Skirmish (The Stork Tower Book 8)

by Tony Corden

  “Sometimes people eat that which disagrees with them.”

  “K: True, but I am a god and have none of your frailties. Now, enough of your prattle, let us begin that I might feed and you might nourish me.”

  As he finished speaking a gag appeared in Leah’s mouth, forcing itself between her teeth and a metal band formed around her head to hold it in place. He said, “K: What binds you is made of empyreanite. It is a metal forged by the gods, and it obeys the whims of the god who made it. That will stop your foolish prattle while I add the permanent bonds which will force your mana to pool in your blood. I will draw this from you using needles of empyreanite, which limit the sharing to one drop every few seconds for as long as you survive. I have a lot of practice and have kept people alive and feeding my altars for millennia after millennia.”

  Leah used her left hand to type, and said, “So, what was the band around my mouth supposed to do again? Stop me moving my mouth?”

  Kötücül took half a step back in surprise and Leah cast True Images even as the timer ran down, and three Twisted Vampire Vine seeds were thrown into the room to land on the dais. As her two images appeared on either side of her, they cast stacked spells of Chain Lightening at Avinin while Leah stacked three spells of Dragon Fire Armour and cast them on herself. The armour flared and melted each of her bindings, except the gag, allowing her to drop to the floor even as it ate into the dragon scale armour. Leah collected what remained of the Dragonfire and cast it straight at Kötücül, who simply waved it away with a smirk as he began to raise his hands. Leah used the slight delay to step forward and drop one of the Darkness Diamonds filled with Kötücül’s blood on the altar beneath the dragon, even as she absorbed the spell which made it into a container for blood.

  Kötücül screamed, driving everyone to the ground except for the three Leahs who’d been ready and had protected themselves with a divine light shield. As Kötücül slowly came upright, Leah-One dropped one of the larger Darkness Diamond blood vials on the altar as she simultaneously formed the psychic ball of mana, and extending one end to Kötücül she extended the second end to the Level 10 Darkness Diamond she’d siphoned from the Fallen. As she did this, Leah-Two and Leah-Three stepped between the thrashing vines and continued to attack Avinin and his guards.

  Kötücül went motionless as the misery, pain and terror of the Fallen was pulled into him. Leah watched both Avinin and Kötücül. When Avinin’s health dropped below five percent, Leah motioned the other two Leahs to her before stepping behind Kötücül, whose health was already at one-hundred-and-ten per cent and still rising as he fed on the Fallen’s distress. Leah handed Leah-Two one of the blood-filled crystals, then forming a container from her reserves of the shadow shroud she had, Leah-Three added drops from a dozen different vials of poison given to her by Peter and one drop of elemental chaos. Leah then added a drop of the essence of transformation. Finally, she released a drop of Kötücül’s blood from the crystal which Leah-Two held over the mixture. As the drop fell into the writhing mixture, Leah cast a blood spell from the red book to bind the potion to Kötücül’s blood. She palmed a dagger, and after pouring the now viscous liquid on it, she drove it into Kötücül’s neck even as she unravelled the braids connecting him to the Darkness Diamond.

  Kötücül swung around, throwing Leah a dozen metres even as she ended True Images. Reaching up, Kötücül pulled the dagger from his neck and said, “K: What a fool you are. You have me all but enthralled and all you can think of is to try and kill me with a knife? I am already healed.”

  “Are you? I understand your health is full, but has the wound truly healed?”

  Kötücül reached up and touched his neck where the wound was beginning to fester. He pulled the hand back and saw the streak of blood and suppurating tissue. He seemed to sway, and Leah said, “Your health is still dropping.”

  “K: Even so, I still have enough health to end your miserable life.”

  “Do you? Maybe. How quickly will you be able to find help? I have bound the poison to your own blood. Kill me, and I will return, for as you say, I am a Traveller. You though? Will you return as you? Did you not feel the wretchedness of the Fallen as who they were was slowly stripped from them? Will the newly ascended Kötücül still truly be you? Be doubly careful, for I have more of your blood and there is more I can do to you, should I so please. I would suggest you flee to your realm and seek help from Lady Şifa. If she needs some untainted blood, then please let her know I have some.”

