Disorientation. Disgust. Rage.
A swathe of emotions swept over , so abrupt and destructive the lithid must have been suppressing it before I broke free.
What a loathso thing it was. Dredging up fears from the darkest recesses of a person's mind, weaponizing their greatest nightmares. I held no animus against the monsters in the sanctum that acted as beasts, simply hunting for sustenance and killing prey. They were still a danger, and when necessary, I slayed them as humanely as possible.
But this thing?
It deserved far worse.
I tore my sword free, dark oily mass spattering into the sewage below, and drove it ho again, aiming more towards the center. It squealed and writhed beneath , screeching like sothing unworldly. All at once, it bucked upward, trying to throw off.
Sohow, I held my balance, tugged at the sword. And balked.
No matter how I pulled it didn't budge.
The creature tid its next attempt perfectly with my movents, waiting until I'd expended strength on another attempt to pull the sword free before it suddenly twisted, sending splashing into the sewage. I closed my eyes too late, and caustic burn penetrated my skull.
Stoke that fire until it's so hot you can barely stand it. Burn away the grief until there's nothing left.
Half-blind, I lunged through the sewage, grabbing for sothing, anything, until my hand landed on sothing slick that imdiately tried to squirm away. I dug my fingers in, holding grip even as it wrenched at violently, eventually anchoring my other hand.
The violet light radiated through my eyelids as I wrestled it tightly, pouring fire through it. It squealed again, timbre of its voice escalating, growing shrill.
Demon fire doesn't work on demons.
But was that really true? Maybe. The last ti I'd attempted to use the dantalion fla against a demon, it'd been fruitless enough that I'd never tried again. But its reaction seed so terrified, and I'd co a long way since then.
I dug my fingers in tightly, several popping through, piercing the protective mbrane, recalling the fla that burned amongst the pooling refuse, cycling it through, gathering as much ambient mana as I could as it writhed, attempting to retreat, wiggle away.
Burn.
White fla erupted, so hot I could barely stand it. But it didn't matter. Any pain or discomfort I felt now was worth it if it ant rendering this monstrosity to ash. I felt bits of it crumbling, and opened my eyes, my vision blurry. From what little I could see, it was entirely atypical. No appendages to target, and presumably, no traditional organs.
Fine. When precision failed, overwhelming force was the best option.
I forced white fla through my fingers, specifically the ones that pierced it, and immolated it from the inside.
Shrieks turned to savage snarls. There was a rough thump against my tabard, followed by an icy burn I'd long ago associated with being stabbed. I looked down to find a tendril of darkness piercing my torso, wiggling to widen the wound. During the vision, it'd made take my armor off. Apparently, that part was real. It should have been excruciating.
But all I could really think about was how badly I wanted to destroy it.
RELEASE BEFORE WE BOTH REACH OUR END. A chorus of voices forced their way through my mind, all screaming the sa words in a dreadful raucous.
"No." I murmured.
Then poured enough mana through my hands that the flas ravaged the lithid from the inside in a wide corona, erupting outward, setting the wide walls of the tunnel afla.
IT HURTS.
"Does it?" I sneered, adjusting my grip again, ensuring the crumbling of its form didn't give it an opportunity to escape. "This pain is nothing... compared to what you inflict on countless others. Does it truly give such pause?"
The black oily mass writhed, and a face took form, Lillian's, howling in agony.
Elphion damn you.
I pulled from the ambient mana, pumping more into the wretch, not bothering to weave or even control it. In a controlled state, the fla of absolution had many applications. Short-range teleportation, and a limited ability to disassemble and reassemble objects. In its raw, unsophisticated form, however?
It was pure destruction.
Another tendril pierced my shoulder, and seconds later, my guts. My vision grayed, and not from overuse of mana. A sign that death was near.
Keeping it fully anchored beneath , I reached a hand towards the rictus of Lillian's face. There had to be a reason it was manifesting a weaker version of the sa illusion, when a more convincing version hadn't worked before.
It had to be protecting sothing.
Forgive .
I drove my fingers into her eyes, her cheeks. This ti they pierced easily, and I drove the fire through it, tapping every reserve I had. The halo of fla grew brighter as the lithid wailed, rolling violently as I clung to it, eventually overtaking and forcing back into the sewage. Still I held on, feeding the fla, surrendering to it, even as my soul quake and my mana grew slight—
BOOM.
