Chapter 48 - The All-Seeing Eye

I hissed in pain as I bit back a curse and threw a withering glance in Sharinne’s direction. The damn woman was still kneeling, calmly gazing back at me though in the back of her eyes I could see the last light of one final flickering hope.

“Mommy, pay attention. You have to set the bone right!” Shia complained loudly, like a mother hen worrying over a defenseless chick.

Which may aptly describe me, since my legs had finally given out on me and I had barely managed to collapse on top of the wide edge of the fountain. At the moment I was wrestling with an uneasy balance of trying to glare death at Sharinne while at the same time wrapping a makeshift bandage around my broken arm.

I pointedly ignored Shia’s clucking, and instead addressed the elephant in the room.

“Why?” I simply asked, still glowering darkly.

“It was a test to decide whether you had the strength to overcome the trials of the Shrine of th-”

“Bullshit,” I called, without even bothering to listen to the rest. “You yourself as much as admitted that I had just single-handedly leveled that pain in the ass Labyrinth.”

“Test my strength?” I snorted loudly to let her know exactly what I thought of that idea. “You wanted to kill me so badly that not even a goddamn nuke could stop you.”

“It was necessary to determine the depth of your endurance, the might of your determinati-”

“You keep farting in my face like that, I’m gonna shove the next nuke up your damn ass like an oversized suppository,” I stated matter-of-factly.

Sharinne seemed to vaguely understand what a nuke was - after all, the last one had gone off right under her feet, while she was still buried under hundreds of tons of rubble. How had she managed that?

No matter, seeing the struggle painted nakedly on Sharinne’s face, I kept right on going.

“Then I’m gonna take Sol and Reaver away by force, but not before burning this whole damn place to the ground. We’ll see how the Shrine of the Crimson freaking Flame really likes to play with fire then.”

Then I waited, impassive. I knew I had her.

Sharinne bit her lips, and only spoke after a long moment, though with obvious reluctance.

“You do not frighten me, Lord Seth. Nor are your threats of any relevance, not at this point. However, I shall speak because you have earned it through your actions, even as misguided as they were.”

Sharinne somehow managed to radiate an aura of dignity and wounded honor while she said this, and that was even more of a miracle than the whatthehell comeback she had just made from the tomb of the radioactive dead. After all, I may be torn and bloodied, trying to wrap a bandage around my shattered arm, but Sharinne looked like she’d been to hell and back, all the while crawling through it on her face. Though the scars had stopped bleeding, I could see countless wounds spider-webbing across her skin. One of her hands was missing, ending in a stump, and though her robes were immaculate I could see the hint of terrible scars underneath.

Not only that, but after breathing a freaking river of flaming fire at me without the least bit of a warning, then chasing me ragged across half this twice be accursed city, she dared to insinuate that it was all my fault and she was a mere victim?

The balls on this chick, seriously.

Ignoring my baffled stare, Sharinne gazed at me with burning intensity out of her sole remaining eye.

“I am but a fading remnant, but I still bear the will of Sharizhassleanna, ancient Keeper of the Shrine of the Crimson Flame and Anointed of the All-seeing eye.”

Sharinne paused briefly, obviously still wrestling with a few dying doubts, but then she seemed to draw herself together and looked up to gaze straight into my eyes with scarlet fire burning in her glowing eye.

Her other glowing eye, that is.

Somewhere in the middle of this, her forehead had begun to gather light, then shone dazzlingly while the faint outline of an eye could be seen on it. It was when this eye opened fully that the air seemed to roil and charge with static, as though a terrible storm were brewing just overhead.

“I see the path you walk, Lord Seth. It is one of slaughter, of madness, of chaos and destruction. You are the Harbinger of Doom, the Usherer of the Dark Tides. You walk a path lined with the corpses of immortals, and the Gods themselves shall tremble under the terrible might of your fist.”

The flame in Sharinne’s eyes seemed to grow even more intense, if possible, and a single tear of crimson blood slowly slid down each cheek as her gaze pierced my soul and held me in rapt silence while her voice gained in momentum, ringing soundly with an ancient power and sending great echoes booming into the distance.

“World Breaker, God Slayer, Soul Reaper, who shall escape the fury of your ruthless will? Whose blood shall finally slake your endless thirst? Woe is the world, for rivers shall run red and the heavens shall weep in scarlet despair, but the Last God is come and the End Times are nigh!”

