Legacy of Death_Revenge

by Thomas J. L. Green

  “Aim for the crack,” he told her. Zoey gave him a confused look.

  “Wait, is that?” she asked as she realized what the thunderous sound means. The river catapulted them forward and they were falling. Falling over a massive waterfall. Deep below them was a pond. The battle cry echoed from above. They looked up and saw Kayleanne descending upon them in an almost free fall.

  “Lucas,” Zoey turned to him.

  “I got this, aim for the crack,” Lucas confirmed and closed his eyes.

  Kayleanne’s lance was approaching fast. Lucas spread his arms and let his magic erupt. All the water from the pond disappeared and re-appeared between them and Kayleanne. She crashed into the water. The impact stopped her.

  “You’re kidding, right?” Zoey turned to him. They were now falling toward the rocky bottom of the pond. Lucas teleported to Raven and straightened his body, so he falls with legs first. He positioned himself the same way.

  “That crack’s really fucking small!” Zoey cursed. Lucas teleported to her to push her a little, so she hits it. They fell into the crack at the bottom of the pond. Water of the underground river greeted them with an icy grip. Lucas spun himself to have his feet up. He moved Raven to do the same and Zoey followed. Soon the water that was teleported above them hit. It threw them at the river bed. The current swept them once more. Lucas caught Raven and swam up so he could breathe. Zoey got up soon afterward.

  “Tell me this was the last waterfall” Zoey shouted.

  “I wish,” Lucas smirked. Zoey shook her head and tried to get some rest as the water carried her. The strong current was a blessing in the fact that it easily kept her up even with her wearing the heavy armor. The next waterfall wasn’t as tall and sharp as the last one. Lucas caught Raven in the water and brought him up after the fall. They were in an underground lake.

  “We need to get out of the water before or blood attracts the locals,” Lucas announced and started swimming toward the shore. Zoey followed him. They pulled Raven on the shore.

  “Help me get the armor off him, we got to pump the water out of him,” Lucas commanded. Zoey didn’t protest. They carefully removed Raven’s breastplate. His shoulder was a bloody mess of crushed bones. Lucas sat above him and started pumping out the water out of Raven’s lungs.

  “The fuck was that?” Zoey asked.

  “We kicked the hornet nest, they got pissed and came at us,” Lucas smirked.

  “I mean the woman,” Zoey specified.

  “Kayleanne, the Sapphire Crane. Demon prince… or princess, if you would like,” Lucas revealed.

  “Why didn’t you warn us she’s coming?” she asked straight.

  “I didn’t know. Princes know how to hide themselves and their surroundings in the Dream World. Even from me. Plus, that griffin can cover way too much area in a single day for me to find her. I search by location, not by name,” Lucas explained.

  “How the fuck do we beat her? She beat up Raven while wearing high heels! Do you have any idea how hard it is to as much as walk in those?” Zoey exclaimed.

  “By being smarter. Help me move him,” Lucas caught Raven to drag him into a cave together with Zoey. They made their way into a side cave with only one entrance. Lucas flicked his hand a massive boulder appeared in the entrance.

  “We should be safe here for a while. How badly wounded are you?” Lucas asked.

  “Dunno,” Zoey answered with a grim look. She went on to take off her armor while Lucas removed the rest of Raven’s. He pulled a large jar of healing tincture and started applying it on him.

  “How much of this shit do you have?” Zoey breathed.

  “I had nothing better to do than make these in past two years. Catch,” he tossed her a smaller jar.

  “What the hell is it, anyway?” Zoey pondered as she started putting the disgusting looking tincture into her wounds. They weren’t anything major, but there were a lot of them.

  “It fills in the wound, stops bleeding and repairs broken muscle and other tissue,” Lucas revealed. Zoey stopped and narrowed her eyes.

  “That does not tell me what it is. Also, there is no way herbs can do that… what exactly is this tincture made of?” she asked suspiciously. “And why does the one you are putting at Raven smell by herbs while mine stinks like a half-rotten corpse.”

