by J. J. Egosi
The air was thinning, however, and their skin was redounding from the intense heat only growing worse.
“Is that really the best course of action?” Ursula wondered. “I don’t think we can make it in time to stop this volcano.”
“Yes, trust me. Once it receives a sacrifice, the god should return to rest,” Alexa replied.
“There you go again. What do you mean by a sacrifice?” Isabella asked.
“Follow me and you’ll see what I mean.”
Alexa sped her way up the volcano, panting and with a resolute stare up ahead. The others had no choice but to follow her lead as the lizardmen reached the volcano’s foot.
Julianna looked over at Ursula. “You’ve known her the longest. Do you have any clue what she’s scheming here?”
“Alexa’s been given many nicknames in her home dimension. One of them is the tactician from hell. I’m certain she has something in mind that will work out for the better in the end.”
“But, what is she planning to give to the volcano?” Julianna asked.
Julianna looked over at Isabella, who was also skeptical of Alexa’s plans. Still, they trusted her, believing in her will to make the right decision. The two of them nodded and picked up their pace.
As the four of them climbed higher, a vibration from beneath her feet climbed into their bodies from the rocky surface. The atmosphere grew hotter and hotter.
“I thought we’d have more time. Oh, well. We should still be able to silence this god.”
Isabella looked up nervously as she thought, Can she really be that confident in her strategy? Just what is it?
As they pushed to summit the volcano, they were met with the roar of the omegasaur lizardman standing by a massive tattered tree in the distance. They all looked over their shoulders.
“Not this asshole again!” Isabella said, glaring at his skull and coconut ornamented staff.
Alexa’s eyes widened as the staff’s tip glowed. “Kill it and kill it now before it completes that enchantment!”
They all brought out their weapons and manifested their shadows across their weapons, and swung them in a series of ferocious strikes. They blanketed the terrain and blasted the beast in the chest.
“Hit it again!” Alexa shouted.
They struck it for a second time and a third as the other lizardmen congregated around their leader. They kept on their assault until it finally fell to the ground and smoke rose from its body.
“Well, that was a pain in the ass. But, expected.”
“Let’s keep going. We should be about halfway to the top,” Alexa said, running up the rocky, ashen terrain.
“Wait!” Isabella said.
“For what?” Annoyed, Alexa quickly turned around.
“You said a sacrifice could keep a god at bay?” Isabella said, looking at the lizardman. “Are you thinking”—
Alexa grinned. “Oh, I have something else in store. Something bigger planned. Much, much bigger.”
Isabella looked at her with wonder as she continued her way up the volcano. “Bigger than that?”
“That girl can be really scary when she wants to be,” Julianna said to her.
“Right? I have no idea what’s going on in her head sometimes. Honestly, I’m afraid to find out.”
“Oh, she’s not so bad. She just takes herself a bit too seriously sometimes, is all,” Isabella said with a smile.
“Move it, soldiers, before the enemy attempts another ambush. Be sure to go at it with a flanking maneuver. Everyone, take your positions!” Alexa said, pointing onwards.
“No kidding,” Julianna said. “Does she know something we don’t?”
She looked at the ocean’s horizons, struggling to see much beyond the thick layers of mist. She turned her attention toward what she could see: the legion of lizardmen still hunting them down.
“I suppose we’ll find out soon enough.”
She turned back around and continued her way up the volcano, and the girls followed. They proceeded in the climb, jumping over rolling stones and evading the spewing lava until they finally made it to the top.
“We did it. We’re here.” Isabella leaned forward, gasping for breath. “The volcano’s tip.”
She and the others looked down into the fiery mouth of the volcano. Boiling and bubbling relentlessly, flames spewed high into the air in a sea of smoldering crimson, with no bottom in sight.
She noticed some of the volcano’s discharge nearly making contact with Ursula’s skin as she stood close to the edge before pulling her back. Isabella gulped at the sight of all the bones churning back and forth in the endless sea of fire and flames.
“Don’t get so close. You don’t want that lava touching you. Trust me,” said Alexa.
“To think anything could dwell in here could rationalize even the most inhospitable regions as a haven,” said Julianna.
“Yes, and with that in mind, we just need our sacrifice to assure nothing arises from said haven,” Alexa said as she looked in the distance.
“So, what exactly is this sacrifice?” Julianna asked. “How much longer are you going to keep us in the dark?”
“Yes, I’d really like to know what this big strategy of yours is,” Isabella added, both flustered and frightened.
Alexa nodded and pointed ahead. They looked in the direction she pointed, and total disbelief descended on them. Quorthon appeared through the mist, moving toward the volcano with the now writhing mermaid in its arms.
“Is that?” Isabella’s jaw dropped.
“There was no chance two titans would fall so easily. I knew they’d rise and serve again.” Alexa smiled at the flames wrapping around its captive. “And those arms proved to be the perfect defense against even that beast of a woman.”
“And lycanthrope?” Ursula asked.
“I’m sure it’s dealing with the merfolk at the shore by now.”
She was correct. The giant werewolf, tattered in bruises, found its way toward the restless waters where it fought the might of several squids and a hulking whale with its howls and fists, all with the impending threat of deities approaching.
