“I’m guessing there’s a guard protecting it?”
“Yes.” Fellis nodded. “I asked those fine gentlemen over there, and they said that there are four more guards inside of the tower.”
Jacob rubbed his head. Four more guards were four guards more than he wanted to deal with. That said, it didn’t look like they had much of a choice. If they wanted to escape from this place, they would need to take out those guards.
“Should we fight?” asked Enyo, sounding excited. It must have been the bloodlust of the Dark Clan.
“I don’t think fighting is going to be a good idea,” Jacob said. “There’s way too many of us to take out all at on. If we start fighting them, there’s also a good chance they’ll call for reinforcements.”
“Oh…” Enyo’s shoulders drooped.
“Don’t look so down, Enyo,” Fellis said. “There will be plenty of chances for us to fight people. Right now, getting out of the city without getting caught is what’s important.”
“I know that…”
Jacob tried to think of the best method for sneaking into the tower, opening the gate, and lowering the drawbridge. Unfortunately, he couldn’t see any of his ideas working. All of them ended in combat when he replayed each scenario in his mind. It was vexing, to say the least.
While he was thinking this, a loud scream rent the night air. The sound, a piercing wail unlike anything he’d heard before, echoed across the area, a threnody of terrified voices all screaming as if something horrible beyond belief was happening. It didn’t take long for Jacob to realize where those screams were coming from.
“That came from inside of the tower,” Jacob muttered.
The guards standing on the wall were already making their way into the tower. They disappeared one by one. Jacob, Enyo, and Fellis remained outside, unsure of what to do before, just like the first time, more shrill cries echoed from inside of the tower. The two guards standing outside, who’d been told to ignore everything happening around them, stood in place like statues.
“Jacob?” Enyo said in a questioning tone.
“Damn it,” Jacob swore. “Let’s go!”
Since the guards patrolling the wall were gone, it was easy for them to slip inside. The two guards who Fellis had under her mind magic didn’t even bat an eyelash.
Jacob’s eyes slowly adjusted to the dim lighting. They were in a spiral stairwell. The stairs on his left lead up and the ones on his right lead down. More screams echoed from beneath them, so he, Enyo, and Fellis headed down. As they ran, the lights from torches on the walls cast eerie shadows along the ground.
They burst into the lower level, and Enyo gasped when they entered the room to see what appeared to be the end of a massacre. Bodies lay strewn across the stone tiles. There was no blood, however, all the bodies reminded him of dried out corpses. Their skin was brown, rail thin, and wrinkled. He couldn’t see much of their bodies, but their faces were gaunt, their cheekbones hollow. Even their eyes were staring at nothing as they bulged from dried out sockets.
In the center of this scene stood a woman. Her beauty was beyond compare. The sleeveless dress she wore barely went past her hips, showing off her toned thighs and shapely calves, which were covered by a pair of black boots. The front of her dress had strange cut out design that went down all the way to her navel, exposing her taut stomach and the inner swell of her large breasts. Slender shoulders moved into deceptively strong arms and delicate fingers, which were currently clenched around the neck of a female guard.
Her mouth was open wide, as did the mouth of her victim. Something white and ethereal emerged from the guard’s mouth, the woman herself kicking and gurgling. Reminiscent of ectoplasm, the white essence traveled out of her mouth like a snake and moved into the mouth of the pale-skinned woman, almost like she was eating it.
Jacob was so shocked that it took him a full ten seconds to realize that the woman was eating the guard’s soul. As he continued to watch, the guard slowly withered away just like the other ones that were laying haphazardly across the floor.
What kind of magic is that?
“Mm,” the woman moaned as she discarded the now soulless husk. “That was a delectable treat. A perfect snack before the main course.” The way she smiled at him did nothing to put Jacob’s mind at ease. “Welcome, hero, Fellis, Dark Lady. My name is Lust, and I’ll be your murderer tonight.”
***
“L-Lust?” Fellis stuttered as she took a step back.
“You know this person?” Jacob asked.