  “Soft demonic tissue, organs and some herbs. You need different stuff than Raven.”

  “Ugggh… EEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW. Why would you make that?” Zoey shrugged.

  “Demons have an innate slow regenerative ability; the tissue retains the potency even after death… but yes, some questions are better left unanswered,” Lucas smirked.

  “Do you have any body parts where you haven’t used this?” Zoey asked evasively.

  “Face and crotch. I never let anything hit me there,” Lucas smiled warmly.

  “At least put some effort into the lying,” Zoey shook her head.

  “Well… it doesn’t look like you got a problem putting it on yourself,” Lucas evaluated.

  “Do you think I would rather bleed out than put on some of this shit? Think again. How’s Raven?” she returned the question.

  “He will live. The shoulder will be useless until we find a bone healer. I have no tincture to remake bones and work on him,” Lucas breathed.

  “Our lives just got a lot more interesting. How long do you think we can stay here?” Zoey pivoted the topic.

  “They will find us in at most a day. We can spend the night and rest until the tincture works itself in. But then we need to move,” Lucas breathed.

  “Sleeping on rocks… great,” Zoey complained.

  Lucas got up and walked to the further part of the cave. He pulled a thick carpet out of his dream pocket. Then he pulled out some pillows and feather beds.

  “Making me a bed… how charming of you,” Zoey commented.

  “That’s my bed. Make your own,” Lucas smirked and went to lie down into it.

  “Wow. You are SUCH a gentleman,” Zoey exclaimed.

  “If you are nice… I might allow you to join me,” Lucas smiled wickedly.

  “Sneaky bastard… got some food and wine?”

  Lucas pulled out a pile of dried meat and a couple bottles of wine. Zoey got up, put on the pants of her gambeson. She peered down at Lucas as he lay in the bed. Lucas was wrapped in his usual bandages, wore pants and shoes.

  “Unwrap the bandages,” she ordered.

  “Why?” Lucas contested.

  “Because that’s how you separate yourself from the outside world. If I’m going to enter the bed where you happen to be, you will have them off. Understand?” Zoey announced in a cold, heartless voice.

  “You are starting to know me far too well,” Lucas breathed as he started unwrapping the bandages.

  “A little privacy?” He asked as he got to the point where he needed to undress completely.

  “No,” Zoey refused. Lucas sighed and did it anyway.

  “How are you so alright?” Zoey pried.

  “Hmm?”

  “We just had a horrible loss, barely survived, killed nothing interesting or as much as scratched their boss. Raven’s fucked up, we are both quite a bit wounded and still being pursued by the demons we just lost to. Whatever plan you had was just shattered beyond repair. Yet you are… sort of fine. I can feel you are salty, but not nearly as much as I would expect you to be,” Zoey summarized.

  “It’s not my first failure. Not even in the first hundred… and that’s counting just the major ones. Shit happens, I’m used to dealing with it. Tonight, I get drunk, tomorrow we escape and I start making a new plan. One which accounts for Kayleanne being way more pissed off and much less lazy than I had anticipated,” Lucas laid out as he put his pants back on.

  Zoey got down from the bed. She leaned onto him.

  “Wanna get seriously fucked up?” she tossed up.

  “Yea.”

  Zoey pulled a small pouch from an inside pocket of her pants.

  We got a real
ly good dreamwalker among the Faye. She uses this when she wants to get high. Her natural resistance is at a point where no poison does anything to her, she can’t tell alcohol apart from water and smokes lotus on a regular basis. I’m not saying you aren’t tougher than her, but be careful with how much you suppress your resistance,” Zoey revealed.

  Interesting. I actually have no idea what it is… and that doesn’t happen very often. I guess this is also why she was never surprised I need no antidote after being bitten by the demonic snakes.

  “Are you taking anything?” Lucas asked.

  “Just wine. I feel that this thing would destroy me if I as much as smelled it,” Zoey smiled.

