Mana Mutation Menace (Journey to Chaos Book 3)

by Brian Wilkerson

  “Ultimate Force, that which structures the world, grant me your power as I take what structures this being!" A grey light poured out of his fingers and coated Siron head to toe. It paralyzed him more surely than any mundane magic. "Soul Stealer!"

  Slowly but surely, Lunas removed the anchors attaching Siron to his body. Young as he was, there were plenty of them and a lot of kon to suppress. Lunas chanted a second spell to siphon it away; waste not, want not. Soon there was only one left: his loyalty to his queen.

  “Congratulations, Lord Esrah, you won the duel,” Lunas said in a light and friendly tone. “I retract any offensive statement I may have made about your queen and apologize for my rudeness. You are a fantastic knight and your queen is fortunate to have you. It’s too bad that you’re too exhausted to resist my spell.”

  Despite his exhaustion, Siron clung to his mortal coil as hard as he could. Unfortunately for him, Lunas had the time and the power to force him out of it. At last, the final anchor snapped. Lunas held the boy’s soul in his right hand while his life pooled in his left. While he considered which one to eat first, he heard a voice.

  “Prince Lunas Latrot of the Kingdom of Latrot, you are hereby found guilty of soul kidnapping and grand theft kon.”

  At the center of the round table stood Kasile in all her divine glory. Amidst Sacred Fire, the blood on her right arm appeared as a second glove. Stuck on her left hand, like a catfish, was the enforcer. She floated with regal dignity to the edge of the table, stepped down gracefully, and backhanded Lunas with it. He spun in place and fell on his ass.

  “By the power invested in me by the fire goddess Fiol and the laws and customs of Ataidar, I banish you from these lands for the rest of your unnatural life.” She regarded the enforcer. “Do it.”

  It slithered off her arm and swallowed Lunas. Then it transferred both Siron’s paku and kon from him to Kasile. She handed it off to her salamanders.

  “Latrot is a member nation,” Lunas said through the fog. “I have to cast my vote.”

  “After this debacle, we all know what your vote will be. It will be taken into account, do not worry.”

  “Persona non-grata.”

  The enforcer teleported and took Lunas with him.

  Kasile spat where he stood and then knelt next to the body of Siron. Death by soul theft was unnatural and so she had time before a reaper arrived to evaluate him. First, she inserted the soul into its body and, second, she melded its stolen life energy between the two of them. Finally, she breathed new life into him with Sacred Fire. Siron gasped and looked about in confusion.

  “I banished him.”

  He gasped again and hurried to kneel, but seeing as she already was, he kowtowed instead.

  “Your Divine Majesty, you have my utmost thanks for reviving me, but I do not deserve your mercy.”

  Kasile scowled. “You deserve what I say you deserve, understand?”

  “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  “You always say ‘majesty’! We’ve been friends for ages! Can’t you ever use my name!?”

  He flinched. “As you command, Queen Kasile.”

  Kasile stood up and stomped her fire-shod feet. “Stop acting like a whipped dog! I didn’t fall for you because you were a doormat!” She blushed as her words caught up with her. She coughed and said, “When this is over, we will discuss our relationship. For now, we will deal with this crisis. Come.”

  “As you wish…my lady.”

  Outside the castle, Kimberly and her teammates were inches away from the portal to Latrot. Once there, they would be slaves of Order, no different from Nulso. Their spirits were raw and their minds were numb; blank of all but quickly crumbling resistance. Kimberly’s feet touched the edges of the portal and her arms reach out to pull herself in.

  “Royal Ordercrafter Security and Compliance Team! Your queen summons you!”

  At once, strength and clarity returned to their minds and spirits. They tore their eyes away from the portal and to their queen. Her mortal finery was gone but with her divine splendor, she provoked more awe in their hearts than ever before. They rushed to kneel at her feet.

  “We have come as commanded, Your Majesty.”

  “Your queen commands you to close that portal.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty.” Kimberly turned to her subordinates. “You heard her! Shut down that portal quicker than Daniela with suitors!”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  The four ordercrafters swiftly formed a box around the portal and raised their hands against it. Working together, they shrank it until it was gone. Then they returned to their position of submission.