“Know of her would be more accurate.” Fellis eyed the one calling herself Lust like a wild animal might stare at a predator. “Lust is the name given to one of the Dark Council’s seven members.”
“The Dark Council?” Enyo sucked in a breath. “Then this woman is…”
“That’s right,” Fellis said. “If this woman really is Lust, then she is one of the seven most powerful Dark Clan members in the entire world.”
That wasn’t good. Jacob had never faced a Dark Council member, but from what Fellis told him, each member of the dark council was about as strong as the Dark Lord—maybe even stronger.
“Fellis,” Lust said in a mockingly sad tone. “I would like to say that I’m surprised to discover your traitorous intentions, but the truth is that I’ve known about the protective feelings you have for Enyo since the beginning. It really is too bad. All this time you thought you were protecting her when what you were really doing was playing into my hands.”
“So, what?” Fellis asked. “Are you saying everything I’ve done up to this point has been by your design?”
“More or less,” Lust said. “There were a few things that I hadn’t anticipated, such as all of the Dark Council’s champions being killed off. However, I think it works better this way. With them gone, the only champion now alive is you, the one that I chose, which means none of the old codgers on the council will even know what happened here until it’s too late.”
This Lust lady seemed to enjoy talking a lot. He wondered if she was just that narcissistic, or if her loose lips were there by design. Was she hoping to accomplish something by letting them know all this?
“Enyo, Fellis,” Jacob grabbed their attention. “When I tell you to, I want you both to run back up the way we came.”
“W-what?” Enyo gawked at him. “You can’t mean you want us to leave you alone with this woman.”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m telling you.”
“But—”
“Enyo, this is not a battle that can be won through superior numbers,” Jacob said. “I’m going to have to go all out to beat this woman, but I can’t do that if I’m worrying about you two.”
“He’s right,” Fellis said. “I’m not strong enough to go toe to toe with a member of the Dark Council, and while you have the power, you lack the experience. Jacob is the only one among us who has a chance of beating her.”
Enyo bit her lip in indecision. She looked at Jacob, who could only gaze at her out of the corner of his eye, to keep her and their enemy in sight. Lust didn’t interrupt them. If anything, the smile on her face said that she was amused by their conversation.
“Promise me that you’ll be okay,” Enyo said at last.
“I can’t make that promise,” Jacob said. He wasn’t going to lie. “However, I can promise that I’ll do everything in my power to come back to you.”
“I guess… that’s about as good as I can expect,” Enyo said.
Jacob shrugged in a helpless manner. “I won’t make a promise that I don’t know I can keep.”
“I understand,” Enyo said softly.
“Good. Then get out of here.”
With nothing left to say, Jacob shot from the ground, closing the gap between him and Lust. Durandal slid from its sheath with a soft hiss. He slashed the sword at Lust, but it was blocked, not by another sword, but by a set of black claws that appeared to have been created from darkness itself.
“Have you finished saying
your last goodbyes?” Lust asked, her lips twisting into a venomous smile. “Aren’t I kind for letting you speak without interruption? I thought it would be nice to allow you a few seconds to get your feelings sorted out.”
Jacob heard the sound of receding feet behind him. Enyo and Fellis were already gone. That meant it was time to get serious.
“Goodbyes are only something that should be said when you’re parting permanently.” Jacob grunted as he used Linked Energy Manipulation to increase his physical prowess. “Someone like you isn’t strong enough to keep me from returning to them.”
His muscles flexing, Jacob shoved his sword against the woman’s claws. Lust was sent flying backwards. She slammed into the wall. Cracks appeared, spreading out from the center of impact. Jacob, unwilling to leave it at just that, thrust Durandal forward as he charged at her.
A dark shield sprang up in front of Lust, but Jacob had already prepared for something like that, and he sent a surge of energy through his blade. The tip of Durandal struck the shield. The shield shattered like a thousand broken glass fragments, and Durandal continued forward, stabbing into the wall as if it was made of bread.
Lust wasn’t there.
