Their members were recruited from every nation in order to maintain a semblance of fairness. If they revealed the full scope of what they knew, the news of the Minus would eventually spread to each nation through those members and could destabilize the peace of the entire world.

Right now, the leaders of the Radiant Corps were dealing with not only this new Minus threat, but the Order of Eternal Night, and the mystery of why Zight-beast packs had been growing in number and strength over the last few years. This was to say nothing of the many other small issues they had on their plate.

As it was, they were stretched quite thin. Because of that, they were forced to play their cards wisely and very carefully. This is why they failed to send anyone beyond the fifth rank to address the Minus issue. However, they couldn’t simply remain passive either.

The six-man team they had sent moved into Finn’s Deep as stealthily as they could. A dark miasma poured out of the entrance, and those who saw it couldn’t help but shiver at the eerie feeling it gave off. Each of these Conductors was an experienced fighter and had been thought to be able to handle a mission like this.

They assumed they were there to exterminate this Minus. However, to the regret of the leaders of the Radiant Corps, they were actually only there to test the strength of Louis. In essence, they were being sent to what was likely their deaths in order to gain valuable information for a future team of exterminators.

As they entered Finn’s Deep, they immediately took notice of dozens of undead in the early chambers. Louis had been very busy in his time of solitude, and he had taken full advantage of it. However, these Minus undead were fairly weak. They only ranged in the second and third ranks by normal standards.

Still, given that they were Minus, the group had some difficulty wiping them out since their true strength was in the third and fourth ranks. If not for the fact that they were only zombies and skeletons, the group might have had to retreat then and there. They continued working their way further into the depths of Finn’s Deep, and eventually, they arrived at the chamber where Cypher and Alex had battled the Rot Ogre.

All was quiet as they moved slowly through the chamber, and none of them dared to drop their guard. It was then that Louis Balistane calmly hovered into the room and glared at them with a deep look of hunger and smug superiority.

“Ah, I see that my little messengers have done as I asked. Very good. Welcome to my dark abode ladies and gentlemen. How was the reception? Did you enjoy my humble little welcome party?” asked Louis.

The small group of Paladins said nothing and only prepared themselves for battle as they stared down their new opponent. Louis sighed and drifted lazily forward, “Honestly, you humans are always rushing to your doom. At least the other two were willing to listen to what I had to say. Although, I can’t imagine they had much of a choice.”

“They were weak, but they were also quite young. They had plenty of room to improve. You lot, on the other hand, have had decades to hone your powers, and it pains me to see how worthless your race has become in the absence of my kind. Rest assured, the human race will soon return to its former glory, though not without much suffering on your part. Oh yes, there will be such delicious suffering to be had!”

“Silence foul beast! We, Paladins of the Radiant Corps, have come to end you once and for all!” said Charles, the leader of their group. He was an older man with a balding head. He was adorned in a glittering set of heavy armor, and his Warhammer was massive. The handle was easily a meter and a half long and featured a head the size of an anvil.

The others in his group drew their own weapons and Louis let out an annoyed sigh. “You pitiful humans never learn, do you? Where is the respect owed to one who wields greater power than yourself? Have you so quickly forgotten the ways of etiquette in these long millennia? Well, worry not, I shall teach your kind humility once again.”

“Do not listen to the words of this foul abomination! Together we are strong! Together we can-” Charles went silent as Louis moved through the room. His motions had been so swift that even the other Rank five Conductors hadn’t been able to see it, and yet, with them came a fluidity that only perfection of practice could yield.

Charles’ head toppled to the ground, his mouth agape, a look of determination still etched upon it. His neck released a torrent of blood that splattered the others in his group and his body collapsed to the ground with a loud thud. Followed quickly after was the massive Warhammer, which toppled over and crushed Charles’ head into a bloody mush where it had landed on the ground.

“Only one of you will leave this place alive. Let us play a game to decide who that will be shall we? I have grown bored in my loneliness here.” The other Paladins shook in terror as their strongest had just been killed effortlessly.

Still, they steeled themselves and charged forward, screaming their defiant battle cries. Louis smiled as he recognized the abject terror that a few of their cries contained. “Brave and stupid I see! Very well, let us have some fun shall we?” He exclaimed, a dark delight heavy in his words.

Late into the night, cries echoed out from the entrance to Finn’s Deep, Louis was having his fun, but the Paladins of the Radiant Corps could only suffer at the hands of this monster. He had said that only one would get to leave alive, but in truth, none of them would ever be seen again.