This time the explorer mixed her blood with the luminescent drop of ether in a spare glass vial. No mummy powder required, apparently. He poured the resulting liquid directly onto the door and threw the vial away, as far as possible. It made a small explosion, akin to a firecracker. In the meantime, the glyphs came alive with light, almost blinding Nua as a result.
The door opened with a screech.
It was her role to go first, and as much as she hesitated she had no choice. The first thing she noticed was that the chamber looked different, round in shape, with a high ceiling and three arched doorways obscured by the shadows of the columns. It was decidedly more temple-like than the other rooms at this level. It also didn’t have etheric shining devices, so the only light came from her torch and the outside.
There was a runic circle on the floor. Barely visible, cast of dark golden metal, it encompassed the whole area. The longer Nua watched it, the more complex it seemed. Composed of smaller, interwoven circles and surrounded by hundreds of connected glyphs, it made her head spin. Cold sweat trickled down her back. She had no idea why, but she knew that they shouldn’t touch the signs under any circumstances.
“Stand in the circle.”, she heard from behind.
“That is a very bad idea, noble sir.”
“It depends for whom.”
Something clicked.
Nua turned around. Flavius was holding a crossbow – the small sort, often used by assassins. He was aiming directly at her.
“Stand in the circle.”
Nua blinked. The tears did not want to flow. It had to happen at some point - she was not useful anymore. She botched any chance she had to escape. Perhaps despite every proof to the contrary, she held onto the belief that Flavius was starting to consider her a worthy companion.
“Why this? Why now?”
“I suppose I owe you an explanation.”, said the explorer to her surprise. “I grew fond of you – dumb, clumsy, and somewhat affable, like a dirty stray kitten. However in the eyes of the world, as you know, you’re expendable. Destined to help others climb greater heights on your back. See, I’m not an Overlord yet. My father stubbornly refuses to die. There are also my siblings, born of his favorite concubine. There is my uncle and his influences, my grandmother who despises me, my scheming friends-enemies-cousins, and many other factors I won’t care to describe because you wouldn’t understand. Once my father croaks, there will be a race for power, and getting my due position requires sacrifices. This time it’s your turn. Stand in the circle.”
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“I knew you’re a murderer.”
“All the great people are. Your Forsaken kings included. Stand inside, or I’ll shoot you and drag you there myself.”
She obeyed, although slowly.
“See”, he continued. “It’s very fortunate that you did not die until now. Turns out the entrance to the Inner Sanctum requires a human sacrifice. My sources said that a large quantity of blood should be enough, but the writing on the door is clear. To appease the guardian, one must give life to let the others enter.”
“Why…” Nua choked on words. Flavius misunderstood her question. He was definitely in a talkative mood.
“How would you design the safeguards for access to the Forsaken greatest treasures, weapons able to turn the tide of any war? If one wants to acquire such might they must be ready to pay any price.”
“They lost.”, said Nua. “They were fending off here just to prepare some sort of a ritual. I might die for nothing.”
“They had powerful rivals back in their day.” Flavius frowned. “What do you mean, a ritual?”
The circle came alight, magnificent and golden. Nua tripped and fell on her bottom, then stayed there with her eyes closed, prepared for the inevitable. Would the ether eat my soul? Would it hurt?
Then she heard a cacophony of metallic clatter. Something was approaching, and fast. Unable to resist, she looked and saw a view to remember for life.
It resembled a giant centipede, built of interlocking golden plates, replete with gears and other filigree mechanisms. It wasn’t crude or heavy like the ones Nua saw in the junkyard, but as a work of art, glyphs on every single plate, and there were hundreds of them, thin, elastic, and probably impervious to anything in human power. It had an insect-like head with huge mandibles, four front paws and numerous legs used just for walking, or rather slithering forward. Its eyes shone with white light.
It went straight at her. In a blink, it was so close that she could touch it if she wanted. The clamor hurt her ears.
… then the guardian passed her as if never noticing.
Nua turned around just in time to see the centipede charging at Flavius. The explorer did not even manage to draw his sword in time. There was a horrible, nauseating crush and an inhuman shriek as the mandibles gnawed on his head. His famous beard went red with blood. The guardian stayed there for a while, working through its victim’s chest and stomach as if to be sure that he never moves again.
Flavius Aetius Ahenobarbus the Third, the man so important that he had three names and a number to go with them, was dead. Just like that.
Slipping on the floor, Nua ran.