War God's Mantle- Underworld

by James Hunter

  It seemed there was a damned good reason this portion of the complex was called the Infinity Labyrinth.

  I squinted. Crap, that moon wasn’t a moon, either. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was actually a glass orb hanging from the ceiling by massive steel chains. Around it were small, complicated engines spewing plumes of sooty smoke into the chamber. Okay, so at the center of Daedalus’ Infinity Labyrinth was a steam-powered moon. Considering every other wonky thing I’d seen so far, that made perfect sense.

  I didn’t see any sign of our people in the maze, but I realized just how lucky we’d been to have Persephone with us. It would’ve been hard enough to figure out those twists and turns if the thing had been flat and three-dimensional. But if we had walked onto walls? Or travelled upside down? Hell, we’d been lucky to only cross Phoebe’s thread once and not a bunch of times. I shook my head at the sheer dumb luck of it all.

  Between the hill city and the horizon of twisting mazes was nothing but short, lush grass and rivers carving their way across the landscape, all gushing down from the city above.

  I traced the various streams of running water back up under the big front ramparts of the city and saw that the walled town was like Venice but propped up on a mountaintop. Arched terraces graced the buildings, domed minarets topped the bulk of the buildings, and an unbelievable number of delicate bridges spanned the various aqueducts. Must be one hell of a cistern bubbling out of that city. Which explained the sheer amount of water in the Submerged Labyrinth.

  I stopped and enjoyed the scent of the night air. It smelled of perfume and flowers, though all mingled with the scent of woodsmoke and the acrid odor of burning coal.

  Loxo bounced off the chariot. “I shall go scout ahead in the city. I will message you if I see anything.”

  Another glance, and she was totally gone. She had disappeared into the night, becoming no more substantial than a shadow. I strained to hear the pitter-patter of her footfalls, but there was nothing. She moved in complete silence, with not even the faintest whisper of a footfall. As a high-level Huntress, she was completely undetectable most of the time.

  A moment later, Asteria bounded down a hillock, stopping next to me in the form of a massive blue wolf. She plopped down on her haunches and whined, the sound raising the hair on the back of my neck.

  I dismissed the summoned horses and the chariot descended in response, settling down on its two wheels. On terra firma, it was like a Segway; it sat balanced perfectly on the two spoked tires. I got off and stood next to Asteria. I was huge, and yet she was as tall as my shoulder.

  I messaged the Beastiamancer. You okay, Asteria?

  She turned and gave me a long look with eyes that burned with misery. And a little bit of fear, maybe.

  That Submerged Labyrinth really bothered you, didn’t it?

  She didn’t respond but pushed her head against me, nuzzling me with her shaggy muzzle. She wasn’t talking, it seemed, but I knew there was something going on with her. Asteria was usually as unflappable as a husky in the snow. I absently rubbed a hand along her furry head, looking off into the city. I noticed a building, some kind of ramshackle boarded-up thing, conspicuous against the stone houses around it. A factory, if I had to guess, and it was spewing out twisting plumes of gray like a chain-smoker.

  One light went on. Then another.

  Which told me that someone in Minos Omega was definitely home. And I didn’t think they’d be too friendly. Well, if Persephone could sneak past them, maybe we could too. I didn’t care about anything or anyone that wasn’t Necro Earl or his cronies. No, my eyes were on the prize. Shut down the monster generators in the Temple of Hades, destroy Earl and Antiope, and establish a base camp in the very heart of my enemy’s domain. That was the plan, and we only had about three hours left to accomplish it.

  We had to be up and inside the Temple of Hades by that time, or we might well lose the whole damn war.

  I mean, if Necro Earl’s forces broke the sigil, we’d only have a few hours before Hades flooded this world, and all possible worlds it seemed, with the demonic forces of his unstoppable horde.

