The Darksteel Eye

CHAPTER 25

Glissa and Slobad sped on, the Kaldra Champion right behind them. In the far distance they could see the entrance to the blue lacuna. To their left, another mycosynth forest loomed up under the mana core.

“Never make it,” said the goblin.

“We might be able to gain some ground if we went through the monoliths,” she shouted against the wind into Slobad’s ear.

“How? Slow us, huh?”

“But they’ll slow him even more,” she said, hitching her thumb over her shoulder.

Slobad shrugged. “Okay, crazy elf.” Leaning to his left, the goblin steered their hoverer toward the mycosynth. They sped off, the Champion gaining ground fast.

The strange crystalline growth rose up before them, and the Kaldra Champion loomed behind. Mere seconds from the edge of the forest, something came out from between two monoliths, blocking their path.

“Thresher,” shouted Slobad, and he leaned hard right.

Glissa wasn’t ready for the abrupt turn, and she slipped, falling off the hoverer and rolling to a stop.

The Champion ignored Slobad, zeroing in on the fallen elf. The thresher too had its sights set on Glissa, and the two pursuers sandwiched her between.

The thresher reached her first. It leaned back, opening up like the other she had faced near the black lacuna, ready to swallow her whole and carry her off. There was nothing Glissa could do but put her hands up to protect her head.

The Kaldra Champion bent down, ready to pluck her from the ground.

The leveler stopped dead in its tracks, its deep central cavern only inches from the elf’s head. A figure stepped out from inside, her hands held high.

“Bruenna!”

The wizard shouted a single power word, the rest of her spell already spoken. Screaming lines of blue power shot from the woman’s outstretched arms like a cannon. The blast hit the Kaldra Champion in the chest and froze him in place, bent over like a question mark, only a few feet from the two women.

Glissa got to her feet. “But how-?”

Bruenna interrupted her. “We must go. This spell won’t hold him for long.”

With that, the human cast another spell.

Glissa and Bruenna lifted from the ground, gifted with the ability to fly. Slobad had circled back, but seeing the two women soar into the air, he headed for the entrance to the lacuna.

The women followed the goblin, racing as fast as they could. As they entered the blue tunnel, they heard the Kaldra Champion let out a tremendous roar.

* * * * *

At the top of the Pool of Knowledge, Bruenna turned to the other two. “You must get to the Tangle,” she said. “You will have a better chance of beating this foe on your own ground.”

“You come with us, huh?” The goblin looked up at the wizard from the hoverer.

Bruenna shook her head. “I must go help defend my tribe.”

“We help you,” said the elf.

Bruenna once again shook her head. “You have problems of your own.” She smiled. “We will meet again, I think. For now our destinies lie on different paths.”

* * * * *

Glissa and Slobad shot from Lumengrid, headed for the elf’s home. They had abandoned Pontifex’s hoverer for Bruenna’s magic, and they flew now, out over the Quicksilver Sea and onto the plain. Not far behind, the Kaldra Champion pursued, though he could not fly. Having to follow on the ground slowed his progress considerably, and the pair managed to stay ahead of their tormentor.

“Do you ever think we’ll stop being chased?” asked the goblin.

“No,” replied Glissa. “I think it’s our lot in this life. Frankly, I was bored with it long ago.” She shrugged. “But what choice do we have?”

The pair approached the Tangle.

“What’s that?” Slobad pointed at the ground.

Glissa squinted. “Trolls,” she said. “The trolls have come to our aid.”

There, arrayed before the metal forest were about twenty-five burly, wrinkled trolls, each holding what looked like the trunk of a stout tree between his hands.

Coming down to the ground, Glissa was greeted by Drooge, leaning heavily on his staff.

“You are being followed.” The old troll pointed to the Kaldra Champion, growing larger in the near distance.

“And you have come to fight,” replied Glissa, “as you said you would.”

Drooge took a deep breath and nodded sadly. “This fight has only just begun.” He laid his thick palm on her shoulder, and he smiled. “Go,” he said. “We will keep him busy until you have reached the cover of the deep Tangle.”

Looking up into his eyes, the elf said, “Come with us. If we run deep enough, he won’t be able to get us. He’s too big.”