  Kötücül grimaced and disappeared. Leah turned to Avinin, who was slowly pulling himself upright. Leah said, “Now, what to do with you? Be still, Frost Lord, for I have little need of you. Tell your brood to stop fighting.”

  Avinin called out, and the sound of fighting slowed and stopped. Thad, Granite and Shaman appeared. Thad said, “T: Val was killed.”

  More dwarves appeared, and at Avinin’s command began to form up in ranks. While this was happening, Leah pulled a drop of Kötücül’s blood from the metal on her gag and had Shaman remove it. Leah stood before Avinin and said, “On my hand are two rings. One is from Lord Iskense and tells me when there is an attempt to deceive me, and the other is from my friend Lady Utsal and tells me when I am being lied to. Is the blood you drink the source of your magical ability?”

  “A❄: It is.”

  “Is the change permanent, or does it fade?”

  “A❄: We need to drink of the blood each turn of the moon.”

  “Where is it stored?”

  “A❄: In my treasure room.”

  “Show me.”

  “A❄: I will not. I will die before giving up my treasure.”

  “As you wish. Before I execute you, I give you the opportunity to fulfil your vow.”

  “A❄: What vow?”

  “Are you so faithless? Did you not swear an oath to Lady Intikam, Goddess of Revenge and Retribution, that your daughter would be avenged? What you have done to Lord D’durulmuş D’hşet was not done to fulfil your oath but to satisfy the appetites of Kötücül. Your daughter has not been avenged, this is not retribution but mindless torture for your pleasure and for the pleasure of a depraved god.”

  “A❄: Lady Intikam did nothing to help me.”

  “Did you ask for help, or did you offer the oath freely?”

  When Avinin said nothing, Leah continued, “Your oath was given to show your faithfulness, and the failure was yours. Instead of asking for help to achieve the task, you rejected your oath and turned to another god. Will you fulfil your oath or will you die faithless?”

  “A❄: I am avenged.”

  “Yes, I understand. Me, me, me, I, I, I, you have been avenged! But what of your daughter? When was the last time you thought of her?”

  Avinin said nothing, so Leah turned to face the other dwarves. She said, “Kneel.”

  When they’d all done as she’d ordered she said, “For his crimes against the brood of Lord D’durulmuş D’hşet and for his faithlessness, Avinin Eli Lord Frost, is condemned to death.”

  Without pausing, Leah turned, equipped the Amber Dragon and removed Avinin’s head. She turned back and said, “I am now your Clan Chief. Return to your rooms and don your armour, take only what you can carry and prepare to leave the mountain. When this is done, go stand in the crypt near your families and take time to say goodbye. Go!”

  As one, the dwarves got to their feet and left. Leah said, “Let me deal with D’durulmuş D’hşet, then we’ll go to see Mìng.”

  Leah stepped close to the face of the colossal dragon that would have been larger even than Lord Kötü except for its emaciated state. She formed a ball of psychic mana and connected it to the great dragon and to herself. She could feel his madness, torment and pain. She slowly pushed into his mind and asked, “Lord D’durulmuş D’hşet, my name is Atherleah. Can you hear me?”

  “D❄: I hear you. Who are you?”

  “I am what is called a Traveller. I have defeated those who imprisoned and tortured yo
u.”

  Lord D’durulmuş began to scream within his mind. “D❄: Release me! Free me! I will rend the world and turn the land into a frozen wasteland of suffering and death!”

  There was a surge of mana within his mind, and Leah closed the connection as his madness threatened to cross over. Equipping a pike, Leah stepped down from the dais and used her blood sense to find the dragon’s heart, then with strength from her earth shroud she plunged the pike deep into his heart. Leah reached out and harvested him, then said, “Iyilik’s daughter is avenged. Let’s go find Mìng.”

