Chapter 101 - Gloves Off

Like a bomb had gone off, the weapons store that Ryan was standing next to exploded, sending razor sharp shards of glass and other hazardous debris shooting out in every direction. Ryan failed to react in time to the sudden development, his face had been struck by a few pieces of glass which caused his blood to spatter onto the ground. He had no idea what had happened, one moment the Professor was standing there behind his army of death knights, the next, the shop exploded.

Now Professor Kal was nowhere to be seen, only the monster remained and was making quick work of the remaining death knights still valiantly fighting against the insectoid monstrosities. He knew deep down in his heart where the Professor ended up and could only pray to the gods that there was enough of him left to heal.

Making his way past the destroyed front window, stepping over the shattered timber and twisted weapons that littered the floor, Ryan held his breath. The front counter was now in pieces, just like most of the showroom now was. Behind it was a storeroom, a large hole now taking up most of the solid wall. Ducking his head, Ryan went inside the room, laying inside was what he feared the most.

Professor Kal's limp corpse lay twisted and disfigured on the storeroom floor, large pieces of glass, wood, and even a piece of a steel sword were embedded in his mangled body. White bone jutted out of jagged flesh causing Ryan to cover his mouth to avoid emptying his stomach. The Professor's chest was caved in, large, deep gashes indicated where the monster had struck him. His head was only hanging on by a thin strip of flesh, and his face was almost unrecognizable from the road-rash.

Ryan fell to his knees, his mind in a state of disbelief and mourning, the blood from the deep cuts on his face falling to the ground and mixing in with the Professor's that was pooling beneath his still warm corpse. In an act of desperation, Ryan began to cast all the healing spells he could think of, he didn't know very many, but had learned a few from Laura during their travels. Ryan wished that she was there, maybe she could think of something, anything.

He stopped, he knew that even with the best healing magic in all of existence, you couldn't bring back the dead. Then he thought of Amaranthae, or, the monster inhabiting her body. She had told him of being able to bring back the dead, restoring the flesh and pulling the soul back into their body. He shook his head, that was impossible, and even if it wasn't, there was no way he would be able to do it. Looking over his shoulder and out of the hole in the store, he could see the last of the death knights being crushed by the monster, the insect like monsters scurrying off in every direction, most likely to feed on the citizens of Säravast.

He let out a defeated sigh, all was lost, and it was entirely his fault. He had fallen for the wiles of a monster, released it into the world, and now nothing could stop it. The one person he had depended on lay dead before him, his guilt was overwhelming, and he could only hope for a quick death as he heard distant heavy footsteps drawing closer.

"I'm sorry for all of this, I truly am." He said, his voice full of remorse as he looked upon the Professor's mangled form.

The rhythmic thudding of the encroaching footsteps filled his ears, the ground itself trembling with each one. Taking a deep breath, Ryan stood; he was determined to face the monster head on, refusing the give it the pleasure of watching him cower in fear. He watched the silhouette of the beast grow larger as it approached, soon, the entire front area of the store was cast in an oppressive shadow.

Stooping low in order to see inside, the monster occupying Amaranthae's body spoke. "Come closer, come into the light."

Its voice was soft and kind, a sharp contrast to the repulsive body that was looking down at him, it reminded him of the things that Amaranthae, no, the monster had taught him over that week inside its soul plane. He knew that he was much too weak to stand a chance against it, but maybe he could use what he was taught, use the spirits to help him fight.

"Sferetsil hior ca riqyistol, E bisiimhol elu tu hilf ci en ca teci up niid. Nokgil purthol ecni rijoleth auyrsiljisil tu ci." Ryan quickly recited the phrase that had been drilled into his head, hoping to make contact with any nearby spirits.

Gravelly laughter filled his ears as the monster's face stretched into a sardonic grin. "Do you honestly believe that the spirits can help you? What are they compared to a god?"

