Divine Apostasy Book 7 - Chapter 77

Chapter 77

“I have your Crossing Rings,” Ruwen yelled down at Pestilence and Plague. “Call back the others.”

Plague laughed, the sound bubbling from a throat full of mucus.

“War is too excited about belt collecting, and fresh Masters are his favorite,” Pestilence said.

Well, there went Ruwen’s Plan A.

The Scourge Champion flew over Ruwen’s head as Sift threw the demon off the roof.

Echo had sent Ruwen to his Aspect’s bind point with a safety measure all the Aspects had. It allowed other Aspects to send an injured one home if they became unconscious. He focused on Pestilence and Plague and willed them to their bind point.

Pestilence shook his head. “With an enemy among us, our lord fixed that vulnerability. Now the Aspects will portal away on their own.”

Plan B had failed as well.

That left the hard way.

Ruwen channeled twenty-five Energy into Fallen Heroes and willed them to appear fifty feet behind the two Aspects. They had bare feet and wore the heavy cotton pants and jacked of the Bamboo Viper Clan. They looked identical to him in every way. Overlord took control and four of the five apparitions dashed away in the direction of the lake.

The fifth one called out. “Stop me if you’ve heard this. Two Aspects walk into a bar.”

The Aspects turned to face the Fallen Hero, and Ruwen jumped away from the building’s edge, landing next to Sift.

Ruwen launched his Emblem of Dominion out of his Void Band and into his right hand. He grabbed Sift’s hand and pressed the coin like object into his palm. Blapy had told Ruwen that only fifty of the emblems existed and you had to kill another Ink Lord to get them. But he hoped that was only because they never wanted to give them up freely.

“I Ruwen Starfield do hereby relinquish this Emblem of Dominion to Sift Adda along with my roles and responsibilities as Ink Lord.”

The parchment like bracelet on Ruwen’s right wrist disappeared and Sift raised his right hand in shock, as the band now wrapped his wrist.

Overlord spoke to Ruwen. They’re headed your way. I couldn’t distract them.

Ruwen focused on Sift and used Chat. Think the word ‘wrap,’ and don’t ask questions.

Pestilence and Plague jumped to the top of the roof, no longer riding their horses.

The parchment swallowed Sift, and in a blink only a figure remained, wrapped in hundreds of scrolls. Not even his face remained visible. Sentences and words moved across the scrolls giving the armor a hypnotic effect. Ruwen couldn’t help but admire how cool it looked. If he’d worn it, his Armor Class would have become even more ridiculous, but Sift, with only a Gold body, would be vulnerable to the Aspects’ attacks.

Sift held his arms out in front of him. “What in all that is holy is—”

Ruwen turned and faced Pestilence and Plague. Over Chat, he sent the description of the armor to Sift.

Name: Ink Lord’s Wrap

AC:2,250

Quality: Legendary

Durability:3,000 of 3,000

Weight:4.3 lbs.

Effect (Passive):Know It All: +50 Intelligence.

Effect (Passive): First Edition: Reduce all magical damage by 33%.

Effect (Passive): Lost and Found: If the Ink Lord is separated from the armor by more than fifty feet, it will teleport to the Ink Lord’s right wrist.

Effect (Triggered): Top Shelf: Once per hour, create a staircase made from air with a max height of 200 feet and max weight of 500 lbs.

Effect (Triggered): Librarian’s Hush: Once per day, restore silence to your library by suppressing all sound in a 1,000-foot sphere for five seconds.

Effect (Triggered): Book Burning: Once per month, grant elemental immunity to all inanimate objects in a 1,000-foot sphere for thirty minutes.

Effect (Triggered): Ink Lord’s Paper Knife: Create a small temporary blade suitable for slicing open pages or unruly patrons. Blade’s composition dependent on focus. Inflicts 12 to 24 Piercing damage.

Effect (Triggered): Bookmark: Set location and, once per day, instantly return there.

Restriction: Black Pyramid Ink Lord.

