Dungeon Master 8 Read online

  I didn’t have to guess why the Dragnasí were banned and destroyed by the mages. I already knew that the Holy Order worked with the Heavens, and the god’s realm had been the ones who killed off all the dragons. The gods didn’t want any powerful dragon-like creatures on the earth, fabricated or not. My eyes again lifted and found Heijing in the sky, it seemed that she wouldn’t be the only dragon joining us on this journey. Carmedy had summoned both her parents, and Morrigan had created a dragon merely from her own power, and now, two of our lizards would be forever changed.

  “How long does it take for them to transform?” I questioned as I looked deeply into her wide, hazel eyes.

  “Almost immediately,” the sage told me. “As soon as it reaches their stomach, they’ll be able to transform.”

  “Are there any long-lasting effects other than that?” I asked as Haruhi handed back the Dragnasí.

  “No, once they’ve eaten the Dragnasi, they will be dragons for the rest of their natural lives,” The librarian told me as she turned and looked over the lizards and their riders. “Which ones will you turn? You only have two.”

  “Basilisk, my lizard from Valasara and Tiberius, Morrigan’s, they are the males and the strongest out of the five. It is the only logical choice.” I stated, and Haruhi smiled as she nodded in agreement.

  I moved away from my regents and Haruhi and came closer to the five lizards. Basilisk, named after the mighty beasts I’d used in battles many times before turned his head and looked me in the eye. He responded to me eagerly, and I pressed a hand flat against his scaly flank. Morrigan’s dark eyes followed me, and I held out the second Dragnasí to the elven woman. She took it from me and bowed to me slightly as she moved closer to her lizard.

  I held out the orb in front of my lizard and in an instant, Basilisk’s tongue shot out, wrapped around the orb and then swallowed it. Basilisk swallowed it down and burped loudly as it lapped at its dry, seamless lips. It’s burnt umber eyes met mine, and I waited for any changes. Morrigan fed the Dragnasi to Tiberius, and the massive white lizard stared at her as if asking for more.

  The change within them was slow, but I felt its progress, and suddenly, Basilisk’s tongue flipped out with a puff of smoke. The lizard’s eyes widened, and I took a step back as its skin began to shift and change before my eyes. The transformation wasn’t as beautiful and mesmerizing as Heijing’s, but my eyes widened in surprise as the lizard’s bodies swelled and then expanded out in all directions. The tiny scales all over their flesh plated and expanded. Their snouts elongated and stretched as rows and rows of pointed milky-white teeth pointed out of their pink gums.

  Large, fleshy wings spread out behind them and flapped in the wind as they raised their massive heads to the sky. Above us, Heijing’s head turned and stared down at what was happening. The Qianlong flew closer but kept a curious distance.

  Basilisk’s scales were emerald green just like his normal ones, and his burnt umber eyes glinted hatefully. Yellow horns sprouted above his pointed ears, and his massive maw opened and closed menacingly as he stared at the fortress in the distance. Tiberius’s scales were the same snow-white, but when he turned his head to watch Heijing loop through the sky, they flashed with hints of scarlet red. Morrigan’s dragon was much larger, and his talons scraped against the cobblestones, tearing them up from the dirt below.

  I looked up into the faces of the lizards turned dragons and commanded them in a deep, booming voice just as I had with Heijing.

  “Go now,” I yelled up to them. “Kill every enemy within sight!”

  Basilisk and Tiberius’s wings beat at the sky as they both raced forward and took off. Their wings opened up at the last second and beat at the air until they lifted into the sky and joined Heijing above. The Qianlong kept her distance and watched them warily, but there was no reason for her to fear them. They meant her no harm and would work alongside her in the fight.

  I turned toward my army, and the Decathmor brother, as the last of the ships arrived, bringing with them the Tintagal soldiers and the people of Machstein who wished to fight. Amongst the crowd, I spotted a familiar sprout of wild, red hair and feral yellow eyes. Ruituri stood out like a sore thumb, and slowly, the other gods appeared around her, their weapons ready and at their sides. They’d promised to fight alongside us, and here they were, proving their word to me.

