Blood Bond

Once I settled back into my body, everything resumed moving again. The dust drifted. The smoke rose. And the particles of light from the broken chain flickered before fading.

I turned to the spot where Lelian had been. Just the sword I had given Cassian lay on the dark stone.

Cassian! My eyes shot over to the crater in the wall. He was there, patting himself down as he looked over himself in disbelief. Serine was getting back up and checking herself over as well.

My head swiveled, and Meris and Kael were sitting back up.

Antara, despite being an asshole, had kept his word.

My body moved on its own and launched itself at them. My arms wrapped around their necks. I didn't care how improper it was. I didn't care that I was smearing them with my blood. Right now, I just needed the reassuring solidity and warmth of the two of them, alive and breathing.

"I thought I lost the two of you!" I gasped, squeezing back tears as I pulled the two of them in tight. "Neither of you are allowed to come with me ever again." I knew the words were idiotic the moment I said them, but the image of the two of them lying facedown wouldn't let go of me. "You don't understand how much it tore me up inside thinking you're gone. I nearly…"

No, I did do something stupid. I reached inside a nuke!

Meris's hand patted my back. "Now you know how we felt when we thought you were gone."

"And we are still powerless to save you." Kael's voice sounded hollow, despondent. He ​​held me at arm's length, his eyes raking over me. Beside the slash across the right side of my chest from Jarlen's ice spike, there was now a torn hole on the left side from Lelian's light lance. My blood was still stitching that wound close, so it was still slightly open and wet. I was overly exposed, but I don't care much about that anymore.

Still… Not a pretty sight. My dress being soaked didn't help things either.

Antara, the asshole, didn't bother restoring his Chosen.

"Your screams…" Kael sighed, looking utterly dejected.

I squeezed his shoulder and leaned my head down to look into his eyes. "That's over now. I'm alright. What's important is that you all are as well."

A voice came from behind me, Tamas's. "Can you tell me how that's possible? I remember that witch's spell throwing me against the ground, and crushing my legs. Then next thing I open my eyes and everything is fine."

"Yes, I would very much like to know as well." Master Alarc concurred.

"I… made a deal with someone and he healed all of you."

"Who could that be?" Master Alarc furrowed his eyebrows. His head turned, surveying the room. "And Lelian?"

"She… umm… is gone. But she won't be bothering us anymore."

I slammed a hand against my head. I could have said she healed everyone! It would make sense why I wasn't healed then. Did Antara give me an out, and I was too stupid to take it?

A low rumbling sound shook trails of dust down from the ceiling above, saving me from having to explain further.

Tamas reached into his pocket and pulled out the jade coin talisman. After a moment of staring intently at it, his eyes shot up. "Quintus is on the move! Along with Serephos. They've engaged our forces."

I shot up. "Already? But Theron hasn't made his move yet, has he? He said he'd wait till night!" I wailed.

"I don't know. Quintus might've decided to seize the initiative while he can." He narrowed his eyes at the spot where Lelian was. "Lelian left, yes? That might've spooked him. Either way, we need to get to my father."

I nodded, but just as I was turning to leave, Meris draped a red silk cloak over me. "I brought it because I knew you'd need it."

Kael stood grimly beside her, at the ready. I wanted to tell the two of them not to come, but knew better.

"Please be careful," was all I could manage.

"We are coming as well, maybe our presence could make them reconsider." Cassian said with Serine alongside. "You can use us like hostages."

He looked hesitantly at the sword on the ground.

"Take it. Just know that I won't show mercy if you turn against us."

Just before we were about to leave, I looked over my shoulder to the tunnel where Lelian had sent my demon flying through. Most of the others were out of commission when I had brought out the demon, so they most likely hadn't seen it. I had debated bringing it, but we might need the firepower.

Perhaps it might scare them into making peace. I was doubtful, but it shouldn't hurt.

The deep bass of heavy footsteps pulled everyone's attention. Their eyes widened with alarm. I stepped in between them and the approaching thumps. "Everyone, please calm down."

