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Kernstalion - chapter 69: Below the waves again
🕑 Added 2022-04-10 19:49:11 +0000 UTCThis has to be the worst ambush yet, I thought as I jumped across a bush half my size.
It barely registered that a little over a year ago, I'd have broken my legs attempting the same. Instead, I sprinted towards the town ahead with no strain.
Still, it could have been worse. It could have been those Demons again, I thought, shivering.
We'd encountered two roaming bands of ravenous demons, and the first had almost got the jump on us. Even after that, and knowing what we were up against, they had been far more challenging to kill than some soldiers.
Behind me, the stomping of the cindermares became louder. It increased rapidly, and I couldn't stop myself from taking a look back.
"Fuck, that close?" I hissed.
They were a dozen feet away, approaching fast, and Casiron wasn't there yet.
Fine, I thought as an angry glint came to my eyes.
I came to a sliding halt and turned around to face them, feeling the shaking of the ground from the incoming hooves.
The eyes of the Cindermares were burning red while black soot rose from their nostrils. Their eery red pupils focused on me, and they growled, their wolf-like teeth flashing from behind black lips. Something inside me, a natural fear of predators, caused me to tense, and I stepped back involuntarily. Then a wave of calm and strength rushed up from within my mind. I thought it was Rathica's presence for only a second. Then I realized it couldn't be and found the source of the bubbling energy, shoving the fear away. It was my Mindscape.
"Kill him! The queen will make us lords if we bring the Four-Armed Prime's arms to her," one of the soldiers roared.
I missed my ax already, but I wasn't unarmed.
Not by a long shot.
I breathed in and calmly waited until they were as close as I dared to wait. When I could see the gray in one of the soldiers' hairs, I snapped up all four of my arms in a single smooth motion. The four boltcasters, well hidden behind the wooden demon arm-guards that hugged my arms, hissed as they fired. I saw the eyes of the soldiers widen, but it was too late. Four bolts flashed forward, and the center rider shouted, dropped his spear, and clasped his shoulder. Another one fell from his cindermare, which instantly moved to the side, crashing into the one to her left. The other rider managed to remain in the saddle, though barely.
I jumped sideways, sailing through the air as the soldiers thundered past. I scrambled up, watching the riders stop and turn, spears pointing at me.
"Dieeeee!"
The loud shout startled both the soldiers and me as Casiron slammed into the group, barreling half a dozen Cindermares away like ragdolls.
Grem stood behind his head, shouting as his arms flashed around. Between the rage on his face and the wrinkles and gray hair, he made for an odd but imposing view. Silvery daggers spun around his arms like wide sleeves, and he brought them down with a snap, the silvery blades flying at the nearest of the riders whose mounts were now full-on panicking. The Cindermares' eyes rolled around, flame shooting from their nostrils as they attempted to pull away from Casiron's massive roaring shape.
A small, lit figure somersaulted from Casiron's back and landed behind one of the riders, cutting its throat in a single fast movement. Then I reached the fray, and between the twangs of my crossbows, the massive brute force of Casiron, and the skills of the other two, the soldiers fell like weeds.
In under a minute, we decimated the group, and as I shot four bolts into the back of the last rider, I looked around to get a feel of what was going on.
"The rest are fleeing," Grem roared as he stood up on Casiron's wide neck, pointing in the distance, his eyes ablaze. He'd been like this every time we went into combat.
I turned around and saw he was right. The footsoldiers, less than a hundred and scattered, were running towards the distant forest.
"Follow and finish them," I shouted.
Casiron didn't need another word and jumped up, his wings spreading wide as the blueish energy glowed brighter. He shot away like a jetfighter, mouth wide open in an ear-drum-rattling roar. Libidi was moving between the soldiers with her dagger ready.
Right, better make sure they aren't faking it, I thought as I moved towards those near me. A quick inspection showed they were indeed dead, and there were no signs of the infected blood.
"Where did those flying rats go?" I asked as I looked up at Libidi.
"Grem finished those that didn't flee," Libidi said.
I grunted, wishing he had done so before I got knocked from Casiron.
We watched Casiron for a while as he flew low across the soldiers, his long hind claws picking them up and flinging them away like tiny dolls.
"I hope this is the last we see of those Go'in'La," I muttered as I looked up and shuddered.
"Why? That glider of yours worked fine," Libidi said as she looked at the bits still dangling from my back.
