“You smell rotten,” Minos said to Alessia. His deep, bass voice was overlaid with a reverberating baritone that faded between harmony and dissonance.
She looked into his burning eyes. “Is that a compliment from your kind, or...?”
The angel, Nimbus, groaned to life. His smashed wings and arm turned to dust. Only a few feathers remained on his right wing.
“Enough,” Nimbus said. “Leave the corporeal alone, Minos.”
“Nimbus. You sanctimonious servant of tyranny. Desire has ached through hell as I waited to destroy you.”
“Your chaos shall not overtake us.”
“It’s been over a hundred years. The gates have worn away. Order will meet disorder, and all things shall cease.”
“A hundred... Can’t be...”
Vulre leaned toward Korr. “What is going on?”
Korr shrugged.
Alessia saw her opportunity and inched toward the treasure chest.
“Time to drag your soul to hell, where we will break it apart for eternity,” Minos said.
Alessia picked up the box. Minos whirled on her.
“Shit.”
Minos hurled a ball of fire at Alessia. She dove for cover, dropping the treasure chest. Flames nipped at her feet as she hid. She damn near had a panic attack stamping out the flames.
She did not like fire.
“The meat beings still clamor for trinkets as their world ends,” Minos said. “This is what you fight for, Nimbus.”
Nimbus yanked one of the few remaining feathers off his broken wing. “Go back to hell.”
The feather atomized, sending a bolt of light hurtling at Minos that blasted him prone. It took a lot out of the angel, though, and he collapsed.
Vulre turned and ran. “Fuck this!”
“Wait!” Korr shouted.
Vulre yanked on the rope hanging into the room, and it magically retracted, pulling him out.
“Well, there goes our getaway plan...” Korr said.
Spiders swarmed in. Korr shouted to Alessia—“Blood rage?”
“Don’t think that will be very constructive right now.”
Korr waded forward with his axes, swinging wildly, kicking, and spilling spider guts everywhere. “Alessia, time to go!”
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The angel groaned. “We don’t have much time. That demon will wake up soon, and with it—death. I need your help.”
Korr motioned to Alessia. “Come on!”
She looked between the angel and the exit. “Why should I help you?”
“I can see who you are. I know you’re special. This might be fate. Might be luck. But we need to work together. I can answer all of your questions...”
“Can’t believe I’m...” Alessia turned and ran to him. She swung her sword, cleaving through spiders, bashing a few back with her shield.
Minos rose.
Alessia scanned the room. “Korr! Roof!”
Korr sighed. “This is gonna hurt.”
He whirled his axes and carved through enemies. He was attacked from all sides, but he managed to dive forward and slam his fist on the hexagon trap.
He scrambled away for cover.
The room collapsed. Debris swallowed up Minos and the spiders. The dust rolled toward Alessia and Nimbus.
They stumbled to their feet and ran.
Running. Tripping. Panting for air. They tumbled again. Found—
Vulre’s dead body, ripped apart by spiders.
“Knew he’d never survive a sticky situation,” Korr said.
“Gods dammit,” Alessia said. “We don’t have time to loot his corpse!”
They fought through the spiders as Minos barreled toward them, destroying everything.
“It’s too late,” Minos boomed. “The end is beginning.”
They escaped into the forest. The ground turned even blacker around them.
“Hurry!” Korr shouted.
Trees withered. Flames started to spread. Minos exploded out of the ground.
Everyone ran, stumbling.
Nimbus painfully yanked another feather off his shoulder. The sun crested over the horizon. Its warm light seemed to hit the feather, which exploded with energy.
Minos turned to ash, scattering to the wind. There was a breath of calm. Nimbus collapsed.
Alessia and Korr limped along, helping the unconscious angel between them.
“You okay?” Korr asked.
“Fine. Leg will heal.”
“I know we have a damned healing potion. What was she doing there?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Korr pointed at a gash running across his stomach. “Don’t worry about it? My guts are about to leak out. Stuck with a half-dead angel. Didn’t even get the damn treasure.”
They crested a small hill. A town lay in the distance.
“Scared to imagine what should worry me.”
A sack of coins slapped down on an innkeeper’s counter. He looked up with a broad, toothless grin: “Try not to bleed too much in there.”
Korr dropped the unconscious Nimbus into bed. The barbarian and Alessia collapsed with tiredness. Korr tipped over his magical bag. Gold coins poured out and formed a large pile on the floor. He shook the bag again, and a red vial fell out.
“Hasn’t been this bad since that vampire job.”
Korr rubbed the red potion across his gut. He winced as the wound magically healed. He looked up to see Alessia staring at the angel. “Do you, you know. Talk. About her...”
The little girl. Alessia snapped out of it.
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Ignoring her won’t help.”
Alessia’s eyes became glassy. “I need it to.”
At a loss for words, Korr wished he could reach out and hug her. Finally—
“Sorry we didn’t get it.”
Alessia pulled something out of her pocket. A ring.
“What was that about worrying?”
They slapped forearms. Korr grinned: “Ya damn thief!”
The two got lost looking into the ring. Korr marveled, “It’s beautiful...”
It shimmered in the light, humming with energy like a finger over the rim of a wine glass. The shadows it cast danced almost as if they were alive.
Alessia noticed and put the ring in her pocket.
“You really think it can restore your magic?” Korr asked.
“I have to find out.”
“It won’t make her go away.”
Alessia changed the subject. “He’s still got some feathers.”
“What?”
She motioned toward Nimbus, who was passed out face-down. “The angel. Powerful items.”
Korr shook his head. “We’re not stealing an angel’s feathers while he’s passed out. Even I’m not that evil.”
“That’s not what I’m saying.”
“Then what are you saying?”
“Nothing. Ancient magic there is all.”
“So you’re saying he could be a powerful ally.”
They looked over the angel’s mangled wing, destroyed when his statue toppled.
“Not for long. He’s almost out of feathers. Then...”
She mimed dying.
“That’s awful.”
“That’s life. Even for them. Just takes a little longer.”
Korr shook his head.
“Let’s get some sleep,” Alessia said.