“That is not what I meant.” Keeja shook her head. “There are different types of blood magic, in fact, many different types. The type Mareen has is rare. It will grow in power as she kills with it, and during life or death struggles, it will even grow stronger during the fight itself. The tradeoff is that it leaves a permanent mark on the user. The actual process of absorbing blood and essences can drive a mage mad, too.”
Philana scrunched up her brow and gestured for the other high priestess to keep talking.
Keeja said, “We felt Xethuaniistcka’s awareness inside Mareen. It seems the old charlatan has a vested interest in Mareen surviving on Ludus, but doesn’t particularly care how it may harm her in the process. As for the shield, Dolos usually doesn’t directly interfere in much of anything on Ludus unless he is directly irritated by something.”
Philana grumbled, “I guess I can also somewhat understand why Dolos doesn’t do anything about the ‘Deepwater Rose’. He supports just about anything that causes conflict on this planet, especially violent conflict. But beyond the blood magic, letting an Old One take hosts, even passively? Why?”
Keeja shrugged. “I don’t think Dolos cares at this point. The entire universe is probably about to become a goat rope. Ludus is just the opening act. I personally think Dolos is hoping the added interest in this place will help his cause and get him more allies.
“Meanwhile, the Old Ones are…they just are. Dolos is more interested in collecting every last bit of data than picking a fight with beings more powerful than he is. I think that is why he’s basically delegating saving this world to several teams of orb-Bonded. It just isn’t important enough for him to handle personally.”
Philana looked troubled. “That is both very pragmatic and extremely cynical. It sounds just like Dolos, actually. But the fact you can figure all of this out so easily, and that you’re not more bothered by it is also somewhat disturbing.”
“Welcome to being a high priestess of Dolos,” said Keeja, her voice oozing with sarcasm. “It is truly wonderful. Especially once you accept you are stuck on this planet forever, functioning as little more than a servant. We populate dungeons with monsters and treasure for mortals to throw themselves at and die. The only way we will ever be released from our prison is if the First War repeats itself.”
Philana shot her a frown and shook her head.
“Yes, I know,” said Keeja. “That might actually happen now. The good news is if it does, we can leave…maybe. The bad news is that existence as we know it may end. Or better yet, we could wind up as a living battery, tortured for thousands of years.”
“Seriously, how can you be so cavalier about all this?” asked Philana. “You care about some of those below us, do you not? Some have even been becoming friends. And the First War…I’m not even really part of your world, this world, and even I fear such a thing.”
Keeja sighed. “Philana, we have known each other a long time. You are old. Unbelievably old to most mortals. But despite your age, you still have an optimism and youthfulness that colors how you see these things. Me? I’m old inside and out. For being a Holder, I still haven’t existed even a fraction of the time that others have, but working for Dolos all this time has had an effect.
“You’re also new to being a high priestess.” Keeja gestured vaguely around them. “You feel the others out there?”
Philana cocked her head. “Yes, there are…two, right? I mean in this general area.”
“That’s two you can identify. There might be another using her power to keep herself hidden. We can do that, sometimes. Chances are, at least one of them has an agenda. Word spreads quickly on this planet, and most know by now that I killed Biivan. Maybe one out there has even taken a bribe to kill my charges and is just looking for an excuse to make it happen. It could be they are just curious and watching.
“The only thing for sure is that I do care about those below, and the best thing I can do for them right now is do nothing.” Keeja felt the old frustration, the old hurt well up inside her. What use was power if she didn’t truly have her own will? A slave is a slave. She pushed the emotions down. Philana was new. It was bad enough the woman had needed to process this much ugly truth at once.
“Is that why you have not gone to watch over your charge, Henry?” asked Philana.
Keeja nodded, impressed that the nymph had thought to ask the question. Subtleties were not generally Philana’s strong suit. “Yes. I have been monitoring him. Henry has a gift for getting into trouble, just like his friend, but his challenges up until now have been more mundane. He will either handle them or he won’t. On the other hand, Jason has attracted the attention of half the high priestesses on the planet.
“Plus, Dolos just elevated you and told me to handle your training. I can’t do everything at once. Something had to give, and I decided that Henry is probably in the least danger now that he’s alive and building his own power base. Well, he’s in the least danger from everything but himself, and we can’t protect him from that.”
