Armareth's Tower

Ziel’s mountain was held up by four great round pillars. The chains anchoring the mountain to the eight others around it jingled as the bird ferried them closer to Ziel’s home. David couldn’t articulate how he felt. It wasn’t exactly fear. There’d been way too much randomness so far for him not to entertain the possibility that Ziel could simply just let them go. Yet the pressure spreading out from the mountain made it impossible for him to believe that.

The other dragons felt like fairy tales compared to Ziel and they had not even met her yet. David’s hold on Arg tightened. He jumped, startled by Chloe’s touch. She seemed worried too. David relaxed, trying to hide the tension in his shoulders. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but he had to be the pillar or his siblings would be devoured.

“What do you think Ziel will do?” David said, frowning when he saw no roof on the mountain. There was a rough opening, as if Ziel had burrowed into it, crushing the insides until there was space for her.

That didn’t make sense, not with what they’d seen so far.

Arg slowly descended on the edge, leaping off in fear as soon as Chloe slid off its back. David watched it go, its wings beating against the wind with such ferocity that it seemed like it was in a hurry to put distance between itself and Ziel’s abode.

“I don’t blame him,” David said. He turned to see Zoey wrapping her hands around herself. Chloe came to stand by him, clinging to his hand like she usually did with their mother. Elisha’s shadow moved in random chaotic patterns, stirred by something David couldn’t see. Not until he felt the tiny pricks of something under his skin, like sharp glass shards scraping his nerves. He moaned, trying to breathe while gritting through the pain.

“Stop,” he growled, but nothing happened. There was silence here. Not even the wind moved. David slid down to one knee, his eyes shut tightly as he tried to push through the pain. He wondered why Ziel was doing this. Then he recalled that she was a near-god in this place. She ruled everything.

“Your foul presence annoys me,” Ziel said, her voice louder here, like the echo of a thousand drums in synch. Her growl made the mountain vibrate. But then the chill vanished, replaced by a strange-like calm that was disturbing in a way David couldn’t explain. The dragon was silent again, for a moment.

And she said, “Enter.”

The command was absolute. There were no servants here, none of the creatures that served her children. Nor did she put up any illusion of beauty, splendor or strength. Just rough stone walls that led them farther into the belly of the mountain.

No one spoke, perhaps because they feared the mother dragon would hear. David’s mind churned with thoughts and fears. Yes, now he dreaded meeting Ziel. She was nothing like her children, which meant she was worse.

“I am scared, David,” Chloe whispered. David felt her shake in his hands and he gave her a squeeze, hoping that would ease her. He couldn’t speak. He feared they would hear how scared he was. That would break them even more than Ziel could.

A wisp of orange light floated above them, its flame dancing strong and bright. David felt the essence within it, the strong throb of power in the air. If he could focus, he guessed he could sense the thread of essence feeding and controlling the light Ziel provided them.

The light went left, splitting into four as they progressed. The way got brighter, and David saw why it did that. At the end of the hallway it split into four different paths. Chloe tightened her hold on David, but he knew there was nothing they could do.

“You can stay together and die, or walk alone and find the opportunity to survive,” Ziel said. “Your trials so far have given you gifts. Show me, children. Show me why you are special, and perhaps I will give you gifts of my own.”

They stood before the split paths, each too scared to be the first to go. David hated it, the possibility of death for one or all of them. He didn’t want to do it. Yet, he knew Ziel had slipped in a warning for them. Failure to follow the rules she had laid out and they would be faced by an angry dragon.

“What do we do?” Elisha asked.

“I don’t want to go,” Chloe said, sobbing. Her face was wet with tears already. She looked up at David, expecting the same strength she’d always seen in their parents. David’s heart broke. It felt like he was giving her up to be chewed up by monsters.

“You will be fine, Chloe,” David said, kneeling so she was looking down at him. She shook her head, not buying his attempt to calm her. “Trust me. You helped us beat the bald dragon, remember?” He asked.

