A wet gurgling sound echoed throughout the room. Slowly, Maximus turned around, just in time to see the cultist mage fall to his knees, desperately trying to stem the flow of blood pouring from the cut in his throat. Behind the mage stood Elín, her dagger stained crimson. Furious, Maximus swung his fist at her, but she easily dodged this strike. With the elf now out of his range, he turned his gaze back toward Dane. Though his helmet still blocked his face, Dane was fairly certain that he was on the receiving end of one hell of a death stare.
"You would use such underhanded tactics against me?!" Maximus growled.
"You are the one who captured me by ambushing our group with a whole host of mercenaries."
"...After which I challenged you to a fair one-on-one duel."
"As if I had a choice!"
"Only when the going gets tough does a man reveal his true nature. I have just witnessed yours – and I am most disappointed."
"Well, am I glad that I'm not interested in gaining your approval," Dane retorted.
"Do you think you can take him down?" he continued inside his head.
Ileim didn't respond immediately, which did little to alleviate Dane's stress – neither did her eventual answer.
"As much as I want to say that I will... I'm not certain. I'm still not used to this body, and he is one of the most skilled opponents I've ever faced. Never mind the end result, the bout would probably last for quite some time."
Dane and Maximus started circling around, never breaking eye contact. Elín stayed well clear, which was smart: her arrows would do nothing due to the amulets, and her dagger would be all but useless against the man's heavy armour. The reasonable strategy would have been a war of attrition: no matter how tough Maximus was, he was still a human. Eventually, he would grow weary, whereas Dane would be fine in his artificial body. However, given that there was no telling what was going on above ground, and how long it would take for the cultist to tire out, this plan was not viable.
"Take over. I'll try to come up with a solution while you keep him occupied."
With that, he let go of the body, giving the reins to the elf, who immediately charged in. She and Maximus immediately started exchanging blows with dizzying speed. Like before, neither one could gain an edge, but that was exactly what Dane had been counting on. While the battle ensued, he began scanning the room and trying to come up with a solution. However, he came up empty. Dane was so preoccupied with his stratagems that he failed to notice the fact that the power balance of the fight was beginning to shift. More and more of Maximus's blows started hitting their mark, and though they didn't do any significant damage, it was clear that that wouldn't be the case for much longer. It took a heavy blow to the corpus arcanum's head to alert Dane to the situation.
"Wait, what? What is going on?" he asked, as yet another of Maximus's jabs banged on his body.
"This body... Is much slower and clunkier than what I'm used to. It isn't fast enough to respond to my movements!" Ileim said in a strained voice. "And he just keeps getting faster!"
She was right. Somehow, the amount of fell mana emanating from Maximus surged larger, and the man was starting to move so fast that he was becoming a blur. At this point, Ileim was completely on the defensive. It took all she had to protect the weaker parts of the artificial body. Evidently, the cultist noticed this and increased his tempo even further.
"I hate to say it, but I do not believe that I can take care of him by myself," Ileim finally groaned.
The tone of her voice made it apparent that this was a heavy blow to her pride, as she was now having to admit defeat at the hands of a 'mere' human. Yet another of Maximus's strikes hit the corpus arcanum, this time hitting its elbow. To his shock, Dane could see the metal on the joint bending ever so slightly, slowing its movements. Though the effect was minor at best, Maximus had now, in a sense, drawn first blood. Dane retreated back into his mind, filtering out the noise of the fight unfolding before him. When he was trying to find a way of calming himself down, he noticed the whirling pool of water from the corner of his vision. The maelstrom, clearly magical in nature, was still raging on. He ventured a guess that it was just as deep as it looked, which gave him an idea. If Maximus were to fall into the basin, his heavy armour would probably drag him into its depths. However, as he kept observing the cultist's movements, he became more and more sceptical about his chances of somehow getting his opponent to accept the water's cold embrace. The only course of action seemed to require a drastic choice.
"Are you certain that is what you want?" Ileim asked, interrupting Dane's scheming.
"What do you mean?"
"We've become quite closely knit, as of late. I can follow your thoughts. And I ask you: is this worth throwing our lives – and the corpus arcanum – away?"
