Ethereal Ascendant

by Luke DeSalvo

  “Avilya must die,” He said softly.

  Suzette turned in her sleep, temporarily interrupted, and went back to her dreams.

  With the irresistible lure of Suzette's bare form, Codiac turned his mind from the mission to a calling to simply be near the Guardian, so he returned to the bed and kissed Suzette’s forehead lightly.

  She moaned at this and the young man could feel her breath, the scent reminded him of cherries welcoming him for more kisses.

  As he got closer, Suzette's eyes fluttered slowly open.

  “Did I wake you?” He asked sheepishly now, brushing her blonde hair back, the fullest he had ever seen it.

  Suzette smiled brightly, the famous grin and kissed him soundly.

  “Do you think we'll make it?” She replied, as their lips parted from each other.

  “Yes,” Codiac said with a smile. “I know it.”

  “You seem calmer than normal,” She said with a tease.

  There was a pause as Codiac slowly reached for her hand, twirling his fingers next to hers.

  “I have you now,” He said, and they kissed again silently in the twilight hours of morning.

  Morning had arrived too soon for some. When the two gathered themselves, they arrived at the courtyard of the temple to see many dark elves, covered in robes matching all colors and shade. They were all working together to further this operation by summoning a wormhole. To Codiac’s vision he spotted a dozen of those beings, the most terrific sight he had ever seen, he never thought that he would live such legend at their meticulous work, drawing on the ground with enchanted chalk like engineers They were chanting as they worked, bringing a chill in the young man’s spine.

  Kaeltrys was sitting on a stone bench overlooking the fountain of the courtyard, memorizing spells, no doubt. Ildarachi and Aurora stood beside each other, in what seemed as a serious talk, and the wood elves, Xerrast, and Clairvona were assisting the dark elves in their preparation by continuing their many rune circles.

  When preparations were nearing completion, the party was fed, bathed and outfitted for the mission, in a slow manner. One that was done silently, quietly strapping their bootstraps, armor and weapons with complete solemn. All wondered if they would make it out of the mission alive. Amethyst Divine was the world’s top guild. The world police. They would not go down without the most fearsome of battles. Still they said nothing, until finally, when everyone was ready to begin, the chanting stopped, and a green luminescent portal was opened, twirling flames spiraling out in a cosmic dance swirled about them from many meters.

  Kaeltrys with his knowledge stepped forward to Codiac and then stared at awe at the magical device.

  “One could rule Systralas, with these,” He said at last.

  Aurora and Ildarachi murmured to each other quietly for a moment before awaiting instruction.

  It was Cringe's turn to appear and he was smiling a boasting smile his blue skin that still intimidated Codiac with this newfound image not fully sunk in.

  “We have no exact location on the whereabouts of Danielle Avilya’s current location,” He stated, his smile turned into a chuckle. “But, we’re close and we're going to find her regardless, and change the course of this planet for the better.”

  “For now, we enter in groups,” Cringe said, this time serious.

  “The first party will find Dalamoris within the treasure vault and plant an atoma bomb there, staggering the riches and destroying the guild for good,” He paused. “And the second, will assist in the execution of Avilya,” He said quietly.

  “It is group B's primary objective that Avilya does not make it out of there alive.”

  “What of Golden Hearts, brother?” Codiac said, still unsure if the word was fitting at a time such as this.

  “I am Golden Hearts!” the dark elf cried, stunning his audience momentarily. He then smoothed back his black hair to regain composure and continue again.

  “As of my guild’s whereabouts, they laid siege to Amethyst's base a half an hour ago, and are doing well,” Cringe replied. “You need not worry brother, we must commence the operation.”

  Codiac nodded and turned to his comrades who were all eager for the attack.

  “You know everyone,” Codiac started. “It's been an honor to fight along you, and to fight furthermore. Thank you from the hearts of the Golden and especially me. It's been an adventure that only the best of lives can muster, and as for you...” He said, gazing at Suzette cold blue gray eyes.

  “I'm never leaving your side.”

