Chapter 22: Gateway to Destiny
Danielle grunted slightly with the effort of turning the crank handle in its slot. The beam of light from the telescope array rotated around and hit another of the sphere shaped mirrors. "Reflect the light around until it hits the spot on the globe. Simple to figure out, but why make something like this?" She sighed and pulled out the handle, heading to the next crank.
"The alignment is complete. Now it is time for the summoning."
"Shut it, you freak," Danielle muttered, moving on to the last crank. She was getting tired of having to listen to Xel'lotath's voice in her head constantly. It was seriously getting on her nerves. Finally, she moved the light beam to where it hit the globe on the floor. A grinding sound came from somewhere down below, most likely in the basement.
As the doorbell rang, Danielle ran to answer it, only to have Alex beat her to it. She was holding a hastily wrapped brown parcel in her hands with a confused look. "Someone dropped this off here, but I couldn't tell who. They just ran off…"
"I wonder what's inside…?" Even as Danielle said this, Alex tore the paper off of the package, opening up the box that it covered. Inside was a Gladius glowing with blue light and a glass container with the third Artifact they needed: the Sigil of Xel'lotath. "The third artifact…" Danielle whispered. "Alex, do you know what this means?"
Her sister nodded slightly. "We can stop Pious now. But how will these help?"
Danielle gave Alex a sly grin. "We're going to summon Ulyaoth."
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Danielle squinted as they stood at the hallway that led to Ehn'gha's array system. The floor was yellow from the magick that covered it, keeping intruders from proceeding further into the city. But it wasn't the floor that caught her eye. It was a glint of red near the massive wood door a good few feet ahead of them. There was also an oppressive feeling from that direction; powerful magick in the air made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. "Damage Field ahead," she said softly, her voice echoing in the still air.
Alex shot her a glance filled with confusion. "How are you so sure about that?"
Lifting her finger to point to the tiny bit of red she spotted from her position, she quickly explained. "I can see something red over there, like glowing runes. Also, I can feel it in the air… It's powerful magick. Gotta be a seven point field, too."
Alex squinted herself, then nodded. "Yeah, I see it, too. We'll have to make it to one of those doorways nearby to cast the Dispel spell. There's no way it can work from here."
Danielle nodded, glancing at all of the doorways. "None of this was here before… The magickal defenses, I mean. Someone must have done it recently. And I'm betting it was a line of last defense set up by Pious. He expected us to make it this far, I'm sure… But he won't be expecting Chattur'gha's nemesis to be summoned."
She noticed that Alex was staring at her with a slightly curious look. "How can you be so sure about all that?"
A small smile spread across Danielle's face. "I dunno. I'm just taking all the clues I've noticed and trying to put together a logical conclusion." A chuckle escaped from her lips. "Maybe that's why I'm always made the leader of things."
Alex shook her head, grinning. "You're unbelievable," she muttered. Casting a 7-point Shield spell, she took a deep breath. "You stay here until that barrier is down, then run through the door, okay?"
Danielle nodded, then folded her arms, watching as her older sister ran out onto the floor. As she closed her eyes, she focused her power into casting her own Shield spell. The green orbs of light circled around her quickly, almost like little fireflies in the dark corridor. She watched them zip around in circles before she felt a shiver run through her. Danielle looked up, noticing the blue shockwave that spread out from Alex's perch near the door. The familiar sound of a Damage Field being nullified rang out in the air, along with Alex's cue to run for the door. Danielle bent her knees and took off for the door, watching as orbs vanished from her shield one by one. She ran through the door without a moment's hesitation, followed soon afterwards by Alex. Together, they stared up at the massive array, catching their breaths.
Danielle stepped forward to the three pedestals, examining the one in the middle. Its top was missing, and she noticed one of the pieces off to her right. "Hey Alex, check this out," she said, stepping aside as her sister approached. "It got broken apart… Look around for the other part of the pedestal." Danielle crouched down and picked up the piece, barely paying attention to Alex walking past her. It didn't take long for Alex to find the other segment, and she brought it over to Danielle. She handed over the piece she was holding to her older sister, watching as she cast a 3-point Enchant Item spell. The magick surged into the pieces, putting them together.
"Go ahead and start putting the Artifacts on the other pedestals. I've got this handled," Danielle said, fitting the pedestal on its broken stand. She stepped aside to allow Alex to place the final artifact, the Sigil of Xel'lotath, on the pedestal. The whole array lit up suddenly, and the air surged with power.
Alex walked over to one of the nine switches on the wall and pressed it, looking back at Danielle. "Stay here. I'll go and inscribe each of the runes." Danielle opened her mouth to protest, but Alex cut her off before she could even utter a sound. "No, Danielle. You are not coming. I've already lost you once. If it's dangerous, and you get hurt… I'll never be able to live with myself."
Danielle shook her head. "Yeah, but… What if something happens to you, and I don't know it?"
Alex stared at her silently, a look of sadness on her face, before stepping into the rings of light from the array and vanishing.
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Danielle stared dully at her watch, trying to remember how long it had been since Alex has last passed by. It wasn't too long, and since this was the last rune that needed to be inscribed, she didn't have to wait much longer. The array was already active again, with blue rings of light in the middle. But there was no way she was going to step into the array until Alex arrived.
The large wooden door slid up on its tracks, and Danielle fought to suppress a grin. "Speak of the devil," Danielle whispered, standing up from her seat on the steps. Alex came through the door, looking a bit worn out. She stared at the array behind Danielle, appearing thoughtful. Danielle instantly knew what was going through her mind, because she was thinking the exact same thing. They were about to face off against Pious Augustus in a battle that would decide the fate of all humankind.
"Are you ready for this?" Alex asked softly, putting a hand on Danielle's shoulder.
Danielle nodded and took a deep breath. "As ready as I'll ever be… Let's finish this. I have a little bit of payback to give Pious." She gripped the shotgun in her hands tightly and stepped forward into the portal.
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Danielle staggered forwards as she was sent to the chamber she had seen so many times in her visions of Pious. It was the same as she had always seen it. But where was Pious?
She took a few steps forward when she realized that Alex wasn't there. Danielle turned around, but was sent sprawling as something hard slammed into her face. She winced and looked up, confusion and pain replaced by fear as she saw who her attacker was.
"Looking for me?"