Guild Wars_ Ghosts of Ascalon - Matt Forbeck [119]
“You have invaded my kingdom and threatened my people,” said Adelbern, his long hair blown back by unseen breezes. “You are traitors to Ascalon and to humanity. I have found you guilty, and the verdict is death! Subjects! Carry out the—”
Adelbern did not finish his sentence, for the ground beneath their feet began to hum and shake. Slowly, one of the bones pulled loose from the others and arced out, over the nearby buildings, to the east. Then another leg bone, this one belonging to a charr. Then a skull. All of them were suddenly magnetic, pulled by some unseen force toward the east. The air was soon filled with the shards of bones, daggers, and clubs of skeletal remains forming a broad gray-white river.
“What is this?” shouted Adelbern. “What sorcery is this?”
“Kranxx,” said Dougal, kneeling down next to Riona in the shade of a toppled pillar, safe from the blows. “He said he had one more trick. He must have gotten the Golem’s Eye to work again.”
The ghosts themselves were confused as the bones sailed through them, leaving ripples in their spiritual form. Then one, then another, turned and started to chase the airborne rainbow of remains. These may have been their own bones in life, and perhaps they were incensed that they were being disturbed.
“Halt!” shouted the king at his deserting followers. “I said halt! Kill these interlopers, and then we will deal with the sorcerer.”
The was a huge thumping noise, as of a building filled with kettledrums collapsing, and Adelbern, the ghostly king of Ascalon, the Sorcerer-King who had struck fear in the hearts of the charr, turned, his face contorted in shock and awe.
Above the line of buildings behind him arose a titanic figure, humanoid at the top and serpentine at the bottom, made entirely of bones and bone fragments. It was the same shape as the tomb guardian Dougal and the others had fled, the defender of Blimm’s tomb. Except it was made of every bone in Ascalon City.
And at the back of its neck rode a small figure with a large head, gripping the bones like a rider holding on to his saddle. In his other hand he held his misshapened hat and beat the side of the creature with it.
“I got it to work!” Dougal could hear the asura’s thin voice from the height. “Praise the alchemy, I built myself a city guardian!”
“Destroy it!” shouted Adelbern. “Destroy the abomination!”
Now another serpent appeared, this one a thin blue-white one that snaked around the torso of the city guardian. This one was made entirely of ghosts, each crawling on the backs of others as it spiraled upward, trying to reach the small asura.
“Kill the little monster!” shouted the ghost king. “Kill it and take its power!”
Kranxx apparently noticed the ghosts trying climb its creature’s form and kicked his great mount hard. The serpent-bodied city guardian lurched to the left, collapsing buildings in its way and scraping off hordes of ghosts. More spirits rose in their place, and Dougal could hear the king laugh.
“You will join my kingdom!” exhorted Adelbern. “You and all the world of the living! I shall take you, and you will join my generals, and we will march on your cities and sweep them all from our path.”
“It’ll be a cold day in Rata Sum!” snapped Kranxx, and the city guardian got taller now, reaching up to the overcast clouds.
“I will command your power!” bellowed Adelbern, ghostly spittle flying from his lips.
“I’ll give you your wish!” answered Kranxx, his eyes as mad as the ghost’s. “This is for Gullik! I will send you and your minions back beneath the earth!”
And with that, the city guardian, made of all the mortal remains of the ghosts of Ascalon, lunged forward like an arcing cobra, its huge head and massive arms before it as it descended right onto Adelbern and his spire.
“Command this, bookah!” shouted Kranxx. The late king barely had time to scream.
And then the centuries-old remains of Ascalon City cascaded down onto the