AO 5 Ch 40

Chapter 40

Even if Carmilla was at the level of an Elder Mage, I couldn't back down. I knew, based on my experience with Colin, that she would only get stronger the longer I left her alone to collect souls.

Dealing with her now was the better option by far. No one wanted to see Carmilla stronger.

"Eva, can you take care of the ladies we rescued?" I gestured at them. 

"No. I'm coming with you," she said, only for me to shake my head. 

"No, they need to go somewhere safe. Possibly the inn that Lady White was using, or put them in our rooms back in the White Mare. They need to be put somewhere safe." I reiterated. It was something that needed to be done and I couldn’t spare my anchors right now.

"I will help you fight Carmilla," Eva replied pointedly.

"And you'll make a wonderful ambush after you're done putting these six ladies somewhere safe." I kept my tone firm. With my anchors, it was simple for me to bring all of them but Aurelia back to life. As long as I stayed alive, I could bring their soul back to their body. As for Aurelia I was going to have to stuff her in the old fashioned way.

The fight against Carmilla was bound to be dangerous, and worrying about as few people as possible was going to help me focus my magic. After all, magic was a test of will and putting ideas into physical form. 

Eva glared at me before tendrils of darkness picked up the six ladies from the stone chairs. "I will be back shortly," she emphasized the last word. I had no doubt she was going to hurry the operation along.

I waved her goodbye with a smile on my face before turning back to my anchors. "You three," I glance at the anchors who are bonded to me, "do whatever you want, as long as it involves killing Carmilla. And you," I glance at Aurelia, "if you die, I'm stuffing your soul back in whatever is around. But best if you don't die." 

Aurelia swung her battleaxe around. "Dying is never part of the plan," she said. "I'm not Maribelle." 

The maid snorted. "No, none of you are as great as me." She flipped her golden locks gracefully, even as we all started moving quickly uphill in the direction of the Lord's estate. 

Carmilla's grand spell was still active. The shield with the giant wings of swords was slashing down, trying to destroy something. I could only assume the target was Lord Valken, who was doing his best to stall her.

I wondered how effective he was against the elder mage. 

The Vel'shae were certainly a touch more powerful than anchors, operating as their own separate entity rather than being tied to a mage. However, they lacked the long-range and grand-scale magic that came with being a mage.

In Lord Valken's case, he had an endless supply of magic from the Serpent Sphere, which made him about magically on par with Maribelle, only with a few hundred years of combat experience under his belt. 

Carmilla's grand spell continued to smash down, with swords fanning out in a grandiose display before converging and making an absolute mess.

The Lord's estate was shattering to pieces with giant gouges torn into the ground. If there was anyone still alive in that building besides Lord Valken, they were most likely reduced to cinders by the powerful light magic that she was throwing around. 

I was already opening up all four spheres and dumping mixed magic into my soul, keeping it separate in strange ways. The four towers in my soul that each held one of my spheres were made partially of bluesteel after all the changes that had happened. And they now were glowing brightly with magic as I kept it all separate.

What wasn't building up in my towers was draining off into my anchors, save for fire, which I jumped and rode a small wave of it to burn it off. 

"Spiffy," everyone smiled, watching the flames.

"And just wait for what I do with the fire next." I landed after a burst and funneled a bunch of the fire magic into Cyam, who became a burning horse. Cyam looked like some sort of monster that had crawled its way from the depths of a volcano and was going to lay waste to an entire country.

Cyam whinnied, throwing his head back and forth as if he were trained to tell me, ‘Let me at her.’ At least one of us was fired up.

We made it to the edge of the estate, and I could clearly see Carmilla floating on a platform of light. The small part of me that still hoped it was not actually Carmilla died off, confirming her identity.

I spotted someone ducking and diving amid the Lord of Fargo's estate.

Sure enough, Uncle Valken exploded from a pile of rubble. The wings of Carmilla's ability slashed down, trying to destroy him. Any direction he tried to veer off, those wings could lay waste to a swath of land, preventing him from escaping.

She could just attack far too large a space of land in a single swipe, forcing Uncle Valken get hammered no matter where he went all while Carmilla kept well out of reach.

Even without seeing Carmilla's face, I knew what expression she was likely wearing. My guess was she was having quite a bit of fun.

The woman believed she was a mastermind, toying with those she thought she had in her clutches.

I lifted a hand and earth magic shot up from the ground beneath her. Four spikes of earth came together with her right at the point. My anchors were already rushing up the stone before my attack even pierced her. 

Carmilla turned around at the last second, a shield of light strapped to her arm as she smashed away the sharp tips of earth with blinding speed.

All of my anchors leapt at her with their blades drawn. Wings like those of her elder ability wrapped around her, feathers made of swords protecting her from all angles. My anchors struck in unison, only for her wings to snap open and blow them away. 

