Ivy turned back to the man and smiled. In the brief silence, an odd ringing noise followed by the clattering of one of the centipedes tumbling down the stairs in pieces marked Lain's entry. Demont's face turned not fearful, but stern. Half of the door fell away, sliding down the steps. The four remaining creature weapons clamored quickly to Demont's side.
Lain leapt at Demont but was intercepted by a pair of the centipedes. Ether, in her stolen form, tangled with another, and the last occupied Myranda. Ivy bared her teeth and charged, fear entirely supplanted by anger. She was clearly on the verge of becoming the chaotic form that had ravaged the dragoyles before. The red aura was blinding.
"HALT!" Demont ordered.
Instantly, the aura vanished. Darkness swept in. Myranda conjured light. She could not afford to wait for her eyes to adjust. Lain dispatched the first of his opponents. Ether was still entangled with hers. Ivy stood with a confused, disoriented look on her face.
"Much as I would like to see the cascading reaction Epidime described, I must not permit it here. This fort houses the only physical manifestation of a great many of my creations, and I do not wish to destroy it unless it is absolutely necessary," he said. "Now, listen closely, all of you. I do not feel that this place is an appropriate one to capture you, and with the exception of the human, strict orders prohibiting me from killing you have been reinstated. Thus, I must insist that you leave this place. If you do so quickly and willingly, I shall do you no more harm."
Demont made his way to a long case in the corner of the room. A final swipe of Lain's sword finished his opponent. He charged at Demont, but the case clicked open and ten more of the centipedes charged out to his defense. Myranda, who had yet to find something in her mystic repertoire to effectively combat one of the nasty things, now had six to contend with. Lain destroyed two of his own quickly, but the remaining three maneuvered well within the radius that allowed an effective sword strike, and proved more troublesome. Ether, however, managed to tear the beast she tangled with to pieces, and weaved her way quickly toward Demont.
Of all of the skills these creations had, intelligence was sorely lacking. They could not tell friend from foe, and with Demont distracted pocketing the loose notes, books, and tools from around the room, there was no one to guide them.
Ether sprung to Demont's leg. The needle-sharp legs of her current form dug deep into his flesh and she summoned all of the strength the abomination could muster. Like a flash of lightning, the blade of a tail sunk just a whisper into Demont's skin. Before it could slice further, a trio of the creatures latched onto the shapeshifter and tore her free. Dark blood ran from Demont's back as Ether was stretched taut by the creatures.
With little more than a nod, creatures began to peel off from attacking the others and assaulted the immobilized shapeshifter. Ether shifted suddenly back to stone, bursting from beneath the beasts. She charged at him. In a swift motion, he revealed one of the tools he had selected and drove it into her chest. It was a rapier-thin serrated blade, striped with filaments of the crystal. The filaments led back to the grip, which bore a delicate metal claw. The claw held a large, finely-crafted jewel. On contact, the web of lines illuminated and the gem shone brightly.
Ether reared back and grasped the cruel weapon, trying madly and futilely to tear it from her chest.
"It is a soul extractor, a simple tool. Merely a clarified and refined thir crystal. A lesser soul would be drawn from the body. Trapped entirely within. I suspect you exceed the gem's capacity. We shall see," he explained.
Ether's motion slowed. Ivy watched, as though from a great distance. Demont's command had shaken her to her core. It felt as though her mind had been pushed aside. There was nothing stopping her from moving, but she lacked the will to do so. Somewhere far away, she heard Myranda cry out in pain. Her fingers tightened on the grip of the club. Slowly her head turned. The creatures were all over Myranda. A flex of her mind repelled them, but as quickly as they were gone, others replaced them. Her face was scraped and bloodied. She was losing the fight. Ivy's lips drew back. Her teeth clenched.
Demont waded through the carnage. It dutifully parted before him. He reached the door at the top of the stairs. This monstrous man, this fiend who would endanger her friends, was about to go free. The thought burned at Ivy's mind. Finally she regained control.
