The multi-coloured liquid bubbled in the pot, the bubbles burst at the surface adding to the general fug in the room. Soul cages hung around the room, some were empty, drained of the captured souls in the early experiments to clone the Secret of Dinorwig. The souls in the remaining cages groaned as energy surged through them, draining their life force. Tools and paraphernalia lay strewn across the bench like flotsam after a flood. A strange two-legged creature picked its way delicately through the debris. A body that looked too big to be supported by the long thin legs had two stubby wings at its side. Covered in iridescent feathers, the body supported two long necks, each topped with a pear-shaped head, one with just an eye, the other just a mouth. The creature reached the object lying on the bench, the eye looked down while the mouth turned upward.
The familiar joined Octenheimer centuries ago. At first the creature had been useful but now Octenheimer suspected that it was simply spying on him for another master. The creature spoke in a gurgling metallic voice.
“Does it work?” Octenheimer waved a hand irritably at the creature and it stalked away through the debris, before returning with a haughty walk.
“It will” replied Octenheimer, annoyed by the creatures questioning. “Now be silent, I must concentrate to complete my work.” Octenheimer bent over the key that had been recovered from Dinorwig. Next to it lay the clone he had been building, and testing. All he needed to do was complete the ritual. He began to murmur, softly at first but growing louder. As the volume of his words increased the wailing from the soul cages grew with it. Lightning began to crackle and crash outside, despite the day being sunny and warm. Chain lighting crashed between the cages and as the sound inside the laboratory rose to a crescendo energy leapt into the clone. The runes carved on the key glowed white hot before becoming a subdued cherry red. Tentatively Octenheimer reached out and picked up the clone key. It vibrated and hummed as he touched it then fell silent. He looked at the familiar and grinned madly.
“It is finished!” he said with a flourish. “It will redirect any Realmgate, but each time it’s used the power within will build, heralding a new terrifyingly brief Age. Once the power becomes too much to contain the clone will explode, unleashing ruin upon the realms the like of which has never been seen before.” Octenheimer’s eyes gleamed and he sniggered as he said this.
“Can it be disarmed?” asked the mouth with a sardonic smile. The eye swivelled towards Octenheimer and looked at him with a cruel glint. “Defusing would take more syphon energy than a single warlord could possess. Only a pure noble soul would even attempt it, and they are in short supply. The powerful can always be corrupted. You are a fool sometimes.” Octenheimer paused pointedly “They will not realise how the power is building until it is too late.” He said with a dramatic wave of his arms cackling loudly.