The question gave Dane pause. Was this truly the right choice? In a way, the choice seemed obvious: the only reasonable way of winning this fight was getting Maximus into that pool of water. And the only way of doing that Dane could conceive of was... costly. If Dane were to grab hold of the cultist and then jump into the water himself, there would be little Maximus could do. Both of them would be sucked to the chilling and unknown depths of the mysterious maelstrom, ending the fight. There was no way Maximus could possibly survive the ordeal, as he was still a human, and though Dane no longer required oxygen, he figured that the force of the current would trap him at the bottom – he would be doomed to imprisonment here on the island for the rest of his existence. However, his companions would be able to escape. Finally, Dane made his decision.
"I... No. It is not worth it."
At first glance, Dane's answer was surprising. It almost seemed as if he was too afraid to save his friends. However, though he did fear for his life, the main reason lied in the fact that Dane had already been down this road once. As he thought back to the fateful day inside the ruins that contained the annihilation orb that had evaporated his original body, he could only remember the faces of his companions – and more to the point, their horrified expressions. He now understood how much his choice had hurt those who had cared for him. Sure, self-sacrifice could be valorous – but it always behind left scars that couldn't always heal. Simply put, no longer was he willing to chase his fantasy of a heroic sacrifice. Finally, he understood why Elín had been so angry with him.
"That is good to hear, I suppose. However, we still lack the means of winning this fight," Ileim said, her voice strained.
"We are not in this alone. We can only hope that the others will figure something out."
"Are you sure that they can?"
Dane paused. Then he noticed something flying toward them.
"I am absolutely certain."
Maximus, too, noticed the approaching object and reached out his arm to grab it from mid-air, as he had done with arrows before. However, at that exact moment, Ileim pressed her momentary attack and wound up a lightning-quick jab, aimed straight at Maximus's head. In a blink of an eye, the cultist made his choice. He turned his attention back toward Ileim, deftly parrying the attack. The choice was obvious, really, as any punch from the corpus arcanum had the potential of killing him, whereas he was fairly certain that his myriad amulets would defend him from any projectiles. Indeed, the object, a glass jar, seemed to hit an invisible wall and crashed against it, shattering into pieces and releasing its contents. As Maximus had shifted his full attention back to pummelling his opponent, he failed to take note of the fact that as soon as the yellow-brown liquid touched the ground, it started to evaporate. It was only when he smelled a faint hint of garlic that he realized something was off.
"Something the matter?" Dane asked in a voice thick with sarcasm.
He did not receive an answer, and he soon realized that the cultist had opted to hold his breath and was trying to get away from Ileim's – and the poison's – reach.
"Don't let him get away!"
"Way ahead of you."
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Ileim had grasped what was happening. She unleashed a flurry of blows, none of which were particularly dangerous, yet which were threatening enough for Maximus to have to block them. Not to be outdone, Milo and Elín chimed in: the alchemist hurled colourful bottles high into the air, and Elín's unerring arrows shattered them, raining various liquids and powders down on the two combatants.
"I wouldn't draw breath if I were you," Milo yelled. "There are at last six kinds of lethal toxins polluting the air around you!"
To his credit, Maximus was not panicking. Despite having to hold his breath, he was still blocking all of Ileim's attacks with reasonable ease. His movements had become more minimal, perhaps in an effort to extend the time he could keep holding his breath. Dane had read that trained divers could hold their breath up to ten minutes. Considering Maximus's training and the fact that he appeared beyond human in some respects, Dane had to assume the worst-case scenario. The problem was, then, that the poisons would likely evaporate before then. Another solution was required – and almost immediately, it presented itself. Due to the fact that the roaring of the whirlpool was muted by magic, Dane hadn't even noticed that they had by now wandered perilously close to the edge of the water pool. Realizing that this was as good of a chance he was ever getting, Dane decided to act. Ileim must have realized what he was thinking, as she relinquished control of the body. Almost immediately, Maximus realized what had happened, but as he had positioned himself defensively, he couldn't react in time. Dane aimed both of his palms at Maximus.
"Sydhäjär!" he yelled.