“Yes, the perfect storm for the perfect sacrifice.”
The girls still could not believe how far she’d planned ahead. Even Ursula was left anxious by this tactic.
“That was your plan all along? You wanted to use that merfolk as a sacrifice?!” said Julianna.
“Yes, and look what else our titan fetched for us.”
Even as the mermaid struggled against the burning grip of the titan, Michael still rested unconsciously in her chest.
“Michael!” the girls shouted.
Their eyes glowed with excitement to see him in one piece.
“Brilliant strategy,” Julianna said.
“Of course it was. Now, it’s time for us to get what’s ours.”
The elemental titan climbed up the volcano until its waist was adjacent to the mouth. It proceeded to shake the mermaid back and forth until Michael was tossed out of her clutches. She attempted to reach out, but his hold restrained her from doing so.
The four girls unfurled their wings at once and took to the sky with open arms. Amidst the thick air of ember and smoke, they had only eyes for him as the distance closed. Just thirty feet before crashing down, they caught Michael in their embrace.
“There you are.” Alexa brushed his hair out of his sleeping face. “Back with us, at last.”
Michael swayed a bit in their arms and breathed heavily against the hot temperatures. He creaked open his eyes.
“Hey, where am I?”
He looked around at his friends with a smile to mask his confusion. Shortly, a realization of the surroundings returned.
“Wait, what the hell? We’re on a volcano?” he shouted. His eyes then met with Quarchon and its captive. “And why is that titan carrying that mermaid? Can someone explain this to me, please?”
“Calm down, Michael. She captured you again.”
“She did?”
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He looked at her manic expression of lust. It was nothing like her tame smile and voice from before. He became overcome with guilt and shame for falling for her again.
“It’s not your fault, so don’t worry about that now,” Isabella said.
“As retribution, however, I had that titan knock her out so we could use it as a sacrifice. That way, the god in this volcano won’t wake up. All the while, retrieving you from its slimy grasp,” said Alexa.
“I think I see now,” Michael said, calming down. “That was a pretty good plan.”
“Thank you very much,” she said, full of pride.
She looked up at the titan and nodded with a smirk.
“Drop the bitch!”
The titan did as told. The group covered their eyes from the horrendous sight of the mermaid being burned alive in the lava. With their ears exposed, they were forced to listen to the tormenting screams of the creature’s skin burning and bursting into pieces as it slowly became one with the magma.
“That was pretty harsh.” Michael peeked down, no longer able to see any trace of the mermaid.
Alexa scoffed. “You’re joking?”
“I don’t know.” Michael shrugged. “It just seems like a rather severe punishment, all things considered. I’m sure she just wanted to be with someone she could sing to and love. And now, she’s gone.”
“She was going to kill you, Michael. Worse, most likely,” Alexa spoke in a cold tone. “Just as she’s done to many before you.”
“You were nothing to her, so forget about that cunt,” Isabella said.
Michael looked down at the volcano’s sea of lava. He couldn’t see any trace of her.
“I suppose you’re right.” He nodded.
“Still, I wonder…” Ursula said.
“Why? What’s wrong?” he asked.
“It’s just that a merfolk has never been used as a sacrifice before,” Ursula said as she peered deep into the pit of the volcano.
“Aren’t they the enemies of the lizardmen, though?” Julianna asked.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s not like they wouldn’t want to use them as a sacrifice. It’s just that the merfolk have always lived in such secrecy, there’s never been the opportunity,” Ursula replied matter-of-factly.
“So, what does this mean?” he asked.
“Nothing, maybe. Just an unlikely first for this volcano.”
“I see.” Michael smiled. “Well, I’m sure that’s good news for us. And though I can’t tell for sure, it seems like the offering was accepted.”
Ursula reluctantly smiled as well. “I sure hope so.”
“And as for you, Michael,” Isabella said. “You nearly got yourself in deep trouble with us.”
“Me? Why?!”
“Yes, you. We saw you straddling the chest of that mermaid earlier,” Julianna said. “We know that sort of thing can’t be helped. You were lured in by her song, after all.”
“Still, it hurts, choosing her over us.” Ursula pouted.
“Oh, come on. I wasn’t even awake when it happened.”
“Still, I think we’re going to have to keep a closer eye on you from now on.” Alexa insisted.
The four of them winked and smiled. He looked around and realized they weren’t mad, so he took a sigh of relief.
“If you’re all ready, I think it’s time to bid farewell to the first dimension,” Alexa said.
“Do you think your ship’s fixed?” Ursula asked.
“Let’s find out.”
With a smile, Alexa opened her infinity bag wide. From it came a vibrant glow of gold. The others stepped back and shielded their eyes as something emerged, shining its way into view.
Before them, it appeared: Alexa’s steamcraft, hovering over their heads in perfect condition.
“You did it,” Isabella said. “It’s fixed.”
“Of course it is.” Alexa grinned.
They all clapped with excitement. They shared a mutual eagerness to return to the fifth dimension as the ship descended to even ground.
“That’s a pretty bold attitude for someone who keeps breaking her ship,” Julianna grinned.
