Crowned in Black: Chapter 40

The Spear sunk in and twisted easily, causing the center part of the activation plinth to drop down as the rest of it unfolded into... a control panel. An arcane control panel, with buttons made out of polished black stones gleaming with sigils.

"The first three at the top. Then the largest." Matir sounded oddly tired as he guided me.

I pressed the four buttons sequentially. There was a deep, rumbling 'THUNK' from the floor beneath us, and then an oceanic roar as huge vents opened inside the chamber of whitecrystal, draining away the liquid within. I took a step back as the whole room around us began to move and transform, opening up wider.

"Take the Spear now. Retreat to the door," Matir ordered us. His hologram was beginning to fizz and flicker.

As one, the six of us - including Mehkhet - backpedaled. The massive tank was slowly being pulled back toward the back of the room as it unfolded... and by the time it was done, the complex resembled a church organ, or the world's biggest Symphonic Array. As it did, Matir's heartbeat suddenly became deafening. Whatever acoustics had pumped the sound from his stasis tank to the front of the complex had sealed off. It vibrated through my teeth, slowly gaining in speed as one by one, the restraints and the muzzle-like respirator detached from Matir's body.

The dragon's eyes sluggishly flickered open. Each one was larger than the group of us clustered together, and they were as white as lightning strikes, too bright to look at. Bleary, at first, one of them tried to focus on us as Matir's head drooped forward... and then it suddenly focused on me and Karalti. Plasma - or mana so pure it looked like plasma - arced across the surface of the god's eye as he drew a deep, rumbling breath... the coughed a small waterfall's worth of fluid onto the floor and sagged forward to the ground in a tangle of cables and chains.

"Ahh... my Herald. I had forgotten how it feels to breathe. Not as pleasant as I remember." There was a note of amusement in the god's voice. It still sounded like the wind, but it was deeper, more strident, each word seeming to form out of the air like a bubble that burst around us. But as Matir crawled forward, it became obvious that what he'd said was true. Even as he struggled to his scaled, metal-infused keel, his flesh was sagging and fraying apart. There was something skeletal and wasted about his head. He was drawing breath, but they were agonized and bubbling. "And you… It is incredible how such small beings can hold so much power. You alone hold enough to create entire universes. Please, come to me."

Wordlessly, we advanced. Karalti shifted out of her human form to stand beside me as a dragon. But even she was the size of a cat compared to this ancient monster.

"Fear not, Herald. You will not be alone in your fate. I will live on, in a sense." Matir's voice thundered into our minds. "As will the others, as you free them. For the sake of Archemi... my soul is yours to call. Here. Touch the Spear of Nine Spheres to me."

Matir stretched out a single claw and rested the tip on the floor. That one claw was large enough for me to walk underneath the arch. Hesitantly, I stepped forward, and pressed the Spear against the side of it.

It was like connecting an electromagnet. Matir grunted as the weapon locked onto the keratin and began to glow with an eerie indigo light. The light spread over the massive hand, crawling up. I briefly saw the white afterimage of veins through his inky black scales as he growled. There was a howling, sucking sound around the Spear.

"Each of us is connected to our Keystones," Matir said, his voice strained. "Each one contains a sliver of our souls. I will enhance yours with more of myself... and in doing so, you will gain the rest of my gifts and the ability to summon me."

"But... what'll happen to you? We won't have a god of Darkness any more?!" Karalti's voice wavered between a statement and a question, pitched high with horror.

"I will still be here," Matir replied, his words halting. The light was spreading over and through him, and his body was becoming translucent as it began to dissolve, particle by particle. "My essence... diffused into the world. This body is... little more than the walking dead, my daughter. When you summon me, that essence will regather into an avatar. Only once the Drachan are gone will I truly perish, I swear it. I, my brothers and our queens... we must atone for what we did. Either Squalor and the Drachan will die, or all will die."

I couldn't move my hand from the Spear or pull the Spear free as a tidal wave of raw power funneled into it. The light around us grew brighter and brighter, and hotter. I felt it enter my body, ripping away every trace of corruption in my veins. It hurt, but my scream of pain was lost in the roaring flash that blinded out the entire room.

