Heya everyone!
Here's the fifth chapter, hope you enjoy it!
(P.S. : Thanks for the warm reviews!)
DISCLAIMER: English is not my first language, so please be patient with me!
Chapter 5 - "The Noveda estate's battle."
Part 1
Zorian's night was both short —yet again...— and plagued by nightmarish visions. In only three and a half hour of sleep, he woke up three times with cold sweat running down his back, as if his mind had forcibly awoke him each time, afraid to be observed even in the confine of his highly and densely protected room... something he would've thought absurd a few days ago.
On his fourth time, he was surprised to catch his sister by his side, sleeping tightly pressed against him on the other side of the bed. Such display of affection was rare, if not nonexistent, from her. Like everyone in the Kazinski household, she tended to be rather self-centered and without much care for her surrounding on a surface level. Zorian wondered, in the dead of night, why their family had turned out like that. How such a trait was seemingly shared by each and every family member.
Their parents, Andir and Cikan Kazinski —father and mother respectively— both, probably, loved their children deep down. Unfortunately for their progeny however, they only granted their warmth and devotion to those who could match their expectations, meaning those who would help their family name gain power.
The eldest sibling, Daimen Kazinski, twenty-two years old, was currently the only person enjoying such boon from their parents. As a renown treasure hunter, genius, skilled and charismatic, he was the favorite child by a landslide. Their father often joked that Zorian inherited Daimen's skill and Fortov his charm. Though he appeared kindhearted and selfless at first, Zorian knew him enough to say that this is only a facade he puts on. He was, and still is, just as self-centered as the rest of them.
The middle son, Fortov Kazinski, sixteen years old —just one year older than Zorian— was hardly even worth mentioning nowadays. Their parents hoped that he would become another Daimen, putting him under a tremendous amount of pressure. When they realized that they hadn't birthed a second genius, they seemingly brushed him off to the way side, letting him do as he pleased with his life without acknowledging him further. Their handling of Fortov and its education had brought them an irresponsible, lazy and selfish child, despite him being plenty smart and charming in his own way. He was even a pretty good violinist. The only thing he and Zorian shared in common was their hatred for their eldest brother... actually, Fortov might loathe Daimen even more than Zorian did... though Zorian didn't really knew the exact reasons why. Nor did he cared.
And finally, as Fortov lost the good graces of their parents, and with Daimen away on another continent, all their parents' attention turned to Zorian and Kirielle, the unwanted brood they often felt like. Among their family, the two on them were by far the closest, even though they would hardly ever admit it out loud. Zorian might find her annoying, but he can't deny that he is very protective of her, as she is the only part of their family that he genuinely enjoy. That was why, when he had learned that their mother had barred Kirielle from practicing her drawing skill and shot down any attempt at magical education, Zorian had lost his temper. He decided that their parents didn't have their best interests at heart, and had vowed to take Kirielle anytime he could to Cyoria with him. And when he would leave this damned world of In-Between, he would do everything in his power to keep their parents from tormenting her any further with their narrow-minded vision of the world. Even if he had to take her away.
Kirielle's clutch tightened slightly around Zorian's stomach, as she moved in her sleep. She seemed peaceful. Zorian gently caressed her hair, as he continued to think.
It wasn't hard for the boy to understand why she had come sleeping with him: Zorian was rarely home in this iteration of the timeline, he didn't even speak much when he was —preferring to use his time to sleep—. He seemed more and more exhausted as time passed, the dark bags under his eyes sinking further and further each day were proof enough. And he knew that his sister had caught up on the fact that his demeanor had somewhat changed. Zorian was never very expressive, but the anxiety of this loop had made him far more colder, distant and somber than he used to be.
The fifteen years old sighed. He profoundly disliked seeing her like this. She was a strong kid, far more than what he used to be at her age. For her to embrace Zorian in this manner... her mind must've been a cesspool of complicated emotions... His passive empathy perception returned loneliness, eagerness, boredom, longing... He could've peered deeper into her mind, but Zorian categorically refused to actively use his power on the people he cared about.
I promise, next loop, I'll take time for you... he half-whispered half-thought. A slight stinging sensation pained his heart as he was unable to do so right away.
Zorian gently broke free from her reassuring clutch. Once up on his feet, the boy silently opened his windows and mused at the shining full moon. The lonely celestial body still high up in the sky.
He massaged his temple, letting his nerves calm down with a long and controlled sigh. He knew that further attempt at sleeping was pointless. The stress of the monumental task ahead was simply too much for him to sleep on. Soon, he would try... no, he would open the memory packet.
'If only I knew a sleeping spell for those kind of situation' he lamented.
[. . .]
After only an hour of wakeful rest and relaxation, as the morning was still a few hours away, Zorian felt as ready as he could ever be. No need to wait and agonize over the issue any further.
The mind-mage secluded himself into the basement of Imaya's home, preparing yet another protection ward just to be sure. He wouldn't allow even a fly to distract him from the task at hand.
He sat himself comfortably in the middle of the room.
Breath in... breath out. he said to himself as he did so. You can do this, Zorian!
Slowly, he let his mind sharpen, drowning the outside world as he turned inward. He sensed his heart beat, his muscles shifting, his blood cursing through his veins. He stayed in this state for a minute or so, getting used to this sensation of absolute focus, and also because the first step was always the hardest one to embark on.
He sensed the mind packet inside of him. Feeling it as he had done so many time before, he was reminded of how much time had passed since Spear of Resolve had imbued it within him.
The thing was clearly falling apart. Ready to burst open and decay into nothingness. He needed to be gentle. As delicate as possible.
After this... we end this damn loop.
Zorian hardened his resolve, mentally grasping the decaying memory packet. Carefully and as slowly as possible, he began to unfold it.
Not careful enough. The packet, already on the verge of falling apart, collapsed in on itself and bursted open at Zorian's still too inexperienced touch. Zorian was momentarily dazed as confusing images he couldn't make sense of came assailing his mind, probably a defense mechanism against unwanted openings.
The memories contained within began to rapidly fade away from his mind.
Swearing at his initial failure, Zorian scrambled to recover some of them before they all vanished.
It had been a sweet dream, maybe even a delusion, of Zorian to hope that Spear of Resolve hadn't delved to deeply into mental self-manipulation as some other aranean elders had. He could now safely say that he was an optimistic fool. What was currently floating in his mind spoke of an absolute master of mind-magic, one of which who would make all the other experts araneas look like total amateurs. Spear of Resolve, for the purpose of securing her inner thoughts, had somehow managed to break apart her mind into multiple parallel threads of thoughts, continuously shifting and merging with one another, making an intricate and nigh-impossible organic and ever-changing puzzle to solve.
Zorian understood the extent of his foolishness as the weigh of his failure started to swell inside his stomach. What an idiot he had been, thinking that a few more days of training would've changed anything. Even if he had the entire loop, even if he had the next ten, hell, even if he was given several years to further his mastery of reading araneas memories, he doubted even then he would be able to interpret what Spear of Resolve had locked inside her mind packet.
It was soul-crushing, humiliating even... to think all the efforts he invested, all the risk he had taken over so many restarts... amounted to nothing.
