Arianna's Lotus [http://i.imgur.com/oOhwKDZ.png]

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Assault

I gleefully plunged Eoraso into the chest of a Jivyador, a wicked grin on my lips. In the next motion, I brandished the blade and beheaded another one. They wouldn’t interrupt Nalithor’s work. I wouldn’t allow it. One of the intruders rushed me with an axe, but I was faster. Another sent arrows of light careening toward me. My darkness snuffed them and their magic out.

“Do hurry up!” Fraelfnir snapped at Nalithor.

“I am going as swiftly as I can!” He growled back.

‘Arianna, there are more!’ Djialkan called to me.

Cursing, I readied Eoraso and leapt at yet another Jivyador. After hurried deliberation we had decided that using Eoraso instead of the Godslayer was safer. We could play off our attackers as false gods that way, if the locals questioned us. My blade sunk into the Jivyador’s chest. As he fell to the ground, I ripped my sword out of him and moved for the next.

The remaining Jivyador yelled at me in a foreign language. If it was important, I knew Nalithor or our Guardians would speak up. Since they didn’t, I kept going. Corruption wafted around the Jivyador, strengthening my rage. I wove shadows around Eoraso’s glimmering blade and decapitated another one of the bastards.

Light. The stench reached me first. Darkness exploded around me, creating a shield. The shrill sound of light magic dissipated in my shadowy wall, leaving only the sound of the Jivyador’s footsteps…and the beating of wings.

When I lowered my shield, I lunged for the nearest target and struck him in the throat. Several feet above us, an Angel hovered, gathering light magic above each hand. I leapt upward and shoved my sword upward through his abdomen. Upon landing, I surveyed the area for more targets.

Jivyador shouldn’t have been so weak. I’d slain over a dozen, yet none of them had proved to be a challenge. Their attacks were disjointed and focused solely on me. None of them seemed to even consider the option of working with each other.

‘Leave them to me.’ An unfamiliar voice whispered in my head.

Before I could search for the voice’s owner, stone erupted upward around me and crushed two of the Jivyador between the slaps. When the stone parted, there was nothing left but a smear of blood and ruined clothes.

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“Our friend here is not at all pleased about his people being threatened.” Nalithor strode over to me, spear in hand and a smile on his lips. He examined me briefly, then at the gore around me. “It will take some time to return this place to its pristine state, I’m afraid…”

A bulky man with chestnut brown hair darted past us, slamming one fist into the face of a Jivyador. The false god’s head exploded in gore, the rest of its corpse dropping to the ground, limp. I raised an eyebrow and watched the land deity use his fists, feet, and earth magic to wipe out the remaining eight Jivyador.

By the end, almost two dozen Jivyador corpses were scattered around the deity’s “temple.”

“My name is Fihr. For helping me and my people, you are welcome to stay.” The land deity turned to look between Nalithor and me. “I overheard your conversations with my people. You are correct to think our enemies sought to sink us in the ocean—and missed. Dimquth is a humble city. One I wouldn’t allow to be razed by that she-demon.

“What were our attackers? They claimed to be deities, yet…” he paused to kick a nearby head, “they died so easily. Your wife cut them down as if they were as trivial as grass.”

“We should deal with this atrocious mess before discussing this further,” Fraelfnir spoke up from Nalithor’s shoulder, a displeased grimace on his snout. “Your worshipers should not be exposed to such corruption.”

“Corruption?” Fihr frowned.

“That.” I pointed at a corpse near him, and the brown blood oozing from it. “I’ll stay here and help the Vulin clean up the mess I made. We should have someone here to purify the corruption anyway.”

“You’re certain?” Nalithor arched an eyebrow at me.

I nodded. “Yes. I’ll join you once I’m done here.”

“Very well.” Nalithor gave me a brief kiss before taking his leave, pulling the confused Fihr along with him.

“Reiz’tar?” Yumeko tilted her head at me.

“There are some things I want to check while we clean up,” I informed her, turning my attention to one of the corpses nearby. “Plus, I’m not convinced more won’t show up. If they do, I’ll be here to protect you and yours while we work.”

“But to allow Reiz’tar to…” Yumeko sighed, her shoulders slumping. “I suppose your hands are already dirtied by having to slay the fiends. Is that your mindset?”

“Well, that and I don’t think you should have to deal with the mess I made!” I laughed, shooting her a pleasant smile. “We’ll pile the bodies for disposal here. Before we add them—or their pieces—I want to inspect them with my aether, and purify them after.”

“That will take a long while.” Yumeko frowned at me.

I shrugged. “It’s necessary. I want to check their corruption and also their lingering aether. They weren’t speaking a language I’ve heard before. If they’re from another continent, I might find clues while searching them.”

“As you wish, Reiz’tar.” Yumeko sighed again. “I will make sure everyone knows, and that they are careful.”

“Thank you.” I smiled at her.

‘Over a dozen dead Jivyador and no others have come to investigate? This is suspicious,’ Djialkan voiced his agreement, gripping my shoulder tightly with his talons. ‘We will not be free of them long. You should work quickly.’

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