Chapter 13:

The path Kunpaetku took led straight to the forge's primary entrance - A colossal staircase carved into the north side of the volcano leading up to a courtyard with Greek-style columns marking each of the four corners. At the far end of the courtyard was a pair of giant red doors adorned with gold engravings. A balcony hung high above the door, overlooking both the courtyard and the hills below.

"This is it," marveled Valnykuluk, "The entrance to the forge! It is unlike anything I have ever witnessed."

"It only gets better," said Kunpaetku, "Let us step inside."

As Valnykuluk and Kunpaetku approached the entrance, the two other cultists continued to drag Christine along. By now, the necklace's power left her too weak to resist.

Valnykuluk opened one of the giant red doors, allowing the others to step inside. Another herd of Lizardmen waited inside, though, like last time, they did not attack. They merely lowered their heads and stepped aside, allowing Christine passage.

"These creatures appear different," Valnykuluk observed.

Indeed, while the Lizardmen outside the forge donned ancient Greek armour, these Lizardmen donned the tattered remains of black robes, not unlike those worn by the Fygul Cestemus. In addition, they were unarmed.

"Come," said Kunpaetku, "The forge is this way…"

Following their ordeal on the bridge, Thomas and Kyria found themselves in a small, circular room carved entirely from stone. The room was empty, but the rock walls had numerous hieroglyphs carved into them, which Thomas examined.

"Astounding," he said, "These must have been carved centuries ago! Do you have any idea what is happening in this image?"

Thomas pointed to a crude etching of two robed men hovering above a crowd of worshipers. Kyria moved in closer to observe it.

"The Cabeiri," began Kyria, "The original guardians of the forge."

"Who?"

"When Hephaestus landed in Lemnos, he met a sea nymph named Cabeiro and through her, bore three children, who came to be known as the Cabeiri. After one of them was killed, the remaining two were placed in charge of watching over the island's inhabitants following Hepheastus' return to Olympus. The islanders worshiped them as gods in their own right."

"Fascinating."

Thomas moved over to the next series of images, which displayed a group of men forging a large, triangular sword.

"My word," he said, "It's the birth of Soul Edge!"

"Originally," explained Kyria, "Soul Edge was not intended to be a vile weapon; it was centuries of slaughter and bloodshed that corrupted it."

"If only I could travel back in time and tell them how bad of an idea it was."

Thomas made his way over to the last hieroglyph in the room. It portrayed an angelic female figure with rays of light emanating from her head. She was surrounded by men on their knees in prayer.

"Who is that?" he asked.

"Harmonia," replied Kyria, pointing at the etching, "See? She bears her namesake necklace."

"Really? Does that mean that Harmonia herself present at this very forge? For what purpose?"

"Perhaps she came, seeking a way to remove the necklace?"

"Kyria, you mentioned that Harmonia and her husband were transformed into reptiles; this forge happens to be crawling with them…"

"You feel there is a connection?"

"What if all those who come into contact with the necklace eventually transform into those things? Like some sort of curse, or plague, perhaps?"

"All the more reason to stop the Fygul Cestemus, then. If this etching is any indication, Christine is safe, so long as she remains bound to the necklace. The Lizardmen will worship her as they worshiped Harmonia."

"That's good to know…No doubt the Grand Priests have already figured that out and are using it to their full advantage."

Thomas and Kyria moved into the adjacent room, which also bore etchings, though this time, instead of images, they consisted of various geometric designs and patterns.

"What is all this?" asked Thomas.

"It is what I had been hoping to find here," said Kyria, "A map of the forge."

"This whole thing is a map?" asked Thomas.

"Yes," Kyria pointed to a large square at the north of the map, "That is the main room. It is here the Fygul are taking Christine."

"What about all this?"

Thomas pointed to a series of squares and circles beneath the main room, accompanied by some Greek text.

"Hmmm," said Kyria, reading the text, "It appears to be a sort of failsafe."

"Failsafe?"

"Yes, in the event the forge ever needed to be destroyed. The main chamber is supported by four iron pillars. When these two vents are released, gallons of molten steel will come pouring down, dissolving the pillars and bringing down the forge's primary support structure."

"Rather ingenious, except with everyone transformed into bloody lizards, there's no one left to complete the task."

Thomas approached Kyria and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Listen, Kyria," he began, "I know that destroying the forge was your primary mission, so whatever happens, I need you to run down to that chamber and end this, once and for all."

