Chapter 50 - Avernus

“Here’s one thing I don’t get,” I said scratching my chin, my big stupid grin still stretching my face from corner to corner.

“Pray tell, Lord Seth,” Sharinne said, her voice stiff and granite cool.

After the tremendous haul I’d taken away from both her Vault of Knowledge and Hall of Relics, I was still preening like a slick cat, and rightly so. Just thinking of all the things I’d be able to achieve with the wealth and treasures I’d acquired, a fierce flame began to burn anew within the furnace of my chest.

Power would be mine, and through it, vengeance at long last.

Still, I couldn’t shake off a niggling feeling in the back of my head, like I’d fallen right in the middle of a trap and my boot had stepped straight on top of a mine, and it was primed and ready to explode at any time. The most infuriating part of it all was, I couldn’t even figure out how or why, and few deaths are as tragic as the ones where you don’t even know where you gone done fucked up.

Constantly assailed by this insufferable pain in the butt, I couldn’t help but ask Sharinne. Perhaps she’d offer some insight. Hell, maybe she was the one who had done me in somehow. Still, I couldn’t just ask her something like, “I’m feeling like I really screwed big time, and I need you to tell me why.” or “So, how did you manage to screw me over by letting me win?”

So instead, I settled for a more oblique approach.

“Why did you just let me rob you blind?”

Fine, so subtlety has never been my forte. Screw it.

“Lord Seth, there seems to be a grievous misunderstanding at work here.” A thin smile finally cracked the leathery surface of the wounded she-dragon’s face. “A robbery is defined as the crime of taking items of value through force or threat. I see no such conditions at work here, notwithstanding the unconventional means of our mutual acquaintance.”

“Damn woman,” I muttered under my breath. “if that’s your definition of making the “acquaintance” of anyone, you’re even crazier than I thought. Remind me to stay the fuck out of your way from now on.

“Beg your pardon, Lord Seth?”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m just starkly unsurprised at how few of your ‘acquaintances’ must survive the experience.”

A grim chuckle echoed along the dimly lit hallways we were traversing. “Indeed, and that is as it should be. For the summit is a lonely place and its heights are singularly exacting in their demands.”

The single burning eye turned its regard upon me, and I had to force myself to calm down and not reach for one of the many newly acquired weapons I’d equipped straight from the vault, ready to throw down right then and there.

A single eyebrow’s quirk was all the response I got for my jumpiness, and I cursed myself and the damn fool dragon for good measure.

“Surely, based upon your own extensive experience you must agree, Lord Seth.”

“I wouldn’t know, my job’s always been to crawl out of other people’s shit,” I grumbled, again resisting the temptation to lay my hand on the pommel of the sword belted at my side.

“Oh, now humility; well, that I would have never expected from one such as you. You are full of surprises, Lord Seth,” Sharinne drawled, clearly enjoying having taken the advantage in this latest round of verbal sparring.

I sucked in an annoyed mouthful of air between my teeth, pretending to ignore her reaction.

“As for your question, I regard this whole ordeal as a transactional enterprise, Lord Seth. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“Then you make for a piss-poor haggler,” I chuckled, my good mood returning to me as I stroked the storage ring on my ringer.

Sharinne refrained from answering that, and the silence that ensued dropped an uncomfortable weight upon my back that I seemed unable to shake off somehow. That same feeling that I’d stepped on a landmine and was about to be blown to kingdom come was there, stronger than ever. That damn lizard had only made it worse.

So much for asking questions.

“How much farther do we have to go in this damned rabbit burrow?” I grumbled instead.

“I beg your forbearance, Lord Seth,” Sharinne replied softly, all hints of the overbearing pride from just a moment ago vanished as though smoke. Instead, there was a gossamer quality, a vulnerability to her tone that I’d never heard from the dragoness before. “The final stretch of this remarkable journey nears its end, and though I’m not entirely surprised by its significance, I find myself enthralled by the grandeur lent to the final pages of this tale.”

“What tale?” I prompted, almost without thinking.

“Why, that of Sharizhassleanna, Keeper of the Shrine of the Crimson Flame,” came the whispered reply, so low that I almost didn’t catch it at all.

“What do you mean?”

There was no reply, as Sharinne ignored my question and simply continued to walk forward.

“The dragon lady is dying, Mommy,” came the soft whisper from Shia, and I could hear the sorrow in her voice.

“What? She seems to be doing just fine,” I scoffed, waving the ridiculous notion off. Hell, she had survived a goddamn nuke. Was I to believe she would suddenly plop dead for no apparent reason?

“Shia doesn’t fully understand either, but her soul essence is acting strangely,” came the tentative reply.

“Is it fading?”

“No, just the opposite in fact. It is growing more fierce and intense.”

“There we go then, she’s probably planning on backstabbing us again to snatch all her stuff back, treacherous little bitch,” I growled, but Shia did not deign that with a response and in all honesty, not even I believed it.

