FSE

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The room went dark, all light vanishing in an instant. The friends stumbled back, seeking each other for reassurance in the face of this new threat. Algon tried to summon a flame, but his magic went wild and flickered out before it had even fully formed.

The crystal flashed, sending light and mist flying through the air. It gathered up into a cluster and circled the mages. Wind whipped around the cavern, kicking up dust and rock from the beaten floor.

The ball of mist finally stopped circling and slid to a stop in front of them, taking on a shape. A beast on all fours appeared, with a snout, two pointed ears, narrowed eyes, and two tails that whipped around before settling with a lazy flick. It was covered in white, luminous fur that glowed, lighting up a large section of the darkness. Mysterious etchings covered its entire body, from top to tail; thin lines that were a deep purple. Clicking its sharp claws on the floor, it looked up and let out a howl that shook the ceiling and caused small vortexes of energy to spiral into being nearby.

"What small mages that have wandered into my temple! Tell me, are you planning to become food today?”

He gave a dark smile, showing off sparkling teeth. Algon pulled up a fireball in his hand and Delta unholstered both of his guns.

“Oh, really? Do you want to fight? Well, allow me to kindly oblige!”

The wolf exploded in power, blowing the kids off their feet. The entire cavern was lit up, purple light pounding into the walls and shaking everything. A roiling howl filled the air.

“STILL WANT TO FIGHT, PATHETIC MORTALS?!?” the wolf roared, a corona of light taking shape around him. “YOU WILL MAKE A GOOD LUNCH!”

James’ breath caught in his throat as he tried to answer, suppressed by the massive amount of power flowing in the room. He struggled upright and looked up at the shape that now seemed to tower above everything else.

“Mortals? That must mean…. HEY!”

“WHAT?” The wolf snarled. “YOU HAVE SOMETHING FUNNY TO SAY BEFORE YOU DIE?”

James swallowed. “You’re Lord Iter, aren’t you?”

The wolf froze for a moment, before closing and beginning to chuckle.

“HAHAHAHAHA! OH DEAR LORD!”

The pressure in the room abruptly disappeared and the wolf shrunk back down to its old size. It flopped onto the ground, rolling around and laughing its head off. James looked at his friends, who all shrugged, and they stood up.

“HAHAHA!” The wolf turned back into mist and reformed sitting on its haunches. Using a paw, it wiped a tear from its eyes. “That was funny! Prey that makes me laugh that hard deserves a chance.”

“So, you’re not Lord Iter,” James said hesitantly, thrown by the creature’s shift in attitude.

“Snakes, no! Compared to his Lordship, I’m nothing more than a pup.” He gestured around, indicating the damage that had been caused by his outburst of power. “All of that? Compared to his Majesty, that’s nothing. If the Zenith Wolf was here, his mere presence would crack the fabric of your universe and destroy everything in sight.”

“First the Infinite Wolf, now the Zenith Wolf,” Lydia muttered to herself. “I’m sensing a bit of a trend.”

“So who are you then?” Delta blurted out. James spun around, worried that the question would provoke another attack, but the wolf just waved claw.

“Like I said before, just a pup. Now, the more interesting question is why are four morsels like yourselves wandering all the way down here?”

He began to circling idly, which did nothing for the friends’ nerves. “I refuse to believe that you came by accident. Which means you have a purpose. But what is it? Intrigue me.”

They all glanced at each other before Algon answered.

“We need information about a specific artifact that’s connected to the Void.”

At this, the wolf’s ears perked up, but his circling didn’t change. “Oh? Now that’s interesting. Hm, artifact, artifact…”

His eyes widened and he smiled slightly, turning back into mist and settling down in front of the ground, staring them straight in the eyes.

“You want information on the Reguli Circlet, yes?”

“Is that what it’s called?”

“Yes. And you’re not the first to come asking, either. I believe two other mages arrived many years ago, asking similar questions.”