  Fun With Farm Animals

  PHOEBE SCRAMBLED OUT of the labyrinth. She clattered up to us, her mech dripping water. She pulled up alongside Asteria and me. Her head went back to take in the “sky.” Her mouth dropped open, eyes blinking in shocked surprise. Dude, to quote the master, “That’s no moon.” That’s an artificial light source—some kinda luminescent glass orb. And that labyrinth we went through? It’s like a maze boned a slinky then gave birth to quintuplet labyrinths. Who then met several drunk men in Las Vegas. They all went to live in Utah in a polygamist colony to cook meth and make more mazes.

  I found myself laughing. Damn, Phoebe.

  It’s why you love me, she sent. And if I’m not mistaken, that round building at the top is the Olympian Library. Not sure how we’re going to get from there to the Temple of Hades, but we’ll find out soon enough, I guess.

  I opened a message to all three of my generals. I don’t want to engage any enemy forces unless we absolutely have to. We only have three hours, and I don’t want to waste a single second in combat that’s not necessary. Everyone good with that?

  From Phoebe: Avoiding battles? The necklace is working.

  From Myrina: Agreed.

  Asteria still didn’t send me a thing, but she nodded her shaggy head in reply and darted forward, bounding off the cobblestones of the road, shimmering, leathery wings sprouting from her back. She took off as a giant bat, fluttering through the sky, and in seconds she was gone.

  Myrina and Persephone emerged from the labyrinth, followed in short order by Doris, Ianthe, and the dozens of other Battle Wardens who comprised our advanced raiding force. Sabra, Calla, Aella, and my other Elementalists were soon walking on the road as well. Sophia appeared next to me.

  “Can you wait for the Harvesters and Beastiamancers?” I asked my Teleporter. “Loxo’s gone ahead to scout. Message me when they get here.”

  Sophia agreed, while the rest of the team broke into two columns and headed for the city on the hill.

  Persephone climbed up into the chariot with Myrina and me. “Easier this way,” she said with a shrug, one hand caressing my forearm as she squeezed in beside me.

  I nodded, trying to ignore the press of her body. With an effort of will, we took to the sky, a single fiery mount pulling us along. Myrina had no reaction to the strange place in which we found ourselves, or, if she did, it didn’t register on her face. She was all business, eyes scanning the rivers, the fields, and the walls of the city. The factory still belched an endless stream of smoke. More lights appeared, little red dots winking on. From a distance, it was hard to tell, but they could’ve been fires.

  The hooves of my fire stallion might be visible, so I turned them off. Now a smoky horse, with smoky tackle, pulled my chariot. With a thought, I also killed the circlet’s light—didn’t want to blow the element of surprise if I could avoid it. Though, admittedly, we had about seventy soldiers with us, so sneaking around was next to impossible. Never hurts to try, though.

  As we drew nearer, I noticed the gates of the city had been blown apart, stony debris littering the street. Similar devastation was evident everywhere. Huge chunks of walls were simply gone—obliterated—the tiles on roofs had been shattered, building walls had caved in, and there were scorch marks all over the place. I’d cast my fair share of lightning bolts around, so I knew the telltale signs. Someone with access to some serious voltage—which could only be Zeus—had been here, and he hadn’t been happy. The destruction, though widespread, was old, the battle long since finished.

  We wound our way deeper into the city until we came to a fork in the road. We had to make a choice: left or right. Both directions had ramps that disappeared into a maze of small houses, narrow streets, and debris-filled ratholes. Alleyways splintered off in every direction, cutting through the houses and dilapidated storefronts. I was glad there were ramps. Our Harve
sters would need them to make the climb upward, toward the Olympian Library, which capped the city.

  I half-turned to Persephone standing behind me on the chariot. “Which way, P?” I asked.

  “To the right,” she said, rubbing at one temple. “I remember this now. And I recall how I knew my way through Daedalus’ asinine maze. My mother. My mother would sing to me, and I would hear it. I ... I followed her voice.”

  She was pale again, graying, and her hair hung limply. There were lines forming around her mouth and eyes. She wasn’t going to last, and I wasn’t sure we had enough Divine Essence potions to see her through until the end. I still had a few left, but I was hoping to ration those—to save them for my rumble against Earl. Still ... if she wasn’t strong enough to get us through this place, I’d never make it to Earl anyway, so reluctantly I reached into my pouch and offered her another one.

