by K R Leikvoll
“They have bastioned their defenses of Remula. It is carved directly within the mountain – without clear structures, it could be hard for a siege. However, Levia’s fire should draw those living in the mazes into the open streets where we can pick them off,” Raven informed me. “It will be a long fight, but we cannot cease until every life is snuffed out.”
“If both of you oversee the Infernal Army, I will focus on taking out the wizard,” I told my company. “Allowing him to run around is a risk to victory. I will try to get him away from the city where he could be of aid.”
The sound of a war horn in the distance roused all of our attention. It was from the direction of the city, likely because they spotted us in the horizon. I would have preferred more time to prepare, though it was senseless. Demons could be ordered, but they would always behave chaotically within their commands. It made little sense to sit and coordinate with creatures that did not understand the word.
And, if it was not Remula’s attention or my army’s lack thereof, there was also Levia. She was more than prepared to fight, diving through the maroon clouds from above and toward the city. Chills enveloped me to lay eyes on the devilish serpent again. Her scales were dark crimson, though they reflected almost purple in the light of the stars. She was unlike anything this world could have produced – a mystery species from space. The dragon looked exactly as I remembered her when she destroyed A’roha. The smell of sulfur sourced from the smog billowing out of her jaw made my stomach reel. The reminder of the death of my people was enough to make my head momentarily spin.
“Stay safe,” Varnoc told me as we prepared to move forward. My eldest demonic son was always a worrier.
“You have little faith in our prophet, Stonebreaker,” Raven snapped, hopping on the back of his mount. To say it was a giant bat demon from the Void would not be accurate. It was a creature that inhabited Duskwraith long before Vincent’s takeover. It was the deepest shade of black with infected eyes. It was clearly undead, but my brother had done his best to maintain it with other body parts, like a patchwork children’s toy.
“It is not a lack of faith, Darksorrow,” Varnoc replied curtly. “It is common sense. Without a blessing dedicated to her wellbeing, we could lose her. So, who is really without faith?”
I rolled my eyes, not wishing to listen to any more of their bickering and mounted Morgan once more. He howled in anticipation. I’m not sure if as an uncursed Dryad he was as bloodthirsty as he was in that current form. Regardless, he was always ready for our battles together. He bounded toward our enemies to put us ahead of our kin, as it was my natural spot.
Remula was like no other city in all of Praetis. It was primitive, yet it was built so perfectly, it need not be reconstructed. First and foremost, it was a massive mountain that scraped the heavens. Over the course of thousands of years, the residents in the far north had carved their way into its center. Rather than the spirals of the capital of Femora’s volcano, the city only had a few levels internally, though I would not see them until I was thoroughly gutting it later.
The outside was particularly unique. Giant walls were crafted surrounding the city like spokes on a wheel. It was not of mere stone; rather, the rock was riddled with gemstones and precious metals. The walls were location markers for the beginning of an endless labyrinth one would have to pass through to enter Remula. Varnoc had mentioned that there were houses on the inner part of the maze, but the section of the city hidden in the mountain would be hard to assault with how covered it was.
It was also defended as Raven warned me. Levia had begun her part, blasting flame at the mountain in an attempt to make them scatter. There were tens of ballistae positioned in the south where we were due to come from, some on the tops of the walls, others in front of the labyrinth. The mountain itself was on the edge of the north, near the ocean. It made the air cold and wet, whipping residual water into my face as I scanned the horizon.
The weapons on the ledges were not more attention-grabbing than the woman leaning against the one in the center, near the entrance to the maze. Her mane of fiery hair gave away who she was over the distance. Somehow, she had been swept up into Zaar’s conflict, donning their sacred bone armor like it was hers to wear. She had a new bow; carbon black wood, otherwise known as emberila from Femora. I wanted so horribly to fly through the space between us to attack her, yet the idea of causing her harm was still unpleasant. It was entirely nonsensical.
Before I could call out to have my words with her, she ordered Remula’s forces to attack. The ballistae launched their thick, silver arrows in our direction, larger than Morgan. I was mildly worried they would be strong enough to bring down Levia. She was doing what she could to cast flame into their lines and divert their focus. We were still forced to dodge them, however. Morgan was nimble, zigzagging around the arrows as they embedded themselves in the dirt.
I nocked an arrow of my own. It was hard to aim as Alexandra ran with extreme agility through their front lines. I temporarily forgot of Gradelkine; I lost track of what Raven and Varnoc were doing with the Infernal Army. Instead, I urged Morgan to tear off in her direction, following my own primitive drive.
I released several arrows and used demonic power to shatter them. It was enough to take out some of those tending to the ballistae, but I could not force myself to stay to kill more. I was utterly compelled to chase her into the narrow opening of the twisting mazes of Remula. Morgan barely fit with less than a small gap for my boots on either side. His paws kicked dirt into the air with the tight turns he had to make to keep us in sight of Alexandra.
The outer rings were barren of people or buildings, I noted as we dodged around corners. They had planned in advance to be safely tucked in the mountain, away from the fight. Once Levia got around to them, however, it would not matter where they hid.
