In the end, the adventurer party never made contact with Ori or his friend.
…His two friends now.
While listening in on the conversation, the sorceress - Marin - suddenly jerked her head in direction.
It was a blatant threat, meaning something along the lines of 'I know you're watching; lay off.'
The party had no choice but to comply, as they couldn't even hold a candle to Marin's overwhelming strength.
And so, forced to sever the mental link, they changed their course of action.
From now on, they'd pay for their sin - one which resulted in the event, now known as 'Nether's Tragedy'.
Ori would've laughed in their faces at such a comically grand misinterpretation, but the adventurers were none the wiser.
They got to work.
Time passed.
The more demonic beast invasions they successfully fended off, the higher a pedestal they were placed upon, eventually even earning themselves a few monikers amongst the common folk:
The guardians of Nether, the heroes of the new world, the mundane's hope, and many more.
In any normal situation, they would've been beaming with pride.
However, with the weight of responsibly pressing heavily on their shoulders, they could only reluctantly accept all of these overblown titles and bury their heads in more work, feeling as if it was simply their responsibly to clear the mess that they themselves have created.
Or rather, that they mistakenly believed they'd created.
However, time doesn't move in a vacuum.
That's a figure of speech, by the way, cause it literally does - but whatever.
Point is, it wasn't only the adventurer's lives that took a turn with time's passing.
Things also changed rather drastically on Ori's side.
***
"Duck!"
*Squelch*
"Aaarghh!!"
A heavy sword strike connected with a soldier's shoulder, making him scream out in pain.
His unit commander - still lacking in on-field experience - gave him an incorrect order, which resulted in this travesty.
The soldier rolled on the ground soaked with his own blood, gripping his torn shoulder in agony.
Nagi, the temporary commander, bit his lip in self reproach and scanned the battlefield; things were looking grim.
His men were injured - numbers dwindling - but the same couldn't be said for their opponents. In fact, Coralridge's forced appeared inexhaustible, more and more soldiers clad in extravagant battle suits pulling up by the second.
Nagi himself wasn't faring much better, either. Many cuts and injuries marred his body, and the seemingly impenetrable armor forged for him by Stone Cauldron's best smiths was on its last leg.
Everything is going wrong! Didn't they say this was supposed to be a simple scouting mission?! How did it come to this..?
No, now's not the time for despair. At the very least, I'll take a few of these pompous bastards down with me!
"Haaaah!!"
Letting out a guttural battle cry, Nagi discarded any sense of caution and dove into the fray, determined to fulfill his duties even at the cost of his life.
War was a terrible thing.
Well, no shit.
But this one was terrible on an unprecedented scale, even amongst the numerous battles recorded in humanity's history.
It wasn't a surprise for anyone present; after all, when two countries of immense prowess stirred conflict, things were bound to descend into chaos.
It was a never before seen war between Stone Cauldron, known for their warriors' incredible durability and stamina - and Coralridge, infamous for their soldier's terrain manipulation and the capability to gain an advantage in any environment.
Both sides were taking heavy hits, but this particular dogfight was playing out in Coralridge's favor.
The reckless soldier who got his shoulder sliced a moment earlier was still wailing in agony, when suddenly:
"What is-?"
The pain vanished.
He strained to piece the situation together through clouded vision, eventually making out the presence of another person, and sighed in relief.
"Ahh, I'm saved."
"Shut up, idiot! Don't make a noise, you're bleeding bad."
A black, fog-like substance seeped into the the man's wounds, freeing him from the suffering.
Thank the heavens, she's alive.
The one healing him was a young woman, no older than thirty judging by looks alone, but she was not to be underestimated.
Being one of the healers hired by the Grand Stone Commander, she undoubtedly had a trick or two up her sleeve.
Her physique was mostly concealed by an oversized back cloak, but her face did peek from beneath her hood every so often.
Thanks to that, the wounded man could see just how desperate of an expression she was making as she channeled the black substance into him.
By now, he felt like he'd recovered enough to return to battle, and stood back up without hesitation.
"What are you doing, Lloyd?! I've barely fixed your shoulder!"
"That's enough. Can't you see? My comrades are dying at this very moment, so save your essence for them. I'll… I'll manage."
"I know, it's just… Tsk."
The healer gave Lloyd, the reckless soldier, one last dissatisfied look before darting off towards the next person in need of her help.
"Phew. I should get to work as well."
Gathering as much courage as he could muster in this hopeless predicament, he stared at the loathsome Coralridge soldiers with disdain.
Truly, there was little he could do.
Stone Cauldron's meager reconnaissance unit was outnumbered, plain and simple. Even disregarding Nagi's lackluster orders, Coralridge's sheer numbers dwindled those of his unit.
Still, Lloyd believed that there was one redeeming quality to his commander's otherwise mediocre talents; Nagi's ability to rally the troops was outstanding.
