Inferno a litrpg adventu.., p.33
Inferno: A LitRPG Adventure (Elemental Mastery Book 2), page 33
His face was youthful and brimming with vitality, but the cast of his features and the hue of his golden eyes emanated a sense of timelessness that told Zephyr he was in the presence of a being far more ancient and mighty than even Sahhto.
“Hello, Sahhto,” the man said, his voice filled with warmth and respect.
“You...” Sahhto’s eyes widened in awed amazement. “I... I know of you. I didn’t think you would come for me, at the end of all things.”
“But I have.” The armored man took Sahhto’s humanoid hands in his gauntleted ones. “You did well, Sahhto. You did everything you could.”
“But I can do no more,” Sahhto said, a tremulous smile spreading across his face. “I know. I can finally rest now.”
“And you would deserve nothing less,” the man replied, returning Sahhto’s smile. “Because your time on this world is over, and how magnificently you’ve spent it too!”
“But if you’re here for me, that means...” Sahhto said.
“You can come with me instead, to another world beyond the one in which you were born and will soon die, if you so choose,” the man continued. “I could use your help, mighty Sahhto.”
Sahhto turned to Zephyr, who was utterly bewildered and confused by just what was happening.
“Did you hear that, Zephyr? He wants my help,” the dragon exhaled breathily, his words laden with awe.
“I did, sir,” Zephyr replied. He turned to the armored man. “Hello, my name is Zephyr. What’s going on?”
The man smiled bemusedly.
“Hello, Zephyr,” he said. “I don’t know why you’re here with Sahhto in the first place, since you’re human, aren’t you? It’s a bit difficult to explain who I am and what’s happening here, and honestly, I’m not sure if I should.”
“He possesses a curious but undeniable affinity with Draconic magic,” Sahhto said. “He also possesses immense magical power, which has stood him in good stead against all the darkness and horror of the world and allowed him to save my life.”
“I can see it now, the formidable magic that dwells within his soul.” A strange light flared above the man’s, and his eyes seemed to pierce into the very core of Zephyr’s being. It was an unnerving experience, and Zephyr had to struggle not to flinch beneath his golden regard. “Wield it wisely, Zephyr.”
“I will try my best.” Zephyr bowed, clasping his hands before his chest, before turning back to Sahhto. “What will you do, sir?”
“I was weary beyond belief even before the Shadowswarm and Slave-Masters took me, more than ready for the endless silence of eternity,” the dragon said, smiling ruefully. “But then the three of you came along, your souls wreathed in lightning and fire and your hearts blazing with hope and righteousness, warm and bright enough to rekindle the fading embers of my will.”
“Does that mean...” Zephyr began.
“Yes.” Sahhto met the golden-eyed man’s gaze and nodded. “I cannot turn down such an honor, not now, with my soul ablaze with vitality once more. I will come with you to the farthest reaches of existence and beyond.”
“Welcome, Sahhto,” the man replied, before nodding to Zephyr. “And farewell, Zephyr. I wish you good fortune in your coming struggles. I have a feeling they will not be easy.”
“Farewell to you too.” Zephyr bowed once more. He met Sahhto’s gaze. “Goodbye, sir. It’s been an honor.”
“It certainly has,” the dragon said.
“Come.” The man turned and walked away. “We must be on our way.”
“By your will, Magus,” Sahhto replied, before turning to Zephyr one last time. The dragon smiled, his eyes ablaze with renewed purpose.
Golden light filled Zephyr’s vision. He blinked.
Chapter 38
“Zeph! Zeph!” Vincent’s rang in Zephyr’s ears. He felt the jeweler’s apprentice grasp him by the elbow and begin to lift him from his knees. Nella appeared beside him as well. She took his other elbow, and together, she and Vincent helped Zephyr to his feet.
“Are you alright?” Nella swept her gaze up and down Zephyr’s body. “Are you hurt? The twilight fiend’s spell sliced right through Sahhto’s body! Did it catch you at all?”
“Speaking of Sahhto, what happened?” Vincent asked. “The two of you fell, and then he started glowing so brightly that nobody could see anything. And now that the light is gone, so is he? Where did he go?”
“Somewhere else, Vincent. He’ll be fine, I’m sure,” Zephyr said, smiling. “And no, Nella, the twilight fiend didn’t hurt me. I’m perfectly fine.”
