Published at 22nd of October 2023 9:43 am

Book 3: Chapter 32

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With a groan, Gale nodded and he stepped back, earning himself an appreciative glance from Cynen.

"You have to promise me," she said, turning once again to Viper.

Considering her carefully, Garrett rapidly weighed his options, then finally nodded.

"Very well. I will take care of it," he said.

"Good." Cynen spat a bit of blood and phlegm onto the ground and rose to her feet.

"Let's go," she said. "We need to find the other half of the token, of that stone slab."

Reaching into his pouch, Viper withdrew something and held it up.

"I found it on the necromancer," he said. "We just need to combine them."

When she saw what he was holding, Cynen's eyes narrowed, causing him to chuckle.

"This feels too easy," she said.

"Entirely too easy," Garrett replied. "So easy that it stinks of a trap.”

“Should we back off?" Cynen asked, but Viper shook his head.

"We can't. We've come too far. Even if this is a trap, we need to walk into it. We don't have another choice. If we want to end this undead invasion, we have to slay Agma-Yoth."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Cynen said, before turning to Core. "I need you to head back to the surface. We need somebody to let those above ground know what has happened."

As much as he hated to leave, Core knew that with his wounded arm, he was more of a liability than a help. After a brief moment of hesitation, he nodded.

"Yes, boss."

"Gale, I want you to go with him," Cynen said, but her other lieutenant shook his head in protest.

"I'm not leaving you alone," Gale said, his face set. "Core should be strong enough to navigate back to the surface by himself."

Cynen's eyes narrowed, but before she could speak, she saw Viper agree with Gale.

"We're happy to have you," Viper said to Gale, before turning to Core. "Please deliver a message for me as well."

Reaching into his pouch, he withdrew a piece of paper and a pencil and quickly scribbled out a message, folding the paper up and handing it to Core.

"We will kill Agma-Yoth," he said, his voice calm and certain, "even if it costs us our lives. Deliver that to the Dreamers Inn, to Garrett of the Klein family."

Taking the paper, Core nodded and then looked at Cynen. Though it was clear he had much he wanted to say, he ended up maintaining his silence. He simply bowed to her before turning and leaving. Taking a deep breath, Cynen nodded.

"All right, let's go," she said as she led the way forward.

It didn't take them long to find the end of the tomb. In a small hall up ahead, they discovered two massive double doors covered in complex carvings that seemed to show ancient scenes of a skull-headed god being worshiped by millions of much smaller figures. The scene seemed to show the god rising to power, ascending until the whole world bowed down.

“That must be Lesrak,” Garrett said, taking a moment to scan the door. “I wonder what happened that caused him to fall?”

“Is that the first ruler?” Cynen asked, tracing her hand lightly over the carvings.

“I’d guess so,” Garrett replied, pointing to what appeared to be a river and a swamp under the feet of the god. “This looks a lot like the territory around Insomnium. Chances are good that this is where the god had his main temple and where he was buried once he died.”

“What could kill a god?” Gale asked, his voice hushed.

“That’s a really good question,” Garrett replied quietly. “But one we can’t afford to waste time on right now. We need to kill Agma-Yoth before he manages to steal Lesrak’s power and we’re forced to try and answer it.”

Taking the two halves of the stone tablet, he placed them together with a click and fit them into a slot on the door. They snapped into place, held as if by magic, and with a faint rumble, the two massive doors swung open, revealing a long, grand hallway. They were entering from the side, and after walking through a series of pillars, they found themselves in the center of a large throne room as the doors closed behind them, sealing their exit and leaving them alone in the throne room. The room appeared to be empty of anything save for a throne tipped over on its side on the dais at the front of the room, and a large obsidian coffin that stood up on its end, where the throne had once been placed. Even as they turned towards it, the coffin began to rumble, its lid slowly sliding to the side to reveal a giant skeletal man, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes closed serenely, as if in death.

"Is that—?"

Cynen had barely begun to speak when the man's eyes snapped open, and two burning orbs, like red-hot embers, fixed themselves on the party. A heavy aura rolled out from the casket, rapidly shrouding the room and forcing each of them to muster their own strength to resist its oppressive influence.

