by K R Leikvoll
"Arturio is alive, and he's every bit an Ash as me," I argued quietly. I hadn't seen him much since Alexandra's death.
"That dog is not worthy of such a title."
I met Kirin on the deck instead of choosing to argue. It threw me off when I realized how different our surroundings were. The ground was red and cracked; there weren’t any signs of life. The Valkyrie was stopped at the edge, where the water was no longer fresh and everything was putrid. It smelled heavily of sulfur mixed with something worse. It made me sick, and I couldn't help puking over the side of the boat as discreetly as possible. Kirin's hands wrapped around me from behind as I rinsed my mouth with the little water I had.
"Be strong," he whispered, pulling me with him.
We made our way off the ship. The entire army was seated outside, the council waiting at the very front on their cats with mine. Mortos followed behind us and waited on the dock. I gave him a glance to say goodbye; if things worked out, I might never see him again. At least he was alive. At least Kirin's people would see a familiar face.
"Goodbye, Yahven," Kirin said, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Any words of wisdom, boss?" he asked. His demeanor was rigid, trying to adjust to his new duties. It didn't mask that he wanted to join us instead.
"Do what you have to and what is best for our people. Ensure their survival."
Mortos shook his head in compliance. I don't think he wanted to say goodbye.
Kirin walked in front, leading the way down the narrow gap the soldiers made for us. It felt like a funeral march to me, in a way. On all sides were the faces of people ready to lay down their lives for the sake of their planet against demons. I was worried about them surviving, but I had to remember that those people had survived most of it already.
They met my eyes. I could tell that it was for some sort of hope, and I wasn't sure what they saw. Most of them were Evyans, so if they could see past the intricate spider web of lines that connected Kirin and I together, they would see my Vince-like appearance. I hoped that seeing the Ash sigil would remind them that I was fighting for them even if I didn't look that way.
The council was all there: Sylvia, Merie, Jotus and Vya. Each one was wearing different, unique armor. Sylvia was in gray metal that looked lighter than a feather. Merie wore a small green dress with plate covering her vital spots. Jotus was covered head-to-toe like a golden comet, carrying a dangerous looking spear. The Evyan king was dressed so heavily in white armor with a full helmet that I almost didn't notice him. All of them represented their homelands which they had lost to the darkness.
I got on my katoma nervously, but I tried to be strong. Arturio's black fur helped him stand out against the hell-like land. He gave me a nod of encouragement as he stood with his arms folded. I hadn't expected him to stay; I thought he might've chosen to return with Mortos. At the same time, it was obvious he had revenge on his mind.
Altogether, we started moving through the land, seemingly toward nothing at all.
It felt like a lifetime passed before the volcano-city Femora appeared on the horizon. I had read about it only briefly. A city built in the most inhospitable place I could think of, but then again, I didn't know an awful lot about Kaedan volcanoes.
My focus was on the black mountain; at first, I hadn't noticed the Infernal Army in the distance to our right. It was impossible not to hear Lazarus' battalion of monsters. At the front were skeletal, zombie-like creatures that crawled low to the red ground. They were the victims of all of her conquests—I could tell by their necromantical purple eyes.
Behind the line of death was Lazarus herself, riding her massive demonic wolf, ready to fight alongside them. It was almost as though the flame aura coming off her weapons, War, were engulfing her entire body. On her sides and behind her marched the actual Infernal Army, the demons called from the Void to destroy the world. They varied in size and it seemed like they would overwhelm us in a moment. Defending Femora was a suicide mission. I doubted we would win.
On our opposite side, the Femoran army emerged from their craggy defense. An abundance of soldiers (though many were normal people trying to defend their home) marched in an orderly fashion in matching ebony armor. They appeared more organized and ready for a fight. At least readier than we did in our weak bunching of ragged soldiers. Regardless of the Femoran presence, I still wasn't ready.
Lazarus spotted our group from downhill and halted Morgan. The rest of her undead and demonic army marched onward. I felt Kirin grip my wrist as a smile appeared on her face. Even from the distance, I could see the shining of her murderous red glare on me. She raised a single blade directly at Kirin and I, marking us as her targets.