He looked around, aware that they were still in the midst of a battlefield, but Nella spoke up before anything he saw could register in his thoughts.
“It’s over,” the ranger said. “We won. Brass is badly hurt, but she’ll live. Avora actually took part in this battle. He rounded up another batch of Phoenix Knights who’d just returned to Blackstone Keep and brought them behind the main drone force. If he keeps this up, I might actually start respecting him again. Master Sora and the Wu monks are fine, too. They actually took down a behemoth and captured a Slave-Master all by themselves.”
“That’s good,” Zephyr replied, sweeping his gaze across the battlefield. Its aftermath sights were now beginning to sink in: heaps of fused and melted drones, the demolished wreckages of behemoths, the trails of scattered stone that marked where countless djinns had fallen. Many hundreds, if not thousands, of Phoenix Knights and Vigilant Blades lay strewn all over the wastes. Those still alive picked through the fallen alongside the thinly spread Frost Guardians.
But the skies were clear of buzzing monstrosities, and no metallic swarm marred the horizon for as far as Zephyr could see. He sighed and slumped his shoulders, a wave of overwhelming exhaustion rolling over him.
“That fight took a lot out of me,” he said. “I feel like I haven’t slept in days.”
“You and Sahhto were amazing, Zeph!” Vincent crowed. “I caught a glimpse of him with my mage sight casting that spell which transfigured your bodies, but I was too occupied to really figure anything out that might help us awaken more spell variants later.”
“When Sahhto comes back, you two should use that spell again and just crush everything that stands in your way,” Nella said. The ranger took off her helm, revealing the fatigue streaked across her features. “I don’t care how powerful the Unliving Emperor is. He’s not going to enjoy a gigantic dragon-monk thing punching him in the face with Tempest and Inferno magic at the same time.”
“He’s not coming back,” Zephyr said, shaking his head. “He’s...”
“My friends!” Avora cried from twenty or so strides away. He finished casting a Healing spell on a wounded Phoenix Knight, gestured for the Vigilant Blades stretcher bearers standing nearby to take the fallen mage away, then began jogging toward the trio. The Grand Sage’s robes were ripped in several places, and his features were covered in sweat and the grime of battle. To his surprise, Zephyr spotted Marie Vensk, Lux, and a small group of Storm Scions trailing Avora.
“Your Excellency.” Vincent bowed to the Grand Sage as he approached. Zephyr did the same, while Nella gave Avora a terse nod.
“I need to apprise you of the situation,” Avora said. He gestured to Marie and the Storm Scions. “We’ve captured three out of the five Slave-Masters commanding this force, and these brave mages will be helping you convey your strike force to the Eternal Palace. Lady Vensk, of course, will be your field tactician.”
“We’re going right now?” Vincent protested. “Don’t we need to regroup, resupply, and all that?”
“No, we don’t have the time for that,” Zephyr said, noting the tension in Avora’s features and the frantic pace at which the Phoenix Knights worked to retrieve their fallen and save whomever could still be saved. “Another drone army is approaching, and this time, we won’t be able to win.”
“Astutely deduced. You’re getting better at this, Zephyr,” Marie said, winking to Lux. “You got yourself a sharp one. Well done.”
“Didn’t I?” Lux replied, flashing a genuine grin of delight at the vice-captain.
I don’t know what this is, but I’m not sure I like it, Zephyr thought, panning his gaze from one woman to the next, utterly confused by the strange dynamic they’d established with one another. He shook his head, seeking to clear his mind and refocus his thoughts. “Alright. If that’s the case, Archmage Brass will probably want to pull everyone back to Blackstone Keep, preferably with Wind Walk spells, which means she’ll need the more senior Storm Scions who can carry more people with them.”
“It also means I’m coming with you to the Eternal Palace,” Lux declared, patting the sword strapped to her hip. Her eyes blazed with resolve. “I can’t wait to fight by your side again, Zeph.”
“Neither can I,” he replied, before turning back to Avora. “Where are the captured Slave-Masters? Let’s find out what we need from them right now, so that you can cast that Radiant magic spell and find out where the Eternal Palace is.”
“They’re being brought to where Archmage Brass is having her wounds treated,” the Grand Sage said. “Come with me immediately, the three of you. We don’t have much time.”