  “What is your next order, Your Majesty?”

  A butt-naked Fairtheora ran by them chasing a fairy in an ordercraft robe.

  “Your queen commands you to assist the Royal Sentinel.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  “You stay here with me, Siron.”

  “Yes, Your...Queen Kasile.”

  The five ordercrafters zoomed over obstacles, be they debris, monsters, or magic clouds. With direct orders from their divine queen, they could tap into the Order Domination Field’s power without fear of corruption. They anticipated Dannaigh's movements and formed a cube formation around her. She threw magic dust at the ground to escape, but their amplified ordercraft sealed her in. She was now in a three-dimensional cage carried in unison by them. They returned to their queen’s side and Fairtheora stood at attention before her.

  “Fairtheora Lawkeeper, we will discuss your actions later. For now, obey me. Understand?”

  He saluted and said, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  They rushed to the castle courtyard proper and found several people engaging the Obelisk and its guardian. The royal guard, with its spearmen and mages, assaulted it with their specialty. Ponix drilled into it. JJ pounded it with fists and feet. Fairtheora’s armor placed hands on it and attempted to negate its ability to negate the actions of the others. All of them were insignificant.

  Hera meant what she said about standing in place until the sun set. Without her, the Obelisk would be rubble by now, but with her, their efforts amounted to nothing. The only thing she feared were the tricksters, specifically Belldandy and Tasio. The gods of snacks, moe, and comics were only slightly more dangerous than the elf. Their combat ability diminished when they shifted from pure chaos and took up their trivial hobbies. It was only the Goddess of War and the Herald of Chaos that could make a difference here. Nonetheless, an enforcer possessed her to heighten her power and two more dove into the Order Obelisk itself. The four of them together negated every attack against them with only minor strain.

  She took the offensive by directing the Obelisk’s Lawful Authority Cannon. It pulled mana from the essence of the world itself to fire soul-killing beams. Any human caught by it ceased to exist. Elves would become vegetables. Not even a trickster could shrug it off. Only the intervention of Fairtheora’s armor and the lesser tricksters prevented a slaughter.

  After thus appraising the situation, Kasile said, “Royal Ordercrafter Security and Compliance Team, your queen commands you to assist the guards and diplomats breaking that barrier and destroying the Obelisk.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  "Fairtheora Lawkeeper, your queen commands you to assist your armor in guarding the other fighters with your spirit. Siron Esrah, you will join the fighters in their efforts."

  "Yes, Your Majesty."

  "Yes, Queen Kasile."

  The ordercrafters formed a box and worked their power to force the barrier to shut down. They commanded it to do so in the name of their queen, and in the name of their queen, it slowly weakened. The attacks of the others began to take effect, and Hera began to show signs of strain.

  Siron joined them with his rapier and, as he swung it against the Shield of Order, sparks of white fire shot into the air. Every such swing did more damage than five from older and higher ranked spearman. Kasile noted this for later.

  Fairtheora held his brain
washed partner by her wings. With her hands bound and magic dust sealed, she couldn’t resist, but he wasn’t going to take any chances. Not again; not after what happened last time. He was content to channel his spiritual power through his armor.

  Kasile abstained from joining the fray. She was worn out from fighting the enforcer, commanding it to banish Lunas, and then reviving Siron. She felt like she could pass out at any second. She settled for staring down her counterpart. It was only a matter of time before—

  “DEEEAAAATTTTHHH TOOOOO ORRRRDDDEERRRRR!”

  A warrior with pointed ears raced onto the battlefield. He was so fast he left after-images. In short order, he knocked out Kasile’s ordercrafters with his golden-brown hammer. Without them, the obelisk regained its strength and Hera stopped struggling.

  “LARRY!” Sophia shouted. “Those ordercrafters were on our side! Didn’t you listen to Tasio’s briefing before the Summit started?”

  “What briefing?”

  The bookworm trickster face-palmed. “Your title is well deserved.”