With a mighty blow of her club, she smashed at the centipedes attacking Lain. He broke free from the creatures and sprinted up the stairs to swing his weapon at the general. A trio of the creatures hurled themselves in the way of the sword. It sliced through them all and cut a cruel gash along Demont's arm. All of the remaining centipedes scrambled to haul Lain away from their master. He grasped the injury, his face finally showing pain. It shifted quickly to anger.
"Congratulations. You have motivated me to disobey direct orders," Demont hissed.
He motioned to the rune-inscribed tablet before sprinting out the door. One of the beasts launched toward it, shattering the brittle stone. It was as though the whole of the structure shattered with it. The floorboards creaked; the cries of a thousand horrid beasts rang out at once.
The spell that had paralyzed the countless monstrosities on display above was broken. They were awake.
Trampling feet shook the ceiling. The cauldron held above the fire gave way, spilling its foul-smelling contents and scattering the flames. Myranda, momentarily left alone by the centipedes, put her mind to work. She swept up the liquid and guided it to the cluster of creatures. When they were mired in it, she froze it solid. She then tried to use what was left of it to extinguish the spreading flames, but it merely sizzled and blackened. Instead, she turned her mind directly to the task. The flames, as though guided by an unseen hand, had spread directly to the supports in the room. Already they were buckling and splintering under the weight. She turned her mind to keeping them together.
"Myranda, come on! We need to go now!" Ivy said, fear quickly moving in to take the place of anger.
"I need to keep the fire under control. Help Ether," Myranda managed, sweat running from her temple at the rising heat and massive effort.
"Why? She likes fire! Now that the teacher is gone we can go!" Ivy urged.
"With that thing . . . in her chest . . . no telling what will happen. Can't afford . . . to lose her . . . for any amount . . . of time." Myranda had to struggle to get the words out. The flames were slowly creeping forward, and the supports were beginning to split. She redoubled her efforts.
Ivy rushed to the motionless Ether. She tugged and pulled at the extractor, but the hands that had tried so hard to pull it free were now locking it in place. Looking at the rapidly failing supports, panic made her decision for her. She bent low and pulled the stone form forward onto her shoulders. One arm was hooked behind its legs, the other over its neck and still clutching the ever-present club. The weight was enormous. Straining desperately, her fear-fueled muscles hefted the shapeshifter from the ground. She turned her head to Myranda. Their eyes met.
"I will follow . . . I swear to you," Myranda said.
With that, Ivy made her way up the stairs. With each step she gained speed. Fear, determination, and a cocktail of other emotions powered her every motion. She emerged into the next floor. Madness itself lay before her. Nameless nightmares, maws belching flame, wretched black mist, and substances that defied description filled the room to every corner. In the center, a swath of shredded beasts led to Lain on the stairs across from her. His sword dripped a dozen shades of blood as he fought to clear the way ahead.
She rushed as fast as she could, but the gap he had created was closing. In her ears, there was naught but the thunder of unnatural cries. Her legs worked of their own accord. There was no hope of warding off the fear now. She could only hope to lend the urgency and purpose she felt to whatever it was that would very shortly rob her of her wits.
#
Lain sunk his sword to the hilt in yet another beast and tore his weapon free. His senses were under ass
ault from every conceivable direction. There was no telling what these creatures were capable of. No two were the same. There was no time to learn their motions, to plan, to think. His instinct slipped directly from his mind to the tip of his weapon, guiding it to whatever patch of scales, fur, skin, or shell might suffer worst from its bite. The darkness that had made his first encounters with these creatures all the more difficult was now banished by the pale blue light pouring from Ivy. Her thumping footsteps increasingly shook the weak floorboards. Myranda was not behind her.
