Nero and Larinca drew their wands and exchanged worried glances. That did not stop them from stepping into the hallway and closing the door behind them. Alastor’s ears were flattened against his head, and his whole body pointed in one direction, stretched as far as his muscles allowed.
Through gestures, Nero told Larinca to cover the right side while he covered the left. She nodded and unleashed all her magical power. Her body began its transformation, though it could not fully complete it: the power of Goddess Velmar within one of her sacred places prevented them from unleashing their full demonic magic. Nero crouched down and stroked Alastor’s snout, signaling him to protect Larinca, gently nudging him toward her.
As Nero rose to his feet, a hooded figure lunged at him from the shadows.
—Mega apple pie explosion! —said Larinca, pointing her wand at the attacker. A green glyph illuminated the hallway, and dozens of apple pies shot toward the person assaulting Nero, hurling them down the stairs. The sound of the pies splattering and spreading across the staircase was a cheerful squelch—. Nero, I don’t need someone protecting me. You, on the other hand...
—Have you named one of your spells? —said Nero.
—Yes! —said Larinca—. Does it bother you?
—What? That’s really cool! —said Nero.
—You should name yours too! —said Larinca.
Four more attackers fell upon them. They were assassins from Sylthmir. They wore the colors of their homeland on their clothes, and each held a dangerously sharp knife in either hand, with countless others sheathed in places hidden beneath their cloaks and folds of fabric.
Nero focused on the two on his side of the hallway. The fact that they were not warlocks, and therefore neither he nor Larinca had to worry about magical attacks, did not make the situation any easier. In fact, it was the opposite: in Yomidgard, those who could not use magic trained in combat styles so deadly at short and medium range that they turned magic itself into a disadvantage.
Luckily, they had Alastor on their side. The wolf was practically immune to stabs, as the knives slid across his fur for some reason Nero did not need to understand at that moment. His bites tore open deep wounds in the assassins’ arms and legs, allowing the magical glyphs Nero and Larinca bombarded them with to strike vital points by catching them off guard.
Even though the hallway was almost completely dark, the sparks erupting from the wands and glowing glyphs left behind trails of colorful, eye-catching light. But no matter how much of an advantage they gained, they were still trapped on that small floor, with no way out except through their enemies. And sooner or later, some warlock from Sylthmir would appear to tip the scales.
Nero brought down a couple more assassins, though he knew that since he was not killing them, many of the enemies he was taking down would soon get back up. Larinca, however, showed no mercy, and had already drowned several of them with culinary glyphs, replacing the scent of incense and candles with an amalgam of mouthwatering aromas.
Then, a fireball that appeared out of thin air struck Larinca and sent her crashing against the railing. She tried to grab hold, but slipped and ended up dangling by one hand, sweaty fingers already losing their grip. Nero threw himself toward her, shouting at Alastor to attack with everything he had. When he reached the stairs, Larinca was being swarmed by a cloud of flies, and she defended herself with a stream of syrup fired from her wand. Nero extended his hand, leaning over the railing.
—I’ve got you! —he said, grabbing her forearm. He pulled with all his strength until she planted her feet somewhere safe, though still outside the railing.
A blast of flames surged upward from the floor below, straight toward them. At the same time, an assassin leapt onto Alastor and attacked Nero with his sword raised high. Without hesitation, Nero conjured a mass of protective glyphs around himself, though he concentrated most of them behind Larinca’s back to keep the flames from reaching her, exposing himself in case the assassin’s reflexes allowed him to dodge the glyphs and skewer him from behind.
The fire exploded against the glyphs, spreading across the walls and igniting everything it touched. But the sword strike never came. Behind him, an angel armed with a long golden mace had stopped the assassin’s attack, blocking it with a deft flick of the wrist. Then she placed a hand atop the assassin’s head, and his body crystallized before shattering instantly.
—May the holy power of Goddess Velmar purify your corrupted soul and guide it to her side. May your sins be forgiven and sealed forever within the crystal that is now your body —said the angel. Then she turned toward Nero and Larinca—. You have done well. Now it is my turn.