Kael pointed a shaking finger to the figure appearing out of the darkness. "That's… a."

"You said you didn't consort with demons!" Alarc hissed at me.

"I didn't. I created that thing because I was desperate. I told you I had the knowledge."

"You created this thing?" Meris's eyes were glued to the demon towering over us, tracing from the claws on its wings down to its horned head, and then to the bulging musculature of its legs.

She pulled her gaze away and turned to me. I was expecting a condemnation, but all she said was a tired, "how?"

Her eyes held no fear or anger. They were just surrounded by lines of worry.

"How do I do anything?" I gritted my teeth, pulling at my blood stained dress in frustration.

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"With blood."

—

Convincing everyone that I should use the demon wasn't easy. Kael was especially unhappy, his expression teetering between grim acceptance, despair and even outrage. At a few points during our conversation, his hands were clenched into trembling fists. I remembered then that he had actually fought demons with Astrid.

What would Astrid think of me if she sees me with this thing?

In the end, I had won out by arguing we needed all the help we could get, and that time was running out. I could tell Kael wanted to scream at me. The veins in his forehead bulged, but he held his tongue.

Master Alarc pointed out that I should try to keep the demon out of sight as much as possible, so I gave it the 'Cloaking Skin'. When it faded into the dark shadows of the sewers, everyone seemed to look even more upset. But no one said a word as we headed out. The roof shook again. There was surely more fighting above.

Time really was running out.

Celrian caught up to us as we exited the sewers. He was wheezing and out of breath. "Your Highness. I did as you asked, but the ships had taken off and disappeared!"

I grabbed Master Alarc's arm. "Theron, they might be preemptively attacking him. Please help him…" I gazed into his eyes and pleaded, "And convince him."

Master Alarc nodded solemnly to me. He tapped Celrian with his hand, making him glow green briefly. Celrian straightened, no longer wheezing. He looked startled down at himself.

"Come boy. We've no time to spare. Show me where that tunnel is."

We didn't wait for the two of them to disappear, and continued down the streets of the commoner's quarter. Smoke plumed over the roof tops all around us. It seemed the entire city was on fire. Distant shouts and cries roared, and clashing metal rang overhead.

"Hurry! They are converging at the gates." Tamas waved us past the abandoned carts and crates strewn about on the road. A crying child was stumbling, alone by herself. Her eyes caught mine, but I hesitated for only a step.

I know my path. And minutes lost could mean more deaths.

We ran into a Rodinarian road block. A group of around twenty men bearing Rodinar gold stood before a makeshift roadblock of smashed furniture piled over a couple upside down wagons.

Tamas turned to Cassian and jerked his chin.

Cassian strode toward a tall light-haired man in full plate armor. His gaze dropped to a badge on his chest. "Lieutenant, you should know who I am, and who my father is. Let us pass."

The man shook his head. "My apologies, Prince Cassian. But I have orders to take you and your companions in on sight." He swung a gauntleted hand downwards, and a wall of spears were directed at us.

"Watch out!" Serine cried out. She circled her hand, and bolts of lightning blasted a barrier of air that had appeared before the two boys.

Cassian kept trying to reason with them. "No, stop! Lieutenant, there must be some kind of mistake here."

Tamas grabbed him and pulled him away from a spear that had pierced the wind barrier. A wave of flames fanned out from Tamas as he thrust a hand back, knocking away the spear points.

Before they could recover, a massive shadow landed behind their line. The wings of my demon—having turned black to match the dark surroundings where it hid—spread wide as the demon roared in the midst of scrambling men. Spears swung from us toward it, but the massive flame wreathed bone sword that grew out of the demon's arm was already in motion.

A searing arc ignited flames over the bodies of men. Screams filled the air. Soldiers stumbled, fled while on fire, some falling to the ground in charred heaps.

An ice shield was thrown up. The demon punched through it with a closed fist, shattering it into icy shards, and caving in the chest of the man on the other side with the sickening crunch of crushed metal.

Lightning arced over its thick skin of composite organics and metal, leaving a singed line, but no pain or lasting damage. Just two long strides brought it instantly over to the caster and his scream was cut by his head being sliced clean off.