"Something's not right," I said to Kirin looking back and forth between the two armies. "She doesn't seem surprised to see us."
Vya rode in front of our gathering and took his helmet off so we could clearly hear him. He wore an expression of seriousness that could only be described as someone about to witness combat. "We have fought for far too long to see Kaeda fall!" he cried to the distraught Evyans and Kaz’moran preparing themselves for our suicidal task. "If we lose Femora, we will all fall before the Demon Queen!"
"For all of the free kingdoms of Evya! For A'roha and Duskwraith and Faera!" Jotus declared to our brethren.
"For Kaza'mae!" Merie said in her small voice that carried far for her size.
"For all beings of Praetis. For the Divinus!" Sylvia said conclusively. "Lux Eterna!"
And so the charge began. Kirin gripped me tightly, holding us back from the mass amount of Evyans that rushed forward. Arturio joined our side and let out a bloodthirsty howl. The Femorans were standing their ground and not rushing into battle. Our group fit neatly between Lazarus and the volcano.
There weren't words to describe the moment before the fighting started. The stillness was screaming at me.
Lazarus approached the front of her own, massive army on her wolf calmly. The battleground was her known playground after all. She raised War at me in the distance. "Bring me the Nephilim's head," she commanded, breaking the silence like a fragile sheet of glass. Her shrieks of fury carried louder than any normal being would be capable of.
The necrozombies let out a horrid sound; it was like they were trying to inhale our souls with sharp breaths and screeching. They rushed forward to our spear-and-shield defense. In the blink of an eye, they were on top of the first line of Evyans, including the King and Merie. I did my best to send barriers out; it was important to save energy for my gun as well.
Lazarus and Morgan leapt on top of the Evyans and Kaz’moran holding the line for the archers. With zero discretion for ally or foe, she began to slice at everything around her like a razor-sharp tornado. Her wolf ripped and tore at our allies' armor like it was made of paper. It sent them mangled and flying. The screaming and sounds of people dying caused me to go into shock even though I wanted to fight.
Her viciousness and skill distracted us for too long. A giant beast of hell, easily twenty feet tall, smashed a sword as long as a man at Kirin and me. He didn't freeze, but I did. He shoved me off my cat beast and drew Famine instantly.
Kirin just barely dodged a swing, giving him the opening to slice at the monster with his bladed armor. With a quick slash, he severed a few of the demon's fingers. It let out a horrible roar and continued with a few calculated swings, killing the surrounding men. Blood sprayed, coating every part of me and the red ground like a macabre painting. I heard people calling for help, but I still couldn't move.
I turned to the Femoran army, expecting their aid at any moment... not to be flanked from behind by our "allies." They all had eyes that looked corrupted and black, much like Kirin’s had been when he was in the Void. They hacked into our unsuspecting group, turning everything into absolute chaos.
Everyone was dying—what could I do? If I lost control, how could I bring it back? Kirin got hit in the shoulder (of course), but he managed to cut the beast across its stomach. After it fell, g
houls climbed over its body approaching us. Come on, Val!
I held out my left hand, invoking the darkness. It seared forward in a wave of midnight flames, disintegrating the line of corpses that moved in to attack. I didn't pull it back either. Every corpse around me was fuel for the hatred I felt deep inside my core. I tried to channel it like when we had docked in Evya.
I pushed my way past Kirin, whom was hacking all the demons he could to bits. The fire soared over the zombies like moths attracted to an open flame. The destruction wasn't horrible; it was glorious. The black flames engulfed an entire hellbeast by itself, melting it to a puddle of muck and ashes.
My destruction was ended by a barrier forced out to protect me. A stray arrow flew, nearly hitting me in the face. It was shredded in half and sent flying into opposite directions. It left me open for a few swings from an ugly, winged beast. I dived to the side to avoid its blade, summoning my gun for aid in the meantime. The guidance of the light I had while facing Lilith wasn't activating for me. I relied solely on myself to shoot it down with a few bullets.
