The Elder Demon's Dilemma (Realm of Arkon, Book 9)

by G. Akella

  For someone as small as she was, she sure acted like she was the Queen of England. The queen hadn’t been the tallest person herself, but still. I looked at the elfess, feeling quite grateful that she had come along. Had I come here alone, I might have died of boredom.

  I wrinkled my nose at the smell of wormwood and nodded at the hills just before us. "Well, since you know ‘enough,’ tell me! We have just enough time for me to hear you out."

  The portal brought us to a wasteland, in the middle of the night. Linara had said before that the swamp was six days’ flight - and that was flight, mind you - so I expected a difference in time upon our arrival. And time on the Primordial Paths flowed differently, even unpredictably. The ground alternated between dry, caked mud and alumina thinly covered with grass. It was a dreary landscape, stretching as far as the eye could see to either side, and in the north encountering a ridge of tall hills. Those hills were our destination.

  "Have you heard the legend of the Creator, Krian? Our people tell it to every child."

  I shook my head and gave her a curious look. "Does this legend have anything to do with this undertaking of ours?"

  She nodded. "It does."

  The girl looked up to the sky, then to the moon hanging over the hills, and explained.

  "At the dawn of the world, the Creator needed an incarnate form, so he assumed the body of a huge black dragon. As you know, dragons have unfathomable power and are virtually immune to external magical effects. Once this body had been exhausted, the Creator left it in one of the habitable planes, and continued creating. The dragon’s flesh decayed, but its bones remained, and if anyone finds them, the dragon will rise again. He will not hurt the one who finds him, but instead will answer that being’s deepest question, and the answer will be that of the Creator himself..."

  Linara spoke quietly, in a voice that was somehow not her own. It was unusual and kind of riveting. On Earth, she could have easily found work narrating children’s books or voicing cartoons. But here, good storytellers were given more value, almost an order of magnitude more. And the legends of our joint campaign together would soon be among those stories.

  "Everything wishes to attain the secrets of the universe, of course, so the Creator set to guard the bones hundreds of terrible monsters, some of which even the gods cannot defeat. And only the most worthy will get through and be permitted to receive an answer."

  Linara made a theatrical pause, then continued in her normal voice.

  "You know about my problems with magic. I have tried to find answers, spending lots of time in the archives and libraries. Gimlad’s Chief Archivist, ryhn Ginalf, even allowed me to acquaint myself with his many works. He fully believes that these Bones of the Creator lie in the Great Dragon Graveyard of Akatras."

  I was busy determining which of the hills was most likely to have this damned graveyard on the other side. "So why then did you not fly here to ask this dragon how to get back to Karn? You’re small enough to slip by any monster. You would have found the answer and immediately had a way back."

  The damned hills stretched in both directions, all the way to the horizon, and I could only hope that Urgot was not mistaken and that we would find the Dragon Graveyard just beyond the nearest of them. In truth, I had not needed to hear a legend to know that more than just rabbits lived in this place. This was the final leg of the Prophecy, after all. But I felt little worry, if any. What was the sense in worrying when you had no choice - and when you basically knew the ending before it even came?

  "Not all of my people believed in this theory," she answered about a short silence. "But that doesn’t matter. We were forbidden, by Sata herself, from approaching the graveyard."

  "So if her will is sacred, why are you flying there?" I smiled slyly. "They’ll squash you for disobeying her will!"

  "This is different. I am ata kari, and companion to an outsider. You’re the one going to the graveyard, and I am only accompanying you - and in so doing also fulfilling the purpose given to me by the goddess. That said, I would still go with you, even if it meant risking a violation of her will. If we triumph, we will not be judged. And if we lose, I will be forgotten anyway. Besides, what other good can I bring my people if I haven’t even learned to control my magic properly?"

  "Why must you bring good to your people?"

  That surprised her. "Bringing good to your own people is the highest goal any sentient being can aspire to, isn’t it? No matter who you are, king or peasant! Your people cannot be any different, right?"