The light radiating from the angel was blinding, so Nero could not see her face. But from her voice, he recognized the angel’s identity: Saint Iris, Siphone’s sister. He helped Larinca finish climbing to safety while Saint Iris, in her angelic form, fearlessly and tirelessly dispatched one assassin after another. Only seconds later, the angel crossed the hallway and unleashed a barrage of lightning made of light toward the floor below, crystallizing every remaining enemy, warlock included.
The fire kept spreading. Nero, Larinca, and Alastor descended to the ground floor, where it was still possible to breathe since the smoke was rising upward. Saint Iris raised a barrier around the main door and opened it. The flames did not explode outward when she did, for the barrier contained everything Saint Iris wished to keep inside.
—Let us leave. I have raised the barrier and Tower City is protected, at least for now. We must evacuate as many people as possible. We should split up to cover more ground —said Saint Iris.
—And the dragon? —said Larinca, worried.
—The barrier will hold long enough for Saint Reena to slay the beast. That is, if it survives Lionel’s fury. Your boyfriend is stronger than he looks —said Saint Iris.
—He... he is not my boyfriend —said Larinca, blushing.
—Besides, the army should already be at the walls, led by the queen. Queen Matelda always fights in front. The Goddess Velmar guides her hand, her armies, and us, her faithful —said Saint Iris.
—What do we do now? —said Nero, trying to hurry them along.
—The enemy will return. I am going to cleanse the streets. You two regroup with my sister and take shelter. The other Saints must join the battle. We are the Saint protectors of the middle plateau. We will protect Velmardia using all our Force of Will —said Saint Iris.
—THE BARRIER WILL NOT HOLD —suddenly said Varkuzhal, who had remained silent at Nero’s request ever since they freed him from the prison. Hidden beneath Nero’s cloak, the demon had nevertheless drawn the angel’s attention the moment he spoke.
—What have you done? —said Saint Iris, uncovering the skull.
—THE RIGHT THING —said Varkuzhal, bursting into laughter. Nero stepped aside and covered the skull once more, hushing the demon into silence.
—Even if he said it sarcastically, he was telling the truth —said Nero apologetically.
—We will discuss your pet demon once this is over —said Saint Iris, taking flight.
As she flew away, Saint Iris left behind a trail of crystals with every beat of her wings. Nero, Larinca, Alastor, and Varkuzhal ran toward the Royal Aviary. The situation in the streets had worsened, as the fire spread in every direction. The inhabitants of Tower City were trying to extinguish the flames, forming chains of water buckets from the wells, but without help they would never stop the disaster.
A movement high above, among the clouds, caught their attention.
—Did you see that? —said Larinca.
—Was that the dragon? —said Nero.
They ran toward higher ground and climbed atop one of the houses. Far away, above the walls, the dragon could still be seen soaring over the battlefield.
—It is impossible for it to have crossed that distance in mere seconds —said Nero.
—There may be more than one —said Larinca.
—I CAN FEEL THE PRESENCE OF THE DEMON DRAGON. NIDHOGG IS STALKING US —said Varkuzhal.
Both looked upward. Smoke and clouds concealed the sun, darkening the land. It was the first time Nero had seen Velmardia look like any other place in Yomidgard, and he hated the feeling.
—Can you sense nearby demons? —said Larinca.
—I CAN DO MUCH, AND I SHALL DO EVEN MORE ONCE I RECOVER MY BODY —said Varkuzhal—. LEAVE THIS PLACE. IT IS FINISHED! LET US FIND MY BODY!
—We are not abandoning these people —said Larinca. Alastor barked in agreement.
—DO YOU OWE THEM ANYTHING? —said Varkuzhal. Nero covered him with the cloak again.
—First things first —said Nero.
—Warn the Fourth Saint, Saint Heiko —said Larinca.
