Elisha’s shadow peeled off David’s skin slowly, pushing him into the incensed evening air. He took a deep breath in, his body shivering as light came into view. Zeno came out next, staggered to the side, and heaved whatever he’d eaten out. The sound of him throwing up called the attention of the two guards by the door of the temple. They were covered in dark cloaks over what looked like simple armor. One carried a spear and a shield and the other pulled her sword out. David watched them come, their faces illuminated by torches hanging from pillar sconces.
“Balek’s balls, you are not thieves, right?” The guard to the left asked. He was bigger than the woman, but she looked even more annoyed, her eyes roaming over David, probably weighing him to tell what kind of threat he was. David turned to Zeno, weighing the options available to him. He could charge at them, but that would ruin the plan. He needed to move through the temple with ease and that meant going quietly.
“I know that one,” the woman said, pointing to Zeno who was wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He smiled at her and frowned at Elisha. “He is one of Zur-Del’s underbelly’s rats. One of those who—”
Her voice vanished as a long spike of shadow pushed through her throat. Elisha pulled the shadow blade from behind her and before her partner could react, he was swallowed by a sheet of swirling black. Elisha walked into it and came out a moment later with the man falling behind him, his face torn apart.
“That was cool and disturbing,” Zeno said, but David was already moving. The temple door was almost as high as Amareth’s had been. Zeno pushed past him and made to shove at the door, but David caught him.
“Elisha,” David called. His brother moved closer to the doors and placed his hands on the surface. Unlike Amareth, David realized there were no statues here, no grand structures. The temple was a simple tower, connected to two others on either side. It was tall, but nothing grand. It gave him a sense of simplicity, as though Balek had given no thought to opulence. Perhaps that was the kind of god Balek was. That was no business of his. He had to recover whatever Ziel had lost to them and get the hell out of the place.
“Whoa!” Zeno whispered as shadows leaked out of Elisha’s fingers. They searched for spaces in the doors, holes to pass through, once done, Elisha stepped back and with a wave of his hand, he created a narrow passage through the door and stepped through it. David followed his brother and so did Zeno.
“Thank you,” David said as he came to stand beside Elisha. His younger brother shrugged. David winced. He wasn’t sure Elisha would ever forgive him for leaving, but this was better than complete silence. He’d make do with whatever he got.
“I can shield you from attacks, but you have to be close,” Elisha said. Zeno snorted but shuffled close.
The main hall was a large spread of marble floor. Dim lights stretched from above, trapped in weird long glasses or crystals. They shone, spreading ambient light and reflecting on the dark floor. At the far end was the altar—a simple platform holding a large goblet. Above it was a statue of what David immediately assumed was Balek. From where they stood, he couldn’t see much, but he could tell they were not alone.
“There is something here,” Zeno said as they walked forward. David kept his eyes on the goblet while his perception spread out. The closer he got, the clearer the statue was. The god was shrouded in sheer black. The outline of his naked body was clear under the cloth. From beneath the hood, his eyes shone, pure gold, like melted amber. David felt it the same moment the others did. They had thought they were being watched by humans, but it was Balek watching them himself. The statue once curved over the goblet now stretched to full sitting height. His sigh shook the temple, making the very core of its foundation tremble under their feet.
“This is a problem,” Zeno said darkly, his eyes wide as he regarded the possessed statue. Every sound that came out of its carved mouth seemed to affect the space, as though it could tear through it and shatter everything in its path. Zeno’s fingers balled into a tight fist and relaxed again, his helplessness obvious on his face. He turned to look at David, but David was focused on the statue. His gait radiated calm.
The statue’s feet folded under it, and the clothes rippled with every movement. Then a swallowing presence fell like the wrath of an erupting mountain. The weight of the god’s presence, the significance of its existence, and the power of his authority pushed on them. Pillars cracked and veins tore into the shiny marble floor
Zeno was crushed, flattened. Elisha tried to push against it with his shadow, but David could see the futility in his resistance.