"Alright, I'll let you use it next time," I said with a raised eyebrow, remembering the sinking feeling in my gut when I fell from Casiron's back. It had been far from fun.
"Alright," Libidi said coldly, her expression showing no change.
I blinked at her calm reaction, then snorted.
"Weren't you terrified the first time we flew?" I asked with a sly grin. "I distinctly remember you shaking and holding on for dear life. What happened to you?"
Libidi looked at me, her blue eyes frosty and emotionless.
I barked a laugh and turned towards the tiny hamlet.
It probably only held a hundred people, but I was glad we'd made it in time. The horrifying scenes we'd seen in the towns we failed to reach in time showed that the demon-infected Ellison soldiers weren't the only ones committing atrocities. The common soldiers had left a trail of death and destruction in their wake. Not to mention the horrible sights we'd seen at the few towns the demons had found. Between these different horrors, I wondered how long it would take for Fastris to recoup. If they managed to survive, that was.
More heads were popping up on the wall, the ramparts slowly filling as dozens of bedraggled, wide-eyed people gaped at us. Most wielded bows, but many were no more than children. According to Grem, the able-bodied men had been called to defend the cities. This left the smaller towns and settlements practically unguarded. A thing the Elision armies had sadly capitulated on.
"Let's go and take care of this," I said. "We can leave as soon as they come back."
Libidi didn't respond but quietly fell in line.
--
An hour later, we stood before the gate, a woman with long black hair, graying at the sides, staring at us. Her eyes were still red and puffy, and I hoped she wouldn't start tearfully thanking us again. I wasn't sure I could take another thirty minutes of that, no matter how well-meant.
Luckily, she just gazed at me and nodded with a few sniffles.
"I'll spread your titles, Four-Armed Prime, and those monsters from Ellison will shake in fear," she said.
Her voice was laden with such hate and pain that I felt it resonate with something inside of me; a desire to go out and avenge the fallen welled up from deep inside. It wasn't for the first time, but luckily, like before, a surge of calm from my Mindscape washed it away. I wondered if it was Rathica's influence and my Mindscape battling it out, and I wished I could ask Rathica about it.
I smiled sadly, trying to ignore my active mind.
"Thank you, Elder Loulirau. Stay safe," I said before I quickly climbed on Casiron.
"Get us out of here before they start cheering. Please!" I whispered as I heard the murmur begin amongst the townsfolk.
Casiron jumped up, and I held on tight as he sped up, quickly gaining enough altitude to block out the muffled cheering from behind. It had been the same with most towns and hamlets we saved, almost like it was the default response. I knew it made sense, but I just didn't like it.
"You should be happy that they cheer for you," Grem said, looking at me from his spot behind Casiron's head. "It is an honor normally reserved for the members of the ten great houses!"
"Yes, well. I am happy we saved those people," I said. "I'm also happy that they can spread my title, which will hopefully help free the Deities, potentially stop this war, and thus, in the end, help them even more. But, I'm not enjoying the attention."
Grem shrugged, but the grin didn't fade.
"Perhaps not, but we are doing good. Are you sure there is nothing I can do or say so you will stay and help clear more of the pockets of the army? Some spell you want to learn? Free entrance to any of the academies? We would be doing…" Grem's voice faded as I shook my head, staring at him.
"If we don't free Rathica and the other Deities, if we don't figure out what is going on down in the sea, things will only get worse. Much worse," I said.
Grem sighed, his usual optimistic smile gone, and he turned to stare ahead quietly.
"And leaving Casiron here, with me?" he finally asked.
I sighed, feeling bad. "Sorry, but I'll need Casiron for what is coming. The faster we can stop, whatever is happening in the sea, the better."
I shared a look with Libidi, who seemed utterly unruffled by the exchange, and raised a cool eyebrow, which did nothing to help or make me feel better. I steeled myself and turned to look ahead.
A long, ruddy line sat in the distance—the demon sea, less than a day away. There would be no more detours now.
"Going to talk with Eliandra," I whispered to Libidi, who nodded and crouched closer to make sure I didn't slide off.
I summoned my status window and looked at the new messages.
