The world storm, p.23
The World Storm, page 23
“You’re concerned about The Void Walkers? Ha!” he scoffs. “The academy is not an issue, our plans move forward nonetheless. I have more contingencies than those fools have days left in their lives. Heroes fail because heroes are predictable. They have no patience, and I will teach them the calamity of their mistakes.”
At that moment, the door opens, and a hulking figure walks through. He has to crouch through the door, and as he does, Hacks makes eye contact with him. He’s pitch black with red spines and spikes coloring his entire body. The eyes are pupilless and instead, burn as a raging fire. Upon his head rests a thorny crown and on his back a massive, black sword. Feet-long spikes emerge from every inch of his body. He has wings too which he stretches widely to a wingspan as great as a giant eagle. Between the spines of the wings are thick membranes of blood red.
The memory fades and I try to probe further, suggesting images of The Void Spread only to be disappointed that he knows nothing of the term. Even the suggestion of “Symmone” brings to light no visions nor does “Void Walkers” beyond vague references of what he’s heard. I can feel that my spell is beginning to wane, and I know there is little more to see. I end the spell and return my consciousness to the here and now. I see Hacks sitting in front of me, now with a cross-eyed expression. Slowly, he slumps down from his sitting position and passes out.
“We can take his spellbook, so he won't cause problems later,” says Welby.
“He doesn’t have a spellbook. He’s a battlemage, taught like a willmage after they learn to fight with weapons and armor,” I say. “Just leave him, he’s a coward and won’t come after us if he awakens.” I hide my guilt over killing these people with indifference. His memory mentioning a child brought back the uncomfortable truth that each person who gets in our way is a husband or wife, son or daughter of someone else. Most of these people probably believe what they are doing is right and have no idea the evil they’re involved in. I quickly remind myself that this man in particular knew he was working under a demon which is pretty damning evidence of wrongdoing.
“What did you see Raz?” asks Welby.
“Nyx is a demon,” I say, and each of my companion’s mouths drop.
“A demon is now in charge of The New Day Wizards?” Welby asks sardonically.
“It seems like it. He wasn’t the least bit concerned about us. He said that heroes are predictable. Hacks,” I say pointing to the unconscious mage, “didn’t know anything about the other questions we had.”
“Are we even able to fight a demon?” Crobane asks in a nervous tone.
“They live and die like any other, with a few extra rules. They don’t age, they only grow in power and ferocity as the deeds they commit shape them. If slain anywhere but The Hells, they simply return to their home plane, weaker than before,” I explain.
“So, if Nyx is coming here, is there any reason to fight him at all?” Matthias asks, in a reasonable and slightly disappointed tone.
“Well, it often takes many years for a demon who’s been slain to return to the material realm, so I think there is a great reason to fight him,” I say.
“What I meant to ask is: is there a chance we can defeat him?” asks Crobane, who silences the room.
“I… I don’t know,” I say, “it varies from demon to demon. Any would be dangerous, but if stories are to be believed, some have powers that could rival the gods. I just hope we’re not in one of those stories.”
“I think there’s nothing we can’t handle,” says Welby, in a tone that reminds me of Matthias, but it is comforting to hear his confidence.
“We can always retreat if necessary,” I say, trailing off. “We can leave this place, right?”
“That’s what Sasha is here for, and why we sent Miss Liz with him. When we need an extraction, just tell Miss Liz through your connection, and she’ll bring Sasha,” Welby says smiling.
“Void Walkers.” A voice catches our ears and startles us to attention. It speaks from no specific location and is in the same low voice from the memory. It is less snarling this time, sounding like he’s trying to welcome us into his home for a dinner party. “You have come here by mistake, and that is understandable. Present yourself to me in the atrium on the third floor to surrender, and you may yet be forgiven for those you have slain.”
We look from one to the other, quietly debating if walking into Nyx’s trap is a good idea. I can see the discomfort in all of their faces, and I know they sense it in mine as well. The call for our surrender is much more of a challenge than anything. The demon knows we will not have come this far just to surrender without even having a go at him. Perhaps he wishes to spare other members of The New Day Wizards. A demon has no morals, but it does have strategy.