Alexandra had time to study the layout of the city, giving her a clear advantage over us. We almost lost sight of her multiple times as she ran expertly through the maze. It is obvious to me now it was all in an attempt to get me away from the fight as I sought to do with Gradelkine. I believe I knew that at the moment, I had just been swept into bloodlust I did not wish to deny myself.
Morgan and I were almost engulfed in flame as Levia showered the maze with her fury. It cut me and Alexandra off, or so she assumed. Based on the exhausted smile on her face, she thought I was entrapped.
“Aid the others,” I commanded Morgan. Without another thought, and to Alexandra’s surprise, I leapt from the wolf’s back and through the fire.
I released my nocked arrow in her direction as I landed. She could not avoid it in time, though my aim was shoddy. It flew through her hair getting tangled and ripping her to the ground. I took full advantage of the situation.
I summoned War into my grasp and lunged to cut her through her armor. My blades seemed like they might go unchallenged, but the black riser of her bow caught them.
“I should have killed you!” she yelled as she used all of her strength to hold my weapons back from her chest. I pushed back harder in return. A loud snap echoed as War crushed her bow into two pieces. Before I could cut into her flesh, she kicked me with force far beyond that of a regular mortal.
I was sent flying into the stone wall of the maze, losing my ability to breathe with how hard I impacted everything around me. I had vastly underestimated her skills. All that time I had regarded her as a mortal, not as an Ash.
The Ashena family, known those days simply as the royal “Ash” family, were the line of the wretched Divines – the descendants of our own Mother Lilith. Typically, they reproduced a single offspring to continue the line, but Alexandra was not the Divinus. She was the first child to be born of the family and not be Divine. Regardless, I would argue she was just as dangerous as the current Divinus Eve, if not more.
I let out a scream, channeling all of the demonic power I possibly could. It was the strongest wail I had uttered yet. The rock walls cracked and crumbled around us. Alexandra was th
rown forward with the power of the cry. She still grabbed onto pieces of stone to continue to pull herself away. Her drive was unyielding.
“Alexandra Ash!” I brought the wail to a close. “You have avoided your criminal sentencing for too long!” She did not glance at me as she climbed back to her feet and took off in another sprint. I cursed under my breath and ran after her.
Further into the chaos of the labyrinth we went. It was enough time for me to question how my kin was doing on their part of the siege. I could hear the screams of battle. The thick soot from Levia’s fire was incomparable to any other form of smoke. It was suffocating on another level. It burned my throat and lungs and I was a demon somewhat immune to such things. Many mortals would perish to the smog before the fire or being ripped apart by demons. Perhaps that was a mercy.
Alexandra led me around for miles. Never before had someone pushed my stamina as she did. It was as if she had some sort of elaborate plan and understanding of the maze. Yet, at the same time, her odd turns and moments where she temporarily paused made it seem like she was guessing.
I was fearful of forcing War to change as it had previously. It was difficult to think or fight when I used the full demonic form of the Dark Essentia. However, the scent of the ocean and the water in the air was growing in intensity. She was trying to lead me to the ledge of the mountain, where it cascaded into the ocean. There was a chance I would not have a choice in the matter.
As I expected, the long, narrow alleyway of stone we were running down ended in a sheer drop. I was unsure what her plan was once she was cornered. Her face was rather tired, but she was still fiercely determined in her task.
“Before you die, tell me why you fight with these savages. They have harmed Evya – your precious ally. Have you no true allegiance, Alexandra?”
She looked like she didn’t wish to reply. Her eyes traveled to the edge and back to me, clearly debating her next move.
“Your Master is a sickness, Lazarus, and sickness spreads.”
I casually began my walk toward her, as the only place she had to go was off the cliff.
“Beware your sweet, taught lies – your family will go down as the most corrupt group of degenerates in Praetisian history. It is unfortunate you won’t be there to see it.”
I lunged across the open space in an attempt to rip out her exposed throat with my teeth. Unexpectedly, she backflipped out of the way, using my body as a springboard to jump off. I let out a gasp of intense anger and tried to catch her. I was far too slow. Her form disappeared, dropping into the depths of nothingness of the Black Sea and out of my grasp.
That was her plan all along.
It was not to fight me, nor was it to corner me. It was to push me far away from the conflict and deep into the labyrinth where it would be difficult – if not impossible – for me to rejoin my allies. I let out an aggravated sigh, and scanned the walls, trying to locate where another life was to lead me out. I wished to kill Alexandra for the sake of having no loose ends, but she wanted me to follow her into the ocean where I could not bring harm to Remula. She had distracted me long enough.
The silver of the ballista’s arrows caught my eye in the sky. They were trying to strike Levia down, though it was in vain. They were not magical nor made of any magical substance, thus each one was doomed to rebound toward the maze and city below. I would have continued to try to make my way on foot, but the form of Morgan barreled through the wall to my left
Thankfully he had paid more attention than I. We darted around until we were close enough to the ballistae on the nearest rock ledge. Levia was distracted with the ones in the far east that were having luck striking down my demonic allies. I already knew what I needed to do, giving no second thought to jumping and scaling to the top with the aid of War.
