Crisis of Faith by Benjamin Medrano (z-lib.org)

by Unknown

  One moment everything was calm, as people slowly went about starting their day. The market hadn’t really gotten started for the day, with a few merchants open and others just setting up, while the first customers were beginning to browse what they had available, and the handful of outdoor stalls still stubbornly open were huddled in their tents.

  The next moment a high-pitched, multitoned screech split the air as the ruiner appeared in the middle of the marketplace, its heads at full extension as they emitted their bone-piercing wail. All around it the air shuddered and warped, as the stones beneath its very feet began to crack and shatter, while a nearby tent began rapidly rotting and decaying.

  Umira watched it arrive, feeling completely detached from fear or other emotions as she studied the creature for an instant. Normally she’d be somewhat afraid of the creature, that much she admitted to herself, but after spending a couple of days in the same building with them, she’d decided to adjust her mind a little further. It meant she couldn’t really take pleasure in watching the destruction that they were causing, but it also meant she wouldn’t be going catatonic, either. That was rather important, in her opinion.

  Instead she watched in fascination as the ruiner ripped a sign off a nearby building, post and all, and threw it at a screaming, panicked horse. Then a tongue shot out of its left head, snagging an unfortunate elf, and dragged the screaming woman back to it. When it started swallowing the woman whole, though, Umira decided that it was quite enough, as somehow that was making her queasy even after all her adjustments to her mind.

  Shrugging, Umira focused instead on casting a spell, deciding to take the simplest, easiest route she could manage. As she spoke the final words, she smiled and whispered. “Panic and run.”

  The spell rippled outward from her hands, carrying her suggestion with it. Considering what the people in the streets had just seen, it didn’t surprise her when the magic took effect almost effortlessly.

  People screamed, panicked, and began running every direction, just as the ruiner began ripping through the nearest buildings, letting out more of its screeches.

  Umira considered briefly, then realized that not fleeing might be obvious, so she calmly turned and started down the alleyway, humming to herself as she heard the front of one shop begin creaking, then collapsed.

  “What in the—” Alissa demanded, then stopped, barely out of her office as her eyes widened in shock.

  As the new commander of Westgate’s garrison, Alissa had managed to deal with an immense amount of the neglect and damage throughout the compound over the last several weeks, something that had made her proud, as had the discipline she’d managed to instill into the soldiers in that time.

  The sight before her didn’t reflect either of those things, though. The gate had shattered along the left side and was hanging half-open, while the left half of the gatehouse was crumbling where something had smashed entirely through it. As Alissa watched a soldier’s sword struck the horrific monster standing in the courtyard and disintegrated, like it’d rusted away in seconds, and the creature casually backhanded the man into a wall while it finished swallowing another of her soldiers.

  “Shit!” Alissa swore, then yelled, “Everyone, keep your distance! Magi, blast it!”

  The next moment Alissa darted back into her office, thanking the heavens that she’d asked Sistina to give her something to deal with powerful demons if Kelvanis had gotten too desperate, and her eyes lit on the bow hanging on the wall, along with the five glimmering arrows in the quiver beneath it.

  Just as she was about to take the bow, Alissa felt something wrong and dodged to the side. A knife lanced through the air where she’d been an instant before, slamming into the wall and cutting deep into the wood. The next moment the knife slid out of the wall, retracting back into the hand of the woman who’d just thrown it.

  Alissa’s sword was already in her hand, drawn without her even thinking about it, and she scowled as she took in the appearance of the woman in an instant. The plain, human brunette wouldn’t have been out of place anywhere in the city, with simple brown eyes and her hair in a braid down to the middle of her back. The things that were unusual were the dark leather armor with an odd sheen to it, betraying magic to help the wearer blend into the background, the wicked daggers in each of her hands, and the sadistic grin on her face.

  “Why’d you dodge? It would have made this much quicker,” the woman said, grinning as she added, “It’s time for you to die, elf!”

