Origin (Land of the Elementals Book 3), page 41
Both the arm and weapon fell to the ground with a clatter as he spun, smashing the spike into the side of Nilegard’s head and unleashing another burst of magic. The explosion ripped the ground apart, rending the metal to sheds and tearing up the stone beneath as Nilegard was hurled across the room, where he slammed into the far wall. He impacted with such force that the metal crumpled, ripping apart and sending him into the adjoining room.
Arbor, knowing the advantage of momentum, dashed after him, using his Perception magic to increase his speed, strength, and reflexes. Origin magic was roiling all about him now, randomly lashing out at the walls, floor, and ceiling. The tendrils tore chunks from the metal, warping them or repairing the damage that had just been done. Grass or flowers began to grow from some of the tears, while others turned to molten slag or changed into some other form of itself. Arbor was even positive he’d seen the steel separate into the various components that made it up, before fusing back together again.
He had no time to look and wonder about his magic, though. Right now, he needed to stay on task and keep Nilegard occupied. He leaped through the hole created by the Demon’s impact, dashing across the next room, which looked quite similar to the last, and attacked the still recovering Demon as he rose back to his feet.
Arbor noticed something that was quite troubling, even as his glaive whirled and slashed, unleashing massive amounts of wild magic. No matter how many times he was cut, Nilegard’s makeup always recovered. The Origin magic acted on its own, ripping at the threads of his existence, only to have the Demon’s massive constitution counteract it a moment later. Had Arbor had even a bit of control, he suspected he could have done some real damage, but as it was, all he accomplished was annoying the Demon.
Nilegard roared, molten blue power exploding from his body as Arbor’s next attack sailed for his head once more. Arbor jumped back, speeding up the flow of his Perception magic to assist him in clearing the attack in time. Several droplets landed on his breastplate, where they hissed and steamed for several seconds before vanishing. Much to Arbor’s shock, the attack also managed to leave several visible marks on the otherwise gleaming Mythicallium, which shouldn’t have been possible.
Then again, Arbor thought, as the Demon’s arm reformed and the holes he’d drilled through Nilegard sealed up. If Mythic Beasts could damage the armor, why not a Demon?
Arbor dashed back in, pulling his glaive back for another swing. Nilegard raised a hand, and another blast of the liquid-blue fire flashed between them. His glaive swung forward, unleashing a wave of Origin magic, which clashed with the Demon’s attack midair.
Another explosion rocked the room as the magics collided, and Arbor was hurled back. Rainbow colored light danced around the area where their magics clashed, warping and distorting in a maddening way that Arbor simply couldn’t look at. He felt that if he did, he might very well go insane just watching.
He turned a neat flip in the air, landing on his feet and skidding back another few feet before coming to a halt. Nilegard, who’d been blown in the opposite direction, had a much easier time of it, thanks to his wings. The Demon hovered in the air, eyes practically drilling into him, the malice so apparent that it was almost palpable.
Another massive weapon appeared in Nilegard’s outstretched hand, this one flickering with blue light along the edges. And even though he didn’t want to see it, Arbor had little choice. The Origin magic leaking from his body and ripping up everything in his immediate vicinity, clearly showed him the makeup, intensity, and most of all, power, contained on the edge of that weapon.
Arbor knew then that no matter how well-protected he thought he was, even a single hit from that blade would signal the end for him. He adjusted his stance as the rainbow light from their last clash faded, vanishing into nothingness. His front leg was poised, and his back coiled up, ready to launch him forward. This was not a fight Arbor could win, but it was most definitely one that he could not afford to lose.
52
Karria watched from within her icy prison as Grak relaxed, lowering the tip of her rapier and eyeing her in satisfaction. She was frozen solid, her entire body locked in place with only a single small hole left for her to breathe. Even that was difficult, as her ribcage wasn’t allowed to expand or contract, which would, according to a quick bit of math, have her unconscious in just a few minutes.