  She took it with a nod, her once full lips pursed in a thin line. “Thank you.”

  We hooked right on her instruction. The horse’s hooves clopped and the chariot wheels crunched across gravel and dust as we rode up the stony incline. I could’ve flown up and over the buildings, but that would’ve totally given away our position. And other than Asteria, our fliers were still in the labyrinth.

  After drinking the Essence potion, Persephone’s hair turned vibrant once more, the skin around her eyes smooth, her body nice and curvy. She was back to being a youthful goddess of spring. But for how much longer?

  “Are you sure you heard your mother?” I asked once she was back to her old—or rather young—self.

  “I believe so,” she said, a frown turning down the corners of her mouth. “As Queen of the Underworld, I think I would know if she had passed. However, with the divine, death is far more complicated than with mortals. For some reason, I believe she is alive, but lost ...” she faltered. “Perhaps lost on the Stair. I do not know. But she was there in the secret library when Apollo fell.” She sighed and absently tucked a loose strand of dark hair behind her ear. “I am thrilled and relieved to have her sickles as my weapons. I just wish I could see her again, you know?”

  I did. My own mother was alive but worlds away. I hope I was doing her proud by saving the multiverse. Duh, no brainer, of course I was. And my old man would definitely be happy for me. I was the god of war and was saving the day. That was something he could brag about to his buddies at the Elks Club.

  Persephone went on. “This was the battlefield, in those final days of the Olympian War, after Hera fell. My mother—I received a message from her. She had slain the Queen of the Gods, but Zeus’ forces were done for. They had to retreat. She and Apollo went to escape and that was the last I heard from her. Demeter’s handmaiden, a wheat nymph, fell wounded at my feet after delivering the message to the Underworld.”

  The spring goddess directed me through the warren of streets and alleys as we talked, and I followed her lead. Over a bridge spanning murky water, up another rampart, and under an archway, we climbed higher. The narrow avenues began to gradually widen.

  “We are approaching the marketplace.” Persephone’s eyes went distant. “There was a temple there, for Hephaestus and his wares, and the god himself even hammered out creations in his marketplace temple. But he is lost. Gone. He never left Minos Omega alive.”

  “Why Minos?” I asked. “Why not battle on Mount Olympus?”

  She placed a hand on my shoulder. I have to admit, her touch felt good. “Zeus did not want his palace spoiled with war, if you can believe the absurdity of it all. But Daedalus had recreated his favorite city in this far-off world, at the heart of his maze of madness. In many ways, it was the perfect place for the gods to war.”

  I had fuzzy memories of a history class. Something about France and England not wanting to muck up their countries so they went to Germany to fight their wars. Apparently, the Olympians had similar reasoning.

  “Why did Daedalus recreate Minos Omega in the first place?” I asked.

  “That is a question I simply do not have an answer for,” the goddess replied. “And, in truth, I hope we do not find out. You and I are of a similar mind. Let us get through this city as fast as we can and without incident.”

  “Amen to that.” We turned up another ramp.

  Loxo dropped out of the shadows in front of us. She approached, holding up a hand, showing us she was unarmed—no threat. She didn’t speak but sent me her report. There are creatures everywhere in the marketplace, and it will only be a matter of time before they spread down here. I hear machines in the market’s factory, and there are multiple fires burning there. Forges, I believe. At least the ring of hammer falls—that seems to suggest as much.

  Myrina edged up next to us. What kind of creatures?

  Loxo frowned, winced, and frowned some more. Some are akin to the fish. Some to the skeletons. Some are even more fabricated and fantastical. You will have to see them to believe them. Everything from skeletal soldiers, like we fought before, to animals with fires burning inside them—burning their flesh. It is a circus of peculiarities. And I do not see a way around them. There are hundreds if not thousands of the creatures milling about, filling the streets of the city above us. You have been fortunate not to meet any.

  Thousands of enemies. Great. So, I needed a clever way around this battle. I thought of Sophia. She could teleport us one at a time, but that would take forever. I could fly, as could our Beastiamancers, but again, shuttling our people back and forth to the library would not be the best way to approach this situation, and there was simply no way we’d be able to transport the Harvesters.