The Lieutenant lasted a while longer. He seemed to have reinforced himself with strengthening magic and he managed to push back the demon's blows with his sword.

CLANG!

Their blades met. The man gripped his sword with both hands and pushed with gritted teeth while the demon snarled back, pushing with the flaming sword that's attached to his one arm. But the demon's other hand shot out and grabbed his face. He was lifted into the air by the clawed grip on his face. He dropped his sword, thrashing as he dangled helplessly. Blood trailed from where those claw points dug in.

I sent my rats in after that. There were still a few left with the materials from the monster heart. The demon slammed the soldier down to the ground, and the rats swarmed over him. One rat raked open its chest with its claws and then bled into an open wound on the man's face. It didn't take long for my blood to spread and turn him. He sat up and consumed the rest of the rats with monster materials.

For him, I had chosen a more recent demon plan from the Blackwood. The researchers had focused on physical prowess and brute strength, ditching the versatility of wings. The design had specced out all the different hormones, steroids, and adrenaline, that needed to be pushed to the max, and the bones that needed to be reinforced to handle the load from the increased muscle mass.

I had thought it'd be a good fit when I realized he could strengthen himself. But after taking his mind, I found the added bonus of him having an earth-affinity Brawler rune Soul Seed.

The man's body groaned, the tissues of his body were being twisted and stretched to their limits. The plates of his armor buckled and warped as if hammered continuously by the swelling flesh beneath them. Leather straps snapped, bolts and bindings shot away with a sharp ping! His body kept expanding. His muscles kept bulging outwards until it looked like his entire body was a mountain of thick overgrown muscles. Even his face was overwhelmed by swollen jaw muscles with tusks protruding out of his lips.

Each of his hands stretched out into a massive serrated claw that seemed larger than greatswords. This behemoth was definitely not meant to grab anything.

"Gods help us." Serine muttered in a trembling voice beside me. She sank downwards on soft knees.

I pulled back from my focus on forming the demon behemoth. Everyone was standing with dazed looks in their eyes. It was not just at the giant mass of muscles slowly rearing up; all around him, the remnants of the soldiers were smeared as bloody paste on the ground. The fighting took only minutes and it was a massacre.

Cassian was swaying as he took in carnage. His eyes were wavering in shock. He probably knew some of the soldiers.

This was gory and ugly. But it's too late to stop now, I need to commit fully or all would be lost.

I pulled Serine back up and turned to Cassian. "The two of you can leave. There will be more of this."

He squeezed his eyes shut. "No, I have to convince Father that it's madness to fight."

Roderic appeared with a group of Ironfell men as we approached the gates to the keep. "Your Highness, Tamas! Finally found you!"

"What's the situation Roderic?" Tamas asked as they joined up with us.

"The Marshal, that sneaky old bastard, attacked just as Lord Stonehand and Lord Valerius were out gathering the rest of the men. We have been cut off from the keep, though it seems the fight is ongoing there. A famed sword master had taken the north wall with a group of students, and prisoners had taken the lower levels of the keep."

No plan survives contact with the enemy. That saying really does hold even in this world.

I approached and the sight of me made Roderic do a double take. "Yes, I know how I look. But are Stonehand and Saelic okay?"

"They are. There was fighting, but currently they're just facing off. They are trying to force us to come to terms, but Lord Stonehand wanted to wait for you. He sent us to fetch you in case they tried to obstruct you."

Tamas motioned behind him with a thumb. "Well, we were certainly obstructed. A few times."

Roderic's eyes widened as he looked behind us. A few of his men stumbled back in terror, some falling on their butts. "What in the abyss is THAT!" He screamed, pointing shakily toward the behemoth stomping toward him. Its sword claws were now smeared with coats of gore and blood. Behind it, a row of soldiers marched, all with wounds and dents visible, all my puppet army.

"Backup," I stated as I grabbed Roderic by the arm and turned him around. "Let's go. My terms are simple…"

"I want them out of Aethelgard."