Introduction

Welcome back to Maledicturs Terra. This is a Chain Story between myself and @lex-zaiya, meaning that we each write the parts alternatively.

If you have not read Maledictus Terra Book 1: Mortis Custos yet, it starts HERE at Part 1 and ends at Part 101 HERE. At the end of the Part 101 post you will find links to all 101 Parts!

The previous part by @lex-zaiya can be found HERE.

Part 85

Sebastian charged forward, rending two of the Hungers in two that stood in his way with swipes of his clawed hands.

It pained him to do so, for it was obvious to him that those two hungers were citizens that had devolved into the beings that they were now. They had been Clarpratian, they had been his subjects or his father’s subjects… either way he had failed them.

He had failed to protect them and now he had also been the one to lay them low. He did this because he had to. The curse had to be broken and the only way he could manage this, would be to accept these losses and this burden on his soul. For his Kingdom and for Bellatrix.

Sebastian tried his best to get to the stairs but when he got there, he bounced off an invisible shield. He tried again along the length of it, batting away another Hunger that launched itself at him. He could not get through. Whatever horror was going up the stairs was preventing him from following.

He grabbed hold of another Hunger and gripped it by the arm, Sebastian roared as he swung it through the air at the place where the magical barrier was. The Hunger’s body shattered as it hit the forcefield as though he had dashed it against solid stone.

Sebastian let it fall and grimaced. At least none of the other Hungers could ascend the stairs. He turned toward where the others fought. Derric had places himself at the centre of the doorway while the Knights were fighting on either side of him. Hungers that managed to crawl around them or up the wall were cut down by the darting shadow that was Trix.

Sebastian thought that they might be able to hold out indefinitely when he heard the eerie sound of an elk bugle.

Magna watched in horror as a gem studded dagger thudded into Adiran’s chest. Her eyes fixated on the elegant design of the handle. It was slender. She did not think that she would have a comfortable grip holding on that handle if she was going to use the dagger to cut with.

Yet this weapon had not been used to cut, instead it had been thrown. This was an odd thing to do with a weapon that was inset with gold and three fair sized rubies. Why would someone throw such an expensive item?

None of this mattered as the dagger had struck off centre of Adiran’s chest. Magna had an instant realization that this meant that the blade had missed the sternum and had gone for the heart. This… meant that he was likely dead.

Adiran had worn a strange smirk right before the blade had sunk into his chest. Adiran looked down at the blade handle with wide eyes and then he looked up again to stare at Lucien. “You…” He said as blood frothed at the corner of his mouth. “…prick.”

“Uncle!” Magna said, she started forward.

“HALT!” Mortis roared, his sword in his hand, he first stopped Magna’s movement and then checken on Adrian who stayed put.

Adiran smiled and more blood dripped from his mout. “This… you… “ The mage grabbed hold of the dagger’s handle and grunted as he began pulling it out of his chest slowly. As the tip of the thin blade left his body there was a sucking noise and Magna’s blood turned to ice in her veins as she saw that the flesh underneath the wound was writhing like individual strands of meat. It made sickening wet noises as the strands stitched together.

“Ah, that’s better.” Adiran said. The blood had stopped seeping from his mouth, meaning that he had healed the wound all the way through his body. Adiran tossed the blade back at Lucien but the blade seemed to miss ever so slightly. “Now, you die!” Adiran raised his hand toward the Lifedrinker and sorcery wrapped itself around his entire right arm. “I will rip you apart grain by grain you sorry reject! You pompous braggart!”

A bolt of energy, dark and threaded with purple light shot towards Lucien. He dodged this easily and darted in towards the mage. A wave of electricity spun out from Adiran’s other hand and the bolt of energy that Lucien had dodged turned around in the air and came back toward Lucien. The Lifedrinker’s muscles seized up as the electricity hit him and the black and purple bolt slammed into his left shoulder. With a shriek the Lifedrinker was down on the ground.

Adiran grinned and turned toward the twins. “All this power shall be mine and I shall reclaim all that I have lost and more!”

“Why are you doing this?!” Adrian shouted.

“Uncle! I do not understand!” Magna followed up.

Adiran sneered at them, but then their view of the demented mage was blocked by a massive armoured form. “It is because you have been deceived.” Mortis said calmly, he took his sword from Adrian’s hands where he stood in the magic circle. “This is not your uncle.”

Adiran threw his head back and cackled. “And all I need to strike down now is the pile of bones!”

“You might find that harder than you think.” Mortis said evenly.

Adiran’s mirth was replaced by maddened rage. “You dare defy me!?” He thrust his hands out and a bright light exploded from his palms. “Begone to the land of the dead!”

Mortis raised his sword before him with both hands and the light was cut and poured around the edges of the Revenant without touching his armoured form.

Adiran’s expression soured further. “Oh, you can do that hey? Well then… I will set fire to this whole room then! You will not stop me! I always get what I want! I am…”

Just then a grotesque hunger came into the room from the stairwell. At least, it looked like a hunger. It was covered in mangy looking black furs, it had a skull head of some sort of deer that had too many eye sockets strapped to its head, the antlers were also deformed and branching with all manner of fetishes hung from it. The figure’s hands were raised forward. “King Adrian! You shall not have your prize!”

A blast of blue and gold energy erupted in the close confines of the room and blasted at the demented turncoat mage. The shock of the blast threw off a lot of the layers and coverings of the Hunger, who was a man. Smeared in filth and covered in bits and pieces of animals and perhaps even humans was a bearded face that scowled and stared at the mage, ignoring all else.

Magna felt a lump in her throat. She now knew why Adiran had betrayed them. He had not been their uncle.

“Adiran!” Adrian yelled.

Over to @lex-zaiya for the next part!

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Mortis Custos

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