Chaos In Vyolmir (6)

Dareth raised his skeletal hand. The staff at his side began to spin in the air, glowing with deep blue energy as it levitated upright in front of him. His hollow voice echoed as he chanted in Ancient Augustinian, the language cracking through the air like a forgotten hymn:

"Cooling winds... burning rays... flow—Vorduun!"

A brilliant orb of frost and light surged from the tip of the staff. It raced forward like a comet, humming with unstable energy. Upon impact with the ground, it burst in a silent explosion of pale mist, swallowing the entire room in freezing fog.

A brilliant orb of frost and light surged from the tip of the staff. It raced forward like a comet, humming with unstable energy. Upon impact with the ground, it burst in a silent explosion of pale mist, swallowing the entire room in freezing fog.

Crack—crack—crack!

Everything it touched froze solid in an instant—stone, wood, steel. The air shimmered as icy fractals sprawled across the floor.

"Move!" Theo barked, leaping sideways as frost devoured the stone beneath his feet.

Jae flipped back with beastlike agility, her transformed legs pushing off the wall. Idol blasted its thrusters to shift out of range, landing with a heavy thud.

Theo fired mid-air, the blunderbuss roaring. The shot streaked toward Dareth, only to be absorbed by a glowing dome of runes that flared around the lich.

"Hah! Cheap shot," Theo muttered, landing in a crouch. "Didn't expect that to work anyway."

Volhcard stepped forward, eyes narrowed, his staff spinning with fire licking at its tip.

"Float. Land. Burn bright—Morduun!"

A volley of flame wisps erupted from the staff, streaking through the air like angry spirits. They collided with Dareth's barrier, exploding on impact and bathing the skeleton in firelight—but the barrier remained intact, flaring stronger with every hit.

Idol didn't wait. With a mechanical roar, it lunged forward, both axes swinging in tandem and striking the glowing dome with all its force.

Clang! Clang!

Cracks formed across the magical surface—veins of light zigzagging across it—only to seal again as quickly as they came. The barrier pulsed, almost mocking their efforts.

Dareth extended his left hand, palm glowing pale green.

Thoom!

The ground beneath Idol erupted. A massive stone column, propelled by a burst of wind magic, slammed into the machine, sending it hurtling backward across the courtyard. Sparks flew as it skidded across the marble.

Jae responded in kind, inhaling deeply before exhaling a gust of ice-imbued breath toward Dareth.

But the barrier hissed. Steam hissed out from its surface.

"Useless," Dareth muttered.

The ice melted on contact, his barrier now radiating with intense heat, countering the frost entirely.

"Tch... we can't land a single damn hit," Theo growled, reloading his weapon with a sharp flick of his wrist.

Volhcard remained still, eyes locked on Dareth. He inhaled slowly, centered himself, and then spun his staff with purpose. With a grunt, he hurled it forward.

The wooden staff pierced the barrier like a spear, embedding itself into one of the existing fractures—deep into the magical shell.

Dareth's eyes widened, his undead jaw clenched.

"What—how...?"

Volhcard rolled up his sleeves, his voice firm.

"Did you forget, Master?" he said coldly. "That staff is carved from Fae Wood."

Theo's lips curled into a grin.

"Fae Wood, huh? The one that nullifies magic on contact? That explains why your stick's always buzzing with that unnatural mana."

Bang!

The shot rang out, and this time—it hit.

The bullet soared, bypassing the weakened shield. It slammed into Dareth's left shoulder with a sickening crack, shattering bone and ripping through with scorching fire.

Dareth let out a twisted screech—but the moment was already lost.

Jae roared.

She charged in low and fast on all fours, tails lashing behind her. With her elephantine limbs and cheetah speed, she crashed through the fractured barrier, splintering it fully. Idol followed in her wake, his axes spinning like turbines.

Jae reached Dareth first, swinging her fist straight into his chest, then another to his jaw.

Crack!

The skull shattered. Idol's blades carved through his side, slicing the undead priest clean in half at the waist.

And yet—

Dareth didn't fall.