  Ah yes, elven communism in full manifestation. On Earth, the concept of private property had become an absolute good, and "patriotism" was just a nice word for most people rather than a meaningful concept. There, all elves in general, and my friend here in particular, might have been considered dangerously close to insane. "King or peasant," she had said. The number of kings who had prioritized good for the people throughout Earth’s entire history could be counted on two hands, if not one.

  But I could see that Linara was waiting for my answer.

  "In the world I come from, nine out of ten people would disagree with you."

  The elf was silent for a few moments, trying to understand my words. Then she shrugged and shook her head.

  "I have no right to judge them, but I would not want to live in your world, Krian."

  "You know, I wouldn’t want to go back and live there, either. Oh, and I forgot to say," I turned to Linara and pointed over the hills. "This Gandalf of yours is right. There’s a dragon there who can answer my question. I don’t know if he’s the Creator or not, but-"

  "Ryhn Ginalf," Linara corrected me. "Yes, I know they are the bones of the Creator. And I know that’s where you’re going. I guessed that this morning, the moment you asked about the Dragon Graveyard. Please forgive me for not telling you." When the elfess looked up, I saw streams of tears running down her cheeks. "There’s a reason Sata has forbidden my people from going there. Hundreds of Chosen Ones with their ata kari have met their deaths in the graveyard. We call it the Place of the Damned. I was afraid you would retreat when you learned that you could not get to the bones of the Creator through trickery or cunning. Forgive me..."

  "You did say that the monsters would let us pass if they deem us worthy," I grunted, absently observing some long, strange plants hovering over a steep nearby hill like a flock of snakes. "So why the apology? I believe I’m worthy. And I bet you are, too. They’ll let us pass, just watch They’ll even give us an honorary escort, right to the bones!"

  "Right, of course. You're hero of heroes. I keep forgetting," she smiled through her tears. "I’m sure they will do exactly that."

  We were on the other side of the hill in about five minutes, and the Great Dragon Graveyard of Akatras appeared before us in all of its unsettling beauty. Looking at it now, I struggled to fathom why it was called "great," nor what drunk had named it a "graveyard."

  At the center of the space, surrounded by hills, there lay a huge skeleton, around which milled a hundred or so dragon skeletons, crimson light from their empty eye sockets gleaming in the dark, bones rattling as they shuffled in eternal circles. Perhaps I haven’t done the scene justice. In the center of a space patrolled by a century of level 650 raid bosses, there rested the skeleton of a MONSTROUS MEGADRAGON! The Tomb of the Creator, and the largest skeleton I had ever seen - a full seventy yards in length. I reckoned that a fighter jet could probably fly right through the ribcage. Its twelve elongated neck vertebrae were crowned with a giant, horned skull, larger than a quarry dump truck.

  The bosses patrolled the area without any discernible pattern of movement. When their routes intersected, they froze for about ten seconds, then turned around and walked in the opposite direction. Ordinary, stupid mobs, except they boasted ten to twelve billion HP each. The Nameless had spoken of my woman, but she wasn't with me today. Yet how the hell was I, for all of my levels and abilities, supposed to make my way through this undead horde?!

  Linara was watchin
g the skeletons, too. "I’m scared," she whispered softly.

  I smiled. "You can still turn back." I evaluated the distance to the next hill.

  Her sadness gave way to spontaneous anger. "No way! You really think I’ve put up with you this whole time for nothing?"

  "Then this is what we’ll do. You fly over there," I pointed to the foot of the hill, "and wait for my instructions. I’ll throw a Spear into one of those beasts and lead it away from the rest. Then, we do what we did in the temple. You cast your Rain down on me, and quickly fly away. My ability takes about five minutes to reset, so it should take us about a full day to deal with all of them. Ah yes, and eat this." I gave the girl a piece of meat Alyona had cooked for me. "I hope your religion allows you to eat snake meat?"

  She arched her eyebrow and looked at the treat suspiciously. "What’s religion?"

  "Forget it. Just eat that." I pulled another piece out of my bag. "You promised to do what I say, remember?"

  I gave her the meat, drove away the most recent and untimely wave of sadness, and began to eat my piece, a present from my dear sister. Perhaps this ten percent buff was not enough to save Linara and me, but I couldn’t afford to neglect it. Besides, I didn’t know when the next opportunity to eat might come.

