Chapter Sixteen
Funeral of a dragon
Trent looked around in dull disgust. "Ressurecting a god? What are you, stoned? Let's consider some of the earlier candidates for these kinds of things; Rezo, Copy Rezo, Rei Magnus, Phibrizzo, Valgaav...Wagnard," he added grimly. "What do all these people have in common? All of them are or were famous, all of them had ridiculous amounts of power, and LOTS of ambition. But most importantly of all, they all ended up with a very serious case of DEAD. And not usually as the result of a hero; the god usually either took them over or killed them itself."
Valred smiled. "Normally I'd be trying to incinerate you for this impertinence, but what's the point of near-godly power if there's no one to brag about it to? And more to the point, this ritual isn't simply ressurecting a god to cure my eyes, to prove a point, or wipe the slate clean from nihilistic tendencies. This isn't to raise some moldy old god or goddess from piety, this is all about MY power. You think I'd leave any of this to chance? I know what I'm doing."
Further talk was shelved, as Trent decided that enough of the required banter was out of the way, and chose to start his attack. "Dimilar Wind!"
Valred sighed in disappointment as the high-pressure blast of wind shattered itself against his defenses. "I told you, I left nothing to chance. You think I'd have included my own defenses and survival in that?" He smiled. "I really should thank you for destroying the citadel's defenses before you came here. I anticipated SOMEone would figure out a good way to do that, and had a contingency in place."
Trent finished his chant, and fired. "BLAST BOMB!"
The ensuing firestorm was awesome to see, for all that it had no more effect than his earlier spell. Valred tutted. "You didn't let me finish. You see, the contingency I mentioned feeds all the power that used to be protecting the citadel into spells I erected. Namely, defenses against other magical assaults. So, you're trying to shatter a Guumeon combined with Windy Shield, both powerful enough to deflect a dragon slave even if it weren't being canceled out." He raised a hand. "Oh yes, it also directly amplifies my own capacity for magic to a stunning degree." He smiled fainlty. "Burst Flare."
Trent shadow-walked instantly; had he hesitated for even a half second, he would have been in the blast radius. As it was, his clothes were smoking when he finally reappeared elsewhere. Choosing to hide behind the rocks rather than trade blows with the decidedly stronger Valred, he weighed his options.
He winced. He faded behind another rock as Valred started tossing fireballs to smoke him out. He paused. "DUG HAUT!"
Valred sighed again as Trent's spell sent spears of earth erupting through the entire area. "Again with the wimpy spells. If a Blast Bomb wasn't enough, do you think a 'stone spiker' is going to do any better?" He paused. "Of course you wouldn't, you've proven already that you're not that stupid. So why..." His eyes widened. "Cover." Not wasting a second, he charged and began to unleash wave after wave of fireballs and flare lances, desperately mowing down the still-growing stalagmites.
Trent smiled tightly. It wasn't quite what he'd planned, but it was working nonetheless. He would only get one chance to pull this off, and he'd prefer not to waste it. Having set up his targets precisely, he slipped out the orihalcon scalpels he'd been saving for the past three years. Forged out of the ultra-hard, magic-nullifying metal, they wouldn't do a great deal against the windy shield, but they MIGHT weaken the defensive screens enough for him to hit with something a bit harder. Recalling the trick he'd used against Karla, he flicked them into his own shadow, using a variation on his shadow-walking ability to suddenly rain throwing knives from all directions.
Valred's eyes narrowed as the scalpels pentrated the shields far more. "More distractions? You aren't going to be able to defeat me like this, you know. So stop toying and GRAAAAH!"
Trent grinned darkly as he lowered the ignited Galfeira. He'd managed to charge the weapon with the spell Elmekia Flame; not much, but a decent attack under the circumstances. THEN he fired the blast between the erected swords Spiritus Falis and Sanguis Falaris. The ensuing shot had completely holed Valred's defenses, blasting into his shoulder and rather spectacularly ripping a trench of bloody flesh from waist to neck. He drew the bow again, assuming he'd have enough time to chant a decent attack. "Light which blazes incandesent gold..."
Valred glared hatefuly at the elf. Completely abandoning his earlier defenses, he channeled the full force of the citadel into a single surge of raw power, blasting his opponent. Trent never wavered from behind the shields erected by the opposing swords. "...I swear and shrive this power for good..."
Valred snarled at his failure, tapping the altar. "I've underestimated you badly, dragon/elf. Your power is greater than my own; your artifacts are greater than mine as well. Now, let's see whose God is the Greater!"
Trent's incantation was drowned in a sudden snarl of shock, surprise, and pain as the new blast shuddered against the barrier of his swords. Granted, he'd been holding most of their power back to try and power his next assault, but even then these swords could have easily held back a weakened Goddess. He was forced to face a rather uncomfortable thought.
The blast was stronger than his swords.
He abandoned his spell, sending what power he'd already channeled back into the swords. They rebuffed the blast for a moment, then sundered as Valred's sudden hatred of Trent proved greater than the elf's desire to survive. One of the fundamentals of an assassin's training is this. 'You can always kill him another day if YOU survive. If you die, the job is undone. That is unexcusable.'
Pausing just long enough to grab the swords and return them with Galfeira into subspace, he dove into the shadow generated by the blast. He was fast, but he couldn't outrun energy under normal circumstances. The last thing Valred heard from him was a bitten back snarl of pain as the blast pounded Trent through the wall and shadow.
Panting and gasping in pain, Valred sank to his knees. Abandoning defense, abandoning his emotions, he focused everything into the singular purpose of repairing his ruined left side. Turning to glare in Trent's direction, he allowed himself a grim smile as he saw the massive hole where the elf had been. He was probably dead, and if not he wouldn't survive another of those.
Then Valred shook his head. Assuming that the elf wouldn't be a threat was what had gotten him this hole in his torso. He'd assume the elf would be back, and would attack in completely new ways to avoid his old gaff. He could no longer afford to simply play a waiting game: finishing his ritual AFTER he'd removed the obstacles wasn't just unfeasible, it was stupid now that he thought about it.
The power would be his first. Then would revenge.
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The rather once-sided fight had mostly been won. While some of the sorcerers and warriors HAD been competent and worth some grudging respect, Xellos on his own had once killed a thousand Golden Dragons with a single gesture. They were good, but not that good. What was left was little more than a clean-up, one that ended quite abruptly with the emergence of a surge of energy powerful enough to level a mountain, then keep on going and finish off a decent sized island.
Then keep going until the planet's curvature proved too much to contain the blast's path. After all, energy of that potency doesn't bother with gravity all that much.
Trent exploded out of Scherra's shadow (she'd been the closest at the time, and he couldn't be terribly picky), looking somewhat the worse for wear. While he never bothered to try and actually look pristine, he was normally able to maintain at least some semblence of control to his appearnance. At the moment, he was cut, bruised, scraped, and singed. That, and his overcoat had been completely burned away, even with the concealed orihalcon mail that had been woven into the lining. As it was, he was considering himself damn lucky to be alive; draconic heritage was good for something. Now if he'd just stop hurting...
Scherra stared at the elf. "What in the Dark Lord's name happend to you?" Trent ignored her, finishing what little of his shirt was left as he spread his wings. "We need to retreat."
Dynast snorted in disdain. "Has the little man proven too much for you? Don't tell me the slayer of gods was beaten."
Trent glared at him. "I'm not invincible; unlike some, I have no problem admitting it. And I am telling you that if we contine to try and fight Valred as we have been, we are going to die. All of us. Now get out of here."
Dynast turned to regard the trench dug by the blast. "Thank you, no. I prefer not to GRAGH!"
Trent's glare had turned ice cold. "WE. ARE. LEAVING. NOW. NOW MOVE!"
Dynast snarled at the dragon elf as he pulled the tanto out from his shoulder. "You'll pay for that." Rather than continue arguing however, he grudgingly teleported away, sparing the time to contact the other mazoku in the city and inform them they were to abandon the assault.
Back at the campsite, Dynast tossed the dagger back to Trent. "Blessed, I presume? Otherwise, I doubt it would have done much to me."
Trent accepted it wordlessly. "I needed to get your attention before your ego got you murdered; I may need you alive later."
Dynast glared at him. "Alright. In the past, you have had good reason for what you do, so I'll assume that you have an explanation for why you ordered that retreat? I'll assume that it wasn't a simple loss of nerve; you're too suicidal to worry about courage."
Trent waved aside Amelia and Filia as they ran forward to heal him. "Don't bother; you'll probably need the energy, and I'll need it too." Dragging his satchel over, he rummaged around until he found a bracelet set with spinels and a single pearl. Fumbling somewhat, he pulled the pearl out of the bracelet and tossed it back in, then slid the ornament onto his wrist before answering. "Valred's not the problem anymore. He's trying to ressurect a god, like virtually every 'bad guy I've ever met." He sighed in disgust. "I swear, I am the only person who has ever gotten deja vu over having to kill a ressurected god."
"Ahem."
