Skies of Fyir Box Set

by Gabriela Voelske

  He poised himself, taking a deep breath before pressing the blazing blade into the glass. It hissed angrily but offered no resistance, shooting off multi-coloured sparks as the blade dug deeper, leaving a molten trail of twisted glass in its wake. Before Amnur reached the other side, the orb cracked and the colour drained from inside its shell. Too much damage had been sustained by the container for the spell binding the mana to the orb to continue, causing the container to crack as the mana dissipated.

  “Next tower, second orb,” the creature gasped. It sounded strained and hoarse, so much so it startled Amnur. He stared at the snake-like Nightmare for a few seconds before following its beckoning. Part of the wall was rippling, another false wall mirage created to keep passages hidden. It appeared to directly connect to the same room in another tower. They appeared identical, even down to the now gaping hole in the wall. A brief glance outside indicated that he was in a different location, however. From the height he was at he could still easily spot Kaiser, as well as the lighter colour of some angels.

  The creature gestured to the orb and slithered over to watch the events unfolding outside. Without visible eyes, Amnur found it difficult to judge its emotions if it even had similar emotions. He walked up to the orb, inspecting it over, but spotted nothing different to the first orb he had encountered. Once more he dug the flaming sword into the glass, eventually causing it to fade and crack.

  “The final link is that mage, residing in the central spire,” the creature spoke, its voice was far softer and formed this time around. “You wonder why I am now able to speak,” it cocked its head, in response to Amnur’s rather questioning expression.

  “I would put it down to that magic restricting your function, but being able to manage conversation at all is a surprise,” he responded. Nothing in the book he had read indicated any sentient creatures, it raised interesting prospects and dangerous realities. Addling their minds to the extent where they could no longer function themselves would likely weaken their strength greatly. Someone could not correctly control a being if they did not how to know effectively. Considering the size and power some of these creatures had already shown, to think they could be holding back was worrying at the very least.

  “How come you’re less addled than the others?” Amnur enquired. The difference was bothering him. Those below just appeared as mindless drones compared to the creature in front of him.

  “The element of chaos is not unnatural to our home, but in this excess, it damages everything, even ones that specialise in it,” it mused, demonstrating some basic magic by manipulating a part of the crystalline wall into a strange, distorted shape. Amnur noted the change with interest, one of the texts he had rescued from being destroyed by the Magi Council went into detail about the balance of elements and the importance of chaos within a stable aether. Such a theory was not well received by the Council, chaos was difficult to control and dangerous, yet the disruption of order is required to stop stagnation. Stagnant energy can prove just as fatal as overly fluid energy, finding a suitable level between the two was an understudied field of aether research.

  “You lack eyes, but have you seen a young female by any chance?” he said, turning the topic of conversation. Amnur’s voice was tense, unsure what response he was going to get. It turned to face him, aware of the change of tone and began slowly sliding towards his position.

  “The one that lacks mana. She is a hard one to see, but I know to whom you refer,” the creature paused. Amnur gasped at what it had said, but the Nightmare merely shook its head. “I hear her screams daily, they are getting quieter, weaker,” it spoke, the strange voice was tinged with sadness. With a swift movement, it found its head being hoisted up. Although it could not strictly see Amnur’s expression, the change in mana flowing around his face told him enough about his emotions. “She is in the main spire, but that one is not so easy to enter.”

  “Then show me how to enter,” Amnur growled, dropping the creature, a move it quickly recovered from with little ill effects.

  Chapter 17: Advancing Forwards

  Once the initial waves had been cleared from the courtyard, the second phase of the plan was put into motion. The selected few began to make their way towards the spires; Sebastian had taken Solomon with him, and Uriel had selected Gabriel and later Arariel at Solomon’s request. With the stragglers being swiftly dealt with, the distance was simple to travel. Not many Nightmares would be able to give them much trouble if one did try to stop them. Such minuscule forces remained of the opponent, it almost seemed too good to be true.