And yet, suddenly, one particular memory caught the attention of the time traveler. A memory he could easily understand, specifically because it had been made that way for him. Like an hungry beast, Zorian pounced on it, letting it play out.
[If you are reviewing this memory,] Spear of Resolve's echo said, [then in all likelihood, our plans were foiled and things went awry. It also means you have gotten good enough at mind magic to dive into the memory packet and read some of my memories. Well done. I hope you have had the courtesy of respecting my privacy and leaving the rest of my memories alone. Not that you could understand them anyway, it would be troubling if you'd gotten this good.]
Feeling the usual smugness in her words, as if nothing had ever happened to the Cyorian web, Zorian couldn't help but smile fondly. Three or four years had passed since their last encounter, and the boy missed them dearly.
Also, she knew damn well he had no hope of interpreting the rest of her memories. Even in death, that damn spider was mocking him.
[I know you think I had it coming by rushing into this, but hear me out. I have sought out every clue about the time loop I could find. Most of what I'm about to tell you comes from the patron spirit of another aranean web – the Ghost Serpent Acolytes. Seek it out if you haven't already, though be warned that the spirit might not be too happy to see you.]
That was the understatement of the century. Did she even realized the depth of the Ghost Serpent's hatred for the Branded Ones?
[Other sources include the researchers at the time magic research facility beneath Cyoria – you can find its location in the map I've attached inside this message – as well as some of the invaders that had the chance to interact with our mysterious time-traveling foe. It seems the invaders were quite curious about their new informant and have invested considerable time and effort into figuring him out.]
So even the invasion forces don't know anything about Red Robe? That was rather infuriating, considering how much time Zorian had spent investigating their group to learn about Red Robe through them. Then again, by the time Zorian had properly started his investigations, Red Robe had already stopped mingling with the Ibasan's forces and gone into hiding.
[What I have gathered from all this is that this time loop is some kind of… fake, parallel world. We're real, but we're not. It's hard to understand. Or maybe accept. The problem that arises from this is very simple: the time loop is degrading. I can't tell how long it will be before it collapses entirely, but I do know that simply waiting for it to end would be disastrous. One has to deliberately leave this place. And everything I've gathered about our time-traveling foe from the invaders suggests he is completely unconcerned with finding the exit or leaving. I do not believe for a second that our foe is too stupid to see the importance of this or too complacent to make it his priority. The obvious conclusion is that he has already found the exit, and he can leave at any time. Thus, stopping him was of utmost importance. No matter what, he couldn't be allowed to leave the time loop.]
Oh shit... that is bad... very very bad... Zorian thought, slowly realizing why Red Robe had gone silent for so long. Don't tell me... Red Robe has already escaped the time loop?!
[If the time loop can so casually create copies of us, it can surely destroy us just as easily. Our foe clearly has deep knowledge of how the time loop works. Thus, this message. I hope it won't be necessary, but just in case, I put in a map to point you towards the invaders' bases and – more importantly – the time magic research facility deep beneath Cyoria. I am rather sure the time loop exit is located there – it is an ancient artifact called 'the Sovereign Gate'. You can find its legend in various books easily enough, I'm sure. The security is high, be on guard when you invade it. Moreso, the Gate did not react to me no matter what I did, but maybe it will to a proper time traveler like yourself or Zach. Otherwise, you may have to find 'The Key' to get it to open. This is bad, since – if I have interpreted the Ghost Serpent's ramblings correctly – the Key consists of the five imperial treasures of the first Ikosian emperor. The ring, the crown, the staff, the orb and the dagger. These items are all lost, likely scattered across Miasina. You'd have to conduct your search on a whole other continent. I didn't think it was possible, even with the help of something like working Bakora gates, so I didn't put too much effort into tracking down rumors surrounding them…]
There was a pause in the matriarch's prerecorded message, as if the master mind-mage arachnid hesitated.
[Zorian, if I indeed met my end before you hear this, then I doubt we'll meet again. Once you leave the time loop, you'll meet my original self... but not me. Nonetheless, I still want you to help them. Help my web. For the second and final time, I humbly ask you to act as our ambassador to the humans, like we've previously discussed... though I'll never get to hear your answer, I trust you.]
[Farewell, Zorian.]
Attached to that last sentence was a string of aranean senses, not encrypted as her inner thoughts were. Zorian's mastery of the aranean senses was advanced enough for him to easily understand. It conveyed the complicated feelings that couldn't be put into proper words of the matriarch as she terminated the message. A mixture of fear, burden, duty, resolve and hope.
Silence followed. Zorian was left alone... though he always had been in the first place. But hearing the matriarch's voice, her tone and usual smug antics, felt like she'd been there all along with him.
He tried to process everything that transpired, but it was a lot. Spear of Resolve's parting words wasn't something he expected, they never interacted much aside from their collaboration to reach a common goal, but even his inner self couldn't deny that a strong bond had, at some point, linked Zorian to the Cyorian web. Spear of Resolve wasn't the only one, there was also Enthusiastic Seeker of Novelty, the young aranea —barely out of childhood— that had first taught him mind-magic and whose excitable nature reminded Zorian a whole lot of Kirielle. The thoughts of her skittering around his room, touching furnitures like it was the most fun she ever had, asking questions upon questions about magic and human tools... And there were all the others too, all those who he didn't necessarily knew the name of, but whom acted friendly toward him.
He swallowed loudly, keeping his emotions in check, as it wasn't the time to get sentimental. But the feat was harder than he would've imagined.
He would repay the Cyorian web, he promised internally. He owed them a huge debt, even thought they wouldn't remember it. They were the ones to save him from his untrained passive empathy that had ruined a good chunk of his life up to this point. They were the ones to teach him the fundamentals of mind magic. They were the ones, even before Zach, that had accompanied him across the time line with the shared mind packet system. And finally, even in death, they were the ones who gave him what he probably would've never found on his own: the location of the exit —among other things.
Apparently, there was a time-magic secret research facility run by the Eldemar government in the depth of Cyoria's mana-hole. Such infrastructure must've been a headache and a half to construct. The deeper one delved into the abyss, the more dangerous it became. In this mana-saturated space, monster were fiercer and fiercer the more you'd venture down into the chasm, and given how deep it was according to the matriarch's map, it was nigh unbelievable that they managed to construct it in the first place.
The Sovereign Gate... Zorian remembered Spear of Resolve's words.
The boy was indeed familiar with the artifact's name, though he wouldn't have assumed that it had anything to do with the time loop. If the matriarch's suspicions were correct, Red Robe might've already left the loop.
It was both worrisome, and a relief. All in all, Zorian didn't understood their nemesis reasoning if he indeed fled. While they were still in the time loop, Zach and Zorian could grow their skills, become more and more competent at foiling the invasion plans and so much more. Why would he give them such a boon, while there was apparently no benefit for him to run away?
Zorian pondered, but couldn't think of anything reasonable. The time traveler felt like there was still a piece missing, something important that would shine light upon the whole ordeal. And the only place to find it was inside the research facility. The Sovereign Gate.
Now, the question was, would they try this now... or in the next iteration? Zorian focused on his soul, feeling the killing-switch that would finally put an end to this nerve wracking and dangerously troubled loop. It would be so easy to just finish it all here, waking up in a new timeline, away from the government investigations, away from that damn name. But it would also mean that they would forever lose the chance to investigate it, as they would, in no way shape or form, try again to mingle with the affairs of this supposedly godly being.