His skeletal body twitched. Then glowed.

Snap!

The two halves of his torso were yanked back together by black tendrils of necrotic energy. His face reformed, bones reshaping, sockets flaring with violent blue light.

"Out of my way!" he roared.

A sudden whirlwind exploded outward from his core. Wind magic surged like a tornado—sending Jae and Idol flying through the air, their bodies tumbling through debris.

Dareth hovered now, staff returning to his hand.

Though cracked and wounded, his aura blazed stronger than before

Dareth's skeletal fingers snapped out, halting his spinning staff mid-air. With unnatural speed, he dashed toward Theo—so fast he left an afterimage behind.

Before Theo could lift his blunderbuss, the butt of the staff drove hard into his gut.

Whump!

Theo's eyes bulged as the wind was knocked from his lungs. The force launched him across the chamber like a ragdoll, his body slamming into the wall with a brutal crunch.

Crash!

Idol reacted immediately, landing from above with both of his mechanical axes arcing downward. He struck with enough force to cleave through steel, a shockwave rippling outward from the impact.

But when the dust and smoke cleared—

Dareth stood unmoved.

He held both axes at bay with a single, outstretched staff, its shaft glowing with reinforced magic runes. His skeletal feet planted on Idol's chestplate, and before the machine could react, Dareth twisted his staff to gain leverage.

A blast of compressed air spiraled around his legs.

Boom!

With a double kick, he launched Idol across the courtyard. The automaton skidded along the stone floor, scraping a trench through it as sparks erupted from his chassis.

Dareth spun mid-air and landed with a gust of mana. His cloak billowed behind him.

"Even if you're from the Great Period of the Six Heroes..." he muttered, "...you're old and rusty."

Bang!

The moment he finished speaking, a crack echoed through the courtyard. A blunderbuss round pierced straight through his waist—the same spot Theo had struck earlier. His torso shifted, faltered.

And then—

Crack!

His upper body separated from his legs, the bones snapping apart in a jagged split.

Theo grunted from the far side of the chamber, smoke rising from his weapon.

"Don't you underestimate me, bonehead," he spat, blood at the corner of his mouth. "I've taken worse beatings on a Tuesday."

Dareth's upper half twitched. Arcane tendrils of dark light began pulling the pieces together once more, repairing his ruined form.

But then—

Thud!

Jae slammed into him at full speed, her clawed limbs wrapped tight around his skeletal frame. She roared as she tackled him through a column, shattering it as they tumbled into the debris.

"Move, Jae!" Volhcard shouted, his voice commanding.

Without hesitation, she rolled to the side.

Volhcard planted his hand on the floor, his staff glowing bright green.

Crackle!

Roots burst up from the cracked marble, snaking around Dareth's body. They tightened fast, binding him like a captured beast.

Then—

Fwoosh!

Pillars of flame erupted from the ground, summoned through Volhcard's staff. The roots caught fire, illuminating the area with a wild, dancing light as the inferno encased the skeletal mage.

But it wasn't enough.

Dareth roared, slamming his staff into the earth with one hand as the other tried to shield his face.

"Still not enough!" he bellowed.

Boom!

A shockwave blasted outward from his body, flinging debris, ash, and shattered roots across the battlefield. Jae shielded her face with her arms, Idol dug his heels in, but even they were pushed back by the force.

In the chaos—

Click—bang!

Theo, battered and bleeding, pulled the trigger once more.

The bullet soared straight through the smoke and flame—shattering Dareth's skull in an eruption of bone shards and mana sparks.

Dareth's body faltered again, reeling under the impact.

Idol surged forward, steam hissing from his vents. With powerful strides, he grabbed the half-repaired Dareth and locked his arms around him in a crushing grapple.

"Engaging—containment mode," Idol stated in a cold, metallic voice.

Dareth struggled, twisting in Idol's grip as magical runes began to form across his bones again.

"Jae! Now!" Volhcard shouted.

Jae snarled, then inhaled deep.

Her breath fogged the air—then erupted forward in a cone of blue mist and frost. The cold was absolute.

