Necrodruid

by Adam Witcher

  Across the chamber, Lily took advantage of the momentary distraction and conjured an ice spear directly over Neptos’ head. Neptos noticed just in time, and it tore through his hood as it dropped. As he screamed at her in rage, Camilla swooped down and tried to zoom by below him. She swiped for the orb and barely grazed it with her fingertips. Neptos, seeing what Camilla was after, pointed and unleashed another beam of electricity at her. She managed to pull up her gargoyle, but the beam struck her beast directly in the chest. I let out an inhuman cry as bits of grey matter sprayed the chamber and rained downward. She and her mount were spinning out of control. Before it collapsed, she jumped off its back and reached for the broken glass panel, the only surface left. She reached it only with her fingers, and she cried out as it cut into her skin. If Neptos attacked her again, she’d be powerless to dodge it.

  A maniacal grin spread over Neptos’ face. I saw him preparing to obliterate Camilla with his powerful destruction magic. There was only one good way to distract him. I yanked on my gargoyles long neck and we aimed for the orb. I looked over at Lily and was relieved to see her looking at me and awaiting a plan. I motioned to her to go downward into the chamber. She did. I reached the orb and kicked it out of its magical suspension. To my horror, though, it did not fall down into Lily’s grasp. It hovered in place just a few feet away.

  Camilla was still hanging, but she suddenly seemed calm. Neptos shot a beam right at her, and she let go. The segment of the snake’s body that she was hanging from exploded, and though she was falling, she still instinctively shielded her eyes from the shattering glass.

  I managed to swoop under her, and she fell into place on my gargoyle’s back behind me. That could have been ugly, I thought. I turned to look and make sure she was okay. She was smiling, and her eyes still had that cloudy look to them. I’d almost forgotten.

  “Tell Miss Ruby we owe her one,” I said.

  Lily pulled up next to us on her gargoyle.

  “You two okay?” she asked.

  “For now,” I said, watching Neptos prepare another attack. He looked more insane by the moment, but he wasn’t attacking. Energy streamed from the orb into him.

  “He’s getting stronger,” I said. “I’m going for that thing again. Lily, if he comes after us, distract him.”

  I surged the gargoyle forward toward the orb. Curiously, I as I got closer, I realized that it was losing color as the energy drained out of it and into Neptos. By the time we reached it, it was just a transparent orb. I picked it up. It was light and empty.

  “Shit,” I said. “Is it too late?”

  I looked up to see that Neptos was enshrouded in purple mist so thick that I couldn’t even see his body anymore. With the orb in hand, we flew back over to Lily. She was hovering near the empty panel that held a mirror minutes earlier.

  “Look,” she said, pointing out over the expanse toward Gragos, small in the distance.

  It took me a moment to realize what she meant. I could make out tiny figures standing shoulder to shoulder in regimented blocks. Barely visible, the points of swords and spears glinted off the light among them.

  “They’re waiting,” Lily said.

  I gripped my pendant. By the gods, Izmira did it. She told them we were here.

  “But we still don’t know how to bring down the barrier,” Camilla said over my shoulder. It was a sobering reminder.

  “Whatever power was in this thing is gone,” I said. I tossed it into my pack. It somehow still felt important.

  “Maybe we just have to bring down the tower,” Lily said.

  “Easier said than done,” I said.

  “I think we’ve already done enough,” Camilla said knowingly. “Neptos will take it from here.”

  The cloud surrounding the sorcerer still grew. I could faintly make out the man’s form in the center. Parts of him pulsated and morphed in impossible ways. Bolts of electricity shot out. The entire upper chamber trembled.

  “Let’s get the hell out of here,” I said. We flew through the open panel, clutching our gargoyles for dear life. As we passed through, we heard Neptos’ booming voice again. This time, there was another deeper, louder voice layered over it.

  “Through Cyrus I channel this power,” he cried. “May the energies I have collected sustain you! May we become one and rise against this pathetic land. May I become your true form!”

  “That doesn’t sound good,” I yelled over my shoulder.

