Chương 99: Ch92- Mob

The thing on the slab. The same one from the vision, only now it wasn't some distant memory. It was here. Every link of the chain glowing faint red as if they'd been forged in dragon fire. The creature's form twisted in the dim light... too many limbs for a man, too much sinew for a beast. Its head jerked sharply, its neck snapped in wrong angles. Bathsheda's hand shot to his arm, fingers digging in hard.

"Don't—" Cassian muttered. The thing shifted. The chains creaked, straining against whatever spell still held them. The creature raised his head, letting out a roar. Its eyes cracked open... two pits of pale gold, burning faintly. The roar pressed down on them. Like the earth retching. Everyone froze. No one moved, no one breathed. The creature loomed at the centre of the chamber, still shackled yet its sheer presence was enough to choke the air from the room.

Even the Hit-Wizards, trained for this kind of nightmare, had their wands half-raised and fingers locked, like their muscles had forgotten how to work. Cassian's hand shook. He wanted to get up, drag Bathsheda, get the hell out, but his body wasn't listening. The air felt viscous and every sound came muffled, like he was underwater. He forced his fingers to move, yanked a scalpel from his pocket, and bit the edge into his palm. The sharp bite of pain cut through the fog in his head.

His jaw clenched, breath hissed through his teeth as blood welled up. It worked. His muscles obeyed again. Cassian staggered to his feet and hauled Bathsheda up by the arm.

"Wake up, idiots!" he barked. He spun, aimed his wand at the base of the slab.

"Bombarda!" The blast cracked through the chamber. Shards of stone and heat whipped through the air, and the ground jolted beneath their boots. The spell didn't hurt the creature, but it shattered the silence. The trance broke. Around him, hands moved. Breaths sucked in. Eyes widened. Shock, panic... awareness. All crashed down on them together.

"Out!" Cassian snapped, pulling her with him toward the archway. The Hit-Wizards got out of their stupor, their wands raised back up as if they just remembered they had hands. The creature dragged chains, the slab stuttered under its weight. One of the chains snapped with a grinding, bonish crack. The room tilted, a low vibration running under their boots. A Hit-Wizard bolted left instead of right. Wrong move. One of the loose chains whipped out like a serpent. It caught him mid-run with a wet, metallic crack.

He didn't have time to scream. The chain yanked him off his feet and into the air. The creature shifted again. Its head twitched, and something like a grunt escaped its throat." Ghnn... krsss... aiin..."

"Move, now!" Cassian barked, dragging Bathsheda toward the archway. She stumbled but her feet found the stones again, her fingers digging into his coat as she came to.

"Cass..." she started, her voice hoarse.

"Ash."

"Later!" he snapped. The crimson-robed witch froze, staring at the thing.

"It's still bound..."

"Wanna bet your spleen on that? Because I don't." Cassian's wand flicked at the ceiling. Loose stone cracked free and tumbled between them and the slab, then another, blocking the path. Metals roared in the air.

"GO!" he roared. Leontis grabbed the stunned Frenchman by the collar and shoved him toward the door. The Hit-Wizards fanned out, trying to cover the group as they bolted for the archway. Shields cracked one after the other behind them. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. A Hit-Wizard skidded to a halt by the door, shouted back, "Move it!" But his leg got caught by the chains.

"Argh! Help!" He cried, but no one could help him anymore. Cassian twisted, his eyes locking with the creature. It's head wrenched in his direction, chains snapping taut as it lunged.

"Oh no, no, no." Bathsheda flicked her wand, sending a wall of golden light slamming into place. The beast's claw hit the barrier and rebounded with a metallic shriek. The impact rattled their bones. Sparks exploded off the shield. The sound alone, metal tearing, flesh grinding, sent a spike of panic down Cassian's spine. He didn't wait to see if the barrier would hold. He grabbed Bathsheda again, half-dragging, half-hauling her out of the chamber.

The heat from the creature's breath chased them, burning even through the layers of stone.

"Ssrrnakh... aiii... dohhhhnn..." They ran. One of the scholars stumbled, face white as parchment, sobbing as he tripped on loose stone. A Hit-Wizard scooped him up with a wordless grunt and kept moving. Someone retched behind him. Another screamed. A Hit-Wizard charged ahead wantonly, slammed full into the shimmer and bounced back like a man thrown from a horse. Another scholar crashed into the thin air, hands scrabbling at nothing as he slid back on his heels.

Cassian skidded to a halt a pace short of the line, catching Bathsheda's hand so she didn't launch herself face-first into the unseen wall. A Spanish scholar went down hard on his knees, fingers clawing at the packed earth.

