I moved quickly through the forest, carrying the face of a Drow soldier.
With me being the only one capable of such a convincing disguise, the rest of the team had no choice but to set camp and wait for my return. It was too risky to go together, not to mention we lacked any good ideas for infiltration.
Even what I was doing was risky, but less so than the other options.
Wearing a familiar face I could approach the other Drow without fear of getting discovered and then take them out one by one, taking their place. I didn’t kill anyone though as such actions would alert my enemy. I had no doubt that the guards all had their Soul Lanterns inside the fortress, if for nothing else but an early warning signal.
Luckily I had learned a few tricks that allowed me to disable a Cultivator for a while, blocking the use of their Soul and body for up to a few days. It was basically a mild form of curse damage, specifically targeted to prevent the use of magic.
Every guard I took out I dumped into a cave or deep underground, getting them out of the way. Some of them I even left with my team at the beginning. Of course, I also stole their memories while I was at it, slowly learning what this place was all about.
The floating island was some kind of a research center where the brightest minds of the Drow were developing a weapon to use against the three Clans, its power such that it could take out multiple high-rank Sky Realm Cultivators at once with ease.
What exactly that weapon was or how it worked I didn’t know, the grunts I stole the memories from not having such secret knowledge. Heck, I didn’t even know if the weapon was real, the rumors and conjectures being something they spread among themselves.
Anyway, for the disabling curses to work, I had to physically overpower my opponents as well as crush their spirits with superior Soul power. Only then did their defenses drop enough for the technique to work. That wasn’t too hard to achieve and I slowly managed to climb higher up the ranks, allowing me to get closer to the elevator.
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Chalaste was busy controlling a mix of reagents in her lab, the army of assistants she had at her disposal diligently cutting up and grinding the necessary materials for the special material stabilizer.
The air inside the large hall was nice and cool despite the oppressive heat outside. The glyphs and inscriptions on the walls worked well to keep it climate-controlled at a steady temperature and free of particulates. They couldn’t afford contamination in the delicate concoctions they were making.
Despite the fact that they were on the cusp of winter, the plants outside the window were lush and full of life thanks to them being anchored in the deep south close to the equator.
Chalaste would, of course, have preferred to be working outside among the greenery, but her talents were best suited for other things. Her alchemical discoveries, while impressive and revolutionary for fixing the weakness of her people, were not enough to get her superiors to change their minds.
She was one of the best researchers in the land, and her assistants were closely behind. They worked day and night for many years to bring the fortress to life, an amazing achievement considering the ancient artifact lay dormant for thousands of years.
Unfortunately, time had taken its toll and the entire thing nearly tore itself apart when they first powered it up. They had repaired it since then, but the structural integrity was still quite poor, something the stabilizing mixture should take care of. They just needed a few… thousand more barrels of it.
Sighing at all the work left to do, Chalaste wiped her forehead and refocused on the cauldron bubbling before her. It was going to be a long few months.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and a guard commander stepped in, bowing.
“Forgive my intrusion, Lady Chalaste. The High Priest Antasaghar has arrived and wishes to speak with you.”
Chalaste sighed and gestured for one of her assistants to take her place. The work was already done, the liquid just needed to cool to be stored away. That much she trusted them to manage without her.
“Coming.” She said, straightening her robe and rubbing her cheeks to get the exhausted look from her face.
The High Priest, her direct superior, was not supposed to visit until a week later. Clearly, something must have happened for him to visit ahead of time. She didn’t look forward to the meeting. The man was rude and always pushed her to work faster, never satisfied with the results no matter how incredible they were.
The commander waited patiently by the door and waited for her, leading her out of the lab and into the meeting room. She noticed him taking out a round object from his pocket just before they entered, looking at it, nodding, and then stuffing it back in.
He then turned to her and opened the door, bowing as he urged her inside.
She stepped in and there he was, the man of the hour. High Priest Antasaghar, his back turned to her as he looked out of the window, his hands crossed behind his back. She forcefully put a smile on her face knowing that it would most likely not save her from his verbal assault. The man had an incredibly sharp tongue and could never take a no for an answer.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
The front door slowly closed with a click, the commander having closed it with great care.
Taking that as a signal, the High Priest slowly turned, his face expressionless, yet somehow still radiating irritation.
“Lady Chalaste.” He greeted.
“High Priest Antasaghar.” She greeted in return, inclining her head in respect.
“How is the progress going? Is it going to be ready soon?” The man went straight to the point.
Chalaste internally sighed, knowing what was to come. “A few months. It should be ready by the time spring comes around.”
High Priest Antasaghar took a deep breath, his dissatisfaction clear. He turned towards the door.
“Commander, could you please give us a moment? I need to speak with Lady Chalaste in private.”
“Yes, of course.” The commander answered and, after giving Lady Chalaste a sympathetic look, opened the door and closed it back behind him. The click of the lock sounded deafening in Chalaste’s ears as she surrendered to her fate.
She looked at the High Priest who was barely holding himself back. He did not appear happy with her answer. Not at all.
Chalaste opened her mouth to speak, trying to calm the man, but it was already far too late for that, and the volcano that was the High Priest, exploded.