  “You really prepared well,” Lucas smiled.

  “What do you mean?” Zoey played innocent.

  “You specifically asked Leena to make you something that would make even her high. Now you know I’m shaken from defeat and distracted by needing to make a new plan, so you are trying to seize this opportunity. You come half naked to further distract me and offer me this drug so you can question me about things I wouldn’t want to talk about,” Lucas observed.

  “I never said her name was Leena,” Zoey narrowed her eyes.

  “In the world, there are less than ten dreamwalkers capable of doing over fifty jumps between dream pockets in a single night. We all know each other, more or less directly, but we do,” Lucas countered.

  This was way, way, way too close. I really need to watch my mouth around her.

  “Anyway… yes, I might be trying to trick you into an interrogation or I’m just trying to be nice and help by having a fun evening. You have no way to know which one of it is the case. The question is, will you dare or will you chicken out?” Zoey asked straight.

  “You are really starting to know me well,” Lucas conceded as he reached for the pouch.

  “You aren’t so hard to read,” Zoey smiled charmingly.

  “Perhaps.”

  26

  Lucas

  Nnngggghhhhh… the fuck was that? I finally fell asleep and my head is still spinning… in the fucking Dream World. I’m never taking any drug made by Leena again. Ever.

  Lucas got up to stabilize a little. His head spun so hard he almost fell back to the bed.

  I’m too run over to get any real work done tonight… but I should at least check the emergencies.

  Slowly and carefully, Lucas stood up to go through his Dream Pocket. Is was a large room besieged by paintings, maps and crystals. He walked to the wall with the map of the world painted all over it. He moved his hand and a few red dots appeared on it.

  The red dots seem just about right. Guess we have had no real causalities today. Good. At least the other two fronts are doing well. Should be an easy night, let’s check the emergencies…

  Lucas flicked his hand again, the red dots disappeared and a swarm of orange dots appeared.

  MOTHER OF GOD! What the fuck happened at the fleet!? Three hundred and seventy-nine emergency summons? Seriously? I need a drink.

  Lucas reached to a nearby cabinet to rummage through it. He found what he searched after a while.

  Leena’s drug should keep me stabilized through the travels. I hope. Brain eater’s spinal fluid blended with a generous amount of vodka should make it sufferable.

  He downed the concoction he found. It was beyond disgusting, but it gave him the proper kick.

  One more thing.

  Lucas pulled a cigar out of the nearby table and lit it up.

  Okay… so let’s see it by the ranks. Elias. Expected, he had a battle the day before yesterday. Commander of the 14th Legion… I feel like I should know who that is. I really should. I’m pretty sure I named him to the position myself. Or her… I have no idea. Next one... also nope. Nope. Nope. Aha! Connie, that’s the Faye that operates the oversized slingshot on Judith. Nope. Nope. Fuck, I really have no fucking idea who these people are. I really need to find a way to put names on this thing. Meh…

  I need to wake up in about eight to ten hours. With this amount, I got about a minute and a half for each of them. Ah well.

  Lucas went to put on a tunic and a hooded cloak.

  Alright, time to go to work!

  Wait!

  I forgot to put on pants. This will be a really long night.

  “Morning, sunshine,” pierced the mind of Lucas.

  Well, fuck. I just spoke to almost four hundred freaked out women, give me a break. Then again, what you’re doing with that mouth on my neck is more than good. I allow you to continue. Now I just need to control myself a little, so she thinks I’m asleep.

  “Feels like someone is awake,” Zoey purred.

  Of course, the traitor between my legs never fails to betray me.

  “How long… was I asleep?” Lucas groaned.

  I wonder what happened last night… I can’t remember shit.

  “Fifteen hours... you are quite the sleeper when you drink. Guess I shouldn’t let you drink so much again,” Zoey tossed up.

  No wonder it felt like forever. I really need to figure out what happened last night. She’s got her pants on, but she could have put them on when I was asleep. Nah, who am I kidding? I got nothing.