—And regroup with Siphone. With how quickly Saint Iris rushed off to protect the people, it feels strange that Saint Heiko is not already in action too. Let’s move —said Nero.
Their legs were beginning to ache by the time they finally reached the Royal Aviary. It was an immense building, with a beautiful glass-domed metal cage crowning the top. Even Alastor had his tongue hanging out from all the running. The battle had not reached that place due to how isolated it was. They observed their surroundings, but heard nothing and saw no one.
They entered cautiously. The moment they stepped inside, they saw unmistakable signs that a fight had taken place there. There were corpses of soldiers clad in red armor, and even some fallen rukhs. Hearts pounding, they advanced as stealthily as they could until they finally reached the great aviary chamber. The ceiling opened above them, revealing dozens of meters of height, for they stood directly beneath the crystal dome. Rukhs perched high above on tree branches that had grown within the aviary. And there, surrounded by corpses upon the ground, sat Saint Heiko leaning against a stone. She had a wound on her head, and blood covered part of her face. There was no sign of Siphone anywhere.
—Saint Heiko? —said Nero, trying to wake her as carefully as possible—. Larinca, she’s alive! We have to heal her!
—She has a claw wound in her abdomen, look —said Larinca, pointing beneath Saint Heiko’s armor. Together, they focused the few healing glyphs they knew upon the Saint’s torso.
But the blood would not stop flowing. Nero and Larinca stared at one another. She shook her head, signaling that it was already too late to save the Saint’s life.
—The two of us can keep her alive long enough for someone with better healing arts to arrive, like Saint Iris —said Nero hopefully.
Then Saint Heiko’s hand grabbed his wrist.
—Run... it... it’s... a... —she said before falling unconscious again.
But both of them knew what she had tried to tell them: it was a trap.
All the rukhs suddenly began screeching and took flight at once, aware of the danger. Filaments of black smoke appeared across the floor, rising from every shadow at the base of the aviary and converging at the center, only a few meters from them. The smoke rose upward, taking shape: tall, massive, and dangerous. It was a demon, most likely the one who had mortally wounded Saint Heiko. Nero and Larinca prepared for battle.
But the rukhs were not frightened by the demon at the base of the aviary. They feared the enormous silhouette diving down from the sky: a gigantic dragon crashed through the ceiling, splintering metal and sending a rain of glass shards cascading over everything below.
—Starts with a flapping —said Saint Heiko suddenly, forcing herself upright. Her knees would not support her, yet she remained stoic. A bow appeared between her fingers, and at the same time, angelic wings made of flames erupted from her back. Her eyes ignited with fire as well: she had completed her transformation.
The rukhs flew in circles. Their wingbeats were deafening, and the sound gradually grew louder and louder. Feathers rained down, but the birds moved so quickly they had created a tornado, and at its epicenter stood Nero, Larinca, and Saint Heiko, staring wide-eyed as the dragon tore through the wall of feathers, incinerating dozens of rukhs with its flames.
—No! It will kill them all! —said Saint Heiko, making a move to take flight. But the smoke and shadows stretched upward, seizing her legs and pinning her to the ground. The smoky creature had solidified, forming a grotesque gigantic figure. The Saint shouted at it, calling it by name—. Mephistopheles! Release me!
The creature twisted its neck into an impossible angle and launched more strands of darkness and smoke at the saint. But Alastor burst out from between Nero’s legs, where he had been hiding, and with a bark dispelled the demon’s magic.
—You have a strange creature there, young one —said the dragon. Its voice was melodious and sharp, as though it were speaking through clenched teeth. Some letters came out as hisses as well—. And it is not the only one: Varkuzhal, old friend, it has been a long time!
—You know each other? —said Nero.
—IT IS… A LONG STORY —said Varkuzhal.
—My favorite demon. A plotter, a lurker in the shadows of Yomidgard. Make a pact with them. Dare to —Nidhogg, the demon dragon, told Nero.
—NIDHOGG. ARE YOU SEEKING REVENGE? —said Varkuzhal.
