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Chapter 9: Acolyte

Chapter 9: Acolyte

To Adriana’s great relief, being on fire didn’t hurt. On the contrary, she felt fantastic. The sight of the flames dancing along her fingers amused her. They traveled up her forearm, stopping at her elbow. Her clothes were fine, and she sensed she could change that if she wished. The flames were a part of her now.

“Are you okay?” Davos asked.

Adriana looked up at the sun, the source of her power now. It didn’t belong to her, but there was a connection. “I’m better than okay, Davos. I’m alive. Let’s grab what we can and get out of here.”

Davos didn’t question it. His face lit up with approval, and followed her lead. The beach was large, but between the two of them and their speed, they made a game of racing from body to body, collecting anything they could. Adriana found a salvageable pack to replace her own, as well as a sword in good condition she tied to her belt. The rest of her haul included a handful of coins, a silver dagger, two Bestia orbs, and a round metal shield.

Davos made off even better. He managed to grab a bar of gold and a few gems, as well as Bestia of his own. She had no idea how he always managed to find the best treasures, and he pretended like it was no big deal every time. They caught up with Synto and Mykos, who found a working cart on the battlefield.

“What the hell happened to you?” Mykos asked, staring at her flaming arms.

Synto saw her and inhaled sharply. Adriana didn’t recognize the look on his face, but she didn’t like it. “That’s a Godmark. Usually found in actual Gods or Demigods. That Divinity you got was special indeed.” He quickly changed the subject. “What did you two find?”

They upended their bags into the cart, filling up most of the back. It was just about as much as their boat could reasonably transport, along with their food and water.

“Not bad,” said Synto, nodding as he looked at their pile. “This with everything we had before makes for a good pay day. Good job, everyone. As far as last jobs go, this will make us all set for a year or more. Plenty of time to find a new crew with less…friction.”

“He means less uppity, arrogant bitches,” Mykos added helpfully.

Davos looked between them with worry in his eyes, but Adriana surprised them all by smiling. The anger burned inside her, but everything burned now. “You realize I am way more powerful than you now, right? It would take no effort to kill you. I’d be doing the world a favor if I did.”

Mykos’ smile faded. He opened his mouth to speak, but Synto slashed his hand and silenced him. “Do not threaten him or me. We’re going to handle this civilly. Mykos will keep his mouth shut or you will get a portion of his share. Am I understood, boy?”

Being called boy nearly set Mykos off again. His eyes flared and his lip curled back in a silent snarl before he collected himself. “Yes sir,” he muttered.

Davos jumped in. “Three days of travel. That’s all we have to stomach. Fewer, if you want to gamble on finding a working boat here. We could search for one and split up today, if that would be easier.”

Everyone looked at Adriana, waiting for her decision. She held up her hands. “If he can keep his mouth shut, then I can too. I don’t need to run my mouth off at all times to stay entertained. Unlike…” Everyone held their breath. “...Davos.”

Davos grinned and said, “Guilty. But think of it this way: if I’m telling stories the entire time, then there’s no chance either of you will be able to fuck it up for the rest of us.”

Adriana slapped his back. “That’s the spirit. Let’s grab the cart and get out of here. Davos and I will scout ahead. But hey, you’re at the second level of ascension, you’ve got the strength and endurance to pull the cart.”

Synto exhaled sharply through his nose. “Then lead the way, and to the boat we go.”

Once more Adriana and Davos ran ahead, racing side by side. They stayed about six feet apart, close enough to talk on their way around the island to where their boat waited.

“You need to learn to stop antagonizing people,” said Davos. He looked almost relaxed as he maintained her speed. “The world is unfriendly enough without you making it worse.”

“They antagonized me first,” said Adriana. “I am not going to just stand there and take it whenever they feel they can disrespect me.”

Stolen novel; please report.

“So you repeatedly disrespect them back until a fight is inevitable.” Davos shook his head as he kept pace. “One of these days, you’re going to fight back against the wrong person and get crushed.”

“Nope. Not anymore. I’ve got power now, and it’s going to make it easy to get even more. Soon enough, there won’t be anyone in the world who can push me around!”

She pushed off a fallen tree and leaped in the air. A second later Davos put on a burst of speed and not only jumped into the air but pointed his hands towards the ground and produced a furious Gust of wind. It launched him thirty feet upward,and there he floated—going so fast it almost looked like flying.

“Show off!” she called out laughing.

