Demiourgos

by Chris Williams

  Her mother fled and against her better judgment Avreel stayed down in the cells with Rose only watching as the flame-wreathed woman walked out and left a trail of footprints behind her burned into the very rock. A series of scrawling runes covered her skin; they could be seen glowing under her fur as she moved along. Her voice was loud, amplified over the flames so much that Avreel had to cover her ears and close her eyes to avoid feeling as if her head would explode. That scream she knew echoed throughout the city, and this day the city’s given name would be earned with actual blood spilled.

  ~~~~

  Leonidus never slept so he was sitting in his daughter’s chambers speaking to her about the turn of events and telling her what he knew of Liostro and Nina’s progress. When he suddenly grasped his head and screamed at the top of his lungs several guards entered the chamber with their weapons drawn. He couldn’t answer their questions due to the pain coursing through his body. The only thing he could see was an image of Rose shackled in a cell and her body was luminescent with silver halo of spell-flames. The ancient ritual he himself had molded hadn’t been used in so long he had all but forgotten about it. Once he recovered from the initial shock and stood up he looked to his daughter and grimaced in pain.

  “Father, your forehead.” She said, pointing to the silvery mark that had been burned on his brow.

  “It’s Rose.” He strained through clenched teeth.

  “Is she…?” The question held in the air.

  “No but she is in pain, it’s so strong. She has initiated the Drakna’rasha.” He said quietly while running his fingers across the silvery flames licking at his forehead.

  “Who would commit to such a thing? There are no wizards powerful enough but you that know of the Spellrage ritual.” She said in pure shock. “Father what is going on?”

  Leonidus shook his head vehemently and dismissed the guards who knew nothing about what they were referring to. “There were no others my daughter; she completed the ritual on her own. I am not the only one to take notice of this either.”

  “By the dead gods above and below.” The queen said in a very uncharacteristic display of crudeness. “What have we unleashed upon the world?”

  ~~~~

  The anger she felt inside of her was unparalleled save for the need to get vengeance on the elves that had hurt her friends. Something inside of Rose snapped at that moment and she began draining the energy from everything around her. The fading magic protested by sending out a slight blip of power but she continued on. She saw the silvery glow blossoming about her body but still she pulled the magic in. The wards tied to the cells, the doors and the enchantments around her all came crashing down fueling the fires of her hatred. She watched the witch that had started all of it run from the room but by then it was too late. The mansion she was standing in was almost literally throbbing with enchantments both old and new. She didn’t care and neither did her hunger. Rose continued devouring every bit of magic in her path. When she exited the cell she left Avreel alone; in the swirl of chaos that was her mind she knew that Avreel was not the enemy.

  Avreel was struck dumb and much to her surprise several of the kurenai, still dead, shambled by her and up the stairs following in Rose’s footsteps. In the hallway above she heard shouts and cries that were more unintelligible than anything else followed by an explosion that rocked the room. Figuring it would be better to follow the swath of destruction she was cutting than be buried under rubble she stood and walked up the stairs into the main hall. There was a pile of bodies lying on the ground in a semi-circle around the entrance of the dungeon, the bodies twitched and moved on their own, all coming to life after being touched by the chaotic swirl of golden fire.

  She spotted Rose walking down the hallway flanked by the spelltouched zombies she had unintentionally created. Avreel followed her at a distance and she could not help but flinch as the other zombies rushed past her toward their master. She didn’t know if she wanted to try and stop Rose and flee or if she wanted to let her keep going to get some form of vengeance. In the end she knew escaping was the better option. “Rose!”

  Fifteen of the dead creatures pushed their way into her mother’s quarters and the resulting explosion flung everyone but Rose from their feet. Several of the undead creatures were blown to bits but the remainder filtered into the room. The resulting screams from her parents echoed in her ears and she found a single tear at the corner of her eye. Striking herself from her stupor she ran as close to Rose as she could stand. The flames burned hot. “Rose we have to go!”

  “The wicked must be purged.” The naarabian replied angrily.

  Rose was talking in an even-toned voice that sent shivers down her spine. Searching for something to pull her away her mind suddenly blanked and a picture of two people popped into her head. One was a tall half-elf, she knew his name was Liostro and the other was a surface elf by the name of Nina. “What about your friends, your destiny? Nina and Liostro, they’re searching for you.”

  “How do you know those names?” Rose turned to her and gritted her teeth and clasped her fists at her sides.

  “I don’t know! They just came to me; it may have been my god! He’s watching over you too Rose, you’re more important than this! If we don’t leave now we won’t be able to.” Avreel was scared in the face of this magical monstrosity; she’d never seen such power before in her life. “Please, we have to go.”

  “Lead the way.” Rose replied as she took up behind Avreel.

  As Avreel led her onward they passed by a large open corridor that served as the house’s main hallway. The entire house was carved and decorated beyond her imagining but every inch of it was tainted with the blood of the vile elves that had imprisoned her. The walk was brief. Before they even reached the stone crossroads the house guard began to pour out of the north hall toward them. All of them wore the leather-and-metal plated armor with the insignia of the house carved on the upper right hand corner of the right hand plate. They ranged from short to tall from white to slightly red and even a light brownish color. Their eyes were all varied as well save for the murder that festered deep inside of them. Their weapons were of the highest quality but of course but it didn’t matter. Rose watched as the pitiful elf Avreel cowered before the gathered mass of elves. Her smile was genuine even while the guards finally finished encircling them both.