—Always. I have long awaited my vengeance against Goddess Velmar and her people! Velmardia, I am your death! This is the end! —said Nidhogg.
Saint Heiko fired her flaming arrows at the shadows binding her and took flight, cauterizing the wound on her torso, which was still bleeding. One after another, she fired at the dragon, who either swept the arrows aside with its wings or caught and crushed them in its claws.
Saint Heiko changed tactics and charged the dragon, striking it with her wings and circling it in a spiraling ascent and descent. But despite being one of the most powerful people in Velmardia, her attacks barely harmed the dragon: she looked like a mosquito buzzing around an elephant.
Then, with a diving slash of its claws, the dragon finally struck the saint and smashed her into the ground. The moment she hit the stone floor, Saint Heiko’s wings scattered away, and her body reverted to its human state from the impact.
—Who watches the watcher? Who punishes the punisher? As we have that purpose, Velmardia will fall —said Nidhogg, lowering its snout toward Saint Heiko.
But Nero and Larinca were not willing to let the demon dragon kill Saint Heiko so easily. Both unleashed their most destructive glyphs against the dragon’s leg, causing a massive explosion.
When the smoke cleared, the dragon did not have a single wound. Nidhogg narrowed its eyes and lowered its head until it was level with Nero.
—That was very reckless —said the dragon.
—Let her go! —shouted Larinca.
—Are you afraid? It is normal to be afraid. You are about to witness death, though you should already be accustomed to it. Are you not warlocks? —said Nidhogg. Its breath burned, and even the slightest touch of the air flowing from its nostrils was scorching.
Nero did not know what to do. His magic was nowhere near powerful enough to face a dragon. And they could not forget about Mephistopheles, the demon. Though it appeared to be obeying the dragon, it could attack them at any moment.
“I don’t know what to do,” he thought. Larinca stood firm, gripping her wand with both hands. She had conjured an apple pie, but she could not fully shape it correctly. Nero frowned and tried to create an engraved rune of Motionless Freeze on the dragon’s joints. But though the glyph appeared, it faded from the air almost instantly.
“CONVENTIONAL MAGIC DOES NOT WORK AGAINST DRAGONS, BOY,” said Varkuzhal directly into his mind.
“Then what do I do?! I have to save the saint!” Nero thought. The dragon licked its jaws and pressed its claw harder against Saint Heiko’s body.
“LET HER DIE,” Varkuzhal told Nero.
—No. Not if I can help it —said Nero aloud. He concentrated his magic once again, even knowing there was nothing he could do with the spells he knew.
And yet, Goddess Velmar had told him that he would do the right thing under the proper circumstances. But if he could not even save one person, how could he ever become the one she wanted him to be to defeat a villain far more powerful?
Nero’s skin began to emit a bluish glow. The birthmark on his arm lit up, and dozens of glyphs bearing the same mark appeared in the air, flickering. The shadows dispersed when the blue light touched them. Even Nidhogg focused on him again, interested in what was about to happen.
Nero raised his arms, forming a cross. His wand was glowing blue as well.
—DEMONIC… DESCENDING… FLAME! —said Nero, with a completely unnatural tone of voice.
The entire chamber trembled for a few seconds, but nothing happened. One by one, the glyphs went dark, fading into the air, and the magic dissipated.
The dragon burst into laughter and unleashed two streams of flame into the sky.
—That was pathetic! Who names their spells? Descending Flame? —Nidhogg inhaled deeply, and its torso glowed red from within with gathering fire—. Now I will show you a real flame, boy!
Nero and Larinca conjured defensive glyphs, but they shattered instantly as well. The dragon exhaled toward them, unleashing a blast of nearly white fire capable of melting stone.
A shining shield with angelic wings on either side blocked the flames. Saint Reena held it, frowning, with one foot braced against the ground to keep herself from being pushed back. The flames melted the shield’s wings, but the shield itself endured. The fire split around its sides, and the stone floor melted into trails of lava and scattered sparks.