  I had them here, all of my armies and all of the lands under my control. The remaining soldiers disembarked their ships and stood in formation with the Tamarisch and Valasara troops. They waited and watched me intently as I turned and slammed the God Slayer down. The three blades sprang to life as I began to speak.

  “I am your Master, some of you have been under my control since the beginning,” I stated as I looked to Makar and his followers. “Some of you, within the last few months. I’ve proven to you that I am a generous and giving god, a loving Master who blesses all who follow me. I’ve respected your people, your ways, and the gods you chose to worship even though they are dead.”

  I said pointedly as I lay my eyes on Shida in the crowd. The man from Kanashimi smiled, bowed his head at the loss of his precious gods, and lifted his eyes to me, the god he had gained in the struggle.

  “I’ve lived for thousands of years, longer than anyone here,” I called for all to hear as I looked out over the massive crowd and smiled to the mass of catkins huddled together. “I’ve seen the rise and fall of mortals within a blink of an eye, each of them coming to their knees against my will and now, with all the armies under my control, Galencia will be the next to fall. Lend me your strength, lend me your swords and spears. Even lend me your expertise in healing and medicine, and I will take it gladly. Each of you is a piece of this mighty war machine, and we will destroy all those in our path without mercy. This land is ours, and all those who dwell upon it are trespassers. Aid me, my friends, in clearing out the thieves. Together, you and I, your Lord and Master, will urge in a new order. We will create a stronger nation, together as one whole piece.”

  I spoke from the heart and watched as the mass of onlookers became more and more excited. They held their weapons tightly in their hands as if the enemy stood directly in front of them. I felt my blood pump, and my power grew from all of the energy surrounding me.

  “I am your lord, your god, and most of all, your Master,” I shouted as I lifted the God Slayer into the air. “Please me on this day, and you will receive all the gifts promised to you. We will taste their blood on our lips as if it were victory itself! Now go! Slaughter every person in sight, they are our enemies, and they deserve the bite of our blades!”

  Chapter Two

  With all of my armies amassed here in Galencia, I had over 50,000 men and women who were battle-ready. Each troop wore the armor of their homeland, and the Valasara soldiers wore loose fitting garments with dark, beaten copper armor over them. A few of the desert dwellers carried long naginata, weapons that resembled the God Slayer in a way but had single, long blades attached at the end. Makar stood in front of his troops and kept his eyes on me. I had a strong sense of brotherhood with each of my regents, especially the man from Valasara. He’d been a strong ally since the moment I met him, and I would keep him by my side as an advisor in the coming years.

  The Tamarisch soldiers’ armor shone in the bright sunlight as they stood tall in neat lines. They were a force to be reckoned with, and I was glad to have them on my side. Each helmet placed over their faces was beaten and molded into the shape of a roaring bear. Each of these men had gone into the wild and killed one of the mighty Bánwolves as a test of their strength, they earned their right to be here, and it gave them pride to stand at my side.

  The Tintagal soldiers wore their signature forest green and silver with the boar crest directly in the middle of their breastplates. Their flags flew out proudly above them as all their heads turned to watch me.

  The people of Machstein and those who volunteered from Canartia wore mismatched armor, their weapons hastily prepared but from t
he determination on all of their faces, I knew they would gladly give their lives for me. Those from the Canartian islands who didn’t want to fight had set up billowing white tents to care for those injured in the battle. I moved my eyes over them in appreciation and noticed two familiar faces among the crowd of islanders. Both Ezra and Adrian, Haruhi’s family, had come all the way from their treasured library to battle alongside me.

  From this distance away, I could see that Adrian, the nearly deaf older man, was chattering excitedly to his son as he held up a flail and explained its many uses. Ezra nodded along to the flurry of words that spilled from his father’s lips and smiled softly to the older cat-man. The sailor’s eyes raised and connected with mine for a moment and Ezra bowed his head to me out of respect. Adrian turned as his eyes widened, noticed me then waved eagerly with the hand that held the flail. Ezra was in the navy, but I doubted he’d seen a battle or a real war, and this would be his first experience.