"Welcome," a grating voice rumbled in their head, bypassing their ears, delivered directly to their minds. "Step closer."

The command hammered into their souls, forcing each of them to stumble forward. A moment later, Cynen's flames roared to life, burning away the influence, allowing them to stop. She stared at Agma-Yoth with a horrified expression, and the grinning skeleton simply laughed.

"I always find it amusing," he said, "when mortals think they are stronger than they are. Did you really think I would simply allow you to walk in here if you actually had any hope of killing me? Or even of harming me?"

With a growl, Cynen lifted her hand, thrusting her palm forward and unleashing a blast of green flame that raced towards him. Burning the air as it went, the bolt only made it halfway to him, before his eyes gleamed and a mountain of pressure smashed down on it, extinguishing it completely. With a gasp, Cynen fell back a step, feeling a hand on her back as Viper supported her.

"Really beyond foolish. I do not know what you have been offered by the Dreamer on the Throne, but the question you have to ask yourselves is, is it worth your death?"

The question hung heavily in the minds of everyone present. But again, Cynen shook her head with a growl and took a heavy step forward.

"You," she said, her voice laced with hate. "You are the one."

A low chuckle escaped Agma-Yoth, and the rictus smile on his face seemed to grow brighter.

"Are you just now realizing it?" he asked.

Sensing that there was something he didn't understand, Viper, who was under Garret's control, looked back and forth between Cynen and the ancient undead monster in the casket.

"Why don't you tell your friend here what it is you're talking about?" Agma-Yoth said, clearly taking pleasure in teasing them.

Cynen gritted her teeth, not wanting to explain, but after a moment, she lifted her hand and pointed at the skeletal man in the coffin.

"Ever since I was young," she said, "and was first touched by the flame, his voice has haunted my dreams."

"That's right," Agma-Yoth said. "I sensed in you great potential, and I called to you, guiding you to use my flame. You have served as a good incubator for my flames, and now the time has come for you to fulfill your destiny. You have brought me the flame of Lesrak, and through it, I will complete my ascension. Though this is somewhat premature, as I had hoped for you to stay on the surface, gathering a more potent flame before I drew you down to my side, it shall suffice. Come, present your flame to me, and I shall give you eternal rest."

Each of his words landed like a chain on Cynen's mind, and with a gasp, her body jerked as she stumbled forward. The rest of the team reacted instantly, Gale rushing forward to try to grab Cynen, while Viper and the red-masked assassin both launched attacks towards Agma-Yoth. Just like the flame that Cynen had cast, Viper found it almost impossible to move forward after crossing half the distance to the skeletal monster’s black obsidian coffin, before an incredible wave of mental energy slammed into him, throwing him back. Though he defended against it well, since he was shielded by Garret's powerful energy, the red-masked assassin was not so lucky, and was knocked out almost instantly.

Gale, reaching out to grab Cynen to prevent her from walking forward, felt the fierce green flames burst to life around her, and with a scream, fell backward, the flesh on his hands beginning to corrode as the flame burned them.

"Gale! No!' Cynen yelled, her voice desperate, even as her body continued to stumble forward.

They had come, expecting to fight Agma-Yoth, only to realize that his power was beyond anything they had imagined. It filled the space around them, crushing down on their soul sparks and making it terribly difficult for them to muster their own power. Desperately, Cynen threw her flame against the chains of power pulling her forward, but it was as if she was attempting to put out an ocean with a simple torch, and her flames were immediately smothered into nothing by the crushing pressure rolling off of Agma-Yoth. When she was a dozen feet away, her body jerked to a stop in front of the dais. At the top of the stairs in front of her, Agma-Yoth loomed in the obsidian coffin.

“That's right,” he said. “Once I have your flame, my ascension shall be complete.”

A ghostly hand appeared in front of him, its bony fingers curling, leaving only its index finger extended. Hanging in the air for a second, it suddenly shot towards Cynen, intending to pierce her chest.