—You ok? —said Saint Reena, without lowering the shield.
—Yes! But, the dragon...! —said Nero, trying to draw Saint Reena’s attention to Saint Heiko.
—Leave it to me! —said Saint Reena. Then she swept the flames away with a strike of her shield, spread her own wings, and took flight—. Hey! Pick on someone your own size!
—So many flies —said Nidhogg, trying to swat the saint down with another strike.
However, when Saint Reena’s sword struck the dragon’s claws, it slid through the scales as though they were butter. Blood burst from between the dragon’s fingers where the blade had pierced it. The beast roared in pain and pulled its hand back, releasing Saint Heiko at the same time. The saint’s sword glowed with a very peculiar silver-green hue.
—Jadesteel. Excellent against dragons —Saint Reena told Nero after catching her friend in midair and laying her beside Larinca, safely out of danger—. More dragonslayers are on their way. Leave this to me and get somewhere safe.
Larinca conjured a pie and carefully placed it beside Saint Heiko.
—When she wakes up, she’ll be hungry —she said shyly.
—Come on, get out of here! —said Saint Reena. Nero, Larinca, and Alastor headed for the door, but they had not even gone five meters before they heard the saint’s voice calling to them—. Hey! You two!
She raised her thumb with a smile.
—Good job —said Saint Reena, before hurling herself back into battle.
The group returned to the aviary corridors. Not even the demon, Mephistopheles, tried to stop them: Saint Reena had both the dragon and the demon occupied at once. Soon they crossed paths with more dragonslayers rushing in to support Saint Reena. The outside reflected the chaos within: there were many more dragons, similar to Nidhogg but smaller, battling dragonslayers, the Velmardian army, and, though there were few of them, civilians armed with spears and torches. Men and women fought side by side against the dragons, while others struggled to extinguish the fires spreading at terrifying speed.
Magical sparks drew their attention from a darkened area.
There, a group of spellcasters, because they were undeniably using magic, were disarming assassins and warlocks from Sylthmir, melting their weapons and wands with luminous spells. But from what Nero could see, they were not allied with the Velmardian soldiers either, because they attacked them as well.
—THEY ARE MILITIAMEN —said Varkuzhal—. THEY FIGHT FOR THEMSELVES, SO THEY ARE LOYAL TO NO SIDE EXCEPT VELMARDIA.
—How do you know so much about this place? —said Larinca.
—DO NOT ASK QUESTIONS YOU DO NOT WANT ANSWERS TO —said Varkuzhal.
—Talk —said Nero.
—WHEN YOU RECOVER MY BODY, BOY, YOU WILL HAVE ANSWERS —said Varkuzhal.
—He’s impossible —said Larinca—. Should we look for Siphone?
—She should have been here —said Nero.
—AND SHE IS —said Varkuzhal.
Both of them fell silent, startled. They had not seen Siphone anywhere in the aviary. But if she was down there, she could be in danger, injured, or something worse.
—What do you mean? —said Nero.
—IF YOU SPEAK OF THE GIRL WHO SMELLS OF BETRAYAL, HER SCENT COMES FROM THOSE STAIRS —said Varkuzhal.
They looked where the demon indicated. A small side door stood open on one of the buildings. No one was paying attention to it, so they moved closer to inspect it. Varkuzhal had not lied: there were stairs behind the door, descending deep into the earth.
—Look —said Nero, pointing at the floor. Several sets of footprints led inward, and they were recent.
—Do you think Siphone is down there? —said Larinca—. Don’t forget we can’t trust what the skull says.
—I don’t know —said Nero.
But a wet nose nudged his knee. It was Alastor, gesturing insistently that he wanted to go down the stairs.
—Are you sure, boy?
The wolf huffed, shook his muzzle, and placed one paw onto the stairs, looking at them anxiously.
—He seems worried —said Larinca.
—Let’s follow him. Lead the way, Alastor! —said Nero.
