by Dante King
Nature Essence continued to tend to his injuries as he collected the rest of the convoy’s weapons. The Sap Lords would need to know that this had been more than the work of simple bandits, so he made sure to remove the heads of every last corpse before he piled them into the back of the wagon.
Ralph sparked a flame onto one of the gutted torches, and it flared into life.
He held it out to his companion. “Here.”
Puck’s claws curled around the burning brand, and he flew on ahead without a word. For the second time in as many days, Ralph wondered if he’d won the respect of the Shade. The thought lingered until he saw a flare of fire ahead on the road. Puck had lit the signal fire for Bolnir.
Ralph found the scabbard for his recently acquired Nature Guild blade, sheathed it, and secured it to his belt. Then, he drew Zagorath’s Chosen and used the last of his Infernal strength to shift the barrier on the road.
Ralph felt the last of his Infernal Essence drain free of his body as he hauled the final log into the forest. He took a moment to pull off his gloves and inspect the draft horses. They were sedate beasts. Even the sudden violence had barely made them flinch. They were shod well with gleaming horseshoes, and Ralph smiled as he patted a horse’s nose and recalled his days in the stable. How long ago had that been? The thought of becoming an adventurer had sent him on a path toward Zagorath. He couldn’t remember who had told him of the dungeon atop Shadow Crag. The difficulty recalling the person troubled him, but the thought vanished when he noticed a Nature Seal carved into the horse’s harness.
He hadn’t seen anything like it before. A magic enchantment for a horse?
Perhaps it explained their calm, even in the face of death and evisceration.
“I see you got started without us.” Bolnir grinned as he appeared from the bushes. “That’s appreciated, lad. You seem to have quite the way with animals.”
“Just horses,” Ralph said with a small smile. He brushed the beast’s back and noticed how large his hands were against it. His fingernails were black, and long enough to be called claws.
“Puck has gone to the travel stone,” Bolnir said. “To tell your master of the results of your ambush.”
Ralph was a little disappointed Puck hadn’t told him to come along. Von Dominus would be exceedingly pleased with their success.
The Harrowbark brothers came riding their own cart. They jumped down, moved to the tax collectors’ wagon, and started to remove the weapons and armor from the dead guards.
“How was the raid?” Bolnir asked.
Ralph felt a proud smile slip over his face. “Successful.”
The dwarf lit his pipe. “I would have liked to see it. Until you came back looking like some honest-to-Lilith demon, I doubted you could do it. But there you go. The Sap Lords will be something else entirely, though.”
“Master will find a way to destroy them.”
“Let’s hope so. Otherwise, they’re going to destroy your master and the Deadeye Guild.”
“All done,” Vaughn said as he placed the final curved sword into his wagon. “I can’t believe you did it.”
“I can,” Quinn said with a grin. “He’s a bloody demon now! Hey, do you think Von Dominus could work something for my brother? I’m the good-looking one. But Vaughn? He could use the strength, and no one would miss his face.”
“Fuck you,” Vaughn said as he punched his brother.
“It’s time to complete the job,” Bolnir said as he touched the magical seal on a horse’s harness. “These seals will send the horses and the wagon back to the Sap Lords. They’ll be mighty pissed when they see the mangled corpses of their tax collectors. We’ll have about a day until they came racing to find us.”
“One last thing before you send the horses on their way.” Ralph took a claw and drenched it in blood from an elf corpse. Then, he proceeded to paint an image of a woman’s face that unmistakably belonged to Lilith. “There you go. Now, they won’t blame the Deadeye Guild.”
“You know, someone who wanted to frame a devotee of Lilith could have painted it,” Vaughn pointed out.
Ralph shrugged. “Who would worship Lilith in the Nature Realm?”
“Just you,” Vaughn answered.
Quinn clapped his hands together. “So, it’s back to Elderwood House for an ale, then?”
“While we wait for the Sap Lords to come. Let’s hope Von Dominus keeps to his word.” Bolnir turned to Ralph. “How do you think your master will ensure the lords come to Zagorath before Elderwood House?”