  She gripped onto his hand and drew close.

  “Never,” She stated.

  Ildarachi smiled at the exchange and turned to his Aurora.

  “That goes for you too, babe,” he said, still grinning.

  Aurora just laughed out loud and kissed him hard afterwards parting and leaving gaze to find Sleet before them.

  “The war for bliss begins,” The scion stated. “To unlock the deepest reaches of heaven, we must only look to ourselves and find the infinite and bring it forth unto full fruition.”

  Dark elves arrived at the scene, coming close and surrounding a party. A treasure box, inlaid with gold was brought forth to the necromancer, Cringe and he opened it greedily.

  “These are for you,” He said, pulling out tiny oval shaped devices with miniature planted speakers on them. They seemed as if they were earbuds.

  “Put them on,” He said, handing the first to Sleet and then passed around in a circle.

  Suzette was the last to put them on, but when she did, she did so with excitement. These were rare artifacts that she once used on mission just a few short moons ago. Only, these seemed an advancement, shaping her ear into perfection.

  “Now,” Cringe warned them, “Press the button in your ear if you want to say something.”

  Codiac in, his voice sounded in everyone's ears. They smiled and tested off one after another completing the exercise with ease.

  “I will be joining you on this mission,” Cringe said, “Afterall it is my guild…temporarily,” He added as he reached into his robes and pulled out a wooden mask. He placed it on his blue skin and immediately the skin went to pale marble, revealing the elf Codiac had always known.

  “We must keep the dark elf empire in secret, please no more words of us.”

  “Ever,” He added.

  The party said nothing but instead gazed at the portal gleaming behind the elf.

  “Kaeltrys, Aurora, Ildarachi and I will enter first,” Cringe said at last. “The rest of you follow in, fifteen minutes behind.”

  “We'll have two hours to complete operation, before the bomb goes off and destroys everything,” Cringe chuckled slightly.

  Codiac gulped and caught a look from Suzette.

  “Right!” He cheered in regained his muster with a counter, feigning excitement. When the expression was not being bought by anyone, he summoned his own beam sword, Alexandra, that glowed green.

  “Right,” Aurora said.

  “We enter!” Cringe exclaimed.

  The necromancer began the charge twirling into action as he went through the green portal. Kaeltrys, turned to Codiac and smiled. He seemed godlike to the young man, an image of perfect health and stamina to go down in the history pages.

  “Well then, sire,” The archmagician said. “I’ll see you on the other side.”

  The two shook hands and after parting, Kaeltrys whispered something in Codiac’s ear.

  “You have grown,” He said quietly enough for the knight to hear the slowly walked through the tunnel, blue robes blowing behind him.

  Codiac stared at the entrancing neon light that flashed when it swallowed the archmagician whole.

  “Good luck,” The young man whispered to the wind.

  It was now Aurora and Ildarachi turn to say their goodbyes but said nothing. They simply looked each other and smiled as they each locked their fingers and dove deep, head first into the wormhole. On impact, their inwards felt like they were churning i
n a stretch, as the light itself was being sucked into a different time.

  Their vision began to blur.

  Chapter 33

  “I love him so much that I would travel the ends of the universe to simply be with him. He belongs to me and all I’ve done is for him!”

  Aurora Bendix

  Summoner of Silver Aura

  When Aurora's scream faded from the blinding swirling lights, she found herself next to her beloved Ildarachi who was panting heavily. Kaeltrys and Cringe were already in a fighting stance in an operation room filled with many health instruments, glowing test tubes, flickering computers, and bedding with many wounded Amethyst Divine agents groaning in their sheets. Shouts from elvish doctors had a squad of heavily armed Amethyst Divine elves enter the room where they swore at arrival.

  It was a reality check, total awareness sharpened at the readiness, once a temple, now hell, that was filled with a dozen vicious elves who began shouting as they drew their swords.

  The lights of the room flickered momentarily, swaying from light to black, until a control was hit, an alarm sounded in the distance and the room went red.

