Chương 80: Sharn daughter of Kara

Sharn Trake stared in shock as a skyboat vanished above and two figures plummeted into the forest below.

"Catch the girl. I'll get our little High Human," she ordered, teleporting down into the projected path of the falling, sun-tanned High Human. As she appeared, he slammed into her, limp as a spargil. She wrapped an arm around him and teleported again, this time to the ground, skidding across the forest floor in a controlled landing. She just had time to blink before two shadows grasped at her from the trees.

"Meerda," she hissed, teleporting once more and landing in a clearing, free of trees, cover, and more importantly… shadows. She unceremoniously dumped Joe's limp, convulsing body onto the grass and raised a hand, Firing a signal flare high above the canopy. She crouched low, waiting. She didn't have to wait long. Lara burst from the forest and tumbled into the clearing, wrapped in shadows. Those shadows coalesced into the form of Moons Shadow, who now held Lara by the neck in one hand.

They skidded to a halt as Moons' hooded cowl turned to face Sharn. At that same moment, the last figure, a girl wrapped in torn rags, was ejected from another shadow and crashed to the ground with a grunt.

"You Mortifi are quite resourceful. But the chase is over," Moons said, her voice reverberating strangely.

"You as well, Shadow Princess. Your reputation does not do you justice," Sharn replied, keeping her gaze locked on that shadowy cowl, ready to counter an attack the moment it came. What puzzled her was Moons' restraint. She hadn't tried to kill Lara yet. Why hold back now? Then it clicked. The subtle twitch of the cowl as they both heard a rustle and groan beside her. Joseph rolled onto his back and sat up.

"Fuck me, that sucks when I do that. Thanks for catching me. Though did you have to dump me so… harshly?" Sharn tried to keep her eyes on Moons, but she couldn't help being thrown off by the High Human's casual tone, especially with the tension thick enough to cut with a blade. And then he kept talking…

"Hey Moons! Thanks for catching the… daughter? I think that's the daughter. I'm pretty sure she is the one from the quest."

"Shut up! What the hell are you…" Moons started to shout, but she was cut off as Joseph teleported to the ragged girl, grabbed her, and vanished again. Sharn seized the momentary lapse in Moons' focus and pounced. Appearing behind the Shadow Princess, she unleashed a flash of fire, engulfing all three of them in a blazing sphere. Moons Shadow-Jumped at the same moment, but Sharn had cleverly wrapped fire around Lara's leg, anchoring her in place. Moons escaped alone.

Sharn dispelled the flames and caught her companion mid-fall, ramming an awakening pill into her mouth. Lara convulsed once, then her eyes snapped open, fully alert. Sharn let her go, and she landed on her feet with practiced ease.

"Thanks. I was certain I was dead," Lara said, voice steady as both Mortifi spread their senses wide to track Moons. They found her quickly, hiding in a shadow to the east. At the same time, they located Joseph and the girl just inside the forest to the north. They also sensed that Moons had spotted him, as she began Shadow-Jumping in his direction.

"Thank our unexpected guest," Sharn muttered, nodding toward Joseph's position. She was about to form a plan when, unexpectedly, Joseph teleported back into the clearing, landing right next to them. The ragged girl dropped to her knees and vomited on the ground beside him. He grimaced but didn't move to help her; his eyes were locked on Sharn. He raised both hands as she pointed at him.

"Wait! I have no idea what is going on or why you guys are fighting. But from the look on your face… You know who I am, right?" Lara stepped aside and launched a volley of mana attacks toward Moons' last known position. Only once the explosions faded did Sharn answer.

"Yes. I know who you are. But do realize I am not your friend. We are not on the same side." Her words brought a strange look of sadness to Joseph's face. It caught her so off guard that she dropped her mental shield, just for a breath. Moons pounced. She appeared behind Lara, her blade of total darkness absorbing all light around it as it arced toward Lara's neck. Sharn screamed internally, knowing she couldn't reach her in time.

As her hand moved, her eyes widened in panic, which only widened further as Joe unexplainably appeared between Moons and Lara, moving faster than Sharn could track. One hand shoved Lara out of danger, the other caught Moons' shadowy arm in a vice-like grip. Moons roared, twisting toward Joseph, but his reckless move had bought just enough time. Blue fire exploded from Sharn's arms as she reached the pair, her palm slamming into Moon's back.

