179 - Invasion (Patreon)

Sir Spendulon was fussier than usual.

He’d been like that since Tamsy and Vittoria left, had scratched at the door for a few minutes, then lain down in the living room next to the couch upon which Tamsy slept. Then he’d started making whining noises, dragging her blanket to the ground and rolling over it, eventually trapping himself within.

He began to struggle, and Inara giggled as she rescued him, laying the blanket flat on the ground once more. She would need to wash it before Tamsy returned, although Sir Spendulon didn’t seem like he was about to surrender it anytime soon. 

He’d never reacted like this before whenever Vittoria and Tamsy went on their missions. He would sometimes scratch the door after they left, and mope for a minute or two, but Inara could usually coax him into a better mood with a tasty meal and some playtime.

Today, though, he refused to be coaxed. He merely picked at his lizard stew, and continuously snorted puffs of air out of his nostril. One of them caught Inara’s hand, and she was almost scorched by the heat that emanated from it.

He was supposed to breathe his first flame in the next few months, Vittoria had said. She had to be careful about where she put her hand from now on.

After she was done cleaning, Inara went close and sat next to him, rubbing his back. He shifted to place his head on her lap, but he didn’t stop looking forlorn, or as forlorn as a dragon could look anyway. She didn't know if dragons were usually so expressive, or if Sir Spendulon was different.

“I miss them too,” she said. “But they’ll be home soon.” Vittoria had told her that she might be gone for longer than a day, but Tamsy at least was supposed to return tomorrow or the day after. Inara planned on making a lot of food, because Tamsy liked to eat the same thing for breakfast every day, and they might not accommodate that wherever she had gone.

As a result, she would likely be hungry upon return.

After managing to get Sir Spendulon's lunch on the stove, Inara began picking through the books on Lady Vittoria's shelf. Before coming here, she hadn't had the luxury of reading anything in a long time. After it was discovered that she had no talent for magic, all her education stopped, and she was relegated to life as a maid.

She still remembered the basic words and sentences, but the books on the shelf contained more complex material. There were manuals, philosophy books, and magic books. At first, Inara had been too afraid to touch them, but due to boredom, she finally gave in one day, carefully plucking one off the shelf and peering through it.

She did not understand most of what it said, but it didn't matter. She liked reading it anyway, even though it took her a long time to get through a page. It gave her a sense of...freedom. Made her feel almost normal.

Of course, she always put it back before Lady Vittoria returned. Not that she thought the lady would mind, but it still felt a little audacious of her to openly indulge in such things.

Nevertheless, she picked out what seemed to be a philosophy book and rested on the floor next to Sir Spendulon. She ran her hand over his back, scratching behind his ear to comfort him.

Suddenly he jerked up, throwing Inara off.

“What?” she asked. “What is it?”

He started sniffing the air and then waddled over to the door, scratching on it again.

Inara waited, wondering if Tamsy was back early.

However, after a few minutes without Tamsy appearing, apprehension began to trickle in.

The last time Sir Spendulon had acted like that, something had attacked their home.

It had been a serious attack, too, one that had Tamsy worried for Lady Vittoria’s safety. 

"Argh!" Sir Spendulon yipped. "Argh! Argh!"

He was more vocal than normal, his scratching more insistent.

Inara got to her feet and looked out of the window, where the skies began to darken and the sand begin to rise.

"Oh no."

Terror stilled her bones, though a part of her wondered  if she should do something. Shutter the window, maybe? But there were no shutters, and besides, she needed to see what was happening.

Vittoria had told her they would be safe here. It would be difficult for anything to find them or penetrate their defenses.

Still, she had also informed Inara that she kept a weapon in her room closet that Inara was free to use it as she pleased.

Inara had no idea how to use it, and the thought of wielding a weapon scared her a little. 

Sir Spendulon kept scratching the door more aggressively, and Inara had a second of hesitation before she ran into the room to grab it.

"I probably won't need it,” she told herself as she unveiled a spear with a long, sharp blade. "Lady Vittoria said that this home is protected."

She wrapped her hand around the metal staff and had another jolt of panic. The spear was too heavy, and she was scared she wouldn’t be able to lift it.