“And what happened?” James asked.

“Oh,” the wolf said with a small smile. “We had a lovely chat.”

He left it at that and the friends didn’t dare press further, having already found out the result.

“So, what can you tell us about the Circlet?” James asked, trying to see what it would take to find out more.

The wolf easily identified what he was doing, but answered anyway.

“Let’s see. Information about a powerful artifact, and, going on a whim here, safe passage out of my temple.”

“That’s a given.”

“Hm. For such valuable knowledge, as well as the fact you’re going to be depriving me of a tasty snack?”

The wolf paused, both tails smacking the ground as he thought. James noted with apprehension that they left imprints in the solid rock from the casual action.

“I suppose… make me an offer. A trade if you like. Let’s see what you’d be willing to give up.”

Thrown once again by the odd actions, James and his friends looked at each other as they tried to figure out what they could possibly put up for a trade.

“My fire staff?” Algon suggested.

“Boring,” the wolf immediately answered.

“I suppose I could trade one or both of my pistols,” Delta said a bit hesitantly.

The wolf laughed. “Do you seriously think I would be able to use those with these paws? Try something better.”

Lydia rummaged through her amulet, tossing out various half-finished projects, before finally holding out the amulet itself. “Would this work?”

“Don’t even waste my time with those useless things!” The wolf growled, swelling slightly as its patience waned. “Only something truly impressive will do, not pieces of junk!”

An idea formed in James’ head. “I might have something for your tastes.”

The wolf raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

Slowly, James produced the wrapped sword from his amulet. Taking off the cloth, he hefted it up.

“This is the sword Ruin. I trust you’ve heard of it?”

The wolf’s and his friends’ eyes went wide, but for very different reasons. The Void being practically was drooling as he recognized the sword, while Algon, Delta, and Lydia were quaking in their boots as they realized that James was trying to trick the very dangerous and powerful and very hungry enemy standing in front of them. But they couldn’t say anything, or else everything would fall apart instantly, so they could only watch and pray for the best.

“One of the legendary blades owned by the Dragon himself. Weapons that stand up to the Zenith Wolf and can defeat armies by themselves. Now, this is a treasure!”

He made to grab it, but James yanked it back. “Not yet. First, the information.”

The wolf bared his teeth. “You dare make demands of me, boy? How insolent!”

“You could kill us as soon as I handed it over.”

“And what makes you think I can’t kill you now and take it?”

James thought fast. “Ruin is a magical blade. There’s no way that would work.”

Luckily, the wolf couldn’t risk it and so backed down.

“Fine, how about this?” he said. “I’ll tell you what you wish to know, and then will grant you safe passage out of the temple once the blade is in my paws.”

James hesitated. “How do we know that you won’t kill us when I hand it over then?”

The wolf scoffed. “I am not a savage. But to reassure you, I will swear a sacred oath that cannot be broken on pain of death. Does that satisfy your fears?”

Obviously, the wolf was willing to do quite a lot to get his hands on the blade. James just hoped he didn’t find out early that it was a fake. Otherwise, there would be VERY serious consequences.

“That will do.”

The wolf stood up, the markings on his body shining brightly. He let out a howl. “Salvor calls his Lord. Let the eyes of the one who stands at the Zenith see this one’s oath. Once Ruin has been passed over to me, I shall do nothing to harm the mage who stands before me or his companions.”

A sigil of white formed overhead, glowing sharply. It pulsed with the power of the Void. But before it could fully form, cyan chains appeared around the crystal, locking it down. At the same time, the wolf was pressed to the ground by an invisible force. He howled in pain, his markings going dark.

“CURSE YOU, ETERNITY SEAL! I EVEN TRY TO SUMMON POWER TO ASSIST THE MAGES OF YOUR OWN DIMENSION AND YOU SUBDUE ME!”

