Void Domain, Book 04 полностью

Prax weaved through the corridors. He had to physically push open several doors on his way, though none were as large and heavy as the main gate.

The hallways weren’t much to look at. Save for the red rug in the center, everything else was gray granite stone. After a few turns, Shalise was completely lost.

Every hall looked exactly the same as the one that had come before it. There were no landmarks, no swords and shields hanging from the walls, no suits of armor or statues, no tapestries or flags. There weren’t even any fiery torches lining the halls.

Thinking about it, there wasn’t any lighting at all. Prax didn’t look down enough, but she was fairly certain that her body wasn’t casting any shadows. There was just some uniform ambient light that gave the place no tasteful atmosphere at all.

Disappointing, really. Prax desperately needed to hire an interior decorator.

Or not…

Prax rounded another corner.

That hallway was everything Shalise had imagined.

Red tapestries with black horns and wings–reminiscent of Prax’s regular body–lined the walls. Flames danced atop torches placed between the tapestries, giving the room a very warm color that moved as the fire moved.

There were no suits of armor, but plenty of statues. All of them depicted Prax in his normal body fighting elves. Utterly dominating them, really. Most had been torn apart violently.

One statue had him holding the head of a fallen enemy over his wide open mouth, letting the blood drip in.

Shalise was beyond happy that the statues were made out of bronze and not something extremely realistic.

It took her a moment to realize that Prax had stopped moving and was staring at the room as much as she was. Showing off for her.

A-a bit narcissistic, don’t you think?

“This is not supposed to be here.”

Where is it supposed to be?

“Nowhere.” He walked up and shoved one of the statues off its pedestal.

Hey! Shalise thought as it fell to the ground with a loud thud. It didn’t break. The floor wasn’t even damaged. With a mental sigh, Shalise thought, they’re better than empty halls. Though they are a little tasteless, I suppose.

Prax blinked, forcing Shalise’s vision dark for an instant. When her vision returned, the statue was back on its pedestal.

And it had changed. All of them had.

Shalise felt her embarrassment shoot through the roof as Prax turned to survey the room.

Gone were the scenes of battle. Half of the statues consisted of a very nude Prax performing muscle-man flexes in different poses.

If that wasn’t embarrassing enough, the other half of the statues were Shalise in similar poses. It wasn’t even her Prax-muscled body. It was her regular body.

“What are you doing, mortal?” Prax said. He had her teeth clenched together hard enough that she was worried they might crack.

Nothing! This is your stupid domain. I don’t want any of this!

As soon as the words came out of her mind, everything vanished. The castle’s hallway returned to the single red carpet and plain gray walls.

Shalise had never been happier.

Prax, Shalise could feel, was the incarnate of rage.

“What,” he said, “did you do?”

— — —

Her bloody sword cleaved through another angel. She pressed her foot down on the golden spear laying in its grip and added its metal to her twisted armor.

Nothing had been able to pierce her armor for some time.

The demons rallied behind her unstoppable might.

The enemy was in disarray.

Routed.

All except for the judicator. She stared, unmoving save for the slowly flapping wings.

Juliana snarled. Her earth magic propelled her across the terrain. Her sword swept left and right, cutting down the retreating angels as if they were nothing more than flies.

The judicator finally made her move. With glacial power, she hefted her sword to an upright position.

And she moved.

Juliana brought her sword down to meet the upward swing of the judicator.

A demon dove at the judicator while their blades were locked. It simply exploded. Black blood splattered over Juliana.

Not a drop touched the judicator.

Juliana licked her lips, tasting some of the blood that made it through the holes in her helmet.

With renewed vengeance for her fallen comrade, Juliana kicked off the ground. Earthen spikes pinned down her opponent as Juliana’s blade came down on her head.

The ground shook, breaking down her spikes and sending dust into the air.

That didn’t stop her attack. The judicator couldn’t move in time.

Juliana’s eyes widened as her sword plunged through empty air and buried itself within the ground.

She tried to jump back.

A white-hot pain seared through her chest before she could move.

Looking down, Juliana saw the judicator’s massive blade sticking out of her armor. She hadn’t even felt it go in. It passed through like butter.