Chapter Twenty-Two

Suffering

The cavern was massive and supported by a network of roots. Water dripped down into a massive underground lake and glowing crystals on the wall lit the area. A central spiral or roots dominated the cavern and an ivory throne sat on a dais with a delicate fey woman seated there. She wore emerald plate armor and two green scimitars sat across her lap.

“My mistress recognizes you now, Your Wraith,” she said pointing at Wraith. “That would be Fear, Plague, and Furry.” She looked at Faceless and the Bunraku and shrugged. “I don’t know who you are but you are not one us so killing you won’t matter.”

“That what all the lady’s say,” Faceless said pulling up his hood and his face disappearing in shadow as he drew two long daggers from his belt. “Now are you going to fight or just flirt us to death?”

Dryads lord spark hissed and stood up tossing aside her swords. “I will not be spoken to so by a mortal!” She said her voice growing louder with each word. Her armor began to grow along her neck covering her face and her body and face began to elongate. Her armor melted into scales and she swelled till she formed a wingless dragon. She slipped into the water and out of sight. Wraith motioned to his party and they took up positions. Faceless and Plague disappeared into the shadows while Fear took up position in the middle her staff wreathed in fire. Furry held aloft a crackling Greatsword. Wraith knelt down and set down his weapons and took hold of his jaw opening it wider and wider until he could have pulled out a chest. Out of it emerged a fleshy membrane with some creature inside of it. He pulled another out until three laid on the ground.

A tail flew out of the water and knocked Wraith against the wall. His head run and he held out his hand and his rapier flew to it and he used the blade to duck and parry the next tail strike. A blast of green gasses washed over the party and everyone, but Plague and Wraith went down on their knees choking.

“I am Alta” Dryad’s lord spark roared. “You creatures are nothing before me and my mistress, I will wash these waters with your blood and feast upon your corpses.

Wraith responded by punching Alta with the basket hilt of his rapier. Her head rocked back from the force of the blow. Wraith cut a long gash down her side and Plague jumped on her back cutting into her with his claws the flesh rotting and turning diseased where he cut. Alta roared and wrapped herself around them and began constricting.

Fire lit the cavern as a wave of flames washed over the caverns consuming everything that could burn. Alta screamed again and released them and rushed toward Fear with fangs extended but Furry stepped up and swung down with her Greatsword; the force of the blow knocked Furry off her feet, but A foot deep gouge was left int Alta’s neck. Alta struke Furry and Furry was left quaking on the flow paralyzed from the bite. Faceless struck at her other side with his daggers blinding her in one of her eyes until a blow from her tail sent into the cavern wall knocking him unconscious. The Bunraku struke then lightning crackling from his fingertips as it raced along her body and he struck with a blade made of shadows. Alta lunged forward and snapped the gremlin in half, his golden mask tumbling to the ground.

She turned to Fear again and received a blast of fire to the face. She bit again taking of Fear’s arm and slammed her to the ground knocking her unconscious as well. She turned bleeding and burned to Plague and Wraith.

“Only two remain, see how pathetic you are,” she scoffed.

Plague rushed forward and Alta snapped down and Plague leaped into her mouth. There was a bursting sound as gashes appeared in her neck as claws ripped out from the inside but Alta began rolling around and belched out Plague who lay on the ground becoming more substantial as he lost consciousness. Alta shuddered and lay still then the mouth of the dragon opened up as she stepped out of the dragon once more in an elven form coated in blood.

She extended her hands to the side and her sabers flew into her waiting grip. “Ready to dance?” she snarled with a mad look of pleasure.

“Absolutely, may I introduce you to you former dancing partner,” Wraith said with a gesture as he stepped to the side.

Alta froze in fear with an absolute look of terror and horror on her face as she looked into a pale mirror version of herself. She stood there paralyzed as the supernatural fear of the Stryker that had once been her.

“I see you do remember,” Wraith laughed cruelly, “remember what it was like when my creation pinned you down and had its way with you how no one could save you and how you struggled in vain. When you took everything I had I still remembered that it was one of the memories that kept me going and I promised that I would punish you and your mistress with this fate, and when I am done you will be nothing but a plaything for my monsters to rape and devour for the end of time.” Wraith said his voice going cold and hard.

“You bastard,” Alta whispered as the Stryker’s surrounded her.

Her body trembled as she tried to raze her swords, but the undead beasts struck grabbing her arms and legs and began tearing off her armor. She screamed as the bit into her drinking her blood. One of the males mounted her from behind but was pushed away by a larger one who took her from the front. Wraith watched for a moment then dismissed her from his thoughts and turned to the spire of roots. He heard Alta’s screamed end as she abandoned her host and fled back to her core.

“Not so fast,” Wraith said and cast out his soul trapping the fleeing Lord Spark. He pulled her into himself and trapped her within the shard of his core as she screamed.

What are you doing! Dryad screamed. What are you?

“I am Wraith, the spirit of Death and Shadow, one of the Ten Turashen, a member of the Inner Circle and soon I will be your master,” Wraith said as he struck with his rapier opening up the roots and ripping away chunks of rock and crystal.

Wraith blasted into Dryad’s core room and knelt down before the massive emerald Dungeon Core. He stroked it gently with a cold hand and felt a slight shiver.

What are you doing? Dryad said her voice now a pitiful whisper.

“I am going to strip you of your power, I will make you my slave to do with as I please,” Wraith said opening his mouth wide and another fleshy membrane slid out. He cut open the membrane to reveal a beautiful naked woman. Wraith placed his hand on the boy's forehead and on Dryad’s core and began to chant the spell he had prepared. Dryad’s core began to shake and flicker in and out of existence and she began to scream. Then with a clap of thunder, it vanished, and the woman’s eyes flew open and she sat up screaming and looked down at herself.

“What have you done to me you bastard; I will destroy…” she screamed but was cut off.

“Shut up,” Wraith ordered, and her mouth closed, and her eyes widened in shock. “You are trapped inside this body, Wraith said touching the bare flesh of her breasts and glowing runes appeared all along her skin. And this body is enslaved to my every whim and desire,” he said leaning in close to her whispering in her ear. “And you will suffer what it is to be human, to be powerless just as you left me.”

Wraith threw back his head and howled and his call was answered and the Strykers entered the core room. “Your body will never die, it will endlessly regenerate no matter what happens to it,” Wraith informed her. “Now I order you to be a whore, the creatures will devour you they will have their way with you, you will not run away, you will not kill them you will stay here and endure whatever happens to you until I return,” Wraith commanded and descended deeper into the cavern of her core room leaving behind the screams of Dryad as the Stryker’s sank there teeth into her and took their turns raping her. Wraith smiled at the exaction of his revenge, he had planned for this for a year now and at last, it was done.

He moved past mountains of gold and gems, weapons and arms and armor till he came to as stream with a cage bobbing inside with a white glowing spark inside it.

Wraith dropped to his knees and reached in, but the water burned his flesh and he pulled out and growled in rage. He plunged Ajax in and pulled out the soul cage and opened it up. Ember floated out.

Boss, is that you? He asked.

“Yes, my friend, come its time to go home you need to recover and we have much to do and prepare for,” Wraith said.