Chapter 345: In Death Ground

Chapter 345: In Death Ground

The enraged bug flew at Midnight, intending to take off her head with a razor-sharp wing-tip, but the slash was shallow, cutting from the collarbone and along the side of Midnight's neck; the inch-deep gash oozed thick, green blood that smoked when it hit the ground. Squirmie's wing burned as acid and poison on her wing tried to take hold and failed. Rolly's insistence on training with the Manticore had paid off for both of the pair. As had devouring part of the soul of a green dragon. Acid and poison had little effect on either of them now. Still, it was an unpleasant feeling, and she promised herself a long bath, preferably with her pet doing the scrubbing.

The Duchess was not happy either. Nothing and no one had cut her in centuries. But she was old and withered now, much of her power devoured by the Primordial Iron. She tracked Squirmie as she flew and tried to cast another spell, cursing as it failed and she saw the stump of her right hand. Pain and pride whirled in her mind. She and sanity had parted long ago and didn't even send each other cards on their birthday. She was teetering on the edge of pure fury at this point, the sound coming from her gates reminding her that everyone had seen her defeat at the hands of a mortal. And with that thought, she turned toward her fury on Ozzy, who was the root of all her pain.

As soon as the shit hit the fan, Ozzy had reached for his sack to dump out the halo and sword, but a quick word from Suzette had convinced him not to.

"We can't do that again! I felt it; the whole pocket reality was unraveling. It was a close call. A little more, and everything falls apart!"

"We do this the hard way, then." Tossing the bag aside, he committed himself to the fight.

There were no options but to fight. Squirmie was hurt and enraged, which meant Rolly was on his way, and Ben would be with him. They might all be walking back through Hades' realms together. He started to reach for his flensing hatchets, then realized he had better weapons for this fight. Which meant getting close to the screaming monster that was turning toward him with a glare in her eyes that promised pain and death. Green mist formed around the stump of her hand, and dozens of silver daggers floated in the air around her left hand. They merged into one spell and sped toward the Butcher and Barmaid. Suzette took a half step and was suddenly elsewhere. Also held out both fists, and a glowing shield formed in front of him. The shield shattered, but only two of the daggers reached the Butcher, sticking into his chest a fraction of an inch. He ignored them and took the fight to the Duchess.

She found a glowing chain wrapping around her neck that resisted her strength. She was jerked off her feet toward the Butcher and saw him making a fist with his right hand as his left reeled her in. Even through her rage and teetering grip on reality, she was amused. A fist? The bumpkin thought he could engage in fisticuffs like in some dwarven arena?

She wasn't laughing as Ozzy punched her in the face with a fist made of iron. He shattered her nose and broke bones in her cheek, blackening both of her eyes. Not that anyone could tell through the wrinkles and exposed veins of her face. Green blood splattered him from her ruined face. Ozzy felt the poison immediately, eating into his skin where splatters had landed, except on his hands. His clothes smoked and were reduced to rags. He hit her twice again, battering her head, breaking bones each time.

Screaming, she retaliated with a spell at point-blank range, and he was thrown back by the force of it, Silverthorn Daggers piercing his flesh and poison entering his bloodstream. The acid he could resist for a time, but the poison would kill him soon. He staggered to his feet, trying to get back into the fight.

Suzette produced her staff from somewhere and double-cast a glowing ray of sunlight at the Duchess, lighting up the gloom of her realm. Midnight deflected the first bolt with a wave of her remaining hand, but the second wounded her, and she screamed as it burned into her shoulder. Emerald beams of magic stabbed out from her eyes, piercing Suzette's chest, and her illusion dispersed as she appeared elsewhere, hiding in the shadows under a thorn bush. Her shadowy hounds bit at Midnight's ankles, but only once, the poison of her blood destroying them instantly.

All of this had been a good distraction for Squirmie, who dropped from above the Duchess like a Jagular. The attack took her totally by surprise as the monstrous bug attacked her face. Six razor-sharp legs shaped like cleavers sliced the skin on the sides of her face, and Squirmie bit down hard on what was left of her nose. With a horrible sound of tearing flesh, Squirmie flew away, taking Midnight's face with her, leaving the Duchess to scream in pain with only bare muscle left where her once beautiful face had been. As she spun and started to cast at Squirmie, Ozzy hit her from behind, knocking her to the ground. He dropped on top of her, his weight holding her down as he pounded her with his fists.

Every hit hurt her in a way that a weapon would not have. 'One fist of iron, the other of steel. If the left doesn't get you, then the right one will.' Four times, he hit her before she recovered and breathed poisonous dragons' breath at him, forcing him away from her. Her left hand glowed with power as her right arm deflected another spell cast by Suzette. The Butcher couldn't take the damage she was dealing out and knew the next spell was going to kill him. He walked toward her anyway.

Before she could even finish the sentence, Suzette was stabbing her again, this time with a white dagger made of ivory. "That was just to hold you in place and give you something to think about so I didn't miss my next strike." She pulled the dagger from Midnight's back, stepping away as the stricken thing turned.

"No! No! You can't have found that...who told you his name?"

"Oh, but I did. I had the best of teachers to help me learn your secrets. And so much time. I made many friends, and one of those was a gnomish prince you chained in the Ivory Soul Prison. Too bad you won't be around to meet him. You kept me locked up for four months. I'm returning the favor with interest. But next time, deary? Don't use magical artifacts as letter openers, and leave them lying on your desk. Terribly overconfident of you."

Duchess Midnight, one of the most powerful of the ancient Fae and certainly the most feared, turned to smoke and was sucked into the Ivory Soul Prison, but room had to be made to accommodate her. The last victim of the blade was freed as she took his place. A handsome young gnome just starting to grow his first true beard appeared, wearing clothing that was several centuries out of date by gnomish standards.

He bowed deeply to Suzette. "I am so happy to properly make your acquaintance, young lady. Our communication before did not tell me of your beauty. You have my thanks and that of my father. Prince Ragothorn of the Gnomes of Cinderstein will ever be at your service and that of your brave companions."

Suzette bowed back. "I think we can all agree that your help was greatly appreciated and timely, Prince Ragothorn."

"Politely said, but while both of us were imprisoned, you found a way for us and many others to escape. I have had enough of that hag's hospitality. Can we take our leave of her realm?"

Ben whistled for his horse, not sure he could walk that far. "A very good idea. This place is in bad shape, and I don't trust it staying around for long."

Suzette walked to where Ozzy was digging through his bag. The poison had destroyed his clothing, except for his boots and socks. He replaced the rags with his kilt and wondered about the futility of wearing anything else. Suzette took a moment to admire his sculpted muscles. It had been a long four months away from him. She tossed the ivory dagger into his bag, shuddering a bit as she did.

"A good idea. I never want to be in this place again."

The group staggered the hundred feet to the gates and the chaos that lay just beyond them.

And deep beneath the ground, the System held its breath as the Engine began to spin faster and faster...