He came to the conclusion that he needed to speak with Zach as soon as possible. That meant right away. In the middle of the night.
The night sky of this world was a marvel to look at. Its inhabitants might not think that way, or even realize it, but it truly was for the lonesome being currently gazing at it. Maybe any natural beauty —celestial or terrestrial— untouched by the greed of the mortal races was enough to be worthy of admiration in his eyes. It required a fine artistic mind to imagine, create and mold such a splendid canvas. It reminded him of someone he once knew, a lifetime ago.
The imposing figure was standing in the middle of a ruined mansion amidst a thick and cold snowy forest. The remnants of a fierce battle —or rather a desperate one— scarred the very ground upon which he stood. Hordes of corpses littered the ground, none of which were humans. Humanoid and animalistic zombies and skeletons, a few magical creatures like ogres and trolls. Behind it all, a gigantic skeleton dragon laid unmoving in the forest, half of its body badly damaged and decaying in the wind.
Whatever had occurred here, it was obvious to anyone with half a brain that the only fitting word would be a one-sided massacre. And its culprit remained motionless in the center, gazing upon the stars.
The being was alone, not a single soul as far as the eyes could see.
The very air seem to contort, shift and curve ominously around his mighty form, as if his existence was too much to handle by the reality that kept this world together. A weird phenomenon he had yet to get used to, but didn't mind anymore.
When he came to this mansion out of curiosity, he had hoped to find something a little more riveting than an aggressive warlock. Though, if he was being honest, it had been rather informative in its own way to witness how the necromancers of this world battled. Not impressive, mind you, but interesting nonetheless.
But then again, the aggression of the man was totally uncalled for, especially toward one sharing his own magical inclination such as him. Attacking him out of nowhere like he was some kind of beast... The nerves! A shame, really. He would've loved to converse with the owner of this place and inquire about how this world's necromancy operated. But it just wasn't meant to be.
Still... what a strange guy. Why would someone build a mansion so far from civilization, in the middle of nowhere in such a cold region? That, the being didn't know. At least, it gave him peace of mind to know that his action would have no consequences in the grand scheme of thing whatsoever. Who cared if some random necromancer died in the countryside?
Iasku Mansion the being remembered reading before unleashing hell on this place.
Weird name, he thought.
The being felt someone trying to reach him. A message informing him that the investigations of the two humans had concluded. The retrieval operation was about to begin, missing only his approval.
[Umu. Go ahead. Send them, like we've discussed.] he said, his tone heavy as he indulged his subordinate.
Another message reached him, to which he simply nodded.
[Yes, let her handle the first contact.]
The quick communication ended. He was yet again left alone with his thoughts.
He breathed in and breathed out —more out of habit than out of any biological needs— basking in the cold breeze of the northern regions. As his mind found a semblance of peace, his hold on the power he constrained within slipped for a second. Suddenly, the air cracked. Tendrils of black nothingness started to appear all around him.
"Ah." The being realized out loud.
He let out a heavy sigh in a mixture of annoyance and embarrassment.
Again...? Ugh... I should return home... I don't want to break reality a third time... he lamented, blaming himself for his brief carelessness as a portal opened in front of him.
Part 2
Slipping ever so slowly through the night-sky, the dazzling full moon shone brightly upon her domain which she only shared with the numerous stars. The humidity of Cyoria was somewhat pronounced during nighttime, courtesy of the region's topography and climate. The pavement that the young boy walked on was slightly wet, but not something he'd notice in his hurry to reach his friend.
Zorian hadn't teleported right away. Not that he didn't want to, but his decision was solely out of concern for Imaya's residents —which included his younger sister. He still didn't know the extent nor the sensibility of the surveillance field the Eldemar government had established around the city. As such, as unlikely as it was for them to actually detect him —especially if he took enough precautions—, Zorian still preferred not to take the risk when he could simply walk for a few minutes in a random direction, and only then channel the spell.
He could've also used his instant teleportation ward that he had moved near Zach's estate, but this was reserved for emergency only.
Hence, he settled for a direction and started walking in a straight line. He would continue until he thought himself far enough away from his residence. Though he showed nothing of it, Zorian was ecstatic at the prospect of finally ending this loop. His strides were wide and fast as he couldn't wait to reach Zach and share with him his findings.
After approximately five minutes, during which he hadn't crossed path with anyone, Zorian found a small alleyway. The perfect place to begin his incantation in the cover of darkness, away from the lights of the regular streets.
As he stepped into it, weirdly enough, a somewhat familiar fragrance registered into his nostrils. An acidic, sour and quite earthy scent, that of which the boy had grown highly accustomed to, as it was how most araneas naturally smelled like —probably the result of their biology, as their race commonly were equipped with poison glands.
Since there was nothing in front of him, he looked over his shoulder to find the origin of the smell, and was surprised to see a small girl waiting patiently behind him. No, maybe girl wasn't the right word? A small lady rather? He truly wasn't sure. Then, realization struck him that he hadn't sensed her approach through his passive empathy, which could only mean that she possessed a protected mind.
He studied her further.
She was... odd to say the least... donning what seemed to be an aristocratic maid uniform of foreign origin, but whose quality was clear as day, even in the dead of night. The sleeves where enormous, hanging loosely around her arm, covering them in their entirety in such a fashion that not even her hands were visible. A big red bow was tightened around her plexus, keeping the outfit together. Her face seemed... unmoving?
The situation was unnerving as, in the few seconds that had passed, she seemed to also scrutinize him. Not moving a single muscle on her face. Her hair... hair? Are those... antennas? Zorian thought, incredulous.
"Good evening, mister Zorian Kazinski," she said with a youthful high pitched voice, finally breaking the silence between them, curtsying gracefully as she did.
The knot in his stomach —that he thought had disappeared— tightened abruptly as he slowly understood how eerie and unusual this nightly encounter was. A seemingly young girl adept at mind defenses, who knew his name in advance, and smelled like an aranea. Also, he noticed that her mouth hadn't moved nor had she blinked, meaning that it was most likely a mask she had put on.
"Uhmm... Yes, hello? Do we know each other?" he asked rhetorically, as he tensed his body in anticipation.
"No, we don't. Though, I know a lot about you! And you probably know my Lord?"
"Your Lord? Excuse me, but are you... an aranea? Or a shifter linked to an aranean soul?" he asked, misunderstanding what Lord she was speaking about. Is she connected to a Web I've visited? If so, considering what I've done in this timeline, I doubt she came here peacefully... he thought.
She obviously wasn't an aranea, this part of the question was rhetorical, but she might very well be a shifter with certain... characteristic of the aranean specie, namely her weird protuberances on her head. Though, this would be a first for Zorian. He'd never even heard of this type of shifter. But, from his understanding of how shifter came into existence, he understood that it wasn't impossible per se to imbue a human with a magical beast's soul.
The girl tilted her head in a cute way, trying to understand the meaning of his question.
"Ara-nea? Hmm... I think you meant Arachnoid? Indeed I am, though I do not possess any kind of shifting ability," she said as she lightly acquiesced. "How do you know my race?"
