This fellow was so pale it was like he'd never seen the sun. Hairless, with beady red eyes, sunken cheeks.
But what drew Zane's attention was his aura.
It smoldered in the astral plane, casting a billowing shadow whose bleak fingers reached halfway across the cage. Some strange power ran dense through the Prince's veins, tinging them void-black. Some nasty Bloodline Zane had felt in Monster Lords before, or even Monster Knights. But it so dense in this beast it was hard to compareâhere it was a physical, sluggish thing.
His Monstrous Bone showed strongest in his claws.
The Prince was a spindly Monster. Zane couldn't imagine there was much strength in those limbs. He looked built for speed.
If the Sage was right, he could go quite fast indeedâŠ
He would be the strongest thing Zane fought to date. A bird.
Zane frowned at the fellow, wondering.
He would need a plan. Or else this could go rather badly, he felt. He'd fought these birds enough times to know.
ðððð¥ ðð€ ð¥ðð ððððððð ð ð ð¥ððð€? The Monster Prince hissed.
The Barbarian Sage just ignored it.
"Right!" he said cheerfully, patting Zane on the shoulder. "It'll be a tricky one. Give 'em hell."
Zane nodded.
ðð ðŠ ððð'ð¥ ðððð ðð ð£ ððð ð¥ð ððððð¥ ðð. The fellow twitched. ðððð€âð¥ððð€ ðšðððð¡ ð ð ð ðððŠðððð£ððð ð ðð? ðžð£ð ðªð ðŠ ððð€ððð, ð ðð ððð?
"She said the same thing!" chuckled the Sage. He ambled away. In seconds, the cage slammed shut.
***
Then it was just Zane face to face with the Monster Prince.
ðððð£ð ð€ (ðð ðð€ð¥ðð£ âð£ðððð)
ðŒð€ð€ðððð ððð§ðð ððð
The Level difference was only a half-realm of Levels away. But the feeling of threat Zane got from him was unlike anything he'd felt.
The Prince inspected him flatly. ðð ðŠ ðð ð'ð¥ ððð ðš ðšðð ðªð ðŠ'ð£ð ððððððð ðšðð¥ð, ðð ðªð ðŠ, ððŠððð?
"No," said Zane honestly.
This only seemed to tick the fellow off more.
ððª ðððð ðð€ ðððð£ð ð€, he breathed. ðððð£ð ð ð ððð€ ðððð. âðŠððð£ ð ð ð¥ðð ððððð ðšðð âððððð€, ðððð£ ð¥ð ð¥ðð ðððð ð ð ðŸð£ððð¥ ðððð«ðð£ðð¥ð. âðððð¡ðð ð ð ð ð¥ðð ððð€ð¥ðð£ð âð ð£ðð!
As he spoke shadows crept heavy around him, rising from the ground like smoke. His voice doubled, tripled, echoing deeper.
ðð ðŠ ð€ð¥ððð ðððð ð£ð ð âð£ð ðšð âð£ðððð ð ð ð¥ðð ðð ðð€ð¥ðð£ ð£ððð! he hissed. His eyes swirled for a second void-black. ððð âð£ððð ð¹ðð ð ð ð ð ð¥ðð âð£ððð ð£ðððð ð»ðð€ð¥ð£ð ðªðð£ ðð¥ð€ððð!
"Oh," said Zane, who was not sure what all that meant. It did sound rather impressive.
âŠðžð ðððð ð¥. Prince Vadros looked incredulous. ððððª'ð§ð ð€ððð¥ ðð ðð ðððð ð¥ ð¥ð ð€ðððŠððð¥ðð£. ðž ðð ððð£ðð ðððð ð¥.
"Ten seconds!" called the Sage.
Vadros looked Zane up and down. The more he saw, the more amused he seemed. ð»ð ðªð ðŠ ððððððð ððð ð¥ððð¥ ððð€ð€ ðšððð ð€ðð§ð ðªð ðŠ ð ððð ð ð¥ððð£ ððð¥ð ðªð ðŠ, ðªð ðŠ ð ð§ðð£ðð£ð ðšð ðð¡ð? âðð?
Shadows played at the edges of his hands, extending the nails. So fine Zane couldn't feel their edges, not even in the astral plane. Those were strange shadows, smoking at their ends⊠The very fabric of the realm shrieked around them, as though it were being slowly tortured.
He could tell they would be trouble, just at a glance.
Usually Zane liked to feel his way into a fightâbut he looking at those claws, he wasn't sure it was such a great idea.
If Reina were here, he wondered what she'd do. She'd make a plan. Look around at all the options. Get an idea for everything she could use.
So he took it all inâtook in the cage too. It really was a cramped little space now that he paid attention. If he meant to catch a birdâŠ
He did have something of an idea, now he thought of it.
