Mark of the Fool

Alex felt an ominous power building within the Ravener.

Building quickly.

Light surrounding the construct dimmed.

Its inky surface writhed as though swarms of worms were slithering beneath it.

“Everyone!” he called. “Get ready! It’s going to—”

His warning came too late.

Power skyrocketed, exploding outward releasing waves of transparent ethereal worms, visible with true seeing.

The world slowed, Alex called on his teleportation magic, desperately trying to understand what the Ravener was doing…but this magic was new to him.

Think. Adapt.

Think. Adapt.

Think Adapt.

There was only one thing for it then.

He directed three of his streams of consciousness to cast Shred Magic three times. Then quickly turned his attention to his companions.

Time was too short to grab more than one of them before the wave washed over them.

But, who?

Theresa? Brutus? Claygon? He made his decision and prepared to teleport, but suddenly stopped. ‘No,’ he thought. ‘You can’t think like Alex. Think strategically, like a general.’

His decision abruptly changed.

The world sped up.

Quicker than a blink, he was beside Merzhin.

The wave of worms was coming.

Three limbs twitched.

Three waves of Shred Magic were cast as he touched Merzhin.

“Wha—” the Saint began.

Alex teleported the small Hero past the wave, disappearing, then reappearing when it had passed them.

Upon reappearing, the cavern greeted them with screams.

Transparent worms clung to the party, slipping through clothing and armour as though they weren’t there, snaking their way into flesh. Every inch of skin the worms touched greyed, dripping a putrefied discharge. Flesh dried, cracking, muscle withering.

Warriors slowed, and Ravener-spawn pierced their defences, tearing at them with fang and claw.

Alex was horrified, his eyes were fixed on Theresa and Brutus as they withered before his eyes. A number of his summoned monsters vanished. Najyah screeched.

Aside from Merzhin and Alex, only two others were unaffected. Claygon was fine: the worms had simply passed through his metal form. But, any worm that had made the mistake of touching Asmaldestre simply…died, splitting apart like dried meat.

That was little consolation to Alex or his afflicted companions.

He was about to shout directions to Merzhin…but the Saint and Chosen were already acting.

“Holy Traveller!” they said in unison, as Cedric clenched his teeth, grimacing as he healed himself from the worm attack. “We beseech ye, banish this plague and bring healing in its wake.”

Holy light built around the two Heroes.

“As anticipated,” the Ravener’s whisper seemed to slide into Alex’s ears, making him turn toward the voice.

Two sharp points of light were building on its surface, one aimed at Merzhin, the other at Cedric.

Both Heroes were focused on their miracles.

Its beams quickly built power.

Alex focused his mind on Shred Magic and teleportation…

…then, a deafening crack split the air.

A projectile blasted between two bars on the Ravener’s protective cage, striking the point of light aimed at Cedric. There came a sound like shattering glass as the point of light blew apart.

Shards of ebony shrapnel shot through the air, shredding Ravener-spawn lingering near.

The Ravener howled, sailing backwards, landing in the lake with the full force of its bulk.

The beam aimed for Merzhin, went wide, ricocheting around, puncturing scores of the Ravener’s own spawn instead.

Asmaldestre’s laugh travelled through the cavern, stinging the ear, yet displaying her pleasure. Hundreds of Ravener-spawn turned toward her, pausing their attacks on Alex’s other companions, eyes shifting between the Ravener and the war-spirit. ’“Indeed, this is the combat I was promised!” Her three eyes fixed on Uldar’s creation. “I know that a single shot did not kill you. Now, balm your wounds and come. Show me the true violence I sense you are capable of.”

Her words sent a shudder through the spawn, freezing them in place…but the Chosen and Saint had not faltered in their prayers.

Their bodies shone with incandescence.

Waves of divinity billowed from them, travelling through the cavern, being drawn to their wounded companions.

Divine light washed over the group, eliminating worms like wisps of smoke, wrapping around the wounded, mending cracked flesh, washing away putrid fluids, filling their muscles with life, and returning their skin to health.

“There!” Cedric shouted. “That oughta patch everyone right up!”

