Land of Ashes: Chapter 9
Imported from SF2 with no description.
Bruised and tired, everybody regroups in the primary chamber, noticing the changes in the statues above the doors. Perceiving Takasato's injured arm, Rakiri runs towards her, comforts her by a corner, and worries about the developing baby. A brief solace from Lyera soothes their mind, and she provides the best healing she has at her disposal as Mojraska's substitute to tend to minor injuries. Still, they require immediate attention from a dedicated healer for the serious affliction like Takasato's arm. Then the entire party tells a conspectus about each side's event.
When it becomes Krivkris's turn, Ashereth and the others detect an unfriendly tone in his voice. The icy nature increases as he focuses his attention on Ashereth.
"Krivkris? Buddy? Are you feeling all right?" asked Ashereth. He messages to Lyera through body language to prepare the ritual posthaste. Something's bizarre about his eyes. It has to be from the Arcanium Scroll.
"I'm fine," Krivkris answered coldly. "Why, you ask?"
"Your apoplectic voices suggest there's rancor in you towards me, and I want to mend it."
"Back in Äkženõv, what exactly went wrong?"
Ashereth's hair stands erect with fear that Krivkris knows what the dungeon's name is and his pronunciation. "A tiny section of the path collapsed under my weight, and the clangor alerted them when I was returning with the scroll."
"And you're cocksure that it was an accident?"
_ Is he suggesting I deliberately sabotaged the operation?_ "Yes. Why would I jeopardize our lives and the mission? What do I have to gain?"
"My position as a leader."
"I never had intentions nor will in the future. I will operate a different squad if the opportunity arises." Hurry up, Lyera.
"And what better way to increase your odds of one landing on you than to make the higher-ups believe I'm incompetent."
"No. No. I would never execute a plan that diabolical. It's the remnants of the scroll that's filling your head prevarications. We've been brothers in arms since boot camp, becoming Devil Dog members and completing missions before and after Esaal."
Krivkris's eyes become more clouded. He's likely the reason for the failure in Esaal."That reminds me, I blame you for everything in Esaal, including the loss of my girlfriend."
"Now I know it's spilling bullshit. I know Aezusko's death was painful to every member, even me, and killed our morale, but we managed to cope with the loss, and I thought you were on the correct path to recovery when you expressed interest in Ixirzie to me."
Now he wants your mate also. He'll stop at nothing until he steals everything you cherish."Stay away from her."
"Án eîsop ôs goroh," the ancient voice interrupted.
"I believe it's operational," Lyera said.
Ashereth turns his attention back to Krivkris. "The ritual is ready. Let's exorcise the spirit out of you, and we can forget this occurrence."
He's jealous of your power. He only cares about you being powerless."I need this power. No one will doubt my capabilities ever again." Krivkris's expression turns sinister. "You will not purloin it while I still breathe, and I'll retake the Ultodaut from your corpse."
Ashereth turns to Lyera. "It's best if you are with Rakiri and Takasato. He'll focus on me first and most likely will not attack you, him, and her unless you three decide to intervene, and I won't have to worry as much about crossfire hitting all of you. I'll weaken him enough for you to cast Rasain's Bindings on him." She nods her head and scurries off to the Ki'Tsuns.
Krivkris unsheathes Fuulnok and assumes his fighting stance. "Fahuul." Flame spirals weave around each other from the hilt to the tip before fire engulfs the entire blade. "You honestly believe you'll capture me with that spell."
Ashereth repeats the steps for Ictani. "Icalkdi." The light blue fades to a darker shade, and six bright dots with multiple tinier dots appear on the blade, mimicking the twilight sky. "I will save you, friend."
Metals collide at the start of the fight as Ashereth and Krivkris charge at each other. Two different fighting styles pit against one another. The blades complement their owner's technique—Ashereth's finesse versus Krivkris's savagery. Left, right, vertically, and diagonally they pivot their weapons, leaving a trail of fading embers or stardust, and each swing impacts the opposing sword or shield.
Having more desire to injure his brother in arms than the other, Krivkris has the momentum in his assault, forcing Ashereth to relinquish territory to him. The ceding ends Ashereth at a pillar, and he ducks under a horizontal slash from him; Fuulnok embeds itself into the column, tearing chunks of rock out, and Krivkris struggles to free it. From the struggle, an opportunity arises for Ashereth to turn the tide, and he seizes it, forcing Krivkris to abandon Fuulnok. Now he is on the defensive wielding only a shield.
