“Erkiela!” I yelled, sending a blast of fire his way. The snow melted in an instant as the wave of flames rushed over it and hit him hard. I charged in right afterward and swung my sword. I heard a loud clang and felt my strike bounce back. I immediately knew Markus had pulled out his sword as well.
Suddenly, the sound of metal on metal rang in my ears. I quickly pulled back a few yards and looked around to see Freya and Krof hashing it out with the rest of the squadron.
“The squadron is around Level 180 on average,” Nyx said. “I don’t know how long Freya and Krof can handle that on their own.”
“Don’t ignore this battle, Diablo.” Markus had rushed up to me, his sword already swinging down onto my head. I had just enough time to move my blade up, blocking his strike. The force from the blow hit me hard, making my bones ache and causing the ground below me to crumble, creating in a mini crater where I stood.
I pushed up, fending him off and backing up, putting a few feet between us.
My mind was working, trying to see what I had to do here. Right now I needed to keep Markus at bay, at the very least. But in addition, I probably had to figure out how to get Nazu out of the fix he was in right now. The Kobold was weak compared to the people all around us, which meant that if I used a mass move to defeat the Knights, I might accidentally end up killing the Kobold as well.
“Why don’t you just kill Nazu too, then?” Nyx asked.
I froze for a second, images of the burnt man from the Black Guardians flashing through my mind. “That’s not who I am, or who I want to be,” I said. “I’m surprised you even suggested it.”
“Hey, I just wanted to see what your reaction would be.”
“Well, now you know,” I said, not thrilled that he had asked me that question.
I broke off from the conversation when I saw Markus’s form charge at me, his sword ready to strike. I dug my heels into the ground and threw my sword up once again, blocking his strike and holding him at bay. I lifted up one leg and kicked him hard in the chest, sending him flying away.
I heard yells behind me, from the Knights Freya and Krof were battling. However, I didn’t focus on that, and instead charged ahead, ready to land another strike on Markus. We exchanged blows at a rapid pace, our swords clashing almost twice a second, the fury of our battle making the cold winds dance around us.
Sparks flew from the metal blades, heat rupturing between them.
“You seem to be struggling a bit, Markus,” I said as I pushed him back. “Anything wrong?”
He said nothing as he charged at me, and we went through a flurry of exchanges once again.
“It’s possible his magic spells haven’t recharged yet,” Nyx said. “They all seemed quite powerful, so it’d make sense if they had long recharge times.”
“That makes sense,” I said. “His physical attacking stats are probably not as great.”
“Yeah,” the spirit agreed.
“Time to go all out, then.” I switched my strategy and struck Markus’s sword low on the blade. A clang rang out, our blades vibrating from the clash. I put my hand up in front of me. “Osulier!”
Darkness rose from the ground and surrounded Markus, shrouding him in black. I saw him fight the shadows, his body struggling as they bound him, slowly dragging him back to the ground. I lay still in front of him, my eyes closed, my mind focused, ready to take advantage of the few extra seconds I had before he broke out.
I concentrated on my inner energy and brought it all to my hands. I felt it dissipate into the air around us, permeating into the minute spaces within the very sky. Feeling confident, I opened my eyes.
Markus yelled out something too unclear for me to make out. Parts of the shadows binding him broke away, revealing a body of glowing light within. The shadowy capsule suddenly shattered, and Markus broke out, the light from his body slowly dying down. He stood there, breathing heavily, a little exhausted from being suffocated by my shadows.
Dammit, not enough time, I realized, and I cut off my attack, not ready to use it.
“Zoran!” I heard Krof yell out to me. “Twenty seconds!”
That statement sounded cryptic, but I knew exactly what he’d meant by it. I quickly charged at Markus, running a mental countdown in my mind as I did. Our swords clashed like before, but every strike I made landed with renewed vigor.
“Ten seconds left,” Nyx said.
