War God's Mantle- Underworld

by James Hunter

  Steampunk piranhas. Of course that was what was in the Submerged Labyrinth.

  The worst thing was, there was no way my Amazons would be able to swim through that water. Besides, it was far too deep for our Harvesters to drive through. There was enough exposed space above the water for the chariot and the winged mounts to maneuver, but this would cripple our army.

  I watched, nauseated, as piranhas leapt from the water to bite at the hooves of my horse. Their serrated bronze teeth went right through him, but the fire didn’t seem to bother them at all. I extended a hand and hit the fish with a burst of Lightning Lance. No effect. In fact, I saw a few swell in size and thrash around even more violently. Almost as if they liked the lightning.

  Looking down into the frantic, churning waters, I found myself at a complete loss. I mean, if there had been a big-ass squid in the water, we could’ve fought it, but there were millions of these things. How could we possibly contend with an enemy like that?

  Maybe with cold? I took the Crystal Scythe and touched it to the surface. Yes, it froze the water a couple of inches, but then the piranhas chomped through the ice in seconds and tried to gnaw through the scythe. Good luck with that.

  So fire wouldn’t work, cold seemed about as useful as ejector seats on a helicopter, and lightning only made them do a happy dance. This was a quandary. I turned off my horse, shifted the chariot around 180 degrees, and then reactivated the fire steed. It took us out of the passage and back into the staging room we’d left behind a few moments ago.

  As we flew, Myrna explained why Asteria was huddled up in the corner. “She hit the water as a dolphin, and then those creatures tore into her without mercy. She was fast enough to get free, but it was a near thing, even for her. Those fish could have eaten her—no, would have eaten her—in seconds. We must find a way through, but I am at a loss.”

  Now the mesh at the entrance made sense. It let the water from the river flow through but kept the clockwork piranhas contained inside the Submerged Labyrinth.

  “Yeah,” I agreed. “But it’s a maze. So not only are we dealing with the clockwork piranhas—compliments of Daedalus, if I had to guess—but we’ll also have to figure out how to get through the labyrinth itself.”

  “That is part of what I do not understand, War God. Daedalus, he should be dead,” Myrina said firmly. “He was mortal. His presence in this place is beyond troubling. Perhaps the Queen of the Underworld would know?” She stole a sidelong glance at Persephone.

  The goddess stood on a lily pad, elevated above the knee-deep water in the staging room. There were still tears on her face from when she’d wept over her mother. The plant holsters holding the sickles were working perfectly, and I hoped we’d find Demeter alive. Maybe she could tell us more about the Olympian War.

  “There are countless souls there,” the spring goddess replied evenly. She seemed in a particularly stately mood at the moment. “I do not know if Daedalus is alive or dead. But I can tell you how I passed over the Submerged Labyrinth.”

  “Please do,” I said.

  “Very well.” She strode across the water, conjuring lily pads as she walked, then stopped at the edge of the mesh retaining net. Laser focused, she lifted her hands and conjured plants from nothing. The greenery took root on the walls of the maze tunnel and dropped down, forming a rough bridge of vegetation, just as she’d done before. She stepped onto the lattice of vines and flowers she’d made and scrambled across it as quickly as her legs would carry her. Naturally, the clockwork piranhas below went positively apeshit, throwing themselves out of the water, grinding through the branches, eating the flowers. She turned sharply and headed back toward us at a jog, leaping off as the leafy bridge vanished into a multitude of toothy maws.

  I caught her before she hit the ground like a load of bricks.

  Phoebe’s voice filled my head. Okay, so we might be able to hustle some of our Amazons across Persephone’s magical rope bridge, but they’d have to move awfully quick. As for the Harvesters? Our ballistae? Our supplies? That’s just not going to work. And the animals would be too slow.

