Tiafell - Saga 3 - The Chosen Elf

Chapter 32: Chaos Underground

While Tiafell underwent the "merging ceremony" with Gadrael, the Dwarven Village, located in a cavern inside one of the Echoing Mountains, had become a warzone as intense battles waged throughout the settlement.

Brunus, the richest dwarf in the village, was ransacking a vault inside his mansion, stuffing gemstones and gold into bags. His two attendants stepped in. "Sir, what are ye doin'?" One of them asked.

"I'm gettin' outta here!! Don't try ta stop me!!" The fat, wealthy dwarf barked, then threw the bags over his shoulders and plowed forward as fast as his obese body would allow.

"Sir! Zera told us the only way we'd stay safe is ta remain here! Dred's army will kill every dwarf they see!"

Brunus shoved him away, shuffling out of the vault. "Dred won't spare anyone, not evenus! There's a secret passage that connects ta the tunnel Zera and the others dug. I can escape ta the outside world and buy a mansion that makes this one look like a shithouse!!" Determined to escape with his life and fortune, Brunus stomped into the main hall of his mansion toward the large, elegantly crafted stone doors.

The attendant on the floor rose, intending to stop Brunus, but the other grabbed his arm. "Fuck him. I'm tired of the way he treats us; he can get killed for all I care."

The other looked at his colleague in disbelief, but realized he was right. Brunus treated his employees poorly and barely paid them anything, keeping almost all his mining company's profits for himself while barely lifting a finger. In the end, both attendants let their boss leave to face whatever fate awaited him.

~~~

On the battlefield, the dwarves continued to brawl with demons and vampires. The enemy numbers stopped increasing, as their entire force had finally arrived, but the dwarves were exhausted and could barely defend themselves. Orvik, Mirya, and Kanah helped wherever they could, but the three of them could only do so much.

Orvik, the Dwarven Chief, swept a minotaur's legs out from under it using his double-sided hammer, allowing Kanah to behead the beast with her axe. "We're gettin' nowhere like this!" Orvik angrily spat.

Mirya sprayed fire from her staff, setting vampires ablaze. "If we split up, maybe we can cover more ground?" She suggested.

Kanah hoisted her massive axe over her shoulder. "That's a great idea!"

Orvik nodded. "Aye, good thinkin', lass. Watch yer backs!"

Agreeing to separate, Orvik, Mirya, and Kanah went in different directions, hoping that by doing so, they could save more of their allies.

~~~

Brion and Zera, the leader of the reptilian subterraneans, were evenly matched, as neither of them was able to gain ground. The two locked weapons, trying to overpower each other.

"You can see very well for someone without eyes." Brion complimented his sightless opponent. "And your fighting style is nearly flawless."

"My kind do not need eyes." Zera's speech was slow but articulate. "Our other senses tell us everything about our surroundings. If my fighting style is 'nearly flawless' as you say, it is so I can protect my people. They would not last long without me."

"You are an honorable leader. It's a shame that you have chosen to fight for Dred. I think you would have made a great ally to us."

Zera's forked tongue flicked. "I do not serve Lord Dred out of respect or loyalty. He promised that if we dug a tunnel for him, he would get rid of the dwarves so we would have these caverns to ourselves, as our ancestors did before the dwarves came and forced them to retreat deeper into the caverns. Reclaiming our home isallthat matters!"

Upon hearing Zera's words, Brion sensed an opportunity for diplomacy. "I'm sorry to say this, but Dred has no intention of helping you. He merely used you and your people for his own gain and will dispose of you all after this is over. Side with us, Zera. Help us defeat Dred, and we'll find a compromise that benefits everyone!"

"No deal!" Zera screeched and pushed Brion away, putting him on the ground. The tall reptile opened her mouth and sprayed a black liquid at the male Amazon, who rolled out of the way. The fluid melted holes in the stone ground with a sickening hiss.

"Acid," Brion leapt to his feet. "Don't start fighting dirtynow! You're better than that!"