  Fight your way through them, coward! the godstone thundered in the back of my head. The necklace buzzed to suppress the gem.

  This time, however, the godstone had the right of it. Fighting potentially was the easiest and quickest solution. Plus, I had my new Wrath ability, which was an area of attack spell against multiple enemies. And this chariot had some powerful magic as well.

  I messaged Myrina. I think we should go in, guns blazing. We hit ’em hard and fast, and keep right on trucking until we get to the library. What do you think?

  I agree, War God, the Battle Warden sent after a long beat, which frankly shocked the hell out of me. She never agreed with me if she could help it.

  Phoebe joined in the conversation. Brontia and Steropia have checked in. They are in that super long corridor, and things are going well. Otrere is beat, though. She’s gonna need a few beers and maybe a line of blow before she’ll be ready for combat. Still, no casualties navigating the waterways.

  Easy there, Phoebe, I sent. This is a family show.

  So my air force would be flying in at any minute. Toxaris, Flutterhoney, and their whole team just might make the difference between life and death. And if we cleared the path, then our Death Harvesters, bears, and bulls could waltz right up to the Olympian Library at the top of the mountain city. I wanted to avoid battle, but this really did seem like the most pragmatic approach to the situation.

  All right. I’ll go first to draw their fire, I sent. In my chariot, they won’t be able to touch me. And Persephone has her mother’s awesome sickles. I’ll blind them, then we’ll blast them. Myrina, you and Phoebe can lead the foot troops. Come in behind us and mop up the mess. Sound like a plan?

  Myrina glared at me, one hand tensing around her spear. It would be best if I drew their fire, though knowing you, I doubt that will come to pass. But I believe there is a compromise, which might serve our purposes well. There are multiple streets leading to the agora. Using the messaging system, we can coordinate our efforts and strike in unison. Agreed?

  I liked my plan better, but I gave in. Letting Myrina have a win would hopefully improve both her morale and her mood. She certainly had been in a tizzy recently.

  She took half our soldiers and went left, going up a stairwell with Loxo, who knew the way. The rest of us eased forward up another incline and waited outside the archway that led to the marketplace, or agora—the central cour
tyard in Greek cities. We could see the very top of the dilapidated wooden factory, which belched out gray smog that hung in the air. This close, I could smell the scent of superheated metal, burning hair, and crisping flesh, which was a truly nauseating combination.

  Phoebe did some last-minute mech repairs, and Persephone drew her sickles from their vine holsters, while Doris and Ianthe prepared themselves for battle. I wasn’t sure where Asteria was, and she wasn’t checking in. She’d heard our messaging, however, and she’d hear the signal. I knew that while my Beastiamancer might be having some personal issues, she’d still show up for the fight when the time came.

  Meanwhile, I conjured up all six available shadow horses for the chariot—I wanted every possible edge I could get in the battle to come, and if I needed to retreat, I wanted to be able to do it fast. That done, I drew my War Blade, then dropped it, letting it float by my side, ready to kick ass and take names all on its own. I pulled the Crystal Scythe free, its weight and arcane power reassuring in my hands. The Sower’s Glass shield hung off me. While I couldn’t stop time anymore that day, I could slow it down if the battle turned into a complete shitshow.

  I had no idea what to expect once Myrina gave us the signal. Whatever we were about to fight, it seemed Daedalus had been busy and was still working away—or maybe this was a case of machines making machines. Maybe the genius was long dead, and his creations were the ones carrying on his demented legacy. I figured we’d get the answer in a minute.

  Now, War God! Myrina sent, her voice a whip crack in the back of my skull.

  Reins in my left hand, scythe in my right, I gave the command, and my summoned horses lurched into sudden motion. Their manes, tails, and hooves burst into flame as they ran, casting brilliant light across the walls of the ruined buildings around us. Flicking the reins, we stormed through the archway and into a grand courtyard, hundreds of feet long and wide, full of animals kicking around, butting heads, and walking listlessly in circles.