The next arrow that flew my way resulted in me not being so lucky. It went straight through my right shoulder blade, causing white hot pain to course down my arm. I screamed and tried to pull it out, but it wouldn't budge.
From the corner of my eye I could see Lazarus showering herself in the blood of both demons and enemies. It was mystifying to watch her fight; like a dance... and she was coming for me as she hacked through those between us. I grasped at Kirin's bladed shoulders with my weak left hand. He nearly cut my throat with Famine before he realized who it was.
"There's something wrong. The Femorans—" I said over the sounds of death.
"Yeah, I noticed that," he grunted, swinging his scythe at a few ghouls. "Seems we've been set up."
"I can see the demonic energy. Do you think she has them cursed?" I called, covering him with a few bursts of fire at our enemies.
Kirin looked up from his bloodbath and back at the Femorans. "Damn it. Arturio!" he yelled across the land.
My wolf-brother was slashing zombies and demons alike to pieces with his razor-sharp claws. His ears perked in our direction, but he continued to furiously fight the monsters back.
"We need to make it into Femora! Cover us!" Kirin demanded of Arturio as he started to drag me further into the crowd of chaos. My arm was completely useless as much as the ring attempted to heal it.
We approached the Femoran line on the opposite side. Arturio stood directly behind me to keep me safe. Kirin was blocking attacks from the obviously cursed soldiers, not wanting to harm them because they weren't in their right state of mind. Given the fact that Lazarus was nearing twenty feet from us sent me into desperation. I shoved past him.
Calling on all the demonic energy I could from within, I created two lines of fire, standing as tall as buildings. It blocked every Femoran, demon, ally, and Lazarus from all sides. Holding in my pain, I dragged Kirin and Arturio along as if I was Moses parting the fiery waves of a black hell. It enveloped all behind us, but I didn't have time to grieve any lost.
The gate to Femora was old and carved directly into the volcano itself. It probably had an ancient history and deep meaning, but I blew it apart like it was made of sand. The source wasn't flames, nor was it the ring. It felt almost psionic; I didn't have time to discern where my powers were coming from.
Being inside the city almost made me forget about the war raging outside. It was nearly deserted, like it should be for an active volcano. The entire flooring was a sort of thick glass made to withstand lava which flowed underneath our feet. I could tell where the Evyans got their design from for the Hidden City. The internal part of the volcano spiraled upward into various levels, gradually getting more extravagant as it got closer to the opening of the mountain.
Arturio leapt in front of Kirin and I to strike down cursed Femorans while Kirin addressed my wound. I tried not to cry out as the arrow splintered and broke. Kirin cursed under his breath and worked quickly to pull out the pieces. How could something like that hurt more than being stabbed by a knife?
"You were hit by one of her arrows, luckily this one only had enough toxins to paralyze you," Kirin said, trying to adjust my shoulder plate on top of the wound. He was absolutely correct; my right limb was becoming completely useless. I wasn't even able to shield Arturio as he got sliced by a whip that seemed to be made entirely of fire. He howled and ripped out the cursed Femoran's throat with his wolf teeth.
"We need to find the source," I grunted in pain. We had to, before it was too late and everyone killed by demons.
Kirin nodded in response and slit his wrist to give me as much aid as he could.
"I bet it's coming from there," Arturio growled after he spat out dark orange blood. Above us, presumably on the top floor, a murderous glow of red and orange was buzzing like untapped energy. Someone was waiting for us.
After a few swallows of Kirin's blood, I could see the form of two demons. At least they weren't Lazarus, which I could see faintly in the distance murdering my friends with her glowing scythes outside the volcano.
Kirin dragged me up the grand spiral that formed the roads for the volcanic city. I followed as closely as possible, trying to let him take care of the guards in our path. Arturio stuck behind us and kept any monsters or Femorans from stabbing me in the back. Everything was fuzzy, like I wasn't living in reality. My fingers brushed my armor to make sure I wasn't in a dream as I watched a severed body fall over the side of the railing.