Description: Small off-white scroll made from Dragon Spider Webbing. The librarian can wrap and unwrap themselves with a thought, offering protection while carrying out the duties of the Black Pyramid Ink Lord. Stain resistant inside and out for the Ink Lord’s inevitable bloody demise.

Get to the beach, Ruwen told Sift. I’m right behind you.

Ruwen felt Sift lift off the roof and fly away, causing a massive pressure wave.

Plague and Pestilence watched Sift leave as a thunderclap momentarily smothered the sound of the approaching avalanche, now less than a minute away. The air disturbance Sift caused pushed the Aspects’ robes back, and Ruwen got another look at the sores and lesions covering the faces of the brother and sister.

“There is nowhere to run,” Pestilence said. He smiled, showing rotten teeth, and then pulled the hood of his Aspect forward, hiding his features again.

“Have you not realized yet that you will all die here?” Plague asked.

Ruwen opened his Void Band enough to briefly place his right hand into the portal. He withdrew it, but Valora’s Dark Portal now wrapped his right wrist. He wanted to try one more thing before retreating, so he replied.

“I let you live in the Infernal Realm,” Ruwen said. “There are no second chances.”

The Aspects laughed, a terrible and sickly, sound.

Ruwen used Whiskers to see how much progress the other three Aspects had made. They were two thirds of the way to the beach. He had Whiskers stop and search the beach for Masters. The cat’s excellent vision caught site of Nymthus. Saying a silent prayer to Uru, Ruwen tried something he should have done at the start and tried to add Nymthus to his group.

A portrait of Nymthus appeared on the right side of Ruwen’s vision.

“So foolish and arrogant,” Plague hissed. “We are prepared now, and you will reap what you’ve sown, Famine.”

Ruwen spoke in Chat, and Nymthus jerked in surprise at the sudden appearance of his voice in her head. Nymthus, this is Ruwen. Get everyone to the portal. Danger on the lake.

Nymthus turned and studied the lake. She yelled, and within seconds everyone ran toward the portal stone which sat hidden just inside the Red Forest. Ruwen and Sift wouldn’t make it, but the rest of the class would, and he felt immense relief that they’d be safe.

Pestilence tilted his head. “Aren’t you in a hurry to help your friends?”

“I’m headed that way,” Ruwen responded. “It turns out I have the time to take care of you two before I leave.”

“Take care of us?” Plague asked. “Oh, I hope it’s a massage,” she said, rotating her head in a circle. “My neck is killing me.”

Through Whiskers, Ruwen watched the class enter the forest. He couldn’t tell if Echo joined them, but he guessed she had placed herself far away so she wouldn’t need to act against the other Aspects, or her father’s wishes.

Pestilence held out his hands, displaying jagged fingernails. It looked like something had ripped the fingernails off his skin, covering his fingers in blood. “I could use a manicure since you’re offering. Breaking granite is so hard on the nails.”

That caught Ruwen’s attention. Why would Pestilence be breaking stone?

“No?” Pestilence asked. “Maybe one of your classmates will help me.”

Ruwen smiled. “Too, late. They’ll be gone in moments.”

Plague looked at her brother. “Did you hear that? War will be so disappointed. Bamboo Viper black belts are his favorite. It’s all he’s been talking about since we got here.”

Nymthus’s voice appeared in Ruwen’s head as Chat activated, and she sounded upset. I don’t know if anyone can hear me, or if I’m just talking to myself, but it’s gone.

I can hear you, Nymthus, Ruwen replied. What’s gone?

A terrible feeling washed over Ruwen, and his stomach turned.

The portal, Nymthus said. It’s not here.

Plague tilted her head. “Didn’t I say we prepared for you this time.”

Pestilence removed a sack attached to his belt, opened the top, and turned it over. Chunks of stone dropped out of the dimensional bag, making a pile on the roof. The white portal runes, made with soul magic, had not yet faded, and Ruwen recognized them. It was their portal home.

“Now you start to see,” Pestilence said.

“Like I told you,” Plague said. “You’re all going to die.”