  “Surrender naarabi or we will cut you down where you stand.” The lead guard, an aged elf with white hair and scars across his face called to her in an even-edged voice. His face was hard and scarred from battle, experience and age. She could tell this man was the most dangerous of the group. “I said surrender!”

  “Your people are heartless and cruel but you were merely following orders. I give you a choice little man. Either lay down your arms and leave this place or I will kill you where you stand.” Her voice was even still but a few of them flinched at the power behind it and many of them had looked frightened even before she had spoken. Sarcasm entered her mind and voice as she continued. “The lord and lady of the house seem to have expired so no one is left to punish you.”

  “Kill her!” The old guard shouted at the top of his lungs, causing them all to spring into action.

  “So be it.” Her hands spread out wide and she cackled in glee releasing an arch of lightning into the crowd around them both. The blue-white bolt struck the metal plates of the guards and danced among them. Rose spread the powerful spell out and engulfed all of the fifty or more armed elves without so much as breaking a sweat. All of them fell to the ground twitching and writhing.

  Avreel gawked at the slaughter around her and twitched her nose at the smell of charred flesh. For a long time she was too petrified to move until she realized that Rose was standing behind her with the patience of an angry nokran mole.

  Rose surveyed the damage around her and was satisfied. Several of her minions had been destroyed by the guards and wards but the remaining ones were fast creating more. Almost the entire house army was being c
onverted to her cause. She could feel all of them simultaneously through the burning sensation in her body. The bodies behind her had already begun to rise and seek out the living within the palace. She followed Avreel closely until the girl stopped midstride and began backing toward her. “Why have you stopped?”

  Looking up she realized the reason. Rose walked around her and scoffed at Enarah who was standing in the middle of the hall with five spellstealers in front of her. Several of her spelltouched minions were making their way toward her but they wouldn’t make it in time to assist. “Move out of my way or I will burn you where you stand.”

  “Spellstealers! Deal with this little wench.” Enarah ordered in a yell.

  Several of the muscle-bound elves drew their weapons and advanced on Rose. Avreel walked behind Rose and drew her mace finalizing the decision of siding with a woman she barely knew. “Don’t use your magic on the men. They’ll send it right back at you or just nullify it.”

  Rose spread her arms wide and all of them flinched. Her feet left the ground and she swept her arms inward and down and once they had come together she flung them up toward the tall ceiling. The stone slabs underneath the feet of the approaching men dislodged and followed the motions of her hands as she hurled them upward. Only one of the tall elves failed to jump off of the flying stone and got smashed in between two heavy blocks. Using her hands she directed the falling stones down and splattered another two of them as easily as if they were bugs. The remaining two charged forward but Rose was the quicker, she made a bending and grasping motion with her hands and lifted her arms up causing the floor between them to lift and roll down the hallway as if it were some sort of stone carpet. The stones crumbled once she released them revealing broken and bloodied bodies beneath. Now that the others were taken care of she turned her gaze back to Enarah long enough to catch a ball of fire square in the face. The flames were sucked into the raging inferno hugging her body.

  “Above all others you are the worst. I can see into your heart, or lack thereof.” Rose said coldly. “Your fire burns hot for the blood of your kin.”

  “I’ll not be defeated by a mongrel like you!” Enarah lifted her hands high above her head and began chanting. Her surprise was genuine when Rose began laughing at her. It was enough to interrupt the spell she had been focusing on, causing the magic to disburse around her with a loud popping sound. “Stop it! Stop laughing at me!”

  Rose extended her right arm out and closed her fist as if she was grabbing something. Enarah gasped and started clawing at her own throat. Having tired of this game Rose tilted her hand to the side until she heard a crack and let the dangling body drop unceremoniously to the floor. Turning back to Avreel she motioned toward the hallway and let her feet touch the ground again with a hiss and crackle.

  The remainder of the short trek was quiet because most of the inhabitants of the citadel were dead or dying. Avreel was leading Rose along until she heard her charge fall to the ground behind her with a solid thump. She turned to watch the last of the fire flicker out leaving the naarabian unconscious on the floor. “Damn my luck.”

  It wasn’t much to throw the slight naarabian over her shoulder and walk the rest of the way to the store room. Once inside she pushed her way through the barrels and boxes to the back. In the darkest corner of the room she put her hand on a metal plate concealed by an empty barrel and watched the seldom-used passage slide open silently. Inside there was a carved duct that would take them out of the compound. Once she was inside and had closed the door she set Rose down on the ground. “Rose can you hear me?”

  When there was no response she put her hands out and grasped Rose by the head. A slight prayer to her god brought an angry red light burning around her palms as she poured a bit of healing energy into the spent woman. After that she exhausted a little more magic and ran her hands over Rose about a foot from her body. She hadn’t damaged herself during the episode but she had spent every bit of energy she possessed and then some. Using another spell she attempted to refresh her naarabian companion’s body magically. Her attempts failed time and time again until she finally leaned against the cave wall to let Rose rest naturally. Her mind was jumbled so it would do her some good to sort things out anyway.

