Champion of the Gods
Copyright© 2025 by QM
Chapter 43
Darras dived to one side as the creature raked at him with a spiny limb. This gave him the time to draw his knife as he faced what he knew to be a Keroush.
‘Careful, the barbs on its limbs are venomous, ’ Erren warned.
“I will,” Darras confirmed as he used the knife blade to bat away another thrust.
Darras then moved onto the offensive, though he was cautious not to expose any unarmoured area to the creature, which silently attacked him. The Keroush was both fast and strong, though Darras’s training with Erren stood him in good stead, as Erren, in her muscular form, was both faster and stronger. This enabled Darras to dodge the increasingly wild swings until, at last, instinctively, Darras was able to punch the blade home in the creature’s chest, felling it.
‘Well done, my love, ’ Erren congratulated Darras.
“Was it in contact with the tower?” Darras asked as he caught his breath.
‘No, but they did see it attack, ’ Erren replied.
“Better head up and disappoint them then,” Darras chuckled, cautiously moving up to the top of the dune.
Again, Darras saw nothing, though Erren did confirm that he was being observed. ‘Be careful, I can feel vibrations in the ground, ’ she warned.
“More Keroush?”
‘Seems likely.’
“Any idea how many?”
‘More than one, that’s all I can tell you.’
In the tower, Casal was watching through the eyes of the Ubaid, situated at the pinnacle of the tower, who, in turn, was observing the agent of the goddess. Casal could feel the Ubaid’s frustration as, for all it could see the agent, none of its magical arts would focus upon it.
‘Our magic simply will not affect this agent, ’ the Ubaid finally reported. ‘Yet we know the current lesser magic users of this world can at least track him.’
Casal sent a mental acknowledgement. He now understood the great danger that he and his servants were in. Their magic was all based within a system that they had taken from the study of the mother dragon and its scales. Whilst this made their system by far superior to that of the current world, it was useless upon a being whose very existence was anathema to that system.
‘Observe the Keroush, see if they can at least drive him off, ’ Casal finally sent to the Ubaid.
‘I have my doubts, master, ’ came the reply.
‘As do I, but we use what we have.’
Three Keroush had burrowed up from the sand and leapt at Darras, though he was ready for them, and the first to appear went down to a stab from Darras’s dagger and the second immediately after to a broad slash that almost decapitated it. This caused the third to turn and dive into the soft sand from where it had sprang, only to stiffen and collapse with Darras’s blade embedded in its back.
‘I can’t feel any more, ’ Erren confirmed.
“Good, it’s bothersome that they can swim through the sand unseen,” Darras replied.
‘I can sense them if you remain still, nor are their magics powerful enough to harm you, at least not the ones that attacked you, ’ Erren replied.
“Just poisonous,” Darras chuckled.
‘I doubt there are many of them, plus their main strengths have always been in wind and earth magics, not fire or water.’
“Oh, right, these were the things that tried to use the spores from Gresh to poison Asulnarath,” Darras nodded.
‘Yes, these are the ones, ’ Erren confirmed.
“What now?”
‘Now you return, they know you can get to where they are, that will suffice for now, ’ Erren replied.
Darras nodded and headed back to where Tiruk was concealed. “You caused them some alarm,” Tiruk said when Darras appeared.
“I meant to ... or rather Erren did,” Darras chuckled. “Now she knows what’s there, she’ll likely come up with a plan for dealing with them.”
“I take it the dragon comes first, though?”
“It does,” Darras confirmed. “Just as soon as we know where it is.”
“Yes, it’s a bit of a menace,” Tiruk nodded. “If only a distraction.”
“True, but a distraction the Dark Lord can use to prevent us from dealing with Casal.”
“Welcome back, my love,” Erren greeted Darras. “And to you, Tiruk.”
“A pleasure to be here, Erren,” Tiruk replied as Darras hugged and kissed Erren.
“Crannok and Amina are here, please join us,” Erren smiled and led the way to the pools.
Several gods were already assembled and relaxing in and around the pools. All merrily hailed Darras and Tiruk as they undressed and got in, Tiruk going to his wife, Amina.
“So, you set up a distraction?” Osruit asked.
“That’s one aspect of it, yes,” Erren replied. “It’s also telling Casal, as well as our brother, that we know where they are and that we can get to Casal at least.”
“I have the feeling that our brother won’t care,” Sorella replied thoughtfully. “I suspect he has limited use in the world for this Casal now.”
“Nevertheless, an agent once chosen cannot be discarded,” Crannok added. “I expect he’ll try to bait a trap for Darras using Casal.”
