by V. A. Lewis
The Dwarf was overcome by shock. He stood, eyes bulging out of his sockets, as he fell backwards at the sight. He raised a shaking finger. "A-amalgam—"
And the Amalgam was consumed by flames. My Fireball launched it across the pit, onto the other side in an explosion.
The sound of the blast was accompanied by hundreds of chittering noises. I immediately hauled Gennady to his feet, as I yelled.
"Try and take out as many as you can! We’ll only bring down this cave if we have no other choice." I did not trust a collapse ceiling to do this job— not when Abominations were involved. We had to ensure they were all wiped out.
My shouting seemed to break the Dwarf out of his momentary stupor. He scrambled for his weapon, and came up beside me at the edge of the pit. I was already hurling spells down the hole when Gennady started firing his rifle.
The Abominations came up like a swarm. Climbing up the walls without any care in the world for falling back down. There were so many of them; enough to have caused significant damage to the city of Locke if they chose to attack now. I launched Fireballs, Wind Blades, Stone Spears— every powerful spell I knew— down at the incoming Abominations.
I had aggro-ed them, and they were now coming for me, no longer treating me like I did not exist. They would not stop until they ripped me to shreds, turning me into one of them. I was trying to cast spells and pre-cast spells simultaneously; it was difficult, and although it somehow worked, it only slowed down my barrage of attacks. Maybe if I had more practice, I could make it more efficient, but for now, it was not helping.
I impaled a group of Abominations with my Frost Spear, as I rained down Fire Arrows upon the entire pit. Gennady’s rifle was somehow more powerful than a regular rifle while just as efficient, yet even with his help, it was still not enough. The first of the Abominations reached the top of the crevice, with more coming right behind it.
"Back up, back up!" I shouted as I blasted the Abomination’s head off.
I was just about to take a step back when I heard a piercing shriek. It cut through even all the sounds of fighting, silencing the Abominations all at once as well. The Abominations climbing out of the pit froze, and were quickly taken out by Gennady and I.
"What… happened?" the Dwarf asked, panting.
"I don’t know," I said, warily edging closer to the pit. The Abominations there had stopped moving as well. They just stood in place for a moment, before they began to lumber their way back down the hole. "What are they doing?"
"There," Gennady said, pointing at the center of the pit. At the very bottom, standing amongst both living and dead Abominations, stood an Abomination that emitted a brilliant glow from its core. It lighted up most of the hole, showing clearly all the figures of the Abominations waiting down there. And I finally saw.
There were not just hundreds of Abominations. There were thousands.
The Abomination that halted them— that saved our lives— stood taller than the rest. It did not have a hunched back, or a limp body, but instead, it stood almost as if it were still alive. The blue bulbs had receded slightly back onto the skin, although they still remained slightly lumpy, but more than that, it also covered the body almost entirely. More than half of the body had been consumed by Abomination, and the core growing proportionally in size along with it.
"Atrocity," Gennady breathed out the word. "That’s supposed to be an Atrocity. Different from the rest somehow. While other Abominations grow stronger and smarter with the more bodies they manage to amass into themselves, Atrocities are an anomaly that somehow only need one.
"I… don’t understand. They’re supposed to be incredibly rare. The Holy Xan Empire claims they never saw them unless there was an Amalgamation about. And even then, only one or two. Why is there an Atrocity here?"
I looked at Gennady, staring with a haunted gaze down at the Atrocity, then down at the Atrocity itself, staring up at us with a keen intelligence in its eyes. Slowly, I shook my head.
"I don’t know," I repeated myself from earlier. "But I guess it’s a good thing for us."
"What? Why?!" Gennady looked at me in shock. "Atrocities are said to be Inquisitor killers— they can be killed by Inquisitors too, but it’s not easy. The recommended protocol given out by the Holy Xan Empire indicates that if an Atrocity were spotted near a city like Locke, all of its citizens are to be evacuated immediately. We need to go back. We need to warn—"
I interrupted the Dwarf by raising a hand. He quieted himself, glancing at it in confusion. Then he screamed at me as Fireball formed on my palms, before I threw it down into the pit.