  36

  December 28, 2073

  DUNYANIN

  “3: Leah, before you go, there is a message about the knife you should read.”

  A braille reader appeared. Leah skipped the achievement and read the description.

  Atherleah, you have created a legendary weapon, the Knife of Affliction. Its existence has spread via the gods to their servants throughout Dunyanin. The gods are in conflict over the existence of this weapon, and many will seek either to possess it or to destroy it. As it was crafted by you, it may only be wielded by you without causing harm to the one using it. The making of this weapon is unique and may not be repeated. It is charged for nine more uses.

  “Three, were there any other major announcements?”

  “3: Almost a dozen, but those that seem most relevant are that while you’ve completed the Level 5 dungeon, you are still to become the Frost Queen. Also, Kötücül lives, though barely, and has joined the list of gods allied against you.”

  Leah sighed, then walked toward the knife. Thad saw where she was heading and bent to get it for her. Leah said, “Don’t touch it. Apparently, it’s dangerous.”

  Thad paused and stared at it for a moment then said, “T: Understatement of the year goes to Atherleah. Painful and assured death to anything less than a god, and even then I’d say over half of those would need divine healing. Oh, while we’re talking dangerous, what are you going to do with the altars?”

  Leah turned to consider the altars, two under where the Frost Lord had been held and one underneath where she’d been. Each one was the size of a large moving box and had intricate carvings on each side. Leah could feel the heat coming off the two under the dragon. The one under her was enchanted for use as an altar but had not yet been consecrated by Kötücül. The two that had been under D’durulmuş were classed as relic level because of their millennia of constant, continual use. She asked Three to give her access to the handbook and read the section on altars.

  They could be devolved, destroyed, desecrated or deconsecrated. Deconsecration involved clerics who served Kötücül, and Leah had no desire to get involved with them. She wasn’t too keen on desecrating them either as that would set her even more at odds with the gods in general, as none liked the idea of someone who desecrated legitimate altars. Destruction required enormous reserves of power and Leah calculated that even with her shrouds, she’d have less than a tithe of what was needed to destroy even one at relic level.

  Devolution was to separate the altars into their constituent parts, most of which could be dealt with easily. The five elements were related to the materials used in construction, the type of offerings, the substance of the offerings, the contract with the worshipper and the divine involvement. Leah steeled herself and let the details of one imprint themselves on her torso. A reader appeared.

  Altar to Kötücül, God Of Malevolence (Relic Class) 75,528,720,000HP (13741244EP)

  This altar was consecrated 2395 years ago and had an offering made at least once every second throughout its lifetime.

  Materials - Granite and Adamantine

  Offerings - Burnt using imprisoned Shadowfire Elemental

  Substance - Blood infused with victim’s mana

  Contract - Power and Longevity

  Divine Involvement - Conduit via Empyreanite tap

  Leah checked the other and saw that it was almost exactly the same, but was powered by a Darkfire Elemental. She had Three show her the handbook on elementals then said, “Granite, Thad, how would each of you feel about having an elemental companion?”

  Leah had them read the altars and explained the option of devolving them. She said, I have the empyreanite conduits and can separate them like I did before. Both of you have mining ability to break through to release the elemental. I’d suggest Granite tries to connect with the Darkfire elemental while Thad connects with the Shadowfire. This isn’t a simple pet-type relationship but is genuinely a companion relationship like what I have with Mìng, but won’t count towards the number of people doing the quests.”

  “T: That’s the materials, offering and divine involvement dealt with, what about the substance and contract?”

  “If I’m reading this correctly it was a contract between Kötücül and Avinin Eli so with Avinin Eli dead, Kötücül failed to keep up his end of the bargain, and that leaves the substance. There is a spell in a blood magic spell book I have which explains how to extract the blood from a desiccated corpse. I was thinking of casting that with a few changes. I think it’ll pull the blood from the altars, but I suspect the amount released might be too much and I don’t know what the effect will be.”

