Aramant found himself in a small dome-like structure, all alone and with no apparent exit anywhere in his sight. His initial thought was to break one of the walls with Viz’Hock, yet not knowing what that might lead to, he was reluctant to do so. After a few moments of contemplation, a passageway opened. He did not rush toward it, though. Following a series of loud, heavy footsteps, a hulking figure emerged inside the dome from that same passageway. One that stirred a sentiment of familiarity and unease within the young paladin’s soul. Giant in size, even by human standards, with a subtle red skin tone, glowing crimson veins on his arms and legs, and a pair of horns that started from above his eyes and rounded up to point with their tips upward. It was way too reminiscent of Baav’s demonic form for Aramant’s liking. By all that is holy… There was no doubt in his mind that this abomination was once a human being, perhaps even an innocent test subject. What happened to him? How did he end up like this? Was he forcefully turned into this? Those were some of the many questions that coursed through his mind.
What do you mean, Aramant? asked Thaidren through the mind link.
It’s just like back then. He looks like Baav.
Thaidren suspected what Aramant meant by that, yet he had to ask to be sure. What do you mean? The demonized Baav? He did not get an answer in the form of a reply; rather, he experienced it with his own eyes, as he and Thraik, with whom he ended up paired, saw such a creature being released in their arena as well. There’s not just one of them…
One of what? asked Wizera. What are you two talking about? Her attention focused back on her opponent.
“What have you done? What did you send to fight them?”
“Ah, you must be referring to my test subjects,” answered Epakin, with a smug grin. “They are part of our evolution as humans, my dear. I’ll admit, they’re a bit absent in terms of consciousness or any form of intelligence whatsoever. But as our ancestors are to us, so will they be the stepping stones that lead into a new age of ascension.”
“You’re mad.”
His smirk shifted into a disgusted frown. “Then try and put an end to my insanity. If you dare.”
Multiple spikes started to form within the orb of darkness, ending up being launched from it toward the Silver Sorceress. She waved her hand and conjured a small wave of water in front of her that she turned into a frozen wall to defend herself.
Lady Wizera, she heard in her mind, are you all right?
I’m fine, Nez. Though I can’t really talk right now.
Try to resist. Me and Lady Elarin will reach you as soon as we can. However, the probability that they’d be able to arrive in time seemed small, as an entire army of cultists welcomed them on the other side. They may not have been any stronger than the disposable lackeys that attacked them at the mansion, but they had a tremendous advantage when it came to numbers. With a quick look, the elf and Nez’rin estimated their number in the range of one hundred or so. It appears that they have prepared all these giant chambers for us.
On Wizera’s side, magical energies surged through the battlefield like lightning bolts traveling through the dark clouds of an impending storm. Darkness and water, considered by many as being the most malleable primordial elements of them all, now locked into a clash for supremacy, with one herald representing purity and order, while the other chaos and uncertainty. Whenever the Silver Sorceress would attack, the grips of darkness would protect Epakin from harm. The equivalent in Wizera’s case applied all the same. In theory, they were equals, like two sides of the same coin.
“Marvelous,” said Epakin. “I take back what I said about your stories being overly exaggerated.”
Wizera, on the other hand, had trouble speaking, as she panted from tiredness. Yet her face showed a mocking smile. “If… you have time to talk… then you have time to fight… better.”
“Look at you, dear,” the dark wizard replied with a peal of derisive laughter, “Undoubtedly I can hold this on for far longer than you’ll be able to. Time is on my side in this fight.”
With her pride taking a hit, Wizera grasped the harsh truth in her opponent’s words. Judging by the glowing cracks near his eyes and all the scars that started from his neck and ended up God knows where, it was clear to her that Epakin’s body had been altered — for lack of a better term — by the forces he served with such impudence. His limits far surpassed those of a normal human. She had to think of a plan to defeat him as quickly as possible, before the difference in their stamina levels would become the decisive factor. Unfortunately for her, he still had the advantage of territory. With no water sources nearby, and the absence of sunlight to diminish his powers, the Silver Sorceress had to deal with multiple hindrances when fighting against him.