“I don’t know,” Ralph answered. “But I do not doubt him for a second.”
Bolnir grunted as he activated the seals on each of the horses. They whinnied as the magical enchantments brightened with a green brilliance, and they took off on the path toward Avalonia.
As Ralph took a seat in the other wagon beside Bolnir, he couldn’t help but feel like an equal among the Deadeye Guild. The thought was only slightly soured by the need to return to Zagorath soon. He wasn’t exactly unhappy to return home, but being an adventurer again tapped into his nostalgia. The feeling wouldn’t last long.
For better or worse, he was indelibly linked to the Infernal Realm. Still, he would never betray Zagorath or Von Dominus. The dungeon had saved him, gifted him great power, and promised so much more.
A voice echoed inside his head, one he’d heard before but couldn’t place. It possessed a name, and while it was on the cusp of his memory, he couldn’t bring it to mind.
Then, it came, in a shattering of ignorance.
Alaxon.
Now, who the fuck was Alaxon?
Chapter Eighteen
When I crossed into the Nature Realm, I started toward Elderwood House. After a few minutes trekking through the forest, a cloud of shadows flew toward me. Puck materialized in front of me and made a respectful bow.
“Master,” he said, “you look different. Did you treat yourself to some of the same magic you used on the stable boy?”
“Yeah,” I answered. “I’m a Monarch now.”
“How fitting.”
“How did you fare?”
“The mission was a success.”
“I returned here because I feared you’d gotten into trouble. It’s been three days.”
“Three? We only parted a mere day ago.”
Weird. Time must work differently between the two realms. My timer had functioned as it usually did on my first visit, so I hadn’t suspected there would be any time dilation. If Ralph and Puck had only just destroyed the convoy, then it would be some time before the Sap Lords learned of Zagorath.
I had a few hours to kill, and I considered paying Tyria a visit, but I thought better of it. My mission here was still ongoing, and I couldn’t stray from the path just because of a beautiful face.
“Lead me to Elderwood House,” I ordered Puck, and we set off.
While I marched through the forest and the Shade flew overhead, he provided a rapid report of the resounding success of the convoy ambush.
“Ralph Kraus is a demon in both appearance and strength. I could almost say I approve of him. Although, he’s hungry. All the time.”
“Hmm. . . then we’ll have to make sure he gets plenty of food when he returns to Zagorath.”
“You’ll need to ensure the creatures you feed him are fresh. Probably elves. He seems to really like those.”
Soon, we arrived at Elderwood House, where the guild had stationed a watch.
I’d left my cloak with Ralph, and my increased size might send the guild members grasping for their weapons. Rather than march into the giant tree dwelling, I decided on a quiet entrance.
“Hide me in the shadows,” I told Puck.
“Yes, Master.” Dark tendrils extended from his form, and soon, I was completely concealed beneath a veil of darkness.
From there, it was easy to ghost past the tired sentries and into the guild house. I ascended the rope ladders, crossed a bridge to the Sage’s opulent dwelling, and pushed open the
grand wooden door. Voices upstairs boomed with laughter as I stepped through the doorway with Puck at my back.
We crossed the fur-lined halls and passed into the dining room where Bolnir, the Harrowbark brothers, and Ralph were pouring over items scattered across the table. The weapons, armor, and trinkets gleamed with precious metals, and their seals glowed with emerald light.
Upon noticing me, Ralph snatched Zagorath’s Chosen from the chair behind him before he realized it was me. The horns on either side of his head made him look like a true demon. He was yet another one of my creations, and I couldn’t be more pleased with how he’d turned out.
I strolled across the room and leaned against a large chest of ornate drawers. “At ease,” I said with a grin. “You’re all deserving of what you’ve accomplished.”
“I thought you might be a Sap Lord,” Bolnir grunted as he held a dagger above the table and let it drop. The blade’s point thunked into the wood, and the dwarf removed it with a tug.
“You could do with a better village watch,” I said. “It was just a little too simple to get here undetected. What gifts did the guild bring?”