With a final cry, which might have been a howl of grief or a sigh of relief from finally being released, Sharinne collapsed on her hands to the ground and her shoulders shook violently while heart-wrenching sobs riddled her chest.

“Mommy..” came Shia’s concerned whisper.

I shook my head and closed my eyes, feeling like I’d just swallowed a turd and couldn’t quite get the flavor out of my mouth.

Well, finally someone who knows what I’m all about. So, what else is new?

“I believe in you, Mommy,” came the gentle words in my ears, and I barely stopped myself from warning her that she shouldn’t.

It wasn’t that I felt her innocent hopes were warranted in any way, shape or form. Not at all.

I simply couldn’t bear to shatter a sweet child’s most precious illusion.

I couldn’t rob her of that dream.

Not so soon.

Not again.

Not yet.

In the meantime, Sharinne had slowly picked herself up from the floor, and her expression once again regained her earlier composure, though the disturbing streaks of red still blew the whole facade.

“I.. I beg your forgiveness for the unsightly scene, Lord Seth. However, this one humbly hopes that you now understand why I cannot entrust the fate of Soledad in your hands.”

I twisted my face in a grimace while smacking my lips, still trying to get that shitty aftertaste out of my mouth.

“I could just help you restore Sol, then leave her in your care,” I offered.

Sharinne quickly shook her head. “Even for you as the Soulbound, it would take you at least a full year to restore Sol. That is too long. Far too long.”

Her lips trembled slightly as Sharinne’s hands rose before her in honest entreaty and she bowed deeply before me.

“Lord Seth, I am.. I am afraid, and as the warrior prime of the Clan of the Crimson Flame, I do not admit such easily. But I am afraid that by then Soledad’s fate and yours would become further intertwined, and thus impossible to separate. Already, I can faintly feel the strings of destiny drawing your fates closer with each passing moment. This must stop here and now. I beg you, Lord Seth. Grant this old woman a final reprieve, and leave our clan alone.”

“That’s not fair!” came Shia’s shrill protest. “You have no right!”

Sharinne did not say any more, and remained with her head down, unwilling to meet my gaze any longer.

I sighed heavily through my nose, but after a long, long moment I still nodded decisively. “That’s not really your choice, now is it?”

“I am the Keeper of the Shrine.”

“And it is Sol’s soul on the line,” I retorted, tilting my head towards the giant statue of Malky that lay in the middle of the fountain once more, only I was now certain it wasn’t really a copy at all. “Want me to ask what she thinks again?”

A long moment of silence ensued.

“How can you so carelessly place the fate of countless others upon your back? What if you fail?” Sharinne at least breathed.

I shrugged just as carelessly as always.

“It’s because I really don’t care,” I easily replied.

Sharinne seemed shocked. “But it’s their lives, their entire destinies unraveling before your ey-”

“I don’t care to lose,” I cut her off. “Either by action or inaction. I always play by my rules, and I always play to win.”

“Look,” I sighed through my nose, tieing up the bandage and climbing unsteadily to my feet. “I don’t have time for this crap. If you’re really so afraid of what I will do in the future, why don’t you step up and do something about it? Stop whining about the scary Godslayer, and get your dainty little claws wet.”

We both stood there, gazing at each other without a word.

“Fine, I’m not going to kill you because obviously Sol didn’t want me to do finish the job when I had the chance. For all I care, you two can keep each other company while this whole world drowns in flames.”

I was just about done with this whole idiotic place. I had just been wrung through all the worst experiences of my life, and in the end instead of a hero’s welcome, or at the very least a hefty reward, I got a dragon clawing at my ass, then crying me a river while bawling about its poor dragon fortune teller nightmares? Perhaps I would revisit this place again once I gathered back enough strength, but as of now we stood at a stalemate, and this stubborn lizard was not budging at all. I could see it in her eyes, a zealot’s firm conviction that would see her torch herself alive rather than give in.

Sol, you stupid brat. You should have just let me kill her.

“As you will then. Give me my reward, and we will leave right away. Tell that brat that she’s welcome to her nanny dragon and that bag of fleas.”

“Mommy!”

With a final, determined nod, I turned on my heels and began to walk off towards the biggest building in the plaza. I began to wonder what relics of power, what mysterious tomes of knowledge I would be able to extort from Sharinne as the price for my withdrawal.