Then it glowed and became much lighter.  She suddenly recalled Lady Vittoria said that would happen. She also said that the weapon shot lightning. 

Inara went back into the living room just as a huge explosion hit the walls. She screamed and dropped as it rocked against the window, the ground trembling with aftershocks.

After, when she peeked out the window, she saw a storm.

A black hole tore open the sky. It was instantly struck by multiple bolts of blue lightning and was surrounded by a gold flare. The sand shifted to form the mirage of three giant tigers with giant eagle wings.

They took flight and circled the black hole. A network of hieroglyphs appeared, all glowing.

A blare of dark energy hit them from the hole, but the sand didn’t scatter. 

Not after the second strike either or the third. .

The sand tigers roared and attacked the black hole, their claws, ripping it into two.   

The clouds gathered, thunder exploding in the air. More sand creatures began to appear. A giant serpent also pushed out of the ground, hissing as it bared it’s teeth. More heiroglyphs appeared in the air .

The house groaned, and Inara bit her lip.

Vittoria had told Inara that she had put several protective mechanisms all around the home, and that they were controlled by the home itself, adjusting to any attack. 

Inara put her hand against the walls and felt it pulsing like a heartbeat.

The house is alive. You become part of it. And as long as you remain within, it will protect you.

That was what Vittoria had told her. 

However, the house sounded like it was taking a beating. Every now and then, an explosion would rattle it from the outside. She didn't look out the window, unable to watch the battle without fainting from fear. She only knew the impact from the sounds the home made, the thunder, the snarling, the groans.

A high-pitched sound spun through the air, and it turned liquid.

That was her only warning as the door was torn off the hinges, slamming into an opposite wall. 

Inara's heart stopped.

Something stood right outside and it was not human.

It almost looked like it, with skin that was a pale ivory, but no hair or eyeballs or really anything that wasn't smooth and polished, like a sculpture.

In another world, it would be a beautiful statue that she looked at and pondered about while sweeping the compound.

Now, it was her nightmare come to life.

“Hello,” it said, with a smile that curved its lips. “I am Pi.”

His voice was like a whisper of night, deceptively soft, yet incredibly threatening. Behind it, a storm waged, with lightning attempting to strike it but always swallowed up by black holes. 

Sir Spendulon growled, and he quickly waddled over, placing himself right in front of Inara. The spikes and scutes on his spine stood up straight, smoke curling out of his nose as he articulated a high-pitched snarl.

Inara clenched her teeth and pointed her weapon at the creature.  Her hand shook so hard you could hear it rattle. 

“Please leave,” she said, trying to inject into her voice a confidence she didn’t feel. 

“Come now,” the creature said with a smile. “Why the hostility? I’m not here to kill you. At least not yet anyway.”

Inara breathed slowly, a shiver running down her spine. She desperately thought of what to do next. Sir Spendulon continued growling. 

“They did not mention that you were a dragon keeper,” he said. “I thought you were just a regular human.” He cocked his head. “Are there human riders now? I didn’t know that was a thing.”

Inara didn’t know what a dragon keeper was, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was that she was now facing a threat, and she was so terrified that her knees shook.

Yet she remained standing. Somehow, she made her voice work.

"Leave," she said again.

"I'm afraid I cannot." He took a step toward Inara. “It does not look like you have the bond or the blessing yet, so I assume this will not be complicated.”

Sir Spendulon’s jaw opened wide. Inara expected another snarl or even that strange bark that he did.

Instead, a gust of fire discharged.

Inara jolted from the shock.

Vittoria had said that Sir Spendulon wouldn’t breathe his first flame for another few months. But his eyes glowed red, and he did it again, exhaling it at the creature.

However, there wasn't a lot of fire and the creature deflected it into the wall.

The walls began to burn, and Inara panicked. She didn't want to burn Vittoria’s walls. Not after everything the other woman had done for her.

Luckily, the fire went out after a few seconds.

The creature put its leg on the doorway. “You have no idea how much trouble it has been to get here. I am a demonic ancient, even though I do not look like it. I’m extremely powerful. But you and this home are spectacularly protected. I'm not sure I could have done it without help."

Once again, Inara had no clue what he was talking about.

She took a step back as he took a step in, until her back was pressed against the wall.