> Your title, Fearless four-armed Prime, was repeatedly used to describe you
> Status alerts removed
> You've gained Karma: 39101
> Your title, The Deliverance, was repeatedly used to describe you
> Status alerts removed
> You've gained Karma: 51801
Another ten thousand since yesterday, I thought with a relieved grin. The numbers were increasing as I looked at them too, and I nodded. It was actually more than I had imagined.
I still let most of it bleed over to Rathica's realm, but not all. Oddly, it was Par who had convinced me to let a lot go to Rathica. He said she would be deprived of Karma, as she had the least primes and followers and would need it to keep herself safe. In the end, I had let him split it between Rathica and her Domain while also taking bits for myself, which Par had used for more mental purifying animals. The pond was filled with fish now, while mental purifying birds and a new type of frogs fed on the dense insect population.
> How's it going?
I messaged Eliandra, preparing and hoping for a long chat as it might be the last in a while.
---
Half a day later, Casiron landed on a beach that turned redder the closer it came to the water. The carcasses of hundreds of small and large demons all around us, of different types, silent and eerie. There were no flies, and the waves crashing on the beach sounded ominous, like a distant rumbling monster.
No insects, I thought as I looked around.
Makes sense, I guess.
Most insects probably wouldn't survive the demon blood.
I jumped from Casiron, ax in hand, and Grem and Libidi joined me.
"I've never seen or heard of anything like this," Grem said with a worried frown but unable to keep the curiosity from his voice.
It was the first time he had spoken since I refused to let him have Casiron. He moved towards the nearest cadaver, a squid-like demon with wide-tipped tentacles, each with a toothy mouth. Even lying down, the main body was taller than he was, and the mouths on the tentacles were large enough to swallow a dog whole.
"They died fighting," he said, pointing at bite wounds and a massive hole that punctured the main body. "Almost like they fought amongst themselves!'
I joined him, seeing that a smaller demon was attached to one of the tentacles. Its oversized, beartrap-like mouth was clamped around the flesh, one of its bulbous eyes and the top side of its head sheared off.
"Isn't that normal?" I asked. "I remember them fighting each other nonstop."
"The demons fight amongst themselves, yes," Grem said as he straightened up and looked around. "But not like this. Normally they devour their kills to gain strength. The reports of bodies washing ashore are few and far between!"
"So what are you saying? They have a war down there too?" I wondered aloud.
"Maybe," Grem said, sounding uncertain.
"There is more to it," Casiron rumbled, and I looked up to see him staring at a large serpent-like body, half lying behind a massive demonic crustation.
"Grem, look at this."
I frowned as I followed Grem next to Casiron. The body was longer than the others, and the tentacles around it were shorter and thinner, almost like a frill. It seemed oddly familiar. Almost like a demonic version of a-
"Dracoserp?" Grem hissed, turning to Casiron. "Is that possible?"
It took a while before Casiron answered, but when he did, his voice sounded concerned.
"Long ago, a part of my people infected themselves with demon essence. They believed that the only way to survive the tribulations of the time was to hide amongst the demons. It seems they were partially right," he said, his voice turning worried. "Sadly, this... thing looks has no more than a rough likeness, and I don't sense anything remotely like a Dracoserp's mind lingering here. Just a demonic presence."
"Interesting," Grem said as he perked up. "Perhaps there are more Dracoserps down there!"
"I doubt it," Casiron said. "And if there are, I'm afraid they are nothing but a poor reflection of my people's prior greatness."
I listened to them for a few more moments before stepping forward.
"We will just have to see when we get down there," I said. "Are you sure you are staying?" I asked Grem.
"What? As opposed to following you into the most dangerous place we know of? No. I'm going to stay along the coast and try to help as many towns as I can," he said, the creases in his weathered face deepening as he looked back towards the mainland.
I heard the slight accusation in his voice but ignored it as I could fully understand. If it had been the last humans that were under attack, and I had to choose between some deity I didn't have any bond with versus all of them, I knew what my choice would have been. Sadly, my choice was actually close to that, and I needed to get Rathica freed. I still had no idea what was happening at Realdeep, but I knew that if Nirmon were going to attack them head-on, they would need their Deity to protect them.
"Good luck," I said as I stuck out my hand to him. "I hope you can save... a lot," I finished lamely.
Grem sighed but gripped my arm, a slight sparkle appearing in his eyes.
"Don't worry, I'll make them see the error of their ways," he said, his voice promising bad times for the invading Elison armies.