"What are you doing?"
"Exterminating them," I said, not even looking at him.
I continued throwing Fireballs at the mass of Abominations waiting down below.
"You’re crazy! Insane! You’ll get us both killed! You’ll—"
Gennady slowly cut himself off as he realized nothing was happening. The Abominations were not reacting. The explosions echoed in the cavern, as the wall and ceiling itself shook, but there was no chittering. No swarm of Abominations coming at us.
"Why aren’t they…"
"I don’t know," I repeated myself a third time. "I told you, didn’t I? They don’t attack me unless I attack them first."
"But you’re attacking them right now!" the Dwarf argued.
"Yes, I am," I said simply. "And that Atrocity is stopping them from attacking me back."
I had stopped launching Fireballs down the crevice, fearing for a possible cave-in. I began raining down Fire Arrows and other smaller spells that could be cast rapidly. Abominations fell one by one, being culled ever so slowly.
And the entire time it happened, the Atrocity just stood there, staring up at us. At me. Its eyes never left me, and despite doing nothing else, I felt a shudder go down my spine as it watched me. I continued the onslaught, lighting the pit aflame, crushing the Abominations with falling rocks, and slicing them up with blades of wind.
Eventually, all that was left was the Atrocity. It stood amidst the fire, as a column of smoke rose up and threatened to suffocate me. Amidst the dead Abominations. Then it too fell. Dead.
I slumped over the floor, tired. I had never expended myself as much as I did today. I had been starving, injured, and lost in the Free Lands after I escaped Bys, but that feeling of exhaustion paled in comparison to this. I felt like I could not even feel the mana around me anymore. I could not cast another spell, and I did not think I could even operate a mana tool.
Gennady glanced down at me, opening his mouth to say something. I saw it move, but I heard no words. My vision blurred.
And then I passed out.
Chapter 17: Escort Mission
It was morning when I woke up.
I pushed the nice, thick blanket off of me, as I rolled comfortably off of the queen sized bed. I glanced out the silk drapes, out into the quiet street as people went about their day. I rubbed at my eyes—
Waitaminute, this is not my bed! This is not my room! Where am I?!
I frantically searched myself for all my belongings, and found that I still had everything on me. Just then, the door to the room creaked opened.
"Damned Humans, always trying to rip— oh, you’re awake."
A stout man with a broad chest stepped in, carrying something on his hand. It was Gennady, and he walked up to me.
"I just bought these from—" he started, but was cut off by me.
"W-w-why am I in your room?" I asked, aghast.
"Oh come off it, lass. We’re not in the Puer Kingdom. I just brought you here to rest after you passed out yesterday," Gennady said, snorting.
"After I passed out?" I blinked away my tiredness, trying to remember what happened the day before.
My legs were still sore from walking for so long, and my arms felt slightly heavier than normal but I felt a different kind of exhaustion; an inexplicable emptiness inside of me. It was not like I was drained of energy— it felt more like I was too tired to even
access the energy.
Then I remembered the events that transpired: walking dozens of miles, and hiking up parts of a mountain; fighting a Horned Viper and six Crawlers; entering a cave, full of Abominations…
And killing them all.
My eyes widened as the image of the Atrocity looking up at me reappeared in my head. I had to have been casting spells down the pit nonstop for over an hour. There were thousands of Abominations, and they did not attack me; not after the Atrocity saw me.
I almost felt bad about killing them; they were a danger to everyone in the area, yet they ignored me. The Atrocity allowed me to kill them, stopping its ‘friends’ (for the lack of a better term) from attacking me. Especially since it was the Abominations that technically helped save me from slavery back in Bys. I knew the reason had something to do with that jerk god who killed me and brought me to this world, but I did not know why he needed, or wanted, me alive.