  Ansel took his place in front of his many warriors, and with a single, sharp yell from the Tamarisch general, they took a unified step forward. Amos and Adam stood in front of their own troops, all of their usual antics gone as seriousness fell over them. Ansel’s dark chocolate brown eyes found mine through the mass of people and nodded to me as he placed his hand on the pommel of his sword.

  In one sweeping movement, I turned away from the troops toward the path ahead of us. Heijing whipped through the sky along with the other two faux dragons, and blood-red fire spilled from her massive maw. I took in her beauty for a moment and then slammed my eyes back toward the Holy Order’s fortress that lay ahead of us.

  I squared my shoulders and turned my head at a loud snarling sound. Five furry shapes I recognized stalked out of the belly of the Tamarisch ship with their riders firmly in place. The Bánwolves stepped out into the light with my minions on their backs with Marbas in front. He was a beautiful and frightful looking black beast, and his eyes connected with mine as he came closer.

  The only minion missing from the group was Carmedy, but the feline had made it clear in Tintagal that she didn’t want to ride a Bánwolf. She quickly appeared out of the belly of the ship on the back of one of our lizards. The alchemist smiled and waved to me excitedly as she followed behind the massive dogs. Haruhi sat firmly on the back of Tatin, the wolf that would’ve been Carmedy’s if the alchemist wanted to ride one. The sage looked like an experienced rider as the beast moved smoothly underneath her, but I doubted she’d ever ridden such a large creature before in her life.

  My women fanned out and took their places behind me, they were with me but in a place where I had an ability to protect them. Their six hearts beat strongly, my five women and my unborn child resting in Rana’s womb. I had to keep all of them safe, but I already knew they were perfectly capable of doing it themselves. I looked over each of them, and each woman smiled at me in turn.

  “Ready?” Annalise asked to all of us as she gripped the hilt of Bloodscale.

  The high queen placed her thumb over the augmentation stone but didn’t press it just yet. The swordswoman was saving that power for when we got into the thick of the battle.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be,” Rana laughed wryly as she placed a paw over her chest and pulled the Eye of Alipsis free. “Let’s kick some serious mage ass.”

  “It seems those outside are not the higher tier mages,” Morrigan uttered in her emotionless voice as her hands began to glow emerald green. “They will not bring out their best until we break through the second wall, or they will even wait until we are inside the inner sanctum, that is when we should worry.”

  “What level do you think those are?” I asked as I stroked Marbas’ side.

  “Level four or five,” the elven woman responded as she squinted at the tiny figures in the distance. “Not very powerful but still able to do some damage or even kill someone. The lower levels are experts in controlling the elements, water, earth, air, and fire.”

  “How many levels of mages are there?” Carmedy inquired as she hastily dropped ingredients into her small burlap bundles and then tied them to her waist.

  “Twenty.” Morrigan and Haruhi answered in unison then the two women smiled to each other.

  “Once a mage reaches level twenty in their training, they are either added to the Dvarian Brotherhood and placed over a sect of the Holy Order as instructors or they join the Elders and oversee everything from within.”

  “I bet that gets confusing,” the alchemist giggled as she counted her bundles then patted them with satisfaction. “I’m getting kind of confused just listening to it.”

  “It’s pretty easy to remember, just think of it like a school,” Haruhi explained as she petted Tatin’s speckled fur. “The Dvarian Brotherhood are kind of like the teachers who instruct the lower ranking mages in different sects, and the Elders are the principles in charge of everything.”

  “The Brotherhood isn’t something we should worry about,” I stated as I reached out and lay a hand against Marbas’ pitch black fur. “The Elders are the most powerful out of all of them; they are the ones we need to look out for. I will deal with them personally.”

  I turned and looked deeply into Marbas’ glowing orange eyes that resembled smoldering embers. I had broken and tamed him so long ago, but our bond was still as strong as ever as I swiftly lifted myself onto his back. Marbas lifted his head and bellowed toward the sky as he reared back. I felt all of his bunching, powerful muscles beneath me contract and move with vigor.