“Take Zeno and go,” David said. Elisha glared at him, eyes defiant. David nodded, hoping Elisha would see the seriousness of the situation. This changed everything he had planned. He’d hoped to come in and out of the temple without causing any trouble, but this had taken the stealth out of his plans. And there was a reason he wasn’t being pushed as hard as the others. Balek wanted something.
“I will be right behind you,” David lied, but he hoped Elisha couldn’t see it. The pressure reduced and Elisha fell to his knees, his body shaking as relief washed over him. David waited for his brother to leave. The shadow pooled into a small puddle before him and Elisha dragged Zeno into it. The bandit was unconscious. David made a mental note to tell him how weak he was. But that would be if he survived this encounter.
He regarded Balek once Elisha vanished, and gave the god a smug smile.
“Now,” David said, clasping his hands behind him to hide his trembling fingers. “What do you want?”
Balek smirked. Even under the shadow of his cloak, David could see his face clearly. There was no glow, no theatrical show of power—except the weight of the god’s presence. For that alone, David liked him.
“What I want, you cannot give, human,” Balek said, and David was grateful that the voice didn’t come from his head. It came from the statue, its mouth moving as if it had been animated to life and not just possessed.
The hands spread as if to show how obvious it was that they were millions of miles apart in power and David was overestimating himself. Balek stayed silent for a long moment, watching him. When he spoke again, his hands folded over his chest. His eyes bore into David and this time David groaned as all its power focused on him.
“I want you to worship me,” Balek said. He looked satisfied, as though his request was assured. That David didn’t like. It was the usual godlike behavior. He pushed against Balek’s pressure, trying to shove against it.
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[Left hand of Chaos]
The force on him reduced considerably but wasn’t completely canceled. That gave him an idea to focus on later. He’d need to figure out how exactly chaos worked though and that meant talking to the boy.
“So you want the same thing every other god wants then?” David asked, straightening up to glare at Balek. “And here I thought you were different. You are just another power-hungry entity, aren’t you?”
Balek grinned. “You should know that power is what fuels a god, human. You should know that since you are close to one already.” His eyes twinkled, filled with ruthless mischief. David frowned.
Don’t get distracted, Ignis warned. He sent his acolytes away so he could manifest to you, but they are somewhere around.
“Yes,” David thought back to the dragon. “I can sense them below. And that tells me something else too.”
To the statue holding Balek’s presence, he said, “If you don’t have anything better to say, I might as well continue my search, right?”
“Humans,” Balek muttered excitedly. “You rush to danger quite eagerly. You want your own destruction so badly that you heed no warning. You act as though you have no fear, yet I can see you tremble. I know you, David. I know what makes you the man you are and how to unravel you. It would take no effort to do.”
“And yet, there you float. A god, so high on your own self-importance. There you are, asking me for worship. Begging for a scrap of my faith, my obedience. You say you can unravel me, I don’t doubt it, Balek.”
The name was like biting lightning. It quaked his body and spirit. But David gritted through the pain, staring defiantly at the god. There was something in him that pushed him against the god, and David welcomed it.
“You mistake my request,” Balek said, his smile widening. “Your worship is a channel to my divinity. With that connection made, I can show you what awaits you and what decision to make. I do not need your faith, mortal. I have enough to enrich me. You are a momentary interest, a temporary source of entertainment. I only seek to make you even more interesting.”
And if I refuse?” David asked, Ignis appearing in his hand. Balek’s eyes widened with crazy glee. Amber fluid dripped down the edge of his eyes, running down his cheeks. He cackled even harder but stopped abruptly.
“I have no power to force your hand,” Balek said. “I can show you, only if you receive it willingly.”
“Then I refuse,” David said, walking forward. Behind the altar, he saw the door that would lead him out of the main hall, and probably lead him down where he could feel the people hiding. He would burn them all.
“Your promise to Ziel can be avoided,” Balek said. “I can help you. I can show you how to win the tower and ascend. I can show you more.”
David grinned. “Perhaps it is because you were once human, like me, but your actions are beneath your station. You can’t have me or any of my siblings. We will move through this tower ourselves, and whoever stands in our way will be consumed. And when I meet you in person, I will---“
“Silence,” Balek said, and the words vanished from David’s throat. His mind went blank and he was immersed in complete darkness. He heard Ignis scream, but the sound was muffled.