There wasn't ti to register the explosion before it flung backward, separating from the creature, sending flying down the tunnel. My shoulder crunched as I slamd into the circular tunnel wall, and my knee cracked monts later. The already damaged arm went numb as it impacted the maintenance ledge and I landed face first in the sewage, barely keeping the wherewithal to hold my breath.
I couldn't move. Being stabbed to death by a monster—or a man—wasn't so bad. By this point I'd experienced it countless tis. In so ways, it was almost pleasant, once you'd lost enough blood that everything got numb. This, by comparison, was far worse. It was harder to hold your breath with any injuries. And when I broke, I'd be breathing in the refuse of the city above, filling my lungs with it.
Had I been alone, I likely would have ended it right there. Sent mana through the inscription on my chest and stopped my heart.
But I wasn't alone.
Monts away from breathing filth, strong arms hauled upward, holding my head above water. "Are your boots filled with sand? Help , gods dammit!" Soone roared, voice savage and authoritative. It took a second to realize it was Maya. More grabbed at gruffly, hauling to solid ground, propping my back against a wall.
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"The lithid," I said, my voice hoarse, trying to warn them.
"It's retreated, for now." Maya said. I blinked, barely able to make her out as she popped the cork of an alembic, dumping the contents over my wounds. When she realized I was watching her, she snapped. "I told you there wasn't enough ventilation. That accumulated gases could explode. Which is the entire reason we switched to mining lanterns. How was that not clear?"
"Well." I summoned the strength for a weak smile and pointed to my head. "The mories between gathering the herbs and this mont seem to have vanished."
"Oh." That stopped Maya flat, and she peered down at . "But that's all you lost?"
"ntally? As far as I can tell."
"That will do for now." Maya took a step back, studying my injuries. Several of the soldiers that had aided her in dredging up did the sa, paling.
"He's done for." One said, horrified.
"Not necessarily." Another chid in. "But the wounds are grave. They'll turn septic if he stays. We need to get him out as soon as possible.”
"I've had worse." I argued.
"The prince will be fine." Maya agreed, looking around worriedly. "I'm more worried about the rest."
Damn.
It imdiately registered that other than Sera, who was holding the distant periter and looking back worriedly, and Mari, who was gawking at my injuries a little behind Maya, that none of my banner lieutenants were present. "Casualties."
"None confird." Maya shook her head, cataloguing wounds as she always did before a healing. Her mouth was tight, troubled. "But many are missing. It's more formidable than we expected."
"What happened?" I struggled to sit up, only for her to push back against the wall, warning in her eyes.
"The Vurseng held at first. Protected most of the n, save a few who fell unconscious and were carried out." Viridescent light emanated from her palm as Maya closed the first of several gaping wounds in my chest. She frowned. "Then, it seed to learn. It stopped targeting the soldiers. Caved in the exit to stop us from evacuating the afflicted. Then focused its efforts on the banner lieutenants."
"Damn. We need to find them."
"Not until you're back on your feet." She extended an index finger and tapped a point just above my sternum. Oddly, I didn't feel it. "Are you aware this is spreading?" Maya asked quietly.
I looked down. The black chitinous layer that covered my demonic arm had stretched out almost entirely across my chest, shoulders, and back, ending just before my right arm. "It was overtaking flesh before. About a finger span a year. But this... is irregular." I continued, already aware of what she was about to voice. "I'll consult Ozra once we're free of this place."
"See that you do." She looked back towards the charred, caved in tunnel. "For the mont, with your armor gods know where, at least your heart is protected."
That was true enough. It wouldn't matter if sothing slit open my belly, but limited protection was always better than none.
Maya stood over , her expression pained as she examined my broken arm and shattered knee. "The fractures are difficult. They will either take considerable ti to nd, or if done quickly, will be trendously uncomfortable." She pinched the bridge of her nose, bracing for the answer.
"My regint is in danger and my banner lords are held hostage. There's no choice." I reached down with my good arm and unbuckled my belt, seeking sothing to bite down on.
"No." Maya stopped . "Yours is filthy." She turned around, calling over her shoulder. "Bring the prince a belt."
A soldier approached, sloshing through the sewage with his belt held high. "Here, my lady."
Maya took it and placed it between my teeth, turning to call soone else. "And you."
Mari started, pointing at herself. "?"
"Hold his hand."
To my abject surprise, Mari did so without complaint. The two had never been on bad terms, exactly, but she seed to regard Maya with far more respect than before. I had to wonder what transpired between them in my absence.
For the mont, I turned my eyes skyward.
There was an audible crack as my kneecap nded, fastening tightly to the joint. I threw my head back reflexively, screams muffled through the leather in my teeth.