  “Why do I always seem to get the crazy ones?” Alissa muttered, having a sudden flashback to Ulvian Sorvos, then she snorted derisively. Compared to him, the woman in front of her was like a clown. On the other hand, how she felt must have shown on her face, as the woman’s face darkened with anger, then she lunged forward as the sounds of explosions echoed from outside.

  Alissa resisted the urge to laugh as she dodged the first stab, brandishing her sword as she focused on her opponent. She needed to deal with her quickly, before the monster killed too many of her soldiers.

  Chapter 36

  The crashing sound and screams distracted Adrian from the utter bliss of the cherry tart, and he blinked, then looked toward the door, which Clarissa was already opening. The high-pitched wail sent a shiver down his spine, though, and it almost ruined the flavor for him, which did not make Adrian happy.

  The baker had explained that they’d been importing fresh fruit from Beacon over the past few weeks, since the city somehow was able to keep growing produce year-round, something which made Adrian happier than he had been initially, and also made the delay well worth his time. The sound of boots and horses screaming wasn’t pleasant, though.

  “Ah, we have a problem,” Clarissa said, her voice unusually tense. “There’s a ruiner attacking the gates.”

  “A what?” the baker asked, the portly elf paling suddenly.

  “Hells, what’s one of those doing here?” Kaylen demanded, almost dropping his handkerchief as he fumbled out his staff. “And why is it that every time there’s a disaster in a city, it’s when we’re visiting?”

  “Damn it all, this day is just getting better and better. Come on, let’s deal with the problem,” Adrian growled, popping the last of his tart into his mouth, then pulled on his gauntlets as he stepped outside.

  All around him people were rushing into the city in a stream away from the gates, and as they passed Adrian frowned, because nowhere near all of the people he was seeing looked as panicked as he might have expected, and a lot of them were wearing leather armor… and had weapons. Even stranger, the majority of them were humans, when he’d seen mostly elves in Westgate so far.

  Still, he only had a moment for the distraction, and he swallowed a curse as he saw the gates, which had been knocked back when a wagon had been thrown into them. The ruiner was busy tearing into the guards, and Adrian was impressed at their bravery, since the majority of guards he’d known would have run at the sight of the beast. Unfortunately, he also knew that the vast majority of guards would be completely useless against a ruiner, which rather spoiled the effect.

  “Storm, heed my call,” Adrian murmured, raising his right hand, and his mana surged in response, a lightning bolt descending from the heavens to land in his hand, taking the shape of a sword, though one formed of pure lighting. Just to be sure, he added, “Harriet, care to get its attention?”

  The half-elf didn’t respond verbally, instead putting two arrows to her bowstring and firing almost before he finished speaking. The arrows ignited with a dull red flame in midflight, spreading out ever so slightly as they lanced across the street unerringly.

  Just as the ruiner opened its left mouth to eat one of the soldiers, the man hacking at it frantically with a rapidly disintegrating sword, Harriet’s arrows arrived. One severed its tongue on its way into the creature’s gullet, while the other punched straight into one of its tiny eyes on the right head. The monster screamed in pain, ignoring the man who fell to the ground as it spun to fac
e Adrian and the others, its mouths snapping shut and five eyes glaring at them murderously as blue ichor dripped from the arrow, which quickly disintegrated as well.

  “…holy light, descend on us and protect us from the shadows,” Clarissa murmured, and a soft white glow enveloped Adrian and the others, shielding them from the worst effects the demon could throw at them.

  “Come on, ugly. You’re blocking our path, and interrupted my breakfast,” Adrian said, beckoning the ruiner toward him with his free hand, grinning.

  The creature screeched and charged, and as it did Kaylen whispered the words of a spell, his gestures drawing glowing lines in the air. Adrian didn’t wait to see it, though, instead rushing forward to meet the monster in battle.

  If nothing else, it would help him work off some of his frustration, even if he wondered why such a powerful demon was in the area.

