Relic of the God

by Philip C. Quaintrell

  Asher growled. “Just like all the others… you talk too much.”

  He broke into a sprint, aware that Valanis was still sitting down, and tried his damnedest to look as if he was about to lunge. After clearing the pillar, the ranger dashed to his right, his red cloak swept out behind him. The pool was so close, only a few feet and he could make the jump. His hand went for the gem on his belt, ready to wrestle control of the magic.

  Asher’s senses found it hard to understand what happened, but it didn't really matter; Valanis was emerging from the pool as he had the other. The ranger skidded to a stop when the dark elf stepped out of the pool, dripping solid crystals that quickly turned back to liquid. He tilted his head, searching the spot where Valanis had been sitting behind him, but there was no sign of life. The elf in front of him was no illusion.

  Valanis smiled in amusement. “That's your plan?” The dark elf laughed, striding towards the ranger. “These pools nearly killed me, they would turn you inside out. Besides, the gods would never allow you to draw power from this well.”

  “I've got something you don't.” Asher continued to back off with his blade held high.

  “I have The Veil now.” Valanis looked to Gideon’s frozen form. “After I bring back the gods I won't need Paldora’s gem, I'll be a god! Besides, even with the gem, you’re still human. You overestimate yourself.”

  Asher could feel the dark elf’s skin temperature rising, his heart rate increasing. “I might not have eyes, but I can still see. You need the gem, even now. How long have you got before that shard on your finger runs dry.”

  “Oh, I see,” Valanis purred. “You hope to survive until I collapse. I'll have you crippled and The Veil in my grasp in moments. It really depends on how slowly I beat you into the ground…”

  The ranger halted his retreat and ran at Valanis, jumping into the air with his rune blade pointed at his face. The elf took a step back and shifted his shoulders, evading the edge of the silvyr by inches. Every swipe of his blade found nothing but air, with Valanis taking a step back in time with every swing.

  The dark elf batted the short-sword from his hand and grabbed him by the throat. “Don't worry, you'll live long enough to witness the new age.”

  Asher dropped the rune blade and thrashed under the pressure around his throat. He ran through the counter-attack that seemed most obvious, but Valanis was quicker and stronger. If he lashed out with his free hand, the elf would surely intercept it and cause more damage. It had been many years since the ranger had executed such an unorthodox technique, but it was the only thing he could do to get out of the vice-like hold. Using Valanis’ outstretched arm as leverage, the ranger pulled his legs up and entwined them around the limb before twisting his whole body. Valanis had two choices in that moment; release him or suffer a dislocated arm.

  Asher found his answer when the ground rushed up to meet him, delivering a painful impact against his back. Even now, the ranger could hear Nasta Nal-Aket’s voice echoing through his memories.

  Never give them an inch, boy! Grit your teeth and acknowledge pain for the old friend that it is. Always attack!

  Asher gritted his teeth and lashed out with his leg, bringing his foot into the back of Valanis’ knee. The dark elf dropped to one knee and the ranger brought his other foot up to kick him in the face. A cascade of dark robes rolled away but Asher could taste the blood in the air. Valanis slowly rose from the ground with his finger examining the cut on his bottom lip. The ranger could hear the blood being rubbed between the elf’s finger and thumb.

  “Don't worry,” Asher groaned. “You’ll see a lot more of that before I'm finished with you.”

  Valanis sneered and came at Asher with a vengeance. The ranger’s senses could interpret the elf’s attacks, but his mind and muscles simply weren't up to the task of competing. Valanis landed blow after blow into Asher’s chest, gut and face. Each one hurt like hell and pushed the ranger back until the dark elf finally stopped holding back. The last fist shot out like a hammer into Asher’s chest and took his feet from the ground. The flight across the cavern was short, brought to an end by one of the natural pillars.

  Had Asher still been in possession of eyes, his vision would have been blurry from the knock to his head. Thankfully, his heightened senses continued to fill his mind with information about his surroundings. Unfortunately, they told him Valanis was walking towards him. The dark elf picked him up with ease by the throat and pinned him to the pillar.