  Sitting in the chariot, I thought about going myself. In the chariot, I could maneuver through the labyrinth just fine, and I could take Persephone with me to show me the way. Asteria could spider along the walls without a problem. Phoebe’s mech could extend her legs to walk through the depths. She’d done it before on Nyx, and I doubted the steampunk piranhas could get through the reinforced steel legs. With Persephone’s plant magic, we could take a small contingent as well. That would leave us outgunned, but with the magical items we’d found—the circlet, the chariot, the sickles—we’d have a fighting chance at least. But the whole purpose of this strike was to throw all our forces against Necro Earl and Antiope.

  My Amazons all waited for me to speak, but I didn’t have an easy answer. “Okay, guys, this puts a damper on things,” I finally said, breaking the uneasy quiet.

  Damper. As in damp. As in water. Funny. That was from Phoebe, of course.

  I ignored the lame joke. “And we don’t have much time to figure this out. I think the best plan of action is to form a strike team and leave the reinforcements behind.”

  The women stirred, none daring to voice an open complaint, but it was clear they were deeply unhappy with the decision.

  “I know it’s not ideal”—I raised a hand to quiet them—“but I got a free level and free Attribute Points. I can put that into my combat abilities. Maybe double down on Smite. Or there’s Bloodlust to consider. Anyway, we can take a good number of our troops, but I just don’t see a way to bring the animals or the supply wagons. Better we strike now while we have an opportunity. Besides, we can’t go back. Chances are high that the red giant is still blocking our way back through the Stair.”

  Everyone was quiet for a little while. Somber.

  No jokes from Loxo. I thought about throwing her something, maybe use the word “moist” in a sentence. Even then, I wasn’t sure I’d get a response. I needed to find out what was going on with her, but my to-do list included saving the universe, so that took priority.

  Myrina gave me the fish-eye. “Is the necklace working, Jacob? Because you are sounding like Ares.”

  “No, I’m not,” I insisted. “This is Jacob Merely, coming at you live from the bowels of the mythic labyrinth. I’m fine standing behind my army, but the problem is, I can’t get my army through. So I’ll have to step up and be a badass. Which I can do. Easily.” I gave her a grin to show my bravado was just a joke. Well, mostly a joke.

  Myrina went stock-still, her face an emotionless mask.

  “Wait,” Phoebe said aloud. “Wait, wait, wait. I have it.”

  We all turned to her.

  She blushed, suddenly uncomfortable at the surge of attention. “Well, we can’t ford the water, we can’t swim it, and we can’t bridge it. But what if the water just wasn’t there? Otrere is a Water-Witch—and a super awesome one at that. She can manipulate water, a lot of water if push really comes to shove. Normally she wouldn’t be able to keep up her strength long enough to see us through, but we brought a ton of Exousía potions along with us. If she can push the water back, then all those little fishies won’t be able to snack on us.”

  I smiled and laughed. “Quick thinking, Phoebe. Seriously. Nice work.”

  She returned the smile. See? The Intelligence points have given me more than just the witty repartee you know and love.

  I messaged Sophia and Otrere, who appeared in the entrance chamber an instant later. Otrere had soft blond hair and rounded features, and she was chestier then I remembered. Then again, generally when I was around my Water-Witch, she was healing me from grievous wounds. Hard to focus on anything when you’re bleeding out or suffering through smashed ribs and broken legs. She wore vambraces on her wrists and greaves on her shapely calves. A hardened linen skirt protected her thighs, and a white-and-blue tunic covered her curvy frame. Her thick leather belt held a half dozen Exousía potions.

  She
approached and nervously swept a golden strand of hair behind her ear. “Yes, War God. Are you injured?”

  “Not quite.” I motioned to the entrance of the labyrinth’s tunnel. “I was actually wondering if you could use your skills to clear a way for us through these waters?”

  She seesawed her head back and forth. “I do not know. Let me try.”

  Are you ready for some Moses shit, boss? Phoebe sent, mouth stretched into a wide grin.

  Parting the Red Sea? Sure, I am, I responded.

  Otrere moved to the archway, planted her feet, and squared her shoulders like she was preparing for a knock-down, drag-out. She raised both hands, fingers spread wide, a faint cerulean glow emanating from her palms. The water swirled and churned, slowly at first, and then all at once the water in the labyrinth tunnel split in half, creating a six-foot channel with walls of solid water to the left and right. The piranhas were still there, of course, thrashing violently in the twin walls of water, but they couldn’t touch us.