“What do you think?” I ask aloud, to no one in particular.
“Fight him now or fight him later, it makes no difference, we need to kill him anyway. Let’s do it now,” says Welby.
“We don’t know how powerful this foe is. We should retreat, and fight another day,” Crobane says, and he looks at Matthias who surprisingly shrugs.
“I dunno,” he says, uncharacteristically unconfident, “any foe who invites us to fight him one versus five terrifies me, but I also see Welby’s point. I’m neutral.”
All eyes fall on me, as they expect a deciding vote, but I disappoint them.
“There’s merit in both ideas, I will do either,” I say. Crobane and Welby debate briefly on the negatives and positives of fighting and retreating. Eventually, Crobane is forced to admit that we’ll likely have to kill him eventually anyway, so it might as well be now.
“Sasha is our emergency way out, we could have him on the floor below us, and if things go wrong, Raz can teleport us down to him,” Welby says.
“How is Sasha planning on getting us out?” I ask.
“He didn’t say, just said that his magic can circumvent the spell that stops us leaving,” Welby says.
“How does he know this? I thought that when you restored his mind, everything since he was mind controlled would be replaced,” I say.
“He told us that all of the major New Day Wizards headquarters had serious magical protections, including teleporting into and out of them. The school was an exception due to the public nature of it,” he says, before adding, “we should go, we have a demon to meet.”
Our walk through the silent halls of the locked-down New Day Wizards complex is eerie. It does not seem to be the prelude before some great struggle between good and evil. I sense many magical auras behind each door we pass, undoubtedly magically sealed against trespass. The hallways are made of the same clay that is so common throughout the city, but the floors are carpeted, and the walls have magical blue torches upon them. Arcane runes are hung in picture frames wherever torches are unnecessary. On a few occasions, a pane of glass separates us from a laboratory where scared workers cower and battlemages stand stiffly ready to repel us if we breach.
Before ascending to the third floor, I reach out with my mind to speak to Miss Liz. I tell her to bring Sasha below the atrium which is near the abjuration department. When I give her commands, the usual arrangement, much to my annoyance, is for her to do them without confirming that she has heard me. Even through my persistent insistence to break this consistency, she is resistant to the idea of responding to me. I assure the rest of my companions, despite my reservations, that Sasha will be waiting.
The third-floor atrium must be where the rune casters would have hosted events, had they had any. The staircase circles elegantly around the outside of the tower-like structure with each step being far shorter than necessary. When we finally reach the last stair, we find ourselves in a large ballroom with the ceiling being one gigantic mural. The painting is of many human rune casters casting complex spells. Some have lights and explosions, but others are just depictions of mages in the middle of the components of a spell.
Under normal circumstances, a room of this size would be expected to have support beams. This assumption does not hold, and I can sense a magical aura emanating from above which confirms my suspicion that the roof is held up by magical means. I think of the mesa which rests above this half of the metropolis and wonder if that too is protected by the same type of magic. I have little time to wonder about this comparably minor concern when I see the demon standing before us in all of his glory.
As I saw in the vision, the demon is very tall and covered in spikes. His black skin is accented only by blood-red streaks that run randomly about his body. This time, his wings are ready and suggest he could take off at any moment. His sword is drawn and resting by his side. From Hacks’s vantage, I didn’t notice his tail which is larger than a full-grown alligator’s but covered in the same spikes that litter the rest of him. The eyes upon his terrifying face blaze with the fire of the Hells that the creature came from, but his mouth curls into a smile as we land on the top stair.
“We need some time to get Sasha into place,” I whisper.
“Well met,” says the demon, without moving.
“Hello,” I say, tentatively.
“You’ve made quite the mess, Void Walkers,” he says, emphasizing our name as though it amuses him that we are worthy of a title.