  “Perhaps I'll keep you as a pet. I might even give you your eyes back. That way you can kneel at my throne and watch as the god of war cleanses your filth from the earth.”

  Asher could feel his face going from red to purple. The ranger stopped grasping at Valanis’ wrist and gripped the elf’s thumb, bending it inwards until he heard the snap. Air rushed into his desperate lungs but he had no time to steady himself; Valanis was clutching his broken thumb with a face of rage. Asher threw one arm out and then the other, doing his best to ruin the dark elf’s chiseled features and land a punch that might disorientate him. Valanis took every one before he whipped up his hand and caught Asher’s fist. Knuckles of steel shot out and collided with the ranger’s face.

  Blacking out was the only conclusion Asher could come to, having no memory of falling at all. Valanis was standing over him drooling blood from his battered mouth. The first kick was delivered when Asher found his hands and knees, but the second kick sent him rolling across the ground with more than one broken rib. The ranger stayed where his momentum had left him, his red cloak splayed out. Every breath was agony, but the feel of silvyr against his leg focused him. The short-sword was hidden beneath his cloak and Valanis was approaching.

  A strong hand grasped the back of his leather armour, by the neck, and yanked him up. Asher turned around on his way up and gave nothing away as he thrust the rune blade towards Valanis’ gut. That should have been it. The blade had been hidden, carefully picked up without the silvyr scraping along the ground. Yet, somehow, the dark elf had intercepted the blade by the hilt and twisted it around in the blink of an eye.

  Asher gasped, gripping the hilt of his own blade, the blade that was now inside of him.

  The ranger couldn't form a single word. Pain and shock had a hold of his tongue and refused to let go. His knees quickly went weak, but he barely noticed the impact of the ground.

  Valanis stepped back. “If you didn't see this coming, you weren't half the man I gave you credit for.” The dark elf tugged at the pouch on Asher’s belt, feeling the gem within. “To think of all the blood I shed to hold this. Now, at the end, I don’t even need it.” Valanis removed the gem and discarded it beside the ranger as if it were naught but a rock.

  Asher opened his mouth to say something, anything. Through laboured breath, the ranger remained on his knees as Valanis turned around and walked towards the others. Reyna’s arrow had finally left her bow, sailing silently through the air until Valanis tapped it away. Gideon was helpless to do anything when The Veil was picked from his inside pocket.

  “At last…” Valanis held up a small metallic orb.

  Asher fell back as a jolt of sharp pain ran through his gut. He had failed. In moments, Valanis would open the portal and Atilan would be free, the most powerful caster the world had ever known. For all the lives Asher had saved, he realised now that all he had done was give them a bit more time. A great shadow was about to consume Verda and all he could do was bleed out and watch the beginning of the end.

  As his senses faded, the only thing he could focus on was the sound of the crystal pools and their hypnotic motion. The ranger tilted his head. The nearest pool was only a foot beyond his head. Behind the miniature waves, Asher could still hear the beating hearts of his friends. They were still alive, which meant there was still a chance.

  It took everything he had to pull the silvyr blade free of his body and keep his mouth shut. Blood immediately poured out of the gaping wound, taking what little remained of his life with it. He
had only seconds before his limbs disobeyed his command and left him to die. Everything felt slow, but the ranger crawled over the ground and lifted himself over the lip of the pool. The warmth bathed his face, beckoning him.

  With nothing to lose, he snatched the gem from the ground and fell in.

  A loud protest escaped Valanis’ mouth, but the words were lost on Asher. The ranger felt every inch of his body submerge into what felt like a storm underwater. Time quickly lost all meaning, leaving him to wonder if he had been inside this cocoon of magic for eternity, dreaming of his life as a ranger. His skin, muscles, and skeleton felt like three people living inside his body, each growing out of proportion to the other. The agony quickly turned into ecstasy before returning sharply to searing pain again. Voices came at him from the void, some threatening, others promising unlimited power.