"No, I didn't mean arachnid—" he said before being cut off by the strange maid.
"Ahh... it's not matter really, mister Kazinski. It is not why we are here tonight. Our Lord has asked us to bring you to him. You should be honored!" she said gleefully.
"Again, who is your Lord, miss...?"
Then, a realization struck Zorian. Wait... did she say... 'we' ? 'our'? 'us'?
Suddenly, in the corner of his vision, near the entrance of the dark alleyway, he saw two other individuals appear. They were somewhat similar in appearance to the one directly in from of him, as they also seemed to be dressed in foreign maid's outfits, though each very different from one another.
One was a tall and sleek dark-haired lady with pristine skin. Her expression was emotionless, a cold indifference that Zorian couldn't help but interpret has the disdain of the mighty. The other was also rather tall, a red-headed beauty with brown-skin and perfect proportions, as if molded by the very silent gods themselves. Her mischievous smirk was only equaled by her enchanting gaze. She seemed inviting and friendly at first glance, but Zorian could clearly feel a thinly veiled aura of danger around her.
The red-head seemed somehow familiar to Zorian, but before he could recall where he had seen her, the short girl spoke again.
"Oh, of course, how rude of me. My name is Entoma Vasilissa Zeta," she said as she performed another courtesy bow. "I believe you know our master under the offensive and erroneous name of Ain Ol Gon?"
His stomach dropped. His world deafened. It went silent in a burst of white noise. His ears seemingly ringing as his brain slowly recovered from the shock. He realized what she'd just said. Only a few persons knew about it, and yet this strange girl had just uttered the name.
Erroneous? She... knows...it?
Zorian's neurons fired like they'd never worked before. Connecting the dots at lightening speed and understanding the absolute horror of his situation nigh instantly. The disappearance of Zenomir Olgai at the forefront of his mind.
He felt his pulse heighten, his heart almost bursting out of his chest. He sensed his entire body break into a cold sweat. All of his senses sharpened to an extreme degree, almost like he'd reentered his previous state of absolute focus, only instead of being targeted inward, it was directed at the outside world.
A wave of spine-chilling bloodlust came abruptly crashing down on him from the three monsters in front of him, as if they were testing him with glee. This alarming show of force was proof enough of their inhuman nature, as no human could exert this amount of pressure so easily. While it wasn't something he couldn't withstand, it definitely showcased a differential in power he knew he couldn't easily overcome. Battle, as it was, wasn't an option. If he was alone with only one of them, he might've considered it —as a last resort—, but never against three of them.
"This one's handling it pretty well!" commented the jovial maid in the back as she took a step forward.
Without missing a beat, Zorian fled. Channeling his mana toward one of his rings, he felt the instant teleportation ward activate. The boy vanished from the alleyway, without the trio even realizing he had casted a spell before it was too late.
There was a pause, the cold and impassive woman clicked her tongue in annoyance, irritated at the bug for his cowardly escape. The short aranean-like maid called Entoma didn't say anything, simply tilting her head as a soft and polite laugh escaped her mouth.
"Yes!" cheerfully exclaimed the red-headed girl, bouncing in anticipation. "Another hunt! Please, please, please let me enjoy it a bit before—"
"Fine Lupus, but don't take too long this time." the dark-haired lady spoke with her monotone voice. "And don't go overboard either. We need them alive."
"Promise!" she said as her smile grew wider, her thinly veiled sadism now on full display. Her fangs grew inhumanly long as her repressed instinct took over her mind. She disappeared from where she stood.
The bug maid simply stood there in satisfaction, happy to see her dear sister having her fun. Though, she would ask for a bite once she finished and before they brought them back. That was a given, sharing is caring.
Part 3
The boy appeared in a faint blue flash of light near Zach's mansion. The second he arrived, he busted into a desperate run, as fast as his weak and untrained teenager body could handle to cover the short distance he needed to travel to reach the actual building.
Zorian let his mind explode toward the approximate location of Zach's chamber, hoping his partner would react and wake up. And as expected, as soon as the arch-mage felt a foreign presence touch his mind, he activated his Mind Blank spell, disappearing from Zorian's mind map.
He's gonna hate me for this, Zorian thought. Zach might have an easygoing approach to life most of the time, but if there was one subject matter he took seriously, it was the sanctity of his own mind. Zorian didn't really know why his friend had such a radical approach to it, as he didn't seem as careful when his soul was involved. Gosh, he might punch me again!
Zorian continued to run, daring to watch over his shoulder but found nothing yet. Despite that, he still didn't slow down.
Every second that passed, Zorian considered activating the reset. But he defiantly refused each time, tempting fate for the sake of information. For better of for worst, it seemed the being itself hadn't come to them. Rather, its minions? With a little bit of chance, maybe those three wouldn't have the means to harm them in any meaningful way. If so, as long as they weren't captured and brought to whoever their lord was, it should be fine, the boy thought.
He arrived at the entrance of the mansion. As he was about to reach for the doors, he felt —or rather heard— the stifling sound of a magical missile.
Shit, that idiot! He thought as he erected a barrier as fast as possible. The missile broke through the sturdy double doors, somewhat lessening its strength, and impacted on Zorian's shield. The magical defense broke, sending Zorian sprawling on the ground. Thankfully, he sustained no injury aside from a few bruises. He would've been far more battered without the presence of the double doors and his defenses to cushion the blow.
Damn him... How can he put so much force into a simple magic missile? Zorian thought as he struggled to shake the daze out of his mind. Magic missiles were the lowest of the low in term of magical combat. It was something most wouldn't even considered a proper attack, rather a means to an end as a warning or a distraction. But, in the hand of the truly powerful, even such a simple spell could turn deadly.
Zach stood behind the broken entrance, a dangerous glare aimed at the intruder before realizing it was Zorian.
"Zorian?! What the fuck are you doing?!" he shouted, confused and about to explode at his partner's attempt at invading his mind. "Why'd you try—"
"It was only to wake you up, idiot! You think I would be that stupid?" Zorian said, as he stood up, pain surging where the missile had connected. "No time to speak, we're about to be attacked!"
"What? By who?"
"I'm not sure—"
Zorian couldn't finish. A loud crash shook the ground not far from them, shattering the concrete floor in a spider-web like formation around the impact area, partially hidden amidst the consequent dust cloud. A feminine silhouette emerged within, slowly standing up.
"Now that's an entrance!" a woman voice exclaimed jovially, as she walked out of the dust and into the open. Her cloths and skin immaculate, free of any dirt. Her legs were unharmed, still fully functional after such a lethal fall, eluding to her monstrous nature.
It was the same person as before, Zorian realized. A brown-skinned beauty with an athletic look and red hair tied in two long braids. Her maid uniform consisted of a long skirt that had a slit on its left side, revealing thigh-high white stockings. Her charming smile was plastered on her lovely face, a toothy grin aimed at the duo.
"Hello, gentlemen! How are you?" she said enthusiastically.
They didn't respond right away, opting to study her actions before doing anything.
"That's your attacker?" Zach asked in a low whisper, his gaze fixated on the newly arrived guest. He instinctively knew that this person was bad news.
"There were three. She's only one of them. I believe they're the one who captured Zenomir. They know about the name." Zorian explained, matching his tone.