"That's a little conceited, isn't it?" A familiar voice spoke up from behind Ryan.

Turning around, Ryan was astonished to see Professor Kal getting to his feet, his bones snapping back into place with sickening cracks and his grisly wounds mending themselves at unnatural speeds. His head was still dangling by a strip of flesh, Ryan watched as Professor Kal used both of his hands to maneuver his head back into position before the bones and flesh knitted back together.

"Y… you're alive?!" Ryan yelped in surprise.

"Sure." Professor Kal simply replied as he cast a cleansing spell on his robe, ridding it of the blood and grime that had soaked in.

By the time the Professor made it to where Ryan was standing, all of his grievous wounds had completely healed, even the hair on his head had returned to its original position. Ryan wanted to aske him about his resurrection but knew that right now was not the time nor the place to do so. The monster was still eyeing the both of them, the unnerving smile still spread across its face.

"My, my, you're a tenacious one, aren't you? I'm sure your soul will taste..."

A massive pillar or earth erupted from the ground, striking the monster square in the throat, knocking it back and off its feet. As it fell backwards the ground beneath it liquefied, swallowing the monster, and leaving nothing but its head above the surface. A fierce gale whipped through the plaza, the knights watching from the opposite end were barely able to stay on their feet as the wind pushed them towards the outer edges of the square.

The monster struggled and shrieked, trying desperately to escape its earthen prison. The wind continued to grow in ferocity, the howling gale cutting off the monster's shrieks of anger. An orange glow shined down from the sky, growing in intensity along with the wind. Ryan looked over to Professor Kal, wanting to ask what was going on but his question caught in his throat.

Professor Kal's hands were at a forty-five-degree angle to his body, his palms facing towards the square. He was chanting a spell, the words lost in the wailing storm. His robe was glowing brightly, once hidden runes were now clearly visible, spinning rapidly as mana surged around him. Professor Kal's healthy flesh was aging at a visible pace, his full head of black hair turning grey and brittle.

Ryan was mortified as he saw Professor Kal's body morph into that of an old man, deep creases on his sagging face. But as the spell continued to build, the aging did not stop. His skin went from deep wrinkles and liver spots to ashen grey and necrotic, his brittle hair had all but fallen out and his eyes sunk deep into his skull.

"Professor, stop, you're killing yourself!" Ryan shouted, struggling to hear himself over the raging winds.

Ryan attempted to plead with the man who he thought was burning through his life force to power whatever spell he was casting, but no matter what he said, Professor Kal continued his chanting. Ryan's eyes went wide in horror as the flesh melted from Professor Kal's body, leaving nothing but stark white bones underneath his extravagant robes. Burning inside his hollow eye-sockets were bi-colored flames, red and blue, interspersed with a deep black darker than Ryan had ever seen.

The light outside had now turned a deep red, the cold in the winter wind had been driven off by a scorching heat, the ground began to shake as a deep roar could be heard from outside the store. The weapons shop, already damaged from Professor Kal's violent entry, groaned, and rattled as the thick timber beams splintered from the stress.

Outside, the monster strained even harder to escape, a look of fear was evident on its humanoid face. Oppressive heat battered Ryan's body, his sweat evaporating as soon as it left his pores. The roaring grew louder, it was all that Ryan could hear. He covered his ears and squeezed his eyes shut, his senses overwhelmed by the crushing sound and intense tremors, it felt as if the world was tearing itself apart.

Just as Ryan thought that his mind was going to be washed away by the chaos surrounding him, suddenly, silence. Cracking his eyelids, thinking that maybe he had already died, Ryan witnessed a sight that would stay with him for the rest of his days. Standing there, still with his skeletal hands palm out, Professor Kal was looking towards the sky with the flames in his eyes burning intensely. He was no longer chanting his spell, Ryan thought that maybe it was over, that the worst had passed; then, Professor Kal spoke in a deep, harsh voice.

"Nothing escapes death."