“They call you Nyx,” I say, noting the lack of an honorary title.
“They have given me many names over eternity, but one of the names has remained. The Prince of Patience,” he says, raising his posture to a fuller height. As we draw nearer, I can’t believe that he is even taller than he seemed in the memory. Twice my height, and perhaps even more. I’m not sure how Matthias could even slash him, for the spines extend feet from him.
“Not exactly a terrifying name, is it?” I say, allowing a bit more snark than I intend into my voice.
“Isn’t it?” he asks. “An immortal creature with the power and the will to conquer. Not weighted down by the impatience and rash instincts of mankind. To the worlds I control, the title incites instantaneous hysteria.”
“So, is that why you’re here? Global domination?” I say, biting back that I agree with him.
“Eventually,” he says, as casually as if I had asked him when he will pull the weeds in his garden. “Be it in your lifetime or your grandchildren’s, whether you know it or not. Perhaps the world will shatter and be reborn in its entirety before I lay claim to it, it matters little, for I have an infinite amount of time to conquer The Stranger Lands.”
“What did that plan have to do with spying on us and having your agent try to kill us?” I ask, thinking that Sasha must have gotten into position by now.
“I like to learn about the worlds I intend to conquer,” it says, in a conversational tone that suggests it could do this all day.
“Since you’re going to kill us, I suppose you can tell us all about your plan. It sounds like you need someone to talk to,” I say sarcastically. The demon laughs deeply and clutches at his chest for a moment. I consider using this second to strike, but by the time the opportunity presents itself, it vanishes.
“Oh, you do not die today, Razputin Allanis, try as you might,” he says, emphasizing the first ‘you’ in his sentence. “Why would I kill the most powerful of my future subjects? One way or another, you will serve me, killing you would be a waste.”
“Enough! I’m done talking, porcupine!” shouts Matthias. “Time to die.”
Matthias takes off toward the demon who casually readies his blade. We’re all prepared for combat, and it erupts in the blink of an eye. Our time fighting together has given us the coordination that would rival the best-trained units. As Matthias reaches the enemy, Crobane appears behind him, and they both slash with ferocity and accuracy. The demon can only deflect one attack, and surprisingly it is Crobane’s he chooses to block, doing a sort of pirouette in the air. Matthias’s sword clanks hard into the spines of the creature and seems to have no effect.
Welby and I hurl elemental spells at the backside of the enemy who senses them and kicks off Crobane. His wings carry him over the top of Matthias as Crobane is sent sprawling to the ground. Before landing, Crobane teleports again, using his momentum to slash at the demon’s wing mid-air, then rolling to his feet. Namira charges the backside of Nyx and lowers her horn. Just as contact is made, a blinding burst of radiant energy flashes into life. The demon staggers from the impact but is already slashing at Matthias.
Not sure how long the melee combatants can tango with Nyx, I call into being a temporal field that encompasses Welby. Time outside of the aura seems to slow as Welby and my senses are heightened drastically. Combined with the magical effects of my new blue robes, I can barely follow my hands as they streak through the air in front of me, conjuring devastation with blinding speed. Welby, who is not used to being left alone, begins throwing exploding acorns, gigantic splinters, and tiny balls of ice at the demon to some effect.
After an initial barrage of elements on our enemy, I sense that it does not affect him. I adjust my strategy accordingly. I begin using telekinesis to disrupt the demon’s attacks whenever possible. I cannot exert enough force to restrain him or to push him more than a few feet, but with hyper-fast reflexes, I can push and pull on his sword with moderate success.
In one clean blow that causes me to almost fall over in a panic, Nyx swings his blade and cleaves through Matthias’s chest plate. The sword is so sharp, or so magical, that the armor is no better than butter in defending Matthias. To my relief, Matthias is barely grazed by the sword and doesn’t even flinch. The demon slashes this way and that with no regard for his safety, and his blade narrowly misses my friends again and again due to my minor influences on his weapon.