"C'mon hardass." Mari gripped my demonic hand tightly, wincing, fire in her eyes. "You're not gonna put on a show like that and pass out on us, are you?"
No.
"Good." Mari growled, and I realized I must have sohow communicated the sentint aloud. "Squeeze. Squeeze fuckin tight. Stay conscious. Because you got your licks in and I ain't had mine yet."
My arm snapped into place, and the pain followed, my vision swimming, a darkness pressing in around it.
"Cairn. It's... worse than I thought. This will hurt." Maya warned. Through the numbness, I felt her touch on my fractured arm.
"Do it." I growled.
Bone rubbed against bone, sliding, grinding, and my vision narrowed as pain bowled over, lighting every nerve and neuron.
"Squeeze, ya cunt!"
I squeezed for all I was worth, fighting unconscious, holding on for what felt like an eternity until all at once, it was finally over. I sagged back against the wall, sucking in breath, waiting for my vision to return to normal. Mari slipped free.
"How is he?" Soone asked.
"Counting down the minutes... until I can mount that lithid... above my fireplace."
There was scattered laughter.
"Stable, for now. I'll want to examine everyone more extensively once the threat has passed." Maya answered.
"Mind fixing this?" Mari said, stoic again, now that the danger had passed.
"Of course."
Mari held her hand out to Maya. So of her fingers were bent strangely, at odd angles, and I realized what I'd done.
"Apologies." I muttered, feeling a flash of guilt.
"Why?" Mari grinned. "Told you to squeeze. Only broke a couple fingers 'fore I called you by my mother's na and the rest got buggered."
"Nevertheless, thank you both." I stood, feeling a little awkward at all people who'd witnessed my thrashing. It was embarrassing. But from the looks on their faces, they understood. These were seasoned soldiers. Most had taken injuries in the line of duty. "And all of you. For holding the line, when I couldn't." A particular part of the hallucination ca back to , and I scanned their faces. "Who warned not to drink?"
A man stepped forward. "Uh, , my lord. Then everyone else."
"And the cup was filled with what I think it was filled with?"
Everyone nodded.
I clapped a hand on his chest. "Remind to buy you a very nice sword."
"We're not supposed to take gifts from officers, but the gods'll strike down before I argue." The man's eyes glimred in amusent. "Ye really gave it the business. That lithid. Ain't seen nothing like it."
"A performance he won't be repeating." Maya said, twisting back to look at as she continued nding Mari's hand.
"Right. Because fire and shit has an annoying tendency to explode." I looked around. "Do we have any idea where the others are?"
"Well. Aetherya's flat ass disappeared." Mari flexed her newly healed fingers. "Can't say for sure if she was taken or just broke ranks to do snobby elf things."
Maya grimaced. "There were strict orders to stay together. My instinct's that she's been abducted."
"She's ignored orders before, milady." Mari said.
"Zin and Sevran?" I checked.
"They were taken down the northern channel." Maya explained. "Snatched by the sa tendrils that held you, carried off before anyone could react."
"But the creature was here." I pointed out, confused.
"Seems to be everywhere from the looks of it." Mari shook her head. "Like the whole sewer is the monster."
"Fine, that's our course. North. We recover our people first, then bring the fight to the lithid. But we need a strategy to free them."
"I've worked out a thod." Maya said, glancing over at Mari and quickly away, as the shorter woman's cheeks burned red. "Got lucky the first ti, caught it off guard. We were in the midst of attempting to do the sa for you but it increased its defenses."
"The only reason it did so well was because of the chokepoint." Sera mused, speaking up for the first ti. There was an irregular pallor to her skin, but she seed stable. Almost confident. "We were attacking it from a single direction, sporadically, as it was using a hostage as a shield. If we split the current forces in two and create a roving flank moving parallel down the tunnels, it won't be able to use the sa tactic."
"Makes sense to . And if we get you close enough, you can break them out?" I asked, watching Maya carefully.
"Yes." Maya confird. Her staff trembled, all the anger she'd been suppressing in my absence seeping through. "This parasite practices its foul craft in solitude. It is unaccustod to direct opposition regarding matters of the mind."
"Anyone have a sword?" One of the soldiers tossed a spare blade. I drew it, examining the steel for sharpness and coming away satisfied. A far cry from the blade I'd lost, but it would do for now. "Two groups. One with Sera, one with . Let's make this thing regret it ever ca to Whitefall."
A grim shout of defiance rose, fading into silent purpose, as we pushed north, deeper into the sewers.
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