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“Thank you!” Theresa shouted. “Now! Let’s give them what they tried to give us, and more!”

She raised the Twinblade, it shone with life and power, and in the blink of an eye, had sliced the head off of an air blasting spawn cleanly.

The party rallied, tearing into Ravener-spawn with a vengeance, taking a bloody price for what their master had just done.

Alex smiled. “You’re all the best.”

Merzhin looked at the General. “Alex,” he whispered. “Do you think it is distracted enough yet?”

“Not yet,” Alex whispered back. “We should make sure it uses more of its power first. And I want to see if I can get inside it—” He eyed the deadly cage around the construct. “—I can’t touch it with those defences up…but…”

His mind began working on an idea.

“Keep it occupied for a bit. I’m working on a plan.”

“Understood, Alex.”

The Ravener emerged from the lake, water running down its spherical surface. A chunk of it was blown off, leaving a ragged hole on its surface.

It was growling like an enraged beast.

Its ‘wound’ was already healing; the hollow left by Asmaldestre’s shot was quickly filling.

Another crack sounded, finding its way between the cage bars, striking the construct. This time, its surface only cracked.

“Interloper,” the construct growled. “Interference will not be tolerated.”

The crack had mended by the time it had finished its threat, and the once massive crater was mostly smoothed as well.

‘So…’ Alex thought. ‘Seems it takes a lot more damage if you hit it in a spot that’s glowing. Huh…I wonder if…”

He glanced at one of the injectors on the floating platform beside Asmaldestre.

Something to try later.

First, he needed to see if he could do something about that cage.

Actually, that was second.

First was…

He looked around the cavern.

The entire time they’d been fighting, his staff had been summoning. Even after he’d teleported with the Saint, the staff hadn’t stopped, and the aeld was giving off waves of self-satisfaction as it continued its task.

At this point, it had conjured a good-sized army inside the cavern.

Earth, water and ice elementals of differing sizes rampaged through the Ravener-spawn, draining their fluids, freezing and crushing them to paste. Above, engeli soared on incandescent wings, striking out with burning weapons, raining down volleys of holy arrows from celestial bows.

“Alright, then,” he said. “It’s time.”

Hundreds of Ravener-spawn were already dead, and though their deaths had hardly made a dent in the enemy's numbers…it was enough for the first phase of his plan.

He raised his hand.

The world slowed as he focused four of his streams of consciousness on different spells.

The world sped up again.

The first spells were Phalanx of Wood and Stone.

Bodies of stone rose from the earth, gripping wide shields and diamond tipped spears, marching into the hordes of Ravener-spawn, piercing them with speartips and beating them back with broad shields.

Lesser Ravener-spawn fell in droves…making them perfect fodder for the third spell Alex cast.

Mass Control Corpse.

A wave of blood magic swept out, washing through the cavern, touching the bodies of lifeless Ravener-spawn lying dead on the cavern floor. The spell seemed to have no effect at first.

Then the corpses twitched, beginning to rise under Alex’s will, fatal wounds no longer a concern. Slowly, they turned to face the living Ravener-spawn and lurched forward, held in the grip of the young archwizard’s spell, and seeking to destroy the army of their former kindred.

And they would.

Thanks to the last spell Alex had cast.

Army of Heroes.

Power infused his companions, the army of summoned monsters and the army of the dead. Muscles sparked with power. Flesh toughened. Fear washed away.

Alex’s own fears also disappeared as the magic filled his heart with courage.

He could act without the slightest bit of fear gripping him and guiding his actions.

His flesh had toughened.

And his muscles swelled with power.

He smiled, then teleported beside the Ravener.

Cedric and Hart reached the construct a moment later.

“I have a good feeling,” Hart growled, swinging Uldar’s massive sword into the god’s construct.

The blade passed through its cage of death beams—cutting a ‘bar’ that sparked against the divinity-infused metal—slicing into the Ravener’s surface.

Deep into the Ravener’s surface.

“You dare raise the creator’s own weapons against me?” it shouted.

“Yeah, I dare,” the Champion growled, slashing at it again. “Figured those beams of yours would cut through most things. But, your daddy’s weapons would be strong enough to handle your power. Like…so!”