Zach fought the urge to widen his eyes, understanding the hurry Zorian was in. His mind and body subtly tensed, entering a battle ready state.
After a second of pondering, the unassuming arch-mage decided to participate in her little charade.
"Good, I've just woken up actually! And you, fair lady? Who might you be?" Zach asked, his feigned innocence on full display. "What is a lovely lady such as yourself doing in my home so late at night? I don't think you'd fancy a drink?"
"Wouldn't you like to know, boy?" she said flirtatiously, seductively resting one of her hand on her hip. "I'm sorry though, you might be a bit young for little ol' me. At least for this kind of play."
"Don't worry, I'm older than I look. I can take you anytime."
The maid simply laughed loudly, before curtsying in front of them.
"Lupusregina Beta is the name bestowed upon me by my creator. Nice to meetcha', Zach Noveda!"
"You've done your research."
"No, sorry I've only took the time to remember both your names. I don't need more than that after all."
"Confident, are you?"
"Ha! Of course I am—"
The ground suddenly split apart under her feet. While it might've surprised her, it wasn't enough to actually destabilize her. She found herself leaping gracefully in the air, as if gravity was less of a concern for her than for the normal individual. Her demeanor still felt nonchalant, her confident smile spoke loudly of how completely unfazed she was by the suddenness of the attack.
Before she could regain the comfort of the ground though, Zach conjured a giant magical construction out of thin air. A translucent gigantic hand. Its design was crude, rather square, with no smooth edges. Zorian might have snorted at the spell if not for what transpired next. With a nigh unmatched speed, it violently slammed the maid with the force of a hundred rushing trains. She hadn't had time to defend herself, nor to even realize what had hit her before it was too late. Zorian felt the aftermath, the shortwave traveling through his bones.
The red-head woman, Lupusregina as she called herself, was sent hurtling across the air at breakneck speed, her body swirling around uncontrollably. In an instant, she traveled all the way toward the forest that encircled the estate. If someone had blinked, he surely would've missed her. Soon enough, less than a second after the initial blow, she reached and connected with the first tree... it shattered instantly. Than a second. And a third and a fourth. Each time creating a volley of splinters and wood pieces darting all around while the remnants of the tree fell down. A loud crash resounded throughout the wooded area as she finally brutally pummeled into the ground, obliterating a small patch of the forest along the way.
Zorian shivered at the sight. Even if he took all the necessary precautions beforehand, could he even hope to survive such a blow? He didn't finish the thought, as the answer seemed obvious. He was reminded yet again of the extent of Zach's might. As usual, his battles were quick and to the point. He was the very embodiment of brute force.
Silence settled upon the impromptu battlefield as there was no traces left of their enemy. Her mangled corpse probably stuck in the mud, nearly a full kilometer from here.
"Done!" he said while turning to Zorian, a single bead of sweat rolling down his temple. The enormous magical structure behind him vanishing into flurry of tiny particles, as if it never existed. "Let's move before the next two arrive."
It took a moment for Zorian to focus back on the words his friend spoke.
"Y-Yes, you're right. Let's. I also need to keep you up to speed with what the memory packet had in it."
"You've opened it?" he asked, incredulous. "Nice Zorian! I knew you could do it! See, you gotta' stop deprecating yourself so much, man!"
Though it was nice to hear Zach's praises, it felt a bit hollow to the expert mind mage. The reality was that it was only thanks to Spear of Resolve that he managed to decipher anything. Actually, he hadn't even deciphered anything per se, as the matriarch had taken the trouble to mold her thoughts into human speech to begin with. Theoretically, even someone far less competent than Zorian could've obtained the same results without much complications.
"It wasn't much, really. But what I've learned is concerning. Apparently, she found the exit, and Red Robe might've already left."
"The exit? What exi—"
Suddenly, the sky above them crackled, and a pillar of light struck Zach without prior notice whatsoever. The beacon of scorching hot fire had appeared out of nowhere, as if it had been the divine retribution of an angry god.
Zach screamed in pain before quickly raising a magical shield, diverting the stream of condensed flames all around him, charring his surrounding. Zorian, for his part, had hurriedly jumped back, escaping by a hair's breath solely because he wasn't the initial target.
The fiery downpour continued relentlessly for a full ten seconds, before slowly fading from existence. Zach fell on one knee — not out of exhaustion, but because he tried desperately to endure the seething pain of his burnt flesh. He channeled a recovery spell, waiting for it to take effect and dull the pain. Zorian rushed to him as well, aiding him with whatever spell his repertoire could apply. Unfortunately, Zorian was by no means skilled in the medical field, and could only help superficially.
From the corner of their eyes, the boys saw the figure of Lupusregina looming menacingly in the distance, slowly closing in on them.
As the sound of her footsteps grew closer, they could see more clearly the state the maid was in after being hit by an attack most would've died from. Her uniform was dirty, but not a whole lot considering she'd crashed into the wet muck of the forest. Her hair was a little disheveled, and her once pristine face was bruised, with traces of brushed off blood near her mouth. She stood straight, with no indication of lingering pain in her body. All things considered, she was worryingly fine.
The expression she wore was hard to describe. A mixture of coping incredulity, fury and amazement. All of that was shown through an impassive face that scrutinized them both, but Zach in particular.
She stopped a few meters from them. She deeply stared at Zach, before speaking.
"You're strong," she admitted. "They said you were stronger than most, but I didn't think it was to that extent."
"And you're a coward to rely on a cheap surprise attack like that," Zach joked as he stood up smiling, aware of the clear hypocrisy. "Let's have a fair battle this time around, miss Lupusregina."
Without waiting for a response, Zach resumed the fight with renewed vigor, even though the pain of his skin still earned him a groan or two from time to time. With a few words and a quick movement of his wrist, a flurry of fiery bird-like creatures dashed at the maid, each moving in a complex and presumably random trajectory.
Out of nowhere, a physical object materialized in her hand. Some sort of imposing black and silver scepter, weirdly shaped toward its end. The thing was enormous in comparison to her fair proportions. The girl wielded the damn thing as if it was a twig she just picked up. Zorian didn't know if this Lupusregina was immensely strong, or if the scepter wasn't as heavy as it looked. From what he'd seen so far, he would've bet on the former.
The maid simply swung her scepter at the numerous fiery bird, sending a shockwave colliding with the flock. As if the air had been solid, each of them fizzled out of existence.
"Do not misinterpret my words. There is no fair battle against me. You're an above-average human alright, but a human nonetheless in the end." she said, smirking sadistically as she took a stance. "I only meant that I would take you seriously from then on."
Zach didn't wait for her to finish as he took the initiative. A dangerous ray of energy shot from his finger toward her. Something Zorian only remembered seeing being used against Quatach-Ichl, the millennial lich.
Lupusregina understood right away the threat of the attack. She sidestepped at the last possible moment, the straight beam of energy barely missing her, as she predicted. But another came right after, grazing her cheek and drawing a speck of blood. And another one, nearly piercing her heart if not for a last second maneuver. She continued to dance around a relentless barrage of highly damaging spells.
While she may be on the defensive for now, it wouldn't last forever. Little by little, she managed to approach the pair and grew accustomed to Zach's pattern.
