Chapter 8

A buzzing brings me back to reality. I swipe at the fly. Groggy, I set up. Malfor lies dead, beside me. I think about the brief talk with the god. What is important to me? Why did he ask me that? We were talking about something different.

What is important? Todd, obviously. Alex is becoming more and more. Darcelia, she is a dear friend.

Do not forget my family.

"Malfor?"

I am still in you. I feel the world slipping away, but for now, I am here.

It did not occur to me that the god was talking to both of us. "You are right, I need to think of more than just, what do I want."

A scream breaks into my thoughts. A scream I thought I would never hear. An impossible sound. My eyes turn to see Todd. Lystrix has speared Todd with her spider leg. Holding him in the air, she is laughing. Chains glowing with enchantment keep Todd from moving. Blood runs from where his left arm has been ripped off. Holes in his armor show skin that has been perforated. The pit must have had spikes.

Lystrix's laughter is only broken by her gloating. "Even the hero has weaknesses. The Dark king has provided me with a poison that can bypass the heroes defense. All I had to do was wait for you to show. After the ambush, I knew you would not be able to resist rushing me. I never dreamed that I would catch all four of you. Since the poison also contained a paralyzing property, I even had time to deal with the traitor and the useless one."

Todd roars with rage. The muscles on his good arm bulge. The chains groan in protest. A fury that I have never seen burns in Todd's eyes. The words are hard to make out, "I will kill you. Jon was innocent. He was my best friend, and there was no reason to kill him. He couldn't even hurt you. Jon was weak." The struggles increase with each word.

"I did give him a chance to join us. But, alas, he decided to remain a hero. Thinking back on it. Since he was so weak, I think he was more of a hero. I was hoping to let him deal the final blow to you. The sight of one friend turning on another is pure bliss. Pure art. The Dark king would have praised me for generations."

"Jon would never have joined you."

"The traitor was supposed to prepare him. Once that fool of a cardinal told me of the spare summoned, I decided to turn him. I never believed that he would be so...heroic." The last word is said with a sneer.

While the two throw barbs, I begin to crawl to them. The hole from Lystrix is still open. A trail of blood stretches behind me. Slowly the distance closes. I begin to gather every bit of mana I can. A faint hum begins to rise. I keep two points of mana in reserve. A plan begins to form.

"Malfor was a great man. If he was working with you, it had to be a ruse." Todd's voice is getting weaker. "I will not believe that he was evil."

"The fool was working for me the whole time. I had him convinced that the Dark king would bring back his mate, if he helped us."

I see Todd's eyes momentarily flick to me. Quickly his eyes bore back into the arachnid. "That cannot be helped. Since he is dead, he will not be able to atone for his deeds. On the other hand, you still have time. Quit this crap and help us stop the Dark king. I will vouch for you to the king."

"You will not be able to do that. It is time I fulfill my promise. I will get my reward. The world will BURN!" The last word is a scream. Her eyes close as she tilts her heed to the sky.

I use the last of my mana to shoot a mana bullet at the chains. A chink sound brings Lystrix back, her head whips around to me. "You, WHY ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?" Her body spins. "I will be sure you are dead this time." Her body coils to pounce. I brace myself, mana gathering on my hands and feet. Fire begins to flare.

A metallic ringing stops us. Todd's chains fall to the ground. "YOU WILL NOT TOUCH HIM!" Todd's remaining fist connects with the arachnid's face. As the two fall, a leg pierces Todd's belly. The arachnid raises another leg and plunges it into his chest. Blood explodes. The cry from Todd is cut off.

Rage in its purest form fills me. The remaining presence of Malfor is blown away. I pounce like a cat, mana pushing my feet. Red glowing hands bash Lystrix in the face. Blood and flesh fly, as my mana covered hands slice her flesh. I feel blows on my back, but they are ignored, as I plunge my fist deep in the arachnid's chest. I know that the spider has most of its vital organs in its thorax, but the human looking body fills my vision.

The mana runs out, and I find a blade on the ground. Todd's sword fills my hand. The Royal Avenger makes hole after hole in the arachnid. The handle becomes slick and slips out of my hand. I don't hesitate, I punch and tear until I can't stand. Falling to the ground, I crawl to Todd. A weak hand touches my blood covered face. "Dude, that was beast mode. I can't wait to tell Kim how much of a badass you are." The words are barely perceptible. Blood flies from his lips with every word.