Before his eyes in the moment he could spare to see her, she changed. Her eyes clouded over. She surged forward with an impossible speed. The blue tinge of her aura vanished, leaving a brilliant white. The last few creatures before her were swept aside by the sheer force of her motion. With a single stride, she leapt up the stairs and past Lain. Foregoing the landing entirely, she planted a second stride on the wall of the twisting stairway. From there, she thrust herself to the floor above without touching a single step.
Tiny scampering creatures were crushed underfoot. Huge hulking beasts were outmaneuvered. Lain now followed in her wake. Keeping as close as he could manage, he slashed at any beast that ventured near enough to threaten either of them, and as many others his weapon could reach. Utterly unique creatures, similar only in purpose. Creatures made to kill. Prototypes, failed attempts, discarded imaginings. The first and last of their kinds. They leapt at him from all sides. The air was thick with their stench, their breath, their blood. He struck down as many as he could. He had to. His mind, in fleeting whispers, turned to Myranda. Every level of monstrosities that they left behind was one that still lay before her.
A distant creak and snap rang through the structure and the very floor beneath their feet shifted. Far below, a torrent of shattered wood, burning embers, and ruined creatures tore through a widening hole in the ceiling.
#
Myranda was thrown back. The fire was all around her, long ago having slipped from her control. She struggled to her feet; gasping a lungful of choking smoke and pushing aside the searing pain of the fire that lapped at her ankles, Myranda assessed her situation. The staircase was blocked by the very remnants of the floor it led to. Injured but threatening creatures began to pull themselves from the rubble.
Above, the supports for the next floor were giving way. She forced every last drop of her will into maintaining the integrity of the floor. Her life was lost. It didn't matter. All she could hope to do was to give the others a chance. Flames climbed to her legs, smoke strangled her lungs, and half-broken beasts drew menacingly close. With a strength she did not know that she had, she managed to force the shaky floor back into place.
#
Above, Lain and Ivy entered the final floor. The massive creatures found here were far too big to be swept aside by Ivy, despite the momentum that had continued unbroken since she had begun her ascent. Lain managed to inch ahead of her just as the tangled mass of snakes that dominated the room attempted to strike with one of its many mouths. The bite of his weapon caused the beast to recoil out of Ivy's path. As she approached the door, she lowered her shoulder, leveling the stone body of Ether with the solid planks.
With a force that was difficult to comprehend, the speeding hero struck the door, using the petrified shapeshifter as a ram. The planks fairly disintegrated on impact, the door destroyed utterly. Ivy was staggered by the blow, losing her footing and tumbling violently across the frozen ground outside. The stone body of Ether, though riddled with cracks after the collision, skidded to a stop just outside the walls in one piece. Lain darted out the door, followed by a flood of beasts and a vast billowing column of black smoke.
#
Many of the creatures below had been designed to breathe flame, and thus had set the fort alight in a dozen different places. It was clear now that the horrid place had been designed for just this purpose, to consume itself and all within rather than fall into the hands of an enemy. Myranda, still in the very heart of the structure, sensed that her task was done, that the others had escaped. She began to release her agonized mind's grip. As she did, like a waterfall, the ruined wood, ash, and fauna began to pour down before her. The floorboards she stood on and those above her head began to buckle.
Finally they gave way.
Chapter 24
Ivy's aura faded as Lain rushed to her side, turning to the creatures that had filed out of the fort. With a rush of smoke and superheated air, the whole of the structure gave way. It collapsed into the pit it had been built in, disappearing into the black smoke that belched out. Red and orange flames cut through the smoke here and there, casting swaths of light upon the night-darkened field as the column rose into the sky.
The rumbling collapse of the structure was a blessing in at least one way: the worms that had guarded it now flowed into the fiery hole, destroying themselves in their attempts to attack the source of the rumbling. Silhouetted against the smoky orange glow of the ruined fort were the only survivors of the collapse: the snake monstrosity, the horned tiger, and the scorpion-tailed hawk. Lain held his sword ready.
