Chapter One Hundred One: ‘The clash of Tide and Sea...’

Hector climbed through the gaping hole in the rock that Lord Dimas had made for their group. They were entering through the front. The intention was to be noticed, after all.

With Xuan at the head of their party, Asad bringing up the rear, and Dimas and Salvador on either side, Hector was in awe of the power that surrounded him. These men were the strongest members of their respective houses, so it was a little intimidating, accompanying them to battle like this.

He had to keep his wits about him, though. There was a reason why it was only the five of them on this mission. They fully expected to face Melchor Blackburn, and according to Dimas’ father, combatants without the requisite soul defenses would only be a liability against the man.

Hector had figured that would disqualify him and Garovel from participating, but Garovel did not seem to agree. Instead, Garovel insisted on joining and even told everyone that Hector would be able to hold his own just fine.

‘Are you crazy?!’ Hector had said. ‘Don’t tell them that!’

‘Relax. You’ve got that shield of super-cheating, remember?’

‘This piece of shit isn’t gonna save me!’

‘You don’t think so?’

‘No!’

‘Well, let’s see if you’re right, then.’

‘Garovel, what the fuck?!’

Thanks to that, Lord Salvador had tested Hector personally. Which had been terrifying. But in the end, the shield did its job. Salvador hadn’t been able to hurt Hector and so did not object to the young Lord Goffe’s company.

None of the Rainlords seemed to realize that Hector’s resilience was all the shield’s doing, but Garovel wanted to keep it that way, lest they decide that they needed it more than he did. Asad might have known of its power, being the crafter’s brother, but if he did, he wasn’t saying anything.

And so here Hector was, having somehow lied his way into a situation where no one in their right mind would want to be. He felt like the most ridiculous member of their party, too, clad in full plate armor that clinked every time he moved, while everyone else hardly even bothered with bulletproof vests. At least it wasn’t a mission that required stealth.

Their purpose here was to draw Melchor’s attention so that Lord Abel and the rest of their forces would have time to rush in and seize the castle. If they defeated Melchor, then that would mean instant victory, since no one else would be able to stand against Lord Xuan; but even if they somehow lost, Lord Abel’s forces would have already gone through and neutralized enough of the other Blackburns that they could simply focus on the weakened Melchor and overwhelm him with numbers.

As far as plans went, Hector thought Lady Amaya had come up with a pretty solid one.

The first corridor they found was completely dark. Lord Xuan lifted a burning hand and illuminated the way forward with a greenish light. At first, it only flickered faintly, and then it became bright enough to reveal even the high ceiling.

‘Is that really necessary?’ said Duvoss. ‘You have a flashlight, you know.’

“Yeah, but how often do I get to use my glowy powers to actual effect?”

‘You’re hurting your hand for no reason.’

“You’ll fix it for me, won’t you?”

‘Use your bloody flashlight before you fill the air with toxic smoke.’

“C’mon, I have more control than that.”

Lord Dimas intervened. “I do smell garlic...”

“Really? Shit!” Xuan’s hand dimmed suddenly and flailed up and down, apparently having trouble undoing his own work. “Eek! Ow! Ah...! Whew... that was close...” In total darkness again, there came a clearing of a throat, and Xuan’s flashlight clicked on. “Not to worry, everyone. I meant to do that.”

Hector no longer felt the most ridiculous. ‘I don’t want to be rude, but... this guy is our ace in the hole?’

‘I... I’m sure we’ll be fine,’ said Garovel privately.

Qorvass and the others looked similarly dubious, however.

Hector hadn’t wanted Garovel to join them on the mission, but the reaper insisted on it.

‘It’s fine,’ Garovel had said. ‘If we find Chergoa, I need to be there to talk to her; otherwise, she won’t know she can trust you.’

‘I could just tell her I’m your servant.’

‘Could you, Hector? Could you really?’

‘...Y-yeah. I mean, probably.’

‘Well, even so, I’m sure you’ll have need of my observational support.’

