Chapter 254: Webs

Chapter 254: Webs

Fueled by the Lord of Chameleon’s contract, Leland’s sight enhanced. The rising sun muted in color, the dark sand deepened to near pitch black. In the distance, the trees and life brought on a white tinge, but he hardly cared about any of that. Instead, he trusted in the contract to show him the way.

And it did. He found her.

Sprinting through the sand, a dark dust cloud formed behind her. She moved across the flat landscape in mere minutes compared to the hours it took Leland and the others. She’d soon arrive, which meant no time for preparation.

Landing with a dull thud, Leland didn’t have time to mince words. One of the twins, Knight Grain or Giant – he didn’t know nor care which one – was the only member of Sand Castle present, the others currently off duty.

“Get your captain, now!”

Whether or not the soldier knew the urgency of his command or was simply retreating to let his superior deal with him, Leland didn’t know. But as the seconds ticked on after the Knight rushed into the fort proper, a tingling appeared across Leland’s back.

“There is no time. Stop its approach,” Lodestar whispered, his voice silky but covered in the shade of malice.

Moving to do exactly as the parasite said, Leland paused, considering. Was it a trick or was Lodestar actually concerned? The question rang in his mind, stalling his feet like they were made of stone.

“Move Leland!”

He did, but not toward the advancing enemy. Instead, relying on his crow wings, Leland jumped from the side of Sand Castle, landing before his friends in a cloud of sand.

“We’ve got to move,” he told the others. “She’s moving fast.”

“Who?” Glenny asked, two crimson daggers forming in his hands. Each pulsed with wicked streaks of organic white lightning, the power of the Void now flowing through his conjured weapons.

It was a technique he had been working on these last few weeks, merging the Primordial power from the Sightless King with the power of nothingness from the Void. And while the technique was still only a fledgling idea, the effects spoke for themselves. As Glenny waved his daggers around, reality split. Like the wake of a boat or the slipstream of a diving bird, the world parted as he sliced the open air.

“A parasite that won,” Leland answered. “Female, young, I don’t know, twenty-five maybe? That doesn’t matter. She’s sprinting across the sand faster than any of us could.”

His last sentence sent a literal chill through the air. Between Jude and Gelo, each donning frozen armor and frosted weapons, the campsite dropped like a night in midwinter.

Jude whipped his battle axe to his shoulder, Floe’s incarnation blessing transforming his chest, shoulders, and neck into a protective wasteland of ice. Where skin should show, a thick layer of off blue crystal spread. Within moments, he was raring to go, his weapon glinting with anticipated rage.

“Let’s put her down,” he uttered, white hot breath coming from his lips.

For a brief moment, Leland stared at Gelo’s magic. Situated directly upon her head was a crown made of blizzards and hail. The crown hid many secrets, most of which delved into the hole that was the newly created Legacy of Dungeons and spatial magic, but there was no time for her to explain. Instead, she looked up at friends and growled, her crown swirling.

She was ready.

They all were.

“I’ll head her off, come as fast as you can,” Leland said, pressing his palm into his grimoire. With a shock of magic, a pair of angelic white wings meshed between his obsidian black ones while scaly red Draconic wings grew from his skin. All at once, they flapped, sending Leland across the flat sandy battlefield.

Not even the Huntress could match his speed as he appeared before the parasite in seconds. Surprise met him in two forms. First, his own: she was closer to Sand Castle than he wanted. Second, the parasite’s: Leland was faster than it expected.

They clashed, magic pumping through Leland’s veins as the parasite tried to kill. Crows dive bombed from outside this reality, the whole murder solely on target. Zeke was also in there somewhere, his talons and beak no doubt dripping with blood already.

“Fracture!” Leland screeched, feeling his magic take. Beneath the howling wind generated by his flapping wings, he heard no crack of bone, but he didn’t need to. He had faith in his curses.

The parasite’s speed slowed, all muscles in its host’s body clenching with imbued power. It struck with a punch, the air surrounding its knuckles all but warping.

Leland felt the effects before he saw them. His crows, half of them, dead. Swallowed by whatever transcendent force the parasite commanded. The loss twisted Leland’s insides, scaling power to his lips.

“Kneel before—”

But no.

The Commander was half a kingdom away pushing papers and organizing. The man in the field, the man who had just healed him, was a kid. Leland was the one who stood over him, the one reforming his broken body and saving his life.

“Get up,” Leland said, pulling Dis to his feet. “If your captain doesn’t help kill this thing, I’m killing her.”

He pushed Dis toward Sand Castle but there was no need. A block of black magic tore across the battlefield, shearing into the monster’s thigh and removing what little bone and muscle held it together.

The parasite fell to its arms, no longer able to stand. The Judes took the chance, both slashing like an executioner.

Space warped around the parasite’s neck, a shock wave forming from the Judes’ attacks. Both were launched into the air, each recovering with ease. They dashed back into the fray, ice and arrows leading the charge.

It was then the parasite held up a hand, warping space into a shield. It then found Leland’s eyes, staring at him like a hungry hawk.

“Your magic interests me,” it said, its voice taking the form of its host. “I’ll be back to claim it.”

“Yeah, no—” Leland’s words were cut off when a voice appeared from his back.

“He has already been claimed,” Lodestar said, an otherworldly chime sounding from his vowels and a haunted drum from his consonants.

The parasite twisted its head to the side like a dog hearing a new sound, no doubt breaking the dead host’s neck in the process. “How interesting. You are like me... but not. I ask you, brother, why do you not take control and live free?”

After a long moment, Lodestar’s words came out a muted, crushed whimper, “Is your existence not more of a prison than mine?”

The parasite tapped its chin with a bloody finger, the gesture wildly jerky and agitated. “No.”

“You are more monster than person... do you even remember your real life? Before your soul was forged into something different?”

“No—”

“A shame. Kill it, Jude.”

Lodestar’s command made everyone flinch other than Dis, who stared blankly at Leland. The Judes acted a breath later, their axes falling from the sky with enough force to shatter stone.

They missed, space warping just as their blades cut into the parasite’s neck skin.

Everyone looked around, but the monster was gone, teleported somewhere far off to lick its wounds.

“Leland,” Lodestar whispered. “It will return for you. That magic you discovered... it is like a beacon for my kind.”

“Your kind or that thing’s kind?” he asked nearly instantly. “Because I’m seeing quite the difference.”

Lodestar was silent at the question.

“Talk to me, Lode. We can be actual partners. There is no need for this cloak and dagger personality—”

“You don’t understand.”

Leland almost laughed. “Maybe I don’t. But then again, who does? You’re kind of unique, as far as parasites go. We can put you abandoning me against Ashford behind us. We can restart and be friends. Jude and Glenny would be your friends if you asked them. Allies, even. People who would go to the ends of the world to try and help you. Just look at what they’ve done for me.”

Lodestar didn’t reply.