Ralph put down his sword and relaxed into his seat. “At bare minimum, six sets of mail armor in good condition, a good bow, and five swords.”
My adventurer poured himself another mug of beer from a small keg on the desk. He made a few sidelong glances to the dwarf and the two humans, and I could have sworn he licked his lips as he did so. I wasn’t aware that Ralph swung that way, but maybe it was something else? Maybe Puck’s mention that my Demonic Guardian was always hungry was an allusion to an appetite for something else. It made sense, after all. I was a Tainted Elf who fed upon the blood of other creatures, a vampire by another name. Ralph might also have a taste for a much rawer kind of meat.
“Two chests of varying elixirs, four chests of guildmarks, and a box of enchanted bows,” Ralph continued. He placed his tankard down on the desk. “And one thing I think you’re going to want to see. May we have the room, Bolnir?”
“For a kid who’s just become a demon, you’re mighty polite.” The dwarf laughed and made a dismissive gesture. “If you want the mysterious rock to yourself, take it. We have more than we could’ve possibly hoped for.”
My curiosity piqued at the mention of a rock. I’d seen a fair few rocks since coming to the Sinarius Realms, and this could be any number of different kinds. The most intriguing possibility, however, was the prospect of another dungeon core. I didn’t let any trace of my interest touch my face as I smiled at the guild members.
I leaned forward on the desk and met each of their eyes in turn. “Each of you have my thanks, and the blessing of Lilith. Harboring Ralph, taking us on, all of it. These spoils are yours, and they are but the first.”
Bolnir and the Harrowbark brothers exited the dining room, leaving me alone with Puck and Ralph.
“Quite an excitable bunch, aren’t they?” the Shade commented.
“They have a right to be,” Ralph pointed out. “They’re suddenly richer than they’d ever dreamed, with quality weaponry and armor. The dungeons around this part of the forest won’t be able to stand up to them. They are a fine guild.”
I raised an eyebrow at Ralph’s defense of them. They were certainly skilled, but they weren’t powerful, and that meant I gave them respect equal to their status. The Sap Lords had the Deadeye Guild under their thumbs, and it was my machinations that would see those thumbs severed from the hand of every lord.
“Ralph, the stone,” I commanded.
Ralph stepped past the dining table, opened a cabinet, and withdrew an ornate chest. It looked so small in his hands, but then, he was now a seven-foot-tall Hellborn.
The lockbox shone with emerald light and outlined a seal I’d never seen before. Raph pressed the magical emblem, and the box clicked open. A bright green luminescence shone throughout the dark room. It was easy enough to see what laid inside on a bed of purple velvet.
A travel stone.
It was much smaller than the one I had in Zagorath, or the one that lay within Grynwild Forest. Yet it was unmistakably a travel stone. Green veins pulsed along the surface of the miniature obelisk, and I wondered where this matching pair might be.
In an instant, my hand dropped to the dagger on my right side. The Sap Lords might own the matching stone, which meant they could be here at a moment’s notice. As soon as they heard what had happened to the convoy of their tax collectors, they could use the stone to appear inside Elderwood House.
I half-wondered why the tax collectors didn’t simply use the travel stone to transport their cart from one place to another. I figured there was some magical price to pay for using this artifact, and it was only to be used in emergencies. The lords’ wagon being commandeered and their guards slaughtered would probably be considered an emergency.
The presence of this travel stone did not bode well. We had half as much time as I’d thought before the lords would come for vengeance.
“I hate to be the one to ask the question,” Puck said, “but am I the only one who’s mildly unnerved at this enormous development?”
“No,” Ralph said bluntly. “You’re not.”
I looked over the treasure and realized the opportunity this presented. As much as I didn’t care for the Deadeye Guild, they had helped me, and I had made them a promise. By taking this travel stone back to Zagorath, the Sap Lords would arrive in a place of my choosing. In my home. In my fortress of death.
“We’re leaving the village,” I said as I reached out for the stone.
It felt cool and smooth to the touch. When my hand grasped it, the emerald veins were joined by golden threads of Soul Essence. I slipped the item into my belt pouch and exited the dining room with Puck and Ralph in tow.