I heard rumbling from above us, and the sunlight quickly faded, blocked away by familiar clouds of dark gray.
“This again?” Markus asked, fending me off. “This is going to have no effect on what happens in this battle.”
“Sure.” I pushed him further and kept him at bay.
“Three,” Nyx said.
I struck Markus high on his blade.
“Two.”
I kicked his shins, causing his knees to buckle, and he collapsed to the ground.
“One.”
I dived to the side.
“Loes au Tundra!”
A massive blast exploded out from behind me, and I turned around just in time to see a beam of white emerge from Krof’s hands and hit Markus. In less than a blink of an eye, a massive glacier formed around the Dragonborn, holding him captive in its midst.
I’d have stood there admiring the sight, but I knew we had things to do. I quickly pushed forward, aiding Frey and Krof as I struck down the Knights that stood between us and Nazu. It took us about a minute before all the Knights had fallen. I quickly opened the door to the carriage, and in there sat the young Kobold, his hands and legs chained to a metal pin embedded in the floor.
I used my sword and cut the links around his limbs, releasing him from his bonds. “There you go.” I smiled.
“The chamber,” the young one said, his voice monotonous.
“No time for that.” I grabbed him and took him out of the carriage.
“Good, you got him,” Freya said. I saw Krof behind her, walking between the fallen bodies of the Knights. The glacier behind him stood tall, rising nearly a hundred yards. I could see the Dragonborn’s body frozen deep within it, completely immobile.
“We need to leave,” I said.
“Chamber,” Nazu said once again, struggling against my hold on his arm.
“Nazu, you can’t go to—”
“Chamber!” he yelled out, his voice splitting into two separate tones, and that’s when I realized this was serious.
“I think we need to listen to him,” Nyx said. “There’s something else going on here.”
“Yeah,” I said.
“So, are we headed to the chamber?” Freya asked.
I stared at her.
“What? He spoke in two voices at once. When you hear that, you know you’ve got to take it seriously.”
“But it’s not safe for us to head back there. The Dark Alliance could still be there.”
“We have to do it,” Krof said as he walked up to us.
I paused. “Fine.” I grabbed Nazu by the wrist and charged out, running alongside Freya and Krof as we headed back up the mountain.
“This has got to be the silliest thing we’ve done,” Nyx said. “Heading to a place we just saw bloodied and decimated by someone who did both those things to you literally hours ago.”
“Thanks for the pep talk, Nyx,” I sighed.
“Just be careful,” he said.
“Krof, what on earth did you use back there?” Freya asked.
“Water Arts,” he said. “Ice magic is one of its sub-spells, and what I used is one of the highest-tiered spells. Traps the enemy in a glacier. I don’t know how long the Dragonborn will stay trapped in it, but it’ll hold for at least as long as it takes us to get to this chamber.”
“That sounds like a super-powered skill,” I said.
“Well, it has a recharge time of one day, and it takes up all of my mana, so don’t expect me to be using that too often.”
“Wow,” I said as I jumped a rock and kept heading up the mountain. “That’s a pre
tty huge penalty.”
“It’s also a very powerful spell.”
“True.”
We soon came upon the tunnel we’d used to leave the chamber earlier. I stopped at the entrance for a second and looked down, half-expecting Markus or someone from the Alliance of Light to be after us, but it seemed like we’d subdued them all for the moment, something I hadn’t really expected.
“Come on,” Freya said, her sword in front of her as she led us into the tunnel. We ran quickly, not facing anything or anyone on the way through. The stench of blood hit us as soon as we entered the larger chamber within the mountain. The icy floor was still stained red, although there weren’t as many men left collapsed on it. I could tell that at least half the bodies from before had gone.
They must have all been alive, I thought.
“I just assumed everyone was dead when we first saw them,” Nyx said.
“A group of them were all probably just badly injured,” I said.
“So much death,” Freya said softly as she walked around the bodies, heading to the large doors of rock ahead.