Ivy held her head, dizzy but still managing to get to her feet after her ordeal. She looked to the spectacle before her, seeing it but not comprehending. Her wits had returned, but the intense few minutes gone by were lost to her, a blur of sound and light. She wasn't sure how much time had passed, or even where she was. The last she remembered was being inside the fort--now there was no fort in sight. A piercing cry came from above and she looked up in time to see a needle-sharp black tail whiz by her head. She jerked away from it, reeling and falling back to the ground.
Her blurry vision locked onto a hulking form she had made sure to ignore when she'd entered the fort. Lain was standing in front of her, facing down a dark shape that moved toward him with alarming speed. The assassin slowly side-stepped. Each time he did, the creature charging at him turned slightly, shifting its path toward him and away from Ivy. She turned her eyes to the sky. A barely visible shape wheeled about and began its approach toward her again. She felt about for the club that had finally slipped from her hand when she had fallen.
As powerful as her eyes were, the black form of the hawk against the black sky remained virtually indistinguishable. Her ears twitched as she tuned out everything else. They were far more sensitive than her eyes. She was just barely able to hear the rustle of wind past the beast. At the last moment, she raised her club, bracing it with both hands, clenching her teeth, and shutting her eyes. Her motion was well-timed. The beast had aimed a strike with its lethal tail directly at her heart. The force was enough to drive the fist-sized head of the tail entirely through the weapon, stopping just a whisper from its target. The creature madly flapped its wings, attempting to escape.
Ivy gripped the weapon tightly, swinging it out and beating it on the ground. The experimental beast was swung helplessly through the air before being hammered against the ground.
The huge, cat-like creation roared toward Lain. He carefully judged its speed. The distance between them quickly closed. Finally, he dove to the side. The tremendous beast was more agile than the creature that it owed its size and horns to, but only just. By the time he regained a firm footing, the beast was already upon him. A hasty swipe of his sword cost the creature one of its horns, but a powerful blow with its claws slipped beneath the attack and raked his abdomen. He pulled away, but the claws still left their mark. A second slice of Lain's weapon found the predator's throat. He retreated after the strike. The stricken creature writhed briefly on the ground before becoming motionless.
Ivy stood once more, planting a foot on the ruined hawk and tearing her weapon free along with a fair amount of the beast's tail. She sniffed at the barb that had nearly reached her heart. The smell of the potent toxin was intense and burned her nose. She turned to Lain. The experience had been enough to knock the cobwebs from her head. She was keenly aware of her surroundings, and of the severity of their situation. Moreover, she remembered what she ha
d come here to do. To prove to Lain and Ether that she was strong enough to stay. She fought aside the constant burn of fear in her stomach and faced the massive beast that remained.
Now that there was no roof to limit the monster, it rose to its full height, lifting itself on the dozen stout snakes as though they were legs. It moved with deceiving speed, as even when all legs remained on the ground, the slithering of the limbs allowed it to glide along. Its target was the petrified body of Ether.
With great, bounding steps Ivy rushed to the beast. Lain circled around attempting to find the proper method to attack, but with a dozen pairs of eyes, there was no sneaking up on it. Ivy was not similarly concerned, and paid for it almost immediately. When she was in striking range, three of the limbs shot toward her. Before she could react, two had constricted her, squeezing her enough to force the weapon from her hand. They brought her swiftly to the clacking beak that was hidden behind the many legs.
Lain swept in. Snakes he had dealt with. He could read their movements. He knew when, how, and where they would strike. All senses alive and alert, he moved in. The attacks were swift and numerous. Lain dodged each as narrowly as he could. It was best to stay close. In that way, the beast could not attack without threatening to strike itself. When he reached the base of the limbs that clutched Ivy, he sliced neatly through them. They dropped to the ground, followed by an unnaturally small amount of blood. The wound where they had been connected closed quickly. The snakes writhed in pain enough for Ivy to escape, but they did not die. The core of the massive creature dropped down in an attempt to snatch up the escaping morsel, but instead sliced into one of its own severed limbs.
The Book of Deacon Anthology Page 76