Trent turned to regard Lina, having the grace to look sheepish. "Oh yeah, you guys deal with that fairly regularly too. Sorry. Anyway, if it was just Valred, it wouldn't have been an issue, but now we're fighting this god, not him." He turned to regard Dynast. "May I assume that you don't consider yourself the equal of a god?"
Dynast rolled his eyes. "I was being an ass; I'll admit it. Now may we get on with the constructive parts of this?"
Filia interrupted. "What's the problem with ressurecting one of the gods? Shouldn't we be trying to help him?"
Trent sighed. "Filia, most of our group is mazoku; do YOU think they're going to help us ressurect a god? Besides," he added as she winced, "I'm not even sure if he's ressurecting a god or a dark lord; either one could have given him this level of power."
Gourry scratched his head. "I don't get it; you said those swords of yours could kill gods. Why not just go and finish him off before he gets it done? And even if you didn't, couldn't you just kill the god too?" Trent was silent for several moments before answering. "I've been thinking about that, and apparently I've been letting my head get swelled these past five years. The two swords I used on Lodoss were the Holy Sword and Soul Crusher, and they were enough to beat Kardis. As we found out in the shrine, I didn't actually kill her, just beat her badly enough that she couldn't ressurect." He paused; SOMEthing else had happened, and he'd be damned if he could remember what. "Anyway, I tried to use the Holy Sword and the Darkness Sword to try and fend off that last attack. What you saw was the blast AFTER it had been weakened by the swords."
Zelgadis felt his blood freeze at that. "Wait a minute, those two swords should have been even more powerful than what you used against Kardis. How is that possible?"
Trent sighed. "I thought about it, and I realized one other thing. The only reason Soul Crusher and the Holy Sword were enough was that Kardis was still mostly sealed out of our world, but also because she was weak in the first place; she'd been 'dead' for eons even before I attacked. So rather than those swords being enough to kill gods, they're probably enough to slow a god down for a little while. Sorry, but that's about all they're going to be able to do."
Delphine shrugged. "Well, we still have time, if we act quickly. We can still get rid of Valred before he completes the ressurection."
Trent sighed, shaking his head. "That blast was a redirection of all the energy Valred had been using in his defenses. Do you think you're powerful enough to sunder that kind of a shield? I doubt it." He turned to Lina. "You have some idea of what kind of power a dark lord has; do you think that one of Shabranigdo's five remaining shards could have done that," he gestured to the trench, "even after the swords's effects? Or rather, could your Giga Slave have done that kind of damage?"
Lina paled. "Shabranigdo?" She paused in thought. "I'm not sure," she finally answered. "I know that a Giga Slave could do that kind of damage, but it can destroy an entire world, so it's not that good a comparison."
Trent nodded, turning to Valgaav. "I figured as much. What about you? You were a part of Volfied working alongside Dark Star; could they have done that much damage?"
The Ancient Dragon was quiet for a time. Finally, he answered. "No, I don't think so. When Lina fired off that new spell in concert with the Five Weapons of Light, it had enough power to have done that kind of damage. To do that after the spell had been weakened? I'm not sure, but somehow I don't think so."
Trent let out a deep, ragged breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "God, I was hoping you wouldn't say that."
Zelas knelt beside him. "What's going on? Do you know something else? Trent, talk to us. Talk to ME."
The dragon/elf turned to stare into the rose quartz eyes. "I've had a suspicion since that fight. This just confirms something I don't think any of us had dared to consider." His head dropped for a momement, before he began looking around. "Valred is tapping a source of power greater than any of us could imagine. Greater than that of Xellos, or one of the Mazoku Lords." His gaze swept past Lina and Valgaav. "Greater than that of Zanifer, or Shabranigdo, or even Darkstar and Volfied combined." Steeling himself for the reactions he could imagine, he forced himself to speak the words that terrified him. "Falaris isn't that powerful, so it's nothing from Forceria. Therefore, it's of this world. So ask yourselves this. What power could possibly be greater than that of a God and a Lord of Darkness working in concert?"
Zelas paled. She'd never thought it possible before, but she felt fear. "Good god. Her."
Dynast slumped to the ground, his eyes shaken. "The one force in this world greater than a Dark Lord. The Dark Lady. The Golden Lord of Darkness." He turned to face an equally pale Lina. "The source of the ultimate spells of destruction; the Ragna Blade, and the Giga Slave. Valred is ressurecting The Lord of Nightmares. In OUR world."
--------
Trent turned to regard his sleeping companions. The discussion had snow- balled after that. First had been denial; no one could have possibly brought about the Lord of Nightmares. The counter arguments had been clear; what else could have this kind of power? Even if it WASN'T her, it was something bad enough.
Next had been despair, closely linked by speculation. What could they possibly do; a Giga Slave would have worked on anything else (with a strong possibility of destroying the planet in the process), but against its source? Unlikely to say the least.
From there, the discussion had gone quietly no where. There had been suggestions of just trying to keep running; shot down as against that much power, they wouldn't have to bother hunting you down, just torching the rest of the world to do the job. Joining was likewise out of the question; none of them wanted this world destroyed, the humans and dragons for the simple fact that they liked this world, the mazoku as a matter of pride and principle; NO one would successfully destroy the world if it wasn't them.
Trent shook his head. Personally, he had a few ideas, and was pretty sure that a Giga Slave actually would work. The problem being of course that one second of distraction and the rest of the world went with them, and neither he nor anyone else there could accurately say whether or not Valred was going to do that in the first place; maybe he just wanted to rule the world, not destroy it. A bit more acceptable.
Regardless, he didn't think there was really any other choice than killing Valred. People didn't ressurect the powers of a god on whims, and seldom for good. Maybe he'd do it to try and help people, but Trent doubted that. A person who would try and use that kind of power for good still had a god complex; the fact they thought they were good just made them feel more justified in what they did. No, ressurection of a god was simply not an option for anything.
"Can't sleep?"
Trent started at the quiet voice, turning to Zelas. "You...could say that."
Zelas continued looking at him for a time. Finally, she sighed, speaking. "The last time someone decided to bring back a god in your neighborhood, you went flying away half-cocked, and only won by the luck and circumstances that you never would have relied on if you had the chance." She fixed a piercing stare on him. "You want to go and face off against Valred alone, don't you?"
Trent was silent for a time, composing his answer. "We've only known each other a month. How do you know me so well in so little time?"
Zelas smiled faintly. "I've had a long time to learn about behavior. Now what are you planning?"
Trent sighed. "I intend to fight Valred alone. You're right about that. Don't," he added, raising a hand to forestall objections, "try and tell me that there might be a better way. There are no records or prophecies of anyone succeeding against the Lord of Nightmares, no weapons of ancient power that might save us. No one else knows a spell that might even stand a chance against this guy. And I don't think anyone else here is suicidally crazy enough to make this work."
Zelas shook her head. "Why you? Couldn't you teach it to Lina, or Filia, and have THEM use it? And for that matter, why didn't you use it earlier? Oh, it was probably forbidden, I know that. But still, why you? And why now?"
Trent smiled at her faintly. "Like I said, I'm the only one who can pull it off." His gaze took on a distant quality. "You know, if I'd not done one thing, then it wouldn't have been me saving Lodoss from certain destruction. If I'd let one village fight its own fight, it would have been someone else entirely with Soul Crusher and Falis's Breath." He shook his head. "And now, godly power has set me down squarely in the path of another god. I don't think that's complete coincedence."
Zelas shook her head. "You think it's your destiny or something? Don't try to feed me that."
Trent laughed, but quietly. "Destiny? No, I don't think I'm 'meant' to do this. I just think that someone else has figured that I'm the best for the job, and made all this happen for that reason." He placed a fingertip on her lips. "Zelas, we can spend the next year arguing over this, but it all comes down to this. We need someone to kill Valred. I'm the best chance. And that's about it. No one else is going to stand any chance."
Zelas stared at him in the eyes, but couldn't refute him. "Trent..."
The dark elf smiled. "Don't worry about me so much." He turned to head back to the citadel, but paused for a moment. Looking back, he stared at the Demon Lord of the South, the single most active campaigner for evil and chaos on this world, the Greater Beast Zelas Metallium. The woman who was currently sharing his bed, if not his physical love. "Zelas...I..."
The demon lord snorted gently, somehow making it seem delicate. "Just go, Trent. I already know."
The dragon elf stayed there, staring at her for a moment. He wanted to memorize every thread of detail in that face. After a minute of unashamed staring, he turned and ran off, leaving Zelas to her own thoughts.
Delphine and Dynast both raised themselves off their pallets where they'd been pretending to sleep. Delphine turned to regard where the elf was running from. "He's not planning on coming back," she said. "You realize that."
Zelas nodded silently. Dynast looked at her, then turned to regard Trent. "It's funny. Less than a week ago, I was telling Xellos how careful we needed to be, what a threat to us he was. And now he's going to fight someone for us, throwing his own life in the way of danger to us." The look on his face was thoughtful. "Perhaps I should look into this 'love' more. It looks like it's a great deal more useful than I thought."