The Shadow Princess screamed in agony before vanishing once again in a Shadow Jump. Joseph, his hand still clamped around her wrist, was pulled into the shadow with Moons, and for a moment, both of them vanished. No, not vanished… They shimmered. Then the air popped. An explosion of air blasted outward, slamming into Sharn and sending her flying. Stunned, she tumbled through the air but quickly righted herself, blasting a torrent of flame from her back to halt her momentum. She twisted and landed on her feet.

She saw Joseph stumble back, blood pouring from his mouth as he released Moons. Both of them were still standing in the exact same spot they'd been a moment before. Only then did she truly register how battered Joseph looked. His body trembled with exhaustion. He was clearly on the verge of collapse, yet somehow still standing.

"How did you do that! How did you cancel my shadow!" Moons roared, her voice trembling with fury. She remained where she was, making no move to attack. Her tone sounded more shaken than angry. Joseph crouched low, spitting blood onto the forest floor. Moons, Sharn noted, just watched. There was something here that Sharn was missing. Something important. Moons quickly waved her hands, wrapping shadows around the burned wound on her back. As she healed, Sharn instinctively moved to attack, then paused.

Instead, she turned her attention to Joseph and activated Identify. It failed. Of course. Her Matriarch had warned them that he wore a crown of blocking. She cursed under her breath.

"Magic," Joseph said, wiping his mouth and struggling back to his feet.

"Now, can we please stop fighting? There are bigger things at play right now. There is a giant spider somewhere below us that is pissed as hell and is probably on its way right now. I suggest we relocate and hold a truce for the time being." He turned towards Sharn.

"Sharn, tell Lara not to attack. Do you agree to the truce?" Sharn stared at him, utterly bewildered. Was he mad? Why would any of them agree to that?

"I agree," Moons said.

"Me too," Lara added a moment later. All eyes turned to Sharn. She opened her mouth, but no words came… because she suddenly felt it. The ground began to rumble. A monstrous Aura surged toward them, vast, incomprehensible.

"I agree!" she shouted, panic flooding her voice. It wasn't just her. Lara and even Moons looked equally shaken by the oncoming presence. Before anyone could react further, Joseph pulled out a skyboat and waved them aboard.

"Lara, grab the girl," Sharn ordered as she kept her gaze locked firmly on Moons. She gestured for the Shadow Princess to move first. To her surprise, Moons complied without a word. As the group boarded, Joseph was already at the controls. The skyboat burst into motion, launching high into the sky above the forest, fleeing the incoming Aura as it thundered toward the spot they had vacated. __ Joe grunted as pain poured through his cracked ribs. Fuck. He hated having to leave the forest behind.

There was no healing Nature energy up in the sky, but he didn't dare stop, not until they gained enough distance from that damn spider anyway. He tried to ignore the two passengers who now sat on opposite sides of the skyboat, eyes locked on each other in perpetual tension. He was surprised they'd even agreed to his 'truce.' Honestly, he'd been ready to leave them behind the moment he felt that monster's aura bearing down on them. Holy shit, he thought. I hope I never see that unkillable spider ever again.

The cooldown on his pill timer reset with a subtle sensation, and he happily popped a healing pill into his mouth. He sighed in relief as its effects took hold, soothing some of the serious damage across his body. Still, the backlash from tapping into his enriched mana hadn't faded. His limbs ached, and he was struggling just to stay upright. He wasn't anywhere close to good shape, truthfully, he was barely functioning at all. Lara seemed to sense this. She approached, eyes steady.

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"Let me take the wheel. You look about ready to drop dead." Joe gave her a grateful nod and all but crawled to the glass circle at the rear of the boat. He sat down in its centre, letting the touch of nature engulf him. He pulsed Flourish a couple of times, leaving faint trails behind them in case the spider still pursued. He prayed it wouldn't. Surely, it would give up once it realized they'd taken to the sky. Unless it could fly, he thought with a shiver. Can alien spiders fly? He shook the idea from his head.

After a while, the final passenger, the girl wrapped in torn rags, seemed to decide that Joe was the safest person to be near aboard. She crawled over silently and leaned against his back, curling into a ball. Quiet sobs shook her body. Joe didn't speak. He simply extended a gentle pulse of nature into her and let her lean on him. Of everyone involved, she was the only one who was completely harmless. He felt deeply sorry that he'd dragged her into this mess.

"It's stopped chasing us," Lara called from the front.