Philana nodded slowly. “I see. I am looking forward to meeting this Henry you seem so intrigued by.”
“I’m intrigued by all of them. Mareen as well. Unfortunately, depending how this plays out below, her blood magic rampage may irreparably damage her. It’s a pity.”
“Yes, that magic is generally forbidden for a reason,” agreed Philana.
Keeja held up a finger. “Mareen has a chance, though. I’m sure you’ve felt the other pieces moving around us too?”
“Yes, but I’m not sure what they can do now,” muttered Philana. Keeja inwardly smiled. Little Lana was probably the best of them now. The nymph was quiet and slow to open to others, but had a pure heart, even after hundreds of years on Ludus. Keeja hoped the other woman could resist changing even after being elevated.
Keeja did think that Philana was selling the Delvers short, though. But that was natural since she didn’t really know them yet. Keeja said, “You may be surprised. Let us continue watching over them and do our jobs. Hopefully they can do theirs.”
***
Bezzi-ibbi and his friends had truly descended into hell. When Mareen had begun killing demons by the handful earlier, moving towards the helldoor, Jason had yelled, “Follow her!” The fact the Delvers had only been momentarily stunned by the sudden savagery of Mareen's transformation and the violence of her new magic was probably testament to how much they'd been through over the last few months.
The whole group had sprung into action. Bezzi-ibbi grinned as he ran. Jason-ibbi may not have the same command presence as Henry-ibbi, but he was still decisive when he had to be. Plus, his intellect, logic, and loyalty to his friends meant every member of Delvers LLC trusted him completely.
Bezzi-ibbi had always watched Henry and Jason closely. Between his father, his two Terran brothers, his uncle, his mothers, and even Keeja, the young Jaguar Clan Hero was receiving one of the greatest leadership educations in all of Ludus, and he knew it.
Now he just needed to survive so he could use it one day.
A small, goat-sized demon burst out of the swirling fire and smoke, its wide eyes in a skeletal face above sharp gnashing jaws were fixed on Bezzi-ibbi. The Mo’hali hero grinned back, showing his teeth. These smaller demons targeted him often as the group followed Mareen’s trail of broken, inhuman bodies.
Bezzi-ibbi hissed. He was small, but not defenseless by a large margin. This monster would learn like all the others had.
The demon barreled forward, making a noise like claws on tin. The ground underfoot was squishy and slippery, the surrounding area littered with the offal of Mareen’s handiwork. None of it mattered to Bezzi-ibbi, though. He’d long since taken off his shoes, and his toe claws gave him perfect traction as he smoothly pivoted out of the demon’s way. In the same motion, he whipped his sword up, lopping off one of the creature’s legs.
With a tangle of limbs and a grating screech, the demon went down, rolling with inertia. Bezzi-ibbi pursued, and when he wa
s close enough, he pointed the index finger of his left hand, aiming, then elongated his arm. His entire limb turned into a spear with a wicked point. The quicksilver weapon punched through the creature’s skull. Bezzi-ibbi retracted his arm in distaste.
He pointedly did not watch when his quicksilver hand absorbed the demon’s blood that had still clung to his fingers. The young Hero wasn’t sure why his arm did that, and he really hoped that ignoring it would not come back to trip him while stalking.
Sparing a glance for the battlefield, he swallowed. Red lightning flashed in the sky. Up ahead, Mareen was still single-mindedly carving a swathe through the greatest concentration of hellknights. Bolts of energy, arrows, and even body parts flew around the battlefield. Vitaliya seemed entirely unaffected by the hellish surroundings and increasingly horrible enemies. Her fire lanced out, at times shining strangely. Even the demons that seemed resistant to fire melted or were set aflame by her power.
Around the Delvers, a haze created by burning and charred bodies hung in the stale air. Small fires burned all over the destroyed landscape and torn bodies. The ground was littered with the corpses of demons. Blood and offal squished under Bezzi-ibbi’s bare feet and he grimaced in distaste. All the others were busy fighting demons or cultists, so the young Hero glanced around, looking for a place to ply his claws.