  At first there was a resistance and the magic of the pools threatened to abandon him. The gods, as they liked to be known, were withholding their power. Asher gripped the gem, demanding more magic. The tug of war raged between him and the gods, each vying for more control. The gem couldn’t be denied. The ranger could feel the magic being drawn from the pool and fed into his being. He was winning…

  The darkness was banished when a circle of light appeared from above. Looking up, if looking was the right description, the circle moved with the same motion as the pools, the light fractured by the ever-shifting crystals. Asher wasn't sure what was real or tangible anymore, but he could feel Paldora’s gem in his closed fist.

  He thought of Reyna, Nathaniel… Faylen. The haze began to lift as his focus returned. How he moved he wasn't sure, but he wanted to reach the light and so he did. Reality and all its sharp edges returned with a renewed clarity. He was seeing the world again, his eyes restored and the blindfold gone. The wound in his gut was replaced by smooth skin and the strength in his bones felt harder than silvyr.

  Valanis was staring at him.

  Asher looked down at his closed fist and saw the light within, shining through the gaps in his fingers. Unlike Valanis, his skin wasn't glowing and his heart wasn't pounding to keep up with the magic that coursed through his veins. He had complete control.

  “It’s not possible…” the elf whispered.

  Asher smiled and sank back into the pool. He re-emerged from the pool above Valanis’ head and dropped down, flipping his body to stand on what appeared to be the ceiling. The ranger back-handed the elf with a fist that had magic pulsing within. The dark elf flew into the pool that lined the wall, disappearing under the glow of the crystals. He looked about, but Valanis was yet to show himself, hiding somewhere inside the network that connected every pool.

  The ranger erected a shield around himself, ensuring he couldn't be attacked from behind while he freed his friends. A wave of the hand shattered the spell that encased them all, sending shards of fractured air floating around the companions as they tried to make sense of what was happening.

  Faylen cupped his face. “Your eyes…”

  “What’s happening?” Adilandra asked.

  “Where’s Valanis?” Gideon kept Mournblade held high. The Dragorn felt his chest and his face dropped. “Where’s The Veil?”

  “Beyond your reach!” Valanis bellowed from the other side of the cavern. The dark elf stepped out of the pool with The Veil floating over his open palm. “You may have the gem, Ranger. But all that magic won't help you against me.” Valanis held up the back of his hand, displaying the silver ring that had once belonged to Asher. “We’re both immune to magic. How long before I prise that rock from your hand and watch you explode?”

  Asher gripped Paldora’s gem tightly. “I'm a lot stronger now…” The ranger squeezed Faylen’s hand before jumping into the air. He only had to jump so far before the shift in gravity pulled him up and had him diving through the pool above.

  In the beat of a heart, the ranger launched himself out of the pool behind Valanis and grabbed the elf with both arms. The two struggled, but Asher could feel the difference between their strength was marginal now. The crystals were thrown about in their thrashing as the ranger pulled Valanis back into the pool with him. Their fight continued on another plane as they travelled between pools, each taking blows that would kill an ordinary man.

  They emerged from every pool with only a second between each appearance. Blinding flashes of light illuminated the shadows when Asher planted a solid hit against the dark elf’s face. The power of the crystals continuously healed them, forcing the fighters to tear their opponent from the pools to inflict damage. Still, Valanis was stronger. Asher knew that even with the gem, there was only so long he could keep this fight going.

  The ranger waited until they emerged from the pools closest to the group before reaching for The Veil. Asher slammed Valanis’ arm down on the jagged edge of the pool and jammed his elbow into the elf’s wrist, releasing his hold of the orb. Gideon’s warning about any man touching The Veil was a distant echo in Asher’s mind; wresting it from Valanis was his sole focus.

  “NO!” Valanis screamed.

  “Don't!” the Dragorn shouted.

  Asher caught The Veil and threw it towards them, where it exploded with brilliant light.

  “Destroy it!” Asher yelled before Valanis struck him across the face.

