Chapter 287 - Damned Spirits

No beta reader for this one today too, so please forgive the typos. I was really pleased with how the chapter turned out though.  I'm loving how everything is coming together. I had one of those epiphany moments today where all the plot points left in the book that I was trying to figure out just suddenly fit together perfectly. Best feeling ever. Hope you enjoy!

The spiral staircase descended quickly, the sounds of battle becoming distant and faded as darkness swallowed Hump, but he was in high spirits. Ashera was alive! He never thought he’d be so happy to see the elder. Her arrival was the change they needed. The turning of the tide. And it had given them their chance.

Now they only had to make the best of it.

Hump held his staff up. “Light.”

The stairway was too narrow for them to walk side by side, so Celaine led the way down. She’d forgone her bow, shouldering it in favour of her Bloodshadow dagger in the narrow space. They descended slowly, cautious of any traps the lich might have prepared.

“I don’t think this was part of the dungeon,” Hump said. “The shrine appeared ancient and crumbled. Here, everything is perfectly smooth.”

He was about to run his finger over one, when Walt shouted out loud to both of them.

“Don’t touch the walls!”

They both stopped, Celaine looking back. “What is it?” she asked.

“Can’t you sense them?” Walt asked.

Hump frowned, looking at the walls. “Sense what?”

“Souls,” Walt said softly, his voice haunted. “Many, many souls, all crying out in terror. I can feel their agony.”

That made Hump’s stomach drop. He’d seen enough soul magic in Sheercliff, and would never forget the screaming faces that marred the trunks of the Trees of Damnation, and Highpriest Agaron’s passing.

“There,” Celaine said, pointing at the wall ahead of her. “Something stirred.”

Hump watched a few seconds longer than saw a whisp of smoke running through the wall, hardly more than a shimmer.

“How long have they been trapped here?” Hump murmured.

“An age,” Walt said. “Just like me. Locked inside a stone like some shiny trinket.”

Celaine gave Hump a concerned look, clearly confused at Walt’s change in tone from before. A confusion Hump shared. He shrugged his shoulders, and they kept moving, careful not to touch the walls.

“We will free them,” Hump said.

“Like you said you’d free me?” Walt asked, then quickly continued. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. I didn’t mean anything by it. I know there’s nothing more you could have done for me.”

Hump furrowed his eyebrows at that. “Really, what is going on with you, Walt? You’ve been acting different ever since we reached Estora. Did something happen?”

There was a long pause. “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you if we survive this. Right now, focus on the task at hand.”

“Never though I’d say it,” Celaine said, “but I agree with Walt.”

“Oi!” the spirit snapped, a glimpse of his previous jovialness back.

Hump smiled. It was a grim smile—one made knowing that there was still more battle left this day.

“I see the bottom,” Celaine said.

“Careful. You want me to go first?”

Celaine shook her head. “No, but give me some space. If anything happens, I want to be able to leap back.”

“I’ll wait here then.”

Hump’s heart was in his throat as Celaine disappeared and left him alone within the stairwell. Seconds passed terrifyingly slow. No sound but the rumbles of battle above them. He resisted the urge to call out to her, fearing the worst. Perhaps the lich had trapped the location with some sort of death magic, killing Celaine instantly.

Don’t be an idiot, he told himself. He’d have sensed such a thing.

It couldn’t have been more than ten seconds when Celaine called up to him. “It’s clear. You can come down.”

Hump let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and followed, quickly coming to the end of the stairwell. Celaine stood at the narrow entrance, looking out into the small chamber. Not ten paces ahead of them was the phylactery. It was a crystal sphere of pure, white essence radiating an ethereal glow.

The presence of it sent Hump’s mind whirling for a moment. It was both beautiful and horrifying all at once. This was the lich’s soul, twisted and contorted to be stored within such a vessel.

It wasn’t concealed like Hump expected. In fact, there was nothing between them and it. At least, nothing physical. The phylactery sat nestled upon a velvet red cushion placed atop a simple stone altar pressed up against the far wall. Other than that, the room was empty.

“Do you sense anything?” Celaine asked. “I see no traps but didn’t want to risk stepping forward without you checking.”

Hump activated his Spirit Sight and saw a faint white shimmer blocking their passage about two thirds of the way forward.

“There’s a shield ward of some sort,” Hump said. “I can’t tell how it works. Walt, do you sense anything else?”