  Having finished my meal in about five minutes, I rose to my feet and wiped my hands on a rag. Linara had already taken up her position near the hill. I waved at her, took a deep breath of the wormwood-poisoned air, and surveyed my route. Hell. This is so surreal. The crackling of bones cut into my ears, and the crimson glow from the dragon skeleton’s eye-sockets burned into my eyes. I was going to destroy them all, within twenty four hours. A single player, destroying a hundred raid bosses. And so what if I would be siphoning them off one at a time and fighting with the assistance of an allied NPC? Could the devs have ever imagined anything like this? Well, grab some popcorn - I’m only going to do this once!

  I grinned back at the moon, drew my sword, and walked towards the skeletons.

  Once I was a little more than fifty yards away, I heard a loud clap as a scarlet flash flooded my eyes and two twenty-foot-tall monsters with humanoid bodies and elongated crocodile faces appeared in my way. Agarix and Agran, Guardians of the Dragon Graveyard, and clearly the creatures mentioned by Urgot.

  They were level 730, each with twenty five billion HP, clad in matte titanium armor with spiked shoulder pads, bulging cuirasses with scarlet runes emblazoned on them, and open-faced, pointed helmets. Each carried a two-handed mace on his shoulder, with a thick pyramid-shaped pommel at its end. Their disposition to me was unfriendly. Something about them reminded me of a crocodile I had watched in old Russian cartoons. Gena. A good-natured, kind-hearted croc. Their haughty faces, in contrast, hardly displayed any kindness...

  "Not so fast," said the left one, Agarax, with a grim smile. The giant adjusted his shoulder so his weapon rested more comfortably on it, then gestured with an open palm for me to halt. "Where is it you think you’re going?"

  The Guardian’s voice sounded like it resonated forth from an immense bottomless wine cask strapped to his back. Crocodile facial expressions were not my forte, but this one certainly looked to be mocking me. Were the skeletons behind these two just harmless little animals in need of protection? I was beginning to understand why even the gods avoided this place.

  I calmly looked the monsters in the eyes, and immediately saw that they would not let me through. Was this really going to be the end?

  My lungs suddenly burned, as if the cool air of the wasteland had turned to hellfire. Sticky, cold drops began to flow down my temples, and the demon in me began to force its way out...

  "I... I have come to ask a question." My breathing was heavy as I struggled furiously to restrain the demon within. "I don’t know who you are, and I don’t care. Stand aside so that I can fulfill this damned Prophecy!"

  This was a new experience for me. The two essences inside me normally got along. Sometimes, they traded places, but now... Now, the demon was fighting fiercely, aiming to take control of my entire consciousness. It was not my usual rage - this was something different. It was the monster within, the true source of the rage I had been living with every minute of every day. Had the mental shield Linara had described been swept away? Or did these monsters have some effect on my mind? Reality seemed to turn inside out as the Guardians' figures blurred in my vision. I could only partially control my words - and the human inside me, as he was being so rudely pushed aside, knew that he had lost. There was no way I could take two gods on my own. But my trueblood pounded ever harder in my ears, and at last the demon smashed its fetters, roaring as it broke its way out...

  "Ah, this wimp is the Black Demon of the Prophecy," Agran sneered. "Pathetic weakling. Don't you know that not even the gods can enter here? Begone!"

  "Begone!" repeated Agarax. And that was the last straw.

  Reality turned into a mosaic of color, then scattered in dismay at my hellish laughter. The stars turned all colors of the rainbow. Ruination blazed in my hand with a bright orange flame, and a thousand orange suns exploded in my chest. The earth came flying from under my feet, and the skeletons shrank in size. For a moment, everything in the world, too, was engulfed in orange.

  Should have gotten the shield ready! the demon thought belatedly as he shook off his shackles, swinging his sword to meet a charging Agarax...