"It wouldn't suit you," Zelas said as she quietly moved towards Trent's pallet.
Dynast looked back. "And why not?"
Zelas smiled sadly. "It makes you want to be the sacrifice. You put yourself in danger over such a silly little feeling. I'm not sure why I like it, but something tells me that it flies in the face of not only logic, but in what I should be."
Delphine looked at her understandingly. She'd been feeding off a tiny bit of positive emotion lately. "Then why does the thought of not having love make you hurt so much worse?"
--------
Valred smiled gently as Trent reappeared in the citadel. His arm and shoulder were in perfect form, and he'd had more than enough time for his temper to cool back down. "I had a feeling that you'd return. You just strike me as the type who doesn't like to leave a promise unfulfilled." He gestured to the glaringly bright altar. "I tried to force myself to go through with it immediately, but I just couldn't. I just couldn't ascend to godhood without an audience."
He sighed as Trent remained standing there, impassive. "Oh come on. Make this a bit interesting, won't you? I really do want to feel that my ascension is worth a bit more fun than that." Trent's reply was to remove the Swords, darkness in his right hand, light in his left. Valred smirked. "Ah yes, that trump card of yours. That's what made your earlier attack hurt so much, isn't it? I didn't think that Galfeira on its own would have been enough." Raising a hand, he began charging power. "Anyway, as I said, I wanted an audience. So pull up a chair; when else could you get frontrow seats not only to the rise of God, but to the end of a world?"
He fired the blast into the matrix, and abruptly the altar flared to life. Blue/white light flared around the pathways of energy as it came to life, illuminating the edges of pure blackness as they formed the seal of the four worlds; the runes for the five mazoku lords first. Next came Ruby- Eyed Shabranigdo, followed by his three brethren; Dark Star, Death Fog, and finally Chaotic Blue.
And lastly, the rune at Valred's feet flared to life, the symbol of the Golden Lord of Darkness; Lord of Nightmares.
Trent watched impassively as he raised his swords. He turned to look at Spiritus Falis in his left hand. "Falis, great god of day and light, you once gave me your aid, in the breath you tempered this sword with. That power saved your people and your world. Now, another people, another world need your divine Aegis. Will you give them aid? Will you give me light to pierce this Chaos?"
He turned to the next sword. "Falaris, my lord. Holy force of darkness and night, you have stood by me to this day. You were not with me in the altar against Kardis, though You were there when I needed you. You have guided and aided me in this fight, and now I must ask for your aid once more."
He turned to face the screaming figure of Valred as an aura of slithering darkness began to subsume him. "This man has the arrogance to think himself a god. I ask that the two kings of my world, Falis and Falaris, aid me in this strike. Lend me what power you will, and I pray that what you would give me is enough to slay even this evil, to drive from him the holy power he would dare blaspheme.
--------
Anubis raised a hand as Falaris stood. "I'm sorry, but no. You may not interfere now; Trent must fight this battle on his own."
Falaris turned slowly to face the monk. "You dare to tell me what I may and may not do? You are not my better."
Anubis's calm never wavered. "This is not my will. If I had a choice, I would add to what you gave him the powers of the Ancient One's staff. But it is the will of the Almighty that Trent learn his own. What he must accomplish, he must accomplish through his own power, not the power leant him by gods. We may not interfere." Anubis turned aside to gaze down at where the elf waited. "God help him now, for we cannot."
--------
Trent was startled as a soft, tenor voice entered his mind.
Trent swallowed. It wasn't Falaris, so...
The voice was silent for a time.
Trent felt his insides go numb.
Falis paused again, but the 'will not' had been merely a question, not an accusation.
Trent let out a ragged breath. The emphasis on Powers had not been lost on him. He smiled grimly. I only have ONE option, and I fail to see how they're going to get much use out of me after that.
Falis's voice returned.
Trent sighed as the voice faded away. He was on his own. He'd thought to try prayer, and the swords as his last resort if he could. And now that was over with, and he had only one option left. The one he'd been dreading.
Valred's aura had continued to grow at a geometric rate, doubling in intensity with each passing moment. It was finally tapering off as he started to bring what he considered a sufficiently powerful aura under control. "MY GOD. SUCH POWER. SUCH POWER, THE LIKES OF WHICH I NEVER IMAGINED POSSIBLE. GREAT GOD...NO, GREAT ME, WHAT GLORY."
Trent turned to regard his opponent. He'd begun glowing as though he'd swallowed the sun (Trent internally winced at the imagery; not comfortable, considering his opponent). While he was generating an aura of pure darkness that could have devoured continents, at the very heart of it he was glowing light. "Now we will see."
Valred smiled. "INDEED. NOW I CAN FINALLY PAY YOU BACK FOR THAT RATHER EXCRUCIATING INJURY. PLEASE BE A DEAR, AND DIE WITHOUT TOO MUCH A FUSS." He raised a hand, and almost casually unleashed a torrent of power greater than even his final blow in their last fight.
Trent crossed the swords in front of him, pusing everything he had into that single defense. This time, no thought of counter assault was in his mind, no energy spared for a possible attack. Nothing was withheld from the swords, no energy for Galfeira, no concentration on shadow-walking; all his strength thrown into this one shield.
His defense was layered extensively. First was the divine shield of light meeting dark where the swords crossed, a barrier that could balk a god for a time. Next were his spelltraps; new, defensive ones, each using their own reservoirs to cast first Protection, then Vas Gluudo twice. His coat had the same orihalcon mail as earlier, dampening any and all magic by a significant margin. Lastly, came his own draconic toughness; natural aura and scaled hide capable of withstanding anything save the most destructive magics.
It was only through this layering that he was able to survive the blast at all.
First the barrier fell. It had weakened the blast by a gigantic margin, but it was still too much. Then the spelltraps failed, their own enchantments shattering their material forms as they tried to draw too much too quickly. Then the mail sundered, burned away by the sheer overflow of power, melting in nothing but the heated air of the blasts's passage.
Only the dragon in him kept him alive.
Valred smiled as Trent slumped weakly to the ground. No serious injuries yet, but he was in more pain from the burns all over his skin than he'd felt since his defeat by Wagnard during their first duel. The new lord of darkness's eyes swept the room, as he noticed a small, surprising detail. "THOSE SWORDS SURVIVED? INTERESTING; THE ENCHANTMENTS MUST MAKE THEM INDESTRUCTIBLE, EVEN IF THEIR BARRIER ISN'T. WORTHY WEAPONS FOR ME."
Trent raggedly drew himself up, the pearl and spinel armband he'd used to heal earlier feeding his reserves back to a trickle. Using the sword of darkness as a crutch, he forced himself to his feet as he triggered the change to half dragon. "I...I don't...suppose, you'd...let me try...one last...attack?"
Valred's eyebrows raised in amazement, then he began laughing in genuine amusement. "A FINAL ATTACK? OF WHAT KIND? DO YOU THINK LASER BREATH WILL BE ENOUGH? OR MAYBE LINA'S FORBIDDEN GIGA SLAVE; I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT GOOD A SPELL THAT DRAWS MY POWER WILL DO ABOUT KILLING ME, PARTICULARLY WHERE I DON'T WANT TO DIE. STILL, ONE LAST AMUSEMENT. GO RIGHT AHEAD; GIVE ME YOUR BEST SHOT." Pulling open his shirt, Valred set his feet shoulder width apart as though bracing himself.
Trent smiled grimly as the armband drained itself completely, giving him just enough energy to stand unaided. Still, he kept his left hand on the sword's pommel; it was a comforting presence, if nothing else. Raising his right hand, he closed his eyes and began to softly intone the words.
"I humbly pray to seven gods; Baylos, Bephimos, Briem, Dimilas, Cephied, Elmekian, Shabranigdo.
Valred started laughing again. "A SPELL THAT COMBINES THE POWER OF ALL LESSER SPIRITS; I HADN'T EXPECTED THAT. STILL, I SINCERELY DOUBT IT WILL BE ENOUGH."
Trent ignored him. Seven glowing lights had begun to form in a ring ten feet wide around his hand; red for Shabranigdo, orange for Baylos, yellow for Cephied, green for Bephimos, blue for Briem, violet for Elmekian, and gray for Dimilas. "Let your seven powers flow as one, let this raging current of power enjoined free the floodgates to the sea of chaos."
Valred blinked. "'THE FLOODGATES TO THE SEA OF CHAOS...YOU'RE TRYING TO USE THOSE SEVEN LITTLE WEAKLINGS TO TURN MY POWER AGAINST ME." He shook his head in disgust. "I HAD THOUGHT YOU'D RESPECT ME A BIT MORE. NO, I'VE HAD ENOUGH. TIME TO DIE."
Trent smiled as Valred's blast was deflected around his spell's aura. The seven lights that had been orbs were now brightening, orbitting his hand faster and faster until they had formed a brilliant halo of rainbow light around a dark void. "Let those who have stood against Thy will and mine be devoured in Cold, Gray, Nightmares."
