Fallen Sepulchre

by J D Franx

  “Well done,” Giddeon complemented. The large dragon grabbed onto the wall and scaled up the side of Cora's Den at the edge of GutterTown. It shrieked and headed to the marketplace. Turning to Galen he nodded. “Go, now. Xallis and I will slow the dragon. Go!” Galen bowed to them before he turned and ran toward the slum’s far gate.

  The black dragon took flight, diving and landing only a short distance from where they stood. The impact shook the ground and nearly knocked both wizards off their feet. Giddeon stared up at the massive Behemoth, but for the first time realized it was not a true Dragon. A putrid energy rose from the being like greasy smoke as if a vile magic had corrupted the creature, leaving it in a constant state of decay. Its tattered wings should not have been able to support flight, were clearly enhanced by magic to give it the skyward advantage. Rotting scales the size of tower shields dripped with the same corruption. Veins of black and purple coursed through the creature’s flesh, and vibrant silver marred the edges of each scale, leading Giddeon to have once believed a DeathWizard was responsible for its creation. Now, he was not so sure.

  He frowned, trying to imagine what possible vile magic had been used to create such an abomination. A bright light snapped behind him and caught his attention. He whirled, the words of magic forming rapidly on his tongue. Stopping short as he recognized the man behind him, Giddeon shook his head in disbelief.

  “What's the matter, ArchWizard? Never seen a Vascuul before?”

  “Commander Zatassa? What are you doing here?”

  “Your city has been attacked by one of my corrupted forefathers and several of my mutated Kin along with hordes of other Vascuul,” he stated, pointing to the flying creatures as two other DragonKin Zephyrs raced to engage the flying creatures. A lone female Zephyr stayed beside Zatassa.

  “This is ancient magic, ArchWizard Zirakus. It is what your Ancients do best,” she said.

  “The Ancients didn't do this,” Giddeon replied. “They haven’t even made an appearance here.”

  “Yet they are not present to help when their creations attack your city,” Zatassa said, pushing past Giddeon. The black dragon roared as the DragonKin commander stepped forward, challenging it. “My mistress will deal with you creature,” he shouted, pointing at the corrupted dragon. “Leave this city or fall here, breathing your last among those you hate.”

  “Shelaryx is a Dragon, then,” Giddeon said, awestruck.

  “Yes,” Zatassa said. “But she is weak from suppressing our magic over the numerous millennia. We may have to help her fight the alakvalto.”

  Giddeon frowned at the strange word. “It is Dragon-tongue,” Xallis told him, quickly translating. “It means changeling of evil.”

  “Made good use of your time in Ta’Caeryss,” Giddeon muttered, and Xallis shrugged. Both ducked as the dragon roared a second time and opened its rotting jaws. Sinister black fire spewed out, and Commander Zatassa threw his arms wide. The green, flame tattoos covering his body pulsed with energy. It activated a shimmering shield of emerald fire to cover himself, Giddeon, and Xallis. The poisonous black fire hit the shield hard, forcing Zatassa to his knees, but his shield held. The attack rolled up over the shield and struck a building behind them. Giddeon paled as he watched the black flames eat into the building like acid. Whatever the sticky fire did not eat immediately, the flames' outer edges consumed. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end at the thought of what the vile magic would do to armored or unprotected flesh.

  From out of nowhere, a second impact smashed into the ground, staggering the three men and cutting off the noxious dragon-fire. Giddeon glanced up to see a white dragon grappling on top of the black. With its jaws locked tight behind the black's head, the white used its front claws to push the black dragon's wings flat. Bone popped as the white Dragon shook its head, peeling putrid scales and flesh from the black's neck.

  Turning to Giddeon, Zatassa smiled. “My queen will deal with the alakvalto for now. We must stop the flying Kin from distracting her as she fights, and we must assist her when we can by distracting it.”

  Giddeon did not answer. He could not tear his eyes from the incredible sight of the two majestic creatures battling. The white Dragon stabbed the black with her tail spur, and it screamed in agony as the bladed tailbone punched through its belly and into the dirt underneath. On the verge of losing the fight, the black shook its body, kicking up dust around its claws. The vibrations rolled through the ground and tickled the soles of Giddeon's feet. He gasped as a dozen long spikes along the black dragon's back snapped upward, piercing through the scales on Shelaryx's shiny white belly. Blood poured from the wounds, and she cried out in pain as her jaws released the black’s neck. The intense shaking tore the wounds wide, and finally, she jumped from its back before she was completely disemboweled by the vibrating spines.