***
The guard commander quickly closed the door behind himself, glad he was allowed to leave. Being in the High Priests’ presence was not something he wanted to experience. The man was a monster that could not be reasoned with. He pitied the poor woman who was about to experience the brunt of his wrath. Completely undeserved too.
Soon, the shouting started. The commander could hear it despite the sound enchantment on the door isolating the inside with more than 99.9% efficiency. The High Priest had a strong voice and a short fuse. Everyone knew that.
He exchanged looks with a guard on the other side of the hallway and gave a helpless shrug and a smile as if saying sorry for the trouble.
The guard shook his head and helplessly smiled back. There was nothing they could do but wait.
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Chalaste barely held back tears as High Priest Antasaghar stormed out of the room, leaving her shaken and traumatized. The man was furious. From what she could gather from his shouting, a few of his plans went awry and he wanted to use the ancient weapon to take revenge.
She didn’t care about his stupid ego getting hurt, the weapon was not ready, and she told him that! Of course, he couldn’t take a no for an answer and demanded the work be finished by the end of the month. Which was impossible. She knew it, he knew it, and yet still, he didn’t care.
Chalaste slowly walked out of the room feeling lightheaded, just happy for it all to be over. She couldn’t wait to get back to her boring lab and bury herself under a mountain of work just to get her mind off the traumatic experience.
“Ah, Lady Chalaste!” The commander came to greet her, apparently having waited for her and the scolding to finish. “High Priest mentioned he left something for you just as he was leaving. If you would please follow...”
“Ugh… Does it have to be now? Can’t it wait?” Chalaste grumbled, holding her head. She just wanted to be done with it.
The commander smiled gently. “Please, I’ll get scolded if the High Priest thinks I disobeyed his orders.”
Chalaste sighed. That was true and she would feel guilty about it too. “Fine, lead the way.” She just wanted to be done with everything. It was a bad day, she couldn’t wait for it to finish.
The commander bowed, and visibly relaxed, leading her along the hallway towards the main hallway.
“In here.” He gestured to a room and held the door open for her.
Chalaste went in almost subconsciously and then heard the door close behind her. She looked around, but the place was just a normal bedroom with nothing special sticking out at her.
“You said the High Priest left something for me? What is-?” She turned, and the words remained stuck in her throat.
The commander was drawing an inscription on the floor with his own blood, a complex matrix of Runes that she couldn’t immediately decipher. The sight immediately woke her up, but before she could say or do anything else, the drawn array shimmered and sunk into the stone. It quickly became undetectable.
“What are you doi-?” She had to stop herself again as the face of the commander began to morph, turning from ashen gray to a bright red. His thin form expanded, growing muscle in places a Drow should have any, and the ears changed, growing shorter and more rounded while two horns wormed their way out of his skull.
[What am I doing?] The… creature said, its voice deep and amused. [Just drawing a few Runes. You know… Sound isolation, Qi isolation, force isolation, Qi gathering, amplify force, explosion, amplify explosion, Quake, amplify Quake…]
The… man continued by counting on his fingers, his smile growing.
“You… Guards!” Chalaste screamed, realizing she was dealing with an enemy. An enemy infiltrated their secret fortress! “Guards, help! Hel-!”
A strong hand clasped around her mouth, nearly crushing her skull.
[Ssssh. No yelling.]
She squeezed her eyes tightly from the pain. She couldn’t free herself from his grasp, and to her horror, she felt the energy inside her body get beaten into submission as well. She was not a fighter, and against such overwhelming force, she could do nothing.
[Hey, how do I look?] She heard the deep, masculine voice. However, as she opened her eyes, another face was looking at her. A thin, gray face, with long hair and deep circles around her eyes. It was as if she was looking in a mirror.
“What do you think? Pretty good, huh?”
Chalaste squirmed in horror, trying to free herself. Trying to warn others about the shapeshifter that stole her face and voice. Yet, it was futile. A long, pointy finger touched her forehead, her eyes rolling to the back of her skull, and everything went black.
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Chalaste wandered the fortress, looking sick and frail. The meeting with the High Priest left her feeling feeble. The guards were giving her pitying looks but didn’t otherwise try to stop her. They were just there to do their job, get paid, and stay out of trouble.
“Lady Chalaste.” The guards at the front gates bowed as she approached.
“I’m… just going to get some fresh air.” She said, looking paler than usual.
The guards flinched. “Lady Chalaste… I… I don’t think that’s a good idea. The High Priest-“
“Is not here anymore. I need some air. My head is killing me, and I can’t work like this. I’ll just be a little while.” She smiled feebly.
The guards looked at each other and then back at her. “Well, alright, but please come back before nightfall. It’s already getting late, and we don’t want any trouble.”
They moved to the side, letting her pass.
“Oh, you are the best, thank you.” She took quick, elegant steps and left the fortress.
One of the guards shook his head. “I pity her, poor woman. She’s working so hard…”
“Aye… Such a gentle soul…” Replied the other.
What they did not see, however, was Lady Chalaste’s body growing behind them, and grinning like a devil.