  Too discombobulated from the time warp, Aurora muttered a spell, and in response she found Ildarachi dragging her to the floor behind the two mages.

  Kaeltrys' hands glowed fiery orange and poised for action, unaffected by the portal’s embrace, but Cringe was another matter all entirely. With a whisper, the dark elf disguised as a wood elf, summoned six spectral wraiths, with scythes at the ready.

  The ghosts met their prey, attacking the operatives into submission. Swords clashed against steel as the ghostly being slashed at inhuman speeds. The room was covered in blood in seconds as the wraiths made quick work of the Amethyst Divine's folly, destroying the unsuspecting elves in a blink of an eye.

  The wounded too met their makers as Cringe ordered the wraiths with a whistle to dispatch any remainder survivors. They hid underneath their beds only to scream their very last breath through repeated slices.

  With quick work made, and little effort shone, Cringe waved Ildarachi and the others on, sending Kaeltrys, at front.

  “Come,” Cringe sounded, “The treasure vault is just ahead.”

  They moved on, through treacherous hauls, shouts from a distance and the occasional stray soldier would find his way to their doom as Kaeltrys sent massive fireballs to their chests, incinerating them.

  Ildarachi watched helplessly, winded and clutching Aurora to his side, his breathing quickened at the sight of battle. His own rage threatened to consume him, but he kept his eyes forward glancing through the many flames of Kaeltrys and the charging of Cringe's undead beings.

  The necromancer stopped his onslaught to turn to the desperate man.

  “You'll be fine, Zodiac,” the dark elf reassured. “I've been waiting for this for many decades. We'll be fine.” he repeated this time with a grin.

  “We must get the antidote,” Jason wheezed.

  Two elf guards in royal arraignments were all that was left between the companions and Amethyst Divine's vast wealth. A massive door was pitted behind them, electronic of nature, and quite ill protected from the Golden Hearts assault where it had the whole building shaking.

  “I can't fight the darkness any longer!” Ildarachi screamed, face distorting.

  Aurora puzzled just hugged the anguished lover to flicker him back to himself.

  The scythes of the wraiths annihilated the two elf guards splitting them in half after long battle, but with when the fight was over Cringe began picking at the mechanic lock to the doors.

  “Hold on, just a few more minutes,” the necromancer called.

  The party waited in hushed tones silently, knowing that this would not be the sign of Amethyst. Kaeltrys stood ready, as Ildarachi panted, Aurora was by his side. Finally, a click sounded, and the doors began opening.

  The vault was unlocked it revealed mountains of gold, silver, copper, where vast spell artifacts aligned the walls, with gleaming treasured armor, ranging from leather, plate and chainmail, next to a giant mountain of gold where there were exotic golden goblets, paper genie stacks, and treasure maps of forgotten lore, a potion wall was seen furthest away in the deep chamber.

  “You two!” The dark elf called, motioning towards Ildarachi and Aurora. “Find Dalamoris, while Kaeltrys and I hold this positioning.”

  Ildarachi moaned in response.

  “We'll be fast,” Aurora agreed. “Come on, Il. Just a bit further now. We’re almost there.”

  The pair set off, deeper into the treasure chamber, a rank smell filling their nostrils, metallic.

  Kaeltrys nodded at Cringe. “Old companion,” the archmagician started. “We don't have much time before the real enforcement comes.”

  Cringe nodded. “Guard the door,” He said. “I must place the bomb correctly now.”

  The two had their tasks leaving Kaeltrys glimpsing back to find Aurora practically dragging the weary Ildarachi along.

  Voices sounded from outside the room and Kaeltrys returned his attention back on his task of defending the others. He closed his eyes and awaited the pursuers breathing loudly, channeling his energy into his right hand.

  When the elves entered, Kaeltrys' eyes shot open and a burst of lightning came from his arm and the blow shocked five members of Amethyst Divine, spraying them to the floor with their crackled moans of death.

  “Hurry!” Kaeltrys shouted.