"I think we're out of its reach now."

"Thank heavens for that," Joe said. The skyboat gradually came to a halt, hovering high in the sky with its nose pointed back toward the Morse Cad sect.

"What was that?" Lara asked as she came to sit beside Sharn. Both of them kept a wary eye on Moons, who sat in silence across from them. Joe let out a long breath.

"A giant spider," he said.

"With a daughter who apparently has a taste for… me." All three women turned their heads toward him and gave him a look only a woman could give. Joe chuckled, then immediately regretted it as pain flared through his side.

"Ouch," he mumbled, gently prodding at the bruised area. He glanced down at his wrapped left arm. He vaguely remembered unwrapping it back in the flower garden, but now it was bandaged again. He shrugged and let it go. They sat in silence for only a moment longer before Moons finally spoke, her voice light and casual.

"So what are we doing here? Are we going to fight?" Joe felt the tension rise. Even the girl now clinging to him reacted, her arms tightening around his torso as she cowered in fear.

"Look," Joe said, raising a hand.

"I have no idea why you guys are fighting. As they know," he pointed at Sharn and Lara.

"I am not part of any of this. I don't represent anyone, I have nothing to do with blood feuds or Empire shenanigans or whatever else you're caught up in. So please… do it somewhere else. No fighting on my boat." Lara laughed, but neither Moons nor Sharn cracked a smile. The two continued to stare at each other until, without a word, Sharn stood. She raised her hand and pointed down. Moons vanished in a puff of shadow, and Sharn teleported off the boat.

"Really?" Joe complained. He gently pried the frightened girl from around his waist and slowly made his way to the edge of the skyboat. Down below, explosions of fire and shadow clashed across the forest as Sharn and Moons fought like wild gods. Surprisingly, Lara joined him at the railing, casually watching the spectacle.

"Can't you stop them? Or… why aren't you joining in? Aren't you sisters?" he asked. Lara sighed and shook her head.

"You really don't know anything do you? No, we're not sisters. Just because we have the same skin colour?" She shot him a sharp look.

"You should really learn about Mortifi heritage before speaking such foolishness." Joe winced. He'd genuinely assumed they were related because of that very reason. Was he being racist? He shook his head, he really was not himself. He needed a long soak in a nice warm pool. Lesson learned.

"Nothing could stop those two from fighting," Lara continued.

"The Shadow Princess killed Sharn's husband. She has a… blood feud as you called it." Shit. Joe could understand that, he was honestly surprised they'd managed to hold back for so long. He looked down just in time to see Sharn summon a blazing fire snake that roared toward Moons, who exploded into a fountain of shadow, her form now coated in what looked like vicious thorns. Beside him, Lara seemed unexpectedly talkative, so Joe took the opportunity to ask a few questions.

His body needed time to rest and heal anyway.

"Do you know Rose?"

"Everyone knows the Princess. The fact you call her Rose… you should watch your words. I don't know your relationship to her, but I suggest you speak of her with more respect."

"We are bonded. But you are right. I meant no disrespect." Joe replied calmly. Lara stared at him, momentarily speechless. It seemed Catalina had left that little fact out of whatever information she'd passed along.

"Why are we here anyway?" Joe continued.

"This whole Askari thing was a complete surprise to me. That damn Dwarf dragged me here against my will. I kinda hope the last Artefact is claimed soon so we can leave this blasted place."

"The mistress warned us not to talk to you. Said you are a child who knows nothing. I'm starting to understand why," Lara said with a laugh.

"It's not important. We are only here to represent our Empires and return in glory."

"Ah, so… important," Joe said…. A rush of air slammed into the skyboat, knocking Joe off his feet. A splash of some thick liquid hit him a second later as he crashed into the side railing of his skyboat. The vessel tipped violently and capsized, throwing both Joe and the Sect Leader's daughter into open air. Joe tumbled, trying to stabilize his descent. What the hell just happened? Above, the skyboat plummeted toward him, casting a looming shadow. Thankfully, he didn't need to touch it to return it to his ring.

With a wave of his hand, the boat vanished. As he fell, he spotted the flailing girl, no one else was in sight. He Space-Jumped to her side. She clung to him in a panic, screaming into his ribs with a strength he hadn't expected. He tapped her shoulder and shouted over the wind, "Hold your breath!" He Space-Jumped, and they crashed down onto the canopy of a nearby tree, tumbling over giant leaves and slamming into a thick branch. Joe flung out his arm and grabbed hold, halting their fall with a jarring jolt.