Not to mention the fact that her body was chilling at an alarming rate, and was already beginning to shut down. She had a feeling that they wouldn’t allow her to die, but restraining her would be much easier once she was unconscious, and from previous experience, Karria knew there were ways of blocking a Mage from accessing their magic. The gathered dwarves seemed both shocked and relieved at the same time, as the crazy girl who’d been torturing their former king was restrained.
“I’m sorry it had to come to this,” Akkard said, meeting the frozen girl’s eyes. “But you’ve gone too far.”
“And how do you plan on getting Arbor back without me?” Karria asked, her words coming out muffled through all the ice.
“I can get him back,” Grak said defiantly, sheathing her rapier.
“Please,” Karria said, letting out a half-formed laugh. “You don’t have nearly enough power.”
“I have plenty,” Grak said, practically glaring back at her. “And don’t worry, we won’t keep you restrained for long, just long enough for Arbor to come back and get you thinking straight again.”
“And what makes you think I’ll just stand here and allow you to mess things up?” Karria asked.
“Please, don’t try and bluff,” Akkard said. “It’s unbecoming, even for someone like you. I know you can’t use your magic without making some sort of gesture. Even when you blow things up, your muscles tighten on reflex. Without being able to move at all, you’re practically helpless.”
“Oh? You think so, do you?” Karria asked as the ice around her began to steam and melt.
Grak’s rapier was out of its sheath in an instant, more ice pouring over the prison she’d forged around her.
“I thought you said she couldn’t get out!” Grak yelled, the panic clear in her voice.
“She isn’t supposed to be able!” Akkard replied. “Hord! Where are we with those chains?”
“Got em!” Hord yelled, pulling a large wooden chest from the wall.
A section of stone had been shifted away, revealing the hidden alcove behind. Karria let out a snort of laughter, increasing the heat around her body, forging the very concept as her magic left her. It seemed the dwarves kept a few safeguards against Mages. Too bad they were so slow.
“Just hold her for another few seconds!” Hord yelled, pulling a length of dark gray chain from the chest.
“I’m trying!” Grak replied. “But she’s heating up the ice too quickly!”
The other dwarves stepped forward, raising their weapons, but Akkard turned to yell at them.
“Don’t, you idiots! Get the beam out of the way and go get help!”
Karria grinned as the dwarves turned, just in time for a massive, forged grate of steel to fall down, sealing them into the room. The only reason she hadn’t shattered the ice yet, was because she figured Akkard would be smart enough to send for help. But with a barrier like the one she’d forged in the way, there was no escaping.
Akkard whirled, his mouth already half-open to order them through one of the tunnels, just as another grate formed over the entrance. Hord came running, chains dragging behind him as Grak fought to keep her contained.
“You think that’s enough power to break down the barriers between worlds?” Karria asked. “Don’t make me laugh!”
With a small gesture, the icy prison exploded outward, showering everyone within a ten-foot radius with razor-sharp blades of ice. Grak cried out in pain, the backlash of her blocked magic causing her to recoil, while both Akkard and Hord were sent to the ground, their bodies riddled with shards of ice.
“For the king!” yelled one of the dwarves.
As one, they charged, tearing weapons from scabbards and hefting powerful hammers.
“No!” Akkard yelled, half-pushing himself off the ground, but once again, his warning came too late.
A pair of daggers appeared in Karria’s hands, seeming to leap from the tips of her fingers and spinning end over end. Two dwarves went down, one without a sound as it took him through the eye, and the other, with a loud gurgle as his throat was opened up.
Another pair of daggers appeared in an instant, flying at the dwarves before they could even react, and two more went down. Karria retreated as they raised shields, blocking off their vital areas and leaving little skin exposed. Still, wherever there was a chink, someone with the right amount of knowledge and skill could capitalize on it.
Karria’s next set of daggers were aimed at heels, one slicing the side of a foot, and the other lodging in an ankle. The dwarves fell, one of them dead before he hit the ground.