It seemed like he wasn't the only one to be influenced by the commander, either.
The distraught soldier's lifeless eyes regained their former glimmer at the sound of Nagi's soul rending cry.
Lloyd raised his sword high, eyes set straight ahead, and let out an authoritative shout:
"Let's show those greasy Coralridge weaklings our true might! For Stone Caudlron!!"
"Uwaahhh!"
"Wipe them out!"
"For Stone Cauldron!"
Driven mad by the atmosphere, the few remaining Stone Cauldron warriors went in for their final assault.
It was clear by now that their chances of survival were barring on zero, but they didn't care.
A warrior's death, one fulfilling their duties to the bitter end, was nothing to be afraid of.
***
They fought well.
They really did.
But in the end, it wasn't enough.
Determination, willpower, spirit - none of it pushed the needle in the face of overwhelming numbers.
"Haaah, Haaah, I don't… Haaah, don't think I can keep going…"
"Nether can… I."
Nagi and Lloyd stood back to back, heaving heavy breaths.
They were surrounded, twenty Coralridge warriors encircling them from all sides.
Stone Cauldron's entire unit, save for these two, had been wiped out; the few that did survive were not even capable of lifting a finger, nevermind actually putting up a fight.
With their crazed final push, they'd managed to reduce the enemy's numbers down to a mere twenty…
But what does it matter, when there's only two of us left?
Even now, during Nagi's gloom musings, the foes were inching closer.
Any second now, their lives would be snuffed out.
"You indestructible vermin… Was it worth it? Could've gone down painlessly, but you just had to go and kill so many of us on your deathbeds."
One exceptionally arrogant Coralridge warrior stepped forward and mocked the two exhausted men, voice seeping with venom.
"Phahahaha!!"
However, Nagi suddenly broke out into a laugh.
"…So they've gone mad. Fine, I'll do the honors."
With those words, the pompous warrior took yet another step, now just an arm's reach away from them.
At the same time, Lloyd stared at his strong willed commander with a shaky gaze.
N-No. I don't want to die. Please, somebody…
Once Nagi gets killed, it would be his turn next. A primal fear took over, but he couldn't even act upon it.
His legs refused to budge.
My dear daughter. Please, forgive your useless father… Ahh, how I want to see your face one just one more time…
Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes.
"Any last words? You fought well, I'll give you that. I can at least hear your dying wishes out, reasonable as I am."
"Kheh, yeah I've… I've got something to say; you asked if it was worth it?"
Nagi replied with a snicker, absolutely misplaced for someone in his state-
"I'll tell you - It was worth every damn second. Given the chance, I'd make the same choice over and over."
*Ptooey*
-and spat at the arrogant man's face.
The man in question flushed with anger, body trembling in unsuppressed rage.
Realizing that dialogue with Nagi was fruitless, he brought his sword toward the sky, aiming to end the commander's life in one fell swoop.
Even in the face of looming death, Nagi never broke eye contact. The disgusting display of determination only served to anger the arrogant man further.
With nothing but contempt filling his mind, his blade descended in a horizontal arc.
*Fwoosh*
*Clang!*
…And came to an abrupt stop, as if utterly weightless.
"Uhh, did I show up at the wrong time? You guys look like you're having some sorta epic showdown… Well, who cares. Never been one for good manner, now have I?"
Someone appeared to block the blade out of nowhere, before directing a question at the ones around him with an oddly relaxed, almost cheery voice.
Finally, his presence registered in everyone's minds, causing a wave of hushed whispers to echo:
"Who on earth..?"
"Is he an enemy? But then, where's his armor?"
"What just happened?"
"Did Stone Cauldron have somebody this young on their side..?"
The uninvited guest had a young appearance, and a voice to match it. His absolute disregard for the bloody scene of war - given his youthful age - was somewhat unnerving.
Confusion spread.
Most stunned, though, was the arrogant Coralridge man.
D-Did he just block my strike? Wait, how did he even get this close without being detected?
But before he could finish his train of thought, the young man lowered his hand to speak again.
"So, friends… Who here are the bad guys? I, uhh, don't really know who I'm meant to kill... Hehe."
He playfully stuck his tongue out along with those words, spoken in a tone reminiscent of somebody asking what they should get for dinner, or perhaps where to say for the night.
At the very least, it wasn't the atmosphere one was meant to exude when talking about murder.
The pompous man felt a shiver crawl down his spine at the revolting sense of incongruity the kid was giving off.
Huh, what am I doing? Am I scared of some kid? Ridiculous.
That wasn't possible.
He briskly turned his head without letting his guard down and, with a lungful of air, bellowed a command to his fellow men:
"Why are you just standing around there like statues? Swords on yours belts just for decoration?! Kill the disruptor at once!"