Zorian wasn't idle as the battle progressed He might not be as monstrously powerful as his pair, but he still could be plenty annoying. Enough to create an opportunity for Zach at some point. He first tried to attack the mind of the maid, but surprisingly enough, her defenses were like nothing he ever encountered. Not in a way that it was sturdy —though it was—, but in a sense of its structure. It was completely alien to what he was accustomed to, as such, he had no idea as to how he needed to handle the mental aggression. Hence, while he tried every approach he could think of, Zorian focused on destroying the ground she stood on, hoping she would lose her balance, stumble a single time and be impaled by Zach's spell. Though, as Zorian's mana-reserve were naturally low, the number of magic missiles he could launch before being depleted was few to say the least.
The battled raged on, as the back and forth between Lupusregina and Zach continued. Considering the never-ending barrage she was subjected to, the maid hadn't found the right time to cast a spell so far. Which was worrying to Zorian. If she could stand up to them on her own, what would happen when she finally could unleash her full potential?
It must not be allowed to happen, the boy thought, starved for an opportunity.
Then, one appeared. Zorian launched a fast and precise magic missile. The ground Lupusregina aimed for caved in, nearly making her stumble. Zach was already about to launch his next spell, the one that would take advantage of this half of a second delay, the one that would puncture her heart.
Stuck between a rock and a hard place, the maid clicked her tongue in annoyance. Her only option was to make a gamble. Surrendering her side, letting it wide open to any attack, she targeted Zach's weak point: his friend.
"[Divine Wrath III]" she said, her palm aimed at Zorian.
The sky crackled like a minute ago above the fifteen-years-old. He saw it and prepared his defenses. But it wouldn't be enough on his own.
Zach, who experienced first hand the power of this pillar of fire, knew Zorian wouldn't come out of this unscathed. He abandoned the opportunity to finish the maid off and assured his friend's safety by conjuring a shield above him, one that would help cushion the blow. It only robed him of a second to do so, but it was plenty for the monster in front of them to turn the tides of the battle. It would cost them dearly, as they would soon discover.
With the second of respite Lupusregina managed to gain, she immediately put into motion her plan of attack. She could only cast a single one of her spell in this lapse of time, but she knew exactly what she needed to do.
"[Magic Shield]"
Zach's ray of energy reached her as she finished. It bounced of the barrier, cracking it mildly.
Shit! Zach thought as he realized they'd just lost the initiative. And, as he feared, she went on a roll now that her defenses were up.
"[Domain of the Divine]"
The area around them lit up brightly. Another ray of energy reached her, nearly breaking her defense. Zach surmised that her shield would break after another one. Then, she would be open again.
"[Hammer of Justice]"
The end of her scepter shone and sizzled with what seemed to be a fiery lightening. Zach finally broke her magical shield, crumbling away. She was vulnerable again... or so they thought.
"[Gift of Justice]"
The same fiery lightening that dangerously pulsated at the end of her scepter reached and enveloped her entire body. She smirked, as her preparations were finally complete.
Zach and Zorian felt a shift in the atmosphere. As her attitude changed, so did the flow of the battle. Nothing had happened yet, but they knew they would soon be on the defensive. And they were right.
As Zach tried to summon a ray of energy yet again, Lupusregina dashed right at him at an unbelievable speed, closing the distance in the blink of an eye. Her physical prowess were incomparable to her self from a few seconds ago. Zach hurriedly stepped back as the scepter —used as a one-handed hammer— crushed the ground where he just stood. As the weapon collided and broke apart the concrete floor, a power surged into the earth, lightning every crevices before the whole area exploded in a flash of scorching hot yellow lights.
In retaliation, the arch-mage moved his hands in a wide arc, before bringing them together. Two giant blocks of concrete broke apart and rose from the ground. They surged toward one another, their speed multiplying every second before matching that of an arrow. The girl was in the middle of the two rocky behemoth, about to get grotesquely flattened.
"[Holy Shock]" she exclaimed as she adopted a praying posture.
A shock-wave emerged from all around her, as the squared boulder nearly met and crushed her. Instead, they collided with the invisible force of her spell, breaking their inertia and sending them flying across the estate, one crashing into the second floor of the mansion itself. Lupusregina didn't waste another moment and launched for Zach.
Zach wasn't fast enough. In his attempt to back up, the sizzling hand of the maid reached for his throat. The differential in speed had become too great, he realized.
"ZORIAN! DESTROY THE WARD!" Zach shouted to the top of his lungs before creating an explosion in front of him.
Zorian complied as he also came to the same conclusion. He shot a magic missile at the secret location of the anti-teleportation ward. What had protected them so far had become a burden in front of such a fast enemy. They needed to teleport around the area to be able to handle her, or even to flee at this point.
Finally free from the warding system, both Zach and Zorian teleported a fair distance from the mightiest maid they've ever encountered. Zach was panting hard, some part of his skin were badly burnt. He fell to one knee.
"Zach, do you honestly think we can beat that?" Zorian asked in a low tone, kneeling near Zach to assure the maid couldn't hear them.
"I don't know... maybe if you can get her to ignore me for forty... no, thirty seconds...maybe..." Zach answered between breaths. "I imagine you can't get into her mind?"
Zorian shook his head. "No... not through magic at least...but I'll try the old fashioned way."
"I don't know what you mean, but I'll trust you on that. After you buy me enough time, there is still one thing I'll need you to do. Listen closely, we cannot afford to mess the timing."
After hearing the second part of their plan from Zach, Zorian nodded gravely, wondering if he would be up to the task, and what would happen if he wasn't. But he shook the thought out of his head.
It's okay, Zorian thought as he stood up to face the monster that was approaching. Worst case scenario, we still have the reset. We're still the ones in control.
This night was supposed to be another dull retrieval mission, but she couldn't have been further from the truth!
Who would've thought that one human in this country could actually pose somewhat of a challenge to her? Yet, here he was. The boy-wonder. Zach Noveda, she recalled his name.
At first, given how pathetic the other was, she hadn't given him much thought. Another toy to be played with, she had assumed. The report had simply stated that he was above average, but unclear to what degree. Lupusregina remember hearing how a pain and a half it had been to conduct this pair's surveillance without them realizing. For whatever reason, both of them were always layered in multiple anti-divination protections, at all hours of the day and of the night.
She didn't really cared, but it did pocked her curiosity ever so slightly. What sort of nasty secret would compel two teenagers to hide themselves so thoroughly? But it was trivial in the end... at least compared to the elation she was currently feeling right now.
That first surprise attack had truly impressed the werewolf-maid. If not for her superior equipment bestowed upon her by the Supreme Beings, she might've have come dangerously close to fainting back there. If it had been another one of her sisters —one unable to heal— it was a given that she would've retreated to safety and not come back. But, unfortunately for them, Lupusregina prided herself to be the very best healer of her sisterhood. By a long shot. And she also happened to counter mages and sorcerers particularly well. She recalled the shocked face of that inspector from a few days ago. That pup truly had been a marvel to break, his screams resonated in her mind as the thought alone almost made her drool. Her bloodlust flowing uncontrollably.
Ahhh... calm yourself Lupus. You still have time, she said internally, repressing her inner instincts. Those who only wanted to bath in the blood of the enemy. Let's not spoil the fun so early.
