Rise to Fall
Lancer shot up and opened his eyes. All he saw was darkness, he turned left and felt something rub against his face…something familiar. He used his right hand and felt what it was. He pulled down and light flooded his senses. He looked at what he had pulled off, he narrowed his eyes to take in less light. He sat there shocked for several moments before he stood up. He looked at his shining skeletal hand and grazed the cold compacted dirt with it. Energy arced off and left burn marks on the ground with a wisp of smoke steadily rising. He tested its maneuverability somehow he could still move it. He stood up and looked around him, the cavern walls were now melted into slag and there were burnt corpses surrounding him. He looked back to his hand and felt anger wash over him. He studied how the bone bent and twisted, he narrowed his eyes and quickly turned to leave. He needed to find Iasia, he walked down the narrow stone hallways glancing at the twisted engravings. A lamia slithered from one of the turn offs and reached out to touch Lancers shoulder. Lancer turned and grabbed her wrist, she cried out in horror as her life was drained. Lancer stepped back shocked and examined his hand.
He started walking faster occasionally glancing back at the corpse he left behind, he stuck his hand against the wall and watched as the stone warped under the extreme heat. He stopped again, and slightly brushed his left hand against his right. Nothing happened. He stood for a moment interested in what it could do, he continued walking through the narrow passages, he heard shouts behind him he turned and saw figures slithering towards him so he sped off. He turned into a dead end, his eyes scanned the wall and saw a small hole at the top 5 meters or so above him. He sprinted faster towards the corner. Then he ran up the wall slightly and kicked of the left corner, followed by the right. Then he dove straight in and rolled to his feet. His eyes opened wide when he found where he was. He peered out over the chasm, it was almost pitch black, yet somehow he could see well. He brought his hand and gazed over it brain still scrambling at the possibilities. It glowed purple slightly, then he realized he could see because his eyes were performing a type of night vision. He looked up and saw the rickety bridge, men and women were trampling over just to be met by an angry lamia.
He stuck his out and grabbed one of the humans' ankle he tugged and pulled himself up while sending the human screaming into the endless pit. He looked down and watched smirking as they ignited in purple flames and they aged. Then he shook his head horrified at the thought. He looked forward and saw his target. He walked straight up to Iasia and shoved his hand front of her silently demanding and explanation. Iasia ignored him and was too focused on one of her couriers. He shot his arm out and ignored the screaming that followed as the courier as reduced to a lifeless corpse. Iasia turned to him highly interested in what she saw. After a moment she spoke, "you just murdered an innocent."
"She was long dead, you all are alive because of my blood. I hold you in no regard to my conscience" Lancer said narrowing his eyes, but somewhere deep down he doubted what he said. He held out his hand and noticed it was corrupting him.
Iasia clamped her hands around the glaive and swung it at no particular person. Lancer stood for a moment before Iasia turned. "It's time you learn how to wield this" she went through multiple motions trying to teach him, but he paid no attention, he was more attentive of the rate the humans were being cut down. His gaze followed a group of Lamias taking a human body down the cavern to be sliced and eaten. He felt disgust well up within him. He turned back to Iasia whom was studying his expression, "you are much sexier when you aren't frowning" she said while smirking
"Save your breath, you'll need it when you're drowning in your own blood" Lancer said giving a cold sideglance
Iasia gave an out raged look before swinging the glaive directly at Lancers neck, he caught the blade with his left hand, feeling the blade sink in, then he thrust his right under Iasias ribs. Her eyes widened as she aged. He felt her heart, he wrapped his skeletal hand around it, and crushed it watching her life fade instantly. He pulled her fingers from the Glaive and held it with his left. He pulled his right hand out and squeezed wringing the blood from it. He turned and looked at the throne and went over the glyphs again. Now he understood. They were raiders. The humans came down here to protect their long dead families. He angrily swung the glaive at the throne, cleaving it in half. All of the nearby lamia turned shocked and looked at Iasias corpse. Lancers hand arced with energy. He put out his hand and gathered energy in his palm, then slammed it into the ground. The earth started to rumble as energy welled up below the surface. In an instant the ground exploded in a semi sphere of energy followed by a skyward blast emanating from the ground. Lancer wasn't at all bothered at all by the light or heat and just stood in grim satisfaction at the devistation he caused. He scanned the general area. There as no ceiling, no bridge, no army, and no corpses.
He gazed into the night sky, "the dead shall stay dead" he muttered then his mind snapped as he realized he had died before. He looked at his hand and screamed into the night while grabbing his hair, he felt who he once was fading into uncertainty. He grabbed the glaive and examined it. Then he realized he had no idea where he was, it seemed he had leveled and entire volcano. There were no particles, no ash, nothing. He followed the horizon with his eyes and saw only water, he tried to teleport but once again he was unable to.
"I've lost many things on this trip" he muttered, my sword, my hand, my mind" he said chuckling. "My life will not be one of them. He walked down the mountain in an attempt to find some way of escape.
That's it for that chapter, hope you enjoyed, I'm also sorry for the time between posts and the shortness of this one