"I... I cannot Apparate!" he shouted, voice cracking. For a heartbeat the only sound was the sharp, panicked intake of lungs as everyone crashed up against the same invisible wall. Another man spun on his heel, wild-eyed.

"Portkeys... they're not working!" His hands twisted around the battered kettle like he thought shaking it would do any good. A Greek scholar backed up so fast she nearly tripped over her own robes.

"T-there is something here." Her hand flailed out, fingers pressing against thin air. The space rippled faintly. Cassian reached out, palm flattening against the invisible wall. His fingers met resistance... soft at first, then hard as stone. Bathsheda tried next.

"It's a containment field. Woven into the stonework."

"The bloody thing sealed us in." A Hit-Wizard slammed his shoulder against the barrier. The effort was met with an audible hum, followed by a crackle of static that threw him backward onto the dirt.

"Idiot," Cassian snapped.

"You think you can shoulder-charge ancient magic? What next? Try yelling at it?" The man growled under his breath but didn't argue. The crimson-robed witch paced to the edge of the clearing, wand sweeping in careful arcs.

"It is surrounding the entire site. No weak points." Cassian crouched, running a hand over the earth where the shimmer met the ground. Dust clung to his fingers as he squinted at faint symbols burned into the soil.

"This wasn't a by-product. Someone built this. A full seal... if an idiot popped the lid, the seal would keep the monster, and the fucking idiot, contained for a while." Every eye snapped to him, accusing. A French scholar stepped forward, face pale with sweat.

"You were the one touching the slab when it stirred."

"And the runes flared when you stepped too close," muttered another, jaw clenched.

"Don't pretend you weren't part of it." Cassian stared them down, jaw tight.

"What? Didn't I tell you lot to study the thing first? But no, you had to charge in waving wands like a bunch of idiots." The crimson-robed witch didn't wait. She stepped forward, wand jabbing against his chest.

"This is your fault. You touched the slab, and that creature appeared." Cassian gave a laugh, flat and humourless.

"Oh, that is rich. You chip away at a sealed chamber, break half the runes keeping it under wraps, and now it's my fault? Brilliant deduction, Sherlock. Why don't you try using that brain before the next disaster?" Her nostrils flared.

"You were the one closest to it. The chains started straining after you touched it."

"Maybe because your handiwork loosened the last of the binding charms?" he shot back, stepping into her space until the wand grazed his coat.

"But sure, let's blame the one person who tried to stop you from cracking the lid open." More voices rose now, overlapping in blaming.

"Didn't he say we should wait?"

"Greeks were in the lead!"

"He warned us," another muttered.

"I heard him. He said to read the runes, twice." Bathsheda moved beside him. Her wand raised, daring anyone to make a move.

"Try it," she said quietly, eyes locked on the crimson-robed witch. Then Leontis stepped forward, voice strained but loud.

"Enough." They didn't stop. So he raised his voice, louder this time.

"I said stand down!" Leontis dragged a hand through his hair, eyes flicking to Cassian, then the circle.

"This was on me. Not Rosier. I gave the order to press forward. I should've listened when he warned us. Master Ji didn't send that letter lightly." Cassian didn't gloat. Just folded his arms, muttering curses under his breath. Bathsheda lowered her wand, but she didn't step away. Leontis gritted his teeth.

"We were in a rush to be first. Now we're going to be the last... if we're lucky." Cassian's voice was quieter now, but no less sharp.

"And if we aren't... we'll be a warning someone else ignores." Bathsheda's eyes fixed on the flickering barrier hemming them in.

"We can't stay out here," she said.

"It is only a matter of time before it breaks free." One of the Hit-Wizards growled.

"We need to fight. If it breaks the last chain, we take it down before it finishes us." Cassian shot him a look.

"You think that's an option? Did you see it? That thing isn't a troll you can clobber with Stunning Spells. It took half a dozen binding runes and three millennia to keep it on the slab. Your wand is not going to cut it." The man shifted uncomfortably but didn't reply. Leontis rubbed at his temple.

"There must be another way to reinforce the seals. If we can get back to the chamber..." Bathsheda was already scanning the ground, lips moving faintly as she traced her finger through the dirt.

"There might be a way to anchor a temporary ward to the containment field. Strengthen the seal just enough to hold it down."

"Can we do it?" Cassian asked, crouching beside her.

"Depends how much of the original runes are still intact." Her voice was firm, but her hand shook faintly as she drew another spiral into the dirt. Leontis hesitated.

"If we fail?" Cassian snorted.

"If we fail, it's been nice knowing you all. Shall we get on with it?" The crimson witch crossed her arms.

"What is to stop you from making it worse again?" Cassian's gaze snapped to her, cold and sharp.

"Say that again, and I will personally drag you back into that chamber as bait." Her mouth clicked shut.