Valred's eyes widened further. "tHAT'S iMPOSSIBLE! nOTHING cAN sTAND aGAINST mY pOWER!"
Trent's smile never wavered. "Hear my pleas, and Unleash Twilight!"
Valred's eyes widened as the circle in Trent's hands erupted into a swirling void, some kind of vortex of darkness. "wHAT tHE hELL iS tHAT! My Power! What's Happening To My Power!"
"It's gone," Trent said simply. "It's all here, right now."
Valred gasped in shock and pain as the power began to flow out of him. "B- b-but that's impossible! This power is Mine!" He stared wild-eyed at Trent. "HOW ARE YOU DOING THIS?!?!?!"
Trent threw his head back and laughed. "You idiot! I gambled, and I won. You should be flattered, what with your obsession with being first. No one has ever seen this spell before, not even the only other man to know it, Rei Magnus himself!"
Valred dug his feet in, and began hurling energy blasts at the gate, at the caster, anything he thought might slow it down. "What the hell is that thing?!"
Trent's smile turned strained as the gate's energy began fluctuating; it was getting harder to keep open. "It's simple. This spell draws its power from the Lord of Nightmares, using the powers of the other seven spirits of this world to form a seal strong enough to make the energy safely usable."
"BUT I'M THE LORD OF NIGHTMARES!" Valred screamed. "I DIDN'T LET YOU DO THIS!"
Trent shook his head, amusement suddenly gone. "That's just it. You're not the Lord of Nightmares; that's why it worked. Zelgadis told me how she reacted when Phibrizzo tried to toy with her power; she doesn't take kindly to meddling. And while your ceremony might have been enough to keep her contained, she didn't like it. You weren't becoming her vessel, you were trying to rape her powers into yourself. And all it took was another outlet for Her will to flow through, and she could strike back with everything she has. She has Chosen Me as her conduit for a moment, but a moment of choice is a lot stronger than a lifetime of your coercion. Good- bye, Valred."
The man who would be god had struggled, he'd cast every spell he knew and some on the fly. He'd dug his feet in, dragged every barrier he could in between him and the hunger of that void. None of it mattered. By the time Trent had said Good-bye, he was finished. All that remained was for the actual mechanisms of the gate swallowing him whole, and slamming shut.
It was done.
"You...you did it..."
Trent turned tiredly to Filia's voice. And the rest of them; Lina, Gourry, Zelgadis, Valgaav, Amelia, Jilis...Kashura, Eris, Xellos, Scherra, Dynast, Delphine, and Zelas. "When did you get here?" he asked tiredly.
Lina shook her head. "We saw the fight, and figured we'd need to start fighting back. Then Zelas here hits us with the bombshell that you're already fighting alone, and we high-tailed it over to help." She gazed at him slyly. "What spell did you use?"
Trent smiled tiedly. "You wouldn't want to use it, trust me." His now gentle smile turned to Valgaav. "Dragons...are pretty tough, aren't they? Bet it takes forever for one to die..."
Filia's eyes widened as he teetered, slowly collapsing. "Trent! You're hurt!"
The dragon/elf chuckled dryly as he waved her aside. "Again, you needn't bother." He turned to Zelas, smiling fondly. He felt so light, for some reason. Oh yes, he'd cast Twilight. That explained it. "I never did outright tell you, did I?" He sighed; surprisingly enough, he didn't feel a single thread of pain. "I really do think I've fallen in love with you."
Zelas stared at him. "This spell...what did it do to you?"
Trent's smile warmed a great deal. Then dropped as the barriers in his memory shattered. "That son of a bitch."
Valgaav was noticeably startled by that. "What?! Someone's still here?!"
Trent shook his head, sighing. Anger would have been nice, but he just didn't have the energy for the effort. "Don't worry, I doubt you'll have anything to do with him." He turned back to Zelas. "It's a shame, really, that the three of you never got to meet. I think you would have liked Deedlit and Pirotess."
"Who?" Scherra asked, uneasy. Tears were starting to form in Zelas's eyes as she knelt to cradle Trent's head in her lap; that insinuated Something Ominous.
Trent smiled. "When I fought Kardis, they were the reasons; one High elf, one Dark, both to be sacrificed to bring back Kardis. They were the reasons why I was willing to face a goddess. The other two I loved."
Zelas's sad smile didn't waver. "What were they like?"
Trent coughed painfully. "A lot like you. Free-spirited, devoted, bound and determined to make me lighten up once in awhile...like I said, the three of you would have gotten along great. They were so beautiful..."
Zelgadis gave him a strange look. "You never did answer Zelas's question. What's this spell doing to you?"
Trent smiled. "Twilight is a forbidden spell, a lot like the Giga Slave. It channels the power of the Lord of Nightmares to destroy your opponent. It has one HUGE advantage though; it uses the power of seven other spirits and gods to contain and control the power, so it's impossible to destroy the world with it." His voice was fading quickly. "Still, there's one problem, or I would have used it in the first place.""What problem?" Zelgadis asked.
"It's a...final...strike." Trent's voice was almost gone, fading as though he were falling asleep. "Take...your tar...get...with...you..."
Zelas wiped the tears from her eyes angrily as Trent faded completely. Then gasped in shock as his body erupted in a pillar of light, fading completely from her sight. "Wh...what just happened?"
"Strange. I've never seen that form of transport before."
Zelgadis spun, his eyes wide. "YOU!!!!!" The red-robed mage smiled. "It's good to SEE you again, Zelgadis. Though the tone of voice is a bit unnecessary."
Lina gaped. "REZO?! HOW THE HELL - "
"Of that, I'm not completely sure," the sage responded. "I'm fairly sure that I'm not another Copy, but that doesn't explain everything completely. I think that I'm the original Rezo's soul, but reincarnated into a copy body that didn't have a soul of its own. As I said, I'm not quite sure."
"Join the club."
Delphine gaped. "Larth?!"
The overworlder mazoku smirked. "Don't ask. I haven't the faintest idea either."
"Um...I think I can explain some of that."
As one, the entire group spun at the new voice. "Who the hell are you?" Sirius grated out.
Anubis coughed nervously. "Uh...that's really not terribly important; you'd never have heard of me anyway. I know a tiny bit of what's going on." He sweat-dropped as a whip of light left Zelas's fingers, coiling around him.
The Greater Beast glared at him coldly, her eyes glowing with suppressed energy. "TALK. NOW."
Anubis fought the urge to swallow nervously; the whip probably would have slit his throat if he had. "Could you loosen it around my neck a bit? Thank you." Sighing in slight relief, he continued. "As I said, I only know a tiny bit of what's going on. All I DO know is that Trent is being put through tests of some kind, at the behest of a god that has earned the title of The Almighty; a deity whose power makes your Lord of Nightmares look like an infant." He nodded at the stares. "Hard to imagine, believe me, I know." Straightening his hat (Zelas had allowed her whip to go completely limp), he continued. "Anyway, I don't know WHY Trent, or why the tests. What I am here to do is to inform you that if you wish, you may follow me to a place where Trent will arrive in one year. When you arrive there, you will be told the entire story; as yet, I believe that the only ones waiting there are Deedlit and Pirotess."
Zelas stood. "I'm going."
"Um, are you sure that's wise?"
Zelas didn't turn. "Xellos, if you try and convince me that I'm making a mistake, I'm going to turn you over to Amelia and Eris, and give them completely free rein to convert you into whatever they choose."
Xellos sweat-dropped. It was as close as he'd go to real fear at the thought of what those two would do to him.
Anubis brought the butt end of his staff against the ground, opening a gate. "Anyone who wishes to hear the entire story, go now." He watched as surprisingly, everyone did go through. Valgaav and Zelas were to be expected; he'd seemed to have struck a kind of camaraderie with Zelgadis, so likewise it wasn't surprising. That Lina and Gourry went was typical; there might be food and new magic there, so she'd go.
Eris, Kashura, Dynast, Scherra, Delphine, Sirius, Jilis, Filia, and Amelia joining them was a bit stranger.
He shook his head before finally turning to the last two. "What about you two? Care to join the party?"
"I have no reason to go," Rezo said calmly. "I have a great deal of catching up to do in this world."
Anubis coughed nervously. "I believe that you'll be able to do that catching up without any real worries; this won't be a delay. Besides, isn't it time that you and that...descendant of yours got some issues resolved?"
"Who do you think you are, Mr. Psychoanalysis?" Rezo snorted delicately. "I have my own duties, Zelgadis has his." He turned to leave.
"I on the other hand, think I'll come. I do need to thank Trent for getting rid of that shadeworm infection, and we really should have a rematch."
Anubis sighed as Larth was the last to come through. "I sincerely wish this simplifies in the near to immediate future."
Ominous thunder rumbled just as a temple bell sounded in the distance.
The warlord of cruelty hung his head. "I should have known better."
Author's Notes: IS THIS THE END?! Well, considering that I've already posted the first few chapters in books four and six, and that this is only book two, the answer is obviously no. Now Trent is going to be stuck in some interesting circumstances as he tackles a brand new life, and a brand new series.