"Thomas," she said, "Are you mad? We have to save Christine!"

"I'll go. She's my responsibility, and you've done enough for her already. Bring this forge down, Kyria, and if Christine and I don't make it out, at least the necklace and everything else connected to this madness will go down with us."

Kyria nodded and backed away. She directed Thomas' attention a series of steel pipes emerging from the wall and ceiling.

"See those?" she said, pointing, "According to this map, those pipes draw magma directly from the volcano to the forge's furnace. If you follow them, you will find Christine. Avoid confrontation wherever possible."

"Thank you," said Thomas, "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

As the duo split up and each headed their own way, Thomas stopped and turned towards Kyria one last time.

"Kyria!" he called.

Kyria turned as well.

"May the gods be with you," he said.

"And with you, Thomas," said Kyria, "See you on the other side."

After hours of navigating the complex structure, Christine and the priests finally reached the main forge. The room was massive, and in the shape of a half-circle. Narrow rectangular openings in the stone wall acted as windows, allowing them to gaze out at the night sky.

A gap at the back end of the room exposed an enormous pool of molten magma hundreds of feet below, brightly illuminating the chamber. Pipes emerging from the rear wall allowed magma to cascade like waterfalls down into the fiery abyss.

Several ancient tools were left abandoned in the room, including anvils, hammers and even incomplete weapons, all in remarkable shape for their age. A stone bed lay in the centre, which the cultists dragged Christine to.

"STOP IT!" she pleaded, "Let me go!"

"It's useless to resist," Kunpaetku spoke with a smile, "We are here now, and the ritual is about to begin."

The cultists restrained Christine's arms and legs using metal clamps. Valnykuluk slowly approached the table, holding a ceremonial dagger.

"Christine," said the Grand Priest, "The time has come for you to give up your pound of flesh so that Soul Edge may live again."

"Pound of flesh?" the young woman demanded.

"Indeed. You and the necklace are bonded now. Its cursed energy runs through your veins."

As Valnykuluk spoke, he lightly dragged the blade across Christine's wrist.

"You promised me I would survive," begged Christine, "You told me…"

"I will do all I can," explained the priest, "The blood loss will be significant, yes, but death is not always guaranteed. Should you not survive, your sacrifice will be greatly honoured."

"You monster!" Christine spat, "I don't want this! Please, let me go!"

As Valnykuluk and Christine exchanged words, Kunpaetku and the two other cultists bowed their heads and folded their hands. Kunpaetku briefly glanced up at his two accomplices and tilted his head towards Valnykuluk, prompting them to nod in acknowledgement.

"May the Great Palgaea guide my hand," proclaimed Valnykuluk, raising the knife, "As I…"

Before Valnykuluk could start the ritual, the two priests jumped him from behind. One held his knife-wielding arm back while the other drew his sword and sliced off his forearm.

"RAAAAAGH!" the Grand Priest screamed in agony as he backed away from the table, "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?"

Still clutching his bloodied arm, Valnykuluk backed all the way to the railing that bordered the edge of the chasm. Tears ran down Valnykuluk's eyes as Kunpaetku and his two accomplices approached the pitiful priest. From atop the table, Christine observed the strange turn of events in confusion.

"Kunpaetku," whimpered Valnykuluk, "What are you doing?"

"Foolish old man," said Kunpaetku, "There is no need to resurrect Soul Edge, for it is already alive."

Both Valnykuluk and Christine gasped in shock.

"Lies!" spat Valnykuluk, "The Great Palgaea would not have kept such a revelation from me!"

"Oh," said Kunpaetku, "But he did. You see, old man, your time is up. Palgaea has no more need of a washed-up degenerate such as yourself. I am the future of his organization; all that he sees, I see as well…"

The two cultists approached Valnykuluk and forcefully suspended him over the railing.

"…Including your end!"

Kunpaetku laughed maniacally as the cultists released Valnykuluk, sending him falling into the fiery pool below. The Grand Priest's screams caused Christine to shudder in fear. What was in store for her now?

The pipes in the ceiling led Thomas down a series of rectangular tunnels carved through the volcano's interior, all held up by steel support beams. A bright orange glow emanated from the cracks in the rock wall, illuminating the area. The heat was unlike anything Thomas ever experienced before. In his search for Christine, he had to stop and catch his breath numerous times.

"I have to keep going," he said, stopping to wipe sweat away from his forehead, "I cannot let her die!"