"Grem, don't let Thiwick out until I get back," Casiron rumbled. "Each time you do, she will get more control over you, and in the end, you won't be able to resist her power."
"I won't," Grem said as he grinned. "Besides, it's hilarious to hear her whine and complain all the time. She reminds me of my sister's children!"
I wasn't sure how a whining brat in your head was hilarious, but I was glad Grem thought of it like that. I also wondered how Casiron could be so sure we'd make it back.
Staring at the red water, I turned to Libidi.
"Ready for a dive?"
She nodded, and after a final farewell to Grem, we moved towards the water. The water swirled around my ankles, quickly filling my boots and pants, and it surprised me how warm it was. Hadn't the sea been cold before? There was also a thick, viscous layer atop that smelled of death and rot.
"Great," I muttered as I stomped into the water, casting Gills before diving down. Unlike before, I didn't even get a response from my status, although I was obviously moving through something infected with demonic blood.
I wonder what happened to Lark, I thought as I swam forward into the muddy waters.
Casirons immense bulk created swirling torrents of water that pushed and rebutted me as we swam down along the dark muddy bottom. Besides that, I realized I was an idiot. I should have undressed. It was almost impossible to swim with armor, boots, and weapons.
I'll put this stuff on Casiron soon, I decided.
The water rapidly darkened ahead, even my dark vision unable to penetrate very far. Unlike the previous times I'd swam in the seas around Kernstalion, there was no movement, the distant coral-like growths looking still and eerie.
"Can you see anything moving?" I asked Libidi, my voice hollow and dull.
"No," she replied.
Something about her voice was off, and I looked at her, trying to find if she was alright. Her blue eyes looked red and gleaming in the water, and her dark skin made her harder to see against the dark backdrop. Unlike me, she hadn't needed to cast any spell to breathe underwater but appeared perfectly able to survive down here.
"You alright?" I asked.
"Fine," she said, swimming a bit faster and creating a little distance between us.
Yeah... that seems like you are fine to me, I thought with a frown.
Many hours later, I was naked save for my pants and my wooden arm guards, which made swimming a whole lot less burdensome. The rest of my gear, including my ax, were attached to one of Casiron's back spikes. I was only armed with my bolt casters now, which worked like miniature harpoons below the sea. Rathica bless magical crossbows!
The oppressive dark gloom around us had made me lose my sense of direction long ago, and Casiron and I followed after Libidi, who seemed to have an innate ability to know where things were.
"Stop," Casiron said, his voice a soft rumbling.
I stopped swimming and looked at him with raised eyebrows. We'd decided to keep our communications to a minimum as sound traveled far in water.
"Explosions and fighting ahead," Casiron said, his scaled eye ridges furrowing. He cocked his head, seeming to try to hear better. "Screams… demonic voices," he added.
I nodded and pointed ahead, then turned my hand around to ask where it was coming from. To me, every sound seemed to come from the same spot in my head.
Casiron pointed a claw left of where we had been going and down.
Wish I could hear where things are coming from, I thought.
I contemplated for a moment, then looked at Libidi and pointed at where Casiron had said he heard the sound from. She showed no reaction but turned and swam away.
What is wrong with you, I thought.
Ever since we had entered the sea, she had been even colder than usual, and no amount of prying had made her explain what was wrong.
It took me a moment to stop looking at her shapely body, elegantly swimming forward. Like me, she had removed most of her armor, leaving only short pants, her belt with the wooden knives, and a mud-colored shirt. The latter she only wore because I had asked her to. Not that it helped much. All of it clung to her, leaving little to the imagination.
Turning my gaze to the area around us, I shivered. It was black below, almost black all around, and a dark brown above us, giving me the idea that this could be what it was like to fly in outer space in an area without stars. I felt the same gnawing feeling as I had the first time I was this deep in the sea.
It started as a rumbling, almost like a thunderstorm, with the occasional high-pitched sounds sticking out. I still couldn't pinpoint where it came from, but Casiron had obviously been right, as the further we went, the louder the sounds became. After another indeterminable amount of time, I saw a distant, red glow.
Ahead of me, Libidi turned straight down. Not sure what she was planning, I still followed her.
The seabed turned out to be a long way down, and as we continued, my ears popped, and my body began cramping up, my chest feeling like something was squeezing it. A sudden ping made my growing worry complete, as it was deafening compared to even the rumbling storm.