Then, suddenly, it was over. My eyes danced with incandescent flashes as the Spear suddenly pushed itself away from Matir's claw. I jerked back, blinking and cursing, unable to see. Karalti had a wing up around her eyes, her head tucked down. As my vision cleared, and more of the room came into focus... Matir was gone. The entirety of him, gone. All that was left were dancing blue-black motes that hung around us all, whispering softly. I reached out to touch one, but it danced away... and I realized that I was warm. Breathing.

[You have been cured of Dhampirism! Check your character sheet for details.]

[You have acquired the Enhanced Star of Endless Night]

[You have acquired a summon: Matir. Tutorials and information on Summons is now available.]

[You have advanced one level. You are Level 41. Karalti is Level 20]

Karalti gasped softly and stepped back, her body glowing with seams of color as she subtly expanded in size. Hurriedly, I pulled my gauntlet off to examine my bare hand. Sure enough, the metallic gunmetal gradient that had stained my fingertips was gone. I tried to extrude the needle claws from them. Nothing. But when I ran my tongue over my teeth, they were still sharpened.

"Your teeth, once changed, could not be changed back. This one reminder of your ordeal remains." Matir's voice slithered through my mind. It felt... closer. More personal, somehow, as though he were whispering in my ear. "And now, you and Karalti must hear the words of power I gift back to the world with my demise."

[You have gained new available spells: Caduceus I, Sin Eater I]

[You have gained 2 new Combat Abilities: Lifestrike and Metabolize]

[Karalti has gained new spells! Caduceus II, Revive I, Endurance I, Overclock II]

[Karalti has gained new Path abilities! Path of Alacrity, Path of Royalty, Baru.]

[Healing Magic is now available to be taught to other players and characters with relevant Advanced Paths!]

[Your Path name has changed from Dark Lancer to Paragon of the Nine.]

A pale green light suffused Karalti and as the abilities took hold, and suddenly, I knew the Words of Power required to cast my limited array of healing spells. Curiously, I brought up Lifestrike and Metabolize to look at what they did:

Lifestrike I

You channel a blast of raw positive energy through your weapon, dealing massive damage to creatures of the Undead and Void types, and potentially healing living beings. Lifestrike deals x4 damage to Undead and Void-type enemies, and restores HP to a maximum of your base weapon damage to living targets. It has no effect on constructs other than Mercurions.

Metabolize I

You draw positive energy from deep within yourself and use it to fuel your next attacks. Sacrifice 25%HP and completely refill your Adreniline Meter.

New Available Spells

Summon Matir: You are able to summon the transcended form of Matir, the draconic god of the Darkness element, to aid you in battle.

Matir may only be summoned during mass combat scenarios. To summon him, you must be in an outdoor, open area, such as a battlefield. You cannot summon him indoors. Matir will fight independently until he reaches 25% HP or until your enemy is defeated. You may call to him and urge him to use certain attacks, but there is no guarentee the ancient draconic god will heed you.

You must spend two minutes to perform the summon. If you are muted during this time, or fail Willpower checks against attack, the god will not appear.

Healing Magic

One of the most powerful schools of magic to have ever existed, Healing magic - more correctly known as Life magic - has finally been restored to Archemi upon the death of Matir's physical body.

Caduceus I: You transmute mana into a gentle flow of positive energy, capable of healing all but the gravest of injuries. Caduceus will restore 200HP and cure burns, nausea, internal traumas and simple fractures, but cannot be used to regrow limbs. It will not cure severe fractures, any form of poisoning, including blood poisoning, disease or infections. Caduceus also cannot heal damage caused by Void corruption or remove Void corruption.

Casting cost: 15ml Azurine

Sin Eater I: A specialized healing ability that allows you to draw out infections, corruption, and disease from people. This spell takes a toll on the caster, reducing their HP by half and inflicting the Exhausted debuff until the caster is able to sleep. Sin Eater has no effect on Void corruption.

Casting Cost: 100ml Emeraldine or 50ml Azurine

"Guess I'm gonna need to learn how to use my spell glove." I flexed my fingers, admiring the way the color and life had come back into them. I could breathe properly. I could hear my heart beating at a normal human pace. "Alright. I think we're done here. Let's get home and see if this is enough to save Ignas.”