Chapter 32
Fighting the hellhounds had turned out to be more troublesome than we'd expected.
Ravi was good. Better than good, actually. Her movements were quick and precise. Each throw of her knives and hatchets landed squarely on the glowing skulls of the beasts. The moment the eerie blue flames in their heads flickered out, they collapsed into the snow, with steam rising from their skeletal bodies.
I was actually impressed by her skills. Finally, there was someone here who knew what they were doing.
Then, she went and ruined her newly formed good impression by ignoring me altogether.
I had told her we needed to stick together, but she just plunged deeper into the chaos like a berserker with a death wish. The hounds, recognizing an isolated target, immediately surrounded her.
I clenched my jaw. This wasn't part of the plan; we were supposed to be fighting together. It would've been less risky that way.
Of course, I didn't have time to yell at her to fall back because I had my own problems.
The hellhounds had started circling me now, their snarls low and guttural as their skeletal paws crunched against the fresh snow. Their burning blue sockets locked onto me with one message: I was on the menu.
Great.
Then, the real kicker.
The hellhounds Ravi had taken down—well, they started coming back to life.
The blue flames in their skulls reignited, and their bodies twitched violently as if they were being yanked back up by invisible strings. The ones I was already dealing with were enough of a problem. Now, I had to deal with the fact that they also appeared to be immortal.
I sighed so much for my moment of respect for Ravi. She was about as helpful as Laine. Which is to say, not at all.
I needed a way out and fast.
So, naturally, I did what I always did when my back was against the wall.
I reached for my magic.
I didn't even try to be specific this time. At this point, I was well aware of how this always went. It wouldn't give me what I wanted, so I decided to skip treating my magic like a wish-granting fairy and just accept whatever was thrown at me.
"Fine," I muttered. "Just give me whatever. I know you won't listen to me anyway."
Something small and metallic materialized in my hand.
I looked down.
A dog whistle.
I blinked.
Then I sighed again, deeper this time.
Really?
I didn't have time to be mad at my magic's sense of humor. The hounds were closing in. The best bet I had was to trust my magic. I took a deep breath and blew the whistle with everything I had.
There was no sound, at least not one I could hear, but the reaction was immediate.
The hellhounds flinched as if struck by some powerful yet invisible force, their legs wobbling. Some staggered back, their skulls shaking violently. Others tried to dig their faces into the snow, the steaming frost sizzling around their burning heads.
Which was weird, considering they didn't even have ears.
Ravi, to her credit, didn't waste the opportunity. She lunged back into the fight, knives flashing, cutting down several of the stunned creatures, and their flames started dying out one after the other.
But by the time I was done whistling, those same hounds were getting back up again. The hounds that hadn't been attacked also regained their strength the moment the whistle's sound died down.
Every single one of them turned to face me, their growls deep and reverberating through the icy air.
"What now?" Ravi called from across the battlefield, still slashing the air around her violently.
I thought fast.
Then, I did the only logical thing I could think of.
I ran.
I could hear the hounds scrambling after me, their claws scraping against the frozen ground.
"Ravi! Bow! Now!" I yelled over my shoulder.
I heard her swear, but she grabbed her bow.
Good. She was finally taking me seriously.
I sprinted straight toward the center of the valley, where the lake shimmered under the pale light.
I didn't stop. I didn't hesitate. As soon as I reached the edge, I jumped in.
I gasped for breath as the icy water hit my chest like a sledgehammer. But I kept my composure and swam a little farther, just to be sure.
Then, I looked back at the shore.
The hellhounds weren't following me into the lake. Instead, they stood at the edge, their heads tilted awkwardly to one side as if debating whether or not chasing me into the water was worth it.
I decided to help them make up their minds.
Lifting the dog whistle again, I took a deep breath and blew as hard as I could.
Once again, the hounds staggered, shaking their skulls violently. Some growled and yelped in agony. Then, one of them lunged forward, either too angry or too dumb to resist the urge to attack.
The rest followed.
The moment their bony bodies hit the water, steam exploded from the surface.
The lake sizzled as their blue flames flickered and died. The magic that kept them moving was apparently struggling against the sudden submersion.
I screamed at Ravi. "NOW! SHOOT THEM WHILE THEY'RE IN THE LAKE!!"
She didn't hesitate.