Garrett, who had been watching through Viper, struck at that moment. A tremendous amount of energy burst from Viper, spreading through the room as it entwined with Agma-Yoth's, and with a shimmer, he relinquished his control over Viper and dragged his enemy into the dream world. With a shake, the throne room suddenly changed, the others fading away, leaving Agma-Yoth facing Garrett who stood in front of the dais, dressed in his suit and mask. The shift was abrupt, but it didn’t catch Agma-Yoth off guard, and rather than try to struggle free, the skeletal man sneered at Garrett, who had appeared in front of him.

"A pathetic attempt to stall the inevitable,” the skeletal man rumbled, his voice echoing around the dream space. “Though I must admit, it is more of a fight than I assumed you would be able to put up.”

Garrett didn't respond, his eyes closed as he stabilized the space. This wasn’t the first time he had pulled someone into a dream space, but it was the first time he had forcefully created a dream space while fighting the influence of someone of greater power. He could feel the ocean of Agma-Yoth’s power hovering outside of the dream space, and was forced to defend against its assault to keep Agma-Yoth contained inside. When he felt as if he had found the balance point, he let out a small sigh of relief.

“This is a neat trick,” Garrett said, “thank you for teaching it to me.”

A small hiss escaped Agma-Yoth's mouth, and his eyes seemed to dart around, causing Garrett to laugh. Opening his eyes, Garrett gestured to the hall.

“I already knew how to bring somebody into a dream space, but when you invited me in the other day I figured out the trick of turning the space into a trap. And while I'm not quite as proficient as you, I think I'm doing pretty well.”

His candor took Agma-Yoth aback, and the skeletal man peered at him, his gaze curious.

“You learn quickly. I'll give you that,” Agma-Yoth said, “but to what end? No matter how long you stretch this time in this space, your energy will eventually run out, and I will return to continue what I started. It is inevitable that I will retake my flame and make myself whole.”

“You're saying this was all a trap?” Garrett asked, causing Agma-Yoth to chuckle.

“Yes. A trap dozens of years in the making. A trap that you had no choice but to walk into. Don't pretend to be surprised. It's not as if I actually hid it.”

Reaching up and scratching his neck, Garrett nodded.

“It's true. I saw it pretty much as soon as you first interacted with me. But you're right, I didn't really have a choice. I do have a few questions, though. And before I simply roll over and give up, I wonder if you might answer them.”

Hesitating for a moment, Agma-Yoth gave Garrett the impression that he was shrugging, even though his bony shoulders didn't move one inch.

“Very well. I can humor you. It’s not like we don’t have time.”

“The green flame that Cynen wields,” Garrett asked, “it appears to be half of the true death flame.”

“Indeed, an astute observation. The flame of death and the flame of life are two halves of the whole, that compose the fire of Lesrak. It was divided between me and one of my companions many years ago. I have allowed it to remain in the hands of these mortals, using them to grow it until it was strong enough to be combined once more, bringing back the glory of Lesrak to this world.”

“And you intend to use that flame to give yourself new life?” Garrett asked.

"Indeed, by animating myself with Lesrak's flame, I will gain—”

Agma-Yoth's words cut off, and a heavy silence fell between them. For a full minute, neither spoke, and then with a low chuckle, filled with suppressed rage, Agma-Yoth’s eyes flared.

“What have you done?” he asked.

Down below, Garrett shrugged.

"Just a bit of bewitchment,” he said. “To encourage you to answer some questions.”

“I will answer no more,” Agma-Yoth snarled.

“That's fine,” Garrett said. “It's about time we started our fight anyways.”

“You truly think you can stand against me?” Agma-Yoth asked, his gaze intent, but Garrett shook his head.

Slowly, his hand reached up to the mask on his face, as his body began to shift and change. As he pulled the white mask away, a flower bloomed under his feet, ten petals stretching in every direction. From it, a golden throne rose, and Garrett sat, his body shifting into his true appearance. Still holding the mask in his hand, he leaned on the armrest of his throne, as he stared at Agma-Yoth across the throne room.

“No,” he said, his voice calm as he leaned forward. “I fight sitting.”

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