There was not much time to get lost in her thoughts. She conjured multiple attacks at the same time, having invoked all three water phases in the process. With one hand, she summoned a cloaking mist, masking the water that surged through the ground, traveling toward Epakin’s feet while several ice spears stood ready to be tossed at him from above her. On top of the sphere of darkness, the overseer enveloped his body in a dark-plated armor. Before he had a chance to complete his coating, Wizera sent her icy spears toward him, each of them aiming for his heart or his head. Upon seeing this, he immediately dodged her attacks, losing focus and dematerializing his armor. His gesture made the Silver Sorceress wonder.
The sphere didn’t protect him, she thought. Was it because of the armor? If that’s the case, it means he can’t concentrate on both of them at the same time. Wizera paused briefly, taking advantage of the mist. She then took a deep breath and started to chant as her eyes began to glow a bright blue. With her hand raised in the air, she unclenched her fist as if she had released something into the air above. With the mist partially concealing her presence, Epakin could only see her in the form of a shadow, distinguishing only her posture. With an elegant move of his hands, he commanded the sphere to launch several spikes at her. At the same time, he took a page from her book and sent his shadow on the ground toward her.
“You think I didn’t see the water on the ground? You’re not the only one capable of sending multiple attacks at once.” A flash of light enveloped the shadowy silhouette in the mist, nullifying the overseer’s spells. In a temporary state of rage, he sent a second set of attacks, similar to the previous ones, at her. Their aim was true this time, yet Epakin was skeptical that it could’ve been that easy. As the mist around her cleared, he realized his skepticism was justified, for the only thing he managed to hit was a mass of water shaped like a human silhouette. A simple yet effective distraction that concealed his opponent’s true intentions.
From his left side, he saw a spear of ice being hurled at him, too fast to be evaded. It struck him in his shoulder, making the dark sorcerer scream in agony.
“What’s the matter?” he heard from his side. “Not talking anymore?”
Before he had a chance to react to her smug comment, the icy spear embedded in his shoulder started to melt, making its way to his nose and entering his lungs. Epakin began to cough uncontrollably as he struggled to breathe through his already half-water-filled lungs. Next to him, the Silver Sorceress was slowly coming at him, holding a staff in her hand that he didn’t recollect she had when the fight started.
“I honestly hoped I wouldn’t have to resort to using this,” she said, as she glanced at it for a split second. “You were right to some extent. This thing puts a great strain on me nowadays. I can’t summon it as recklessly as I once could. Though I have to say, I’ll give you credit for forcing me to do so.” An odd sentiment of pity enveloped her. “You and your cult meddled with the devils and let yourselves be seduced by their promises of power and ascendance. Yet, under your pride and conviction that the powers bestowed upon you were obsolete, you succumbed to arrogance and stumbled because of it.”
“S… s… si… lence,” growled Epakin as a gurgle escaped.
“I’m surprised you can still talk with your lungs full of water. But don’t worry, I don’t plan on killing you. You’re going to come with me and receive a nice interrogation seat at the Council of Mages’ headquarters.” Suddenly, she felt compelled to move away from her enemy, as if a strange survival instinct had kicked in, warning her of an impending doom that awaited her.
Within the following moment, Wizera found herself paralyzed in shock as she saw Epakin getting back on his feet. He coughed uncontrollably, yet not like a man on the verge of drowning. Instead, he seemed to spew the water out of him. A few mouthfuls of blood were spilled as well, with the dark wizard wiping off his chin afterward.
“Congratulations,” he whispered softly. “You’ve made me angry…”
“How did you…” With barely enough time to react, Wizera saw the blood spatters taking the shape of long needles, all of them aimed at her with the intent to kill. With a sudden wave of her staff, she washed away the attack.”