Crack—crackle—crkch!

Dareth's body began to freeze within Idol's hold, ice spreading across his limbs, locking joints in place. His mana flared, trying to resist the freeze—but he was weakening.

"Just give up, Volhcard," Dareth said coldly, his voice echoing in the frost-choked chamber.

With a sharp flick of his staff, crimson bolts of lightning erupted from the tip, arching like serpents through the air. They struck with devastating precision—one bolt piercing through Idol, another pinning Jae, and the last slamming straight into Theo's side.

Each of them cried out in pain as the bolts anchored into their bodies, crackling with an unnatural, magical energy. Their muscles locked instantly, limbs twitching violently as the paralyzing charge coursed through them.

"D-Damn you...!" Jae growled through gritted teeth, her body convulsing as she fought to tear the bolt from her shoulder.

Her trembling fingers reached for it—but the moment they drew near, a surge of crimson energy exploded outward, throwing her hand back and sending another jolt of agony through her spine. She screamed, collapsing to one knee, breath shallow and rapid.

Dareth's eyes glowed dimly from beneath his cracked skull. "Look at them, Volhcard. Look at yourself. How do you expect to defeat Aldir like this?" he said with grim finality. "This is exactly why I must—"

"Enough!" Volhcard roared.

Before Dareth could finish his sentence, a blinding orb of radiant light shot from Volhcard's palm, crashing into Dareth's eyes with a flash that shattered the ice-dimmed gloom. The lich reeled, stumbling back with a hiss as his vision turned white.

Seizing the moment, Volhcard sprinted sideways and swung his staff with both hands.

Fwoosh!

A horizontal wave of fire arced from the tip, sweeping across the floor and engulfing Dareth. The flames clung to his robes, charring the enchanted fabric, forcing the undead mage to shield himself with his arms.

Through the smoke, Idol burst forward, his gears shrieking under the strain. He brought his heavy staff overhead and slammed it into Dareth's skull with a metallic roar.

"Freeze the world... Morduun!" Idol bellowed.

The blow echoed like thunder.

From Idol's staff, a blast of subzero mana erupted, spreading across the chamber like a deathly tide. Ice crystallized instantly beneath Dareth's feet, crawling upward, catching onto his limbs, his torso, his face. The lich snarled in frustration, trying to resist—but his body was locking up.

Volhcard stepped forward, sweat running down his face despite the cold. He extended his hand outward, his staff glowing again.

With a hiss of pain, he began drawing in the mana that powered the crimson bolts impaling his friends. The energy resisted him—it wasn't his to claim—but he gritted his teeth, pushing through the torment. The bolts hissed, sputtered, and finally shattered, their power drained.

Theo collapsed to one knee, panting heavily. His muscles twitched uncontrollably as he reached into his satchel and yanked out a scroll marked with the symbol of stone.

"Let's bury this bastard…"

He tore it open with his teeth and tossed the scroll toward the frozen Dareth. The parchment glowed mid-air before detonating in a burst of seismic energy.

From above, massive boulders formed out ofthin air, crashing down onto the lich like divine judgment. The ice-covered floor quaked with the impact, shards flying in every direction as cracks spidered outward from the center.

"Jae—now!" Theo shouted, his voice hoarse but resolute.

Still shaking, Jae forced herself to her feet, fangs clenched and eyes wild with fury. Mana sparked around her body like a storm gathering.

She crouched low, then roared—a guttural, bestial sound that echoed off the frozen walls—and unleashed a searing beam of lightning from her mouth. It crackled with raw power, the air splitting open as it lanced through the chamber in a straight, blinding line.

The bolt struck Dareth dead-center, surging through the stone and ice and igniting every trace of residual mana around him.

Boom!

The explosion lit up the entire battlefield in a burst of white and gold.

When the light faded, smoke curled into the air, and the only sound was the low groan of stone shifting.

Volhcard stood in front of the others, panting as he raised his staff once more. His robes were scorched. His hands trembled. But his eyes—his eyes were burning with conviction.