  The dark elf made to leave the pool but Asher gripped him by the waist and yanked him back in, bringing them out from another pool where they could see the others. Gideon was running for the metallic orb sat beneath the portal of light. Valanis struck Asher again and tried to dive out of the pool, but Asher wasn't letting go, clawing at the elf’s skin. They were both glued in place with the ranger holding back Valanis with one arm wrapped around his arm and the other around his throat. All they could do was watch as a hand pushed through the white light. The dark elf lessened his struggle in that moment, believing that he was witnessing the emergence of a god.

  Gideon slid across the ground with the grace of an elf and swiped his Vi’tari blade over his head. The hand parted cleanly from its arm and fell at the Dragorn’s feet. Valanis jostled and thrashed to get free, screaming as he did. The dark elf placed his free hand over Asher’s closed fist, the arm of which was currently wrapped around his throat, and squeezed with all his might. The ranger could feel the gem piercing his flesh as his bones were crushed around it.

  Gideon had The Veil in his hand now. The Dragorn leaped and ran up the nearest pillar until he was by the edge of a pool, nestled between a cluster of stalactites. He thrust his hand into the crystals and uttered a single destructive spell. Having his hand inside the pool was clearly unpleasant for the young mage, but his cry of pain never stopped him from fulfilling his duty.

  Asher could feel the magic inside the pools change. A surge of raw power pulled at the crystals from another realm, as if every pool was about to be sucked under. Valanis continued to crush his hand and the gem within, but the ranger had him in a hold that couldn't easily be broken.

  “NO!” the dark elf cried.

  Bloodied, red robes and the head of a mage’s staff entered their reality, followed by the head and shoulders of an old man with a long, white beard. A weathered face of rage and torment poked through the white light.

  Gideon shouted down at the king of the gods, “This world was never yours to claim!” The Dragorn exerted more energy, pouring his might into the spell.

  The white light suddenly collapsed in on itself, severing Atilan’s head and shoulders from his body. Valanis stopped struggling at the sight and his grip around Asher’s fist finally eased.

  “It cannot be,” the dark elf whispered, his words barely audible.

  Asher tightened his arm around Valanis’ throat. “If you didn't see this coming…” The dark elf began to struggle again, threatening to break his hold. “Ah… you get it!” The ranger poured magic into his strength and twisted his arm around, bringing Valanis’ head with it.

  The herald of the gods went limp in Asher’s arms. The ranger looked down at his glow
ing body and let it sink beneath the crystal surface. Valanis was dead.

  Gideon dropped back down to their orientation with a smoking hand. Asher could feel through the pools that there was nothing left of The Veil. He could also feel the ripple effect its destruction was having on the well of magic that supported Kaliban. The cavern began to quake and the walls crumbled. Stalactites were shaken free and sent careening in every direction, their fall distorted by the shifts in gravity.

  “We need to get out of here!” Galanӧr warned. “The whole cavern is collapsing!”

  “Asher, come on!” Nathaniel beckoned.

  The ranger remained very still, half of his body still inside the pool.

  “Asher!” Reyna added to the call.

  Faylen was the first to rush to the edge of the pool and place a hand on Asher’s shoulder. “What’s wrong? Why aren't you coming?”

  “We need to go!” Gideon shouted over the falling rock.

  Adilandra held up her hands and cast a spell to stop a slab of rock from falling on Reyna and Nathaniel as they joined Faylen by Asher’s side.

  “I cannot follow…” Asher said. He hated the effect his words had on his friends’ faces. The ranger held out his hand and revealed the black dust, the remains of Paldora’s gem, as it fell from his palm.

  “No!” Reyna screamed with fresh tears streaming down her face.

  Nathaniel couldn't find any words, his expression twisted into horror and despair. Faylen tentatively placed a hand on Asher’s cheek with tears of her own streaking down her face.

  “I'm sorry…” Asher whispered.

  Faylen tilted her head, oblivious to the destruction around them. “We never got to live…”

  Asher nodded, unable to keep his tears back. “I know.”

  Without the gem, the pools of Naius unleashed their power on the ranger. He was forced back into the depths under its raw magnitude. His cry was no longer human, distorted by the magic. Golden veins pulsed against his glowing skin, threatening to expand until he was turned inside out. He was left panting on the lip of the pool, unsure when the end would finally take him.