Somehow, he'd managed to cushion the girl's landing, once again she was wrapped around him in terrified silence. He took a shaky breath, trying to figure out what had happened as he hung from the branch, when something wet trickled down his face. He wiped it with his free hand and stared at his fingers, heart sinking. Blood. Thick, fresh blood. Not his. Lara's blood. He understood as comprehension struck like a hammer to the chest. She had been standing right beside him.

Something had killed her mid-conversation, killed her without warning, without sound. That impact had sent the skyboat tumbling. But what… He looked up. Floating a few metres above the canopy was Tar'Hou, his expression blank, serene. In his hand, he held Lara's severed head. __ Sharn screamed, a cry of instinctive dread as she sensed Tar'Hou's overwhelming approach. Without thought, she activated her only divine orb.

A radiant mana cell exploded into being, encasing both her and Moon's Shadow, shielding them from outside interference. Only then did she realize her mistake. The sky above ruptured as Lara died. Sharn's scream this time was raw. Agonized. A thud cracked through the air as Moon's Shadow slammed into the mana cell's inner wall, her protective shadows evaporating in an instant. But Sharn wasn't looking anymore. Sharn Trake, last scion of House Trake, burned.

Not with flame, but with fury so complete it eclipsed reason. The pain of her husband's death, long buried in battle, was nothing compared to this. Her friend. Her sister-in-arms. Gone. She reached into her storage, hand trembling as she withdrew a small, humming jar. Power cracked along its surface, leaking like pressure from a volcano. The lid shattered at her touch, and inside, a single molten pill pulsed with impossible heat. She swallowed it. Moon's Shadow screamed, her voice filled with panic.

But it was too late. Flame engulfed Sharn's body. Her form twisted, transforming into something ancient and unstoppable. A curled dragon, her scales flickering like molten gold. Her tail flicked with surgical grace, slicing through Moon's Shadow like a blade through silk. Blood sprayed in the air, gurgled screams swallowed by fire. The mana cell collapsed, and Sharn grew. Wreathed in starfire, she burned with fiery power. The air shimmered. Trees combusted. Grass turned to ash.

The world around her melted in the heat of her wrath. Everything burned. Everything… except him. Tar'Hou descended through the inferno like a divine figure, wreathed in violet lightning. He hovered above the destruction, untouched, unfazed. For a fleeting moment, Sharn wondered what had become of the High Human. Hopefully, he was dead now. Her mistress would be pleased. She didn't know why it was acceptable to kill him, but that was none of her business.

Either way, there was no way he could survive her dragon's fire. A cloud of smoke billowed from her throat as she belched. She turned her full attention to Lara's killer. Tar'Hou looked… unconcerned. That infuriating calm smile still rested on his face. She would fix that. With a roar that split the heavens, Sharn let loose a torrent of divine flame. It blasted toward the elite like a tornado made of molten stars, vaporizing the air, churning the world into ash.

When the flames ceased, her massive form floated gently to the scorched earth below. She saw him. Tar'Hou hovered in place… untouched. Unburned. That same smile, unshaken. He descended slowly and landed before her with a subtle grace. The last flicker of hope in Sharn's heart died in that moment. She knew it then… he was far too strong. She struck with her tail, a desperate slash of power. He severed it with a casual swipe of his lightning-wreathed arm. Blood sprayed in every direction, except his.

A single molten tear slid down Sharn's scaled cheek as she tilted her head toward the sky.

"I'll be joining you soon, my friend," she whispered. Then she died. __ Joe crouched over the lifeless girl, the one he'd dragged out of that sacrificial chamber. Enriched mana burned through him, a thin shield between his body and the blistering heat radiating from the dying dragon nearby. But it wasn't enough. His skin was blistering. Peeling. Every breath was agony. He didn't know Sharn. He didn't know why they were all fighting. Why they were dying… He cursed his own helplessness. He couldn't stop any of it.

Couldn't save them. Could barely even move. He felt like he was going to die. Caught in a war that had nothing to do with him, smothered by powers beyond comprehension. So this was life in the Multiverse? A place ruled by monsters? As the fire roared and his body trembled on the brink, a message blinked into view. A lifeline. A miracle. The final Artefact has been retrieved by Rorschach Cold. 0 remain. Quest complete. Prepare for teleportation.