I would have loved to study the city, but not given the circumstances. When we reached the top faster than I was ready for, we were met with a pathetic, grand door. It was obviously the throne room past that point, and I didn't care about architecture anymore. Kirin didn't bother slicing it with Famine; ramming it in seemed to be the way to go. I wasn't at all surprised to see the molten door crumble… only surprised to see it wasn't more guarded.
The throne room itself was gorgeous. Far more extravagant and ancient than that of Vince/Lazarus' throne room in Duskwraith. A black cathedra made of obsidian was carved out of the mountain, though it was unoccupied. The ground was made of similar stone, strongly enhancing the lines of lava that crawled through the cracks. It looked like it could be the home of some ancient dragon.
My gut dropped with the people we found inside. One was the worm, wearing clothes that looked far too expensive for how rugged he was. The other was one of the most beautiful women or creatures I had ever seen. She wore a long dress composed of black feathers, matching her crown and headdress. It clashed with her fiery orange eyes, reminding me more of a mystical creature's than a Femoran's. Her hair was long and bound up in the most elegant fashion I had seen yet. It was almost a shame we would have to kill her.
She was casting some sort of spell that the worm was helping channel in the center of the room. It appeared as a miniature sun, casting the light we had seen from outside. Inside, past the blinding of it, the armies were fighting in the flames. At least they were still alive.
"Keep channeling," Lydris said to the Femoran woman before turning to us.
"Watch the door," Kirin whispered to Arturio and crossed in front of me.
"I was hoping you had drowned, Maundrell. It seems as though dumb luck keeps you alive every time. I should thank you for bringing the Nephilim back to me. I was truly looking forward to tasting her again," Lydris said making my skin crawl.
"Fucking kill him!" I yelled, actually commanding Kirin for the first time. The paralyzing poison was making my right leg weak as well. I had to fight to stay on my feet.
Kirin, filled with all the hatred he felt for Lydris, sprung into battle with his shadowy scythe in hands. I thought he would strike him down in one hit, but the blood from Lazarus and I increased the worm's strength. He blocked the ghostly blade with two daggers that reminded me eerily of Lazarus.' It could've even been the same dual pair she had used when I first encountered her. Whatever they were, they stood up to the shard
of the Essentia and knocked him back.
Lydris stabbed at his sides; one blade failed to penetrate Kirin's armor while the other was blocked by the staff of his scythe. They became a flurry of blades, reflecting and striking at each other with all the wrath they had; a true battle to the death that Kirin didn't intend to lose.
My right leg finally gave out. I had to lean on the wall. My face was starting to feel fuzzy; the vision in my right eye was blurred. It had been an expert shot. Lazarus probably hit me in the right shoulder intentionally to disable my ring’s abilities. Smart thinking—I couldn't even feel the ring against my finger.
After several exchanges of blows, Kirin gained the upper hand. I watched with pure bloodlust as he finally severed one of Lydris' arms, sending it flying my direction. He fell to his knees, drenched in his own blood and looked up at his reaper. Kirin didn't care for last words or giving him any chance to escape. There was no more temple to save him. No more Alexandra to keep Kirin's wrath at bay.
I guess following Nakarius wouldn't lead him to victory after all.
Holding Famine by the base, Kirin impaled him straight through the top of his head. Lydris' eyes twisted in pain. It wasn't until a few moments later, when the shadowy echo of the blade rejoined itself, that he crumpled to the ground in a spray of black blood.
With Lydris dead, the Femoran woman instantly stopped her channeling. It was silent as she and Kirin exchanged some sort of psychic conversation for a moment. I could see fury in his strides as he moved toward her while she crumpled to her knees.
"How long have you been setting us up?" Kirin asked with more anger and pain in his voice than I had ever heard. It matched his feelings for his close companions, but I couldn't make the connection.
"Please, Kirin! Sendrys... she-she Sacramented me as a child. I had no other choice. I'm just like you!" the woman pleaded in a harmonic sounding voice.
"You are nothing like me. After all these years, it was false. Everything about you was a lie," Kirin said cutting the air with his frigid tone. "You were never a Queen! Just a whore puppet for Vince! How could I have been so blind?"