Blood magic, she thought. I can’t believe he has both blood and dark magic. With this new development in front of her, the Silver Sorceress began to understand why Epakin didn’t drown as well. He must’ve combined the water in his lungs with blood, overwriting my control over it, then spitting it out when he coughed. A brilliant, and at the same time, frightening strategy. Seconds later, the blood assault resumed, with Wizera now having to guard against a second element. Not to mention, combining them would result in a dangerous element known to many as “black blood.”
Epakin was now working on two fronts. On the one hand, by combining blood with water to diminish Wizera’s control over it and, on the other, by constantly attacking her using darkness. Little by little, they both showed each other their cards. Now, with everything on the table, Wizera’s hand did not seem to be the winning one. She focused her spells on defense to buy herself extra time to think of a strategy. Her problem was that with the discovery of Epakin’s second element came the factor of accelerated healing. A feat that could be easily provided by the use of blood magic.
The shoulder she recently pierced with ice had already begun to heal, rendering her actions up to that point more or less useless. She held her staff with both hands, betraying a clear sign of her suffering from early to mid-stages of magical energy exhaustion. In a desperate state and with little else to lose, her mind came up with an idea. Nonetheless, a risky one, yet for the time being, it was the only one that seemed to give her a real chance at winning.
She waved her staff and chanted a few words of power, raising several water barriers and another cloud of mist, thinner than the previous one. With Epakin’s vision blurred by the mist, she searched in her bag for the one thing she thought could turn the scales in her favor.
“Hiding behind barriers, sorceress?” asked Epakin with a pompous, mocking tone. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re beginning to succumb to fear.” His voice changed to a more aggressive tone. “But I’m not so much of a fool as to underestimate you a second time.” He started to chant, as his entire dark sphere morphed into a giant lance. The blood on the ground began to crawl its way up to the newly-formed weapon, coating and hardening it. It started to spin uncontrollably moments before it received the command to launch forward to its target. As the lance made contact with the silhouette shrouded by the mist, Epakin was well prepared that it was another decoy. He’d subtly placed some of the remaining blood around him, ready to answer his call at a moment’s notice.
Be it for offense or defense, the dark wizard was covered from all sides. But, to his surprise, he’d realized soon after that Wizera had not created a water clone, as he watched the silhouette evade the dark lance. The lance turned back and tried to hit her a second time. Before reaching its target, the Silver Sorceress threw something undistinguishable at its master. He reflexively moved further away from the object. Within a couple of seconds, a giant oaken tree emerged from the ground, with its vines moving as if they aimed to entangle the overseer.
This is it, she thought. Haara gave me this to use in an emergency. Now is as good of a time as any. Please, let it work!
The vines kept stretching, attempting to capture the master puppet. What is this abomination? he thought. Some sort of darkness or blood-suppressing relic? His assumption was not far off. What Wizera had taken from her bag was a special seed created by Haara. Designed as an extreme measure of instant healing, the tree that grew from it would revitalize the user’s target while also pursuing any forbidden forms of magic, such as blood or darkness, in order to cleanse or contain them. Be that as it may, it took Epakin a few waves of his hands to send his lance through the tree’s roots, neutralizing the spell’s pursuit. His anger almost turned into admiration for a short moment.
“Not good enough, dear,” he shouted while letting out a manic laugh. His respite of mirth faded quickly as he found himself being washed away by a giant torrent in the shape of a snake. It ended up dragging him all the way down to the pit where the tree had had its roots. The hole quickly filled up with water, with Wizera not having to focus on maintaining its shape anymore. On top of that, this strategy rendered Epakin’s blood-combining technique useless. She touched the water with her hand and froze its surface with a relatively thin layer of ice. Epakin’s lance had faded into nothingness, with him summoning the element underwater to break the ice above him. Unfortunately, while he may have succeeded in emerging back to the surface, when he did so, the Silver Sorceress was waiting for him. She bashed him in the head with her staff as hard as she could. After dragging him out enough so that he wouldn’t sink with his head under the water again, she waited to make sure he was unconscious, then let out a deep breath.
“The tree was not my last move,” she said, panting. “Its roots were.”