There wasn't much time to think on it.
"Three! Two! One!" came the Barbarian Sage's voice.
"Begin!"
It was like some higher power had turned the lights off.
Instantly there was nothing. Not even essence.
Prince Vadros's domainâa realm of smoldering shadowâblew out like the falling of night. And in fractions of a second, it swallowed the entire roomâŠ
Another Tier 6 domain.
This one felt claustrophobic. More insidious than the Cobra's, a smothering, shifting, smoldering thing. It killed the last of the light.
And then it started exerting its pressure on Zane.
The only bright spot was Zane's domain. Flared up fierce in an instantâa single sparking force field holding back the nightâŠ
He gritted his teeth.
This time, he burned as much essence as he could manage right away. He'd learned from the last time.
Still he had to focus and strain just to keep it off of him. But as those tendrils tried to invade, tried to wipe out the light, they hissed back as though stung.
ðð ð¥ðð ðð ððð£ðð'ð€ ðð ð¥ ð€ð ðð ð¥ð£ðððð€, said the Prince. He looked as annoyed as he was amused.
Then his expression twisted. Grew harsh. ð¹ðŠð¥ ð¥ð£ðððð€ ðšð ð'ð¥ ð€ðð§ð ðªð ðŠ ððð£ð. âððª ððð ð€ð ðð¥ð¥ððð¥ðð ð. ðœð ð£ ð¥ððð€ ðð€ ð¥ðð ðððððð£ðððð ððð¥ðšððð ðªð ðŠ ððð ð. ð¹ðð¥ðšððð ðªð ðŠð£ ðšððð ððð¥ð¥ðð ððŠððð ð£ðððâŠ
And Zane felt a Bloodline ignite.
Bulging down its pale flesh, lighting up the veinsâa sudden intensity, a void searing down the astral planeâ
It was the greatest density of Monstrous Bloodline Zane had ever felt.
ðžðð ð¥ðð ð¹ðð ð ð ð ð ð¥ðð ð»ðð€ð¥ð£ð ðªðð£ ðð¥ð€ððð! Vadros shrieked.
His narrowed those scarlet eyes on Zane, locking on, and he felt a spike of vicious intent.
Those eyes bulged.
Vadros lunged so fast Zane didn't even see itâjust its after-image, a whiplash of motion. Zane had been tensed for something, ready. The moment he felt that essence surge, that intent surge, he was already bringing his chains to block, jerking out of the wayâ
He was surprised to feel a searing pain rip down his right side.
Fresh blood fountained out of him.
Zane had a moment of whiplash.
He barely had time to feel it comingâeven Great Sage Mind could only give a flicker of a warning. Thenâa blinding mass of raw power, of Bloodline, condensed to a scar so thin, so razor-sharp, moving at obscene speedâŠ
It felt like an axe had hacked deep into him.
He looked down, grunting.
There was a grisly gash streaking down the right side of his chest, cutting so far into muscle it was halfway to the bone.
A corrupt Bloodline smoldered down its length.
It would've hit something vital if he hadn't moved just thenâŠ
He couldn't remember the last time a single strike had wounded him so deep. It'd cut faster than he could feel.
Just that one strike would've been enough to slice a normal Minor God in two, he knew.
It was only the heavy-duty temperingâthe strength built deep in Zane's body, that stopped the blowâŠ
ðð? Vadros frowned at Zane like Zane was an insect that had somehow gotten out from under his boot. ðð ðŠ ððð¥ðŠððððª ððððððð ð¥ð ð€ðŠð£ð§ðð§ðâ
Zane roared as though in a blind rage. And leaped to counter.
The pain had jerked him all the way awake.
His Chains walloped the air, bursting with raw explosive mightâso much power imbued in each link they rippled the air. A flaming bull-charge of sheer Destruction, ready to crush Vadros to a smearâŠ
Only it never landed.
The Prince simply snorted and flickered out of existence, the way shadows shadows escaped light.
His Chains crashed useless against the walls.
Then Zane staggered, wincing.
Another jagged scar in reality had rammed deep into himâan arc of blinding pain lighting up his back. He whirled, narrowing his eyesâŠ
Vadros tutted. ðð¥ðŠð¡ðð ðð ððð£ðð.
Zane threw himself at it again, roaring. This time he tried even harderâas though to catch it just before it vanished.
But again Vadros flickered out of place long before he hit on anything. The Chains clank'd somewhere in the darkness of Vadros' domain. Gone.
And this time, Zane felt pain lance the backs of his legsâhe staggered.
ð»ðððð ðð ð£ ðð, ðð ððððª! giggled Vadros. ð»ðððð!