“This way,” Marie said, pointing to a cluster of Phoenix Knights and Vigilant Blades a short distance. Zephyr spotted the armored forms of several Wu monks among them, the hems of their blue tunics protruding from beneath their cuirasses. He also caught a glimpse of Gabriel on his knees behind a cordon of Phoenix Knights. Gabriel was groaning in dismay loudly enough to be heard over the clamor swirling across the battlefield.
“What...” Zephyr began to ask, only to shake his head when he saw Nella smirk and Vincent roll his eyes exasperatedly. I guess whatever is bothering him can’t be that bad, then.
As the trio and the Storm Scions began making their way to Archmage Brass, Avora fell in step beside Zephyr.
“Zephyr, we are pressed for time, but please indulge my curiosity,” the Grand Sage said. “What exactly happened to Mighty Sahhto? Where did he go? Will he return to aid us?”
“Yeah, Zeph,” Nella said. “You said he’s gone somewhere, but that’s not much of an explanation. Is he really alright?”
“Someone appeared and took him,” Zephyr replied. “At first, I thought he was a mage, but he’s a lot more than that. All I know is that the man who took Sahhto with him is really powerful. The three of us together probably couldn’t beat him in a straight-up fight. In any case, Sahhto went with him to another world, apparently, because he can’t stay on this one any longer.”
“Who is this person?” Vincent asked, furrowing his brow in confusion. “The way you described it simply makes it sound like some draconic deity of the afterlife claimed him, which means that Sahhto’s dead.”
“Maybe it was some kind of dragon deity,” Zephyr said, shrugging. “I’m not sure. All I know is that Sahhto called him a Magus.”
Avora inhaled sharply upon hearing the word.
“Magus?” the Grand Sage asked. “Are you sure, Zephyr? Was that the specific word used by Mighty Sahhto?”
“Yes. I’m sure of it,” Zephyr confirmed. “Why?”
“A Dragon Magus visited our world,” Avora said, shaking his head in disbelief. “Fascinating. Utterly fascinating.”
“Dragon Magus? What’s that?” Nella asked.
“I cannot even begin to touch on what a Dragon Magus with anything less than a twelve-hour seminar.” Avora wiped his brow with the back of his sleeve, succeeding only in smearing the soot and grime further across his features. “Regrettably, my friends, I will have to reserve such an account for a later time. But now we know of Mighty Sahhto’s fate. Alas, we have seen the last of the brave dragon. We can avail ourselves of his magic, wisdom, and fury no longer.”
“He’s dead, then?” Nella sighed.
“No,” Zephyr said confidently, clasping the ranger on the shoulder. “No, he’s not.”
Phoenix Knights and Vigilant Blades parted before the trio, allowing them to approach Archmage Brass. She was on a stretcher, flanked on either side by the Glacial Twins. Tosa chanted as he held his hands over Brass’s side, encasing it in a sphere of white-blue light. Biri fussed over the bandages covering the stumps that had once been the archmage’s legs and right arm.
“Eh, it’s nothing. Don’t look so horrified,” Archmage Brass said, waving dismissively at Zephyr. “I’ll be up and about in no time. Also, Master Sora and the Wu monks have taken charge of the captives. They’re headed this way now.”
“It’ll take at least a year for us to regrow new limbs for you at the Frost Apothecary, longer if we can’t line up our schedules with druids sufficiently skilled in Life magic,” Biri said, shaking her head. “Still, the important thing is that you’re alive. The Phoenix Knights can hardly afford to be bereft of leadership now.”
“Exactly,” the archmage replied, before snapping at Gabriel. “Would you stop wailing? My decision is final! You’re Interim Archmage until I get better, and there’s nothing you can do about that!”
“No!” the Phoenix Knight’s shrieked, clutching his cheeks. “I only just got demoted! I haven’t even had the time to enjoy it yet! You can’t do this to me!”
“Shut up!” Brass barked. “Round up everyone and have our Storm Scion friends start bringing us back to Blackstone Keep!”
Hanging his head, Gabriel got to his feet and trudged away. A heartbeat later, Zephyr heard the Phoenix Knight barking orders and instructions. His peers moved to obey them, as did the Vigilant Blades. Zephyr glimpsed Master Gathras out of the corner of his eye as he herded the Storm Scions not bound for the Eternal Palace into position.
“I’ll gather the strike force. Don’t leave without me, Zephyr,” Marie said, before striding away.