  Then the glass exploded. All of it. We were out in the clouds by then, soaring magnificently high over the endless lands of Iggoroth. We watched the top of the tower, disembodied by the thick clouds, as it collapsed in on itself. Jagged colored glass rained down toward the ground. The bodies of gargoyles spilled out, too.

  Where the top of the tower used to be, purple mist spilled out and enshrouded it. As it started to dissipate, I saw massive wings sticking out into the sky. The flapped laboriously. When the mist cleared, my jaw dropped at the sight of what Neptos and Cyrus had fused to become.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  We watched in horror as the beast spread its wings and hovered above the remains of the upper tower. It was an ash-colored monstrosity, with dark metallic scales and razor hooked talons. Its long, segmented tail was tipped with a shining blade-like point. Purple smoke billowed out from its nostrils and clouded its red eyes. Even so, the beast’s fierce gaze was piercing, and locked directly on us.

  “Cyrus is a dragon?” I yelled. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”

  “Many of the gods have beastly forms,” Lily said, “but I had no idea.”

  We watched for a moment in horrified silence. The dragon glanced at its surroundings for a moment. It didn’t look very impressed. It flew upward several hundred feet, then hovered staring up. He huffed smoke, apparently unable to fly any higher. He suddenly contorted his body into an aerodynamic needle shape and dove back down through the shattered opening into the tower. We could hear the structure rumbling, then we saw it shaking violently.

  “Is he destroying it?” I said, bewildered.

  “I guess so,” Lily said. “Maybe the barrier keeps anything from getting in, but it also keeps anything from getting out.”

  Cyrus shot back up through the tower. His razor-sharp talons ripped through the stone walls, and the entire thing began to collapse in on itself. Just before it did, he shot out the top once again, spewing a colossal plume of purple fire that crackled with electric charge.

  Miraculously, the tower felt almost directly downward into itself. I didn’t relish the thought of it crashing down onto the city of Gragos. The enormous rumble must have rung through the entirety of Iggoroth. It went on for what felt like an eternity, and all the while the dragon circled the crumbling remains.

  “We need to go see what we’re working with,” I said. “We may have an army on our side.”

  With Cyrus momentarily distracted by his fallen monolith, we took off toward Gragos. It didn’t take long for him to follow. Luckily, his incredible size hindered his speed. We managed to stay ahead of him on our gargoyles.

  Soon I could see the outskirts of the barrier. Hundreds of men and women stood there waiting for us, and when they realized who we were, they began to cheer loudly and beat their weapons together. They seemed not to have realized that the barrier had fallen, if it indeed had, so they waited patiently for us to arrive. We landed our gargoyles before them, and I couldn’t help but grin at the warm reception. I wondered if any of them knew that they were cheering for the Blue Bastard.

  The army stood in a great open field, just at the edge of the former barrier. No trees or rocks obstructed the battlefield, and we were a good distance from Gragos. It seemed like a good enough place for battle.

  I looked around and recognized some of the faces in the crowd. Gani and Breece both raised their swords high above their heads and bellowed. Zantho’s hulking form stood near the back. He looked sober, and he carried the biggest warhammer I’d ever seen. I saw him make eye contact
with Camilla behind me. He nodded with a little smile to her. Beyond that, it was a ragtag group of pitchfork-wielding peasants and city guards in full armor. To see all these different types united was oddly beautiful. As much as I wanted to fully take in the scene and enjoy it, the sound of flames bursting from the dragon’s mouth pulled me back into action. When our makeshift army saw the dragon coming, their excitement turned to fear. They gave me panicked looks, searching for guidance.

  “Listen up, everyone!” I called out. “Long story short, Neptos fused with the god Cyrus and became a dragon. If we can take him down, we can end this right here and now. It’s our only chance, so fight like your life depends on it. Oh, and thanks for coming. It’s an honor to fight with each and every one of you.”

  It was a simple speech, but it seemed to do the trick. The group cheered. They strung their bows and lifted their weapons.