There was a brilliant flash of light followed by an ear-splittingly loud explosion, and the next thing Dane noticed was that he was flying through the air. This didn't last long, however, as soon he felt his body crash against something. For a moment, he couldn't see anything or move at all, and panic started seeping in. Had he gone too far? Had he lost his gamble? Much to his relief, however, he could soon see errant rays of light. These rays of light started growing larger, and Dane realized that his blast had thrown him into the wall, embedding his body in it. As the layers of stone crumbled around him, Dane could once again move. With some difficulty, he managed to pry himself loose. Quickly, he looked around the room. Elín was running toward him, with Milo hunched down behind her. On the other hand, Maximus was nowhere to be seen.
"Is he...?" Dane asked, standing up.
His question had to wait, however, as Elín charged at him and wrapped her arms around his artificial – and dented – body. A mask covered her entire face, no doubt a countermeasure against the various poisons they had used, which made it impossible to gauge her expression. Not that it would have been easy, anyway, as Dane was fairly certain her visage was just as inscrutable as ever, despite the situation.
"I... Uh... You alright?" he managed to sputter.
Elín did not answer. Uncertain on what exactly he should be doing, Dane lightly placed his hand on her back. He glanced at Milo, who appeared to be staring at the water intently, most likely in an effort to see if Maximus had survived the ordeal. Thankfully, there was no sign of his opponent anywhere in the chamber – though that was not enough to make him relax.
"Err... Elín? I think we need to check if he survived..."
Again, there was no response. Still, the elf did step away, though it almost appeared as if she did so somewhat reluctantly. For a moment, it appeared as if she really wanted to say something. However, she must have understood that the most important thing now was to ensure their own safety.
"The flash of light was quite intense, but I do believe that the cultist flew straight into the water," she explained.
"Let's make sure that he hasn't climbed back up."
"Let us."
The two made their way to the edge of the raging maelstrom situated at the centre of the room and tried to make out any sign of Maximus – to no avail. Thankfully, there were no signs of him anywhere else in the room either, so it appeared to be a safe bet to assume that the cold, tempestuous currents had swallowed the man for good.
"Milo? Did you see what happened?" Dane asked, still scanning the chamber.
"Yeah. He fought the current for a while, but I think that his armour weighed him down... He disappeared under the surface moments ago."
"So... we won?"
"It would appear so," Milo said, shrugging his shoulders.
Dane let out a sigh of relief. As per usual, his plan had been haphazard and crudely put together, but this time it had borne fruit. He walked up to Milo and Jekaterina's unconscious body. After Milo had removed both his and her masks, Dane carefully picked her up.
"I think we ought to get out of here while we still can," Dane huffed.
Milo nodded, closing his pouch. The bag, usually bulging with various bizarre mixtures, was now looking decidedly famished.
"I must ask: how did you come up with that plan of yours? I mean, don't get me wrong, it was nice that you didn't end up sacrificing yourself again, but you have to admit, it was quite an odd choice," he asked, standing up.
"Should I tell him?" Ileim asked – Dane was surprised to hear a hint of mischievousness in her voice.
"Don't you dare," Dane replied out loud, without thinking.
"What was that?" Milo asked.
"Err... Nothing. But to get back to your question... It was just a sudden flash of inspiration, really. I figured that his amulets would defend him against my spells, but against the shockwave? Luckily, it would appear that my theory was right."
"Huh. That was quite the trick."
"I won't deny it. But I couldn't have done it if you hadn't driven him back. So... thank you. You really save me there."
Milo smiled and slapped Dane on the back – a bit too hard, as it turned out. As he shook his hand in pain, his expression suddenly became more serious.
"Say... What exactly happened while we were gone? I mean, I take it that you're not alone in that body of yours anymore..."
"Really, it's a long story..." Dane groaned, tired from his battles against both Maximus and Opmel.
"You're going to have to do better than that. I mean, I really want to know why my usually so clumsy friend suddenly started moving faster than anyone I had ever seen before! Oh, and the bit where you talked with an unfamiliar female voice begs an explanation, too," Milo insisted.