“Yeah, I thought you cherished it and that it was your baby.” Isabella snickered.
Alexa’s eyebrows twitched with frustration as Michael and Ursula tried to calm her with pats on the shoulders.
“Just get in the fucking ship.”
The others did as she requested and laughed as they slid into their seats and closed the doors. Buckled up now, they were ready to go. Alexa took a deep breath and looked over at everyone with a smile.
“Are you ready to go home?”
“We sure are.” Michael nodded.
Alexa nodded. “Then, let’s be off.”
She pressed the peddle with her foot and ignited the engine. In moments, they had taken off. They basked in the safety of being high in the sky; safe from the ravenous beasts below, with the campsite in the fifth dimension as their destination.
Smiles illuminated their faces. They were overcome with relief to know it was over. More importantly, that they’d gotten what they came for.
“So, what are you going to do once we get back?” Ursula asked Isabella.
“Sleep. Lots of it. Some food wouldn’t hurt either. Then, we should all keep training,” she replied. “The true danger comes with our next encounter with Lucifer. Once that happens, they’ll be hell to answer for.”
“That, there will,” Julianna said. “For robbing us among so many other things.”
“Wonderful idea. As soon as we’re rested, we can start preparing for a team maneuver,” Alexa replied.
“Sounds like a plan.” Ursula nodded.
My next encounter with Lucifer? Michael thought.
He tried to envision it in his mind. The thought left him frustrated yet panicky as he recalled seeing Lucifer in his dream.
“I wonder,” he muttered, “how things will go this time.”
“Did you say something?” Alexa asked.
“Oh, just that I”—
A cacophony of bursting noises cut their conversation short. It startled Alexa, who immediately looked into the rearview mirror and saw lava enveloping the skies from the volcano behind them.
“Oh, no. It’s happening,” she said.
“What do you mean? What’s happening?” asked Isabella.
From the volcano came a roar—one so loud the ground below began to crack in a series of weblike fissures, glowing with an arrival.
“The god from the volcano has awoken,” Alexa said.
“But we gave it a great offering! How can this be?” Isabella wondered.
“Seems like it thought otherwise,” Julianna replied as she watched the lava pour out from the volcano’s mouth, scorching everything in its path.
Ursula’s eyes widened as her body trembled. She quickly turned around and huddled into a ball.
“Hey, are you alright?” Isabella asked.
“If that god awakens, it’s over,” said Ursula.
“Why, how bad is it?”
“Its name is Ornox, right?”
“Correct,” Alexa interjected. “And though the lizards worship it, I can’t imagine it being a problem for us when we have so many titans at our disposal.”
“It’s over, Alexa. Believe me. I’ve seen it, myself.”
“You have?!” Alexa asked.
“Yes, and it’s more terrifying than anything you could imagine.”
Images flashed in her mind from her childhood. She remembered seeing the colossal fur-clad monstrosity appear from the volcano. Though miles away, she trembled as its vertical eyes pierced into the night.
“This is bad. Really bad.”
“What should we do?” Julianna asked.
“Flying off seems like the best course of action,” Isabella said.
“Unless that thing tries to make its way into the dimensional gap,” Alexa said. “Also, if word went around a pack of demons let that thing loose in the first dimensi
on, we’d be more ruined than Lucifer left us.”
“It doesn’t sound like we have a lot of choices,” Michael replied. “I guess we have more another monster to slay.”
“Don’t underestimate this creature, Michael,” Ursula said, “or it’ll be the end of you.”
Michael gulped and nodded as Alexa steered the ship toward the volcano, giving them a clear view of the magnificent phenomenon.
Massive furry hands came clawing out from the volcano, breaking down the rock as Michael and the girls looked on in terror.
“No way,” Julianna said. “It’s enormous.”
They opened their windows to get a closer look. Emerging from the volcano shortly after were three distinct baboon heads, each with bright red eyes that burned with anger. The creature let out a series of roars that raced across the dimension.
“There it is.”
Ursula could plainly see that creature from her nightmare now—its three faces staring her down.
“The gods of these monsters.”
The beast broke through the volcano as if it were made from paper. Lava rained from the sky, burning the jungle and fields around them.
“Alexa, watch out!” Michael shouted.
She nodded and gritted her teeth, then steered the ship out of danger of being struck down. The others closed their windows and huddled now, just as Ursula did.
“We need to find shelter. Fast,” Alexa said.
“But where?” Julianna asked.
Alexa’s eyes raced frantically through the open fields. She saw a patch of jungle that seemed unhindered and out of the god’s range. With a smile of relief, she set her sights on the haven below with haste.
The moment she parked the vehicle, everyone stormed out. Alexa pulled her steamcraft back into her infinity bag to keep it safe, and then they flew toward the jungle.
“This way!”
They ducked for cover under a large rotting log during a moment of brief calm.
They peeked from behind the log to steal a look at the beast. It was massive with reddish-brown fur. It had three long serpentine necks, two vine-like tentacles coming from its back, and a set of claws just below its arms.
“What a beast.” Julianna gulped.
With wings spread open, the god roared. Its fiery breath set the fields aflame and blanketed the night sky in a blaze of red.