Hector couldn’t tell if Garovel was being brave or stupid, but he knew that he didn’t have much room to argue about it. He wasn’t exactly an expert on how much value one should place upon one’s own life.

The group proceeded on, making slow progress. With the stony walls all soul-empowered, the reapers couldn’t sense where the enemy would be coming from, so they had to be cautious each time they entered a new room. Hector consulted one of the maps he’d been given and noticed they were coming up on a large complex of rooms which had been collectively marked as a foyer. It seemed to be the center of transit in this area, bearing two staircases, two elevators, a pair of bathrooms, and connecting three major hallways and a massive auditorium.

And when they approached its double doors, they found that the foyer’s lights were still on.

Xuan waddled through them without much care, and everyone followed.

With only Xuan’s exceptionally modest stature ahead of him, Hector got a clear view of the room. Spacious was the first word for it, bearing rectangular chambers on the first floor and staircases that led up to a second and third. Ornate was the second word, though perhaps not in the conventional sense. Polished rock was the theme of this place. The floor, the walls, the stairs, the guardrails, the chandeliers, even some of the furniture had been constructed from stone. The handful of chairs and sofas at least had darkly green cushions to go along with them, but it truly seemed like stone was utilized in every conceivable manner, save only where sheer practicality required otherwise.

The room reminded him of Warrenhold, actually--like what Warrenhold might have looked like in an earlier era, all furnished and obviously cared for. The only real difference to Hector’s eyes was that the shadowy stone still didn’t have quite the same pitch blackness that nightrock did.

Xuan stopped abruptly. “Ah. There you are, Darktide.”

Hector saw the other man standing there on the second floor, watching them from over the hefty guardrail. “Hello, Seadevil. And company.”

“I see you have decided not to ambush us,” said Xuan. “That is appreciated.”

“I figured you would want to talk,” said Melchor.

Xuan chortled. “I’m surprised that you would.”

“I am in no hurry.”

Dimas took a step forward. “Only to tell us more lies, I imagine.”

Melchor made no response.

Xuan picked up the slack. “How’s about we stop all this nonsense, eh? Return the Elroy kids to us, and we’ll leave you alone.”

“I doubt that,” said Melchor. “I’m sure you have pressing questions now that would keep you here, regardless. Not that it makes a difference. I cannot give you the children.”

“Why not?” asked Xuan.

“I cannot tell you.”

Xuan pursed his lips. “Are you sure? Because I really hate having to fight scary guys like you.”

“Same old Xuan. I always did enjoy your ability to speak plainly. I would prefer to avoid this as well, if I am honest.”

“Then why are we doing this?”

“Because your loved ones wish to hurt my loved ones,” said Melchor.

Xuan frowned. “I don’t think that’s quite right.”

“Unfortunately, it is.”

‘Why can’t you tell us?’ asked Duvoss. ‘There must be a reason.’

“Of course there is. And I cannot tell that to you, either.”

Several more people entered the foyer from the second and third floors. Hector recognized some of the faces from the photographs Lady Amaya had shown everyone.

‘Nine new souls,’ Garovel told him privately. ‘Melchor makes ten. I also sense the woman from the other day.’

Hector remembered her. The cesium materializer, Silvia Blackburn. Already, Hector was wondering how much use he would be in this fight. He felt Asad touch his left pauldron and realized the man had soul-strengthened his armor for him again. He gave the Sandlord a grateful nod.

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Lord Xuan pulled off his small coat and began rolling up his sleeves. “Well, then, if that’s how it’s going to be, then I hope--”

A gunshot cut him off, and Hector saw Xuan’s head twitch and heard the ping of the bullet’s ricochet. Xuan looked up to their right, but rather than looking up as well, Hector noticed the tiny bruise on the Seadevil’s temple where the bullet had struck him.

As Xuan eyed the apparent gunman, he burst into a laugh that had the deep rumble of a man thrice his size. “I’ve never had the honor--no, the pleasure--of meeting House Blackburn in real battle. And seeing as you’ve refused every chance at clemency, I hope--” He paused, perhaps to see if someone was going to shoot him again. “--I hope you won’t disappoint me. I haven’t had any good mayhem in a while, and I hate when my opponents die too quickly.”