In his fatigued state, Dane didn't really know what to say, or how to explain the situation. Thankfully, Ileim decided to take the reins.
"I guess introductions are in order. I am Ileim, the original owner of the soul gem we both reside in. Indeed, I had dwelled within it for untold years, though I only stirred recently. Seeing as we now shared a body, I decided to lend him a hand in our fight against a common enemy."
"...There you have it," Dane added.
Milo was visibly unsettled by the fact that the voice emanating from the corpus arcanum had changed so suddenly. He didn't seem particularly satisfied with the explanation he had received. Elín, too, had perked up, but both of their questions were going to have to wait until they could escape the island. Thankfully, Milo recognized this.
"I suppose we should thank you, then?" Milo said.
"I accept your gratitude."
The conversation died then and there, just as the group reached the exit. The runes operating the door proved simple to decipher with Ileim's assistance, and soon enough, the stone acting as the door was sliding down, revealing the staircase beyond it. Sounds of a battle were emanating down the passageway, indicating that fighting was still going on aboveground.
"What sort of an army did you bring along with you? And, well, how?" Dane asked incredulously.
"There's no army. In fact, aside from us, only two others came with us," Milo replied.
Given how serious the situation was, Dane was surprised to see how lax Milo was being. On his way to the chamber, Dane had seen not an insignificant number of cultists on the island, with many of them even being mages. This, paired with the fact that the cultists seemed to be fanatically loyal to their cause, had led him to assume that taking the island would have been an impossible task. Yet here Milo was, claiming that it had only taken five people to get them to the heart of the island.
"...you're going to have to elaborate on that," Dane huffed, looking at Elín, who offered no additional explanation.
"I think things will go smoother if I let them introduce themselves. Still – let's just say that the fact that you seem to be sharing the corpus arcanum with someone else isn't even the most surprising thing we have witnessed as of late," Milo chuckled.
Dane didn't pry any further – partly because he was becoming worried about what he might hear.
***
Maximus tried to calm himself, despite the fact that he had been swallowed up by the vortex. His surroundings were pitch black, and the unnaturally strong current pulling him further into the abyss kept tossing him about like he weighed nothing. At first, he had attempted to swim against the maelstrom, even going so far as to remove his armour to stop it from dragging him down, but he had soon deemed the attempt pointless. Simply put, there was nothing he could do against the stream, so he decided to wait and see where he would end up. Of course, this was hardly an ideal solution – yet it was the only one available to him.
To fall victim to such an underhanded trick... What an ignoble end! he thought to himself.
However, he realized that he could not fool himself. The fight hadn't been a contest of skill – it had been a battle for survival. And in those situations, one was obligated to do whatever they possibly could, honour be damned. There was no denying the fact that he, Maximus, had been outplayed, for perhaps the first time in his life.
And last, by the looks of things. I can't keep holding my breath for much longer now.
A part of him wanted to just end it. Realistically, there was no way he could ever hope to survive the situation. However, his mind would not let him go – after all, tenacity and strength had been the pillars of his whole life. It was appropriate, then, that he would stubbornly hold on for as long as he could. Maximus let his mind go blank: there was only the roaring sound of the water around him, and its violent force throwing him around. But then, there was something else. Instinctively, Maximus's eyes burst open, though he could still see nothing. The... presence... was still there, however. For as much as Maximus had been overwhelmed by Opmel's strength, even that seemed quaint in comparison to what he was now feeling. The sensations Maximus felt were on another level entirely: it was as if the very water around him suddenly had malicious intent. Never before had he felt such unbridled, raw hatred. In fact, the feeling was so intense that Maximus had unwittingly opened his mouth. Water rushed in, and he could feel water start to fill with lungs. Though the prospect of drowning did not sit well with him, he was content.
I suppose it is appropriate that I should die here. Never before have I witnessed such strength!
Yet as soon as the man had accepted his demise, an enormous red eye opened right before him and focused its intense gaze on the drowning cultist. He did not know whether this was a hallucination conjured up by his oxygen-starved, or if he now bore witness to something beyond his understanding. Whatever the case might have been, Maximus couldn't consider it for long, as he soon lost his consciousness.