Drooge shook his head. “The trolls’ time has come,” he said, “but you, young Glissa, have a long life ahead. You are Mirrodin’s last and only hope.” He pushed her toward the interior of the forest. “Seek out the Radix, in the deepest part of the Tangle. It is there that you will find the most power. Go now and prepare yourself. Your fight yet awaits you.”

Glissa stumbled forward, the troll’s hand on her back. “But-”

“Please,” said Drooge. “You will do your part.” He turned back to the plain where the Kaldra Champion was nearly upon them. “Now we must do ours.”

Slobad grabbed Glissa by the hand and pulled her toward the deeper woods. “Come on, huh?”

Glissa took one look back, then she turned and headed into the Tangle, Slobad at her side. They ran as fast as they could, leaping over fallen trees and skirting razor-sharp vines. Soon the reflected light from the plain disappeared from view behind, replaced by the darkness of the deep forest.

A thumping boom reverberated, and the ground shook. The sounds of battle drifted in through the jungle canopy. Images of trolls fighting the Kaldra Champion ran through Glissa’s head. She wanted to turn, make her stand with the brave forest creatures, but that was not her fate.

It seemed they had run forever, the landscape changing with each step, before they reached the great clearing in the deepest part of the forest. Here the trees just simply stopped growing. Their roots reached deep into the ground until they touched the circle. This was the Radix, marked from one end to the other with strange runes and symbols.

Glissa had come across it many times. It wasn’t a place she liked to visit. It was here that the elves went for their memory cleansing rituals. The place seemed haunted with the thoughts and minds of generations past, and all those ghosts kind of creeped her out.

Already she could hear the sound of the Kaldra Champion smashing his way into the Tangle. She knew that meant the trolls were gone, and that now only Slobad and she remained.

“What do you think we do now, huh?” asked the goblin.

Glissa pulled her sword from her belt. “We fight.”

The crashing grew louder, and Glissa could see the tops of the trees falling in the canopy.

Closing her eyes, Glissa tried to relax as she drew in mana for a spell. She could feel the magical energies of the Tangle flowing to her easily-as quick and as smooth as they had in the interior of the plane. Then she cast her spell, reaching out to all the trees and metal plants surrounding the Radix.

Green lightnings flashed over the surface of the forest clearing. Jolts of power surged over the ground, arcing between trees and plants, playing over Glissa’s fingertips, and reaching into the sky.

The metal forest came alive, shaping itself into a wall around Mirrodin’s savior. Boughs bent and stretched, weaving together. Bushes sprouted up, filling the gaps between. The thick branches formed a barrier around the circle. The leaves, vines, and thorns pushed their sharpened edges and points to the outside, becoming an imposing wall to any who neared.

Slobad padded over the newly formed hedge and climbed to the top. “I see him,” he shouted. The goblin pointed across the circle. “There.”

Glissa turned. Over the top of her barricade, she could just make out the great helm of the Kaldra Champion.

The magical construct beat his fists against it, shaking the trees and scaring a flock of birds out into the sky. Then the interior of the tangled wall began to glow blue. The vines and branches shrank, separating from each other and falling away.

A pair of glowing blue fists punched through the slowly growing hole. Fingers wrapped around branches, followed by the squealing sound of distressed metal. The Champion tore through the hole. His hands moved at a blinding speed, tearing away the Tangle, throwing bits of the woven barricade into the distance.

With another tremendous roar, the Kaldra Champion stepped through into the center of the Radix.

Glissa backed up reflexively. Glancing around, she realized the folly of creating her magical wall. Instead of keeping the Champion out, it now kept her in.

Raising her hands, she drew mana. The floor of the Radix sparked and crackled with green energies. Glissa’s feet stuck fast to the surface as mana flowed through her and out into a spell. The same trees and brush that had formed the ringing wall now reached out to entangle the Kaldra Champion. Vines wrapped themselves around him. Trees battered him from all sides, and the brush clawed the magical construct to the ground.

The creature struggled, able to tear away large bits of the forest by the handful, but it wasn’t enough. The mana continued to flow through the elf, and the Tangle rallied to her call. The Kaldra Champion was pulled to the ground and covered completely with writhing metallic brush.