Sol would just have to wait until I came back and kicked the living snot out of that dragon.

“Mommy wait. WAIT!”

“WAIT!”

Frowning deeply, I stopped on my tracks and turned my head to fix the last person to speak with a cold glare over my shoulder.

“What now?” I muttered.

“My sight.. Lord Seth, the fates are shifting. The strings of destiny, they are uncoiling. This can only signify that a major power has decided to make a move!” Sharinne cried out in alarm, her face draining of all blood.

“What are you talking about?” I stared at her like the woman had finally proven beyond a doubt that she was batshit crazy.

“The moment you made your decision and turned around, I could feel the shadow of despair hovering ominously over Soledad’s fate. Already, it is too late. It moves, it comes!” Sharinne shouted that last while looking up towards the night skies, which were still undisturbed and serene.

So, with an expectant air, I kept my gaze on the sky above and waited. Then waited some more.

Nothing.

“Lord Seth, I implore you, I beseech you, guide our child. Nurture her strength, inspire her courage, and guard her spirit. Fulfill the final wishes of a dying race.”

“What are you going off about?” I frowned while crossing my arms, or at least attempting to, before a flash of pain from my freshly bound arm stopped me cold.

“Fate weaves as it will,” Sharinne whispered, almost to herself. “The Guardian of the Gates of Oblivion did not speak wrongly, and only now do I finally realize my folly. Lord Seth, please follow me. I will guide you to your justly earned rewards, as well as Sol and Reaver’s resting place.”

Scratching my head and unable to make heads or tails of all the nonsense this madwoman was spitting out, I ultimately shrugged and decided this latest development couldn’t hurt. However, I couldn’t help but wonder if it wouldn’t have been easier to just say no and turn around from the beginning, before this whole pointless fight got started.

“Aw well”, I reflected. “How often do you really get to nuke a dragon’s ass?”

Sharinne slowly led me towards the biggest building at the square, one that seemed more dignified than most. It had an endless series of stairs that led to an impressive arch, all the way through which I cursed and spat at each and every pain and ache screaming from my battered body. My only consolation was that Sharinne was obviously having a much harder time than I was.

Heheh, misery loves company, after all.

At last Sharinne led me through a long hallway lined with torches burning with a green ethereal glow. Near the end of this hallway, Sharinne waved a hand gently over a massive, iron-bound door. It flickered with ghostly afterlights and with a few clicking noises, the door sprang open by itself, slowly revealing a massive hoard that had Shia drooling at the sight of it.

The whole room was full of books, scrolls and other parchment, carefully and neatly lined up on shelves that reached all the way to the ceiling, which was at least as high as a three story building. As Sharinne led us through the middle of the room, I could see dozens of different languages and script on the spines of the books, most of which seemed to emanate an aura of age and power.

“Mommy!” Shia cried out helplessly when Sharinne did not stop, but I quietly shushed her as I followed the footsteps of our guide.

“This is the Hall of Knowledge,” Sharinne spoke softly over her shoulder as she continued walking. “These is the combined knowledge of thousands of generations of the Clan of the Crimson Flame. You may peruse these records and even collect those you are able to take with you. I will grant you what time I can after we visit our Hall of Relics.”

“Wait, you mean I can just erm, borrow as many of these books as I can take with me?” I stammered, disbelieving.

Sharinne nodded absently without turning her head. “Indeed, that is my meaning.”

“OhmygodMommyIcan’tbelieveitdidshereallyjustsaythat?” Shia shouted excitedly in my head.

“As many as I can take, really?” I couldn’t help but confirm, while at the same time sharing Shia’s excitement.

The Keeper of the Shrine nodded once more, still leading the way. “I’m glad you’re appreciative of the value of knowledge, Lord Seth. However, time presses and when you lay sight upon the sacred relics contained within our vaults, I’m only afraid your enthusiasm toward these tomes will wane greatly.”

“Jackpot!” Shia celebrated out loud within my mind, and I had to wonder if she really knew what that meant.

“Ah, about that. Give me just a moment,” I mumbled, as I hastily made my way towards one particular section where the most highly prized and carefully kept books seemed to be kept. “Shia, you ready for an all-you-can eat buffet?”