  The club crashed to the ground, tearing a chunk from it. Scarlet cracks forked out in all directions, but I was no longer anywhere near. Ruination cut the Guardian’s left shoulderguard free, and the Spear the demon unleashed from his left hand became a whip that wrapped around Agarax’s neck. The demon charged, and the giant fell to the burning earth, the sword slicing into his flesh once more. Agran leaped over the body of his prostrated comrade with a roar, sending a Firewave in my direction and simultaneously making a circular blow with his monstrous club. Idiot. The demon I had become was also both swordsman and mage.

  Step through the Darkness, to dodge the blow. Roaring flames blew part of a nearby hill to pieces, raining pieces of hot rock down upon us. The Guardian’s weapon caught nothing but air, and the inertia carried Agran two steps forward. Ruination cut into Agarax’s shoulder once more. The demon was not me. It was like watching a professional, world-class gamer take the controls. The demon knew what to do with this transformed body - just as the human was receding, dissolving into a pure flame of unadulterated rage. This was to be my last battle. And so be it. The whip in the demon’s hand wrapped around the forearm of a wheezing Agarax as Ruination relieved him of his head. Ice Trap took hold of the demon's ankles as a Fire Spear smashed into his shoulder, and another skimmed the face. Agran gave a roar ten times more stentorian than the last as he leaped, his club raised high. That instant, my human consciousness faded to black.

  Chapter 16

  It was an endless valley, filled with bones, with legions clad in steel marching through it. Ahead, on the cliffs, I could see the outline of a citadel, its mighty octagonal towers reigning over the valley, blocking passage to the Great Ocean. How did I know that? The thrill and joy of Rage consumed me! A beautiful demoness... The valley disappeared, replaced by a familiar face. Lita?!

  Reality washed over me like a hot wave. I was back in the same wasteland, its cool wind smelling of wormwood and ashes. The hill on the right looked like an extinct volcano, and in my hand I held the severed head of the second Guardian. His eyes were closed, and his tongue hung limply from his mouth, dripping blood upon the ground.

  Still think I'm a weakling, you jackass?

  Ahead, the clumsy creatures still wandered stupidly around the huge skeleton. At the edge of my vision, I saw a small green light flash. Was it an ally? A friend? I didn’t care. Hurling the Guardian’s head, I grit my teeth, and glared with hatred at the stars. Is this what you wanted, Creator? Is this the price of your Answer?!

  The head rolled along the smoking ground, and a whip appeared in my hand once more. I Jumped to the neares
t skeleton as the orange noose closed around the monster's neck, its Shield of Darkness melting instantly in the Flame of Primordial Chaos. The skeleton’s head twitched as it tried to use its weight to topple me. Its tail struck me in the side - and in the next instant, the creature’s skull burst like a pot of clay as Ruination, brimming with the power of Chaos, slammed into it. Crit! The green spark flashed once more before my eyes, and once more the world plunged into darkness.

  * * *

  Mom?

  The fog dissipated. Inhaling a deep but unsteady breath, I took a step back and, wobbling my arms about, miraculously kept my balance.

  Linara was in the air, a yard away from me. The elfess’ lips were pressed together in agonizing convulsion. Her face was pale, and a thin dark trickle was flowing from the corner of her mouth. She was down to twenty percent HP.

  "What the..." I looked in shock at the yellowed bones, hacked to bits, and reality hit me like an avalanche. "Holy hell! I... I killed them all!"

  "I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. Sata forbids us to enter the minds of others."

  She shuddered and slowly sank to the ground, her legs giving way.

  "I put up a shield. I don’t know how... how much... The goddess will punish me..." she murmured as she lost consciousness.

  Of course she will... I tore off my cloak and tossed it to the ground, then carefully moved the body of my little ata kari onto it, and collapsed next to her.

  Pulling my pipe from my bag, I struck a light, inhaled, and slowly exhaled the apple-scented smoke. The demon within had retreated, but now I could clearly feel him. An immense black beast, slumbering after a satisfying fight. All was well. It had ended well... I would carry Linara back to the Great Forest, and she would be cared for. Greater Healing couldn't be used a second time after such a short interval. Regenerating one hundred HP per second would take her more than ten days to fully recover. In the forest, however, she would heal faster.