Trent looked around in dull disgust. "Ressurecting a god? What are you, stoned? Let's consider some of the earlier candidates for these kinds of things; Rezo, Copy Rezo, Rei Magnus, Phibrizzo, Valgaav...Wagnard," he added grimly. "What do all these people have in common? All of them are or were famous, all of them had ridiculous amounts of power, and LOTS of ambition. But most importantly of all, they all ended up with a very serious case of DEAD. And not usually as the result of a hero; the god usually either took them over or killed them itself."
Valred smiled. "Normally I'd be trying to incinerate you for this impertinence, but what's the point of near-godly power if there's no one to brag about it to? And more to the point, this ritual isn't simply ressurecting a god to cure my eyes, to prove a point, or wipe the slate clean from nihilistic tendencies. This isn't to raise some moldy old god or goddess from piety, this is all about MY power. You think I'd leave any of this to chance? I know what I'm doing."
Further talk was shelved, as Trent decided that enough of the required banter was out of the way, and chose to start his attack. "Dimilar Wind!"
Valred sighed in disappointment as the high-pressure blast of wind shattered itself against his defenses. "I told you, I left nothing to chance. You think I'd have included my own defenses and survival in that?" He smiled. "I really should thank you for destroying the citadel's defenses before you came here. I anticipated SOMEone would figure out a good way to do that, and had a contingency in place."
Trent finished his chant, and fired. "BLAST BOMB!"
The ensuing firestorm was awesome to see, for all that it had no more effect than his earlier spell. Valred tutted. "You didn't let me finish. You see, the contingency I mentioned feeds all the power that used to be protecting the citadel into spells I erected. Namely, defenses against other magical assaults. So, you're trying to shatter a Guumeon combined with Windy Shield, both powerful enough to deflect a dragon slave even if it weren't being canceled out." He raised a hand. "Oh yes, it also directly amplifies my own capacity for magic to a stunning degree." He smiled fainlty. "Burst Flare."
Trent shadow-walked instantly; had he hesitated for even a half second, he would have been in the blast radius. As it was, his clothes were smoking when he finally reappeared elsewhere. Choosing to hide behind the rocks rather than trade blows with the decidedly stronger Valred, he weighed his options.
He winced. He faded behind another rock as Valred started tossing fireballs to smoke him out. He paused. "DUG HAUT!"
Valred sighed again as Trent's spell sent spears of earth erupting through the entire area. "Again with the wimpy spells. If a Blast Bomb wasn't enough, do you think a 'stone spiker' is going to do any better?" He paused. "Of course you wouldn't, you've proven already that you're not that stupid. So why..." His eyes widened. "Cover." Not wasting a second, he charged and began to unleash wave after wave of fireballs and flare lances, desperately mowing down the still-growing stalagmites.
Trent smiled tightly. It wasn't quite what he'd planned, but it was working nonetheless. He would only get one chance to pull this off, and he'd prefer not to waste it. Having set up his targets precisely, he slipped out the orihalcon scalpels he'd been saving for the past three years. Forged out of the ultra-hard, magic-nullifying metal, they wouldn't do a great deal against the windy shield, but they MIGHT weaken the defensive screens enough for him to hit with something a bit harder. Recalling the trick he'd used against Karla, he flicked them into his own shadow, using a variation on his shadow-walking ability to suddenly rain throwing knives from all directions.
Valred's eyes narrowed as the scalpels pentrated the shields far more. "More distractions? You aren't going to be able to defeat me like this, you know. So stop toying and GRAAAAH!"
Trent grinned darkly as he lowered the ignited Galfeira. He'd managed to charge the weapon with the spell Elmekia Flame; not much, but a decent attack under the circumstances. THEN he fired the blast between the erected swords Spiritus Falis and Sanguis Falaris. The ensuing shot had completely holed Valred's defenses, blasting into his shoulder and rather spectacularly ripping a trench of bloody flesh from waist to neck. He drew the bow again, assuming he'd have enough time to chant a decent attack. "Light which blazes incandesent gold..."
Valred glared hatefuly at the elf. Completely abandoning his earlier defenses, he channeled the full force of the citadel into a single surge of raw power, blasting his opponent. Trent never wavered from behind the shields erected by the opposing swords. "...I swear and shrive this power for good..."
Valred snarled at his failure, tapping the altar. "I've underestimated you badly, dragon/elf. Your power is greater than my own; your artifacts are greater than mine as well. Now, let's see whose God is the Greater!"
Trent's incantation was drowned in a sudden snarl of shock, surprise, and pain as the new blast shuddered against the barrier of his swords. Granted, he'd been holding most of their power back to try and power his next assault, but even then these swords could have easily held back a weakened Goddess. He was forced to face a rather uncomfortable thought.
The blast was stronger than his swords.
He abandoned his spell, sending what power he'd already channeled back into the swords. They rebuffed the blast for a moment, then sundered as Valred's sudden hatred of Trent proved greater than the elf's desire to survive. One of the fundamentals of an assassin's training is this. 'You can always kill him another day if YOU survive. If you die, the job is undone. That is unexcusable.'
Pausing just long enough to grab the swords and return them with Galfeira into subspace, he dove into the shadow generated by the blast. He was fast, but he couldn't outrun energy under normal circumstances. The last thing Valred heard from him was a bitten back snarl of pain as the blast pounded Trent through the wall and shadow.
Panting and gasping in pain, Valred sank to his knees. Abandoning defense, abandoning his emotions, he focused everything into the singular purpose of repairing his ruined left side. Turning to glare in Trent's direction, he allowed himself a grim smile as he saw the massive hole where the elf had been. He was probably dead, and if not he wouldn't survive another of those.
Then Valred shook his head. Assuming that the elf wouldn't be a threat was what had gotten him this hole in his torso. He'd assume the elf would be back, and would attack in completely new ways to avoid his old gaff. He could no longer afford to simply play a waiting game: finishing his ritual AFTER he'd removed the obstacles wasn't just unfeasible, it was stupid now that he thought about it.
The power would be his first. Then would revenge.
--------
The rather once-sided fight had mostly been won. While some of the sorcerers and warriors HAD been competent and worth some grudging respect, Xellos on his own had once killed a thousand Golden Dragons with a single gesture. They were good, but not that good. What was left was little more than a clean-up, one that ended quite abruptly with the emergence of a surge of energy powerful enough to level a mountain, then keep on going and finish off a decent sized island.
Then keep going until the planet's curvature proved too much to contain the blast's path. After all, energy of that potency doesn't bother with gravity all that much.
Trent exploded out of Scherra's shadow (she'd been the closest at the time, and he couldn't be terribly picky), looking somewhat the worse for wear. While he never bothered to try and actually look pristine, he was normally able to maintain at least some semblence of control to his appearnance. At the moment, he was cut, bruised, scraped, and singed. That, and his overcoat had been completely burned away, even with the concealed orihalcon mail that had been woven into the lining. As it was, he was considering himself damn lucky to be alive; draconic heritage was good for something. Now if he'd just stop hurting...
Scherra stared at the elf. "What in the Dark Lord's name happend to you?" Trent ignored her, finishing what little of his shirt was left as he spread his wings. "We need to retreat."
Dynast snorted in disdain. "Has the little man proven too much for you? Don't tell me the slayer of gods was beaten."
Trent glared at him. "I'm not invincible; unlike some, I have no problem admitting it. And I am telling you that if we contine to try and fight Valred as we have been, we are going to die. All of us. Now get out of here."
Dynast turned to regard the trench dug by the blast. "Thank you, no. I prefer not to GRAGH!"
Trent's glare had turned ice cold. "WE. ARE. LEAVING. NOW. NOW MOVE!"
Dynast snarled at the dragon elf as he pulled the tanto out from his shoulder. "You'll pay for that." Rather than continue arguing however, he grudgingly teleported away, sparing the time to contact the other mazoku in the city and inform them they were to abandon the assault.
Back at the campsite, Dynast tossed the dagger back to Trent. "Blessed, I presume? Otherwise, I doubt it would have done much to me."
Trent accepted it wordlessly. "I needed to get your attention before your ego got you murdered; I may need you alive later."
Dynast glared at him. "Alright. In the past, you have had good reason for what you do, so I'll assume that you have an explanation for why you ordered that retreat? I'll assume that it wasn't a simple loss of nerve; you're too suicidal to worry about courage."
Trent waved aside Amelia and Filia as they ran forward to heal him. "Don't bother; you'll probably need the energy, and I'll need it too." Dragging his satchel over, he rummaged around until he found a bracelet set with spinels and a single pearl. Fumbling somewhat, he pulled the pearl out of the bracelet and tossed it back in, then slid the ornament onto his wrist before answering. "Valred's not the problem anymore. He's trying to ressurect a god, like virtually every 'bad guy I've ever met." He sighed in disgust. "I swear, I am the only person who has ever gotten deja vu over having to kill a ressurected god."
"Ahem."
