And it wasn’t the dragon, because it roared at the same time.
Daniel looked up to see what was going on.
After a day of horrors and wonders, it took a lot to shock him – but what he saw absolutely stupefied him.
A menagerie of nightmarish creatures were attacking the dragon, clawing at it, clambering up its back, ripping at its throat.
There were things that looked like spike-skinned jaguars… long, gangly figures with scythes for arms… millipedes with disturbing human heads… scorpions as big as a Saint Bernard… bats with teeth like piranhas… centaur-like monsters with crab legs instead of horse bodies and heads without eyes, noses, or ears… tiny arthropod-like squids… creatures that looked like they had been turned inside-out, with their muscles and organs on the exterior of their bodies…
They attacked in swarms, overpowering the dragon, driving it to the ground. It flailed and roared, spit fire, even set itself aflame to try and take down its assailants. But whenever fire touched one of the creatures, it just disappeared in a puff of black smoke, only to be replaced seconds later with another flesh-borne nightmare.
The dragon thrashed on the ground, scraped and gouged its hide –but in the end it did no good. The creatures pierced its underbelly, spilling gouts of green blood as they wormed their way inside. After the dragon spewed a massive burst of fire and was temporarily depleted, the attackers forced their way into its throat, choking off its windpipe, strangling it with their bodies.
Two minutes after the onslaught started, the dragon lay silent and still on the hillside… dead.
One by one the demons disappeared in bursts of black smoke, until there was nothing left but the enormous blood-streaked carcass.
Daniel stared in wonder and horror until a familiar voice broke him out of his trance.
“You’re welcome!”
68
Daniel looked up at the cave in shock.
Eric was jauntily making his way down the steps like he didn’t have a care in the world.
He looked exactly the same as a couple of hours ago – except that now atop his staff there was a glowing blue sphere held in place by a mass of creepy black tendrils.
He was still wearing the leather backpack thing, too. Whatever he had carried into the mines, he had carried out as well.
Eric paused once he reached the grass and looked at the gigantic reptilian carcass. “If I’m going to be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure I could take it down. That’s one big bastard. But… in the end… easy peasy.” Eric glanced over at Daniel and grinned. “Dude, where’d you get the armor? It looks good on you.”
Daniel could only stare back at him in shock. “What the hell were those things?”
“I’m a mage. That’s what I do: I summon things.”
Mira walked up to them, her expression both horrified and wary.
“Hey, Mira,” Eric said with a smile. “Enjoy the show?”
Before she could answer, the barbarian interrupted.
“YOU!” Drogar roared as he circled around the dragon’s dead body. “YOU PIECE OF SHIT!”
The barbarian was still a hundred feet away but stalking towards the group, his battle ax gripped threateningly at his side.
“Oh, great, he made it out alive,” Eric said drily. “How nice. Where are the others?”
As he looked over at Daniel, Eric’s eyes fell on Simik lying motionless on the grass sixty feet away.
“Shit,” he murmured, and looked up at Daniel. “Sorry, man. I know you liked him. What about the goblin and fish-head?”
The shock was beginning to drain from Daniel, to be slowly replaced with anger. “You mean Lotan? That was his name. Lotan, not ‘fish-head.’”
“Yeah, okay, Lotan,” Eric said, rolling his eyes. “Where is he?”
“You killed him.”
Eric looked at Daniel in shock. “Me? What are you talking about?”
“Those sea serpent things you possessed and sent after him. And since one of them slashed Simik while we were rescuing Lotan, that means you killed him, too.”
When Daniel said the word ‘possessed,’ Eric’s eye twitched the tiniest bit, and a shadow of fear passed over his face. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I didn’t kill anybody.”
“No, you murdered Lotan because he found out something about you. And you might have killed Simic by accident, but you killed him all the same.”
“And Vlisil!” the barbarian snarled as he walked up. “You led us into that damn mine, and that dragon killed Vlisil!”