Blood comes forth from Krivkris's right hand as he catches Ictani mid-swing and wrestles it free from Ashereth, discarding it, and the blade spins around on the floor away from them. They toss their shields and fists fly at each other, scoring more hits than with swords and both bleed from their mouths. When enough time passes, they snap their fingers, and their weapons soar back to their hands.
Ashereth pulls three of the six light balls from Ictani and crushes it. The umbra conquers the light in the room that even Rakiri and Takasato can't perceive the chamber with their eyes except for floating Fuulnok's flames. Faux stars materialize in the dark, and the spectators observe the hovering blade deflect the barrage with incredible speed. When the shadow disappears, they notice Ashereth and Krivkris breathing heavily.
With flames on Fuulnok more intense than initially, Ashereth's skin begins to sweat and scorch from proximity to the heat as he struggles to hold back Krivkris's weight. He utters a brief thanks to the gods that I?tani's material resists fracturing from Fuulnok, unlike other weapons he knows. Living up to the Dragonkin race, fire emanates from Krivkris's mouth. His sword's magical property aggrandizes his breath that the heat warps a pillar when Ashereth redirects his aim, and the stanchion topples over at them.
"Fire Nature: Dagazaar's Serpent!" An inferno dome enshrouds Krivkris though he can perceive Ashereth while inside. That capability permits him to guide a serpent towards Ashereth and chase him around the room.
"Art of Abjuration: Dispel Magic!" The fire dissolves from a disturbance in the mana, and Ashereth charges swiftly at Krivkris and latches onto his legs. "Earth Nature: Six Feet Under!" The ground beneath Krivkris becomes soft adequately, and stone hands erupt and drag him down till only his head pokes out. "Capitulate?"
"Never," Krivkris answered. "Aritž!" A spontaneous explosion releases him, and Ashereth flies backward until he bounces off a wall. "Fire Nature: Mini Fireball Barrage!" Numerous fireballs fire rapidly towards Ashereth, and he deflects them with Ictani as he charges at Krivkris; the blade collides against Fuulnok, and the force jostles Krivkris's medallion out from hiding. Both sides are not yielding despite the fatigue beginning to slow down their reaction.
"Earth Nature: Pulverizing Walls!" Two stone slabs fold at each other with a violent force, and they halt when Krivkris places his hands on them and reverses their direction till he is free. Ashereth then tries a different spell. "Art of Conjuration: Combustible Liquid!" An oily substance covers the Dragonkin, and lengthy strands stretch from his arms to the floor. That should limit the spells Krivkris could cast. A change in mana alerts Ashereth and Lyera as Krivkris prepares an attack. Is he escalating that far?
"Fuul Narkeesh: Althruk Kiin!" A tiny sphere of fire with rings of flaming rock materializes in Krivkris's hand and starts to expand. Soon it is larger than his hand and continues to supersize to the point of gargantuan when Lyera intervenes.
"Nek vot Juraak: Raak Mujaak!" Krivkris repeats the spell to prevent Lyera from canceling his, and Ashereth reiterates it to withdraw his. The sphere shrinks and dissolves in a puff of smoke. He directs his ire towards her.
"Komäkš Ezid!" A thick, serpentine dragon in a purple fire with wings flies at Lyera, and Ashereth positions himself with his shield in front between it and her.
"Nek vot Juraak: Esheek Vurein!" Ashereth's shield projects a green version of it, more massive and thicker than it, and the dragon slams strenuously on it. Cracks form on the projection from the almighty force, and sweat appears on him from the pressure of maintaining the spell. His balance disappears when the fire explodes and destroys the green barrier.
The lack of equilibrium provides an opening for Krivkris, and he charges. Batting I?tani aside, he severs Ashereth's right arm; the heat from Fuulnok instantly cauterizes the wound. With the tip of his blade pointing down at his helpless opponent, he is about to deal with the lethal blow when a projectile shatters his medallion, and the sound of a gunshot causes everyone's ears to ring. Through the smoke, he, Ashererth, and Lyera notice Rakiri ejecting an empty cartridge.
"Now's your chance," Rakiri said to Ashereth and Lyera.
Ashereth plows into Krivkris and forces him onto the altar while Lyera opens her grimoire to a page and casts a spell. "Art of Conjuration: Raisan's Bindings!" Four metal chains emerge from the ground, and they restrain Krivkris firmly to the pulpit. The lassitude from the fighting takes a toll on him to the point where he can't physically break free, and losing the medallion prevents him from casting most spells except for one category.
"Radäuvonotž!" Instead of his spell activating, nothing materializes. "Levka? Levka er blövvöl?"