Trent turned to regard Lina, having the grace to look sheepish. "Oh yeah, you guys deal with that fairly regularly too. Sorry. Anyway, if it was just Valred, it wouldn't have been an issue, but now we're fighting this god, not him." He turned to regard Dynast. "May I assume that you don't consider yourself the equal of a god?"
Dynast rolled his eyes. "I was being an ass; I'll admit it. Now may we get on with the constructive parts of this?"
Filia interrupted. "What's the problem with ressurecting one of the gods? Shouldn't we be trying to help him?"
Trent sighed. "Filia, most of our group is mazoku; do YOU think they're going to help us ressurect a god? Besides," he added as she winced, "I'm not even sure if he's ressurecting a god or a dark lord; either one could have given him this level of power."
Gourry scratched his head. "I don't get it; you said those swords of yours could kill gods. Why not just go and finish him off before he gets it done? And even if you didn't, couldn't you just kill the god too?" Trent was silent for several moments before answering. "I've been thinking about that, and apparently I've been letting my head get swelled these past five years. The two swords I used on Lodoss were the Holy Sword and Soul Crusher, and they were enough to beat Kardis. As we found out in the shrine, I didn't actually kill her, just beat her badly enough that she couldn't ressurect." He paused; SOMEthing else had happened, and he'd be damned if he could remember what. "Anyway, I tried to use the Holy Sword and the Darkness Sword to try and fend off that last attack. What you saw was the blast AFTER it had been weakened by the swords."
Zelgadis felt his blood freeze at that. "Wait a minute, those two swords should have been even more powerful than what you used against Kardis. How is that possible?"
Trent sighed. "I thought about it, and I realized one other thing. The only reason Soul Crusher and the Holy Sword were enough was that Kardis was still mostly sealed out of our world, but also because she was weak in the first place; she'd been 'dead' for eons even before I attacked. So rather than those swords being enough to kill gods, they're probably enough to slow a god down for a little while. Sorry, but that's about all they're going to be able to do."
Delphine shrugged. "Well, we still have time, if we act quickly. We can still get rid of Valred before he completes the ressurection."
Trent sighed, shaking his head. "That blast was a redirection of all the energy Valred had been using in his defenses. Do you think you're powerful enough to sunder that kind of a shield? I doubt it." He turned to Lina. "You have some idea of what kind of power a dark lord has; do you think that one of Shabranigdo's five remaining shards could have done that," he gestured to the trench, "even after the swords's effects? Or rather, could your Giga Slave have done that kind of damage?"
Lina paled. "Shabranigdo?" She paused in thought. "I'm not sure," she finally answered. "I know that a Giga Slave could do that kind of damage, but it can destroy an entire world, so it's not that good a comparison."
Trent nodded, turning to Valgaav. "I figured as much. What about you? You were a part of Volfied working alongside Dark Star; could they have done that much damage?"
The Ancient Dragon was quiet for a time. Finally, he answered. "No, I don't think so. When Lina fired off that new spell in concert with the Five Weapons of Light, it had enough power to have done that kind of damage. To do that after the spell had been weakened? I'm not sure, but somehow I don't think so."
Trent let out a deep, ragged breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "God, I was hoping you wouldn't say that."
Zelas knelt beside him. "What's going on? Do you know something else? Trent, talk to us. Talk to ME."
The dragon/elf turned to stare into the rose quartz eyes. "I've had a suspicion since that fight. This just confirms something I don't think any of us had dared to consider." His head dropped for a momement, before he began looking around. "Valred is tapping a source of power greater than any of us could imagine. Greater than that of Xellos, or one of the Mazoku Lords." His gaze swept past Lina and Valgaav. "Greater than that of Zanifer, or Shabranigdo, or even Darkstar and Volfied combined." Steeling himself for the reactions he could imagine, he forced himself to speak the words that terrified him. "Falaris isn't that powerful, so it's nothing from Forceria. Therefore, it's of this world. So ask yourselves this. What power could possibly be greater than that of a God and a Lord of Darkness working in concert?"
Zelas paled. She'd never thought it possible before, but she felt fear. "Good god. Her."
Dynast slumped to the ground, his eyes shaken. "The one force in this world greater than a Dark Lord. The Dark Lady. The Golden Lord of Darkness." He turned to face an equally pale Lina. "The source of the ultimate spells of destruction; the Ragna Blade, and the Giga Slave. Valred is ressurecting The Lord of Nightmares. In OUR world."
--------
Trent turned to regard his sleeping companions. The discussion had snow- balled after that. First had been denial; no one could have possibly brought about the Lord of Nightmares. The counter arguments had been clear; what else could have this kind of power? Even if it WASN'T her, it was something bad enough.
Next had been despair, closely linked by speculation. What could they possibly do; a Giga Slave would have worked on anything else (with a strong possibility of destroying the planet in the process), but against its source? Unlikely to say the least.
From there, the discussion had gone quietly no where. There had been suggestions of just trying to keep running; shot down as against that much power, they wouldn't have to bother hunting you down, just torching the rest of the world to do the job. Joining was likewise out of the question; none of them wanted this world destroyed, the humans and dragons for the simple fact that they liked this world, the mazoku as a matter of pride and principle; NO one would successfully destroy the world if it wasn't them.
Trent shook his head. Personally, he had a few ideas, and was pretty sure that a Giga Slave actually would work. The problem being of course that one second of distraction and the rest of the world went with them, and neither he nor anyone else there could accurately say whether or not Valred was going to do that in the first place; maybe he just wanted to rule the world, not destroy it. A bit more acceptable.
Regardless, he didn't think there was really any other choice than killing Valred. People didn't ressurect the powers of a god on whims, and seldom for good. Maybe he'd do it to try and help people, but Trent doubted that. A person who would try and use that kind of power for good still had a god complex; the fact they thought they were good just made them feel more justified in what they did. No, ressurection of a god was simply not an option for anything.
"Can't sleep?"
Trent started at the quiet voice, turning to Zelas. "You...could say that."
Zelas continued looking at him for a time. Finally, she sighed, speaking. "The last time someone decided to bring back a god in your neighborhood, you went flying away half-cocked, and only won by the luck and circumstances that you never would have relied on if you had the chance." She fixed a piercing stare on him. "You want to go and face off against Valred alone, don't you?"
Trent was silent for a time, composing his answer. "We've only known each other a month. How do you know me so well in so little time?"
Zelas smiled faintly. "I've had a long time to learn about behavior. Now what are you planning?"
Trent sighed. "I intend to fight Valred alone. You're right about that. Don't," he added, raising a hand to forestall objections, "try and tell me that there might be a better way. There are no records or prophecies of anyone succeeding against the Lord of Nightmares, no weapons of ancient power that might save us. No one else knows a spell that might even stand a chance against this guy. And I don't think anyone else here is suicidally crazy enough to make this work."
Zelas shook her head. "Why you? Couldn't you teach it to Lina, or Filia, and have THEM use it? And for that matter, why didn't you use it earlier? Oh, it was probably forbidden, I know that. But still, why you? And why now?"
Trent smiled at her faintly. "Like I said, I'm the only one who can pull it off." His gaze took on a distant quality. "You know, if I'd not done one thing, then it wouldn't have been me saving Lodoss from certain destruction. If I'd let one village fight its own fight, it would have been someone else entirely with Soul Crusher and Falis's Breath." He shook his head. "And now, godly power has set me down squarely in the path of another god. I don't think that's complete coincedence."
Zelas shook her head. "You think it's your destiny or something? Don't try to feed me that."
Trent laughed, but quietly. "Destiny? No, I don't think I'm 'meant' to do this. I just think that someone else has figured that I'm the best for the job, and made all this happen for that reason." He placed a fingertip on her lips. "Zelas, we can spend the next year arguing over this, but it all comes down to this. We need someone to kill Valred. I'm the best chance. And that's about it. No one else is going to stand any chance."
Zelas stared at him in the eyes, but couldn't refute him. "Trent..."
The dark elf smiled. "Don't worry about me so much." He turned to head back to the citadel, but paused for a moment. Looking back, he stared at the Demon Lord of the South, the single most active campaigner for evil and chaos on this world, the Greater Beast Zelas Metallium. The woman who was currently sharing his bed, if not his physical love. "Zelas...I..."
The demon lord snorted gently, somehow making it seem delicate. "Just go, Trent. I already know."
The dragon elf stayed there, staring at her for a moment. He wanted to memorize every thread of detail in that face. After a minute of unashamed staring, he turned and ran off, leaving Zelas to her own thoughts.
Delphine and Dynast both raised themselves off their pallets where they'd been pretending to sleep. Delphine turned to regard where the elf was running from. "He's not planning on coming back," she said. "You realize that."
Zelas nodded silently. Dynast looked at her, then turned to regard Trent. "It's funny. Less than a week ago, I was telling Xellos how careful we needed to be, what a threat to us he was. And now he's going to fight someone for us, throwing his own life in the way of danger to us." The look on his face was thoughtful. "Perhaps I should look into this 'love' more. It looks like it's a great deal more useful than I thought."
