𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐄

Pt 24: Boiled Billionaire

Nobody else seemed to be able to see Tiamat. Kingston felt paralyzed, and he suddenly didn't even want to set foot out of the building.

"Kingston," Griffith hissed, grabbing his good arm and bending slightly. "I told you to stay inside."

"You're not in charge of me," Kingston said bluntly. The Atlantean paused, as if thinking it over.

"I suppose you're right," he said, "but it's no excuse. You're injured badly."

"Not badly enough not to help!" Griffith looked down at him, an almost dismayed look on his face.

"This isn't a game, or one of your stories," he said quietly.

"I know," Kingston replied. Griffith sighed.

"So you understand that if you die, it's your fault," he whispered. Kingston nodded. The so-called battlefield consisted of a park behind the faux tea blend factory. So far there were no losses as the former prisoners attempted to pound down on the machines of Orion, the lunatic himself in the backlines of the robots screaming orders now that he had no remote. His face was white, his brow furrowed, and brown hair matted to his forehead with sweat. Kingston suddenly felt unsure of what to do. He stood in the doorway, feeling very small. He didn't have any means of getting into the wiring or a weapon to smash the automaton's stone-like metal chests. Orion had brought out all of his forces — the humanoid robots, the rolling ones that were built like spider crabs and even ones the librarian had never seen before.

Dryads, centaurs, fauns, minotaurs, kitsunes, changelings, fairies, and all kinds of other beings fought against the machines, either smashing them or using magic. But the creatures began to fall, pounded in the head or shot with lasers by they robots. Tiamat tilted his head, continuing to observe like a cat when suddenly Kingston caught his eye and he stared directly at him, gold eyes seeming to glare right through him. Kingston suddenly felt dizzy and ill, leaning against the doorframe as the dragon's eyes bored into him.

Come, his voice said in Kingston's head. Kingston tore his gaze away, trying to realign his scattered senses. He looked at his arm, where the wound had turned black and now had an acrid, smoke-like substance flowing out of it. Let me ease your pain. Panic mounted in his chest; his breathing growing laboured. It was over as suddenly as it had begun. He gasped for breath, and then gasped again as he saw Griffith stumbling toward the dragon.

"Don't!" he yelled, running toward him, but the Atlantean seemed barely aware of what he was doing. He fell to his knees, the same black smoke flowing from Kingston's wound leaving his chest. Clouds began to gather, huge black cumulonimbus clouds that screamed thunderstorm. They became a pillar, slowly twisting down as Griffith finally recalled the spell that had caused the Great Storm. Kingston suddenly realised that he wasn't obeying Tiamat but trying to take his magic back. Tiamat frowned, his smirk becoming a snarl.

You'll never be strong enough, he taunted. You're just a weak little amphibian that should never have left his hidey-hole. I will destroy you the way you destroyed your own kind! Griffith's face was contorted by strain, and whether it was from restraining his retort to Tiamat or exertion was hard to say. The storm seemed to be fluctuating as it descended, black against bright blue. Kingston knelt next to him, putting his arms under Griffith's and helping him struggle to his feet. Beads of sweat dripped down his brow, his pupils pinpricks in his grey eyes like distant birds trying to fly in a storm.

"You can do it," Kingston encouraged, holding him up. "You can beat him." The Atlantean shook his head slowly in defeat as the black smoke stopped flowing, Tiamat's power returned to him.

"He's right," Griffith said quietly, his voice barely a whisper. "I'm not strong enough." Kingston couldn't just let him give up, though.

"Atharian said you would be a great sorcerer," he told him. "I can tell you look up to him, and he believes in you." Griffith looked at Kingston with eyes that were a little less tired now and a little brighter. Then they grew dull again. Behind them, Kingston heard Tiamat snicker, and with a glance over his shoulder he saw that the dragon was sneering at them, as if waiting for one of them to do something dumb.

"Even if that were true, I'm not a great sorcerer right now. I can't do this," he sighed. Kingston persisted.

"Yes, you can. You don't feel like you can, but you underestimate how strong just your thoughts are. How you think about everything you do can change the outcome. I think you can do it, so it already makes one of us." Griffith set his jaw in a grim line.

"Fine," he said softly. "I'll try again." He stood up on his own, looking up at the chaos monster on the building and then at the Storm. After a moment, he held out his hands like he was receiving a gift.

"Voíthisé me na to káno aftó, giatí xéro óti den boró chorís eséna," he said. Then he made a deft, almost undetectable wave of his hands, and the Storm began to swirl again. Kingston watched as the rippling effect repeated itself, the blue light prevailing over the black magic as it returned to its original state. Griffith's face twisted slightly as he bit his lip. There was suddenly a burst of light that temporarily blinded Kingston. To his half-surprise, Griffith was still on his feet when the light faded, though he was trembling from head to foot. A small smile showed on his face as he turned around. Tiamat had disappeared. Griffith's smile suddenly disappeared as he let out a brief shout, Kingston unable to hear all of what he was saying before he was knocked to the ground, hitting his head on a stone. A ringing began buzzing in his ears as he was rolled over on his back to face his attacker.

Orion glared down at him, his lips curled back in a sneer.

"We're not done," he snarled. He moved his booted foot from Kingston's chest to his arm, pressing down hard on the open wound. "With your life on the line, the monster should be much easier to persuade to answer my questions." He put his hand in his pocket, pulling out a small gun.. Kingston began to squirm, panic rising in his chest as the muzzle got closer to his forehead when he was suddenly blanketed by a bubble of water. Orion was hit by a boiling stream of water in the face.

"My face!" he screamed, groping at his eyes. The burning water entered his mouth as he stumbled backwards and he began to gurgle, shutting his mouth. Kingston watched in horror as the man stumbled backward, finally turning his face away so he didn't have to see anymore. The bubble collapsed and he was pulled up by Griffith, who lowered the hand that had shot the spell, shaking it off so it didn't burn.

Orion, however, wasn't going to go out without taking Griffith with him. They didn't notice as he pulled his arm back, able to see enough to aim at Griffith's chest.

He threw the blade, and then collapsed, dead.