“You fellas heading off?” Bolnir asked as we approached the front door.
“I’m keeping to my end of the deal,” I said. “The Sap Lords shouldn’t come to Elderwood House.”
“You sure of that?”
“Almost certain, yes.”
“Almost?”
“I keep my promises,” I said.
“And that promise will be broken if the lords come to the guild house.”
The dwarf was right. There was no arguing with his point. I couldn’t guarantee the lords would use the travel stone to find out who’d killed their tax collectors. It seemed the smartest thing to do, but I knew nothing of the lords except scared whispers from Bolnir and the brothers.
I looked at Ralph in his glorious new form and couldn’t help but admire my handiwork. He was an imposing figure, sure to instill fear in anyone who entered Zagorath. The black blade of Zagorath’s Chosen hung from the scabbard at his back. The giant sword no longer looked so large, his body now a cross between a linebacker and Yao Ming, the Chinese basketball star. Even his flesh seemed to have become tougher, almost as though his leathery skin was a kind of exoskeleton.
“Ralph,” I said. “You’ll stay here. Protect Elderwood House if the lords come here first. Ensure they are aware that Zagorath was responsible.”
“We can always blame him,” Quinn said as he gestured at Ralph. “Tell the lords that he was the one who killed the collectors, and we caught him in the woods.”
“Like they’d believe that,” Vaughn replied.
I ignored the brothers and turned to Ralph. “Can you manage?”
“Yes,” he answered.
I blinked for a moment and wondered whether something was missing. There was so much on my mind, yet Ralph’s answer had tugged at something else.
“Ah!” I exhaled as I remembered the rings. I handed both of them over to him. “These have Nature Seals. Manipulate Flora and Gust. They should help you if anything goes wrong.”
“Thank you,” he said as he took the rings and slipped them over his fingers.
“Lilith watches us, Ralph. Look how much we’ve already accomplished. The foes we’ve conquered. The spoils we’ve gained. And all of this? This is just the
beginning. Just another step on the road to greater victory.” I turned to Bolnir and the brothers. “Ralph will help me keep my promise.”
“You know, you ain’t so bad, Von Dominus,” Bolnir said. “I think in some other life, we might have been friends.”
“Maybe if Eveline had taken me to this realm, we might have been. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be allied with a mutual goal. And, soon, business partners.”
Maybe the last bit was a bit of a stretch; I planned to partner with no one except Lilith, and that was only for a time. But it was worth giving the dwarf the impression that we might one day be equals. When I was done with the Sap Lords, the Deadeye Guild would become mine in a more complete manner. Until then, Bolnir could think what he wished.
I marched through the door and descended the tree dwelling. Puck flew above me as we moved toward the forest. It was only when we were under the cover of trees that he said something.
“Well, that was heartwarming. True brotherhood, Master. A tale to be told in epics all over the Sinarius Realms.” The sarcastic tone was never far from his voice. “Zagorath and the Deadeye Guild, partners.”
I shook my head as I stepped over a fallen log. “My words were a means to an end.”
“You lied?” Puck cackled as he spiraled through the trees. “I am so eager for the arrival of the lords in Zagorath. If previous experience is anything to go by, I’ll be the first to fall.”
“You’ll rise again, more powerful than ever,” I pointed out. “Their Soul Essence will make Zagorath stronger. And all of Zagorath’s champions benefit from that.”
“I do look forward to introducing them to my sparkling brethren,” Puck mused. “They’re quite unholy abominations. Perfect for our purposes.”
A few minutes passed as we moved through the trees in silence.
The emerald-green stone in my hands began to warm and glow with an inner light. The stone vibrated in my hand, and I drew my dagger as the gold veins swam within the travel stone. I held it out and peered into its depths. Bertha had mentioned that less-than-functional travel stones also worked as communication devices. Kind of like the equivalent of a cell phone from my old life. Perhaps that was the function of this stone. Was it possible that the stone was too weak to transport the lords? I left the question aside as a clear voice emanated from the depths of the crystal.