There was a group of warriors too distracted to notice anything behind them. I took out the first by hooking my blade around his foot and launching him toward my vicious pet on the ground. His startled cry gave away my position, but they fell victim with ease. The usual rush I received from spilling blood with my sacred blades engulfed all of me. The sounds of bones breaking – the feeling of their flesh giving way… it always ignited Lord Nakarius’ will.
Once they were all disposed of, I rearmed the ballista and launched the remaining arrows at their front lines in the distance. It took enough of them out to make my climb feel worth it. However, I ran into the dilemma of being unsure of where to look for Gradelkine. Could he be in the center of the city, guarding the innocents? Or was he down below, on the front lines trying to stop the demon masses?
I kneeled and took a deep breath. I needed to use all of my ability if I were to successfully cull the Zaarians once and for all. I let my mind drift away to a place it knew well – the pathway to the Void. Instead of allowing my soul to pull me home, I directed the energy being fed outward into my being. I was a conduit for the darkness and the Dark Essentia was my anchor keeping me from becoming entirely consumed by shadows. The pain blossoming all over as I endured the change was tolerable in exchange for what I was given.
I will never be used to how different my body appears afterward, though. I marveled at the length and power of my black wings, eerily similar to that of Lord Nakarius’ himself. My outgrown, clawed hands could be used as weapons themselves. Even the horns that sprouted from my head, long and devilishly curved, could be deadly given the right situation.
Metallic glittering caught my attention. A gust of silver swept past me, in the direction of the mountain peak. It was coming from the walls. I needed more than a moment to figure out what was happening. The ground beneath me began to shake and rumble. The gemstones cracked forcefully from their spot encased in rock until they were reduced to dust, swept into the gusts pulling from the summit. It was magic I had never witnessed before – perhaps the strongest magic outside of my Gods’ domain.
The ground shook viciously underneath me again. Shards of the walls were ripped up with an unknown force and sent sailing toward the peak with the rest of it. It was crumbling the labyrinth below, threatening to entrap Morgan. I whistled loudly and gestured for him to run. He snarled in protest, likely because he did not wish to leave me there, but I shook my head. With a howl, I watched him bound away before the mazes of Remula became his grave.
My own stability was in question as part of the wall finally caved and began to take the rest down with it. I stretched out my wings, memorizing the motions I would need to fly. Taking a deep breath, I jumped from the edge.
Levia soared through the sky, almost coming into contact with me. It was frightening to see the destruction she released up close. The strength of her wings nearly sucked me into a vacuum with the force. I would have been sent into the confusion of the battle below had I not dove toward the rubble of the maze at the last opportunity.
Rather than return to where my allies were fighting, I flew toward the mountain. Alexandra may have succeeded in keeping me away in the beginning, but it was a futile attempt. Gradelkine was practically calling to me so we could settle our differences. Beyond that, the Infernal Army was doing better than I anticipated, as their strength far outweighed the survivors, but those were the frontlines. I assumed that once the fighting began in the city itself, they would fight a bit harder. Desperation always made my enemies defend with more urgency. I suppose having nothing to lose pushed them to their extremes.
I had to dodge and swerve around the mass pieces of rock being propelled in the direction of the mountaintop. As one would expect, it was worrisome. As a fighter in the arena, I had not spent thirty years or more fighting those with magical ability. My first encounter with the wizard had been in our takeover of Uxe – it could have been fatal had the Emperor decided to listen to his very wise words about killing me. Though I was gifted with the power from the Void itself, ranged spell users were proving to be a weakness of mine.
At the top of the mountain, there was a shrine, but no Gradelkine. It was small and quaint as if it was a spot
that they might have used for rituals. A statue of Ortos was covered by a shrine, though as Remula was the eldest of the Zaarian cities, the blood Titan was depicted as Ort – the combination of the Titans Ortos and Orta. The statue was endowed with three breasts and the member of a male thus was both Titans and neither simultaneously. The religions had split over the course of thousands of years. It had long hair, the mark of blood as well as the mark of life. To see something so ancient it predated the existence of the Kaz’moran was rather sublime. I could not help striding over to it to examine the red gemstones they had used for eyes.
“You could have stopped at any point,” the familiar old wizard’s voice said over my shoulder. I merely smiled and turned around. He was disturbed by my appearance and the crown on my head, though my actions were worse.
“Yes, but what lesson would you have learned then? Aresius asked for this. We wanted to restore peace and he chose war,” I replied as mild-mannered as could be.
“War –” he gestured to the conflict below, “This is not war. This is genocide. Do not act as if this plight is one that is just. No just King orders the extinction of an entire race. Vincent has done this before and he will continue until nothing remains.”
“How dare you!” I cackled with absolute glee, tickled silly by his words. “You believe the Evyans and Femorans the Zaarians have slaughtered to be less than your people. I never took a worldly man like you to be a nationalist.”
“You don't fool me, dark Queen. I see the death in your eyes and the blood on your lips. We always knew the demons would come, we just never expected them to wear your face instead of your Master’s.”