Book 7, Chapter 70 - The Trap

“We’ve been waiting for half an hour, why isn’t he back yet?” Dawn was getting impatient . Something didn’t feel right . “Is that old man just f.u.c.king around? So unreliable… should we just go through and take a look?”

She wasn’t wrong . Why was it taking so long? 

Autumn offered a reminder . “The Boundary Portal is connected to the other four realms, but since my realm’s collapse the enchantment is only enough to cover the city . Its power wanes . If you wait much longer the portal will close and can’t be opened again . ”

“That settles it . Let’s go!” So under pressure of time, the remaining three members of the traveling party stepped through .

Just as they did they felt the power of the portal falter . It blinked shut, leaving them in the heart of Radia’s Temple . But instead of the orderly room they expected, they found the Temple in a mess .

Cloudhawk scowled . “Something happened . ”

Selene and Dawn smelled the cloying scent of blood on the air . Clearly this place was awash in carnage . No wonder Master Anan had not returned – he must have run into trouble .

“Hey, hey! Cloudhawk! You’re Cloudhawk!”

A frantic voice called from the darkness of a nearby hallway . The sound of it made the hair on the back of their necks stand on end . By the sound of it, the voice belonged to a young man . One who sounded crazy .

Cloudhawk was on alert . “What are you so happy about?”

“I was wondering how I was going to get to your cesspit and kill you . Lo and behold! You walk right into Radia! Why shouldn’t I be thrilled? You destroyed this great Temple, so now you can be buried with it!”

Oh . A zealot – either of the Temple or the G.o.ds . But it was strange because Legion had been here not long ago . From the highest leaders to the smallest families, he was supposed to have had it under control .  

He’d taken the Temple’s two Oracles, convinced them to comply then let them loose . Legion had used extraordinary measures to make them obedient so that they could take control of the Temple . Obviously it didn’t work, but why not?

A strange noise filled the chamber . Figures poured in from every direction .

Clerics in white robes and Templars in golden armor charged at them . Only, the look of them was off . Their flesh was swollen and visible tumors bulged from beneath their skin like blood blisters . They looked horribly infected by some sort of fungus .

Leading them were the two Oracles .

What happened that turned the Oracles into these monstrosities? The young leaders were not weak and defeating someone of their position with strength alone was difficult . Perhaps this was the result of some foul trick .

Cloudhawk didn’t make a move, only calling out to them . “You’ve prepared such a grand welcome . But you haven’t even told me who you are . ”

“Apostle Zephon Allgood . ” [1]

The insane chatter of his voice came again . The tumorous members of the Temple closed in and then, in grotesque fas.h.i.+on, began to swell . Skin began to split and from the rent flesh poured out sickly black ma.s.ses . At first glance they looked like gore, but grew like cancer . It advanced so quickly that in a blink of an eye, they swallowed up their former hosts .

Hundreds of Temple faithful turned into a torrent of sick flesh that covered everything . Cloudhawk and the others felt like they’d been swallowed into the gullet of some monstrous thing . Dawn gaped in open shock . “What the f.u.c.k is this?!”

She watched in horror as human clerics were devoured by whatever plague this was . IT used them as fuel to keep growing until this was the result . Now that they were surrounded by it, the sense of danger was palpable .

This wasn’t just flesh and blood . It was a highly energetic film that covered the area, making it advantageous terrain . In similar fas.h.i.+on to Cloudhawk’s Cube it creates a sort of separate dimension, one Cloudhawk couldn’t teleport into or out of .

Selene shut her eyes . When they opened again there was a flash of silver from the right . The future was unveiled before her .

“It’s going to explode!”

Sure enough the tumorous growth continued to swell and the three of them saw the walls closing in . At the same time those lethal energy levels were rising .

BOOM!

Everything was released at once . It filled the pocket dimension it had created, sweeping through everything caught inside . With nowhere to escape, Cloudhawk’s body was ripped to pieces .

“Aahh-hahahah! I killed him! Killed him! He’s dead! Rot in h.e.l.l you filthy b.a.s.t.a.r.d!”

Insane laughter echoed through the Temple . But through his tears of joy he saw the monstrous...o...b..that covered the hall begin to shrink .

What? How? 

Dawn had saved them in the crucial moment . All of a sudden, a large dragon scale emerged upon her towering armor . Just as the explosion was released, she threw down Selene and protected her with her body .

What followed was hard to believe .

Like an insatiable sponge Dawn drew in all of the surrounding energy . She was unscathed .  

“How did you do that?!” Zephon shrieked . Cloudhawk had been obliterated, how did these two wenches survive?

Under the Apostle command bubbles of flesh rose and burst, aiming to blast the invaders apart . The power they released was incredible, but Dawn’s st.u.r.dy armor and the aid of the Abyssal Scale saved her life . Unfortunately, though, her experience with the relic was slight . She couldn’t hold out forever .

“b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Son of a b.i.t.c.h! He killed our spare!”

Anger flashed in Selene’s eyes . She pushed Dawn off of her and drew her resplendent weapon . As she leaped into the air burning holy light radiated forth . She came down like a shooting star through the darkness .

From her hands birthed a dazzling slash of light and energy . It tore through the Temple chamber and anything in its path was torn asunder . No blood seeped from the wound . Instead it bubbled and dripped with black icor . Half a second later, it reacted by detonating in a terrible and violent display .

1 . ‘Secluded Unicorn . ’ The imagery is the important part here; unicorns are meant to indicate purity and untouched goodness . Secluded, hidden, but the character also means quiet . So a protected, virtuous idol of purity . The names I chose were Zephon – a Hebrew variant name for quiet and also the name of an angel who sought Satan after his fall – and Allgood for obvious reasons .  

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