As much as she liked to indulge in her sadistic tendencies, it was also true that she was an avid battle enjoyer, some would even go as far as call her a battle maniac. Given how rare it was to find a worthwhile opponent that could entertain her in a fight, she couldn't just let her inner-self spoil the fun and end things early. Not for something she could get from any human at least. Every human bled, screamed and begged, but only a handful could somewhat match her might after all.
She approached the duo that had teleported away from her. She caressed her cheek, the one that had been cut by one of those laser beam of the Noveda kid. Those were dangerous she realized. Not dangerous enough to kill her, obviously, but enough to be an annoyance she'd rather not deal with. As much as she liked to provide pain, she didn't like to receive it.
Surprisingly enough, it wasn't Zach who stood up to receive her, but his insignificant friend: Zorian Kazinski.
He didn't attack, he simply just stood there, seemingly wanting to talk.
"Miss Lupusregina, before we continue killing each other, would you mind telling us why your lord wants to see us so badly?" he asked, trying to appear relaxed. The stiffness of his body betrayed him.
"Kill each other? No, no, no! Don't worry, you two won't die. I would be deeply ashamed if I brought back corpses. Though, you might miss a limb or two, I can't guarantee anything on that part," she answered with an innocent smile, as the thunder dancing around her crackled.
Zorian gulped at the thought. It wasn't an empty threat... that he knew very well.
He understood that if he wanted to get her attention, if he wanted her to solely focus on him, cheap conversational tricks wouldn't work. Lupusregina seemed like a seasoned warrior, she wouldn't fall so easily for it.
Zorian could think of two solutions on the top of his head. The first was by making himself a far greater threat than Zach in her eyes... which... well, saying it would be impossible would be putting it mildly. The second would be to elicit an emotional response from her, making her act irrationally. That, Zorian thought, was right up his alley —even though the mere thought of angering such a terrifying monster scared him to no end.
She seems rather fond of her lord, he thought. Maybe I should start from there.
"Say, Miss Lupusregina. I can't help but notice that whatever-his-name-is didn't come himself. Does he fear two human kids that much?" he said with an uncharacteristic smugness.
Suddenly, the very atmosphere abruptly changed. The wind seemingly stopped flowing altogether. The world went silent. The air was heavy, as an unimaginable amount of pressure emanated from the maid.
Her eyes, that so far never showed any sign of seriousness, shone red amidst the darkness of the full moon. Her pupils constricted, becoming akin to that of a feline, slit-shaped and madly focused.
Zorian froze. Completely losing control of himself. While his mind was still his own, he felt his body refusing to listen to him no matter how hard he screamed internally. No matter how loud his consciousness ordered him to move, he didn't. He couldn't.
Zorian slowly realized that this starving monster in front of him had only been playing with them so far. They underestimated her... by a lot... as unreasonable as that sounded. Zorian's assessment of her threat level rose, no, exploded instantly.
"Careful, boy. Speak of my Lord no more. I am here to have a good time. Don't you dare anger me any further with that filthy mouth of yours, human." Lupusregina said calmly, her anger clearly restrained and appearing through the form of this cold fury. The disdain for their race laid bare.
Lupusregina could've killed him easily. She wanted to. But she didn't, relishing in the fright he currently felt. A taste of what he would experience once she brought him back. She would personally ensure that this worthless scum would suffer a hundredfold more than the rest. No, a thousandfold.
Zorian cursed internally, still unable to do anything, frozen in place. But it wasn't enough! He needed to push her even further, he needed to buy more time... but could he do it? His legs were already shaking like a leaf in the wind.
No! I must! he shouted inside his own mind. It wasn't negotiable. He would find the strength to do it, no matter what. As long as his mind still functioned, he wouldn't falter in the face of adversity, even against her. Zach was counting on him, how could he face him if he failed to simply talk to a maid? He trusted Zach. He had chosen to trust their partnership at the beginning of the loop. Zach would protect him, and Zorian would find the answers they needed to escape this hellish time loop. All that he needed to do right now was to talk. Talk, and brace for impact.
Smiling madly, perhaps ready to die —albeit, temporarily—, Zorian continued in his folly:
"Ah, s—sorry. I didn't know your master was such a loser that you would be ashamed to even speak of him. I understand the sentiment."
The already silent world remained so. Only the crackling of that fiery electricity circling her body and weapon disturbed this disconcerting quietude. Her eyes widened, maybe astounded at the idiocy of Zorian, or because she had a hard time managing her surging and uncontrollable rage. Maybe she even doubted her ears?
Nonetheless, and without missing a beat, Zorian fired off a magic missiles point blank at her face. He didn't think it would do much damage, but it might gain him the few seconds he needed to cast a teleport spell and get the hell away from her.
The spell fired, but Lupusregina didn't even acknowledge it as it collided with her. With a movement too fast for Zorian to register, she caught his wrist and tightened her grip around it.
The mad zealot brought him closer to her, her demented eyes staring right at his.
"Human scum, there will be no escape from your suffering. I will personally see it through that your mangled corpse be healed and broken again for as long as there is stars in the sky. I will—"
"ZACH, NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO—" Zorian shouted, averting his gaze from the eyes of the evidently crazy maid that held his life, and his soon to be broken wrist, in her hands.
Suddenly, Zach teleported near them. Eight spheres of incandescent light twirled behind him in complete harmony. Their smooth never-ending rotations were as mesmerizing as the great power pulsating from each and every one of them was.
'Ten Stars of Dawn' was the name Zach had given his creation. A fanciful and poetic title to be sure, someone ill-mannered might even go as far as call out Zach's arrogance. And they wouldn't be completely wrong. His naming convention aside, it couldn't be denied that this spell was a marvel of spellcrafting. The mere activation of which needed Zach's full concentration for a fairly long period of time. It was something even the highest arch-mages specialized in magical combat —who were gifted with both natural talent and ample mana-reserve— would find troubling to wield, let alone master. But Zach, a genius among genius in this particular field, had. There were supposed to be ten of those orbs, but due to time restriction, he only summoned eight. Each one of them enhanced Zach's power output and was versatile enough to operate independently from one another if need be. Moreso, each sphere worked as an extension of Zach's mana reserve. Thus, when active, Zach's opponents were actually fighting against ten —in this case, eight— other Zach ; each one with the same raw power and abilities that the original wielded. There was also one particular use for those, one move that Zach only used in case of absolutely dire emergency. And the time was about to come. He just needed to nail the timing right.
Closer as he ever had been to the maid, Zach aimed both of his palms at her. The orbs shone brightly and swirled even faster. Soon enough, Zach and each of the eight spheres behind him discharged a condensed stream of fire in unison.
With no other choice but to evade, Lupusregina let go of Zorian, not before crushing every bones of his wrist into dust by simply using her real strength against the meek teenager. She leaped back, her scepter in front of her to protect herself from any stray projectile.
Zorian screamed, bringing his crippled wrist closer to his chest and enduring the booming pain. Unfortunately for him, given how inexperienced with medical magic he was, he would need to wait for Zach to finish before he could hope to heal this injury. But now wasn't the time to sulk. For their plan to succeed, there was still one thing that he needed to do. He rushed toward the location he destroyed not long ago.
