Chapter 39 - The Chosen

As the veil faded, a golden aura shimmered around the old priestess of Lady Light. The same one that had greeted them with her powers when they had escorted the villagers to the surface the day prior. She was positioned at the rear of the group, defended on all sides by the encampment’s strongest dungeoneers. Thirteen of them with Vamir included. The number of the fallen god showing itself once more; an omen for misfortune.

It was Joslin of the White Peaks that stood at the front of the wedge, her short sword drawn. She carried a large round shield of steel in her left hand, as much a weapon as it was a defensive tool. A short distance behind her was Lantheer of the Silver Spears. His staff was of a rich, dark wood and smouldered at the top like the embers of a dying fire. He was robed in black leather, charred and burnt where his flames must have licked at it.

Their guild members stood with them, though no party was complete. Each a mishmash of rival guilds that on a normal day could hardly stand the presence of one another, but now came together in a time of need. Hump was surprised to see Sanya amongst them too, though only Osaap of her Northmen remained at her side.

And then there was Bud, his eyes brimming with frostfire as he glared at Kassius with more hate than Hump thought his friend could have. Hump understood it. Not only was Kassius a practitioner of forbidden powers, he had led everyone for fools right up until the moment of his betrayal.

Every one of the dungeoneers shared that rage. They wore the marks of the day’s battle. Dirt, sweat, and blood stained each of them. They couldn’t have long returned to the surface when Meera’s message must have reached Oswald, and clearly he’d spared no effort to ensure the prince’s safety. Hump wondered what the man would think when he learned of Kassius’ betrayal.

“The situation is clear,” the priestess continued. “Prince Kassius, by the authority granted unto me by the Twelve, you are ordered to surrender yourself for the use of forbidden magic. Lay down your arms and step away from the children. Release these beasts from your grasp and end this madness.”

“Who are you to demand anything of me?” Kassius scoffed.

“Priestess Alerai,” she said unphased. “Chosen of Lady Light.”

Kassius laughed, long and mad. “A mere pawn, all of you! You hold no right over me, no power. I’m going to enjoy this. Kill them,” he growled. “Kill them all!”

The undead screamed as they charged.

Joslin led the dungeoneers to meet them, Bud and the other melee combatants following at her sides. Five versus fifty, yet there was no sign of fear as they formed a line in front of Vamir.

At the rear, the Priestess Alerai had her eyes closed, but Hump could see her lips moving. Golden light gathered around each of the dungeoneers, empowering them with a boon of Lady Light. Of all the gods, it was her power that was most imbued with holy properties. Even those amongst the group that lacked their own blessings would be devastating against the undead.

Just as the undead reached them, Joslin roared a battle cry that shook the dungeon just as the dragon’s cries had, her voice empowered by essence. The famed Taunt of the Shieldbearers. It had been a long time since Hump had seen it.

It drew the kobolds toward her like sharks to blood. They poured in, pushing and shoving against each other, ruining the momentum of their own charge. As the first kobold reached her, she bashed aside a clumsy spear with her shield. Her sword carved a bright red line through the air, enhanced by a blessing. It cleaved the kobold in two with ease. She caught another spear on her shield and a pulse of essence propelled her forward. The shield slammed into the kobold’s chest with a resounding clang, crushing it and sending the creature flying back.

Beside her, Bud cleaved off one of the kobold’s arms at the shoulder, the wound and half the creature’s chest freezing over from frostfire. As the undead kobold went down, five more of the creatures took its place, their spears and claws finding Bud’s armour as he frantically swept out with his sword to keep them back.

As the horde clumped up, Lantheer began to chant. Raging hot essence gathered at the end of his staff, setting the wood ablaze. This was a power Hump couldn’t hope to match so quickly. So much essence, he wondered how he could even control it without a proper formation of runes. A moment later, a flurry of flaming arrows whizzed out of the flame at once, whistling through the air as they homed in on the kobolds, carving trails of hot embers through the dim chamber. They splashed over the kobold faces and chests, setting them alight. It was a small, precise spell, but one of great efficiency.

One of the arrows suddenly flew out of the crowd and feet level, weaving its way toward Kassius. His shadows moved to meet it, swallowing the flaming arrow whole. There was a blast of dull orange light within that shadow, and then nothing.