At his cry, the seal loosened slightly, allowing just enough Void magic to flow to complete the sigil. As it finished, white light covered Salvor and vanished, while the chains and force also disappeared. He stumbled back to his feet and snarled at the crystal, but otherwise doing nothing.

“What was that?” James asked.

Salvor shot him a dark look. “You should know. It was your blasted gods that created that seal to stop our Lord in the first place.”

“That’s the same seal?” Lydia blurted out, shocked.

“One and the same,” the wolf growled. “Or at least, one aspect of it.”

“So you’re bound here!”

“YES! Now, enough with those questions. The oath has been taken, so I will fulfill my first part.”

Above him, the excess mist formed into the image of a floating circlet. Algon recognized it from the pillar at the other temple, the one that triggered the death trap.

“The Reguli was a weapon forged for Lord Iter during the war,” Salvor said. “It was created to allow him to draw on more power, furthering his attacks and ending everything much sooner. Unfortunately, the Eternity Seal prevented that from happening.”

“But why’s it important?”

“Were you not listening? I said it was designed to give a GOD even more power. In the hands of a mortal, their strength would be unrivaled. The Void would flow through them, granting them the ability to shatter worlds and challenge anyone they wished. They would even be able to conquer death. How does living forever with ultimate might sound?”

“Like something everyone would want.”

“Exactly. The Circlet was sealed away when Lord Iter lost, but it was developed on this planet. And as such… it’s still hanging around.”

The wolf smiled, shamelessly going for the hook. James glanced back at his friends.

“How do we get it?” he asked, trying to see if they could summon it before Nu or at least stop him from getting it.

“Eh, eh, eh. Extra like that will cost you more. Although, if you happen to have the other part of that set, I’d be more than happy to tell you anything else.” He looked at Ruin with hunger in his eyes.

“Sorry, this is it,” James said quickly. He didn’t want the wolf to entertain any more ideas about the sword.

“Bah, fine! Then our deal is finished. Hand it over.”

James held out the sword and Salvor grabbed the hilt in his jaws.

“Finally, the legendary weapon is mine! HAHAHA!”

He turned misty and ran around the room celebrating. James turned to the entrance and bent over.

“Let’s go!” he hissed. “Algon, get on. Delta, grab Lydia.”

“We’re boosting out?” Delta said. “Sweet!”

He swung Lydia into his arms and James made sure Algon was steady before charging up with Kuitheium. Unlike the other temple, their magic wasn’t interrupted and the team blasted

off, shooting out of the cavern and up the spiral stairs as fast as possible.

“I don’t know how far his influence extends,” James panted. “He looked restrained by the seal, but he also said that the whole temple was his domain, so we’d better get all the way outside to be certain.”

“Hear anything?” Lydia asked.

“Nothing yet,” Delta said. “Maybe he didn’t find out?”

A sudden howl shook the entire temple, and the group heard a voice begin ranting from the cavern.

“YOU BLASTED MORTALS! I WILL CARVE YOUR SKULLS TO PIECES! I WILL CUT YOU APART AND DEVOUR YOU BIT BY BIT SO YOU WILL BE IN EXCRUCIATING PAIN FOR THE REST OF YOUR SHORT LIFE!”

“Nice going Delta! You jinxed it!”

Purple energy raced through the walls as magical pressure erupted behind them.

“Come on! Just a little farther!”

Pounding paw steps followed them as Salvor raced up the stairs, moving at almost unbelievable speeds. Just as he reached the top, the friends made it to the door and flew out into the icy landscape. James and Delta both stumbled as the cold began to freeze their legs, but Algon pulled up a huge barrier to keep them going.

“FOH, WAKE UP! WE NEED TO LEAVE NOW!”

The beetle shook himself awake, standing up slowly.

“Why such a hurry?”

Another howl shook the temple, and made the nearby ice crack and shatter.

“Never mind.”

Foh shook off his shield, the energy collapsing back into smaller versions of the energy crystals. He stretched out a leg and scooped the group onto his back, then spread his wings and took off immediately.