"It wouldn't suit you," Zelas said as she quietly moved towards Trent's pallet.
Dynast looked back. "And why not?"
Zelas smiled sadly. "It makes you want to be the sacrifice. You put yourself in danger over such a silly little feeling. I'm not sure why I like it, but something tells me that it flies in the face of not only logic, but in what I should be."
Delphine looked at her understandingly. She'd been feeding off a tiny bit of positive emotion lately. "Then why does the thought of not having love make you hurt so much worse?"
--------
Valred smiled gently as Trent reappeared in the citadel. His arm and shoulder were in perfect form, and he'd had more than enough time for his temper to cool back down. "I had a feeling that you'd return. You just strike me as the type who doesn't like to leave a promise unfulfilled." He gestured to the glaringly bright altar. "I tried to force myself to go through with it immediately, but I just couldn't. I just couldn't ascend to godhood without an audience."
He sighed as Trent remained standing there, impassive. "Oh come on. Make this a bit interesting, won't you? I really do want to feel that my ascension is worth a bit more fun than that." Trent's reply was to remove the Swords, darkness in his right hand, light in his left. Valred smirked. "Ah yes, that trump card of yours. That's what made your earlier attack hurt so much, isn't it? I didn't think that Galfeira on its own would have been enough." Raising a hand, he began charging power. "Anyway, as I said, I wanted an audience. So pull up a chair; when else could you get frontrow seats not only to the rise of God, but to the end of a world?"
He fired the blast into the matrix, and abruptly the altar flared to life. Blue/white light flared around the pathways of energy as it came to life, illuminating the edges of pure blackness as they formed the seal of the four worlds; the runes for the five mazoku lords first. Next came Ruby- Eyed Shabranigdo, followed by his three brethren; Dark Star, Death Fog, and finally Chaotic Blue.
And lastly, the rune at Valred's feet flared to life, the symbol of the Golden Lord of Darkness; Lord of Nightmares.
Trent watched impassively as he raised his swords. He turned to look at Spiritus Falis in his left hand. "Falis, great god of day and light, you once gave me your aid, in the breath you tempered this sword with. That power saved your people and your world. Now, another people, another world need your divine Aegis. Will you give them aid? Will you give me light to pierce this Chaos?"
He turned to the next sword. "Falaris, my lord. Holy force of darkness and night, you have stood by me to this day. You were not with me in the altar against Kardis, though You were there when I needed you. You have guided and aided me in this fight, and now I must ask for your aid once more."
He turned to face the screaming figure of Valred as an aura of slithering darkness began to subsume him. "This man has the arrogance to think himself a god. I ask that the two kings of my world, Falis and Falaris, aid me in this strike. Lend me what power you will, and I pray that what you would give me is enough to slay even this evil, to drive from him the holy power he would dare blaspheme.
--------
Anubis raised a hand as Falaris stood. "I'm sorry, but no. You may not interfere now; Trent must fight this battle on his own."
Falaris turned slowly to face the monk. "You dare to tell me what I may and may not do? You are not my better."
Anubis's calm never wavered. "This is not my will. If I had a choice, I would add to what you gave him the powers of the Ancient One's staff. But it is the will of the Almighty that Trent learn his own. What he must accomplish, he must accomplish through his own power, not the power leant him by gods. We may not interfere." Anubis turned aside to gaze down at where the elf waited. "God help him now, for we cannot."
--------
Trent was startled as a soft, tenor voice entered his mind.
Trent swallowed. It wasn't Falaris, so...
The voice was silent for a time.
Trent felt his insides go numb.
Falis paused again, but the 'will not' had been merely a question, not an accusation.
Trent let out a ragged breath. The emphasis on Powers had not been lost on him. He smiled grimly. I only have ONE option, and I fail to see how they're going to get much use out of me after that.
Falis's voice returned.
Trent sighed as the voice faded away. He was on his own. He'd thought to try prayer, and the swords as his last resort if he could. And now that was over with, and he had only one option left. The one he'd been dreading.
Valred's aura had continued to grow at a geometric rate, doubling in intensity with each passing moment. It was finally tapering off as he started to bring what he considered a sufficiently powerful aura under control. "MY GOD. SUCH POWER. SUCH POWER, THE LIKES OF WHICH I NEVER IMAGINED POSSIBLE. GREAT GOD...NO, GREAT ME, WHAT GLORY."
Trent turned to regard his opponent. He'd begun glowing as though he'd swallowed the sun (Trent internally winced at the imagery; not comfortable, considering his opponent). While he was generating an aura of pure darkness that could have devoured continents, at the very heart of it he was glowing light. "Now we will see."
Valred smiled. "INDEED. NOW I CAN FINALLY PAY YOU BACK FOR THAT RATHER EXCRUCIATING INJURY. PLEASE BE A DEAR, AND DIE WITHOUT TOO MUCH A FUSS." He raised a hand, and almost casually unleashed a torrent of power greater than even his final blow in their last fight.
Trent crossed the swords in front of him, pusing everything he had into that single defense. This time, no thought of counter assault was in his mind, no energy spared for a possible attack. Nothing was withheld from the swords, no energy for Galfeira, no concentration on shadow-walking; all his strength thrown into this one shield.
His defense was layered extensively. First was the divine shield of light meeting dark where the swords crossed, a barrier that could balk a god for a time. Next were his spelltraps; new, defensive ones, each using their own reservoirs to cast first Protection, then Vas Gluudo twice. His coat had the same orihalcon mail as earlier, dampening any and all magic by a significant margin. Lastly, came his own draconic toughness; natural aura and scaled hide capable of withstanding anything save the most destructive magics.
It was only through this layering that he was able to survive the blast at all.
First the barrier fell. It had weakened the blast by a gigantic margin, but it was still too much. Then the spelltraps failed, their own enchantments shattering their material forms as they tried to draw too much too quickly. Then the mail sundered, burned away by the sheer overflow of power, melting in nothing but the heated air of the blasts's passage.
Only the dragon in him kept him alive.
Valred smiled as Trent slumped weakly to the ground. No serious injuries yet, but he was in more pain from the burns all over his skin than he'd felt since his defeat by Wagnard during their first duel. The new lord of darkness's eyes swept the room, as he noticed a small, surprising detail. "THOSE SWORDS SURVIVED? INTERESTING; THE ENCHANTMENTS MUST MAKE THEM INDESTRUCTIBLE, EVEN IF THEIR BARRIER ISN'T. WORTHY WEAPONS FOR ME."
Trent raggedly drew himself up, the pearl and spinel armband he'd used to heal earlier feeding his reserves back to a trickle. Using the sword of darkness as a crutch, he forced himself to his feet as he triggered the change to half dragon. "I...I don't...suppose, you'd...let me try...one last...attack?"
Valred's eyebrows raised in amazement, then he began laughing in genuine amusement. "A FINAL ATTACK? OF WHAT KIND? DO YOU THINK LASER BREATH WILL BE ENOUGH? OR MAYBE LINA'S FORBIDDEN GIGA SLAVE; I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT GOOD A SPELL THAT DRAWS MY POWER WILL DO ABOUT KILLING ME, PARTICULARLY WHERE I DON'T WANT TO DIE. STILL, ONE LAST AMUSEMENT. GO RIGHT AHEAD; GIVE ME YOUR BEST SHOT." Pulling open his shirt, Valred set his feet shoulder width apart as though bracing himself.
Trent smiled grimly as the armband drained itself completely, giving him just enough energy to stand unaided. Still, he kept his left hand on the sword's pommel; it was a comforting presence, if nothing else. Raising his right hand, he closed his eyes and began to softly intone the words.
"I humbly pray to seven gods; Baylos, Bephimos, Briem, Dimilas, Cephied, Elmekian, Shabranigdo.
Valred started laughing again. "A SPELL THAT COMBINES THE POWER OF ALL LESSER SPIRITS; I HADN'T EXPECTED THAT. STILL, I SINCERELY DOUBT IT WILL BE ENOUGH."
Trent ignored him. Seven glowing lights had begun to form in a ring ten feet wide around his hand; red for Shabranigdo, orange for Baylos, yellow for Cephied, green for Bephimos, blue for Briem, violet for Elmekian, and gray for Dimilas. "Let your seven powers flow as one, let this raging current of power enjoined free the floodgates to the sea of chaos."
Valred blinked. "'THE FLOODGATES TO THE SEA OF CHAOS...YOU'RE TRYING TO USE THOSE SEVEN LITTLE WEAKLINGS TO TURN MY POWER AGAINST ME." He shook his head in disgust. "I HAD THOUGHT YOU'D RESPECT ME A BIT MORE. NO, I'VE HAD ENOUGH. TIME TO DIE."
Trent smiled as Valred's blast was deflected around his spell's aura. The seven lights that had been orbs were now brightening, orbitting his hand faster and faster until they had formed a brilliant halo of rainbow light around a dark void. "Let those who have stood against Thy will and mine be devoured in Cold, Gray, Nightmares."