  Even better, a set of slick stairs led down to the bottom of the labyrinth passageway, some ten feet below.

  The Water-Witch moved forward, sandals slapping against wet stone. The water almost seemed to flinch back at her approach. Finally, Otrere turned and offered me a shining smile. She wasn’t even sweating. “Is this what you mean, War God?”

  Before I could answer, a piranha leapt from the water and flopped onto the floor of the labyrinth tunnel. I watched, captivated. The gears spinning in its side slowly came to a halt, guttering, then dying. It seemed the fishies needed water to survive.

  Otrere stepped forward, heading down onto the stairs. “I should be able to keep our army on dry stone, but this will be taxing, and I must go slowly.”

  That would be a problem. We didn’t have all day. Actually, we had four hours to get to the Temple of Hades or we’d lose everything. But there was a solution here, I could feel it. I mulled over the problem for a half a minute, rubbing at the scruff on my chin as I thought.

  “We’ll split up,” I decided. “The Harvesters and the Beastiamancers will stay with Otrere. As for the rest of our forces, we’ll strike out first and take them across Persephone’s vine bridges. It’s not a perfect plan, and splitting the party is always dangerous, but this is the best we can hope for, I think.”

  Loxo let out a sigh. “Into the labyrinth, a maze so complex even Daedalus, the man who created it, could hardly beat it. And we must not forget there will be a monster in the middle. I do not see how we’ll survive this.”

  The fear on her face was apparent.

  Mortal Terror

  “FEAR NOT, LOXO,” PERSEPHONE said. “You forget that I have already traversed the labyrinth once. And, if you notice, along the walls are the remnants of my roots. We can follow them.”

  “Also, I have thread. Lots of thread. I came prepared,” Phoebe said. She motioned to a spindle of silver thread on her steampunk mech. She cranked her walker up a few more feet, telescoping out the legs to an amazing degree. That was my Rune-Caster, amazing in all sorts of ways.

  Loxo swallowed and nodded, but her knuckles gripping the sides of the chariot were still white. “Let me talk with Loxo a minute alone,” I said. “You guys start dividing up who is staying with Otrere and who is going with us. And Otrere,” I said, facing the Water-Witch, “that’s good enough for now. Save your strength until it’s go time.”

  The Water-Witch nodded and slowly backed up the stairs and into the staging room, letting the watery walls flood back into place. The piranhas immediately fought the current and swam up to the mesh barrier separating the labyrinth from the entrance room, but the fish didn’t even try eating through the metal. Must’ve had some sort of mystic properties to keep them at bay like that.

  I lowered the chariot. Myrina splashed off, giving my Huntress and I some privacy. Asteria was still in the corner, but she’d transformed herself into a spider and now loitered in a gossamer silver web. I took that as a good sign.

  Loxo tried to smile. “I’m okay, Jacob. Really. This place, the Stair, the water, those fish, it just has me nervous. But I will continue to serve you.” Then she tried to get flirty. “In any way that pleases you.”

  That fear, though, was still in her eyes. The flirting wasn’t working.

  I took her hand. “Do you want to tell me what’s going on? Or should I guess?”

  “Ha!” Her laughter was loud and brazen. “You can guess my feelings? You care? You are certainly not Ares.”

  “I’m not,” I affirmed. The godstone grumbled a bit, but I shut that shit down. I was in charge around here, and I would treat my ’Zons the way I wanted—not the way it told me to.

  “Well, go on, then,” she goaded.

  “You’re scared of dying again. You’re frightened that if things don’t go well, more of us will die, Hades will find the souls, and he’ll torture them until they are as evil as Antiope. You’re afraid that you’ll end up hating me, just like Antiope does—even though she doesn’t know why she hates me.” The words rushed out of me.

  Loxo’s eyes shined with tears. Not a single one fell. “She doesn’t know why because her mind has been so damaged. I do not want that to happen to me. I remember the fear I felt but little else. Death was a cold experience, and the Underworld just as cold. Part of me has yet to thaw. When we make love, I can forget for a while, or when we are in battle. But this walking has given me far too much time to think.”