  Shelaryx stumbled as she landed and exposed her side. The black dragon lunged. The female Zephyr rushed forward and sticky emerald fire leapt from both her hands. The green fire splashed against the black's side, up its neck, and across its face. The distraction drove it back several steps and gave the vulnerable queen time to recover. Shelaryx shook her head as her tail coiled up and shot out, striking the black's shoulder. Leaping ahead, she slammed into the black, knocking it from its feet and onto its back. Stomping and slashing with her back claws, Shelaryx lunged at the black's throat, her jaws clacking as she missed time and again. Three mutated DragonKin swooped down to help their fellow Vascuul, but both Zatassa and the female Zephyr unleashed more magic to draw their attention away.

  Sparkling emerald fireballs and dark green spears of ice rocketed away at staggered intervals. Two of the flying DragonKin rolled through the fireballs but were impaled by the spears of ice as Xallis distorted the air around them. They dropped from the sky and hit the ground with a solid crunch. The third flying Kin swooped low, and it dodged both attacks as it headed straight for Zatassa. Xallis stepped up and pulled more magic from his grimoires while Giddeon barked the words to Gabriel Alatar's lightning spell. The mutated Kin was far faster than the others, and it landed among Zatassa and his companion unharmed by their magic. It lashed out with a set of wicked blades that surprised Giddeon. He had not seen anyone use a bladed hand-glaive in over a century.

  Zatassa and the female Zephyr drew their green swords to defend themselves as Shelaryx continued her frenzied assault against the black. Scales and rotten flesh flew from her back claws, but finally, the black got its back legs under it and flung her into the sky. Shelaryx dove back down and crashed into the black. The two dragons rolled across the marketplace, slashing and hissing as they crushed vendor stalls and a store. Giddeon and Xallis dove behind a stone wall as a spiked black tail whipped past their heads and leveled the burning building behind them.

  Shelaryx pushed off the black Vascuul dragon, belching a stream of searing flame as her wings carried her higher into the air and out of range of the black’s spiked tail. Instead, its tail crashed into the second floor of the Merchant's Inn and swept through to the other side. The Dragon Queen did not hesitate. Folding her wings, she plummeted the forty feet back to the earth and landed amidst the burning magic atop the black dragon.

  The black Vascuul was ready for her and grabbed Shelaryx. Both rolled into the building and the inn collapsed while the two dragons fell through the floor into the large basement. Giddeon watched on in horror as a roar of defiance shrieked out of the rubble, followed by the muffled explosion of whiskey barrels and more noxious black flame. He heard Shelaryx bellow in agony as the black dragon burst backward from the wreckage with a torrent of acidic black fire spilling from its mouth. For a full twenty seconds the black dragon saturated the destroyed inn with its vile dragon-breath. Commander Zatassa and the female Zephyr fought desperately to reach the inn, but the lone mutated DragonKin was more than a match for them.

  “ArchWizard!” Zatassa yelled. “Help my queen n—” His words were cut short by a frenzied attack of flashing glaives.

&n
bsp; Giddeon attacked the black dragon without thinking twice on it. As Xallis crept through the rubble with his grimoires in hand, the ArchWizard continued his assault, chanting the words to several spells one after the other.

  “Kveysa drepa,” he barked. Lightning leapt from his hands, sparking across the black dragon's chest but failing to penetrate the heavy scales. Without missing his chant cadence, a second spell followed on the heels of the first.

  “Leysa Svell.” Spinning blades of intense cold whistled away. Smashing into the dragon's chest, the cold cracked numerous scales. Giddeon planted both feet, trembling from the immense strain caused by the third spell leaving his lips.