“Possibly,” Erren nodded. “Though my primary concern is the dragon.”
“Have you located it yet?” Hallis asked.
“Just the mountain it’s on, so far,” Erren replied, projecting an image of the volcanic peak.
“No ruins to give a clue as to where, either,” Pelegard noted.
“Only the First One towers really remain of their empire within Gresh,” Erren explained. “And even there, many have fallen as the magics used finally fade away.”
“They were all built upon ley line nexuses, same with the transfer circles,” Doriel nodded. “They draw power from them, but slowly the ley lines are changing, and I expect in ten thousand years, the last of the towers will fall.”
“But not the transfer circles,” Tsumi added. “They draw little power other than for self-repair.”
“Other than Casal and the few remaining Ubaids, there are none I know of who could use one,” Erren replied.
“Small mercies,” Saltak nodded.
“I doubt Gresh, once the dragon is dealt with, will be of interest to the world,” Erren replied. “Though I believe you have plans for it, sister?” Erren concluded, looking at Doriel.
“My Dryads are considering the nature of Gresh concerning the creation of a new class of Nymph,” Doriel replied. “A work of millennia, though.”
“I doubt much will have changed, even with the growth of the southern kingdoms,” Hallis replied. “I take it you plan for this to happen after the great eruption?”
“Naturally,” Doriel nodded. “The world will change again with crop failures and severe winters, but new civilisations will arise.”
“Whilst I cannot affect the eruption,” Erren added. “The future kingdoms are not set in stone, as yet.”
“Really?” Hallis frowned.
“There’s the potential for a new ice age.”
“Oh, I suspect our brother will seek out new opportunities to meddle,” Hallis sighed.
“He will, it’s his nature,” Erren confirmed.
“Well, I rather doubt he’ll have creatures from out of time and place to add to the mix.”
“Let’s hope not,” Erren nodded.
“Will this eruption kill off the dragon?” Darras asked.
“Potentially, yes, though it has survived past eruptions,” Erren replied.
“Let us hope then that your brother has no further use for it,” Darras nodded.
“Any progress as to how he may have physical access to the world?” Sorella asked.
“Not yet, and I only suspect it was he who attacked Darras,” Erren replied. “Tsumi detected nothing either to suggest any transfer circles.”
“I didn’t,” Tsumi confirmed. “Though Serulon is insisting I monitor Gorgath continually, so I’m not paying that much attention to the world.”
“Boring,” Hallis giggled.
“Tell me about it,” Tsumi chuckled.
“So, until the dragon is found, you’ll be using Darras to correct aspects of your narrative that you’d normally use a priest for?” Pelegard asked.
“As you do with Klavin, yes,” Erren replied. “He’ll also be available to help out any of you who need it.”
“Our thanks,” the gods replied.
“Same goes for all our agents,” Pelegard added, looking around and seeing nods from the rest of the gods.
“So, this agent came snooping around the tower,” The Dark Lord mused as he spoke to Casal.
“He did, though none of our arts would focus on him,” Casal confirmed.
“For the moment, he could not access your tower,” the Dark Lord replied thoughtfully.
“He has proven most tenacious,” Casal countered. “I would not count against him for not managing access.”
“True, my foolish sister has used his nature well against us,” the Dark Lord admitted. “Nevertheless, the only way he can get to you is if you venture away from the tower.”
“We have managed to contact a few assets remaining in the world, though none are ardent followers of you, and few wish to endanger themselves.”
“Continue to do so, I must consider new plans to bring about the end of this current era, and you will have much work to do.”
“As you command, my Lord,” Casal replied as the Dark Lord’s spirit faded away.
“What now?” an Ubaid, summoned by Casal’s mental command, asked.
“We must consider escape, I believe the Dark Lord intends to abandon us,” Casal hissed.
“There is nowhere safe in this world, as I do not believe this goddess intends to permit our existence,” the Ubaid replied.
“True, were I in her position, I’d likely do the same.”
“We will eventually die anyway,” the Ubaid shrugged.
“We will, yet I plan to at least take that accursed agent down with me!” Casal grated out.
“You command, we obey.”
“Seek out a new base, one in which we can trap and kill this agent,” Casal ordered.
“In Golsten, I take it?” The Ubaid queried.
“No, somewhere more isolated, nor will we use magic to reach it, simply enough to disguise our nature,” Casal replied.
“And what of the remaining Keroush?”
“This can be their new home; we have little further use for them.”
“As you command.”
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