Inferno Ascended

"Alekos, take this away from me!" Fumbling around his clothes, he reached and tossed the clock to the boy. Alexandre grabbed the object in midair, a little confused. "Go! Away from me!"

"But…!"

"Saving Ras is more important, Alekos! Catching this idiot is just a matter of time!" As soon as he saw his pupil follow instructions, Glax used his power.

He felt his eyes sting and everything around him took on a flash. He knew this was a dangerous path, capable of disastrous effects and beyond his control. It would be nice if he could see all the possibilities to choose the best one, but he couldn't do that.

The most logical way was to return to Doros' action. But it was the one that demanded the most effort. Fighting directly against a human's will and determination was nearly impossible. Glax found that he, at least, was not strong enough to directly shape the decision of a man of his power. 

In fact, not even the gods could do that.

Alexander's sword fell to the ground.

Glax released the boy immediately.

The paradox of his action broke the skies, and lightning struck the toppled statue, splitting a huge chunk of carved stone. The entire floor shuddered, and Glax threw herself in front of Rasmus. Doros had reached out to take the gladius from the warrior's lap, but turned her head to see the huge sliver of stone falling upon them.

Glax could run, but he couldn't drag the injured Ras out of harm in time.

'What is this, is it really Ras' day? Not really, not today. I don't see Mors around here to sow off heroes.' The disgusted thought popped into his mind. He lifted his arm toward the boulder of about half a ton coming towards him.

'ARHHHHH! STOP!!" he summoned all his concentration to use his gift once more. 

Perhaps a typical Greek god didn't use the gift of controlling time in this way. 

But knowing that the force he manipulated, time, influenced the acceleration, could change the speed of travel and the force of impact. In this case, he slowed down the piece of stone, by a quotient good enough that everyone could safely walk away. Not having slept all the time in physics class finally proved its usefulness. All he wanted was to receive compliments from the hot teacher, but the result was better than expected.

His knees were limp and he was blinded for a long moment by the white light that radiated around him when he used his gift in such an intense way. 

Finally, feeling an enormous weariness descend on him, Glax took several steps away and heard the great boulder fall behind him with a low thud. No dramatic splinters, no dust clouds. No deaths or injuries.

Glax sat down. His head hurt a lot, and he felt something very wrong in his chest. A strange anguish and foreboding that his epic acts would also epic return against him at the least opportune moment.

"Are you okay, man?" Ras touched his shoulder.

"No." He confessed, but then turned away, darting his gaze around him. He couldn't waste time.

Glax ran after Doros. Alexandre was doing the same, but Glax spoke as the boy passed him. "Come back now and stay with Ras. NOW!"

Alexander looked back and obeyed at once. Rasmus couldn't be alone like this. 

For Glax, chasing after Doros was less of a hassle than dealing with a friend's death. The fact that he prevented this from happening was already a victory for him. As he said before, it was just a matter of TIME.

He saw his enemy had reached the tricycle and was cranking the engine as hard as he could. Glax knew Mech-Eye was an exceptional and very determined man, but that wouldn't stop him from rubbing his face on the mud.

Nah. None of that. There was nothing to admire in Doros.

After all, all the evidence of his ability to escape death and his enemies only proved that he was like a disgusting cockroach capable of many fancy escapes. But something that needed to be terminated. 

He had even less honor than GLAX!!!

What a fucking Echelian was he?! His poor krios mother...

What Mech-Eye recounted was inconclusive, and as Alexander spoke, there was something wrong with his dramatic narrative. 

But Doros himself said something that puzzled Glax. Chriseis wasn't the type to let a story about a moment of weakness, where she was a victim of a sexual assault, spread. She wouldn't have let anyone know if she could hide it. If this came to light at some point, it was because it had an undeniable basis of truth.

OH! Damn it!

A burst of eerily light near him broke his straight line toward that tin-can patched scoundrel. More cacodemons shrouded in bluish light. 

'MORS! Random opponents?! Now?!'

It was like a bad game that mixed Minesweeper with any vintage 32-bit RPG.

When Glax finished off the cacodemons, Doros was setting off with the tricycle as fast as the vehicle could. It wasn't much, but still faster than Glax's tired legs could run.

"Sonoabitch!" Glax kicked at the dust, annoyed. 

But he knew something Doros certainly was aware too.

::::::::::::::::::::::

The night seemed endless, but Glax continued his relentless search for Doros. 

He was facing the 'cooldown time' after using his power so intensely. There was nothing he could do to change that. 

With a 'bitterwood' torch that took a long time to burn, he tracked the wheels' marks until he reached the point where Doros had to abandon the vehicle. He had run out of fuel. 

The Valosian was more irritated to know that Doros was an hour ahead of him, and that he also had the Fist of Chriseis.

After finding the vehicle, Glax knew exactly what to do to get it up and running in 20 minutes. He still had the ichor capsule he always carried with his personal belongings. 

A small adaptation and instead of charcoal, a divine battery transformed the Promethean vehicle into a marvel that would take him to Doros much faster.

Glax mounted the tricycle and accelerated, feeling both triumph and bitter hatred. 

Fate, woven by Akenanthon or the Moiras, seemed to want Doros to flee. But the Valosian was going to take every chance to prevent it from happening.

Glax wondered why he was heading west. Towards the known entrance to Hades. Soul Orbs entrance only.

"Hermes, if you had only shown up as soon as I took the Fist of Chriseis… None of this would be happening right now. Where are you, dammit?!" 

He had no response. Would there be a communication problem there? Was he out of antenna range? The nonsensical thought at least eased his frustration with a bit of humor.

Then he saw strange rock formations, and in the distance, an extensive structure disappearing into the mist.

As soon as he smelled the sulfuric fumes and the horrible smell, the Valosian soon understood that he was very close to the River Leto. Also, it should be in the Macaris Bridge area.

The place that marked the history of Doros and Chriseis.

The region had weird rock formations, typical of a canyon. Boulders with strange and frightening shapes, forming pools of boiling water in some places. The ground vibrated under his feet. 

There were no soul orbs standing there. They were attracted to River Leto, which was much more powerful than any other form of attraction. 

Glax could see a few dozen meters away a luminous flux under what he knew was the river.

The discomfort of being near such a grand thing left him lost for a moment. He knew a person shouldn't get that close.

It's not like he wanted to, of course.

But now Glax knew what that bastard was up to.

Glax could see the fresh tracks of Doros's passage in the mud, and he followed the tracks gingerly. The place was labyrinthine, and despite his haste, he didn't want to be ambushed either.

He heard his enemy's intermittent cough, not far away. This gave him encouragement to proceed with less caution. Glax was uncomfortable with the place and the nauseating fumes, but not as uncomfortable as Doros.

Passing a wide boulder, Glax reached the river beach. The murmur of its fast, flowing waters reminded thousands of human voices in eternal cacophony. Screams, cries, calls, lamentations. Its black waters flowed to the east, in a way contrary to logic. 

He spotted the man emerging a few feet away from him. Doros couldn't believe it when she saw Glax there.

"Are you… are you dead?" Mech-Eye asked cautiously.

Was that the only plausible explanation?

"No, I'm just that fast."

This time Doros did not act mockingly. He was nervous. He had seen what Glax was capable of. Now he just gripped the box with one arm and held a gladius in the other hand.

Now Glax had to get to the box without letting Doros drop it straight into the River Leto!