I might have to fight him. Her brain scrambled from the panic. How on earth was she supposed to fight a creature like this? Where did she even start?

He took another step and the house trembled. 

A pulse of energy hit the creature hard enough to send him flying out the door. 

But he was back, in the blink of an eye regardless. 

“Ah,” he said. “More tricks up your sleeve, I see.”

Vines burst out of Vittoria's walls, wrapping around the creature's arms and neck. It tightened to the point of choking, but he didn't react. Not even when the ropes reverberated, making a high-pitched fritz.

Not even when a series of red rays burst out and pierced through it’s smooth flesh. 

No blood came out of him, despite the holes they made. He continued to speak just as casually. It was terrifying. 

"I don't want to fight you," he said. "Just come with me."

“I won’t.”

“You must,” he said, and a large dark scythe that somehow looked solid and melted at the same time, appeared in his hand.

He swung the blade into the wall and began carving it, while the home groaned, shooting out black-tinged poisonous thorns that lodged into his body, but seemed to have no effect. 

However, the scythe did have an effect. 

The twisted wood darkened, hardening, but it bled anyway.

The demon held out his hand and all the windows shattered. He snapped, and the home twisted and bent, with snapping sounds that reminded Inara of a broken back. Lava arched out of his feet, spreading across the ground but it didn’t burn him.

And he used his hand to send his own darkened version across the floor. 

It stopped before it reached Inara and Sir Spendulon, but it caught other things in its way. Tamsy's blanket. Her couch.

Sir Spendulon breathed fire at the creature, but he continued to deflect it.

He was destroying their home. The books began to burn. So did the furniture.

The demon laughed.

“St-stop,” Inara stammered. 

"I already told you I can't."

"You have to." He was destroying their home. The place that she lived with Lady Vittoria and Tamsy. The place she prayed every day that she would never have to leave.

"Please," she begged, nearly with tears in her eyes.

"It's not my fault, you see," he said. "It's the built-in mechanism from the owner of this house. The home will not let me have you. So I must kill it first.”

The home bent again, the rope-like stem fibers straining, more snapping noises heard. 

Inara couldn't bear to watch it being destroyed. She couldn't listen to the groaning even as it fought back against the demon's attacks.

No. 

She couldn't let Vittoria's home be destroyed and for Sir Spendulon to get caught in the crossfire. He was a dragon, but he was young. Just a baby. 

This creature was probably here because of the demonic sect. They had finally come for her.

She always knew this day would come. 

It was too much to hope that she had escaped from them forever.

It was too good to be true, and typically whenever something good happened to her, misery was sure to follow.

That was the story of her life.

She shut her eyes, the bitter resignation in her mouth, her despair silent even as it weighed heavily on her. 

“I’ll come with you.”

The words left her with a stiff finality. 

She was afraid, but that wasn't new to her. Fear had been her constant companion all her life.

Nevertheless, this was the chance for her to make a brave choice and pay back the kindness that she had received.  Save Sir Spendulon and Lady Vittoria's home.

“Excellent choice," the demon said. “But you will have to come to me as I cannot come to you. Do not worry. The fire will not burn you.” He made his black lava harden into basalt and held out his hand. 

Inara swallowed. 

Then she began walking toward him.

Sir Spendulon made a high-pitched screeching sound that she'd never heard him make before. He waddled after her, wrapping his hand around her legs, screeching louder.

She closed her eyes, her heart breaking. She put her hand on his head.

"Let go."

He didn't. He burrowed his head into her back and continued to make the sound. Then it glared at the creature and breathed fire again.

The demon once more deflected it into the already burning furniture.

"I'll be okay, Sir Spendulon," Inara said to the dragon, attempting a smile. He looked up at her with wide eyes, hugging her leg so tightly she felt the talons through her pants.

Tears rushed up her throat. 

She didn’t want to leave him. Not like this. 

“Ignore it,” the demon said. "Just take my hand, and it will all be over."

Inara swallowed. Be brave. Be brave.

Grow a backbone, Inara.

Her eyes popped open, as she heard Vittoria’s words echo in her head. 

She imagined Lady Vittoria watching her now, the disapproval in her expression. She imagined her shaking her head, at what Inara was about to do. 

This was precisely the type of thing Vittoria would get mad at her for. 