  I turned and faced the approaching beast. My gargoyle kicked at the ground impatiently. I didn’t have long, but there was one last thing that I had to do. I closed my eyes and looked into the soil. I was almost overwhelmed by the immediate response. We must have been standing in one of the decimated forests, because the dirt was teeming with spirits, itching for revenge. I hadn’t felt anything like it in any of my previous connections. I wondered if this was simply because my powers had developed so thoroughly or if these spirits had vengeance firmly in their minds. It didn’t matter. They were ready. I didn’t bother trying to ascertain what sorts of beings they were. All were welcome in the good fight.

  With the dragon drawing back to attack, the archers among us unleashed a volley of arrows. It shielded its red eyes with one of its claws, but the arrows that connected with its scales bounced off uselessly.

  I turned to Lily with a strung arrow, and she froze the tip for good measure. I aimed carefully at the dragon’s face, hoping that a solo arrow would go unnoticed. When I released it, the arrow whizzed out and stuck the dragon in one of his eye sockets, wedged in between the red eye and grey flesh. Cyrus’ shriek of pain echoed for miles. He breathed a huge, fast cloud of purple flames into the middle of our group. Most of our soldiers managed to escape the attack, but a few went down screaming and blazing.

  The soil stirred, and tufts of fur began to displace it. I didn’t wait to see what I had summoned. Cyrus was circling back for another attack and I didn’t intend to let more of our people be killed by it.

  “Camilla,” I said over my shoulder. “Do you have any more of that Druella?”

  I heard her shuffle around in her bag for a moment.

  “A little,” she said. “You want it? That might make it harder to fight.”

  “No,” I said. “Go ahead and eat whatever you have left. Then stay with me, okay?”

  “Oh, trust me. I’m going wherever you and this gargoyle do.” I heard her chew it up.

  We took to higher skies. Cyrus took the bait and followed. The arrow still stuck out of his face. Far below, the horrified looking warriors watched my resurrected allies springing up around them. Lily was still with them, flying by on her gargoyle and trying to reassure them that the zombies were on our side. I began to spiral down toward them in shallow circles, throwing off Cyrus’ sense of direction. Soon I could make out the details of my creatures better.

  First, I noticed a huge grizzly bear. It stood tall on its haunches and showed an exposed belly, split open to reveal shriveled innards. It didn’t seem to mind. A pack of ragged wolves all raised together and howled through putrefied throats. They circled one another excitedly. It seemed that this had been a forest indeed, but these were no mere squirrels and rats.

  Birds of prey took flight, trailing feathers off of their decaying bodies. Some of their wingspans rivaled that of the pterodactyl I’d flown in the arena. Even a few moose joined the fray. They sparred with their gigantic antlers, waiting for blood to shed.

  Soon the field was swarmed with all sorts of bloodthirsty forest beats. Eventually the smaller ones popped up in droves. Hundreds of soldiers all waited for me to bring their opponent down. Cyrus was a powerful dragon, but we had him massively outnumbered.

  Feeling confident, I straightened my path. When I reached the ground, I turned and prepared to fight. But Cyrus didn’t come. Instead, he flew to a distant part of the field near to where the tower had stood and where it now lay in ruins. He slammed so hard into the dirt that the ground quaked. He started digging furiously. The birds seemed torn on whether to attack. Baffled, my army and I just watched for a moment.

  “Rahm,” Camilla said. “Stop him. Stop him quickly.”

  I didn’t wait for an explanation.

  “Attack!” I cried to everyone. “Now!”

  We moved as a single wave. I lifted off the ground with Lily and her gargoyle in tow. The foot soldiers all surged forward, but I willed the birds to come to my aid. Lily, Camilla, and I led the charge on our mounts, and the birds formed a V shape around us. When we were close enough, I started letting the arrows fly. Even if they wouldn’t do any good, anything to distract him would help us. Lily followed my lead by unleashing a flurry of ice daggers.

  Then we were upon him, but Cyrus kept digging. Even when the eagles and vultures pecked and pulled at his metallic scales, and Lily sprayed him with an icy whirlwind that clung to his flesh before melting, he remained undeterred.