Nearby, Uluula was dueling a cultist mage to a standstill. Bezzi-ibbi sprinted towards her and realized the enemy was orb-Bonded when his LEDF activated. He saw:
Tyrees Gilbert, Exile Born Areva, Berban
Dolos Orb, Body Enhancement, Generation Two
First Rank
Bezzi-ibbi had clear line of sight to the enemy and extended a finger of his Hero field as quickly as he could. The special ability was very useful, but still somewhat slow. As soon as the invisible force touched the Areva orb-Bonded, Tyrees, he stiffened.
A male Areva orb-Bonded, thought Bezzi-ibbi. That’s not common. Running up behind the temporarily powerless man, the well-dressed Jaguar Clan Prince ran him through with his sword. The enemy gasped and slumped forward, his heart destroyed. Bezzi-ibbbi twisted his blade as he withdrew it and noticed Uluula’s pained, complicated expression.
Bezzi-ibbi knew that the others didn’t like it when they saw him kill. He didn’t understand why his youth mattered. Bezzi-ibbi was a born hunter and an adventurer of Delvers LLC. It was simple, common sense that he would assist in the hunt, especially during an apocalyptic demon invasion.
He glanced around and realized the group was being split up by the weight of the advancing demons. If not for Mareen, they’d probably all already be dead. Bezzi-ibbi could hear Jason-ibbi fighting somewhere in the distance, the telltale thunderclaps of his teleportation giving away his position. Flashes of rosy light penetrated the random fog banks and meant Vitaliya was probably still alive out there as well.
Bezzi-ibbi fell into a Jaguar Clan trance, his focus on surviving as the Delvers did their best to keep up with Mareen's rampage, killing demons of their own as fast as they appeared. Suddenly, Bezzi-ibbi was directly behind Mareen. He was confused for a moment until he realized that he hadn’t caught up, the enraged blood mage had been driven back.
Mareen was locked in a titanic struggle with a truly enormous, bone-plated, four-armed demon. The terrible monster bled constantly, and every time Mareen did damage, no matter how great, it just healed itself. The giant monster slammed down bladed forelegs, but Mareen either dodged as she gracefully hovered over the ground, or deflected the limbs with her great strength.
With a gasp, Bezzi-ibbi realized that the helldoor was within sight now. The huge, crimson portal hung in the empty air like a sore on the world itself. Demons poured out of it, smaller demons now. Humanoids with back-bending canine front legs, and heads with no face, just a massive maw of serrated teeth.
Spikes of ice lanced out from Gonzo’s hands, slamming into each of the lesser demons. Numbly, Bezzi-ibbi raced forward, slashing at downed enemies, ensuring they’d stay down. He’d do his part. Jaguar Troubadours were all great warriors, they just preferred to discuss a matter instead of using tooth and claw.
The giant, undying demon facing Mareen was not going down, but the newly-revealed blood mage just hit it harder with no strategy. Bezzi-ibbi didn’t want to use one of his mysterious new abilities, but he knew he didn’t have a choice. Jumping on the true-demon’s back, he extended the fingers of his metal left hand and made them form needle-sharp points. Then he slammed his weaponized hand into the demon’s back, siphoning its energy.
The demon screamed in agony, its back arching, bony plates shifting under pebbly skin that constantly wept blood. While Bezzi-ibbi weakened the beast, Mareen struck, a disturbing blade of blood erupting from the ground, nearly cutting the powerful demon in two. This time it stayed down for good.
Bezzi-ibbi jumped down from the back of the dying demon and ignored the sensation of power coursing through his arm. He forced himself to look up, studying Mareen’s changed appearance up close for the first time.
It was…intimidating. Bezzi-ibbi feared no mortal, but he still gulped when he fully beheld what his friend had become.
Mareen, or whatever Mareen was now, stood over two feet taller than she had before. Her original body showed in places, but her form was covered in rigid plates of dark, shiny armor. Gel-like, congealed blood ran over everything. Tubes formed of stolen blood and muscle covered her chest and limbs, weaving in and out of her armor plates.
Her head was topped with a spiked, crimson crown, and her pupil-less eyes glowed bright red. When her lips parted, a pair a wicked fangs displayed themselves. All her teeth had turned black.