"We are fighting to the death; there is no room for honor here!" Zera roared, swinging her weapon to attack again. Brion parried and countered, but his reptilian enemy moved out of the way. The two continued their evenly matched duel.

~~~

Grimswald aggressively slashed at Nadia, who struggled to fend him off. The former knight had centuries of experience in battle, so his advantage over Nadia was clear.

"You fucked up, you sassy cunt!" Grimswald blustered. "That smart mouth of yours needs a big dick in it, like mine! I don't give a flyingfuckhow Lord Esteban feels about it, I'm gonna bleed you out and drink every goddamn drop!"

"You've always been as annoying as you are crazy. I don't like hurting people, but I'll rest easier knowing I was the one who putyoudown, and I'll do the same to Bahti!!" Nadia declared, summoning a massive colony of purple flaming bats and directing them to swarm Grimswald. Smirking, the foul-mouthed vampire aimed his palm at the bats and unleashed a blue light that greatly lowered the temperature in the area. Every bat that was hit by the light froze solid and fell to the ground, shattering like glass.

Grimswald laughed raucously. "You stupid bitch! Back when I was a member of the Royal Guard, I was known for my mastery of ice-based magic. There's not a goddamn thing I can't freeze! Maybe I can keepyouon ice and thaw you out whenever I want some of that pussy!"

"Shit..." Nadia grew frightened, realizing the dire straits she was in. Her own opponent was fearsome and insane, but she worried more about Cirris, who was facing her father, the Vampire Lord Esteban, alone.

Grimswald resumed his melee assault, crudely mocking Nadia as she used all her strength to protect herself, meagerly.

~~~

Esteban unleashed rapid-fire fencing thrusts with his rapier, hoping to impale Cirris, who blocked them using his staff and sword. The mage could not find an opening to exploit, forcing him to stay on the defensive. Esteban drew his rapier back, telegraphing his next attack enough for Cirris to counter by releasing a burst of fire from his staff that made the Vampire Lord jump back, putting distance between them.

"Ha-ha! What happened to all that bravado you had? Were you not going to 'shove your sword up my ass'? It is just as I thought, being Marlon's grandson has gone to your head, but you are nothing like him, or even your mother!" Esteban boasted, mocking his young opponent.

Cirris panted heavily; merely defending himself against Esteban was stressful and tiring. "I'm just getting started, you son of a bitch..." Cirris' cockiness was merely a front; he was having to go all out just to stay alive. Overpowering and outmaneuvering Esteban was impossible; Cirris' only chance would be to wait for an opportunity to outsmart him.

Taking advantage of the break in action, Cirris channeled holy magic into his blade, coating it in white mist. He then cautiously approached Esteban, holding the staff in his other hand up defensively, ready to react to whatever the seven-and-a-half-foot-tall Vampire Lord would do.

"You have chosen to fight me seriously at last; you should have done so from the beginning," Esteban flicked his thin blade, sending out small flames that whirled through the air in random flight patterns at Cirris.

Cirris used his staff to release balls of water at the flames that zig-zagged out of the way. He avoided the first one, which hit the ground and created a small explosion that singed the hair on Cirris' arm.

"Shit, I can't be near those things when they go off!" Cirris concluded, then started running. Esteban sent more flames out, each of them narrowly missing the mage, though he felt the heat from the explosions on his back.

Continuing to run, Cirris came across a fountain in the town square and dove in. It wasn't deep, but it was enough to lure the flames into the fountain and dissolve upon contact with the water. Cirris leapt back out with the fountain's water cloaking his body like armor, covering everything but his face so he could breathe.

"Huh," Esteban was almost impressed. "You think on your feet, I like that. However, the water around your body will only protect you from my flames, nothing else."

Esteban charged forward to run Cirris through. Cirris stepped out of the way, though the Vampire Lord's rapier still crazed his watery armor. However, the aquatic covering was thicker than water naturally is, thanks to Cirris' magic, thus protecting the mage.

Noticing that Esteban had been taken aback, Cirris slashed the Vampire Lord's torso, cutting him across the gut. Esteban cried out and reflexively kicked the mage away. The wound was not fatal or debilitating, but the searing pain from being cut by a holy weapon was something Esteban could not ignore.

"Yeah, that's right, Iamtaking you seriously this time. And now, you know that underestimatingmewas a mistake too, motherfucker!!" Cirris announced. Cutting Esteban renewed the mage's resolve. He knew it wouldn't be easy, but if he did it once, he could do it again, hopefully enough times to kill the vampire leader.

