Chapter 15
The Earth Wizard, Distraught Discoverer
Mustier than a thousand-year volume full of dust, mold, and cobwebs. Squeezed into a thick rectangle of cracked plaster and splintered rotting pine. The floor warped beyond recognition.
Enough to make the Earth Wizard gulp down the bitter bile from his dinner of sautéed steak tips and mushrooms.
The darkness shrouding the hallway so thick beyond a few feet that not even a spidora’s beady eyes could hope to penetrate it. The taste compared to the humid air outside. Dank. Cool. With the aftertaste of iron and rotten lemons.
An aftertaste of incredibly dangerous dark magic.
The same magic that already suppressed the screams of the dying from outside. Despite being only blocks away, the stone walls of this squat house shouldn’t be able to mute the sounds so well. In fact, they should cause more echoes and amplify them in unsettling ways.
His magic sight already limited to seven feet.
And the range of his powers.
Yet the decaying walls also acted as blocks against his power.
Thankfully, he detected that Connie already stationed herself three feet behind him. Sword drawn.
Not showing any impatience as he stood in the doorway of the mysterious house.
Peering closer at the decaying walls, squinting so hard every wrinkle on his face hurt, then the inside of his forehead – but he finally spotted the flickers of absolute pitch-black oozing like oily molasses within the cracks.
“Don’t touch the walls,” the Earth Wizard said, looking up toward the ceiling, “Touch nothing unless I – dear Godhood in Light!”
The ceiling … once moldy plaster cratered and cracked nearly beyond recognition, now barely holding back an ocean of the oily pitch-black darkness. Some already seeping throw. On the verge of dripping yet frozen in place.
Waiting for a single terrible mistake in the potent spell being cast that would unleash it. Open the connection between this world and the very Abyss itself.
Free the Seven Kings of Hell into this world.
“It’s as I feared,” the Earth Wizard finally said, “Connie, we have little time to act and even less chance of salvaging the situation. An age or two ruled by the Darkest One may be the least of our worries soon …”
“There’s always a worse enemy,” said Connie, “Eventually.”
The Earth Wizard sighed.
But her quote did have too much truth in it.
“Yes,” he said, “But if our new enemies win, I fear our world won’t be around for the next enemies to appear.”
Only due to his magic was he able to detect her sudden slight intake of air.
“I see,” she said. And tightened the grip on her saber.
But its ability to cut through anything wasn’t enough against the creatures she might soon face.
And again he hesitated to step inside. Her death if he died here was near certain. Although as a Paladin she vowed to fight to the death for him, she had lived a little more than two decades. Compared to his many millennia.
Using some power to drastically improve her chances of survival right now would reduce his drastically.
Yet his heart was too heavy, his conscious too leaden, to ever bring her into such mortal danger without some proper protection.
So he turned around.
Connie stiffened. Then began to turn –
“Wait,” he said, “Hold your saber out to me.”
She did. Careful not to point the tip at him. And twisted it so the flat faced him. The sharp cutting edges as far from him as possible.
He poked it with his finger. Muttered the ancient spells of light. Blessing the weapon against the darkest of darkness.
And it lit up with a mild warm glow now.
Connie gasped.
But this spell did the same as the three of the five glowing gemstones he had slipped into her pocket before they left. Even though the gemstones were currently shielded as best he could from any probes, physical or magical – but the moment Ash opened the letter, the shield would shatter, and the gems would reveal themselves to her –
When a big oily hand of cold seized him from behind.
Crushed down on him.
His blast of magic shoved Connie away.
Her gasped scream.
The crack of her boots landing several feet away.
“Go!” shouted the Earth Wizard, “I shall deal with –”
It yanked him inside.
The door slamming away any hint of light.
Into a broiling dark sea battering with oily ancient hatreds.