That made Hector blink, along with everyone else in the room--including Melchor, Salvador, and even Dimas, the Seadevil’s own cousin.

They did not have long to be surprised, however.

Xuan and Duvoss chose that opportunity to converge. In an instant, the little Rainlord’s body disappeared within a column of white smoke, billowing up and out in a way unlike any smoke Hector had ever seen.

And chaos erupted. Gunfire rang out from all around, as did the piping reverberations of destruction users, and Hector decided that staying in one place was a bad idea.

‘Stay close to Asad,’ Garovel told him coolly.

Hector concurred. The lone Sandlord launched up to the second floor’s gallery amidst a flurry of bullets, explosions, and shattering quartz, and Hector followed.

Their first opponent, Hector recognized straight away. That was the face of Ismael Blackburn, Lord of Marshrock. The man’s file said his ability was potassium transfiguration, which now manifested in the violet flames leaping from Ismael’s body and shooting toward Asad like a volley of arrows.

Rather than stopping the flames with a wall, Asad doused them completely with a blanket of sand, allowing Hector to push closer with shield and materialized spear in hand.

Ismael severed a forearm and retreated, and Hector certainly did not need to be told why.

The shield took the explosion well, though the force still sent Hector flying. He grabbed the guardrail to catch himself, but it snapped right off and came with him, all the way to the other side of the chamber where his armored body left an impressive crack in the far wall.

For a second, he didn’t know where Garovel was, and then he realized that the reaper had somehow wriggled into his armor and latched onto his back. ‘Er--you okay in there?’

‘It’s actually quite cozy,’ said Garovel. ‘Wish I’d thought of this earlier. Careful on your right.’

Lord Salvador was there, dealing with three Blackburns all by himself.

It was like watching a bull facing down a trio of wolves. The three Blackburns were attacking him in unison with minimal effectiveness, due to the Lord Delaguna’s passive defenses combined with his cobalt transfiguration. However, they did have one destruction user, who finally managed to hit Salvador’s metallic shoulder. Cobalt burst apart into a thousand brittle chips, but scarcely a moment passed before it regenerated, allowing Salvador to charge forward undeterred. The destruction user was forced to retreat sideways so that the other two Blackburns could buy him time to avoid being flattened.

Hector couldn’t tell if Salvador actually needed help or not, but he wasn’t going to wait and find out. He dove in shield-first and materialized a pillar beneath the destruction user, knocking the mustachioed man off balance. Hector swung his sword vertically, looking to lop the man’s arm off, but instead, the iron blade only cut partially through the armpit before snapping in half.

The man, whom he now recognized as Tomas Blackburn, did not look pleased. Tomas brought a meaty hand around to use his ability, and Hector wrenched away in time to lose an arm instead of his head. The heater shield endured a pummeling and went flying out of Hector’s shredded grasp.

Hector didn’t let the loss slow him down, though. He discarded his busted sword, wrapped his good arm around Tomas’ half-severed one, and pulled with all his strength. The appendage popped right off in a cloud of blood, and Hector clobbered Tomas in the face with the man’s own soul-strengthened bicep in one smooth motion. Tomas went toppling backward, and Hector moved to recover his shield, which had nearly finished restoring itself to perfect condition already.

When he looked back toward Lord Salvador, he found the man overpowering his two opponents. Tomas was scrambling back into position, but it was already too late. A huge hand found one of their heads and tore it off as if nothing had been holding it in place. The other Blackburn retreated, and when Tomas arrived again, Salvador put him through the wall.

‘Maybe we should help someone else,’ advised Garovel.

Hector looked around the foyer and saw that everyone was quite occupied, apart from him. The frenzied collision of smoke and liquid metal in the middle of the room made the very air shudder, but he couldn’t even remotely tell if one of them was winning.

