Chapter 77

Wil was in agony, his bones creaked and nearly shattered under the strain of wielding the ‘Dragon’s Tooth.’ He could do little more than hang on as the Golden Dragon launched itself at the infected Wyrm.

Even with the Patriarch’s power, he could barely control it, merely able to unleash it against his enemy and hope that it would be enough to stop it.

The Dragon and the Wyrm met in a clash of swiping claws and snapping jaws, crashing headlong into each other. A shockwave of force swept across the ruins from their conflict, barely noticeable to Wil as he held the sword in his hand, his knuckles white from how hard he grasped it.

In his off hand, the Shard of Divinity shone with a brilliant light, a soothing calm amidst the rampaging magic that swept through his body from the attack.

For a moment, Wil had the horrible thought that the sword strike would not be enough to stop the Wyrm, as they struggled against each other, appearing to be evenly matched. This thought didn’t last long, before the Dragon consumed the Wyrm.

Its golden power burned around it, sweeping through the Wyrm’s infected body, searing the black tar like substance from its flesh. The Dragon devoured the creature, tearing into its flesh viciously, while golden flames erupted from the Wyrm’s form.

The Wyrm roared in agony, and Desire barely had time to leap off its head, before it was gone, the Golden Dragon turning its body into a pyre, burning it down until nothing remained but ash.

Wil collapsed onto the ground, his body wracked with pain. His right arm hung, useless and broken. The rest of his body didn’t fare much better, the torrent of power he wielded had nearly destroyed him. It had only been with the Patriarch’s lingering assistance that he was still alive.

Even injured, he clung to both the white sword, and the Shard of Divinity, warily watching Desire as she stared in disbelief at the burning remains of her mount.

“You! How is this even possible?” She whispered in incredulity, turning away from the burning Wyrm and returning her attention to Wil. He saw her expression change swiftly from disbelief to intense rage, to calm. He shivered when her face broke out into a smile, her lips parted seductively.

“Wilhelm, my love. I’m quite impressed. Only a Rank 7, and yet you managed to surprise me!” She called, walking towards him, her hips swaying seductively. He could do little more than try to stand, his legs not responding to his call. In his hand, he felt the Shard’s power fluctuate slightly, sending a pulse of magic through his body.

Its cool energy flowed through his veins, reaching his core in moments. Unfortunately, his core was drained, leaving him too tired and weak to do respond to it, leaving the energy to float uselessly around his empty core, before dispersing.

“I’m filled with questions! How did you manage to surprise me, and where did you get that lovely sword? Your condition isn’t too good right now, my love. Did you bite off more than you can chew?” Desire asked, her eyes flashing a curious look to the sword gripped tightly in Wil’s hand.

“There’s still time for you to run, Desire. Abandon whatever you’re looking for and the Guild won’t pursue you.” Wil lied, bluffing in the hope that she would take him up on his offer.

It was clear that he was heavily injured, with little mana remaining, but Wil knew that the Guild observers were close. Now that the Wyrm was dead, they should be able to handle Desire.

“Tch tch tch, my love. Lying doesn’t suit you. No one is coming to save you, and you have no mana left for another attack. It’s just you and me, Wilhelm, together again. This time, however, I’m no mere illusion. Give me the Shard, and I will spare you. I will even bring you back to my master! The rewards for your cooperation are…” She shivered, her face taking on an expression of ecstasy.

“They are more than you can ever imagine.” She whispered. Reaching him, she knelt, brushing her fingertip against his chin, gently lifting his face to look in his eyes.

“Not interested.” Wil mumbled, exhaustion filling his body. His vision was blackening around the edges. The attack had left him broken, and it was only determination that kept him awake.

“Pity. We could be great together, Wilhelm. I would prefer your cooperation, but I am short on time. There is a certain…excitement that I get from your obstinance. Keep the shard.” She stated, looking down at the light glowing between his tightly clasped fingers.

“I’ll bring both you and the Shard to my master. A bonus!” She said, smiling widely at him. Despite his knowledge of what she was capable of, his heart nearly stopped at the beauty she displayed. Her gentle caress changed to a hard grip as her hand closed around his throat.

Crimson mana formed around her, a spell matrix forming. Wil recognized it as a teleportation matrix, one altered slightly than the norm, changed to allow travel outside of this realm. It shared similarities in structure to the portals he had observed in the past.

“Not a chance!” A woman spoke from behind them. Desire’s head shot up just as a bolt of lightning shot forward. A flash of white electricity and the crack of thunder sounded immediately after, splitting the silence. The bolt struck the forming spell matrix, disrupting the magic.

Wil’s vision shifted as something grabbed him roughly, knocking Desire backwards as it dragged him away.

Archibald Anwir stood beside him, shielding Wil with his body. His black cloak was gone, his golden armor and sword shining in the crimson light of Desire’s magic. He had carried Wil away from Desire’s grasp.

Astrid was standing beside him, an amber rod raised and pointed at the red-haired woman. It crackled with electricity, the ozone like smell of magic strong in the air as she gathered mana for another strike. Wil could see the fading magic of an invisibility spell around the pair.

“Obstinate fools!” Desire cursed, her face dropping the façade of seduction, changing directly to anger and hatred. With Wil now out of her hands, she changed tactics. Her mana, crimson and bright, erupted from her body.

The ground began to shake, and Wil felt the air become heavy and stifling as her strength progressed through the Ranks. From 10, to 14 to 17, it finally stopped at Rank 18, her crimson mana darkening to nearly black as her mana reached its peak.

Wil saw Anwir shudder next to him, his Rank 7 mana small and insignificant in the face of the powerhouse before him. Astrid’s arm shook violently, as a Rank 5, she could barely remain upright in the suffocating atmosphere that Desire’s power created.

“Now, I’m going to be taking Wilhelm and the Shard with me. If you cooperate, I’ll be sure to leave your corpses intact.” Desire offered, her rage disappearing, replaced with her seductive smile once more. It was disconcerting how quickly her emotions changed.

“Hallucinatory Terrain.” Desire whispered, her crimson mana forming a spell matrix around her. A rank 4 spell, it stretched for hundreds of feet, and Wil recognized it as belonging to the School of Illusion.

“Careful, she’s an illusionist.” Wil warned his companions.

“Thanks for the warning, Wil. But it doesn’t matter what she casts, we don’t have a chance. Not against that.” Anwir said, gesturing to the massive amount of mana the beautiful woman was exuding.

The spell matrix exploded, and the terrain changed around them. Gone were the ruins and the shattered ground, replaced with a white void and endless, black water. Wil and his companions were standing on the water, with nothing disturbing the surface.

Beneath everything, Wil could sense something, a presence. Familiar and alien at the same time. In his hands, he could feel the ‘Dragon’s Tooth’ and the Shard of Divinity pulsate. They were like heartbeats in alternating rhythms, contrasting each other. He could feel something respond from the white void, linking them.

“Do you like it, Wilhelm? This will be your new home. You’re correct, of course. It’s merely an illusion, but I find that the connection helps.” Desire explained, and Wil could see her violent mana, nearly black now, stabilize and calm, the crimson returning. Her emotions steadied, the rage buried deep below.

“Much better.” She said, smiling widely. She raised her delicate hand and pointed a painted red fingernail at Astrid.

“Do you know the saying, Wilhelm, that three is a crowd? Say goodbye to your companions. As I promised, I’ll leave their bodies intact. I’m going to start with you, Whore, I dislike how close you are to my love.”