Almost instantly, arrows flew into the lake. The closest hound jerked as an arrow struck it right between its glowing eye sockets.
Then, it sank.
Gone—blue flame, bones and all.
Never mind. She's definitely more useful than Laine.
I kept swimming, dodging the remaining hellhounds as they flailed in the water. Their snarls turned into pitiful whimpers as their cursed flames weakened.
Ravi didn't miss a single shot.
One by one, the hounds were struck down, their bodies dragged under the surface. The lake swallowed them whole, the last remnants of their eerie blue light vanishing into the depths.
Then, it was quiet.
The water stilled.
I floated there for a moment, waiting. Watching.
No movement. No resurgence of undead hellfire. No glowing skulls rising from the depths.
About time.
Ravi exhaled in relief as I swam back to shore and stood next to her. "They're not getting back up."
I nodded, letting myself relax just a little. "I was desperately hoping that would work. Seems like the flame that kept reviving them doesn't work when they're underwater."
Ravi raised an eyebrow at me. "That was a pretty big gamble."
"Just say what you mean. It was a stupid plan."
She shrugged, but I caught the ghost of a smirk on her face.
I was still shivering because of the icy water. My body felt like one giant frozen brick as I stumbled onto solid ground.
Across the lake, I spotted Laine and Scaly.
Maxian was still out cold, lying on top of the lizard as Laine stood there waving at us like we hadn't just fought off a pack of undead nightmare creatures.
I sighed.
No time to deal with them right now.
Turning away from the lake, I set my sights on the cave entrance.
The fight might've been over, but we were far from done.
Ravi fell into step beside me as we approached the dark, gaping maw of the cave.
I stood at the entrance and looked at Ravi. "Ready?"
She nodded solemnly.
We stepped inside.
At first, it was pitch black. Then, as my eyes adjusted, I could make out faint blue light illuminating the cavern walls.
We descended deeper. The air was heavy with the kind of magic that made your skin crawl.
Arcane symbols flickered along the walls, scrawled in eerie blue fire, pulsing like slow heartbeats.
Old bones littered the ground, some half-buried in the dirt, others stacked neatly in corners like some kind of twisted collection.
Further in, we passed bubbling cauldrons filled with thick, noxious liquid.
Typical dark wizard nonsense.
The deeper we went, the more I could feel the eerie presence of magic pressing against my skin.
Then, we came to a stop.
A massive wooden gate loomed in front of us, its surface lined with deep claw marks and strange, swirling carvings.
Without a moment's hesitation, I raised my fist and knocked.
The sound echoed through the cave.
For a few moments, nothing happened.
Then, a voice said, "Come in."
I recognized it as Vorrak's voice.
The massive door groaned open by itself.
Beside me, Ravi tensed, hand gripping the hilt of one of her knives.
We exchanged a glance.
Then, together, we stepped inside.
I had expected a cavern, but instead, we walked into something that looked like a castle dungeon.
The entire room was made of polished black marble. Like the cave, the walls of this dungeon were also illuminated by flickering blue fire, which had etched arcane symbols into the ceiling and floor.
The shelves lining the walls were filled with glass jars and strange, unidentifiable liquids. Some held floating eyeballs and preserved organs, and some held things that looked like they had been stitched together by multiple creatures.
Scattered between them were mirrors of various sizes, positioned at odd angles, as if Vorrak enjoyed seeing himself from every possible perspective.
Then there were the skeletons.
Some human, some not. And some… were so creepy that I didn't even want to think about what they could be.
Embalmed animals hung from hooks in the ceiling, suspended in twisted poses, their lifeless eyes watching us as we entered.
And in the center of it all stood two jagged pillars of dark rock rising from the ground, shaped like the fingers of a skeletal hand. Each one of them was bent slightly toward the other, stretching upward as if trying to clasp together.
Behind them stood Vorrak.
The skeleton wizard spread his bony arms.
"Do you like it?"
At first, I thought he was mocking me. But something about the way the flames in his eyes flickered made me realize he was actually being sincere.
"Uh…" was all I could manage.
He sighed, shaking his skull slightly.
"It's a portal to the Void." He gestured to the pillars. "It can honestly be shaped like anything, even a perfect circle. But I wanted to be a bit creative. So, I crafted it with my own personal touch." He wiggled his fingers as if that explained everything.