Zach didn't slow down in his onslaught. While she was still in the air, Zach and its spherical companions channeled the same deadly ray of energy from earlier. So many of those would be highly taxing on the time looper, but he wasn't aiming for a battle of attrition.
"[Teleportation]" the maid said as she vanished from the path of the beams. "[Fly]" She appeared high up in the air, her form contrasting with the full moon.
So she can also fly, realized Zach, before preparing another conjuration.
Lupusregina paused for a moment, before surging toward her enemy. She directly flew straight down toward Zach, using her momentum and the gravity to reach unmatched speed. With her current combination of spells, each of her blow would create an aftermath that scaled with the force she exerted. With so much inertia behind her, she would destroy this entire area.
Before she reached the ground though, the same crude gigantic hand from before materialized. With so much speed built up, she couldn't make a quick and easy deviation. The magical construction —for the second time tonight— struck her with unimaginable might, sending her brutally pummeling into the ground of the estate.
Lupusregina, now firmly grounded and fairly dazed, let out a sigh of annoyance. She laid there, on her back, for a few long seconds... before finally relenting.
"Enough... I've had my fun... Time to end this..." she said ominously, gazing at the stars. "[Boosted Magic: Heal] [Regeneration]"
A green light washed over her body.
Zach, finally seeing the opportunity he's been waiting for, channeled his ultimate spell. All the orbs behind him started rotating faster and faster until you couldn't focus on one in particular. They started glowing with a plethora of colors.
"[Gift of the Great One]" she said, as she stood up, her body morphing inhumanly. Her face and limbs elongated weirdly. A thick and sturdy brownish-red fur grew instantly. Her proportions changed. From a fair lady of above-average height, she became a burly lycanthrope of over two meters, imposing muscles covering every inch of her newly formed body. Her fangs and claws were dangerously long and sharp. Her eyes seemingly mad with a thirst for blood.
"She's a shifter? No, a werewolf?!" wondered Zorian from a distance. He knew of some countermeasures against her kind, though nothing that he had on hand at the moment—his remaining functioning hand that is—.
Zach hadn't let the transformation distract him from his intensely complicated task. Because of the nature of this spell, it was highly unstable. He couldn't let a single of his thoughts wonder astray and let his hold on it weaken.
The orbs, now completely indistinguishable from one another and melting into a chromatic spectrum, moved in front of Zach and, ever-so-slowly, closed the gap between themselves until nearly touching.
Finally, the eight orbs collapsed on themselves, fusing forcefully until only one highly concentrated ball of energy remained. The ground beneath Zach cracked under the pressure. His hands were burning, but he still hold on.
The giant werewolf roared, making the very air shake in anticipation of the carnage she was about to bask in. But it wasn't to be.
Zach let go of the inconceivably powerful spell. The ball of blinding white energy shot directly toward Lupusregina Beta.
"NOW ZORIAN!" Zach screamed, as he ran as far away as he could from his creation dashing through the air.
Zorian channeled his mana into the hastily repaired anti-teleportation ward. Given how it had been destroyed a moment ago, the boy wasn't sure his one-handed self could restore it efficiently enough in such a short amount of time. He prayed to whatever god could hear him that it did. And it did. The ward reignited, and teleportation was now barred from the estate once more.
Lupusregina, finally donning her true form, was still fully conscious. Her mind was as sharp as it ever was. So, she understood right away the danger coming her way. If her estimation were correct, it was akin to a —mid to high— eighth tier spell. She couldn't afford to be hit by that.
"[Teleportation]"
But nothing happened.
"Wha—" she yelled, wholly confused and panicked as the projectile was far to close for her to attempt anything else.
And then, it collided. Lupusregina was struck by the spell.
Both Zach and Zorian erected barriers in front of them to cushion the aftermath that was about to sweep the entire area.
[. . .]
An explosion of nearly unprecedented magnitude erupted within the city of Cyoria in the middle of the night. For the few that weren't asleep, they all saw from a distance the grotesque spectacle. Its short-lived light was akin to that of a beacon in the night-sky, eclipsing the moon and the stars altogether. The sudden, rapid and violent release of energy shook the air, its earsplitting blast spreading throughout Cyoria and its surrounding regions.
Once its majestic brightness faded away as if it never existed and the moon reclaimed her place as the ruler of the night, a dark and ashy cloud of dust and soot hovered high in the air, ever-so-slowly spreading across the entire city with the wind.
The conflagration had destroyed a good part of the Noveda estate, including the majority of the mansion itself. What remained consisted of a cluster of rubble, debris and ruin. Not that different from the academy from a few days ago in many aspects.
The entire area was tainted by an all-encompassing black mist of ashes, soot, smoke and cinders. Amidst the darkened remains of the battlefield stood two figures, both enveloped by a magical bubble that had protected them from the force of the blast.
A one-handed Zorian rejoined a weakened Zach.
Zorian had already destroyed —for the second time tonight— the newly repaired anti-teleportation ward. Now, they could escape at a moment's notice without difficulty. Even in the shape they were in. Zach welcomed it with open arms, as he was nearly completely mana-depleted and could barely move without his friend's assistance.
Both of them coughed out the foul air that had found its way into their lungs.
In this silent and solemn environment, Zach let out a hearty laugh. Not a coping mechanism to handle the stress he just experienced, but a genuine happy and exalted laugh that warmed the heart. A quick and easy celebration for their hard-earned victory.
"Let's move on for real this time. There are still two of those we need to take care of, am I right?" jokingly said Zach, still seated on the ground unable to even stand up straight.
Zorian only snorted, as he took Zach under his arm. "We're never doing that again."
They teleported away, leaving behind the corpse of the mightiest foe they've defeated so far: Lupusregina Beta.
.
.
.
.
.
Or so they thought.
A minute or so after their retreat, unbeknownst to them, a green aura lightened the dark and ash-filled estate. Followed by roars of absolute fury and rage. Roars of a beast that would never forget this slight for as long as it lived. An ear-shattering outburst of a mad monstrosity promising under the very name of its long-lost-creator that it would hunt them for as long as they breathed the air of this world.
Voila!
Again, a rather long chapter (by my standard at least). It was actually originally 15k but the former fourth part has been integrated into the next chapter, since I wanted to end this one with the boys' victory (there is so few of them, at least let them enjoy it for a week... don't be so heartless, dear Readers T_T).
A point that worried me was that lengthy battle scene. Or rather, I found it lengthy when writing it. Did it not feel too much for you? I have my doubts. But you've reassured me about my prior uncertainty regarding the interlude, so don't hesitate to, yet again, share your sentiment here! I would greatly appreciate it ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ!
Also, I have to make amend. I've eluded in the afterwords of the last chapter that we would be far more advanced —story wise— at the end of this one ('barred gate' *wink* *wink*), but as the word count increased, I realized the folly of my initial assessment. Now, I could've waited another week and a half to release a 25-30k long chapter, but I prefer to remain consistent with the releases. One chapter every week/week and a half seems like a good cruising speed (Is that even an expression in English? Not sure...).
Anyway, it's getting late again (no really, the hour at which I post the chapter is mysteriously getting later and later every time. That not funny, I have a job to attend, dear Readers! Help!). Til' next time!