My thoughts were quickly interrupted by the smell of food. I felt my mouth watering as Gennady placed a small plate of fried potatoes in front of me. It almost looked like french fries, but those did not exist in this world since neither the French nor did Belgians exist in this world; it was similar— like a fusion of potato wedges and fries, except shaped more like a block. In the plate was also a mixture of some dried vegetables along with small bits of meat.
"Here, you go," the Dwarf said, handing me my eating utensils. "You haven’t eaten in at least a day. Maybe more depending on when your last meal was."
I drew my lips up into a smile as I thanked him. I immediately dug in, consuming everything I could with a ravenous hunger. I continued to chow down on my meal for another five minutes, before slowing down enough to speak with Gennady.
"So," I started, still chewing on a piece of meat, "how long was I out?"
"You passed out before noon, and now it’s a few hours to noon the day after. How long do you think you slept?"
"Almost 24 hours? That’s… a long time," I whistled, before biting a down on a large chunk of fried potatoes.
"It is," he said in agreement. "But it makes sense, given how tired you must’ve been."
"Mhm," I mumbled a sound in agreement. "Got anything to drink?" I asked.
"Here" Gennady passed me a metal flask.
I opened the lid, gulping down a strange liquid. It tasted almost sweet, but with a slight hint of fruit and earth. I lowered the flask and handed it back to the Dwarf. "This is alcohol," I said, frowning. It was strong.
"Yeah, one of the best ones. In fact, it’s probably the best one you can find around here. How do ya like it?" The Dwarf gave me a grin under his bushy beard.
"I was hoping to hydrate myself with something like water, not to get drunk in the morning," I said, voice flat.
"Gah, fine." Gennady sighed, walking to his backpack laying on the corner of a room. He pulled out a bottle of water as he murmured to himself. "I don’t understand you Humans. You don’t let your children drink a good beer until they’re 16. What fun are you supposed to have until then? Y’know, the Taw Kingdom lets Dwarven kids as young as 10 drink alcohol— like 13 in Human years. Once you start growing into an adult, you should be allowed to start drinking too."
I shrugged. "Different cultures, different countries. I don’t think the Free Lands had any legal drinking age. I doubt all Dwarven countries have the same laws too. Same thing with us Humans…" I trailed off, feeling something was off.
Then it hit me like a truck traveling at 50mph.
How does he know I’m Human? Don’t I have a… mask? Where’s my mask?!
I stood up, touching my face. My fingers found skin, and not the cold hard surface of a mask. I realized that I had been eating the entire time, face exposed to the Dwarf.
Gennady snorted in response to what I said, seemingly not noticing me staring at him in shock.
"You know, I knew you weren’t just your average Aria, but to think you were actually a Human girl the entire time? I was—"
"You took off my mask while I was sleeping?" I yelled, pointing a trembling finger at him. "That’s… that’s… a violation of my privacy! Why would you do that?!"
Gennady took a step back, surprised at my sudden outburst. "Now calm down—"
"How can I be calm? What did you do to me last night? How would I know if…" I hesitated, and drew my dagger. "What else did you do?"
"I told you, Aria, I did nothing," the Dwarf backed further away from me, warily eyeing the black blade in my hand. "Listen to me: you fell unconscious after you destroyed all the Abominations, right?"
I nodded slowly, still with my weapon out, and watching out for any sudden movements.
"Then, I had to check if you were fine— if you were breathing. I had to know whether you suffocated from the smoke and whether you were still alive. So I removed your mask and checked your pulse, before running out of the cave with you on my back. After that, I drove you to my inn, and you’ve been sleeping here since. That’s all that happened, I swear it on my beard!"
I raised an eyebrow at that. It was not a skeptical look I gave him, but more of a confused one. "You… swear it on your beard?"
"Yes, m’beard," he said his Dwarvish accent. "If I’m lying, I’ll shave it all off. The size of a Dwarf’s beard makes him more attractive, see? Women love it big!"
I sighed, lowering my weapon and rolling my eyes simultaneously. "That’s inappropriate."
"It was not an innuendo," Gennady said, relaxing his shoulders as I sheathed my dagger.