“I think that’s it,” Walt said. “Just the spooky, dangerous shield looking thing.”

“What do we do?” Celaine asked.

“First, let me see if I’ve missed anything.”

Hump took a nervous breath.

Celaine opened her mouth as she realised what he was doing. “Maybe we should…”

Before she could protest, Hump strode forward, half expecting some dark magic they’d missed to strike him down. Nothing came, yet the chamber was so rich in essence and dark intent that every step was a fight. The closer he came to the ward, the more he wanted to retreat. It took his own wall of will to push forward, refusing the touch of intent until finally, he reached the ward. Up close, he could sense the barrier tingling against his skin.

Celaine came to stand beside him. “I don’t see any runes this time.”

Hump scanned the ground. “Neither do I. It’s quite possible the phylactery is producing the ward itself, or something inside the chamber.”

“Want me to shoot it?” Celaine asked.

Hump shook his head. “Give me an arrow. A normal one.”

She pulled one from her quiver and handed it over. “What for?”

“If we’re going to get past this, I need to know what we’re working with, and I’d rather not prod it with my finger.”

He braced himself as he extended his left hand, pressing the arrow tip to the shimmering barrier. The instant it touched, he felt a physical wall, then a soul chilling wave surge from within, piercing to his core. Hump backed off in an instant and stared at the ward in shock.

White smoke shifted in the air, spreading from the point of contact and lighting up the barrier for a brief moment. Spirits swam within like a thousand ethereal fish, dashing after the wave of essence it had drawn from him.

“Are you okay?” Celaine asked.

“It drained a little essence, that’s all.”

“Those look like spirits.”

Hump nodded. “I believe she built the spell with them at the core. The ward drains essence, even through the arrow. It wasn’t much, but it definitely siphoned my magic. That ripple across the ward was like food for the spirits. They must somehow strengthen it.”

“Can you break through it like the seal on the throne?”

“No. It would drain me long before I finished, even if I had the capability. Not to mention I can’t even see any runes.”

It was an incredibly powerful ward. Hump couldn’t even begin to think of how they’d pick it apart? Sheer force, perhaps? If they got Keeper Yunillia down here to help them, she might be able to break through.

“Even if we break through, how do we destroy the phylactery?” Hump continued.

“One problem at a time,” Celaine said.

“Maybe I can help with that,” Walt said.

“You going to talk it to death?” Hump asked.

“No. It’s a spirit vessel, right?” Walt said. “Just get me to it and I can take it from her while she’s busy in her physical body, right?”

“Are you insane? That’s a phylactery.”

“I don’t see any better options, Hump. Don’t worry, I won’t turn into a lich.”

“That wasn’t what I was worried about, but now I am.”

Hump paused. Once again, he wondered who, or rather, what, Walt actually was. Was he a lost human soul trapped in a stone, or something else? But now wasn’t the time to challenge him on it. He trusted Walt, that was what mattered. That, and they were running out of options.

“Are you sure you can do it?” Hump asked.

“Reasonably. I… I remember things from before. I can do it, Hump. Trust me.”

Hump and Celaine shared a look. She nodded.

“Okay then,” Celaine said. “Now we just need to get inside.” She moved to the side of the chamber, reaching the left wall and peering down the line of stone. “Looks like it covers all the walls, not just this one. We probably can’t go through the stone. What about underground?”

With an effort of will, Hump released his essence toward the ground, trying to warp it with Transform Earth. He sensed the ground shift a little, and then his spell faltered and failed.

“Won’t work,” Hump said. “I already tried to use Transform Earth to break through above. However, the lich built this place, it’s resistant to such magic.”

Celaine rubbed her face, her composure slipping. “There must be something we can do,” she said quietly. “Potions, artifacts from Higri, or what about White Flame? Or Molten Pit. Surely it couldn’t hold up to lava magic.”

“Maybe,” Hump said, though he wasn’t convinced. He tried to think logically and consider their options. Time wasn’t on their side. For every minute they wasted here, the keepers were putting their lives on the line above.

Don’t think about it. Logic. Think, Hump. Think! What’s in your control?

“If you can weaken it, maybe I can prepare a powerful attack to break through,” Celaine said.

“White Flame won’t do it,” Hump said. “Molten Pitis more likely to kill us in a small space like this. But…” An idea was coming to him. He gave Celaine her arrow back and opened his spellbook in a hurry. “I have something. I don’t know if it will work, but given time, I think there’s a chance.”

