Chapter 514 - Key to the Tower (Patreon)

Hope you like the chapter!Editing note for the future. There is a mention of Loften coming across as a bit mad in this chapter. I intend to edit his scenes to make him a bit more unpredictable and show some signs of madness. Haven't made the edits yet though.

There wasn’t much for them all to do in the tower. Everyone was exhausted, so even once Loften had left, no one went after him. The god could make his gateway. While they would rest and wait for Godfrey to arrive, they sat around the small space. During that time, though, Hump had not been idle.

He’d studied every part of the ward that he could, using the Book of Infinite Pages to note it down, to fully grasp the nature of its intent and the runes within it. What he had surmised was that this was not just a defensive barrier over the tower. It turned the entire tower into an amplifier, with Hump acting as the conduit at its core.

What stood out most of all was that Loften had given Hump unrestricted access to the tower, all the way down to the Reality Cores that powered it. With the help of the Book of Infinite Pages—with Glyndril’s help—Hump could make some changes. What those changes should be, however, was another question.

Hump leaned back against a stone column between two of the windows. Celaine leaned on his left shoulder while Nisha lay her head on his lap, fast asleep. The little dragon had collapsed almost immediately, once the tension was gone.

“It’s easy to forget that she’s just a dragonling, isn’t it,” Celaine said.

Hump nodded. She was almost seven months old and already approaching the size of a horse—at least in terms of weight. She was still compact enough to make it around indoors, but that wouldn’t last much longer.

“If we ever make it back to Sheercliff, I’m going to need to make some changes to the manor,” Hump said. “Find a way for Nisha to fit properly.”

“Not sure that manor would ever accommodate a fully grown wolf dragon,” Celaine said.

“You could build her a barn,” Bud said.

Hump stared at him aghast. “You dare! Nisha would never live in a barn.”

Nisha didn’t even open her eyes as she let out a disgruntled huff, annoyed at him moving and being loud, but Hump didn’t tell Bud that.

“See. You’re offending her.”

Bud rolled his eyes, a small smile on his lips before he leaned his head back against the window.

“That almost looked like a laugh there,” Emilia said.

“How could I possibly laugh?” Bud asked. “My faith is shattered. My blessings in ruin.”

“You and me both, brother,” Dylan said with a sad smile. “I know this hasn’t hit me quite as hard, but I’m still struggling to wrap my head around it all.”

Bud’s eyes softened as he looked at the druid. “The two of us should have a talk when we find a quiet moment.”

“That we should,” Dylan said. ““But for now, I just want to make sure we all make it out alive.”

Bud’s head sunk into his chest. “If only it was that easy.”

“What do you mean?” Dylan asked.

“I… I don’t trust myself,” Bud said. He raised a hand, and for the first time since Loften had changed him, Frostfire flickered to life from his palm. His eyes turned to disgust. “I don’t trust this power.”

“I know it’s hard,” Dylan said, “but in truth, I’m a little envious of you.”

“How so?” Bud asked.

“When I call upon the blessings of Krioc, I am working through faith, channelling her power with the trust I have in her. But something in that is broken. My resolve is shaken. When the time to fight comes, I do not know how it will affect me.

“While that fire is not the same as it always was, your frostfire now comes from within. You need not rely on Kelisia or anyone else—just yourself.”

There was a long sigh. The flickering flame in his palm disappeared, yet he didn’t stop staring.

Emilia leaned forwards and closed his fist with both hands.

“You will fight as you always have,” Emilia said. Her eyes went to Dylan. “Both of you will. One thing has not changed—the same thing that has stood since the beginning of our time together. We fight for each other. We make sure that we all survive, time and time again. We have come out victorious, and this won’t be any different. If you can’t trust yourself, or your faith, then trust in the rest of us.” Her eyes moved between them both. “And each other.”

Hump smiled at her words. Hope, faith, the gods— all of that had been nonsense to him from the beginning. But this… this was what gave him strength. From the change that came over Bud and Dylan, he could see the same in them.

Bud closed his eyes and drew a breath, a calmness coming over him. Dylan smiled fully now, a little light returning to his eyes.

“Thank you, Emilia. You’re right. All of you are my closest friends. It’s for you all that I do this.”

