金瓶梅第2部

Tanamar tried to curb his annoyance, but it definitely showed in his voice... "Athena, take a look at its right hand."

His girlfriend leaned forward, as if she was squinting her eyes underneath her helmet... "Is that... a lizard head on its arm?"

Close enough. Old Man Harkus said that he'd built the armor suit's forearm to resemble a dragon's head.

"That..." Tanamar pointed, "is the defining characteristic of Divine Armor Orcus."

He turned to Athena, crossing his arms... "The rest of Tyrion knows it by a different name: The Oathbreaker."

"The OATHBREAKER?! Wait-wait-wait!" Athena cradled her head in her hands-- "That doesn't make any sense! Orcus is supposed to be a Champion of the Flame! AND that's the same as Tancred's gladiator name!"

Tanamar shook his head, "Orcus isn't a person. It's a title."

"[That's why I chose the name,]" An echoing voice from the massive suit of armor rumbled, powerful enough that the ground began to tremble. "[There's no one better than me to wield Father's greatest achievement.]"

The set of armor reached its arms forward... and with a blinding flash of smokeless fire, a double-bladed poleaxe appeared in its hands. Its haft looked like it was made from a bony spinal column and the full-metal blade head made it look too heavy to wield effectively.

Tanamar almost forgot to breathe, trying to place where he'd seen the weapon before.

...It was in the Halls of the Dead Serpent. It was the Snake Cult artifact that Tancred had taken before he left the Brazen Guard collective to die.

The axe.

Everything... fell... into... place.

The axe was the key to Divine Armor Orcus... and his twin brother was inside of it.

"Tancred?!" Athena shouted, "That's Tancred's voice! Tancred! What are you doing in there?!?"

"[Building a new world, Athena... one guided by the voice of the dragon,]" Tancred chuckled, his voice echoing across the courtyard, "[Maybe in your next life, you'll choose me instead of my Flamescarred brother.]"

"Um, ew?" Athena swayed her head back, "I don't think of you like that, Tancred. You're just my boyfriend's sibling."

"[Your... what?]" Tancred did not sound pleased.

"She's mine, Tancred," Tanamar stepped forward. "And I'll do my damnedest to keep her away from you--no matter which world we're in."

"You tell 'em!" Athena squealed... while shuffling not so subtly behind him.

"[Actually...]" Tancred held out a massive metal gauntlet, "[They call me The Exarch, now... The Exarch of the Dragon God.]"

"WAIT!" Athena shouted over Tanamar's shoulder, "YOU'RE the leader of the Sons of Qotal?!?? You're-- you're the one that gave them all fire powers?! TANCRED!! You're being controlled by an evil force or something!! Snap out of it!!"

"[Nope,]" Tancred shrugged. "[It's all me. Didn't you know? I'm a certified badass. That's why the Snake Cult chose me to recover the Orcus. That's why the Dragon God saw fit to give my followers gifts of ash and fire. That's why I'm the Flame-taken EXARCH!!]"

"Tancred..." Athena's voice shook... "How... could you?"

Tanamar chuckled to himself. He and Athena may have been up against one of Harkus' most powerful weapons, but its wielder-- he was absolute garbage. If Tanamar were blind and had both hands tied behind his back, he was still confident in defending both himself and Athena as they withdrew.

"Yeah, Tancred," Tanamar grinned underneath his helmet as he summoned a holy lance into his hands, "How could you?"

Once they regrouped with the other members of Sol Invictus, they'd be able to take out Divine Armor Orcus without any casualties.

"Tanamarrrr!!!" Athena blubbered, "Can you-- can you BELIEVE this?!?"

Tanamar nodded in response, glad that his woman couldn't see his expression, "Oh, I'm *devastated.*"

"Mister Tanamar," Boxy looked up at him, "I cannot tell if you are serious."

He leaned over to whisper to the wooden doll, "I'm devastated because I should have killed him sooner."

"...Oh."

Athena walked forward, icy blue mana emanating from her white armor, "So if I take care of the leader of the Sons of Qotal... the battle will be over, right?"

"Athena..."

Tanamar struggled to find the words to convince her otherwise.

The Exarch was probably the real power behind the forces defending Caeruleum... but during the strategy meeting, it was unanimously agreed that that person was not to be engaged by a single team. From all the information they'd gathered on him, it wasn't worth the risk.

That was before they knew it was Tancred, though...

Flame take it, that meant The Branded were probably all former Stormbrands, too... If Occam and the others showed up, Athena's conscience might get in the way of ending them.

...well, maybe not Occam-- but it was probably true for the others.

The worst-case scenario was Athena feeling personally responsible for Tancred's betrayal. It wouldn't make any sense. If he asked her about it, she wouldn't be able to explain her logic.

That's how Athena was. She always took the blame... with whatever logic that her brain operated on. It was something Tanamar had always known about her.

And it showed... in how she half-sprinted, half-flew towards Divine Armor Orcus.

"Flame take me," Tanamar cursed beneath his breath.

Athena leapt up, soaring twenty feet skyward with a palm raised to the smoke-filled sky, "⌈Icicle FALL!!⌋"

"[Useless!]" Tancred cackled, "[I am the chosen exarch... of ASH!!! AND!! FIRE!!]"

He slashed his giant greataxe above his head, an arc of flames melting the falling icicles before they formed fully. Bringing his weapon down, a curve of fire surged towards Tanamar like a crashing wave.

Tanamar spun his mana-charged weapon in front of him to dissipate the attack. The flames licked at him, his hands and chest becoming scalding hot, even despite his enchanted armor.

Athena was in trouble. Ice magic wasn't going to work against Tacnred's fire abilities. Though she could instill radiant mana into her attacks, her affinity with frost magic was so high that she had trouble using anything else... and that was when she was fully rested.

Tanamar had to intervene-- and quickly.

Athena landed in a kneel, pressing her palms in the ground in front of her, "⌈Frosssstttt tor-NADO!!!⌋"

Her four Arcanite blades slashed forward, kicking up a whirling cyclone, twice as tall as her metal opponent.

Tancred crossed his arms over his chest, then leapt through the rending winds and ice, "[⌈Charging Bull!⌋]"

...and he was upon her in an instant.