ððð£ðððð!
âðððð¥ð ðŠðððð£ ðð%
He was gushing bloodâbadâin just three exchanges.
He growled, turning again.
He saw his enemy flex his fingers, a picture of smug calm. New holes in reality smoldered down their ends, rendered to ultra-fine points⊠Monstrous Bloodline concentrated at ends. A Bonfire of it. Half the power of its Monstrous Bone, gone to bolster its powersâŠ
Now Zane felt it up-close, even that Bone was a clear step up from anything he'd ever felt.
He knew how tempered his body was.
But when he looked down it looked like someone had taken a butcher's knife to him. That raw firepowerâŠ
Even Zane wasn't sure how much of it he could take.
But he knew there was no changing course now.
***
"Call it off," said Viria.
The Barbarian Sage was quiet. Frowning.
They saw Zane lungeâchuck a length of blazing chain with crushing powerâa chain that vanished into the gloom, without a trace. Saw him stagger again, grunting under a heavy sliceâwhirl around, blast out another great arc of lightâŠ
But he just couldn't seem to land anything
The Sage saw Zane's jaw tighten every time. Even Zaneâwith his pain toleranceâwas feeling every shot⊠those shots looked damned bad.
Another slash ripped up Zane's thighsâby then he made a staggering, shambling figure.
His heart was not one bit diminishedâyou could see it in the cold intent in his eyes, the focus.
But even Zane's body was being slowly butchered.
"Call it off!" said Viria, alarmed.
The Sage shook his head, resolate. "You don't stop believing in your man, just because he's facing some trouble! The lad'll find a way."
He put his hands to his mouth, and roared, "Come on, lad! Don't let that bastard bully you! You take it to 'em!"
***
Zane had fought many kinds of birds before.
He'd picked up a thing or two in that timeâŠ
Never one that hit quite this hard, though.
He was breathing heavyâhis Asura State was nearing its peak. Every strike he threw roared out with massive firepowerâhe threw it with all his heart, all his furyâŠ
Only to hit some distant steel. Clank. And peter out, vanishing into the gloom.
ðððð¥ ððððð¥'ð§ð ððŠð£ð¥, said the Prince, amused again. ðð ðð¥ ðððððð. ðð¥ðŠð¡ðð ðð ððð£ðð ððŠð¥ð¥.
He raised his dainty pale arms, spreading them wide.
âðð'ð¥ ðªð ðŠ ð€ðð? he crowed. ðð¥'ð€ ðŠð€ðððð€ð€! ðŸðð§ð ðð¥ ðŠð¡!
He gave Zane another slash, and it was all Zane could do to lurch away, stumbling. Every slash carved a new chunk out of him.
He growled againâlashed again, as though in a blind rageâand yet again his Chain vanished into the gloom⊠Clank.
ðð ðŠ ððð§ðð£ ðððð£ð, ðð ðªð ðŠ? Vadros was getting annoyed now, seemed like.
His annoyance quickly turned darker. Spiked to fury when he saw Zane was still standing. Still glaring back, defiantâ
A seething smoke gathered at his fingers.
ð»ðžðâðŒð»âHe roared and made a massive slash.
Zane lurchedâstaggeredâfelt like an axe had hammered straight into his chest. His head swam.
âðððð!
Another scar lit up Zane's entire torso, And it took a huge force of will just to stay uprightâŠ
He groaned.
ððð£ðððð!
âðððð¥ð ðŠðððð£ ðð%
He was burning at his peak then. That was how he could even still move. Locked in a pitched battleâit would be hard for most Minor Gods to resist him then, head-on⊠only all his power was going to waste.
Burning to nothing.
He lunged again, and again, seeming delirious, wobbling on his feetâlike he'd given up on even lighting up his Chains. Clankâclankâ
Over and over he stumbled, and took the blows. And over and over his Chains rammed into the walls, and stayed thereâforgotten.
ðððð€ ðð€ ððð€ðŠð£ð. The prince was working up to a proper fury. ðž ððððð€-ðððððð ððð£ðð!
He gave Zane another vicious slash, and Zane was bleeding from so many gaping wounds you could see more muscle and bone than skin.
ðððððððððððâðð ððð£ððâððð€ð¥ðð£ð!
He Punctuated each slash with a vicious slice.
ðð¥ððªâðð ðšðâðððð ðªð ðŠ!
And every time Zane took it bravely, jaw set. Lunged right back, tried countering, tried throwing anything.
It just wasn't workingâŠ
***
"Stop the fight," said Viria.
The Sage was silent.
She grabbed him by the armâ"Stop itâhe's killing him!"
As though on cue, Zane took a slash so fierce it buckled his knees.
"I'll jump in myself if I've got to!"
