Chapter 3
Castle Gangrene
Rays of sunlight sifted through the curtains of the large throne room windows and illuminated the empty table that now took up the center of the currently empty room. Hurried footsteps could be heard echoing down the hall outside, approaching the room and soon the doors were flung open as the first member of Bismarck's personal guards barged in panting, obviously winded from running all the way to the room. Taking note of the empty room, the figure let of a groan of anger before muttering to himself.
"Wanted to make a good impression Scott, but nobody's here. At least I'm not late." And with that, he made his way to one of the curtains and pulled it back, using the window as a makeshift window to preen himself; he was tall -as expected from a dark elf- at a height of 6"5 with a lean build gotten from his years of hunting in the forests of his home, a picture of speed and agility. His dark skin was covered with a thin layer of sweat which he wiped off using a handkerchief which he returned to his pocket. He looked every inch a rogue, with his purple mohawk, spiked black shoes and the skull tattoo that could be seen from the top of his shirt which he left the three top buttons undone. He sauntered to the table and took a seat, placing his legs on the table top and crossing them, trying to give off a relaxed image despite the fact that he was nervous deep down.
His pointed ears twitched at the sound of heavy footsteps and the door was pushed open to reveal his only friend among Bismarck's guards; Muri Thunder. Wearing his usual scowl, Muri's eyes scanned the room looking for any other members before he spotted Scott relaxing at the table. Muri relaxed visibly and adjusted his silver and gold luchador mask before heading to the table and taking his seat next to Scott before folding his hand over his bare scarred muscular chest and his scowl plastered on his face as he wished he was anywhere but here.
As they waited in silence, they heard heavy footsteps, heavier than Muri's and they instinctively knew who it was, the only member that all of them feared, Beli-Ola. The doors swung open and he walked in dressed in a simple white shirt which was straining to keep his body in and threatened to burst with each movement he made and black trousers wearing hunting boots. He scanned the room and took a deep breath in, tasting the air for any hidden threats before walking towards the table and sitting down opposite Muri and Scott on his customized chair designed to bear his immense weight and size.
They sat in more silence before Scott gathered enough courage to talk.
"Beli, what's going on? Why'd the boss man ask for us three?"
Beli-Ola stared at Scott and then answered, "Lord Bismarck requested both of you because he has a task for you Necro." Hearing this, Scott suddenly had a curious look on his face
"Oh. You got me intrigued Beli. So, what's the great and mighty Lord Bismarck need me for? He needs someone to clean up his mess? Something that he couldn't handle? The great Bismarck himself couldn't do something himself?" he asked in a mocking tone.
"You'll have to ask him yourself. Afterall he is right behind you."
"What? Ackkk" suddenly a shadow tentacle wrapped itself around his neck, slowly chocking him and lifting him into the air. Scott futilely clawed at the tentacle around his neck, before remembering that he was able to use magic. He let out a choked laugh and reached inside himself as he had done countless times while thinking about the conditions for the room he would set up, but to his horror, he couldn't find any magic in his body. To be put more accurately, he could feel his magic but two things were wrong; first off, he couldn't access it, something was blocking his connection to it, preventing him from using the one thing he always had no matter what happened to him. Secondly, and perhaps the worst, his magic was being drained from him. He could feel his reserves being emptied bit by bit, and he began to panic.
He lost his composure and began to thrash around, struggling against the tentacle and flinging his limbs wildly in an attempt to hit Bismarck in order to make him let him go, but it was all in vain. As spots started filling Scott's vision, he began to beg Bismarck to let him go. Bismarck ignored his pleas for a while before releasing the tentacle around his neck, and watched him gasp for air before throwing up on the floor. Throughout all of this, neither Beli-Ola nor Muri moved from their seats as they watched the entire debacle with looks of neutrality and fear respectively.
Leaving Scott on the floor, Bismarck walked to his throne avoiding the rays of sunlight that trickled down from the window. Making his way across the room, he sat on his throne and spoke
"Necro, Muri, I have a mission that only your talents can accomplish."
Muri sat up straighter when he heard this, he was growing bored with sitting still in Hermes and maintaining order in the city. Necro slowly got up from the floor with a hand around his bruised throat but he looked at Bismarck questioningly.
"I need both of you to go to an island and retrieve something important."
"What island and what do you need? Also, how much force is allowed?" Muri asked as he felt his body begin to itch at the thought of a fight.
"The island is in the Scorched Lands and is home to a dragonkin that recently managed to evolve into a dragon. I want both of you to defeat it and collect its magic before it has a chance to get accustomed to its power."
Muri trembled in excitement at the thought of facing off against one of the top predators on the planet.
"When do we leave and is it necessary that it stays alive?" Muri asked as he got up and tried to stabilize Necro who still hadn't managed to get back on his chair or his feet. Muri blamed Necro's weak physical constitution for his slow recovery and made a mental note to put Necro through several physical training regiments when they got back.
"You leave as soon as Necro manages to get on his feet. Normally, the trip would take you a year to go and return, but I don't have that time, so I'll send you there myself."
With that, the shadows around him crept along the floor and began building themselves into a doorway in a corner of the hall. As Muri picked Necro from the floor, he was motioned to enter the portal by Bismarck's shadowed hand and he complied while slinging Necro over his back and carrying him into the portal.
"And take this" Muri turned around and caught the object that came sailing his way before examining it; it was a pitch-black diamond which seemed to suck all light into it.
