Chapter
CCCXXX: Corrupted Intents ~Multehx
Scilas charged over the rocky plateau above the gurgling muck of the swamp. He frowned intently behind his face-mask as he pushed himself only further. How could he have let his partner get lost again? This was ludicrous.
As he continued on, he could hear the sounds of a conflict faintly carried on the breeze. And, more to his attention was the familiar metal clashing of a sword he knew quite well by now, the kind of sound only produced by hitting the jagged edges of the broken broadsword. There was some rock formation he could barely make out in the extreme distance. By his calculations, it'd take him a half hour more at this pace to make it.
* * *
It was around
A deft leap took him a few feet up the rock wall. This was followed by a blindingly fast series of similar leaps and bounds from rock to rock. Occasionally, a ledge would crumble and plummet to the ground below, but only a minute or so after it had been used to gain altitude. Then, out of the corner of his eye as he was making one leap, Scilas spotted a rather thick tree branch growing out of the side of the rock. He grinned as this gave him an idea to really speed this up.
On one of his trips back and forth between different ledges, he took hold of the branch at a point where it was thin enough to get his fingers around, yet thick enough that it wouldn't snap off. Using his velocity to give him a bit of momentum he swung entirely around the branch and went around for a second time. He continued this, rounding it slightly faster each time. Finally, at about his ninth revolution, he released at the right moment.
As he shot into the air near a mile above the rock, he grimaced. Apparently he had underestimated how fast he was going... Well, at least the top of the thing appeared to be flat enough. So, it was a simple forward somersault or so as he descended and he landed with his knees bent on its mostly level top.
As he rose he got a clear picture of things. To his far left, Jaded lay on his front, one arm stretched out above him, still gripping the handle of his blade. He was still alive; Scilas could tell he was breathing. But he had been pretty badly thrashed, and the air was thick with evil. It hung about almost like a mist, hindering his vision any further than the edges of the rock and causing him to cough when he inhaled it.
And there, on the opposite side of the rock, half way from its middle, was the source of this all. Scilas had heard of this from the agent. But it was still...intimidating to see in person. It sent shivers down even his spine, and he claimed to be nearly unphasable now. It truly was the cause of this all, there was no possible way to deny what he was feeling surge and swell in the air around him.
A jade pole. Four feet in length. With a blue diamond set on the very top of it. On the lower end was a steel protrusion, and from it, stretching three feet was a tarnished, curved, golden blade, with dark hues throughout it. It penetrated deep into the rock, bolts of what appeared to be dark blue electricity coming from the hole around the blade and snaking in all directions from it over the edges and out of view. It came back to him instantly, what he had read so many years ago in that prophecy of "The Time Bender" Jaded had copied for him.
"…And amongst the mightiest of weapons, stands the great blade of the master of demons. Once wielded by he, now imprisons. Grasp it not, lest thee be forever–"
"…damnèd," the assassin recited in his mind.
But standing directly next to it was even greater shocking a site. It was spherical in body with two oval shaped eyes hovering above it. One arm was solid and the other was merely a hand attached by a strong electrical current. It had two slender legs ending in metal boots with two golden "boomerang" flairs attached to the front. It grasped a forest-green sword hilt, emitting what appeared to be an intense blade of green light and fire.
Scilas hesitated before calling out to it.
"..O...Omega???" he hesitantly asked.
The robot laughed in a tone much more cruel and...unholy than the natural cheery one that accompanied him. "No...pathetic mortal. The apparatus whom owns this body is currently 'indisposed'."
The assassin took a cautionary step back, swiftly producing his gleaming katana. "What...what do you mean!?"
The robot laughed heartily in the same tone that sent chills down the spine. As it calmed down, it seemed to grin ruefully at him. "Quite simple. He did make direct contact with the blade. Being a vessel not mortal, he did provide a place for inhabitation."
"In...habitation?...Surely...you can't…be..."
The robot snickered, its shoulders heaving slightly as it tried to keep from bursting into laughter. "Yes, I am. I have forgotten what a delightful thing mortal's fear is...lifts the soul and makes one thirsty for action." It chuckled, waving a hand towards the blade. "See, the weapon." Then it gestured to its base where the steady bolts emanated from. "See the rest escape." Then, it pointed to the jagged lines moving over the edges and out of visibility. "See the search."
Scilas felt his mouth dry indeed as he swallowed. "Search...for what?"
The robot grinned sinisterly again. "What else? Their original vessel, the one they were born to."
Scilas's blade slowly lowered. "When...they find what they're looking for, will you leave my companion here?"
In response, the robot walked over and put a boot on the fallen man's back. "Only once I have enough strength to take this one's body. It is quite formidable, and would be invaluable to me."
Scilas glared, raising the blade again. "You're never taking his body. I'll lay you to rest first."
Laughing heartily, the robot near doubled over. "Oh ho ho! Tis a good one!! You surpass what even the great Magi Council could not? Uwahaha! I LONG to see this one!"
It raised its
weapon, sneering. Scilas tightened his grip on his.
The agent and Jaded both said it was quite easy to fight powerful
demons....however...they didn't get much worse really...