Chapter 116: Sanctum XLI
The scent of blood and mildew hung heavy in the air. I held a small spark of violet flame in my hand, keeping it covered, trying to manage the light, so it only illuminated our immediate surroundings. My heart had been racing just minutes ago on our approach to the crypt, but now that we were inside, it was slow, and steady. I wore my anger like a wreath, allowing the umbra to erode and degrade any emotions that were no longer useful. Thoth was my enemy. My greatest foe. There was no need for moralizing, for consideration. The only thing I had to consider was the lives of those who followed me.
Rows of mummified bodies lined the long wide halls, their outlines barely visible in the gloom, a grim reminder of how easy it would be for my friends to join them. A grim reminder that I had no final resting place. If I failed here, the black beasts point would be made, and I would be forced to relive that hopeless battle over, and over, and over again.
Vogrin returned with a hiss and a shimmer. I couldnt make out his expression, but he sounded disturbed. Nothing on this floor either.
Nothing? I whispered back. Wed been making her way downwards for hours. According to Morthus, this place should have been teeming with corrupted monsters.
There are signs of some sort of disturbance, large sections of broken rock and footprints, but nothing living, Vogrin said.
I didnt like that.
Maybe she already left? Maya called from behind us in a low voice.
It was possible. There was no way of knowing how much time we actually spent in the trials. But the dull ringing in my ears had grown from the smallest whisper into something I was confident was there. No, Thoth was here. The air around Vogrin shimmered, and he faded into the surroundings, departing once more.
An hour passed. The scent of blood grew so thick it was like breathing iron, mixed with something rancid, something wrong.
What is that? Jorra gagged.
The question was answered when Vogrin reappeared. He didnt speak, instead waving us towards a connected room. It had the look of a grand hall, complete with carpet and an overturned sculpture in the center.
An odd addition to a crypt, I said.
Not necessarily, Bell corrected. Theres an altar there, and see this half-circle? She pointed to a section of floor next to the altar, marked with half-circle bands of dark stones. There would have been pillows here once, for the devout to pray.
This is a temple? Jorra suddenly removed his hand from the altar.
Was, perhaps, in simpler times. Bells look of awe faded somewhat.
Fascinating, Vogrin said in a voice that implied the opposite, but what I meant to direct you to is over there.
I held my hand higher and nearly jumped. There was a collective gasp behind me. Two massive beings, humanoid and massive, laid in a heap behind us. Theyd been butchered and were covered in burns and cuts. I drew my sword, and leaned down to inspect them further. They were massive, like the giants of old, wearing simple tabards. But red angry looking corruption covered their hands, making it look as if theyd been flayed, large black talons extending from their fingertips.
Just like the mercenaries. Mayas hand glowed green as she bent down to analyze the bodies. I am not familiar with ogre physiology, but I would hazard a guess based on what Im seeing that their organs are all wrong too. They are not in the right place, and there are Extras? Maya turned her head to me. Why would Thoth corrupt them only to kill them?
I dont think she corrupted them. More than likely, these were corrupted by the leyline itself. But that left the question of why she killed them. If Infaris was right, and Thoth needed to save her strength for what she had planned, wouldnt it be more effective to simply avoid them, and let them out into the sanctum proper?
Thoth struck me as many things, but stupid wasnt one of them. She had a reason. Always.
The further we descended, the more bodies we found. The initial kills were clean, executed with brutal efficiency. But the more we found, the sloppier they seemed. A scaled red dragon laid decapitated, one of its heads cut clean off, the other hacked at until it bled out from its neck.
Shes getting tired. My blood ran hot, anticipation slowly replacing my fear. What if this was it? The ideal moment. What if I could live out the rest of my life and prepare for Ragnark without this twisted psychopath biting at my heels? It was so unlikely, so hard to picture. A small feeling of elation crept into my chest beneath the simmering bloodlust, so rare and foreign I almost didnt recognize it:
Hope.
The ringing in my ears grew into a roaring crescendo. We were close. So very close now.
Found the leyline. Vogrin hissed in my ear. The fear in his voice was gone. He was looking at the same signs I was, and drawing the same conclusions. Shes at the leyline. Through here.
We followed him through a gaping hole in the bottom floor, torn open by claws or something similar, the chiseled stone giving away to granite and dirt, a rickety ladder the only way down.
Seras knife, sinking deep into my gut.
My sisters flesh bubbled as I ran across the snow-frozen grass.
My father, struck down like a dog, gurgling on the floor.
Dead eyes.
Fire burning, fuzing everything together.
Laughter
Thoth laughed.
SHE KNEW US AND SHE LAUGHED.
I could feel it. The way my broken sword would plunge into her neck, severing veins, tendons. How she would fall backward, choking on her own blood. The realization that after thousands of years and unlimited power, she had died to me, the one she held in such contempt. The delight, the wonderful, singing delight as the light left her eyes and she plunged darker, darker, and darker still, until there was nothing, and the lynchpin was sundered, and
Someone touched my shoulder. I reached behind me blindly, grabbing someones arm and slamming them up against the pillar, my knife to their neck.
Maya grappled against me, holding my wrist, staring straight into my eyes, lips tight together to avoid making a sound. The screaming started again, as Thoth plunged her arms back into the mana. Her voice was raw and hoarse. Pathetic.
Maya held a single finger to her eye, then pointed at the reservoir beside us. Finding myself again, my body still vibrating with rage, I held the dagger down at my side and followed her finger.
The mana had raised in color again, from yellow to a sickly green.
It doesnt matter.
Thoth was here. She was weak. I might never get this opportunity again.
Kill her. Vogrin urged.
Maya gripped my arm, pointing again. The darkness hounded me, demanding vengeance, demanding blood. I heard Morthuss voice, resonating in the back of my head.
The only way to save yourself from the darkness is to ask questions.
Why?
Why was the quality of the leyline improving?
It wasnt coincidental. Couldnt possibly be.
Why was Thoth removing the corruption?
A million thoughts went through my mind, hundreds of pieces colliding, fitting together, rearranging. The hint that Infaris had given me, though I hadnt recognized it as such at the time. Slowly, a working theory began to form in my mind. There were plenty of holes, but it was enough to start.
I gave Maya a single nod, then stepped out into the open around the side of the pillar. Thoth had collapsed into a heap, moaning quietly. Her hands were crimson, the skin, and muscle around her arms decimated, showing clear sections of bone.
Cairn, Thoth hissed, holding out her ruined hands for me to see. This is not a good time.
Every neuron, every nerve in my body shuddered at the sound of her voice.
On the contrary, I said. Now seems like the perfect time.