  Zoey slid from the neck to his lips. Lucas wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hungrily. Very, very hungrily. She detached halfway through.

  Never lets me have it fully… bitch.

  “That’s enough for now. If I didn’t know any better, judging by what you’re doing with your hands, I would say you are trying to start me,” Zoey remarked.

  “I would never dare to do that,” Lucas smirked without stopping.

  “Good. Because you aren’t even close to that. You are somewhere between kissing and a handjob,” Zoey chuckled.

  “What does get me to the next level?” Lucas continued the little game.

  “Get me a hot bath under the moon without being pursued for over a day,” Zoey demanded.

  “I will see what I can do,” Lucas smiled warmly.

  “Good. Now, remember the deals from last night?” she asked briskly.

  “No,” Lucas admitted.

  “Raven! Why don’t you tell Lucas what he promised me last night?” Zoey shouted.

  “I told you I want to have no part in this,” Raven objected.

  “Yea, yea, yea… you keep saying that. Now tell Lucas what he promised me last night!” Zoey smiled.

  “Do I want to know?” Lucas asked.

  “No, you do not,” Raven confirmed instantly.

  “Sorry, Zoey, I see nothing that can be done,” Lucas turned to her with a grin.

  “You two bastards… one thing I’m not defaulting on is the warm bed. Now that I know you have it, I am not sleeping in anything less comfortable. Understood?” Zoey pierced Lucas with a murderous stare.

  “I can live with that,” Lucas conceded.

  “How are you holding up?” he turned to Raven.

  “My shoulder’s fucked up badly; can’t really use the left hand. I can fight the smaller ones, but not someone like that woman. Any idea who that was?”

  “Kayleanne, the Sapphire Crane. One of the demon princes we are on to kill,” Lucas revealed.

  “Oh… I called her dogfood. She sure isn’t going to be vengeful,” Raven mused awkwardly.

  “Noooooo…. of course not, how could she? What gave you the idea? And since Lucas stabbed her beloved griffin, she will chase the two of you till the end of the world,” Zoey remarked. “On the plus side, she will likely want to capture you alive. If for nothing else than to see your face when she crushes your balls within her palm.”

  “Lovely prospects. Anyway, how do we beat her?” Raven evaluated grimly.

  “Isolate and outnumber her. I mean, I can fight her in a duel, but I need the right conditions… or, of course, you can figure out how to beat her up yourself,” Lucas replied.

  “You can fight her in a duel?” Zoey interrupted.

  “Yes and no, it’s a bit complex. Let’s just say I’
m really strong in fair duels… which she isn’t going to have with me unless forced and well, she will not feel forced for as long as she has her champions and an army around herself,” Lucas revealed.

  Zoey narrowed her eyes. “One day, you will show me how you would do that.”

  “Defeat her myself… yeah, that’s something I can work on,” Raven smiled happily.

  “You are surprisingly happy about this,” Zoey observed.

  “Was afraid I will have no one to fight with. Can’t help but be excited when I see there are beings capable of stomping me into dust. It’s motivating,” Raven explained.

  “You two are weird. Anyway, what’s the plan?” Zoey tossed up.

  “Gear up and get ready. I will lead the way, you two try to keep up,” Lucas laid out.

  “Where are we going?” Zoey pried.

  “There is a cavern people village close from here. We resupply and get climbing gear. We’re gonna have demon snakes as a company for most of the journey, so conserve your strength. You’re gonna hate the next few days,” Lucas stated.

  “And then?” Zoey tried.

  “Then you will get used to it.”

  “How much more of this?” Raven asked, visibly tired. They spent the whole day running through caverns and killing everything they couldn’t avoid. A mountain of demon snakes, spiders, animated mushrooms, cavern people and various chimeras later, they finally reached a safe haven.

  “Two more days like this, then we climb up, then we run and hide in the deeper forests. With a bit of luck, we hit civilization sometime next week,” Lucas laid out.