Finally, Bud nodded. “And I… and for the innocent people that can’t defend themselves. I only hope we made the right choice.”

He lowered his voice. “I still don’t trust Loften.”

“Nor do I,” Hump said. “Though for now it seems our interests align. He wants to be off this world as much as we do.”

“One fear I have is that when we leave this place, Godfrey will remain,” Emilia said. “What if he takes out his anger on the altari?”

“Why would he do that?” Celaine asked.

Emilia shrugged. “Aimless spite? Revenge against Loften? All I know is that the possibility doesn’t sit well with me. Releasing Loften might not bring about the end of the world, but it’s very possible that Godfrey does.”

Hump suddenly sat up, disturbing Nisha and Celaine, both of them looking at him, slightly annoyed.

“What is it?” Celaine asked.

“If we leave this place, then Godfrey will have access to the Reality Anchors and the World Core. He will be in control of the very things holding this world together. The altari might just be one more sacrifice to gain the power he needs.”

Dylan groaned. “There’s always something, isn’t there?”

“We need to speak with Loften,” Emilia said. “Surely he would have planned for this already?”

“Would he?” Celaine asked.

“I don’t know if you realise this, but Loften is at least slightly mad. As far as I can tell, he cares about two things: avenging his wife and his creations.”

“All the more reason we need to talk to him,” Emilia said.

“Can we even trust what he has to say?” Bud asked. “It’s not like he has not lied before.”

“I think I have an idea about that,” Hump said. “I’m not certain it will work, but Loften has left me almost complete access to his tower. I could use the Time Stop Hourglass to make a few subtle changes with the help of Glyndaril.”

“Changes like what?” Emilia asked.

“Changes that would make it so that he cannot access the power of the Reality Anchors without my permission.”

“Why would he give you the opportunity?” Celaine asked. “He must have known you could do this.”

Hump shrugged. “Perhaps it was an extension of trust. From what I can tell, it won’t even be challenging. A few runes keyed to my own soul, and anyone else would be locked out. Whether that be Godfrey or Loften himself.”

“You can stop Godfrey from accessing the Reality Anchors?” Emilia asked.

Hump nodded. “I think so. Given time, he would likely be able to find a way to overpower my changes, but first he would need to decipher how Loften created it all in the first place.”

“It could be a trap,” Dylan suggested. “Loften could be testing you.”

“If it’s a trap, I don’t see how it’s a very good one. It would still be good to speak with him.”

Emilia sighed. “I’ll do it.”

“Not alone you won’t,” Bud said. “I’m coming with you.”

“There’s no need. You stay here and rest. Hump might need you once Godfrey shows up.”

“No,” Bud said. “Just in case something might happen. I still can’t quite tell which side Loften’s on.”

Emilia smiled, offering a hand to help the knight up. Even fully donned in armour, she was stable as a stone.

“Thank you,” she said.

“I should come too,” Dylan said. “If he goes into detailed magical theory, I’m not much of a translator—but I’m better than nothing.”

“Do something destructive if you need us,” Celaine said.

Bud nodded. “Same to you.”

“And let us know if he doesn’t have an answer you like,” Hump said.

Left alone, the three of them settled in for the long wait. Hump never liked the eve of battle. Somehow, it was even worse staring out into the darkness of night with no idea when Loften might come. A little trust in the wards that he was to wield.

“You look anxious,” Celaine said softly.

“I’m about to adapt the spell formation of a god,” Hump said. “Am I not allowed to be a little nervous?”

Celaine smiled. “You’ll be fine. You’re as ready as you can be.”

“I thought you said you were ready. We’re about to go up against the Ninth Circle Chosen. Can I ever be ready enough?”

Celaine leaned away from him and gave a sharp smile. “We’ll soon find out. Show me what you’ve got.”

hump into the Lich's phylactery using the time stop amulet to buy him some time. He had promised simple changes. To the others Lofton had given Hump unrestricted access to the tower.

***

The task was even simpler than Hump had expected. There was nothing to stop him, no prevention in place to prevent one from manipulating what Loften had created. The fact that Hump had already wielded the Reality Anchors made it all the more easy to instil them with his power.