David’s soul shivered as if he’d had liquid helium injected into him. It hurt, it burned. A different kind of burn. It came from within, this pain, ravaging everything inside him. David wailed within himself. He cried out, begging, pleading. He writhed, trying to dislodge whatever it was that was in him. The harder he tried, the farther within him it reached. He was about to be completely consumed by this otherworldly power.
It all faded, as though it never happened. He was standing where he’d been before it started, his head raced up to the statue. Spasms wracked his body again and again. Warm tears slid down his eyes and when he folded his fingers, his sword and gauntlet were gone.
Powerless. He’d felt it before, but this time it was even more overwhelming.
“This is what you are, David,” Balek’s voice said. “You are nothing before me. You and the trinkets you have been gifted are not able to make even the faintest smear of damage to my projected consciousness. You have no power, no say, no authority. You are pawns to play with and you are being given a gift right now.”
David stood up, each word from Balek sending a pulse of anger through him. He pulled himself together, accepting the reality that he had been shown.
“Worship me and get even more powerful,” Balek said. “I am generous to my faithful. And you are untethered. You will get more. This is not a temptation, it is an opportunity.”
David walked slowly, his eyes fixed on the door. He took the steps up the altar slowly, passed the tall goblet, and then reached the door. There he stopped, the statue had turned to follow his movement.
“If you have someone down there you’d like to save, you should tell them to flee. Or make them as powerful as possible,” David said before he pulled the door and walked through. Behind him, the god laughed.
David ran down the steps. It spiraled down to a small hallway where David met the first guards. Four of them with swords drawn.
You were humiliated by a god and now you want to pour your wrath on humans, Ignis said, laughter in his voice. I accept!
David’s sword burned a bright red, fueled by his raging essence. He felt himself go cold within as World Tilter wrapped around him. He was an armored wraith of anger and death. He swung his sword lazily and a projection of a blazing blade shot from his sword, it cleaved swords and guards in two, scorching the walls. David forged on, his vision hued in red. As he moved, he tore through guards and priests. He heard their brief screams, but they were water splashing on his rocky hide.
Here, this chamber, Ignis directed and he stopped before a door. He could feel something powerful within. But to his left, he sensed someone coming. They were shrouded in black, but a halo of silver light formed a crescent above their head, and it burned vibrantly, casting light on a haunted face. The darkness shrouding the priest was neither cloth nor shadow. It was viscous, moving, squirming around him
“You have consecrated the grounds of Balek,” he said, his voice coming out strained as if the act of talking tasked his body. And when he looked up at David, his eyes were pure white. He stretched pale hands out of the swirling darkness and a sludge of black streamed off his fingers and palm, congealing into a sword and then it solidified. It was a heavy, crystalline blade with streaks of silver along the flat of the blade. David felt the power in it. He summoned his gauntlet and felt his spirit reinforced by the mediator. An excited laugh filled his head as the girl’s glee reached him and sparked a delicious excitement in him.
David, that thing has a corrosive attribute that you should be caref---
David flew at the priest, his body taut with power. The World Tilter armor surged with essence and David swung his sword, one fed into his mind by the mediator.
Spell: Arcane Whisper
Arcane Whisper is a spiritual attack. It destabilizes essence harmony, which makes it easier to break down magical attacks. Due to a lack of spirit insight. Potency has been reduced. The effect will last for three seconds.
Essence consumption: depends on the opponent’s level and spell
Spell level: high
Three seconds was enough for what David needed. Arcane Whisper spread over the blade and the priest. The crescent above him flickered. David smacked the sword aside and caught the priest by the throat. He slammed the man against the wall and saw the notification that confirmed what he’d suspected.
[Chaos has been tamed!]
The crescent above him shattered, and the muck of darkness vanished, revealing a wispy man in a plain, brown robe. His eyes were wide with surprise just before David pushed the sharp end of his sword into his chest.
“He should have made you stronger,” David growled.