  He broke through to something. Cyrus reached his claws down into the hole and pulled apart the soil. I recoiled in horror when I saw what he had been accessing. The hybrid mutants swarmed out, scrambling over one another to break through to the surface. Once the hole was big enough, Cyrus flew up into the air and cleared the way for them.

  Immediately, winged monkeys took to the skies. Their fingers were long and sharp; their teeth dripped strange fluids. One look into their crazed eyes was all it took to know that these things were hopped up on krokum. Although we cut off the drug’s circulation, Neptos must have kept a stash for his henchmen.

  The zombie animals that I’d raised were the first to reach us by land. Immediately, the bears, wolves, and wildcats plunged into battle. It was hard to see who was on which side, and I suspected the creatures themselves were having a difficult time of it too. I watched long enough to see one of my bears ripping the throat out of a pig-gator and something with a snake head and horses body trampling two wolves underfoot.

  I looked away. I had the skies to watch, and there were plenty of enemies to keep me occupied. Directly before me, two zombie hawks teamed up on a flying howler monkey. Up close, I could see that his wings were built like a bat’s. The birds weren’t doing much damage.

  I checked my quiver. Only five arrows remained. I’d have to rely on my trusty dagger for now. I pulled it out and extended it while my gargoyle surged toward them. I slashed through the wings, and the bat-monkey screeched and plummeted.

  Above the battlefield, Cyrus circled and cast a giant shadow that shifted around and darkened spots of land. Sparks shot off of his body as if he were gathering energy. Still, he didn’t attack, though I he wouldn’t hold off for long.

  I was torn. The skies around me were filled with the chaos of aerial combat. The ground was covered with a sea of battling creatures, as well. There was so many of them, and I was only one man. As much as I was tempted to join the fray, there was only so much I could do. And somebody was going to need to deal with Cyrus. While I contemplated this, I noticed a warm sensation on my chest. I reached into my armor and pulled out the pendant. It glowed a brighter green than I had ever seen.

  Izmira, is this really the time? Where would I find you?

  “This used to be a forest, remember?” Camilla said. “You can find her here.”

  “She told me that she couldn’t.” I felt a little silly arguing with a girl having a psychic vision.

  “She found a way.”

  That was enough for me. I zoomed off looking for an edge to the fray. When I found it, I brought my gargoyle to a halt on the ground.

  I held up my pendant and search
ed for her with my mind. Soon I saw a faint outline appear before us. Izmira materialized into an ethereal form. Though I could see her bright green dress, I could also see right through it. Gragos was just visible through her breasts.

  “Izmira, how are you doing this?”

  “I don’t have much time, Rahm.” Izmira said. Her voice was frantic. “You must listen closely. When the druid temple was destroyed, I was able to commune with the fallen priests before they passed on. They instilled in me the power to appear here, in this former forest, but only briefly.”

  She took a step toward me and tried to put a hand on my shoulder. It went right through me.

  “Cyrus’ power is derived from the skies. That is why he commanded to build the tower. He is the god of lightning, and he seeks to reinstate his power.”

  “That’s why he’s up there now?” I said, looking up at the distant shape of the dragon. “Gods, we need to get him down.”

  “The orb,” Izmira said. Her voice sounded muffled. “The one that Neptos used to gather power for Cyrus. Do you still have it?”

  I reached into my bag and pulled it out.

  “This?” I said. “I almost smashed it.”

  “It is….” Her voice flickered. “Did not… powerful.”

  “Izmira?” I said. “I can’t understand you.”

  Her voice faded back.

  “I’m running out of power, Rahm,” She said. “It is essential, you must use that orb to recapture…” She faded out. Her form was barely visible.

  “I can use it to take his energy back?” I called out. “How?”

  I waited, but the only sound I could hear were screams of pain and the clinks of metal on metal. The battle raged on behind me. I kicked off with the orb back in my pouch, and we flew back into the fold. Cyrus still circled the skies and gathering energy.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  More than just hybrid mutants had crawled from out of the exposed tunnel. A huge group of orcs and hobgoblins passed around bags of krokum. Great.