  “Kippa bjarga—” The spell's first words pulled large slivers of stone from the ground beneath his feet and nearly drained Giddeon's magical reserves. Still, he continued casting. “Hvessa'...” The large spear-like shards of rock floated into the air and spun, humming with intensity. Blood dripped from his nose as he pushed himself harder, forcing the spell's final words from his mouth. “Foss hrinda!” The Shards of Hell Mountain rocketed away at subsonic speeds, smashing into the black dragon's chest. Frozen scales cracked and peeled away, staggering the great beast and bringing it to its front knees. A roar of defiance bellowed from its throat, and it quickly regained its feet.

  From the inn's far side, Xallis attacked. Pulling water from the river winding through the center of Corynth, he sprayed the inn, dousing the flames with one hand while the other sent jets of thin water stitching up the monster's neck and split a horn on its head. The dragon spun toward him, roaring with rage as the broken horn spun into the ruined buildings. Dropping his connection to the water, Xallis raised his arms and pulled magic from his grimoires as well as the earth below the dragon's claws. Giant spires of rock exploded from the ground beneath the black dragon. A sharp spire of stone pierced each shoulder, and two more punched through the black monster's tattered wings. A final pillar of rock burst from the earth and punctured its tail.

  Growling, the dragon fought to tear itself free of the stone spikes, but Xallis held the stone together, refusing to release his magic. The dragon heaved itself to the right and cracked several of the stone pillars. Xallis reinforced the rock from within, forcing more magic into the spires. Giddeon paled. He could see Xallis tremble as he continuously reformed the stone holding the impaled black dragon. The ArchWizard drew his staff from his back and used the enchanted magic inside to attack the dragon from the rear. Energy bolts jumped from the staff but did little damage. With his own magic depleted, the distraction was all he could do to help the young Elementalist.

  Tremors raced through Xallis, and his whole body shook from the stress of taxing the Archaic Grimoires and himself. No longer able to hold on, he collapsed to his knees when Shelaryx WhiteScale burst from the smoldering rubble of the inn. Belching flames at the black dragon, she crawled her way out of the hole. Her spurred tail lashed out, knocking the black sideways and cracking three of the massive stone spikes. Giddeon stared in awe openly before having to dive behind a rock wall as chunks of stone and dragon flesh bounced around him.

  Shelaryx attacked relentlessly, curling her tail and spewing more flames. Still pinned in place, the black dragon lowered its head and exhaled more acidic black fire. The Dragon Queen unfurled her tail. It snapped forward, striking the black's chest. With little protection left after Giddeon's shard spell, her spur slid past the few cracked scales deep into its body and came out between its hips. Forcing her tail spikes to stand, Shelaryx ripped her tail free on an angle meant to shred the black dragon's insides. The black fire winked out as the dragon collapsed in the dirt. One last bellow of defiance ripped from the black's throat as the Dragon Queen’s tail spur slammed into its head. Not satisfied, the white Dragon leapt forward, sinking her teeth into her enemy's throat. With a growl and a savage twist from her powerful neck, she tore the Vascuul's head off and dropped it on the ground. She fell to her knees already transforming into Human-form.

  Giddeon glanced over the wall and saw Zatassa and the female Zephyr still fighting against their winged Kin. Both DragonKin warriors attacked relentlessly and fought as one, but the mutated Vascuul was too fast. His long-bladed glaives blocked every swing of their glass swords. Turning toward Giddeon as he danced around the attacking blades, the winged Vascuul saw the dead dragon. Lunging at Zatassa, the creature knocked him to the earth and jumped into the sky while his wings opened. Looking back for a second, the creature grinned and wheeled away and was out of sight in a heartbeat.

  Zatassa sheathed his swords and rushed to his queen. He helped her to her feet as the female Zephyr draped a robe over her naked body. Giddeon approached cautiously.

  “You finally decided to help,” he stated, but quickly changed his tone. “Thank you for coming.”

  Queen WhiteScale nodded. “I promised your son we would help as much as we could. Even this is a risk for the Fae that are at the GutterTown gates helping with the evacuation. Such a huge risk is… my apologies, Giddeon, but we could not let Corynth fall. We will need it in the days and months to come.”

  “Thank you,” he repeated and offered a respectful bow. “We should—”

  He was interrupted by a blaze of white magic from the market’s far side. A strange woman dressed in a white hooded and masked robe stepped out from the Fae realm jump magic, but she was not Fae. Giddeon recognized her vibrant purple eyes as identical to Sythrnax’s.