Esteban removed his hand from the cut, seeing blood all over his palm. "So it was..." He exhaled sharply, clenching his blood-stained fist. "Very well, human. No more playing around. I shall give you the effort you deserve, the effort I only show to those who incur my wrath..."

Esteban snarled and bore his fangs, then lunged at Cirris to take their duel to a more heated level.

~~~

Dred's four arms stretched, holding his blades out as they flew toward Trista, who teleported out of harm's way. Her irises swirled clockwise like whirlpools, both colored in layers of red and green, an indicator that Trista was using her full power.

The demon retracted his arms and sent them back out, only to miss again. He wanted Trista alive, but knew he would likely have to cut off a limb or two to recapture her. That did not matter to Dred; he only needed her to breed a new, superior race of demons. Trista wouldn't need limbs to give birth.

Trista began teleporting at random, vanishing and reappearing in different locations faster than Dred could keep up with.

"Is it just me, or have you gotten slower?" Trista quipped while teleporting around Dred.

"You've gotten stronger and faster, you smug bitch," Dred grumbled. "This does not displease me, though. The stronger you are, the more powerful our spawn will be!"

"Like I will ever let you lay a hand on me again! I'm free from your control, and I intend to stay that way!"

Trista teleported faster, disorienting her former captor. Thinking he had finally gotten a lock on her, Dred swung one of his blades upward, slicing Trista's left arm off. However, it was an illusion, one that detonated, blasting the demon's right arms to bits. Other illusions of Trista appeared in the spots where she had teleported and latched themselves onto Dred.

Trista stopped teleporting and puckered her lips. This caused the illusions to explode violently, reducing Dred to dust.

"How do you likethat?" Trista purred, but knew that Dred would regenerate, even after being reduced to such tiny pieces. The point was to buy enough time for Tiafell to return with Gadrael, the only weapon capable of slaying Dred permanently.

Trista sat on a rock, crossed her smooth, silky legs, and deactivated her enhanced state, causing her irises to return to their normal shape and brown color. "It will take Dred a few minutes to recover, and I'll need to be here when he does." She sighed, having no choice but to stay put and wait. "I really should have brought a book or something."

~~~

"Incredible!" Hinako watched through a crystal ball with Samora back in Janazheim Castle.

"Yes, that's my Trista!" Samora responded with great pride for her young Elven apprentice.

"She is truly extraordinary, like her brother. But didn't you tell her not to kill Dred so Tiafell could use Gadrael to finish him off permanently?"

"As long as Trista doesn't use holy magic, Dred will recover, even fromthat." Samora clarified.

"Dred is truly a monstrosity, to survive such an explosion and being able to pull himself back together."

"Yes, and that is not even the worst of it. Holy magic can kill Dred, but he is able to escape from Hell and return to our world in a matter of hours. For him, death is only a temporary inconvenience. Dred can only truly be destroyed by the divine energy contained within Gadrael, the sword only Tiafell can wield."

The crystal ball lingered on Trista, who was somewhat patiently waiting for Dred to reform.

"I'm glad we have Trista and Tiafell on our side. I wonder what makes them so powerful." Hinako pondered.

"Actually, before I went to bed last night, I read something in the tome that may shed some light on them."

"Yeah?" Hinako leaned in; her eyes glimmering curiously.

Samora began explaining. "So, Trista, Tiafell, and their father, Cardexx, possess silver energy, which fuels their immense power. I found a chapter in the book dedicated entirely to angels and read that silver energy comes fromthem. Although I do not know how, those three must have angelic ancestry somewhere in their lineage."

Hinako's eyes widened. "They're part angel? But no angels have ever visited our world, right?"

"We only know of one: the fallen angel, Dexxarc, who was banished to the Underworld and became its king. Angels are strictly forbidden from mating with mortals. However,fallenangels are not bound by Divine Law since they have been banished from the Realm of the Gods, so they can freely mate with mortals. Because of this, the only explanation is that Cardexx, Trista, and Tiafell are descendants of Dexxarc."

"How, though? Dexxarc never left the Underworld or sired any heirs, did he?"