"Not bad, Arden. But I thought I taught you better," Carmilla spun around as soon as her eyes landed on me. There was a moment of shock. "Arden Aldis you can’t touch me," she grinned, a pair of long fangs gleaming in the moonlight, gleaming in the light given off by her spells. "I did not think I would have the pleasure of meeting you again so soon." Her voice had a cruel quality to it, or perhaps it was the fangs that added the tone.

Either way, I did not like the way Carmilla was looking at me. 

I twisted my hand, sending spikes out of the pillars that were already right next to her. She swatted them away as the wings of blades carried her forward, far faster than I expected.

Zuri came at her from the side, only for Carmilla to catch Zuri's attack with her bare hand. 

"Oh, Arden, I remember that cheap shot in a duel against your mother. You would dare interfere." She grabbed Zuri by the wrist and smashed her against the ground before throwing her to the side like a piece of leftover garbage. "Oh yes, I am beyond happy to meet again, Arden." 

Carmilla's face was the picture of what I didn't want to see. She looked like she wanted to swallow me whole.

Uncle Valken joined the group opposite of me. The man had seen better days. His clothes were dyed red and in tatters from his work tonight. Meanwhile, Maribelle was helping Zuri while Emlyn and Aurelia stood opposite each other, cornering Carmilla. 

"Well, you look better," I said to her, "though you're still bald."

She threw her head back, laughing. "Oh, I am so, so much better than I was before, Arden." She rubbed a hand against her face as if savoring the feeling of her own skin. "You don't understand what's happened to me, what King Martin has done. As a four-sphere mage, perhaps if you kneel now, there is a place here for you. He could remake you like he has me." She opened her arms wide, the wings of light blades spanning out beside her.

Quite the one for theatrics, then again she probably thought she was the lead actor of life.

"And what exactly are you?" I asked

"I am a human-made god." She let the wings lift her up, arrogantly. "Don't you understand, Arden? He made me into a higher being, and for that I will forever serve him. But you, here and now..." She licked her lips. "I will get revenge on you. I will get the sweetest revenge. Know that once you're dead, I will hunt down your mother, your grandfather, and all of those Elder Mages that thought to stand in my way."

"Well, I didn't think she could get even more bitchy” Emlyn waved her sword around, “but I stand corrected. She got even worse.”

Carmilla spun, screaming, “Silence!” As if to add to her effect, the Elder Spell, still hovering high in the air, fanned out and illuminated everything around us as if it were high noon.

“I will not listen to peasant ants scrounging around for scraps. One day, people like you will worship me. Sadly, you'll never see that day.” With a wave of her hand, more swords of light rocketed out towards Emlyn.

My anchor wrapped herself in earth magic as she blocked with her sword. The spell struck her and drove her back, her feet dragging long furrows in the destroyed ground around us. 

Lightning was already jumping from my fingertips, concentrated in a small blue bolt aimed straight for Carmilla. She twisted, wrapping one of her wings around her for protection, only it seemed my soul lightning was stronger than she expected.

My hit shattered several swords of light and pierced through her forearm, leaving a large burn mark with what energy managed to make it through her spell. Carmilla looked surprised and then infuriated. As she spun, swords of light fanned out and shot in every direction. 

Maribelle was on me in an instant, protecting me with her body. She pulled me away from the flurry of magical swords that pierced painfully through stone and steel around us. Her own wounds healing over before my eyes.

Carmilla recovered, floating in the air again. As the patch of blackened skin slowly receded, she still seemed upset at how slow it was healing. 'You dare wound a god?'

Then, a sly smile lifted on her face, “Maribelle, kill him.”

There was a strange quality to her tone, and I could see a distance in Maribelle's eyes as she lifted a dagger with each hand. But then her right hand stabbed her left, and clarity returned to her. 

My maid spun around, her golden curls swinging behind her as she threw herself recklessly at Carmilla. “How dare you?”

Her blue steel daggers missed Carmilla by inches as those wings pulled her away. Carmilla laughed in Maribelle's face.

“How dare a mere mortal question me! You were once my tool, and even if you've changed hands, I will still use you when I need to.” Carmilla replied. 

Maribelle's eyes were red, practically aflame, as she jumped again, trying to get at Carmilla.

The self-proclaimed goddess created a sword in her left hand, and she swung to match Maribelle's two blades with a single. She moved incredibly fast, fast enough to match my anchor. Then Carmilla snapped a kick that folded Maribelle in half, and her sword went straight for Maribelle's neck, only for it to stop dead against the blue steel collar. It gleamed like a diamond when the ribbon she had tied around her throat to cover the collar disintegrated from the light sword. 