Knowing better than to just standing there, Jacob pulled Durandal out of the wall and moved. He was just in time. Several spears made of darkness shot out and pierced the wall, perforating it. A few of the spears changed direction and tried to attack him, but Jacob swung Durandal, releasing a wave of energy that sliced them apart.
He stopped moving when he was standing right next to the gate lever.
“You’re quite strong,” Lust complimented. “Linked Energy Manipulation, is it? It’s been almost five hundred years since I fought against someone who could use that.”
“Is that so? That probably means you’re rusty,” Jacob taunted.
“Indeed.” Lust stretched her arms above her head. Her chest popped out of her dress, but Jacob ignored the obvious attempt at seduction. “However, it’s not been so long that I don’t remember the weaknesses of someone who uses Linked Energy Manipulation.”
Jacob kicked the lever before setting himself in a combat stance, feet sliding shoulder width apart, Durandal held in a two-handed grip, shoulders squared. This battle was not going to be easy.
“I think you’ll find that all of the weaknesses you’re thinking about have been stamped out this time.”
A delightful curve made Lust’s already gorgeous face somehow even more enchanting—in the same way King Cobras were enchanting. “Oh, is that so? Then why don’t you prove it to me?”
“I will. Right. Now!”
Jacob rushed forward. Several spears made of darkness tried to impale him, but he dodged them with ease, jinking and juking around the attacks. This woman was a dark magic user, and her magic seemed to be Darkness. She could probably create lots of weapons and shields from darkness. With that in mind, so long as he kept moving, it would be harder for her to stab him. He was only two meters away now. Just another second and—
The earth beneath his feet exploded as several tree-like tentacles shot from the ground. Jacob was forced to stop his advance and cut the tentacles with Durandal. The sword sliced through what he could only assume were vines with ease. As the vines fell to the ground, Jacob prepared to close the distance.
That was when the vines exploded.
Jacob didn’t cry out as his body was engulfed in flames, though the pain as intense. As he flew through the air, he spun around and unleashed his energy. A loud boom echoed across the room as the flames were put out. Jacob twisted his body around further, landing on his feet and skidding along the ground.
Channeling energy into his sword, he swung Durandal at Lust, who laughed as she weaved around his attacks with the grace of a dancer. Each of his crescent blades destroyed a section of the wall behind her. A large hole soon formed. No one was outside in that area, but it would only be a matter of time before more people came here to see what the commotion was about.
I have to finish this quickly.
“Tell me, hero, do you know what my magic is? Have you figured it out?” Lust asked. Jacob remained silent. “No? That’s too bad. By the way, you might want to look behind you.”
Jacob did not look behind him. Instead, he rolled along the ground. Several loud explosions went off at his back. The earth rumbled as he came up to his feet. There were several deafening roars as the roof where he’d been standing collapsed. He ignored even that and, sending more power to Durandal than usual, unleashed a massive wave of blue energy that crashed into Lust—or it would have, if she hadn’t cut it apart with a blade of darkness.
Her retaliation was swift and brutal; swiping the air with her left hand, several balls of fire appeared in the air. They flew at Jacob like crossbow bolts. He slashed one apart with Durandal, only to yelp when the fireball exploded and sent him skidding backwards.
The sound of ground breaking echoed behind him. Jacob spun around. Durandal cut the air. The thick vines that sprouted from the ground and tried to grab him evaporated as he unleashed a blast of energy at them.
“Partner, this chick is really strong—and I have no clue what’s going on here!”
“And you think I do? Just keep cutting!”
Jacob didn’t understand what was happening. So far, Lust had used three different kinds of magic: Darkness, Fire, and Plant. People were only able to use one type of magic, or, in the rare cases like Enyo, who had a dual affinity, two types. Someone being able to use three different magic types was unheard of.
I need to know more.
He didn’t have enough information to make any conclusions yet, which meant he needed to hold out and observe Lust further. If he could just figure out her gimmick, then he could beat her. He was sure of it.