Talons on her feet, made of the same armor that covered her body, flexed as she hovered in the air. In one hand, she held her old hammer, but it had been transformed. The bronze weapon had been ribbed with chitin ridges, and artificial veins wound its whole length, connected to Mareen’s arm and pulsing with her heartbeat. The top of the hammer sported a large, shiny blade made of metal-hard blood and guts, compressed to a shiny crimson surface.
Mareen’s other hand ended in a nightmarish limb of claws and spikes, no doubt stolen from one of the hellknights she’d slain. The new arm and claws extended far past where her own hand should have ended, almost dragging on the ground.
After cocking her head at him, she hissed, “Ally. Protect.” Then she turned towards the helldoor where several new demons had appeared. “Enemies.”
Suddenly, a man-sized blur flashed out of the darkness. The figure threw up a hand, spraying a blast of ice and show into changed-Mareen’s face. She roared, and the figure sprang forward while she was distracted. A sword flashed at Mareen’s side, clanging off of her armor. The attack had missed one of her vulnerable, unarmored areas.
The figure jumped back, and Bezzi-ibbi got an LEDF after a chime in his head.
Yelm Swan, Ludan, Berban
Dolos Orb, Glacial Speed, Generation One
First Rank
Mareen must have seen the LEDF at the same time, because she took off after the evil man. Bezzi-ibbi tried to keep pace with her in order to offer assistance. He kept his hero field extended a few feet from his body as he ran. If Yelm tried to dart in and kill the Mo’hali adventurer like he had with Mareen, he’d get a nasty surprise.
Unfortunately, Yelm completely ignored Bezzi-ibbi. All of his attention was focused on Mareen as he dodged and ran away. He taunted, “It’s a pity you’re as difficult a bitch now as you ever were when you were just the teen, village whore. My Jeth wasn’t good enough, but every other man was, I’m sure. I saw how those other, married men looked at you. It serves you right that you turned into an ugly demon. Now the outside matches the inside.”
Then Yelm turned and grinned nastily, holding up a hand with sharp, icy knuckle armor. He drew a finger across his throat and said, "At least you are lasting longer than your idiot grandfather."
Mareen roared, throwing spikes of crystallized blood at Yelm. Then she reared
back and spat a missile of acidic venom that punched through a smaller, skull demon after Yelm dodged. The orb-Bonded man was just too fast, even at first rank. Yelm laughed at Mareen, and she chased him towards the helldoor.
Bezzi-ibbi wanted to keep helping, but he had acquired some of his own problems. He dodged an attack by yet another smaller demon, changing his quicksilver arm into a wicked hook, then ripped the savage creature’s head off. He watched for every other member of his team out the corner of his eye, but didn’t realize what was happening until it was too late.
Mareen chased Yelm closer to the helldoor before the orb-Bonded man suddenly hooked to the side. Mareen turned her head and threw more blood blades at the retreating man, floating closer to the portal. “Mareen, no, don’t go!” he cried.
The Bezz-ibbi could only watch helplessly as a couple of huge, powerful demons erupted from the growing gate, grabbing Mareen and throwing her through the portal. After that, even more demons appeared from the helldoor, bigger and stronger than the last.
With a sinking feeling, Bezzi-ibbi understood what was happening. The helldoor was getting larger, and when it did, more powerful creatures could come through it to Ludus. The smaller demons before had just been crossover over during a lull before the larger ones could arrive.
In just a few seconds, the surrounding area was full of huge, powerful, nightmarish demons. Meanwhile, the Delvers’ greatest, if most disturbing, fighter during the fight had been taken out and might already be dead.
Bezzi-ibbi’s hunter’s heart trembled. The young Hero knew better than to cry for his friend now. That would have to wait until later. But still, his faith felt under strain like the tips of his fingers if he pressed his claws into something hard. He was no war chief, at least not yet, but it didn’t take a great mind to see the inevitable.
The Delvers were losing. It was only a matter of time until they were overrun, and after that, the entire region.
The young Jaguar Hero snarled savagely and raced forward towards the nearest lumbering demon. His concerns about hiding his power, or what evolution his abilities might eventually take were no longer important. Now the only thing that mattered was survival.
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