“Number one, we all agreed to go into the mine. Number two, I killed the dragon – and stopped it from killing you – so you should be thanking me,” Eric said, then turned to Daniel. “Not accusing me of a bunch of bullshit.”
“Yeah, about the dragon,” Mira asked, speaking up for the first time. “How did you kill it?”
“I told you, I can summon things.”
“Why didn’t you ever summon anything before?”
Eric gestured towards the orb atop his walking staff. “Because I didn’t have this.”
“Uh-huh… where did you find it?”
“In a big cavern.”
“Where?”
“What is this, a cop show? ‘Where were you the night of July 25th – ’”
“Where did you find it?” she repeated.
“Deep in the mines,” Eric said angrily.
“You found it, or you went looking for it?”
“I found it. Just like you found your pretty little bow there, and Daniel found his shiny new armor.” Eric smirked at the barbarian. “What’d you find, the missing half of your brain?”
The barbarian snarled and moved forward, his hand raised to swat Eric –
“Drogar,” Daniel said commandingly, and the barbarian stopped.
“Oh ho, there’s a new sheriff in town!” Eric sneered. “Looks like somebody’s got the Incredible Dolt on a leash.”
That did it.
The barbarian slammed his hand into Eric’s chest and sent him staggering backwards.
Daniel saw the hatred on Eric’s face – the exact same look he’d given Trent back in the school cafeteria when the jock had pushed him around.
For a split second, Daniel thought he saw something else, too – something far more disturbing:
A pulsing in Eric’s face, like worms squirming beneath his skin.
And then it was over.
No… it was just a vein… he’s angry, that’s all…
Eric controlled himself, but when he spoke his voice was pure, icy venom. “You touch me again, shithead, and you die.”
“You little – ”
“I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS,” Mira shouted.
The barbarian backed down, surprised.
In fact, everybody was surprised by the steel in Mira’s voice.
Eric smirked. “Looks like a girl’s got more balls than the rest of you put together.”
“And more brains than you,” she said to Eric, who looked at her with the same hatred he’d flashed at Drogar. “How did you survive until you found the orb?”
“What?”
“How did you survive in the caverns until you got to wherever the orb was?”
“I… snuck in.”
The answer was completely and totally ridiculous, and Eric knew it. Everyone knew it.
“The most dangerous mines in the whole territory around Blackstone, and you just ‘snuck in,’” Mira said, deadpan.
“Yeah.”
“What about all those dead creatures we saw in there? The skinless monsters, the cyclops, the chimera… did that happen before or after you found that thing?” she asked, pointing at the orb.
Eric realized he was caught, but refused to admit it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Piles and piles of dead bodies? Pools of blood? Doesn’t ring a bell?”
“Nope.”
“We heard them fighting. That’s what made us come after you. How could you not hear them, s
ince you were so much closer?”
“I was already way past them, I guess.”
“So thousands of dungeon monsters just conveniently kill themselves at the same time you’re in a cave, and you don’t hear them… you just sneak right past them until you find some magic glowing ball that lets you kill a dragon with a million hit points… and at the moment of his death, Lotan lied to us about you possessing a bunch of sea serpents and sending them after him.” She paused. “Why don’t you tell us what really happened, Eric.”
He stood there silently for a few seconds, his face set in stone. Then he said, “You guys are missing the bigger picture.”
“Oh? And what’s that?” Mira asked.
“With this orb, I’m incredibly powerful now. More powerful than you can imagine. We can go anywhere – do anything. We can form our own clan – we could probably conquer the entire country and rule the whole game – ”
“Or you can do it, and we can all just follow you around and clap while you do?” Mira asked sarcastically. “That is, until you kill us, too, huh?”
The look he gave her was vicious. “This is a game. People die, and then they come back. Am I the only one who’s ever played a video game before?”
“Simik’s not coming back,” Daniel said coldly.