“No gods protect you here!” Kassius shouted over the battle. He levelled his sword toward them, and shadow gathered at its point. It swirled like a whirlpool of dark clouds, coalescing into a ball of power. Cold wind blasted away from it, sending dust and small stones flying in all directions. Wind howled through the cavern.

“Get behind me!” Joslin roared. Her shield pulsed with red light, essence taking solid form around it to extend its radius.

The dungeoneers gathered in closer where they could, but the undead limited their mobility. On the far side, Vamir managed to break free and loose an arrow at Kassius. His aura of shadow flared up to meet it, casting it aside with a whip-like flick.

It was too late. The undead horde stepped back all at once, turning like a wave, charging at Vamir and blocking off his attack. Kassius spat a word in a tongue Hump didn’t recognise, but he could sense the evil of its power. The very sound penetrated him to his core, filling him with a sense of wrongness.

The orb of shadow floated forward, a ring of dust and stone churned around it, caught on its currents.

Joslin’s shield pulsed with red light and essence took solid form at its edges, extending its radius. A wash of gold light fell upon her, shimmering from head to toe as the old priestess bestowed a blessing upon her.

The shadow stopped before it struck her, hovering in place for a moment. It exploded in a flash of shadow, expanding to encompass a few feet in all directions. An all-consuming darkness. Where it met Joslin’s shield, it expanded over it as if trying to swallow it whole, but her power held.

Then the shadow dispersed all at once. A wave of black spikes and pressure in all directions. Stone shattered. Those caught at the edge of the blast were sent flying back from the violent energy. The blast of wind struck Hump a moment later, knocking him back behind the cover of his boulder.

For a moment, all Hump and Celaine could do was cower in his shelter, as stone and wind whipped past overhead. Once it settled, they peaked out. Four of the dungeoneers were on the ground screaming. The priestess’ holy light descended on them, but Hump didn’t see them standing anytime soon.

At the front, one of the spikes had torn a hole through the top of Joslin’s shield. Her armour was in tatters. A line of blood ran down her cheek from a gaping wound beside her eye, but around it, her skin glittered with the same gold light. Holy Armour, a blessing of Lady Light that bestowed a target with enhanced durability and resistance to dark magics.

She had held, and because of her, most of the force was still intact.

A newfound fear filled each of their faces. Hump was as shocked as everyone else—he’d seen Kassius fight a dragon, but no such display of sheer force. The spell was filled with more essence that Hump had ever seen from anyone but powerful Chosen.

Only a few of the undead had been caught in the blast, and others quickly swarmed to take their place. They charged the broken formation. Mouths opened as they screeched with ravenous fury.

Joslin stamped her foot, planting herself into the ground as a red aura rose around her. At her side, Bud was the first to his feet. The Blood Rage of the god of war, Byzantius. The frenzied undead broke against her like a flood—at least for now, she held.

One of the fallen men screamed with ear piercing horror as a kobold slipped in on the far-left side of the formation and dragged him out by the legs. He was buried beneath the mass, torn to shreds before Hump’s eyes.

There was a pulse of essence as Lantheer released a great ball of fire overhead, lighting up the cavern like the sun itself. It floated above the undead horde, a chaotic mass of essence.

Kassius barked a word and his shadow moved to meet it, sweeping through the air beneath it like a cloud. The sun exploded and rained down bolts of fire into the crowd, but the shadow caught many before they could reach the kobolds below. Then the overcast of shadow drew into itself and dropped, spreading out like mist through the crowd of kobolds, seeping toward where the dungeoneers held.

Priestess Alerai met the power with a circle of holy light; some sort of shield that blocked out whatever power Kassius had unleashed. Whatever it was, the kobold’s seemed to be attacking with even more strength than before.

Kassius laughed as he watched. His shadow veil had formed a hoodlike shape over his head, leaving only his face visible, his skin now without colour and as pale as ash. The corners of his mouth were so far up his cheeks Hump could see his back teeth.

There wasn’t going to be an end to his power. He was going to win.

“We need to do something,” Hump whispered. “I just don’t know what.”

“Have you forgotten?” Celaine said. “I’ve got his dagger.” She held the silver blade up and Hump looked at it, at the ruby-red crystals in its hilt. He remembered the power he’d felt from it.

“If you can land the hit, this might just work.”

“Do you know how his shadow works?” she asked. “Maybe I can get past it.”