“Let me guess, you’re trying to figure out what kind of magic I’m using, correct?” Lust laughed. “I’m sorry to say this, but you’ll never be able to figure it out. Speaking of magic, you might want to dodge.”
Jacob leapt backward as a beam of light melted through the roof, struck the floor, and incinerated the stone tiles. Jacob and Durandal were both gawking.
“She can even use light magic?!”
“I’m really not liking this woman, Partner!”
“Yeah, well, that makes two of us!”
Lust giggled. “You and your sword really are an amusing. It’s funny, but in all my years of being alive, I have never once met a talking sword until today. I guess even one such as myself can be surprised on occasion.”
“I’m surprised someone who has lived as long as you has never seen a talking sword before,” Jacob taunted.
Rather than get upset at essentially being called old, Lust giggled. “Yes, it is quite disappointing. I’m glad that I had the chance to see one now. Thank you for that.”
“You’re so welcome,” Jacob said, his voice thick with sarcasm. “You know that my only reason for being here is to show you my super awesome talking sword.”
Jacob didn’t let the woman respond as he unleashed another wave of destruction. The ground in front of him was torn apart, fragmented stone flying at Lust like projectiles launched from a ballista. Lust seemed neither bothered nor worried. Jacob found out why seconds later when a wall of darkness appeared before her. The fragments and energy wave struck the wall, which undulated for a moment as if it was elastic. The fragments broke, the energy dissipated, and the wall suddenly transformed into several dozen spears that came hurtling at him.
Peeling his lips back in a snarl, Jacob swung Durandal again—a vertical slash that tore through the spears and split apart the ground. This time, Lust did not block his attack. She leapt aside, allowing the gigantic wave to tear straight through the wall. It not only went through this wall, but it continued on to destroy the hallway on the other side.
Lust looked at the collapsed hall, listened to the sounds of destruction as his wave of energy continued, and then looked back at him.
“I can see now why Aluc
ard lost to you. You have an impressive amount of energy for one so young.”
“Lady, this isn’t even a one-hundredth of the power I possess,” Jacob declared as he shifted into a one-handed grip. “Allow me to show you just how much power I have at my disposal.”
Jacob didn’t give Lust a chance to respond. He’d been keeping his power carefully locked away, for fear that unleashing it would hurt others, but now he unlocked the restraints that held it back. Like a flood it came. It swept over him, this power. However, he didn’t drown. Rather, he allowed himself to flow with the surging tide of energy, using it to fuel his own body.
With his entire body encased in energy, Jacob blasted off the ground, which exploded underneath him. He was on Lust in seconds. She raised her arm to block his swing, her entire limb encased in light energy. Durandal met her forearm. From the point of impact and spreading outward was a massive blast of wind. Lust screamed as the attack sent her flying backwards, out of the hole Jacob had made.
Jacob followed as Lust destroyed the roof and leapt into the open air. He leapt out of the tower, which rumbled and shook before, like a house of cards, the entire thing collapsed. Screams echoed all around. Soldiers were going to converge on their location soon. He needed to finish his battle with Lust quickly.
He unleashed another blast of energy at Lust, a giant tornado of blue destruction instead of a crescent wave. It slammed into Lust, who was sent flying.
She smashed through a building several feet away. There was a large gaping hole where she’d busted through it. As he stalked forward, she walked out of the hole, blood trickling down her scalp.
“I’ve figured out your power,” Jacob said as she stopped several meters from him. “You’re not a dark magic user, or a light magic user. Your magic is to steal the magic of others.”
Despite being bloodied and bruised, Lust smiled. “That’s correct. My magic is called Drain. I drain the life force of people by sucking it out of them, and once I’ve drained every last drop of life they have, their magic becomes my magic.”
A dark aura appeared around Lust, purple wisps of miasma that wafted off her like violent streamers. The air around her had become heavy. Jacob felt the pressure of her magic from where he was standing, though he shrugged it off.
Journey of a Betrayed Hero- Volume 1 Page 24