Dimas had his hands full with the Blackburns on the third floor, but Asad seemed to be having the hardest time, forced to deal with Ismael, Nere, and Horatio all at once--probably the three strongest opponents after Melchor.

Hector broke into a full sprint as he cooked up the next strategy. Asad’s corner of the foyer blustered with flames and strings of targeted explosions, and Asad had to endure many of them in favor of dodging spatial distortions from Nere. It was clear enough that Asad needed some room to breathe. Perhaps another iron platform--

‘Shield above your head!’ Garovel yelled.

Hector brought the shield to bear in time for a swarm of mercurial spikes to break upon it, impacting with enough force to drop him on his ass. A spike skewered his left greave along with the leg therein. When the spikes subsided, he yanked the mercury out and clambered onto his right leg in order to limp onward while the other healed.

Before Hector could assist Asad, however, green light filled the chamber, and a veil of smoke washed past Horatio Blackburn, replacing the man’s body with a melting husk. Huge, snaking wisps of steam hissed off of Horatio’s vanishing clothes and boiling flesh. Even the man’s pan-forma-level regeneration was not enough to abate the Seadevil’s acid. Already, his limbs had been eaten through to the bone, dangling off of his torso like some kind of grotesque ornament and bringing him to his knees.

And Hector was abruptly glad that Lord Xuan was on their side.

The battle was clearly shifting in their favor now. With one less opponent to worry about, Asad was already getting in more shots of his own, pelting both Ismael and Nere with bursts of molten quartz and forcing them to give ground. His tattoos glowed an almost constant gold as he weathered Ismael’s violet flames in order to keep pressing his assault. Salvador, in the meantime, had already cleaned up the three opponents on his end and went crashing up to the third floor to assist Dimas.

‘Hold on,’ said Garovel. ‘Don’t jump back into the fight just yet.’

Hector stopped, uncertain. ‘Why not?’ From his position by the second floor’s staircases, he had a mostly clear view of everyone.

‘Let’s wait and see how things unfold. This battle might already be over. Be ready to jump in if and when you’re needed, but not before.’

Hector observed the fight with grim wonder, trying to keep an eye on everyone. Dimas and Salvador appeared to have their situation well in hand, with Dimas occasionally boring enormous holes in the rock, earning more aerial space for himself. Hector watched the man fly into a tunnel of his own making, only to return a moment later, exploding through a wall behind one of the Blackburns.

Meanwhile, Xuan and Melchor were still a thunderous mess of scarcely understandable chaos. Pillars of white smoke and whiter flames slammed against sheets of flexing metal, making both burst apart each time.

‘What are they doing?’ Hector asked.

‘Trying to overwhelm one another,’ said Garovel. ‘They’ve both mastered pan-rozum, so there aren’t many ways they can subdue each other. Hyper states can be forcibly undone by tearing the reaper out of the user’s brain. But in pan-rozum, the user can melt their brain mass down into something incredibly small without losing any of its functionality--and on top of that, it can be MOVED, too. So right now, they’re both attempting to surround and destroy enough of one another that they can locate their opponent’s brain and end the fight.’

Hector understood. ‘Process of elimination...’

‘Exactly. The less original mass the user possesses, the fewer places the brain can be located.’

Every now and again, Hector could see the smoke take on a vaguely human shape, sometimes with too many arms, all grasping at Darktide’s only slightly more humanoid form. Javelins of white flame punctured the mercury in multiple places, looking almost like fiery claws as they tore through the liquid body. Xuan’s own body expanded and contracted as he pleased, billowing one way and then the other, and not being particularly bothered by Melchor’s smothering walls. Even when Darktide actually succeeded in boxing some of the smoke in and compressing it, the Seadevil simply cut himself free with fire or acid.

‘What is Xuan’s element?’ said Hector. ‘Do you know?’

‘No one told me,’ said Garovel, ‘because I guess they like to keep their trump card secret when they can, but seeing it now--it’s almost definitely phosphorus. The sheer volume of smoke is somewhat telling--though I’m a little surprised he can control the product of his chemical reactions so well. To make the smoke an extension of his body... well, I am quite impressed.’