A beam of light shot out of the temple, reaching up into the sky. A vast amount of power poured outwards into the barren wasteland, shattering the ground in a tidal wave of destruction. Light and mist surged upwards to create the image of a massive wolf. It howled again, eyes blazing.

“YOU WILL DIE!”

Lines of energy shot out, blasting towards them. Algon gritted his teeth and raised his hands.

“Alpha’s Rise! Fire Shield!”

He exploded in flames and a huge shield swirled into being. The attacks hit, causing a tremendous shockwave to blow out, knocking the kids down. The shield fractured under the pressure, almost breaking entirely.

James shook his head and glanced up to see the wolf bearing down on them. Salvor opened his mouth and gathered power into an enormous spell.

“That’ll kill us if it hits!” James thought frantically. He looked over to see the others still getting up. Algon wouldn’t be ready in time, and nothing Delta or Lydia had would work.

“Guess it's gotta be me then.”

He thrust both arms forward, reaching for the elements in the air. A blinding light appeared again. Having experienced casting Ion Cannon twice before, James had roughly figured out the composition of the spell.

Salvor howled, finally finished charging his blast, and shot out a beam of pure Void. James yelled back, opening his hands and releasing what charge he had built up.

BOOM!

The spells collided with a force that blasted apart the surrounding landscape. Deep fissures opened and huge slabs were launched into the air, filling the sky with flying debris. It passed through the wolf image, but Foh was not ethereal. He dodged the first several projectiles, but another shot down on a direct collision course.

Delta jumped up and unloaded both of his clips. The boulder blew apart with a bang, and the Ikirian flew onwards, heading towards the edge of the frost zone.

James knelt down after casting his spell, mentally exhausted from gathering so many particles together. However, as the wolf rose again to attack, he felt a huge amount of heat erupt next to him. Looking over, he saw Algon fully charged and ready to go.

The Fire Elementalist cried out, not bothering with spells and sending a wave of fire blasting out. The nearby rocks liquified to magma instantly. The wolf easily ran through them, not bothering with evasion. Algon snarled and prepared another attack, but James’ hand shot up and he clenched his fist.

The magma balls imploded, sending a chain of explosions rippling through Salvor’s misty body. He roared and his formed fizzled, disrupting his next attack. Algon didn’t wait, sending pillars of fire arcing from the ground while also attacking with projectiles from above.

“AAHWOOO!”

James followed up, controlling the nearby rocks and causing them to crash into the wolf’s forming spells, making them explode in his face.

“We’re almost to the frost zone! Hold on a little longer!” Foh rumbled over the echoes of the battle.

All of the friends stumbled as Foh spun sideways to dodge a sudden burst of Void energy. Delta quickly reloaded with Arcane rounds and spun to fire a volley at their pursuing foe, knocking him a little further back.

“Look out!” Lydia called.

James’s gaze flashed upwards to see a streak of purple energy heading straight for him. He reached up to gather the elements, but the bracelet on his arm lit up and a barrier of light formed to block the hit.

“Thank god it worked!” the Weird cried.

“You weren’t sure!” Delta yelled over as he blasted more boulders.

“I was, but that didn’t make it any less stressful!”

As James and Algon turned back to take on Salvor, Lydia rummaged through her amulet, pulling out several sealed capsules and bottles.

“Let’s see, nitrogen compounds plus a bit of magic, add in some additional solutions, then pour carefully!”

Her eyes glowed widely as her Weird magic activated, stabilizing her mind and causing her to grin as the mixture took shape. Capping the bottle, she turned around and threw it behind them as hard as she could.

“Hit that!”

James caught a tiny glimpse of it, and not having any more precise options, chose to crash two of the boulders together, smashing the bottle to pieces. Nothing happened for a second, and then the chemicals triggered.

A veritable explosion, akin to a bomb, swell out, blasting every piece of rock to atoms instantly. Algon spun around, eyes wide.