  The idiot trickster jumped for joy. “Thank you!" His hammer's head opened up to reveal a stash of bacon. "Want some?”

  High above the castle, Tasio continued his fight with Aphelion. It was dragging out for much longer than he thought it would. He didn’t remember the younger trickster being so mighty or resilient during the Conversion War.

  “You’ve gotten better,” he reluctantly admitted.

  “Told ya so! Humanity wants to rise and fall on its own merits. Even in emergencies like this, they can overcome and triumph without you. This belief is so universal it has empowered me, their patron, to stop you from stealing their victories.”

  “That’s not what I heard.”

  Zaticana, goddess of spoken languages and gossip, appeared in their midst. Between the two warrior tricksters, she looked out of place; pigtails, a dress with a hole above her stomach and a pair of stockings and all of them covered with all the many languages of the world. She grabbed Aphelion, put him in a headlock, and gave him a noogie.

  “From what I heard, after you learned about Tasio’s plan, you told other people. People like the Liclis and Latrot governments and they ordered their people to pray for you today. That’s why you’re unusually powerful.”

  Aphelion slipped out of her grasp and said, “Even if that were true, it doesn’t invalidate my point. Humans don’t need us to fight Order. One of them is about to enter a state of chaotic enlightenment, which no elf has achieved in a thousand years. Watch!”

  In the isolated closet, Emily stood with fallen enemies stacked to either side of her. She had killed, destroyed, and otherwise rendered inoperable all of them with the dedication in her heart and the twin swords in her hands. Now she was sweating, bleeding, and breathing heavily, and there were still more enemies coming through the door. They filled the room and formed a half crescent around her; seven in total. The girl behind her was still deep in meditation.

  “Please, Boss...I can’t do this all day.”

  The enemies at the ends of the crescent and the middle attacked as one. Emily blocked the left, then right, and then braced her barrier for the third. She didn’t need to. Kallen impaled it on her spear and dissolved it. Spinning left and right, she did the same to the other two and then moved on to the remaining four. One hit was all it took to erase them from reality.

  She looked over her shoulder at Emily, opened her eyes, and her pupils shined golden-brown. Emily’s breath caught in her throat. The golden Kallen reached out and stroked her hair, sending power and affection streaming down her body. It healed all her wounds instantly and filled her with new energy. Emily felt like dropping to her knees and worshipping.

  “Thanks for protecting me.”

  “No problem, Boss. I’ll always protect you.” She blushed and continued, “I mean, you know, as far as it’s in my job description….”

  “Hold my hand or you’ll be left behind.”

  “You do this on purpose…..”

  With Emily’s hand in one of her own and her staff in the other, Kallen cleared out the remaining enemies in the corridor. All she had to do was point and think. Emily marveled at the sight. Eric had his Mana Enlightenment, but it paled in comparison to what her boss could do.

  This was River of Chaos Enlightenment. She had gone beyond Razor Spirit and sneaked into the territory of gods. She granted herself divinity by momentarily convincing the universe that she always had it. Kallen the chimera was now Kallen the minor chaos goddess.

  Among her divine powers was the ability to will something out of reality. She did this by understanding that it was nothing more than chaotic energy and, as such, it could be returned to the Sea of Chaos. The details of how it worked went over Emily’s head and any attempt by Kallen to explain it came out as gibberish. If she understood it, then she could do it herself.

  Kallen phased through time and space to reach the castle courtyard in an instant. All she had to do was will herself there and she was there, like a trickster. She arrived just in time to see Belldandy and Tasio team up to shatter the enforcer-possessed Queen Hera’s barrier. Then her adoptive father and his orc friend shattered the Obelisk’s barrier. The Obelisk itself was destroyed by the Royal Guard and Sentinel. They celebrated, but Kallen knew there was still more to do.

  She phased to the airship dome and looked for Lunas’ ship. Finding it was as simple as following the steams of ordercraft in the air. In her current state, she could see them as clearly as the streamers of a festival. All of them led back to the source of Order’s power in this region; the Order Obelisk on top of the ship.