Glissa shut down the flow of power, and the forest stopped moving. Every pore in her body tingled. Her head buzzed, and the sound reminded her of the humming mana core.

Before her, where the Kaldra Champion had been, a huge mound now obscured him from view. Glissa walked over to examine it. The vines were wrapped tight. The trees were firm. The brush would not let go of its captive. Nothing moved.

Looking back over her shoulder, she saw Slobad standing on top of a tree. The wall was no more, having been disassembled by Glissa’s spell. The goblin clung to a stout branch, trying not to fall off.

“I think you can climb down now.” She looked back over her shoulder, checking once again that the Champion was buried by the foliage. “He’s not going anywhere.”

A terrible tearing sound erupted. The ground shook, and Glissa lost her balance. Dropping to her knees she steadied herself. Slobad was yelling something, but she couldn’t hear it over the ripping of vines and bashing sounds of metal being pounded.

Behind her, the Kaldra Champion tore himself free of his jungle cage.

Glissa prepared to cast another spell, but she was immediately lifted from the ground. The Champion had her in his crushing grasp. Her arms were pinned to her sides, and her legs were held tight. She felt several bones in her chest give way with a pop, and a blinding pain shot through her whole body.

Then they were moving, heading into the jungle. Glissa couldn’t hardly breath, only able to take short, quick breaths without causing herself tremendous pain. Her vision began to dim, and she struggled against her captor with what strength remained. He was just too huge, too powerful, and nothing she did could make him budge.

She looked up at the avatar, his face calm, void of any triumph or emotion. He would simply carry her back to Memnarch, following the orders of his current master until he was given another. He had no concerns about the fate of Mirrodin. He couldn’t be swayed by sympathy or rhetoric. He knew only brute force and blind loyalty, and he would do whatever it took to return her to his current master. It was over. The fight had been lost.

A green flash came from nowhere, landing on the Champion’s shoulder.

Slobad!

The goblin had leaped from his treetop perch. Flopping to his belly, crowbar in hand the brave little green man began prying the Sword of Kaldra from the Champion.

Glissa’s hope swelled. If Slobad could unsummon the Champion …

The goblin attracted the Champion’s attention. The magical being swatted at Slobad. The goblin ducked, but the Champion swung again, and he was forced to scamper back, his work unfinished.

Turning his head to look down on the pest, the Champion flung a single finger at the meddling goblin, flicking Slobad off his shoulder like an elf shooing a housefly.

Glissa watched in horror as her friend flew backward into the dense Tangle. Branches broke, brush rustled, and the sound of the goblin’s body falling was followed by a small thud.

Glissa felt empty inside. She had seen so many of her friends die, why did she want to live anymore? What was left here on Mirrodin for her except pain and more death?

But then that emptiness began to fill up. Her skin tingled, and her insides burned. She glared at the Kaldra Champion with a new hatred that overtopped anything she had ever felt. This creature, this construct that she had work so hard to revive had repaid her for her gift of life by killing her two best friends-killing the only two trustworthy creatures Glissa had met on this godless ball of metal.

A wave of warm, embracing rage flooded up her spine, erasing the pain in her ribs and filling her with a new strength. She wanted to torture the Kaldra Champion, make it feel the same betrayal that she had felt, make it suffer as she had, make it pay for the deaths of Bosh and Slobad.

The Radix lit up with green fire. The inscribed runes and symbols glowed with a preternatural light, and jags of power leaped from the ground to the trees and up against the Kaldra Champion.

In that moment, Glissa felt the mana of the Tangle flow to her without her willing it. The power of the forest, the entire forest, was at her command, and she funneled it into her rage, shaping it with her anguish, focusing it with her pain into the Kaldra Champion.

Suddenly, the Radix exploded. A ball of green mana, as large as the moons of Mirrodin, burst through the ground. In a blink the plate was evaporated, and the trees for miles in each direction fell to the ground, laid low by the force of the blast.

The green lacuna had come. The new green moon shot from the ground and smashed into the Kaldra Champion. The shield, sword, and helm were all consumed in a flash of green energy. His magical fists and head dropped away, and with them Glissa too dropped to the ground into the tangled burning wreckage.