“Hihihi, like Mommy likes to say, born ready!” Shia eagerly chirped.

“Alright, lets go crazy, it’s on the house!” I cried out happily, and waved my hand slowly over the shelves on both sides as I slowly made my way forward, in the direction where Sharinne stood waiting. Her expression still maintained that stoic mask, but in her eyes flashed a look of worry.

“Damn right you should be worried,” I chortled in my mind. “We’re definitely gonna clean house today!”

Ah, at long last, books. Endless stacks upon stacks of books. I would finally fulfill my ambitions as the travelling scholar, the hoarder of knowledge, the master of enlightenment. This is where my many travails as a useless wimp at pretty much every single engagement out in the mortal world would pay off big time!

I could barely hold in my maniacal cackling as I watched Sharinne’s complexion shift from puzzlement, to slight concern, then ashen-faced dismay as entire rows upon rows of precious tomes of ancient knowledge trembled slightly before vanishing completely with a slight popping sound.

“So, soooooo gooooooooood” Shia gasped in the closest thing to ecstasy I’ve heard from her.

“That.. what.. Lord Seth, I don’t, I don’t understand,” Sharinne stammered. “I can’t detect the arcane resonance of any magical storage devices on your person. Just how are you doing this?”

“Secret of the trade,” I crowed, all the while continuing to make my rounds through the room, ravaging entire bookshelves in far less time than it would take ten strong men to tilt their contents into giant sacks. Hell, make that a hundred!

“But, but.. This is.. All of our collected knowledge..” Sharinne couldn’t help but stammer, her previous cool facade completely blown away at this point as she watched the sum of her clan’s long history and records vanishing before her very eyes at an impossible rate.

“We’ll make good use of it, I promise. I’ll even teach Sol, that brat, how to read and write,” I promised off-handedly, then added magmanimously. “Maybe even go as far as her basic numbers.”

Hell, let it never be said that I didn’t know how to engage in a fair bit of give-and-go. I could afford to be generous. Hell, I could splurge like a madman now!

Of course, Sharinne’s opinion of what exactly constituted a fair exchange might be slightly different from my own.

Aw well, can’t make everyone happy, can you?

Although I do have to admit, even I was slightly taken aback by Shia’s sheer appetite. The voracious little minx swept through this vault of knowledge like a shrieking storm, relentlessly absorbing book after scroll after tome, leaving nothing but sad, empty shelves in its wake.

Initially, I’d begun my circuit from what I judged would be the juiciest, most valuable tomes, logically assuming that Sharinne would quickly spring forward and halt Shia’s ravenous rampage as soon as she realized what was going on. I mean, one Shia swallowed a book, it wasn’t as though she could ask her to spit it back out. Hell, I didn’t know if that was even possible!

However, as we swiftly picked up pace and began to practically empty out entire rows of bookshelves, Sharinne merely stood her ground. Granted, her eyes were filled with agony and her one remaining hand clutched at the fabric of her robe in a death grip, as though she were barely holding herself back from doing something she might come to regret. Her lips were bloodless and she seemed to have aged years in the span of a handful of minutes, but she stood by her word and did not stop us, even as Shia devoured the very last tome in that vast library.

I casually sauntered my way back to Sharinne, still not quite sure why she had not put a stop to our ransacking of her clan’s precious vaults of knowledge.

“Alright, we’re done here. What’s next?” I asked in a bright, cheerful tone.

“BURP” Shia loudly punctuated my question, before she promptly apologized. “Err, I’m sorry Sharinne. I, um, I think I’ll excuse myself for a while. Thank you for the meal.”

Polite to a fault, I noted in my mind, and nodded approvingly.

Sharinne almost spit out blood, and visibly swayed on her feet before finally reaching out a hand and steadying herself against the doorway to the next room.

God, I love dragons. All proper and honorable in keeping their word and all.

Foolish, but honorable.

Can’t ask for easier marks than that, now can you?

All the while, however, I couldn’t help but notice that Sharinne’s third eye, the one up in the middle of her forehead had yet to recede completely, and still glimmered faintly with a mysterious light.

I shrugged off the sense of unease nibbling at my exhilaration as I pictured all those precious tomes of knowledge, and what I would do with them.

Hehe, didn’t see THAT coming, now did you, so-called Anointed of the All-seeing Eye?