Just as he was about to turn the corner, Thomas spotted a Lizardman on patrol and immediately retreated behind the corner. The creature glanced upwards and began sniffing the air.

"This creature must have been a priest once," Thomas thought, as he observed its black robes, "The only question is: What is a priest doing in a forge?"

As the creature began heading in his direction, Thomas snuck away, opting to take a different path instead.

"I am in no way equipped to deal with these things," he said to himself, "I best go about this carefully…"

As Thomas made his way down the corridor, he saw another Lizardman cross his path and immediately took cover behind one of the steel beams. He peered over and watched the creature pass by. When the coast was clear, Thomas continued onward.

Elsewhere, Kyria searched the lower levels searching for the chamber that housed the failsafe. In her search, Kyria found herself in a dark tunnel that resembled a mine. The remains of old tools and equipment were scattered about and stalagmites dotted the entire area.

"This must be where they gathered materials to forge the weapons," she thought to herself, "I should be getting close."

Just then, she heard a roar behind her. Kyria turned around and saw a Lizardman rolling towards her at high speed. Kyria immediately threw herself to the ground to dodge it.

"ACK!" she cried, striking the ground.

Though this Lizardman did not wield any weapons, its fangs and claws made it a formidable foe nonetheless. The creature hissed at Kyria and slammed one of its claws down on her. Kyria raised her shield to block the blow, then rolled out of the way.

"Enough of this!" she spat, as she stood back up.

The Lizardman hissed once more, then came charging at her. Kyria rolled out of the way, but not before piercing its ribs. The creature roared in agony and fell to its knees; Kyria used this opportunity to flee. The creature slowly returned to its feet and began pursuit.

"This is not good," Kyria muttered, as she continued running.

"I must be getting close," observed Thomas.

After navigating the forge for what felt like hours, Thomas began to hear screaming, accompanied by the clash of metal.

"Cultists?" asked Thomas, "Sounds like they're being ripped to shreds!"

As Thomas turned the corner, he came face-to-face with one of them, causing him to jump back in surprise. The cultist did not attack, however; he merely coughed up some blood, then fell to his knees while clinging onto Thomas for support. Thomas slowly laid the dying man on the ground, allowing him to expire peacefully.

"Damn," muttered Thomas, wiping his hands clean of the man's blood, "They must have found a different way in. Hopefully, Christine is among them."

Thomas continued running down the corridor, eventually reaching the main foyer in which a vicious battle between cultists and Lizardmen was taking place.

"Christine?" Thomas called for his wife amidst the chaos, "Christine! Damnit, they must have already taken her deep inside!"

Not wanting to get involved in the conflict, Thomas decided to sneak away, but not before searching some of the cultists' corpses. In one of them, he found a loaded pistol.

"Ah-ha!" said Thomas, examining the weapon, "Just what I needed."

Thomas headed down the next corridor, away from the battle. Unfortunately, he had been spotted by a Lizardman, who immediately roared and pushed past numerous cultists to pursue Thomas.

"Uh-oh," thought Thomas, as he turned a corner, "I'm being followed aren't I?"

As Thomas disappeared from sight, the creature stopped and began sniffing the air, trying to scope him out.

"The sulfur's odor must be clouding its sense of smell," said Thomas, "Good. That'll buy me some time, at least."

As Thomas began to run down the corridor, he was greeted by yet another Lizardman.

"Oh…" he said.

Many thoughts raced through Christine's head following Kunpaetku's brutal murder of Valnykuluk. The young priest uttered something to his accomplices, then turned to face her.

"Christine," he said, smiling widely.

"Soul Edge lives?" she demanded, "That's impossible! My husband…"

"Failed?" chuckled Kunpaetku, "Indeed he did. Soul Edge cannot be destroyed so easily. Palgaea informs me that as we speak, its current host gathers souls to restore it to full strength. But Soul Edge is not our current priority; you are."

"Me?"

Kunpaetku approached the stone bed that Christine lay upon and began feeling the young woman's skin with his hand.

"What do you know of the original proprietors of the necklace?" he asked her, "Harmonia and Cadmus?"

"They were transformed into reptiles," said Christine, recalling Kyria's words, "Divine retribution for Cadmus's slaying of a dragon."

"Cadmus' 'divine retribution' was merely to serve Palgaea as his champion. Modern literature tends to omit the events that transpired between then and his eventual fate."

Kunpaetku then stroked Christine's necklace, causing her to turn her head away in disgust.