“FOH, SPEED UP NOW!!!”

A wall of power and death shot towards them, catching up even as the Ikirian captain increased his speed. Algon generated multiple Fire Shields in an attempt to block the wave, but they only served to slow it down slightly.

James’ mental space practically exploded with light as the billions upon billions of elements entered the range of his magic. He stumbled with the shock, almost shutting down with the vast amounts of information pouring into his head.

“There’s a weak spot in the blast!” he thought. “Just a little push…!”

To his friends’ eyes, it defied logic. The area of the blast closest to them abruptly caved in, dissolving and then reassembling, but this time with its power heading in the opposite direction.

“What the?” Algon muttered.

James let out a gasp and fell to his hands and knees. Even after identifying the most efficient way to handle the situation, it still required too much concentration and mental energy. His magical reserves were still plenty full, but now he was unable to focus anymore, his brain almost melted from the strain of controlling so many particles at once.

Salvor cried out from within the explosion, his form violently seizing as he tried and failed to keep it together.

“NO, YoU Will NOT GEt Away! You will not!!”

He gathered his power and sent it up into the sky. “Eye at the Zenith! Cleave them from existence!”

James looked up to see a dark form taking shape. He couldn’t make out any facial features, but it towered over the land and appeared to extend beyond the horizon.

“Lord Iter,” James breathed, unable to do anything else.

The form raised its hand and a spiral of Void light formed. Its mere presence seemed to degrade Reality itself, causing the fast-approaching mountain range to begin to fracture and fall apart, along with every other piece of land in eyesight.

“How the hell are we supposed to stop that?” Delta cried.

“You aren’t,” Salvor snarled. “You are supposed to die!”

The form’s hand began to lower, but before it could launch its attack, cyan chains appeared and covered it completely. Salvor was also ensnared, screaming as he was bound with an infinitely oppressive force.

“AAAHHH! CURSE YOU, GODS! GO TO HELL!”

Under the awe-struck gazes of the friends, the wolf was dragged back to the temple, fighting the entire time but unable to do anything. Far above, the frightening form dissolved and faded away. As they both disappeared, the entire wasteland fell perfectly silent; the only sounds were Foh’s wingbeats and the thud of the remaining rocks hitting the ground.

The group paused for several moments, not fully certain if they had won. When no other dangers presented themselves, Delta let out a loud cheer.

“Hell yeah! That was absolutely terrifying and I thought we were going to die several times there, but it was also awesome!”

James hauled himself up, still exhausted, and beside him, Algon let go of his Alpha powers.

“Here’s an idea. Let’s not do something like that again. That was incredibly stupid.”

“Absolutely. But we got what we needed!”

Lydia groaned. “Do not use that logic for future events, please.”

“Young mages, shall we return?” Foh rumbled.

“Yeah, let’s get back. We’ve finally figured out what Nu’s after and we need to tell the Queens immediately.”

“Understood,” the Ikirian said. “Sit down on my back and rest for a while while we fly. You accomplished a great deal today, and you need to recover your strength.”

The friends all looked at each other before sprawling out on the carapace, trusting that the captain wouldn’t let them fall. They flew into the mountains and left the frost zone, heading straight back to the city.

However, they were not aware that a set of dark eyes were watching them from the doorway of the temple.

“Gaah,” the wolf groaned as he shook off the remnants of the sealing chains. “That was incredibly painful, but very much worth it.”

He limped back down to his cavern and inspected the sword lying on the ground. Dragging a claw, his markings flashed as he pulled several wisps of power from the blade. They circled him before combining into a small golden ball that hovered in midair.

“Hah, the last piece of the puzzle. I didn’t believe him when he said that the boy was so easy to fool, but obviously I was wrong. What luck.”

Salvor glared at the crystal still glowing in the center of the cave, before closing his eyes and breathing deeply.

“The Void still sleeps… But it’s waking up...”