  “S: What if you used it to fuel the healing spell for the other frost dragons?”

  “That could work. Let me go help Mìng while I think about how that might work. Granite, are you OK to watch the altars while we check on the other dragons?”

  Granite agreed.

  As Leah descended into the citadel, she had to steel herself as they approached the cavern Mìng was in as she couldn’t get any response from Mìng. Mìng had only been in captivity for a few weeks, but already Leah could see the damage that had been done. Her wings had been hacked from her body and dumped in one corner, and although she was larger than Leah remembered, it looked like she’d shrunk inwards and there were folds in the scales that shouldn’t have been there.

  Leah removed Kötücül’s blood from the empyreanite, then Shaman and Thad removed the leftover steel. When Mìng was on the floor, Leah extended some psychic mana from herself to Mìng and said, “Mìng, sweet one, can you hear me?”

  Leah thought she could feel the effort it took for Mìng’s reply. “S☼: Atherleah?”

  “Yes. I’m so glad to see you, I’ve been so worried.”

  “S☼: Beware the Frost Lord.”

  “Both of them are dead. I’m going to heal you soon. I’m going to prepare the other captured dragons, then I’ll heal you.”

  “S☼: How? It will take too much mana.”

  Leah explained what had happened and what her plans were. Mìng had a couple of suggestions which changed a few of the parameters in the spell Leah was planning to cast. Finally, Leah pulled herself away and went from cavern to cavern, releasing the almost dead dragons and preparing them for healing. The one she’d already healed was still encased in the ice, but small cracks had started to appear.

  Starting at the lowest level, Leah formed a psychic mana braid with each of the dragons until she came to Mìng. She’d been thinking of how it would work, and took the ten braids and slowly formed them into a single braid which she joined to Mìng, and then she connected herself with Mìng and moved back up to the altars. Leah and Mìng’s plan was for Leah to be the conduit for the power while Mìng would take it and apply it through her healing nature to the other dragons.

  When everything was prepared Leah dual cast the blood spell, pulling the mana of both altars into herself and sending it to Mìng. Almost immediately, things went wrong. Mìng’s fire nature reacted to the frost dragon’s ice elemental nature, so Leah had to reabsorb it and work to transform it from ice to life mana even as she continued to pull the mana stored in the altars. This worked, but Leah found there were traces of ice elemental mana residue collecting along with the hyper-concentrated frost dragon blood. These two elements began to swirl around each other even as they swirled around her.

  Leah’s mind was not only holding the cast
blood spell in place, gathering and transforming the mana and holding the psychic braids in place, but she also kept a check on what was happening with the two altars. After ten minutes, Leah sent a message asking Mìng if she was able to handle more mana. When she got an affirmative, she started pulling the mana at an increased rate.

  Within moments she had to try and slow the mana down as it literally took on a life of its own and pushed itself through her psychic braids. Within moments Mìng reached her limit, and there was a pressure building in the psychic braid between Leah and Mìng. Leah redirected some of the mana and began filling her mostly-empty shrouds as well as the Imperial sceptre until she was keeping pace with Mìng. Leah was watching the health points on each altar, which were dropping in what she suspected was parity with the mana she was focussing.

  After forty minutes, Mìng began channelling more, and Leah was able to stop siphoning it off. Each of her shrouds was full, and the sceptre was glowing. Twenty minutes after that, the mana began to slow as the altars were finally emptied. Thad and Granite began mining the now empty altars as Leah cancelled the blood spell and then, through Mìng, disconnected each of the braids from the frost dragons.

  As she disconnected her psychic connection with Mìng, she was wondering what to do with the two swirling elements. She was a vampire, and her BSP was getting low, so she reached out to absorb some of the blood. However, once it started flowing into her, she found she couldn’t stop the flow, and she couldn’t separate out the traces of elemental ice. Leah found herself convulsing, and the imprint on her body begin to twirl and bulge and then as she was filled with unbearable pain, each of her limbs seemed to explode and all awareness of her surroundings disappeared.