"When you defeat the dragon, you are to plant that in its chest and wait. When it turns red, then you take it out. Also, a warning, no matter what you see or hear, do not stray off the path. I'd hate to have to find new bodyguards."
Muri gave a slight pause when he heard that but continued into the portal carrying Necro on his back. As soon as he entered the portal, the shadows collapsed and made their way back to Bismarck and joined the horde of shadows that coated Bismarck's figure. Taking a deep breath, he turned to Beli-Ola and addressed him.
"Have you found the thief and would be assassin?"
"No my lord. I tracked him to the forest and lost his trail there. I can trace his magic signature, but I need more time."
Bismarck sat in his throne and let out a tired sigh, and his shadows became lax and swirled around him sluggishly. One shadowy tentacle made its way to his face and lovingly rubbed itself against his cheek before he turned his attention to Beli-Ola;
"As long as you can find him and retrieve the item before time runs out. Take as many men as you need, as much gold as you need and find him."
Beli-Ola stood up and gave a small bow before walking out leaving Bismarck and his shadows alone in the throne room.
"I do hope those two succeed, I'd hate to have to step in myself" he said aloud, talking to a seemingly empty room, "Your right. It would be an experience to face a dragon, but maybe at a later time."
Island at the Scorched Lands
On the edge of the island, a shadow door opened and Muri Thunder stepped out while carrying a pale and shivering Scott Necro on his back. He put Necro on the floor and sat next to him trying to keep his breathing in check and keep his hands from shaking. As he sat on the floor, he took a deep breath in before commenting,
"So that's what happens to the people he consumes"
Necro looks at him with an incredulous gaze before sighing and getting up. As he dusts his trousers, he looks around and takes note of their surroundings. The island is several hundred miles long and wide with several steaming pools of water and lava dotting the island and the heated air made it hard to breathe. His eyes scanned the island until they landed on the giant sleeping form of the dragon. Nudging Muri with his foot, he tilts his head over to the dragon's sleeping form and Muri gets up excitedly, ready to battle one of the planets top predator.
Right before Muri wakes the dragon, Necro remembered something and quickly grabbed Muri's arm causing him to stop and send Necro a puzzled look.
"That dragon may have abilities we can't face head on, we need to think this through" Necro said
"So what do you have in mind?" Muri asked while tapping his foot impatiently. Necro reached into one of his pouches and pulled out a small black alter which fit in his palm. The alter had many names carved on it and was pulsating with power. Necro approached the dragon, and when he was a few feet away from it, he placed the alter carefully on the ground and brought out a small knife which he used to nick his thumb.
He positioned his thumb above the alter and watched as his blood fell on it while whispering a single word; "Màgúñ". Immediately, dark clouds began to gather and the names on the alter began to glow red with unbridled power, but Necro wasn't shaken. Maintaining his composure, he whispered the set of words to finishthe ritual; "No fire" and with that, the clouds disappeared as if they were never there to begin with.
Muri watched the whole process without so much as a sound, but was disappointed when nothing happened. Just as he was about to speak up, three enormous presences made themselves known. The air around them began to grow hotter and drier to the point where Muri could barely breathe, while Necro seemed unaffected. As the air grew drier, the three presences drew closer bringing with them a pressure and fear that Muri had never felt in all his life. From the alter on the ground, a massive jet of fire spewed out and brought with it more heat and more of that presence which now forced Muri to his knees and caused the dragon to wake up.
The jet of fire swirled around in the air before splitting into three smaller fires which flared so brightly, that the three of them had to shield their eyes to avoid being blinded. When the flare died down, three figures stood before them.
The first figure was male with black and red tribal paintings adorning his face and a golden crown made of the purest flames on his head. His ears had two serpent ear plugs and a host of golden and bejeweled necklaces adorned his neck. His body was littered with various tattoos, but the most eye catching one was the one on his back that appeared to be of a Xiuhcoatl fire serpent which seemed to move, but closer inspection reveals that it wasn't a trick of the heat, and the tattoo was actually alive. His left hand held a golden shield with five greenstones, and his right hand held a golden scepter which had a disc at the top and the bottom was pointed. He wore a red and gold skirt and as he moved, the golden bells tied to his feet gave off soft chimes as he left burning footprints behind him. This was Xiuhtecuhtli a god of fire from a civilization long gone.
The next figure was female and had the head of a lioness and piercing yellow eyes which glowed with bloodlust. Dressed in red armor, she walked with an air of pride and gave off a pressure that demanded the submission of those beneath her. On her side was a khopesh, the curves of the sword gleaming in the sun. on her hands were golden bangles which glistened in the sun and on her waist was a belt with the symbol of an ankh and a headband with a small golden snake rested on her head. This was Sekhmet, The Mistress of Dread and The Lady of Slaughter and her presence struck fear into the hearts of Muri, Necro and the Dragon.
The final figure soon made itself known to them. The first thing that they picked up was the sound of lightning and the smell of ozone. As they looked on, the last figure appeared before them; it was a male with dark skin and glowing blue eyes which radiated lightning and a half mask around his mouth which seemed to act as a muzzle. His neck was decorated with red and white cowry beads and he had a red war skirt around his waist. In his left hand was a massive battle axe which looked like it could cleave a full-grown man in two with a single swing. This was Shango and woe to all that stood in his path.
The three deities floated in the air, and a barrier descended from them surrounding the two mortals and dragon. They looked down and watched with eyes glowing with power and waited.