  “The hells?” Bane demanded, flinching backward as a torrent of fire and lightning ripped upward in a pillar, looking on in shock. His mouth was somewhat agape as he watched the quartet attack the ruiner.

  The group was an odd one, with a dark-haired human man fighting the ruiner in close combat, his clothing thick, but not quite obscuring the glittering armor beneath its warm folds. More vivid was the longsword of solidified lightning that was cutting gashes in the ruiner’s exoskeleton as it was driven backward.

  There was a tall, white-robed human woman near the back, but the symbols along the hem of her robes burned with fire that discomforted Bane, while the silver staff in her hand was topped with a glowing sapphire. Next to the blonde woman was a red-haired elven man with a black staff in one hand, who wore light chain beneath his clothing, and he also had a sword at his side. Not that it mattered much, with how the man was creating runes in midair seemingly effortlessly, and he was the one who’d dropped the torrent of magic on the ruiner.

  Last was a half-elven woman in leather armor, and whose aim was so good it was unbelievable. The brunette didn’t say much, but Bane hadn’t seen her miss even once in over a dozen shots, which was eerie as hell. The ruiner was taking a lot of damage, and Bane considered, then decided against trying to assist it.

  “I was told to help the soldiers get into the city, and keep the ruiner from attacking them, that’s all,” Bane muttered to himself, glancing at the people who’d run into the city after the demon attacked. Sure, it was a little suspicious that they’d run past the creature to get into the city, but he doubted that the soldiers on duty had the presence of mind to notice that under the circumstances.

  For his part, he hoped that the others were doing better than him, since he had no idea where the four mauling the ruiner had come from.

  Beatrice muffled a scream as the temple rocked again, the doors shuddering and cracking under the impact of the beast against them, causing dust to sift down from the ceiling. Beside her, a half dozen priests and priestesses were standing pale-faced, their arms outstretched as they poured glowing purple flames onto the door, reinforcing it and hopefully damaging the monster that was attacking the temple.

  The appearance of the creature in the square outside had shocked Beatrice, and it was only by the grace of Tyria that she’d managed to get through the doors of the temple before it caught her, as it’s tongue had glanced off the statue she’d partially been behind, spoiling its aim. Even so, she’d barely managed to bar the doors before it had slammed into them, cracking the enchanted barrier with its first hit. The screams of those who’d been outside had wrenched at her heart, because they’d mostly been just random citizens who’d been in the wrong place at the wrong time. There was nothing Beatrice could do, though. She wasn’t a mage, and had no training in battle. Her only skills were at comforting others and mundane healing, nothing more.

  She could pray, though, and Beatrice closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, then began murmuring, “Goddess, hear my prayer. May thy flame guard us from the evils at the gate, and shelter us if it falls. May I have the courage to face what comes…”

  Another impact shook the door while she prayed, but Beatrice ignored it, hoping against all expectations for salvation.

  Tyria’s eyes snapped open as the whisper of a prayer reached her, only one of many, but distinct despite that. She’d been contemplating what she’d heard from the Immortal Empress, trying to decide what she should, or could do, when the prayers arrived. There weren’t a lot, but it was more than enough for her to realize something terrible was happening in Westgate, and that her temple was under attack. For a bare moment Tyria almost took flight, but the warning from Fate stopped her, and she hesitated, her thoughts racing.

  “Zenith!” Tyria snapped out, her magic surging as she reached across the worlds for her servant and pulled the angel to her. The world rippled in response, and suddenly the angel joined Tyria, looking startled as she appeared over Beacon as well.

  “My Lady?” Zenith asked questioningly, a faint tremble to her voice. “Is something wrong?”

  “The temple in Westgate is under attack, and the faithful have called for aid,” Tyria said, very precisely choosing how she was responding, trying to avoid angering Fate in the process. “I would like you to go try to shelter them. I don’t know what you’ll face, so I will not require you to go.”