"Me? You are the badass. One arm and you knocked this monster to the ground. I can't wait to tell your kids the story."

"Too bad I won't have a chance to make any. I'm done for." Todd moves a hand from his chest. The blood has slowed to a trickle.

It hits me, the child line on his status. "You do have a kid. A girl. I saw it on your status. I guess you slipped up once. Now you can't die. You gotta go back and meet her."

Tears form in Todd's eyes for the first time. "You're not messing with me?"

"No" I look at his status, zooming in on the child line. The page opens to show:

<Rebecca Andross>

< 2 years old>

<Old Meadow, OH>

"Her name is Rebecca. She is two, and live is Old Meadow. Wait, that is where my cousin lives. Rebecca ANDROSS? You and Julie? When?"

Todd only chuckles. The light in his eyes begins to fade. I turn to glare at the body of the arachnid. Somehow, she is not dead. Lystrix is trying to crawl to the pit. I touch her battered body, feeling for her life force. A shrinking ball appears. I snatch the ball out of the arachnid, finishing her for good.

Do I absorb the mana ball? Even if Lystrix was evil, do I have a right? Before I can decide, a hand touches my leg. "Jon, you gotta take care of the others. That spider bitch hurt them bad." I weak smile touches his face for the last time. Todd slumps, and the life goes out. I weak voice is heard in the back of my head, telling me to drain Todd. His energy would make me strong. I banish the voice and make it to my feet.

Dolan's body is a few yards away. His throat has been shredded. I hobble closer to the pit. Darcelia is lying next to the ledge. I feel for her pulse. It is faint, but there. Noticing her shivers, I pull a blanket from storage and lay it over her. Now, where is Alex?

I scan the immediate area, no Alex. My head is clearing slowly, I check, and my mana is full, my health is almost at full. My status shows that I have a concussion that will be gone in five minutes. I close my status and see a trail in the dust. Small trails of blood lead away from the pit. They lead into the shack. I follow them inside and see Alex. She is propped up against the bed. There are holes in her armor, and limbs. Blood is covering most of her body. I rush to her and begin to check her over.

"Don't look so worried, I stopped the bleeding in time." I look up to see her smiling at me. I hug her tightly. "Ouch, not so hard. I am still really hurt. How are the others?"

"Todd and Dolan are dead. Darcelia is still out but should be ok. Did you get a healing on her?"

"Yes, then I made it in here to try to get myself together. I passed out before I could get back into the fight. What happened?"

"Todd gave his life to kill the spider. He died with a smile, when I told him of his daughter."

"I see, from what Lystrix said while butchering us, there is a greater demon in a town on this side of the mountains. We need to get to the capitol and get an army."

"First, we need to get Darcelia healed. If we hurry, we can make it back to the capitol in seven or eight days. But, first," I kiss her deeply. "I am really happy you made it. After we get the king to send an army to stop the Dark king, we will get your kids. And, if you will, I will protect you for the rest of your life."

Tears well up in her eyes. Jon, are you asking what I think you are?"

"He is asking to marry you. You dolt." We both jump at Darcelia's words. I rush to help her to the bed. Her clothes are in taters, blood covers most of her body, and her breathing is labored. Alex pulls herself next to her friend. Golden light fills the shack.

The soul sending is completed quickly. We discover that Lystrix has no soul to send. I guess I really do suck out the soul. Again, I wonder if my drain is evil. In games, draining someone's life is always bad. I offer a prayer just in case. Maybe someone on high will look favorably on my thoughts.

Our friends' bodies are buried in the pit. We burn the arachnid. After searching the shack, we find the body of a frail looking man. The body looks to have been laying behind the shack for weeks. The senseless murder, along with the death of our friends, makes our course clear. We will report all of this to the king. He will be able to deal with the cardinal and amass the army to deal with the Dark king. Without a hero, we cannot complete the task. Lystrix was more than we could handle. With no hero, we would be massacred.

The trek back to the capitol flies like a nightmare. The only break from the trauma, is when Alex and I slip off to enjoy time to ourselves. Darcelia pretends not to notice but does make the odd remark.

I gain another level on the journey, but that even seems hollow. I add the point into my intelligence. I hope, that buy growing faster, I can save more lives. Todd, Dolan and Malfor weigh heavy on me. How can I ever explain to mom and Todd's aunt?

The most important thing I have learned. I never want to be the hero.

Heroes die

End Part one...