Celaine came to stand beside him, staring at the page.

SPELLBOOK
Titan’s Wrath

Evocation | Battle Magic | Tier 4 | Range: Long

Description

Conjures an obsidian spike charged with the intent of the caster, launching at incredible speed towards the target. Essence in the area surrounding the projectile is disrupted by the caster’s intent. The effect is increased against those struck directly.

“You want to disrupt the spell?” Celaine asked.

Hump nodded eagerly. “It’s worked on the lich’s magic before—remember the undead falling to it? This is far more complicated, but if I line the ward with many of these spikes, we might be able to disrupt the intent holding the spell in place altogether.”

“How long will it take?”

Hump gave her a hard stare. “We need as much time as we can get. If you have a better idea—”

“—I don’t.” Celaine gripped his shoulder and squeezed. “Undoing evil lich powers is your department. I’ll watch the stairwell. If you need anything, call me.”

“Okay.”

She stepped away and Hump dropped to his knees, preparing his equipment. His spellbook lay open on the ground before him. At his side, he placed his open potion pouch, his remaining two Essence Elixirs and Wizardfire within easy reach. With any luck, between his remaining essence and potions, he’d have the power he needed to do this.

“You know what you’re doing?” Walt asked quietly.

“No. Do you think it will work?”

There was a pause. “Yes.”

“So do I.” Hump smiled, forcing himself to be confident, envisioning his success even before it happened. The ward would fall to him now, because it had to. The lich was no god. The battle above already proved she was not so far out of reach. She was a warlock that had lost herself to her dark powers, and now they’d put an end to her and set all the poor souls she’d trapped free.

First, he needed a formation. If Transform Earth didn’t work on the stone here, he’d do things the old-fashioned way. He took a piece of chalk from his pouch and started to copy down the formation. Efficiency would be key if this was going to work, so he took care to ensure every channel and every rune was perfectly marked and engrained with his intent.

Finished, he stood and planted his staff into the base of the formation. Hump closed his eyes and breathed deeply. The rivers flowed through his body with smooth waves. A state of calm came over him. He opened his eyes and started to channel his essence. He was far enough back from the ward that its essence siphoning effect wasn’t in play.

Usually, Titan’s Wrath formed a spike of obsidian in the air that he then launched at his foes. This time, he wanted something slightly different. Bronze light gathered in the Tree of Damnation core of his staff, churning in a beautiful pattern of light. Once the necessary density was reached, Hump opened the connection to the formation, letting essence flow into it. The runes came alight with power.

“Titan’s Wrath.”

In an empty runic circle at the front of the formation, essence gathered. It built quickly, growing brighter and brighter until it shone like the sun. Then, like an eclipse, an obsidian spike began to take form at its centre, floating within the dense cloud of essence just off the ground. The crystal grew, lengthening into a sharpened black spike that was about two feet long.

As the spell completed, he floated the spike forward, placing the flat end on the ground right up against the ward. Ripples of bronze pulsed from the spike. Instantly, the lich’s ward lit up—a cloud of white essence. With each pulse, the cloud stirred. The fish-like spirits shifted away, moving to the edges of the ward until they were packed in so tightly, they couldn’t move.

Cold stung at Hump’s fingers and toes at the essence expenditure, but this was just the beginning. Without pausing, he moved onto the next spike. It came more quickly this time, taking shape easily and coming to rest on the ground beside the first. After the fourth, he felt himself reaching the limits of his fighting strength. It was about what he’d expected, but it still worried him to drink an Essence Elixir this quickly.

The ward was stirring constantly now. The spirits within didn’t stop moving in their panic, fleeing one ripple of bronze power only to get caught up in another. Hump didn’t stop. Time passed quickly, until he had a line of eleven spikes along the ward.

It was working. Spirits were coming to a standstill. The cloudy essence that had been so thick before was slowly starting to diminish, like fog washed away by the wind. A few more, and…

Hump turned around, his heart pounding like war drums. He felt a pressure coming from behind him. Celaine backed away from the stairway, an arrow on her bow, her shadows rising around her and filling the room, concealing the both of them from what was coming.

Even through the shadow, Hump knew what it was.

“She’s here,” Celaine said.

“We defend the stones,” Hump said. “Walt, don’t make a sound. The moment the ward is down, it will be up to you.”

“You got it, boss.”