Still, now that Shia had mentioned it, I couldn’t help but notice a familiarity with the way Sharinne carried herself. At the beginning of our journey through these tunnels, she had been more herself, willing to fight and feel indignant of the apparent affront inflicted upon the reserves and dignity of her clan.

However, the further we advanced into the journey, I could see the lines of tension and worry easing away, peeling back like the petals of a flower. What lay underneath was a purity of purpose, a singular will that would not be denied, and neither would it bow beneath any other lesser considerations.

I could now grasp at the hint of what she had said. Perhaps wealth and relics, they were all mere tools, means to an end. What did they all matter when the true end of one’s existence lay at hand? Had the dragon finally made peace with the last vestiges of her life? But, she wasn’t dying. Clearly, her wounds, severe as though they were, did little to hamper her functions.

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More than once, I was tempted to demand answers to all these questions, at least insofar as they affected Sol and thus my own immediate future. However, I could tell by her bearing that Sharinne was done speaking, at least for now.

Thus, it was in a somber, dignified silence that we finally arrived at a grand gate that stretched high above. Sharinne waved her hand in front of it, activating a series of lights that cascaded forth from the center and across the whole length of the gate. With a rumbling sound, the gates smoothly drew back and Sharinne stepped forward without any further ado.

I followed, still unable to shake off that sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I reached somewhat tentatively towards my soul power, and found that it was still thin and strained, not having had enough time to recover. Still, my hand found the hilt of the sword I’d hung from my belt, and its reassuring buzz of magic was enough to bring some semblance of calm as I stepped forward through the gate.

What awaited me was the largest vault yet by far, the size of which would have been impossible to guess at from the size of the gate I had just crossed. It could easily be the size of ten stadiums combined, and every inch of it glowed with an ethereal green glimmer that sparkled against a smooth dome overhead seemingly carved out of a mysterious opaque crystal. At the very center stood a huge ring of multi-colored light, easily a hundred feet across, that seemed to buzz faintly with power, even from this distance.

Oh, and there was one more thing waiting for me. I didn’t know if it was good or bad, but what the hell, I’d take it.

“I bid thee welcome to the Gate of the Crimson Flame, Lord Seth,” Sharinne chanted in a ceremonial manner. “Now pray state your purpose.”

“Are the theatrics really necessary? You know why I’m here. Hell, you begged for me to come and fetch Sol,” I muttered, shrugging carelessly. “Now lets get this show on the road so I can get the hell out and back home for dinner. I’ll even take back the bag of fleas.”

The Keeper of the Shrine of the Crimson Flame didn’t so much as bat an eyelid at my unconventional response. Neither did Reaver, as the giant mutt got up from where it sat on its haunches and slowly, almost lazily padded towards my side. The damn mutt even had the temerity to throw me a long suffering glance as if to say, “About time you got here.”

“Yeah, good to see you too, you damn mutt,” I muttered.

A somewhat lackluster bark was the only response I got.

“Reaver! I’m so glad you’re back! Who’s a good boy now? Who’s a good boy?” came Shia's joyful cry.

To my chagrin, a much more enthusiastic series of barks followed, and the damn mutt even began to wag its tail uncontrollably.

I rolled my eyes. “Little traitor.”

“Step forth then, Soul Keeper, and summon thy intended!” Sharinne cried out loudly.

Eh? I didn’t like the sound of this, but at this point I was past caring and simply wanted this whole ordeal over with as soon as possible. I couldn’t well stop the whole thing over ritualistic semantics, could I?

“Sol, get your ass out here before I lose my temper again,” I shouted in the direction of the gate.

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m no silly spellcasting twit. Hell, part of the reason why I chose the scholar class was because I couldn’t bear the thought of waving a magic wand while babbling forth an embarrassing string of nonsense. Still, I could not deny that from the very first word I could feel the air tremble with barely contained power that kept on building as I continued with my sentence.

Sharinne hadn’t bothered to explain what I needed to do in order to save Sol, but given that I’d pretty much become an epic badass at casting soul magic out of my ass to save my life on more than one occasion already, perhaps she felt further instruction was unnecessary.

Indeed, I might not have the knack for arcane crap, but the soul magicker gig fit me like as snugly as the carbonite fiber armor I’d had custom built for my special forces missions, back home. And damn, that thing was tight!

By the time I finished speaking, I instinctively pushed forth an effort of will that left me light-headed once more, but at least I didn’t wobble on my feet as I watched the gate in the center of the chamber light up with a blinding - can you guess it? - crimson light.

A rush of wind began to sweep across the hall, howling in my ears and ruffling all of Reaver’s fur. The magical beast’s eyes began to glow brightly as it gazed unwaveringly at the gate. Currents of power could be see arcing through its structure as the crimson light solidified into a thick red mist that spread outward from the center. It pulsed with a beat of its own, and the mist expanded, then contracted as though it were a living, breathing being.