“Not a clue. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Then I need to get in close,” she said. “It’s resisted everything else. If I’m fast enough, I might reach him.”

Hump gawked at her. “And if you’re not, he’ll kill you.”

“I’ve got dragon blood in me,” she said. “I’m not that easy to kill. Just get his attention and I’ll do the rest.”

“What are you going to do?”

“The only thing I can think of. Are you ready?”

Hump’s eyes widened. “I don’t even know how—”

Celaine bent her knees, green light gathering around her feet. A moment later, she launched off using Spring Step, rising into the air high overhead.

Panicked, and with no time to think, Hump jumped out of cover. “Kassius!” he shouted. “You’re dumber than a mule in a hedge.”

The prince turned on him, his brow furrowed. For a moment his twisted smile slipped. He turned up as Celaine’s shadow fell upon him. His shadows moved, but she was faster.

She landed deftly, one foot on each of his shoulders. Shadow crept over her feet and up her legs, but the dagger was already on its way.

She screamed as she plunged it into his eye. Kassius screamed too, his shadow lashing out at Celaine frantically. She pulled the dagger free and as she tried to jump back; the shadow stopped her. It wrapped around her legs, holding her in place. She swung her arms around as she floundered for balance. Once steady, she gathered green light around her feet once more and pushed off of Kassius’ shoulders. Tendrils of shadow trailed her, breaking as she propelled herself through the air, but they sent her tumbling. She landed hard, crumbling to the ground at the base of the boulder.

Kassius screamed again, pressing a hand to his eye. When he pulled it away, his hand was covered in black blood. It oozed from the wound, even as pale green light filled it and began to heal it. The blood ran down his face like thick tears.

Hump rushed forward and grabbed Celaine by the arms, dragging her back to her feet. She leant on him heavily, the limp in her leg even worse than before. As Hump surveyed the battle, he saw the plan had worked. Across the battlefield his black fog had faded. There was just one problem.

Now with just a single eye, Kassius glared at them. Breathing deeply, he raised his chin as the shadow expanded around him. It cloaked him, swallowing him whole, until only the pale green light of his eyes shone through. One eye still hole, the other a sliver of light.

In all the chaos, those eyes settled on Hump. In them he saw death. Inescapable, certain death.

His shadow churned around him like a cloud of ink, propelling him forward. He was a wraith, a reaper of death, a man intent on challenging the gods. There was no chance for Hump to run, and he didn’t have a hope in hell of defending against him without his magic.

So Hump reached deep. He drew up his will channelling pure desperation. Cold cut through him like a blade expanding from his centre. Kassius cut down with a savage swing.

“None of that,” Kassius snarled, letting loose a wave of essence that shattered the sliver of power Hump had managed to summon, dispersing it before his spell could take form.

Hump screamed as the pressure of his essence descended on him, a great, nauseating weight. He gasped, struggling to breath. His muscles ached all over, his head pounded behind his eyes, everything felt weakened as if he hadn’t slept or eaten for days. He sank to his knees and drew in a raspy breath, waiting for the final blow to come. The slow and torturous death that Kassius had promised him.

Green eyes stared down at him. The shadow parted for just a moment to reveal a sick grin on his face. His right eye socket was bloodied all around it, and nothing but green light was visible within.

Looks like I’ll be joining you soon, Master, Hump thought.

Hump heard a shout nearby. Boots thudded across the ground. A cold wind reached him, and out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of a man in rusty chainmail charging out from the undead ranks, his sword ablaze with blue fire. Kassius glanced at Bud with so much arrogance he didn’t even bother to dodge. Shadow moved to intercept the blow. But it didn’t. Bud’s frostfire burnt apart the shadow, carving a path through the darkness like it was nothing but air. By the time Kassius had realised and began to move, it was too late. The tip of Bud’s sword cut across his stomach, leaving a trail of ice in its place.

Kassius jumped back, hissing out a breath.

“Robert,” Kassius sneered. The veil of shadow raised him into the air until he was a head taller than Bud. “I’ll have your head for this. A gift I’ll be sure to return to your father. Your whole house will be condemned for treason on my word.”

“You’re wrong Kassius,” Bud said, raising his sword. “Kelisia guides my path. The gods are here. Their Chosen are here.” The frostfire along his sword flared up into a pillar of fire. “And evil shall be purged.”