  “My queen,” Zatassa hissed. “That is the Vikress. We do not have the numbers to fight them without the Fae. We must leave, now.”

  As the realm jump magic faded, Giddeon’s caught sight of two more flying Vascuul diving toward them from the sky. The Vikress reached out with both her hands and black magic flared to life. It raced away, snaring the two Vascuul. As if pulling a rope, the Vikress dragged them from the sky with a force unlike anything Giddeon had ever seen. The two mutated DragonKin smashed into the earth and died instantly, crushed on impact.

  Another snap of Fae magic cracked beside him, and Giddeon turned as a young Fae woman stepped from the light. The light did not fade as she kept the doorway active.

  “We have to leave! Now!” she barked. “Ri’Tek have entered the city at numerous locations, and I can’t find Matriarch Thornwing.”

  “Kyr, what happened” Shelaryx demanded.

  Kyr Meadow shook her head. “The gate where we were helping… the enemy controls it. We had to flee.”

  “Mistress,” Zatassa said and extended his hand out toward the Fae portal. “Please.”

  The Queen nodded and stepped into the bright vortex, followed by Zatassa and the female Zephyr.

  “Good luck, ArchWizard,” Kyr said and followed the DragonKin. Giddeon frowned as the vortex collapsed behind the Fae’s second-in-command.

  “ArchWizard Giddeon Zirakus?”

  Giddeon turned and took a deep breath as the purple eyed woman approached, accompanied by two others. One was dressed in a heavy robe, and the other was in armor unlike any Giddeon had seen in Talohna before. Both wore masks but had the same purple star-burst eyes. “Yes?”

  “My name is Illara D’Artagen. I am the Vikress of the race you call the Ancients. This is one of my military leaders, Commander Tuz.” The Vikress gestured to the woman in the robe. “And my priestess, Lady Kaheen. Can my people and I offer you assistance in dealing with the monsters destroying your city?”

  Giddeon gaped, too stunned to answer.

  “ArchWizard?” The Vikress prompted him, again. “While you still have a city standing, may we offer our help?”

  Giddeon nodded at the absurd request but could not get his tongue to work.

  The Vikress nodded to the warriors, and they each opened a realm jump vortex and left to the distinct crack of Fae magic.

  The Vikress offered him a slight bow and offered him her arm. “My people will destroy or drive the creatures from your city. You and I have much to discuss, and I have little time. My people are needed at other locations across
Talohna. I would like to inform you of our intentions and for you to arrange an official meeting with your new queen for when we return in a few days’ time. Shall we?” she asked and pointed across the market to the Cascade Citadel and Giddeon’s wizard tower.

  Giddeon forced himself to smile and nodded, again. There was little else he could do.

  WESTERN GATE

  GUTTERTOWN

  “Slowly, people, please,” Eva Thornwing yelled across the mass of panicked people as she helped guide Corynth’s citizens through the gate in the western wall. The terrified atmosphere calmed almost immediately. The poor helped carry the injured rich and the rich not injured helped carry street orphans, merchants, noblemen, and city guards helped the Fae defend both—whether they were from their own social status or not. Eva smiled even in the heat and panic of the attack. It gave her hope to see such unity, and it added to the guilt she already felt for pulling the Fae off-phase from Talohna so long ago.

  Several children ran past. The fear in their auras caught her off guard and nearly made her sick to her stomach. A young teenage girl ran by but stumbled as she struggled to carry her injured brother—at least that was Eva’s guess. She rushed forward to help and brushed against the girl. It sent a shiver down her spine. The young girl—no older than thirteen—carried no fear in her aura, but there was something else she could not identify. It was something powerful. With no time to waste, she helped the girl to her feet and sent them toward the gate. As the two vanished into the crowd of escaping citizens, she frowned and wondered who the young girl was.

  “Mistress!” a voice yelled. Eva turned in time to see a storm of blue lightning hurdling for her. She sidestepped the attack, and the magic tore into a Vascuul creeper as it jaws snapped shut in the space she had just occupied. The massive mutated millipede fell back dead, its shell cracked wide open.