Archmage Brass grunted as a pair of burly Phoenix Knights picked her up and began carrying her to where the Storm Scions had arrayed themselves.
“Fortune in battle,” Brass said. “The rest of us will try to stay alive until you kill the metal bastard.”
“We don’t even know if he’s made up of metal in the first place,” Nella pointed out, frowning. “In fact, we don’t know anything about him. We’re just hoping we’ll be able to find him and beat him.”
“Having doubts now, Nella?” Zephyr smiled. “That’s a bit unlike you.”
“She’s worried about leaving Gabriel behind,” Vincent said, snickering. The comment earned him a painful jab in his ribs from the ranger. Nella rolled her eyes as Lux started giggling as well.
Master Sora and the Wu monks approached then, marching three blindfolded Slave-Masters head of them. The abbot smiled as he caught sight of Zephyr and rushed ahead to clasp him on the shoulder.
“My boy! What a magnificent display you put on just now!” Master Sora congratulated Zephyr. “I’m glad you’re not hurt, but it seems that Mister Sahhto is no longer with us.”
“No, he isn’t, but he’s alright.” Zephyr returned Master Sora’s smile. “I’ll explain later.”
“Yeah. Sorry, Master Sora, but we’re in a bit of a rush right now,” Vincent said, grimacing in distaste as he produced the Tyrant Compass from his mage band. He nodded to Zephyr. “Let’s get this over with.”
It was then that the Slave-Masters, their hands bound behind their backs and their eyes blindfolded, turned their heads as one to the trio. Sickly green light began to pulse from behind their blindfolds, the radiance bright enough to pierce through even the thick fabric wound across their eyes.
“The shadows. Abide. With the deaths of Three,” the Fennean mages said in unison, their voices lifelessly monotonous. “And I. Behold. With fleshless eyes. My Enemy. Once. Again.”
“Silence,” Brother Cloud demanded. The Wu monk grabbed one of the Slave-Masters by the lapel and gave him a single firm shake. “You speak only when spoken to!”
“No wait, Brother Cloud,” Zephyr said, his eyes widening in alarm. “I think that’s...”
“The Unliving Emperor himself!” Avora hissed, taking a few steps back. “He’s forced his will into these three! Get back, everyone! The sheer amount of corrupt ether coursing through their bodies will make them explode at any moment now!”
The Wu monks, Storm Scions, and lingering Phoenix Knights scattered. Nella and Vincent took a few steps away before stopping as they saw Zephyr holding his ground, a mere ten feet away from the Slave-Masters, whose pale skin was now entirely suffused with green light. Lux stayed resolutely by his side as well, though her eyes were bright with fear and her hand trembled in his.
“You,” the Fennean Mages said in a monotone chorus, their unseeing gazes darting from one member of the trio to another. “I know. You. You. Are my. Enemy.”
“Of course we are!” Nella said, clenching her fists. “We’re going to destroy you! Stop hiding behind your toys and fight us!”
“Yes,” the Slave-Masters agreed, their voices rising in pitch even as their flesh began to smoke. “I have. Waited too long. To face you again. My Enemy! Eons have passed. And. You stand before. Me. Once more. Yes. Come to. Me. We will do. Battle. And this. Time. I. Will prevail.”
“Zephyr, watch out! He’s casting a powerful Tyrant magic spell through them!” Avora cried. The Grand Sage had scrambled nearly fifty strides away, as had nearly everyone else, clearing a cordon of empty space around the trio and the Slave-Masters.
The first Fennean mage died, breaking apart into a column of green light blazed into the skies. The column looped around in the air and descended upon another Slave-Master, turning his body into ash. The last remaining Slave-Master opened his mouth and blew upon the torrent of Tyrant magic before him. Before Zephyr could react, slender beams of green light flashed from the Slave-Master to strike him in the forehead. He reeled, seeing Nella and Vincent suffer similar fates as well.
A searing agony tore through his skull. He cried out and fell to his knees, letting go of Lux and clutching the sides of his head. To his horror, the casting words of his Wind Walk spell rose unbidden to the forefront of his consciousness. The Tempest ether stored within his soul surged in response. Zephyr resisted, clenching his jaw, raising his head, and extending his hand toward the final Slave-Master. He wanted to strike the Fennean mage down with a Fireball or Project Heat spell, but the pain in his head prevented him from bringing his Inferno magic to bear.