They descended the stairs carefully, but without stopping. Larinca conjured a light glyph, the engraved rune of the Setting Sun, which she had learned during her stay in Velmardia. An orb of light floated down ahead of them. The staircase was incredibly long, descending several levels underground.
At last, they reached the bottom.
What they found there left them speechless.
It was a natural cavern filled with gigantic trees covered in a green-and-silver substance that glowed with its own light. A lake of the same substance shimmered in the distance beyond a field of flowers.
—Are these… catacombs, like in Sylthmir? —said Nero.
—No. These are the roots of Tower, the tree the city is named after —said Larinca—. Lionel told me about this place. There is a network of caves connecting this plateau beneath the earth, an additional layer of protection Velmardia has. But… I do not know what that substance dripping from the roots is. It looks… metallic.
Nero approached one of the trees. Indeed, it was not a tree at all, but a gigantic root whose connection to the trunk vanished high above. Foliage had grown along the upper parts, making them appear like trees, but they were really just extensions of the immense tree on the surface. Yet what should have been sap was something entirely different.
—It must be jadesteel —said Nero—. Saint Reena mentioned it before, and it shines the same way, with the same hue. A tree that produces wood whose consistency resembled steel. Strange, isn’t it?
—And why would Siphone be here? —said Larinca, returning to the more urgent matter.
Alastor barked from farther away. They ran toward him and found a torn strip of red cloth caught on a bush, bearing Velmardia’s emblem.
—This is from Siph’s cloak —said Nero.
—The bushes are metal too. What is down here? What is this place? —said Larinca.
They looked around. It resembled a forest, but all the vegetation resembled metal. There were no sounds of animals either, and a path led toward the lake, toward an area covered in even more vegetation. Even the volume of their voices seemed to diminish whenever they spoke, as though something in that place swallowed sound itself.
—I sense an unsettling presence in this place —said Nero. Alastor growled, his tail tucked between his legs—. Do you sense it too, Alastor? Damn. We need to leave this place! But not without Siph. We have to keep going, no matter how terrifying this place is.
They continued forward. Siphone could be anywhere, so they advanced slowly, wands at the ready, prepared for any surprise attack.
They reached the lake and moved past it. Just by looking at its surface, Nero had the feeling that something was staring back at him from within the liquid, if it could even be called that. It was metal, yet it imitated water. They did not want to touch it, just to be safe.
Several meters beyond the lake, when they entered the undergrowth, they began to hear dull impacts echoing from afar. Among the roots stood an enormous cave made of smoked crystal. It did not surprise them, since nothing down there made any sense at all. But the sound was coming from inside, and Alastor began barking nervously at them.
They ran, crossing the cave’s entrance. What they were hearing was the sound of offensive magic colliding against defensive magic.
And at last, they found Siphone.
Cornered, she was fighting beside three fallen bodies dressed in the uniforms of the Raven’s Order Academy. One of them was Nob, the student. Facing her, casting spell after spell without pause, were Professor P’Zain, Ecila, and Noihs. The professor was in his demonic form, with a shining key protruding from his chest.
Nero recognized the key, despite never having seen it before.
“The Mind Key”, Nero thought.
—We have to help Siph! —said Nero. His friend was defending herself well, proving far more skilled than her opponents, but that was all she was doing: defending.
Nero took a few steps forward, but realized he was the only one moving. Larinca had stopped near the entrance, staring up toward the cavern ceiling.
—What’s wrong? Siphone is in danger! —said Nero.
Larinca merely pointed upward.
—SO, THEY HID IT HERE —said Varkuzhal, laughing hysterically.
The cave walls were made of crystal, and the material did not let light pass through, making it impossible to see beyond. But above the place where they had entered the cavern, embedded within the crystal, there was a gigantic red hand with claws instead of nails. It was attached to an arm, and that to an immense headless body that still radiated an intimidating aura worthy of a god.
It was Varkuzhal’s body.
THIS STORY WILL CONTINUE IN THE NEXT COLLECTION OF THE EVIL CLUSTER