> Depth pressure maximum reached for current muscle mass
> Damage imminent
I blinked in shock as the pain intensified around my head and from my chest. It felt like someone was squeezing them, and I rushed back up.
Est? Casiron asked through our mental link.
I can't go any deeper, I replied, confused. There was a notification about depth, and now it feels like my body is being squeezed by some giant!
I'd been insanely deep before, even stood on the seabed! What had changed?
Libidi was swimming up, staring at me with wide, worried eyes. I could see the quest question in her eyes, and I shrugged, pointing at my ears and head and mimicking pain. She blinked in surprise then a smirk came to her face. She closed in on me while her hands began flashing through a spell. It was longer than any I'd seen her cast before, and when she stopped, her hands were glowing a dull blue. She looked at me, motioning me closer, and I complied, letting her put her hands on my head. An odd, airy feeling rushed through me, almost like I wasn't compressed by a deep-sea from all around, and though it dissipated rapidly, a part remained.
Libidi turned and beckoned me further down.
Right, I thought, as I followed her, slow and carefully. Couldn't you have told me that sooner? A few minutes later, I was way beyond the previous point, and neither the message nor the pain had returned.
A dim red glow began growing below us, and as we continued, shadowy shapes, sharp and curved, began appearing below.
Then, finally, we saw the bottom.
A chaotic mass of seemingly long-dead demon carcasses lay sprawling everywhere, some enormous monstrosities, others tiny. Still looking for possible movement, I saw Libidi swim towards a massive coral-growth-invested skull that lay on the seabed. Green and yellow growths covered it, while bulbous red flowers grew on it sporadically. They cast a bright light, casting everything around them in a demonic, ruddy light.
I guess this is what hell would look like, I thought as I scanned the horizon, seeing nothing but a never-ending mass of corral invested bones.
I followed Libidi as she moved towards the eye socket of the skull, one of a dozen, and looked inside. It was dark, empty, and seemingly safe, and I swam inside. Casiron hovered before the entrance, not even his massive head fitting inside.
"Why did you stop here?" I asked softly.
Libidi inspected me, her eyes scanning my face before she looked away.
"The sea where we are now should be invested by demons, battling for dominance. Instead, there is nothing, not even the tiniest Puistil," she said. "I have seen this before."
Let me guess, I thought. "Back home?"
Libidi nodded. "This only happens when the strongest demons battle for supremacy or control over a domain."
A distant thunderous roar came, almost as if to add power to her statement.
"What do those battles look like?" I asked.
"Massive churning melees between innumerable demons," Libidi said coldly. "As if every demon in the sea gathers in a small area and attempts to kill the other. We can't continue. Entire nations have been decimated during these events."
I hovered quietly in the water, letting her words sink in. She sounded so sure that for a moment, I thought about going back. Then I caught myself. What would that do? Rathica had asked me to go here and stop... something. And something was obviously happening down here. If what Libidi said was true, I even had a sinking suspicion of what.
"Is it possible that Ux'dsir'Lar is fighting the demon-" I stopped as Libidi shook her head, a look of ridicule on her face.
"If he were here, there would be no war. None of the local demons would be able to stand up to him," she said.
"How can you be so sure? You haven't been here, have you?"
"Because he is a Primal Demon at a level that can battle Deities. If demons like that had been on Kernstalion, we would know as they would have been in constant war with the Deities. A war like we just left would have never happened, as everything not demonic would be fighting the demons. No, it has to be one of Ux'dsir'lar's lieutenants," Libidi said. "But those are still so powerful they could rip Casiron to pieces with little effort."
We quietly looked at each other, and I shook my head.
"I believe you, but we have to go and look. Rathica had time for only one message, and she used it to tell me to go here and stop what is going on. If there were another, less dangerous way, she would have said that."
Libidi scanned my face, then looked down.
"I will go with you to the edge if that is what you wish," she said, touching the dagger on her waist. "But I can't enter. I need to fulfill my mission, and I can't do that if I'm dead."
The empty skull was quiet as I tried to comprehend what she had just said.
"Fine, let's go to the edge as carefully as we can and then decide," I finally said.
Libidi said nothing but gave a curt nod as she swam past me and out of the eye socket. It didn't seem like there would be much deciding.
It can't be as bad as she says, I thought as I swam after her, hoping for the best.
