Ch57: Homecoming, Part Three

"Changing the world is good for those who want their names in books. But being happy, that is for those who write their names in the lives of others, and hold the hearts of others as the treasure most dear."

― Orson Scott Card, Children of the Mind

"If that thing down there is alive, we need to move carefully…" Brull held Excalibur toward the distant "ground,' ready to strike. "It's luring us down, and it's far faster than any of us."

"If that were true, shouldn't it have struck by now?" Lyra squinted into the depths. Neither her, or Fen, specialised in long range detection. To her, the depths were endless. "We've been descending for hours…"

"The girl is right," Lucifer snorted as he moved past Brull, intent on his descent. "Even if it is a threat, Cain and I are capable enough to handle it."

"The devil is right," Cain patted Brull's shoulder and followed in Lucifer's wake. "The two of us have hunted gods, we'll be fine!"

Brull sighed as Lyra moved after the pair, eager for more kills. His grip tightened on Excalibur. Despite the confidence of his friends, a cool certainty transmitted from the sword and into his mind. Today, they would face a challenge. Something beyond any foe they'd met before.

"I hope you're wrong, old friend…" Brull gave the sword in his hand a wry smile. A flick of his wrist carved open another path in space, a step that carried him ahead of his group once more. "Because those two old relics have overestimated their strength…"

Even Ven had assumed the Fallen angel and the Father of Murder would be the ones to protect the exploration. Brull shook his head and cut another path through space, a leap that brought more definition to the illusory ground. The projections, alongside the tentacles that created them, had an ever so slight depression. A sinister bowl of light that grew in depth and width as the group descended.

"Let's see what you're made of…" Brull's eyes hardened as Excalibur danced in an easy loop. Sword light expanded, faster than the luminous tendrils could retreat. Golden waves met projected illusions and the world below flickered. 

A deep, resonant tone ripped through the ocean, a tidal wave that broke against Brull's sword. Cain and Lucifer ground to a halt at his back, shock in their eyes. The Devil squinted at Excalibur, wary of the light it released.

"You've been holding out on us, cat-kin," Cain snorted as the scythe in his hand vibrated in resonance to the power of Brull's weapon. "Whenever we spar, you're mediocre at best… this is quite the leap in strength!"

Brull shrugged, eyes focused on the newly darkened mass of tentacles. The orbs of light lost their lustre, shrunken down until they vanished into the tips of their rope-like appendages. The dome rose around them, a net woven of live flesh that dominated the horizons.

"I don't like to show off anymore, not since Arthur died," Brull slid Excalibur into its sheath, hand still tight on the grip. "Now stay behind me…"

A swell of power rose in his heart, Brull's connection to Avalon and its many children. A million worlds, alive and formed into the spirit of his sword. The storm of tentacles closed around them, prepared to rush in and overwhelm the group.

"The fool has grown strong," Fen growled with Lyra's throat, face sour. "He has been humuring us in the arena…"

Brull snorted. Lyra and her wolf dominated their daily spars, but he wasn't really holding back. He simply refrained from using Excalibur's power. It helped to solidify his foundation and hone his base abilities.

The tendrils now filled the skies, sharp points that interlocked into a vast net. Brull drew in a deep breath, held for a moment as the threat entered the perfect distance. A slight smile touched his lips. He was finally able to test his actual strength. Power focused along the edge of his blade, the cat-kin drew Excalibur in a single, practised movement.

His friends flinched back, almost blinded as a razor thin radiance divided the ocean into two. All that stood before Brull's comically simple swing shifted outwards, pushed apart by the sound of bells. Thunder sounded from the depths, a roar of agony that battered the ears. Before the waters could return, ink-black blood filled in the gap of Brull's slash.

"You rival a true god…" Lucifer gave Brull a wicked grin as he appraised his friend. A thin layer of sweat coated the cat-kin's body. "Though I wonder about your stamina!"

"If you're so worried about my longevity, why don't you lend a hand," Brull barked out a laugh and raised his sword overhead. "You should be able to hit just as hard."

A downward swing carved a golden path through the brackish blood, straight toward the creature's howls. A fresh wave of perspiration wicked from Brull's body as he struck his second blow. Like Arthur before him, his strength was what it needed to be, but it took a toll. Each strike beyond his limits put a terrible strain on his body.

Quicker than Brull could process, the tentacles withdrew from sight. Only the bloody waters remained, a veil between them and the creature they faced. Lucifer and Cain stepped forward, weapons raised to join the fight. The Devil's sword unleashed a wave of black fire, a hellish flame that ignited the water like oil. Cain simply launched a deluge of blood-red slashes through the inky mass.

Silence reigned over the ocean as the aftershocks of their attacks settled to stillness. Lyra flexed her claws, eager to charge past the murky water and land a blow of her own. The shadow below expanded, until the edges became more defined. Behind the cloud of blood, a draconic face took shape.

A world dragon, warped and twisted to suit the ocean it called home. The beast's front half resembled a normal dragon, with a reptilian head and two muscled limbs that ended in hooked talons. The back end devolved into madness. A collection of countless tentacles, large and small, that fanned out like a parody of the leviathan.

"Here, there be dragons…" Lyra's face twisted into a grin. She bounded forward, aura extended to form a titanic wolf. "It's my turn now!"