‘They did say he was 106...’

‘Yes, they did.’

Hector kept thinking someone would attack him again, particularly Melchor, but it seemed that Darktide didn’t want to divide his attention again, seeing as he did end up losing Horatio the last time he tried. Still, it was a very odd thing, just watching the violence unfold rather than participating.

Dimas and Salvador had thinned their opponents down to the last one, and Dimas moved to assist Asad, who’d been stuck in an apparent stalemate with Ismael and Nere up to now.

‘This seems too easy,’ said Garovel. ‘The way they talked about Darktide, I figured he’d be able to do more with pan-rozum than flail around like this.’

Hector was getting a similar vibe. ‘You think he’s holding back?’

‘Maybe. I’m not sure why he would, though.’

‘Well, if it were me, I might try to create an opening first--possibly by tricking the opponent into thinking they were beating me...’

Garovel paused. ‘Colt taught you that, didn’t he?’

‘Er. S-sorta... But, uh. I’m probably wrong. I’m sure that’s way too simplistic for a fight of this level. And if I could see through it, then Lord Xuan would obviously--’

As if on cue, a chunk of Darktide’s body pierced the center of the smoke and detonated with such force that even Hector was thrown into the wall. The blast filled the whole foyer, leaving behind long-lingering tremors that made Hector feel like he’d been caught in a sudden earthquake. He could hear more crumbling rock, but the smoke was so dense that he could scarcely even see until Dimas’ gravity swept the air clear again.

And when Hector returned to the busted guardrail, what he saw made his breath catch.

Darktide’s hulking form had been torn asunder, and pieces of mercury boiled beneath pools of acid. But the liquid metal beast was still standing, while the white fumes had all but dispersed. And Darktide was already in the middle of tearing Duvoss free from the Seadevil’s almost smokeless figure.

‘Time to help,’ said Garovel.

Hector leapt off the second floor and slid down on an iron ramp, already running when his feet touched stone again. He chucked a materialized spear as he charged forward, shield first.

Melchor saw him, but just carried on anyway and let his liquid body devour the iron as if it had been intended to feed him.

Duvoss and Xuan were separated now, and Melchor’s body began to swallow them both.

Unsure what else he could do, Hector just kept flinging iron while he also worked on a spiked boulder above the liquid metal beast’s head.

A visible pulse of gravity burst through Melchor’s arm, and Duvoss fell away from him, still gripped by the severed hand.

And Hector dropped everything else, suddenly knowing his most important task. He bolted forward and lunged for the reaper. He snatched Duvoss up just before the wave of mercury could, and the mercury crashed against Hector’s shield and armor both, sending him flying once more. But his concentration held firm, even as he crashed through the north wall into an auditorium and took out a row of seats before his armored body finally skid to a halt.

He pulled Duvoss close and kept him positioned just behind the shield, prepared to endure another metallic tidal wave, but it wasn’t immediately necessary. He saw Lord Dimas buying them precious time.

‘Can you move?’ asked Garovel.

‘N-no, I don’t--agh...’ Duvoss barely sounded conscious.

‘Forget it,’ said Garovel. ‘Regenerate Xuan now. Hector will keep you safe.’

‘W-where... where is Xuan’s brain?’

‘I lost him in the chaos. Just try regrowing him.’

And Hector saw a tiny speck appear in his own hand--a dot of brain matter. He had no clue how Xuan’s previous brain had gotten destroyed, but he didn’t have time to worry about it.

Melchor came crashing through the wall like a freight train.

Garovel’s next words were kept private. ‘It’s time to cheat, Hector.’

And the young Lord Goffe switched hands with the shield. As soon as his bare skin touched it, he felt the enhancement course through him like a shiver that tautened every muscle, but he kept his focus. He raised a broad platform beneath Melchor, trying to throw him off and squish him against the ceiling, but the liquid mercury cut through his iron like butter and bounded closer, undeterred.

