Death to the High Lords 14:
The Cursed Land
Asmodeus and Brachus stood horrified, staring at Jella's face which was lit by Calisto's dissipating Manna.
"Flamuli…" Calisto's voice was hazy, almost distant. Her face was slowly melting away.
Keepers do not have tears. If Flamuli had, they probably never would have been shed except on this day. He stared at Calisto his mouth agape, his eyes wide and troubled. He had never experienced the sensation of sadness before. He did not know what it was until now.
"Calisto, I'm so sorry," he said hoarsely.
"It matters not," said Calisto sadly, "I conquered you completely this time, though not in a way I ever could have imagined."
Flamuli shook his head. "Come into my chamber. There's still time."
"No, Flamuli," said Calisto, her voice now a mere echo, "It is meant to be this way. You are the last of our kind. Destroy the Avatar…in memory…of me." Only her eyes remained in view as the last of her energy was fading away. Asmodeus and Brachus watched sadly as Flamuli began to shake inside his crystal chamber.
Flamuli looked up, his face suddenly full of anger and vengeance. He stared at Jella, who backed away hefting the hammer she had stolen. "Don't come anywhere near me, Flamuli, or you'll get the same!"
The crystal chamber began to shake. Cracks began to appear in it, much to Asmodeus' alarm. "No, Master! I will not risk losing you as well!"
Suddenly, the chamber exploded sending a shower of razor sharp crystal shards straight at Jella. The Dark Mistress was pierced in dozens of places and was dead before she hit the floor. Asmodeus and Brachus lay on the floor unharmed, the fragments flying harmlessly over them.
As the chamber destroyed itself, Flamuli's essence filled the chamber, mingling with the dying fragments of Calisto's own energies. They blended together, creating a purple mass of energy which began to coalesce into a vague humanoid shape. As the shape's head formed, eyes appeared, one red, the other a vivid blue. The rest of the mass remained purple, the energies swirling to hold the shape together. A slit appeared a little way below the eyes and spread itself into a broad grin. The voice that uttered when it spoke was the voice of two beings.
"Asmodeus. Brachus. Now you will have to answer to both of us!"
The two Mentors stared dumbfounded at the new Keeper standing before them. "Master?" said Asmodeus.
"Mistress?" said Brachus.
"One and the same. We work as one with our combined powers. We will still feed of the manna embedded in the land, but we will no longer need a chamber to hold the power together. Two heads are, it seems, better than one. It is what we were destined to become. We are surprised it didn't happen sooner."
"How should we refer to you as a whole, erm…" Asmodeus' voice trailed off helplessly, not expecting to serve a master who was both male and female.
"We had thought a combination of our names would be useful, but have decided against it due to the confusion it is bound to cause. Therefor, refer to us as simply Keeper. For now."
Asmodeus and Brachus nodded. There was no answer to that.
"What is it you wish of us, Keeper?" said Brachus smoothly.
The Keeper grinned. "We like a fast learner. We also understand that we came very close to capturing the Reaper at Bel-Pelar."
"Well, came close to encountering him, Keeper," said Asmodeus, "He is beyond capture without some magical aid to restrain him."
"Indeed," said the Keeper, "That is why we must find out where whoever summoned the Reaper is keeping the talisman."
"But the talisman was destroyed, Keeper," said Brachus plaintively.
"Either it was reformed, or a new one was manufactured. If it is a new talisman, then it will not have the power to send him back to his domain. As there have been no other sightings except at Bel-Pelar, we can assume that it is the original."
"Sound reasoning, Keeper, but how are we to know where it is or who has it?"
The Keeper strode around the chamber, revelling in the freedom it's new form gave it. "By watching out for where the Reaper will strike next. If Bel-Pelar was destroyed, then there is only one possible target for it's controller now."
"Of course," said Asmodeus.
"Where?" asked Brachus.
Asmodeus looked at Brachus, then at the Keeper. "Skybird Trill."
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The troop of horses made their way up the mountain pass, avoided the bubbling pits of sulphur and molten lava that scoured the land. Brandicor was at the head, with Melkum riding alongside him. The Avatar seemed unusually calm in the face of the utter desolation and chaos that greeted him in the Fairlands. For Fairlands they were no more, the very earth itself blighted and cursed by years of Dark Magic and merciless destruction.
Looming ahead of them, the broken ruins of Skybird Trill, once proud stronghold of the Uplanders, and the seat of Brandicor's predecessor. Nothing lived in this wasteland; no birdsong could be heard as the sun rose and tried to break through the seemingly never ending clouds of black smoke. The stink of sulphur and brimstone made many soldiers wretch. Brandicor sniffed the air as though it were the freshest he had ever breathed.
"Not long now, Melkum," he said companionably, "Soon we will be walking through the gates of Skybird Trill to reclaim my birthright."
"Yes, Highness," said Melkum, his voice the essence of defeat. He knew, of course, that Brandicor had no blood ties to the Avatar whatsoever, but he chose to agree in order to keep his head on his shoulders. He had not seen Grell for nearly a week, and he had resigned himself to being the last of the Court Magicians. Under someone like Brandicor, this was a good position to be in. You knew that you were not easy to replace.
"Yes, once more, the people will come back here and enjoy a peaceful and prosperous reign under the watchful and protective eye of their ruler."
"It sounds wonderful, Highness," said Melkum automatically, even though he was thinking the exact opposite.
"How long before the builders finish their work, Melkum?"
"Those that have managed to stay without going mad or killing themselves have completed the inner city, Highness. It will be about four weeks before the outer walls are restored to their former glory."
"Very good," said Brandicor, smiling broadly, "Right on schedule." He clicked his tongue and his horse trotted ahead. Melkum tried to keep up with him.
"But Highness, what if Flamuli shows up? He has an insurmountable force. He has destroyed two towns in as many days."
"The Sunlit Kingdom does not concern me any more, Melkum. Once the cities have been evacuated, Flamuli can do what he likes to them."
"Highness, I must be frank. Moving to a barren region will only result in starvation and pestilence for the people under you. Do you really want that to happen to them?"
Brandicor stopped his horse. The troops continued to file past, having not received any orders to stop. "Do you know of the legend of the Avatar's Throne?"
"Of course, Highness. It is a very popular bedtime story."
"Well, I have reason to believe that the myth is actually true. The throne is hidden somewhere within the city, and I intend to find it and restore the land, just like the legend says."
"How do you know it will work, Highness?"
"I have my sources," said Brandicor, "And the necessary tools." He tapped his breastplate and winked. It was the ancient breastplate that had belonged to the original Avatar.
That's all very well, thought Melkum, but a lump of metal is not going to stop the lightning strike of a Mistress.
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Asmodeus and Brandicor stood either side of the Dungeon Heart, preparing to cast a teleportation spell that they had not had to cast themselves for many years. Normally it was left to the Warlocks to cast it, but as there were not enough in the Dungeon, it was up to the two Mentors.
"Are you sure about this, Asmodeus?" asked Brachus nervously. "I'm sure it takes four magic-users."
"We are worth ten of those pesky Warlocks," said Asmodeus impatiently.
Brachus shrugged. "If you say so."
"Less of the pesky," said a passing Warlock as he went to join his brother in the Casino.
Asmodeus huffed and began the incantation. A circle of green Manna appeared around the Dungeon Heart, which slowly spread upwards and covered the whole structure in a dome of energy.
The dome absorbed Asmodeus and Brachus and disappeared in a blaze of magical light.
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