Chapter 143: Tempering

A dim underground chamber. A sheet of gray-white, icy flame burned across the sinister altar. From its center rose a stone pillar carved with malevolent runes. The chains wrapped around the pillar snapped outward and coiled tight around Benson Santee's wrists and ankles, binding him to the platform. Directly in front of the altar, a wild-haired old man sat cross-legged on a stone dais, lips moving in a steady chant. Then his voice swelled. He flicked his sleeve. "Whoosh!" A ferocious skull shot...