A blast of ice made Karria pause momentarily, forging a shield of pure heat before her and repelling the attack. Steam exploded outward in waves, blanketing the room and limiting visibility, which was just fine by her. Unlike the others, she knew where everyone was, and taking them out was hardly a challenge at all.
Another dozen daggers flew from her fingers, and while one or two hit their marks, all the rest were deflected.
“Stay behind your shields!” yelled one of the dwarves. “She can’t hit you if you…ack!”
The dwarf was cut off as half a dozen daggers plunged into his back, piercing his lungs, heart, spine, and brain.
“I don’t know why so much of your armor is left open in the back,” Karria tutted as the dwarf fell to the ground. “It’s almost as though you dwarves don’t think anyone will attack you from behind.”
The steam began to clear, revealing how few dwarves were left. The attack, which had started when Karria had burst free of her icy prison, had lasted all of a minute. In the short amount of time, she’d killed over half the dwarf guards and injured two badly enough that they could no longer fight. Grak was covered in small scratches, but all of her real injuries were self-inflicted, as witnessed by the icy-white frost clinging to her arms and covering her breastplate.
Akkard and Hord were not better off, as they’d been the closest when she’d shattered Grak’s ice-prison and had gotten the worst of it. Despite being dressed in armor, neither had worn helmets and sported many gashes and bruises as a result. The chain – made of Reflum, Karria guessed – was nowhere to be seen, though judging by the way Hord was standing, with one of his hands hidden, it was likely clutched in his hand.
“Well,” Karria said, beginning a slow clap. “That went about how I expected. Now, as much as I’d love to continue this game, I really need to be bringing Arbor back, so, if you wouldn’t mind…”
“There’s no way we’re letting you…!” began one of the dwarves, trailing off as Akkard held up a hand.
“Fine, you win,” Akkard said, taking several steps back. “Open the portal and bring him back.”
Karria would have had to be an idiot not to realize that there was an ulterior motive here, but she didn’t really care one way or the other. The entire reason she’d come all the way here and had to deal with these morons for days on end was to get to the right place. This was the spot where the portal could be breached, allowing Arbor to come back to her. She could feel it as well, a spot just to the left of the throne that practically hummed with otherworldly magic.
She had no idea how she could sense the area but had to assume it was another facet of her Bestowal magic. Once Arbor was back, she’d really have to start looking into how to properly utilize her power. After all, if she and her brother were going to rule the world, he would need all the help he could get. And strong as he was, Arbor wasn’t always the brightest when it came to thinking outside the box.
Karria strode confidently across the room, ignoring the glares of hatred from the other dwarves and the looks of wariness from her supposed friends. Once she had the portal open, Karria would kill them, she decided. There was no room for treachery in her new kingdom, and Arbor needed those he could trust around him. The two dwarves and lovestruck gremlin would only get in his way, and even if Grak might not hurt Arbor, she had to be the first to go.
Karria stopped right next to the throne, peering into the small spot and trying to figure out where to go from here. As far as she could see, there was a small spot of light, a spec that seemed to be far deeper than it should be. Not really having any better ideas, Karria reached out, allowing some of her magic to build up in her fingertips.
As soon as they brushed against the spot, Karria felt her body lock into place, as her magic was forcibly pulled from her body. She gritted her teeth, feeling her head throb painfully as her Mythic Origin was taxed to its absolute limit. The pain was so immense that she feared that she might not have enough strength on her own at her current Tier, and not having prior experience in opening dimensional rifts, Karria didn’t have anything to tell her how much she’d need.
Had her body not been forcibly locked into place, she might have fallen to her knees. As it was, she let a pained groan slip past her lips as more and more magic was forced into the void. However, even as her magic was torn from her, cracks began appearing in the air, spreading from the small white point of light as she continuously funneled her magic into the effort.