“Says the woman with the flaming hair!” Davos crowed.

Adriana grinned and was about to retort, when a dark shape collided with Davos and brought him crashing to the ground.

She skidded to a stop. The abomination had his entire body in its lizard-like mouth. Small but sharp teeth pierced his stomach and sides. He gasped as the bite drove the air from his lungs. Eyes filled with a malevolent intelligence glared at Adriana.

“Let him go!” Adriana yelled. By instinct, she called Smoldersap to her hands and flung a glob at the creature.

It stuck to its back and sizzled, but it wasn’t as affected as the bear had been. It was still enough for it to relent, and for Davos to draw his sword and drive it down its gullet. It tried to pull back but he followed through, regaining his weight and throwing it behind his blade until it came out the other side.

Once she was sure he was alright, Adriana whirled around. The beach wasn’t empty. Just a hundred yards away, their boat waited for them. A humanoid figure in black robes was there too, surrounded by a handful of monsters. They turned around and pointed Adriana’s way.

“That’s an acolyte of the Maw,” Davos said, gingerly touching his stomach. “One of her direct servants with Divinity, straight from the source. Monster makers. I don’t think we can take them on without the others.”

“I do,” said Adriana with a grin. “What’s Mykos got to offer?”

“He’s another target for them to go after.”

“True. But I don’t think we have a choice here.”

The monsters charged them down. The first was like a big, black cat with huge, knifelike fangs and a spiked crest around its throat. Just after it was the form of a huge boar, but with a ridge of stone along its jaw instead of tusks. Above them flew another of the lizard abominations. This one screeched as the monsters closed in.

Adriana’s eyes flitted between them. They all came at roughly the same speed, though the boar and flying lizard came after Adriana, and the cat ran down Davos. Or at least, it tried to. Davos jumped into the air and the cat pounced where he had been. Then his weight returned and he crashed down sword-first into its spine.

The bird lizard screeched again and flew up high, then let itself drop. Adriana was ready for it, and summoned forth the blue flashfire, gently lobbing it up into its path. The strain hit her, but bathed in the sun's light, she was already recovering what power she’d lost. The blue flame touched the lizard’s stomach.

In a flash of white light, a smoking hole the size of a fist tore through the soft underside. It fell and rolled along the ground. Adriana hopped out of the way…

…and right into the path of the charging boar. It raised its chin and slammed into her. She went rolling along the ground, all the air knocked out of her. She fought to get to her feet, but not in time. The boar followed up, rolling her along the ground while it snorted furiously. Adriana held on to its bulging rock head and tried not to be sent flying.

Davos jumped on its back and stabbed downwards. The boar squeezed and bucked. Davos launched into the air, with his blade still embedded in its broad back. The distraction gave Adriana enough time to gather smoldersap and slam it directly into the abomination’s mad yellow eye. It squealed again and managed to throw her off.

She rolled to her feet and sucked in air. Her entire body felt like it had been hit with a battering ram, but the creature lived, and the acolyte waited with who knows what up their sleeve. She focused on the boar. Cupping her hands together, she gathered her flames and directed them outward in a torrent of volatile fire.

Every tiny hair on the boar’s body went alight. It bucked and thrashed, but Adriana kept the assault up. Davos called out a warning, and she let the flames expire just in time for Davos to come down from the sky feet-first. He drove the sword deep into the beast’s back. It squealed one last time before falling.

Huffing and puffing, Adriana and Davos looked at the Acolyte. The woman lowered her hood, revealing the face of someone as young as her, and heavily tattooed around her eyes and mouth, blackening her otherwise pale appearance.

“You fought well,” she called out from a safe distance. “Am I to assume this is your boat?”

“You assume correctly,” Davos replied. “Now, I’d love to just call it a long day and go our separate ways peacefully. But am I to assume that you’re going to try to kill us regardless?”

“You assume correctly,” said the acolyte. “You have Divinity, so you must die. The world will be cleansed, one by one.”

“What about you?” Adriana said. “You’ve got Divinity. What happens when you kill everyone else? You going to then kill yourselves until there’s nobody left?”

“Yes,” said the acolyte. “It’s the only way to be free of the tyranny of the Gods. However, if you give up your Divinity to me, then I will let you go freely. You will be tainted and incomplete for the rest of your days, but you will live.”

Adriana laughed. “That’s not happening. So I guess there’s no use trading words.” Smoldersap covered her hands. “Let’s go!”