"I guess I’ll believe you for now. At the very least, you haven’t tried killing me, so there’s that."
The Dwarf took a seat, clutching a hand on his chest. "Sacred piss, girl, this is the second time you tried to kill me in two days. Let’s not make it a habit, shall we?"
"Only if you don’t tell anyone what you saw," I said, reaching for my mask which I found inside of a drawer. I caught myself, realizing that I had no reason to wear it now and that I did not actually enjoy wearing it because of how uncomfortable it felt, then went back to my food to continue eating.
"And you’re not going to threaten me with that thing again to do that, are ya? Make me promise to stay quiet, else you’d kill me."
"No," I said, finishing up my meal. "I won’t threaten you again. I think I’ve done that enough." Gennady snorted, as I took a sip of water. "However," I continued, "I will have to figure out how I’m going to keep your mouth shut. So if you can tell me why exactly I should trust you won’t go telling the Church that the daughter of the Fiend is in Locke, then maybe it might prevent me from doing other unsavory things I don’t like."
I was trying to be threatening with my words, rather than just overt violence; it might seem harsh— actually, it was very harsh. I immediately regretted saying it, but kept it from showing on my face. Next time, I’ll try being a good cop rather than a bad cop.
My guilt only doubled as the Dwarf’s eyes bulged like an insect, as I finished speaking. Was I that menacing? Perhaps saying it while cutting a piece of meat with a knife like in movies really worked. Gennady opened his mouth to speak—
"Wait, you’re the daughter of the Fiend?!"
I fell out of the bed.
"What? You mean you didn’t know that?!" I exclaimed. "You mean I just revealed that myself by accident?"
I’m an idiot! Idiot! Stupid! Idiot!
I smacked my head on the floor a few times, before picking myself up and walking towards a desk to slam my forehead into.
Gennady quickly leaned forward, bringing a finger to his mouth. "What are you doing, keep it down. Stop making so much noise!"
I paused, cocking my head at his reaction.
The Dwarf came close to me, speaking so softly I could barely hear him. "Is that really true? You’re talking about the Fiend, right? Valeria of the Shadow’s Evangelium?"
I bit my lower lip, mentally cursing at myself.
"...yes."
There was no use hiding it, since I literally just reve
aled it. Gennady walked over to a chair, rubbing at his forehead. "Goddess grace us. That would explain how you were so good with magic. With all those spells you were throwing around, I’d have thought you were at least B Rank like me. Possibly even higher!
"You’re lucky the walls in this inn are thick, lass. If anyone heard you, and if they believed you, you’d have Inquisitors coming down on you in an instant. There’s no way you’d survive the year. Even if you can fight off Inquisitors, they could even send a Saint or a Saintess. And I estimate their average strength to be at S Rank. They’re dangerous. And you should know that."
"I do," I said, realizing that he knew what happened to my mom. And of course he would. Apparently, when the Holy Xan Empire announced it a few months back, they made sure to keep it on the news for over a week. Anyone who had access to a television would know that Saint Theron slew my mom in battle, aided by a group of Inquisitors— conveniently leaving out the fact that they attacked her while she was unprepared and not looking for a fight.
Gennady slumped over in his chair. "Lass, you do realize that these are the things you have to be tight lipped about, right? I didn’t think about it when I saw you at first, but now that you mention it, I can see the resemblance. You should be more careful!"
"I know," I sighed, "but I just thought that you knew. I don’t know why, but I just assumed…"
Every individual of note I had met so far who was unbothered by my magic somehow seemed to easily draw the connection between me and my mom; I mistakenly assumed Gennady would be the same, and let it slip. I need to work on being more covert. I’m too new to this! I resolved myself for the future.
For now, I turned to Gennady who was still looking stressed in his seat.
"What are you going to do now?" I asked, studying any visible changes in how he seemed to regard me.
The Dwarf glanced back at me, and I did not notice any fear; he was unnerved, but by something else other than me.
"I already told you, Aria— wait, that’s not even your real name, is it?"