  “Five more minutes!” The dark elf hissed as he placed a circular object on a stone pillar. He reached in his bag and placed a pin in the object.

  More sounds of clanking armor and shouts sounded just outside the walls

  Codiac, Cringe sounded through his ear buds. We're at the treasure chamber. In trouble and desperate need of assistance.

  The necromancer went back to work and quickly, meticulously working on a timer, unscathed by the several moments of response until he got one.

  Roger, Codiac's voice clicked briefly.

  The dark elf turned with a smile to find that Kaeltrys had disposed of five more victims, but he was tiring, his shoulders sunk in and his breathing was becoming heavier. Still much more strength, he had seen the mage do more, but these shots were overkill.

  Across the chamber, was Aurora and Jason who came to a skidding stop at a display of potions sitting along the wall. It must have been ten meters tall and thirty meters wide and filled to the brim in a rainbow assortment.

  “How do we find it through all this?” Aurora shrieked in concern.

  “You don't!” A shadow figure responded, crouched in the darkness of an enchanted leather pile, it came from a woman's voice that was full of venom.

  The voice appeared, with a long sharp katana, red hair flowed in her feline movements where perked lips regarded the subjects.

  Danielle Avilya herself.

  With no time to utter a response, Avilya's blade found Aurora's chest, piercing her through like a skewer, leaving nothing but Ildarachi's wail.

  “Aurora!” Ildarachi shouted, his lover's body hit the floor with a thud, followed by taunting laughter by the evil being.

  “Looking for this!?” Avilya shouted, showing off a potion nudged between her blouse.

  “Wait!” Jason choked a cry.

  Danielle Avilya swayed her hips when she walked towards him. “You will be mine, zodiac.”

  Ildarachi shouted and punched her square in the jaw, a blow that would knock out a normal opponent, but the high elf ruler simply shook it off and grinned even more wildly.

  Instead, she held onto Jason's head, watching him wriggle and squirm until she landed her kiss. His body stopped moving momentarily.

  When they parted Avilya's smiled continued to mock him.

  “Come and get me!” Amethyst Divine's leader said before departing, running inhuman fast through the massive piles of gold.

  Blasts of fireballs missed her as Kaeltrys tried to drag her down, but within seconds, she disappeared out and through the doors.<
br />
  Ildarachi, a mess from the encounter, fell to his knees and grasped Aurora, who was breathing still in shallowed rasps.

  I found her! Ildarachi's cried in the mic.

  Help me...Aurora! He continued.

  “She escaped me,” Kaeltrys gasped, looking towards Cringe.

  “Damn!” The dark elf spat.

  With irritation and weariness, Kaeltrys tugged on his ear.

  Ildarachi, I'm coming!

  Chapter 34

  “Why do I feel as fleeting like the wind? Twisting in the grasps of ambiguity, but always with a soft cry. It haunts me, so I’ll vanish to the stars. Never to be heard or seen of again.”

  Jason Ildarachi

  High Summoner of Silver Aura

  “Cringe made quick work out of these thugs,” Codiac mused as he inspected the body of a dead Amethyst Divine agent, his throat was cut out in perfection, artery broken, blood spilling on the ground.

  The party was weak from their dimensional travel but were catching their bearings quickly as the room finally began to hold still into once place rather than shifting perspectives in all too quick speeds.

  They had reached the dark base of the evil guild of Amethyst Divine, only to receive a deep sense of urgency, aware that they were on the bottom of the massive structure known to be a village for the likes of Amethyst. For now, they were in a hospital room full of dead bodies with shimmering red flickering lights and a strobe running rapid.

  The fortress was shaking from battle the sounded in their ears as well, so the companions hurried towards the computers that had camera displays of the entire fortress. They gathered there and saw the strategic positioning of the guild’s breaches all done by small groups. Golden Hearts was there, making Codiac’s heart leap with joy, apparently his family caught Amethyst Divine off guard and were holding their own in the battle. Codiac gave Suzette a nod of approval as it was understood that they too were looking for a fight and were itching for battle.