Chapter 524: Death Comes to Jaretha

Chapter 524: Death Comes to Jaretha

Alex could hardly contain himself.

After nearly two years of wondering, searching, and running into dead endshed found something. Something that could give him some answers was near, yet still just out of reach.

Dread was gnawing at his belly.

Getting the Travellers information in his hands felt a littletoo easy.

It seemed like all he had to do was reach out, smash the glass and claim the object for his own. But how could it be so simple? Would Kaz-Mowanga greater demonreally leave a mere two guards and some tiashivasno matter how elite they wereto protect his prized treasures from theft?

No traps?

No wards?

It made no sense.

Yet, no matter how much he strained his mana senses, he couldnt feel a single bit of mana coming from anywhere.

That might not mean anything, he thought. Maybe there really arent any surprises waiting. If I were Kaz-Mowang, maybe I wouldnt set traps around my trophy room. Why inconvenience myself if I wanted to just come down here and admire the spoils of my conquests any time I felt like it? Bringing guests with me would also be a lot of trouble. Hmm, but to avoid all that, what I would definitely do was trap the ever-living hells out of those trophy cases!

Alex floatedwith Ripp and Kyembetoward the case containing the Travellers possession, his eyes alight. Using the Mark, he studied the case, looking for anything unusual.

His eyes traced the glass and the stone pillar supporting it.

They scanned the floating platform itself.

Power coursed through it, but he sensed no mana except for the flight magic keeping the platform aloft. He found no other magicand no sign of pressure plates, springs, or any other triggers that would set a hidden trap off.

Alex swallowed.

The palace rumbled.

Well, are we good? Ripp asked.

I think so, Alex said, his eyes examining the object.

The symbols carved into its surface matched those in the Travellers book. It felt like it was calling out to him, urging him to reach out and take it.

The hell with it. I gotta try something, he muttered, raising his staff and conjuring a swarm of Wizards Hands.

He let the Hands float forward, each one wrapped around the glass enclosure. As one, they squeezed, tightening their grip, then began floating upward, lifting the case as they went.

Alex heard a slight click.

He felt mana flare.

Spikes sprang from the container, spearing the Wizards Hands, shredding them. They vanished.

Oh shit! I didnt feel that trap!

The spikes slowly retracted as the case rippled like water and the mana faded away.

He swore again. Shit! We dont have time for this!

A devilish trap, Kyembe said. Can you not break the glass?

Maybe? Alex muttered, glancing back at the gaping doorway.

No sign of any demons for now. If the three of them moved fast enough, they should be gone before anyone even knew thered been a robbery, but these delays werent helping.

He glared at the glass container, his mind working. Hold on, Im going to try something.

Alex raised his staff again.

If we want to hit them, its gotta be hard and fast, Guntile whispered, peering around the corner of a hallway. Ahead, Burn-Saw led his master deep into the palace.

Agreed, Ezeraks voice was low. Better we get this over quick.

No wait! Thundar muttered. No, we cant jump em, yet. He nodded toward the demons. If we get into a pitched battle with them in this hallway, someone could come along while were fighting them. And if things go bad, Alex isnt here to summon Celsus and Claygon.

So, what should we do, then? Guntile asked.

Hmmm, Burn-Saws leading them toward Alex, right? Thundar frowned. We let em keep going. When they find Alex, Ripp and Kyembe, theyll be off guard, right? Maybe accusationsll start flying. Lotsa yelling. All the usual shit. While theyre doing all that?

The minotaur wizard cracked his knuckles. We jump em from behind and hit em as hard as we can.

There was a pause.

Her grin was wide.

Too wide. Something swam beneath her skin. This is how you infest someone.

And her body melted, transforming.

What it became had no name, but it hurt the eye to look upon it. It had eyes. There were tentacles. There were limb structures so old, their names were long forgotten.

And there were mouths.

Many, many mouths.

Cra grew, swelling until her bulk dwarfed that of the abyssal knight.

The demon screamed a challenge, exhaling gases that liquified stone and the flesh of its own demon forces, yet was benignly absorbed by Cras new flesh. The wizards tentacles lashed out, wrapping the demons trunk and limbs. Barbs dug in, injecting something foul into the bark.

And the demons scream of challenge became incomprehensible, so terrible, that it caused even the last of their number to pause.

Of course, the heroic-looking, white-armoured, demon had more than a single reason to pause.

It was aflame.

The creatures body burned, wrapped in flames that blazed as bright as the brightest star, melting its essence, body, and armour. It snarledgrowling at its opponent like a cornered beastrevealing teeth that were either shattered or gone.

Its eyes squinted at a vast column of billowing smoke, rising before it with twin veils of burning light behind. Through the smoke, something approached, shaking the ground with every step.

Anaxadar emerged with fangs bared.

In his true form.

To say that he was simply another dragon would be like calling dragons earthworms. His bulk was titanic, his wingspan broad enough to lend shade to a full block in a vast metropolis. His wings bore membranes like pure sunlight; the dragon wizard was covered in black scales that seemed to throb, moving as a lava flow would, exposing rivulets of power beneath them, pulsing like the crust of a volcano. Anaxadars facial features were pits of pure starfire.

Heat bled from him in waves, turning demons to ash.

You disappoint me, his voice was thunder, flame, and the roar of a forest ablaze. You seemed fit for battle. Arent knights meant to slay wyrmkind? To slay the wayward demigods of the universe? Where is your fire, abyssal one? Where is your light demon?

Enraged, though in agony, the demon surged toward him, its sword blurring.

Anaxadar batted him aside with a single claw.

The abyssal knight crashed to the earth with such force, that where it landed, a trench formed.

My disappointment grows. Anaxadar sighed. You are not even worthy of my breath. The light in his maw flared. But I have a generous nature, so you can experience it nonetheless.

Structures and more wavered around the draconic demigod.

And his breath poured forth.

While Baelin would have channelled a portion of a stars wrath through a portal, Anaxadars breath was that of a stars white-hot core, enhanced by his own spells, it travelled no further than where it touched, leaving no trace of buildings or life in its wake. But, it touched a great deal.

The cone of his breath was broad, carving a boiling trench of metal, stone and chaos that turned sections of the demon citys mighty walls to nothing. When he inhaled, both his demonic opponent and a great slice of Jaretha was gone.

Demons screamed, fleeing for their lives.

But others mustered.

Titanic gate guardsdwarfed by the dragonthundered across the city, ready for the battle of millenia.

And Anaxadar bore his teeth, circling about, putting his bulk between the titans and Kaz-Mowangs palace. He would keep the fight away from Baelins comrades.

# # #

Your list of allies shrinks, Ezaliel. Baelin batted aside another wave of beams.

Never! the abyssal knight growled. The tingle of teleportation magic shimmered around them. I can call upon endless allies, for the hells are endless. What you do now will begin eternal war. You cannot win.

Baelin chuckled. Well, you would be surprised. Heres the problem with eternal wars. They require two sides to both be alive and willing to fight. The ancient wizards eyes blazed. By the time this is over, you will be dead and those most inclined to avenge you will have come here and died by my and my allies hands. The rest? Theyll likely scrabble for your demon lords favour, seeking to usurp each other. You will be too dead to reward their efforts. So, why would they risk themselves?

His nostrils flared. Your eternal war will last minutes.

Do not be so sure, Ezaliel growled.

Why not? I have done this before. Now, come, enough wasting time. I aim to torture you a fair bit before this ends, so let us continue. Lets start by draining that mana of yours.

Baelin arced out beams of light, surrounding Ezaliel in a cloud. The abyssal knight shrieked as his power was siphoned away.

Elsewhere, in another demonic palace, something similar was happening.