Tartarus Beckons by Edmund Batara (reading an ebook .TXT) 📕

through began to be suffused with light. The mage estimated that only a few minutes had passed since he was unceremoniously abducted, but those few minutes meant a long distance, if he was to go with his experience with the elementals of earth and stone – Rumpr and Hrun.

“It appears we’re nearing our destination, sire,” said Hal needlessly.

Leave it again to Hal to state the obvious, observed Tyler amusedly. Yep. The AI is doing nicely on his way to becoming a human. Annoyingly so. Good thing he comes with an off switch.

Tyler not so gently landed standing on his feet. Assured that his barriers were still in place, the mage found himself in a grotto-like spot, a similar though smaller version of the cavernous hollow he had left behind. Reflecting again on the distance he must have traveled during his downward descent, the mage noted that the cave was surprisingly ventilated and well-lit, albeit in an eldritch blue illumination. The mage expected nearly unbearable heat in the limited space, but the air was fresh.

But he could sense magic. Black, malign, and extremely potent. Yet, it felt slightly off. Like a single and faint discordant note in the tapestry of magical energy which surrounded and engulfed Adar. Over such dark power was a vastly more powerful net of magical energy, and this one strongly reminded him of Adar’s natural magical power. Its physical emanation dwarfed even Rumpr’s, and the mage couldn’t even begin to assess the level it represented.

Tyler quickly looked around him. Though the space looked empty, the mage knew that the strange presence he sensed was within the cave. He right away released a scrying spell and immediately felt a magical backlash of agitated energy. It was as if the power of the incantation was instantly repulsed by some entity or its defenses. It wasn’t painful, more like being suddenly rocked violently. One positive result of the jarring experience was that the mage finally located the location of the anomaly he was searching for in the cave.

Off to a corner of the rocky and enclosed expanse was a dark figure radiating cold, ravenous hunger. Tyler didn’t sense hatred or any animosity from the creature, though he didn’t think that mattered under the circumstances. Unfortunately, the mage could also detect the waves of malevolent magical power rolling off the entity. It was like he was facing a sentient, living battery of magical force. Tyler doubted if the being noticed the phenomenon.

Just my luck. Another unknown and powerful deity. A dark one? The questions ran through Tyler’s thoughts as he promptly prepared for battle. His staff was mercifully still with him, and he noticed it began to get warm, a sign that Birki wanted to talk to him.

“Yes, Birki? In the middle of a possible battle here, if you noticed. Just waiting for the other guy to make the first move. I assume it’s belligerent, but I can’t decide on mere assumption alone,” said the mage with some annoyance.

“That’s why I wanted to talk to you urgently. Rumpr had encountered these demonic creatures before. An infestation from your world. Rumpr’s memory of its magic show it had a slightly different color, sense, wavelength, or whatever you call it. Such deviation from the normal, however miniscule, could have far-reaching effects on how powerful it is or how it could affect you. And this one is an exceptional example of its kind.”

“Thanks, Birki. Any unusual abilities?”

“It does have a peculiar behavior. It always tries to enter another entity’s body. Possession of creatures must be its natural tendency.”

Shit. Just when I was getting used to the familiar.

Just as the thought entered his mind, a stream of the strange energy unexpectedly erupted from the being and headed directly toward him. The quickness of the occurrence left him with no chance to react. Then the speeding mass of power hit the repulsion barrier of X, the mage’s first line of defense. It violently bounced off.

A stream of unknown words echoed through the ether. Tyler couldn’t understand the words, but the tone, pitch, and way they were uttered gave clear clues about what the creature was doing – cussing his heart out. A tortured feeling of agony and pain accompanied the litany of curses and expletives that were being said.

Must have hurt. Serves you fucking right, grinned Tyler.

He immediately formed a force construct of his own, infused it with a tiny bit of Elder energy as insurance, and gave the creature a mighty whack. The mage had no reservations about giving the entity the hammered response guaranteed to teach a harsh lesson. From what he could tell, it was a spirit presently in its real form and it would take more than a giant ethereal maul to cause it to depart from this plane of reality. But it would bring pain. A ton of it.

The creature forcefully slammed against the cave wall from the impact, half of its body phasing into the rock. But Tyler had no desire to dispose of the being. Yet. Despite the outright hostility it displayed, the mage still wanted to hear its story, and hopefully, glean valuable information. If the being indeed came from the First World, then it must be an ancient creature. Who knows what the long years had taught it and what it had learned?

He watched and listened as the creature, now visible, continued with its harangue after it had released itself from the wall. Surprisingly, it didn’t retaliate, instead, it went back to its tirade. Tyler could imagine the long outburst was full of insults and imprecations. The entity had taken on a male human form, though the shape was ghost-like as Tyler could see right through it. Fortunately, it appeared that the continuing diatribe was still not directed against the human mage, but to somebody or something, as the entity kept on looking above, raising his fist at times.

Man, this guy’s furious as hell. I wonder who is it angry at? observed Tyler warily, though now greatly puzzled by the being’s behavior. He could be