  The fact remained that the main target was that mage; any subsequent arrivals of enemy forces would be hindered by removing their controller. Arariel was rather discomforted by the whole thing, although he wasn’t voicing his opinion on it. They had an encounter with the mage previously, one that had left him injured or even dead if Solomon didn’t pull him clear. The demon later told him that seeing through the enchantment, or close enough to that they had on them was an unusual thing. Normal mages can’t see into that plane, but this was no normal mage they were dealing with, that fact had been made obvious several times already.

  He let out a long sigh, he was still wary about Solomon’s plan as well. Necromancy was nowhere near his forte, he barely knew anything about it if he was honest with himself. Not much literature existed on the subject, what did was generally owned by those who could utilise the element.

  “Having doubts?” Solomon enquired in a hushed voice, barely loud enough for the angel to hear. It took Arariel by surprise, causing him to flinch, before relaxing his body.

  “It’s a bit late to act on them either way.”

  He forced a slight smile, trying to divert the demon’s attention away from him. Uriel was still unaware of what Solomon had suggested, and he would never agree to such a thing. The fact that Arariel had could cost him his life, or worse.

  “They are aware that we’re going to be attacked the second we enter, right?” the angel whispered, but he was greeted only by a shrug. Now the entrance loomed in front of them, he felt tenser than ever before. The aether collected at the top of the tower writhed in a distorted mess. Last time they had encountered the mage, he didn’t remember such a sickening mass of aether. Solomon too had picked up on the same fact, he stared at the tower for a moment before breaking his attention away.

  Before the demon could speak up, the northern tower erupted outwards. Shards of crystal flew into the air as a massive creature emerged, spreading its wings wide into the still air. A deep-throated chuckle filled the area as it turned around, scouring the field for prey. The gaze turned towards the two mages; they both froze on the spot, moving would only make their position more pronounced. Uriel scowled at the creature, as it was a duplicate of the one that he had fought against previously. At ground level, he was unsure how advised it would be to engage with it, the angel had taken a bad enough hit in the air.

  A well-aimed boulder cracked against the creature’s head during the silence, diverting its attention to its assailant.

  “Hey ugly, pick on something your own size!” Kaiser bellowed, launching another rock towards the oversized monster. After the second impact, the Nightmare decided it was time to silence its attacker. It launched itself into the air, nearly knocking down those stood below the creature.

  “Speak for yourself,” Uriel mumbled under his breath. Gabriel smirked at the remark and just shook his head. The angel’s opinion on the massive demon was seldom positive, his strange appearance was one thing that was highly criticised. Not many angels were keen on him. His brutish appearance embodied everything the demons were known for, savagery, aggression and a rather unappealing physique.

  “Let’s not wait around,” Sebastian spoke up, patting Solomon on the back as he passed by the mage. He cringed at the sudden touch, but soon let out a sigh of relief on seeing the King. For a second during the relative silence, he was wary that one of those creatures had managed to sneak around them, but it hadn’
t occurred. Solomon shook his head to clear his mind, jogging after Sebastian to catch his attention.

  “Can I have a quick word with you?” the young mage enquired, tugging on the demon’s arm in an attempt to get him to stop. Sebastian paused for a second to regard him, before smiling and running a gauntlet covered hand through his hair.

  “I’m already well aware we’re going to be attacked on entry, what I’m more wondering is what we’re going to be attacked by,” he responded, knowing full well what Solomon was going to warn him about, regardless if he had spoken it or not. The creature that had just burst forth from the other tower gave an indication of what lay inside. It would be a foolish move to leave the main entrance undefended or an incredibly arrogant one. With the arrival of the second wave of Nightmares, the mage had begun to realise just what he faced, or so the King believed. Never before had the three races joined in an alliance against an opponent, no such threat had ever existed previously. He had evidently wagered on the races to continue to bicker between themselves, leaving his intended target wide open, whatever that may be.