  The images of the two companions Rose kept had entered her mind as if they had always been there. Some higher power was at work looking after the girl. It was clear that their destinies were intertwined even if her god hadn’t personally tasked her with saving and protecting Rose. She placed her forehead into her hand and tried to shake the cobwebs free, apparently whatever magic had been used on her was making her mind a little hazy. “Liostro is a paladin and Nina is some sort of ranger?”

  Avreel knew the Spellrage should have consumed Rose so with only one other option she fell to her knees and clasped her hands together before her. Her god was listening and watching, at least that much was obvious. “Thank you for quelling her anger my lord, I could have not done it on my own.”

  ~~~~

  Rose stirred a little and opened her eyes just enough to see. She couldn’t bear to do any more than that. Her body was stiff and her muscles burned painfully. It was agony to move let alone breathe so she took a moment to gather herself before trying anything else. Everything after seeing Ruckus die was a blur and she didn’t remember entering a cave nor did she remember Avreel being by her side. “What happened?”

  “Although I’ve never heard of it being performed solo I’m fairly sure that you entered a Spellrage. Never mind those details, can you stand?” Avreel moved over to her and attempted another spell of healing. She prayed to her god once again and begged him for healing strong enough to help Rose; this one seemed to affect her at least a little bit. “Did that help any?”

  “Enough for me to stand I think, but I don’t know if I can do much else.” Rose said as the elf helped her to a sitting position. “I don’t understand, what’s a Spellrage?”

  “To put it lightly you killed a lot of people tonight.” Seeing the look of shock and remorse creeping on to her features Avreel put her shoulder under Rose’s arm and helped her walk forward. “They all deserved it, trust me.”

  “That doesn’t lessen the pain any.” Rose whispered almost unintelligibly.

  Marveling at her reluctance to see this escape as a victory she gritted her teeth and snorted with a bit of frustration. “Your enemies will not share your love of life; they will not hesitate in destroying you.”

  “But if I become just like them what will be left of me?” Rose countered. When there was no reply she smiled just a bit and continued focusing on walking. “My love of life is all that keeps me going.”

  “Great, just great.” Avreel replied as she trudged on while almost carrying Rose along, she did the best she could to steady them both as they walked a little further into the cavern. “That’s all I need; I’ve sided with a soft-hearted band of merry tree-huggers.”

  From the Journal of Alethia Rose Nalfys

  Betrayal stings, more so when it comes from a person you would not expect. Though I have experienced this pain a few times one never gets used to it. Namia’s betrayal still puzzles me to this day. If I could I would ask her why? Why did she betray her people and endanger her brother with barely a shred of remorse? The motivations of people perplex me but in a way she is responsible for unlocking my true potential; but was it worth the lives of so many kurenai? Absolutely not, I would gladly trade all I have to get them back but life does not work that way and now I am bound to this ancient power.

  My first transformation was the hardest on me but over time the truth of what happened has settled back into my mind. The first rage was the most taxing and though it was supposed to consume me as the ritual had intended, it did not. The hardest part was coming to terms with the death I had caused. Though the elves of the City of Blood were guilty of terrible crimes who am I to judge and sentence them?

  It is hard justifying my actions even though I was not truly in control of myself. I cannot
count the lives I took because I will never know the full extent of the damage I did to the first house of the infernis elves.

  I had a destiny, responsibilities and people relying on my success so it was that I held on to as I marched forward into the unknown. At least I had an ally to rely on, and though she was born of the City of Blood she was not really a resident of it; a visitor that stayed on for a long time. Had her god, the watchful god, known what would happen before it even happened? The motivations of the gods are just as mysterious, if not more, than that of mortals.

  Chapter 11: Lost and Found

  A small orb of light danced in front of both he and Nina. His brief rush of knowledge had finally faded but in its wake he had retained quite a bit, including the ability to cast rudimentary forms of spiritual magic. Though it still felt unsettling to cast any magic he had no choice but to light his own way because Nina had refused to do it for him, citing that he needed to get over his fear of using it. Small things like this weren’t so bad because they served a purpose but he hadn’t been able to master anything more than just a few minor spells. He was also surprised that she was willing to teach him because of what Leonidus had said about Rose. In the end it was hard to draw someone out of their old ways.

  They had been in brief contact with Leonidus a few times when they could reach him; it was hard seeing as they were traveling deeper underground with each passing day. It had been relatively easy to circumvent the demon stronghold and follow the trail that Nina was tracking magically. Since Rose was a naarabian and they had a sample of her hair, courtesy of a set of Liostro’s clothing. Once they found a solid trail it wasn’t that hard to follow her. Nina’s constant concentration made Liostro the only lookout in this foreign world. Thus far they had been beset by several types of creatures that Liostro had never seen before and all of them were predators. He was fairly sure they were drawn to the light. The bright beacons they kept shining at all times just screamed walking meal.