He had used the Time Stop Amulet to work with Glyndril on any changes he could make, keying the formation to his soul, which was a fairly straightforward enchantment. The trouble lay in identifying the right location for it—one that would not change the function of the spell formation over the tower, but would shut down the essence supply from the Reality Anchors if he so desired. For once, Glyndril had jumped at the opportunity to provide him additional knowledge. Pages upon pages laid out the complex runes and channels that made up the tower. The important parts were highlighted in shining text.

With a plan in place, all Hump had to do was leave the phylactery and reach into the tower. In the ward’s standby state, Hump could feel every inch of the world around the tower. It was a level of awareness beyond anything he’d experienced before. Overwhelming at first, but it hadn’t taken long to adjust.

His focus was inward, however. He planted his staff upon the core of the formation. The new runes made it so simple; his will, essence, and mind flooded through the tower from top to bottom, spurting through the stone walls and many channels like blood through veins. Hump felt every part of it in his mind. He could sense the hundreds of constructs at work, crawling through each floor in acute detail. He sensed his friends, the altari, like ghostly forms of essence, each with their unique feel. Most of all, he felt Loften and his avatar at work on the gateway. It was a blazing flame compared to everything else. A well of power growing only stronger as the artifact continued to progress.

And deep below, swelling like molten heat beneath the earth, the Reality Anchors brimmed with power—power at Hump’s literal beck and call.

It was there that Hump made his changes, marking each of the Reality Anchors with a rune unique to him. It was one of Glyndril’s inventions, something similar to how the Book of Infinite Pages was bound to his own soul. When he was finished and all four Reality Anchors were marked, he felt as if his connection to the tower had deepened.

“Did it work?” Celaine asked.

“I think so,” Hump said. “We won’t know for sure until someone tests it.”

***

Night came, and darkness descended upon the barren lands, illuminated only by the returning essence in the sky above, casting a faint red hue across the land.

A few hours must have passed when the moment finally arrived.

Hump had worried that Godfrey would arrive quietly, that he would somehow go unnoticed and sneak in before he had time to prepare the wards. Such a fear had been unnecessary. Godfrey did not care to hide his presence.

He arrived with a bang that shook the tower to its very foundations.

Golden light rose through the barren lands like noon had come. It streaked from the mountains in a blaze of warmth, and in a flash, Godfrey stood before the tower doors.

His appearance was unchanged from Hump’s memory: the perfect skin, the flawless golden hair, an angelic face that was eerily difficult to judge an age for. This was a man on the edge of divinity—a mortal whose toes had already dipped in what lay beyond.

“He’s come,” Hump said. “Take Nisha and leave this chamber.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?” Celaine asked.

Hump shook his head. “What I need right now is to focus, and I don’t want you to get caught up in the essence once this begins.”

Celaine gave his hand a squeeze. “Good luck. I’ll be back when I have news.”

With the tower vacated, Hump got focused fully.

“Lord Loften!” came a bellow from outside, filled with essence. There was no missing the sarcasm in his voice. The loathing. “I am Tobias Godfrey, former Chosen of Light. I come before you today not as an enemy but a friend. The Pantheon wronged you, just as they wronged me. Join with me, and together we can bring about their end. All you must do is let me in.”

It was as Hump had feared, perhaps even more dangerous than Godfrey arriving with open hostility, was the traitor Chosen arriving as a friend. There was little reason for Loften to choose to side with Hump and the others. They lacked the power he had. What they possessed was the Book of Infinite Pages, and the fact that it had been them who set him free—a fact that might soon prove far too insignificant.

Yet time passed, and Loften brokered no reply.

“Will you not answer me?” Godfrey demanded.

Hump sensed a burst of essence beyond the tower, yet still within the ward. An illusion of Loften appeared with the sight granted to him by the tower. Hump saw through it clearly—every rune, every bit of essence and intent holding it together. And interestingly he felt like he could undo it if he wished. This was Loften's power but right now the wards were under his control and anything within was his to do with as he wished. It shocked him that Loften had given him so much.

“It must have hurt greatly, for her greatest Chosen to turn against her,” Loften said.

Godfrey’s posture was relaxed.

“You will not speak with me face to face?” Godfrey said.

The man laughed, a chilling sound filled with scorn. “I know what you are, Lord Loften—or rather, I know what you are no longer. You have lost your spark. Join me, and we might reclaim it.”