“I don’t!” Chloe screamed. “He killed us so many time. I don’t want to—”

“I don’t have time for this!” Ziel said and something struck out of the individual paths, latching on to them and before David could grab a hold of Chloe, she was pulled away. David screamed, eyes wide with fear as his other siblings were pulled in. Then the thing wrapped around him dragging him into his path.

Once he was pulled into the darkness, whatever it was vanished. The dancing light blinked into life above him, illuminating about three paces around him. He looked around, finding nothing but darkness in the rest of the place. David cursed, the image of Chloe screaming as she was pulled into the cave tunnel reverberated in his mind, replaying as if in loop.

He decided to walk forward, but stopped when his feet touched cold water. He heard it then. The slow slap of waves. He took a few steps back, but he was too slow. The water reached him. It sloughed against his legs and receded. A blue light pulsed in the distance, far away at first and then it began to grow, pulsating with a steady rhythm. One second it was there and then not. When it came again, it was wider, closer and the waves sounded stronger.

“Do you hear it, David?” Ziel whispered, her voice calm and piercing. David listened, hearing only the movement of the water. The fire above him grew, lifting up a bit to spread more light. Not bright enough that it overcame the growing blue glow, but just enough that he saw the bobbing sheet of water, the waves slicing toward him.

“Your fear is so loud, so putrid, I bet it makes you uncomfortable too,” the voice said, but this time it was his father. It was haunting, getting under his skin like a knife shimmying its way to his lungs. David stepped back, not knowing what to do. The heads lift off the water, then the eyes. There were many things —blue skinned, marked with runes on muscled bodies.

Orcs, David realized. These ones were different. He could see it in the black sclera and the broken tusks. The blue light had stopped, but now, standing before him was a small army of orcs. They were tainted. The runes on them giving a startling blue glow told him so.

“Is this all you have?” David whispered, his fear growing, choking him. Yet, he’d been taught to face his fear since he was eight. He’d seen what happened to those who let their fears build a nest in them. He closed his eyes shut, banishing the memories. He wouldn’t be dragged back into the past. Not anymore.

He pulled out his sword, getting into one of the martial poses he’d seen Ignis use. The movements flooded his mind and essence enveloped his body like a mother’s cradle. He could fight. He could fight for as long as Ziel wanted him to. As long as his sword was in his hand, he could still fight.

The orcs ran out the water and then they leapt, coming down like a downpour of orc arrows. He stepped back, tripped and rolled away from a gleaming sword attached to a long shaft. The blade hummed as it sliced down, hitting the ground just near David’s feet.

He twirled, letting a spear slide off his back and then jumped out of the way of a spiked club. They kept coming, giving him space to attack. It was like fighting against a moving wall, they pushed him back, suffocating him.

Their attacks were slow enough for him to see though. David caught a stabbing spear with his left hand, pulled the orc forward and opened its throat. Blood sprayed on his face, but he was already moving, crouching below a high swing of an axe and then quickly stabbed another orc.

His focus thinned everything down to movement. His sword moving in a blur to block and counter attack. The voice was gone now and this world Ziel pulled him into was silent. It was perfect for an endless battle, yet what calmed him was time. He didn’t have much of it. He needed to win whatever test Ziel was trying to give him and go save Chloe.

He wasn’t sure how he was going to do it, but that was all he could think as Ignis’s technique bloomed within him. His arm drove forward, catching an orc by the throat and stabbed his sword through, twisted away before an axe would find him. It tore through the orc he killed instead.

You still overthink your swings, Ignis’s voice touched his mind. David gritted, pushing the old dragon away. He needed a clear head to fight through this horde. He parried a club, staggering back from the force of the orc’s swing. They were strong beasts, but he was beginning to notice something.

He rushed, forward, catching the eyes of the incoming orc. There was nothing, no shock, not even a blink. David grinned. He understood what the ruin was for now. It was some kind of reanimation rune, fused with enough essence for Ziel to use them like puppets.

“Is this the best you can do?” David asked, not sure why he felt like taunting a being that could flick him to death. Yet, he felt some kind of bliss. Another of Ignis’ moves bubbled to his mind and he laughed. It was the joy of a battle he knew he could win. Fire bloomed like flower petals on his sword and then it roared as he swung.