"After his marriage to Harmonia," he continued, "Palgaea sought her necklace for his own personal needs. In exchange for it, he promised to free Cadmus from servitude. Thus, Cadmus brought Harmonia here, to this very forge, seeking a way to remove the artefact without damaging it or harming his wife."

"Surely," began Christine, "He succeeded?"

"Indeed. Cadmus brought with him the high priests of Palgaea – Predecessors of the Fygul Cestemus – To perform a sacred ritual that was to remove the cursed necklace, but something went wrong; a 'happy' accident, if you will.

"You see, the ritual required Cadmus to draw some of his own blood, which had become tainted during his battle with the dragon years earlier. The ritual succeeded, but all those involved became infected, beginning their slow and painful transformation into the reptiles that now permanently occupy this forge. Cadmus and Harmonia escaped, but they too eventually turned."

"So, those Lizardmen, they…"

"Were once ordinary men, yes. Now, they are formidable warriors. Valnykuluk's men hardly stood a chance against them!"

"You knew those creatures would be here! You allowed your own men to die at their hands!"

"My dear, those men were loyal to Valnykuluk, and thus would never have tolerated my takeover. A complete purge was necessary in order for my plan to succeed. Now, the time has come to build a new Fygul Cestemus. Once I send the message to every last cultist around the world, they will converge here, our new headquarters, where the construction of our mighty army will begin!"

Christine's eyes widened with fear as Kunpaetku drew a small phial of blood from his robes. The two other cultists moved closer to him, their hands folded in prayer.

"And now," Kunpaetku proclaimed, "With this last remaining sample of Cadmus' blood, I shall recreate the experiment that led to the birth of these monsters. You will be our first subject – The prototype, if you will – Whom all the other Lizardmen will serve as Queen. And, with almighty weapons crafted in this forge, they will sweep across the world like a wildfire, leaving nothing but destruction and carnage in their wake!"

"No!" pleaded Christine, "You can't do this!"

"And it is you we will have to thank," said Kunpaetku with a smile, "Truth be told, I was hoping that our first creation be a man, but I am excited to see the results, nonetheless."

Christine began thrashing about as Kunpaetku and the cultists recited prayers. Kunpaetku drew his own ceremonial dagger and clutched it tightly against his heart.

With another Lizardman now in pursuit of him, Thomas had no choice but to flee from the corridor he was hiding in. The previous Lizardman, who had been scouting him, spotted him and began to pursue him as well. As Thomas ran through another corridor, the two Lizardmen crashed into each other and fell to the ground.

"I suppose it's a good thing they're rather clumsy, eh?" mused Thomas.

Upon exiting the corridor, Thomas found himself at a dead end. There was nowhere else to run.

"Now what?" he asked.

Just then, Thomas spotted a large square window carved into the wall. With the creatures not far behind him, Thomas climbed outside, placing both feet on a narrow ridge and clutching the volcano's jagged rocks for support.

"Remember Kyria's advice," he said to himself, "Don't look down…"

The Lizardmen looked around for Thomas before giving up their pursuit. Thomas breathed a sigh of relief.

"Alright then," he said, "Now I…What was that?"

Thomas heard a familiar cry coming from somewhere not far away.

"Christine!" he gasped, "But where…"

Thomas looked to his right and saw another window, similar to the one he just climbed out of. A fiery orange glow emanated from it.

"That must be it," he said, "The forge! Hang on, Christine! I'm coming!"

Thomas' mountain-climbing skills were far from perfect, but with his original path blocked by Lizardmen, he was left with no other choice. He needed to get to Christine as quickly as possible and this was the fastest way now. Thomas began to sidle his way across on the narrow ridge, while continuing to clutch the rocks.

"Almost there," grunted Thomas, "Just…WOAH!"

Thomas slipped, leaving him hanging by one arm. For a brief moment, Thomas glanced down and realized just how truly high up he was.

"Hephaestus," said Thomas, "Zeus, Harmonia – Whoever's up there – Please, don't let me die, not when my wife is counting on me!"

Thomas recovered and continued his climb towards the window. When he eventually reached it, he took a look inside and saw Kunpaetku standing over Christine, holding a dagger.

"No," whispered Thomas, "Christine!"

Kunpaetku and the priests were too distracted by the ritual to notice Thomas jumping inside.

"I have one shot at this," he said, drawing his pistol, "I best make it count…"

Thomas' hand trembled as he took aim at Kunpaetku. This was it; his last chance to save her...