I must admit, it would have been fairly spectacular if it hadn’t been so damn creepy.

“Sharinne, where is that brat?”

The dragoness simply shook her head lightly, as though she couldn’t quite believe it even though she was seeing it with her own two, er, scratch that, single remaining eye.

“Two hundred years of accumulated soul power at the very least,” She murmured, as though to herself. “And yet you achieve it with a single command of your soul. Is that the might of the Keeper of Souls, or is it the power you yourself wield, Lord Seth?”

Keeper of Souls? Why did I constantly keep getting more titles I did not have the foggiest clue about? And in truth, this latest title I’d been pegged with made me more uncomfortable than being the Devourer of Souls. I have a very poor track record, you understand, of keeping things. I’m more of the kind that devours, burns, breaks, so on and so forth.

“Here is where we lie at a crossroads, Lord Seth, and I set your doom upon you to choose,” Sharinne finished, and though the words sounded like she was finally fucking me over like I’d been expecting the whole time, her tone was one of reconciliation, and hell, perhaps even entreaty.

“Figures” I grumbled, somewhat unsurprised that my gut instinct had once again hit the mark, much to my dismay. “What’s the damage?”

Sharinne bowed low as her hand gestured in front of her, and upon the Gate a vision gradually began to take shape. It was that of a person, and though at first I’d hoped it would be Sol, soon the image grew distinct enough that I could tell it was a powerfully built man instead.

***

“Avernus,” came the whisper from the wind, bringing with it the smell of rot and decay.

Instantly, Avernus rose from his throne where he had been seated and smoothy knelt on the floor, his head bowed down. The motion was precise and graceful, which was surprising given the rippling mass of powerfully corded muscles that gleamed across the naked chest of this towering colossus.

“My lady,” came the low, succinct reply from his lips, not daring to say any more.

“A tremor in the weave of my Grand Tapestry has arisen. Locate and dispose of the nuisance.”

A mere two sentences, casually and soft-spoken by his mistress, yet with every word the very walls of his personal Inner Sanctum shook and quaked as though they might crumble into dust. Sweat beaded the brow of Avernus, God of Infernum and Lord of the Chaos Gates, as he dared not tarry and instead bowed low until his brow touched the ground beneath his feet.

“I hear and obey, my lady. Your will shall be done.”

***

As I continued to gape at the incongruous image of the mighty man kneeling down in such absolute obsequiousness, he slowly began to rise to his feet. Though his massive shoulders gave the illusion that he was not very tall, as he smoothly uncoiled to his feet I could instantly tell he was at least seven feet in height. Nor was he simply a giant. His motions were smooth and graceful, with an economy and efficiency of movement that told me this was a powerful warrior, a being born to do war and do it well. He would be the bane of any foes foolish enough to face him in battle.

Motes of light began to gather and circle around the man’s body as he rose, swiftly solidifying into a glowing layer of incandescent light. By the time the man rose to his feet and walked a few steps, the light had died down to leave a spectacular set of baroque armor covering every inch of the man, except for his head. Long locks of flaming red hair began to flutter in the air as though to an invisible pressure that rose from the man’s body, only to burst into incandescent fire as he reached out into the space before him and grasped a glowing hilt that materialized out of thin air.

As Avernus pulled on the hilt, a shimmering sheet of translucent red crystal was revealed. It expanded until finally a massive two-handed sword lay in the giant’s grasp, with eager crimson flames licking all along its length. This colossal sword, the giant easily lifted with one hand, holding it tall before him.

“Scieross, I summon thee,” Avernus cried out loudly, his thick voice sending violent ripples across the image.

Moments later, a long howl answered, and a massive shape could be seen swiftly growing larger behind Avernus’ back. The winged silhouette could not be mistaken for anything other than a huge dragon starkly silhouetted against the sky.

Finally, Avernus turned his gaze to look straight in Sharinne’s direction.

“Seeress, you presume far too much. Let this be the first toll this deity shall exact from your insolent flesh.”

The sudden words seemed to shock Sharinne as much as me. Immediately, Avernus reached out with his hand in our direction, and made a simple plucking motion. Thunderous crashes exploded across the chamber as blood splattered onto the sizzling gate, and the image began to tremble violently before collapsing altogether, its edges crumpling like sheet glass into fine powder.

The last image shown through the gate was that of Avernus sneering coldly in our direction while his hand held a single bloody eye clutched in its grasp. As the image died, the fist mercilessly crushed the globe held within, erupting into a gory splash of fluids and flame.

Sharinne screamed in agony, and my breath caught in my throat as I turned to see that the Seeress now truly had only one eye left, as in the center of her forehead only a gaping hole weeping blood lay vacant and staring back at me.

“I come for you, Seeress. Thy time is done.”

Avernus’ grim voice echoed across the dome, and for the first time in a long time, my heart lay choking as it whispered that the enemy I could not possibly beat had finally come knocking upon the gates.