Her mind began to race, trying to calculate the spread of the cracks and figure out how long it would take for it to fully open at its current rate. Just as she felt she was about to make the correct guess, the air shattered, small fragments of light falling to the ground and leaving a tear in the air.
Karria staggered back, her mind recoiling at the sudden release and causing her to momentarily blackout. In that single moment, when she was falling back, Karria felt the cold chains wrap around her chest from behind, locking her arms in place. Her mind immediately began to feel muddled as her connection to her magic dimmed, but even taken off-guard and half-delirious from pain, Karria had prepared for just such a contingency.
There was a cry of alarm as a cage, already half-forged, shot up from the ground, closing around Karria and wrenching the chains from Hord’s hands. Power flooded her once again, the increase of usage and massive strain on her Origin, shattering the barrier and pushing her to the 4th Tier.
Karria gasped and laughed at the same time, even as pain flared in her head, fighting with the ecstasy of breaking into the next Tier. She was vaguely aware of footsteps, pounding on the stone as the others tried to reach her, but the walls of her cage extended, shoving back any who would try and get at her with a polearm, such as a spear. She estimated it would be another minute before her faculties returned to her, but she was confident that Arbor should have broken through on his side by then.
There was no way of knowing how long it would take him to make it through, but she was confident she could kill everyone in the room before then, and probably could even make it look like Jek’s fault. The dwarf in question was still tied up on the other side of the room, but Karria was a very good actor, and she doubted Arbor would ask too many questions when he found his darling sister, covered in blood and weeping over the bodies of his friends.
Her plans were practically foolproof. The Reflum chain was safely in her custody, and no one could reach her. The dwarves had no way to escape, and all she had to do now was wait until she’d recovered. There was always the possibility that Grak could try freezing her in place again, but judging by how frozen she’d been, another attack like that would definitely knock her out. She’d expended a lot of power trying to keep Karria locked up the first time, and with Karria’s strength permanently boosted by her next Tier, there was little chance that any of them could stop her.
53
Arbor dashed forward, leaning heavily on the few things he could remember Prudence teaching him of the Gaile Verde. It wasn’t exactly designed for fighting with a weapon, but Prudence had shown him how the stance could be utilized while using his glaive.
Nilegard waited, pulling back his weapon, glowing with enough power to utterly destroy him, and preparing to either do just that or injure him badly enough so that he’d be unable to recover in time. But Arbor’s stance was specifically designed for speed and maneuverability. Sure, he didn’t have the best balance, and if he were to be caught from the side, he’d be sent flying, but he wasn’t about to let the Demon out of his sight.
As soon as he closed within about ten yards, Arbor increased his speed massively. Steam exploded from his skin as he rocketed forward, throwing the timing of Nilegard’s swing, and impaling the Demon through his chest. Origin magic blasted from the tip as Arbor swept his glaive to one side, switched his grip, and did a full hundred and eighty degree turn back the other way.
Nilegard screamed in pain as his body was bisected, his body torn in two from the chest down. The glowing weapon vanished as most of his lower half thudded to the ground, leaving just his head, shoulders, most of his right arm, and his whole left. He wobbled in the air, his wings, having been shorn, refusing to support him, and Arbor used the opportunity to send him flying once more.
The heavy spike slammed into his head, and his Origin magic, running wild, ripped at his makeup as the Demon’s remains were sent careening through the far wall. Arbor tried to follow, but his left calf twinged, causing him to stumble and drop to a knee. A small crater was blown in the ground as he fell and barely managed to catch himself by slamming the end of his glaive into the ground.
His breath was coming in ragged gasps as the pain of overusing his Perception magic to such an extent began to take its toll.
“Arbor!”
Arbor half-turned to see Kya come running into the room, her face pale and sweat-streaked and her entire body trembling. At first, he feared that some other Demon had come along with Nilegard and that they were in trouble, and after Kya’s next words, his fears were alleviated.