The massive use of essence made him stumble, but he recovered almost immediately. He was fighting on instinct and simple triggers. His body and essence was reacting to the memories of Ignis’ he’d acquired, which meant he wasn’t consciously doing any of it.

Orcs snapped, burning away. Far into the now calm waters, he could see burning orcs. The ones left stopped moving. They stared at him with vacant eyes, and David stared back. The flame on the sword dwindled until it disappeared. David snipped the essence leaking out of him.

Then one of the orcs fell into the water, another followed and soon even the ones left on land in front of him began to fall, their runes burning off. Then it was just David standing on the sand, staring at the turbulent waters. He felt a strange calm, even though he could feel Ignis fighting against his will. The dragon slammed into the imaginary wall he had erected, blocking away his voice.

The fake sky above him burned with a wisp of light, now as large as the sun would be. The horizon was briefly blotted out by the rising waters, making it beautiful, but only for a moment and then David groaned, staggering back as something hit him. His chest tightened…no, it was his throat, clogged by something he couldn’t see.

Then he looked down and saw the spear protruding from his chest. Essence leaked out of him continuously, breaking down whatever surge of strength raged within him before. The noise of the false word roared in his ears, and he suddenly could hear Ignis’s laughter.

I was trying to show you how foolish you were for poking her for her kindness, Ignis said. David shuddered, feeling weak and cold. He looked down to see that there was no blood coming out of where the spear went through him. Yet, he could see its plain shaft.

“He…help me ,” David said, regret clouding his eyes. He couldn’t move, couldn’t fall. Something was holding him up. The silence heightened the chill. Not even the water raged anymore. All things were calm, except his racing heart. Fear, profound and overwhelming fear thrashed within him. There was no pain, not really. Just the awareness of his imminent death.

He’d been so stupid, so proud. Why? The question plagued him as he writhed in the throes of what was to come. Now he could appreciate Nurend’s mercy. The dragon had given them swift death, and here he was suffering every moment of his.

“He…lp,” David said to Ignis. Tears gathered and fell down his cheeks. He’d never felt so much shame before in his life. “Help me, Ignis,” He called. Wishing he could say more. But his heart might as well be in his throat. Every thud of his heart felt slower, fainter.

Why? Ignis asked. You will not learn. You will not bow.

“No,” David said, wincing at a throb in his head. His arms were going numb too. “I will take the chains off.”

Ignis was silent for a moment—it felt so long to David that he closed his eyes, thinking the dragon had abandoned him.

“I will bow,” he said finally, his words coming out as a whisper. Ignis scoffed, and a snap boomed, shaking the very fabric that weaved this world Ziel dragged him into.

“No,” Ziel said as essence gathered above David, golden with flecks of red. Then it became a roaring flame. It sank into David, bringing back color to his pale face. The fire spread within him, giving life to what had withered just moments before. David gasped, air flooding his lungs. His eyes snapped open and with his left hand he grabbed the spear, pulling it out his chest. It lit up in his hand, burning and fading away.

“You mongrel!” Ziel cursed, her voice reaching all the edges of this world. The water exploded, hissing as it turned to steam. “I will devour your puppet,” Ziel said. “And then I will seal you away forever.”

I believe you, Ignis replied. His will took control of David as the steam parted to reveal something vile. A spirit crafted from essence, Ignis said to David.

“How do I kill it?”

The spirit lurched for David, her dark hair stretching forward like a mass of thin, black spears.

First, blow her away with a blast of pure essence, Ignis said. You can’t kill spirits with refined essence. David slid down, dodging the deluge of black spikes, but the spirit herself pounced on him, her claws almost taking off his face. He made a blind swing, slicing through the swirling mass of essence that made up her form. Either sides latched together like slime blobs until it was one whole again, and then it wailed like a banshee.

Roar! Ignis said and David yelled, fire boomed from his mouth and crashed against the force of essence the spirit projected. David staggered back, heart racing as he looked up at the explosion of essence in the air.