"Thatisa good question. There weren't any compatible mates for Dexxarc in the Underworld, and he died there. But then again, the book was written long before he was killed, so we don't know any details surrounding his death." Samora thoughtfully held her chin between her thumb and index finger. "Here's a theory: maybe Dexxarc actuallysurvivedhis battle with Dred, escaped into our world, started a new life, and had a family of his own." The witch speculated.

"You uncover more mysteries than answers every time you open that book." Hinako dryly pointed out. "You should leave it alone before our brains explode!"

Samora chortled, slightly amused. "Fair point. I wish Cardexx were still alive. I have this nagging feeling that he alone could have answered many, if not all, of our questions."

~~~

As the battle continued to rage throughout the Dwarven Village, a bright flash, followed by a boom, rocked the cavern, halting all fighting. Tiafell had returned, holding Gadrael, the divine sword named after the goddess inhabiting it.

Tiafell marveled at how light Gadrael was in his hand. "Whoa, it was so heavy before!"

When Tiafell pulled the four-foot-long weapon out of the pedestal, it was almost too heavy for the elf to carry, let alone use. After the "merging ceremony", however, the godly sword became much lighter, having the same weight as other weapons of its size.

"That's because of our union; you can hold me much more easily now," Gadrael answered telepathically inside Tiafell's mind. "By the way, I heard what you said about me being heavy before. I'll get you for that one day!"

"You're mad about that?"

"Of course I am, dumbass!!" Gadrael yelled, startling the elf. "Goddesses are sensitive abouttheirweight, too!!"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry! I won't say anything else about it!" Tiafell never understood why weight was such a taboo topic for women, but chose not to discuss the issue with an irate goddess.

~~~

Samora reached out to Trista through the crystal ball. "Trista? What's going on? What was that light and noise?"

Tears of joy trickled down Trista's cheeks. "Lady Samora? Tia has come back! I wish you were here to sense this, the power my little brother is putting out is astounding!!"

Samora fell back into her chair, feeling overwhelmed by relief and hope. "Tiafell has done it... Dred is about to die for good!!!" The witch whooped, pulling Hinako into an excited embrace. "Trista, continue to hold Dred off until Tiafell arrives at your location. I'm sure he'll want to help the others first!"

"Will do!!"

Dred, having already reformed most of his floating body, sensed the presence of the only thing in existence that frightened him: divine energy.

"No... it cannot be..." Dred could not conceal his fear. To make matters worse, Tiafell, the person Dred needed to possess so he could reach his goal of becoming powerful enough to kill the gods, was wielding the very instrument of his destruction.

"Oh, Dred, 'sweetie', is that fear I detect? How ironic, a creature that is so hard to kill and can escape from Hell fears death! How comical!" Trista laughed, throwing salt into Dred's wounds.

Dred was too terrified to respond to Trista, choosing to address his army instead. "All forces, converge on Tiafell and eliminate him at once!!!" The demon had become so desperate that he was forced to give up on his goal of possessing Tiafell. The elf had become too much of a threat and needed to die. Dred would need to find another host to fulfill his goal.

Trista pushed herself off the rock she was sitting on and continued to taunt Dred. "You don't have enough people to stop my baby brothernow! But don't worry, you'll live a few more minutes, which will be plenty of time..." Trista's expression instantly changed to extreme anger. "... FOR ME TO GET REVENGE FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ME AND MY FAMILY!!!"

Dred seethed, furious over being forced into a corner. "You won't get the chance... Tiafell won't get the chance... NO ONE WILL GET THE CHANCE!!! ALL WHO STAND IN MY WAY MUST DIE!!!!"

Dred's desperation caused his body to undergo a nightmarish transformation. He doubled in size, and the appendages on his back mutated into distorted arms, with others sprouting from random spots around his torso, turning Dred into a tangled mess of limbs with his head in the center.

"Thanks to all the demons I have devoured throughout my existence, my body can adapt toanythreat." Dred declared with multiple warped voices at once. "Not even Tiafell and his cursed sword can stop me now!!"

Trista scoffed. "I beg to differ. All I see is a disgusting freak of nature that refuses to accept his fate. At least fighting you will be more fun now!"

Trista closed her eyes, then reopened them to reactivate her enhanced state. The female elf's irises swirled red and green once again, but this time with thin layers of silver mixed in.