But what choice did she have? 

She couldn’t fight it, that much was certain, even with the spear in her hand. The house was fighting, but it felt like a one-sided losing battle. Then there was Sir Spendulon. She had to protect them.

And how sure are you that your choice really will protect them? It’s a demon, after all. Do you expect it to honor its word?

That was right. 

It was a demon. Untrustworthy by nature. 

Inara was frozen in indecision, even as the demon gestured to her with his hand. She bit her lip, knowing was no good choice here. It was acting so reasonably that she was tempted to think she could extract an oath from it, but she especially knew how tricky demons could be, even with oaths.  

Her brain had just been too clouded to realize it earlier. 

But now what? 

Did she fight?

Her breath quickened. Her hand tightened around the staff, and she clenched her teeth. 

Then she heard the unmistakable whoosh of a teleportation circle. 

Her neck snapped around with a dizzying quickness. 

Only Vittoria and Tamsy had authorized access to teleport in and out of the house. It couldn’t be anyone else.

But the person who stepped out was neither of them. 

Standing near Vittoria’s room door was a tall woman, in a nun’s habit, who had a bag slung across her front. 

She stared at them, silently, her eyebrows rising in surprise .

“Well,” she said. “It looks like I arrived right on time.”

***

Arielle and her newfound group walked awkwardly around the mansion, searching for survivors. It was a quiet, morose affair, understandable since they were mostly injured, exhausted, and demotivated.

Also scared of encountering another demon on the way.

Which they did, but it wasn't a lot of teh. Arielle and Lenore took care of most of them before they could attack.

For some reason,  everyone kept staring at her, especially Lyra. Ari didn't know if she recognized her, but she tried to avoid looking back as much as possible.

Nevertheless, she had to ask, because she didn't see Lyra get healed at all, and she was worried.

“Are you injured?" she asked her.

“No.” They walked side by side, so Lyra's voice didn't carry. "It's thanks to you, commander."

“Good.” She glanced back at Maus who was beside a sad Edward and said, “Is he injured?”

Lyra too glanced back and then gave her a funny look before she answered slowly. "No. I don't believe he is."

"We're all fine," Lyra's father who was standing closest to them said. "We just need a way out of here."

Arielle nodded. She had been trying to figure it out while they walked, but the only thing she could think of right now was somehow utilizing the monster's powers to give herself access to wherever they came from.

She didn’t have a clear idea of how to do it, but she did have thoughts on perhaps attaching herself to one of them and following them as they moved through, or pushing a teleportation spell into the hole with them.

Of course, it would be crazy to attempt such a thing, but if she could somehow get to the demonic realm, maybe they could kill the one responsible for this crisis, or at the very least break the Overlord's spells that kept them trapped here.

Then again, going into the demonic realm to fight demons would be stupid, and the exact type of arrogance Vittoria warned against.

She would at least need to gather the rest of the Archmages to go with her, but she didn't know how to convince them, or if she even should. After all, that would mean leaving the rest of the ones here without protection.

She didn't quite know what to do now.

"Erm, Commander," Lyra said in an even lower tone, and it took another call for Arielle to realize she was talking to her. "Is this about Arielle? Did she call you here?”

Arielle hesitated for a second, then nodded.

"Is she...is she okay?"

She nodded again.

Lyra breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. I was worried about her and Elric. Riorke and Lacey too."

Speaking of which, she hadn't seen any of them at all. Neither had she seen Selena. She had picked up Professor Valeria and a few other people along the way, but they were still down quite a lot of people in their group and others. 

She just hoped they hadn't gone into the portals yet. 

She had seen the portal when Edward had unveiled it and had spotted demonic orbs appearing and disappearing around it.  

It had definitely looked corrupted which was why she had to ensure no one else went through it. 

But some might already have. She didn't meet Wulfric's group on the way.

They did, however, encounter Lord Wesley in his wing, along with Lady Wesley, Lady Borgas, and some other mages, all of whom had blood on their robes.

The Lord was carrying Lady Wesley in his arms, with relative ease, despite a scar on his face, across his eye that was now shut and likely damaged.

"Edward," he breathed a sigh of relief as he hurried over to his son, allowing Lyra's father to examine Lady Wesley.  "Where's Wulfric?"

