Chapter 53: Making Waves (2/2)
Yet another disturbance, of even greater power than before interrupted his message.
[Master! The machine is overloading! What should I do?]
The Archmage grimaced, another lead lost due to the imperfections of his designs.
[Forcibly disconnect the lattice from the tower's power system!]
[The Observatory is powering down now, but Master the last readings...they are.....]
[A Tier 5 spell, I presume?]
[That's correct, Master. We weren't able to gather any information about nature of the spell, however.]
[Very well. Continue the shutdown sequence, and I will be there soon.]
He landed, and started walking normally, no longer in a hurry to arrive. An apprentice, that had been cringing in the corridor seconds ago, stared after him in some amazement.
[It seems that there is a newly Ascended Mortal already making waves....Or at the very least someone capable of wielding the power of an Ascended. Nothing in our earlier predictions had included this possibility. I will have to start making plans according.]
As he rounded an corner and started walking down the hallway leading to the Observatory, he frowned again.
[Hopefully whoever it is will stop causing all these disturbances. Its starting to get expensive for me.]
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The corpse of a peg-legged beggar lay cooling in one corner of the basement crypt, a blissful smile frozen on his face. A robed and decrepit figure stood hunched over the body, a goblet full of blood clutched in its dry gray claws.
It was speaking in hushed tones.
”My lady. Brutus has been slain. We have failed you.”
The echoing voice of a mature and confident woman issued forth from the goblet. ”Indeed. You have failed me. Who told you to take the Hero by force? Your actions have set back our plans by months, if not years.”
”How was I to know that a high Tier 4 caster would interfere?! Brutus would have been able to defeat the Hero with ease without the intruder. I was merely trying to make the most expedient choice at the time.” The creature's voice had risen in pitch, anger and fear evident.
”Brutus was a valuable and loyal servant, one that had served the clan well for millennia, and your thoughtlessness brought about his needless sacrifice. I entrusted him to you in order to ensure our mission in Wyrport continued uninterrupted, yet not only have you caused his death, but you have failed in your larger task. This transgression demands punishment.”
The clawed hands of the robed figure trembled. ”No...no, give me another chance. I swear I will make it up to you, my lady!”
”Tsk-tsk, Menaphus. Is this the way the Butcher of Ulam faces his end? I had expected better.”
With a sibilant voice, the woman continued. ”I'm taking back the gift that was given.”
The robed figure dropped the goblet in horror, backing away. It looked down at its grey hands, which were already beginning to desiccate and crumble.
”No.....NOOOOOoooooo!”
Silence fell in the basement, as a cloud of dust began to settle on the pile of dark black robes lying empty on the floor.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Seraphina awoke with a start, sitting up straight in bed. She glanced around the small bedroom in the darkness, wondering if perhaps the rowdy patrons of the inn below had wakened her again.
There was a sudden flash of light, flooding through the window, illuminating the room as if it were midday. She squinted in response, utterly bewildered and was almost knocked out of bed by a roaring wave of sound which seemed to shake the very foundations of the building.
[What's happening?!] She thought as she rushed over to the window.
At first there was nothing, but soon a soft white glow could be seen over the city walls to the north. She briefly had a delusion that a star must have fallen from the sky.
A pain shot through her head, causing her to double up on the floor, as an image bore its way into her mind.
A dark, smoke wreathed being was standing upon a mountain of corpses. There was something so profoundly terrible about this creature. Even after witnessing all of the petty cruelties and injustices that humanoids inflicted on one another, nothing had prepared her for this being.
It was evil. Pure evil. There was no other way to describe it.
Most of its features were hidden, but Sera caught flashes of ebon skin, curved horns, and blood coated claws. However, it was the eyes that made her skin crawl. Two pure white holes stared from the depths of the perpetual gloom. Sera realized that they were focused upon another figure, one she had failed to notice with the all-consuming presence of the entity.
A young man stood at the base of the corpse mountain, looking with defiance at the evil creature. His hand was clutching a sword made of light. Looking at him, Sera felt the terror, which had been gripping her, ease. For some reason this young man's presence reassured her.
Strangely the man's features were as obscured at the creature's. A sort of blurring haze prevented her from getting a close look. However, she was able to notice one last thing before the vision ended and she awoke on the floor of her room, knees hurting from where she had scraped them in her fall.
”Eyes of gold....” She whispered quietly looking up towards the ceiling.
”You were right, mother.”