Another gash appeared on its surface.

“Aye! Good thinkin’, Hart!” Cedric shouted, following the Champion’s example with Uldar’s battle axe.

The construct snarled at the two Heroes, focusing its attention on them, losing its focus on Alex.

“No more of this,” the Ravener’s voice menaced.

Its surface shimmered.

Two fire clouds emerged from the construct.

“I will burn you all to ash,” it hissed. “You will fail this trial.”

The world slowed.

Alex’s streams of consciousness focused on four spells.

Famine.

The world sped up.

Four pulses of power struck the swarms of small monsters.

The tiny, burning Ravener-spawn screamed, sounding like steam escaping boiling kettles, as the spell stole their life energy and nutrients, withering their bodies. It then transferred all that life energy to the caster.

The swarms slowed, buying time for…

“Merzhin! The lake!” Cedric shouted, breaking away from the Ravener and touching the water beneath it. “Let’s do this together! In the name o’ the Traveller I sanctify this ‘ere lake an’ breathe divine power inta’ it!”

“May it stand against all spawn and all enemies of Thameland!” Merzhin finished the prayer.

The lake shone with holy light.

Then began boiling.

Hundreds of Hunters, hidden beneath the water, were made helpless by the scalding liquid, writhing to its surface, soon floating atop like dead fish.

‘Looks like it was planning to drag us under at some point,’ Alex thought.

“Guard yourselves!” Drestra warned. And with a twitch, she finished casting control winds.

A blast of wind slammed the fire clouds straight into the lake, plunging them into the blessed waters. The flea-like spawn shrieked as holy liquid swamped them, snuffing out both fire and life.

Alex smiled again.

He could put them to good use.

With two twitches, he cast Mass Control Corpse twice.

The first spell animated the dead Hunters floating on the lake; they rose, watching their former kin with dead eyes before lurching from the water with claws spread.

The second one animated the dead fire clouds.

Flea-like spawn flew up, now embers of their former selves, hovering over the lake, simply watching the Ravener for the time being.

They would be ready if it summoned more fire clouds.

Meanwhile…

‘Claygon,’ Alex thought. ‘I’ve got a little job for you.’

Frustration churned within the Ravener.

Frustration at its circumstances.

Frustration at itself.

It had erred, and erred a great deal.

The mortals before it were far more powerful and skilled in battle than it had anticipated. They moved with perfect harmony, their warriors were nearly unstoppable and the magic they wielded was mighty.

The wave of life-stealing worms should have wiped most of their number out, leaving it free to annihilate the rest…but instead, they were still there, and were now turning the spawn they’d killed against it!

These were not the sort of foes it could face while starved of strength; it had used so much energy producing its mightiest soldiers, but now was when it needed its power most.

If only there was some way to draw on the fear of its enemies and—

Something caught its attention.

The four-armed golem had flown away from fighting its army and was shooting through the air. Its war-spear was raised, the blade glinting, aiming for…

…the Ravener’s attention fell on Uldar’s body.

“No!” it flew up, desperate to interpose itself between this enemy and its creator. “Begone!”

It began building its power.

Only for the General to teleport beside it.

But that could not matter now. It had to protect Uldar’s body!

‘Yeah, protect the body of your fallen god,’ Alex thought, his streams of consciousness focused on four spells. ‘That’ll let me do this!’

He channelled his power into four castings of Shred Magic.

Waves of power struck the Ravener’s defensive cage, shattering it; the beams were too small to withstand Alex’s power now.

‘Yes!’ the young archwizard pressed his hand to the Ravener’s surface.

It felt warm to the touch.

He forced his mana into its channels, focusing the Mark of the General on finding a path inside. All the experience he’d gathered with dungeon cores came to his mind.

They guided him.

Aided him.

He found a pathway through the Ravener’s inner channels.

The young archwizard caught a brief flash of an image from inside the construct.

He grinned. ‘Got you.’

The General of Thameland called on the Traveller’s power, focusing on the image he’d gotten of the Ravener’s inner pathways.

He activated Hannah’s energies.

They flared within his soul…

…

…and nothing happened.