"Oh… Nice…"
I had meant it to sound neutral, but I guess the disingenuous tone in my voice was obvious.
Vorrak's eye flames flared. "Screw you, man. This is awesome! I don't need your approval!"
He looked like he was about to go on a full-blown rant about the painstaking process behind building the portal but then sighed, waving it off.
"Whatever." His voice steadied. "So, you're curious about what I'm really up to, right?"
"Not really."
He went still for a moment.
Then he chanted something under his breath and suddenly slammed both palms onto the floor.
The ground beneath Ravi and me rippled like liquid.
Before I could react, thick, dark ribbons shot out from the floor. They wrapped themselves around my body, locking me in place.
Ravi was caught, too.
"Well, you're going to have to listen whether you want to or not." Vorrak said
I let out an exasperated sigh.
Vorrak waved a finger, and a ribbon of shadow curled around my mouth, muffling me.
"And you're going to listen quietly."
Then, he began pacing.
"My plan is to create an opening to the Void," he started, speaking as if he were delivering a great lecture. "You may wonder why. I don't really seem like a cultist, do I?"
No. He seemed like a very annoying theater kid who got way too into necromancy.
"The Void is far more than what you people understand it to be," he continued, his voice taking on a grand, self-important tone. "It is alive. And it has far more followers than you could ever imagine."
I rolled my eyes, but he ignored me.
"I was an ordinary human once. A weak noble's third son. Not set to inherit much at all."
That didn't sound too bad.
"All I would have once I came of age was a shitty mansion and dozens of servants who would serve my every whim."
That sounded… like a pretty good deal, actually.
"One day, as I was despairing about my future, a man appeared before me. He claimed he was a god and could help me gain power beyond my imagination."
I had a sinking suspicion that I knew exactly which god he was talking about.
"The God of Spilled Drinks," Vorrak said, confirming my thoughts.
Of course.
The same god who had tried to stop me from entering the forest.
"The god told me about the Void. And how I could harness it for my own powers. I did as he told me. I learned magic from the tomes he gave me, and I made sacrifices to get stronger."
I really didn't want to know what kind of sacrifices he meant.
"The people found out," Vorrak continued, his tone darkening. "And I was sentenced to death for 'conspiring with dark powers.'" He even did air quotes with his fingers.
"How tragic," I wanted to say, but the ribbon was still covering my mouth.
"They burned me alive." His voice was almost bitter. "But as the flames consumed me, I heard a voice. The voice of the Void itself. It promised me great power in return for servitude. I accepted."
He spread his arms wide.
"And I rose from the ashes! In the magnificent new form that you see before you."
He tapped the skeletal pillars proudly.
"Now, I aim to open a portal. Bringing the Void ever closer to its ultimate goal of transforming this world."
I tried to speak, but all that came out was a muffled grunt.
Vorrak sighed and waved a finger. The ribbon around my mouth vanished.
"But why turn the beasts mad?" I asked.
He giggled.
"To maximize damage," he said cheerfully.
I raised an eyebrow.
"The horde of beasts running outside the forest summoned Ravon, the kingdom's greatest general. He, along with his prized officers, wait at a nearby outpost even now. When I open the portal, he will be caught up in it and perish."
He grinned. "The blow to the kingdom will be devastating. And the resistance against the Void will be weakened. It will be like killing two birds with one stone."
"You won't succeed, wizard," Ravi snapped.
"Yes, I will." Vorrak replied without hesitation.
"No."
"Yuh-huh."
"No."
"Yuh-huh."
"OH SHUT UP!" I yelled, completely fed up.
This entire situation was stupid.
I struggled against the ribbons holding me back, gritting my teeth.
Then, something snapped.
Literally.
The ribbons around me broke apart, dissolving into the air.
Vorrak's eye flames flickered in shock.
Before he could react, I rushed forward and swung my fist.
There was a sharp CRACK as my knuckles met his skull.
His head flew clean off, bouncing across the polished floor.
Vorrak's headless body stumbled back, his bony hands grasping at the air.
I took a deep breath, cracked my knuckles, and glared at the now headless skeleton.
"The worst mistake you made," I said, "was ruining my vacation, you bastard."
"What?" Ravi asked behind me.
"And all the people you killed." I added quickly.