Matthias roars angrily as yet another of his attack’s lands afoul. He charges the demon and leaps so that he slams the shoulder pad of his plate mail in Nyx’s waist. As the dwarf screams in pain from the spines piercing his armor, Nyx staggers only briefly. His misstep is enough for me to have an opening, and I yank on his sword as hard as I can with my telekinesis. The blade wrenches from his hand and sails through the air. The demon dives after it, but a blast of lightning lands directly on top of his head called from a storm cloud near the ceiling.
Of all the attacks so far leveraged on the demon, this is the only one that seems to trouble Nyx. This pushes him into a frenzy of motions with his hands and wings. His tail strikes Crobane who sails across the room and doesn’t teleport or roll to his feet. Namira is slashed with long and sharp claws which causes her to retreat and neigh in anger. Matthias is kicked in the face as the demon wrenches the diamond greatsword from the dwarf. Welby rushes forward to help, but the diamond greatsword is already flying through the air.
The speed of my reflexes cannot even allow me to deflect it with my telekinetic powers, and Welby is struck in the abdomen. The force takes him off his feet, causing him to land on the ground making little noises or movements. I run to Welby to see that the sword that is larger than him is fully through his gut and emerging from the other side. He wheezes loudly and coughs blood.
“Take it out, take it out, take it out!” he pleads, with dreadful desperation.
I know the force that implanted it in its current home was too much for me to pull out the blade myself. Instead, I use all the finesse I can muster with my telekinesis. The sword slides out, making a horrifying flesh-on-sword sound as it does. Blood erupts from the place in a quantity that would kill a man in seconds, but Welby times his spell perfectly. His hand glows golden, and for a moment, I can see bone, intestine, and flesh rapidly repairing itself. Welby turns over onto his stomach and vomits blood, further soaking his clothes in the red substance.
“To me!” I yell to all of my friends, as I turn back to Nyx.
With all the power I can manage, I channel a spell to barrage the demon. Noticing Welby’s success with lightning, I alter the spell to follow suit. Instead of transparent globules of force erupting from my arms and streaking about the room, streams of lighting blast into the demon. Static from my robe arcs into my hands and empowers the electricity surging into our enemy.
From where I stand, I can see twenty or more threads of solid lighting rushing throughout the room creating a strobing effect before finding their mark. His back is turned to me, and despite the incredible display of power coming from my spell, the demon barely seems to mind the blasts of energy. Before turning to me, he reaches forward and picks up Matthias by the legs who hollers in pain anew.
He flies into the air, continuing to ignore the lighting chains surging through him. He launches toward the ground, swinging Matthias face first into the stone like a fly swatter. A crunching sound echoes around the room as Matthias makes contact with the floor and goes limp. Before Nyx can lift Matthias to perform another rep, Crobane materializes and grabs onto Matthias’s limp arms. Somehow, miraculously, Crobane leverages his weight perfectly which causes Matthias to slip from the demon’s hand as it is wrenched back into the air.
Crobane jumps over Matthias’s unconscious body, putting himself between his bleeding friend and our woe. Though Welby is disrupted by the intense pain that the sword wound left behind, he channels another lightning bolt to rain from the ceiling toward Nyx. The white-blue bolt of lightning arcs its way through the room as Crobane teleports above Nyx’s head and directly into the lightning’s path. Time slows to a crawl as I think Crobane will be struck by the devastating surge meant for our enemy, but he catches the bolt on the blade of his sword. His katana becomes wreathed in bursting electricity moments before he stabs it down into Nyx’s shoulder.
The blade sinks into the demon’s body to the hilt, and Crobane is forced to teleport away in an instant when his arms and chest become impaled on the dreadful spikes covering Nyx. He reappears in front of Matthias, dripping with blood, and his katana is still enveloped in Welby’s lightning. The demon staggers from the stab wound but quickly recovers as his eyes dart to his sword which lies safely on the other side of the room. His lips curl into a smile as he notes that the blade is well away from us. He launches toward Crobane who stands between him and the rest of our dying party.