His words took the Coralridge fighters out of their stupor; some got into their respective combat stances, while others prepared various kinds of sorceries.
Their fingers were interlocked and essence flowed through them, ready to bury the kid alive the moment he dared to move.
"Guess you're the bad guys, then."
*Whistle*
"Ay, Sepulcher! Your lunch is here."
Just as they expected, the young man began his move; but not before shouting something incomprehensible out into a seemingly empty part of the battlefield.
Unsure what his angle was and not wishing to find out, the men sprung into action:
Five melee combatants closed the gap on him in an instant.
*Rumble*
At the same time, the ground beneath the young man shook - densely packed pillars of earth burst out, wrapping around his body like a sarcophagus.
The pompous man managed to catch one last glimpse of the kid's face as he was getting buried alive, and the expression his saw…
Was a unfazed smiled.
Wait, that earlier whistle… Was it a trap? He must've brought backups, damnit! Well, of course. What other reason would he have behind that confidence?
Feeling like they'd been played, the six people around his encapsulated body nervously darted their eyes around, expecting the worst.
Their attention, though, was instantly redirected back towards the kid when a long line of cracks snaked down the supposedly impenetrable coffin.
"Khah, shit. Got dirt in my mouth."
…He shattered the cage like it was nothing.
Suddenly-
*Thump*
*Crash!*
Something heavy collided with the backline of sorcerers, sending a dozen of them tumbling like bowling pins.
The six Coralridge men in the frontline snapped their heads backwards, only to see a grotesque creature comfortably seated atop their companions.
A demonic beast? It must've come to the sounds of our fight…
However, as if to disprove those thoughts outright, the kid spoke again:
"Good strike, my boy! Now go, gorge to your heart's content."
The pompous Coralridge warrior creakily turned to face the kid again.
"N-no way… Is that beast under your control?"
"Sure is. Ah, but don't go calling it a 'beast' - you'll hurt his feelings. He's a Sepulcher! Uhh, and that's his name too. Just… Sepulcher… Ahem."
*Hiss*
His voice held a hint of embarrassment as he scratched the back of his head. Sepulcher let out a long hiss, all but confirming his words.
Is that what he's worried about right now? The name?! Not the six blades pointed his way..?
"What, why are you giving me those looks? He likes the name, I swear! Ahh, whatever. Dialogue with brutes is a waste of my breath."
Having finished his rant, the kid vanished from sight, no longer shackled in place by the sarcophagus.
"!!!"
He appeared directly in from of the arrogant man, leaving the other five in the dust.
He's fast!
The pompoun man prepared to shout more order to his men; by the time he laid his eyes on them, though, they were already incapacitated.
Screams rung out, followed by grotesque squelches of flesh being torn apart.
The sepulcher had killed Coralridge's entire backline in mere seconds, already busy mauling on their lifeless bodies.
Making a split second decision, he discarded his previous plans and prepared to fight the kid head on.
Unfortunately, he wasn't anywhere in sight.
"Where-Ack!!"
*Spurt*
A blade lodged into the man's chest, sliding past his ribs and piercing cleanly through his heart.
*Blergh*
A mouthful of blood spilled out of his quivering lips.
"You… Monster…"
Those were his last words.
There wasn't even anyone to mourn his passing, all of the remaining Coralridge warriors long devoured by Sepulcher; it was a dog's death, pathetic and unceremonious.
Nagi watched the scene unfold with trembling eyes, too stunned to utter a word. The same went for Lloyd.
"No, you dumbass. I'm Ori… Shit man, this human might just have worse manners than yours truly. Ain't that right, my dear Sepulcher?"
Upon hearing its name, Sepulcher briefly glanced at the kid, apparently named Ori.
Then, as if struck with a revelation, it lunged at him.
No, not quite - it lunged past him, its bloodstained teeth aimed directly at Nagi and Lloyd.
But just before the beast's maws closed on the two fear stricken men-
*Smack!*
-A strangely well choreographed slap struck Seplucher's head, slamming it into the ground with no resistance.
W-what… The hell…
Nagi carefully raised his eyes at the nearing sound of steps, breath involuntarily held. It was hard not to feel any fear after witnessing Ori kill all of those people without so much as batting an eye.
And that was excluding the overwhelmingly powerful Sepulcher, which Nagi assessed he couldn't defeat even at full strength.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of tense anticipation, Ori opened his mouth once more. The tension couldn't get any more unbearable:
"Goddamnit, you lizard brained brat! Who told you to go for these innocent, valiant warriors' throats? You're in for a solid beating tonight, mark my words."
"..?"
"Sorry guys. My, uhh… My pet isn't very well behaved. Ah, but worry not; I'll make sure to educate it properly."
Exhaustion finally caught up with Nagi, making his knees buckle.
A bewildered expression was plastered over his face.
Lloyd promptly followed suit, his jaw dropping to the ground.