  She jumped up there, spun her spear, and impaled it. It resisted but quickly disappeared like everything else. The personal Order Domination Field vanished and with it the last of Lunas’ influence in Roalt. One instant later, they were inside Albatross IX.

  “Emily.”

  “Yes, Boss?”

  “Initiate Plan Turtle.”

  Like a lightbulb going out, Kallen’s aura faded and she fainted straight into Emily’s arms. The universe had straightened out her lies and righted itself. Her temporary divinity was gone. Now she was a mere exhausted demon. Emily hoisted her up and smiled fondly.

  “You got it, Boss.”

  Meanwhile, in the castle dungeon, Dosh felt a certain sense of superiority over the girl squirming at his feet. She was cocky earlier but now she was crying. She had been disrespectful, but now she was pleading for mercy. She was so helpless, he could fondle her breasts or slap her ass, and she couldn't do anything about it. In the end, she was nothing more than a dumb peasant while he was a brilliant noble.

  Pride comes before a fall, Dosh Heleti. Grab her and leave the dungeon so I can teleport you out.

  "I don't care if you are The Highest Authority; you won't give me orders!"

  It was by my power and guidance that you successfully subdued her. Never forget that.

  "You're nothing without us! You need us mere mortals to change anything in this world! All you did was supply tools; I accomplished this feat on my own merit!"

  Tiza listened to his ravings with interest. In his sloppiness and over-confidence, he had forgotten to plug her ears. Between an arrogant brat and the First Rebel, a self-righteous debate could go on for hours. It was her chance to wriggle free. Fatigue was no obstacle; it was part of her training. All she needed was enough time.

  Tasio’s army is about to break my obelisk. Then you will be on your own. Carry her out of the dungeon right now, before she succeeds in her escape attempt.

  “When we arrive in Latrot, I expect a hero’s welcome. It’s the least you can do after what I’ve accomplished here.”

  Tiza cursed mentally. If he carried her into Latrot, there would be no coming back. Not even Tasio could save her from such a place, let alone Sathel. She frantically brainstormed for something, anything that could get her out of this mess.

  You have done nothing wor—

  All of a sudden, Tiza fel
t stronger and Dosh felt weaker. The Order Domination Field was gone. Dosh scrambled to get Tiza out of the room while she kicked out and head-butted. Even when he got her in a fireman’s carry, he couldn’t keep his grip on her. She fell to the dungeon floor in a heap. Now that she had a freer hand, she took another look at her options.

  Nothing physical because of the cuffs; nothing magical because of the gag; no spiders because of his seamless armor; no Evil Eye because she was hooded and face down. She couldn't see anything that...Then it struck her: I can still see!

  The hood blocked her physical eyes, but there was nothing stopping her Third Eye. It was a spiritual power. She used her spirit barrier to see the world around her. Since Evil Eye was also spiritual in nature, could the two combine into one power? With nothing to lose, she projected a lifetime's worth of suffering through her barrier.

  Dosh didn't move. He didn’t budge a single muscle. Tiza would have beamed if not for the ball in her mouth. Now she had all the time in the world.

  No more wild thrashing. Sathel taught her to be cautious and methodical. Sathel also hid spiders on her person because she knew how passionate her daughter could be. The effortless thought gave her new confidence. That's right! I'm The Spider's daughter! I can do this!

  She wriggled and twisted in the wrist cuffs. Little by little, she felt the one on her right wrist begin to slip. Then it was sliding down her fingers. To her great surprise, the smooth silk of her gloves eased the process. They also prevented her wrists from chafing in her struggles.

  Maybe it wouldn’t be all bad to be Lady Tiza of Heleti...She blushed and shook her head. I can't think about that now!

  Her left wrist was next and then both her arms were free from the waist chain. Reaching behind her neck, she untied the hood's laces and pulled it off. Then she took a deep breath through her nose. It was suffocating in there. Next, she unclipped the ball gag and pulled it out. Sending a new wave of hatred and fear in Dosh's direction, she said, "I'm gonna stick this in your mouth. See how you like it."