Maribelle held onto Carmilla's leg like a tick, stabbing her blue steel knives into her thigh with quick succession.

Carmilla screamed and tried to get her off.

Emlyn, Aurelia, and Zuri joined the fight, pressing the advantage as they came at her from multiple angles, only for Carmilla to twist and turn, those wings doing double time.

Carmilla blocked the others while she tried to hack Maribelle to pieces and get her off. The massive spell swung down, trying to beat my anchors and me away, only for me to summon Cyam, a blazing horse that rushed up to meet Carmilla's grand tier spell. 

His neigh sounded more like a roaring fire as he clashed with one of the wings, stopping it. Each stomp of his hoof in the air exploded and propelled him further into the spell, trying to wrestle it away. Three manticore claws appeared in my hand, and I threw them to join the anchors in trying to get Carmilla. I controlled each of the three claws individually, weaving them back and forth amidst the chaotic melee."

Uncle Valken landed next to me, bloodied. "Eva?" he asked. The princess of Zenovia was ever his primary concern.

"She's taking care of the ladies we rescued," I replied.

Uncle Valken took a gulp without any drink in front of him, and I could only assume he was swallowing more blood. Which, was a little concerning given his ability was life magic. Just how much damage had he taken tonight?

"I think I bit off more than I could chew tonight," he said, clutching his chest. I noticed that he was healing, but there was a lot of healing to be done. It looked like something had caught him by surprise, taking out a good half of his chest. 

"It's fine, Papa," I said, smirking. "Rest up. We can handle this." 

As I said those words, Maribelle's bloody body landed not far from me, unmoving. 

Carmilla’s haughty expression had been wiped off her face, now she was furious. Her unbridled rage marred what could have been an otherwise pretty face. She shot towards me, sword high overhead, coming for me like some sort of being made of pure vengeance.

The earth dropped out below me, and I fell into the ground as her blade missed me high above. More stone spikes pierced her with a wave of my hand. 

I watched her down in the pit, and with another gesture, more manticore claws appeared and shredded the pristine white dress she had been wearing.

She screamed, and a wing of the grand spell above came crashing down, only for me to suck myself further underground and slip away. 

Before coming back up to the surface, I could feel Maribelle in Soulgard. I quickly threw her back into her body as I resurfaced twenty yards away.

Carmilla had Emlyn on the ropes, moving faster than my anchor filled with lightning magic. And she was even able to block arrows launched by Zuri, while Aurelia came in far more sporadically with big overhand attacks that forced Carmilla to use her wings to block. 

Emlyn ducked in at one such moment, piercing Carmilla with her blade, only for lightning to race down the blue steel sword and flood Carmilla with electricity.

The former princess didn't twitch uncontrollably nor pass out. Instead, she grabbed Emlyn by the ponytail and severed her head with a swift stroke using the blade made of light magic.

Carmilla laughed, flying back into the air and pulling Emlyn's sword out before dropping it on the ground. The white dress she wore was stained red with blood, but like Lord Valken or Maribelle, she was healing quickly. I saw the stab wound that had likely been cauterized by lightning heal within moments. 

"I will give it to you. You've all managed to scratch a god, though I am a newly born one. In the coming days, you'll be lucky to touch my feet. No, you won't be around to touch my feet. Neither will your precious anchors," she laughed, glancing down at the unmoving Maribelle and Emlyn.

She was growing cockier by the second.

I had thrown Emlyn's soul back into her and was feeding her enough life magic to stitch that head back on, meanwhile Maribelle was also slurping that magic up to restore herself.

Carmilla spun around in the air, catching one of Zuri's arrows made of light magic and crushing it in her hand. 

"The Virels, the Trevis, the Aldis… to think their last chance to even harm me are their youngest generation. In a month's time, Ard, I will have feasted on so many mages, that the elder mages of Avente will crumple in my hand like lumps of used coal. Do you understand the power that King Martin has bestowed me?" She chuckled lightly to herself. "No, how could you? You have no idea. This is beyond your comprehension, but not mine. No, this new comprehension is what makes me a god and you a mortal." 

I picked at my ear with my pinky and blew off a chunk of wax. "We done yet? I don’t think you’re as good of a speaker as you think you are. Stick to dying, you are much better at that." 

Carmilla threw one of her swords of light at me, only for a patch of darkness to appear in front of me and swallow the blade whole. 

"Really, Carmilla, you talk far too much. And you are beyond arrogant. Like, there's arrogant and then there's you," I raised my hand higher. "I don't think you understand. You're not that great. Your so-called enlightened comprehension, I'm sure, is just soul magic, and then probably some nice power boost to your soul. Really not seeing anything special from you." 

Her pupils narrowed to pinpricks and she shook as she screamed with rage, flying at me again, swinging for the fences with the magical sword in her hand.