Valred's eyes widened further. "tHAT'S iMPOSSIBLE! nOTHING cAN sTAND aGAINST mY pOWER!"
Trent's smile never wavered. "Hear my pleas, and Unleash Twilight!"
Valred's eyes widened as the circle in Trent's hands erupted into a swirling void, some kind of vortex of darkness. "wHAT tHE hELL iS tHAT! My Power! What's Happening To My Power!"
"It's gone," Trent said simply. "It's all here, right now."
Valred gasped in shock and pain as the power began to flow out of him. "B- b-but that's impossible! This power is Mine!" He stared wild-eyed at Trent. "HOW ARE YOU DOING THIS?!?!?!"
Trent threw his head back and laughed. "You idiot! I gambled, and I won. You should be flattered, what with your obsession with being first. No one has ever seen this spell before, not even the only other man to know it, Rei Magnus himself!"
Valred dug his feet in, and began hurling energy blasts at the gate, at the caster, anything he thought might slow it down. "What the hell is that thing?!"
Trent's smile turned strained as the gate's energy began fluctuating; it was getting harder to keep open. "It's simple. This spell draws its power from the Lord of Nightmares, using the powers of the other seven spirits of this world to form a seal strong enough to make the energy safely usable."
"BUT I'M THE LORD OF NIGHTMARES!" Valred screamed. "I DIDN'T LET YOU DO THIS!"
Trent shook his head, amusement suddenly gone. "That's just it. You're not the Lord of Nightmares; that's why it worked. Zelgadis told me how she reacted when Phibrizzo tried to toy with her power; she doesn't take kindly to meddling. And while your ceremony might have been enough to keep her contained, she didn't like it. You weren't becoming her vessel, you were trying to rape her powers into yourself. And all it took was another outlet for Her will to flow through, and she could strike back with everything she has. She has Chosen Me as her conduit for a moment, but a moment of choice is a lot stronger than a lifetime of your coercion. Good- bye, Valred."
The man who would be god had struggled, he'd cast every spell he knew and some on the fly. He'd dug his feet in, dragged every barrier he could in between him and the hunger of that void. None of it mattered. By the time Trent had said Good-bye, he was finished. All that remained was for the actual mechanisms of the gate swallowing him whole, and slamming shut.
It was done.
"You...you did it..."
Trent turned tiredly to Filia's voice. And the rest of them; Lina, Gourry, Zelgadis, Valgaav, Amelia, Jilis...Kashura, Eris, Xellos, Scherra, Dynast, Delphine, and Zelas. "When did you get here?" he asked tiredly.
Lina shook her head. "We saw the fight, and figured we'd need to start fighting back. Then Zelas here hits us with the bombshell that you're already fighting alone, and we high-tailed it over to help." She gazed at him slyly. "What spell did you use?"
Trent smiled tiedly. "You wouldn't want to use it, trust me." His now gentle smile turned to Valgaav. "Dragons...are pretty tough, aren't they? Bet it takes forever for one to die..."
Filia's eyes widened as he teetered, slowly collapsing. "Trent! You're hurt!"
The dragon/elf chuckled dryly as he waved her aside. "Again, you needn't bother." He turned to Zelas, smiling fondly. He felt so light, for some reason. Oh yes, he'd cast Twilight. That explained it. "I never did outright tell you, did I?" He sighed; surprisingly enough, he didn't feel a single thread of pain. "I really do think I've fallen in love with you."
Zelas stared at him. "This spell...what did it do to you?"
Trent's smile warmed a great deal. Then dropped as the barriers in his memory shattered. "That son of a bitch."
Valgaav was noticeably startled by that. "What?! Someone's still here?!"
Trent shook his head, sighing. Anger would have been nice, but he just didn't have the energy for the effort. "Don't worry, I doubt you'll have anything to do with him." He turned back to Zelas. "It's a shame, really, that the three of you never got to meet. I think you would have liked Deedlit and Pirotess."
"Who?" Scherra asked, uneasy. Tears were starting to form in Zelas's eyes as she knelt to cradle Trent's head in her lap; that insinuated Something Ominous.
Trent smiled. "When I fought Kardis, they were the reasons; one High elf, one Dark, both to be sacrificed to bring back Kardis. They were the reasons why I was willing to face a goddess. The other two I loved."
Zelas's sad smile didn't waver. "What were they like?"
Trent coughed painfully. "A lot like you. Free-spirited, devoted, bound and determined to make me lighten up once in awhile...like I said, the three of you would have gotten along great. They were so beautiful..."
Zelgadis gave him a strange look. "You never did answer Zelas's question. What's this spell doing to you?"
Trent smiled. "Twilight is a forbidden spell, a lot like the Giga Slave. It channels the power of the Lord of Nightmares to destroy your opponent. It has one HUGE advantage though; it uses the power of seven other spirits and gods to contain and control the power, so it's impossible to destroy the world with it." His voice was fading quickly. "Still, there's one problem, or I would have used it in the first place.""What problem?" Zelgadis asked.
"It's a...final...strike." Trent's voice was almost gone, fading as though he were falling asleep. "Take...your tar...get...with...you..."
Zelas wiped the tears from her eyes angrily as Trent faded completely. Then gasped in shock as his body erupted in a pillar of light, fading completely from her sight. "Wh...what just happened?"
"Strange. I've never seen that form of transport before."
Zelgadis spun, his eyes wide. "YOU!!!!!" The red-robed mage smiled. "It's good to SEE you again, Zelgadis. Though the tone of voice is a bit unnecessary."
Lina gaped. "REZO?! HOW THE HELL - "
"Of that, I'm not completely sure," the sage responded. "I'm fairly sure that I'm not another Copy, but that doesn't explain everything completely. I think that I'm the original Rezo's soul, but reincarnated into a copy body that didn't have a soul of its own. As I said, I'm not quite sure."
"Join the club."
Delphine gaped. "Larth?!"
The overworlder mazoku smirked. "Don't ask. I haven't the faintest idea either."
"Um...I think I can explain some of that."
As one, the entire group spun at the new voice. "Who the hell are you?" Sirius grated out.
Anubis coughed nervously. "Uh...that's really not terribly important; you'd never have heard of me anyway. I know a tiny bit of what's going on." He sweat-dropped as a whip of light left Zelas's fingers, coiling around him.
The Greater Beast glared at him coldly, her eyes glowing with suppressed energy. "TALK. NOW."
Anubis fought the urge to swallow nervously; the whip probably would have slit his throat if he had. "Could you loosen it around my neck a bit? Thank you." Sighing in slight relief, he continued. "As I said, I only know a tiny bit of what's going on. All I DO know is that Trent is being put through tests of some kind, at the behest of a god that has earned the title of The Almighty; a deity whose power makes your Lord of Nightmares look like an infant." He nodded at the stares. "Hard to imagine, believe me, I know." Straightening his hat (Zelas had allowed her whip to go completely limp), he continued. "Anyway, I don't know WHY Trent, or why the tests. What I am here to do is to inform you that if you wish, you may follow me to a place where Trent will arrive in one year. When you arrive there, you will be told the entire story; as yet, I believe that the only ones waiting there are Deedlit and Pirotess."
Zelas stood. "I'm going."
"Um, are you sure that's wise?"
Zelas didn't turn. "Xellos, if you try and convince me that I'm making a mistake, I'm going to turn you over to Amelia and Eris, and give them completely free rein to convert you into whatever they choose."
Xellos sweat-dropped. It was as close as he'd go to real fear at the thought of what those two would do to him.
Anubis brought the butt end of his staff against the ground, opening a gate. "Anyone who wishes to hear the entire story, go now." He watched as surprisingly, everyone did go through. Valgaav and Zelas were to be expected; he'd seemed to have struck a kind of camaraderie with Zelgadis, so likewise it wasn't surprising. That Lina and Gourry went was typical; there might be food and new magic there, so she'd go.
Eris, Kashura, Dynast, Scherra, Delphine, Sirius, Jilis, Filia, and Amelia joining them was a bit stranger.
He shook his head before finally turning to the last two. "What about you two? Care to join the party?"
"I have no reason to go," Rezo said calmly. "I have a great deal of catching up to do in this world."
Anubis coughed nervously. "I believe that you'll be able to do that catching up without any real worries; this won't be a delay. Besides, isn't it time that you and that...descendant of yours got some issues resolved?"
"Who do you think you are, Mr. Psychoanalysis?" Rezo snorted delicately. "I have my own duties, Zelgadis has his." He turned to leave.
"I on the other hand, think I'll come. I do need to thank Trent for getting rid of that shadeworm infection, and we really should have a rematch."
Anubis sighed as Larth was the last to come through. "I sincerely wish this simplifies in the near to immediate future."
Ominous thunder rumbled just as a temple bell sounded in the distance.
The warlord of cruelty hung his head. "I should have known better."
Author's Notes: IS THIS THE END?! Well, considering that I've already posted the first few chapters in books four and six, and that this is only book two, the answer is obviously no. Now Trent is going to be stuck in some interesting circumstances as he tackles a brand new life, and a brand new series.