Eric groaned. “Look, man, I’m sorry about the dwarf – but come ON. He’s a computer program. He’s nothing. There’s ten billion more just like him. Let’s go to any city – anywhere you want – and I’ll find you another three dozen just like him. Grumpy old dwarf, wise teacher, sacrifices himself for the good of the group – woo-hoo. And the others? Fish-face and Vagisil? They’re going to respawn. They’ll be back here in one real-world hour. People die all the time in video games. You’re acting like it’s some horrible tragedy when it’s not.” His voice changed, and he tried to convince the others I’m just a regular guy, just like you. “I’m just shocked we haven’t died yet.”
“I’ll be happy to help you out with thaht,” the barbarian growled.
Eric looked at Drogar, and again Daniel could have sworn he saw that grotesque squirming at his temple…
“People may die all the time in video games,” Mira said, “but they don’t get murdered by their friends.”
Eric laughed. “Sure they do – arena combat? Snipers camping out? Any of that ring a bell?” he asked sarcastically.
“So you’re not denying you killed them anymore?” Mira asked.
Eric froze as he realized his mistake. “I’m saying it happens. Not that I did it.”
“Yeah, well, everybody who fights in arena games signs on for it,” Daniel said. “Nobody here signed on to get stabbed in the back by you.”
Eric scowled. “You might want to watch your tone of voice there, Danny.”
“Or what? You’ll stab us in the front this time?”
“You assholes,” he seethed. “You loved pushing me around the last three days when I couldn’t fight back – ”
“I didn’t push you around,” Daniel snapped.
“Neither did I!” Mira protested.
“NO, but you didn’t stop HIM!” Eric raged as he pointed at Drogar. “And now that I’m POWERFUL, and I got something incredible out of the dungeon, you don’t give a shit – you’re STILL trying to push me around – ”
“Vhat do you mean ‘trying’?” the barbarian sneered, and slammed into Eric with the full force of his body.
Eric sprawled backwards onto the grass.
“You’re a LIAR and a TRAITOR – THAT’S why we can’t stahnd you!” the barbarian roared. “You killed Lotan and Vlisil, and you might as well have killed Simic – so if respawing isn’t a big deal, HAF FUN!”
The barbarian lifted his battle ax overhead.
“DROGAR, NO!” Daniel yelled, and drew his sword to block the blow –
“Naxat abraminok!” Eric shouted from the ground.
Black smoke flew from his fingertips and shot into the Barbarian’s chest.
Drogar looked surprised – his eyes widened –
And suddenly there was a horrible cracking sound from within his body.
“AAGH,” he screamed, dropping the ax.
Protrusions began to thrust out from his ribcage, almost as if someone were punching outwards from underneath his skin.
“What did you DO TO HIM?!” Daniel shouted. He looked back at Eric –
And froze in horror.
Eric’s entire face was covered with tattoos – tiny words squirming like worms.
And his eyes were completely black.
Mira screamed, and Daniel finally looked away.
Drogar staggered backwards. The popping, cracking noises reached a crescendo –
And suddenly his chest exploded from the inside.
Dozens of bloody tentacles punched through his skin.
Drogar fell backwards and slammed to the ground.
As his body convulsed, the tentacles writhed obscenely in the air and began to coil around Drogar’s head and arms.
“WHAT DID YOU DO?!” Daniel screamed.
Eric levitated up from the ground and set down gently on his feet. “He was going to kill me.”
“So you did THAT?!” Daniel stared at his best friend’s face. “What happened to you?!”
Eric smiled – a ghastly sight with all the tattoos squiggling over his skin and around his black eyes.
“I found power.” Eric looked over at Mira, who was still freaking out over Drogar’s tentacle-devoured body. He laughed, then turned his attention back to Daniel. “She was right – I didn’t just find this, I went looking for it. It’s called the Orb of Therot, and it’s made me more powerful than you can possibly imagine.”
“Did the Dark Mages put you up to this?!”
“There were no ‘dark mages,’” Eric scoffed. “There never were – at least none I ever talked to.”