“The chamber,” Nazu said, the dual tone in his voice still evident.
“What the heck is going on with him?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” Krof said. “I haven’t heard of something like this before.”
“Maybe the Dragon part of him wants him to visit the chamber,” Freya said.
“That’s possible, but why would it want him to do that?” I asked just as we headed to the door. It was already wedged open, probably from when I’d first opened it a while ago. Freya placed her hands on the inner side and tugged, opening it wider. The rock creaked as it swung open, and we stood a ways back as the door completely opened, revealing the staircase inside.
“Come on,” I said and ran down, my hand still holding on to Nazu’s wrist. Freya and Krof followed me down, and I could tell from their body language they were just as excited as I was. Sure, this was worrying, hearing a Kobold speak in two-toned voices especially, but it was equally exciting to know something like this was happening and especially to be a part of it.
My feet slipped a few times on the ice panels of the staircase before we finally reached the inner chamber.
“Okay, we’re here,” I said, looking at the Kobold. “Now what?”
“Chamber!” Nazu echoed, the second voice in his tone stronger than before.
The symbol of the Dragon drawn on the ceiling started glowing brightly, casting a white light into the already-well-lit chamber. I put my hands in front of my face, shielding my eyes from the radiance.
Nazu shook his head for a second, confused, and then dropped to the floor, still breathing but knocked unconscious.
“Welcome, adventurers,” a voice echoed through the chamber, that of a woman. She sounded noble and ancient, a lady of knowledge and wisdom. “An Eternal, an Assassin and a Wizard,” she said.
“We’re an odd crowd.” I smiled.
“You brought us here, didn’t you?” Freya asked.
“Indeed.”
“What do you want from us?” I asked.
“If you wish to see the rise of the Dragon, here is not the place. It will rise where it had fallen, for that is the Shadow Dragon’s fate.”
I blinked. “What is that supposed to—”
Pain suddenly burst through my head and I dropped to the floor, my hands pressing against my forehead. My veins throbbed as fire burned through my nerves and my body went limp. I felt the shadows around us surge towards me, growing into a presence. The blackness jumped out, covering me with its shades. I fought it for a second and then gave up, succumbing to the darkness.
***
CHAPTER TWENTY
“Diablo.”
My eyes fluttered open. A bright beam of light hit me immediately and I shut them again instinctively. I touched my eyelids, rubbing them a little to get rid of the burning sensation from the sudden exposure of light.
I slowly opened them back up and blinked a few times, slowly adjusting to the brightness. I looked ahead and saw white all around me, shining radiantly. It took a few more seconds before my eyes completely adjusted and I could get the full image of where I was.
I looked around me, and all I could see was shades of the exact same white, shining just as brightly everywhere. A part of me wondered if this place had something to do with the Alliance of Light, given the color scheme, and unease quickly worked its way into my mind.
“Diablo.” The voice spoke again, and I could tell this was the same voice I’d heard in the chamber.
“Who are you?” I asked, looking around but seeing no one to answer for the source of the sounds.
“The Guardian of the Dragons.”
My eyes widened. “The Dragons.”
“Indeed.”
Images of the chamber within the Ulhur Mountains appeared within my mind. I remembered entering the chamber again, I remembered feeling faint, falling to the floor, everything going dark.
I looked up. “You brought me here,” I said.
“I did.”
“Why?”
“To have a little talk.”
I paused for a moment, thinking about what exactly that could mean. “Well, I’m here now,” I said, curious.
“Careful, Diablo,” a different voice said, and I realized this was Nyx.
“Good, you’re here too,” I said. “I thought you were blocked away like last time.”
“That didn’t happen.”
“Ah, your little friend is here too,” the Guardian said. “I have no problems with him staying here, as long as he does not interfere.”
“Interfere?”
“With our conversation, of course,” she said.
“Fine,” Nyx said.
“What do you even want to talk about?” I asked. “What is there for us to talk about?”