  Solomon relaxed down at the words, glad that they weren’t walking in blind. He had noticed Uriel taking heed of what had been said, adjusting his blade into a readied position. Noises of battle hung in the air around them, keeping their nerves on edge as they marched towards the opening.

  When they reached their destination, they took a cautious glance around, checking for any enemies that had broken free from the main lines. The immediate area was empty, almost too empty for their liking. While it was possible the Nightmares had just been well occupied, surely there would be at least one to greet them before being promptly cut down. Sebastian grabbed his blades and entered the spire, taking a deep breath as his eye line worked from the floor up to what appeared to be the peak. Nothing appeared out of place, but he hadn’t observed the interior before to make a proper judgement. He gestured for them to follow, which they did promptly.

  “Not the widest arena,” Uriel remarked in a hushed voice, trying to keep their presence quiet if by some stretch of the imagination the mage wasn’t aware of their arrival. Sebastian cocked his head upwards, noting what the angel had commented on. The spire narrowed towards the peak. It was logical really, but it was going to be an inconvenience with five of them up there. More so without knowing the chaos mage’s capabilities, he could easily wound them all at once if they had little room to dodge without overlapping with one another.

  “We should split up and take him from both sides,” the angel added, gesturing to a set of spiral staircases on either side of the room. Sebastian nodded and directed Solomon to the right-hand side, to which Uriel took as a cue to utilise the left-hand side.

  They carefully continued on, maintaining a defensive stance as they climbed the too conveniently placed staircase. As the top of the first floor became visible, Solomon started to feel wary. Something wasn’t right, but he was having a hard time pinpointing the issue. Compared to the time he had visited with Arariel to now, there was a very slight difference between the two. He examined the area, hoping to pick up the alteration that was bothering him. His attention was directed to the top of the staircase, the top stair misaligned with the platform ever so slightly and it bore a crack, a fresh one to the look of it. As they reached the top, he paced other to the opposite side and observed a similar phenomenon on that side, as if the platform had been shifted from the original location. Arariel walked over the demon mage, wondering what was bothering him.

  “Something’s just not right here,” he spoke, gazing over to watch as the leaders started up the next set of staircases, once they were satisfied that there was no rogue mage on this layer.

  “That crack on the stairs and something about the wall just irks me,” Arariel commented, causing both of them to warily eye the crystalline structure.

  “So glad you could join me here today,” Maelor announced from above them, causing them to violently flinch. Judging by the reaction of Uriel, Gabriel and Sebastian above them, it was obvious exactly who had spoken those words. “I don’t appreciate you bringing your own mages, however,” the mage continued, his voice lavished with spite as he spoke. On cue, the floor the two mages were stood on shattered and collapsed, leaving them in mid-air. Solomon snapped out of the shock of having the floor beneath his feet disappear and grabbed Arariel by the arm, keeping them afloat with fast, powerful flaps of his wings. The angel hadn’t quite managed the same yet. “You didn’t think that was all, did you?” he enquired, watching as Arariel collected himself and managed to fly without the demon’s aid.

  “Solomon, Arariel, behind you!” Sebastian bellowed at them, watching as a massive, two-headed serpentine form began to reveal behind them, heads posed ready to strike. Solomon closed his wings tight to his body and let himself drop, digging his fingers of one arm into the skin of the other. With the blood that ran to the surface, the demon threw a sharp bolt made from the dark liquid at the second head. It distracted it long enough for Arariel to move clear of the oncoming attack. The first head, however, continued to launch forward, only narrowly missing the demon as he dropped through the air. The distance between what was the first platform and the base of the tower was minimal, he only managed to slow his fall enough to stop him painfully crashing into the shards below. The blow was still enough to wind him, however. Uriel tried to descend back down the staircase, only to be met with an invisible barrier.

  "You can't help them," he mocked, earning a scowl from the angel. Uriel glanced over to Sebastian and nodded; the only way to gain access to the lower levels again would be to defeat the one that stood before them.