Hector launched himself away with a diagonal platform. The mercury caught up anyway and snaked around his leg, stopping him in mid-air before yanking him back toward Darktide’s gaping maw.

The iron spikes came out, completely engulfing his body, and Melchor crunched through them without a single care. Hector’s armor shattered and pressed against his flesh.

But Hector himself remained. Curled into a ball, he protected Duvoss and Xuan with his body alone.

The mercury wanted through, but Hector wasn’t budging. He could see the brain growing slowly larger with each passing moment.

‘I think you owe your shield an apology,’ said Garovel privately. ‘It’s clearly not a piece of shit, and it’s definitely saving your ass right now.’

‘I’ll make an iron girlfriend for it later,’ said Hector. He felt his bones cracking under Darktide’s constant pressure, but it wasn’t fast enough to be a problem for Hector’s undead regeneration. The bones just kept breaking and healing again and again, though it wasn’t exactly comfortable. He couldn’t even move.

“You cannot win,” came the calm double-voice of Darktide. “Give up Duvoss, and we will let you live.”

‘Don’t answer,’ said Garovel.

Hector didn’t intend to. The fact that Darktide was trying to bargain now seemed indicative of a stalemate having formed, and a stalemate was in their favor, because all they needed to do was buy a few minutes for Xuan.

But it was going to be a long few minutes.

Abruptly, Hector felt the crushing pressure let up for a moment, only to be replaced by a dozen points of spinning force. Mercury drills, digging into his arms and back and neck and skull. And they were making progress. He tried to fight them with iron, but it wouldn’t even materialize in here. The field density of Darktide’s soul was much too strong for him.

Hector didn’t know what else he could do. He was plainly overmatched, and Xuan still needed a lot more time.

Then Garovel decided to intervene. ‘HEY!’ he shouted, making Hector blink. ‘WE’RE STILL ALIVE IN HERE! AND WE COULD REALLY USE SOME HELP RIGHT ABOUT NOW!’

Silence.

Then Darktide’s belly splattered apart with gravitic force, and Lord Salvador’s huge arm reached in. Liquid metal was on the man in an instant, but he already had a grip on Hector’s forearm and yanked him out. Melchor still held Hector’s legs, but Dimas was there to pummel the liquid beast with invisible bullets until Hector was finally free again.

Hector hit the ground rolling. His armor clattered off his body in sundered chunks, and the clothes beneath were full of rips and bloody holes and still-writhing mercury as his skin and muscles regenerated. But Duvoss and Xuan were safe in his arms, and Hector hoisted himself onto one knee, watching Dimas and Salvador engage Darktide in unison.

Dimas kept his distance, staying in the air while trying to keep the army of silvery tendrils from overwhelming Salvador, who was busy sacrificing and then quickly regenerating his hands in order to hit Melchor with molten cobalt. And Melchor was handling them both, swirling around their attacks while countering with his own. It was all they could do to keep him from simply blowing past them and going after Hector again.

Hector, in the meantime, worked on remaking his armor. Much as he would’ve liked to help, he knew that rushing back in would just put Duvoss and Xuan in danger. The best he would’ve been able to offer was a distraction, but that was exactly what Dimas and Salvador were trying to provide for him now.

‘Careful behind you,’ said Garovel. ‘We’ve drawn everyone’s attention.’

Indeed, Hector turned in time to see Ismael’s purple flames descending upon him. They smacked against his shield as he rolled away, but he found that they would not come off. Melting flesh stuck to the metal like glue, continuing to provide potassium fuel for the flames. Hector smothered them with an iron coating.

Asad appeared next to him, materializing a storm of glassy spikes to keep Ismael and Nere occupied. “Are you alright?” he asked with two voices.

“Yeah,” said Hector. “You?”

“Wouldn’t mind a little assistance. Here.” Asad pressed a tattooed hand against Hector’s fresh armor, but they were interrupted before he could finish strengthening it again. He and Hector were forced to dive in opposite directions to avoid a destructive path from Nere.

And Hector just tried to keep moving as he raised his shield to deal with more flames.