  I pulled her forward and she came willingly into my embrace. “I promise you, Loxo, I will do everything I can to protect you and the rest of the Amazons. We have powerful magic with us, and another goddess who—at least for now—is on our side. We can do this. No one needs to die.”

  Loxo kissed my ear. “Do not be foolish, Jacob Merely. This is war. Soldiers die in war, even with the best of plans. And Persephone doesn’t remember who she really is. What if when her forgetfulness vanishes, she discovers she has been Hades’ ally all along? The bonds of marriage are strong.”

  I eased her back, kissed her lips, and then said with a grin, “In my world, the divorce rate is about fifty percent. And from all the stories I’ve ever heard, Persephone never wanted the whole marriage thing with the god of death to begin with. So, we have that going for us.”

  Loxo nodded. “We shall see. I would imagine we’ll learn more about the Olympian War as we go. At least, we will if we survive the creations of Daedalus, who I think is still very much alive. I do not know how that can be, for he was mortal, as Myrina said, and lived millennia ago.”

  “In which world?” I wondered aloud. “It seems there are a bunch. And all are just a bit different. Or maybe Daedalus is dead, and his creations have just managed to keep on going without him.”

  “You might be right.” Loxo kissed me again, and this was no simple peck. It was passionate and left us both breathless. “I feel better, Jacob. I am glad that you have kept the godstone hushed. Ares would’ve struck me for being afraid. And that wouldn’t have helped. You, though—you have helped me.”

  The idea of Ares smacking Loxo for any reason infuriated me. That bastard. No way was I going to let myself become such an abusive asshole.

  Loxo slipped off the chariot and hit the water. She found the wall and the shadows and disappeared into them. Asteria shifted up in the corner. Okay, I’d figured out Loxo. But why was Asteria spending so much time in her animal forms? That was the next mystery I’d have to solve.

  That, and Persephone’s splintered memories.

  But first, I had to distribute the points I’d been given by the Aegletes Crown. However, I had to be kind of careful. This was a temporary ability, and if I lost the circlet, I’d lose that skill. Probably not permanently, but I wanted to be careful.

  Accessing the gaming display, I switched around a view of my abilities so I could take them all in at once to see what I had.

  <<<>>>

  <<<>>>

  I WAS REALLY TEMPTED to either add another point to Smite or choose Bloodl
ust. If I added all my Ability Points to Strength, then I’d be a killing machine. One that could keep my Amazons safe even from the horrors we were bound to come across down here.

  Yes! Unleash your fury! the godstone urged.

  That sounded like a lot like “Use your anger!” from Star Wars. Uh, no, hard pass. I was not going dark side, especially not after my conversation with Loxo.

  I had to use my head. I really wanted two points so I could unlock Elemental Smithing and get Battle Forge Level 2. With those skills, we could do a little battlefield engineering and turn our ballistae into true terrors. I would be able to imbue them with lightning, cold, poison, or fire damage. Same with arrows and javelins. I’d wanted to use the forces of nature since I first started building stuff in Lycastia. But would I be able to level up again before we faced Necro Earl? The answer really depended on how brutal our trip through the Submerged Labyrinth and Minos Omega turned out to be.

  I frowned. At this stage, dumping points into engineering just didn’t make sense. No, I should go with the Path of War.

  Again, the gem in my chest burned. Fucking thing. My new necklace vibrated, and the gear whined. I was glad for the constant reminder. Instead of just jumping into the first thing, I looked over the list of abilities again, then pulled up my character sheet.

  <<<>>>

  <<<>>>

  I SAW TWO THINGS. ONE, that Fortune attribute. I’d largely ignored it. I wasn’t much for luck. However, I saw that it not only increased my Attack Damage, but it also affected my Miracle Damage and Armor Rating. Hold up.

  If I poured points into Fortune, it would improve every form of attack I had and keep my skin intact. This was perfect! I wouldn’t piss off Myrina, and it would help me across the board.