Daniel’s eyes widened. “What about Merridack’s men up on the roof?”
“I did that.”
“The massacre at the Dark Market?”
“That was me, too.” Eric smiled. “Preparing for this trip, incidentally.”
Daniel glanced back at the cave. “Th-the creatures in the mine?”
“All me.”
“But… you had to go through them to get to the orb…”
“The orb made me more powerful, but it didn’t give me my powers. I’ve been holding back my real abilities for days.”
“Which are… what, exactly?”
Eric hesitated for a long second… then finally spoke.
“I summon demons, Daniel. A witch taught me from a book called the Demonomicon. That’s how I know how to do all this.”
Daniel shook his head slowly and backed away. “You’re evil… just like Lotan said…”
Eric groaned. “I KNEW you’d act like this! It’s just a freaking GAME! It’s not any different from training with swords, or bows and arrows, or other magic – it’s just a skill set, for God’s sake. I’m not evil, I’m playing a game.”
“Even if you’re not evil for summoning demons, you’re evil for killing your friends,” Daniel whispered.
“Who, fish-face?! He wasn’t my friend – he was just some annoying momma’s boy who whined all the time about wanting a body of water! The goblin was a dick, we both know that. And THAT asshole?!” Eric roared, pointing at Drogar’s tentacle-wrapped corpse on the ground. “He’s just like every other jock out there – lording it over everybody else and pushing them around just because he’s bigger, and stronger, and – ”
“More powerful?” Daniel asked.
Eric’s black eyes narrowed. “Cute. This isn’t Unintentional Irony Hour, dumbass. This is me standing up for myself. This is me taking back my power – and you can come with me! Together we can – ”
“ – end this destructive conflict and bring order to the galaxy?” Daniel said bitterly.
Eric stopped, surprised – then laughed.
“You think a freakin’ sword you stole m
akes you Luke Skywalker? As I recall, you didn’t give it back after I killed that guy – which I did to save your life, by the way.” Eric walked over to Daniel slowly. “You’re just like me… you just don’t want to admit it, that’s all. That’s why you can’t handle what I’m becoming. That’s why you’re jealous – because I’m more powerful than you can possibly imagAAHH!”
Eric screamed and staggered backwards.
An arrow quivered in his chest, right next to his shoulder.
Mira stood ten feet away, another arrow pulled back tight in her bow. Daniel could see she was trembling.
Eric grasped the arrow and looked up in shock. “You BITCH!”
“Make one more move,” she said in a shaky voice, “and the next one goes in your heart. If you have one anymore.”
“I wasn’t going to hurt him – WHY DID YOU SHOOT ME?!” Eric screamed.
“Because you’re evil.”
Eric’s scowl deepened into a mask of hatred. “I’ll show you EVIL. Pertos inumbilx – ”
Dark smoke shot from his fingers.
Mira fired.
A huge scorpion, big as a dog, emerged from the smoke – and caught the arrow right in its face.
It fell to the ground writhing, then exploded into smoke.
By then Mira had drawn her bow back again and fired a second arrow –
But Eric had been screaming strange words non-stop. “Blamok natorus – vulpist anostika – hstero myklexinot – ”
A bat shot out of the dark cloud and immediately took a second arrow, then dissolved into mist.
But she had yet to release the third arrow when a spiked jaguar leapt for her throat.
That is, until Daniel’s sword beheaded it midair.
It immediately burst into smoke.
Suddenly, a ten-foot-tall figure with flesh-covered scythes for hands was looming over him – as well as another five nightmares creating a demonic barrier around Eric.
Daniel stepped back beside Mira, sword at the ready.
But the demons didn’t attack. They just stood there.
“You’re taking HER side over MINE?!” Eric screamed from behind his wall of creatures.
“She’s not a psychopathic asshole,” Daniel said.
“Ohhhhh – you’re better than me, huh?” Eric asked acidly. “Because you won’t kill your friends, but I will? Omnix kaleptek!”
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