Edward said, "I haven't seen him."

"What do you mean you haven't seen him?" Lady Borja demanded. "You did not look for him, did you?"

"We did. We just..." Edward shrugged weakly, and though Lord Wesley's face fell, Lady Borja's face squeezed with anger.

"You let him die, didn't you?"

"Xiomara," Lord Wesley said.

"No. You didn't care enough about my son to give us an exit portal. Don't Xiomara me now."

Lord Wesley looked mournful, and he opened his mouth but he didn't seem to know what to say next.

Wanting to ease them both, Arielle said, "He's not dead."

They both turned to her.

"And who are you?" Lord Wesley asked.

"She's Lady Vittoria's soul-clone," Archmage Lenore said.

"Ah. How is it here then?"

"I can't say. She wouldn't answer."

The Lord looked at her again, but she looked away.

"How do you know my son’s alive?" Lord Wesley asked. 

"I saw him," she said.

"Where?

She didn't answer. She likely shouldn't have even said anything. She didn't know if Wulfric was alive right at this very moment, although she had helped them fight the demons that had been there. But she had a feeling he was alive, especially if he was with Benhai.

“We don’t have a way out,” Lord Wesley said. “Our portal seems to be damaged and it just kept bringing us back here.”

Ah. So that was the corruption. At least it wasn’t anything life ending, nor was it transporting them to the demonic realm. That was a relief at least. 

"We should all get to the courtyard," Archmage Lenore said. "That way everyone can be within my sight and they won't be able to separate us again."

It sounded like a solid plan, so they all set to do that. 

On their way, Archmage Lenore said, "It's strange. They're not attacking us anymore."

"Perhaps they know they are outclassed now," Master Thiel said.

"They were outclassed before, and that didn't stop them. Besides, if they know that, then why not lift the cage and let us go?"

"The attacks did stop all of a sudden," Lord Wesley said. "Some of the monsters we were fighting even retreated all of a sudden."

"That's not good," Lenore said. "They're planning something."

Arielle had to agree, especially after she got out and saw the gathering of injured mages also in the courtyard.

"Wulfric!" Lady Borja said, spotting her son and rushing to him. She wrapped him up in a hug, and pressed her face to his. "Oh goodness, I was so worried."

"I'm fine, Mother," he said, seeming a little embarrassed by her exuberance. He still held the glowing sword in one hand, which caught his father's attention as he walked over to him.

"I'm glad you're alright." Lord Wesley laid a hand on his son's shoulder. "And you unsheathed the sword of Gormod?"

"Yeah," Wulfric said and shrugged. "It was really easy, actually."

His eyes flickered to Arielle as he spoke, although she didn't know why.

"We went through the portal," the healer said. "It didn't work. We ended up back here."

"It got corrupted,” Lord Wesley said, sighing as he shook his head. “I’m sorry to everyone. I truly don’t know how any of this happened.”“It’s not your fault,” Archmage Lenore said. “The demons seemed to have acquired a few tricks overnight. None of us could have predicted this.”“One person did,” Wulfric announced. 

“That’s right, Elric.” The Lord said, which made Wulfric frown. “Speaking of which, where are Elric and Arielle?” There was a distinct concern in his tone and Arielle stiffened involuntarily. 

There were a few murmurs, but no one seemed to have seen them. Elric and Lord Camhanach and the servants were nowhere to be found.

She was starting to get worried. 

Ari spotted Riorke, who looked broken, his face blank, eyes unseeing. He was also injured, his arm hanging out of the socket, but he barely seemed to notice it.

Ari wanted to ask him if he was okay, and where Lacey was but she didn’t have a good way of asking it. 

Something was coming. Something big.

Then it happened.

The abyss pulled open, and someone walked out.  

Someone very familiar.

Arielle's breath caught as suddenly, without question, all the mages began to thrust spells at him.

They all passed through cleanly, none of it touching him.

Ari knew why.

He was occupying a different realm than they were, thanks to the abyss. 

"I'm not here to entertain the rest of you," he said, holding up his hands in defense. "I'm only here for you."

"Who?"

He pointed at Arielle and raised an eyebrow. "You do remember me, do you not?"

Of course she did. He was Leviathan.