"You'll do no such thing," Summersteel snapped. Then hesitated, looking at a heaving, staggered Zane.
"JogoâŠ" he said to the Sage, hesitant. "Perhapsâ"
"No," said the Sage. He looked a bit strickenâlike it physically hurt him to see Zane wrecked like this. When he spoke, his voice was thick. "I still believe in Zaneâhe'll find a way, godsdamned it!"
***
âð ðš ððððª ðð ð£ð ð§ð ðð ðððððð€ ðšððð ðð¥ ð¥ððð ð¥ð ðððð ðªð ðŠ? Even the Prince was huffing, sweating, windedâjust from carving Zane up. ððð? ððð€ð€?
By now, he seemed genuinely frustrated that Zane had taken all that punishment and still stood.
But it wouldn't be long now⊠they could all see it.
The end was coming.
More shadows sharpened along Vadros's fingertips.
ðððð¥'ð€ ð¥ðð ð¡ð£ð ðððð ðšðð¥ð ðªð ðŠ, slobbered the Prince. ðð ðŠð£ ððð¥ðð£ð ð£ððð! ðð¥ðŠð¡ðð ððŠð ðð£ððð¥ðŠð£ðð€âð€ð ð€ð¥ðŠð¡ðð ðªð ðŠ ðð ð'ð¥ ððð ðš ðšððð ð¥ð ð¢ðŠðð¥! ðð ðð ðð€ðððððð ð€ð¥ðŠð¡ðð ðªð ðŠ ðð ð'ð¥ ðð§ðð ð£ððððð«ð ðªð ðŠ'ð£ð ð¡ðððªððð ð£ðððð¥ ððð¥ð ððª ðððð!
Vadros laughed, nearly hysterical. ð»ð ð'ð¥ ðªð ðŠ ð€ðð ð ðšððð¥ ðªð ðŠ ð¥ð ðððð€ð ðð? ð'ð ðððð¥ððð ðªð ðŠ, ðªð ðŠ ððŠðð ððŠð¥ð¥! ð»ð ðªð ðŠ ð£ðððððª ððððððð ðªð ðŠ'ðð ððð¥ðð ðð? ðŒð§ðð ðð ðš?
Zane hacked out a lungful of blood, and turn a cold eye on him.
"Yes," said Zane, and lunged again.
The next slice took him to one knee.
ðžðð ðð ðš ðð ðªð ðŠ ððððððð ðªð ðŠ'ðð ðð ð¥ððð¥? said Vadros. Voice hoarse now, but just as mocking. ððð¥ð ð¥ðð ð€ð ððð¥ ð ðððð€ð ðððððð€? ððððª'ð£ð ðð ð ð ðð ð£ ððð€ððð£ððð ðð£ððð ðð€, ðððªðð! ðð ðªð ðŠ ðððð'ð¥ ðð ð¥ðððð, ðð ð ð, ð'ð ð¥ðð ð¥ðððð€ ð€ðððððð£. ðžðð ð ððŠððð£ðð ð¥ðððð€ ððð€ð¥ðð£! ðð ðŠ ððð§ðð'ð¥ ðð ð¥ð¥ðð ðšðð¥ððð ð¥ðð ðððð¥ ð ð ððâ
Zane lashed out a Chain.
Vadros dipped it easily, annoyed. He was just about to fire off another barb when he heard the Clank.
It sounded⊠surprisingly closeâŠ
Come to think of itâwhy did the Cage feel so much smaller than before?
It was the walls, Vadros realized. They were gone.
Everywhere the Monster Prince looked, he saw only Chain.
Chain, piled on chain, piled on chain. Wrapping the room all overâ
Vadros's eyes began to widen.
A sudden coldness gripped his chest.
Surely notâŠ
He whirled around, heart going faster and fasterâ
Sure enough. That last Chain plugged the final gap.
âð ⊠croaked Vadros.
He turned to the ruined, bleeding man at the center of the cage. A man whose hands just kept lashing all that timeâwhose chains had kept lengthening, and lengthening, and lengtheningâŠ
ðð ðŠ ðððð'ð¥â ðªð ðŠ ðð ðŠððð'ð¥ ððð§ðâðªð ðŠ'ð£ð ððŠð€ð¥ ð ð€ð¥ðŠð¡ðð ðð ððð£ðð! Vadros spluttered. âð ðšâðð ðš ðð ðŠðð ðªð ðŠ ððð§ðâ
"You talk too much," growled Zane. His body erupted with essenceâa sudden bonfire in the Astral Plane.
The walls exploded with Stormfire.
Vadros shrieked.
At the same time, Zane flexed with all he had left. Let out a roar straight from the depths of his soul.
The walls closed like a tightening noose.