  "They can handle themselves, they're not Court Mages for no reason," Gabriel spoke up in defiance. While he was concerned for Arariel's well-being, allowing their opponent to rile them up was unadvised. The response he received was satisfying. Seeing the mage's confidence deflate, even slightly, was a minor victory. He decided to seize the moment and gripped his blade tight, speeding forward with a deadly charge. Sebastian was not one to wait on ceremony and followed suit, aiming towards the mage's neck.

  Meanwhile, Arariel had rushed to Solomon's aid, trying to get the demon back on his feet before the Nightmare lined up a second attack.

  "Come on, let's go," he shouted, gripping Solomon by the arm and putting all his strength into lifting him up. The difference in height made it troublesome, but he managed to heave him up enough to get him back on his feet. They needed to get the beast away from the tower to allow them sizeable room to fight. It appeared entirely focused on them which made the task easier. As the two made for the exit, the creature patiently followed behind, enjoying their attempt to run. "Is it time for your plan?" Arariel hastily enquired, sneaking a glance behind them.

  "Don't think there's going to be any better time," Solomon replied, turning to face the creature now they were clear and out in the open. The angel stopped next to him, cowering at the towering beast in front of them. Even with his proposed idea, could they really take such a thing? Somehow he even doubted that Kaiser would manage to wrestle down this one if he wasn't already busy with the other giant.

  "This may hurt, really I have no idea," he admitted, breaking Arariel away from his thoughts. Potential pain wasn't something that had been discussed, but given the suggestion, it was foolish to believe it would be a painless procedure. He would be utilising his magic to essentially absorb the angel's body into his own, merging their individual strengths. It was promised that Arariel would preserve his body once the battle was over, with minimal damage, assuming they weren't injured too badly. Doubts were rising again as to the foolishness of him to agree to such a thing. Solomon had even stated that he had never undergone such a transformation previously. Yet facing down the monster in front of them, if they tried to stand separately both of them would surely perish.

  "Just make sure this damned thing dies," Arariel huffed, finally residing himself to the fact it was too late to back out of their agreement. He fel
t Solomon place a hand on his neck. The demon's palm was warmer than expected, but the fact he wasn’t sketching any runes was strange.

  "I might have already have done that half," he spoke in reply to his confusion. Since the confrontation was inevitable, the mage had already taken the opportunity to prepare the necessary steps one of the nights the angel had been sleeping. Taking a deep breath, Solomon wrapped his wings around Arariel before starting a low chant. A dark mist began to envelop them, shrouding them from view. The mana encrusted display attracted the Nightmare closer, its body forming a wide loop around them, the dual heads pressing their snouts towards the edge of the shroud.

  A flickering pitch black line formed across one head and a wavering bright white light formed on the other, before erupting out in a spectacular fashion. Its fascination was exchanged for excruciating pain, causing it to violently jerk back and scream. The cloaking shroud lifted, revealing a figure clad in flowing dark silk with an eloquent silver pattern work. Beneath the robes four wings protruded, the top set was sharp and fearsome with a faded crimson, tattered membrane spread across the frame. The bottom set bore the regal elegance that came with the pure white feathers of an angel, glowing in the cold sun as the being stretched them out. His face was obscured by a hood, letting off an eerie presence.

  "This wasn't what I expected," Solomon spoke, "I question what dubious things my father used to do now." He flexed his altered form, examining the cruel sharpness that had become his fingers.

  "Are you complaining?" Arariel's voice spoke up in his mind, giving him the reassurance that the angel had survived the spell.

  "Oh no, this is much more preferable to some grotesque beast," he replied with a grin, directing his attention back to their follower. It was glaring at them, letting off a faint hiss, wary of entering close quarters after the last incident. The scales lining its body flared upwards, revealing a flickering blue flame hidden underneath. "I don't think it likes us."