Nezzar

Part One: Rusting Gold

"Why should I tell you?" Marduk asked. The boy's shadow lost form, seeping from the soles of his feet and spreading like spilled ink. "I infected Ziba. She is mine now!"

Algodon played a game of throw and catch with the hilt of his sword. No blade in sight. The time for violence had not yet come. Marduk continued to rail, talking nonsense and spewing curses. Algodon filtered out the noise, his focus shifting to the pendant swinging from the boy's neck. 

For the final time, Algodon caught the hilt and faced Marduk fully. Sweeping a thumb over the polished silver rim, a burning blade burst through.

Shrieks and screeches arose as the light from the blade illuminated every dark crevice. Several scouts poofed out of sight, the remaining few pressed against the wall behind them. 

The boy stiffened, fingers twitching as his face squeezed at an unnatural angle. Marduk's crazed rage was stark in his cloudy gaze.

"Of what concern is she to you?" Spittle flew with his yelled words. "You have no say here. This is not Judah or some cuddled kingdom."

Algodon gave Marduk a levelled gaze. "You wish to do this the hard way."

"I owe you no explanation or reverence!" He balled his fists at his sides. "You do not frighten me." The boy's eyes suddenly rolled to the back of his head as his body was arrested in violent throes of convulsion. His head struck the wall as he fell backward, arms twisting and eyes blinking rapidly.

Algodon swiped a hand over his face, sighing as annoyance washed over him. 

Black smoke poured from the boy's mouth, nose, and ears, collecting above him and swelling into a thick, hulking mass. Glowing red eyes blinked open in the midst of the towering churning darkness.

"You do not frighten me," Marduk repeated, voice thick and muffled. "Stay away from my business."

Algodon watched the display, expression flat and patience thin. His blade floated some inches ahead of him, illuminating his angular face and girdled white robe. "Are you done?"

Wisps of smoke curled from the mass before solidifying into twelve mangled scorpion tails, each complete with stings at their tips.

Algodon began a leisurely stroll forward, hands relaxed at his sides. "All I asked for was her location, Marduk. You did not have to give me a performance."

The tails curled, stings glowing hot red as they pulsated and trailed his movement. "You meddlesome—"

With a wave of his hand, Algodon's sword vanished.

Marduk drew back. "Where did you—"

When the illuminated sword reappeared, it sliced clean through three tails. The appendages pulverized with a hiss. Before Marduk could react, Algodon multiplied the sword, creating six more with a single thought. Then he sent the weapons ahead of him. 

The blazing blades rotated, spinning like wheels as they went after imps and Marduk himself. They tore through everything in their path, shredding with swift precision.

Marduk tried. Stings sprung up almost as quickly as they were sliced off but he was no match. In a mere moment, no imp remained. Marduk was stripped right down to his humanoid shadowed form. 

"You..." Marduk's voice was grainy and raw. "Abaddon should be the one—"

Algodon raised a hand, silencing Marduk's words. His eyes were fixed on the boy lying on the floor. "You forgot Ziba was also on an assignment. Deliberately interfering with the affairs of Babylon was foolish. Your madness must have eaten deeper than I first assumed." Algodon drew his floating swords closer, creating a burning fence around himself. When he squatted next to the boy, he stared at the ruby encased in the round iron pendant sitting upon his chest. There were bits of gold peeking through the rust.