  Zenith blinked, then smiled and nodded, speaking quickly. “Your will be done, My Lady!”

  The angel shot off into the distance, and Tyria smiled as she headed for the horizon and the sun that was beginning to rise. She’d only responded to a prayer, so Fate really couldn’t fault her for that. Nor would he be able to blame her if Sistina happened to overhear, which she likely had.

  Tyria hoped so, at least.

  Chapter 37

  “Huh?” Diamond murmured, blinking as Sistina sat up abruptly and got out of the bed, racing toward the wardrobe. “’stina?”

  “Westgate under attack,” Sistina replied shortly, her voice cold and precise. “Overheard Tyria. Need to get help.”

  “What?” Diamond demanded, shock stripping away any remaining sleepiness, and she shot upward, swaying and a bit light-headed as she asked, “What happened?”

  “Don’t know. No reports yet,” Sistina replied, glancing at Diamond for a moment, then asked, “Wake the others?”

  “Of course!” Diamond replied, and she quickly pulled herself out of bed, marshalling her mana as she prepared to send a message to the other Jewels to wake them quickly.

  Before she even finished or got out of bed, Sistina was already gone.

  “What in the world? What’s going on?” Torkal asked, standing up and looking out the window, Diane just behind him. They’d gotten up to attend the morning services at the temple, so the distinct pounding sounds were a bit startling, and she looked outside only to blink at the unexpected sight.

  Outside were dozens of steel-skinned golems, marching toward the palace. She didn’t know what they were doing, but the sight made her nervous, since the last time she’d seen so many of the golems in one place was before Irethiel invaded.

  “I’m not sure, but that doesn’t look like a good sign. Maybe something happened at the palace?” Diane said, her tone questioning, since she doubted that something would happen there, of all places.

  Of course, her curiosity grew still more as a couple of messengers rushed past, heading down the street at a breakneck pace.

  “That’s odd,” Wenris murmured, sitting in her chair idly, a bit curious about what she was seeing.

  It’d only been a few minutes since she’d felt Tyria reach across the worlds to summon an angel, who’d streaked across the sky to the east a few moments later. Now she was hearing a lot of movement, and she found herself curious. Not curious enough to get up, but she was rather intrigued.

  “Ah, well,” Wenris said, shrugging as she went back to her schemes. She’d finally figured out where the noble bothering Phynis tended to hang out during the days, and she wanted to deal with young lord Nocris. The better Phynis felt about her, the more freedom she’d have in
Beacon, after all.

  Alissa sidestepped another thrust, and this time the woman had finally gotten frustrated and overextended herself, something which she wasn’t going to let pass, not with the screams she heard from outside.

  Slipping under the woman’s guard, Alissa took ruthless advantage as her sword cut deep into her opponent’s shoulder. The brunette quickly staggered backward, but as she did Alissa whipped her sword around, hamstringing her and cutting the artery in her leg in the same movement, then took a quick step back.

  “Wha—no, how can you be so fast?!” the woman demanded angrily, dropping her dagger as she tried to stem the bleeding, though she wasn’t having much luck.

  Alissa didn’t reply, instead lashing out with her blade, the tip cutting the woman’s throat, which should lead to her death much more quickly, she hoped. Only then did she comment coldly. “You should try living in a dungeon for about a year, it does wonders for strength and speed alike. Now, to deal with your friend.”

  She wiped her sword clean and sheathed it, hoping not too much residue would build up inside the sheath. She’d clean it properly later, but Alissa quickly grabbed her bow and the arrows, rushing out the door to take a look around the courtyard again, and the sight made her blanch.

  Over two dozen soldiers were down, most of them likely dead, and the monster looked barely injured. The barracks was creaking, on the verge of collapse, while there were multiple craters across the ground where spells had landed. Worse, she was fairly sure that several of her magi had vanished, which gave her a good idea of where they’d gone. How the monster had fit them into its gullet was another question, but one she didn’t really want an answer to.