  He was ready, and so was I.

  Blackened and charred bodies of Soties and Vakgors already littered the street, and in the distance, more of Galencia’s citizens ran away from us in fear. I took the first step forward, and my troops followed after me. From behind me, I could hear the cackle of Ruituri’s insane laughter as she mounted her snow-white bear. The beast snorted and rolled beneath her rotted body as the goddess held her bow lightly in one hand. The goddess’s ash-colored hair whipped around her, and her feral yellow eyes met mine as she laughed even louder.

  “Death to the Holy Order!” Ruituri snarled in a deep, raspy voice as she threw back her head and lifted her bow into the air. “Death to the gods! Death to all those who oppose us!”

  Ansel blinked rapidly at the goddess’s outburst then grinned as he too lifted his mighty sword into the air.

  “Death to our enemies!” the oldest Decathmor shouted. “May our High King and Master bless us and send all those against us straight to the pits of the Underworld!”

  My gloved hands tightened in Marbas’ fur as the massive wolf launched forward with snapping jaws. All of the Tamarisch soldiers yelled in unison as they unsheathed their swords and plunged ahead. In the distance, the first line of mages stood outside the fortress, and I could already tell from their mass, we would overtake and slaughter them all within minutes.

  As Marbas’ paws beat at the ground, I breathed in deeply, closed my eyes, and summoned up all the powers given to me by the fallen gods. I felt each of them individually come forward and presented themselves to me in chronological order, first the illusion goddess we’d met when I’d first found my minions. I summoned her power to me and felt it rush through my veins as I projected it outward.

  Even from this far away, I could see the lines of mages in their loose formation and I dove deep into each of their minds, taking in all of their fears. I concentrated on them as I pushed the illusion goddess’s power toward them and crafted my illusions. The Holy Order members’ hands were held out in front of them as they summoned up orbs of light, but they quickly fell as my illusion took over. The first line of mages fell away, screaming in terror as their personal nightmares came to life before them.

  I barked a laugh as we came even closer and listened as the armies behind me slaughter any citizen in sight. I lifted the God Slayer high over my head and slashed downward. The air parted in front of me, and I felt my power grow even stronger from the pulse of all the hearts around me.

  Then I gripped
the haft of the God Slayer as my dark energy ripped deep under the earth.

  My Underdark energy manifested below my feet, and new life sprouted one after another in quick succession. I called them up from the depths, and they ripped forward with reckless abandon. To the left of me, the cobblestones exploded upward and rained down on the roofs of some squat buildings. A golden head rippling with heat appeared, and lava poured from between its gilt teeth. The orange eyes focused on me, and the enormous mouth fell open, letting more lava drip out.

  I rode past it as the hole widened, and the two other heads of the magma hydra appeared. The beast climbed out of the hole and caught the two buildings it stood between on fire just from the sweltering heat pulsing off its body. To my right, swirling orbs of mist appeared, and lanky arms with pointed, taloned hands pulled themselves through. The ice demons poured from the portals and ran toward the fortress as their long, spindly arms dragged against the cobblestones.

  To the right of me, another beast exploded up from the ground as bricks and dirt showered all around us. The colossal basilisk made entirely from tree roots and other plant matter opened its massive wooden jaws, and a thundering roar ripped up its woven throat. The serpentine beast launched itself forward and dove back down under the ground. I watched the cobblestones ripple and bulge as it ripped its way forward toward the lines of mages.

  A loud cry sounded from the mages as one man stepped forward through the cowering troop. He stood at the front and placed his hands in front of him as an orb of blinding light began to form. The mage ripped his arms away, and the sphere of light rocketed straight for me. I chuckled deep in the back of my throat as I lifted the God Slayer and deflected the orb easily. The sphere exploded with an earth-shattering boom as flames exploded up into the sky.

  Smoke obscured my view as I lowered the God Slayer like a lance and cut through the smoke. I must have been a terrifying view to the mages as they screamed even louder and hastily got back into position.