"In case you're asking why your spell failed, it's because the chains drain neutralizes mana on weak or weakened opponents, so they can't cast any spells until they disappear," Lyera answered. "Now, I'll remove you from our leader's, and friend's, body and isolate you away."
"Vukkoläv."
The exorcism begins with the altar glowing with radiant light, and the vile spirit twist and contorts Krivkris's body in torment as best as the circumscriptions allow while the ancient voice recites a chant. "Eîpot panôs érit." Black smoke pours out from his eyes, nose, mouth, and any other exposed orifices, and it coalesces into the villainous specter.
“Tovvad o išužg yevattõ," it uttered. “Fom iltraz blövvöltž. Fom tovkava."
"Art of Conjuration: Urn of Eternal Prison!" A gargantuan urn appears in front of Lyera, and the cap removes itself. The smoke flows towards it in a spiral as if an invisible vortex has it in its clutches, and as additional smoke enters the urn, she and her companions hear the specter scream, "Nanšt." After the urn disappears, silence greets the room as they process the events in their mind.
Krivkris stirs from waking up. "Nnnn, where am I? Why is Rasain's Chains on me?" It dawns on him on the most likely answer.
“Are you all right, Krivkris?" asked Rakiri.
"I'm sore and fatigued, but I'm fine," Krivkris answered.
"Do you detect any virulent entities in you?" asked Lyera.
Krivkris shakes his head, "Not a single trace. I felt it exit my body, and that's when I regained consciousness. I must've done terrible deeds judging by the injuries. I apologize" He notices the missing arm on Ashereth when Lyera releases him. "Oh gods, what have I done?"
"No need to apologize," Ashereth responded. "We know it wasn't you, and we're glad to have you back."
"But your arm. How can I forgive myself for causing that and the additional injuries?"
"Most of the injuries were from the trial."
"Even Takasato's arm?"
"Don't worry about it, Krivkris," Takasato replied. "I fell awkwardly, and it snapped. Even if you did, I still wouldn't blame you, by the way."
"The baby," Krivkris said concerned.
"Lyera said it's fine, bless Arikaze."
Krivkris proceeds to have a breakdown. "I'm stupid. Stupid stupid stupid stupid. I jeopardized the mission and, more importantly, my companions' lives by using the scroll." He pauses, eyes still streaming as Ashereth, Lyera, Rakiri, and Takasato embrace him. "Guys?"
"We don't blame you," Ashereth replied.
"It was the scroll that caused our predicament," Lyera said.
"We know you were fighting against possession every step of the way," Rakiri spoke.
"You suffered greater than us," Takasato spoke. "Now, it's time for you to heal."
The party members spend the necessary time tending to their injuries and comforting Krivkris until he is ready to progress further into the mission. They don't know how much time passed during their consolation since there are zero ways to track it. They wonder if it was minutes, hours, an entire day, or enough time for the Soulmonger's forces to greet them outside the ziggurat. As they return to the entrance, they encounter Brazeriin about to leave the structure.
"I sense your mission was a success," Brazeriin said.
"Yes," Lyera answered. "We appreciate your assistance."
"Hmph. I've done nothing. Now all of you can leave my home this instance."
"We're already in the middle of the process. No need to be petulant."
"There is one inquiry I need to catechize while you're still here. Who knows Draconic Magic, and who taught you?"
"I took advanced classes at Grimwick's Institute of Magic," Lyera answered.
Ashereth indicates himself and Krivkris. "We're apprentices to the Dragon Incarnate."
"Interesting. I never speculated that ehriins could learn and even teach other ehriins Draconic Magic. Now begone." Brazeriin proceeds to storm out when Takasato stops him.
"Wait."
"What?" asked Brazeriin angrily.
"Are you positive that you won't help us with our mission?"
Brazeriin groans. "I'm positive. I don't deal with ehriin matters. If it will stop future questions, the reason being is tensions are high amongst dovahs. If any dovah detects activity from another, then it could result in a dovahkrein. Such an event can bring absolute decimation of entire landscapes and civilizations. Even if you leave the evil artifact with me, then Mokul Aargrahz will bother me, and my response can trigger the event. If you want my opinion, dovahkrein's worse for the world than him." He then exits the ziggurat regardless if Takasato or any of her companions have additional questions.
While the group is leaving, Brazeriin observes them from afar. How fortuitous of me that their mana isn't what I previously thought. Events would've turned differently, for better or for worse, if they possessed Dovahreilik's Vaas or were dovahs themselves.
Following the ascending path away from Brazeriin's home, the party locates an egress, and they walk out into the darkness. "I vote for preparing camp," Rakiri offered. The rest of the party members nod in agreement.