Chapter 836 (2/2)

The Spearman considered Shal carefully. The violent images began to pound out from Azriel with increasing frequency. After a few moments, the Spearman sighed. “You know what I will do. That woman of yours was once part of my images, Shal. I can feel her now. I can reach out and crush her.”

Shal let his expression droop. His heart was pounding.

My spear is the spear of responsibility. Because I have capability, I must act. Even if it is foolish, I cannot afford to sit idle. For this world, even if I must put myself in danger… for this world, even if I must sacrifice all that is dear to me…

A spear must always advance.

“Do what you must,” Shal said lightly. There was howling in his ears which might have either been the pounding of his blood or the screaming energies emerging from Azriel. “Your images have already warped this world far too much. No more.”

“It won’t be MY images, that’s the point!” The Spearman glared at Shal. Then he snapped his fingers. “There! It’s done. She had been broken. Without me, she will slowly wither and die. Rush back to her, and maybe you will have a few moments of peace. Then prepare your affairs, because I will find and kill you for what you have done.”

Shal felt very cold. “Do you feel good about yourself? That you have become a being that will rip away a person’s dearest companion because you lost your own love?”

The Spearman simply glared at Shal. The energies in the room continued to escalate. The ground around Azriel began to glow as a runic circle appeared out of the air and flowed down to condense on the ground around her.

Shal blinked rapidly. Even if this wasn’t their plan, he needed to act soon. They couldn’t afford to allow this image to Ascend. It would bring Tellus to ruin.

For several long seconds, the two maintained tense eye contact. The storm of energies grew more and more powerful behind them. The moments stretched to form a minute, and then further into two. The energies were reaching a crescendo, and Shal was gritting his teeth. The Spearman could not act or he would doom the world of his love. And Shal didn’t want to act, not while the Spearman was here watching.

But if Azriel was just going to Ascend-

Even as Shal twisted to handle the escalating Azriel situation, the Spearman reached out and gripped his arm with a strange sort of manic glee. “Oh no. It is too late now. You wish to spite me? Fine. Then I will spite you all. This world will be consumed with my inner violence. Then, perhaps, you will feel regret. There is no one who can now stop this image. It has grown-”

“That’s where I come in, I suppose.”

Both Shal and the Spearman twisted around. A slow roasted Randidly, leaning on a strange giant man of stone, hobbled into the room. His eyebrows were singed and he had a haphazard robe wrapped around himself. Strangest of all, Randidly’s left arm was burnt away, the oozing scar of flesh burned away as clear as day.

Shal’s expression tightened. So Aegiant had gone back for Randidly.

After walking through the doorway, Randidly patted the stone man and the figure just disappeared. Then Randidly approached Azriel, who floated in the center of the room.

The runes on the ground began to glow with power. There was a dull rumbling as some great working began to occur.

“It’s too late-” The Spearman hissed and launched himself to try and grab Randidly, but Shal’s retaliatory hand on his arm was a vice grip that held him back. Even though Shal had to strain and lean to restrain the man, he managed it.

When Randidly walked across the runes, energy exploded in a wave and crashed against him, testing him for an image to contest the Ascension. Very quickly it became clear that it found none worthy due to Randidly’s Level, and began to try and expel him with waves of violent mental demons.

Much to Shal’s chagrin, Randidly ignored them all.

Showing off mental strength isn’t becoming, Shal thought grumpily.

Almost gently, Randidly reached up and put his hand on Azriel’s knee, which was about chest height on Randidly as she floated in the circle of energy. At the touch, the crystals on Azriel’s face cracked; her eyes slowly opened, revealing perfectly obsidian orbs hidden beneath.

“Alright Azriel, this is going to hurt,” Randidly whispered. Strange obsidian crystals began to grow on his hand that was touching Azriel. But he ignored them and closed his eyes. “Inspiration. Erode Image.”