“I thought it’d be obvious by now. The Dragons, of course.”
“What about them?”
“I need your help.”
“Eh?”
“Back in the old ages, the Dragons and Eternals fought quite often,” she said. “Many people believe the Eternals simply dominated the Dragons, but that was never the case. Each side fought long and hard for power over the other, fought for control of the lands they both called home. The Eternals had always seen themselves as rulers, as the firstborn there ever were, and when the Dragons came along, it was obvious they were a threat to them.”
I listened to her intently, confused about what exactly she was trying to accomplish by telling me all this. It seemed like useful information, but I wasn’t sure how it applied to anything right now.
“There were a few Eternals that attempted to tame the Dragons, and then there were the…others,” she said. “These Eternals…they turned to forbidden magic, using lost spells and tools to experiment on Dragons they had captured and imprisoned. Thus was born the first Dragonborn.”
“Oh.” My eyes widened.
“There is only one way to become a Dragonborn, Diablo,” she said. “One must slay a Dragon with one’s own hands.”
Then Markus…, I realized.
“What you think is true. Markus Goodfield raised a Dragon from the dead and killed it. He found an elf of Dragon blood and sacrificed him in a chamber far west of Aingard, too far for anyone to have heard of. The Dragon he resurrected and killed…I do not remember his actual name, for it has been ages, but he was what we called the Lightning Dragon.”
“That’s where Markus gets all his Wind Art spells from,” I whispered.
“Indeed. I have watched few Dragonborn emerge in this world in my lifetime, and every time has been as painful and heart-wrenching as the first.”
“Oh gods,” Nyx said. “This is what the Alliance of Light must be after. They’re trying to create another Dragonborn.”
“You are right, spirit,” she said. “Of the three groups that are going after Acnologia, all three of them have a purpose that will be fulfilled by killing him.
”
“And you want me to stop this from happening,” I said.
“Please,” she said, and I heard a small tremor in her voice. “I know all three of those groups want to resurrect and kill Acnologia, in one way or another. The Shadow Dragon, though, is fierce. He will not go down without a fight. I do not wish for blood and pain to be brought forth once again.”
“I…” I stopped, reconsidering my words but deciding to say them anyway. “I’m not strong enough. I cannot defeat Markus.”
“Of all the men and women in the world right now, you’re the only one that has the possibility of defeating him. Please, do not shy away from what I ask of you. I do not have anyone else to turn to.”
“Why?” I said, my voice softer. “Why do you ask this of me now? I was in this chamber plenty of times before, and every time I was confused—about what was happening, about what I was supposed to do. You could have come out. You could have told me what was going on. And yet I had to find everything out on my own.”
“There are rules to the Ga’em, Eternal,” she said. “You of all people know that. Even now, I am breaking my restraints of silence. It would serve my duties well not to speak to you, to keep away from a world the Dragons are no longer a part of. But there is only so much pain I can bear. I watched a comrade return to this world in happiness just a few weeks ago, and then be killed less than a minute later. I do not wish to watch another suffer the same fate.”
“Is there nothing else that can help? Is there not a Dragon alive somewhere that can stop all of this? Surely their strength will help us defeat the Alliances. We can stop this quest to resurrect the Shadow Dragon then.”
I heard a short chuckle, one not of amusement but more of sadness. “Once the Eternals disappeared from the world, the Dragons were satisfied with their dominance over the lands. Their motivation to exist soon dwindled away, and they began fighting amongst themselves. Initially as amusement, but game soon turned violent and dark. Wars were waged and blood was spilled. A thousand years after the Eternals disappeared, the last of the Dragons fell. I was a Dragon in those times as well, but I was chosen to keep existing, and my spirit now watches over the chambers of the others that have fallen. I can assure you, even though it pains me to do so, there is not a single Dragon left alive in these lands.”
The Eternal: A Boxed Set (World of Ga'em Book 6) Page 43
